Hypnotists dies in Sydney balcony fall

The body of a man, believed to be a touring hypnotist, has been found outside a Sydney unit block. Source: AAP

THE body of a man, believed to be a famous touring hypnotist, has been found outside a central Sydney unit block.

According to media reports, the Las Vegas showman fell from an eleventh-floor balcony to the fourth floor of the Pyrmont complex where he was staying with other performers from a touring show.

The body of the man, who, it's understood, was in Sydney for the Illusionists 2.0 series of shows at the Opera House, was found by police on Saturday morning.

He was discovered missing when he failed to meet a bus which was to take him and six other members of the troupe to Circular Quay for Saturday's performance.

"I came out of my room, I could hear someone screaming for help," witness John Breen told the Nine Network.

A crime scene has been established, which has been examined by forensic specialists.

Police aren't treating the death as suspicious.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.

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Residents evacuated in unit complex fire

A FIRE which resulted in the evacuation of 30 residents from a Kedron unit complex is believed to have started in an electrical storage room.

Emergency crews attended the fire on Gympie Rd and extinguished the fire a short time after.

Energex crews have cut power to the building to allow private electrical contractors to find the exact source of the fire.

Police said alternative accommodation was being found for the mostly elderly residents, who should be able to return tomorrow.
 

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Mystery Bali deaths haunt friends, family

Hundreds of mourners have attended a service for a Queensland mother and daughter who died in Bali. Source: AAP

SUNSHINE Coast mother and daughter Noelene and Yvana Bischoff played together and travelled together, but the mystery of how they died together in Bali lingers.

The pair died after becoming violently ill last weekend, less than 24 hours after checking in to a beachfront resort on the holiday island.

There has been speculation they ate toxic fish and although Indonesian authorities have agreed for autopsies to be done in Queensland, they also wanted to continue their investigations after 29 types of medication were found in the Bischoffs' hotel room.

Karangasem police chief detective Adnan Pandibu said on Thursday forensic examinations have been completed and their bodies would be returned to Queensland on Friday.

"Tomorrow is the plan," Det Pandibu told AAP when asked when they would be returned.

He said while the laboratory tests had been issued to police, they would not be released immediately.

The day before they died, the mother and daughter, aged 54 and 14, were seen seemingly fit and well at an elephant farm.

More than 400 mourners remembered them at a memorial service in Caloundra on Thursday, hearing that the two were inseparable from the start, when Noelene, a nurse, drove herself to hospital for Yvana's birth.

Yvana's words were heard at the service when a brief written assignment on her life was read by Noelene's cousin and principal of her Caloundra Christian College, Mark Hodges.

She talks about her love of animals and her passion to become a horse vet, but her relationship with her mother is what truly shaped her.

"My mum is my greatest hero, she made me who I am today," she wrote.

"She is amazing, simply amazing.

"She has been my biggest influence, she has taught me everything, how to talk - literally - and how to be a friend."

Their bond was demonstrated early on when, as a baby, Yvana would scream at everyone but her mother.

"She was a bit of a handful for the first couple of years and only accepted Noelene," brother-in-law Kevin Bowe said.

"She finally settled down and from there on they were the best of friends and it was a pleasure to be in their company."

Noelene was a nurse at Caloundra hospital, but avoided promotions to dedicate time to her daughter and her mother, Jean.

Colleague Linda King said that most of the staff knew Yvana, who'd call to say good morning or good night when her mother worked shifts.

Ms King said of Noelene: "She brought grace, composure and competence to the most hairy situations.

"She didn't live presuming she had time left over, she didn't, they didn't."

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Minimum wage prevents working poor: Labor

Bill Shorten says deferring minimum wage increase could lead to the creation of working poor. Source: AAP

FEDERAL Labor leader Bill Shorten says he won't support the creation of a US-style working poor in Australia, after business groups called for any minimum wage increase to be deferred this year.

The Fair Work Commission sets minimum wage increases in Australia, with workers granted a rise of $15.80 a week last June.

Industry bodies such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and the Australian Industry Group (AiGroup) say any 2014 increase should be minimised or deferred, because business has already been hit with higher penalty rates, apprentice wages and superannuation levies.

"With employment growth very slow for most of last year and not looking all that healthy as we head into 2014, we need to avoid adding to costs," AiGroup chief executive Innes Willox told Fairfax Media.

But Mr Shorten said 1.5 million Australians relied on the minimum wage, which was part of the strong safety net to prevent an underclass of working poor.

There was a process to set the minimum wage and all parties were welcome to put their position.

"Labor does not support a working poor as we see in the United States," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

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Golden Globes showcase best of Hollywood

Yandina 5: Family shares distress

A FAMILY has told of distress at ongoing solitary confinement of three of the 'Yandina Five' as they await judge's verdict on last-ditch bid for bail.

Bad '90s fashions making a comeback

BUCKET hats, backpacks, overalls and Dr Martens are back. Yep, it's true - fashion from the '90s has officially made a resurgence and it's hurting our eyes.

Snake takes over couple's toilet

A BRISBANE man goes to the toilet and encounters a snake in the bowl. What he did next has he and his wife too scared to use their convenience.

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Gravity leads BAFTA nominations

SPACE thriller Gravity and unflinching slavery saga 12 Years a Slave are among leading contenders for the British Academy Film Awards, Britain's equivalent of the Oscars.

Gravity received nominations in 11 categories Wednesday, including best picture and lead actress, for Sandra Bullock.

12 Years had 10 nominations, including nods for star Chiwetel Ejiofor and director Steve McQueen.

"I continue to be immensely proud of the recognition this film is getting around the world," said British actor Ejiofor, who plays a free black man kidnapped into slavery in the 19th-century United States.

"There is, of course, something particularly special about receiving a BAFTA nomination from home," he said.

Crime caper American Hustle also was nominated in 10 categories, while Somali hijacking story Captain Phillips received nine nods.

The nominations build some awards-season momentum behind several films, especially Gravity, an astonishing 3-D technical achievement, and the wrenching 12 Years a Slave.

The best-picture nominees are: 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, and Philomena, the story of an Irishwoman in search of the son she lost decades earlier.

Acting nominees include Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street and Judi Dench for Philomena.

The British prizes, known as BAFTAs, will be awarded at London's Royal Opera House on February 16.

They are considered an indicator of likely success at Hollywood's Academy Awards two weeks later. Last year, Iran hostage drama Argo took the BAFTA for best film and the best-picture Oscar.

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Dinosaur bones found near Red Sea

• by: John von Radowitz
• From: AAP
• January 08, 2014 8:56PM

DINOSAURS have been identified in Saudi Arabia for the first time, highlighting how widespread the creatures once were.

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Sydney police charge man over coward punch

A MIDDLE-AGED man who allegedly punched a man in the back of the head outside a pub in Sydney's inner west has been charged.

Police say the 49-year-old followed the 48-year-old victim outside a pub in Rozelle late one night in mid December before attacking him.

The injured man was taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

On Wednesday police arrested the 49-year-old and charged him with assault.

Bail was granted with strict conditions and he's due before Balmain Local Court in late January.

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Ex Israeli PM Sharon's condition worsens

THE head of the hospital treating Israel's iconic and controversial former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says only "a miracle" could prevent his condition from deteriorating further.

Dr Zeev Rotstein, director of the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, said on Monday Sharon remained in a life-threatening condition.

Rotstein says "unless there is a turn on the level of a miracle, his condition will get worse and worse from day to day".

Rotstein says though doctors managed to stabilise some of Sharon's bodily functions, several vital organs, including his kidneys, are still in a decline.

The 85-year-old has been in a coma for eight years after a devastating stroke incapacitated him at the peak of his political power.

The hospital announced last week his health had dramatically worsened.

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Hero firie speaks of Vic flat explosion

THE firefighter who saved a female police officer from a burning Melbourne building has played down his heroics, saying he was simply doing his job following an explosion.

Emergency services were responding to reports of a man threatening self-harm at a Middle Park unit when a gas bottle exploded and set the flat ablaze.

Firefighter Andrew Wood suffered facial injuries in Sunday's blast but still went back in to save the police officer.

Mr Wood and his crew will be nominated for a bravery award for their work in a blast that injured three police officers, another firefighter and a resident, but he said he was just doing what he was supposed to.

"Any good firefighter would have done it and every firefighter does do it all the time," Mr Wood told the Nine Network.

Mr Wood said the officer was "not in a good way" and in "incredible pain" when he found her.

"I said, 'it's all right, I'll help you, we'll get down'," Mr Wood said, adding that he reassured the officer about the extent of her injuries.

"I said 'they're not too bad, you're alive, you're down and you're alive. The worst of it's over'."

The families of the three injured police officers released a statement saying they are extremely proud of their loved ones.

Sergeant Tony Scully's wife Mitzi said she was proud of all her husband had achieved during his 34 years as a police officer.

"It is typical of Tony that he should get injured in this way - helping a person when they needed help," she said.

The parents of a female constable known as "Varli", 32, said being a police officer was the fulfilment of a 10-year dream for their daughter.

She graduated from the academy last July, while the third police officer Constable Emma Quick, 28, joined the police force in 2011.

In a joint statement, the families expressed their gratitude to Victoria Police, hospital staff and those who helped at the scene.

"This has been a deeply distressing experience for all of us," they said.

"We are horrified that this has happened."

Firefighter Wayne Sheridan was injured after being showered with glass in the explosion.

The 40-year-old male resident remains in a serious but stable condition at The Alfred Hospital and is under police guard.

Police believe it was a suicide attempt gone wrong and not a trap for emergency services workers.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 100 659 467.

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US icebreaker sent to help trapped vessels

An American icebreaker will attempt to free two ships stuck in ice in Antarctica. Source: AAP

AN American icebreaker will try to free two ships trapped by thick Antarctic ice.

The US Coast Guard's Polar Star accepted a request from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to help the Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been marooned since Christmas Eve.

It will also aid the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, which was involved in a dramatic helicopter rescue of the Shokalskiy's 52 passengers last Thursday before also becoming beset by ice.

AMSA on Sunday confirmed the Polar Star, which was on its way from Seattle for an Antarctic mission, had diverted course and was on its way to help.

It will take about seven days for the icebreaker, with a crew of 140 people, to reach Commonwealth Bay after collecting supplies from Sydney on Sunday.

The AMSA spokeswoman said the Polar Star had greater capabilities than the Russian and Chinese vessels.

"It can break ice over six metres thick, while those vessels can break one-metre ice," she told AAP on Sunday.

"The idea is to break them out, but they will make a decision once they arrive on scene on the best way to do this."

AMSA will be in regular contact with the US Coast Guard and the captain of the Polar Star during its journey to Antarctica.

Twenty-two crew remain on board the Shokalskiy, which sparked a rescue mission after a blizzard pushed sea ice around the ship and froze it in place on December 24.

The scientists, journalists and tourists on board the research ship were airlifted to safety last week, via the Xue Long's helicopter.

Those passengers are now on board Aurora Australis on their way to Australia's Antarctic base at Casey Station, and then Tasmania.

The Aurora was forced to suspend its resupply of the Australian base to rush to the aid of the Shokalskiy, but it is not yet known what impact the incident will have on scientific program.

China has vowed "all-out efforts" to assist the Xue Long, which is surrounded by ice of up to four metres thick and is 21 kilometres from open water, according to state news agency Xinhua which has reporters on board.

"If the ship is stranded for a very long time, which is very rare indeed, then we'll have to evacuate the people on board and leave the vessel there," Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration director Qu Tanzhou said.

Chris Turney, leader of the Shokalskiy's expedition to retrace the steps of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson, defended the mission on Sunday.

"The science on the expedition was supported by a number of major research institutions including NOAA (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the University of Wisconsin and a host of others," he said.

Turney said there was a long history of both governmental and private vessels going to the assistance of others in the Antarctic.

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Family of latest alleged hit victim speaks

THE brother of a teenager allegedly punched outside a Sydney McDonald's says that in the moments after his brother went down, he thought he'd been killed for talking to a girl.

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Girl, 5, mauled by family pet in NSW

A DARWIN kindergartener has been mauled by a pet dog while holidaying in Sydney.

The five-year-old girl's left cheek was severely wounded when she was bitten by a large mixed-breed dog on Sunday morning.

Police were told the girl had been visiting relatives in Rydalmere, in Sydney's west, for the past two weeks and was playing in the backyard with family when she was attacked.

She was treated by paramedics before being taken to the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

The dog owners voluntarily surrendered the animal to Parramatta City Council rangers and investigations into whether it is a banned breed continue.

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