A MAN has died after rolling his car on a North Queensland road.
The man died at the scene of the crash at Calcium, south of Townsville, shortly after noon on Saturday police say.
Forensic specialists are investigating.
No further information is available.
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.
POLICE have charged a 40-year-old man after locating suspected stolen property, including 14 cars, at Kingston today.
A search of an Ariel Ave address revealed a large amount of property including cars, car parts and drugs.
Police have charged the man with possessing dangerous drugs, unlawful possession of motor vehicles, receiving tainted property, possession of utensils that had been used and possession of property having been suspected of being used in connection with the commission of a drug offence.
THE mystery gas smell which worried hundreds of Perth residents was likely to have been a leak of gas odorant from the industrial centre in Kwinana, south of the city.
An investigation was launched by authorities on Thursday, after hundreds of complaints were made to ATCO Gas Australia, with some residents claiming the smell was so strong it woke them up.
ATCO ruled out a gas leak from any of their infrastructure, with the Department of Environment Regulation (DER) taking over the investigation.
In a statement, DER said it was continuing its inquiry into the cause of the smell, but confirmed they were focusing on premises in the Kwinana industrial area.
"It is likely the odour was the result of a leak of gas odorant which is generally injected into otherwise odourless gases so they can be detected by people," a statement said.
"These gas odorants can be detected in the air at extremely low levels - as little as one part per billion."
The DER said they believed the emissions had ceased, however, investigations were continuing.
THE families of three police officers seriously injured in a Melbourne explosion say words can't express their gratitude for the bravery of strangers who came to their aid after the blast.
Sergeant Tony Scully, First Constable Emma Quick and Constable Varli Blake had been called to a Middle Park flat on Saturday night after reports a man was threatening self harm.
As firefighters and police entered the flat via the balcony, a gas bottle exploded.
The brother of Const Quick, Matthew Quick, praised the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and paramedics for saving the lives of the police.
But he said the families were also overwhelmed by the bravery of neighbours and passers by who helped the officers in the chaotic moments after the blast.
"The stories we've heard about what people have done to help them out, that's what really sits us back in our chairs," Mr Quick said. "Our gratitude, words aren't enough to express what that is.
"Through a horrible, horrible tragedy ... we've all seen the best of people and the best of human nature."
The three police members, along with two firefighters since released from hospital, were injured in the blast.
Police say they are getting closer to finding the cause of the explosion.
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay told reporters on Friday he was hopeful that Victoria Police would be able to make an announcement on how the explosion occurred in coming days.
"Things are starting to develop in relation to what might have happened," Mr Lay said.
"I'd be hopeful that perhaps today or tomorrow there will be a bit more clarity around what was the ignition source."
Police have not spoken to the occupant of the flat, who remains under police guard at The Alfred hospital.
A recovery fund has been set up by the policing community to help ease the financial burden on the officers during a recovery expected to take years.
Victoria Police and the Police Association donated $10,000 each to the fund while BankVic has also made a "sizable contribution".
Mr Quick thanked both the police force and wider community for rallying around the injured officers.
"Humbling is the word that came to mind when we heard that was being set up," he said.
Police have discovered a man's body on a dirt road in central Queensland. Source: AAP
THE death of a young Rockhampton man whose body was found on a road in central Queensland is being treated as suspicious.
A driver saw the body while travelling down the Jambin-Dakenba Road near Biloela, south of Rockhampton, on Friday morning, police said.
Investigations into the death of the 18-year-old man continue.
A teenage boy is on the run after allegedly breaking into a farmhouse in NSW, police say. Source: AAP
A FARMER was threatened by a teen armed with a stolen firearm after a break-in on the NSW north coast.
Police say two teenagers forced entry into a farmhouse on Greens Lane at Swan Creek between 2pm and 5pm (AEDT) on Thursday and stole a firearm, two hunting knives and a quad bike before fleeing.
A short time later a farmer confronted the pair on another property, believing they were shooting at his cattle.
Police have been told one of the teenagers pointed the firearm at the farmer before attempting to flee on the quad bike.
They escaped on foot into bushland.
A search for the pair resumed at 7am on Friday after they were spotted on Coldstream Road at Tyndale.
Just after midday a 15-year-old boy was found by a police dog in a cane paddock at Tyndale and is now assisting police.
A search is continuing for the second teenager who was last seen crossing the Clarence River in a stolen boat.
It's believed he is in the Maclean/Yamba area.
He is described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, aged in his mid to late teens and approximately 170cm tall, wearing blue shorts and a blue shirt.
Robert Gates' memoir contains an anecdote about a dinner he shared with former PM Kevin Rudd (pic). Source: AAP
KEVIN Rudd says he's surprised the former US defence secretary can remember anything from the night he dozed off during a long speech by the former Australian prime minister.
Robert Gates revealed in his memoir that during a 2008 visit to Australia he fell asleep at a dinner held in his honour, as Mr Rudd "began a long soliloquy on the history of Australia".
Mr Gates, who was taking medication for a broken shoulder, "should have taken up Mr Rudd's suggestion... to forget dinner and just go home to bed," Mr Rudd's spokeswoman said in a statement.
"Given the number of pain-killing drugs he was on when he arrived at the Lodge, Mr Rudd thought it was surprising Mr Gates could remember anything from the evening at all," she said.
In the memoir, Mr Gates wrote: "I had made it just past World War I when the combined effect of a painkiller, jet lag, and a glass of wine caused me to fall asleep.
"This led to not-so-subtle attempts by my American colleagues at the table to rouse me."
Mr Rudd's spokeswoman added that Mr Rudd had himself fallen asleep while foreign minister when the "body clock kicked in at the wrong time".
Mr Gates' book has also made headlines around the world for its criticisms of US President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden.
A Brothers for Life gang leader has been caught and arrested on Sydney's central coast. Source: AAP
POLICE have vowed to go after other members of violent western Sydney gang Brothers for Life after the arrest of three key members, including alleged leader Farhad Qaumi.
Fourteen members of the gang have been arrested since November and while police believe membership is shrinking by the day, they say their work is not yet done.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas said speculation the group was finished was premature but he was optimistic those who had caused the damage were in custody or "neutralised".
The gang, linked to murder and shootings, was further disrupted when police raided homes in Sydney and the NSW central coast on Wednesday, arresting Qaumi and two others.
"In many ways this is just the beginning," Mr Kaldas told reporters on Thursday.
"We pretty much know what has happened with just about all of the shootings that have occurred in the last 12 months."
Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad commander Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace said gang members should hand themselves in to police before officers go to them.
"They know who you are," she said.
"I suggest you knock on our door before they knock on yours."
Mr Kaldas said on Thursday that police realised they needed to act quicker to curb the gang's violent activities after a shooting at Rose Bay on New Year's Day.
Qaumi, 31, was found at Bondi Beach with a bullet wound after being hit when a chartered luxury cruiser was peppered with shots at Rose Bay on January 1. He was treated at St Vincent's Hospital but discharged himself within hours.
Police allege Qaumi, also known as "the Afghan", is the head of the Brothers for Life Blacktown chapter, which has been at war with the original Bankstown chapter, with the infighting linked to shootings on Sydney's streets and a murder.
"It will be alleged he is a leader of a group and leader of a faction that has been involved in most of the shootings that have occurred in Sydney in the last three or four months," Mr Kaldas said.
Qaumi and his brother, 29-year-old Mumtaz Ahmed Qaumi, a senior gang member, were charged with firearm and drug offences on Wednesday.
The elder brother was flanked by police as he appeared in Wyong Local Court on Thursday.
They were also charged with knowingly directing the criminal activities of a group.
The brothers did not apply for bail, which was formally refused.
Masieh Amiri, 27, who was also arrested in the Wednesday crackdown, was charged with drug and gun offences and did not apply for bail when he appeared in Parramatta Local Court.
Last November police arrested 11 alleged senior members of Brothers for Life members following a shooting in 2012 and another last year.
Among them was Mohammed Hamzy, the Bankstown faction leader and cousin of Brothers for Life founder Bassam Hamzy, 34.
Police say Brothers for Life initially started as a group loyal to Bassam Hamzy, who is serving a jail term for the 1998 murder of Kris Toumazis outside a Sydney night club.
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.
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."
Labor says the PM has made a "strategic mistake" by eschewing federal funding public transport. Source: AAP
LABOR says Prime Minister Tony Abbott has made a "strategic mistake" by eschewing federal funding for public transport, after a report calling for a better balance with private car use.
The Infrastructure Australia report says there is a need for equilibrium and a "system-wide focus" when it comes to urban transport.
The federal infrastructure body said the "right balance" between car use and public transport was key to tackling issues such as road congestion, and its impacts on travel time and freight.
IA's Urban Transport Strategy was seized on by Labor's transport spokesman, Anthony Albanese, who said the government's opposition to federal funding of commuter rail had to be reassessed.
"It's time for the Abbott government to recognise that they've made a strategic mistake in saying that public transport is off-limits," he told reporters in Canberra.
The government's approach ensures that public transport suffers and that roads are not as efficient because they are more congested, he said.
The former Labor government's last budget pledged almost $4 billion to two rail projects, the Cross River Rail in Brisbane and the Melbourne Metro.
However, Mr Abbott has said the coalition won't match the funding and is focusing instead on road projects such as Melbourne's East West Link and Sydney's WestConnex.
Aldi is pulling T-shirts from its Australia Day range after the designs were labelled racist. Source: AAP
DISCOUNT supermarket chain Aldi has pulled an Australia Day T-shirt and singlet from its stores amid claims on social media that designs featured on the garments were racist.
Aldi was on Wednesday criticised by a number of Twitter users for a range of promotional T-shirts with AUSTRALIA EST 1788 logos.
The T-shirts and singlets were scheduled to go on sale on this week in the lead up to January 26.
Twitter users slammed the design as racist and culturally insensitive to indigenous Australians, who inhabited the continent for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
"@ALDIAustralia are selling Australia Day tshirts emblazoned with 'established 1788'. Beggars belief," one Twitter user posted.
The online furore forced Aldi to apologise on Twitter for "any offence taken" before the company announced it had "decided to remove one of its Australia Day special buy products, the Adults Australia Day T-shirt and Singlet from retail".
The decision to remove the garments was "taken following comments by a limited number of concerned customers", an Aldi spokesperson said in a brief statement.
Alcohol-fuelled violence across the nation will be the focus of a federal parliamentary inquiry. Source: AAP
THE federal government is planning an inquiry into alcohol misuse in indigenous communities across the nation.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion is in early talks with the chair of the House of Representatives' standing committee on indigenous affairs Dr Sharman Stone.
Alcohol-fuelled violence in indigenous communities will be considered for the inquiry's terms of reference.
Earlier on Wednesday Senator Scullion told ABC radio the federal government was planning a wide-ranging inquiry into alcohol-fuelled violence across the country - from downtown Sydney to remote outback communities.
However, the coalition government later put that down to a misunderstanding, with a spokesman for Senator Scullion saying the inquiry would only look into alcohol misuse in indigenous communities.
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.
A FORMER funeral director has been arrested for allegedly submitting fraudulent funeral bond claims to insurers.
The 45-year-old man, who has been charged with 119 counts of fraud, has been granted bail to appear in Adelaide magistrates court on March 3.
Police allege that the man arranged prepaid funeral bonds on behalf of clients between 2008 and 2013.
He then allegedly submitted fraudulent funeral bond claims to insurers, falsely claiming that the policy holder clients had died.
Police have advised people who are concerned about their prepaid funeral bonds to contact their funeral director, insurer or the Funeral Directors Association for further advice.
WATER-BOMBING helicopters and fire crews are battling a large bushfire heading for homes on North Stradbroke Island, off Brisbane.
The blaze, fanned by strong winds, is burning at Brown Lake and is heading towards Myora Springs.
At 5.30pm (AEST), the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service issued another alert saying they expected the fire to reach Myora Springs within two hours.
"This fire is moving quickly and spot fires may occur ahead of the fire front and embers are also being thrown from the fire," the alert said.
"Residents are strongly advised to be prepared to relocate to a safer area if required."
There are three properties in the area, according to the Department of Community Safety.
The blaze was started by a lightning strike nine days ago.
No homes have been affected so but the fire prompted the evacuation of about 900 campers on New Year's Day.
Indonesia's foreign minister has again warned Australia not to turn asylum seeker boats around. Source: AAP
INDONESIA has again warned the federal government against asylum-seeker turnbacks following reports the Australian Navy secretly turned around at least one boat in recent weeks.
Reports from Indonesia and Australia say an Ashmore Island-bound boat was turned back either in December or on Monday - or possibly on both occasions - and subsequently became stranded on Rote Island, near West Timor.
The Indonesian reports quoted local police, while Fairfax Media cited unnamed Australian Defence sources and the Indonesian water police.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison would not comment on the conflicting reports for "operational security reasons", despite the coalition having a pre-election policy to turn boats back when safe.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa also refused to comment on the specifics when asked about the reports on Tuesday.
"But as a policy, I shall repeat this once again: Indonesia rejects and is against the policy of boat turnbacks because it's not a solution," he told reporters in Jakarta, speaking in Indonesian.
Agus Barnas, a spokesman for Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Law and Security - which has responsibility for people smuggling - said he was unaware of any turnbacks.
He said Indonesia was still observing a moratorium on co-operating with Australia on people-smuggling after last year's spying scandal.
"So far, there's no policy that the co-operation would resume," Mr Barnas said.
"The talk on forming a code of conduct is still in process."
Speculation about possible boat turnbacks follows a stand-off in November when Australia tried to force a vessel back into Indonesian waters.
The Abbott government backed down after Indonesia refused to accept the asylum seekers, who were eventually transferred to Christmas Island.
Mr Morrison says that Australia respects Indonesia's territorial sovereignty "and will continue to do so".
"It is not the policy or practice of the Australian government to violate Indonesian territorial sovereignty," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Dr Natalegawa said Indonesia's relationship with Australia was still in a "difficult phase" in the wake of the spying revelations.
But he said he was in daily contact with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in an effort to repair the damage.
"What's needed is a gradual process of restoration of confidence or trust, and this is where we are just now," he said.
The Greens want Mr Morrison to provide details of any turnback operation, saying the lives of asylum seekers could have been endangered.
"These people could have drowned," Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
"How many other boats has this occurred to that we've never heard about?"
TWO bosses held captive by workers have spent the night inside a tyre factory in northern France that the company wants to close.
The plant, which Goodyear has tried to sell or shutter for five years, has become an emblem of France's labour issues, and the seizure of the two managers - the plant's director and human resources chief - resurrected the once-common practice of boss-napping.
Sylvain Niel, a labour lawyer who has worked on similar issues, said on Tuesday the tactic had fallen away because any agreements secured while bosses were deemed to be under pressure were later voided in courts.
He described the incident as an act of despair by workers "without room to manoeuvre."
But the Amiens plant has an especially contentious past, with sometimes violent protests against the closure.
Rugby league player Russell Packer has been sentenced to two years in jail for assaulting a man. Source: AAP
NRL player Russell Packer has been left stunned and behind bars after being sentenced to two years' jail for a drunken assault in which he repeatedly punched a man and stomped on his head.
While the sentence shocked the Newcastle recruit, his legal team and supporters, it's been labelled too lenient by an advocate of tougher measures to combat the type of alcohol-induced violence that left three young men seriously injured in Sydney over the past month.
Packer's barrister lodged an immediate appeal against the two-year fixed jail term handed to the 24-year-old on Monday but had his bid for bail rejected by Magistrate Greg Grogan.
Mr Grogan said he was concerned about community safety if Packer was released and he appeared to have been a ticking time bomb on the night of the assault.
In sentencing Packer, Mr Grogan said the public was sick and tired of the type of behaviour shown by the Kiwi international that night.
The father of two kissed his emotional partner as he was placed in handcuffs and led out of the Downing Centre Local Court.
Packer pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actually bodily harm and failing to leave a venue.
The court heard he was kicked out of the Chambers Hotel in Sydney's Martin Place at 1.30am on November 23 last year because he was too drunk.
In Martin Place, the 112kg prop argued with another man after being accused of stealing cigarettes from a woman sitting nearby.
Mr Grogan told the court Packer punched the man in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.
Packer punched the man several more times then stomped on his head, the court heard, leaving the victim with two fractured facial bones.
Mr Grogan labelled Packer's behaviour "cowardly and deplorable" and said the result could have been much worse.
"The person fell to the ground and luckily it would appear did not suffer those injuries seen in media reports as of late," Mr Grogan said.
But a victims' rights campaigner on Monday labelled the sentence "too lenient".
Enough is Enough spokesman Ken Marslew said the young man assaulted by Packer was lucky to have lived.
"The judiciary is failing in its duty of care to society," he told AAP.
Mr Marslew also accused Premier Barry O'Farrell of wasting an election mandate to curb alcohol related violence in the state by "sitting on his hands".
Newcastle Knights football general manager Warren Smiles told reporters outside court the club would support Packer and his family through the court process.
The NRL refused to register Packer's contract with the Knights on December 6 and he had been stood down from all club duties.
Packer played 110 NRL games in six seasons for the New Zealand Warriors and two Tests for the Kiwis before being recruited by Newcastle for the 2014 season.
Packer's sentence was delivered as Sydney assault victim Michael McEwen was released from St Vincent's Hospital three weeks after a vicious attack at Bondi Beach left him in a coma.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Daniel Christie continues to fight for his life in the same hospital after he was punched on New Year's Eve.
And Alexander McEwen, 19, was placed in an induced coma after he was assaulted at Penrith over the weekend.
SWITZERLAND'S central bank says it will report a loss of 9 billion Swiss francs ($A11.09 billion) for 2013, denying shareholders and governments of annual profit sharing.
The Swiss National Bank said on Monday it lost 15 billion francs in the value of its gold holdings, but that was partly offset by a gain of 3 billion francs in foreign currency and more than 3 billion francs in profit from selling its stabilisation fund that bailed out Swiss bank UBS AG.
The bank said in a statement it could not provide dividends to shareholders or profits to the Swiss government and 26 cantons.
Gold prices fell sharply in 2013 as the US Federal Reserve wound down an inflation policy that had driven up gold prices.
GM says it will start outfitting most Chevrolet vehicles with 4G cellular capabilities in partnership with AT&T.
The technology will let drivers make phone calls and allow passengers to surf the Web without burning through the voice and data limits on their phone plans.
General Motors Co said at the International CES gadget show Sunday that the 2015 model year Chevrolet Corvette, Impala, Malibu and Volt will be the first to come equipped with the capabilities this year, followed by the Equinox, Silverado, Silverado HD, Spark and Spark EV.
While the hardware will be standard, pricing plans have yet to be announced.
The cellular capability will be integrated with GM's OnStar roadside assistance service. OnStar currently costs upward of $US199 ($A223) a year and has more than 6 million subscribers.
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy has been fatally struck by a 4WD on the NSW Central Coast.
Emergency services were called to Three Points Avenue, Macmasters Beach, about 6pm (AEDT) on Monday.
Paramedics tried to save the boy but he died at the scene.
Police say the driver of the vehicle - a woman in her 60s - stopped to help the boy.
She has been taken to Gosford Hospital suffering shock and will undergo the usual blood and urine tests.
An investigation is underway.
It is the fourth death on the state's roads in less than 12 hours and the second involving a 4WD.
A 38-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a ute at Wetherill Park, western Sydney, about 2.45pm (AEDT).
Around midday an elderly woman was fatally injured in a smash at Matraville, in the city's southeast, when the Datsun she was travelling in was involved in a smash with an Audi 4WD.
On Monday morning a truck driver was killed in a two-truck crash on the Hume Highway near Yass in southern NSW.
The 48-year-old Glenmore Park man died at the scene, police said, while the driver of the second truck was not injured.
Police will prepare a report on each crash for the coroner.
Thirteen bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of a building that collapsed in India. Source: AAP
INDIAN rescuers are racing to try to save up to 20 people still feared trapped in the ruins of a partially constructed building that collapsed "like a pack of cards".
Emergency workers have pulled 13 bodies from the residential building that crumbled mid-afternoon on Saturday while poorly paid labourers were working on the site in a coastal village in the tourist state of Goa.
A senior officer overseeing the rescue told AFP 15 to 20 people were feared still buried but the chances of finding anyone alive were "getting bleak" as time passed.
"There were some 40 people working when the building collapsed," said the officer, who did not give his name as he is not authorised to speak to media.
"We have pulled out 25 dead or alive, so we believe (up to) 20 to be still inside."
The accident is the latest in a string of deadly collapses in India that have highlighted shoddy construction standards.
Huge demand for housing and pervasive corruption often result in cost-cutting and a lack of safety inspections.
In September a run-down residential block in Mumbai collapsed, killing 60 people.
The officer said the death toll for the latest collapse remained at 13 but was expected to rise.
Rescue workers using cranes, bulldozers, shovels and bare hands struggled to shift concrete slabs and other debris to try to free the labourers trapped under the building in the seaside village of Canacona, south of the state capital Panaji.
Photos showed workers tunnelling under pancaked floors of smashed bricks, rocks and dirt to reach those trapped, after one witness told AFP the building collapsed "like a pack of cards".
The army joined fire and emergency workers to dig through the rubble and cut through iron rods immediately after the collapse, efforts that continued through Saturday night.
Goa police are searching for the builder and the contractor who have gone missing since the tragedy.
Officers have registered cases of endangering human life, causing death and negligence against them and others involved in the building's construction.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday pledged to "immediately arrest" those found responsible for the collapse of the building, which reports said was five storeys high.
In June, 10 people were killed when an apartment block collapsed in Mumbai, while in April 74 people died after a seven-storey building collapsed during construction on the city's outskirts.
Deaths in coal mining accidents in China reportedly dropped by 24 per cent in 2013. Source: AAP
SAFETY at China's coal mines improved in 2013, with the numbers of accidents and deaths decreasing from the previous year, the government says.
China has the world's deadliest coal mines, and authorities have made it a priority to improve safety by enforcing rules.
The central government said on Saturday that there were 589 mining accidents last year, leaving 1049 people dead or missing.
It did not give prior-year figures, but said the numbers declined by more than 24 per cent.
Industry reports from a year ago say more than 1300 people died in mining accidents in China in 2012 and 1973 died in 2011, according to the State Administration of Work Safety.
Both figures do not include missing people.
Last month, a gas explosion at a coal mine in western China's Xinjiang region killed 22 people in one of the deadliest accidents of the year.
WA police have recaptured two violent prisoners who escaped from a security van in Perth. Source: AAP
IT was "very dumb" to allow a rapist, who later escaped a security van, to be transferred from Perth to another prison to be near his family at Christmas, WA's corrective services minister says.
Rapist Cameron John Graham, 22, and 23-year-old Kelden Edward Fraser, who was on remand, escaped while being transferred from Greenough Regional Prison, in the state's mid west, back to Perth on Friday afternoon.
The prisoners were not handcuffed and the external door of the van was not locked.
The pair allegedly stole a car and were captured at 1am (WST) on Sunday when police used a plane to find their camp around Mullewa, near Geraldton.
Graham was jailed last November for 11 years after breaking into a woman's home, threatening to murder her sleeping children, repeatedly raping her and forcing her to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash.
The victim and her family have since moved overseas.
Prisoners can be temporarily transferred to another facility to maintain family relationships if it is deemed helpful to their rehabilitation.
But opposition spokesman Paul Papalia told AAP on Sunday it was a "failure of the system" that such a dangerous offender, who had been in jail for a short time, would be allowed a transfer.
Corrective Services minister Joe Francis admitted someone had made a "very, very dumb" decision and Serco, a private company, had failed in its obligation to provide a secure transfer.
"I didn't authorise the transfer," he said.
"It was, quite frankly, one of the dumbest decisions."
Department commissioner James McMahon has put a ban on all non-essential transfers, and on Saturday, took the blame for the incident.
But Mr Papalia said while it was a "noble sentiment", it was ultimately the minister's responsibility.
Mr Francis accepted he was responsible to the people and parliament, but not for the day-to-day running of the department.
He said when he took over the portfolio, he wanted to create a new leadership team to address concerns about the integrity, procedures and structure of the department, which was what the new commissioner was doing.
Mr Papalia wants a parliamentary inquiry and a transparent review of the government's deals with Serco when parliament resumes.
"Will the failures of Serco be made public?" he asked.
"There should be an open and thorough inquiry."
Mr Francis said he would not prejudge what the parliament might do, but was aware of the increasing number of failures by Serco.
"They are skating on thin ice," he said.
The minister said the least he could do for the victim was call her and say he was sorry.
"This poor woman will probably be reliving a horrific crime," he said.
"Of course it would cause her grief. My heart goes out to her."
The escapees are expected to be charged with offences including escaping legal custody and stealing a vehicle later this week.
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.
