NSW south coast fire deliberately lit

A bushfire on the NSW south coast was deliberately lit, police say. Source: AAP

A BUSHFIRE that burned up to seven hectares of land on the NSW south coast was deliberately lit, police say.

The fire at St Georges Basin was noticed around 5.30pm (AEDT) on Friday and has since been brought under control.

Police are now investigating the cause of the fire, and believe it was deliberately lit.

Witnesses have told officers they saw a man riding a yellow "Thumpstar" motorbike in the area just before the fire.

He is described as being aged in his 20s. At the time, he was wearing a black shirt and white cap.

A red VS Holden Commodore sedan was also seen in the area at the time.

Police would like to speak with anyone who may have any information about the man.

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Suicide bomber wounds seven in Pakistan

A SUICIDE bomber struck a police patrol in a town in northwestern Pakistan, wounding three policemen and four civilians, police said.

The bombing took place at a market in Katalang, 50km northeast of Peshawar, the capital of restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan.

"At least three policemen and four civilians were wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police patrol car," local police official Israel Khan told AFP.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, Khan said, but Taliban militants in the past have carried out several bombings in the region.

Pakistan says more than 35,000 people have been killed as a result of terrorism in the country since the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

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Billionaire orders 117 Chinese dinosaurs

Clive Palmer has ordered more than 100 mechanical dinosaurs to install in his Sunshine Coast resort. Source: AAP

A QUEENSLAND resort is one step closer to becoming Clive Palmer's own Jurassic Park after the eccentric billionaire put in an order for more than 100 mechanical dinosaurs.

The mining magnate, who is also building a replica Titanic, already has a tyrannosaurus rex called Jeff and an omeisaurus named Bones in his Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane.

Mr Palmer says he ordered another 117 animatronic dinosaurs from central China on Friday.

"If you've seen Jeff and Bones, well you haven't seen anything yet," Mr Palmer said in a statement.

He said the new arrivals would include a 1200kg brachiosaurus and a 7m tall mamenchisaurus - both tall plant-eating reptiles.

The animals, which will be displayed in the woodlands around the resort, will sway their tails, heave their chests and blink, Mr Palmer said.

The exhibit is expected to be on display within months.

Jeff the T-rex's arrival caused a stir late last year, with one Sunshine Coast councillor complaining the ambitious dinosaur park plan would cheapen the resort.

Mr Palmer also hinted Jeff was named after deputy premier Jeff Seeney, with whom he's had several political stoushes.

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Suicide bomber kills six in Pakistan

A SUICIDE bomber has targeted a senior Pakistani police commander in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least six people and wounding 11 others, officials said.

It was not clear whether Abdul Majeed Marwat, commander of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was hurt in the attack.

"It was a suicide attack, the target was the FC commander," said police official Arshad Khan.

The attack took place on Friday when the police chief was passing through a military checkpost in the busy cantonment area of Peshawar.

"We have received six dead bodies, including two women. Eleven people were also injured," said Sayed Jameel Shah, a spokesman for Peshawar's main Lady Reading Hospital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Pakistani police, soldiers and paramilitary units are frequently targeted by domestic Taliban, who have been fighting an insurgency since July 2007.

There has been a recent spike in violence in the northwest as the country prepares to hold historic elections on May 11.

The vote will mark the first democratic transition of power in Pakistan, which has been governed by four military rulers.

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Ryder fighting for life after assault

NZ cricketer Jesse Ryder is in intensive care after an attack left him with a fractured skull. Source: AAP

THE cricket community is in shock as Jesse Ryder fights for his life in hospital after he was attacked twice while out in Christchurch, New Zealand with his teammates.

The 28-year-old is in a critical condition in an induced coma in Christchurch Hospital after he suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured skull.

Police say Ryder had been out for a drink with his Wellington teammates at Aikmans Bar in Merivale following their loss to Canterbury in a domestic one-day match.

At about 12.30am on Thursday, there was an initial altercation on the footpath outside the bar involving Ryder and at least two other men, Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer told reporters.

Ryder and two others went across the road to McDonald's to meet up with their teammates, where a second altercation involving one of the men from the initial incident took place at the entrance to the carpark.

It was then that Ryder was seriously assaulted and emergency services were called, Det Sen Sgt Archer said.

It's thought at least 10 people witnessed the attacks and police are reviewing CCTV footage from the area.

One witness, HR manager Emma-Louise Ferguson, told the New Zealand Herald she saw three or four men attacking Ryder.

"They were just punching him, they had him on the ground and they were kicking him hard. It was unbelievably brutal," she said.

"When he was on the ground, I couldn't actually see him but I could hear the they were kicking him as hard as they could."

Det Sen Sgt Archer said police haven't yet identified the people involved, but they're following "positive lines of inquiry" and reviewing CCTV footage.

Although Ryder had been drinking, there was no indication that alcohol was a contributing factor to the assault,Det Sen Sgt Archer said.

New Zealand Cricket Players' Association Heath Mills said the cricket community is in shock over what's happened to Ryder.

"It's a sad day for us," he said.

New Zealand Cricket offered its support to the player.

"We are all shocked by what has occurred and extremely concerned for Jesse. New Zealand Cricket's thoughts are with him and his family," NZC chief executive David White said.

The big-hitting Ryder was due to leave for the Indian Premier League on Friday after his services were acquired by the Delhi Daredevils at a player auction in February.

It is not the first time Ryder has been involved in an incident in Christchurch. In February 2008 he cut his hand trying to break into a toilet in a bar in the city.

After a number of other drinking incidents, he admitted he had a drinking problem and last March announced he was taking an indefinite break from international cricket.

He played for the Pune Warriors in last year's IPL and was accompanied by psychologist Karen Nimmo and Klee.

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Nufarm down sharply on poor profit

SHARES in Nufarm have plummeted to an 18-month low after $215 million was wiped from its market capitalisation in the wake of a big fall in its profit, and a disappointing outlook.

Shares in the agricultural chemicals supplier were 82 cents, or 17.19 per cent, lower at $3.95 on Thursday.

On Wednesday, after the share market closed, Nufarm reported a 53.5 per cent fall in net profit to $8.4 million for the six months to January 31 and slashed its outlook.

Hot, dry conditions in Australia had reduced demand for crop protection products, and Nufarm was also hurt by foreign exchange losses.

Nufarm managing director Doug Rathbone said that agricultural companies were always exposed to the weather, but seasonal conditions in Australia were exceptionally bad.

Morningstar analyst Peter Rae said Nufarm's downgraded full year outlook showed the company remained exposed to cyclical demand from agricultural markets and had limited pricing power in some of its products.

Nonetheless, Nufarm's financial result did not change his overall view of the company.

"It has a sound global crop protection business with strong distribution capabilities and key market positions in its core products," Mr Rae said in a research note.

Mr Rathbone said on Wednesday that Nufarm was unlikely to make up the lost ground from its first half and poor start to the second half of the year.

Underlying full year net profit was expected to be below last year's and within a range of $80 million to $95 million.

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Aust share market closes higher

THE Australian share market closed almost one per cent higher as investors took their cues from positive news in the US.

On Wall Street overnight on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 111.90 points, or 0.77 per cent, to a fresh record of 14,559.65.

Rising home prices and orders for manufactured goods pushed up stocks.

European markets also firmed as investors gained confidence in the bailout plan arranged for Cyprus and its banking system.

EL&C Baillieu Stockbroking director Richard Morrow said the local market had slavishly followed the US lead in the absence of any local news.

"We've also managed to ignore all of the negative headlines out of Europe," Mr Morrow said.

"The market is bereft of influence because all of the major local profits have been announced, so we're in a bit of a vacuum of news."

Most market participants were packing their bags for the upcoming Easter holiday break, so trade on Thursday would been quiet.

In the local resources sector, global miner BHP Billiton was 27 cents higher at $33.19 and Rio Tinto gained 89 cents to $57.82.

National carrier Qantas was up four cents at $1.76 after it received final approval from the competition watchdog for its global partnership with Dubai-based airline Emirates.

Airline Virgin Australia added 1.5 cents to 41.5 cents, after the High Court of Singapore gave its blessing to Virgin Australia's takeover of regional carrier Skywest.

Global insurer QBE lifted 48 cents to $13.42 as it said it was on track to meet its financial targets this year as it embarks on a major transformation plan.

Agricultural chemicals supplier Nufarm was in a trading halt pending an announcement about the company's half year financial results and the outlook for the full year.

Nufarm last traded at $4.77.

Linc Energy shares have been placed in a trading halt ahead of an announcement about raising capital, and last traded at $2.67.

KEY FACTS

* At the close of trade on Wednesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was 44.8 points, or 0.91 per cent, higher at 4,995.

* The broader All Ordinaries index was up 42.3 points, or 0.85 per cent, at 5,007.

* The June share price index futures contract was 54 points higher at 5,010, with 54,100 contracts traded.

* National turnover was 1.4 billion securities worth $2.9 billion.

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Teens questioned over Litchfield murder

SEVERAL juveniles are being questioned by police over the murder of a good Samaritan in Western Australian.

Tauri Litchfield, 28, was found unconscious in a Mandurah car park, south of Perth, with severe head injuries on March 17.

He was rushed to hospital by ambulance but later died.

Major Crime Squad detectives have been investigating possible links between Mr Litchfield and a 17-year-old girl who was found nearby with serious but not life-threatening injuries, and whose condition later improved in hospital to stable.

Media reports suggested the man was set upon while trying to come to the aid of the girl, who he did not know, and who was being attacked.

Police executed several search warrants around the metropolitan area on Wednesday and arrested a number of juveniles who were assisting police with their inquiries.

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Judge emotional as she jails axe murderer

A SUPREME Court judge became visibly upset as she consoled the family of an axe-murdered prostitute whose last moments must have been "spent in terror, horrific pain and despair".

Justice Christine Adamson had to pause for a moment as she sentenced David John Dunn, 29, to at least 14 years' imprisonment for the murder of Rebecca Apps at Barrack Heights near Wollongong on September 9, 2010, and for an armed robbery the night before.

Justice Adamson struggled to control her voice as she acknowledged the "pain, grief and loss" suffered by Ms Apps' grieving family.

Ms Apps' relatives embraced and sobbed, while Dunn bent over double in the dock.

The court heard Dunn picked up Ms Apps, a street sex worker, after he had robbed a takeaway store owner of $85 and taken the drug ice.

The pair attempted and failed to obtain heroin, before Dunn tried to have sex with Ms Apps.

"He was unable to have intercourse. He then hit her over the head with an axe," Justice Adamson said.

"She was lying on the ground. She screamed at him and begged him to stop."

Instead, Dunn hit Ms Apps, 28, over the head several more times before putting her body in the boot of a stolen car and attempting to hide her body in bushland.

His attempts were witnessed by a neighbour who rang triple-zero, and Dunn was arrested near the scene.

The court previously heard Dunn suffered from a delusional disorder, a mild intellectual disability and poly-substance dependence.

Defence barrister Mark Ierace SC said Dunn was suffering from a delusion that his ex-wife had killed two of his family members and he murdered Ms Apps because he believed she was his ex-wife.

But Justice Adamson said she was not satisfied Dunn was suffering from this delusion when he murdered Ms Apps.

"The death of the deceased was brought about by (Dunn's) lack of tolerance and frustration which was brought on by the drugs he had taken," she said.

"... The method of killing was particularly violent and carried out in complete disregard for the deceased's pleas for mercy.

"Her last minutes of life must have been spent in terror, horrific pain and despair."

The judge noted Dunn had told police what was going through his head when he struck Ms Apps was, "you nagging bitch, f***ing shut up, shut up".

"The unlawful and intentional taking of human life is a heinous crime," Justice Adamson said.

Setting a maximum jail term of 21 years, Justice Adamson recommended Dunn be given treatment in custody to deal with his drug addiction.

Taking into account time already served, he will be eligible for parole in September 2024.

Ms Apps' family members declined to comment outside court.

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Knives, ropes used to butcher Qld cows

KNIVES, bows and arrows and ropes were used to mutilate and kill two cows in a horrific case of animal cruelty in Queensland.

Stock squad officers say the attack is one of the most cowardly and appalling cases they've ever seen.

The remains of the cows - one of which was heavily pregnant - were found scattered over half a kilometre at Gympie, north of Brisbane, on Sunday.

Police detailed the horrific crime on Tuesday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Ferling said that in a decade with the Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad, he's never seen animals killed in such a horrific way.

No arrests have been made, but police say deer poachers may have been involved. Officers are appealing for witnesses.

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Union rally against chambers of commerce

MARITIME Union of Australia members are planning rallies around the country to urge the business community to back waterfront safety reforms.

Rallies are planned outside chamber of commerce offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin and Devonport on Tuesday.

The union's Assistant National Secretary, Warren Smith, said on Monday the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) had intervened in the development of the National Stevedoring Code of Practice (NSCOP).

The NSCOP sought to create a uniform national set of safety guidelines for stevedoring, following a spate of deaths on the waterfront over the past ten years, he said in a statement.

"Wharfies are fourteen times more likely to die at work than the average Australian worker," Mr Smith said.

The development of the code of practice has been a collaborative effort between Safe Work Australia, state regulators, the union and industry representatives.

But Mr Smith said big stevedoring companies and the representative of foreign shippers, Shipping Australia, last year tried to "bomb the code".

"To its credit, Safe Work Australia maintained the key protections in the code, but now ACCI has weighed in, delaying the code's progress by making factually incorrect, misleading claims about the cost of implementation to industry.

"It is disgraceful for ACCI to misrepresent any impact on a company's bottom line when it comes to protecting the safety of workers."

An ACCI spokesman said Australian industry was committed to ensuring businesses operated safely and businesses had to be safe to be productive.

"That's why industry, together with other stakeholders, is involved in developing documents aimed at safe workplace practices," he said in a statement.

"We work together with unions and others to make sure the documents reflect good practice and accurately conform to legislative requirements."

The ACCI spokesman said the final decision on any document would be made jointly by SafeWork Australia and the government, and it was not up to individual parties.

"We all want to see credible, workable guidance on how to operate safely.

"And we need to take time to ensure that the guidance is as accurate and helpful as possible. The safety of our people depends upon it."

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Syd man acquitted of strip club shooting

A MAN accused of shooting another man in the shoulder in a crowded strip club has been found not guilty by a Sydney jury.

Ricky Anthony Ciano, 31, was acquitted of wounding Amer Tashman with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at Bada Bing nightclub in Kings Cross on April 9 last year.

He was also acquitted of using a pistol without a licence, in a verdict handed down in the District Court in Sydney earlier this month.

The crown had alleged Mr Ciano got into a fight with Mr Tashman in the strip club before approaching him a few minutes later and shooting him in the shoulder.

No one in the crowded nightclub reported witnessing the shooting, although some said they heard a shot.

In his opening address, defence barrister Graham Turnbull SC told the jury there was a "host of people" involved in the scuffle and there were "lots of people coming and going that night".

Mr Turnbull said the jury would need to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Ciano had a gun on him and he used it to shoot someone.

He said Mr Ciano did not shoot the victim - a submission that was ultimately accepted by the jury.

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Leaders urge end to Myanmar clashes

BUDDHIST and Muslim religious leaders are calling for calm in violence-hit central Myanmar (Burma), while urging the government to step up security for both communities.

The outbreak of religious violence in the town of Meiktila has claimed at least 32 lives and displaced about 9,000 people, according to officials on Sunday, leaving swathes of the town in ruin and prompting an army-enforced state of emergency.

The Interfaith Friendship Organisation called on the government "to lay effective security plans and provide security to people of the two communities".

The statement, signed by Buddhist and Muslim leaders and carried in the state-mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar, asked followers of different religions to obey the law and "maintain the community harmony with love and kindness".

The leaders are the first religious figures to speak out publicly since riots hit Meiktila, 130 kilometres north of the capital Naypyidaw, last Wednesday, leaving buildings torched and charred bodies in the streets.

The clashes are the latest sign of worsening tensions between Muslims and Buddhists and present a serious challenge for the quasi-civilian regime as it looks to reform the country after decades of iron-fisted military rule.

It is the worst communal violence since a wave of clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine last year that left at least 180 people dead and more than 110,000 displaced.

Urging people from all communities to step back from violence, the Interfaith Friendship Organisation, which also includes Christian and Hindu community leaders, said the clashes were posing a threat to Myanmar's progress.

The state of emergency order, signed by President Thein Sein, is designed to enable the army to help restore order and is a significant move in a country trying to emerge from the legacy of junta rule, which ended two years ago.

The United Nations, US, Britain and rights groups have called for calm and dialogue between communities amid fears that the violence could spread.

Myanmar's Muslims - largely of Indian, Chinese and Bangladeshi descent - account for an estimated four per cent of the population of roughly 60 million, although the country has not conducted a census in three decades.

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Five boot camps for Qld young offenders

FIVE boot camps designed to put young offenders on the straight and narrow will be running in Queensland within six months.

Premier Campbell Newman announced on Sunday that boot camps for convicted youths will be open in Townsville, Rockhampton and on the Fraser Coast by September, along with two other camps.

Youths will spend four weeks at the camps cooking, cleaning, doing physical activities and studying while under constant surveillance.

Mr Newman says they will be given an opportunity to turn their lives around under the guidance of mentors and their families.

"This program is designed to teach these young people about discipline, rehabilitation and respect for themselves and those around them," he said in a statement.

"We promised a fresh approach to youth justice and these boot camps are a key part of that reform.

One camp is already up and running on the Gold Coast and another camp will be opened in Kuranda, near Cairns, in April.

The five boot camps will be trialled for two years.

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