Korean veteran remembers mate's snoring

Fifteen Australian war veterans who fought in Korea have returned to mark the 60th anniversary. Source: AAP

RETURNING to Korea 60 years after fighting in the war has stirred up unexpected memories for Bill Monaghan.

During the Korean War, Monaghan bunked with fellow fighter pilot Bob Macintosh at the Kimpo Airbase, outside of Seoul.

"The room mate I'm sharing with, we were in Kimpo together, I had forgotten how much he snores," the 84-year-old Canberra great-grandfather told AAP on the phone from Korea on Saturday.

The pair are among 15 Australia war veterans who have travelled to Korea to mark the 60th anniversary of the armistice signing that ended fighting.

Mr Monaghan joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1949 and was in active combat during the last three months of the war.

His role was to fly over enemy supply lines and try to stop supplies getting through to the frontline.

"I was a frightened young boy from the country who did not know what he'd gotten himself into," he said.

During his twelfth combat mission, his Gloster Meteor plane was hit by enemy fire which took out his right engine.

Unable to return to base on one engine, Mr Monaghan made an emergency beach landing on the island of Paengyong-do held by United Nations forces, where his engine was replaced.

Mr Monaghan returned to Australia in December 1953, to marry his wife Dot.

"She's only divorced me 14 times," he joked, hastily adding that they've had a wonderful married life and are proud of their son and daughter.

More than 18,000 Australians served in the Korean War, 340 soldiers died, 1200 were wounded and 43 are still listed as missing in action.

The 15 Australian veterans are attending a special ceremony at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul on Saturday, alongside Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon, and have toured some battle ground sites.

Mr Monaghan said it was sobering to visit the famous land battle site at Kapyong.

"You look at the conditions where the (Australians) fought back an overwhelming force of the Chinese, it's very daunting to consider that ... your hat comes off to them every time you think about it."

While the highlight of the trip has been the companionship of his mates, Mr Monaghan was keen to return to Korea and see first-hand the thriving democracy and economy.

"We look over the border at the north and we say it was well worth the effort," he said.

* Korean War veterans will also mark the anniversary at a service at National Korean War Memorial in Canberra on Saturday.

AAP lpm/nl

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Albo calls for patience on poll date

The Deputy Prime Minister has called for people to be patient about the federal poll date. Source: AAP

DEPUTY Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says no one in the Rudd government has a "rush to the polls mentality" but it will be before or after his league team wins the premiership.

Mr Albanese on Saturday called for patience, as speculation about the federal election date reaches fever pitch.

"No one in the government has had a rush to the polls mentality," he told reporters, flanked by scores of red balloons at a community campaign event for Chinese Australian lawyer Jason Yat-sen Li, Labor's candidate for the Sydney seat of Bennelong.

He said the government would consider calling the election at an appropriate time.

"It will be before or after the Souths win their twenty first premiership," he joked.

Mr Albanese is a South Sydney Rabbitohs supporter.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott urged Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to stop "playing games" and name the date.

"The government of our country is not about showbiz," he told reporters at the Stockman's Hall of Fame at Longreach in western Queensland.

"Electing a national government is not a version of celebrity Big Brother."

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Six dead, 40 wounded in Philippines blast

Six people have been killed and at least 28 injured in a bomb blast in a southern Philippine city. Source: AAP

SIX people are dead and more than 40 wounded in the Philippines after a bomb struck a restaurant filled with doctors after a national convention.

Police say the improvised explosive device went off around midnight Friday local time at a popular restaurant in the southern port city of Cagayan de Oro.

Most of the victims were doctors and pharmaceutical salesmen who had just attended a national convention of lung-disease specialists at a nearby hotel, said the city police chief, Senior Superintendent Graciano Mijares.

"This is one of the busiest areas of Cagayan de Oro.... somebody left a bomb on a chair at the bistro," he told reporters.

He declined to speculate on the motive for the bombing, saying an investigation was under way.

Cagayan de Oro is located on the main southern island of Mindanao, which has been blighted by a decades-old rebellion by elements of the large Muslim minority in the mainly Catholic Asian nation.

Local businessman Noel Arcenas, who owns an electronics shop at the shopping complex where the restaurant is located, said at least 100 people were inside the bistro when the explosion occurred.

"I felt then heard the blast," said Arcenas, who added he was standing about 15 metres away.

"I looked around and saw this ball of white smoke. People were running away bloodied and survivors were dragging at least seven or eight people away from the blast site."

The powerful explosion broke glass panels, upturned tables and chairs, and damaged cars parked up to 30 metres away, reporters at the scene said.

The six dead included two doctors as well as local politician Roldan Lagbas, a member of the provincial executive board of Misamis Oriental province, police said.

Forty-six other people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Leo Bongosia.

President Benigno Aquino's government denounced the attack.

"We deplore this act of violence at this meeting of professionals, the Philippine College of Physicians, whose mission in life is to bring about healing," Aquino spokesman Herminio Coloma told reporters in Manila.

Cagayan de Oro mayor Oscar Moreno told ABS-CBN television network at least two of the wounded were in critical condition.

"Doctors have been attending to them and we hope their situation will stabilise soon," Moreno said.

Asked who he thought was responsible for the attack, he said: "It's hard to speculate at this time."

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Sydney teen mum reveals abduction ordeal

A TEENAGE mother has described her terrifying ordeal after her baby son was abducted at knife point in Sydney by her ex-partner.

As the hunt continues for Steven Hume, who forced his way into the Chester Hill home of his ex-girlfriend on Thursday night, the baby's mother said she tried to escape.

Casey Mifsud, 16, told the Seven Network Hume broke into her southwest Sydney home, took out a knife and told her to get in the car with her eight-month old son.

"He told me he was going to kill me ... and my son," said Ms Mifsud, who had cuts to her face.

"Every time he would ask me a question and I would answer it, he would punch me in the head ... smash my head into the car window and then told me that he's really sorry and that he only does it because he loves me."

When Hume stopped for tissues to wipe her bloody face she fled the car with her baby.

Ms Mifsud said she banged on a driver's door begging for help but the driver took off.

This is when the 24-year-old grabbed baby Zhaiden and took off.

Hume's car was found abandoned on Avon Dam Road at Bargo, south of Sydney, on Friday morning after it slammed into a tree.

Ms Mifsud said she thought her child was dead until one of Hume's family members handed him to Campbelltown police station around 5pm (AEST) on Friday.

"It just makes me feel like I failed as a mum," Ms Mifsud said while sobbing heavily.

"He should get jail time for beating a woman."

The baby is currently in the care of the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.

Hume, who has a thin build, brown hair and several tattoos on his arms and chest, was last seen wearing a blue jumper and green track pants.

Police warn he's considered dangerous and should not be approached.

"I ask that members of the public do not approach him, but contact triple zero immediately," Superintendent Dave Eardley, from the Bankstown Local Area Command, said on Saturday.

"I urge Steven Hume to attend the nearest police station and hand himself in, or contact us and commence some dialogue."

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Qld police to blow up suspicious items

CONTROLLED blasts will continue into the night as bomb squad officers destroy homemade explosives which have already claimed a man's fingers.

Police late on Friday declared an emergency situation at the home in West Ipswich and surrounding areas after finding more dangerous chemicals at the scene.

Officers declared it an emergency situation after an explosion on Thursday evening.

This was revoked for most of Friday but had to be reinstated after police found suspicious liquids and chemicals in the house inside small jars wrapped in tape.

Police say they'll detonate the jars in the home's backyard and have warned residents to stay away.

Residents within 500 metres have been advised to stay inside.

Acting Inspector Geoffrey Noller earlier told reporters two men were injured in the initial blast.

One man, 43, was discharged from hospital with minor injuries.

But a 37-year-old man remained in hospital late Friday with severe injuries to his hands and groin.

"My information is that he's left with a thumb and a forefinger on his left hand and he's lost all the other digits," Insp Noller said.

A third man, who was in the house but uninjured, has been questioned by police.

Insp Noller said criminal charges were a possibility but investigations were continuing.

The incident comes just two months after the bomb squad was called to detonate a suspicious device at a nearby construction site that turned out to be a party popper tied to fishing line.

Party poppers in the property's bins were being gathered as evidence on Friday.

Insp Noller said police would investigate if there was a link between the two incidents.

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Sydney baby back after knifepoint kidnap

A Sydney man who threatened his ex-girlfriend and abducted his eight-month-old remains on the run. Source: AAP

A DRAMATIC search for an eight-month-old Sydney boy abducted at knifepoint by his father has ended in relief, with a family member handing him over to police.

Zhaiden Mifsud was handed in about 5pm (AEST) on Friday - about 20 hours after he went missing - at Campbelltown police station by a female relative of his father.

"He seems to be well and uninjured," a senior police source told AAP.

"It's a good result."

The baby was checked out by ambulance officers and may attend hospital as a precaution.

His father, Steven Hume, is known to police, to community services and is subject to an apprehended violence order.

Police continue to search for the 24-year-old.

He allegedly forced his way into the Chester Hill home of his ex-girlfriend Casey Mifsud, 16, and their son about 8.30pm on Thursday.

He grabbed both of them at knifepoint and put them into his 2007 Toyota Camry before later allegedly assaulting Ms Mifsud at a highway rest stop, and driving off with the baby, police say.

Zhaiden was in a booster seat and Mr Hume had no supplies for the baby, who was lightly dressed when abducted.

His car was found abandoned on Avon Dam Road at Bargo, south of Sydney, on Friday morning after it slammed into a tree.

Local police, PolAir, the Dog Squad and volunteers from the State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service scoured the area, but were unable to find the pair.

Superintendent Dave Eardley made a final plea for anyone with information to come forward just minutes before Zhaiden was turned in to police.

He also said Mr Hume had a number of associates in the Bargo area who had been assisting police.

Supt Eardley defended the eight hour gap between the abduction being reported to police and a public alert being issued.

"I believe the investigation that we conducted was thorough and proper and we followed the correct processes," Supt Eardley said.

He said Ms Mifsud had been released from hospital after treatment and was distraught over the incident.

Ms Mifsud's sister, Jade Lee, says she reported the couple to the NSW Department of Family and Community Services as recently as two weeks before the abduction.

Her concern was directed at Mr Hume and the safety of the baby.

"Just so everyone no's (sic) yes I did report my sister to docs," Jade Lee wrote on her Facebook page on July 10.

She also said her sister reacted negatively to the action.

A week prior to that, she posted a general comment about abusive relationships.

"I really can't stand guys that hit and abuse girls and vise verser (sic)," she wrote on June 4.

" ... makes it worse when there r children in the picture cuz if they grow up with it they think it's normal and they end up in abusive relationships."

Speaking about Mr Hume's abduction of Zhaiden, she wrote: "This is what I didn't want to happen this is why I called docs cuz I new what was gonna happen."

Community Services Minister Pru Goward and the department declined to comment about any action taken in relation to the family.

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Asian shares mixed, strong yen sinks Tokyo

ASIAN markets have closed mixed, with Tokyo tumbling as the US dollar fell to a two-week low against the yen after suffering a sell-off in New York.

A disappointing batch of jobs and consumer data out of the United States kept Wall Street muted, although they provided hope that the Federal Reserve will hold off winding down its stimulus for the time being.

Tokyo on Friday dived 2.97 per cent, or 432.95 points, to 14,129.98 and Shanghai was 0.51 per cent off, shedding 10.32 points to 2,010.85.

Seoul was flat, edging up 1.20 points to 1,910.81, while Sydney added 0.13 per cent, or 6.4 points, to close at 5,042.0. Hong Kong was up 0.31 per cent by the close, adding 67.99 points to 21,968.95.

The Nikkei on Friday suffered its worst loss since the start of June after the US dollar tumbled against the yen as dealers absorbed the weak US figures.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims rose to 343,000 in the week ending July 20, an increase of 7,000 from the prior week's upwardly revised 336,000 claims, and more than the 340,000 expected.

Durable goods orders rose 4.2 per cent in June, but BK Asset Management managing director Boris Schlossberg said the result missed expectations when the volatile transportation sector is excluded, leaving orders flat.

The figures increased the likelihood the Fed would keep its bond-buying scheme in place for the rest of the year to make sure the US economy can get back on track. It also means the bank will continue pumping dollars into the financial system, meaning it is less in demand.

The greenback sank to Y99.24 in New York on Thursday, from Y100.00 earlier in Tokyo.

And in early Japanese trade on Friday, the US unit fell even further to Y98.55.

The US dollar also fell against the euro on Thursday in the wake of a closely watched German business climate index, which rose more than forecast this month.

The euro traded at $US1.3290 on Friday from $US1.3277 in New York, and well up from Thursday's level of $US1.3209. The single currency was also at Y130.99 from Y131.75 in New York.

In US equity trading the Dow edged up 0.09 per cent and the S&P 500 added 0.26 per cent. But the Nasdaq rose 0.71 per cent, driven by Facebook, which soared 30 per cent following a better-than-expected earnings report.

On oil markets, New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate for September, eased 79 US cents to $US104.70 a barrel, while Brent North Sea crude for September tumbled 65 US cents to $US107.00.

Gold cost $US1,332.58 per ounce at 1810 AEST, compared with $US1,313.40 late on Thursday.

In other markets:

- Taipei fell 0.17 per cent, or 14.18 points, to 8,149.40.

Smartphone maker HTC fell 0.57 per cent to $Tw175.0, while Hon Hai was 0.39 per cent lower at $Tw78.9.

- Manila fell 0.54 per cent, or 36.49 points, to 6,763.62.

Metropolitan Bank and Trust slipped 1.53 per cent to 109.30 pesos while BDO Unibank dropped 3.15 per cent to 83 pesos.

- Wellington rose 0.11 per cent, or 5.19 points, to 4,581.99.

Fletcher Building was up 0.48 per cent at $NZ8.31 and Telecom was steady at $NZ2.35.

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Tunisia in turmoil after MP's murder

Tunisian opposition figure, Mohamed Brahmi, has been shot dead outside his home by unknown gunman. Source: AAP

TUNISIA faces a general strike after gunmen shot dead a leading opposition figure in a killing that brought thousands of protesters on to the streets and sparked international condemnation.

Tunisia's national airline Tunisair cancelled all flights on Friday.

MP Mohamed Brahmi, a father of five, was shot by unknown gunmen outside his home on Thursday in the second such political assassination this year.

The ruling Ennahda party, a moderate Islamist group, denied accusations from his family that it was involved.

Protesters took to the streets on Thursday in central Tunis and in Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the Arab Spring and Brahmi's home town.

Police in Tunis fired tear gas to disperse scores of demonstrators who tried to set up a tent for a sit-in calling for the fall of the regime.

The General Union of Tunisian Labour (UGTT) called Friday's general strike across the country in protest at "terrorism, violence and murders".

It last called a two-hour general strike on January 14, 2011, the day former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fell.

Brahmi, 58, of the leftist Popular Movement, was killed outside his home in Ariana, near Tunis, Watanya state television and the official TAP news agency reported.

"He was riddled with bullets in front of his wife and children," Mohsen Nabti, a fellow member of the small movement, said in a tearful account aired on Tunisian radio.

Human Rights Watch said that Brahmi's son, Adnen, had told its researchers he heard a first and a second gunshot, then several other shots as if from a machine gun.

He and his sister ran out of the house and as they reached their father's car they saw two men riding off on a motorbike, HRW said in a statement.

The Tunisian presidency, meanwhile, told AFP that Friday would be observed as a day of national mourning "following the assassination of lawmaker martyr Mohamed Brahmi".

The February 6 assassination of Chokri Belaid, another opposition figure, also outside his home, sparked a political crisis in Tunisia and charges of government connivance.

"I accuse Ennahda," the MP's sister Chhiba Brahmi told AFP at the family home in Sidi Bouzid. "It was them who killed him," she said, although she offered no evidence.

"Our family had the feeling that Mohamed would suffer the same fate as Chokri Belaid," whose family also blamed Ennahda, she added.

Ennahda chief Rached Ghannouchi rejected the charge in a statement to AFP. Brahmi's killing was "a catastrophe for Tunisia", he said.

"Those behind this crime want to lead the country towards civil war and to disrupt the democratic transition."

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the killing, adding her voice to calls by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for an investigation into the killing.

The United States condemned the "cowardly" assassination.

Brahmi was elected MP in October 2011 for Sidi Bouzid, birthplace of the revolution earlier that year that toppled Ben Ali.

On July 7, he resigned as general secretary of the Popular Movement, which he founded, saying it had been infiltrated by Islamists.

Following his killing, angry demonstrators took to the streets of Tunis to denounce the ruling Islamists.

Mohamed Maaroufi, a member of a youth committee that organised the protest, told AFP that they would stay in the streets until Ennahda had been forced from government.

In Sidi Bouzid, crowds, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, chanted "Down with the Brothers, down with the people's torturers!"

Thousands also protested in nearby Menzel Bouzaine, where Ennahda party offices were set ablaze.

Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, himself an Islamist, told reporters: "I condemn in the strongest terms this odious crime which targets the whole of Tunisia and its security."

He also called for calm.

"This drama must not be exploited to sow trouble," he said. "Only minutes after news of the murder was announced, calls were made inciting Tunisians to kill each other."

President Moncef Marzouki said the killing was aimed at derailing the Arab Spring, and called it a "second national catastrophe" after Belaid's murder.

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Chinese man throws toddler in parking row

BEIJING, July 25 AFP - A two-year-old Chinese girl is in critical condition after being thrown to the ground by a man in a row with her mother over parking, a hospital and state media say.

The man, identified only by his surname Han, wanted to park by a bus stop in Beijing, the Beijing Times said, citing a witness.

But the woman pedestrian would not move out of his way as she was checking on her daughter at the time.

Han, in his 40s, emerged from his Hyundai Sonata and hit the woman before taking the toddler out of her pram, holding her up and dropping her "forcefully" to the ground, said the witness, a street stall owner surnamed Zhou.

"The baby made no noises after being dropped, not even a cry of pain," the newspaper on Thursday quoted Zhou as saying.

Another man came out of the car and also beat the mother before the pair drove away, it added.

The mother rushed the girl to a nearby medical facility and the report said she died while being transferred to Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

But that hospital indicated to AFP that the toddler remained under treatment.

"She is still alive," said a hospital official, declining to be named or to provide further details.

The Legal Daily said the girl remained in critical condition, adding she had stopped breathing at one point and was being kept alive by a respirator.

Police found Han, who was released from prison this year after serving a sentence for theft, in a hot spring bathhouse on Wednesday and detained him, said the report.

He could be charged with serious assault if the girl survives, the Legal Daily cited lawyers as saying, making him eligible for a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

A death sentence could be handed down if she dies and he is charged with murder, according to other Chinese reports.

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Thomson lawyer seeks damages from Labor

The lawyer for federal MP Craig Thomson (pic) claims NSW Labor promised him$35,000 in legal fees. Source: AAP

THE lawyer for federal MP Craig Thomson is seeking $35,000 in legal fees he claims NSW Labor promised him.

Lawyer Chris McArdle on Wednesday lodged a statement of claim in the NSW Local Court for $35,000 damages plus $1000 in costs.

Mr McArdle says NSW Labor secretary Sam Dastyari came to his office on February 21 and agreed to pay him $25,000 in seven days and $10,000 within the following 10 days.

The lawyer said Mr Dastyari - who had discussed the matter with Mr Thomson before the meeting - had made it clear the money was being offered to cover the former Labor MP's legal services.

Mr Thomson, who now sits as the Independent MP for the NSW seat of Dobell, is defending charges of misusing Health Services Union funds while he was the union's general secretary.

In the statement of claim, Mr McArdle cites text messages and emails between him and Mr Dastyari regarding account details.

Mr Dastyari, who was being sought for comment, has 28 days to file his defence.

Mr McArdle told AAP on Thursday he had never before met Mr Dastyari, nor had he done legal work for the ALP.

"He has been to my office but I've never been to his," Mr McArdle said.

The lawyer said he understood Mr Dastyari had told Mr Thomson that the reason the payment hadn't been made was because there was "some sort of delay".

"When time passed, he (Mr Dastyari) started denying that that which had taken place had ever taken place, which was rather pathetic," Mr McArdle told AAP.

Mr Thomson was suspended from the ALP in April 2012.

Mr Thomson declined to comment on the McArdle case.

But he told AAP two supporters, Mark Worthington and Rodney Allan, had so far raised close to $50,000 to cover his own legal bills.

"I am delighted with the support I have received through many, many donations from across Australia and from my region of the NSW Central Coast," Mr Thomson said.

"I would like to thank everybody who has supported me."

About 30 people attended the $150-a-head fundraiser in central Sydney on Thursday night.

Blogger Peter Wicks said he bought a ticket because Mr Thomson deserved a fair go.

"They haven't been able to prove anything yet," he said.

"It is Australia we're living in, not North Korea."

Reporters were prevented from entering the fundraiser but Mr Thomson spoke briefly to them outside.

He said he had received plenty of small donations totalling about $50,000.

He wouldn't say how much of his legal expenses this would cover but expected they would cost 'lots'.

Mr Thomson added that he wasn't worried about the turnout at the fundraiser.

"We've got money in the bank," he said.

"We've raised just around $50,000.

"It's a good start."

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