Brooks 'agreed to buy William snap'

A court has heard Rebekah Brooks agreed to pay an armed forces member for pics of Prince Harry. Source: AAP

FORMER News International executive Rebekah Brooks sanctioned a payment of STG4000 ($A7,300) to a public official for a picture of Prince William dressed as a Bond girl in a bikini at a Sandhurst party, a UK jury has heard.

The Old Bailey heard that Brooks, then editor of the Sun and known as Rebekah Wade, was asked for her opinion on paying a member of the armed forces for the story.

Less than 10 minutes after she was sent an email by a Sun news editor saying the military contact who was offering the picture wanted STG4000, she responded by saying "OK", the jury heard on Thursday.

It led to a page seven exclusive in The Sun in September 2006 with the headline "Willy in a Bikini" together with a mocked-up picture of the prince wearing a green swimsuit and Hawaiian-style flowers.

The article claimed that "Prince William caused a stir at a Sandhurst 007 bash by dressing as a Bond Girl" and said his girlfriend Kate Middleton dressed in a wetsuit.

The court heard that a payment dated June 16, 2006 and headed "Prince William wearing a bikini exclusive" for the amount of STG4000, to be collected by the wife of the member of the armed forces, was made at a Thomas Cook branch in Slough in Berkshire.

The Sun reporter who was working on the story told his superior in the email later forwarded to Brooks that the picture had come via his "best contact at Sandhurst".

He claimed that although STG4000 "sounds like a lot", it would "open the door for future exclusives and info", the jury heard.

"I'm worried if we don't meet his demands, this opportunity will pass," he said.

Brooks denies conspiring with others to hack phones between October 3 2000 and August 9, 2006.

The trial was adjourned until Monday.

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Smog at hazardous levels in Shanghai

SHANGHAI authorities have ordered schoolchildren indoors and halted all construction as China's financial hub suffered one its worst bouts of air pollution, bringing visibility down to a few dozen metres and obscuring the city's spectacular skyline.

The financial district on Friday was shrouded in a yellow haze and noticeably fewer people walked the city's streets. Vehicle traffic also was thinner, as authorities pulled 30 per cent of government vehicles from the roads. They also banned fireworks and stopped all public sporting events.

Protective masks and air purifiers were selling briskly at local stores.

"I feel like I'm living in clouds of smog," said Zheng Qiaoyun, a local resident who kept her six-month-old son at home. "I have a headache, I'm coughing, and it's hard to breathe on my way to my office."

Shanghai's concentration of tiny, harmful PM 2.5 particles was 602.5 micrograms per cubic metre on Friday afternoon, an extremely hazardous level that was the highest since the city began recording such data last December. That compares with the World Health Organisation's safety guideline of 25 micrograms.

The dirty air that has gripped Shanghai and its neighbouring provinces for days is attributed to coal burning, car exhaust, factory pollution and weather patterns, and is a stark reminder that pollution is a serious challenge in China.

Beijing, the capital, has seen extremely high smog several times over the past year. In the far northeastern city of Harbin, some monitoring sites reported PM 2.5 rates up to 1000 micrograms per cubic metre in October, when the winter heating season kicked off.

As a coastal city, Shanghai usually has mild to modest air pollution, but recent weather patterns have left the city's air stagnant.

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Top cop, silk join Qld corruption watchdog

Australia's former top cop Mick Keelty will join Queensland's Crime and Misconduct Commission. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S former top cop and a barrister have been appointed as acting commissioners of Queensland's corruption watchdog.

The state's government has named former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty and barrister Sydney Williams QC as part-time acting commissioners on the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC).

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says they will fill recent vacancies and assist acting chairman Dr Ken Levy while the CMC goes through a period of change.

"Mick Keelty and Sydney Williams' credentials and experience are impeccable," Mr Bleijie said in a statement on Thursday.

"Mick Keelty's integrity and professionalism is known worldwide.

"Sydney Williams QC is one of Queensland's most experienced barristers."

The appointments come at a time when Dr Levy is being intensely scrutinised over his alleged contact with the government before he wrote an opinion piece praising its anti-bikie laws.

He was accused of pro-government bias and members of the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee (PCMC), which oversees the CMC, called for his resignation.

The Liberal National Party government then sacked the PCMC, accusing it of bias itself, against Mr Levy.

Some PCMC members and Dr Levy are still being investigated by the new Select Ethics Committee.

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Fishing line causing havoc in Perth river

Purpose-built united are being installed around Perth to stop fishing waste entangling dolphins. Source: AAP

THERE are fears for one of the Swan River's beloved dolphins after he became entangled in thoughtlessly discarded fishing gear.

Fingers, who has been swimming up the waterway from Cockburn for the past 20 years, received life threatening injuries when his tail fluke became entangled in the gear and has not been seen since July.

The dolphin's fate was raised by Swan River Trust riverpark manager Chris Mather on Thursday as Perth's first ever fishing line disposal unit campaign was launched.

Three members of the river's small dolphin population had died as a result of injuries caused by fishing waste in the past five years, Mr Mather said.

"And many, many birds, swans and pelicans have also been tangled in fishing line, which has resulted in them being starved to death - that's unacceptable."

Fishing line left in the environment can take up to 600 years to decompose.

In response Recfishwest chief executive officer Andrew Rowland has urged the recreational fishing community to use 20 new purpose-built units being installed at Perth jetties, fishing platforms, traffic bridges and boat ramps.

These will allow the incineration of fishing line and hooks, and recycling of lead sinkers.

Apart from the disposal, all of the rubbish collected will be recorded, as part of a 12-month trial.

"Fishing line placed in bins can still find its way into the river through other means such as animals scavenging through bins and overflowing bins," Dr Rowland said.

"These specially designed fishing line units will eliminate this from happening."

The Swan River is one of the few waterways in the world where dolphins can be seen swimming right up to the edge of the city.

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Indonesia still wants spying explained

Australia has signalled it's willing to agree to heal a rift with Indonesia over spying allegations. Source: AAP

INDONESIAN Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has warned ahead of crucial talks with Australia's top diplomat that Jakarta still expects an explanation of the spying activities that have seen relations with Canberra sink to their lowest point in more than a decade.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will lead a high-level delegation to Jakarta on Thursday for talks aimed at mending relations that have soured in the wake of revelations Australian spies had targeted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his inner circle.

It's understood Ms Bishop will be accompanied by the former chief of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Dennis Richardson, now secretary for the Department of Defence.

The visit comes more than two weeks since Indonesia suspended military, intelligence gathering and people-smuggling co-operation after it emerged last month that Australian spies attempted to tap the Indonesian president's mobile phone, as well as that of his wife and other close political allies, in 2009.

Speaking on Wednesday, Dr Natalegawa said he hoped discussions would be "constructive", but warned the onus was very much on Australia in terms of responding to a six-point plan Indonesia insists must be followed if relations are to be repaired.

Asked if there were indications that Australia were willing to sign up to the plan, Dr Natalegawa said he had received positive signals.

"I haven't heard anything to the contrary, which is always a good sign. We wish very much to move forward and to discuss this issue in a positive and constructive way," he said, adding that he was in "constant contact" with Ms Bishop.

But Dr Natalegawa again indicated that Indonesia would still demand a detailed explanation about the spying before negotiations could move forward to the point where the proposed code of conduct would be officially discussed.

"Up to now, it has always been the case that Indonesia and Australia are very close and very pragmatic when dealing with one another," Dr Natalegawa said.

"We need to draw a line and move forward, but before we move forward, we have to be informed about what happened in the past, and assured that there's no more surprises, no more shocks to the system."

The talks would address "sensitive issues as a pre-condition or stepping stone before the discussion of a code of conduct", he said.

Dr Yudhoyono has demanded Australia sign up to the "code of ethics and protocols", insisting it is needed to map out the future bilateral relationship.

The president has insisted that the code of conduct must address the spying issue and contain protocols to ensure similar espionage activities do not occur again, and that it is signed by himself and Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

However, drafting a code of conduct is merely the first step on a long road back to normal diplomatic relations.

The code of conduct must then be implemented, after which there would be a period of evaluation, before Indonesia would agree to restoring co-operation in areas such as the military and police, including joint efforts aimed at combating people smuggling.

Dr Natalegawa has warned that there must also be "a revival of a sense of trust" - the sixth point in Dr Yudhoyono's plan - before Indonesia would look at restoring bilateral co-operation with Australia.

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ICAC probe forces minister to quit cabinet

SENIOR NSW minister Chris Hartcher has quit cabinet after his offices were raided by investigators in a corruption probe that has been brewing on the central coast for months.

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Greens secure deal on debt ceiling

The Greens have secured a deal with the federal government to scrap the national debt ceiling. Source: AAP

THE Australian Greens have secured a deal with the federal government to scrap the national debt ceiling.

Leader Christine Milne has released details of the agreement, which also includes requirements for further debt reporting in the budget and other documents relating to the budget position.

As well, the government will deliver a debt statement when its borrowings increase by $50 billion.

"It's a good outcome," Senator Milne said.

The Greens' negotiations had secured a higher lever of federal government debt reporting and it could no longer use the issue "as a figleaf for budget" spending cuts.

"The Greens have always been at the heart of responsible economic management," she said.

The new arrangements are likely to be in place from the 2014/15 budget due in May.

The agreement means the government will be able to get its legislation through the Senate with Greens support.

It also signals the end of a long-running argument over initial plans by Treasurer Joe Hockey to increase the debt ceiling from $300 billion to $500 billion.

The current ceiling was due to be reached by December 12.

Labor had opposed a $200 billion rise, offering the government a $100 billion increase instead.

Mr Hockey rejected Labor's proposal, saying Australia needed a buffer in case of an emergency.

Senator Milne said the Abbott government gave the Greens most of what they asked for to secure the deal.

"Yes, pretty much," she said.

It's a victory for the coalition, which is facing hurdles on other unrelated legislation in the Senate where the Greens and Labor have the numbers if they combine.

Senator Milne did not think the revised debt legislation would go through until next week.

The debt ceiling was introduced in 2008 by the former Labor government.

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Qld top cop, minister to join bikers

Queensland police have denied they are conducting roadside strip searches of motorcyclists. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S top cop and police minister have announced they're joining the bikies.

But it's not what you think.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and Minister Jack Dempsey say they'll be taking part in charity rides over the next two weekends.

Mr Stewart will jump on a police Yamaha this Sunday. He's believed to be the first commissioner in Australia to ever take part in a charity ride.

Mr Dempsey, who will ride pillion the following weekend, says he's never been on a motorbike before.

"No, I hope he's (the rider) gentle," he told AAP.

"It's a bit of an upgrade from the tricycle to the real thing.

"I've been busy looking for a bandana for the day.

"But I don't think I'll be compared to John Travolta any time soon."

The minister said he told recreational riders about his decision in a meeting on Tuesday and that taking part would promote the positive side of riding.

Amid the government's ongoing crackdown on criminal bikie gangs, he said, recreational riders had seen a lot of unfair and bad publicity recently.

"These are the good guys, they're upstanding members or the community, they do the charity events and they help out," Mr Dempsey said.

Earlier, riders complained that they were being forced to show their tattoos to police and one rider said they had been falsely accused of being a bikie.

Police Superintendent Jim Keogh, who is leading the crackdown, said police were asking riders to show their tattoos.

But he said riders didn't have to comply unless police were taking formal action against them.

Mr Dempsey promised that recreational riders were not being targeted and said Mr Stewart planned to apologise to any rider who had been accused of being a bikie.

"But remember that police have to follow through with any complaint, not just bikie related stuff," he said.

"If they don't follow through then that can lead to even bigger problems."

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Alleged ADF 'Jedi Council' member charged

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• December 03, 2013 8:18PM

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Another Queenslander gets measles

Heath authorities are warning residents of Redcliffe and Chermside to be alert for measles symptoms. Source: AAP

ANOTHER person has contracted the measles virus in Queensland.

There have been more than 30 cases of the potentially deadly virus this year, despite the disease having been eradicated from Australia.

Metro North Public Health Unit director Dr Susan Vlack says the patient was diagnosed on November 30, but authorities haven't identified the source of the infection.

She says the patient visited Chermside, Deception Bay and Redcliffe while infectious and people living in those areas should be alert to symptoms.

"Because the patient has no link to an identified case, there are likely to be other cases in the community," Dr Vlack said in a statement.

"If you are unwell with symptoms of measles, you should contact your GP to make an appointment.

"You should inform the practice that you may have measles, so that other patients can be protected from exposure."

Measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, then a red spotty rash and sore eyes a few days later.

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Demolition of NZ cathedral to go ahead

A GROUP fighting to stop the partial demolition of the quake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral has lost its battle.

The Supreme Court denied the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust leave to appeal against the deconstruction of the landmark that was badly damaged in the February 2011 earthquake.

The Supreme Court also ordered the group pay $NZ2500 ($A2,256) costs to the Church Property Trustees, which is overseeing the deconstruction of the Anglican cathedral, in a decision released on Monday.

The group believes demolishing the cathedral is detrimental to the recovery of Christchurch.

The Supreme Court said it acknowledged the circumstances which prompted the appeal were of great general importance to Christchurch residents.

"That importance arises from the history, function and iconic nature of the Cathedral.

"However, in this case nothing that has been raised on behalf of the applicant reaches the threshold of showing that the decisions of the courts below may be in error."

The group's bid was previously thrown out by the Court of Appeal and High Court, though it has been established that there must be a cathedral on the site.

In May, the Anglican church said over half of the more than 3700 submissions on three options for the future of the cathedral favoured a contemporary design which church leaders also backed.

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Balkan animal cruelty increases

A LITTER of puppies wrapped in a blanket and set on fire. A dog roaming the streets with its jaw hacked off. Cats found at the bottom of an apartment block, spines snapped.

It's part of a catalog of cruelty in recent months that has gone barely noticed in Romania.

The struggling EU country has seen a spate of brutal attacks against animals following the deadly mauling of a four-year-old boy in August by one of Bucharest's tens of thousands of street dogs. Police and animal welfare officials say the attacks were fueled by relentless and "hysterical" media coverage of the case.

The Four Paws animal welfare group registered 15 cases of people savagely attacking animals in the six weeks after the boy's death, compared to six cases of similar cruelty in the previous nine months.

But animal cruelty has long been a problem in Romania - where animal protection laws are weak, people still grapple with the trauma of a brutal communist regime, and anger builds over economic misery and government incompetence.

"As social tensions grow this leads to aggression against animals, particularly as people are not afraid of the laws," said psychologist Florin Tudose.

"When a dog kills a child, people think that animals should be punished."

Vladimir Manastireanu, chief of the state authority in charge of animal safety, supports a new law that requires stray dogs to be captured and - if not adopted within two weeks - euthanized.

"We need to take these dogs off the streets and stop these emotional reactions," he told The Associated Press.

Across Eastern Europe, where rural traditions are strong, there is little awareness of animal rights.

Even after Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 - committed to pledges to kill livestock humanely in line with EU norms - farmers still slit pigs' throats without anesthetic according to pre-Christmas traditions, welfare groups say.

"They think, 'you can't just put a pig to sleep," Tudose said, "it has to know that it is having its throat slit."

Despite entrenched attitudes, animal cruelty is not universal - especially in Balkan capitals.

In Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, people publicly pamper their pooches and cosset their cats. Many people in these cities offer shelter and care for stray dogs.

Animal lovers vociferously protested in Bucharest after Parliament voted in favour of the stray dog euthanasia law.

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Political violence shakes Thai capital

One protester has been killed after an attack on a bus carrying government's supporters in Bangkok. Source: AAP

THAI police have fired tear gas and a water cannon at protesters trying to storm the government headquarters to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, after violence in the capital left three dead and dozens wounded.

The bloodshed on Saturday is the latest in a series of outbreaks of civil strife in the kingdom since royalist generals ousted billionaire tycoon-turned-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, seven years ago.

The street rallies, aimed at replacing Yingluck's government with an unelected "people's council", are the biggest since mass pro-Thaksin protests in Bangkok three years ago left dozens dead in a military crackdown.

Police fired several tear gas cannisters as well as water cannon after protesters tried to breach barricades and cut barbed wire protecting Government House, which was heavily guarded by security forces including unarmed soldiers, according to an AFP reporter.

Yingluck was not present at the time. The government denied rumours that she had fled the country but her whereabouts were unknown. Tear gas was also fired at protesters near the metropolitan police headquarters several kilometres away.

Demonstrators also marched on major television stations while several large shopping malls, including one that was set ablaze during political unrest in 2010, were closed as a precaution.

Violence broke out late Saturday in the area around a suburban stadium where tens of thousands of pro-government "Red Shirts" had gathered in support of Yingluck, who has faced weeks of street protests.

One student and two Red Shirt supporters were killed, deputy national police chief Worapong Siewpreecha told AFP. More than 50 people were wounded.

The dead and injured suffered a range of wounds including gunshots and stabbings. The circumstances were unclear but the violence came after an anti-government mob attacked Red Shirts arriving to join the rally in Ramkhamhaeng district.

They were the first deaths since the mostly peaceful demonstrations began a month ago. Both sides blamed each other for attacking their supporters.

The violence prompted Red Shirt leaders to end their rally, which had drawn tens of thousands of mainly rural poor in support of Yingluck and her brother Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile but remains a hugely divisive figure in Thailand.

While the protesters' numbers have fallen sharply since an estimated crowd of up to 180,000 people joined an opposition rally on November 24, they have increasingly sought out high profile targets in what experts believe could be an attempt to provoke a military coup.

The kingdom has seen 18 actual or attempted coups since 1932, most recently with Thaksin's overthrow in 2006, but the military has appeared reluctant to intervene in the current standoff.

In a sign of potential discord between the different branches of the security forces, the army chief urged the police to stop firing gas cannisters.

"I have contacted the national police chief and asked the police to stop firing tear gas," General Prayut Chan-O-Cha told AFP. "Both sides must stop."

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VC winner joins fight against bushfires

Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith is urging Australians to be prepared to fight bushfires. Source: AAP

VICTORIA Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith knows something about preparing for a fight.

Now the West Australian war hero has urged residents across his home state to get ready to battle bushfires this summer, with warnings of an horrendous fire season to come.

An unusually wet winter has increased growth of fuel in bushfire-prone areas in WA, with only 45,000 hectares of the state's prescribed burn target of 200,000 hectares carried out.

On the first day of the summer, the campaign headed by Roberts-Smith - taglined 'Are You Ready?' - was launched in Perth.

"He is a very dignified, significant achiever in the Australian community and people know when he talks he is something worth listening to," said emergency services minister Joe Francis.

"We are basically in the hands of the lottery that is handed out by mother nature. So there is going to be a number of significant challenges this season.

"So we are urging people to make sure their property is as fire-ready as possible."

That preparedness includes clearing around properties, ensuring insurance is up to date, making a proper survival plan, and investing in a generator and an independent water supply to defend homes.

The state government spruiked its own readiness with the state's aerial water bombing fleet consisting of 22 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Electricity provider Western Power is spending $250 million on bushfire mitigation to prepare for the fire season, including $180 million on pole replacements and vegetation management.

But the state's Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson has already said councils were failing to properly train and resource volunteer fire brigades.

The opposition have claimed the government's call for "shared responsibility" is really about shifting responsibility from a government which hasn't done enough preparation themselves.

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