Sydney bikie associate charged over arms

A Hells Angels associate has been charged with weapons offences after a raid in southwestern Sydney. Source: AAP

A HELLS Angels associate has been charged after police seized a stun gun, ammunition and steroids from a house at southwestern Sydney.

The items were seized by police from Strike Force Raptor as they undertook a raid at a house in Ambarvale.

Police arrested a 20-year-old man at the house and he was charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol, possessing an androgenic steroidal agent, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing ammunition.

He was refused bail and will appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

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Two-time shark victim feels he was spared

An abalone diver who survived two separate shark attacks nine years apart feels God saved his life. Source: AAP

THE abalone diver who incredibly survived a second shark attack has revealed he did not see the great white that tried to bite his head off - but instead recognised the sound of teeth on bone.

Greg Pickering, 55, was diving for abalone off a remote part of Western Australia's southern coast last month when he was attacked by a suspected great white shark.

It was the second time Mr Pickering had lived through a shark attack, after being bitten by a 1.5 metre bronze whaler while in waters near Cervantes, north of Perth, in 2004 as he was trying to help a friend.

Speaking about his ordeal for the first time, Mr Pickering told the Seven Network's Sunday Night program about the circumstances of the attack, which left him needing 10 hours of surgery on facial and other wounds.

"I heard the sound, the thrashing sound, of teeth on bone - and I remembered the sound from the last time I was bitten," Mr Pickering said.

"I thought 'that is probably a shark', but I didn't see it - I heard the attack."

The show claims Mr Pickering is now the only man in the world to be attacked by sharks in separate incidents and live to tell the tale.

And the interview will also detail how Mr Pickering used his 40-year diving experience to hold his breath and rise to the surface slowly after the attack, despite the water turning red around him from the blood pouring from his horrific injuries.

A roll of duct tape and a towel was then used to hold Mr Pickering's shredded face together, as his eight-hour journey to hospital began.

Mr Pickering told reporter Mark Ferguson how he felt he had been spared his life.

"It (the shark) suddenly stopped and let me go - so I have definitely been given another chance," Mr Pickering said.

"I do believe I have been given a second chance. God has given me a second chance there is no doubt about that."

Soon after the attack, Mr Pickering's family expressed their thanks to paramedics, surgeons, doctors and nurses who helped save his life, while Fisheries Department director-general Stuart Smith slapped a kill order on the shark.

But the order was then called off because the shark was not sighted again and was no longer considered a threat to school-holiday campers in the area.

Mr Pickering returned to the area where he was attacked, Poison Creek at Cape Arid National Park, about 180km east of Esperance, to tell his story.

*The interview with Mr Pickering will air on the Seven Network's Sunday Night at 6.30pm AEDT on Sunday November 17

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Second round of severe storms closes Schoolies

Steve Ots catches massive hailstones falling in the water of the Sunshine Coast.

ANOTHER day, another storm in the southeast. Follow all the weather action here.

7.15pm: ACCESS to the schoolies beach party has been closed temporarily while emergency services evaluate the storm threat.

Thousands of schoolies are assembling on the streets around Cavill Mall.

Gold Coast Schoolies spokesman Wayne Hickson said emergency services are keeping an eye on a developing storm front but organiser have no plans to close off the beach party at this stage.

"It would have to be cyclonic weather to stop these guys from partying," Mr Hickson said.

"At the moment the worst of the storm looks like it will go around us but we have plenty of systems in place in case we need to evacuate the beach quickly."

Messages broadcast on large television screens, SMS warnings and audio warnings are on hand to alert schoolies if required.

If the party is shut off, Red Frogs volunteers will do the rounds at hotel room parties to keep the estimated 30,0000 school leavers entertained and out of trouble.

Mr Hickson said schoolies week is off to a slow start but is sure to pick up as the night wears on.
 

6.50pm: THE Bruce Highway has been reopened at two sections following separate incidents earlier this evening.

Motorists can now use one lane of the highway after a minor car crash 40km north of Gin Gin.

Emergency services are still removing the damaged vehicle from the road.

The highway is also open near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after a tree-related incident about 3pm.

A 'very dangerous' thunderstorm on the Sunshine Coast brings hailstones the size of tennis balls.

6.30pm: THUNDERSTORMS may rain on the parade of school leavers with another round of severe weather warnings issued for southeast Queensland.

The weather bureau has warned residents near the NSW border to expect storms near the McPherson Range by 6.25pm and Springbrook and Little Nerang Dam by 6.55pm.

The storms are moving northeast and forecasters have advised locals near the Gold Coast to prepare to batten down the hatches.

Further north, similar warnings have been given to residents near Mackay, Prosperine, Moranbah, Collinsville, Hamilton Island and Sarina on the central Queensland coast.
 

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

3pm: DOUBLE Island Point, Rainbow Beach and Wide Bay are now being warned to brace for thunderstorms with the Bureau predicting impact at around 3.05pm.

At 2.35pm severe storms were detected near Beenleigh and Russell Island, they are forecast to affect Mount Cotton, Macleay Island and Victoria Point by 3.05pm.

Hail hits the water at Maroochydore and leaves huge splashes. Picture: Steve Ots

Police are advising motorists that the Bruce Highway is closed near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after trees fell onto the road.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

2.50pm: Steve Ots is visiting the Sunshine Coast from the Gold Coast and witnessed the hail storm from his twelfth storey apartment on the Maroochydore esplanade.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

"I started hearing really loud noises - like a construction site," he said. 

"When I looked in the distance I could see all this splashing up the river and I realised it was hail. 

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

A resident of Mooloolah Valley holds up a massive hailstone from a storm that sounded like explosions on the roof.

"Originally I thought someone was throwing things from the apartment above us.

"The hail was orange-sized and it looked like a war zone…it was crazy, I've never seen hail like it before."

Taking shelter on his balcony Mr Ots said the hail caused considerable damage on the ground below.

"I wonder about the damage that it must have done," he said, 

"You wouldn't want to be on the ground when these things were coming down…the speed was pretty phenomenal."

2.45pm: Double Island Point, Rainbow Beach and Wide Bay are now being warned to brace for thunderstorms with the Bureau predicting impact at around 3.05pm.

At 2.35pm severe storms were detected near Beenleigh and Russell Island, they are forecast to affect Mount Cotton, Macleay Island and Victoria Point by 3.05pm.

Police are advising motorists that the Bruce Highway is closed near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after trees fell onto the road.

2.40pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has updated weather warnings with very dangerous thunder storms detected near Maroochydore and Beenleigh, both cells are moving east.

Hail at Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Jacobs Well and Russell Island by 2:45 pm.

Thunderstorms were also located north of Noosa and at Lake Cooloola.

2pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has added to the list of southeast Queensland towns warned to brace for oncoming storms.

Dangerous storm cells have been detected on radars near Jimboomba, Logan Village, Greenbank and Conondale.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Beenleigh, Logan City, Nambour and Mapleton by 2:20 pm.

Cleveland, Manly, Wynnum and Yandina may be affected by 2:50 pm.

Massive hailstones pounded the Mooloolah Valley. Picture: Higgins Storm Chasing/Rebecca Shepperson

1.35pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has updated its storm warnings, with two storms cells centred around Maroochydore and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert.

The storms are moving towards the east to northeast.

The storms are classed as "very dangerous" and are forecast to affect Tamborine, Jimboomba, Logan Village and waters off Coolum Beach by 1:55 pm.

Beenleigh, Coomera, Hope Island and Jacobs Well will be hit by 2:25 pm.

Other severe thunderstorms were located near the NSW border and the area south of the NSW border.

They are forecast to affect the area southwest of Noosa Heads, the area west of Noosa Heads, Tewantin and Pomona by 1:55 pm.

Coolangatta, Caboolture, Noosa Heads and waters off Noosa Heads are predicted to be affected by 2:25 pm.

Residents are warned to brace for large hailstones and damaging winds.

The water funnel as seen from a dive boat off Wynnum. Picture: Josh Keen

1.15pm: Tennis ball-sized hail has fallen at Buderim as a large storm cell sweeps over the Sunshine Coast.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

The Bureau of Meteorology has reported "very dangerous thunderstorms" detected on weather radar near Maroochydore, Boonah, Caloundra and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

They are forecast to affect Beaudesert, waters off Caloundra and waters off Maroochydore by 1:25 pm and Canungra, Mount Tamborine, Tamborine and Jimboomba by 1:55 pm.

Marburg, Lowood, northern Lake Wivenhoe and Mount Kilcoy will receive falls at around 1:25 pm.

Ipswich, Crohamhurst, Maleny and Conondale will receive further falls by 1:55 pm.

12.55pm: Residents are reporting a blanket of hail, some the size of large marbles, after more than 20 minutes of solid falls.

The storm cell is moving east to northeast and are forecast to hit Maroochydore by 12.55pm.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also detected severe thunderstorms near Esk and to the west of the town.

The storms are forecast to affect Boondah, Esk and the northwest of Esk by 12.55pm, and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert, northern Wivenhoe and Toogoolawah by 1.25pm.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

Damaging winds and very large hailstones are likely.

Capricornia, parts of the Central Coast, the Whitsundays, the Central Highlands and the Coalfields districts are being warned to brace for damaging winds and large hail stones in the next two hours.

Emerald, Rockhampton, Clermont, Blackwater, Yeppoon, Baralaba, Marlborough, St Lawrence and Dysart may be affected.

Earlier, walkers on the Wynnum foreshore got a shock this morning when a large water funnel was spotted just off the coast.

Reader Janet Rough snapped a picture about 6.45am, with the odd formation dominating the skyline.

Commonly referred to as a water spout, Bureau of Meteorology Duty Forecaster Gordon Banks said the formation was more likely to be a small tornado over water.

Meet the one man weather bureau

Readers capture southeast storms

"In this instance being as it was associated with a thunderstorm it's most likely a tornado over water," he said.

"It would actually pick up water as it moved; it's hard to see if they don't have water or dirt wrapped around them."

Also spotted from the airport, if the formation is a tornado Brisbane could be on the receiving end of a weather phenomenon.

"If it was a tornado, and I suspect it was but it's hard to prove, then it's very unusual and very rare," Mr Banks said.

"Statistically we're unlikely to get another one, but if the environments produced one there remains a chance of another.

"It's just another part of the danger associated with thunderstorms and why it's always best to take cover."

Southeast Queensland's wet weather is expected to continue, with the bureau predicting significant rain over Sunday and Monday with thunderstorms also predicted.

- reporting by Caitlin Drysdale, Naomi Lim, Jacinda Tutty and Kathleen Donaghey

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Story Bridge southbound closed

MOTORISTS have been advised that a police incident has closed the southbound lanes of the Story Bridge.

Motorists have been advised that a police incident has closed the southbound lanes of the Story Bridge.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Brisbane's CBD at 7.35pm.

Motorists from the New Farm side of the city have been advised to seek an alternate route.
 

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Govt pushes on with pink batts inquiry

The coalition is going ahead with plans for a royal commission into Labor's home insulation program. Source: AAP

THE coalition is pressing ahead with its plan for a royal commission into Labor's home insulation program.

Attorney-General George Brandis said cabinet had given the go-ahead for a detailed examination of the scheme, which cost four lives and caused extensive damage to property.

"This royal commission will give the families of the four young men - Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and Marcus Wilson - who died while installing insulation the answers they have been seeking," he said in a statement.

Senator Brandis said the government would soon recommend terms of reference to the Governor-General and the appointment of an eminent lawyer as royal commissioner.

Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd launched the $2.8 billion "pink batts" scheme in 2008 to inject cash into the economy during the global financial crisis and to achieve an environmental benefit.

It ended in 2010 in the wake of the four deaths and a succession of house fires. An inquest blamed the deaths of three of the workers on the rushed rollout.

The coalition promised a full inquiry during the election.

Senator Brandis said it would focus on the process of decisions to establish and implement the scheme, including the identification and management of risks and assessment.

It will also examine what advice, warnings or recommendations were given to or sought by the government.

The inquiry will assess whether any changes should be made to laws, practices, processes, procedures and systems.

Senator Brandis said the commission would assess all relevant matters from inception of the policy to its finalisation, including findings of coronial inquests and other inquiries.

He said the government consulted the families in developing the proposed terms of reference.

The commission will report by June 30, 2014.

A spokesman for Senator Brandis would not comment on whether Mr Rudd or former Labor environment minister Peter Garrett would be called to give evidence.

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One dead, 220 ill in salmonella outbreak

An elderly woman has died and at least 220 people are ill after a salmonella outbreak in Brisbane. Source: AAP

A BAD batch of eggs is being blamed for a salmonella outbreak linked to Melbourne Cup functions in Brisbane which has left a woman dead and more than 220 people ill.

Seven people have needed hospital treatment following the contagion, which health officials say was a contributory factor in the death of a 77-year-old woman.

Piccalilli Catering said on Thursday it was the company at the centre of the scare, blaming eggs used to make fresh mayonnaise for 40 Cup functions in the city last week.

It says it has since dropped the wholesaler who provided the eggs.

Metro North Hospital and Health Services says up to 700 people could have been exposed to the bacteria and it urged people showing symptoms of the infection to seek medical attention.

Director Dr Susan Vlack said people should be vigilant even if they had not yet been ill. She said some people could become sick up to two weeks after exposure.

"The next few days is the time to be aware," Dr Vlack said.

None of the seven people hospitalised were critically ill, but two were reasonably sick, she said.

She has written to all companies and private function co-ordinators who used Piccalilli to advise them of the situation.

The salmonella bacteria can spread to humans through contaminated food such as meat, poultry and eggs.

Symptoms include fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and last between four and seven days.

Most people recover, but salmonella infection can cause severe illness in young children and older people.

"There were no cases at all evident until three days after the Cup and gradually cases have been presenting," Dr Vlack said.

Piccalilli Catering co-owner Helen Grace says the company is distressed at the outbreak and has launched its own probe.

"We feel very disappointed and let down that the normally reliable fresh food supply chain has failed us and our clients on this occasion," she said in a statement posted online.

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Govt refuses call for RBA papers

The Abbott government can't release documents on its decision to give the Reserve Bank a grant. Source: AAP

THE Abbott government has refused to produce documentation about its decision to give $8.8 billion to the RBA's Reserve Fund, saying it would breach cabinet confidentiality.

Labor's Doug Cameron earlier this week called for the production of all documents and communication relating to the one-off grant, which Treasurer Joe Hockey said was needed to buffer the central bank against economic volatility.

But in a letter tabled in the Senate on Thursday, Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos knocked back the request, in recognition of the public interest in maintaining the confidentiality of the deliberative process of Cabinet.

"The 'decision' referred to in the Order was a decision of the Cabinet, and the various categories of documents listed relate directly to that Cabinet decision," Mr Sinodinos said in the letter.

Labor has accused Mr Hockey of playing politics with the RBA, after the treasurer accused the former government of refusing an RBA request for more funding.

Speaking in parliament, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen asked what Mr Hockey had to hide.

"You say the Reserve Bank asked for $8.8 billion this year. Well, show us the request," Mr Bowen said.

"The Reserve Bank transfer of $8.8 billion, of course, increases this year's deficit by that amount.

"Not only has the Treasurer declined to outlined the reasons for that, he has outright refused to release the documentation in breach of an order of one of the houses of the Australian parliament."

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Senator slams ABC's objectivity

A Liberal senator says the ABC news agenda is unbalanced and fixated on same-sex marriage. Source: AAP

A FEDERAL politician has taken a swipe at the objectivity of ABC journalists, questioning whether taxpayers should continue to fund the national broadcaster.

Queensland Liberal senator Ian Macdonald told the upper house on Thursday he faces an increasing number of queries from constituents about when the ABC will be privatised.

"Quite clearly the ABC ... its news broadcasts, its television broadcasts, are no longer in the way of dissemination of fact," Senator Macdonald said.

Presenters are offering their own opinions to viewers, he said.

"You've only got to look at any of their current affairs programs and it's always the Green-type agenda that comes up, or the ultra left-wing social agenda."

Senator Macdonald conceded same-sex marriage is an important issue but questioned why it dominates the broadcaster's news agenda.

"The ABC seems fixated on it."

The Senate is considering the broadcaster's latest annual report ahead of an estimates hearing next week when ABC managing director Mark Scott will face the scrutiny of parliamentarians.

Senator Macdonald said people were asking why the public purse should pay for the ABC when it is doesn't appear to be a balanced provider of news.

"There are a lot of lovely people in the ABC and I'm sure very good at their work," he said, adding that regional ABC radio always gives everyone a say.

"But I'm sorry that I can't say the same for the capital city disseminators."

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Typhoon survivors desperate for food, aid

People in typhoon-devastated areas in the Philippines are desperate for food, water and medicines. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of people jostled and begged for seats on scarce flights out of a Philippine city demolished by a super typhoon, as anger at the slow pace of aid reaching the disaster zone turned deadly.

News emerged that eight people were crushed to death on Tuesday when a huge crowd of survivors from Haiyan rushed a government rice store in Alangalang town, 17 kilometres from the devastated city of Tacloban.

"One wall of our warehouses collapsed and eight people were crushed and killed instantly" in Tuesday's incident, said Rex Estoperez, spokesman for the National Food Authority.

Five days after Haiyan - one of the strongest storms ever - ripped apart entire coastal communities, the situation in Tacloban was becoming ever more dire with essential supplies low and increasingly desperate survivors clamouring to leave.

"Everyone is panicking," Captain Emily Chang, a navy doctor, told AFP.

"They say there is no food, no water. They want to get of here," she added, saying doctors at the airport had run out of medicine, including antibiotics.

"We are examining everyone but there's little we can do until more medical supplies arrive."

The United Nations estimates 10,000 people may have died in Tacloban, the provincial capital of Leyte province where five-metre waves flattened nearly everything in their path as they swept hundreds of metres across the low-lying land.

However, Philippine President Benigno Aquino said late on Tuesday he believed that toll was "too much", adding that 2500 "is the figure we're working on", despite the rapidly-climbing toll and the bodies still littering the streets of Tacloban.

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras admitted authorities had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of deaths.

"The reason the body recovery stopped is because we ran out of body bags," he said. "But we now have 4000 bags. I am not saying the casualties are 4000. We are making sure there is an oversupply."

At Tacloban airport, AFP journalists witnessed exhausted and famished survivors pushing and shoving each other to get on one of the few flights out of the city.

"We have been here for three days and we still cannot get to fly out," said a frail Angeline Conchas, who was waiting for space on a plane with her seven-year-old daughter Rogiel Ann.

Her family were trapped on the second floor of their building as flood waters rose around them.

"We made it out, but now we may die from hunger."

The UN estimates more than 11.3 million people have been affected with 673,000 made homeless, since Haiyan smashed into the nation's central islands on Friday.

Overwhelmed and under-resourced rescue workers have been unable to provide food, water, medicines, shelter and other relief supplies to many survivors, and desperation has been building across the disaster zones.

The international relief effort is building momentum with many countries pledging help. The United States and Britain are sending warships carrying thousands of sailors to the Philippines, and US amphibious craft were also being deployed.

All were expected to arrive over the next few days. But for a shattered population already in dire straits, any delay is too long.

"People are desperate because they have nothing in Tacloban," Marco Boasso of the International Organisation for Migration said.

Hundreds of soldiers and police were patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints in Tacloban on Wednesday to try to prevent pillaging and the government said roads were now passable throughout the area, raising hope that relief might reach those in need.

"All the roads and bridges except two bridges in Region 8 are already passable," said National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council chief Eduardo del Rosario. Region 8 includes Leyte and Samar, the two hardest hit provinces.

"All our necessary relief goods, they can go to Tacloban (by road)."

President Aquino has declared a "state of national calamity", allowing the government to impose price controls and quickly release emergency funds.

Aquino's figure of up to 2500 deaths looked set to be easily surpassed. By early afternoon Wednesday the government said 2275 people were known to have died and 80 were still missing.

International aid groups said they feared what was known now was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Obviously the situation in Tacloban is appalling but we are also very concerned about outlying islands," Patrick Fuller, Red Cross spokesman in the Asia-Pacific, told AFP.

"There are a lot of them and I think it will be days, if not weeks, before we have a clear picture.

"No one is in a position to give an accurate figure. In Tacloban bodies are lying by the side of roads but those are just the ones that are visible. If you look around at the amount of wreckage caused you can see that people might have been taken out by a tidal surge."

"It's too early but (the death toll) will definitely be in the thousands.

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Packer pitches Crown resort in Sri Lanka

James Packer says Australian investment in Sri Lanka could boost its status as a global tourism hub. Source: AAP

BILLIONAIRE James Packer says Australian investment in Sri Lanka could boost its status as a global tourism hub.

Mr Packer was in Colombo on Wednesday to lobby the Sri Lankan government over his plans for a five-star resort and to address the Commonwealth Business Forum.

The forum is being held in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which Prime Minister Tony Abbott will attend on Friday.

Crown announced in mid-October it was in "detailed discussions" with the Sri Lankan government and potential partners regarding a $US450 million ($A481 million) five-star resort and casino.

The 450-room Crown Sri Lanka would be on Beira Lake in the Colombo resort district.

Mr Packer told the business forum that the previous CHOGM host, Perth, had built "targeted tourism infrastructure to lure global travellers".

"I am very happy to say, when I visit Colombo and Sri Lanka, I feel that same sense of momentum, optimism and positive energy," Mr Packer said.

Noting Sri Lanka's past decades of internal strife, Mr Packer said greater economic development would bring with it "human development" such as shelter, food and education.

Making his fifth visit to Colombo in two years, Mr Packer said the growing middle class in India and China were seeking luxury tourism.

Projects such as Crown Sri Lanka could turn the country "into a leading tourist mecca".

One recent tourism study found 80 per cent of Chinese travelling outside the country for the first time headed for a casino, Mr Packer said.

The Sri Lankan parliament and board of investment is considering whether to grant investment approvals and tax concessions for the project, which is subject to final agreement between joint venture parties.

The resort could employ up to 2500 Sri Lankans and provide hospitality training.

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Charles officially becomes a pensioner

Prince Charles, king in waiting for more than six decades, is set to celebrate his 65th birthday. Source: AAP

THE Prince of Wales is set to celebrate his 65th birthday - a milestone for the man who will one day be king.

Charles's birthday on Thursday falls on the eve of the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) he will host in Sri Lanka.

It will be one of his most significant duties to date as a future monarch as he will be deputising for the Queen on the world stage.

Charles has been heir to the throne since he was three and on Thursday will officially become a pensioner.

Like thousands of others he will be claiming his pension this year - but will be donating it to an unnamed charity which supports the elderly.

The prince is entitled to the state benefit because he paid National Insurance contributions while in the Navy in the 1970s and made voluntary contributions later.

This year, he has also experienced the joy of welcoming his first grandchild, Prince George, into world.

A king in waiting for more than 60 years, he has carried out countless royal engagements over the decades, undertaking 480 in Britain and 112 overseas in 2012 alone.

The prince is the oldest heir to the throne for almost 300 years and the longest serving heir to the throne.

Charles recently told the US magazine Time he wanted to make the most of his position.

"I've had this extraordinary feeling, for years and years, ever since I can remember really, of wanting to heal and make things better," he said.

"I feel more than anything else it's my duty to worry about everybody and their lives in this country, to try and find a way of improving things if I possibly can."

As well as being patron of more than 400 charities, he has set up The Prince's Charities, a group of not-for-profit organisations which raise over STG100 million ($A172.12 million) a year. He also founded The Prince's Trust youth charity.

The prince, who is known for his strong opinions, particularly on the environment, architecture and farming, has faced criticism in the past over his "black spider memos" to ministers - the name given to the handwritten letters he penned to government ministers expressing his views.

In July this year, the Attorney-General's decision to block public disclosure of letters Charles wrote to ministers in 2004 and 2005 was upheld by three High Court judges.

It was a defeat for the Guardian newspaper which said it had been fighting an eight-year battle to shed more light "on the way the heir to the throne seeks to influence government ministers even though he holds no elected position".

In the nineties, Charles faced turmoil in his private life, played out on a public stage when he split from Diana, Princess of Wales, and anguish when Diana - mother to sons William, now the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry - died in a car crash.

Now nearly two decades later, life is more settled for the future king who has been married to Camilla for eight years.

She was once derided as the "other woman" in Charles and Diana's relationship, but has established herself as a senior member of the royal family, attending the state opening of parliament and travelling with the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee carriage procession.

To mark his 65th birthday the prince has guest-edited a special edition of Country Life, highlighting his fears for the farming industry.

Charles expressed concerns that farming ranked as one of the least desirable careers for young people and that the average age of a British farmer is 58, and questioned why farmers have to act as a "buffer for the retailer and consumer against all the economic uncertainties of producing food".

He added: "It cannot be right that a typical hill farmer earns just STG12,600, with some surviving on as little as STG8,000 a year, whilst the big retailers and their shareholders do so much better out of the deal, having taken none of the risk."

The edition features a full-page photograph of Camilla, which editor Mark Hedges said was Charles' decision.

The Country Life editor told Daybreak that when they were going through the pages of the magazine at the end, Charles suddenly said "my darling wife".

"It was just so touching," he said. "I really realised that they have a wonderful marriage."

The royal couple are coming to the end of their nine-day tour of India which has already taken them to the shores of the River Ganges in the north, New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.

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PM says no testosterone contest over boats

Labor is pushing the government to give a coherent explanation on people-swap talks with Indonesia. Source: AAP

AS another boat founders off the coast of Java, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he's not interested in a "testosterone contest" with Indonesia over the issue of sending asylum seekers back.

At least 10 asylum seekers, including five children, are believed to have made it to shore after the boat they were taking to Australia got into trouble off the Indonesian coast.

It's understood that at least 40 others, however, remain on the stricken vessel off the coast of south Java, near the district of Bayah, amid reports late on Wednesday that some people may have entered the water.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed the Australian government was aware of the incident, but added that no Australian authorities were involved in the rescue.

"We understand the incident occurred in close proximity to the Indonesian coast and Indonesian authorities are coordinating a search and rescue response," Mr Morrison said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

An official with the Indonesian search and rescue agency, Basarnas, told AAP that at least 10 asylum seekers, including children had been saved by local fishermen, but that about 40 remained on the boat.

"They are still on the boat, but it's engine is dead," the official said.

"There are no reports of any casualties yet."

Mr Abbott responded to opposition questions in parliament on Wednesday about a possible people swap deal with Indonesia to say the coalition was talking to Jakarta about how to stop asylum seeker boats coming to Australia.

He rejected suggestions Australia had buckled and Indonesia was calling the shots.

"I am not interested in a testosterone contest," he told ABC television.

"I am not going to run around beating my hairy chest and saying that I have out-stared someone and I am not going to say that someone has out-stared me."

Mr Abbott said this was not a question of two countries trying to prove who was the toughest.

"It's a question of two good friends working together for an outcome which is clearly in the best interest of both of our countries."

Mr Abbott wouldn't say how many boats Indonesian had refused to take back.

"All of the boats in question were in the Indonesia search and rescue zone," he said.

"I want the fullest possible cooperation between Indonesia and Australia in places where Indonesia has the legal responsibility under the law of the sea but Australia has more practical capacity to help."

In parliament, Labor - which in government released details of every boat arrival - sought to press the government to release more information.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has been criticised for releasing scant information just once a week at his Friday briefing.

Manager of opposition business Tony Burke pointed out that it was "no secret" that a boat had arrived in Darwin on Monday.

Mr Morrison was unmoved, saying there were "clear communications protocols" in place for updates on the coalition's border protection plan, known as Operation Sovereign Borders.

"We are going to hold the line," he said.

Earlier, the government used its numbers in the lower house to defeat an opposition call for Mr Morrison to respond now to the Darwin boat arrival.

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Migration Tribunal case load increases

Sri Lankan asylum seekers had the highest rate of applications to the Refugee Review Tribunal. Source: AAP

SRI Lankans asylum seekers had the highest rate of applications to the Refugee Review Tribunal in the last financial year.

The Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) annual report was tabled in the Senate on Tuesday.

The report said the Refugee arm of the tribunal received 4229 applications - 1518 from asylum seekers who arrived by boat.

The bulk of applicants among boat arrival asylum seekers were from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Chinese asylum seekers were heavily represented in the non-boat arrival category.

Overall, the Migration Review Tribunal completed 19,347 reviews in 2012/13, up from 10,815 the previous year.

Skilled visas, students visas and partner visa cases made up the majority of cases.

The MRT and Refugee Review Tribunal conduct merit reviews of visa and visa-related decisions made by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

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Woman, 80, cleared of murder, not bombings

A German octogenarian has been cleared of murder charges over a fatal 1975 attack on an OPEC office. Source: AAP

A GERMAN octogenarian has been cleared of murder charges in relation to a fatal 1975 attack outside the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, but still faces jail for involvement in a series of leftist bombings during the 1970s.

Sonja Suder, 80, had originally been accused of recruiting one of the assailants in an attack that left three dead outside the offices of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

However, prosecutors had confessed during the course of the trial, which began in September 2012, that it was impossible to prove her ties to the attack.

Instead, she was found guilty in several bombings in southern Germany during the late 1970s that resulted in damage, but no injuries or death. The former radical was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Her partner, Christian Gauger, had originally been charged in the bombings, but eventually had his case separated from Suder's. It was later suspended because of his health problems.

Suder, wearing sunglasses, showed no reaction as the verdict was read. However, she did wave at supporters who had gathered in the Frankfurt courtroom.

Both Gauger and Suder have been linked to the left-wing Revolutionary Cells, a group that followed similar aims to the more violent and better-known Baader-Meinhof gang.

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Bombing shows Syrian war risks: Dreyfus

Former Labor minister Mark Dreyfus warns Australians against involvement in the Syrian conflict. Source: AAP

A SUICIDE bombing in Syria by a man thought to be Australian highlights the risk posed by Australians taking part in the conflict, a former Labor minister says.

Former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus says it is a concern that Australians were participating in a "truly dreadful" conflict where barbarities were perpetrated by all sides.

"Australians who are exposed to that kind of activity, who become radicalised, who become trained in that kind of military activity, it is of course a concern that they might bring back to Australia that kind of knowledge," he told ABC television's 730 program.

During the program a bomber, identified by the ABC as a 27-year-old man from Brisbane, is shown in an online video posted by al-Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al Nusra.

The man, his face pixelated but identified as "Abu Asma al Australi", stands on the back of an explosives laden dump truck reciting passages from the Koran, urging others to participate in jihad.

The truck is then pictured driving away and exploding in the distance.

This occurred in September. Jabhat al Nusra claimed it was driven by the man and said he died in the blast that also killed 30 Assad government soldiers.

However, the man's brother told the ABC it was not true. He said his brother was alive in Turkey, doesn't agree with the war and could not speak fluent Arabic like the man in the video.

A number of Australians have died in the Syrian conflict, all apparently fighting with rebel groups.

In its annual report, ASIO warned of an increasing number of Australian Muslims travelling to Syria to fight - with the risk they could return radicalised and with skills to mount terrorist attacks.

Mr Dreyfus said this was why he proscribed Jabhat al Nusra as a terrorist organisation earlier this year.

That prohibits Australians from joining or participating in any of its activities in Australia or overseas.

Where the government knows a person is intending to participate in the Syrian conflict, it can cancel a passport.

"But of course it's not always possible to determine in advance that someone is intending to participate. They might, for example, state their destination as Turkey," he said.

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Two prisoners escape from Vic jail

Police are searching for two prisoners who escaped from a minimum security jail in Victoria's north. Source: AAP

A MANHUNT has been launched for two prisoners who have escaped from a minimum-security Victorian jail.

Police believe that Stephen Standage and Patrick Honeysett left the grounds of Dhurringile Prison, near Murchison in Victoria's north, some time after 5pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.

Police say Standage, 46, is 175cm tall with a medium build, black hair with grey flicks, brown eyes and of Aboriginal/Caucasian appearance. He has a moustache.

Honeysett, 38, is 175cm tall with a medium build, brown hair in a crew-cut style and is also of Aboriginal/Caucasian appearance. He has tattoos on his right upper arm and on his lower leg.

Investigators believe they may have discarded their prison garb and are now wearing street clothes.

Dhurringile Prison is a minimum security prison for low-risk offenders.

Police say the pair are in jail for burglary and handling stolen goods related charges and advise anyone who comes in contact with them to call triple zero.

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Japan runs wind turbine near Fukushima

A FLOATING wind turbine off Japan's east coast, near the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant, has started generating power.

The turbine, equipped with 80-metre-long blades, is placed about 20 kilometres from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It will produce up to 2 megawatts of electricity, said a consortium of 10 Japanese companies and the University of Tokyo on Monday.

The consortium hopes the publicly-funded pilot project will help Fukushima become the centre of a renewable energy industry, and create jobs in the region hit by the country's worst nuclear accident in 2011.

The consortium plans to install two more 7-megawatt turbines by March 2015.

Before the Fukushima disaster, nuclear-generated electricity made up about 30 per cent of Japan's power output, but all of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors are currently offline.

The Fukushima plant suffered meltdowns at three of its six reactors after a tsunami swept through the complex in March 2011.

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Iran, IAEA sign 'roadmap for co-operation'

Diplomats say a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program is close, despite clinching one in Geneva. Source: AAP

IRAN and the UN nuclear watchdog have agreed on a "roadmap for co-operation" over Tehran's controversial atomic drive, as the US accused Iran of scuttling latest efforts to end the deadlock.

The announcement of the breakthrough came on Monday during a visit to Tehran by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano. No details of the accord were immediately released.

"The joint statement that was signed today details a roadmap for cooperation that determines mutual steps to resolve remaining issues," Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said at a joint news conference with Amano, which was closed to Western media in Tehran.

Amano hailed the deal as "an important step" but added "much more must be done", in remarks were carried by the ISNA news agency.

The IAEA chief's visit is aimed at resolving technical issues linked to the IAEA's role of monitoring Iran's nuclear activities.

Broader questions of how to ensure the Islamic republic's nuclear program is not being used to mask a drive for atomic weapons are being discussed in rounds of negotiations between Iran and P5+1 powers - Britain, France, the United States, Russia and China plus Germany.

In the latest talks, a marathon session in Geneva which ended inconclusively on Sunday, hopes for a deal had soared after top diplomats rushed to join the talks.

But they faded as cracks began to appear among world powers when France raised concerns over a heavy water reactor being built at Arak.

Addressing the issue on Monday in Abu Dhabi, US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Iran of being responsible for the failure of the talks.

"The P5+1 was unified on Saturday when we presented our proposal to the Iranians... But Iran couldn't take it, at that particular moment they weren't able to accept," said Kerry, who is on a regional tour to address thorny issues such as the Middle East peace process, Iran's nuclear program and the Syrian conflict.

In the remarks he made to reporters during a visit to the United Arab Emirates capital, Kerry reassured Israel that the deal will better protect it.

"What we are doing will protect Israel more effectively," he said, as the United States and Israel were locked in an escalating war of words over the negotiations.

The P5+1 group and Iran will reconvene again in Geneva on November 20 to try to iron out differences.

The broad outline of the agreement is said to include a freeze of part or all of Tehran's nuclear program in return for the easing of sanctions.

France said Monday that world powers and Iran were close to an agreement despite the failure of the Geneva talks.

"We are not far from an agreement with the Iranians but we are not there yet," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Europe 1 radio.

Responding to criticism that Paris was behind the failure in Geneva because of its reservations about parts of the deal on the table, he retorted: "France is neither isolated nor a country that follows the herd. It is independent and works for peace."

Iran's nuclear chief Salehi said on Monday that as a gesture of goodwill, IAEA inspectors would be allowed to visit the heavy water production plant in Arak as well as the Gachin uranium mine in the south.

At least a year from being completed, the Arak reactor is a major source of concern for Western powers who fear the plutonium it will produce as a by-product could provide Iran with a second route for making fissile material for an atom bomb.

Iran has long been adamant it solely wants to produce isotopes for medical and agricultural purposes at the Arak plant.

Iran denies seeking or ever having sought nuclear weapons, and says such claims are based on faulty intelligence from agencies such as the CIA and Israel's Mossad.

The IAEA in particular wants to visit the Parchin military base, southeast of Tehran, where intelligence evidence suggests Iran may have carried out weaponisation research.

Salehi and Amano did not mention Parchin as being part of the deal they struck, although details of the agreement are yet to be publicised.

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Sea Shepherd seeks no-arrest guarantee

NEWLY landed Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson wants assurances he won't be handed over to Japanese authorities before considering a visit to Australia.

Mr Watson, who is in the US after 15 months on the run at sea, has been granted an Australian business visa.

But Sea Shepherd Australia chairman Bob Brown says Mr Watson isn't yet intending to use the visa.

"I don't think he's going to come here until he gets an assurance that he won't be captured by a Japanese arrest warrant," Dr Brown told reporters in Hobart.

Mr Watson is wanted by the Japanese over the militant anti-whaling campaign he led in Antarctic waters over the past decade.

He made landfall to give evidence in a civil action by Japanese whaling interests against Sea Shepherd's US arm in a Seattle court.

The action prevents him from direct involvement in the conservation group's actions in the Southern Ocean but a visit to Australia would provide a massive publicity boost as the group seeks to raise $4 million for what it is dubbing Operation Relentless.

Dr Brown said Mr Watson, who holds joint Canadian-US citizenship, felt safe in America.

"The US is very protective of its citizens and I couldn't see a US administration handing Paul Watson over to Japan," the former Greens leader said.

"There'd be a big furore in the United States if that were to happen."

Attorney-General George Brandis's office has been contacted for comment.

Dr Brown has also given evidence in Seattle, where whalers are seeking penalties for alleged breaches by Sea Shepherd US of a restraining order.

He said the case would not affect the three-ship protest planned for this summer because Sea Shepherd Australia has separated from the US arm.

"They're trying a back door way of trying to stop Sea Shepherd and they'll fail," Dr Brown said.

Japan insists its annual whaling program is legal under allowances for a scientific catch.

In a separate action, Australia is challenging the legality of the whale hunt at the International Court of Justice, with the court deliberating and a ruling expected between now and March.

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Vic woman, 91, dies in car crash

A 91-YEAR-OLD woman has died in hospital following a two-car collision in regional Victoria.

The woman was a passenger in a car which collided with a utility in Mortlake on Monday morning.

The woman, from Mortlake, was flown to The Alfred hospital where she died in the evening.

The 89-year old driver of the car, also from Mortlake, was taken to the Warrnambool hospital for treatment.

The occupants of the other vehicle, a 61-year-old Warrnambool woman and a 41-year-old Port Fairy woman were both taken to the Warrnambool hospital with minor injuries.

The woman's death takes the state's road toll to 197, compared to 241 for the same time last year.

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Senator heads home after Sri Lanka run-in

AUSTRALIAN federal MP Lee Rhiannon is safely on a plane bound for Sydney after Sri Lankan authorities detained and interrogated her for hours, her office says.

The Greens senator for NSW was preparing to host a press conference with New Zealand MP Jan Logie on Sunday morning at their Colombo hotel when the pair had their passports seized by immigration officials.

Sunday was the final day of a four-day fact-finding trip to Sri Lanka ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The two MPs said they were investigating alleged human rights abuses and press freedom in the island nation.

"Abuses so serious that #SriLanka must not host #CHOGM," Senator Rhiannon wrote on her Twitter page on Sunday, shortly before the scheduled press conference.

The next message came three hours later: "Lee has asked us to pass a message on to her followers: She has had her passport confiscated by Sri Lankan Immigration Officials".

Typhoon death toll could be 10,000

THE death toll from the typhoon that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said on Sunday.

Tyre King in farm feud

EXCLUSIVE: BOB Jane signed his multi-million dollar farm over to his wife Laree to keep it from creditors including his estranged son, court documents allege.

She was later released and allowed to board a flight back to Australia.

The Greens say the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Sri Lankan were both notified ahead of Senator Rhiannon's trip.

A DFAT spokeswoman was unable to confirm this, saying only: "The department is aware that Senator Rhiannon was questioned at her Colombo hotel earlier today by Sri Lankan immigration authorities.

"Senator Rhiannon did not request consular support."

Senator Rhiannon has denied claims by Sri Lankan officials that her planned press conference was in violation of her visa, telling Fairfax Media she had been advised to obtain the "special projects" class tourist visa.

The incident comes just over a week after two Australian press freedom advocates were also detained by Sri Lankan officials and accused of violating their visa conditions.

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Asia-Pacific director Jacqui Park and her deputy Jane Worthington arrived home last Saturday after two harrowing days of interrogation.

The Sri Lankan government took issue with the Australian duo participating in a press freedom event when they were in the country on tourist visas.

Senator Rhiannon is expected to touch down in Sydney at 9.15am (AEDT) on Monday.

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Ex-Sydney priest among Philippines dead

An Australian man, believed to be a former priest, has been killed by a typhoon in the Philippines. Source: AAP

A FORMER Sydney priest who secretly married a woman he met in the Philippines is among the hundreds killed in the typhoon that has devastated the archipelago nation.

Kevin Lee, a whistleblower on child sex abuse in the Catholic church, was defrocked last year after he went public about his 2011 marriage and admitted to having had girlfriends during his 20 years as a priest.

Mr Lee founded the Padre Pio parish in Glenmore Park, in western Sydney, but moved to the Philippines after leaving the ministry.

It's been reported he went swimming as part of a religious ritual, as Super Typhoon Haiyan lashed the Philippines with winds of around 315km/h.

On Sunday the Bishop of Parramatta, Anthony Fisher, paid tribute to the late father and husband.

"I extend my deepest sympathy to his widow Josefina and her children during this time of personal tragedy for them and devastation for the people of the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan," he said.

Typhoon death toll could be 10,000

THE death toll from the typhoon that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said on Sunday.

Tyre King in farm feud

EXCLUSIVE: BOB Jane signed his multi-million dollar farm over to his wife Laree to keep it from creditors including his estranged son, court documents allege.

He also expressed his condolences to Mr Lee's parents and family in Australia and paid tribute to the work Mr Lee did for his parish.

"Last year, Kevin left his ministry as a Catholic priest in very public circumstances and was recently 'laicised' at his request," Bishop Fisher said.

"He had made a new life with Josefina and they recently celebrated the birth of a daughter.

"Difficult as was the mode of his departure, we honour the work Kevin did as the founding parish priest of Padre Pio Parish, Glenmore Park, and his ministry as a chaplain with NSW Police."

Ray King, who as a former Fairfield police commander was once a colleague of Mr Lee's and, more recently, beat him to a Liberal party pre-selection for a tilt at federal MP Chris Bowen's seat of McMahon, has described his death as a shock.

But he said it was "fairly reckless" for Mr Lee to go swimming during the storm, ABC Radio reports.

"Kevin had a choice when he went into the surf," he told the broadcaster.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed the death of a 50-year-old NSW man in the typhoon but declined to name him.

"Consular officials are providing assistance to his family," a DFAT spokesperson said.

Officials fear the death toll in the Philippines could reach 10,000 people after Haiyan tore into the eastern islands of Leyte and Samar on Friday.

The Abbott government has pledged nearly $400,000 worth of emergency aid to devastated communities and says it stands ready to do more.

DFAT says Australians concerned for the welfare of family and friends in the region should first attempt to contact them directly.

If unsuccessful, they should call DFAT's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 or +612 6261 3305.

Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek extended "deepest sympathies" to the family and friends of the late Mr Lee.

"Our thoughts are also with other nations, including Vietnam and Laos, who authorities report remain in the path of the devastating typhoon," she said on Sunday.

"The opposition stands ready to assist the Abbott government, in any way we can, to facilitate Australia's contribution to relief efforts."

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Kelly parents: 'legal system doesn't care'

THE parents of slain teenager Thomas Kelly have lashed out at the NSW justice system, saying they feel "destroyed" by the process that ended in their son's killer being sentenced to four years jail.

The 18-year-old was killed when he suffered massive head injuries from a king hit by a drunken stranger, Kieran Loveridge, during a night out with friends in Sydney's Kings Cross last year.

Loveridge was handed a four-year sentence for the manslaughter, plus 14 months for attacks on four others who, like Mr Kelly, happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Grieving parents Ralph and Kathy Kelly told reporters immediately after the sentencing on Friday they were "horrified".

On Sunday they spoke out about their fight to have the Director of Public Prosecutions pursue a murder charge.

Loveridge, 19, pleaded guilty to the alternative charge of manslaughter, thus securing a 25 per cent discount on his sentence.

Typhoon death toll could be 10,000

THE death toll from the typhoon that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said on Sunday.

Tyre King in farm feud

EXCLUSIVE: BOB Jane signed his multi-million dollar farm over to his wife Laree to keep it from creditors including his estranged son, court documents allege.

"We pleaded with them not to downgrade it," Ralph Kelly told the Nine Network.

"We've spent the whole year fighting for Thomas in a legal system that just doesn't care ... We feel destroyed."

Kathy Kelly said she did not believe Loveridge was remorseful: "The talk in the papers about him breaking down in the witness stand? I didn't see any tears."

She criticised Justice Stephen Campbell's emphasis on Loveridge's rehabilitation prospects, and said the prosecution had kept the family in the dark.

"They are nice people and I guess they're just doing their job within the realms of the law, but we have been fighting (the downgraded charge) constantly, you know, even to the point that sometimes people would refuse to email us or we'd get notification after six o'clock on a Friday night ... it was just like nobody wanted to talk to us," Mrs Kelly said.

She said there had not been a single night since her son died that she had not cried herself to sleep.

"I wake up and the first thing I think about is Thomas, and I cry, and I cry for what he's lost," she said.

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Queen leads Remembrance events

THE Queen has honoured members of Britain's Armed Forces killed in conflict as Remembrance Sunday services took place around the UK.

The monarch laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to commemorate all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the decades since the First World War, bowing her head after paying her respects.

Senior royals, including Second World War veteran the Duke of Edinburgh, Afghanistan soldier Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge - with wife Kate watching from a nearby balcony - joined the monarch and politicians, military leaders, veterans and serving personnel in laying wreaths of poppies at the monument.

Prince Harry was laying the wreath on behalf of his father Prince Charles, who is currently abroad on an official tour of India with the Duchess of Cornwall, and was marking the occasion there.

Typhoon death toll could be 10,000

THE death toll from the typhoon that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said on Sunday.

Tyre King in farm feud

EXCLUSIVE: BOB Jane signed his multi-million dollar farm over to his wife Laree to keep it from creditors including his estranged son, court documents allege.

Troops in Afghanistan were joined by Prince Andrew, who laid a wreath during a service held at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province to mark Remembrance Sunday. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond also flew to Afghanistan last night to join servicemen and women.

Millions across the UK fell silent in tribute to those lost in war, joining the crowds gathered in central London who stood in a moment of quiet contemplation as Big Ben struck 11am.

During the two-minute silence, only the distant sounds of traffic and the rustling of leaves could be heard, despite the fact that police said Whitehall was at capacity.

The beginning and end of the silence was marked with the firing of a round by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, using a 13-pounder First World War gun.

In cold but bright weather, the royals and dignitaries then laid their wreaths at the Cenotaph.

Prime Minister David Cameron was first after the royals to do so, followed by Labour leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Former prime ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and London Mayor Boris Johnson also took part in the ceremony.

The Duchess of Cambridge was accompanied on the Foreign Office balcony by the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Tim Laurence.

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