Man dies after climbing onto Vic train

A man who was reportedly naked has died after climbing onto the roof of a Melbourne train. Source: AAP

A NAKED man has died after climbing on the roof of a Melbourne train.

THE man was a passenger on the train and climbed onto its roof as it approached the Balaclava station platform on Friday afternoon.

There are media reports the man was naked and was electrocuted while walking on the roof.Police say they are yet to determine the exact cause of the man's death."The possibility of misadventure may form part of the investigation," a police statement said.The man is believed to be aged in his 20s but has yet to be formally identified.It took some time for emergency services to reach the man as they had to wait for the area to be deemed safe.

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'Liquid pot' probed for WA law breach

THE West Australian attorney-general has ordered the Department of Commerce to investigate whether a breath-freshener that markets itself as "liquid marijuana" has broken consumer protection laws.

LIBERAL backbencher Phil Edman gave the product to the attorney-general's office after he bought it from a Rockingham surf shop in his electorate.

It was Mr Edman's latest attempt to shine the spotlight on the availability of synthetic drugs in WA.Mr Edman said while the product did not contain any marijuana it was "morally corrupt" because it told impressionable young children it was okay to do drugs.He said the product was sold at childrens' eyeline.The packaging claimed you could get high at class and was so discreet you could "use it in front of your mum", Mr Edman said."Why would you want ... this sort of liquid marijuana being displayed in front of a cash register at a surf store?," Mr Edman told AAP."There's nothing stopping an eight-year-old boy buying this "get high" spray."It's sending a message to our children that it's okay to be high and that's not the message we want."Mr Edman said synthetic drugs were a scourge on the WA community and had been told some cannabinoids were just as bad or worse than methamphetamines."I've got parents sending me emails that their nine-year-old girls are addicted to this s***."Australian Sex Party leader Fiona Patten said Mr Edman was creating an unjustified fear in the public over the "innocent breath-freshener" in order to further his political campaign of being tough on drugs."Politicians are stooping to new lows in their war on drugs and half the claims they make about synthetic cannabinoids are simply untrue," Ms Patten said.The WA government is currently seeking to ban an additional 33 synthetic drugs."(Premier Colin) Barnett's new laws are being framed in such a way that they will actually ban novelty goods like the 'Liquid Marijuana' breath freshener that claims to get you high after doing a headstand and spinning around on the spot," Ms Patten said.

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Vic premier expects tough election fight

AFTER facing a confidence-denting opinion poll, Victorian Premier Denis Napthine predicts the state's upcoming election will be a tough, hard-fought battle.

A POLL published this week predicted a 16-seat defeat for the Liberal-National coalition, which holds a one seat majority following the suspension of rogue independent MP Geoff Shaw.

Dr Napthine told the federal Liberal council in Melbourne that he expected a difficult campaign."It will be a tough, hard-fought election," Dr Napthine said on Friday."It will be a real test of our resolve and our commitment to work together as a team."The Age/Nielsen poll shows Labor now has a commanding 59 per cent to 41 per cent lead over the coalition in two-party preferred terms based on voters' intended preference allocations.The government's primary vote has also taken a hit, falling from 41 per cent to 37 per cent, with Labor attracting 42 per cent of voters and the Greens on 14 per cent.Dr Napthine called on his party colleagues to support the re-election campaign."We would appreciate all the support of the great Liberal family across Australia," he said.Dr Napthine said the coalition had proved to be good economic managers of the state's finances.He said the Labor party's decisions on the Wonthaggi desalination plant and ending the poker machine monopoly were still costing Victorians money.

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Harbour Bridge lanes reopen, traffic heavy

ALL lanes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge have reopened, but city traffic remains heavy.

TWO northbound lanes on the bridge were briefly shut on Friday evening after a small fire broke out near train tracks on the deck of the bridge.

All lanes are now open, but traffic remains extremely heavy and is queued back to the Anzac Bridge.The Transport Management Centre says traffic in the Sydney CBD is also very heavy, so motorists should allow plenty of extra travel time and expect significant delays.

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ASIC says it's 'fighting greed with fear'

ASIC has defended its policing of the financial industry, saying it has limited resources. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S corporate watchdog says policing the finance industry is a battle of fear versus greed, as it responds to a critical report into its handling of dishonest activity by Commonwealth Bank financial advisers.

BUT the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has not endorsed a call for a royal commission into the bank scandal, with ASIC chairman Greg Medcraft questioning whether the money for such an inquiry could be better spent.

A senate committee report has called for a royal commission to investigate the Commonwealth Bank's financial planning arm after fraudulent activity by advisers caused thousands of investors to lose their savings.Unethical dealings by advisers between 2006 and 2010, including forging client signatures and acting without client authority, were brought to ASIC's attention by whistleblowers but the regulator took more than a year to act.The report found ASIC seemed to miss or ignore signs of corporate wrongdoing and was a "timid, hesitant regulator".The senate committee also investigated predatory lending practices by brokers and financial advisers in Australia between 2002 and 2010, and found shortcomings in ASIC's ability to warn consumers of risks.Mr Medcraft today said ASIC had made changes to its processes as a result of the committee investigation but defended his organisation, saying it did what it could with its current resources"Our job is to do the best with the resources and powers we have," he said."We have 30 staff looking to monitor over 40,000 financial planners."We need, at the end of the day, for consumers to take care when they're dealing with a financial planner and secondly we need those that are licensees to make sure that they supervise the financial planners that come under them."Mr Medcraft said he was not afraid to take on big financial institutions in cases of wrongdoing but pointed to a need for heftier penalties to frighten businesses into complying with the law."As a former investment banker unfortunately it's fear versus greed and if you're going to have an effective financial system you've got to make it very clear to those that breach the law ... that the penalties will be absolutely severe and that we will pursue them," he said."The more that you can lift the fear, suppress the greed, you end up with a stronger financial system."Mr Medcraft said current civil penalties were inadequate, with most not indexed to inflation and "20 years old".He said establishing a royal commission was a matter for the federal government but, asked if resources for a commission could be better spent augmenting ASIC, he said: "that's a very good question."We've already spent nearly a million in resources on this senate inquiry," he said.ASIC is currently facing a 12 per cent reduction in its staff and its budget as a result of cuts in the federal budget.

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Blood test could alert to breast cancer

A blood test could offer many women an early warning of breast cancer. Source: AAP

A SIMPLE blood test could offer many women an early warning of breast cancer even if they do not inherit genes linked to the disease.

SCIENTISTS have identified a molecular "switch" in blood samples that increases a woman's chances of having breast cancer.

The marker is associated with the BRCA1 breast cancer gene, but was also found in women without the mutation who went on to develop the disease.Around 10 per cent of breast cancers are caused by BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene variants inherited from parents, leaving 90 per cent of cases unexplained.A woman with the BRCA1 gene has an 85 per cent risk of developing breast cancer, leading some carriers to take the drastic step of breast removal.But until now there has been no reliable way of predicting the likelihood of non-inherited breast cancer.The "switch" discovered by scientists is part of the process by which certain molecules acting on DNA cause genes to be turned on or off.Lead researcher Professor Martin Widschwendter, from University College London, said: "We identified an epigenetic signature in women with a mutated BRCA1 gene that was linked to increased cancer risk and lower survival rates."Surprisingly, we found the same signature in large cohorts of women without the BRCA1 mutation and it was able to predict breast cancer risk several years before diagnosis."The data is encouraging since it shows the potential of a blood-based epigenetic test to identify breast cancer risk in women without known predisposing genetic mutations."Dr Matthew Lam, senior research officer at the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, described the findings as "definitely promising".He added: "This could mean that in the future a woman may be able to have a simple blood test to look for this DNA signature, and therefore know if she is at a higher risk of developing breast cancer."If she does have this signature, she could then work with her doctor to explore the options available to help her take control of her own risk."These could include lifestyle changes, tailored breast screening, risk-reducing drugs or surgery."What proportion of women at increased risk of breast cancer have the epigenetic marker is unknown.The scientists analysed blood sample DNA from 119 postmenopausal women who went on to develop breast cancer over a period of up to 12 years, and 122 who remained cancer-free.Their results appear in the online journal Genome Medicine.

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Sales of US existing homes up 4.9 percent

SALES of previously owned US homes in May posted the best monthly gain in nearly three years, providing hope that housing is beginning to regain momentum lost over the past year.

THE National Association of Realtors said on Monday sales of existing homes increased 4.9 per cent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million homes.

The monthly gain was the fastest since August 2011 but even with the increase sales are still 5 per cent below the pace in May 2013.Sales have been dampened by last year's rise in mortgage rates from historic lows and various other factors including tight supplies and tougher lending standards.The median price of a home sold in May was $US213,400 ($A230,890), up 5.1 per cent from a year ago.

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Vic 'palm reader' jailed for assaults

A VICTORIAN man who used an offer to read women's palms as a ruse to sexually assault them while travelling on a train has been jailed for at least 10 months.

AJAY Chopra, 41, had pleaded guilty to all five charges relating to the assaults on five women over a three month period in 2011.

The Bendigo man targeted young women who were travelling alone on the Melbourne to Bendigo V/Line train, with each crime starting with an offer to tell their fortune."All of this was a ruse and what you were attempting to do was either to put their hand in your crotch area, or put your hand in their crotch area," Victorian County Court Judge Gerard Mullaly said.Jailing Chopra for 21 months, Judge Mullaly said his actions were shameful and dishonourable."The fact they were conducted on public transport adds to the unfortunate sense of fear that women have that public transport is not safe," he said."This fear is corrosive and impacts on women's rights to go about their lives freely."Prosecutor Neil Hutton said once Chopra had hold of a woman's hands he would resist any efforts by them to pull away.In one case, he held his hand under a woman's dress. In another, he held his victim's hand against his penis."She could feel the man's erect penis on the back of her hand," Mr Hutton said."This activity happened for most of the trip to Bendigo, where he got off the train."He turned and said `have a nice life` as he did so."Another incident was cut short - with Chopra moving to a different carriage - after the woman managed to make a mobile phone call.Defence lawyer Mark Hird tendered to the court character references which he said showed Chopra was a gentle person and the incidents were completely out of character.He said his client had entered an early plea of guilty to all charges - three counts of indecent assault, and two counts of attempted indecent assault."They are clearly quite serious offences ... and it is conceded they were carried out in circumstances of coercion," Mr Hird said.Chopra, who was supported in the court by his wife, was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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Salvos sorry for abuse 'greatest failure'

The Salvation Army will again give evidence at the child sex abuse royal commission in Sydney. Source: AAP

THE Salvation Army says it is profoundly sorry for the abuse suffered by children in its care, and events revealed by the royal commission into child sexual abuse represent the greatest failure in its history.

HOWEVER, the organisation maintains sexual abuse was not widespread after the commission heard evidence of more than 100 cases of children suffering horrendous abuse in homes run by the Salvation Army in Queensland and NSW in the 1960s and 1970s.

As the royal commission moved to finalise its investigation into the church on Monday, counsel for the Salvation Army, Kate Eastman, challenged a statement from counsel assisting the commission that sexual abuse was "widespread" at boys' homes it ran.In an apology to survivors, Ms Eastman read a statement from the Salvation Army saying the organisation was "profoundly sorry for failing to care for you as you deserved, for the neglect, hurt, abuse and deprivation of human rights that all children are entitled to".Ms Eastman said the church "acknowledges that this is the greatest failure in its history in Australia".She said that in the 113 years from 1883 to 1996, the Salvation Army had 17,831 children in its care across four homes in NSW and Queensland and there had been 157 claims of abuse from children in that time.She said 115 of those children were from boys' homes and of 23 perpetrators identified, 19 were Salvation Army officers."We don't for one moment seek to diminish or oversimplify or justify by historical circumstances but we do submit that the total number of claims against the total number of children reflects a relatively small number of children reporting sexual abuse during their time at the home," Ms Eastman said.Counsel assisting the commission Simeon Beckett said the number of children abused in Salvation Army homes would never be known because many had not come forward or had not been able to speak out.The commission heard evidence from survivors of extreme sexual and physical abuse meted out by Salvation Army workers at homes in Indooroopilly and Riverview in Queensland, and Bexley and Goulburn in NSW.Hearings held in January and February heard evidence that the Salvation Army failed to investigate complaints that its staff were abusing boys and did not refer matters to police.Boys who did report abuse to officials were punished and many did not report abuse for fear they would not be believed and would suffer further punishment.Ms Eastman also revealed the Salvation Army has dismissed an officer accused of abusing children in the 1970s.John McIver was suspended by the Salvation Army in February after allegations he sexually abused two boys in a NSW home in the 1960s and 1970s, and whipped a boy with a strap and dislocated his arm during a beating at a home in Queensland in 1975.On Monday the commission heard McIver had been dismissed from the organisation in June and matters had been referred to police.The commission will now prepare its report into the events that occurred at Salvation Army homes in the 1960s and 1970s, and into separate events of alleged abuse that have occurred since 1993.

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Labor, coalition in cost of living battle

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will personally reintroduce a bill to axe the carbon tax. Source: AAP

LABOR and the coalition have traded blows over cost-of-living pressures as the government reintroduced its carbon tax repeal bills.

THE government is adamant the repeal will improve the cost of living for average families by $550 a year and drive down electricity bills.

But Labor has seized on new economic modelling which shows budget changes to welfare and seniors payments will erode family budgets by thousands of dollars each year.Prime Minister Tony Abbott intends to have the carbon tax repeal bills passed through the lower house this week, in time for a special four-day sitting of the new Senate from July 7.The government is quietly confident of securing six out of eight crossbench votes, including three Palmer United Party senators, to pass its legislation.PUP leader Clive Palmer will outline at a media conference in Canberra on Wednesday night what it will take for his senators to back the bills."He will be fully transparent on Wednesday," his spokesman told AAP.Mr Palmer also has concerns about pension cuts and the Medicare co-payment which he says will cost pensioners $2500 a year.Environment Minister Greg Hunt on Monday seized on statements by energy retailers AGL, Origin and Energy Australia that prices would come down once the carbon tax was abolished."AGL today confirmed that price reductions will flow through to residential and small business customers if the carbon repeal legislation is passed by the federal parliament," the company said, adding the cuts would start from July 1 regardless of when the laws passed.Mr Hunt said all six new senators had gone to an election promising to get rid of the carbon tax."All of the signs are that they will fulfil their commitment," he said.Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in parliament referred to new modelling showing a couple on a single income of $65,000 with two children would be $1700 worse off in 2014/15 and short-changed by $6300 in 2017/18."Why should Australian families have to pay for the prime minister's dishonesty?" he asked Mr Abbott in parliament.Mr Abbott told parliament Labor's family payments were unaffordable, but the government was still providing a generous system while getting the budget back under control.Meanwhile, defeated Labor leadership contender Anthony Albanese rejected reports he has been privately critical of Mr Shorten's handling of strategy, policy, communications and internal party reform."Bill has done a good job of holding the government to account," Mr Albanese said.Mr Albanese later told parliament the media reports were "absurd, wrong, without any attribution, unprofessional and contradicted by cursory examination of the facts and recent history".

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Peter Greste jailed for 7 years in Egypt

Tony Abbott has lobbied Egypt's new president for the release of journalist Peter Greste (pic). Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN journalist Peter Greste and his Al Jazeera colleagues accused of aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood have been jailed for seven years in Egypt.

GRESTE and two other reporters working for Qatar-based Al-Jazeera English were among 20 defendants in a trial that has triggered international outrage amid fears of growing media restrictions in Egypt.

Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, the authorities have been incensed by the Qatari network's coverage of their deadly crackdown on his supporters.They consider Al Jazeera as the voice of Qatar, and accuse Doha of backing Morsi's Brotherhood.Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed were tried with 17 others on charges of "spreading false news" and having Brotherhood links.The three have already been detained for nearly six months, along with six others.Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he spoke to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi over the weekend."I assured him - as a former journalist myself - that Peter Greste would have been reporting the Muslim Brotherhood, not supporting the Muslim Brotherhood," Mr Abbott earlier told the Seven Network on Monday.Mr Abbott said the president understood Australia's position."I made my point. I made it as clearly as I could," he saidThe talks between the two leaders follow similar lobbying by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who spoke with her recently appointed Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri over the weekend.In Canberra, parliamentarians made a bipartisan plea for Greste's release.Greste's two brothers were in court for Monday's ruling.Al Jazeera says only nine of the 20 defendants are on its staff, including two foreign reporters who are abroad.A Dutch journalist, who is not working with the channel, is also among the defendants.Sixteen are Egyptians accused of belonging to the Brotherhood, which the military-installed government designated a "terrorist organisation" in December.The four foreigners are also alleged to have collaborated with and assisted their Egyptian co-defendants by providing media material, as well as editing and broadcasting it.Prosecutors demanded the maximum penalty for all defendants.The 16 Egyptians could be jailed for 25 years, while the foreigners could get 15 years, their lawyers say.A Greste family spokesperson said an appeal would be considered."A number of contingencies have been put in place because we had to consider this option," Heidi Ross told the ABC."I'm not really at liberty to discuss them, they need to be gone through privately by the family."Different things have different implications for Peter."It's going to take a couple of days of sitting down and going through again all of the stuff for real this time, rather than just speculating and then to decide which tactic to take."An appeal is certainly on that list."

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Swiss urge hikers to look for artefacts

SWISS scientists are urging mountain climbers and hikers to keep an eye out for lost items in melting ice patches lost hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

A PROJECT run by a Swiss cultural institute in the canton of Graubuenden aims to gather artefacts trapped long ago in glaciers that are now turning up with more frequency due to a warming planet.

The project encourages people to turn over things like wood or clothing they might run across in eastern Switzerland where the Swiss National Park is located.In recent years mountaineers have found everything from goat skin leggings in the Swiss Alps to a corpse in the melting ice of South Tyrol, each about 5000 years old.

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Perth Zoo orangutan has Kidman fetish

Perth Zoo's alpha male orangutan reportedly has a fetish for actress Nicole Kidman. Source: AAP

PERTH Zoo's alpha male orangutan has a fetish for redheads - and he doesn't draw the line at his own species.

HSING Hsing, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Saturday, has a harem of in-house girlfriends but his roving eye means he is always on the lookout for attractive flame-haired females among the humans who come to see him.

Not only have keepers noticed he stares at such visitors, he's also ripped out pictures of Nicole Kidman from magazines put in his enclosure.Usually, the orangutans toss the paper around but Hsing Hsing pulls out photos of the Hollywood superstar to keep.Primate supervisor Holly Thompson says it's a case of "close enough" when the 95kg diabetic ape sees redheads like Kidman, who share 97 per cent of his DNA."He's definitely interested - it's amazing," Ms Thompson told AAP."He understands that he's attracted to a lovely redhead female orangutan and then he sees a lovely redhead in a magazine and goes, 'oh yeah, close enough - Nicole Kidman, I'm going to rip that page out and put it to one side'."Hsing Hsing demonstrates other behaviours rarely seen in orangutans. He'll share his food with his best friend Utama, a 35-year-old female orangutan with whom he has a purely platonic relationship.Ms Thompson said the sharing was touching as orangutans are highly food-motivated."Because he's a diabetic, we need to know what food he's having. If he misses some, we supplement it with some more, and so Utama knows how to work him."Ms Thompson, who has travelled to Indonesia to witness the destruction of orangutan habitat for palm oil, rubber and acacia plantations, says the plight of the orangutans is probably worse than imagined.While surveys of their night nests suggest as few as 6000 remain in the wild, orangutans often build several nests each day so these numbers may be inflated, she said.

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Qld premier coy on chief justice pick

QUEENSLAND'S premier has held his first media conference in five days, but was coy when questioned about his government's controversial selection of Tim Carmody as the state's new chief justice.

SINCE Campbell Newman last stood before reporters, Judge Carmody's controversial addition to the Supreme Court has been approved by the state's governor.

Judge Carmody's meteoric rise has divided the judiciary, with critics arguing he's too inexperienced and too close to the government.But Mr Newman has declined to offer any new comment on the appointment of Judge Carmody, even though Court of Appeal justice John Muir has joined senior legal figures in slamming the appointment process."Go back to what I've said when I announced it about a week and a half ago," Mr Newman told reporters on the Sunshine Coast."You've got my comments."Late last week, Governor Penelope Wensley issued writs for the July 19 Stafford by-election, where the ruling Liberal National Party is considered the underdog despite its seven per cent margin.Asked why the media wasn't invited to that event, Mr Newman pointed to his June 5 speech to parliament."The announcement was made in parliament, look at the record," Mr Newman said, adding media weren't usually invited for by-election declarations."I've held many press conferences since I made the announcement in parliament."Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk accused the premier of hiding from voters during the past week, with Mr Newman's last media conference on Tuesday in Mount Isa."The premier has been in hiding now for over a week, afraid to front the music, afraid to talk to people in this state," she told reporters in Brisbane.The premier was on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday holding a community cabinet in Maroochydore, which is also in Clive Palmer's federal seat of Fairfax.A cabinet meeting is being held in the same beachside suburb on Monday.It would come three days after Mr Palmer lodged a defamation writ against Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney in the Supreme Court, after he alleged on the ABC that the mining tycoon had sought special favours for his Waratah Coal interests in the Galilee Basin in 2012.Mr Palmer is also suing Mr Newman for defamation after the premier claimed that he tried to "buy" the Queensland government.

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Newman says ALP wrong on TAFE fee rises

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says TAFE is being re-focused so it meets the needs of employers. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S premier has accused the opposition of playing Nostradamus over TAFE fee increases.

LITERACY and numeracy fees for disability pensioners have risen from $140 to $800 while tuition fees for a diploma in marketing have increased from $2400 to $6000, Labor says.

It predicts that fees will go up even more as previously subsidised courses incur full fees and a new Queensland Training Assets Management Authority makes TAFE campuses pay full commercial rent.But the Liberal National government insists there is no link between course costs and infrastructure arrangements.Premier Campbell Newman said hefty TAFE fee increases would be unlikely when asked about Labor's predictions."It's interesting to see they're playing Nostradamus," he told reporters on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday."I don't believe that's the case."TAFE is being re-focused so it meets the needs of employers so we create jobs."Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the government had a secret agenda, after Labor uncovered leaked TAFE documents which say "costs could increase again for the start" of the first semester in 2015.They are answers to student questions and comments such as, "Are costs likely to increase next year?" and "I feel ripped off"."We've now heard of secret plans where TAFE fees are going to be skyrocketing in this state," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters.Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek insists fees aren't actually rising, with a spokeswoman explaining in a background statement to AAP that subsidies were being reduced to some courses that didn't align with skills shortage areas.

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GG visits Ord irrigation scheme

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove has toured the Ord irrigation scheme near Kununurra. Source: AAP

GOVERNOR-GENERAL Sir Peter Cosgrove is hoping to shine a light on economic opportunities in agriculture and progress being made on indigenous issues during a tour of northern Australia.

SIR Peter said the second phase of the Ord irrigation scheme near Kununurra was beginning to come to fruition, largely due to Chinese investment.

"It's now possible to see, not just its future potential, but its present importance," he told reporters after a tour of the Ord Stage Two Development on Sunday."I hope that all the negotiations for the Ord River project phase two can continue and we can see waving fields of sugar, sorghum and other crops in this beautifully irrigated part of Australia."He said the area around Kununurra in north Western Australia could produce life saving food for international markets.Sir Peter is half way through a five day tour of the Northern Territory and north Western Australia, taking in the towns of Katherine, Kununurra and Wyndham as well as remote areas."I shine a light. I turn up to places where there is wonderful endeavour and it may not necessarily be solely economic, it might be more on social development or amenity for younger Australians," he said."Or it might be to watch indigenous Australians who, whilst acknowledging that there is a gap to be closed, are working hard with specific programs to enhance indigenous health and to extend life expectation, to reduce infant illnesses and keep kids in school."After planting a tree with Girl Guides and chatting to volunteers on Sunday morning he said regional communities such as Kununurra had a strong volunteering spirit."What I like about rural and regional Australia, the more remote in some ways the better, is you'll see the strength and interaction of communities," he said."In towns in rural and regional Australia you see the interaction up close."Sir Peter, also visited the Kimberley squadron of the Australian army's Norforce reserve unit."I've got a special place, I always will have a special place in my heart for people who put their country's uniform on. Military, navy, army and airforce, but police, SES, anybody who provides a sense of service before self who takes on burdens that are inconvenient and stressful and sometimes hazardous to help other people."However, Sir Peter, who was commander of defence forces when Australia deployed troops to Iraq 11 years ago, declined to comment on how he felt about a fresh batch of troops being sent to Baghdad."On those sort of issues which are contemporary I would say that's a matter for the government."Defence has sent a small unit of Australian Defence Force personnel to Baghdad to bolster security at the Australian embassy.In coming days Sir Peter will visit the TFS Sandalwood plantations, indigenous groups, schools and attend a football training session at the Clontarf Foundation, of which he is patron.

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Abbott seeks al-Sisi talks over Greste

Julie Bishop says the government is lobbying in Egypt for the release of journalist Peter Greste. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott is attempting to contact Egypt's new president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to lobby for the release of Australian journalist Peter Greste.

GRESTE will learn his fate on Monday, when an Egyptian court issues its verdict in the case that's sparked international outrage.

Greste and two other reporters working for Qatar-based Al Jazeera English news network were arrested in December, and put on trial for spreading false news and supporting former prime minister Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.If convicted, the Australian journalist faces at least 15 years in jail.Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she had spoken overnight with recently appointed Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri, and the prime minister was seeking similar contact with President al-Sisi."Our prime minister rang the interim president and I know he is seeking to make contact with the new president, President al-Sisi," Ms Bishop told ABC Television."So we are making representations at every level in the Egyptian government with a view to ensuring Peter Greste is home as soon as possible."

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Refugee drowns in Nauru

A REFUGEE who was resettled in Nauru after being sent to the Australian immigration detention centre there has drowned along with a Nauruan citizen who attempted a rescue.

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement on Sunday evening he had been informed of the two deaths and extended his sympathies to the families and friends of both.

"We understand from initial reports that the first deceased person was a private resident of Nauru, on a Nauruan refugee visa, and was accidentally drowned," the minister said.He said the person was not a resident at the offshore processing centre.A spokesman for the minister confirmed to AAP that the refugee had been in the centre before being resettled in the Nauruan community.Mr Morrison said it was understood that a Nauruan citizen also died after attempting to rescue the first person.He said another Nauruan citizen was receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the attempted rescue."This is a matter for the government of Nauru as it pertains to an incident involving a resident and citizens of their own country that occurred within their jurisdiction," the minister said.He said Nauruan police were investigating the matter, which would become the subject of a coronial inquiry.

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