WA primary school closed due to bushfire

BREMER Bay Primary School in Western Australia's Great Southern region will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a bushfire in the area.

Department of Education deputy director general of schools David Axworthy said the school would re-open only when it was safe to do so.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the fire had burnt bushland about 3km north of the Bremer Bay township and 5km southwest of Quaalup in the Shire of Jerramungup.

At 4pm (WST), there was no threat to lives or homes, but people camping along Doubtful Islands Road and Gordon Inlet Road had been asked to leave the area as a precaution.

Landowners in the area, particularly in and near Quaalup, had been notified of the fire, the department said.

Parents of Bremer Bay Primary School students can call the South West Regional Education Office on 9791 0300 for more information.

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Egypt's top court on strike

EGYPT'S top court began an open-ended strike on Sunday in what it called a "black day" for the judiciary after supporters of President Mohamed Morsi blocked the courthouse ahead of a key ruling, amid a tense standoff between the president and the judges.

The Supreme Constitutional Court said it would "suspend work for an indefinite period ... and until there is no more psychological and material pressure."

Hundreds of pro-Morsi demonstrators blocked off a main road that runs along the Nile to the courthouse and surrounded entrances to its precincts.

The court was due to rule on the legality of an Islamist-dominated panel that drew up a controversial draft constitution.

The new charter, which has become the focal point of Egypt's biggest political crisis since Morsi was elected in June, is to be put to a referendum set for December 15.

"The will of the people is stronger than the will of a few judges," said demonstrator Ismail Ahmed, 39, alluding to the accusations of Morsi supporters that the judiciary remains dominated by holdouts from the era of Hosni Mubarak, the veteran strongman ousted early last year.

The judges responded by calling an "administrative delay" to Sunday's session, prompting the protesters to head home from the courthouse, an AFP correspondent reported.

An interior ministry official denied it was impossible for judges to enter the courthouse, saying some judiciary officials had in fact got in thanks to security forces guarding the entrances.

A ruling by the court on Sunday would have defied Morsi's presidential decree that barred any judicial body from dissolving the constituent assembly, which adopted the draft charter in the face of a boycott by liberals and Christians.

The November 22 decree sparked popular unrest, with the constitution, which had been due for more deliberation, being rushed through days later amid the commotion.

Opposition groups said they would rally on Tuesday outside the presidential palace to protest against the referendum, the constitution and Morsi's new powers, in a march dubbed "the final warning".

The controversial charter -- which has been criticised for paving the way to a strict interpretation of Islamic law and failing to secure key rights -- prompted rival rallies by Morsi opponents and supporters.

Hundreds of thousands of Islamist protesters gathered on Saturday in support of Morsi, his sweeping powers and the draft constitution, a day after crowds thronged to Cairo's Tahrir Square to denounce his "dictatorial" decree.

"One nation, two peoples," read the front page of Sunday's edition of the Al-Shuruq newspaper, while Al-Masri al-Youm ran with "Egypt at the mouth of a volcano."

The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters have branded the anti-Islamist opposition enemies of the 2011 revolution, and Sunday's protesters chanted against secular and liberal opposition leaders.

The National Rescue Front -- a coalition of opponents led by Mohamed ElBaradei, the former UN nuclear watchdog chief; ex-Arab League chief Amr Mussa; and former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi -- has called on opponents of the decree to keep up the momentum of the protest movement.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have raised concerns about the draft charter.

On Thursday, Morsi stressed his new powers would expire as soon as the constitution has been ratified, a point Islamists have repeatedly made in his favour.

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Bikie's mate scared to reveal all to CCC

A WITNESS to a vicious bikie gang brawl in Perth told a corruption hearing he was so scared for himself and his family he couldn't tell the truth about what he saw.

Mohammed Alamdar, of Mosman Park, is accused of giving false and misleading evidence to Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) at secret hearings in 2010 and 2011, following the brawl at the Kwinana Motorplex.

The showdown between the Coffin Cheaters and the Finks at the motor racing venue in late 2010 left Finks members Stephen Wallace without three fingers, David Marrapodi with a gunshot wound and Troy Smith with serious head injuries.

At a trial in Perth Magistrates Court, video interviews of Alamdar at the CCC were shown in which he claimed his memory was impaired after being dropped on his head as a child. He consistently said he could not remember details of his association with the Coffin Cheaters.

He initially told the CCC he was not that close to the bikies, before admitting he had spent time in his native Iran with club member Paul Martino, who'd stayed in the home of his deaf, elderly mother while there.

But as the CCC interview progressed, Alamdar told then-commissioner Len Roberts-Smith he feared for his safety if he revealed what he had seen in Kwinana.

"I was scared for myself, I was scared for my family," Alamdar said.

"I do not want to get involved in these things, it is not my business. Why do you put me in this bad position?"

Through his evidence to the CCC, Alamdar revealed he had struck up friendships with two Coffin Cheaters, including Martino, while installing security windows and doors at their headquarters in Bayswater.

He was summonsed to appear before CCC hearings twice, after investigators established he was present at the Motorplex on the day of the brawl.

He was then charged with misleading the CCC after giving evidence to Mr Roberts-Smith that he had not spoken to Martino the day before the brawl, had not travelled with him to the Motorplex and had not witnessed the violence.

But phone intercepts revealed he had arranged to drive Martino to the event and even took advice from him as to what to wear on the day.

When directly questioned about whether it was his voice on the intercepted phone call, Alamdar said: "That's not me, buddy."

Mr Roberts-Smith warned Alamdar at the time his vague answers could be regarded as "constructive refusal" to answer, and that he could face criminal charges.

A guilty finding could result in a $100,000 fine or a five-year jail term or both.

Finks members and associates Smith, Stephen Laurence Silvestro, Clovis Chikonga and Tristan Roger Allbeury have already been jailed for two years on contempt charges relating to the CCC hearings.

Coffin Cheaters members Benjamin Ortin and David Reid were also called before a CCC hearing and refused to answer questions but avoided charges after the corruption watchdog dropped the case.

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Army bombs Damascus suburbs

SYRIAN troops battered rebel positions in and around Damascus in an assault aimed at securing the capital, as Russia and Turkey prepared for talks in Istanbul on their differences over the conflict.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said artillery gunners targeted the districts of Hajar al-Aswad and Tadamun as well as the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk in southern Damascus.

The army also bombarded Yabrud to the north, Yalda to the south and the Eastern Ghouta towns of Douma, Harasta, Irbin and Haran al-Hawamid, in the area of the road linking Damascus to its international airport, it said on Monday.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been trying to establish a secure perimeter around Damascus at all costs, turning the province into one of the main battlegrounds in the country's 20-month conflict.

Analysts say the objective of the military campaign is to put the regime in a position to negotiate a way out of the conflict that the Observatory says has cost more than 41,000 lives since March 2011.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, was to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday during a landmark visit to Istanbul to discuss their differences on Syria.

The talks are to cover "reconciliation in the Middle East, the situation in the Gaza Strip, the crisis in Syria, as well as co-operation," Putin's foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said in a statement.

Turkey and Russia are at loggerheads over how to tackle the bloody crackdown in Syria, despite growing trade and energy links.

Those tensions came to a head in October when Turkey intercepted a Syrian plane en route from Moscow to Damascus on suspicion that it had military cargo, drawing an angry response from Russia.

Ankara said the cargo contained military equipment destined for the Syrian defence ministry.

Moscow insisted it was dual-purpose radar equipment which was not banned by international conventions.

Turkey, once an ally of the Damascus regime, has become one of its fiercest critics.

But Moscow remains one of Assad's few allies, routinely blocking resolutions against his regime in the UN security council.

Russia also objects to Turkey's request to NATO for the deployment of Patriot missiles near its volatile border with Syria.

It has warned such a move could spark a broader conflict that would draw in the western military alliance.

But Turkey insists the US-made Patriots would be used for purely defensive purposes, and NATO's response is expected this week.

On the ground, the Britain-based Observatory also reported clashes with rebels since Sunday in the central city of Hama, prompting authorities to send in reinforcements.

"This fighting... shows that despite the total control of the army and security forces over the town, the rebels have still managed to infiltrate," the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The watchdog, which relies on a network of activists and medics in civilian and military hospitals, said a total of 134 people - 58 civilians, 41 soldiers and 35 rebels - were killed in countrywide violence on Sunday.

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Man fails in bid to bite police dog

A MAN tried to chomp on a police dog but had to be stitched up himself after the dog bit back.

Police say they arrested the 31-year-old man at Berkeley, in the Illawarra region south of Sydney, on Saturday night following reports he had violated a restraining order.

Lake Illawarra acting inspector Jack Brown told AAP the man kicked so hard at the door of the caged police truck in which he was held that officers weren't sure the vehicle could restrain him, so they began moving him to another wagon.

"At some point he has kicked out at the dog and attempted to bite it, and the dog has responded in kind," Insp Brown said on Sunday.

The wounded man was taken for further treatment to Shellharbour Hospital, then sent back to the police station.

He was then taken back to the hospital to receive stitches to his arm.

Insp Brown said the German shepherd was doing fine.

The man spent Saturday night in custody and is to appear in Wollongong Local Court on Monday on several charges related to damaging property, resisting police, contravening a personal apprehended violence order and committing an act of cruelty to animals.

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Soccer brawl in Sydney's west

POLICE have detained several people after a brawl broke out during a soccer match in Sydney's west.

A police spokesman said the fight broke out at about 4.45pm on Sunday at Palmyra Avenue at Willmot.

One person was taken to Nepean Hospital with head injuries and a number of people have been detained at the scene and are being questioned by police.

Initial reports indicate the fight may have been racially motivated.

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Whitlam celebrates 40 years since victory

FAMILY and friends have surrounded former prime minister and legendary Labor leader Gough Whitlam to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his momentous 1972 election victory.

Among those joining Mr Whitlam for lunch at Lulworth House in Sydney on Sunday were his children, Antony, Nicholas, Stephen and Catherine, speechwriter Evan Williams, Senator John Faulkner and director of the Whitlam Institute, Eric Sidoti.

Mr Whitlam, now 96, was unable to attend a public celebration last month.

Mr Sidoti said it was only right Mr Whitlam took "centre stage" for the special anniversary.

"Though it may be a much more private stage than what he dominated throughout his public life, there can be no doubt that Gough Whitlam and his government profoundly changed Australia and for the better," Mr Sidoti said.

"The fires of reform that Gough Whitlam lit, burn still."

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Hero instructor fought off son: police

A US community college instructor killed in a classroom murder-suicide has been hailed a hero, with police saying he gave his students time to flee by distracting and fighting off his son.

Christopher Krumm, 25, barged into his father's computer science class at Casper College, Wyoming and shot him in the head with a high-powered bow and arrow on Friday.

The arrow severely wounded James Krumm, 56 but he managed to wrestle with the younger man while his handful of students escaped.

Christopher Krumm, of Vernon, Connecticut, had just stabbed to death his father's live-in girlfriend at the couple's home several kilometres away.

When police arrived after the bow-and-arrow attack, they found Christopher Krumm bleeding from self-inflicted knife wounds and taking his last breaths.

James Krumm was dead, Police Chief Chris Walsh said on Sunday.

"I can tell you the courage that was demonstrated by Mr Krumm senior was absolutely without equal," he said.

"Around six" students were in the classroom when Christopher Krumm entered, Casper police spokesman Justin Smith said. None were hurt.

Walsh said police were still trying to figure out what motivated Christopher Krumm to attack his father and girlfriend, 42-year-old Heidi Arnold, a maths instructor at the college. Arnold died of multiple stab wounds.

After shooting his father with the arrow, Christopher Krumm stabbed himself, then fatally stabbed his father in the chest in a struggle in the classroom, Walsh said.

Police began getting reports about the attack on Arnold soon after they responded by the dozen to the campus attack.

Authorities locked down the campus for two hours while they scoured the grounds for any other attackers. They were reassured Christopher Krumm acted alone.

He had smuggled the compound bow - a type much more powerful than a simple, wooden bow - onto campus beneath a blanket, Walsh said.

He said Christopher Krumm also had two knives with him and the one used was "very large".

Arnold's body was found in the gutter of her street.

Casper College instructor Kevin McDermott said Arnold and James Krumm were well-liked on campus.

Investigators said Christopher Krumm had recently driven to Casper from Connecticut and had been staying at a local hotel. He had no significant history of encounters with police.

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Boy feared dead after NT crocodile attack

A boy is feared dead after he was attacked by a crocodile while swimming in the Northern Territory. Source: AAP

A BOY is feared dead after he was attacked by a crocodile while swimming in the Northern Territory.

The 12-year-old boy was swimming with a group of people in waters at Port Bradshaw in East Arnhem Land when he was grabbed by the crocodile about 12.30pm (CST) on Saturday, Northern Territory police said.

It is believed the adults who were with the boy tried to save him by spearing the crocodile but it dragged him out to deeper water, Superintendent Michael White said.

Officers from Nhulunbuy police station, about 80km north of where the attack took place, are currently at Port Bradshaw searching for the boy and the crocodile.

Supt White said members of the local Sea Rangers will also be assisting with the search.

"This is a tragic circumstance for the child's family and friends, and highlights the dangers of swimming in waterways in the Top End," Supt White said in a statement.

The attack on the 12-year-old boy comes after a seven-year-old girl was taken by a crocodile while she was swimming with other children and an adult at a local waterhole in the Northern Territory last month.

The girl was at the Gumarrirnbang outstation, 100km west of the remote community of Maningrida, when she was grabbed on November 17.

She was last seen being dragged under the water by the animal, which had also attacked the man who had been with her in the billabong.

A three-metre crocodile was shot dead in the billabong the next day and human remains were found inside it.

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Alice Springs weather warning cancelled

A SEVERE thunderstorm warning has been cancelled for Alice Springs.

The wild weather was forecast to hit Alice Springs in the Northern Territory at about 6pm (CST) on Saturday, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of flash flooding.

But the warning has since been cancelled with thunderstorms on the radar having weakened, the bureau said.

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