Body of woman found in SA

SA police hope tourists in a motorhome can help shed light on the disappearance of a Frenchwoman. Source: AAP

A BODY believed to be that of missing French tourist Aurelie Lhorme has been found at the base of a cliff on South Australia's far west coast, police say.

Ms Lhorme, 30, was last seen in her parked car near the Head of the Bight Whale Watching Centre, near the Nullarbor Plain, on Saturday night.

"Police can confirm that the body of a woman has been found at the base of a cliff near Head of Bight," police said in a statement on Monday evening.

"The body is yet to be formally identified."

Police Special Tasks and Rescue officers abseiled down the cliff on Monday and confirmed the body of a woman had been found.

Staff at the centre had spoken to her after she appeared to be sleeping in her car on an access road.

Her car was found in the same spot the following morning, along with her mobile phone, wallet and passport.

A search on Sunday, involving an Aboriginal tracker, failed to find the woman and resumed on Monday.

Police want to speak to the occupants of a Jayco motorhome, which was parked next to the whale watching centre on Saturday night, who may have had contact with Ms Lhorme.

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Stocks to watch at close on Monday

STOCKS to watch on the Australian stock exchange at the close on Monday:

API - AUSTRALIAN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES - in trading halt, last traded at 56.5 cents

Drugs wholesaler and pharmacies operator Australian Pharmaceutical Industries is set to make an announcement about the carrying value of its assets.

BRL - BATHURST RESOURCES - in trading halt, last traded at seven cents

Bathurst Resources, which has cut jobs and delayed the start to its controversial Escarpment open-cut coal mine on New Zealand's Denniston Plateau, may raise up to $NZ6.87 million ($A6.41 million) in a discounted share placement.

ELD - ELDERS - down 0.5 cents, or 4.55 per cent, at 10.5 cents

Agribusiness Elders has appointed two more non-executive directors who it says will add to the depth of financial management and agricultural experience on the board.

WDC - WESTFIELD GROUP - down 13 cents, or 1.2 per cent, at $10.44

WRT - WESTFIELD RETAIL TRUST - down two cents, or 0.65 per cent, at $3.04

Shopping centre group Westfield's split of its Australian and New Zealand assets from its international operations has been backed by financial services firm KPMG.

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Woolworths in breach of ACCC agreement

Retailer Woolworths has breached an agreement it had with the ACCC over its fuel shopper dockets. Source: AAP

MOTORISTS will still be able to get big fuel discounts by combining supermarket and petrol fuel discounts offered by retail giants Coles and Woolworths, a court has found.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had argued that a Coles petrol discount of 14 cents breached undertakings the company had agreed with the consumer watchdog.

The undertaking prevented Coles from offering a discount of more than four cents, when it was contingent on a supermarket purchase.

But Justice Alan Robertson on Monday found that Coles' 14 cent discount was not in breach of that agreement.

He said that although the total discount that customers were able to get at the fuel pump was well above the four cents, the full offer was not linked to supermarket purchases.

"In my opinion, four cents per litre of the offer only was contingent on supermarket purchases and 10 cents per litre of the offer only was contingent on an acquisition of goods or services from Coles Express," he said.

ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said he was disappointed by the decision.

"We will carefully consider the judgment and its implications for competition in fuel markets and any detrimental price impact on fuel consumers," he said.

Justice Robertson did, however, find that Woolworths had breached the ACCC undertakings in its eight cents discount.

Customers were able to obtain an eight cent per litre discount on fuel if they spent at least $30 in a Woolworths supermarket as well as $5 or more at a petrol station.

The consumer watchdog had argued this was in breach of its undertaking with the retailer because the discount was only available to customers who made a supermarket purchase.

A Woolworths spokeswoman welcomed the decision, saying it provided it with clarity.

"We said at the time when we sought a declaration from the Federal Court that we accepted we needed to make our discounts independent of each other, and this change was implemented some time ago," she said in a statement.

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Man charged with murder of elderly woman

A MAN who allegedly beat an elderly woman to death has been charged with murder.

Police found the 61-year-old woman with severe head injuries when they were called to a Redfern home on Friday night on reports she was being assaulted.

"She was taken to St Vincent's Hospital where she died a short time later," police said in a statement.

They arrested a man, 38, at the scene and took him to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

He was under police guard until he was released on Monday afternoon, taken to Redfern police station and charged with murder.

Bail was refused and he's due before Central Local Court on Tuesday.

Investigations are continuing and police have asked for any witnesses to come forward.

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Greens call for Vic clean energy fund

THE Greens want the Victorian government to establish a state-based clean energy fund to make solar panels more affordable.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne call for the creation of a Victorian Solar Fund to help homes and businesses deal with the upfront costs of solar panels.

Senator Milne said the fund would make money for the state and reduce power bills.

"Australia is a leader in solar science but is underinvested in solar power, depriving us of jobs that the community is calling out for," she said on Sunday.

"We can create the financial incentives to put solar panels on roofs, for no money down, delivering immediate savings on electricity bills."

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Vic govt to build Melbourne Airport rail

PASSENGERS for the Melbourne Airport service from Southern Cross Station could be waiting several years for their train to arrive, but they have been told it is on its way.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine says his government will build the long-awaited airport rail link, with a promise of a 25-minute service from the city.

The premier says the electric trains will be high-capacity, affordable and run every 10 minutes during peak times.

Dr Napthine was scarce with precise details when announcing the pledge at the Victorian Liberal Party conference, saying the time and cost of the project will be revealed in the state budget next month.

He said the project was long overdue.

"This project has been on the books for over 40 years," Dr Napthine told the conference on Sunday.

"It is time this rail link was built."

Melbourne airport attracts 30 million passengers a year, and this was expected to double in 20 years, he said.

"This is an enormous step forward for Melbourne Airport, for Melbourne and Victoria," Dr Napthine later told reporters.

"It's absolutely essential that Melbourne and Victoria has a rail link to the airport."

The link will use the existing Albion-Jacana goods rail corridor between the city's west and north.

Dr Napthine says the project will be publicly run but private involvement would be sought.

Deputy Opposition Leader James Merlino said the state had higher public transport priorities.

"This won't fix train congestion, this won't fix delays, this won't fix level crossings," he told reporters.

Mr Merlino said he was doubtful the government would fulfil the pledge.

"Denis Napthine and the Liberal Party promised rail links to Avalon, to Doncaster, to Rowville. None of them have been delivered," he said.

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Man who stole Sydney cab charged

IT'S hard to find a free cab on the weekend but one drunk Sydney man may have gone too far.

When a taxi driver stopped to break up an argument on a Bondi road in the early hours of Sunday morning, one of the men involved slid behind the wheel and took off.

He was tracked to a Randwick street by the cab's GPS unit, but when police tried to stop him, he sped away.

Police caught the 26-year-old a short time later and breath tested him.

He allegedly blew 0.189 and was charged with high-rang drink driving, taking a car without consent, resisting police and failing to stop.

Bail was granted and he's due before Waverley Local Court in May.

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Ita heading south as category one

Cyclone Ita will menace the Queensland coast for at least another day bringing torrential rain. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND - cyclone one day, sunshine the next.

Premier Campbell Newman is pleading with southerners not to cancel their Easter breaks, as the far north dries out and cleans up after Cyclone Ita.

"The sun, by the way, is shining again," he said.

"You're bound to have a great time."

On Sunday, the premier choppered into Hope Vale and Cooktown, which bore the brunt of Ita when it crossed the coast as a category four storm on Friday night.

He predicted it would take about eight to 12 weeks to "really crack the back of the recovery task".

"It's good that there is no loss of life but I can't stress enough (that) people have got to sit tight."

About 50 buildings were damaged in Cooktown and another five written off.

The town's water supply was critically low and it's hoped power can be restored to the water treatment plant by Sunday night.

In Hope Vale, the banana farm which sustains the local economy was razed.

While the sun was shining in the towns on Sunday as well as in Cairns, the danger is not over yet.

Cyclone Ita is expected to remain its category one status until late on Monday as it weaves on and off the coast south to central Queensland.

Up to 15,000 homes are without power and regional towns are flooding.

On Sunday evening, the popular tourist destinations of Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays were being lashed by 90km/h winds, and up to 400mm of rain could soak some areas.

Just north, Bowen copped 200mm in a short period of time, overloading the storm water system.

While there has been no reports of property damage as of yet, Mr Newman says the situation is worsening.

"There is an issue where the Don River is rising very fast and expected to peak at 9pm, and that may well cause flooding problems again," Mr Newman said.

On Monday morning, the premier will travel to Ingham where sugar cane crops have been flattened. The town is cut in two by a swollen creek and the Bruce Highway remain closed to its south.

Mayor Rodger Bow warned locals there was raw sewerage in the water and people risked disease if they ventured out.

"We had severe rain, about 300mm, and I don't know what kilometre an hour winds, but we have trees blown down," Cr Bow said.

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Man steals donations from Melbourne church

MELBOURNE police are hoping a man who stole church donations comes clean with a confession.

The man, who was captured on CCTV, stole the cash from two tins at a Seventh-Day Adventist church at Clayton last Sunday.

Detective Senior Constable Mick Van Der Heyden said the church was open to worshippers at the time.

"If anyone saw anything suspicious in or around the church, we would certainly be interested in speaking to them," he said.

"On the other hand, if the person responsible wants to come forward I am happy to hear his confession."

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Girl dead, men injured after plane crash

A YOUNG girl has died and two men have survived a plane crash into a northern NSW river believed to have happened after their aircraft hit power lines.

The pilot, a 50-year-old man who suffered only minor injuries, freed himself from the wreckage and called authorities seeking help for his two passengers following the crash southwest of Casino on Saturday morning, police said.

They were able to save a 39-year-old male passenger who was taken to Lismore Base Hospital by helicopter, where he remains in a serious condition.

A 12-year-old girl died at the scene.

"It's believed the aircraft hit power lines and then crashed into a nearby river," police said.

A crime scene has been established and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau will investigate the cause of the crash.

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