Vic teen karaoke lover found (AAP)

Vic police seek 15-year-old karaoke lover

Victorian teenager Si-Tian Wang has been located safe and well.

Her family and police feared for the safety of the 15-year-old after she left her Vermont home on Saturday night.

Her family said her disappearance was very out of character and police were concerned because of the girl's age.

"The teenager made contact with her family this evening," Victoria Police said in a statement.

It was reported Si-Tian may frequent karaoke bars in the Melbourne CBD.

Police thanked the public and media for their help in the matter but declined to elaborate about the teenager's movements while she was reported missing.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24926945/vic-teen-karaoke-lover-found/

Charleville truck explosion: Transport Workers Union calls for review of trucking of chemicals (ABC)

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has called for a review of the trucking of dangerous chemicals in the wake of a catastrophic explosion in south-west Queensland.

A two-kilometre exclusion zone was declared near Charleville after the truck, carting more than 50 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, crashed and rolled about 10:00pm (AEST) on Friday.

It was being transported to South Australia for the mining company, Orica.

Experts from the company were assisting authorities in investigating the accident.

The blast was so powerful it "disintegrated" the truck, destroyed two firefighting vehicles and two bridges, and blew a hole in the Mitchell Highway.

The truck driver, two fire officers, and two passers-by remain in hospital with serious injuries, while three other rescue workers were recovering at home.

TWU spokesman Peter Biagini said there should be restrictions on which trucks could carry which chemicals.

"I think we need to have a good look at this sort of product, and maybe when they are carting these sort of chemicals that the trucks that are carting them should run on natural gas instead of diesel, so if there is an incident like that happened on the weekend you don't have those two products mixing together and causing the explosion," he said.

Queensland Trucking Association CEO Peter Garske said the cause of the crash had to be thoroughly investigated before any discussion could begin on tightening regulations.

"If there's no crash, there's no explosion," he said.

"I'll be looking to cooperating. I've got no doubt my industry and the company concerned will cooperate with all the authorities to see what lessons are to be learned, was it avoidable, was that an issues with the tuck, the driver, the road or indeed some other person on the road as is the case in heavy vehicle crashes."

In a statement, Orica said its team would work alongside emergency services and regulators to understand both the cause of the accident and its aftermath and also provide advice regarding the management of the site and clean up activities.

"The thoughts of all Orica employees in Australia are with the driver of the contractor's vehicle and emergency service workers who responded to the accident and who are now being treated for injuries," the statement said.

"It is not appropriate to speculate on the cause of the accident and subsequent events as these are the subject of the investigations now underway.

"The safe transportation of ammonium nitrate is regulated under the Australian dangerous goods code and in Queensland under the Explosives Act, which is overseen by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines and Inspector of Explosives."

Explosion, emergency response to be probed

Fire Assistant Commissioner Tom Dawson said around 20 investigators would return to the scene today, with police and forensic experts already having been granted access to the site on Sunday.

"The rain came in late yesterday afternoon and hampered the work, but the scene is now safe," he said.

"There is a lot more photographic [evidence], more measurements to be taken — a lot more documentation.

"We hope to have that concluded by just after lunch and then we are going to start recovering the vehicles - that's the two fire trucks, and there are two private trucks near the crash scene, as well."

Mr Dawson said authorities would also review the emergency response to the explosion.

The assistant fire commissioner said emergency workers reported problems with telephone and radio coverage at the site in the aftermath of the blast.

"Then you get into sat phones, and if you're not standing in the right place 30 kilometres outside of town your sat phone just won't work," he said.

"You may have to move three or four metres, but you spend half your time trying to find reception and that's when you have time to do it, and you're calm and just looking and you have time to achieve, then you will achieve it.

"But if you're having to think on the spot and move quickly, very challenging."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24924878/charleville-truck-explosion-transport-workers-union-calls-for-review-of-trucking-of-chemicals/

Kathy Lin*s Triple *0* played in court (AAP)

Moments after discovering the battered bodies of her brother's family, Kathy Lin can allegedly be heard pleading with her husband in a Triple '0' call not to leave her.

In the series of calls played to the Supreme Court on Monday, Kathy can be heard screaming and crying while the operator tries to calm her down.

Asking "What's wrong? What's wrong" before telling her to "Stop screaming", Kathy cries "I'm not sure but maybe someone killed my brother's family".

It is during this fever pitch that the crown says she can also be heard pleading with her husband Robert Xie.

"You stay," she allegedly tells him in Cantonese crying, "I was in agony, in agony. I am more scared than you are", before he is heard driving off.

It's the crown case that Xie had his wife at the scene on July 18, 2009 because he knew she was in no danger.

He knew this, the crown says, because he was the one who had crept into her brother Min "Norman" Lin's home in Sydney's northwest in the early hours of July 18 and murdered him, his wife Yun "Lily" Li Lin, 44, their young sons Henry and Terry, and Lily's sister, Yun Bin "Irene" Lin, 39.

When Min Lin failed to turn up to work later that morning, Xie and Kathy went to their home and discovered the scene that prompted the first call at 9.47am.

But Xie's barrister Graham Turnbull SC questioned the validity of the crown's transcript of the panicked calls which are punctuated by high pitched screaming.

The court heard interpreter Albert Au had been called back to review his transcript after a clerk at the DPP was able to "pick up some more words" from the tape.

"You were asked to come in and see if you could hear them too isn't that right?" Mr Turnbull asked him.

"Some staff did say something to me yes," Mr Au replied, later adding they had heard something "dramatically different" to one another.

The trial continues.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24929709/kathy-lins-triple-0-played-in-court/

Roller door dispute: Council, owners in stand-off over Albert Park lane title deed (ABC)

ABC The door blocks off the end of the lane and cuts across a neighbour's garage.

Police have intervened in a tense stand-off between a Melbourne couple and the local council over a roller door blocking access to a lane.

Justine and Paul Cubbin erected the door behind their property in Cameron Place, in the suburb of Albert Park, about two months ago with a permit issued by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Port Phillip City Council wants the door removed because it blocks off the end of the lane and cuts across a neighbour's garage.

Council contractors attempted to pull it down this morning, but the Cubbins called police.

The couple said they owned the land at the end of the laneway and had a right to block it off.

They have shown ABC News a deed from the 1800s which shows the land belongs to them.

The council said they had a later title that did not include the land.

Police said the door could not be removed today because the council did not have the authority to pull it down.

'No bad blood' between neighbours

The Cubbins said they were relieved, but wanted a more permanent solution.

Ms Cubbin said they have felt bullied and intimidated by the council's tactics to protect their courtyard which is 12.29 square metres in size.

"I've got a planning permit to erect the roller door. I have a building permit," she said.

"I've done everything by the book so if council now say that I can't act on a planning permit I can't see what that means for other planning permits."

Ms Cubbin said she had been in contact with her neighbour about the access issues.

"There's no bad blood between us, we're both looking to the council to resolve the problem one way or the other," she said.

"But we need to make it abundantly clear, that council allow that roller door to be constructed on her property while this dispute was going on.

"I have never intentionally blocked anybody's access."

Chris Carroll from the council issued a brief statement after its contractors were denied access to the site.

"Unfortunately the resident who has illegally erected a roller door on a public road, will not grant access for the power to be cut," he said.

"Therefore, we need to consider incurring the expense of further legal action to reinstate public access to the road way, particularly for the landowner whose access is currently being obstructed."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24923664/roller-door-dispute-council-owners-in-stand-off-over-albert-park-lane-title-deed/

Top End locals warn Pakistani sailor who jumped ship near Darwin will struggle to survive in scrub (ABC)

A long-time resident of the Cox Peninsula says a Pakistani navy sailor who jumped ship in Darwin Harbour will struggle to survive in the rugged, sparsely populated scrub west of the city.

The sailor was onboard one of the navy vessels taking part in Exercise Kakadu, Australia's largest maritime exercise, which has 15 nations from the Asia Pacific participating this year.

A Defence spokeswoman said the man was from the Pakistani vessel PNS NASR, and police said he was reported missing at 4:30am CST on Sunday.

A backpack was found in the water and the sailor was spotted on the mainland in a fairly remote area by a caretaker from the local YMCA.

Cox Peninsula local Chris Chaplin has told 105.7 ABC Darwin that helicopters had spent Monday morning searching the Talc Head area, a short distance across Darwin Harbour from the CBD, but more than 100 kilometres by road from the city.

"If he's got no shoes and no supplies, you wouldn't think he'd last very long. It's tough country," he said.

"We live in the tropical environment and people think naturally think that means green grass and lots of rainfall, but of course we're at the end of the dry season.

"There's no fresh ground water over there. There's a handful of people that live there but the track in is as rough as rough.

"He can't follow the coastline, that coastline over that side of the harbour, it would be 80 to 90 per cent mangroves and mudflats, you can't just walk around the coastline to somewhere either.

"He's in a pretty rough spot that's for sure."

The defence adviser to Pakistan's High Commission in Australia, Brigadier Muhammad Asghar said authorities were trying to reach the man's family in Pakistan.

But he would not reveal the man's name and said a ground search is continuing.

A spokeswoman for Exercise Kakadu said the two-week exercise had not been affected by the incident.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24926687/top-end-locals-warn-pakistani-sailor-who-jumped-ship-near-darwin-will-struggle-to-survive-in-scrub/

Trees uprooted, powerlines downed as severe cold front sweeps across Perth (ABC)

ABC SES crews work to secure the roof of an apartment in Attadale this morning.

Winds of more than 100 kilometres per hour have uprooted trees and brought down powerlines as a severe cold front moved across Perth and the South West.

More than 10,000 homes were left without power, with Como, Manning, Salter Point and Hocking among the worst hit.

A tree landed on a house in Morris Drive, in Forrestfield, and the roof peeled off a garage and slammed into a house in nearby Carissa Way.

The roof of a block of units in Attadale was also damaged.

Resident Tom Hope said about 3:30am he heard an ominous sound.

"There was a big rumbling sound, and the next minute I just had the premonition something was going to happen," he told the ABC.

"I got up and I ran into the bathroom [and] just as that happened the whole roof came off.

"It was like being in a war zone.

"It took me half an hour to get out of there, I couldn't even get out the door."

Payal Jaim was home with her two children, aged two and six, when the roof caved in.

She was hit in the leg by flying debris, leaving it bruised and swollen. But she said she was most concerned about getting her children out.

"I can't hear anything, everything .. for me [was], I have to save my kids," she said.

The children sustained some minor scratches she said, but were otherwise fine.

Boats are reported to have broken their moorings in Fremantle Harbour and sea containers were blown over at Rous Head.

Residents in the Perth suburb of Forrestfield believe they were hit by a mini tornado, but the weather bureau has not yet said if this was the case.

A plane was flipped completely over, and trees were uprooted on Rottnest Island.

State Emergency Service volunteers rally to fix damaged homes

The State Emergency Service had received 29 call outs by 8:30am.

The majority of calls have involved minor damage to homes, fallen trees on homes, cars and fences.

More than 96 SES volunteers from 16 units were working to fix damaged houses throughout the metropolitan area, a spokesman said.

Forrestfield was worst hit with 10 calls for help. 

The majority of calls have involved minor home damage, fallen trees, cars and fences, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said.

Crews were also called to Port Denison, Brunswick Junction and Yallingup.

Bureau of Meteorology Duty forecaster James Ashley said the wind gusts had been widespread.

"The strongest wind gust so far has been around 102 kilometres an hour at Rottnest Island and also at Busselton Jetty and also through Munglinup," he said.

"Jandakot, Cape Leeuwin all seen gusts up around 95 to 100 kilometres an hour.

"The damaging winds up around that 100 kilometres an hour mark have been right across the metro area and the south-west of the state.

"Forrestfield just sounds like, unfortunately, it copped one of the better gusts."

He said damage patterns would reveal more about the weather patterns.

"It's quite difficult to confirm a tornado, having said that it's certainly possible," he said.

A fresh front is expected to bring gusty, potentially damaging winds and more rain this afternoon for areas south of a line from Lancelin to Lake King to Israelite Bay.

The storm has also filled rain gauges across the city.

Bickley received the most rain in Perth, recording 28.2mm.

In the South West, Dwellingup clocked 24.6mm.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24923496/trees-uprooted-powerlines-downed-as-severe-cold-front-sweeps-across-perth/

Aust to receive UN rap over asylum seekers (AAP)

AAP The UN high commissioner will censure Australia's treatment of asylum seekers in a speech in Geneva.

The United Nations' incoming top human rights official will use his first speech to challenge Australia's policies on asylum seeker boat arrivals and and border protection.

Incoming US High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein will make the speech in Geneva about 1.20am AEST on Tuesday.

He will say offshore processing of asylum seekers and the policy to turn back boats is leading "to a chain of human rights violations", including arbitrary detention and possible torture when detainees return to their home countries.

He will also censure plans to resettle people in countries "that are not adequately equipped" - a possible reference to Australian government negotiations with Cambodia.

The speech will cover a range of other issues including Syria and Iraq, according to an advanced copy available online.

Mr Al Hussein, who is from Jordan, replaces South African Navi Pillay in the role as commissioner.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24923402/aust-to-receive-un-rap-over-asylum-seekers/