Fugitive arrested over Vic vampire killing

ONE of Australia's most wanted men, Mark Adrian Perry, has been arrested in Perth over the Melbourne murder of a self-proclaimed vampire.

Western Australian police arrested Perry, 45, at a factory in the Perth suburb of Morley at about 6.45pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

Victorian detectives have travelled to Western Australia, where Perry is expected to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon.

Victoria Police will apply for Perry to be extradited to face charges over the 2003 murder of Shane Chartres-Abbott.

A $1 million reward was offered in 2009 for information on Perry's whereabouts.

Chartres-Abbott, 28, was gunned down by two men in front of his girlfriend and father outside his home at Reservoir, in Melbourne's north, on June 4, 2003.

At the time of his death he was on trial for the rape of a female client, who told police Chartres-Abbott believed he was a vampire who needed to drink blood to survive.

Police allege the murder was revenge for a 2002 rape.

Two other men were charged over the murder in March 2008 and October 2012 and are serving time in jail.

Police said in 2009 that Perry had lived in a number of places since becoming aware that he was wanted for questioning, including in Western Australia, Queensland and Thailand.

Perry was last seen in Queensland in September 2007, but was believed to be living under a new identity and may have changed his appearance.

Earlier this year, a court heard that a former police officer, David Waters, and a then-detective sergeant, Peter Lalor, assisted Chartres-Abbott's shooter to find the escort's home.

Neither Mr Lalor nor Mr Waters has been charged and they have both strongly denied any involvement.

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Hodgman farewelled at state service in Tas

AS his daughter Tori put it, Michael Hodgman would have loved every second of it.

Federal minister, staunch monarchist and much-loved larrikin, Mr Hodgman has been farewelled by close to 1000 people at a state memorial service with all the pomp he loved so much in life.

His son, Tasmanian Liberal leader Will Hodgman, donned the trademark Australian-flag tie and the service finished with his beloved God Save The Queen.

"Dad would be loving every second of this," daughter Tori Hodgman said.

She told the service of a Tasmanian parliamentary debate in 2004, during which The Mouth from the South proudly reminded the house of his entitlement to a state funeral.

He declared he'd like to be dropped at sea, befitting of his navy background, but - as always - there was humour.

"I'd like to be dropped off the north end of Bruny Island," he'd said.

"I'd like to do my little bit to help the Tasmanian crayfish industry."

Will Hodgman told the audience he was yet to meet an enemy of his father's despite a federal and state parliamentary career of more than 40 years.

The evidence of that was everywhere.

Liberals including Senate leader Eric Abetz and former federal minister Peter Reith joined Labor figures Barry Jones and, representing the prime minister, Julie Collins.

Tasmanian Labor Premier Lara Giddings and Greens leader Nick McKim were also there.

Mr Hodgman was remembered as a colourful QC, "the best show in town", whose willingness to defend anyone earned him another moniker, Mickey the Mobsters' Mouthpiece.

Any ire he saved for those he considered bad drivers, labelling them republicans, socialists and, for the worst, Labor voters.

He so loved the Geelong Football Club that he tore up then ate a poster of the West Coast Eagles on the Cats' official bus after a loss in the AFL grand final.

The Geelong team song joined Waltzing Matilda and Frank Sinatra's I Did It My Way as other favourites to get an airing for a man whose motto was: "Live every day as if it was your last."

"I'm sure we would have got more time with him if he hadn't worked so hard and we definitely would have if he hadn't played quite so hard," Will Hodgman said.

"But that time wouldn't have been nearly so rich."

Flags flew at half mast in Tasmania in memory of Mr Hodgman, whose official service was the largest in the state since the death of former premier Jim Bacon.

Mr Hodgman was buried at a private funeral service last week after losing his battle with emphysema aged 74.

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Monash councillor eyes Crean seat

AN ALP member who became Victoria's youngest ever mayor is weighing up his chances of replacing Simon Crean in the federal seat of Hotham.

Geoff Lake says he will consult his family on Monday night before deciding whether to stand for Labor preselection in the safe Victorian seat vacated by the former minister and Labor leader.

The 33-year old was first elected to Monash City Council aged 20 and in 2000 became Victoria's youngest mayor at 22.

He has also been president of the Australian Local Government Association and the Municipal Association of Victoria.

Cr Lake, who has a seven-month-old baby boy, told AAP he was considering a move to federal politics.

"I'm going to have a chat with my wife and family," he said.

"It's something I am interested in."

Cr Lake said he would like to see a rank and file ballot for the preselection.

The only exception to this would be if there was an August election where a decision would be required from the ALP national executive, he said.

Cr Lake said he admired Mr Crean, who has held the seat for 23 years.

"He is someone I've looked up to and respected," he said.

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Carr raises whaling with Japanese

AUSTRALIAN Foreign Minister Bob Carr says it's crucial that differences with Japan over its controversial whaling program do not extend to other areas in the relationship between the two countries.

Speaking after a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Brunei on Monday, Senator Carr said he had re-stated Australia's objections to what Tokyo insists is a scientific whaling program.

The comments come as Japan prepares to deliver its opening submission in a case brought by Australia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Tuesday that challenges the validity of annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean.

But while again condemning the practice, Senator Carr also said that the depth of the relationship between Tokyo and Canberra went far beyond one issue, and that care must be taken to ensure that strong relationship continued.

"We are strongly opposed to whaling even when it's described as scientific whaling as it is by the Japanese," Senator Carr told AAP.

"But with the Japanese we quarantine our differences over this subject from the rest of our strong relationship because it's so important to both Japan and Australia.

"I'm confident we can handle the case in the court sensitively to minimise any negative public perceptions in Australian or Japanese circles."

Senator Carr said he believed that Japan would honour any decision made by the ICJ.

"I think they would have to abide by it."

Australia, which last week made its opening arguments in the case which has been brought after the failure of years of diplomatic efforts to resolve the matter, wants the 16-judge panel to rule that Japan's whaling program isn't science-based.

The Australian side argues that the annual hunt breaches the 1946 whaling convention which only allows harpooning "for purposes of scientific research".

But Tokyo points to the convention's preamble which states its aim is "the proper conservation of whale stocks".

Japan last week seized on comments from an expert witness for Australia that the program isn't a threat to minke stocks and therefore does conform to the convention.

During hearings at The Hague last Thursday, US mathematics professor Marc Mangel admitted Japan's target of catching 850 minke whales in the Southern Ocean each year "will not in any way endanger the stock".

Australian lawyer James Crawford had argued that the whaling program isn't based on real science, but in fact is "a parody of science".

The case was finally brought this year after years of diplomatic pressure from Canberra, and after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who as opposition leader first pledged to take Tokyo to court while campaigning to become prime minister in 2007.

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RM Williams farms put under receivership

A PRIVATE carbon farming company run by former News Limited chief Ken Cowley has been placed into receivership.

RM Williams Agricultural Holdings, which owns carbon and cattle stations in Queensland and the Northern Territory, appointed insolvency firm PPB Advisory as administrators last week.

Mr Cowley, the Sydney-based company's chairman, is also the chief shareholder.

The receivership does not affect the well-known RM Williams fashion and boot retailer, which Mr Cowley also owns in partnership with private equity.

"These entities will continue to trade on a business as usual basis," PPB Advisory said in a statement.

PPB Advisory receiver Stephen Parbery said the administrators were "working closely and collaboratively with the board of RM Williams Agricultural Holdings to conduct a review of the business".

RM Williams Agricultural Holdings owns the 516,800 hectare Henbury carbon farm in the Northern Territory.

It also owns the Labelle Downs and Welltree stations in the Northern Territory, and the Mirage Plains and Inglewood Farms properties in Queensland.

RM Williams Agricultural Holdings, formed in May 2009, was named after the late Australian bush entrepreneur Reginald Murray Williams.

Mr Cowley, a former chairman and chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd, was a close friend of Mr Williams until his death in 2003.

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Gunpowder blast kills man in Qld

A MAN is dead and two others have been seriously injured after gunpowder exploded in far north Queensland.

Police say the men were believed to have been trying to dispose of expired gunpowder in a burn-off on a rural property west of Mareeba on Saturday morning.

It caused an explosion, killing a 58-year-old Cairns man and seriously injuring another 58-year-old man and a 33-year-old man.

One suffered chest injuries and the other had serious lacerations to his arm.

Police say the cause of the blast is not suspicious.

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Rudd could push for an early ETS

AS the dust settles after the Labor leadership spill, climate observers are wondering what the future holds for Australia's carbon price under a Rudd government.

The change in leadership - coupled with the departure of Climate Change Minister Greg Combet - has led to speculation Prime Minister Kevin Rudd might bring forward the start date for a floating carbon price.

Under Labor's clean energy laws, Australia's existing carbon pricing mechanism isn't due to transition to a market-based emissions trading scheme (ETS) until July 2015.

Until then carbon prices would remain fixed, currently at $23 per tonne of emissions but set to rise from Monday and once again in 2014.

Business has complained that Australian companies are slugged with a higher pollution impost than their competitors, and have lobbied for an early move to an ETS to drive down their carbon liability.

The Business Council of Australia on Thursday said bringing the carbon price into line with global prices - EU allowances have traded recently for around $6 - should be on the agenda for Mr Rudd.

Such a move would be attractive politically for Mr Rudd, who vowed upon taking the Labor leadership on Wednesday that his government would work closer with business.

Lower carbon prices would also flow through to consumers and diffuse the coalition's charge that Australia pays more than other nations for its emissions.

The Climate Institute's John Connor said there was "short-term appeal" to lower carbon prices, but it wasn't a long-term solution.

He urged Mr Rudd to use his new tenure to ramp up climate action in areas like renewable energy and preparing for the impacts of global warming.

When ousted as Labor leader in 2010, Mr Rudd said his efforts to introduce an ETS were among his proudest as prime minister.

Analysts have pointed to Mr Rudd's previous calls for a review of the fixed-price period and a faster transition to an ETS as a sign change could be on the way.

Carbon advisory firm RepuTex said the market would notice if Mr Combet - seen by many as the strongest advocate of Labor's carbon laws - wound up back on the frontbench but without the climate portfolio.

"A fresh face should be interpreted by the market as a stronger chance of a new policy," RepuTex's Hugh Grossman told AAP.

"If there is to be a policy change then certainly ... the early start and the early transition to a market price would be that logical step."

Labor MP Richard Marles told reporters on Thursday climate change was an area of passion for Mr Rudd, and an announcement in relation to this policy would likely be made in coming days.

Greens MP Adam Bandt hoped Mr Combet's departure wasn't a sign Mr Rudd was preparing a "backflip" on climate policy by watering down the carbon laws achieved under Julia Gillard.

Climate think tank Zero Emissions said Mr Rudd had form on climate policy, and urged him to take action to lock in the Renewable Energy Target introduced during his previous stint as prime minister.

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Samsung puts curve in new televisions

SAMSUNG Electronics is rolling out a curved TV that uses an advanced display called OLED.

Samsung said on Thursday the 55-inch TV will sell for 15 million won (about $A14,000) in South Korea. That is more than five times expensive than LCD televisions of the same size.

The TV industry has been struggling to excite interest with new technologies.

Samsung is not the first to introduce a curved TV using OLED. In May, LG Electronics launched a 55-inch curved OLED TV in South Korea.

Samsung and LG are the only companies to begin sales of OLED TVs.

Mass producing OLED displays is difficult so prices are high.

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Man dead, another injured in Vic crash

POLICE continue to investigate a fatal crash in northern Victoria which has left one teenager dead and another seriously injured.

A Holden Commodore sedan was reportedly travelling westwards along the Toolamba-Rushworth Road, near Winter Road, Tatura when it veered off and crashed into a tree.

The 16-year old driver died at the scene, while the other occupant, also 16, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A witness said he drove past the car at 3am (AEST), but did not check for any occupants until he saw it again at 5am.

Police are preparing a report for the coroner.

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China furious at US spy's phone hack claim

Whistleblower Edward Snowden says the US is hacking Chinese mobile phone companies. Source: AAP

CHINA has attacked the United States as an espionage "villain" after former spy Edward Snowden raised new allegations about the far-reaching extent of US cyber-snooping against Chinese targets.

The official Xinhua news agency noted Washington was now pressing Hong Kong to extradite the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor after he turned up in the Chinese territory last month.

But the US government first owes the world an explanation, it said, as a prominent Hong Kong lawmaker noted the territory has the legal right to resist an extradition request made for political reasons.

In the latest revelations published by Hong Kong's Sunday Morning Post, Snowden said the NSA was hacking Chinese mobile phone companies to gather data from millions of text messages.

He said US spies have also hacked the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing - home to one of six "network backbones" that route all of mainland China's internet traffic - and the Hong Kong headquarters of Pacnet, which operates one of the Asia-Pacific region's largest fibre-optic networks.

"These, along with previous allegations, are clearly troubling signs," Xinhua said in a commentary.

"They demonstrate that the United States, which has long been trying to play innocent as a victim of cyber attacks, has turned out to be the biggest villain in our age," it said.

The United States slapped an arrest warrant on Snowden on Friday, and White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said the charges "present a good case for extradition under the treaty, the extradition treaty between the United States and Hong Kong".

"Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case," he told CBS Radio News on Saturday.

There was no immediate comment from authorities in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, but the government and police have said that the law will take its course.

And that, experts say, could take months if not years if Snowden appeals against any extradition ruling by a Hong Kong court. Beijing, meanwhile, has the right ultimately to intervene.

Xinhua noted Washington had set the extradition process in train.

"But for other countries, Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes too an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on. It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs," it said.

The Sunday Morning Post said that Snowden, who turned 30 on Friday, remained "safe" in Hong Kong and had not been detained by police after he was charged in the United States with theft and espionage.

Abandoning his well-paid job as an intelligence technician in Hawaii, Snowden came to Hong Kong on May 20 with a cache of documents detailing the reach of NSA operations around the world.

"The NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese mobile phone companies to steal all of your SMS data," Snowden said in the Post interview, which the newspaper said was conducted on June 12 and released after it had scrutinised and clarified his claims.

His claims about Pacnet followed a report in the Guardian in which he claimed the British government's electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ had gained secret access to fibre-optic cables carrying global internet traffic and telephone calls, and was sharing the information with the NSA.

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