Challenge likely to US state abortion ban

THE cold, thinly populated state of North Dakota is trying to enact the toughest abortion restrictions in the US but it may soon find itself in a costly battle over legislation that opponents describe as blatantly unconstitutional.

Legislators on Friday took a step toward outlawing abortion altogether in the state by passing a resolution that says a fertilised egg has the same right to life as a person. The approval sends the matter to voters, who will decide whether to add the wording to the state's constitution in November 2014.

It's one of several anti-abortion measures to pass the Legislature. Most are awaiting the signature of Republican Governor Jack Dalrymple, who hasn't yet indicated whether he supports them. Even if he vetoes them, some could have enough support for the Legislature to override him.

Supporters of the measures hope to challenge the US Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973 that legalised abortion up until a foetus is considered viable, usually around 22 to 24 weeks into a pregnancy. They also acknowledge they want to shut down the state's only abortion clinic for its 700,000 residents.

"I'm from the group who hates voting on abortion issues and who don't like to play God," said state Sen. John Andrist, a Republican who describes himself as "moderately pro-life" and has voted for some but not all of the restrictions North Dakota has taken up this year. "But we have some strong-willed people in this state who do."

One bill would prohibit abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Another would make North Dakota the only state to prohibit women from having the procedure because a fetus has a genetic defect, such as Down syndrome.

Though similar proposals in other states have faced fierce opposition, almost all of the anti-abortion measures in North Dakota this year have passed with little debate and with overwhelming support.

The possibility of constitutional challenge is happening now in North Dakota partly because of the disintegration of an anti-abortion group of legislators that used to take the lead on introducing bills aimed at the procedure.

Longtime Senator Tim Mathern, a Democrat who once led the group, said it favoured a more gradual approach to ending abortion in the state, focusing on measures it thought would withstand legal challenges.

Without the group, some of the Legislature's most ardent abortion opponents are taking up the cause, introducing bills crafted by out-of-state organisations or from examples found on the internet.

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Cambodia French family deaths not suicide

FRENCH and Cambodian investigators have ruled out suicide in the deaths of a Frenchman and his four young children whose skeletal remains were found in a submerged car last year.

Ten French investigators, including a judge and scientific and forensic police, arrived in Cambodia earlier this month to probe the deaths of widower Laurent Vallier, 42, and his young children.

"This (investigation) has led to very significant breakthroughs which are now ruling out the possibility of a suicide," the French embassy in Phnom Penh said in a statement on Saturday.

The family's badly decomposed bodies were discovered inside Vallier's white 4x4 vehicle after it was retrieved from a large pond behind his house in southern Kampong Speu province in January last year.

Vallier and his two sons and two daughters, thought to have been aged from two to nine, had been missing since September 2011.

Chhim Rithy, a Cambodian investigating judge at Kampong Speu who was working with the team, said they had found some blood stain stains inside Vallier's house and on a rope.

"It is not the case of suicide. It could be a murder case," he told AFP, adding investigation in the case was still ongoing.

Vallier, who according to his relatives worked as a tour guide, is understood to have moved from France to Cambodia around 13 years ago, arriving in Kampong Speu in 2007. His Cambodian wife died in childbirth in 2009.

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Rudd, Gillard bury Labor leadership issue

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard will reshape her ministry for the sixth time in almost three years after Kevin Rudd ruled out any further destabilisation and eight of his supporters stood down.

Ministers Chris Bowen, Martin Ferguson and Kim Carr announced their resignations in Canberra on Friday, after fellow minister Simon Crean was sacked on Thursday and four other senior party members, including chief whip Joel Fitzgibbon, quit.

After months of internal bickering, Mr Rudd guaranteed that "under no circumstances" would he try to return to the Labor leadership and pledged his "100 per cent support" to Ms Gillard.

"The time now is to bind up the wounds," he told reporters in Brisbane.

In northern NSW, Ms Gillard told reporters: "This issue has been resolved for all time."

Mr Rudd and his resigning supporters on Friday described some of the backroom events that led to Thursday's unprecedented and dramatic events in Parliament House in Canberra.

Mr Crean brought months of leadership talk to a head when he went to Ms Gillard declaring his support for Mr Rudd and seeking a caucus ballot.

However, Mr Rudd and most of his supporters said they were unaware Mr Crean planned to make what Mr Rudd described as a "spontaneous combustion" statement to reporters.

At a meeting in Mr Rudd's office just before the caucus ballot on Thursday, he was told there was "zero" chance of getting a majority of votes.

His backers advised him not to run, and he accepted this - saying his actions were line with a promise made in February 2012 not to run again unless there was a clear majority of MPS in favour.

Ms Gillard will now spend the weekend reshuffling her cabinet with an announcement expected early next week, before the federal government community cabinet meets in Perth on Wednesday.

The departure of four ministers and parliamentary secretary Richard Marles gives her ample opportunity to reward her own supporters and elevate new talent to ministry and cabinet ahead of the federal election.

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said support for Ms Gillard should be a prerequisite.

"It's right to be giving the prime minister the opportunity to have people around her who are totally supportive of her and to give her the best chance at the election later this year," he said.

Possible contenders for promotion are MPs Catherine King, Yvette D'Ath, Bernie Ripoll and Sharon Bird, and senators Jan McLucas, David Feeney and Jacinta Collins.

Mr Ferguson, who will recontest his seat of Batman, said he had supported Mr Rudd to give Labor a "fresh start" after 27 bad opinion polls in a row for Labor.

He warned if Labor didn't unite and change now it faced a wipeout on September 14 similar to that in 1996, when the Howard coalition government was elected.

"I say to the party, 'Get on with the job, I'm going to back you'," he said.

"But make the most of it, we only get one chance and if we don't pull it together I only hope we are not back to '96 when we had 49 people."

Mr Bowen, who will also recontest his Sydney seat of McMahon, said a strong Labor party was vital.

"Labor's the only party that believes in growth and opportunity," he said.

"The Greens understand opportunity, they don't understand growth; the Liberals understand growth, but they don't understand opportunity.

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott said it was too early to tell how the government would go from here.

"It could be the enema the Labor party needed or the start of a complete implosion," he told AAP.

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Protesters target World Bank Sydney office

PROTESTERS against an international investment dispute body have targeted the World Bank's offices in Sydney, but the bank says the body operates independently of it.

The protesters accuse the organisation of siding with corporations who try to bypass national laws.

About 25 people gathered at Martin Place on Friday to rally against the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

ICSID oversees disputes between national governments and global corporations.

The group staging the protest, the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET), is calling on the World Bank to cut its ties with ICSID.

"The World Bank is supposed to have programs that alleviate poverty in the world, but it's actually organising tribunals for corporations to sue governments and bypass laws," AFTINET convenor Dr Patricia Ranald said on Friday.

"ICSID is a shonky tribunal which corporations use to evade justice in national legal systems."

But a World Bank spokeswoman said although ICSID was under the umbrella of the World Bank group it was an autonomous body that operated separately.

It was not used by the World Bank and could only be used by signatories to the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between states and nationals of other states.

"Only countries that are part of the convention and chose to be part of ICSID use it for dispute resolution," the spokeswoman said.

She said the bank was happy to pass on the protesters' concerns to its headquarters in Washington.

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Racist remarks no excuse for murder: judge

A YOUNG man who murdered a man who racially abused him has been jailed for at least 17 years after a NSW Supreme Court judge found he acted out of an "uncontrollable passion for revenge".

The racist remarks directed towards Douglas Barlow, 26, of Ballina were no excuse for him to commit murder, Justice Ian Harrison said as he handed down a maximum 23-year sentence in the Supreme Court at Lismore on Thursday.

On the first day of his trial on Monday, Barlow pleaded guilty to murdering 40-year-old David Newport at a hotel in Ballina on July 17, 2011.

The court heard the two men were involved in an altercation outside the Henry Rous Hotel and Mr Newport punched Barlow.

The court heard there was unchallenged evidence that Mr Newport made "offensive and racially derogatory remarks to him and told him he wanted him out of the town", the judge said.

Mr Newport also later boasted about the fight and described Barlow, who is Aboriginal, as a "black ****".

A couple of hours later, an intoxicated Barlow returned to the hotel with a steak knife and stabbed Mr Newport four times in the chest.

Mr Newport died later in hospital and Barlow handed himself in to police that evening.

Justice Harrison noted Barlow's action was "largely an anger-fuelled response to the earlier events".

"It was borne of what appears to have been an uncontrollable passion for revenge," he said.

He noted the murder took place in a public area in full view of hotel patrons and Barlow made no effort to disguise his appearance.

It was "an ill-considered, irrational and possibly even frenzied assault", the judge found.

Barlow gave evidence about the murder and apologised to his victim's family in what Justice Harrison described as "an unguarded and patently honest fashion".

However, he noted Barlow had a number of previous convictions, including for assault causing actual bodily harm.

"The racial abuse and assault of an offender by the victim amounts neither to an excuse to murder him nor to a rational or acceptable reason for doing so," he said.

Taking into account time already served, Barlow will be eligible for parole in July 2028.

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NSW introduces anti-bikie laws

BIKIE gangs could be declared criminal organisations in NSW within months, with the state government hoping to get its modified anti-gang legislation in place by Easter.

NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said the laws recognised the "growing threat of criminal organisations".

The amended legislation adopts crucial elements of a Queensland law, which declared a chapter of the Finks motorcycle club a criminal organisation.

The High Court last week upheld the law after the Gold Coast chapter of the Finks bikie gang argued it was unconstitutional and denied procedural fairness.

"The amendments should also give the community extra confidence that due process is being followed in these applications," Mr Smith told parliament after introducing the bill on Thursday.

He said the "hybrid" laws also included parts of the state government's previous legislation, which was defeated by NSW bikies in a 2011 court case.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said the laws gave police the power to protect the public from criminal gangs.

"We're determined to get these tough new laws in place by Easter," he said.

"We did the prudent thing, waited for the High Court ruling on the Queensland laws. After careful examination, we've modified our bill.

"The NSW government is determined to have outlaw motorcycle gangs declared criminal organisations."

The amended legislation adopts the Queensland model in allowing for the Supreme Court, rather than an eligible judge, to make decisions on applications to declare an organisation a criminal organisation.

The Supreme Court would also decide what is criminal intelligence.

"A court will now need to be satisfied that members of an organisation in NSW associate for the purposes of serious criminal activity, and the continued existence of the organisation poses an unacceptable risk ... to the community," Mr Smith told parliament.

Shadow attorney-general Paul Lynch said the opposition would not oppose the bill "if it does what the government says it will do".

"We have not had time to read it yet," he told parliament.

"We are entirely committed to this legislation working."

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced plans to implement national anti-gang and asset seizure laws.

She said she would ask the premiers and chief ministers at April's Council of Australian Governments meeting to refer some of their powers to the commonwealth.

Anti-bikie legislation in South Australia was successfully challenged in the High Court.

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Melb hospital joins PM in adoption apology

A MELBOURNE hospital has apologised to women who were forced to give up their babies for adoption over a 30-year period.

Monash Health chief executive Shelly Park said she was truly sorry for the pain and loss so many experienced through past adoption practices at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in the 30-year period up to the late 1970s.

"I recognise that many women, particularly young single women, experienced grief, pain, anger and loss, some of which have continued to the present time," Ms Park said on Wednesday.

"For this, I apologise unconditionally."

From the 1950s to the 1970s, about 150,000 unwed Australian mothers had their babies removed by churches and adoption agencies.

A number of states, including Victoria, have apologised to mothers who had to relinquish their babies during this time.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard will make a formal apology in Canberra.

The Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital was one of the major maternity hospitals in Melbourne for several decades.

"On behalf of Monash Health, I acknowledge that many past adoption practices, particularly when considered against today's standards, were clearly misguided; often based on societal attitudes and pressures rather than the best interests of mother and child," Ms Park said.

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Two WA men acquitted of insider trading

TWO Perth men have been acquitted of 28 insider trading charges but still face a further five offences after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all the counts.

Roberto Gerald Catena and Flemming Hood Nielsen were accused of engaging in unlawful conduct while possessing inside information on a possible takeover of Vision Systems Limited (VSL).

A WA Supreme Court jury returned not-guilty verdicts on 28 out of 33 counts in the indictment but were not able to reach verdicts on the remaining counts.

Catena, 46, was charged with 20 counts of insider trading between July and August 2006 when he was a broker with Citigroup Wealth Advisers and advised five clients, including Nielsen, to purchase VSL shares.

Nielsen, 56, faced 13 counts of insider trading for the same period while he was a client and received the inside information and purchased VSL shares through Citigroup and CommSec.

Catena and Nielsen were granted bail to reappear in the WA Supreme Court on April 8 to face the remaining five counts.

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Dead pigs in China river exceed 13,000

The number of dead pigs found in a river running through Shanghai has reached more than 13,000. Source: AAP

THE number of dead pigs found in a river running through China's commercial hub Shanghai has reached more than 13,000, as mystery deepened over the hogs' precise origin.

Shanghai had pulled 9,460 pigs out of the Huangpu river, which supplies 22 per cent of the city's drinking water, since the infestation began earlier this month, the Shanghai Daily reported.

Shanghai has blamed farmers in Jiaxing in neighbouring Zhejiang province for dumping pigs which died of disease into the river upstream, where the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday another 3,601 dead animals had been recovered.

The Jiaxing government has said the area is not the sole source of the carcasses, adding it had found only one producer that could be held responsible.

Shanghai said it had checked farms in its southwestern district of Songjiang, where the pigs were first detected, but found they were not to blame, the Shanghai Daily said.

The scandal has spotlighted China's troubles with food safety, adding the country's most popular meat to a growing list of food items rocked by controversy.

Samples of the dead pigs have tested positive for porcine circovirus, a common swine disease that does not affect humans.

"Due to some farming households having a weak recognition of the law, bad habits, and lack of increased supervision and capability for treatment have led to the situation," the national agriculture ministry's chief veterinarian Yu Kangzhen said.

Yu attributed a higher mortality rate among pigs to colder weather this spring, though he ruled out an epidemic, the ministry said in statement posted on its website over the weekend.

The thousands of dead pigs have drawn attention to China's poorly regulated farm production. Animals that die from disease can end up in the country's food supply chain or improperly disposed of, despite laws against the practice.

In Wenling, also in Zhejiang, authorities announced last week that 46 people had been jailed for up to six-and-a-half years for processing and selling pork from more than 1,000 diseased pigs.

China faced one its biggest food-safety scandals in 2008 when the industrial chemical melamine was found to have been illegally added to dairy products, killing at least six babies and making 300,000 people ill.

In another recent incident, the American fast-food giant KFC faced controversy after revealing that some Chinese suppliers provided chicken with high levels of antibiotics, in what appeared to be an industry-wide practice.

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Dead pigs in China river exceed 13,000

The number of dead pigs found in a river running through Shanghai has reached more than 13,000. Source: AAP

THE number of dead pigs found in a river running through China's commercial hub Shanghai has reached more than 13,000, as mystery deepened over the hogs' precise origin.

Shanghai had pulled 9,460 pigs out of the Huangpu river, which supplies 22 per cent of the city's drinking water, since the infestation began earlier this month, the Shanghai Daily reported.

Shanghai has blamed farmers in Jiaxing in neighbouring Zhejiang province for dumping pigs which died of disease into the river upstream, where the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday another 3,601 dead animals had been recovered.

The Jiaxing government has said the area is not the sole source of the carcasses, adding it had found only one producer that could be held responsible.

Shanghai said it had checked farms in its southwestern district of Songjiang, where the pigs were first detected, but found they were not to blame, the Shanghai Daily said.

The scandal has spotlighted China's troubles with food safety, adding the country's most popular meat to a growing list of food items rocked by controversy.

Samples of the dead pigs have tested positive for porcine circovirus, a common swine disease that does not affect humans.

"Due to some farming households having a weak recognition of the law, bad habits, and lack of increased supervision and capability for treatment have led to the situation," the national agriculture ministry's chief veterinarian Yu Kangzhen said.

Yu attributed a higher mortality rate among pigs to colder weather this spring, though he ruled out an epidemic, the ministry said in statement posted on its website over the weekend.

The thousands of dead pigs have drawn attention to China's poorly regulated farm production. Animals that die from disease can end up in the country's food supply chain or improperly disposed of, despite laws against the practice.

In Wenling, also in Zhejiang, authorities announced last week that 46 people had been jailed for up to six-and-a-half years for processing and selling pork from more than 1,000 diseased pigs.

China faced one its biggest food-safety scandals in 2008 when the industrial chemical melamine was found to have been illegally added to dairy products, killing at least six babies and making 300,000 people ill.

In another recent incident, the American fast-food giant KFC faced controversy after revealing that some Chinese suppliers provided chicken with high levels of antibiotics, in what appeared to be an industry-wide practice.

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Cost for water on the rise in southeast

RATEPAYERS in five southeast Queensland Council areas, including Brisbane, will pay an extra 3.9 per cent for water and sewerage this coming financial year.

Confirming the news this afternoon, Queensland Urban Utilities, which services the Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Scenic Rim council areas, said the increase should amount to about $28 to $37, or 53 to 71 cents per week for the average residential bill.

But consumers could be in for another hit yet, with the State Government yet to reveal any changes to the component of water bills that it controls - bulk water charges.

The increase comes after Queensland Urban Utilities froze its residential water and sewerage prices for the 2012-13 financial year.

QUU chief executive Louise Dudley said factors including increased operating costs and lower-than-expected growth had been taken into account when determining the increase.

Ms Dudley said she understood some found it hard to pay their bills and payment plans had ben developed to help those in need.

Charges for non-residential customers will also increase by 3.9 per cent in 2013/14, with final prices to be released in June.

Changes to the QUU water and sewerage access charges will be reflected on residential accounts issued from July 1 while consumption charges, including the state's bulk water charge, will be reflected on accounts issued from October 1.

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Cost for water on the rise in southeast

RATEPAYERS in five southeast Queensland Council areas, including Brisbane, will pay an extra 3.9 per cent for water and sewerage this coming financial year.

Confirming the news this afternoon, Queensland Urban Utilities, which services the Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Scenic Rim council areas, said the increase should amount to about $28 to $37, or 53 to 71 cents per week for the average residential bill.

But consumers could be in for another hit yet, with the State Government yet to reveal any changes to the component of water bills that it controls - bulk water charges.

The increase comes after Queensland Urban Utilities froze its residential water and sewerage prices for the 2012-13 financial year.

QUU chief executive Louise Dudley said factors including increased operating costs and lower-than-expected growth had been taken into account when determining the increase.

Ms Dudley said she understood some found it hard to pay their bills and payment plans had ben developed to help those in need.

Charges for non-residential customers will also increase by 3.9 per cent in 2013/14, with final prices to be released in June.

Changes to the QUU water and sewerage access charges will be reflected on residential accounts issued from July 1 while consumption charges, including the state's bulk water charge, will be reflected on accounts issued from October 1.

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Anti-fracking artists 'fail' to register

DOZENS of celebrities may be running foul of US law as they unite under the banner of one group that is seeking to prevent a method of gas drilling in New York state.

Artists Against Fracking opposes hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and boasts members including Yoko Ono and actors Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon.

The group says forcing water and chemicals deep into shale deposits to extract gas threatens drinking water and the environment. The group's website implores, "Tell Governor Cuomo: Don't Frack New York."

But the group and nearly 200 entertainers who are gaining attention and support in the dispute, which is splitting New Yorkers, aren't registered lobbyists, according to a search by The Associated Press of the database of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

State law is designed to disclose who is trying to influence government action, how much money they are spending and where the money's going.

"You spend money lobbying, you have to register," said David Grandeau, former executive director of the state lobbying commission and now an lawyer representing lobbyists and clients.

There's no public record of how much money Artists Against Fracking has spent, but its website contains links for visitors to make donations, which are directed to the Sustainable Markets Foundation. Although the foundation is an established charitable organisation and its donations are recorded publicly, it isn't registered with New York as a lobbying client, either.

Under New York law, however, it appears Artists Against Fracking is required to be a registered lobbyist because the law hinges on spending over $US5,000.

The group hasn't filed lobbying reports, so the amount it has spent and what it was spent on isn't known publicly. Experts in Albany say the website and public events appear to have cost well over $US5,000.

The group hasn't responded to requests for comment in the past two weeks. The group's account executive at its public relations firm, Fenton of New York City, didn't respond to a request for comment.

The group includes Ono and Sean Lennon, the widow and son of musician John Lennon. They recently attended an anti-fracking event in Albany with Ruffalo, actors Zooey Deschanel, Alec Baldwin and Hugh Jackman, and singer Lady Gaga, along with other longtime activists such as David Crosby and Paul McCartney. None of them are registered to lobby in New York.

A week ago, Artists Against Fracking widely released a music video done through Skype from various locations featuring dozens of entertainers singing a Sean Lennon song, "Don't Frack My Mother." In it, Ono sings part of the chorus, "Don't frack me!"

Failing to register as a lobbyist is not a criminal offence. Commonly, when a person new to lobbying is believed to have failed to lobby as required by law to track the influence of money on public policy, that person is given a chance to submit a lobbing form and pay a $US200 fee.

One of the main players supporting fracking, the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York, is registered.

Lobbying is big business in New York. The New York Public Interest Research Group reported that more than $US220 million was spent lobbying in 2011 - and that was before the fracking debate really heated up.

The biggest penalty for failure to follow the lobbying law resulted in a $US250,000 fine against Donald Trump and others over casinos in 2000, and the Philip Morris tobacco company was hit with a $US75,000 fine in 1999.

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Aussie man, 93, on Thai child rape charges

LAWYERS for a 93-year-old Australian are arguing he is too ill to face charges of sexually assaulting children in Thailand.

German born Karl Joseph Kraus, from Western Australia, is accused of abusing four sisters for almost two years. The youngest was aged five when the alleged abuse began.

Kraus will ask a Thai court for freedom on Monday.

At the time of his arrest almost three years ago, police said they found more than 100 photos of naked children on the hard drive of his computer.

Kraus pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault and was granted bail of 400,000 baht (A$12,000).

In mid-2012 he fled to neighbouring Myanmar (Burma) before being arrested and sent back to Thailand.

Lawyers say Kraus has several health issues, including dementia and cancer.

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Man under police guard over two Vic deaths

THE son of one of two brothers found dead in a country Victorian property has been arrested and remains under police guard in hospital.

Ross Streeter, 30, is the son of Douglas Streeter, who police believe was shot dead along with his brother John Streeter, at their property at Natte Yallock, near Avoca, on Thursday evening.

Mr Streeter was arrested at Avoca in connection with the deaths on Saturday.

Paramedics found him near a water tower in Cambridge Street with self-inflicted injuries, an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said.

The man was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious condition under police escort.

Police said the man's injuries were not life-threatening, but he is expected to remain in hospital for at least another day.

He is yet to be interviewed by police.

Police have said it appeared the men, both aged in their 60s, had been shot.

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Vic police call for stabbing witnesses

A man has died after being stabbed multiple times in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. Source: AAP

MYSTERY surrounds the death of a young man who was stabbed multiple times in inner Melbourne.

A passing council worker found the man in distress in Fitzroy about 5am Sunday (AEDT), police said.

The worker gave the man first aid and called 000 but paramedics were unable to revive the young man.

Detective Sergeant Allan Birch said police are still trying to establish what happened to the man.

"It would appear he had a number of stabbing injuries," he told reporters.

"We don't know what happened ... we don't know exactly how the injuries were inflicted."

Police were initially unable to identify the man, but now say he is a 21-year-old from Werribee.

The man was found in Johnston Street near the intersection of Fitzroy Street.

On Sunday morning a small lane way was draped with a tarpaulin as crime scene examiners combed the area.

Det Sgt Birch said police are not aware of any witnesses besides the council worker and urge people with information to come forward.

He said the homicide investigation is very wide, given the lack of information.

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