Strangers to pay respects to war hero

HUNDREDS of people are expected to attend the funeral of a British war veteran they never knew after it emerged he died with no close friends or relatives.

Harold Jellicoe Percival helped with the famous Dambusters raids during the Second World War.

He died last month aged 99 in a nursing home in the UK but had lived much of his life in Australia.

Poignantly for the ex-military man, his funeral service will be held at 11am on Armistice Day on Monday.

But Percival never married, had no children and has no close family members able to attend the service.

Those involved in organising the funeral say they have been contacted by veterans' groups and other military supporters keen to acknowledge Percival's career.

Funeral director Edmund Jacobs said: "We're hoping a few faces will turn up and show their support for a war hero.

Gangs pay blood money to avoid jail

CRIMINALS are making secret "blood money" settlements with victims and their families in a back-channel justice system designed to help them avoid jail.

Adult flu shot left boy brain damaged

A TODDLER taken to the doctor for a child's flu shot was left unable to walk or talk after being given a version of the drug banned for under fives.

"It doesn't sit well with me that somebody who has served their country can be forgotten about, that his service can go un-noted.

"I am sure he would have had a few stories to tell."

Mr Percival was one of four siblings but lived a "nomadic lifestyle" after leaving the RAF at the end of the war.

His nephew, David Worsell, said: "He was a private man, he worked in Australia for a number of years as a decorator and would visit England for holidays.

"He travelled around England with only his backpack.

"He didn't have a postal address, he just used to get everything sent to my mother's address and would go through it when they met up."

Percival was based in the north west of England and became part of the ground crew which helped with the Dambusters, the squadron which was initially formed to destroy dams in the Ruhr valley in Nazi Germany.

After working in Australia, he later retired to England.

He was a distant relative of former British prime minister Spencer Perceval, who was shot dead by a bankrupt broker, John Bellingham, as he entered the House of Commons, in 1812.

"My uncle would be very surprised at the attention this seems to have received and the number of people wanting to attend," Worsell said.

"What with him being a very private person, forming long-term relationships didn't seem to be part of his make-up.

"He didn't really speak about his military career but he perhaps wished he didn't leave the RAF at the end of the war.

"But he was a free spirit."

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Chess world championship starts

DEFENDING champion Viswanathan Anand has held Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen to a quick draw with the black pieces in the first game of their chess world championship match.

Playing in Chennai on Saturday close to where Anand was born, the 43-year-old Indian grandmaster forced Carlsen to repeat a position by chasing his opponent's queen back and forth with a knight, leading to an automatic draw after just 16 moves.

That gives Anand a slight early advantage, as he now gets the white pieces in six of the remaining 11 games.

The 22-year-old Carlsen is the biggest star in chess and the game's top-ranked player, but this is his first world championship match. Anand has held the world title since 2007 and has defended it against three previous opponents.

Gangs pay blood money to avoid jail

CRIMINALS are making secret "blood money" settlements with victims and their families in a back-channel justice system designed to help them avoid jail.

Adult flu shot left boy brain damaged

A TODDLER taken to the doctor for a child's flu shot was left unable to walk or talk after being given a version of the drug banned for under fives.

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Four charged with severing US man's penis

FOUR people are accused of torturing a California marijuana dispensary owner with a blowtorch and cutting off his penis in an attempt to force him to reveal where he had buried piles of cash in the desert.

Ryan Anthony Kevorkian, 34, and his wife Naomi Josette Kevorkian, 33, were arrested on Friday in Fresno, a day after the FBI arrested 34-year-old Hossein Nayeri in Prague in the Czech Republic.

Another man, Kyle Shirakawa Handley, 34, was arrested in October 2012.

The four have been charged with kidnapping for ransom, aggravated mayhem, torture, burglary and a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury.

Prosecutors said the victim was a prosperous medical marijuana dispensary owner who took some of his pot suppliers - including Handley - to Las Vegas last year for an extravagant weekend.

Authorities allege that after the trip, Handley told some friends that the dispensary owner was extremely wealthy and they came up with a plan to kidnap and rob him.

Gangs pay blood money to avoid jail

CRIMINALS are making secret "blood money" settlements with victims and their families in a back-channel justice system designed to help them avoid jail.

Adult flu shot left boy brain damaged

A TODDLER taken to the doctor for a child's flu shot was left unable to walk or talk after being given a version of the drug banned for under fives.

Orange County authorities contend that on October 2, 2012, Handley, Nayeri and Ryan Kevorkian went to the man's Newport Beach home, stole cash, bound and beat him and kidnapped him along with his room-mate's girlfriend, then drove them out to a desert spot in a van.

Throughout the drive, they allegedly burned the dispensary owner with a blowtorch.

At the spot where the men believed the victim had hidden money, they cut off his penis, poured bleach on him in an effort to destroy any DNA evidence and dumped him and the woman on the side of the road, authorities allege.

It is alleged the three men then drove away with the penis so it couldn't be reattached.

The man survived his injuries.

Handley pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.

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Syrian rebels launch counteroffensive

SYRIAN rebels have launched a counteroffensive in the northern city of Aleppo, recapturing a base near its international airport hours after the army had advanced into the area, activists say.

Saturday's fighting came as the main Western-backed opposition group was to begin a two-day meeting in Istanbul to decide whether they will attend a proposed peace conference the US and Russia are trying to convene in Geneva.

The Syrian National Coalition has demanded that President Bashar Assad step down in any transitional Syrian government as a condition for its going to Geneva. Syrian officials say Assad will stay in his post at least until his terms ends in 2014 and that he may run for re-election.

In Cairo, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby told reporters upon arrival from Geneva that the UN-Arab League's top envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, will hold a new meeting in early December with concerned parties to decide on a new date and the attendees of the Geneva conference.

Gangs pay blood money to avoid jail

CRIMINALS are making secret "blood money" settlements with victims and their families in a back-channel justice system designed to help them avoid jail.

Adult flu shot left boy brain damaged

A TODDLER taken to the doctor for a child's flu shot was left unable to walk or talk after being given a version of the drug banned for under fives.

"We were saddened and depressed because of the failure of the latest meetings to decide on a date and participants for the conference," Elaraby said, referring to a meeting in Geneva earlier this week that many had hoped would call for holding the talks later this month.

The League had wanted the peace conference to lead to a ceasefire and secure means to deliver humanitarian aid to Syrians, Elaraby added.

In Aleppo, rebels were able to fully recapture the military base of "Brigade 80" after government troops seized parts of it early on Friday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Aleppo Media Centre said.

The main job of "Brigade 80" was to protect the government-held Aleppo International Airport, which has been closed due to fighting for almost a year.

Rebels captured the base in February and now government troops are trying to get it back.

The Observatory said 40 rebels and more than 20 troops were killed in the latest fighting, which began Friday and continued early Saturday.

Syria's state-run news agency SANA said a rocket fired by opposition fighters hit near a health centre in Aleppo's Ashrafieh neighbourhood, killing six children and wounding six others.

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Young Aussies are most stressed out: study

AUSTRALIAN employees are suffering high levels of stress, a survey reveals.

That's not surprising. Australians overall report declining wellbeing and increasing stress, according to a state-of-the-nation survey commissioned by the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

They also have more depression and anxiety symptoms than those revealed in the 2011 and 2012 surveys.

Younger people are the most stressed and people older than 66 are coping the best, according to the online survey of 1548 people, 999 of whom are employed.

Workplace issues include a lack of feedback, unclear expectations and not feeling valued.

Employees report significantly lower levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of interest in their job compared with previous years.

Gangs pay blood money to avoid jail

CRIMINALS are making secret "blood money" settlements with victims and their families in a back-channel justice system designed to help them avoid jail.

Adult flu shot left boy brain damaged

A TODDLER taken to the doctor for a child's flu shot was left unable to walk or talk after being given a version of the drug banned for under fives.

While most employees feel physical injuries are taken seriously, only 50 per cent feel supported with mental health issues, according to the survey, released to coincide with national psychology week.

Women feel more supported by their managers than men.

This could be because men do not seek support and try to cope on their own, APS executive director Professor Lyn Littlefield says.

"Feedback should be regular and should be both formal and informal. Not just once a year at a performance review," she said.

Prof Littlefield says temporary stress can be a useful motivator, but when stress reaches a certain level it becomes problematic and people become dysfunctional.

If it continues too long it can lead to depression and anxiety.

Stress-management techniques and making changes to things that are within a person's control can help, Prof Littlefield says.

The worst thing to do is to attempt to manage it with alcohol or drugs.

"People do try to self medicate, but that does not ever solve the problem," she said.

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Germans commemorate Kristallnacht

GERMANS across the country have commemorated the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht - the night of broken glass - during which the Nazis staged a wave of attacks on Jews in Germany and Austria.

On November 9, 1938, hundreds of synagogues were burned, numerous homes and Jewish-owned stores were ransacked, some 1000 people were killed and more than 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps.

The attacks marked the beginning of the state-organised, violent persecution of Jews which ended in the murder of six million European Jews by the end of the Third Reich in 1945.

Germans in many cities and towns held candle-light vigils, listened to Jewish survivors share memories and met at Jewish cemeteries to remember the victims of Kristallnacht during Saturday's commemorations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the night of broken glass "was an event that humiliated Jews in an unbelievable way ... a real low point in German history had been reached."

Gangs pay blood money to avoid jail

CRIMINALS are making secret "blood money" settlements with victims and their families in a back-channel justice system designed to help them avoid jail.

Adult flu shot left boy brain damaged

A TODDLER taken to the doctor for a child's flu shot was left unable to walk or talk after being given a version of the drug banned for under fives.

She added, "Unfortunately, later on German history developed in an even more dramatic way which eventually ended in the Shoah" - or Holocaust. The chancellor also called on Germans to never forget the past.

Across Berlin, guided groups of residents walked through their neighbourhoods, noting sites where Jewish stores, schools and other locations once stood before being destroyed by the Nazis and their supporters.

Several Berliners came together to polish some of the city's 5000 Stolpersteine, or stumbling blocks, which identify by name individual victims of Nazis in front of their former homes.

The cobblestone-sized brass plaques are inserted on sidewalks and called stumbling blocks because one unexpectedly trips over them -figuratively speaking - while strolling through the city.

"We have organised 16 groups who are out today cleaning the stumbling blocks and we are hoping to turn this into an annual event in the future," said the coordinator of the tours, Silvija Kavcic.

Despite the many positive activities, some speakers sounded a note of caution, reminding their listeners that anti-Semitism is still a problem in Europe.

A poll of European Jews released on Friday found that more than three-quarters of those questioned believe anti-Semitism is surging in their home countries and close to one-third have considered emigrating because they don't feel safe.

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Clergy inquiry to call for reporting laws

VICTORIA'S landmark inquiry into child sex abuse by clergy is expected to demand priests and religious leaders be forced into reporting abuse allegations against their colleagues or face jail themselves.

A final report from the state's parliamentary inquiry into institutional responses to child abuse is due to be released within days.

The inquiry's report will recommend the state government create a criminal offence "for ministers of religion who fail to report physical or sexual abuse of children by other clergy", News Corp Australia says.

Clergy who don't pass on abuse allegations they have heard within their organisations "should face jail", the report recommends, according to News Corp on Saturday.

Victoria's parliamentary committee heard evidence from dozens of victims, church leaders, police officers and other officials.

Mandatory reporting laws were suggested several times during a years' worth of public hearings.

The committee's final report is expected to be tabled in parliament by November 15.

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British marine guilty of Afghan's murder

A ROYAL Marine has been convicted of murder following the execution in cold blood of an injured insurgent in Afghanistan.

A court martial board on Friday found the commando, known only as Marine A, guilty of murdering the man in Afghanistan's Helmand Province more than two years ago. Two others, known as Marines B and C, were acquitted.

The marines denied murdering the unknown captured Afghan national on or about September 15, 2011, contrary to Section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

But a seven-strong board, consisting of officers and non-commissioned officers, convicted one of the defendants following a two-week trial at the court martial centre in Bulford, Wiltshire.

Marine A shot the Afghan national in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before quoting a phrase from Shakespeare as the man convulsed and died in front of him.

"There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us," Marine A told the insurgent.

He then turned to comrades and said: "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention."

The execution was filmed by a camera mounted on the helmet of Marine B.

Marines B and C were alleged to have been "party to the killing" and "encouraged and assisted" Marine A in committing the murder but they were cleared.

Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett told Marine A the mandatory sentence prescribed by law was imprisonment for life and he was ordering a report prepared to determine the minimum term he would serve.

"In the meantime, I direct that you are to be taken into custody."

Addressing the other two defendants, the judge added: "Marine B and Marine C, you have been found not guilty of murder and you are now free to return to your normal place of duties.

He said the issue of whether to continue name suppression for the marines would be decided at a later date.

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Rickets makes a comeback in Britain

RICKETS, the childhood disease that caused an epidemic of bowed legs and curved spines during the Victorian era, is making a shocking comeback in 21st-century Britain.

Rickets results from a severe deficiency of vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. Rickets was historically considered a disease of poverty among children who toiled in factories during the Industrial Revolution.

Last month, Britain's chief medical officer Sally Davies proposed the country give free vitamins to all children under five.

Most people get vitamin D from the sun, oily fish, eggs or dairy products. Rickets largely disappeared from Britain in the 1950s, when the country embarked on mass programs to give children cod liver oil. But the number of reported cases of rickets in hospitalised children has increased from 183 cases in 1995 to 762 cases in 2011. With no official surveillance system, experts said the actual number is probably even higher.

"Children come in with bendy legs, swollen wrists and sometimes swollen ribs," said Dr Mitch Blair, an officer for health promotion at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Blair cited several reasons for the rise in rickets cases, including children spending more time playing indoors, the stringent use of sunscreen and religious beliefs that mean skin is covered.

In the US, doctors say there has also been a rise in rickets, though there are no solid national figures to confirm it.

"Kids with rickets are children who don't have exposure to safe places to play and (who) stop drinking milk as soon as they're weaned," said Dr Laura Tosi, an orthopedic surgeon in Washington, DC.

"If the vitamin D deficiency is ongoing for a long time, these kids come in with horrific bowing of the legs and I have to think about breaking the bones to straighten them," she said.

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US jobs up 204,000 in October

US employers added 204,000 jobs in October, an unexpected burst of hiring during a month in which the federal government was partially shut down for 16 days.

The US Labour Department says the unemployment rate rose to 7.3 per cent from 7.2 per cent in September, likely because furloughed federal workers were counted as unemployed. The report noted that the shutdown did not affect total jobs.

Employers also added 60,000 more jobs in the previous two months than earlier estimated.

Employers added an average of 202,000 jobs from August through October, up from 146,000 from May through July.

The percentage of Americans working or looking for work fell to a fresh 35-year low. But that figure was likely distorted by the shutdown, too.

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US consumer spending slows

US consumers slowed their spending in September, even as overall income grew at a solid pace for the second straight month.

The Commerce Department says consumer spending rose 0.2 per cent in September, after a 0.3 per cent gain the previous month.

Americans cut spending on long-lasting manufactured goods by 1.3 per cent. That partly reflected a drop in car sales.

Income rose 0.5 per cent in September, matching the August gain. The increases in both months were the strongest since February. September's gain was helped by the end of government furloughs, which had reduced federal pay in the previous two months.

The gain in income and the slowdown in spending meant consumers saved 4.9 per cent of their after-tax income, up from 4.7 per cent in August.

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Poison ruled out in Chilean poet's death

FORENSIC experts who examined the remains of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda have found no evidence he was poisoned to death during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, an official says.

"No relevant chemical agents that could be linked to Mr Neruda's death were found," said Patricio Buso, director of Chile's forensic medicine service, on Friday.

The study confirmed that prostate cancer caused Neruda's death in 1973, shortly after the military coup that brought Pinochet to power.

The Nobel laureate's remains were exhumed in April and examined by a group of Chilean and foreign forensic experts after suspicions arose he may have been poisoned.

A former driver had claimed that Neruda was given a mysterious injection in his chest hours before his death in the Santiago clinic where he was being treated for advanced prostate cancer.

"Various complementary techniques confirmed the existence of metastatic lesions disseminated in various segments of the skeleton that correspond exactly with the disease for which Mr Pablo Neruda was being treated," Bustos said.

The analysis, which was conducted at universities in Spain and the United States, found "no forensic evidence at all that would permit us to establish a medico-legal etiology of non-natural causes in the death of Mr Pablo Neruda," he said.

An active member of the Communist Party, Neruda died on September 23, 1973 and was buried by the sea in Isla Negra, on Chile's Pacific coast.

Famed for his love poems, Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.

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On-the-run terror suspect suing Britain

Obeid row led to officer suspension

JUNIOR bureaucrat was suspended after hanging up on the son of Eddie Obeid during a heated argument, ICAC inquiry hears.

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HelmetCam captures climber's fall

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Australian cities 'will be wiped out' if ice melts

FIVE major cities will be wiped out and Australia will be inundated by an inland sea the size of Ireland if the polar ice caps melt, new modelling shows.

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Tripodi supsends himself from ALP

The NSW Labor Party has accepted Joe Tripodi's voluntary suspension from the party following scrutiny from the Independent Commission Against Corruption

News

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Huntsman spider found at UK warehouse

A FEARSOME-LOOKING giant spider common in Australia has given workers at a British warehouse a fright after travelling over from Asia.

The 17-centimetre-long huntsman spider came over to East Sussex after stowing away in a shipping container packed with BMX parts in Taiwan.

It is believed to have been locked up for six weeks as the container made its way thousands of miles across the oceans before reaching the UK.

Shocked staff at Seventies BMX Distribution in St Leonards-on-Sea discovered the arachnid lurking in their delivery while unpacking the boxes.

Warehouse manager Joe Woodburn said he thought the spider was plastic at first as it wasn't moving.

"My mate saw it on the box I was holding. He froze and couldn't get his words out fast enough," Woodburn said.

"...the minute it was in the sunlight it started to warm up and it was running around and jumping up the side of the box."

RSPCA inspector Zoe Ballard was called out to deal with the animal, but admitted she was not the biggest fan of eight-legged creepy-crawlies.

"I got the call through as collection of a tarantula, but as soon as I saw it I knew it wasn't a tarantula," Ms Ballard said, adding she's been called out to collect a scorpion in the past, but has never come across a spider like it before.

"I managed to secure the spider in the container and took it to the RSPCA's wildlife centre nearby, but I must admit I was worried all the way that it would get out and escape in my van."

The spider has now been housed at Drusillas Zoo Park in Alfriston, near Eastbourne, but RSPCA inspector Tony Woodley said it does not generally pose a big threat.

"Huntsman spiders can give you a nasty bite, but they aren't likely to cause too much harm unless you suffer an allergic reaction," he said.

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US unemployment benefit applications fall

THE number of people seeking US unemployment benefits fell 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 336,000 last week, bringing applications to pre-recession levels.

The Labor Department said on Thursday that the less volatile four-week average dropped 9,250 to 348,250.

The average was elevated by the 16-day partial government shutdown and backlogs in California that occurred because of computer upgrades.

Weekly applications have fallen for four straight weeks. Applications are a proxy for layoffs.

The decline suggests companies are cutting very few workers.

Still, they are not hiring many new ones.

Falling applications are typically followed by more job gains, but hiring has slowed in recent months, rather than accelerated.

The economy added an average 143,000 jobs a month from July through September. That's down from an average of 182,000 in April through June, and 207,000 during the first three months of the year.

October's jobs report, to be released on Friday, likely will look even weaker.

Economists expect that employers added just 122,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate rose to 7.3 per cent, according to FactSet.

But much of the weakness in October's jobs report will likely reflect the temporary impact of the shutdown.

Most economists expect any spike in the jobless rate will be reversed in November.

The economy was strengthening ahead of the shutdown, the government said on Thursday in a separate report.

Growth accelerated at a 2.8 per cent annual rate in the July-September quarter, up from a 2.5 per cent rate in the April-June quarter.

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Bank of England keeps rates unchanged

THE Bank of England has decided to keep its key interest rate at a record low of 0.5 per cent as it monitors the economy's strengthening recovery.

The Monetary Policy Committee also voted on Thursday to refrain from pumping more money into the economy. The bank has so far pumped STG375 billion ($A636.83 billion) into the economy since January 2009.

The decision had been widely expected because of the bank's new "forward guidance" policy, which new Governor Mark Carney introduced this summer.

The guidance offers markets, individuals and businesses a clear steer on where interest rates will be in coming months.

Carney has indicated rates will remain low until unemployment - currently at 7.7 per cent - drops significantly to a 7 per cent threshold.

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Controversial health website launched

PRIVATE health fund nib has launched a controversial website that allows patients to rate the cost and service levels of health practitioners.

The searchable Whitecoat website is open to all Australians and lists 30,000 "extras" providers such as optometrists, dentists and chiropractors.

"Whitecoat represents a new way of connecting consumers and providers," says the fund's Rhod McKensey.

It is particularly useful for people who have moved to a new area or need a treatment for the first time.

The 13,000 comments featured so far have been collected from clients over the past 12 months and are 90 per cent positive, he says.

The fund says it has consulted widely to overcome issues and providers will be able to opt out of the ratings and comments.

But some health organisations are concerned the ratings system will be unfair and that the site breaks advertising guidelines.

The Australian Dental Association has advised members not to participate at all.

"We can't see the benefit," says vice president Dr Carmelo Bonanno.

Cost comparisons are difficult because treatments might appear the same but might involve different materials and different degrees of difficulty, he says.

"We also have concerns about breaching advertising guidelines for dentists."

The Dietitians Association of Australia is advising its members to opt out of the rating and comments section.

"A directory showing people what's available in their area is fantastic," says spokesperson Kate Di Prima, and accredited practising dietician.

But she is concerned the ratings system will reflect the subjective view of a single person and there are too many variables for valid price comparisons.

"A consumer-driven health profession that embraces choices is the future," says Chiropractors' Association of Australia CEO Andrew McNamara.

He is concerned, however, that the site complies with health profession guidelines.

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Sven lover 'sold story for STG300,000'

FORMER England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's mistress received STG300,000 ($A509,000) to sell her story to two Sunday newspapers, a UK jury has been told.

Faria Alam, 47, began an affair with Eriksson while working as a secretary at the FA and the Old Bailey has heard "first details" emerged when the News of the World hacked their phones.

After she was fired because of the relationship in September 2004, publicist Max Clifford cut a deal for the News of the World (NotW) and Mail on Sunday to give her STG150,000 each for her side of the story, the court heard.

In a statement read out in court, Alam said Eriksson started pursuing her shortly after she joined the FA in April 2003.

The affair began after he took her on dinner dates and then lunch in a private dining room in London, the court heard on Thursday.

"I was impressed - I would say in the office I was going for longer lunches. I'm not sure if they knew I was going with Sven," she said.

The court heard that Alam's phone was hacked by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire on behalf of the NotW in June 2004.

After returning that month from Euro 2004 with the England team, Eriksson told his lover that there were reporters who knew about the relationship and Alam "freaked out".

In an attempt to avoid publicity, the pair flew out to Eriksson's native Sweden, but when they arrived at his home there were reporters waiting, forcing them to stay indoors all weekend.

The story of their relationship appeared in the NotW on July 18, 2004, but Ms Alam was not named and a picture of her outside her flat in south east London did not show her face.

When the news broke, Eriksson asked her "How do you want to deal with the situation?" and she said: "I will deny it."

Despite her denials, she was fired from her job as PA to then-chief executive of the FA David Davies in September 2004 but remained in contact with Eriksson for months afterwards.

Mulcaire has already admitted phone hacking.

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Environmental crime cost world billions

OFFICIALS from Interpol and the United Nations Environmental Program are teaming up to combat environmental crime such as the killing of elephants and the theft of timber.

Achim Steiner, the UN Environmental Program's executive director, says some 500 experts from around the world are meeting in Nairobi this week to try to arrest "a rapidly escalating environmental crime wave".

The groups say internationally co-ordinated enforcement efforts must be stepped up to prevent wildlife and timber cartels from escaping law enforcement efforts by shifting operations from one region to another.

UNEP says that global syndicates behind the poaching of animals, the illegal shipping of toxic waste and the cutting down of the world's forests steal tens of billions of dollars from communities around the world every year.

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Raffaele Sollecito back in court in Italy

RAFFAELE Sollecito, the former Italian boyfriend of US student Amanda Knox, has pleaded his innocence before a court, insisting he's been the victim of a "big mistake".

Sollecito and Knox are suspected of murdering British student Meredit Kercher, six years ago. They were found guilty in a first ruling in 2009 and acquitted on appeal two years later, but that verdict was invalidated in March and a retrial was ordered.

"These accusations against me ... against us, are absurd," Sollecito said on Wednesday.

"I humbly ask you to look at the reality of all this story and to consider the big mistake that was made and to give me the possibility ... to have a life, because at the moment I do not have a real life," he added.

It was the first time the 29-year-old appeared in court since the new appeal trial started in Florence, central Italy, on September 30.

He made a spontaneous declaration, meaning that he was not subjected to cross-questioning.

At the end of his remarks, Sollecito almost broke into tears.

The courtroom was packed, with people in the public gallery forced to stand. Many took out their mobile phones to photograph Sollecito, who did not speak to journalists.

Knox, who is back in her home town of Seattle, has declined to return to Italy for the trial.

The Florence appeals court could deliver its verdict on January 10, Italian media reports say, based on the latest schedule for hearings announced by presiding judge Alessandro Nencini.

In case of a conviction, Knox and Sollecito would still be able to file another appeal, and if eventually confirmed guilty, Knox would not go to prison unless US authorities agreed to extradite her.

Kercher died aged 21. She was found on November 2, 2007, half-naked and with multiple stab wounds, in the apartment she was sharing with Knox in the central Italian university town of Perugia, along with two other female students.

At the time, Sollecito was "one week away" from graduating in computer studies and was experiencing "his first true love story" with Knox, he said in court.

Wednesday's hearing also discussed forensic tests from the presumed murder weapon, a kitchen knife that was seized from Sollecito's flat. Police found DNA traces attributable to Knox, but not to Sollecito or Kercher.

Giulia Buongiorno, a lawyer for Sollecito, insisted that the DNA results pointed to the innocence of the defendants. She said it was normal for the knife to have traces of Knox, since she likely used it while cooking at her former boyfriend's.

Forensic tests on the knife also ruled out a DNA match with Rudy Guede, the only person in the case who has so far been proven guilty.

In 2010, he was jailed for 16 years for murder and sexual assault, but in their ruling judges concluded that he did not act alone.

Guede, who was born in the Ivory Coast but was raised in Italy, was convicted after a bloodied fingerprint on Kercher's pillow was found to be his. There were also traces of his DNA on the victim's body and the toilet paper in the bathroom.

Sollecito said he never met Guede, and dismissed as absurd suggestions that Kercher was killed following a "racy group sex game", as suggested by Italy's top appeal court when it ordered a retrial.

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Roo and dingo paintings to stay in Britain

Australia has lost its attempt to secure the first non-indigenous paintings of a kangaroo and dingo. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA has lost out to the British in a tussle to purchase the first non-indigenous paintings of a kangaroo and dingo, made after Captain James Cook's voyage on the Endeavour.

London's National Maritime Museum has secured the 18th century works by George Stubbs following a public fundraising campaign and a STG1.5 million ($A2.55 million) donation from shipping magnate Eyal Ofer.

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) had been trying to acquire Kongouro from New Holland and a companion painting, Portrait of a Large Dog, for more than 40 years.

The paintings were commissioned by Joseph Banks who accompanied Cook on his 1768 voyage to Australia and made sketches of the then-unknown specimens.

It was from these sketches and the skins of animals that Stubbs made his iconic paintings of a kangaroo and a dingo back in the UK.

The works were sold in late 2012 to a buyer outside Britain but in January the UK government put a temporary export ban in place stating the works were "so closely connected with our history and national life".

Sir David Attenborough supported the maritime museum's fundraising efforts and was thrilled to hear of its success.

"Exciting news that these two pictures, so important in the history of zoological discovery, are to remain where they were commissioned and painted," he said in a statement.

In mid-August the NGA stated it remained committed to acquiring the two iconic paintings made in 1772.

"The two Stubbs paintings remain central to the history of both Australian art and our colonisation," director Ron Radford said at the time.

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Greenhouse gas levels hit record high: WMO

THE latest data from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) shows the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached record levels last year.

The UN's specialist weather agency on Wednesday said the warming effect on the climate caused by heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere had increased by a third between 1990 and 2012.

Carbon dioxide, mainly from fossil fuel-related emissions, accounted for 80 per cent of that increase, though spikes in methane and nitrous oxide concentrations also played a part.

The agency also found the atmospheric carbon dioxide grew more quickly last year than its average increase over the past ten years, showing an accelerating trend.

Limiting the impacts of global warming would require sustained cuts to greenhouse gases, and the time for action was now, the WMO said in its latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

CSIRO's Dr Pep Canadell said the WMO findings were further evidence of the unprecedented and relentless human impact on the planet.

"The new trends in atmospheric greenhouse gases are the definitive proof of... the fact that current efforts to address climate change are not enough to stabilise the climate system," he said in a statement.

It comes after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that concentrations of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere had hit levels not seen in at least 800,000 years.

The IPCC fifth assessment, handed down in September, warned that failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions would lead to dangerously high rises in global temperatures by the end of the century.

Since the start of the industrial era, the global average concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by around 40 per cent, methane by 160 per cent and nitrous oxide by 20 per cent.

Both methane and nitrous oxide are considerably more harmful to the atmosphere that carbon dioxide.

The WMO said because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, the impacts of climate change would persist for centuries, even if emissions ceased today.

The WMO snapshot reports on concentrations, or what remains in the atmosphere after natural processes, not emissions, or what is released.

Only about half of the CO2 emitted by human activities remains in the atmosphere, with the rest being absorbed in the biosphere and in the oceans.

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US court to hear evidence in Aussie murder

ONE of the US teenagers accused of the drive-by shooting of Australian baseball player Chris Lane will appear in court in Oklahoma for a preliminary hearing.

Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, allegedly told police Lane was randomly selected and murdered in August because he and two other boys were bored.

New evidence from the investigation into the murder is expected to be revealed at Jones' hearing.

Lane, 22, from Melbourne, was a member of an Oklahoma college baseball team and was jogging along a residential street when he suffered a fatal gun shot in the back.

Jones, the alleged driver, is being prosecuted as an adult.

He faces a charge of accessory after the fact of murder in the first degree and a count of use of vehicle in the discharge of weapon.

His preliminary hearing will begin in Duncan's Stephens County District Court about 7am AEDT on Thursday.

James Edwards Jr, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, and Chancey Luna, 16, face first-degree murder charges.

Edwards Jr and Luna will face a preliminary hearing later this month.

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Damascus bombing kills eight

A BOMB has exploded in a central district of Damascus, killing at least eight people.

Official news agency SANA says the bomb detonated at the entrance of a building near central Hijaz square at midday on Wednesday.

Eight people were killed and at least 50 were wounded in the blast, it added.

It quoted unmanned officials as blaming "terrorists" for the attack, a term used by President Bashar al-Assad's government to refer to the rebels fighting to overthrow him.

In a similar incident southeast of the capital, state-run Al Ikhbariya TV said an explosion went off in the city of Sweidah, causing a number of casualties. It did not give a number. If confirmed, it would be the first attack targeting a predominantly Druse city.

Syria's civil war has taken increasingly sectarian overtones in the past year as predominantly Sunni Muslim rebels fight a government dominated largely by Alawites, a sect of Shi'ite Islam to which Assad belongs. Syria's Christians have been targeted in previous attacks because Sunni rebels perceive them as siding with Assad.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attacks.

Rebels fighting to topple Assad have frequently targeted Damascus with bombs.

Armed opposition fighters tied to al-Qaeda have previously claimed bombings of government and security institutions in the capital and beyond.

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Volcanic eruption displaces 1300 villagers

ABOUT 1300 villagers living at the foot of Mount Sinabung in Sumatra have been evacuated after an eruption, the National Disaster Management Agency said.

Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Sunday four villages situated within three kilometres of the volcano were evacuated.

"Tremors are still occurring and thick black clouds are still being spewed," he said by phone.

Authorities have raised the volcano status to the second-highest level.

Mount Sinabung had been dormant for 400 years before it erupted on August 2010. There are nearly 130 active volcanoes across the Indonesian archipelago.

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LAX gunman planned to kill many agents

Los Angeles International Airport is returning to normal operations after a gunman sparked chaos. Source: AAP

THE gunman who allegedly killed a security officer at Los Angeles airport carried a note saying he planned to murder "multiple" agents, prosecutors said as they announced charges against him.

A prosecutor told how Paul Ciancia allegedly opened fire at "point-blank range" on Gerardo Hernandez, the first Transportation Security Administration agent killed since the office was created following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The dead officer's widow, meanwhile, said she was "truly devastated" by his death.

"He was a joyful person, always smiling and took pride in his duty to the American public," Ana Hernandez said.

Ciancia, who used a Smith & Wesson assault rifle and a large stock of ammunition in the attack, faces a possible death penalty on charges of murdering a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport.

The gun rampage on Friday triggered chaos at LA International Airport (LAX), disrupting more than 1500 flights. The airport only fully reopened more than 24 hours later.

Describing how the shooting started, a prosecutor said Ciancia pulled a ".223-calibre M and P-15 assault rifle out of his bag and fired multiple rounds at point-blank range" at Hernandez, 39.

The shots wounded the unarmed TSA officer but did not kill him. The 23-year-old gunman, dressed in black and wearing a bullet-proof vest, then went up a nearby escalator and came back down to "shoot the wounded officer again," US attorney Andre Birotte said.

Ciancia then proceeded further into the terminal, shooting four more people, including two other TSA officers, before being detained following a gunfight with airport police.

The alleged gunman, who remains in hospital and has not yet answered questions from investigators, carried a note in his bag indicating that "he targeted especially TSA officers," for whom he felt "anger and malice".

The handwritten note showed he "made a conscious decision to kill multiple TSA employees", said David Bowdich, the head of the FBI's Los Angeles office.

"In the note that was handwritten by the defendant, that was signed by the defendant, we found a statement where he made a conscious decision to kill multiple TSA employees," Bowdich said.

"He addressed them at one point in the letter, and stated that he wanted to 'instil fear into their traitorous (sic) minds'."

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Ciancia had a lot of ammunition when he was arrested.

During the shooting spree, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Ciancia approached a number of people cowering in the terminal and pointed his gun at them, asking if they "were TSA", according to the Los Angeles Times.

If they answered "no" he moved on, the Times reported, citing witnesses who said he cursed the TSA repeatedly.

While officials have not released details about the suspect's condition, the Times said he was hospitalised in a critical condition after being shot in the head and leg.

The FBI said Ciancia was a Los Angeles resident who was originally from the eastern state of New Jersey.

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Hawkesbury blaze under control

FIREFIGHTERS are expected to work through the night to mop up a bushfire that threatened about 50 properties at Lower Portland near the Hawkesbury River on Sunday afternoon.

More than 100 firefighters worked to quell the blaze, which reportedly crossed the river at one point, while six aircraft water-bombed the fire zone.

The fire was eventually brought under control around 7.30pm (AEDT) as cooler conditions had an impact.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes and no damage to property was reported.

A watch and act warning is now in place.

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Southern Highlands bushfire under control

A BUSHFIRE that threatened rural properties in the Southern Highlands is now under control.

An emergency warning was issued for a fire at Alpine, between the Hume Highway and the Old Hume Highway, at about 5.30pm (AEDT).

The fire was brought under control after about two hours and downgraded to a watch and act warning.

Sweltering conditions and strong winds fanned several blazes across the state on Sunday, until a cool change arrived in the late afternoon.

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Huge WWII bomb forces mass evacuation

MORE than 20,000 people are being evacuated from their homes in the west German city of Dortmund as authorities prepare to defuse a massive bomb left over from World War II.

The 1800-kilogram bomb was discovered after experts analysed old aerial photographs while searching for unexploded ordnance dropped by Allied aircraft over Germany's industrial Ruhr region.

City authorities said Sunday they expect the operation to defuse the bomb to be completed by about 3:30pm (0030 AEDT).

While unexploded WWII-era bombs are regularly discovered in Germany, they are rarely as big as this one.

A similar bomb find two years ago prompted the evacuation of some 45,000 people in the city of Koblenz along the Rhine river.

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Rural cancer more likely to kill: study

RURAL cancer patients are more likely to die than those in urban areas, according to a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Although the overall risk of cancer death decreased by one per cent from 2001 to 2010, the study shows the decrease was almost twice as high in metropolitan areas compared with rural and regional areas.

Some of the biggest disparities are for melanoma and cancers of the lung, prostate, oesophagus and colon.

The authors, led by Dr Michael Coory of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, suggest a lack of investment in strategic planning is part of the reason.

They say enough is known about the causes to start evaluating possible solutions.

These include more accommodation support for patients who need to travel to metropolitan centres, virtual multidisciplinary teams and fly-in, fly-out services.

The authors point out, however, that research to guide service planning and budget decisions is not as prestigious as laboratory and clinical research for treatments and cures.

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