Blaze in illegal Indian market kills 13

A FIRE has swept through a six-storey building housing an illegal market in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, killing 13 people who were unable to escape the inferno, local officials say.

"The death toll in the Surya Sen market fire has jumped to 13," state fire services minister Javed Khan told AFP on Wednesday.

"The market has only one exit point and those who stayed in the market at night were trapped after the fire broke out."

Hundreds of firefighters were at the scene of the blaze near the railway station in the centre of the former colonial capital of India, where decrepit and poorly maintained buildings are vulnerable to fires.

The victims of Wednesday's blaze were thought to be men who were sleeping in the building when the fire broke out around 4am (0930 AEDT), director of fire services for West Bengal state Gopal Bhattacharya told AFP.

"The market housed in the two floors of the building has no legal sanction," he explained.

In late 2011, 90 people were killed when a fire engulfed a hospital in Kolkata while in March 2010 a huge blaze on one of the city's most exclusive streets left at least 43 dead.

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Is this the world's worst coach?

THE estranged partner of NRL star Ben Barba last night angrily denied rumours about their relationship, declaring that Barba had not assaulted her. Brother wants Ben to call home | Ben's still the face of NRL | Odds good that stars will gamble | Cry for help

• Tom Maynard: Rising star 'on drugs when killed'

Rusty building to Tracy strength

TROPICAL Cyclone Rusty is sitting menacingly over the Pilbara, bringing extremely heavy rainfall and very dangerous winds.

Legendary newsman is gravely ill

VETERAN journalist Peter Harvey, who has been battling cancer, is believed to be gravely ill.

Asylum seeker on assault charge

A YOUNG Sri Lankan man charged over the sex assault of a student at Macquarie Uni is an asylum seeker, immigration officials confirm.

Quality meat latest currency for drugs

TOP quality meat is the latest currency on the drugs market, with one butcher convinced his prime stock is being traded for something far less wholesome.

Teenage 'Bonnie and Clyde' laugh at courts

TEENAGE couple, who went on eight-month crime spree of police chases, fraud and theft, laugh at Queensland's "joke" of a justice system.

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Red Alert as Rusty batters WA coast

TROPICAL Cyclone Rusty is sitting menacingly over the Pilbara, bringing extremely heavy rainfall and very dangerous winds to a vast swathe of the West Australian coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a red alert cyclone warning for coastal areas from Bidyadanga to Mardie including Port Hedland, Karratha and Dampier, and adjacent inland areas of the Pilbara, including Marble Bar, Nullagine and Millstream.

The red alert means people should go to shelter immediately.

The Bureau of Meteorology says people in Pilbara region towns between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland and South Hedland, should remain indoors.

Wind gusts of more than 165km/h are predicted in the area as the cyclone approaches the coast, the bureau says.

At 2am (WST) this morning, the category 3 storm was barely moving, loitering some 125km north-northeast of Port Hedland and 285km northeast of Karratha.

The Bureau warns the slow motion and large size of Rusty means very destructive winds will hit the WA coast well before the eye of the storm.

Port Hedland has already experienced gusts up to 120km/h per hour, with conditions set to worsen slowly throughout Wednesday.

Gale force winds will rip along the coast between Sandfire Roadhouse and Whim Creek, with the destructive winds extending from near Port Hedland to around Wallal.

The Bureau is warning of very destructive winds of up to 165 km/h between Whim Creek and Pardoo.

Those in communities between Wallal and Pardoo, extending inland to Marble Bar, are on yellow alert, with a warning to take action and prepare to shelter.

Even for those used to living in WA's 'cyclone alley', Rusty is becoming a storm they will long remember.

Rusty's massive size and slow movement is also set to unleash rain causing major flooding in the De Grey catchment and significant flooding in the Fortescue catchment as well as in Pilbara coastal streams.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts the system to intensify to a Category 4 system, equal to Cyclone Tracy which obliterated Darwin, witn the next 24 hours before the eye of the storm crosses the coast today.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty's intensity, size and slow movement is also likely to lead to a very dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre nears the coast.

NASA's Terra satellite has taken images from space of Rusty as it approaches the coast, with satellite data reporting the storm developing an eye 20 nautical miles wide.

RED ALERT: Tropical Cyclone Rusty has intensified to a category three storm with 195km/h winds at its centre and is bearing down on the Pilbara coast. Picture: Geoff Pritchard

While Port Hedland and South Hedland residents have been urged to leave their homes, the shire's deputy mayor, George Daccache, is bunkering down in his security screen-clad home.

A Port Hedland resident of 40 years, Mr Daccache has seen his fair share of wet season wild weather, but expects this cyclone will be one of the worst the town has ever seen.

“If something hits you at 150km/h, you’re going to feel it,” he said.

"This one's a bit of a beauty.''

With residents heeding warnings to stay safe, the streets are empty, as are supermarket shelves after a rush to prepare for Rusty's arrival.

"It's going to be a pain waiting for two to three days for this to come and go,'' Mr Daccache said.

"We've just to hang in there hour by hour, and batten down the hatches.''

Mr Daccache said he was most concerned about an expected storm tide, which threatens to inundate the lower-lying western part of the town.

Many homes had lost power, but most residents were staying at emergency shelters.

RED ALERT: Tropical Cyclone Rusty has intensified to a category three storm with 195km/h winds at its centre and is bearing down on the Pilbara coast. Picture: Geoff Pritchard

RED ALERT: Tropical Cyclone Rusty has intensified to a category three storm with 195km/h winds at its centre and is bearing down on the Pilbara coast. Picture: Geoff Pritchard

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Hired: Teen walks 16km in the snow for a job

Jahqueil Reagan, 18, was over the moon at getting himself a job. Picture: Fox59 Source: news.com.au

• Jahqueil Reagan planned to walk 16km for interview
• Teen stopped to ask restaurant owner for directions 
• Restaurant owner was impressed. He hired him

WHEN teenager Jahqueil Reagan stopped to ask a man for directions, he unwittingly talked himself into a job.

Reagan was walking to an interview in Indianapolis when he came upon Art Bouvier, the owner of Papa Roux Po Boys and Cajun Food, and asked him how much further he had to walk.

That's when he revealed he was on was on a 10-mile (16km) trek, through the snow, to interview for a job. He didn't even have enough money for a bus ticket.

Guess who Reagan's working for now?

Bouvier and his wife then later spotted the 18-year-old walking to the interview and stopped to give him a ride the rest of the way.

They told him to take the interview as planned, but Bouvier knew then and there he'd found a new, dedicated member of the Papa Roux team.

"I'm thinking to myself, here's a kid walking almost 10 miles in the ice and slush and snow for the hope of a job at minimum wage," Bouvier told Fox 59.

"That's the kind of story your parents used to tell, my parents used to tell, up both ways in the snow."

There's even more to this incredible story than a long walk through the snow.

Reagan quit school two years ago to care for his siblings full-time after the death of their mother.

He obtained his qualifications while studying from home.

Bouvier was blown away by the teenager's work ethic, saying it's something you dream about as a restaurant owner when hiring young staff.

But it was the 18-year-old who was most grateful.

"I'm lucky I met him," Reagan said. "I'm really lucky I met him.

"It's crazy. I don't even know. It's really crazy.

"My heart's just racing right now. I'm just too excited, just excited to start."

He's too excited to start his part-time job at a restaurant. Jahqueil Reagen will go far.

In addition to a new job the local transit authority gave Reagan a one-year travel pass free of charge.

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Wine in supermarkets 'fits SA lifestyle'

SELLING bottled wine in supermarkets fits with South Australia's European lifestyle, Attorney-General John Rau says.

The state government is considering allowing supermarkets, including Woolworths and Coles, to sell wine on a limited basis.

The move has raised objections from hotel groups and independent liquor retailers who believe it will cost jobs and entrench the market power of the supermarket giants.

But Mr Rau said South Australia had long embraced a European-style culture where wine and food were part of the lifestyle.

He said wine in supermarkets and recent legislation to allow the establishment of small bars in Adelaide would "feed directly into that".

"Sensible wine and food consumption, that's what we're on about," he said.

"That's completely different to the boozy, alcohol-abuse culture that we're trying to deter."

Under the government's proposal a new category of licence would let wine makers sell bottled products directly from supermarkets.

The licence would come with restrictions including limited display, limited hours of trade and would only apply to supermarkets with a floor space of more than 400 square metres.

It would not include the sale of beer, fortified wines, spirits, cider, casks or flagons.

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Giant koalas to prowl the Gold Coast

A COLONY of 21 giant koalas is about to be let loose on the streets of the Gold Coast.

The sculptures, each as high as a man's shoulder, were created by local artist John Cox, the winner of an Academy Award for his work on the film Babe, at his Creature Workshop in Molendinar.

Artists from around Australia have decorated the koalas in various styles.

The Animals with Attitude sculpture trail will be launched at Broadbeach by Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley on Friday.

After this weekend the koala sculptures will be distributed throughout the Gold Coast along a trail that can be followed by downloading a map online.

The locations will include major shopping centres and council parks.

The koalas will be auctioned at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on May 4 to raise funds for its animal hospital, which receives no ongoing state or federal government funding.

The Animals With Attitude map can be downloaded at www.cwhf.org.au/events.

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Fire burning near homes in west Sydney

FIREFIGHTERS are battling a slow-moving grass fire burning close to homes in the city's west.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) on Wednesday afternoon said that crews were fighting the blaze at a reserve near Starleaf Way and Ebony Place, at Macquarie Fields.

A FRNSW spokesman said a grass area of 200 metres by 200 metres was alight, but no properties were being directly threatened.

He said the "slow-moving" fire was "burning slowly" behind some houses.

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Tortured Aesha reveals new face

Reconstructive surgery has given Aesha Mohammadzai back her identity after horrific attack

Aesha Mohammadzai shows off her face after surgery for horrific injuries caused by her Afghan husband. Picture: ITV Source: Supplied

Aesha Mohammadzai who had her nose and ears cut off by her husband for attempting to escape their arranged marriage in Afghanistan, on the cover of Time magazine. Picture Time. Source: Supplied

AN AFGHAN woman whose abusive husband cut her nose and ears off has revealed the results of reconstructive surgery.

Aesha Mohammadzai, 22, became a symbol of downtrodden and oppressed Afghan women when her disfigured face appeared on the cover of Time magazine in August, 2010.

She fled to the United States from Afghanistan as an 18-year-old after her husband took her to the mountains, tortured her for trying to escape their arranged marriage and then left her for dead.

She managed to crawl to her grandfather's house who helped her recover. She spent time with a charity in the United States, and now lives with a foster family.

Ms Mohammadzai talked to US television station ITV about the life-changing surgery, declaring: "I'm happy".

To reconstruct her nose, doctors inserted a silicon shell under the skin of her forehead to expand her skin, so they had extra tissue for her new nose.

They used tissue from her arm to form the inner lining and lower part of the nose.

She said she had been abused by her husband and his family mentally and physically.

"Then one day it became unbearable so I ran away," she said.

"They caught me and put me in jail for five months. When I came out the judge sent me back to by husband. That night they took me to the mountains."

She said she wanted to tell a new story about her new life.

"I want to tell all women who are suffering abuse to be strong. Never give up and don't lose hope."

Ms Mohammadzai was promised to a Taliban fighter by her father when she was 12, to pay a debt.

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Woman jailed for 11th false rape claim

Elizabeth Jones has ben jailed for 16 months after falsely claiming she had been raped 11 times in nine years by Southampton Crown Court. Main Picture: Wikipedia Source: news.com.au

AN ENGLISH woman described as a compulsive liar has been jailed for 16 months for falsely claiming she was raped for the 11th time in nine years.

Elizabeth Jones admitted she made the false claim because she "did not like" the man she accused of assaulting her, Southampton Crown court was told.

"There is a history of her making false allegations of this nature and this is the 11th incident,” prosecutor Jennie Rickman told the court.

"Police had to take her allegation seriously and carried out an appropriate investigation.

"She was later arrested and accepted she had lied about being raped - she said she did it because she did not like him," Ms Rickman said.

Detective Constable Tim Blanche said Ms Jones had made "intimate contact" with the unnamed male victim, but "they didn't live together".

The 22-year-old, who has made 10 other false rape allegations, urged an unidentified friend to report the assault to police.  She later attended the local police station where she repeated the false allegations and underwent a full medical examination.

Police then arrested and questioned the man who denied the assault. 

"The man was arrested and he gave a statement - he had to live his life with people accusing him of being a rapist," DC Blanche told The Daily Mail.

Police reviewed CCTV footage of the part of the house where Jones claimed she had been sexually assaulted and found the vision did not support her version of events and she was not forcibly taken there.

Ms Jones plead guilty to one count of perverting the course of justice.

Judge Derwin Hope said the offense was serious because it struck at the very heart of Britain's criminal justice system.  In sentencing Jones to 16 months behind bars, Judge Hope also said the man had endured "terrible emotional experience" as a result of Jones' lies.

Megan Topliss for the defence said her client had experienced a disturbed childhood and had spent many years in care.

Ms Topliss added that Ms Jones had plead guilty at the earliest possible opportunity and had admitted to lying when challenged by police.

After Ms Jones was sentenced, it emerged that she made her first complaint at age 13 and had been given a ten month detention and training order in 2009 for a similar offence. Between 2005 and 2007 she made eight other sexual assault allegations to police, but was not charged.

DC Blanche said Ms Jones' history of false allegations left the judge with no other choice but to impose a custodial sentence as the CCTV footage clearly demonstrated that she was lying.  He hopes that the case doesn't deter genuine victims from reporting sexual assault crimes to police.

"We encourage all victims to come forward, but sadly Elizabeth was one of the people that was not telling the truth," DC Blanche said.

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Public servants get $251,000 for stress

Mental stress accounts for at least one in every 10 compo claims across the public service, with payouts averaging $251,000.Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

PUBLIC servants have been paid workers' compensation for "dirty looks'' and a coffee-shop quarrel, as bullied bureaucrats pocket an average of $251,000 for mental stress.

Government insurer Comcare has been forced to pay compo to more than a dozen public servants who won court appeals in the past year.

They include a Tax Office data analyst compensated for "psychological injury'' after fighting with a colleague over who should drink a cup of coffee.

An Austrade auditor won stress compo after her manager told her that clients had trouble comprehending her poor English.

And a Centrelink staffer who confessed she could not deal with 70 per cent of public inquiries was compensated for "adjustment disorder'', after she complained of clients' abuse and colleagues' "dirty looks''.

Mental stress now accounts for at least one in every 10 compensation claims across the public service, with payouts averaging $251,000.

It also makes up a third of Comcare's payout costs.Comcare's latest statistical report reveals 44 per cent of stress claims relate to harassment or bullying, while 34 per cent of claimants cite "work pressure''.

The number and cost of claims has caused a $9.5m blowout in workers' compensation premiums across 34 federal government agencies, official statistics provided to a Senate estimates committee reveal.

The cost to taxpayers of insuring against injury, bullying and stress claims has soared nearly $100m - or 50 per cent - in the past five years.

Comcare will charge agencies $291m in premiums this year.The Tax Office will pay $36m - even more than the Federal Police ($31m) or the Defence Department ($29m), where in-the-field jobs are inherently dangerous.

The Department of Human Services - which includes Centrelink, Medicare and the Child Support Agency - will pay the highest premium, of $61m this year.

It has been hit with a $2.6m penalty payment this year, due to the number and size of compo claims.In total, 34 departments and agencies - including national broadcaster the ABC, corporate regulator ASIC, the Commonwealth Ombudsman and even Comcare itself - have been penalised a total of $9.5m this financial year.

The cost to taxpayers has been offset by savings from 44 other agencies, which together were granted a $10m reduction in premium payments as a reward for reducing their compo claims.Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten has ordered a review of the snowballing Comcare scheme.

The "no fault'' scheme means injured workers do not have to prove negligence.

Injured staff can be paid their full salary for 45 weeks, then up to 75 per cent until the age of 65 - on top of a lump sum of up to $168,000 for permanent disability.

Comcare is seeking leave to appeal in the High Court against a recent Federal Court order that it compensate a public servant hurt when a light fitting fell on her during sex with an acquaintance in her motel room during a business trip.

CASE STUDIES

* A Tax Office data analyst was punched in the arm when he flicked coffee over a workmate's face and shirt in a cafe.

Months later, he claimed the punch had caused a whiplash neck injury.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruled the coffee-shop biff was not work-related - but still awarded compo for "psychological injury'', due to the man's perception that colleagues were "ganging up'' on him at work

.* An Austrade grants auditor was paid compensation for "adjustment disorder'' and "depressed mood''. She complained after a manager told her that grant applicants where having difficulty understanding her, given that English was ``not her first or second language''.

* A frontline Centrelink staffer was compensated for "adjustment disorder'' after management told her she must work more than one day a week. The woman claimed she was unable to deal with 70 per cent of enquiries, that customers often became agitated or abusive while waiting to be served, and that her team leaders often gave her "dirty looks''.

Comcare blamed the woman's stress on her personal life, but the AAT ruled the job had contributed to the ``adjustment disorder''.

* A Defence Department business manager won compensation for "anxiety arising from conflict in the workplace''.

The AAT ruled that her boss had aggravated her "adjustment disorder'' in the way he investigated other staff complaints about her ``belittling'' manner and "micromanagement''.

* An Education Department manager was compensated for "mental injury'' caused by "perceived'' bullying and harassment from a colleague who "wanted to take over her domain''.

She suffered depression and wet herself during an anxiety attack in her office. The AAT ruled that changes in her work duties had triggered an "adjustment disorder''.

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Japan to nominate ADB prez as BoJ chief

THE Japanese government of Shinzo Abe is set to nominate Asian Development Bank president Haruhiko Kuroda as governor of the central bank, reports say, sending the dollar surging against the yen.

The greenback surged past 94 yen in early Asian trade on Monday from 93.37 yen in New York on Friday, with investors confident that there will be fresh aggressive easing steps by Abe's administration to boost the flagging economy.

The cabinet plans to submit his nomination to parliament this week, the Nikkei and other newspapers said. The appointment requires parliamentary approval.

If approved, the 68-year-old former finance ministry bureaucrat will succeed incumbent Bank of Japan (BoJ) governor Masaaki Shirakawa, who is stepping down on March 19, several weeks before the end of his term.

Abe has decided to pick Kuroda "as he backs Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's bold monetary easing policies while maintaining good links with the international financial industry", the Nikkei said.

Abe also plans to pick Tokyo's Gakushuin University economics professor Kikuo Iwata as one of the deputy governors, while BoJ executive-director Hiroshi Nakaso is the leading contender for the other deputy position, Nikkei reported.

Immediate confirmation of the reports was not available.

Abe told a news conference on Friday in Washington that his government would start picking nominees on Monday after concluding his US trip, during which he held talks with President Barack Obama.

Kuroda spent decades as a Japanese finance ministry bureaucrat. He was responsible for international affairs and foreign exchange policy between 1999 and 2003 before assuming the post of ADB president in 2005.

A former vice finance minister for international affairs, he is known as an advocate of aggressive monetary easing to overcome Japan's deflation, a stance in line with Abe's economic policy.

Abe had warned he could change a law guaranteeing the bank's independence if it did not follow his prescription of big spending and aggressive monetary easing to rescue the economy from decades of weak growth and deflation.

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PlayStation 4 signals new era of gaming

The new Playstation 4 is expected to be unveiled today and details of game sharing are rumored despite Sony's attempt top keep key features under wraps

SONY'S launch of the PlayStation 4 this week has opened a new front in the battle of the gaming consoles - but it's smartphones and tablets that are dictating the fight.

In the seven years since the last PlayStation was launched, smartphones and tablets have become everyone's favourite device, bringing with them a new, and cheap, way of gaming.

Analysts estimate mobile devices already account for about 10 per cent of the gaming market and some predict they will be as much a force as the traditional consoles within a few years.

Consoles are having to adapt as a result. One of the key features of the PS4 is that gamers can interact with a second screen.

If they have a PlayStation Vita portable game player, they will be able seamlessly play their PS4 games.

The PS4 will also interact with iPhones, iPads and Android tablets but not to the same extent.

A person playing a game on the PS4 will able to look at a map for their game on their iPhone, for instance.

Someone can use their iPhone to watch streaming video of their friends playing on a PS4 but they will not be able to join in the game.Interactive Games and Entertainment Association chief executive officer Ron Curry said the announcement of the PS4's connection with Apple's iPhone was telling.

"The Sony announcement highlights that fact that it's no longer a console vs smartphone-tablet environment,'' Mr Curry said.

"We are seeing gaming intersecting at many points between consoles and newer platforms.

"We've seen the movement of mobile games onto consoles and adaptation of console games on mobiles, handhelds and other digital devices.''

Swinburne University communications and media lecturer Dr Mark Finn said the trouble with the PS4-iPhone announcement was that it did not go far enough.

"The functionality they are talking about here isn't really that much of a leap from what is already possible, and the Remote Play for the Vita is probably little more than an attempt to bolster what seems to be a dying console,'' he said.

Australia's video games industry recorded $1.161 billion in sales last year - a 23 per cent drop compared with the 2011 figure.

But that industry figure does not include mobile game sales which are booming.

Telsyte analyst Sam Yip said Australians will spend $730 million on digital game subscriptions and mobile games in 2013, which was a significant rise from $620 million spent in 2012.

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Oscar Pistorius freed on bail

Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail and will be released ahead of his murder trial, after the judge determined the athlete was not a flight risk. Source: AFP

OSCAR Pistorius has been granted bail and will be freed from custody pending his trial in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair said it had not been established that Pistorius was a flight risk, nor had it been established the accused would be violent again.

EARLIER: The prosecution case had wrapped up, prosecutor Gerrie Nel focusing on Pistorius's affidavit testimony as to what happened the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed. He said the accused athlete should take the stand to testify personally.

He says every angle of the athlete's story is "improbable".

"It's always easy to give a version, especially if there's only one person there," he said.

His version: The Pistorius affidavit

Carl Pistorius and father Henke hug on February 21, 2013 at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria where Oscar Pistorius is facing a bail hearing after being cgharged with murder. AFP / Joe Alexander

On the accusation that the alleged murder was premeditated, the prosecutor said: "I'm not saying the murder of Reeva Steenkamp was planned days in advance, or weeks in advance". But he says Pistorius "wanted to kill".

He also repeated the prosecution stance that Pistorius should not get bail because he is a flight risk and has likened the case to that of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is wanted for questioning over alleged sexual assaults but has claimed political asylum at an embassy in London. Mr Nel said Assange has skipped bail.

"He is a well-known person, he is as well known as Mr Pistorius," he said, explaining that fame should not be a reason to consider an accused person would not flee. He also said the double-amputee's disability should not be given special consideration.

"If somebody with disability commits a crime, we have to treat him differently? Courts cannot be seen to treat famous people differently."

"He (Pistorius) hasn't said so, but he must think that conviction is likely,'' Mr Nel said.

Aimee and Carl Pistorius have been in court each day. The strain has showed.

"He must realise that a long term of imprisonment is almost guaranteed. If you're looking at life imprisonment as a possibility, it's not easy to stay if you have means to leave.''

Mr Nel said Pistorius "has the international status to be accommodated elsewhere''.

But Magistrate Desmond Nair seemed sceptical over the argument that Pistorius would be a flight risk: Would he be "ducking and diving every day? On those prostheses?" he asks.

The defence has also raised this issue, lawyer Barry Roux saying Pistorius's disability meant he could never go through an airport without being noticed.

"If Pistorius goes through airport security, there's always a commotion, the system reacts. That shows you how difficult it is."

With both prosecution and defence arguments now completed, Magistrate Nair says he expects to make a decision on bail later tonight Australian time. He told the court his task in this case was "unenviable".

The hearing was adjourned on Thursday after a sensational third day where the lead detective on the investigation was sensationally kicked off the case after it emerged he was facing attempted murder charges.

Pistorius has admitted he fired the shots that killed his Steenkamp in the predawn hours of Valentine's Day.

He claims he mistook her for an intruder when he shot her through a locked door in a bathroom in his home.

Prosecutors said the shooting happened after the couple got into an argument and allege the killing was deliberate.

Aimee, Carl and Henke Pistorius have taken the same seats each day during the dramatic and emotional bail hearing for Oscar Pistorius, charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. AFP

They are opposing bail, saying Pistorius could be a flight risk.

One feature of the hearing has been the silent presence of Pistorius's family.

Grim-faced and occasionally wiping away tears, his father Henke, older brother Carl and younger sister Aimee have occupied the same three seats in the front row of the court house each day. Oscar's mother Sheila - who the Olympian credits as the driving force behind his success - died when he was 15.

Carl Pistorius (@carlpistorius) has been tweeting regularly since Oscar' Pistorius's arrest a week ago.

During Thursday's hearing he accused prosecutors of lying “with a straight face” as judge Desmond Nair complained about the poor quality of evidence from investigating officers.

The police station in Pretoria where Oscar Pistorius has been spending his nights in a holding cell with no bed.

Carl Pistorius took the unusual step of tweeting from inside the courtroom to condemn prosecutors.

His tweet followed claims by Mr Nel, for the prosecution, that Oscar Pistorius remains a flight risk. He said that the athlete had said that he needed his passport to compete internationally, and that he had not said he would not go anywhere.

Moments afterwards, Carl, who was sitting behind his brother, tweeted: “How does the prosecution lie with a straight face. Passport was tendered to IO [investigating officer]! I went to collect in Johannesburg upon the IO’s request.”

Earlier, as Mr Nel summed up the prosecution's case opposing bail, Oscar Pistorius began to weep in the crowded courtroom, leading Carl to reach out and touch his back.

During breaks in the proceedings Carl walks through the gallery shaking hands with supporters. He regularly has his arm was wrapped protectively around Aimee while his other shoulder, is pressed tightly against his father's.

Carl Pistorius (right) accompanies his brother Oscar as the athlete is led from the Boschkop police station east of Pretoria, en route to court for his first appearance on February 15.

But later, after the dramas involving Hilton Botha and problems with the prosecution's evidence, Carl told reporters outside court: "I feel like the court proceedings went well today. We trust that everyone has more clarity about this tragic incident."

Oscar' Pistorius's official website  has been turned over for updates on the case.

In the latest update, his uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said on behalf of the family: “We believe that this is an appropriate way to deal with the expressions of support we have received as well as keeping the media informed about any key developments in the case.

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All the Oscars action LIVE

Quvenzhané Wallis, 9, is the youngest to hit the Oscars red carpet. Here's her adorable interview. Watch Oscars live on Nine at 12.30pm AEST. Oscars Special 9.30pm AEST.

THE stars have begun to hit the red carpet for the 85th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre. Follow it LIVE here all day.

The Californian sun sparkled on golden Oscar statuettes lining the way as the A-list fashion parade got underway ahead of the awards ceremony, the climax of Hollywood's awards season.

Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama Argo is bidding to edge out Steven Spielberg's Lincoln in one of the most open races in years.

REFRESH THIS PAGE FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES

Best Supporting Actress nominee Anne Hathaway. Picture: AFP

Tinseltown's A-list stars offered up a healthy serving of old-school Hollywood glamour on the Oscars red carpet, with strapless gowns and pale colors most definitely in vogue.

Among the first down the Dolby Theatre runway was Jessica Chastain, nominated for best actress for Osama bin Laden manhunt movie Zero Dark Thirty, who played down her hopes for the evening.

Best Supporting Actress nominee Jacki Weaver arrives on the red carpet. Picture: AFP

''I'm not going to win the Oscars tonight. I just don't think it's my year,'' Chastain, who wore a strapless beaded flesh-colored Armani gown, told CNN.

Chastain said she chose her dress because it's a "very Happy Birthday, Mr. President kind of dress." See what she means . . .

Chastain's main rival, Silver Linings Playbook'star Jennifer Lawrence, strutted her stuff in a strapless cream Dior gown with a full puffy skirt.

Actress Naomi Watts arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre. Picture: AP

''This was such a passion project for all of us,'' she told E! television on the red carpet, referring to the romantic comedy with an edge that earned a total of eight nominations, including one for best picture.

Suraj Sharma, the 19-year-old star of Ang Lee's spectacular 3D fantasy Life of Pi, said he hoped the Taiwan-born director would win.

Musician Keith Urban, left, and actress Nicole Kidman. Picture: AP

''I've seen how hard he's worked.

''I really hope it comes through and he wins,'' he told broadcaster E!.

Nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, the youngest ever best actress nominee, for Beasts of the Southern Wild, wore a bejeweled navy blue Armani dress - accessorised with an age-appropriate fluffy puppy purse.

Actor George Clooney, left, and Stacy Keibler arrive at the Oscars. Picture: AP

''It has been crazy!'' Wallis said of all the attention given to her breakout performance, adding that her fellow nominees were ''more sophisticated.''

Amy Adams, a best supporting actress nominee for her performance in The Master, was on trend in a strapless pearly gray Oscar de la Renta princess gown with soft layers of tulle floating to the ground.

Reese Witherspoon got the strapless memo, but changed up the color palette in a cobalt blue and black Louis Vuitton, and glammed it up with some old-school Veronica Lake curls tumbling down.

Les Miserables star Amanda Seyfried opted for a pale purple halter neck Alexander McQueen with a sexy keyhole neckline and upswept hair.

Best supporting actress nominee and two-time Oscar winner Sally Field, who starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, made a bold statement in a signature Valentino red dress with sheer long sleeves and a train.

And she definitely won the award for best accessory of the night - she arrived with Lincoln co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays her son in the film, on her arm.

Justin Theroux, left, and Jennifer Aniston arrive at the Oscars. Picture: AP

For fashion and jewelry designers, having an A-list star show up on the Oscars red carpet in one of their creations is worth more than any print advertising - thanks to the global coverage of Tinseltown's biggest night.

Last year, Angelina Jolie's leg-popping appearance in a strapless black velvet Versace gown with a thigh-high slit went viral - and gave the Italian fashion house unbeatable media exposure.

We hear Aussie Best Actress nominee Naomi Watts is wearing Armani while Best Supporting Actress nominees Anne Hathaway and Sally Field will be wearing Valentino Couture, as will actress Jennifer Aniston.

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis and wife Rebecca Miller. Picture: Getty Images

Heidi Klum had a team of people to help prepare her for Oscars night.

She tweeted "Getting all dolled up with @LindaHayMakeup for one of my favorite nights of the year!

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will be cooking for the 1500 guests at the post-Oscars Governor's Ball. Check out what's on the menu.

Actress Jennifer Garner and actor-director Ben Affleck. Picture: Getty Images

Earlier today, Aussie actor Hugh Jackman told Triple M in Sydney he'd prepared for Oscars night with an early-morning swim with his seven-year-old daughter Ava, before heading in for a final rehearsal at the Dolby theatre.

"I gotta tell you I'm feeling pretty good," the Best Actor nominee said.

"I went to rehearsals last night and I caught a glimpse of Seth MacFarlane who's hosting it and it took me back to 2009 when I hosted, and I was like - being nominated is a walk in the park.

"It also helps being in a category where there's Daniel Day Lewis, you don't even have to worry about an acceptance speech.

Jackman tipped Argo to win Best Picture and Ang Lee to take out Best Director for Life of Pi.

Actress Veronica Ferres on the Oscars red carpet. Picture: Jason Merritt/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Singer Adele arrives to the Oscars. Picture: AFP

In a heavily musical show, British songstress Adele is to sing the 007 theme Skyfall as part of a segment feting 50 years of Bond films - and legendary diva Barbra Streisand will give her first Oscars performance for 36 years.

Ben Affleck - who would be the first person to win best picture without being nominated as director since Driving Miss Daisy in 1990 - got a diplomatic boost on Saturday when new US Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted best wishes.

''Good luck BenAffleck and enArgo at the Oscars. Nice seeing StateDept & our Foreign Service on the big screen.-JK,'' wrote Kerry, referring to the film's plot about an audacious CIA plot which rescued six US diplomats from Tehran.

Reese Witherspoon arrives on the red carpet. Picture: AFP

Steven Spielberg, bidding for his first best picture Oscar since Schindler's List in 1994, tops the nominations with 12 nods for Lincoln - but Argo has cleaned up in Hollywood's awards season so far, despite having only seven.

Although he started the season two months ago as the favorite, Spielberg may have to settle for the best director award - one that Affleck cannot beat him to, having not been nominated in the category, in a perceived snub.

One near-certainty is that Lincoln star Daniel Day-Lewis will be named best actor, a record third for the British-Irish actor after wins in 1990 for My Left Foot and in 2008 for There Will Be Blood.

For best actress, the early favorite was Chastain, but the clever money is now on Jennifer Lawrence for her turn in Silver Linings Playbook.

The best supporting actress race is more open, although Anne Hathaway is probably still the frontrunner for her heart-wrenching turn in Les Miserables, which is also nominated for best picture.

The most unpredictable race of all is perhaps for best supporting actor, with Hollywood legend Robert De Niro tipped by some for playing Cooper's father in Silver Linings Playbook.

Jessica Chastain. Picture: Getty Images

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Govt appoints children's commissioner

THE Gillard government has appointed Megan Mitchell as Australia's first national children's commissioner.

Ms Mitchell is the NSW commissioner for children and young people.

"We want every child to grow up safe, happy and well," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a statement on Monday.

"The new commissioner will make sure the needs of children and young people are put front and centre."

The children's commissioner will sit within the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Her tasks will include promoting public awareness of issues affecting children, conducting research and education programs and looking at commonwealth legislation, policies and programs that relate to children's human rights.

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