Iggy Azalea falls off stage during US show

IGGY Azalea has tumbled off the stage during an MTV Video Music Awards benefit concert.

THERE is no immediate word if the Australian rapper was injured.

Azalea fell off the stage on Friday night while performing her hit Fancy at The Avalon in Los Angeles.Security guards quickly pulled Azalea back onto the stage, and she barely missed a beat as Charli XCX joined her for the chart-topping single.Afterward Azalea told the crowd she felt "very blessed" that she did not break her legs.She appeared unharmed and in good spirits, even posting a video of the fall on Instagram.Azalea wrote in the caption: "I know I laughed."Neither Azalea's representatives nor MTV immediately responded to emails seeking comment.Tori Kelly and Sam Smith also performed at the event benefiting Lifebeat - Music Fights HIV/AIDS.Azalea is up for seven awards at the VMAs airing live on August 24.

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NSW fisherman's death prompts safety plea

RESCUERS are pleading for rock fishers to wear lifejackets and heed weather warnings, after a man died at a notorious spot on Sydney's northern beaches.

THREE fishermen - none of whom knew each other - were swept into a wave pool at the base of a North Curl Curl cliff about 10.30am on Saturday.

A NSW Police spokeswoman has told AAP that two of the men began CPR on the third man, 42, and assisted him until paramedics and a Westpac Lifesaver rescue helicopter arrived, but the man could not be saved.It is believed the man was not wearing a lifejacket when he went into the water, though it's not known if this contributed to his death.Paramedics say he suffered a cardiac arrest.The tragedy is the latest in a string of recent accidents involving rock fishers along the NSW coast, and has prompted pleas from Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopters chief executive Stephen Leahy for anglers to stay safe."Right along that area is notorious for rock fishing accidents," he told AAP of the northern beaches stretch where the 42-year-old died."It's a fantastic sport, a very enjoyable, relaxing sport, but there are risks ..."Lifejackets, without any shadow of a doubt, will continue to save lives if only rock fishermen wore them."He has also reminded anglers to pay attention to weather warnings published by the Bureau of Meteorology and local surf lifesaving clubs.There were no dangerous surf warnings on Saturday as the wave height and energy were below thresholds, the Bureau's Jake Phillips has told Fairfax Media."But there are local rips and currents, which can be dangerous at any time," he said."If you are planning to rock fish, check the forecasts."Just last week, a 60-year-old fisherman was killed when he was swept off rocks while fishing at Kiama's Blow Hole Point.

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Mum speaks after Sydney party brawl

A teenager is in a critical condition after being stabbed outside a party in Sydney's west. Source: AAP

A SYDNEY mum whose teenager's birthday celebrations became the scene of a brutal stabbing has told how she tried to keep scores of gatecrashers out.

RIOT police and the dog squad descended on an oval in Merrylands in the city's west on Friday night after a large brawl broke out.

A birthday party was being held at a nearby hall.Inspector Adam Phillips said a 17-year-old boy was stabbed in the chest during the melee, which involved up to 60 males.A police officer was hit on the arm with a bottle while trying to break up the fight, and was treated in hospital.The mother who organised the party has told Channel 10 she urgently tried to wind the party down when carloads of youths armed with knives showed up."They came up to the gate, I told him to leave and basically he just told me to eff off, and he grabbed onto the fence and just started screaming stuff," the woman told the network."So I dialled triple-0 and rang the police."The hurt teenager is now fighting for life in Westmead Hospital as police try to identify his attacker.Insp Phillips said it was not yet known whether the victim was a welcome guest."We are not quite sure whether in fact the victim was a gatecrasher or a person that was invited to that party," he told reporters at the scene on Saturday.Investigators were yet to identify the weapon used on the youth, a NSW Police spokeswoman said on Saturday evening.Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.

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Budget back in emergency, Cormann says

Tony Abbott says the budget must be passed and the government will negotiate it through parliament. Source: AAP

AFTER declaring a budget emergency last year, the government this week declared the budget situation normal but now Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says it's back to an emergency.

LABOR deputy leader Tanya Plibersek retorted that the government couldn't keep their story straight for a day.

With parliament sitting again this week, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the budget must be passed and the government will "carefully, courteously, patiently" negotiate outstanding measures through the senate.On Tuesday, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann appeared to distance himself from the government's previous insistence the budget was in crisis."Situation normal really," he said.Come Saturday, the message changed. He denied urgency had gone from the budget, which remained in the bad shape Labor left it."We are facing a budget emergency as a country, we are facing a very challenging fiscal situation but the government is dealing with it ... through the normal processes of the parliament," he told Sky News.Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said Senator Cormann had returned to the old script."This was the same minister who earlier in the week was claiming that it was mission accomplished and that the government had plenty of time to get its key budget measures through the Senate," he said in a statement.Mr Abbott acknowledged the government had achieved much of what it wanted.He said not all news from federal parliament was "difficult and vexed" and about half the budget measures had passed.The largest saving of some $7 billion from reducing growth of the foreign aid budget had passed as part of the appropriation bills.What the government doesn't have is a series of more controversial revenue raising and cost-cutting measures, including the GP co-payment, return to fuel indexation and reduced pension indexation.The government needs to win support from cross-bench senators for these to pass against the opposition of Labor and Greens senators."Like other governments before us, we will carefully, courteously, patiently negotiate the rest of our budget through the parliament," Mr Abbott said.He said this had to be done and would be done, as failure to act now meant tougher decisions would be needed later.Even those measures won't cover the cost of the new initiatives including the paid parental leave scheme ($7 billion a year by 2024-25) and National Disability Insurance Scheme ($26 billion a year), a new report from the Parliamentary Budget Office says.This report says a sustained period of growth in government spending over the past 10 years has probably lifted community expectations of what the government could provide."It is difficult to see how governments could continue to meet these expectations while containing spending growth to the level currently projected," the report states.

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Thailand seeks surrogacy transitional plan

Adam Garcia smartens up his act

WITH his good looks, Adam Garcia never goes unnoticed but his strong performance in next month's ABC political thriller The Code will put him on the "serious actor" map.

Nat Bass ramps up cringe factor

WHEN did Natalie Bassingthwaighte morph from sex bomb into screaming teenager? Something goes very wrong when she takes her seat on The X Factor set.

Put these celebs to the TV torture test

CHANNEL 10 is in talks with British television production giant ITV Studios to produce an Australian version of hit reality show franchise I'm A Celebrity Get Me Outta Here.

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Iceland raises aviation volcano alert

ICELAND has raised its aviation alert for the restless Bardarbunga volcano to red, indicating that some type of an eruption was either imminent or in progress.

THOUSANDS of small earthquakes have rattled the volcano deep beneath Iceland's Vatnajokull glacier in the last week, with activity picking up on Saturday after a lull the day before. The red alert is the highest warning on the country's five-point scale.

Scientists had planned to fly over the glacier later on Saturday to look for changes on the surface but it was not clear if that would still take place.Earlier this week authorities had evacuated several hundred people from highlands north of the Vatnajokull glacier as a precaution. The area is uninhabited but popular with hikers.A 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul volcano produced an ash cloud that caused a week of international aviation chaos, with more than 100,000 flights cancelled.Aviation regulators since have reformed policies about flying through ash, so a new eruption would be unlikely to cause that much disruption.Seismologists say magma is moving under the glacier but so far has travelled horizontally at a depth of five to 10 kilometres. The volcano will erupt if the magma rises and melts the ice above.US Met Office volcanologist Melissa Pfeffer said the amount of ash produced would depend on the thickness of the ice."The thicker the ice, the more water there is, the more explosive it will be and the more ash-rich the eruption will be," she said.Iceland sits on a volcanic hot spot in the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge and eruptions have occurred frequently, triggered when the Earth's plates move and when magma from deep underground pushes its way to the surface.

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Drunk passenger strapped to seat by crew

A DRUNK air passenger was tied down by cabin crew after he allegedly tried to bite other passengers and ripped clothing off two crew members on a flight from Melbourne to New Delhi, a news report says.

THE pilot of the Air India flight first requested a diversion to Singapore to offload the unruly Indian man, the Times of India reported on Friday.

When it became clear the diversion would take several hours, cabin crew tied the suspect to his seat using ropes and wires, the report said.He was handed over to security after arrival in the Indian capital."Indian carriers have witnessed scores of such acts either by inebriated passengers or other perfectly fine people who suddenly acted strange," a senior pilot told the newspaper, saying such unruly flyers posed a risk.It was fine to punish them strictly back on the ground, but "the critical issue is keeping them in check when the plane is in air," he said.Another pilot questioned Indian airlines' leniency with drinks."Foreign airlines are very strict," he said."Try asking for a third or fourth drink on any western airline and the crew will firmly warn that you will be reported on arrival if you ask for more."

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Khan's party quits Pakistan parliament

THE party of Pakistan's famed cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who has led a week of anti-government protests in the capital, has resigned from parliament in its latest bid to drive Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from power over alleged election fraud.

THE move on Friday came a day after parliament presented a united front against Khan, with opposition parties backing a resolution rejecting his calls for Sharif's resignation as unconstitutional despite the presence of thousands of protesters just outside.

Khan and popular cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have led twin protests over the past week calling on Sharif to step down.Thousands of their supporters have gathered in the heart of Islamabad, in the so-called Red Zone housing government buildings. They accuse Sharif of rigging the May 2013 election, which brought him to power in the first democratic transition in Pakistan's history.The election also saw Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party win 34 seats in the 342-member National Assembly, making it the third largest bloc in the lower house of parliament.Khan and Qadri have called for electoral reforms and the appointment of a caretaker government to hold a new vote. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party has said it is willing to discuss all of their demands except for the prime minister's resignation.In recent days Khan had issued a series of ultimatums calling on Sharif to step down, and at times it seemed his protesters might besiege parliament or enter the premier's nearby office.But on Friday he appeared to have backed down."We resigned from the National Assembly as we believe that the elections were not transparent," Arif Alvi, a politician from Khan's party, told reporters.Sadiqul Farooq, a spokesman for the ruling party, said there was no threat to the government, which retains the support of a 190-member majority.

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Malaysia lays its MH17 dead to rest

The bodies of 20 victims from the MH17 tragedy are on their way back to Malaysia from Amsterdam. Source: AAP

MILLIONS of black-clad Malaysians have fallen silent in tribute to 43 of their fellow citizens killed in the MH17 disaster as the first remains were brought home and laid to rest amid deep sorrow and anger.

PEOPLE across the country of 28 million observed a minute's silence on Friday at 10.55am (1255 AEST), shortly after a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747 aircraft landed with the remains of 20 people killed when MH17 was blasted from the sky by a suspected surface-to-air missile over Ukraine.

Five weeks after the July 17 tragedy, the coffins and urns were conveyed to white hearses in a solemn ceremony presided over by Malaysia's King Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and Prime Minister Najib Razak at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.Muslim-majority Malaysia had declared a day of national mourning, with flags at half-mast, and business, sport, entertainment and other events cancelled or toned down.Residents of the capital Kuala Lumpur overwhelmingly donned black, with many Muslim women in flowing black robes and Islamic headscarves, as state television aired recitations from the Koran and photos of the dead."No words can express the sense of loss in seeing the bodies return, my prayers are with the victims and families of #MH17," Najib said on his Twitter feed.Dozens of Malaysia Airlines cabin crew and pilots, wearing their uniforms and holding Malaysian flags and white flowers, held an emotional vigil near the airport ceremony, some weeping, others praying for their lost colleagues.Shazly, 40, a flight steward who gave only his first name, citing a company request regarding contact with the media, mourned for Nur Shazana Mohamed Salleh, 31, who joined the airline with him in the same 2004 recruitment class."She was a very jovial girl. She loved her job very much. She was very close with all her friends," he said."Life has to go on, even though it's very difficult for us to accept what has happened to our airline. They are our friends."Some wore T-shirts bearing their colleagues' names and the Arabic phrase for "See you in Paradise". Fifteen crew were aboard.Friday's remains included Ariza Ghazalee, 46, and her son Muhammad Afif, 18, part of an entire family of six wiped out in the disaster.It was a far different homecoming than what they had planned - the family was repatriating to Malaysia after three years abroad, and Ariza's final Facebook post had said, "Starting our new migration. Praise God."The special flight arrived from Amsterdam, where bodies have been taken for identification by Dutch authorities investigating the tragedy.All 298 on board Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight MH17 were killed, including 193 Dutch nationals and 38 Australian nationals and residents.The West accuses Russian-backed separatists of shooting down the plane, while Moscow blames Ukraine.The remains were conveyed onward to their hometowns for memorials in mosques, churches and temples - reflecting Malaysia's multi-ethnic make-up.Many were quickly laid to rest amid grief and anger."Their loved ones can no longer hold them. Their bodies came back in boxes," an angry Abdul Rahman Nordin, a friend of Nur Shazana's family, said at a funeral for her and MH17 First Officer Ahmad Hakimi Hanapi outside Kuala Lumpur."Justice must be served. If courts find that the plane was shot down intentionally, then those responsible must be punished with the death sentence," he said.MH17 has compounded Malaysian grief over the troubling and still-unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 just four months earlier.It vanished on March 8 with 239 people aboard after inexplicably deviating from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing path.It is believed to have gone down in the Indian Ocean but no trace has been found and the cause remains unknown.With tears welling in her eyes, a former Malaysia Airlines flight attendant who declined to give her name said MH17 was "different from MH370 - at least now we have them back home.""(Justice) is the only hope we have now - that justice is done, for all airlines," she said at a separate funeral outside the capital for her former colleague, flight attendant Dora Shahila Kassim."Justice will prevail one day. That is not up to us."The government says 30 Malaysian MH17 passengers and crew have been identified. Further remains will return in coming days.Malaysia's active social media saw an outpouring of sorrow, with many users expressing hope that Friday's homecoming could help bring closure for both disasters."Welcome home #MH17, and please come back to us #MH370," read one posting.

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Former CEO pleads guilty to fraud

Wran's drug past laid bare

A DRUG dealer who claims to be an ex-boyfriend and former housemate of Harriet Wran has told of her tragic descent into drugs.

Cronulla ASADA saga far from finished

THE Cronulla saga is as far from over with revelations that WADA is set to exercise its right to intervene in the ASADA doping sanctions.

Tripodi backed Tinkler to 'get a job'

CORRUPT former Labor powerbroker Joe Tripodi may have helped mining magnate Nathan Tinkler secure a $1 billion coal loader project up hoping to get a job, the ICAC heard.

Out in two months for ASIO threats

AN Islamic extremist who threatened to slit the throat of an ASIO officer will be out of jail in two months after escaping a maximum sentence of seven years.

How Amethyst became Iggy

THE fresh-faced 16-year-old poses shyly for the camera at her Year 10 school formal as her young date, barely filling his smart dark suit, wraps an arm around her waist.

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Deere to lay off about 460 in Iowa

AGRICULTURAL equipment maker Deere is laying off about 460 employees indefinitely from an Iowa tractor factory as it continues to adjust to market demand.

THE Moline, Illinois, company said on Friday the latest round of layoffs will be effective on October 20. Deere said last week that it would lay off more than 600 employees at four Midwest factories that make harvesting and other agricultural equipment due to slumping demand.

Deere & Co is the world's biggest farm equipment supplier and employs about 67,000 people globally.It said earlier this month that it planned to reduce agricultural equipment production for the remainder of the year.

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Interpol investigates Japanese baby-maker

INTERPOL says it has launched a multinational investigation into what Thailand has dubbed the "Baby Factory" case: a 24-year-old Japanese businessman who has 16 surrogate babies and an alleged desire to father hundreds more.

POLICE raided a Bangkok apartment earlier this month and found nine babies and nine nannies living in a few unfurnished rooms filled with baby bottles, bouncy chairs, play pens and nappies. They have since identified Mitsutoki Shigeta as the father of those babies - and seven others.

"What I can tell you so far is that I've never seen a case like this," said Thailand's Interpol director, police Major General Apichart Suribunya."We are trying to understand what kind of person makes this many babies."Apichart said on Friday that regional Interpol offices in Japan, Cambodia, Hong Kong and India have been asked to probe Shigeta's background, beginning last week. Police say he appears to have registered businesses or apartments in those countries and has frequently travelled there."We are looking into two motives. One is human trafficking and the other is exploitation of children," said Thai police Lieutenant General Kokiat Wongvorachart, Thailand's lead investigator in the case.He said Shigeta made 41 trips to Thailand since 2010. On many occasions he travelled to nearby Cambodia, where he brought four of his babies.Shigeta has not been charged with any crime. He is trying to get his children back - the 12 in Thailand are being cared for by social services - and he has proven through DNA samples sent from Japan that he is their biological father. He quickly left Thailand after the August 5 raid and has said through a lawyer that he simply wanted a large family and has the means to support it.Kokiat said Shigeta hired 11 Thai surrogate mothers to carry his children, including four sets of twins. Police have not determined the biological mothers, Kokiat said.The founder of a multinational fertility clinic that provided Shigeta with two surrogate mothers said she warned Interpol about him even before the first baby was born in June 2013."As soon as they got pregnant he requested more. He said he wanted 10 to 15 babies a year, and that he wanted to continue the baby-making process until he's dead," said Mariam Kukunashvili, founder of the New Life clinic, which is based in Thailand and six other countries.He also inquired about equipment to freeze his sperm to have sufficient supply when he's older, she said in a telephone interview from Mexico.As for Shigeta's motives, Kukunashvili said he told the clinic's manager that "he wanted to win elections and could use his big family for voting," and that "the best thing I can do for the world is to leave many children."Shigeta's activities drew no attention until early this month, when an Australian couple was accused of abandoning a baby with his Thai surrogate mother - but taking his twin sister - after learning the boy had Down syndrome.Though the couple disputes the allegation, the case prompted a crackdown by Thai authorities on what had been a largely unregulated industry.

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Aust, Indonesia to discuss terror threat

FEDERAL Justice Minister Michael Keenan will seek to regenerate the close working relationship with Indonesia on counter-terrorism that grew out of the Bali bombings.

THE minister visits Indonesia on Wednesday as both nations confront the emerging threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) recruiting and radicalising citizens.

It comes also as both countries heal a diplomatic rift that could have diminished intelligence co-operation at this vital time.There are reports as many as 150 Australians have joined the ISIL cause, and while Indonesia estimates around 60 of its citizens are involved, it's believed the real number could be closer to 200.Mr Keenan will visit the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation (JCLEC) in Semarang, central Java, on Wednesday.He will pay tribute to the Australian and Indonesian police who responded after shared tragedies such as the MH17 crash and the terror attack at the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 2004.September 9 marks 10 years since that bombing, which claimed 11 Indonesian lives and injured more than 200 others.At an event to mark a decade of the JCLEC, the minister will flag the importance of co-operation on the new danger of nationals fighting in Iraq and Syria."I think both countries acknowledge that much work remains to be done - the threat we all now face is growing, both in terms of size and complexity."Australia and Indonesia established the JCLEC in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombings to strengthen counter-terror co-operation. It was established in 2004.Although bilateral co-operation on security was officially frozen in November - after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono learned of Australian efforts to spy on him - the neighbours have acted on the threat of ISIL in unison.Dr Yudhoyono this month declared a ban on Indonesians supporting the group, also known as ISIS and Islamic State.A day later, Prime Minister Tony Abbott proposed beefed-up terror laws.SBY's move came after Bali bombing mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir pledged an oath to ISIS from his jail cell.A new code of conduct, sought by Indonesia to restore intelligence co-operation, has been completed and is expected to be signed before the end of the month.FACTS ON THE JAKARTA CENTRE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT CO-OPERATION:- The centre was established by the Indonesian and Australian governments in February 2004- It has trained more than 16,000 participants from more than 70 countries- JCLEC co-ordinates a range of training programs on transnational crimes, with counter-terrorism the priority- The Australian Federal Police and Indonesia National Police jointly manage the centre- The additional countries contributing to funding include Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Britain and the US.

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Tassal hooks 23 per cent profit rise

Focusing on domestic markets has delivered salmon farmer Tassal 23 per cent profit growth. Source: AAP

SALMON farmer Tassal has overcome drops in fish supplies, caused by hot weather, to lift profit 23 per cent to $41.6 million.

THE company achieved the healthy result by focusing on local markets, where it was getting stronger returns per kilo, despite the reduced fish supply.

"From an operating perspective, although Tassal sold less fish over 2014, favourable market returns were achieved, together with improved operational efficiencies that reduced the cost of bringing fish to market," chief executive Mark Ryan said.Tassal had become more efficient by using improved breeding programs, logistics, packaging and feed conversion ratios, he said."In addition, Tassal's marketing campaign has been instrumental in building brand awareness and driving sales via increased domestic consumption per capita," Mr Ryan said.Tassal's revenue dropped slightly, reflecting the fall in fish supplies due to the hot summer of 2012/13, but earnings were up 14 per cent to $78.6 million.The company is predicting more growth after investing heavily in its infrastructure.Its shares were up five cents at $3.99 at 1436 AEST.TASSAL REELS IN PROFIT GROWTH* Full year net profit of $41.1m, up 22.7 per cent from $33.5m in 2012/13* Revenue of $266.3m, down 2.4 pct from $272.8m* Final dividend of six cents a share, up from five cents

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Jackie Chan's son held in China drug bust

The son of Jackie Chan, Jaycee (pic), has been detained in Beijing on drug-related charges. Source: AAP

THE actor son of Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan has been detained in Beijing on drug-related charges, the latest high-profile celebrity to be ensnared in one of China's biggest anti-drug crackdowns in two decades.

JAYCEE Chan, 31, was detained last Thursday together with 23-year-old Taiwanese movie star Kai Ko, Beijing police said late on Monday on their official microblog, identifying them only by their surnames, ages and nationalities. It was unclear why the detentions were announced several days later.

Police said both actors tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug, and that 100 grams of it were taken from Chan's home.Jaycee Chan's management, M'Stones International, apologised to the public on his behalf for the "social impact" caused in a statement on their website. It said they would "supervise his rehabilitation and help him return to the right path".The detentions follow a declaration in June by President Xi Jinping that illegal drugs should be wiped out and that offenders would be severely punished. In Beijing alone, more than 7800 people have been caught in the crackdown, police said.A string of celebrities have been among those detained, including Gao Hu, who acted in Zhang Yimou's 2011 movie The Flowers of War.Last week, 42 Beijing performing arts associations and theatre companies signed a pledge to not hire any actors connected with drugs in an event organised by the capital's Narcotics Control Office and the Beijing Cultural Bureau.Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired footage of a police search of the younger Chan's home in Beijing in which he is depicted, his face pixelated, showing officers where he stashed bags of marijuana. Police said they acted on a tip-off from the public.Chan is accused of accommodating drug users, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment - a far more serious charge than that of drug consumption. Two other people detained in the same case were accused of selling drugs while Ko is accused of drug consumption.China named the elder Chan an anti-drug ambassador in 2009. Ko, the Taiwanese star, was part of an anti-drug campaign two years ago, CCTV reported, showing footage of the campaign in which he joins other celebrities in a chorus declaring: "I don't use drugs."Illegal drug use has ballooned in China in recent decades, after being virtually eradicated following the 1949 communist revolution. Narcotics began to reappear with the loosening of social controls in the late 1980s.

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Famous UK doctor on voyeurism charges

Tradie 'demanded money' before alleged murder

A SYDNEY tradie accused of killing a woman in her waterfront mansion had said "I will win at the end" during a dispute over money the day before the alleged murder.

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'Pettiness' caused hospital death

PETTY issues and resentment between midwives and doctors was the cause of an "avoidable death" at a NSW hospital.

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Promising footballer, 20, killed by train

A POPULAR local rugby league player and university student was killed when he was hit by a train near Wollongong.

NSW

Aussies dying for a holiday in Bali

AUSTRALIA'S No.1 holiday destination is also one of the deadliest, with an average of one Aussie dying every eight days in Bali.

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Police fear maps clue to Sydney bomb plot

EXPLOSIVES similar to those used in the London bombings and maps possibly targeting two Sydney CBD locations were uncovered in a ­suburban home.

NSW

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Transpacific grounds trucks after SA crash

THE company which owns the truck involved in a fatal crash in Adelaide has grounded its entire national fleet as it conducts an internal investigation.

THE Transpacific truck smashed into three stationary cars on Monday afternoon at traffic lights at Glen Osmond and Cross roads at the start of the South Eastern Freeway.

The 56-year-old male driver of one of the cars died, while two female drivers, aged 41 and 49, and the 28-year-old male truck driver remain in a critical condition at Royal Adelaide Hospital.Police on Tuesday said they were investigating whether brake failure had caused the crash at the "high risk location".Transpacific chief executive Robert Boucher said the company had taken the decision to ground its fleet to ensure its vehicles were roadworthy."This is not a decision we have taken lightly, however we believe it is the right thing to do given the serious nature of Monday's accident," he said in a statement."The driver had undergone thorough safety training prior to being cleared to drive our truck."Mr Boucher said Transpacific had fully co-operated with police, providing them with access to the company's trucks and maintenance records.Police have said it appeared the driver of the sewage truck was travelling at considerable speed before the crash.Meanwhile, a woman has died following a crash where two cars collided at Nuriootpa on Tuesday afternoon, taking the state's road toll to 56.Police say the crash happened on the Sturt Highway and one of the drivers, a woman from Yorke Peninsula, died at the scene.The other driver was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and remains in a serious, but non-life threatening condition.

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Physically-fit children brainier: study

PHYSICALLY-FIT children are officially brainier than their punier peers, new research has confirmed.

SCIENTISTS found that aerobically fit nine- and 10-year-olds had denser regions of "white matter" in their brains.

White matter consists of bundles of nerve fibres, or axons, that connect different brain regions.Previous research has linked physical fitness in children to larger brain volumes of "grey matter" - the cell bodies of neurons.US lead researcher Dr Laura Chaddock-Heyman, from the University of Illinois, said: "This study extends our previous work and suggests that white-matter structure may be one additional mechanism by which higher-fit children outperform their lower-fit peers on cognitive tasks and in the classroom."The team used a brain scanning technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine five white-matter tracts in the brains of 24 volunteer children.The system works by analysing water diffusion into tissues. For white matter, less water diffusion means the tissue is more fibrous and compact - both desirable traits.Significant fitness-related differences were seen in several key white matter regions, including the corpus callosum which joins the brain's left and right hemispheres.Two others were the superior longitudinal fasciculus, a pair of structures connecting two of the four major lobes in the brain's cerebral cortex, and the superior corona radiata which links the cerebral cortex to the brain stem."All of these tracts have been found to play a role in attention and memory," said Dr Chaddock-Heyman.The research is reported in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.Although the team did not test the children's mental performance, previous research has demonstrated a link between aerobic fitness and increasing thinking ability.

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