Woman jailed for calling police 637 times

AN unemployed French woman has been jailed for calling the police 637 times in the space of 48 hours last week, French media is reporting.

THE 24-year-old was given a six-month jail sentence, half of which was suspended, on her twelfth court appearance on Tuesday in the central town of Bourges.

She has been charged with harassing the police.The woman, who was found by psychiatrists to be suffering from depression and severe personality disorders, had been given four months probation for a similar offence in July, Le Parisien newspaper reported.She had refused hospitalisation, reports said.The public prosecutor accused her of acting like a "punching ball"."The more we punish you, the more you keep coming back," he was quoted as saying.

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US parents to keep kids off Facebook

BEHOLD the cascade of baby photos, the flood of funny kid anecdotes and the steady stream of school milestones on Facebook.

IT all makes Sonia Rao, a stay-at-home mother of a one-year-old in the US, "a little uncomfortable".

At a time when just about everyone and their mother - father, grandmother and aunt - is intent on publicising the newest generation's early years on social media sites, an increasing number of US parents like Rao are bucking the trend by consciously keeping their children's photos, names and entire identities off the internet."I just have a vague discomfort having her photograph out there for anyone to look at," says Rao."When you meet a new person and go to their account, you can look them up, look at photos, videos, know that they are travelling."Reasons for the baby blackout vary. Some parents have privacy and safety concerns. Others worry about what companies might do with their child's image and personal data. Some simply do it out of respect for their kids' autonomy before they are old enough to make decisions for themselves."I have a no tolerance policy," says Scott Steinberg, a business and technology consultant. Steinberg says he shares no photos, videos or any information about his child.As for Rao, she stays active on Facebook. She's happy posting photos of her dog, but not the many snapshots of her daughter and the pet together - no matter how cute they are. Rao does share baby pictures, via email or text, but only with close friends and family.Facebook, for its part, encourages parents to use the site's privacy setting if they want to limit who can see baby photos and other posts. It's possible, for example, to create a group of close friends and relatives to share kid updates with. But that's not enough for some users.A big reason parents are wary, even if they use social media sites themselves, is that the companies "have not been very transparent about the way they collect data about users," says Caroline Knorr, parenting editor at the nonprofit Common Sense Media, which studies children's use of technology."Facebook's terms of service and privacy (policies) - no one reads it, it's too obscure."Some parents look back to their own childhoods, when they were able to make mistakes without evidence of those blunders living on - forever - online.People have shared baby photos since the dawn of the camera, and stories about kid's shenanigans long before that. Parents who decide to keep photos of their children and other data off social media say they still want to share those things, but are bothered by the idea of online permanence.Parents who enforce strict blackout rules are still in the minority. In a 2011 poll conducted at the University of Michigan, 66 per cent of Generation X parents (people born in the 1960s and '70s) said they post photos of their children online, while more than half said they have shared news about a child's accomplishment online.Aisha Sultan, a fellow at the Michigan institute where the poll was conducted, thinks the results might be different if the same questions were posed to respondents today."Back (then) there wasn't a lot of conversation about this," says Sultan, who is a parenting advice columnist."When parents first started joining Facebook in large numbers it wasn't the primary concern. We felt like we were in control of information we were sharing with friends and family."Facebook's privacy blunders over the years, not to mention frequent updates to its confusing privacy policies, changed all that. Now, Sultan says, parents are more aware of the little control they have over their personal data online.Politicians have begun to pay attention to the issue, too. A new California law requires online services, websites or apps that collect personally identifiable information to remove content that minors have posted, if requested. The measure goes into effect next year."It's a good start, but I don't think it replaces a lot of parental conversation, regulation and oversight," Sultan says.

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Tips for parents: To post or not to post?

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR PARENTS, RELATIVES AND FRIENDS WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN:

- ASK FIRST, POST LATER

If you don't know how a parent feels about having photos of their kids posted on Facebook, Instagram or elsewhere, ask before uploading a photo and before you tag the parents in a photo. This goes even for close relatives. Actually, it's not a bad idea to ask everyone you post a photo of if they're cool with it, especially if the snaps were taken at a party, swimming pool or any other less buttoned-up situation. It can prevent awkward conversations later.- LIMIT AUDIENCESFacebook's privacy settings are complex, but they also offer granular settings that let you pick who can see your updates. One way to do this: Create a "secret" group and add the members you want. The problem here is that anyone in the group can add new members to the group.Another way to limit the audience of each post you share is to click on the right tab under your update, which may currently say "friends" or "public." Click on "custom" and choose which of your Facebook friends you want to share with and which ones you'd like to exclude. It's simpler on Instagram, where you can either lock your account or set it to public.- TALK TO YOUR KIDSOpinions on the age at which parents should start talking to their kids about internet and social media use vary. Some parents start as soon as their child is old enough to use a smartphone, which can be as early as two or three years. Amy Heinz, who blogs about her kids, often talks to her eight-year-old about posts she writes about him, but says her younger children, who are five and three, know about the blog but "don't have a concept" of what it means exactly. Caroline Knorr, parenting editor at the nonprofit Common Sense Media, waited until her son was 15 before posting a photo of him on Facebook - and asked his permission first.- GO THE OLD-FASHIONED ROUTESome parents opt for emailing or texting photos to one person or to a small group rather than sharing them more widely on social media. Online storage services such as Google Drive and Dropbox also let you distribute photos privately, as do photo-sharing sites such as Flickr. Of course, there's always the old-fashioned snail mail method, if you can still find a place to print snapshots.- DON'T EMBARRASS THEMThat photo of your little one with pea soup all over her face, or the one that shows her first time on the potty might be funny at the time, but think about what she may think of the photo if it's still online when she's a teen. Today's generation of parents did not grow up with the reality that their private moments growing up will be documented and often posted on the internet for all eternity. Before posting a photo or anecdote, take a moment to imagine a conversation about it with your child 10 or 15 years from now.

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Apple's stock bounces back; hits new high

APPLE'S stock has touched a new high, reflecting investors' renewed faith in CEO Tim Cook's ability to outwit the competition and expand the technological hit factory.

WEDNESDAY'S milestone represents a dramatic turnaround in sentiment since Apple's shares reached its previous split-adjusted peak of $US100.72 ($A108.97) in September 2012.

After peaking at $US100.77 on Wednesday morning, shares slipped three cents to $US100.50, giving Apple a market value of $US602 billion - far more than any other publicly held company.Apple's stock had fallen to a split-adjusted $US55.01 in April 2013 to wipe out about $US300 billion in shareholder wealth amid worries that the California company had run out of ideas without the late Steve Jobs as its mastermind.The anxiety escalated as sales of iPhones and iPads slowed amid the growing popularity of less expensive smartphones and tablet computers made by Samsung Electronics and other rivals relying on Google's free Android software.Now, there are signs that Samsung's devices are losing momentum while Apple prepares to release the next version of its iPhone and investors wait for Cook to deliver on his promise to introduce a product that will open up new opportunities.The breakthrough is widely expected to be a smartwatch that will include sensors to help people monitor their health.Hewing to its secretive ways, Apple hasn't provided details about its upcoming products.Cook, though, has been raising hopes that Apple is poised to create a new product category for the first time since the iPad's release four years ago."We've got some great things that we're working on that I'm very, very proud of and very, very excited about," he told analysts in April.

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Aussie injured in another Bali bike crash

A MAN who was left fighting for his life after a Bali motorcycle crash is speaking again, as a second Australian crash victim begins his recovery from massive injuries.

DOCTORS were uncertain Nicho White, 43, would survive his medivac flight from Bali to Melbourne, funded by friends and strangers who raised more than $123,000 online.

But one month after the collision with a 4WD - in which he suffered multiple injuries - he is in rehabilitation and talking.Mr White's progress comes as Jack McCord, 46, recovers in a Darwin hospital.The Bali DJ was riding home from work in the early hours of Friday when he crashed, shattering his pelvis and bruising his lungs.His family was faced with the same predicament as Mr White's - how to raise tens of thousands of dollars for a medical flight back to Australia.They've so far raised more than $70,000 on the website youcaring.com.Coincidentally, the families are known to each other.Mr White's brother-in-law is also a Bali DJ.Mr White's stepfather Ian McGill says when he heard the news he had to donate, even though his own family's ordeal is not over."I donated because I know how much it means," he told AAP."It's going pretty good with Nicho now, but it's going to be a very long process if he's going to walk again."Originally from Sydney where he was a DJ with the global house music outfit Hed Kandi, Mr McCord has a baby son with his wife Hilda.Bali police spokesman Hery Witanto says the two incidents highlight the dangers of riding motorcycles at night, and he urged all riders to take care.

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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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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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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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Take climate more seriously, PM told

MORE than half of all Australians think the Abbott government should take climate change more seriously, a poll commissioned by environment group the Climate Institute has found.

BUT only 20 per cent trust Prime Minister Tony Abbott to do so.

The institute says its new climate survey shows a "rebound in desire" for action on climate change, with 61 per cent of people wanting Australia to be a world leader in solving the problem.It said 57 per cent wanted the Abbott government to take climate change more seriously, with only 22 per cent supporting its Direct Action plan to reduce emissions.The survey also found opposition to the carbon tax had decreased by 22 per cent in the past two years, with 47 per cent saying carbon pricing was better than not taking any action at all.Only 20 per cent said they trusted Mr Abbott when he said he was concerned about climate change, compared with 31 per cent for Labor leader Bill Shorten."Australians continue to be uncertain, if not cynical, about political parties and their policies on climate change," Climate Institute chief John Connor says."Yet a clear majority think the Abbott government should take climate change more seriously."

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Quebec helicopter escapees captured

POLICE say they have captured the three men who escaped from a Quebec City-area prison by helicopter earlier this month.

THEY say the trio were arrested at a Montreal residence at 1.30am on Sunday and more arrests are likely.

Police have not released further details on how they found the fugitives who escaped on June 7 when a helicopter plucked them from a courtyard of the Orsainville Detention Centre in suburban Quebec City.Their escape touched off a massive international manhunt.The three fugitives - Yves Denis, 35, Denis Lefebvre, 53, and Serge Pomerleau, 49 - were awaiting trial on charges including gangsterism and murder.They are due in court in Quebec City on Monday.

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Royals defend apartment spending

Renovations of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's apartment will cost UK taxpayers STG4 million. Source: AAP

THE British royal family has defended spending a seven-figure sum refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Kensington Palace apartment.

THE taxpayer will foot the bill for extensive work on the property, including installing a new roof, overhauling the electrics and carrying out significant plumbing works.

A royal spokesman said repairs and refurbishments - reported to cost in the region of STG4 million ($A7.30 million), though this figure was not confirmed by the royal household - would also see a "significant amount of internal building" to "return the residence to function as a living space".William and Kate's Kensington Palace apartment was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was the home of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. Margaret remained there after their divorce and lived there until her death in 2002.The living space was last refurbished in 1963."This is the Duke and Duchess's one and only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come," a royal spokesman said."We also had to take into account the fact that Kensington Palace is a scheduled ancient monument, and all elements of the refurbishment had to be agreed with English Heritage. Often this meant ensuring a high standard of work in line with the historical significance of the Christopher Wren building."He said William and Kate "paid privately" for all the internal furnishings, including carpets and curtains. They were also at pains to ensure that the specification is not extravagant."As with any other part of the estate, it was the royal household (TRH) who were responsible for the refurbishment of the residence - where they could in the course of the procurement process, TRH helped to bear down on cost," he added."The household oversaw the planning, tendering and project management of the refurbishment and were responsible for the budget and spend."

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Pregnant woman airlifted to hospital

A PREGNANT woman has suffered serious head injuries after a car crashed into a northwest Sydney house, also injuring a teenage girl and another woman.

THE 25-year-old, who is four months pregnant, has been airlifted to Westmead Hospital with serious head and leg injuries, police say.

The girl, 14, also suffered head and leg injuries and was taken to hospital along with a 48-year-old woman, who sustained pelvic injuries."All three remain in a stable condition," police said.They were hit while standing on the front veranda of a Windsor Downs home on Saturday afternoon.The male driver was treated by paramedics and has been taken for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.His male passenger wasn't hurt.Police have established a crime scene and are investigating.

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Another Tamil man sets himself on fire

ANOTHER Tamil man has set himself alight, the latest in a spate of self-immolation cases involving asylum seekers who fear being sent back to Sri Lanka.

THE 40-year-old man splashed himself with petrol and ignited it, but his housemates intervened and managed to put out the fire.

It happened late on Friday at a home in the Melbourne suburb of Noble Park, according to a statement from the Tamil Refugee Council.There were similar incidents in May, when Leo Seemanpillai burned to death outside his Geelong home, and also in April when a Sydney-based Tamil man also set himself alight but survived with burns to 75 per cent of his body.In the latest case, the man suffered burns to his legs and was taken by ambulance to Dandenong Hospital."We are very lucky on this occasion that the man's housemates were aware of what he was planning to do otherwise we may have had another death on our hands," council spokesperson Sri Samy said."I have had seven young men tell me in the past few weeks that they are thinking of doing this."They are fearful of being sent back to Sri Lanka and say they would prefer to die here than be sent back to torture, which is what the Australian government is doing to many Tamil asylum seekers."The man involved in this latest case came to Australia by boat in 2012, and he was on a bridging visa awaiting assessment of his asylum claim.He fled Sri Lanka, leaving his wife and daughter behind, after security police broke his legs.The council said last week he had learned his brother, held in a Sri Lankan prison for four years, had disappeared and was feared dead.The man feared the same fate if returned to Sri Lanka."The previous Labor government, and the current Coalition government, have sent back more than 1000 Tamil asylum-seekers under an enhanced screening process," Mrs Samy also said."That does not allow time for proper assessment of asylum claims."She called on Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to alleviate fear among Tamil asylum seekers by granting protection to genuine refugees.* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

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Hendra virus kills NSW horse

Hendra virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property. Source: AAP

HENDRA virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property as they run tests on its stablemates and the five people who handled the animal.

IT'S the first case of Hendra discovered in NSW this year.

"The 31-year-old stockhorse gelding died overnight on Thursday after being found in a dam earlier that day and receiving treatment from a private veterinarian for very low body temperature," NSW deputy chief vet Therese Wright said in a statement."Three people who handled the horse plus the veterinarian and an assistant are being assessed and monitored by NSW Health."In recent weeks no horses have moved off the property, west of Murwillumbah, and there are no dogs or cats about, Ms Wright added.The paddock where the horse was kept "has regular flying fox activity," she said.Horses are believed to contract the Hendra virus from feed contaminated by urine, saliva or birthing fluids from flying foxes."Do not place feed and water under trees and cover feed and water containers with a shelter so they cannot be contaminated from above," Ms Wright said.Hendra virus was found in four horses and a dog across four separate mid-north coast properties last year."Winter is the season when horses have been infected with Hendra in NSW in the past so now is the time to get a vaccine booster for your horse," Ms Wright said.In Queensland four people have been killed by Hendra virus since 1994.And in December councils across the state were given permission to trim trees and use smoke, lights and loud noises to drive flying fox colonies away from urban areas without needing a permit."If a horse becomes sick, owners should contact their veterinarian immediately," Ms Wright warned.

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SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q fired on

A gunman has fired on an SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q after a concert in Colorado. Source: AAP

A GUNMAN with a rifle fired on an SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q after a concert at the popular Red Rocks outdoor amphitheatre near Denver but he wasn't hurt.

THREE other people suffered non-life threatening injuries during the attack late on Thursday in a parking lot at Red Rocks.

Investigators speaking Friday did not release a possible motive for the shooting and said they do not know if ScHoolboy Q was targeted. No arrests have been made."We have a lot to learn," said Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.ScHoolboy Q, whose birth name is Quincy Matthew Hanley, is from Los Angeles. His most recent album, "Oxymoron," debuted at No. 1 earlier this year and reflects his life as a father and former gang member.He and Kendrick Lamar, who was nominated for seven Grammys this year, are members of Black Hippy.ScHoolboy Q said on Twitter Friday that he was OK."im str8...... dont trip," he wrote.Ray Alba, a representative for ScHoolboy Q, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.The rapper and at least four other people were in a white SUV that was fired on at the venue in the foothills west of Denver, authorities said.They drove themselves to a Denver intersection about 24 kilometres away, apparently in search of a hospital, before being stopped by Denver police and taken for medical attention, Kelley said.ScHoolboy Q and another uninjured person were briefly handcuffed while police assessed the situation, but no one in the vehicle was arrested. Kelley said ScHoolboy Q was not a suspect in the shooting.Nas and Flying Lotus also performed at the concert that benefited three groups, including the Gang Rescue and Support Project of Denver."We want to know what's going on so we can help out in any way," said Cisco Gallardo, director of the gang rescue group."There could have been (a) prior beef, prior problems."About 4500 people attended the concert at the amphitheatre, which seats as many as 9525 people.Promoters said the gang rescue group got five per cent of the profits. Two other groups also got five per cent each: Preserve the Rocks, which helps preserve the Red Rocks venue, and Helping Our People Excel, a Denver-area charity with a food pantry and other services.

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Pedophile poses risk out of prison: judge

A CONVICTED paedophile who sadistically tortured and chained one of his victims in a cupboard will be paroled in a matter of weeks.

IVAN Andrew Campbell, 48, was sentenced to 14 years' jail in 2001 for multiple sexual offences in Auckland, including the sexual violation of a 14-year-old boy who he kidnapped and kept chained up in a cupboard a year earlier.

A New Zealand High Court judgment this week shows the 48-year-old will be released on parole on July 9, which prompted the Department of Corrections to apply for a 10-year extended supervision order.Justice Graham Panckhurst granted the order because he found Campbell is highly likely to reoffend."I am in no doubt that you do pose a real and ongoing risk to adolescent boys. I am also satisfied you are likely to commit relevant offences on release," Justice Panckhurst told him.In outlining his reasons, the judge noted Campbell held his 14-year-old victim captive for seven days during which he was repeatedly beaten, raped, and forcibly tattooed and subjected to body piercings."Perhaps worst of all, he was also branded using a hot instrument and this caused burns to his lower back," Justice Panckhurst said.Campbell has been in prison since 2001, and has also served time for sexually abusing the 13-year-old son of a friend in 1991, for which he was not charged until he returned to New Zealand from Australia in 2000.He was paroled in 2012 after serving 11 years of his sentence to a temporary release program at the Salisbury Street Foundation, but absconded three weeks later.Police recaptured him and he returned to prison.Since his imprisonment, Campbell has been expelled from a sex offender treatment program because of his conduct towards younger prisoners.A prison report says Campbell has admitted he is likely to reoffend."I am desperate to have an extended supervision order granted, as at the time of this assessment I do not trust myself outside prison," the prisoner told a psychologist.Extended supervision orders are requested by Corrections and imposed by a court after offenders reach the end of their sentence.They allow special conditions to be placed on them, such as where they reside, what work they can do, who they can associate with and areas that they are excluded from.

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Man charged after Sydney explosion

A MAN has been charged following an explosion that brought peak-hour traffic to a standstill in Sydney's inner-west.

EMERGENCY services raced to Wentworth Park Road in Glebe just after 5pm on Wednesday (AEST) after reports of an explosion and fire at a public housing apartment block.

Specialist police units were called and a number of gas cylinders were safely removed.A 32-year-old man was arrested on Thursday at a cafe in Redfern and has been charged with a revocation of parole warrant and possession of a prohibited drug.He remains in custody to appear at Central local Court on Friday.

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BlackBerry results top expectations

BLACKBERRY has surprised Wall Street by posting results that beat analyst's expectations.

SHARES rose almost 12 per cent in pre-market trading as CEO John Chen cut expenses quicker than expected.

The embattled smartphone company reported net income of $US23 million ($A24.9 million), or 4 cents per share, for the three months ended May 31.It had reported a loss of $US84 million, or 16 cents per share, a year ago.Excluding unusual items, its adjusted loss was 11 cents per share in the latest period. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected a loss of 35 cents per share.Revenue fell to $966 million compared with $3.07 billion a year ago. Analysts expected $961.7 million.Shares rose 99 cents, or 11.9 per cent, to $9.29 in pre-market trading an hour before US markets open."We are getting very close to making money, or at least break even on hardware. Not quite there yet, but close," Chen said on a conference call with analysts.It is the third quarterly results under Chen, who is de-emphasising the hardware business after last year's launch of the BlackBerry 10 failed to spark a turnaround.The BlackBerry has been hammered by competition from the iPhone as well as Android-based rival."He's doing exactly what John Chen should be doing. He's right sizing the business to fit demand. He is focused in the areas where he is still relevant. He's cut partnerships to shore up weaknesses," said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners."If they can get this business where they are selling a million phones a month they'll be a nice little niche. It will be a nice little profitable business."BlackBerry sold 2.6 million phones in the quarter and reported cash and investments of $3.1 billion.

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FedEx Q4 profit rises to $US730m

FEDEX says its quarterly profit rose as growth in online shopping gave its ground-shipping business a lift.

THE earnings of $US2.46 per share beat Wall Street's forecast by a dime. Revenue also topped expectations.

Its shares rose 4 per cent in premarket dealings before the opening bell.The package-delivery company said on Wednesday that it earned $US730 million ($A789.83 million) in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended May 31, compared with $US303 million a year ago, when write-downs weighed on the results.Revenue rose 3.5 per cent to $US11.84 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $US11.66 billion.Revenue in the ground-shipping business grew 8 per cent, helped by gains in e-commerce. That helped offset slower growth in FedEx Express, which accounts for more than half the company's revenue.The Memphis-based company said that it would earn between $US8.50 and $US9 per share in the new fiscal year, which ends in May 2015. That is in line with analysts' average expectation of $US8.74.Last month, FedEx announced that it will start charging more for large but light packages that take up space in its delivery trucks and add to costs. That includes bulky products that consumers buy online instead of in stores. Rival United Parcel Service said on Tuesday that it would do the same by considering a bulky package's dimensions and not just its weight in setting prices for ground shipments.The results marked an improvement over FedEx's third quarter, when the company was slowed by winter storms that raised costs and cut into shipping volumes. They also indicated that that while e-commerce continues to boost the ground-shipping business, express-delivery remains virtually flat as customers shift to slower, cheaper services for international shipments.

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UK 'cancels' Assange working group

THE UK Government has cancelled a working group set up with Ecuador to find a way of resolving the future of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder has claimed.

FOREIGN Secretary William Hague agreed to the group after meeting Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patino last year to discuss Assange, who has been living in refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London for the past two years.

On the eve of the second anniversary of Assange's dramatic arrival at the embassy, he revealed that the working group was not meeting.In a conference call from the embassy, the WikiLeaks publisher said a six-member team had been established during Patino's visit to London with the intention of studying legal and diplomatic issues.Assange said that following the granting of asylum last year by Russia to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, the UK Government had "unilaterally" cancelled the working group.Assange has been granted political asylum by Ecuador as he fights to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sex allegations by two women.He fears that if he goes to Sweden he will be taken to the United States, where a long-running investigation is continuing into WikiLeaks and its involvement with former soldier Chelsea Manning, who has been jailed for 35 years over the leaking of secret intelligence.Assange has offered to be interviewed by Swedish investigators inside the London embassy, but they have declined to travel to the UK to question him about the allegations.Jennifer Robinson, a legal adviser to WikiLeaks, said a fresh challenge will be made next week to the Swedish authorities after "new information" was received.Robinson added that a letter from more than 30 free speech organisations will be sent to the US lawyer general Eric Holder next week calling for him to "close down" the investigation into WikiLeaks.Assange said Holder should drop the four-year long investigation or resign, accusing the official of using "weasel words" when asked about the case.Asked how he was coping with living inside the embassy, housed in a small building close to Harrods in Knightsbridge, Assange said other people were in far more difficult positions, including Chelsea Manning

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Nine dead after boat sinks off Malaysia

AT least nine people have drowned and 26 others are missing after a boat carrying Indonesian migrants sank off Malaysia, officials said.

FISHERMEN recovered the bodies of a man and a woman, believed to be from the boat, floating near the mouth of the Sungai Langat river in the town of Kuala Langat, 45 kilometres west of Kuala Lumpur, said Jazlizad Jalil, from a local fire and rescue department.

More bodies - six male and one female - were recovered by rescuers at sea, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).Sixty-two people were rescued after the accident, which occurred before dawn about three kilometres from the coast, the agency added.MMEA official Ibrahim Mohamed said the wooden fishing boat was believed to be heading for the Indonesian province of Aceh, whose nearest point is about 400 kilometres from the coast of Kuala Langat."A survivor said the boat was overloaded and began taking in water after it was battered by huge waves, causing it to sink," Ibrahim said."It's difficult to speculate on the fate of the missing since the accident happened near the shore, so some of them could have swum to safety."We will just continue our search and hope to recover more survivors."The Indonesian workers were returning home to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a source at the MMEA said.An Interior Ministry official says of the estimated 1.5 million undocumented migrant workers in Malaysia, more than half are from Indonesia and many make the journey between the two countries on rickety wooden boats in search of employment."Most of these illegal Indonesian workers are working as maids, helpers in restaurants, or in palm oil and rubber plantations," he said.Malaysia has a high demand for Indonesian labour migrants, the International Office of Migration said, "and is highly dependent on their contribution to its development and industrialisation".

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Knox defence turns to Italy's last resort

AMANDA Knox's lawyers have formally asked Italy's court of last resort to review the US student's appeals court conviction for the 2007 murder of her British room mate.

DEFENCE lawyer Luciano Ghirga said the paperwork was submitted last Thursday to the Rome-based Court of Cassation.

Knox's lawyers had pledged to turn to Italy's top criminal court after a Florence appeals court in January reinstated a lower court's murder convictions of Knox and her Italian former boyfriend in the slaying of Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, where all three were studying.The defence filed its case after studying the appeals court's written rationale, issued in April, for the convictions.Cassation judges can either uphold the convictions if they find the appeals trial was properly conducted or order yet another appellate trial.

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Scientist gets World Food Prize for wheat

A CROP scientist credited with developing hundreds of varieties of disease-resistant wheat adaptable to many climates has been awarded the 2014 World Food Prize.

SANJAYA Rajaram, who was born in India and is a citizen of Mexico, wins the $US250,000 ($A270,489) prize founded in 1986 by Norman Borlaug, who was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for boosting agricultural production in what has become known as the "Green Revolution".

Rajaram worked with Borlaug and continued his work developing 480 wheat varieties that have been released in 51 countries on six continents.The announcement was made in Washington by Kenneth Quinn, the head of World Food Prize. Rajaram will receive the award in an October 16 ceremony in Des Moines, where the World Food Prize is based.

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Complaints about data fees on the rise

MORE mobile users are complaining of being hit with up to thousands of dollars in fees for exceeding data limits.

THE Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman says overall mobile and network complaints dropped by almost a fifth in the first three months of the year, compared to early 2013.

But while complaints about faults such as slow data speeds dropped 67 per cent, disputes over excess data charges rose by nearly a third.Ombudsman Simon Cohen says mobile plan customers have been shocked to discover huge charges for exceeding their data cap."Commonly we are seeing consumers come to us with complaints in the hundreds to thousands of dollars," he told AAP."It might be the case where the consumer has a low cost service but the amount charged for excessive data use is at a very high rate, and as a result the charge they received is many times the regular monthly bill they were expecting."Many consumers felt the charges weren't properly explained to them from the beginning, and that they couldn't get the telecommunications provider to properly hear their complaint."A great deal of clarity of how customers are being charged is critical to reducing problems down the track," Mr Cohen said."Many Australians have finely balanced budgets and they don't have the flexibility to have significant variations in charges for basic utilities like mobile phones."One in three internet disputes were over billing issues, with many complaints related to faulty services or late connections.The ombudsman received 36,256 new complaints in the three months to the end of March.

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US home building declines 6.5% in May

THE pace of US home construction has slipped in May, with many Americans still struggling to afford new houses.

THE Commerce Department says builders started work at a seasonally adjusted annual rate on 1.01 million homes.

That was down 6.5 per cent from 1.07 million in April.Construction firms began work on fewer single-family houses, condominiums and apartments last month.Building tailed off in the Northeast, Midwest and West.Only the South experienced greater construction activity in May.Housing starts have risen 9.4 per cent over the past 12 months.But apartments account for most of the gains, suggesting that more Americans will be renting instead of owning homes.Applications for building permits, a gauge of future activity, fell 6.4 per cent in May to an annual rate of 991,000.

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Liberia links seven more deaths to Ebola

A HEALTH official says seven people believed to have the Ebola virus have died in recent days in the Liberian capital, in the first reported deaths in Monrovia.

DEPUTY Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said on Tuesday that brings to 16 the number of people believed to have died from the virus in the West African country since the outbreak began.

The deaths are worrying because no new cases had been confirmed in Liberia in more than two months.The outbreak appears to have begun in neighbouring Guinea and has also spread to Sierra Leone. In all, the World Health Organisation says nearly 250 people have died of the virus, which causes severe bleeding and high fever.

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Walmart tech lab buys Stylr app

WALMART Stores' innovation lab is diving deeper into mobile apps with another acquisition.

THE latest purchase for WalmartLabs is Stylr, a mobile app that allows shoppers to find clothes in nearby stores.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Stylr is WalmartLabs' 13th acquisition in the past three years. The purchase is the latest effort by Walmart, the world's biggest retailer, to develop new digital tools to help create a seamless shopping experience for shoppers who are increasingly jumping back and forth from stores and their mobile phones.Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon, who took the helm in February, vowed Walmart would pick up the pace in technology in his address earlier this month at the company's annual shareholders meeting."It is important that we all understand the shift that has happened in technology and retail, what it means for us, and what we're doing to win," said McMillon."People now spend more time on digital devices than they do watching TV. A lot of times, they're doing both at the same time."Walmart has a ripe audience: 65 per cent of its customers have smartphones, while 80 per cent of shoppers under age 35 do. Half of Walmart smartphone users have used the device in its stores to assist with shopping, company officials say.Stylr will be removed from the app store by the end of the month, said Ravi Jariwala, a spokesman for WalmartLabs. Walmart's own mobile app won't run Stylr, but its technology will be used to develop future mobile innovations.WalmartLabs technology enables Walmart's mobile app to guide shoppers to products and tracks customers' spending as they shop.New York-based Stylr's founders Eytan Daniyalzade and Berk Atikoglu will be joining WalmartLabs in San Bruno, California, as part of the deal.

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'Smart glasses' hope for blind

BRITISH-DESIGNED "smart glasses" that provide a new set of eyes for the visually impaired are being tested in public for the first time.

THE devices, which use a pair of video cameras to enhance residual vision, have the potential to transform the lives of thousands of registered blind people in the UK.

The glasses are being trialled by 30 visually impaired volunteers at testing venues in Oxford and Cambridge.Dr Stephen Hicks, of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University, who led development of the glasses, said: "The idea of the smart glasses is to give people with poor vision an aid that boosts their awareness of what's around them - allowing greater freedom, independence and confidence to get about, and a much improved quality of life."We eventually want to have a product that will look like a regular pair of glasses and cost no more than a few hundred pounds - about the same as a smart phone."The device consists of a pair of video cameras mounted in a headset, a pocket-sized computer processor, and software that projects images of close-by objects onto displays in the see-through eye pieces.The software interprets nearby surroundings to make important objects such as kerbs, tables, chairs or groups of people stand out more clearly.In some cases, details such as facial features can become easier to see.Of the more than 300,000 severely sight impaired people in the UK, it is believed about a third could benefit from the technology.Twenty volunteers with a range of eye conditions and levels of vision took part in preliminary tests of an earlier version of the glasses conducted last year by the Oxford team.The new trials are being conducted with support from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

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US factory output rebounded in May

US manufacturing output rose in May after shrinking in April, led by greater production of vehicles, computers and furniture.

THE Federal Reserve on Monday said factory output rose 0.6 per cent in May after dipping 0.1 per cent the previous month. April's figure was revised upward from an initial estimate of a 0.4 per cent decline.

Americans are buying more cars, and businesses are ordering more machinery and other goods. Those trends are fueling factory production. Car sales reached a nine-year high in May.Overall industrial production, which includes manufacturing, mining and utilities, also rose 0.6 per cent in May. It had fallen 0.3 per cent in April.Mining output, which includes oil and gas production, jumped 1.3 per cent, while utility output declined 0.8 per cent, its fourth straight drop.

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D-day trip veteran marks 90th birthday

A WAR veteran who turned up in Normandy after he was reported missing from his care home in England says he is overwhelmed by the number of cards and gifts he has received for his 90th birthday.

BERNARD Jordan, whose birthday is on Monday, made headlines around the world when he disappeared from The Pines care home in Hove, East Sussex, embarking on a cross-channel trip for the 70th anniversary of D-Day wearing his war medals underneath his grey mac.

But the former Royal Navy officer decided his birthday should be more low-key and is celebrating it quietly with friends and his wife Irene, a spokesman for the veteran said.The Candy Girls, who met Mr Jordan on his way to France, will also be singing to him, the spokesman said.The former mayor of Hove said he wanted to thank everyone for their good wishes after being inundated with at least 2500 birthday cards from around the world following his Normandy adventure."I just can't believe it. It's quite overwhelming to be honest," Jordan said."I want to thank everyone who sent me a card or a gift. Sadly I can't thank everyone in person so I hope they get this message."I'm just one man and I'm nothing special. Anyone would think I'd defeated Hitler on my own."There were a lot of other people on the beaches of Normandy that day, this lovely attention is for them really, not me."Jordan's disappearance on June 5 sparked a police search and his whereabouts was only uncovered when a younger veteran from Brighton phoned later that night to say he had met the veteran on a coach on the way to France, and that they were safe and well in a hotel in Ouistreham.

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Indian students charged over PM in mag

NINE students at a southern Indian college have been arrested for using "objectionable and unsavoury language" about Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a crossword puzzle in their college magazine, according to news reports.

THE nine students from Sree Krishna College in Kerala's Guruvayur town were charged with various offences, including defamation, the NDTV news channel reported, citing local police.

They were arrested and released on bail, police said.The students included the editor, subeditors and members of the editorial advisory committee of the magazine, which is an annual publication.The Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple-managing committee, which runs the college, asked its principal for an explanation, NDTV reported.This is the second such case reported from Kerala.The principal and some students of a state-run polytechnic college in Thrissur town were arrested and released on bail last week after the college magazine featured Modi in a list of "negative faces" along with Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, George W Bush and Indian sandalwood smuggler Veerappan.Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party were voted into power in recent elections in India. He took office May 26.Modi, who campaigned on reviving the economy and bringing development, has been criticised in the past for failing to control some of India's worst Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 while he was chief minister.More than 1000 people died in the month-long riots, most of them Muslims.

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Egypt asks YouTube to remove assault video

EGYPT is asking YouTube to remove a video of a woman being sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square during a rally supporting the country's newly-elected president.

PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Ehab Badawy said in a statement late on Thursday that the Egyptian Embassy in Washington made the request to YouTube, which is owned by Google Inc.

Officials with YouTube could not be immediately reached Friday.Badawy said the woman attacked asked President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a visit he made to her hospital to have the video taken down.Sexual harassment has long been a problem in Egypt, but assaults have increased dramatically both in frequency and ferocity in the three years since the ouster of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

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Ignition switch problem forces GM recall

GENERAL Motors is recalling more cars for problems with ignition switches.

GM is recalling nearly 512,000 Chevrolet Camaro muscle cars from the 2010 to 2014 model years.

A driver's knee can bump the key and knock the switch out of the "run" position, causing an engine stall.That knocks out power steering and brakes and could cause drivers to lose control.GM says it knows of three crashes and four minor injuries from the problem.GM says the Camaro switches met its specifications - unlike the switches at the centre of a recall of 2.6 million small cars.That problem has caused more than 50 crashes and at least 13 deaths.The Camaro key is concealed in the Fob like a switchblade, and GM said it would be replaced with a straight design.

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Abbott lays wreath at war cemetery

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, as his government drops the idea of creating a national war cemetery in Canberra to commemorate the Anzac centenary in 2015.

THE tomb is in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr Abbott on Friday viewed the elaborate changing of the Army soldier guard ceremony at the tomb, before laying the wreath."It's fitting that I should lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here," Mr Abbott told reporters."I should pay tribute to the Americans who have fought for their country because many of them have been fighting for our country."He said Americans, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Britons had all made sacrifices over the past century.The cemetery is the final resting place of more than 400,000 active-duty service members, veterans and their families.Mr Abbott raised the idea of creating a similar cemetery in Australia in 2013 at Legacy's national conference in Brisbane, describing it as "Australians' Arlington".The concept would involve interring significant ex-soldiers.But it is understood the concept has now been ditched after feedback from the veterans' community.The prime minister, who will host the G20 summit in November, also on Friday discussed financial and economic issues with US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen.Mr Abbott will receive a military welcome when he visits the Pentagon for talks with Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey.He will then head to Houston, where he will deliver a speech to the Asia Society. Liquefied natural gas is also likely to be discussed during Mr Abbott's visit, with the biggest project occupying the minds of LNG industry figures being the Panama Canal expansion.It will allow massive Post-Panamax ships to take American LNG to the booming markets of Asia to compete against the Australian product.

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Greece makes record heroin bust

GREEK authorities say they have seized a record 1.1 tonnes of heroin, worth more than 30 million euros ($A43 million), near Athens and arrested 11 suspected traffickers.

A COASTGUARD statement on Friday said the operation, which followed a tip-off, was carried out in coordination with the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

The suspects, who were arrested late on Thursday, were identified as six Greeks and five foreign nationals.The coastguard wouldn't specify the nationalities further and it wasn't immediately clear where the heroin had come from.It said the drug ring had operated from a warehouse east of Athens and distributed the heroin in trucks to Greece and other European countries.Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said it was the largest quantity of heroin ever seized in Greece.

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Rogue Vic MP to headline comedy show

THE Geoff Shaw show rolls on with the suspended Victorian MP due to headline a comedy event on Friday night.

THE rogue Frankston MP will appear on stage for an hour at the Wheeler Centre with comedian Sammy J for a question and answer session.

Mr Shaw has made few public comments this week as his political future was decided with a parliamentary suspension on Wednesday.The Liberal-turned-independent was found by the privileges committee to have misused his parliamentary car and entitlements.The government passed a motion to suspend Mr Shaw until September 2, ordering him to repay more than $6800 and apologise to the parliament.The Victorian parliament is now locked at 43 votes on each side, with Speaker Christine Fyffe holding the casting vote.Premier Denis Napthine has looked to move on from Mr Shaw's suspension, challenging Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews to back tougher sentencing reforms when parliament sits in the June 24 sitting week."Does he support tougher sentences for drug traffickers? Does he support tougher sentences for pedophiles, or is he going to be a wrecker?" Dr Napthine told reporters on Thursday.Mr Andrews said Labor would not give the government a "free ride" to pass legislation."Our job is to hold the government to account," Mr Andrews told reporters."We'll work through every single bill they put before the parliament line by line, doing our job, fulfilling our responsibility.

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Applications for US jobless aid up

MORE Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, but claims for jobless aid remain near pre-recession levels.

THE Labor Department said on Thursday that weekly applications for unemployment benefits rose 4000 to a seasonally adjusted 317,000.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, increased to 315,250.The figures are near the jobless claims levels before the outbreak of the Great Recession in December 2007.Applications are a proxy for layoffs, so the claims data show that employers are dismissing fewer workers.Last Friday, the Labor Department said employers added 217,000 jobs in May as the unemployment rate held steady at 6.3 per cent.The steady hiring, after the economy shrank during the first three months of the year because of the winter weather, points to faster growth ahead.Monthly job gains have averaged 234,000 for the past three months, up sharply from 150,000 in the previous three.The May unemployment rate, which is derived from a separate survey, was the lowest rate in more than five years.Gross domestic product fell one per cent in the first three months of 2013.Many economists expect that number could be further revised downward, while growth returns as warmer weather has generated more hiring and consumer spending.

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Twitter COO Ali Rowghani resigns

TWITTER says its chief operating officer, Ali Rowghani, has resigned from his post but will stay with the company as a strategic adviser to CEO Dick Costolo.

ROWGHANI joined Twitter in 2010 as chief financial officer and became COO two years later.

Before that, he served as CFO at Pixar Animation Studios.Twitter Inc says it will not name a replacement for Rowghani and did not give a reason for his departure.His responsibilities will be shifted to other executives.The San Francisco-based social media company has been trying to broaden its user base, most recently by luring in World Cup fans who want to follow teams and players using its service.

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Brangelina attend war summit

BRAD Pitt has joined Angelina Jolie at a London summit on sexual violence, lending the couple's star power to the campaign to end rape in war zones.

THE four-day London conference is organised by British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Jolie, a United Nations special envoy.

They hope representatives of the more than 100 countries present will back a new protocol laying out how sexual violence in conflict zones should be investigated and prosecuted.They say they want to end the "culture of impunity" for wartime sex crimes.Pitt watched from the audience as Jolie and Hague spoke to delegates at the east London conference venue.Billed as the biggest-ever summit on the subject, the gathering has drawn diplomats, officials, charity representatives and survivors of wartime rape.Jolie said the meeting, which ends on Friday, was being held "for all the forgotten, hidden survivors who have been made to feel ashamed or been abandoned"."And for the children of rape - we want the whole world to hear their stories and understand that this injustice cannot be tolerated, and that sorrow and compassion are not enough," she said.Hague and Jolie have made an odd but effective double act as they've campaigned against sexual violence for the past two years.Hague said the Maleficent star "has the power to speak to the whole world, to raise awareness, change attitudes"."Governments like the one I am a member of hold in their hands levers of decision-making and action."And this combination can be formidable."

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Widow reveals Mayall heart 'event'

COMIC Rik Mayall suffered an "acute cardiac event" after returning from a morning run, his widow has said.

BARBARA Mayall said her family had received "thousands and thousands of messages of condolence" from around the world.

"We always knew that Rik was well loved but we are all overwhelmed by so many joining us in our grief," she said."We now know that our darling Rik suffered an acute cardiac event at our home around midday on June 9."The actor had just returned from his usual run and many people had seen him that morning, she said.Mayall thanked the press "for their discretion" and "all the wonderful coverage", adding: "It would have made him very happy."She added: "I am sure that you all know Rik's response would be something along the lines of.....' well thanks very much all of you.............now f*** off!!!'."Earlier, West London Coroner's Court said a post-mortem examination into Mayall's death had been inconclusive and more tests were being carried out in an attempt to determine how the 56-year-old star died.Mayall, who shot to fame playing poetry-writing anarchist Rick in The Young Ones, was found dead at his London home on Monday.His career, which also included roles such as Lord Flashheart in Blackadder and the conniving Conservative MP Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, stretched back to the start of the alternative comedy scene.

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Abbott says climate plan 'substantial'

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says the government's spending on tackling climate change is substantial in global terms.

Mr Abbott is under fire from Labor, the Greens and environment groups ahead of a meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington for not doing enough to tackle climate change.

Mr Obama has directed the states to find ways to cut emissions from power stations by 30 per cent by 2030, using whatever ways they consider fit including carbon pricing.

The prime minister, who will visit the White House on Thursday (US time), told reporters that climate change was real and an important issue for Australia.

He said if his government's $2.5 billion Direct Action plan was seen in the US context it would be a $40 billion program.

"I think that would be a very substantial program should something like that be put in place here in the United States," he said.

"If climate change does come up in further discussions in the US I will be pointing to the scale of what we are doing in Australia as evidence of our deep seriousness."

The two leaders will also discuss global security issues, trade and investment.

In Washington DC Mr Abbott will also meet with Republican and Democratic leaders including Eric Cantor, the House majority leader who lost his preselection on Wednesday.

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Flight 370 families seek information

ABOUT two dozen relatives of Chinese passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have demanded more information at a Beijing building that houses the airline's regional office, more than three months after the plane disappeared en route to the city.

Under the tight watch of at least a dozen Chinese police and several building employees, the relatives were kept from entering the office building.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board, but a seabed search has found no trace of the plane.

"Please give us the truth and tell us the right way to find our beloved ones," said Dai Shuqin, whose sister was on the plane with her husband, daughter, son-in-law and grandchild.

"It has been extremely hard for us, and we can't take it anymore."

The relatives have long criticised Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian government for not being more forthcoming with information.

They say they have been demanding the flight data of the plane, an analysis of its possible tracks and video footage of the passengers boarding the plane.

They say their goal is to account for the whereabouts of the plane and the people it was carrying.

Some relatives say they are in touch with lawyers, but that it's too early to discuss compensation until the plane is located.

"We do not care about compensation, but please let us know more information," said Zhang Qian, her tears falling as she spoke of her missing husband, Wang Houbin, 28.

"We've gone from days of wearing down jackets to now, summer, and we are still waiting."

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Science key to economy, Abbott says

THE Abbott government is weighing up a plan to allow schools to work with universities and the corporate sector to boost jobs in the science and technology sector.

But the move comes as the government slashes funding to key science bodies including the CSIRO.

Mr Abbott on Wednesday ended a two-day visit to New York at a school touted by US President Barack Obama in last year's State of the Union speech.

Pathways in Technology Early College High School operates within the Paul Robeson High School for Business and Technology in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York.

It operates in partnership with computer giant IBM and a university.

Students graduate with a high school diploma and an associate's degree, earning it the nickname of America's first "hollege" (high school and two years of college).

Unlike other US colleges, the associate degree comes at no financial cost to the student.

"I believe this is an innovative and valuable education model for us to consider in Australia," Mr Abbott said.

After four years at P-TECH, students may finish their undergraduate studies at City Tech or another institution, or they may be able to move directly into a career in IT.

Mr Abbott told reporters after the visit these type of schools were being examined as part of the government's "competitiveness statement" to be released next month.

"We do need to strengthen our effort in science and technology," he said.

"Science is at the heart of a country's competitiveness."

He said if it was rolled out in Australian schools then the government's new deregulated university and TAFE fee system would not apply.

However if it was based on universities or TAFE colleges then fees would apply.

"I am not being prescriptive here," he said.

Asked how he could cut funding to bodies such as the CSIRO while pushing a science agenda, Mr Abbott said the budget savings were "modest" and the government planned to set up a $20 billion medical research fund.

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Abbott sticks with climate ambition

AUSTRALIA won't be committing to a cut in emission targets beyond the existing pledge, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

Mr Abbott on Tuesday met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The UN has scheduled a summit for September as a step towards a new global climate agreement to be reached in 2015 through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The summit is not part of the actual negotiating process, but the UN chief wants to use it to reinvigorate the climate debate as the potential for global action stalls.

Mr Abbott told reporters in New York his government supported "strong action" on climate change and was investing $2.5 billion on emission cuts.

But he would not be modifying the government's plan.

"It's very important that every country take strong action to limit the rate of growth of emissions," he said.

"We know in Australia what we are going to do - we are going to get our emissions down by five per cent by 2020.

"We will be a good global citizen, but what we are not going to do is clobber our economy."

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Abbott ducks Clinton's women comments

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says he's hopeful of being able to meet with Hillary Clinton while he is in the US.

But he won't be buying into her comments about Julia Gillard.

The former First Lady, secretary of state and potential Democrats presidential candidate is in New York promoting her new book, Hard Choices.

In the book Ms Clinton writes that leaders such as former Australian prime minister Gillard have faced "outrageous sexism which should not be tolerated in any country".

She goes on to say that women in public office face an "unfair double standard".

Mr Abbott told reporters in New York - where he rang the bell to open the stock exchange and laid a wreath at the National September 11 Memorial - that he acknowledged Ms Gillard faced "all sorts of difficulties" in office.

"But every prime minister faces all sorts of difficulties in his or her time as prime minister," he said.

Mr Abbott was the target of the now famous Gillard "misogyny" speech in federal parliament in October 2012.

He said he hoped to meet Ms Clinton while he was in the US.

"I think she was a highly creditable secretary of state, but beyond that I won't comment."

Meanwhile, the prime minister has extended the term of Australian ambassador to the US Kim Beazley by a year to take the former Labor leader's diplomatic post up to the next presidential election.

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Abbott gets official welcome in Canada

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has received a formal welcome with military honours in Ottawa.

Mr Abbott is the first Australian leader since John Howard in 2006 to visit Canada.

He began Monday with a bicycle ride, accompanied by Mounties, through the picturesque streets of the capital followed by breakfast with counterpart Stephen Harper.

The prime minister also made a courtesy call to Canada's Governor-General David Johnston.

Mr Harper has spared nothing in welcoming his conservative political friend, with Australian flags flying along all of Ottawa's main thoroughfares, military honours on historic Parliament Hill and a welcome ceremony in Confederation Hall.

The two leaders will hold talks on trade, investment and security before giving a joint media conference on Monday afternoon (Ottawa time).

Canada and Australia are working with 10 other nations towards an Asia-Pacific free trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

As the current president of the G20, Mr Abbott is also seeking Mr Harper's support for a two per cent growth target to be agreed at the Brisbane summit in November.

A business roundtable and formal dinner will round off the two-day visit before Mr Abbott heads to New York.

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Baden-Clay murder trial starts today

Gerard Baden-Clay in court. Illustration: Jonathan Bentley. Source: Supplied

BRISBANE real estate agent Gerard Baden-Clay will stand trial today for the murder of his wife.

More than 70 witnesses are due to be called to give evidence in a case expected to go for four weeks.

Baden-Clay has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Allison and interfering with the mother-of-three's corpse.

He reported her missing from the couple's Brookfield home on Friday April 20, 2012, and she was found dead 10 days later under Kholo Creek bridge at Anstead.

Potential jurors will be asked three questions: If they have ever expressed an opinion about Baden-Clay's guilt or innocence; if they or relatives lived in the area at the time; and if they attended a fundraiser or donated to any fund set up in connection to the case.

Baden-Clay, 43, is represented by barrister Michael Byrne QC, and solicitor Peter Shields.

Follow The Courier-Mail for rolling coverage of the case.

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Pension funds run eye over state assets

CANADA'S cashed-up pension funds are running the calculator over road and port projects in Australia.

Executives from the funds - which hold around $1.1 trillion in assets - are involved in talks with Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Trade Minister Andrew Robb, government officials and Australian business chiefs in Ottawa on Monday (Ottawa time).

It is understood that among the potential investments are the Port of Melbourne, which is earmarked for privatisation, the expanded Port of Hastings, the second stage of Sydney's WestConnex (M5 East) and Melbourne's East West Link.

Expressions of interest for the Port of Melbourne are expected to be called in early 2015 but the structure of the sale or long-term lease will depend on the outcome of the November state election in Victoria.

Labor has backed a 99-year lease project while the Napthine coalition government prefers a more corporate-oriented model.

Canadian pension fund Caisse has already shown interest in Australian ports, taking a stake in the Port of Brisbane last year.

Work on the business case and environmental assessment for Victoria's Port of Hastings expansion is expected to be completed by 2017.

The NSW government is considering making the second stage of the WestConnex road project a public-private partnership.

Mr Robb has been involved in a series of functions and roundtables in Ottawa.

The minister said that apart from infrastructure, there was a lot of interest in the service industries, tourism, resources and medical research and devices.

The long-running issue of lifting Canada's ban on majority foreign investment in uranium mines is understood to have been canvassed.

Mr Robb will take Australia's "open for business" message to Toronto, New York, Houston, while Mr Abbott and his business delegation will head to New York, Washington DC and Houston.

Canada is a top-10 source country for foreign direct investment in Australia with $26 billion invested.

The US is Australia's largest source of foreign direct investment with $658 billion directly invested.

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Trucker in Morgan crash lacked sleep

A WAL-MART truck driver accused of causing a New Jersey crash that critically injured Tracy Morgan and killed another comedian allegedly hadn't slept for more than 24 hours.

A court official on Monday said 35-year-old Kevin Roper was scheduled to face an initial court appearance on Wednesday. He remains free after posting a $US50,000 ($A54,100) bond.

Roper has been charged with death by auto and four counts of assault by auto.

Authorities said the Jonesboro, Georgia, resident apparently failed to slow for traffic early on Saturday in Cranbury Township and swerved at the last minute to avoid a crash.

Instead, his rig smashed into the back of Morgan's chauffeured Mercedes limo bus, killing comedian James "Jimmy Mack" McNair, authorities said.

The 45-year-old actor and comedian, a former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock cast member, remained in critical condition early on Monday.

Morgan's spokesman, Lewis Kay, said he was "more responsive" on Sunday after having surgery for a broken leg.

Kay said Morgan also suffered a broken femur, a broken nose and several broken ribs and is expected to remain hospitalised for several weeks.

He said Morgan's family is "tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans".

Tyrone Gale, who was driving the limo bus, told ABC News he was disoriented after the vehicle flipped over and could hear Morgan yelling for help.

"I climbed around and heard Tracy screaming for help," Gale said.

"I climbed up on the body of the limo bus ... but I couldn't reach them."

Wal-Mart President Bill Simon said in a statement the company "will take full responsibility" if authorities determine its truck caused the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board is working with state police to look at any issues in the crash related to commercial trucking and limousine safety.

Morgan, a New York City native, was returning from a stand-up performance at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Delaware when the crash occurred.

In all, six vehicles were involved in the pileup but no one from the other cars was injured.

McNair, 62, of Peekskill, New York, was a close friend and mentor to Morgan, Morgan's ex-wife, Sabina Morgan, told the New York Daily News.

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Hey there, it's The Seekers, AO

AS one of the few bands from the 1960s still with their original line-up, The Seekers have proved their staying power. Now they're being recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley have been appointed officers in the Order Of Australia (AO) for their services to the performing arts.

Celebrating 50 years since they began their distinguished career, The Seekers have been on the road performing sold-out shows across Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Speaking from London after one of the supergroup's shows at the Royal Albert Hall, double bass player Athol Guy said there was a nice "royal connection" about their award and tour location.

"It was a perfect bit of timing because we've just finished our 50th-anniversary tour over here in London with two sell-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall, so there's a nice royal connection coming up to the Queen's birthday," he told AAP.

With each member being recognised for their career, whose hits have included Georgy Girl, I'll Never Find Another You and A World of Our Own, Guy said the honour was particularly special.

"It's a lovely moment for the four of us, to each individually be named in that way," he said. "Collectively, we've had so many honours as a group, it's hard to imagine that there'd be any more to come. And this one came right out of the blue for all of us."

The group suffered a setback in 2013 when singer Judith Durham was admitted to hospital with a cerebral haemorrhage after the first Melbourne show of their 50th-anniversary concert.

However, after three months of rehabilitation, doctors gave Durham the OK to perform.

"It's a very nasty thing to happen to anyone, but the lovely thing about it is I think it was her belief that she could always get back with us and finish that Australian tour," Guy said.

"It really kept her moving along in positive mode."

Durham said she hoped the award would encourage others.

"We were just four unknown, aspiring Australian musicians singing happy, uplifting, melodic and inspiring songs, and being true to ourselves," she said.

"We hope that this award might serve as encouragement to other Aussies to do the same.

"We are thrilled and delighted to accept such an honour."

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Tertiary education more accessible: Ziggy

FORMER Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski says tertiary education is now more accessible than ever before as he is honoured for his work in the sector.

Dr Switkowski, who is chancellor of RMIT University in Melbourne and chairman of NBN Co, has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours as an officer in the Order of Australia for his service in tertiary and education administration, scientific organisations and the telecommunications sector, business and the arts.

He said universities and employers were now mindful they were addressing a generation that was well informed, ambitious and flexible with relatively short-term horizons.

"Tertiary education is more accessible now than ever before," Dr Switkowski said.

"That's a direction that all governments have encouraged.

"It's good for the nation. We build up our pool of trained and intellectually curious people and I think we are a better country and society for it."

Participation in the tertiary sector had grown, with more than one-third of year 12 students undertaking some form of higher education, he said.

Dr Switkowski said he had been fortunate to embark on a business career, which had included chairing the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

"That enabled me to engage in the debate around clean energy, climate change and be an advocate for nuclear power in Australia, which was a very worthwhile and stimulating period," he said.

Helping Opera Australia become resilient and engaging with students and academics as chancellor of RMIT in Melbourne had also been rewarding.

Meanwhile, Sydney businessman and environmental advocate Geoffrey Cousins and former Westpac chief executive and Santos director Frank Conroy have been appointed members of the Order of Australia.

Mr Cousins has been recognised for services to the community through the establishment of the Starlight Children's Foundation and to the visual and performing arts.

"The Starlight foundation has been a massive part of my life," he said.

"In the early days we had no money, no staff, no support."

Mr Cousins said he was pleased to see the organisation grow to have a national presence and grant more than 8000 wishes to extremely sick children.

"It's tremendously satisfying to see that happen," he said.

Mr Conroy has been recognised for his service to the finance and banking sector, to corporate administration as well as the arts, health and secondary education.

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Clinton to decide 'when it feels right'

HILLARY Clinton says she will decide whether to run for president again "when it feels right for me to decide".

The former US secretary of state has told ABC News in an interview aired on Sunday potential Democratic rivals are free to choose what they would like to do.

Clinton said she was focused on promoting her new book and helping fellow Democrats in November's House of Representatives elections.

She said she will be "on the way to making a decision" on running for the White House by the end of 2014.

Asked whether she will testify before a select congressional committee investigating the deadly 2012 attacks on a US installation in Benghazi, Libya, Clinton said that would be up to the people running the hearing.

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Dr Harry Cooper, Wilkins, Munro honoured

VET Dr Harry Cooper, news reader Mike Munro and showbiz ace Richard Wilkins are among seven entertainment professionals who received Queen's Birthday honours.

The other four were the late radio announcer Keith McGowan, film and TV director and producer Sandra Levy, radio presenter Angela Catterns and Canberra-based ABC sports reporter Tim Gavel.

Cooper and Wilkins both received Member of the Order of Australia (AM) honours.

Cooper says he feels more like an ambassador for veterinary science than he does a TV identity. It's his third award in less than a decade for his services to veterinary science.

"I've been honoured by the profession, I was honoured by the university last year, because of my achievements, and now I have been honoured by my country," Cooper told AAP.

While many know Wilkins because of his entertainment reports on the Nine Network's breakfast show Today, it's his charity work for which he has been largely recognised.

Wilkins was 18 when the first of his five children, Adam, was born with Down Syndrome.

Since then he has tried to help out as many charities as possible and use his profile in Australia for the cause of raising money for the less privileged.

"Because of Adam I see more reason to say yes whenever I can to helping than saying no," Wilkins told AAP.

Munro received an AM for his services to television but also for his charitable work that includes being a board director for Alcoholics Anonymous for 10 years.

Levy received an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her work in the TV and film industry which dates back to 1971 when she was a director and producer of drama at the ABC.

Her other roles include CEO of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, executive director for development for the Nine Network and acting chair, deputy chair and board member for the Sydney Theatre Company (2001-2011).

McGowan, who died in December, received an OAM for his 54 years in radio at 17 stations across four states.

Like McGowan, Catterns (AM) has had an extensive career in radio, and among the stations she has worked at are Triple J, ABC Local Radio and 702 ABC Sydney.

Gavel (OAM) has worked with the ABC since 1988 and is a patron for the Early Morning Centre, which provides meals and services for the homeless and disadvantaged in Canberra.

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Aerial reenactment caps D-Day celebrations

NEARLY a thousand paratroopers have dropped out of the sky in Normandy - but this time in peace, instead of wresting western France from the Nazis as they did in World War II.

Drawing huge crowds who braved hot weather and lined the historic landing area at La Fiere, the aerial spectacle re-enacted the drama of the Normandy landings on Sunday and served to cap commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Among the planes ferrying paratroopers for the event was a restored C-47 US military transport plane that dropped Allied troops on the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise - a stone's throw from La Fiere - on June 6, 1944.

And the pilots who originally flew it took the controls again, 70 years later, remembering their experiences.

Sunday saw dozens of veterans escorted down a sandy path to a special section to watch the show alongside thousands of spectators - most of whom lined two sides of the field. Others took shelter in the shade as the lack of wind caused the sun to beat down hard.

Planes including the C-47 aircraft flew by loudly overhead several times, with two dozen military paratroopers - from countries including the US, Britain, France and Germany - jumping with each passage.

They were scenes reminiscent of the pivotal event, when around 15,000 Allied paratroopers were dropped in and around the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise on D-Day. It became the first to be liberated by the Allies and remains one of the enduring symbols of the Normandy invasion.

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McCann police probe scrubland in Portugal

FORENSICS officers have begun probing an area of previously hidden ground during the search of scrubland close to where Madeleine McCann was last seen in Portugal seven years ago.

Two men in white overalls were seen entering a tent, which has been erected on a spot of interest to police in Praia da Luz on the Algarve.

The area, which was covered by undergrowth until yesterday, has already been subject to fingertip searches by officers in Metropolitan Police uniforms.

Two white gazebo-style tents were put up and connected together to hide the scene from the TV crews and press watching from the other side of the police cordon nearby.

They placed it on top of a spot where a piece of corrugated iron was discovered beneath undergrowth yesterday.

The section of metal, which is understood to have covered up a void in the ground, was then taken away by officers.

Local forestry workers have been clearing large areas of undergrowth within the scrubland to aid the search.

Another patch that was previously overgrown was earlier scanned with ground-penetrating radar equipment to probe for disturbed earth.

A man in plain clothes and without any police insignia wheeled the device along a section of ground.

The device uses radar pulses to take images of the subsurface of the ground to check for any anomalies.

It can be used to check for disturbances in a variety of substances, including rock, soil, ice and fresh water.

It can also detect voids and cracks in buildings and under pavements.

The developments came during a third day of investigations by British police and their Portuguese counterparts as they search for clues as to what happened to Madeleine, who vanished while on holiday in the resort in May 2007, aged three.

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Girl becomes youngest to climb Everest

A SOCIAL charity says the 13-year-old daughter of poor Indian farmers has become the youngest girl to climb Mount Everest.

Malavath Poorna says she and a team of Nepalese climbing guides reached the summit on May 25 from the northern side in Tibet.

A smiling Poorna told reporters on Wednesday in New Delhi that she faced extreme cold, difficult terrain, personal fear and dead bodies on her journey up the world's tallest mountain.

But she "shed joyful tears" when she reached the top and saw "mighty mountains and morning sunlight" all around.

The Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Educational Institution Society said it sponsored Poorna's expedition as part of its program to encourage underprivileged students.

A 13-year-old boy climbed Everest previously.

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PM off to France for D-Day 70th

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott will attend the official commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in Normandy.

He will join French President Francois Hollande and other heads of government at the British services at the Bayeux Cathedral and cemetery, and the international ceremony at Sword Beach, Ouistreham, on June 6.

Although US, British and Canadian troops dominated the invasion force, many other nations were involved, including about 3000 Australians, most of them aircrew. Eighteen were killed.

Mr Abbott will be accompanied by seven Australian D-Day veterans, who were all airmen.

He and the veterans will visit the Western Front on June 7, paying tribute to the 295,000 Australians who served there between 1916 and 1918 and honouring the 46,000 who lost their lives.

They will visit the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux and Pozieres.

"As part of the 100th anniversary of ANZAC, I would like to see a greater focus on Australia's role on the Western Front," Mr Abbott said in a statement.

The Abbott government is considering building an interpretive centre at Villers-Bretonneux.

Following his visit to France, Mr Abbott will travel to Canada and the US for formal talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama.

He will be accompanied by a business delegation to promote trade and business ties.

In North America, he will visit Ottawa, New York, Washington and Houston and then Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

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'Al-Jazeera journalist' arrested in Egypt

EGYPT'S Interior Ministry says police have arrested a female freelance reporter for allegedly sending footage to the local affiliate of Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera.

In a statement sent to reporters on Friday, the ministry said police raided her home in the coastal city of Port Said and confiscated streaming devices, a laptop and a mobile phone with videos that Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr allegedly used.

The Arabic website of the Doha-based satellite network confirmed the arrest, saying the woman had been detained on Wednesday, but did not say whether or not she was an employee.

Three journalists from Al-Jazeera English, including Australian Peter Greste, are currently on trial in Egypt, accused of airing false news, and of belonging to and aiding the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, which has been designated a terrorist group.

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Quake strikes China, 33 people injured

A MODERATELY strong earthquake has struck southwestern China near the border with Myanmar, injuring at least 33 people.

Residents fled buildings and students evacuated schools that had already been damaged by a quake in the same area last week.

Five of the injured people were in serious condition, said a woman at the Yunnan provincial earthquake monitoring bureau, who gave only her surname, Xu.

The quake in Yunnan's Yingjiang county was registered at magnitude 6.1 by China's earthquake monitoring agency, but at 5.9 by the US Geological Survey.

Electricity was cut to some areas in the quake zone, but communications were not affected.

More than 1000 soldiers were helping rescue efforts, and tents and bedding were sent to aid survivors.

About 300,000 people live in the area.

A tremor lasting a few seconds was felt in Myitkyina, the capital of Myanmar's northeastern state of Kachin, and in the town of Bhamo, according to people reached there by phone.

There were no reports of injuries or damage there.

China's mountainous southwest suffers frequent earthquakes.

Last August, a quake in Yunnan killed five people.

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Bosnia floods reveal remains

RECORD flooding in Bosnia has uncovered human remains experts believe belong to people who went missing during the country's 1992-95 war.

Lejla Cengic of Bosnia's Institute for Missing Persons said on Tuesday teams fixing power lines damaged by last week's floods discovered the remains near the northern town of Doboj after water receded.

She says the institute is hoping the remains belong to some of the dozens of people missing since the war from the town of Maglaj - a few kilometres up the river Bosna from Doboj.

Nearly 30,000 people went missing during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. One third of them have been found in mass graves, mostly in Bosnia. Authorities continue to search for thousands still believed hidden.

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Pope set to begin Middle East pilgrimage

The Vatican has billed Pope Francis' first visit to the Middle East as a "pilgrimage of prayer". Source: AAP

POPE Francis has made an urgent plea for peace in war-torn Syria as he kicked off a three-day pilgrimage to the Middle East.

And he called for religious freedom to be upheld throughout a region ravaged by war and bloodshed, where a dwindling Christian population faces daily persecution.

After arriving to a red carpet welcome at Amman airport on Saturday he was later in the day to celebrate an afternoon mass in front of thousands of people at a stadium in the city.

The Pope's three-day tour will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories on a landmark first visit aimed at boosting ties with Muslims and Jews.

"Lasting peace for the entire region ... requires that a peaceful solution be found to the crisis in Syria, as well as a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the Pope said at the royal palace, ahead of a meeting with Syrian refugees.

Syria's civil war, which began in 2011, is estimated to have claimed at least 162,000 lives and forced another 2.7 million people to flee to neighbouring countries, 450,000 of them Christians.

Jordan's King Abdullah II told Francis his "humanity and wisdom" could contribute to easing the crisis confronting Syrian refugees and the burden on hosts countries like Jordan.

As his white car drove through the streets towards the royal palace, well-wishers waved Jordanian and Vatican flags and held up banners welcoming him, under the watchful eye of security guards.

Later on Saturday, Francis was to head to a site on the River Jordan where many believe Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. There he will hear first-hand accounts of the suffering in Syria from some of the 600,000 refugees hosted by Jordan.

The 77-year-old pontiff also urged respect for religious freedom in a region where the Holy See called for an end to the ongoing persecution of Christians.

"Religious freedom is, in fact, a fundamental human right and I cannot fail to express my hope that it will be upheld throughout the Middle East and the entire world," he said.

Although Christians were a minority within the region, their contribution was "significant and valued," he said.

Entering Amman's main stadium on open-topped white jeep, Francis was met by raucous applause as he smiled and waved at the crowds, his white skullcap flying off in the breeze.

"This pope is special. He only wants to see the poor and the diseased. He is the protector of the helpless," said 77-year-old Sister Rachel, highlighting his dedication to the downtrodden.

Early on Sunday, the pope will make a short helicopter ride across the Jordan River to Bethlehem, where he will begin a two-day visit to the Palestinian territories and Israel.

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Suspected drug ring busted in Canberra

Police have raided 10 north Canberra properties, uncovering what they say is a major drug syndicate. Source: AAP

A MAJOR drug ring has been busted in the national capital, with a Canberra man set to face court charged with trafficking drugs.

ACT Policing raided several north Canberra properties on Friday afternoon where they seized $200,000 worth of illicit drugs, cars and cash.

They found 728 grams of cocaine, a methylamphetamine-suspected substance, tablets suspected to be ecstasy, and steroids.

Police believe the operation cracked a major drug syndicate operating in the capital.

A 28-year-old man will appear in court on Saturday charged with drug trafficking.

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Vic motorcyclist nabbed 100km/h over limit

A MOTORBIKE rider has been caught travelling at almost 100 km/h over the speed limit in the middle of Melbourne's premiere restaurant strip.

The rider reached a speed of up to 133 km/h in the 40 km/h-zone on Lygon Street, in Carlton.

He was stopped by police about 4.20pm and his motorbike was impounded for 30 days.

The 24-year-old man is facing charges including conduct endangering life, and he must appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on August 25.

Victoria Police said it was among the highest speeds ever detected on Lygon Street, which is usually busy with pedestrians and traffic and especially so on a Saturday afternoon.

"I find it abhorrent that someone would endanger other people with such stupid behaviour," Melbourne Highway Patrol Acting Sergeant Michael Ingram said in a statement.

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Girl, 13, hit crossing Sydney road

A TEENAGE girl has been placed in a coma after she was hit by a car near Dee Why, on Sydney's northern beaches.

The CareFlight helicopter, police and paramedics rushed to help the unconscious 13-year-old after she was hit while trying to cross Warringah Road at Narraweena on Saturday night.

CareFlight director Ian Badham said helicopter operators wearing night vision goggles had to land at a nearby oval.

The Mona Vale girl was placed in an induced coma and onto a ventilator as she was flown to Royal North Shore Hospital, where she arrived in a critical condition.

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