Iran hangs five drug smugglers: agency

IRAN has hanged five people in prison who were convicted of drug trafficking, the justice department in the southern province of Kerman said in a report by ILNA news agency.

The men sent to gallows at the prison in the city of Kerman on Wednesday had been convicted of trafficking more than a tonne of opium, ILNA said on Saturday, adding they were also found to be in possession of a number of military-grade weapons.

Kerman province lies on one of the major transit routes for narcotics smuggled into Iran from its eastern neighbours Afghanistan and Pakistan to Western countries.

Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are punishable by death in the Islamic republic, which has one of the highest annual execution counts in the world, alongside China, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has condemned the executions, but Tehran says the death penalty is essential to maintain law and order and that it is enforced only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.

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Bodies of Japanese financier, wife found

Two men have been arrested over the double murder of a wealthy Japanese financier and his wife. Source: AAP

TWO bodies unearthed in Japan have been identified as those of a Swiss-based Japanese financier and his wife who went missing from their swanky condominium in Tokyo in December, police said.

Makoto Shimomi, 51, who ran an investment fund, and his wife Mie, 48, disappeared after leaving their luxury apartment in Tokyo's upmarket Ginza district on December 7 during a home visit.

Police dug up the bodies in a vacant lot in Tokyo's northern suburbs on Monday after receiving a tip-off and have since arrested two men in connection with the suspected double murder.

One of the bodies has already been identified as that of Makoto Shimomi by fingerprints and other evidence, a police spokesman said on Saturday.

"We have confirmed the other body as that of the wife as its DNA matched that of her parent."

One of those arrested, 43-year-old fishery company executive Tsuyoshi Watanabe, reportedly admitted to the killing and told investigators he held a grudge against the fund manager because of investment losses.

"I strangled the couple because he was responsible for me losing hundreds of millions of yen (millions of dollars)," he was quoted as telling police.

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US killer mistakenly freed back in jail

A US murderer serving a 60-year sentence who was mistakenly released has been rearrested. Source: AAP

A CONVICTED murderer who was mistakenly released after a court appearance in Chicago was back in custody after US authorities tracked him down at a house about 100km away.

Steven L. Robbins, 44, was rearrested late Friday night without incident in the Illinois town of Kankakee, authorities said.

Although the details of his capture weren't immediately released, officials said they used various leads and interviews with friends and family members at police headquarters to locate him.

The reason Robbins was able to escape in the first place, Illinois officials acknowledged, was because they lost paperwork directing them to return him over the state border to Indiana, where he has been serving a 60-year sentence.

He was escorted by Cook County sheriff's deputies to Chicago this week for a court appearance in a separate case involving drug and armed violence charges - a case that had actually been dismissed in 2007.

After appearing before two Cook County Circuit Court judges, Robbins was taken to a jail on Chicago's South Side.

He was released hours later, instead of being sent back to Indiana to continue his murder sentence.

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Bushland body discovery not suspicious

THE death of a man whose body was found by a cyclist in bushland near Bendigo is not suspicious, police say.

The cyclist discovered the 29-year-old local man's body at Strathfieldsaye, northwest of Melbourne, at about 4pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Police later said the death was not being treated as suspicious and will compile a report for the coroner.

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NSW premier given ultimatum on comments

The opposition is demanding the federal government not accept Craig Thomson's vote in parliament. Source: AAP

CRAIG Thomson's lawyer has given NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell 24 hours to apologise or face legal action for a "completely unacceptable" comment about the federal MP.

Mr O'Farrell says he has nothing to be sorry for after he defended a pair of corrective services officers who strip-searched Thomson on Thursday ahead of his appearance on fraud charges in a NSW central coast court.

Thomson's lawyer, Chris McArdle, described the officers as "goons" and "galoots" and the search as the "absolutely extraordinary intimidation of an innocent man".

But the premier said the search was "standard procedure" and that Thomson and his lawyer should calm down because "this whole situation arose because Mr Thomson allegedly was too keen to get his kit off in front of strangers".

The independent member for Dobell has consistently denied allegations he misused union funds to pay for prostitutes, air travel, entertainment and cash withdrawals when he was national secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU).

Mr O'Farrell's comments infuriated Mr McArdle, who threatened to sue unless the premier apologised.

"(The premier) has used his credibility to prejudge our client. This is utterly and completely unacceptable," he told Fairfax Radio.

The lawyer on Friday demanded the premier apologise within 24 hours and admit his remarks were "unwise and unwarranted".

Mr O'Farrell conceded his comment was "flippant" and "cheeky" but maintained he had nothing to apologise for.

"In fact Mr McArdle ought to take back some of the comments that he's made today about police and corrective services officials," the premier told Fairfax Radio.

"But I just hasten to explain to Mr McArdle, who is a lawyer, that I did use the word allegations ... forgive me for having listened to five hours worth of media reports of Mr McArdle attacking corrective services officers for doing their jobs."

The Prison Officers Vocational Branch of the Public Service Association of NSW said it took exception to the "disparaging remarks" made by Mr McArdle.

PSA General Secretary Anne Gardiner said the officers involved in the strip-search were at all times acting in accordance with the standard operating procedures of corrective services.

"It is a safety requirement that all new custodies are strip-searched. Officers involved in the search acted in a professional and respectful manner at all times," Ms Gardiner said.

Speaking outside his lawyer's office in Sydney on Friday, Thomson said he would vigorously defend himself against 149 fraud charges laid by Victorian police.

Thomson's case will come before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a civil penalty case against Thomson has been adjourned and will probably be stayed until the completion of criminal charges.

Federal Court Justice Christopher Jessup on Friday adjourned that matter until March 1, after a barrister for Fair Work Australia, Stephen Donaghue SC, told the court the law stated a civil proceeding must be stayed if a criminal proceeding relating to the same matter was afoot.

The court heard lawyers and Justice Jessup needed to see details of the criminal charges before the matter could be stayed.

The federal opposition says the government should not accept the Labor-turned-independent MP's vote when parliament resumes next week.

"If Craig Thomson tries to vote with us we remove one of our members," Manager of Opposition Business Chris Pyne told ABC Radio on Friday.

"We think Julia Gillard should do the same thing."

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Somali police charge journalist

SOMALI police have charged five people including a journalist and a woman allegedly raped by government troops in a case dismissed by rights groups as "politically motivated".

Freelance journalist Abdiaziz Abdinuur, who works for several Somali radio stations as well as international media, was detained without charge on January 10 in the capital Mogadishu after researching rampant sexual violence in Somalia.

On Tuesday, he was charged with "offending the honour of a state institution and for filing a false report", the United Nations' political office for Somalia said in a statement.

The woman, "who reported having been the victim of a rape, has also been charged with false reporting and for offending the honour of a state institution," it added.

The reporter is facing up to six years in prison, while the woman faces up to nine years. The trial is due to start on Saturday.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says three others have been charged - the woman's husband, and a man and woman who helped introduce her to the journalist.

The UN said it had raised concerns about the handling of the pre-trial phase, in particular about the prolonged detention and previous lack of access to legal counsel, and how that could negatively impact the trial.

Amnesty International, HRW and the Committee to Protect Journalists say the case is "linked to increasing media attention given to the high levels of rape... including attacks allegedly committed by security forces."

Somalia, which has been ravaged by relentless conflict since 1991, chose a new government in September in a United Nations-backed process, ending eight years of transitional rule by a corruption-riddled government.

Many hoped the new administration would give the country its first effective central government since the fall of president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

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Brain waves could test for schizophrenia

Brain waves could provide the first objective test for schizophrenia, a study has shown. Source: AAP

BRAIN waves could provide the first objective test for schizophrenia, a study has shown.

Measuring the magnetic field produced by electrical currents in the brain can identify patients with the mental disorder, scientists found.

Currently, schizophrenia can only be diagnosed by assessing a patient's symptoms and looking at their medical history.

The psychotic illness usually starts in late adolescence and can cause hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and social withdrawal.

Doctors diagnose schizophrenia by ticking off a defined set of symptoms, but during lucid moments patients can appear quite normal, and might even try to cover up their condition.

The non-invasive magnetoencephalogram (MEG) technique was used by British and Spanish researchers to compare individuals with schizophrenia and healthy individuals.

They found two specific signals that were significantly different in the psychotic patients.

In addition, four brain wave signals from the schizophrenia patients were found to change with age in a way not seen in healthy volunteers.

The findings are published in the journal Physiological Measurement.

Lead researcher Dr Javier Escudero, from the University of Plymouth, said: "At present, there is no blood, cerebrospinal fluid, brain imaging or neurophysiological test for schizophrenia in routine clinical practice. The diagnosis relies on the interpretation of symptoms and clinical history according to consensus criteria.

"The advent of an objective marker for schizophrenia would significantly facilitate the diagnosis and offer a better understanding of the neurobiological basis of the disease."

Scientists studied the frequency spectrum of the MEG background activity in 15 schizophrenia patients with positive symptoms and 17 age-matched healthy volunteers.

MEG readings were divided into five different groups representing different parts of the brain.

Patients undergoing an MEG examination place their head into a sensitive machine that picks up magnetic fluctuations produced by electrical activity in the brain.

It differs from an electroencephalogram (ECG), which measures electrical current directly, in that no electrodes are attached to the scalp.

Using the MEG signals, the researchers were able to classify patients with 71 per cent accuracy.

"The long-term vision is to develop a low-cost, non-invasive and objective test to aid the diagnosis of this and other brain diseases," said Dr Escudero.

"The magnetoencephalogram is able to provide very detailed information about the brain activity; however, it is expensive. Therefore, we aim to transfer these developments to electroencephalogram recordings in the future, as this technique meets those requirements of reduced cost, high availability and non-invasiveness."

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Gusts and golf ball-sized hail hit NSW

TORRENTIAL rain and hailstones the size of golf balls fell on parts of NSW on Friday, with forecasters warning of possible flash-flooding to come.

A severe thunderstorm warning for the mid-north coast, Northern Tablelands and parts of the Hunter Valley and North West Slopes and Plains forecast districts was in place on Friday night.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said residents in these areas could expect large hailstones, damaging winds, heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding.

The State Emergency Service (SES) spent Friday evening mopping up after the storm system moved through metropolitan Sydney.

SES spokesman Phil Campbell said the service had received 180 calls for help across the state since Friday afternoon.

"The worst of that has been Sydney, with just over 100 calls for help," he said, adding that property damage had been limited.

But the wind did bring down trees and powerlines in south and southwest Sydney, while gusts of up to 70km/h at Sydney Airport kept planes on the ground.

Sydney CBD commuters were caught in the downpour on Friday afternoon and in Wyong on the central coast 53 millimetres of rain fell in 30 minutes.

At Mount Victoria, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, a BOM storm-spotter reported golf ball-sized hailstones and torrential rain.

Emergency crews from Ausgrid were able to restore power to thousands of homes and businesses in Forestville and Loftus by Friday evening.

A fallen tree closed lanes of the Pacific Highway at Artarmon in the city's north and trains were suspended between Clarendon and Richmond in the city's west when power supply was affected.

Trains were also temporarily suspended between Thirroul and Waterfall on the South Coast Line as a result of heavy rain.

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300 hurt in train accident in South Africa

A PASSENGER train packed with schoolchildren and rush-hour commuters has rammed into another full train near the South African capital Pretoria, injuring up to 300 people, medics say.

The accident took place before 8.00am (1700 AEDT) on Thursday when a commuter train heading from the suburbs to the capital ploughed into the stationary train on the same track.

Medical workers said up to 300 people had been treated for various degrees of injury.

"We do have 20 seriously injured," said Johan Pieterse of Tshwane Emergency Services.

"Both of the trains were full of commuters and between them were lots of school children on the way to school," said Pieterse.

"We counted about 50 plus children," he added.

At least three people were said to be in a "critical" condition, according to Chris Botha, a spokesman for emergency services provider Netcare.

"The people who were critically injured suffered multiple injuries to the body," said Botha.

At least one person was airlifted to the nearby Milpark Hospital, others were taken by ambulance and many were treated at the scene.

Rescue workers struggled to cut away the tangled wreckage of the trains to free the passengers.

One of the train drivers was freed from the carriage after he was trapped for two hours.

"He's critical at this stage," said Pieterse.

The trains were operated by Metrorail, the country's rail system in cities.

The cause of the accident is unknown.

"At this stage we do not want to speculate," said Metrorail spokeswoman Lillian Mofokeng.

It is just the latest serious rail accident to hit South Africa's urban rail network.

In 2011, 857 commuters were injured in Johannesburg's Soweto township when a passenger train smashed into a stationary train during the peak rush hour period.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South, has itself described its passengers as "travelling like cattle".

More than 90 per cent of commuter trains in South Africa are more than 50 years old, the most recent dating from 1986.

The network is currently undergoing a major revamp to upgrade its fleet, spending 123 billion rand ($A13.52 billion) over 20 years.

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NSW homes still without power after floods

ABOUT 500 homes remain without power in the north of NSW following the extreme weather that lashed the state earlier this week.

In a statement, Essential Energy said its crews restored power to almost 3000 houses in northern NSW on Thursday, leaving about 500 residents still without electricity.

It said about 23,000 people had lost their power supply during the worst of the recent flood emergency in NSW.

It said power would remain off on Thursday night in the Tweed hinterland at Numinbah, Round Mountain, Boat Harbour, Murwillumbah, Ocean Shores, Upper Wilsons Creek, Federal, Eureka, Booyong, and Goonengerry.

A spokesman for Essential Energy said the biggest problem for crews trying to reconnect power was gaining access to many of the areas hit by this week's floods.

More than 1000 NSW flood evacuees are expected to return to their homes in the north of the state over the next few days, while about 23,000 people remain isolated.

With weather conditions easing, the SES is focusing on resupplying food and medicine to isolated communities, like Yamba and Iluka at the mouth of the Clarence River.

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