Doctors slam cost of cancer drugs

Doctors have written a letter attacking pharmaceutical companies for the high cost of cancer drugs. Source: Getty Images

SCORES of global doctors have signed a joint letter decrying the high cost of cancer drugs in the US which can reach $US100,000 ($97,000) a year.

The United States represents the "extreme end of high prices," leading to healthcare costs that amounted in 2011 to $US2.7 trillion, or 18 per cent of US GDP, compared to six to nine percent in Europe, the doctors wrote in the journal Blood.

The costs of cancer drugs vary widely by region and the free market economy has not helped lower prices, said the authors, all specialists in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a blood cancer that affects up to 1.5 million people worldwide.

"Of the 12 drugs approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) for various cancer indications in 2012, 11 were priced above $US100,000 per year," they wrote.

"Cancer drug prices have almost doubled from a decade ago, from an average of $US5000 per month to more than $US10,000 per month."

In Europe, universal health care shields patients from the perils of high-cost drugs, said the letter, signed by lead author Hagop Kantarjian of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

But in the United States "patients may pay an average of 20 per cent of drug prices out-of-pocket (about $US20-30,000 per year, a quarter to a third of an average household budget), and ... medical illnesses and drug prices are the single most frequent cause of personal bankruptcies."

The authors suggested that setting high prices is akin to profiteering at a time of disaster, and called for dialogue among all sectors of health care to begin to change the situation.

They pointed to the popular drug imantinib, marketed as Gleevec in the United States and Glivec in other parts of the world, as a key drug with a rising price tag that brought its maker, Novartis, $US4.7 billion in revenue last year.

"Being one of the most successful cancer targeted therapies, imatinib may have set the pace for the rising cost of cancer drugs," the letter said.

Its price at the time of release in 2001 was $US30,000 per year, but by 2012 had risen to $US92,000 per year in the United States "despite the fact that all research costs were accounted for in the original proposed price."

In France, the same drug costs $US40,000 per year. In China and Australia it costs $US46,500, and in South Korea and Mexico, it costs around $US29,000.

In response, Novartis issued a statement saying its innovation "has changed the course of the disease," allowing nine out of 10 patients with CML to lead normal lives.

Before the release of the drugs Glivec (imatinib) and Tasigna (nilotinib), the five-year survival rate for CML patients was 30 per cent.

"Over the years, our programs have evolved to improve patient access to our medicines. We work together with government health care systems, charities and other payors to build successful cost-sharing models," Novartis said.

The Swiss pharmaceutical group also noted that "globally, nearly one third of the Glivec produced annually is provided at no cost, to date reaching more than 50,000 patients in over 80 low-income countries."

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Mayor wants double the pay

Perth's Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi, in her office at Council House November 2, 2012, wants an increase in her $60,000 a year salary. Source: News Limited

PERTH Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi says she is severely underpaid and deserves a 200 percent pay rise.

She and WA Local Government Association president Troy Pickard have joined forces to urge the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal to increase the wages of the state's mayors and 1249 councillors.

Ms Scaffidi said her $60,000 salary should be increased to match the six-figure income of mayors in other states. She said the mayors of Melbourne and Sydney earned up to $180,000.

"The lord mayoral position given it's more than a full-time requirement to undertake the role professionally and to meet all the needs of this position ... should be treated similarly to the salaried levels of lord mayors of Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney," Ms Scaffidi told The Sunday Times.

She said being mayor required someone with the "ability to lobby for significant infrastructure funding at a national and state level" and "cultivate and develop the high-level relationships that bring appropriate investments into our city".

Mr Pickard also said the state's local government representatives were short-changed compared with their eastern states counterparts.

WA councillors were paid a paltry $7000 a year, with some earning only $2400. Their colleagues in other states can receive up to $126,000 a year.

"While I expect the initial reaction from some in the community would be to oppose any increase for elected members, I believe if they thought it through they would agree that it is not fair that WA lags behind other states and that people deserve to be appropriately paid for the work they undertake," Mr Pickard said.

He said serving on a local council required a "significant time commitment" and involved an increasingly complex role that was "way in excess of attending meetings". "But it is true that not all councils have the same demands or same levels of decision making and that is why WALGA has suggested the inclusion of a specific system of bands," he said.

The SAT will set new pay structures for councillors and mayors that will take effect from July 1.

A spokesman for the tribunal said it had been eight years since fees, expenses and allowances paid to mayors and councillors had been adjusted. He said though the SAT would review pays and set new minimum and maximum rates for mayors and councillors, the exact amount paid to elected representatives would still be decided by the councils.

In WALGA's submission to the SAT review, the association argues that the salary of the Lord Mayor of capital cities such as Ms Scaffidi should receive special consideration to recognise the importance of the role.

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Call for more prisoners to work on streets

More prisoners would work in the community to "repay their debt" to society, under a plan before the Barnett Government. File picture.
Source: PerthNow

MORE prisoners - including people smugglers - would be put to work in the community to "repay their debt" to society, under a plan before the Barnett Government.

A review of the state's prison system has revealed taxpayer-funded work camps are operating below 70 per cent capacity, despite nearly 100 prisoners being identified as fit for work.

Work camp prisoners perform community duties, from painting local churches, to general maintenance in hospital grounds and cemetery landscaping.

The camps also provide training and skills development, including how to operate heavy machinery and administer first-aid.

Inspector of Custodial Services Neil Morgan said the underuse of work camps was "unacceptable".

"They have involved a high level of public investment and need to be full or close to capacity to repay that investment," he said.

Mr Morgan said the department could increase the pool of prisoners in work camps by allowing Indonesian prisoners subject to deportation to work in the community.

There should also be more Aboriginal prisoners in work camps, he said.

Just 66 prisoners are working in four camps in Wyndham, Warburton, Walpole and Dowerin. At least 80 more are suitable for work, but have not been given placements. The review also highlighted an "alarming" number of Aboriginal prisoners being housed in WA's toughest jails, while non-Aboriginal prisoners were gaining minimum security ratings.

Mr Morgan said it "beggared belief" that Aboriginal prisoners weren't being given equal opportunities for rehabilitation.

"Aboriginal people constitute over 40 per cent of our prison population," he said. "If they are not accessing minimum security in sufficient numbers, the benefits of these facilities are not reaching a priority target group and public investment is not being maximised."

The number of non-Aboriginal people shifted to minimum security increased 62 per cent in the past three years.

For Aboriginal prisoners the rise was less than 5 per cent.

Opposition corrective services spokesman Paul Papalia said it was "scandalous" work camps were a quarter empty.

"Work camps are a successful tool for re-integrating people and preparing them to go back into society," Mr Papalia said.

"The Barnett Government has turned our prison system into complete shambles. You're putting relatively low-risk prisoners in with hardened criminals and you'll be teaching them how to become a proper criminal. It's creating crime universities."

Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis and the Department of Corrective Services declined to comment.

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Daredevil cave divers exploring depths

Cave diver John Vanderleest explores the underwater caverns of WA's Nullarbor. Picture: http://lizrogersphotography.com Source: Supplied

DAREDEVIL divers are exploring remote underground caves across the Nullarbor Plain, swimming below millions of tonnes of rock where one mistake can prove fatal.

But they say taking the ultimate risk is worth it to pioneer a world most of us will never see, in water so stunningly clear that it is "the closest you can come to being an astronaut on Earth".

Their view backs up Lonely Planet's list of top dive spots which shows WA's Nullarbor ahead of the Great Barrier Reef.

While that outraged tourism bosses in Queensland, a hard-core club of about 50 WA cave divers say Lonely Planet was right to name Cocklebiddy Cave, 1150km east of Perth, as one of the world's top-10 dive locations.

"You shine your light and it is so magnificently clear it makes a swimming pool seem murky," Nullarbor veteran and Cave Divers Association of Australia director John Vanderleest said.

"You can't articulate how crystal clear it is. You're floating in a giant cave that's so crystal clear you don't even realise you're underwater. It's like you're floating in space."

And it's almost as dangerous as a trip to outer space.

More than 90m below ground, divers are beneath millions of tonnes of rock. And at 6.5km long, Cocklebiddy Cave is the longest underwater passage in the country, up to several hundred metres wide, along a fault line in the biggest slab of limestone on the planet.

In 1972 and 1973, at least eight people died cave-diving in Australia, prompting the formation of the cave divers association and the introduction of a permits and a training system that has kept fatalities to two since then.

That record was almost ruined in 1988 when producer Andrew Wight led a Nullarbor cave-diving expedition and a freak storm caused the entrance to collapse, leaving 15 people trapped underground.

A rescue mission was mounted and everyone survived in a harrowing ordeal that inspired the movie Sanctum.

So mysterious are the world's giant, flooded underwater caverns, the Maya believed the entrances to them to be portals to the underworld.

"It's an unforgiving sport. You can't afford mistakes. If anything goes wrong, you have to deal with it underwater," Mr Vanderleest said.

He said the Nullarbor's six regularly dived caves were among the most popular in the country for Australia's small and highly trained group of cave divers, who number about 800, including up to 70 in WA.

Phenomenal visibility is the result of artesian basin water that has taken thousands of years to filter through the limestone surface layers, the cave divers association's scientific officer, Ian Lewis, said.

And exploring the underwater realm isn't cheap.

"A re-breather will be $12,000-$15,000, an underwater scooter $5000, but people don't mind the expense because when your life is reliant on equipment, you don't want an old VW, you want a Ferrari," Mr Vanderleest said.

Perth diver Craig Challen holds the "crown of Cocklebiddy" for going deeper than anyone to the end of the cave system, where it branches into several tight passages. Another Perth legend of the sport is Paul Hosie, who has mapped more than 15km of virgin cave-diving passages in the Nullarbor and elsewhere.

Fellow diver Geoff Paynter has tackled Cocklebiddy more than a dozen times since it was discovered in the '70s.

He said most West Australians had no idea that the treasure existed.

"People are literally driving over the top on their way to Perth or Adelaide and they don't realise what's below," he said.

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Court tangles leave RSPCA in limbo

Unresolved court cases have left the RSPCA's Malaga shelter a full house. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

THE RSPCA's Perth shelter is in crisis, overwhelmed by an influx of seized animals and unable to move them on because of unresolved court cases.

The charity warned in February that it was at breaking point after an unprecedented number of neglected and mistreated animals were brought in.

More than 350 dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and livestock are currently housed at the Malaga site, which has room for only about 200 animals.

Some 300 animals were rescued from just three properties between late 2012 and early this year, including 132 taken from one suburban property in December.

Caring for the extra arrivals has cost the RSPCA about $175,000.

The RSPCA said rehoming animals was often held up by legal processes and people challenging their convictions under the Animal Welfare Act 2002.

But it uses foster carers and other programs to ensure the animals are as comfortable as possible until the cases are resolved in court, RSPCA WA chief executive David van Ooran said.

The RSPCA has been unable to take any cats for months because that part of the shelter is particularly overstretched.

"We're in a very busy holding pattern,'' Mr van Ooran said.

"The animals seized by RSPCA inspectors remain in the care of the RSPCA until court cases can be resolved.

"Once the court case has concluded, we are then able to put the animals through our rehoming process which involves micro-chipping, desexing and behavioural assessment to ensure the animals go to the right homes.''

Mr van Ooran said the RSPCA was grateful to local legal firms that had saved it hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in fees by working on the cases pro bono.

He also urged the public to donate clean blankets and towels to help keep the animals warm during the colder months.

The RSPCA's biggest fundraising event of the year, the Million Paws Walk, will be held on May 19 across the country.

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Jockey was pushed to her limit

Nikita McLean (left) with fellow jockey Michelle Payne after her five-month suspension was cut in half by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board. Picture: Andrew Brownbill Source: Herald Sun

A SYMPATHETIC appeals board slashed in half a five-month suspension imposed by stewards on jockey Nikita McLean for the assault of her teenage sister, Jackie.

Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board chairman Judge Russell Lewis was frank in his support of 27-year-old McLean, who pushed and punched 18-year-old Jackie Beriman at a recent race meeting at Hamilton.

"He (McLean's husband) had it off with her younger sister," Judge Lewis said.

"She's not a robot."

Earlier on the same day at Hamilton, McLean's estranged husband, jumps jockey Brad McLean, had tapped her on the behind with his whip, upsetting her and contributing to her later assault of her sister.

McLean told stewards at an earlier hearing the sight of her sister parading in front of her in the jockeys' room had also upset her; "a very provocative thing to do", according to Judge Lewis.

Judge Lewis added McLean was vulnerable at Hamilton because it was the first time she had shared a racecourse with her ex and Beriman since their August 2012 affair.

"There is no doubt this young woman has been drawn to the limits," he said.

In successfully arguing that the stewards' penalty of five months was "manifestly unjust", Patrick Whelahan, for Nikita McLean, said the circumstances of the assault were "extreme".

He said McLean had acted "very courteously and professionally" towards her sister since learning of the affair. Judge Lewis described the brief affair as a "gross betrayal".

Mr Whelahan said the five-month suspension would have robbed his client of about $70,000 in earnings; a penalty "completely out of step".

The board heard McLean, now living in Ballarat, shared ownership of a home in Warrnambool with her estranged husband, who lives there, but only Nikita McLean was making mortgage payments.

Board member Brian Forrest asked her if Brad McLean was a "freeloader", and she said "yes".

She later vowed to mend the fractured relationship with her sister and urged other jockeys to also forgive Beriman.

Racing Victoria and the jockeys' association intends to begin mediation and increase counselling for the sisters. Jackie Beriman had been ostracised by other jockeys since the affair.

Nikita McLean's suspension ends on June 30.

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Patients burn alive in hospital fire

A fire in a psychiatric hospital near the Russian capital Moscow has killed at least 38 people.

• 29 of the 38 were burnt alive and death toll also includes two doctors
• Many patients were sedated and did not wake up
• Patients at the facility ranged from 20-76 years old

A FIRE swept quickly through a psychiatric hospital outside Moscow early Friday, killing 38 people, most of them in their beds, officials said.

The one-story brick-and-wood hospital building housed patients with severe mental disorders, Health Ministry officials said. An emergency ministry official said the fire started in a wooden annex and then spread to the main brick building which had wooden beams.

The patients were under sedatives and most of them did not wake up, Yuri Deshevykh of the emergency situations ministry told RIA Novosti.

At least 29 people were burned alive, said Irina Gumennaya, a spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative Committee.

Firefighters extinguishing fire in the burning psychiatric hospital where inmates were trapped inside behind barred windows. Picture: AFP PHOTO / MOSCOW REGION EMERGENCIES MINISTRY

Investigators said 38 people, including 36 patients and two doctors, have died. They said a nurse managed to escape and save one patients, while another patient got out on his own. The emergency services also posted a list of the patients indicating they ranged in age from 20 to 76. Gumennaya told Russian news agencies that most of the people died in their beds.

Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyev said some of the hospital windows were barred. Gumennaya quoted testimony of the surviving nurse who said that doors inside the hospital were not locked.

Officials from the Russian Investigative Committee said they are looking at poor fire regulations and short circuit as possible causes for the blaze that engulfed the hospital in the Ramenskiy settlement, some 85 kilometers north of Moscow.

Police said the fire was caused by a short circuit. Picture: AP Photo/Pavel Sergeyev

Vadim Belovoshin of the emergency ministry said that it took fire fighters an hour to get to the hospital following an emergency call because a ferry across the canal was closed and the fire fighters had to make a detour.

Vorobyev told Russian state-television that the fire alarm seems to have worked but the fire spread too quickly.

Russia has a poor fire safety record, with about 12,000 deaths reported in 2012. In January, a fire in an underground parking lot killed 10 migrant workers from Tajikistan who were working and living there. In a similar incident in September, 14 Vietnamese workers were killed by fire at a clothing factory near Moscow.

Firefighters work at a site of the fire where 38 people including 36 patients and two doctors died. Picture: AP Photo/Pavel Sergeyev

In one of the most high-profile case of negligence, more than 150 people died in a night club in the city of Perm after a pyrotechnic show ignited a wooden ceiling.

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Geelong players a pair of Cat bunglers

Billie Smedts leaves Kardinia Park. Picture: Mike Dugdale Source: Herald Sun

BILLIE Smedts and Josh Caddy should stick to kicking a Sherrin, because as Cat burglars they make mighty fine footy players.

When the duo decided to play a prank on Jackson Thurlow, the "innocent fun" they decided on was a spot of housebreaking at their teammate's new digs.

But the concept of a fleet-footed Raffles doing a midnight flit across the rooftops without a trace eluded them.

For a start, it wasn't dark yet. On top of that, they got the wrong house.

So when a woman looked out her window and noticed two balaclava-clad men trying to force their way in, not unnaturally she called 000.

And soon after making their getaway back to Kardinia Park, the hapless pair found themselves staring down the barrels of guns levelled at them by five of Geelong's finest.

"Oh, mate, it was scary - very scary," a sheepish Smedts said.

Caddy said: "We are both sorry to that lady. In hindsight, we shouldn't have done it."

Josh Caddy says it was an ''innocent'' prank which went wrong. Picture: Mike Dugdale

Caddy said it was simply a prank gone wrong.

"It was just some innocent fun with me and Billie, which unfortunately scared people.

"We were just in the $2 shop and saw them (balaclavas) and thought it would be a bit of fun to scare young Thurlow at his new house he'd just moved into," Caddy said.

"We're a little bit embarrassed, but it's been dealt with."

Smedts added: "If (police) want us to go and apologise, we will. But it's all done and dusted, and they know it was a big prank and a big misunderstanding."

Inspector Gary Bruce said police had attended several burglaries in the South Geelong area in previous weeks and so responded swiftly to the call from Yarra St about 5pm on Wednesday.

He said the pair were given official cautions.

"They were extremely apologetic. It placed our members in danger in responding quickly to the call and caused potential danger, not only to our members but also those two."

He said police had spoken with club management.

Club media manager Kevin Diggerson said no further action would be taken.

"It was a misunderstanding and the boys hadn't done anything wrong," he said.

"There was no malice or attempt to cause any drama."

Asked whether Geelong players would be spoken to about pranks, he said: "We think our players are a mature group of people and will take out of it what they like."

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US ambassador: Stop pirating Game of Thrones

Emilia Clarke played Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Picture: Supplied Source: news.com.au

Game of Thrones is one of the most pirated TV series. Supplied by Foxtel Source: news.com.au

•  Extraordinary plea: Aussie piracy out of control
• We're the world's worst Game of Thrones pirates
• No excuses for Aussies anymore: US official

THE top US official in Australia has taken the extraordinary step of pleading with us to stop pirating Game of Thrones.

Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich - who confesses to being a fan of the 'great epic' - says he is troubled with news we're one of the world's biggest pirates of the HBO fantasy series.

"Unfortunately, nearly as epic and devious as the drama, is its unprecedented theft by online viewers around the world," Mr Bleich wrote in a Facebook post.

"As the Ambassador here in Australia, it was especially troubling to find out that Australian fans were some of the worst offenders with among the highest piracy rates of Game of Thrones in the world."

He added that Australians can no longer use the excuse of the time delay between the series broadcast in the US and Australia to steal episodes.

"While some people here used to claim that they used pirate sites only because of a delay in getting new episodes here, the show is now available from legitimate sources within hours of its broadcast in the United States," Mr Bleich wrote.

Parents of young fans who refuse to pay for a subscription, or issues with copyright law are not valid excuses either, he said. "None of those reasons is an excuse - stealing is stealing."

US Ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich. Picture: Ray Strange Source: News Limited

Downloading content illegally is not a victimless crime, he said, as artists like the Game of Thrones crew can only do their work if they can be paid for it.

If the four million people who watch Game of Thrones legally had been illegal downloaders, Mr Bleich writes, the latest hit season would never have been made.

"Buying a book in store costs more and takes longer than stealing it from your neighbour's house, but we all know it is the right thing to do and allows authors to make a living and write more books," Mr Bleich argued.

The series is understood to be one of the most expensive currently broadcast on television, with E! reporting the series costs around $6 million per episode.

One episode was illegally downloaded over four million times in 2012 according to BitTorrent trackers. That's the same number as the amount of people who watched it on TV.

Episodes are filmed on location in countries such as Malta, Iceland, Croatia and Morocco.

More than one million viewers illegally downloaded the debut episode of the third season, which went to air in the US on March 31 this year.

Ambassador Bleich was appointed US Ambassador to Australia by President Obama in November 2009.

Contact this reporter: Daniel.Piotrowski@news.com.au | @drpiotrowski
 

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Father and abducted daughter reunited

Camilla Ellefsen Lunetta and her daughter Reya. Picture: Today Tonight Source: Supplied

Reya age-progressed to 10. She was allegedly abducted by her mother, Camilla Lunetta. Picture: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Source: Supplied

Camilla Ellefsen is believed to be living in Australia with her daughter Reya. Picture: Megan Slade Source: The Courier-Mail

Camilla Ellefsen Lunetta in 2002. Photo: Supplied. Source: Supplied

• Desperate dad reunited with abducted daughter
• Brozzi Lunetta trying to help ex-wife leave the country
• Trio plan to evade authorities until agreement struck

A DESPERATE dad has been reunited with his abducted daughter after his decade-long search for her ended near Sydney yesterday.

But in a bizarre twist, American father Brozzi Lunetta has gone into hiding with the ex-wife who stole her from him.

Camilla Ellefsen Lunetta abducted their daughter Reya from the United States in 2002 amid a bitter custody dispute.

"Today we're basically hiding from any kind of police action and trying to find some way to get them safely back to Norway and to get them into some sort of protection from the Norwegian Government," he told news.com.au this morning.

"Right now we're still in the Sydney area. They're safe and very close by.

"(Camilla) is a Norwegian citizen who we're trying to stop from going to prison in America (from where Reya was abducted) and have returned to her own country."

Brozzi Lunetta with daughter Reya before she was abducted. Picture: supplied. Source: Supplied

The 40-year-old father, now based in Norway, returned to Australia last week after news.com.au revealed that Ms Ellefsen Lunetta and Reya were living in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Yesterday Mr Lunetta and a Today Tonight television crew confronted the pair at a property about an hour's drive from Sydney after receiving a tip-off.

The pair had reportedly been hiding there for more than a week.

In a strange twist, mother and daughter are now holed up with Mr Lunetta. News.com.au is not aware of their exact location.

"Camilla's very worried and fearful," he said.

"She wants to just disappear with her people and have them try to get her out (of Australia) on a fake passport or something.

"It's (been made) very clear to her that if she does a runner we'll have no choice but to call the police.

"There will be complete absolute police action if she disappears from the custody we have."

Camilla Ellefsen Lunetta in 2002. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied

Mr Lunetta said his ex-wife could flee again.

"I'm close by but I'm not in the same room," he said.

"They have their own bedroom and a shared bed. They're together, they're safe."

Channel Seven, which has paid for Mr Lunetta's flights and accommodation during this trip, has not responded to questions from news.com.au about whether the television station is also paying for Ms Ellefsen Lunetta's accommodation.

"Nobody is being hidden, they are acting of their own free will," a Seven spokeswoman said.

"We are under no obligation to report this matter to the authorities.

"Both parents have indicated to us they want to deal solely with the Norwegian Embassy."

Camilla Ellefsen Lunetta and Reya in 2002. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied

Mr Lunetta said they were trying to "keep very low key" until the consulate re-opened tomorrow.

"I'm absolutely completely hiding from (authorities) right now," he said.

"No one knows where I'm at except Today Tonight.

"We're praying the consulate will be open tomorrow because to hide for three or four days will be impossible."

Mr Lunetta said he hoped the trio could leave Australia within days.

"We just need to get through another 24 hours and tomorrow we can get the Norwegian Government and the Australian Government on the same page as to what's best for the child," he said.

"Hopefully by Saturday we can all be on a flight back to Norway.

"I've said all along, I don't want Camilla to go to jail and that's what she's facing now.

"There's an election coming up in Australia and does the government really want to see another kid taken away by the AFP screaming and crying? I don't think so."

An Australian Federal Police spokeswoman said they could not act on new information without orders from the Family Court.

The FBI recently confirmed its investigation was ongoing. A felony California state warrant was issued in 2002 for Camilla Lunetta for deprivation of child custody. A federal warrant for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution was issued in U.S. District Court (federal) in 2004 after the District Attorney requested assistance.

"Obviously, with good reason, Camilla's very scared of the authorities, she doesn't want to go to prison and she doesn't want to be separated from her daughter for years," Mr Lunetta said.

"I've offered her that if we can get them to Norway she will have primary custody.

"I don't want my daughter to see her mum taken away in handcuffs. That's what I'm trying to avoid."

Brozzi's search for his daughter Reya brought him to the Sunshine Coast in 2010. Picture: Megan Slade Source: The Courier-Mail

Ms Ellefsen Lunetta has been unlawfully in the country since 2003.

A NSW Police spokesperson said that under the Migration Act 1958 NSW Police Officers can detain an unlawful non-citizen.

"Police liaise with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to determine whether or not a person is lawfully in Australia," they said.

A Department of Immigration spokeswoman said they could not discuss individual cases for privacy reasons.

"Any person found to be in the country without a valid visa may be subject to compliance action."

This morning Mr Lunetta updated his hundreds of Facebook followers.

"EVERYBODY PLEASE READ - I am with Camilla & Reya, literally hiding them from the potential arrest and extradition back to California for a prison sentence for felony kidnapping," he wrote.

"We have been trying for hours to get the Norwegian government to intervene, work with the Aussies to deport back to Norway for the visa violation. But the Norwegian Government has been unwilling to do a f***ing thing.

"If you are in Norway PLEASE put pressure on the authorities to Help This Child, my daughter. –Brozzi"

Mr Lunetta told news.com.au that his ex-wife was cooperating.

"Absolutely, as much as she is capable," he said.

"She's been running this show underground for the last 10 years.

"She thought she'd be able to get out of here without me finding her but I've found her.

"Given the situation she's in she knows she doesn't have the leverage she used to have."

Camilla Ellefsen Lunetta and Reya on April 24, 2013. Picture: Today Tonight. Source: Supplied

He said his daughter was doing well considering her confusing ordeal.

"She's OK. By bed time last night she was cool," he said.

"For Reya it's overwhelming. She's not scared of me so I can tell there's been no vilification.

"The possibility that my daughter will be with me in Norway in a month … this could have such a happy ending if we could just get off the rocks."

Both mother and child remain listed as missing on the Family Court of Australia website.

Email kristin.shorten@news.com.au or follow @itsKShort on Twitter

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Man king-hit in Kwinana for defending daughter

A man is in a critical condition after being king-hit in Kwinana. Picture: Bohdan Warchomij Source: PerthNow

A MAN suffered serious head injuries after he was king-hit in front of his two daughters in Kwinana last night.

The attack happened just before 9pm when the 50-year-old man and his daughters were waiting for a taxi at a BP service station on Chisham Ave.

Police believe the man began arguing with a passenger in a vehicle after comments were made about his daughter.

The suspect then got out of the vehicle and punched the man in the back of the head, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.

He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital in a critical condition.

The attacker fled the scene in a small, dark hatchback.

He was described as fair-skinned, with black hair and a beard.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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100,000 turn out for Anzac Day

The Anzac Day parade along St Georges Terrace in Perth. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: PerthNow

A PLEA for the next generation to keep the Anzac spirit alive was heard in the west, as tens of thousands gathered in Perth to honour diggers past and present.

An unprecedented 45,000 people had set their alarms to attend the dawn service at Perth's King's Park - making it the largest in the country - and an estimated 100,000 then lined the streets to honour more than 7000 marching through the city.

Regional areas from Albany to Exmouth also reported record numbers at services and marches.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Willis, whose grandfather Robert Lowson was one of the Anzacs to land at Gallipoli in 1915, led WA's main Anzac Day march on a new route.

Former POW Eric Roediger, who turned 103 yesterday and was the oldest to march, turned out with the 2/3 Australian Machine Gun Battalion.

With a focus on serving personnel and the future of the Anzac tradition, WA's Returned Services League also used the occasion to encourage new members.

Vietnam veteran, former state and federal politician and now RSLWA president Graham Edwards said the best way to honour the sacrifice of servicemen and women down the years was to live by their code every day.

"Perhaps we ought better honour our Anzacs in our daily lives with those same qualities of humour, honour, sacrifice, mateship and a fair go for all,'' Mr Edwards said.

"Indeed if those same qualities were practised by all of us, including our nation's political, corporate, and civic leaders, then we could give surely give truth and meaning to the saying - we will remember them.''

A leaflet urging ex-service personnel and family to join the RSL was handed out at the commemorative service.

Eighteen-year-old RSLWA Youth Ambassador Angela Gazey urged her generation to study the experiences of their forebears.

"Our freedom came at a cost, and it is important we learn about these events and learn about our past,'' Ms Gazey said.

Wing Commander Dave Turner, of RAAF Pearce, told those gathered at Perth's dawn service it would be a "national disgrace'' if Australians ever became cynical about Anzac Day.

"It is as relevant to Australian society today as ever before,'' Commander Turner said. Todd Gordon brought his family, giving daughters Laura, 4, and Claire, 2, an early lesson in the Anzac spirit - with Laura proud to say she was already learning about Anzac Day in school.

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'The moment I found the Boston bomber'

David Henneberry, the man who found the second Boston Marathon bomb suspect. Photo: WCVB.com Source: Supplied

THE man who found one of the Boston Marathon bomb suspects hiding in his boat in his backyard has told of how he discovered him during the manhunt.

David Henneberry went to check on his boat at his Watertown home after the lockdown order was lifted in Boston.

Earlier in the day, when he was holed up inside, Mr Henneberry noticed that two of the pads he puts near the boat to prevent chaffing were out of place.

"It was really windy, so I didn't think twice about it," told local station WCVB.

US police have released thermal image pictures that they said helped to track the Boston bomber suspect.

When he went to adjust the pads, he found a strap was a lot "looser" than it normally would be on the boat.

"So I went out in the yard and felt the freedom that everyone is Watertown was feeling.

"When I pulled the strap, it was a lot looser than it usually is. But again, the wind could have loosened things up,' he told WCVB.

Police release new thermal imaging video of Boston suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lying in a boat as a flash bang grenade explodes near him. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)

He saw what he described as "a good amount" of blood on the inside of the cabin.

At first he thought it may have been from a previous incident where he might have cut himself.

"And I looked back and forth a couple of times and my eyes went to the engine block and there was a body," he said.

He then ran back to his house and called the police, who immediately rushed to the scene.

Mr Henneberry and his wife are still unable to return to their home while investigators are searching the area for more evidence.

He has dismissed claims that he is a national hero, saying that if anything, he is an "incidental hero".

"It makes me feel wonderful that people that are thinking like that, but it is my boat. People lost lives and lost limbs," Mr Henneberry said.

"I am lucky I am alive. These other people were killed. Sometimes, I just sit and say, "Wow,"' he said.

Today, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has admitted to planting the explosives. The women closest to the Boston bomb suspects have told of their shock.

The American wife of Tamerlan Tsarnaev is co-operating with authorities probing the attack, her lawyers say.

Katherine Russell, 24, who married Tamerlan Tsarnaev in June 2010 and has a three-year-old daughter with him, is "doing everything she can to assist (the) ongoing investigation'', her lawyers said today in a media statement.

And the suspects' sisters - who live in New Jersey - have expressed their sadness over the "callous acts" of the Tsarnaev brothers.

The Boston Globe reported that Tsarnaev admitted to planting the bombs and killing MIT police officer Sean Collier with his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed in a police shoot-out.

The Boston Marathon attack left three dead and at least 264 people wounded.

Tsarnaev reportedly told authorities on Sunday that he and his brother were behind the attacks, and said his brother had become radicalised in part because of US action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The statement from the Russell family said news that the two brothers may have been behind the carnage came as an "absolute shock'' to Tsarnaev's wife and her family.

"As a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife, Katie deeply mourns the pain and loss to innocent victims, students, law enforcement, families and our community,'' it said.

"In the aftermath of this tragedy, she, her daughter and her family are trying to come to terms with these events.''

Watch Mr Henneberry's interview with WCVB here.

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Police probe fatal Mandurah taxi crash

A crash on the Kwinana Freeway has claimed the life of one person. Picture: Seven News/Facebook Source: PerthNow

TWO passengers who exited a taxi before a crash that killed the driver are being sought by police as they investigate the fatality.

Police said a white Swan Taxis 'maxi taxi' was between driven on Mandurah Road between 10am and 10.30am when it suddenly swerved into Rouse Road and struck what is believed to be a removalist van.

The truck left the scene and police believe the driver of the truck may not have known the taxi had hit his vehicle.

The 67-year-old male driver of the taxi died at the scene and a passenger in the taxi is assisting major crash officer with their investigation.

Police are seeking to speak with two other passengers, who they believe exited the taxi somewhere along Mandurah Road before the crash.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the crash is asked to contact CrimeStoppers.

One killed in Kwinana Freeway crash

Up to six cars may have been involved in a crash on Kwinana Freeway that claimed the life of one man and saw another person airlifted to hospital.

Freeway lanes northbound between Safety Bay Road and Mundijong Road in Baldivis have now been reopened after being shut for much of the afternoon.

The RAC Rescue chopper transported one person to Royal Perth Hospital, while fire and rescue crews helped free several people trapped after the crash.

The age and gender of the man has yet to be released.

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Woodside rejects 'moral obligation' claim

Woodside chairman Michael Chaney says green groups had 'zero' influence in the board's decision not to go ahead with James Price Point. Source: The Sunday Times

WOODSIDE Petroleum has ruled out making ex-gratia payments to traditional owners who signed up to a $1.5 billion social benefits package for the now-shelved Browse gas project.

The communities stand to miss out on all but a small part of the package as it was conditional on the company and its joint venture partners deciding to proceed with an onshore processing hub at James Price Point, north of Broome, in Western Australia's Kimberley region.

Woodside shelved that $45 billion proposal almost a fortnight ago, saying it would not deliver the returns needed.

While traditional owners said the joint venture had a moral obligation to deliver the package regardless of whether the project proceeded, Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman said only $18 million in native title payments would still be made.

"The agreement was very clear,'' Mr Coleman told reporters after the energy giant's annual general meeting in Perth today.

"It was based upon the successful final investment decision at James Price Point.

"We don't expect to be making ex-gratia payments to them.''

Financial market analysts have said a flood of LNG exports to Asia from North America's shale gas boom was a factor in the company's decision to shelve Browse.

Mr Coleman said he expected LNG demand would remain strong for the next three or four years, particularly for cargoes sold on the spot market.

He believes the resources sector as a whole is going through a natural correction after a long commodities cycle.

And while green groups claimed victory after often heated protests at James Price Point, Woodside's chairman Michael Chaney insisted the dissent had "zero'' influence on the board's decision.

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Son charged over couple's death

Wangaratta couple Bill and Pauline Thomas were a quiet and loving couple well-regarded in the local community. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

THE son of a couple found dead in their home has been charged with murder.

Ian David Thomas, 35, of Western Australia, faced an out-of-sessions court hearing charged with the murders of Bill and Pauline Thomas.

Plain-clothes detectives arrested Mr Thomas in Meredith, between Ballarat and Geelong, on Tuesday.

The bodies of the devoted couple were found in their home outside Wangaratta on Monday night.

Ian Thomas has been arrested over the deaths of his parents.

A barefoot Mr Thomas, in a blue jumpsuit, asked for bail, saying: "I am absolutely no threat to anyone's livelihood whatsoever."

He appeared calm, but had an injury to his face that he said occurred when a police officer "stomped" on him as he was arrested.

The hearing was told investigations into the cause of the couple's deaths, some time between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, were continuing.

Detectives have arrested a 35-year-old man after the discovery of two bodies at a home in country Victoria.

Mr Thomas was remanded to face Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Family of the couple, who'd been married for 40 years, said they were in disbelief at the tragic deaths.

Mr Thomas's brother, Alan, said: "We're all just totally shellshocked. We're absolutely gobsmacked."

Police outside a house in Wangaratta where two bodies were found. Picture: Rob Leeson

The dead couple's other children, who live in Queensland and Western Australia, planned to gather at Alan Thomas's Undera home.

"Nobody knows what to do. We're all dumbfounded," Mr Thomas said.

He said the last time he saw his brother was at his mother's funeral in January, when the family gathered.

Police outside a house in Wangaratta where two bodies were found. Picture: Rob Leeson

"They were a very quiet couple, kept to themselves, and when they weren't working they were inseparable.

"They would help anybody," he said.

Meredith resident Courtney Young said news of the arrest had been a shock.

"Everyone's been talking about it and we have seen the police around town," she said. "It's such a quiet kind of place normally - not something you expect to hear about."

wayne.flower@news.com.au

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Australia's sexiest jobs revealed

Women who work in sport and recreation are considered the most attractive. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

• Survey finds the sexiest men are soldiers
• Hottest women work in sport and recreation
• No love for insurance workers or telemarketers

WOMEN dig Diggers and men can't keep their eyes off the yoga teacher.

That's the verdict of a new national survey, commissioned by 'infidelity site' VictoriaMilan.com.au, which asked 1,000 Australians from the population at large to name the professions that get them drooling.

It turns out that girls really do love a man in uniform. Soldiers topped the list of hunky heartthrobs, and emergency service personnel weren't far behind.

"Wars aren't sexy but fighters are and that's why Aussie women dig Diggers," said VictoriaMilan founder Sigurd Vedal.

There are some surprising results as well. For instance, 'unemployment' was voted a sexier profession than sales, science, HR, IT and a bunch of other perfectly respectable careers. Figure that one out.

We've used the results to put together a list of the five sexiest professions for both men and women, along with the five least alluring jobs.

Did the survey get it wrong? Leave a comment below. Tell us where your partner works ... and where you'd like them to work.

Look at that jawline. He can put you in his sights any day. Picture: Thinkstock Source:

Hot hunks

Soldiers

He's fighting fit, resourceful and brave to boot. He has all the muscles of a gym junkie but none of the insufferable vanity. That soldier boyfriend will keep you safe and satisfied.

Emergency Service Personnel

What could be sexier than a man who devotes his life to saving the lives of others? Whether your beau is a fireman, a cop or an ambulance officer, his selfless attitude will blow you away. And don't forget the appeal of a man in uniform.

Tradesmen/Construction Workers

They don't call these guys handymen for nothing. All of those mundane household tasks which would stump most fancy-pants businessmen are a breeze for any tradie. Of course, those strong hands have other uses.

Sportsmen

Talk about window shopping. Weekend television is a virtual catalogue of sporty hunks. Are you a woman who likes her men to be seriously built? League's the sport for you. Or would you rather have a lean man with a great reach? Turn on the AFL and start drooling.

Doctors

It's nice to know that your boyfriend has a noble job. It's even better when that job makes him loads of money. Men in medicine represent the perfect blend of brains, responsibility and fun, and expensive holidays.

Lawyers can be sexy. And as an added benefit, they can keep you out of prison. Picture: Thinkstock Source:

Bewitching babes

Sport/Recreation

Some men go to the gym to admire themselves in the mirror. Others prefer to admire the female company. Women working in sport and recreation are fit and energetic. They're also willing to roll around in the backyard with a footy after work.

Medical Workers

We all put on a brave face, but every man secretly wants to be cared for. That's why doctors and nurses are so appealing; it's their job to care for people. Of course, the skimpy nurse costumes which surface around Halloween also have something to do with it.

Hospitality/Tourism

Men love to eat and drink. They also enjoy travelling to exotic places. So naturally, they'd love to date a woman whose job connects her with food, drink or travel.

Students

Men find students sexy. Ok, you could easily use that fact to accuse blokes of being creepy cradle-snatchers. Having said that, students are curious, idealistic and intelligent. They could remind men of their younger days in more ways than one.

Lawyers

Women who work in law are hardworking and super-intelligent. They tend to be excellent conversationalists as well. You wouldn't know it from walking into a pub, but many men do want to discuss the weightier issues of the day with their partners.

She's sad because she's lonely. Picture: Thinkstock Source:

Unlucky in love

Insurance

These poor folks really do struggle to make a good first impression. They pick up the phone, introduce themselves and then spend an hour tussling over different interpretations of the fine print. You don't win friends, or lovers, by denying them a desperately needed payout.

Manufacturing

It's not entirely clear what manufacturers have done to be rejected so callously. Perhaps, as the manufacturing industry inexorably declines across the first world, sexy singles would rather jump on a love boat which isn't slowly sinking.

Community Services

Ok, this one just isn't fair. Seriously Australia, what is so awful about people who work in community services? They're caring, conscientious and they love the community. The community should really start loving them back.

Call Centres and Customer Service

They have no trouble retrieving hotties' numbers, but no matter how many times they try, call centre workers just can't get anyone to pick up the phone.

Consulting and Strategy

When you tell other people how to do their jobs for a living, you shouldn't be surprised when nobody wants to share their innermost secrets with you. Potential partners are probably scared that every dinner conversation will end with a pointed suggestion for self-improvement.

So there you have it. Is the survey wrong? Which professions make you hot under the collar? Leave your preferences below and you might even meet your match.

Or continue the conversation on Twitter @SamClench | @newscomauHQ

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$2 coffees would send Bocelli broke

Leo Agnello, pictured with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in 2008, says serving coffees for $2 would put him out of business. Source: PerthNow

THE owner of Perth's most popular cafe says he would go broke if he sold $2 coffees.

Leo Agnello, whose Forrest Place cafe Bocelli's Espresso was voted the city's best coffee shop by customers during the Eat Drink Perth month, says his trade is doing fine, despite the competitive push to lower prices, as he serves up long blacks for $3.80 to the tune of hundreds a day .

"Five cafes around me have closed up in the past seven or eight months,'' he said.

"It is really hard to make a living when you have to pay exhorbitant rents and high wages.

"On Anzac day I will be paying $4,600 in wages because I have to pay double time.''

Even if his customers are lured elsewhere to cafes like Bar 399 ($2 coffees) and Five Bar, which PerthNow revealed on the weekend was offering $2.50 coffees, Agnello said he will always have a faithful customer in blind tenor Andrea Bocelli, who stops in for an espresso whenever he is in Perth.

Agnello, a classical music lover, was ridiculed by friends and family when he named his cafe, owned with his brother Francesco, after Bocelli in 1989.

Then one day in 2002, he served a coffee to Bocelli's manager who was in Perth with his boss on tour. He was so taken with Agnello's personal blend of hazelnut, guatemalan and ethiopian beans that the manager brought Andrea back the next day.

"Bocelli said he could feel something special about the place and was so touched that I named the cafe after him that he gave me tickets to the show,'' Agnello said.

"He has been back twice since then and each time he has come in. I am hoping that he will tour again at the end of this year and drop in again.''

Perth coffee drinkers have been vocal against soaring coffee prices ever since PerthNow revealed earlier this month that a Scarborough cafe was charging $7.25 for a cappucino in a mug.

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Two men found guilty of shooting murder

Jeremia Iskander was shot in the chest while at a mate's place in Wanneroo. Picture: Supplied. Source: PerthNow

A PERTH jury has found two men guilty of murdering a 21-year-old man over a drug debt by shooting him in the chest at close range.

A Supreme Court jury deliberated for more than a day before convicting Damien Phillip Mathews and Hayden Shane Wayne Joseph of murdering Jeremia Iskander, who was fatally shot on December 2, 2011.

Prosecutor Amanda Forrester had argued Mathews fired the fatal shot, but Joseph was involved in its planning and was therefore equally culpable.

The court heard during the four-week trial that Mr Iskander had been friends with Joseph for several years, but they had fallen out because Joseph owed him money.

Iskander stole two of Joseph's cars to force him to pay his debt. However, Joseph and Mathews confronted Mr Iskander in a driveway where he was shot, the court heard. Colin Lovitt, representing Mathews, alleged it was Mr Iskander who had a gun and that a shot was fired accidentally.

Matthews and Joseph will be sentenced on May 31.

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Who was Boston's naked man?

Police have not identified the 'Naked Man' - fuelling conspiracy theories. Source: news.com.au

IT'S one of the enduring mysteries of the chaos in Boston last week. Just who was the naked man law enforcement authorities paraded in front of the cameras?

After the shooting of a police officer at MIT and the high-speed chase through Watertown that followed, the Boston Police arrested and questioned a man and ordered him to strip. CNN broadcast footage of the nude man being escorted by police to a waiting wagon.

It was a riveting moment in the foggy TV coverage of the issue, where it (wrongly) seemed like there was resolution to the case.

But days later the naked man has yet to come forward, and the Watertown police department has not clarified the man's identity – fuelling conspiracy theories about the man's identity.

Several online conspiracy theorists claim the world is being hoodwinked by Boston law enforcement and that the naked man was one of the terrorists who caused the chaos, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

The claims, fuelled by an interview that aired on US television where Tsarnaev's aunt identified the naked man as "100 per cent" Tamerlan, were today rubbished by the Watertown police department.

Official accounts of the incident said Tamerlan died after a lengthy shootout with law enforcement agents. Doctors said Tsarnaev's body was riddled with massive penetrating injuries. He immediately went into cardiac arrest upon arrival at hospital and was later pronounced dead.

A man who was caught up in the case when the Tsarnaev brothers hijacked his SUV has yet to publicly speak about the case.

Law enforcement officials told The New York Times that this man was released, uninjured, at a gas station and he then called the police.

The Naked Man mystery continues. But he has become an object of a different kind of fascination, too. Author Michael Patrick said on Twitter he was "an inspiration to all of us to get back to the gym", adding that a similar situation could happen to you.

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'This is the Jahar I knew'

A video from Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's wrestling days has been posted online by friends who are still struggling to understand what drove a seemingly normal 19-year-old college student to terrorism

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Source: Supplied

• Bombing suspect's friend releases video 
• 'Jahar' filmed dancing, wrestling, goofing around 
• "He really loves his brother, looks up to him." 

WHILE the world waits to find out what drove two brothers to terrorism, devastated friends are just as clueless about what motivated a seemingly normal college kid to carry out the Boston bombings.

So determined are they to show the "normal" side of their lives, footage has been released of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev goofing around, like a normal high school student. 

Dzhokhar, known as Jahar among friends, is the younger of the two brothers, aged 19 and 26, accused of plotting the Boston Marathon bombing and killing an MIT police officer last weekend.

The video shows Jahar wrestling with his high school buddies, dancing, and goofing around - as kids his age do.

It was released by Yushun Tsou, a mate of Jahar's from his high school, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

A sophomore at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, he attended class every day after the attack until the FBI released photos of the accused brothers late Thursday, CNN reports.

He attended a dorm party and even discussed the bombings at the gym with friends.

"He was like, 'Yeah, tragedies happen like this all the time and it's sad'," Zach Bettencourt said.

An eyewitness says friends joked about the resemblance of the FBI photo, but they couldn't believe it.

"We made a joke like - that could be Dzhokhar," said a 22-year-old resident dorm assistant where he lived. 

"But then we thought it just couldn't be him. Dzhokhar? Never.'

As news broke on Jahar, friends immediately took to Twitter to argue in disbelief at what they were seeing.

Jahar's Twitter account paints a picture of your average college teen; banal musings about Game of Thrones and the television show, Breaking Bad. There's talk of smoking marijuana with his "bros", of parties, music, and musings about life.

Meanwhile, A Boston Globe journalist has recalled in heartbreaking detail a friendship with the bomber "that would last to our senior years".

"The Dzhokhar I knew was a young man who spent all night looking in his car for a new phone I clumsily lost. He left work early just to help me retrace my steps," he wrote.

"He was a young man who proudly shook my hand after I told him I was hired at the Boston Globe. 

"He was a captain on the Cambridge Ringe and Latin wrestling team, he was in the National Honor Society, he earned a scholarship to a four-year university. It seemed no one ever had a problem with Dzhokhar."

The older brother, Tamerlan, died after a police shoot-out on Friday (AEST). Jahar is in hospital in a serious condition, and authorities are waiting to question him.

At the weekend, the brothers' uncle suggested the older brother has been influenced by radicals and that he in turn influenced the younger brother.

An old school friend of Jahar's said: "He really loves his brother, looks up to him."

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Man's body washes up at Quinns Rock

GRIM DISCOVERY: Water Police at Quinns Rock. File picture: Kerris Berrington Source: News Limited

CLARKSON detectives and the Water Police are investigating the death of a man after a body washed up at Quinns Rock.

Police are treating the case as suspicious.

Police divers have been at the scene since the body was found about 2pm.

Water Police retrieved the body from late this afternoon.

Police do not believe the man is missing swimmer Martyn Tann, a 24-year-old from NSW who was last seen swimming at Mullaloo Beach three weeks ago.

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Cops baffled by latest US shooting

The scene of the shootings in Federal Way, Washington. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Source: AP

FIVE people were shot dead when gunfire erupted at an apartment complex in a city south of Seattle and police are unsure if their fire caused the death of one armed man, or if he had been shot by someone else.

They also fear that a woman killed in the bloodbath may have been an innocent bystander hit by a stray bullet.

Officers responding to an emergency call at the apartments in Federal Way encountered a chaotic scene, with bullets flying.

"When officers arrived there were still shots being fired," said police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.

They had found two injured men on the ground in a parking lot. One of the men had reached for a gun as police moved in to assist the two, she said.

At that point, had officers opened fire. The suspect died but police said it wasn't immediately clear if it was from their gunfire.

The other man on the ground and a third man in the parking lot were found dead.

In a search of the complex, police found a fourth man dead in one apartment and a slain woman in another unit. Schrock said police were trying to determine if the woman was accidentally hit by gunfire.

A total of eight officers fired their weapons, Schrock said. All have been placed on administrative leave, as per standard policy, as the investigation continues.

There was no immediate word on what set off the shooting.

"We're gonna continue to go door to door in hopes that we can find some additional witnesses, and hopefully we won't be finding any more victims." Schrock said. "We still don't have any idea what started this disturbance tonight."

After police flooded the area and carried out searches, authorities said they were confident there were no more casualties from the shooting. They said they did not think another shooter was on the loose or that there was an immediate threat to the public.

There were no reports of any officers being injured, and the names of the five people who were killed were not immediately available.

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Tributes for Chrissy Amphlett

Lead singer of legendary Aussie band Divinyls, Chrissy Amphlett, has lost her battle with breast cancer at age 53.

AUSTRALIAN rock singer Chrissy Amphlett has been remembered as a musical pioneer.

Amphlett, 53, passed away in her adopted home of New York after fighting dual battles with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Her cousin, Patricia `Little Pattie' Thompson and family were with the singer, who fronted rock band Divinyls.

Her husband, musician Charley Drayton, who was due to support Aerosmith in Australia with the band Dead Daisies, cancelled the trip to be with his wife.

The family's statement read: "Our beloved Chrissy peacefully made her transition this morning. Christine Joy Amphlett succumbed to the effects of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, diseases she vigorously fought with exceptional bravery and dignity. She passed gently, in her sleep, surrounded by close friends and family, including husband of fourteen years, musician Charley Drayton, her sister, Leigh, nephew, Matt, and cousin Patricia Thompson.

"Chrissy's light burns so very brightly. Hers was a life of passion and creativity; she always lived it to the fullest. With her force of character and vocal strength she paved the way for strong, sexy, outspoken women. Best remembered as the lead singer of the ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, Divinyls, last month she was named one of Australia's top ten singers of all time. Chrissy expressed hope that her worldwide hit I Touch Myself would remind women to perform annual breast examinations. Chrissy was a true pioneer and a treasure to all whose lives her music and spirit touched."

Singer Chrissy Amphlett, who has passed away after losing her battle with breast cancer. Photo: Supplied by the Amphlett Family

Countdown host Ian `Molly' Meldrum was a friend of Amphlett and Drayton.

"It's devastating news," Meldrum said yesterday.

" Chrissy was just such a wonderful person and so, so talented. It's incredibly sad news."

"She broke ground for women in Australian music, she was amazing and fearless," Meldrum said.

"Divinyls were an incredible band, they helped open the doors for Australian acts to tour America in the '80s.

"I absolutely adored her. And she terrified me. But right at the start, around Boys in Town, I remember going to see them at the Prince of Wales and Chrissy did this whole thing on stage of looking me straight in the eye and lifting her skirt. We became good friends after that. I became friends with her mother as well. Chrissie was really into football, so we'd occasionally have fights over that.

"She was a wonderful person, and so, so talented it didn't matter. She had such a powerful voice and wrote such great songs with Mark (McEntee) in the Divinyls, some real classics that have stood the test of time. And Chrissy was one of the best on stage performers Australia has produced.

"She'd come around to my house with her husband Charley and she'd go and make herself a cup of tea. It was just odd to see Chrissy Amphlett from the Divinyls in my kitchen, making tea. Because she had that wild persona.

"I remember once I said to her 'Chrissie, you had this amazing persona with the Divinyls, you use to frighten the hell out of me. How can you go from that to playing Judy Garland in The Boy From Oz?' And she said 'They're both the same character Molly'."

Her death brought sadness to the local music industry. Her peers voted her the No.9 best Australian singer of all time in a News Limited poll last month.

The Australian music legend and Divinyls lead singer Chrissy Amphlett has died, aged 53.

Melbourne singer Kate Ceberano said Amphlett was her all-time favourite singer, songwriter and performing artist, and a huge influence on her career.

"The news about Chrissy has hit me like a punch in the chest," Ceberano said yesterday.

"She was such a high-voltage Amazon that it's hard for me to imagine that she's gone. I remember sitting side of stage watching her as a teenager and was attracted and frightened in equal measure, as one minute she would spit on the crowd and in the very next minute turn them all on. She was a masterclass in womanhood. I absolutely worshipped her."

Icehouse's Iva Davies remembered Amphlett as a pioneer and a great spirit.

"Chrissy and the Divinyls played with us on scores and scores of occasions and I was always a great admirer of her as both a writer and a performer," Davies said. "Chrissy did me the great honour of recording her version of one of my songs, Love in Motion, in the early nineties. She made the song distinctively hers, with her own smoking, seductive and unmistakable style. I was recently asked to nominate my choice of the Top 10 Australian singers of all time. Chrissy was among my choices, of course."

Divinyls' breakthrough hit Boys in Town made No.8 in 1982. A string of hits followed, including Science Fiction, The Good Die Young, Pleasure and Pain, Sleeping Beauty, Back to the Wall and I'm Jealous. Their biggest hit, 1990's I Touch Myself, made No.1 in Australia, No.4 in America and No.10 in the UK.

Amphlett was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006 with Divinyls band mate Mark McEntee. The band, who had split acrimoniously in 1997, reformed for a tour in 2007 before finally disbanding in 2009.

Amphlett flew into Melbourne in 2009 to induct her cousin Little Pattie into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

"I think Divinyls is done," she said at the time. "Mark (McEntee) isn't into playing and Divinyls is Mark and I. It's about time I did something on my own."

The singer was working on new music in New York, where she was receiving medical treatment.

Last month Amphlett took to her Facebook page to update fans on her health.

"Unfortunately the last 18 months have been a real challenge for me having breast cancer and MS and all the new places that will take you. You become sadly a patient in a world of waiting rooms, waiting sometimes hours for a result or an appointment and you spend a lot time in cold machines like MRI, CT machines,hospital beds,on your knees praying for miracles, operating rooms, tests after tests, looking at healthy people skip down the street like you once did and you took it all for granted and now wish you could do that."

The singer said she still planned to make a return to music and had been working with songwriter Kraig Jarret.

"My illnesses have really exhausted this little body of mine that I have thrown from one end of a stage to another and performed thousands of shows that's sadly some of you missed. With that said I am getting stronger but there is still some fine tuning and work to be done on myself. It's a different self but my voice is strong and not affected by the MS as some reviewers have cruelly reported. I can walk although sometimes I wobble but try to wobble with the beat. I look after myself and my husband has been through this with me every part of the way and I cannot imagine what I would have done without him and his kindness. I did something right.

Hoodoo Gurus singer Dave Faulkner referred to Amphlett as "the Divine Miss A" and a "musical force of nature".

In tribute, ABC-TV has broadcast an episode of the musical quiz show Spicks & Specks featuring the late star.

During the show, Amphlett, who also suffered from multiple sclerosis, was helped to and from the microphone by comedienne Denise Scott.

The episode, on ABC 2, had Amphlett as a contestant on the team of Scott and Myf Warhurst.

On the show, Amphlett talks of being "shy" and "vulnerable" before her legendary performances on stage in a school uniform and fishnet stockings.

Amphlett had declared herself cancer-free two years ago, telling fans "I was given a chance to reflect on my own mortality; given a chance to choose life over the fear of death. Thank you to those who have given their support and love. Now let's celebrate Life!!!!!!"

The singer was diagnosed with MS in 1998 and would appear on stage with a cane. She revealed her battle with MS in 2007, and in 2011 announced she was also fighting breast cancer.

Amphlett was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006 with Divinyls band mate Mark McEntee

Her was documented by Channel 7's Sunday Night program in which she revealed she would be a "warrior" and not a victim.

The Divinyls hits include I Touch Myself, Pleasure and Pain and Boys in Town.

Tributes have already begun flooding social media networks.

 Other celebrities and fans have also posted their tributes online.

Back in 2012, Amphlett kept her Facebook fans informed of her struggles with cancer and MS. She was always honest and open about what she was facing.

A Facebook message to fans sent by Chrissy Amphlett in 2012. Photo: Facebook Source: Supplied

Born in October, 1959, Chrissy Amphlett will be best-remembered for her hit single I Touch Myself and for singing on stage dressed in a school uniform and fishnet stockings.

Released in 1991, I Touch Myself reached Number 1 in Australia, 10 in the UK and 4 in the US.

Her skill as a songwriter is underlined by Science Fiction, which the Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA) selected in 2001 as one of the top Australian songs of all time.

Amphlett wrote the song with Divinyls front man Mark McEntee, with whom she had a volatile relationship over the 16 year life of the band.

The cousin of 1960s Australian pop icon, Patricia "Little Pattie" Amphlett, Chrissy Amphlett was a hugely talented, if untamed free spirit who started out young on the road and had occasional brushes with the law, once ending up in jail in Europe for singing on the streets.

In 1999, Chrissy married drummer Charley Drayton, who played on the Divinyls' eponymous album and who now plays with Cold Chisel.

Amphlett moved to New York, where she concentrated on a solo career and writing her autobiography Pleasure and Pain: My Life.

In 2007, she revealed she was suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Three years later, she announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but was thought to have since beaten the disease.

Listen to Chrissy Amphlett's famous hits here:

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Fight club a lesson for Warnbro parents

A fight at WA's Warnbro Community High School.

Screen grabs taken from a video of a fight at Warnbro Community High School. Source: PerthNow

Screen grabs taken from a video of a fight at Warnbro Community High School. Source: PerthNow

A HIGH-SCHOOL principal has called on parents to be more vigilant about their children's online habits after he disciplined students for being part of a fight club that posted its brawls online.

Five videos showing Warnbro Community High School students in punch-ups were uploaded on to YouTube last month.

In one of the videos, two year 8 students go head-to-head in a fist fight in front of a jeering crowd.

The fight lasts for about a minute before one of them lands a vicious blow to the other's nose. At the end of the fight, the students shake hands.

Another video depicts a student fighting another youngster who is not in uniform.

The fight happens on the verge of a busy road.

Principal Syd Parke said the school had not been aware of the YouTube videos until The Sunday Times told him this week.

But he confirmed he was forced to suspend five students in February for up to 10 days after a series of fights was reported.

One of the brawls was on school grounds, one was on the periphery of the school and three were at the nearby Warnbro Fair Shopping Centre.

Mr Parke said the students in the YouTube videos were identified and disciplined.

"We contacted students' parents immediately and requested that the videos be taken offline," he said.

"We will continue to work with the families of the boys who appear to be responsible for posting the videos and if we can establish responsibility, they will face sanctions.

"I would urge parents to be vigilant about how their children are using social media."

Edith Cowan University researcher James McCue, who is in the final stages of a doctoral thesis on juvenile offending, said youngsters who received "positive feedback" on the internet after their school fights were published online were "more likely to repeat the behaviour".

"Engaging in this type of aggressive behaviour at a young age and receiving positive feedback from the broader online social media community can start young people on a pathway that results in continued acts of aggression," he said.

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Fawning fans made Harris feel insecure

Entertainer Rolf Harris has been accsued of sexual assault, but no charges have been laid. File photo Ross Swanborough. Source: News Limited

ROLF Harris's behaviour around young female fans always has been regarded as impeccable.

In several interviews and in his autobiography, he joked about being flirtatious around beautiful women, but he kept his distance from groupies even when his rock-star peers were throwing caution to the wind in his presence.

Even the '60s didn't swing for him.

"For me it was all rather unnerving," he wrote of the groupies who tried to get backstage at concerts, where he shared the bill with other top acts.

"There were semi-clad young women in dressing rooms, shower stalls, wardrobes and on tables. I tried not to watch or be seen watching but it wasn't easy.

"I spent most of my time reading the same page of a book 14 times before realising I was holding it upside down.

"A part of me wanted the courage to get involved, but I was petrified. I was almost twice the age of the young blokes and I was married. And I kept asking myself, 'How did I miss out on all of this when I was their age?'

"Yet the sheer mindlessness of it all threatened to shatter my illusions about women. I wanted them to be up there on a pedestal, not scrabbling around in dressing rooms with very little on."

Harris's popularity with children also made in him the perfect ambassador for kids charities and causes.

He produced a video shown in UK schools in the 1980s teaching children how to deal with sexual, physical or emotional abuse. The video, Kids Can Say No, was commissioned by the UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

In 1986 WA education chiefs discussed with Harris producing a similar video for children here.

Thousands of his fans from around the world sent him messages of support on social-media sites friends describing him as the "perfect gentleman" on Friday after UK newspaper The Sun named Harris as the Australian entertainer arrested last month by UK detectives on suspicion of sexual assault. He was bailed to appear before police in May.

He vehemently denies the allegations.

Close friends say Harris is shattered by the police investigation.

He has overcome previous dark periods in his life. He was diagnosed with clinical depression in 1993 after his Cartoon Club show was axed and he feared his career was at an end.

But Harris, regarded in a Time magazine poll as one of the top five entertainers of the 20th century, came back stronger. In 2005 he was invited to paint the Queen at Buckingham Palace to mark her 80th birthday.

News of his arrest has been a hammer blow for several generations of fans here, where he is revered as a national treasure.

Bassendean's favourite son, arguably Australia's greatest entertainment export, has never forgotten his roots, donating heavily to local causes down the years.

A national junior backstroke champion in his teens he learnt to swim in the Swan after falling in the river as a three-year-old Harris helped finance the town's swimming pool.

He was the star attraction at Bassendean's centenary celebrations in 2000, performing before 22,000 locals at the town's oval.

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FBI seize sister's computer in probe

The wounded Boston bombing suspect remains in a serious condition as a special interrogation unit stands by.

THE FBI has removed a computer from the US home of a sister of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects while an uncle claims the younger brother was "used" as more details of their family emerges.

Police said she was co-operating with the investigation and was "heartbroken, surprised and upset," though she told reporters she wasn't sure the accusations against her brothers were true.

The woman, identified by local police as Ailina Tsarnaeva, told Federal agents she had not been in contact with her brothers for years, according to Police Director Michael Indri.

"The main concern was to confirm that there was no contact made one way or the other, and I'm confident that the FBI has confirmed that," he said.

Steady gunfire can he heard in new video from the operation to capture Boston marathon suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev. Deborah Gembara reports.

Federal agents searched the home and left with a computer and other electronics.

Early in the day, she spoke through a barely open door to News12 New Jersey and The Star-Ledger newspaper, telling them she was sorry for the families that lost loved ones "the same way I lost my loved one".

"I'm hurt for everyone that's been hurt,'' she said.

An FBI agent enters the apartment building door of Alina Tsarnaeva in West New York, New Jersey. Picture: John Moore/Getty Images/AFP

Her brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police outside Boston.

"He was a great person," the woman said of her dead brother.

"I thought I knew him. I never would have expected that from him. He is a kind and loving man. The cops took his life away just the same way he took others' lives away, if that's even true. At the end of the day, no one knows the truth.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is in hospital after being on the run, described as "armed and dangerous" and suspected of the Boston Marathon bombing. His brother, Tamerlan, was killed during a violent police chase. The two ethnic Chechen brothers came from Dagestan, a Russian republic bordering the province of Chechnya. (AP Photo/vk.com)

"I have no idea what got into them,'' she said.

Indri said the woman was co-operating with the FBI.

"She's heartbroken, surprised and upset like we all are," he said.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was married and had a daughter in the US, according to his aunt. He died during the manhunt. Picture: AP/Julia Malakie

A woman who described herself as a friend of Ailina described a different relationship between the woman and the elder brother.

Vicki Colon said the woman feared him because "he used to beat her".

Colon said she met the two brothers during a visit to Massachusetts a couple years ago.

Suspect 1, in the black cap, and Suspect 2, in the white cap. These pictures were released by the FBI in Boston.

She said the younger brother was very quiet.

Police plan to maintain a 24-hour presence outside Tsarnaev's apartment indefinitely. No threats have been made, but authorities are "concerned" for her safety, Indri said, adding she was pleased by their involvement.

Authorities said she has fully cooperated with federal investigators.

The mother of the Boston bomb suspects says it is all a set-up and her elder son was controlled by the FBI for years. Lily Grimes reports.

Roque went into the sister's apartment at 9pm on Friday. After he left 15 minutes later, he spoke briefly, but declined to discuss the meeting.

"It's not easy for them," he said.

"I don't want to comment too much. This is a human tragedy. My goal as the mayor is to take care of them. They're residents of West New York."

US investigators have told how two suspected pressure cooker bombs exploded in Boston marathon crowds.

Shortly before the FBI arrived at the apartment, Tsarnaev gave a brief interview to reporters through a slightly opened door of her second-floor apartment.

She said she was stunned that her brothers might have been involved in bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 170.

Her plans to speak out come as more details of Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother have emerged.

Tamerlan once ranted at a neighbour about Islam and the United States.

His younger brother, Dzhokhar, relished debating people on religion, "then crushing their beliefs with facts."

The older brother sought individual glory in the boxing ring, while the younger excelled as part of a team. Tamerlan "swaggered" through the family home like a "man-of-the-house type," one visitor recalls, while Dzhokhar seemed "very respectful and very obedient" to his mother.

The brothers, now forever linked in the Boston Marathon bombing, in some ways seemed as different as siblings could be. But whatever drove them to allegedly set off two deadly pressure-cooker bombs, their uncle is certain Dzhokhar was not the one pulling the strings.

"He's not been understanding anything. He's a 19-year-old boy," Ruslan Tsarni said of his brother's youngest child, who was clinging to life in a Boston hospital Saturday after a gun battle with police.

"He's been absolutely wasted by his older brother. I mean, he used him. He used him for whatever he's done. For what we see they've done, OK?"

Criminologist James Alan Fox said the uncle's intuition is justified. In cases like this, he said, it is highly unusual for the younger participant - in this case, a sibling - to be the leader.

"I would be surprised," said Fox, the Lipman Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy at Boston's Northeastern University. "Very surprised."

Boston Marathon bomb suspect number two is in custody after law enforcement arrested him after a brief stand-off. Fox News

When the bullets began flying Thursday night and 26-year-old Tamerlan went down, his younger brother ran him over - dragging him for about nine metres - before ditching the car and fleeing on foot. After a 24-hour manhunt that shut down most of the Boston metropolitan area, police cornered the gravely-wounded Dzhokhar hiding in a boat in a backyard only blocks from where his brother was taken.

Officials said Dzhokhar was in serious condition, unable to communicate. So, at least for now, investigators and the public are left with an enigma.

The ethnic Chechen family came to the US in 2002, after fleeing troubles in Kyrgyzstan and then Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim republic in Russia's North Caucasus. They settled in a working-class part of Cambridge, where father Anzor Tsarnaev opened an auto shop. He returned to Dagestan about a year ago.

The moment of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's arrest aftera dramatic shootout with police. Picture: via Twitter/Imgur Source: No Source

Luis Vasquez, a candidate for the Cambridge City Council, went to school with Tamerlan and later helped coach Dzhokhar's school soccer team. With the father gone, Vasquez said the older brother assumed a kind of paternal role, at least where the girls in the family were concerned.

"He was very protective of his (younger) sister, Bella," Vasquez said. "He would keep an eye out, making sure she's good, making sure she's not having a hard time."

Vasquez attributed it to "his culture" and "what his family expected out of him."

David Mijares, who trained in boxing with Tamerlan in school and later coached the younger brother in soccer, says his friend opened up about his hardships in Russia. He agreed that Tamerlan felt pressure to be the man of the house.

A Boston SWAT team member takes up position in the search for 19-year-old bombing suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev in Watertown, Massachusetts. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

"He had to be a man at a very early age," said Mijares, who himself considered Tamerlan a mentor. "That would be, in my opinion, a huge reason for who he was, all serious and no nonsense."

That said, Dzhokhar was very much his own man. While he would tag along to Tamerlan's boxing practices, the younger brother was into wrestling.

In one of his tweets, he complained that his mother was trying to arrange a marriage for him, as she'd done for his sisters.

"She needs to (hash)chillout," he tweeted on July 12. "i'll find my own honey."

Tamerlan preceded his brother at the prestigious Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, which counts celebrities Matt Damon and Ben Affleck among its alumni. But he does not appear to have been a standout student and athlete whose reputation Dzhokhar would have felt pressure to live up to.

Speaking from his home in Makhachkala in Russia's south, the father of the Tsarnaev brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon attack says his children were framed. Deborah Gembara reports.

Anne Kilzer would go to the Tsarnaev home for regular facials from the boys' mother, Zubeidat. She said the older brother was a "macho guy," whereas Dzhokhar seemed more cerebral.

The few times that Tamerlan was there, he would wave his mother off when she tried to introduce him. "He sort of swaggered through," she said. "Sort of a man-of-the-house type."

In a blog entry, Kilzer's daughter, Alyssa, suggested that the mother became increasingly religious as their acquaintance progressed. She began wearing a hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf.

She said the mother also expressed some rather strident views about the US government. But it was difficult to know who was influencing whom in the household.

Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev posted links to Islamic websites on what appears to be his page on a Russian language social networking site. Lily Grimes reports.

"During this facial session she started quoting a conspiracy theory, telling me that she thought 9/11 was purposefully created by the American government to make America hate Muslims," Kilzer wrote.

"'It's real,'" she said.

"'My son knows all about it. You can read on the internet.'"

Kilzer didn't say which son the mother was talking about. Kilzer was studying in Scotland and could not immediately be reached.

One of the brothers' neighbours, Albrecht Ammon, said he had a bizarre encounter with Tamerlan in a pizza shop about three months ago. The older brother argued with him about US foreign policy, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and religion.

Massachusetts police release thermal photos taken from a helicopter of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lying in a boat. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)

He said Tamerlan referred to the Bible as a "cheap copy" of the Quran and that many of this country's wars "are based upon the Bible - how it's an excuse to invade other countries."

"He had nothing against the American people," Ammon said. "He had something against the American government."

Dzhokhar, on the other hand, was "real cool," Ammon said. "A chill guy."

While his older brother was railing about religion and world politics, Dzhokhar seemed more interested in the HBO series Game of Thrones and other television shows like Breaking Bad.

The two suspects in Boston Marathon bombing have been identified as brothers hailing from Chechnya.

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