POLICE have tracked down the parents of a young boy who was found wandering alone through suburban southwest Sydney.
Residents of Claymore called police after spotting the boy in the street wearing pyjamas about 7.30am Saturday.
Estimated to be aged two or three years old, the boy was cared for by officers until his parents were located and the search was called off.
The police thanked and updated the public about 2pm.
Dramatic firsthand footage shows what it's like being in the different categories of cyclones. Produced by Christine Nestel.
A cyclone forming in the Coral Sea is expected to hit Queensland's Cape York Peninsula later next week.
The low pressure system which has brought torrential rainfall and flooding to the Solomon Islands -- killing at least 17 people and leaving thousands homeless – is forecast to intensify into a tropical cyclone, which will be named Ita, tomorrow.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Amber Young said the weather system was moving slowly south-west and expected to be about 750km north-east of Cairns by Monday morning.
"The conditions are very favourable for it to develop into a tropical cyclone,'' she said.
Information issued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre yesterday indicated the system could become a category two cyclone by Monday, strengthening to a category three by Tuesday.
Most models indicated it would continue to edge closer to Australia, possibly crossing the northern Cape York coast on Thursday, although some suggested it could stall and even turn back out to sea.
Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott said they keeping a close eye on the developing weather pattern.
"We keep our fingers crossed every time one looms.''
Cr Scott said Cooktown had been quite fortunate.
"The last time Cooktown was hit was 1949. This one looks as if it might cross at Lockhart River or north.'
"I think we are as well prepared as we can be and the same goes for the other communities up the Cape. They all go through cycle preparation exercises every year.
"But if it brings the sort of rainfall that has hit Honiara, it would cause a lot of damage to our road network.''
Lockhart River Shire Mayor Wayne Butler was not available to comment.
Australians are drinking less wine and beer and more cider, figures show. Source: AAP
AUSTRALIANS are drinking less, but opting for better quality booze.
Official data shows total consumption of alcohol fell for the sixth straight year in 2013, to a 17-year low.
Over the year, Australians aged 15 or over consumed an average of 9.88 litres of alcohol, or the equivalent of 2.2 standard drinks a day.
Beer drinkers consumed less in 2013 than they have in 67 years, while wine drinking hit a seven year low, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show.
The nation's thirst for cider gained momentum, with cider consumption rising to about double what it was four years ago.
The ABS was unable to shed much light on the reasons for the decline in consumption of beer and wine, but CommSec chief economist Craig James said anecdotal evidence suggested Australians were embracing quality ahead of quantity.
"That is certainly the case with beer, where craft beers are gaining favour over mainstream brands," Mr James said.
Affordability of alcohol has reached its best rate in 20 years, which, coupled with the fall in consumption, reflects a more selective consumer, he said.
"But it may also be a case where Aussies are paying greater attention to health issues," Mr James said.
He noted that other data showed people were buying more sporting and recreational equipment over the past year.
Longer term influences such as random breath testing, immigration, better diets, higher disposable income and a greater variety of leisure pursuits were also contributing to the 17 year low, he said.
The data showed consumption of full strength beer continued to fall, but mid-strength beer had lifted slightly.
Beer still outweighs wine in terms of the amount of alcohol consumed.
Spirit drinkers stayed slow and steady, with consumption of spirits remaining stable over the decade.
"It remains to be seen whether alcohol consumption picks up over the coming year in line with stronger economic growth and record wealth levels," Mr James said.
Serial pest Peter Hore has stormed a NSW corruption inquiry, leaving a police officer in hospital. Source: AAP
SERIAL pest Peter Hore has stormed a NSW corruption inquiry, leaving a police officer in hospital.
The special constable was bleeding from the head after he tried to restrain the man, who barged into the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) hearing room just before 11am (AEDT) on Friday screaming about his "brother" and a death in Newcastle.
The body of Hore's housemate was last week found hog-tied and half-naked at a cricket ground in the city.
Police have previously said there was no suggestion Hore had any involvement in the 52-year-old's death.
The injured officer was taken away from the ICAC's Sydney CBD offices by ambulance while Hore was led from the seventh floor in handcuffs.
"We're the second coming," he yelled.
"Stop trying to assault me ... Don't try to break my wrist."
He was later seen banging on the walls of the paddy wagon in which he was transported from the building.
Police have confirmed a 54-year-old man is in custody at Sydney City Police Station and charges are expected to be laid.
The injured officer is at St Vincent's Hospital recovering from what are described as minor injuries.
ICAC Commissioner Megan Latham, who was asked to leave the hearing room as Hore was tackled to the ground, returned to call an adjournment and said some staff were "traumatised".
She later said those in the public gallery may be required to make statements to investigators.
"I understand there were some people in the room who were able to film what was occurring," she said.
"Cameras in this room follow the speaker, so it may be that we don't have any actual footage of the event so if anyone can assist we are grateful."
Hore wore a long beard and a t-shirt with the letters "WTF" and told reporters he was "only trying to introduce myself".
A woman who arrived at the commission with Hore later told reporters she did not speak English.
The notorious gatecrasher has disrupted a string of major events including the Melbourne Cup, the funeral of rock singer Michael Hutchence and the Socceroos' 1997 World Cup qualifier against Iran.
INDEPENDENT MP Geoff Shaw and Labor have voted down the Victorian government's efforts to shorten jury trials.
The Jury Directions Bill was defeated in Parliament on Thursday when the government called for a vote before any debate had happened.
Mr Shaw, the Frankston MP who holds the balance of power in parliament, said he voted against the bill because it had not been debated.
Attorney-General Robert Clark said the opposition had deliberately wasted time in parliament so they ran out of time to debate the bill.
Shadow attorney-general Martin Pakula said Labor would not vote for bills that hadn't been debated.
"The government copped its right whack for trying to abuse the parliament in that way," Mr Pakula told reporters.
The bill was designed to simplify instructions to jurors, so there would be fewer chances for law-breakers to get off on technicalities.
Mr Clark said the government was looking at ways the bill could be brought back, but there were rules against bringing back defeated legislation.
KATE, the RAAF cadet at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy "skype scandal", has left the defence force.
Defence has confirmed that Officer Cadet "Kate" was no longer a member of the Australian Defence Force, a Department of Defence spokesperson said.
For privacy reasons no further details were provided.
However it's understood she left this week after seeking a discharge on medical grounds.
In March 2011, Kate - not her real name - was 18 and embarking on a career in the defence force after being accepted to ADFA.
But then she agreed to sex with a fellow cadet Daniel McDonald in his room on the ADFA campus.
Unknown to her, he filmed their encounter on his computer webcam and streamed the vision live to other cadets viewing in a nearby room.
Appalled at the betrayal, slow progress in the defence investigation and a lack of support, Kate went to the media, with her story broadcast on Network Ten on April 5, 2011.
Community outrage prompted defence to embark on a range of reforms. That culminated in March 2012 with the launch of Pathway to Change, a five-year strategy for cultural change.
As the scandal unfolded, a large number of serving and former defence personnel came forward to recount their own experiences of sexual abuse, harassment and bullying.
The Defence Abuse Response task force is now examining many of those allegations.
STEPHEN Colbert is done with the Colbert Report Twitter account.
He teamed with one of Twitter's founders, Biz Stone, on Monday's show to symbolically blow up his show's Twitter account. The account has been removed from Twitter.
A tweet from that account, controlled by Comedy Central, created controversy last week when it showed a photo from last week's show that some deemed offensive and racist. A CancelColbert hashtag was created and ignited an online debate over the limits of satire.
Colbert's defenders suggested the tweet was taken out of context.
Colbert directed his fans to his personal Twitter account with more than six million followers instead.
A PHOTOGRAPHER is seeking to boost the potential damages he could win from Justin Bieber in a Florida lawsuit accusing the singer and a bodyguard of assault.
The photographer's lawyer, Mark DiCowden, said at a hearing on Tuesday that he has documented at least 11 similar alleged assaults against photographers over two years involving Bieber and his security personnel.
DiCowden says a punitive damage award for photographer Jeffrey Binion could deter future assaults.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel did not immediately rule. Bieber's lawyers say Binion is looking for an unwarranted payoff from a frivolous lawsuit.
Binion claims he was assaulted by bodyguard Hugh Hesney in June near a recording studio.
Bieber has also pleaded not guilty to DUI and other charges after he was arrested in Miami Beach on January 23.
Russell Crowe's biblical epic Noah has topped the Australia box office in its opening weekend. Source: AAP
NOAH has drenched its competitors and claimed the No.1 spot at the Australian box office during its opening weekend.
Russell Crowe's new film, directed by Darren Aronofsky and based on the biblical tale of an apocalyptic flood, pulled in $4.522 million from Thursday to Sunday, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
It also seized top spot on the US box office and was the No.1 film worldwide with $US77.6 million ($A84.19 million).
Another new entry, animated flick Mr Peabody & Sherman, grabbed second spot with $2.437 million.
Together, the pair knocked last week's No.1, The Monuments Men, into third place, while action movie Need for Speed fell from second to fifth.
Up a place into third spot is Ride Along, the Ice Cube-Kevin Hart buddy cop comedy.
Movies that slipped included 300: Rise of an Empire, Pompeii, Non-Stop and Cuban Fury, which all dropped two places to be placed sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.
Still hanging on to 10th spot after 10 weeks is The Wolf of Wall Street, which has raked in $23.168 million in Australia.
Western Australia has officially signed up to the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS). Source: AAP
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says he accepts the states want to run disability services their own way.
Labor has urged the coalition government to stick to the agreement reached with the states and territories in 2013 to fund launch sites before fully rolling out a national disability insurance scheme by July 2019.
Mr Abbott said before the election that the coalition and Labor were on a "unity ticket" on the NDIS.
However, since the election the coalition has stopped talking about "launch" sites and instead started calling them "trial" sites.
In his first major decision on the NDIS, Mr Abbott visited Perth on Monday to announce the federal government would contribute $80 million and the WA government $50 million towards trial sites for disability services covering about 8400 people.
One trial would use WA's state model known as My Way in the Lower South West region and the other would be run under the commonwealth's national disability insurance scheme in the Perth Hills and the merits of each would be compared over two years.
WA Premier Colin Barnett, whose government prefers a system delivered by contracted not-for-profit organisations, said the trial would show how "devolved" an NDIS could be.
Mr Abbott said WA's decision to sign up meant there was now a "national network of trials", from which lessons could be learned.
"We want our federation to work, and the best way to get the federation to work is to work constructively and collegially with the states and accept the fact that sometimes the states for all sorts of good reasons will want to do things their way," Mr Abbott said.
Asked whether the national scheme promised by Labor would be delayed, Mr Abbott said his government was committed to "delivering a sustainable and affordable national disability insurance scheme".
"One of the problems with the former government is they were rushing it - they were more concerned with getting a political monument rather than getting it right."
Opposition families spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said the government had taken its time in signing up WA, given that the agreement was struck by Labor in August last year.
"Tony Abbott must not shirk his responsibility to deliver the NDIS in full and on time, as promised," Ms Macklin said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who was also in Perth campaigning ahead of this Saturday's Senate election re-run, said the Abbott government had been talking down the NDIS as a truly national scheme since the election.
"I am not going to join the Liberal chorus attacking the national disability insurance scheme," Mr Shorten said.
"The NDIS is about empowering the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australians with disabilities and their carers who have been effectively exiled in their own country."
He said funding for the scheme's rollout was "on the never-never".
Tanya Plibersek says Indonesia won't win its case against Australia's plain tobacco packaging laws. Source: AAP
DEPUTY Labor leader Tanya Plibersek says she is confident Indonesia will not defeat the party's signature plain tobacco packaging rules in a global trade dispute.
Indonesia has taken Australia's plain packaging laws to the World Trade Organisation arguing it is a breach of the rules of global commerce.
It is the fifth country to do so, after cases brought last year by Ukraine, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
Under the rules, all tobacco products have to be sold in drab green boxes, use the same typeface and contain graphic images of diseased smokers.
Ms Plibersek said she was confident the legislation will not be defeated in the WTO because Australia was not treating countries differently under trade rules.
"(Indonesia's) issue might be one of intellectual property and we've had plenty of legal advice to say we're on strong grounds here," she told Sky News on Sunday.
Ms Plibersek said she was proud of the tobacco policy, which came into force in December 2012 and was "one of the best things we did in government".
Indonesia's objection was a strong symbol it was worried plain packaging was having an effect.
"I would be delighted if it means that Indonesian tobacco products are selling less ... because it means Indonesians are getting sicker and dying less," she told Sky News.
"This is an important measure for people's health and I'm proud of it."
YOUNG Victorian Luke Batty would have been "chuffed" about the celebrity cricket match held in his honour, his mother says.
Hundreds turned out under sunny skies on Sunday to honour the 11-year-old boy at the Tyabb oval where he lost his life.
His father, Greg Anderson, killed his son after cricket training on February 12, before being shot dead by police.
Luke's former cricket mates and classmates were among those who gathered at the ground on Sunday, alongside a celebrity line-up including professional cricketers, footballers and television stars.
His mother, Rosie Batty, said he would have been delighted by the event.
"If he could say anything, he would just be so chuffed," she told the Nine Network.
Members of the Tyabb junior cricket team formed a guard of honour as the celebrity players made their way on to the pitch for the fundraiser.
Ms Batty later told reporters that people in the community felt each other's pain.
"Everybody wants to be here for each other," she said.
Cricket Victoria spokesman Dylan Atkinson said the aim of the event was to encourage locals to return to the ground.
"The idea was to get the community back to the Tyabb Reserve ... and create some positive experiences given what's happened," he said.
The celebrity line-up included Australian Test cricketers Matthew Wade and Bryce McGain, Essendon AFL players Michael Hurley and Michael Hibberd, actors Rhys Muldoon and Gary Sweet, and comedian Peter Helliar.
Money raised from the event will be used to rebuild cricket nets, which were demolished last week, upgrade facilities and build a memorial for Luke.
