45 seconds to take cover in South Korea

North Korea's Unha-3 rocket lifts off from the Sohae launch pad in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. Source: AP

AN international relations expert bound for Seoul has advised Australians heading for the South Korean capital they will get only 45 seconds notice of a North Korean artillery strike.

Professor Andrew O'Neil said North Korea could fire multiple launch rocket systems on Seoul as far as the capital's main river, the Han, or use chemical weapons to confuse or slow down the South Korean and United States military presence in the region.

"Australians are taking advantage of cheap flights to Seoul," said Prof O'Neil, professor of Griffith University's School of Government and International Relations.

"If North Korea does launch a strike, US and South Korean intelligence has proven they can fire 20 rounds in one go and up to a thousand rounds of large scale rocket systems.

"The last time North Korea made a strike near the Northern Limit Line, in November 2010, South Korea did not strike back.

"If there is a repeat of anything like this, I don't think South Korea can sit on their hands and do nothing. They will respond."

North Korean soldiers guard an Unha-3 rocket (developed from the Taepodong-2) at the Tangachai-ri space centre; Pyongyang says it can strike the US mainland. Source: AFP

Prof O'Neil, who is travelling to Seoul on a four-day business trip, advised Australians in Seoul  to remain in their hotel rooms if air strikes begin.

"You've got to realise that North Korea has a mentality which dates from Kim Jong-un's grandfather fighting in anti-Japanese guerrilla groups prior to World War II," he said.

"You look at who controls the military and they are in their 60s and 70s. They are old warriors with a view of the United States dating back to the 1950s, as the sworn enemy of North Korea."

South Korean army soldiers on a military truck move during an exercise against possible attacks by North Korea in Pocheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Monday, April 8, 2013. North Korea said Monday it will recall 51,000 North Korean workers and suspend operations at a factory complex it has jointly run with South Korea, moving closer to severing its last economic link with its rival as tensions escalate.(AP Photo/Ahn Yong-joon) Source: AP

Return flights to Seoul are being advertised by Flight Centre for as low as $704.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website posts a travel warning of "tense" relations between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and North Korea and says further provocations cannot be ruled out following the attempted launch of a satellite using a long-range missile on December 12, 2012.

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Almost $15b wiped off share market

An investor watches market indices monitors at the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) during morning trade in Sydney 11/08/2011. Source: Supplied

• Falling commodities and slowing China growth
• BHP and Rio Tinto shares fall today
• ASX200 closes down 45.6 points

ALMOST $15 billion has been stripped from Australian companies after the worst single day loss in a month.

Australian stocks were whacked after the nation's biggest trading partner China revealed its economic resurgence had stalled.

The benchmark ASX200 was down 0.9 per cent, or 45.6 points, to close at 4967.9. The broader All Ordinaries index was 49.2 points, or 0.98 per cent, weaker at 4,966.8

Resource companies that rely on Chinese sales were hit hard.

BHP was down 3.12 per cent, or $1.04, to finish at $32.31 and Rio backpedalled 3.18 per cent, or $1.81, to close at $55.09.

New Chinese data released at midday showed the annual rate of growth rose by just 7.7 per cent in the first three months of the year.

This was well below consensus expectations of economists who had tipped a result as high as 8.1 per cent.

TD Securities Head of Asia-Pacific Research Annette Beacher said the slower Chinese growth would not force the Reserve Bank of Australia's hand to cut rates locally.

"Taking a step back, today's 'lower' growth outcomes are entirely consistent with the new administration's preference for more sustainable growth," Ms Beacher said.

"Steady Chinese growth is already on the RBA's radar and is not new news."

CommSec chief economist Craig James said investors had over-reacted to the latest Chinese economic data.

"While the figures under-shot expectations, the economy is continuing to record firm growth," Mr James said.

He said the data also showed Chinese consumers were still spending.

"The mix of growth is also favourable as consumer spending provided the bulk of growth in the March quarter, ahead of investment spending and international trade."

Mr James said if additional stimulus was needed the Chinese government was well placed to "wade in" with additional cash injections for their economy.

"Certainly latest inflation data doesn't act as a barrier to providing additional stimulus."

"The good news is that the latest readings will silence those calling for Chinese authorities to slow down the pace of recovery."

It is a blow for the biggest consumer of Australian exports, with the Chinese economy at the end of last year setting a pace of 7.9 per cent growth.

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Barnett won't guarantee offshore Browse

An onshore gas hub will no longer go ahead at James Price Point in the Kimberley. Pictured is Woodside Energy's Pluto LNG onshore gas plant near Karratha. Source: AFP

THERE are no guarantees that Woodside will get approval for a gas processing facility off the Kimberley coast, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett says.

Woodside last week shelved plans for an onshore gas hub at James Price Point, north of Broome, which was estimated by analysts to cost $45 billion, due to cost pressures.

Alternatives are now being considered, including floating LNG technology or a smaller onshore hub.

But Mr Barnett remains opposed to the offshore option and said Woodside and its joint venture partners should not make any assumptions.

The premier said the environmental assessment was going to be "totally different'' and could affect the outcome.

"Also, it should not be assumed that the retention of Commonwealth leases automatically means the same treatment of state leases,'' he said.

"We will look at this project, if it goes offshore, if that's what the proponents want, entirely from square one.''

Mr Barnett also reiterated that there would be no benefits package for Aboriginal people if the project did not go ahead.

Unresolved issues associated with Woodside's original plan remained, including the compulsory acquisition of land at James Price Point, the premier said.

Mr Barnett said he was still "bitterly disappointed'' that the project had been shelved.

"I don't apologise for trying as hard as I could to get this project to occur onshore, but I do apologise to the Aboriginal people for not succeeding in that,'' he said.

The premier also indicated he could demand some of the gas be reserved for WA's domestic supply and said another proponent for the gas "province'' could come forward.

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Man with two wives busted by Facebook

A NEWLYWED found out her "husband" was already married after getting a message on Facebook.

The Melbourne woman, 38, was married to her 40-year-old partner in a civil ceremony.

The Family Court heard that the couple's celebrant had asked for evidence to confirm the man's divorce.

He told the celebrant and his fiancee there was no record of his marriage from 16 years earlier and the union had never been valid. The wedding went ahead.

A short time later the woman received a Facebook message.

"Hello, new Mrs Keyet. How can you be Mrs Keyet when I am still Mrs Keyet? From the old Mrs Keyet," it said.

The woman replied, suggesting "the old Mrs Keyet" check her marriage records because it was her belief it was not valid.

The couple then separated and she contacted the other woman asking for a copy of the marriage certificate. She remained unconvinced until she searched divorce registries and found no record of the marriage being dissolved.

The man did not appear at court. He sent a text message that said: "I think I've put you through enough hurt."

Justice Kirsty Macmillan granted the woman's application to have the marriage annulled.

The woman has asked police to consider laying bigamy charges against her former partner.

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Asylum boat gets 53km from WA coast

The boat carrying Sri Lankan asylum-seekers as it pulled into Geraldton harbour last week. Picture: Twitter Source: Twitter

A SUSPECTED asylum seeker boat has been intercepted less than 53 kilometres from Broome in Western Australia, a week after another boat managed to reach Geraldton to the south.

Customs and Border Protection said the vessel was detected by one of its aircraft and then intercepted by the HMAS Ararat on Sunday about 28.5 nautical miles northwest of Broome in the Kimberley region.

A spokeswoman said 72 people were on board.

Several passengers have been taken to Broome for medical treatment.

Arrangements are now being made to transfer the passengers to Christmas Island for health, identity and security checks.

Last week, a boat with 66 Sri Lankan asylum seekers managed to reach Geraldton port in the Mid West region after spending weeks travelling more than 5000km.

Another boat arrived near Darwin last week, with 75 people on board.

Under existing legislation, asylum seekers who reach the mainland can avoid being sent to processing centres on Nauru or Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

Labor wants to change this and the legislation is currently before the Senate.

If it succeeds, mainland Australia will join the Ashmore Islands, Cartier Island, Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in being excised from the migration zone.

Asylum seekers who land outside the zone cannot make visa applications and must be processed offshore.

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Live-in asylum help

Fremantle retiree Maureen Ramsay will soon open her home to an asylum seeker and says she is looking forward to it. Source: The Sunday Times

ASYLUM seekers will be used as live-in companions for retirees and to "help out" on farms across WA under a new homestay scheme starting next month and backed by the Immigration Department.

Live-Every West Australian with a spare room is being urged to sign up for the Homestay Helping Hand program, with hosts paid $50 a week for each asylum seeker in exchange for providing board and food.

Asylum seekers, in return, are urged to "help out around the home or farm", "pick up the shopping", or "provide company for someone who's lonely".

The scheme will be run by the Australian Homestay Network, which finds accommodation for asylum seekers after they are processed on Christmas Island and released by the Immigration Department on bridging visas while their refugee claims are assessed.

Executive chairman David Bycroft said placements would start within a month and it was a "chance for Australians to put their hand up and be part of the solution instead of complaining about the problem".

He said live-in asylum seekers could not replace paid staff but they were available to help with jobs and chores around the house or farm.

The scheme is separate from another homestay program called the Community Placement Network (CPN), which started in May last year but has stalled with just over 30 placements so far this year.

CPN placements last six weeks but in the Helping Hand program, asylum seekers can stay with a host for years if both parties want it.

Mr Bycroft said there would soon be thousands of would-be refugees living in the community under the Helping Hand program because Australia "faces a massive wave of asylum seekers looking for affordable accommodation".
"The asylum seeker can help out, pick up the shopping, perhaps drive the car," he said.

"We're after retirees or couples, maybe their kids have left the home, they've got empty rooms and they want to do something good. For a single person it gives them company a great idea for someone who's lonely."

An Immigration spokesman said the department "acknowledged the value of the work the Australian Homestay Network is doing" and described its Helping Hands program as "smart, lateral thinking". The network charges each asylum seeker $100 a week, paid from government benefits.

Half is used to administer the program and the other $50 is paid to the host.

Asylum seekers released by the Immigration Department are assisted by charities and refugee groups to find accommodation but many struggle, particularly in Perth where rents are soaring. Mr Bycroft said he was also in discussions with regional councils to set up homestay operations where seasonal workers are required.

Coalition for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees spokeswoman Rosemary Hudson Miller welcomed the plan.

Doubts, but gran will open her home

SHE admits to "a little bit of trepidation", but Fremantle retiree Maureen Ramsay will soon open her home to an asylum seeker and says she is looking forward to it.

The former TAFE lecturer and manager is a mother of four and grandmother of eight who now lives alone and has two empty bedrooms.

"I feel quite concerned about the situation for asylum seekers and refugees and I thought, 'I can do something, I've got space'," the 70-year-old said.

"It might be intense at the beginning but I feel it would be more frightening for them than for me.

"I have no idea what to expect. I suppose there will be some cultural hurdles. They may not speak English.

"But I've travelled a lot and I'm pretty relaxed. I imagine their stories are quite amazing.

"Some of my friends think I'm quite naive and I guess I have a little bit of trepidation because some people are quite anti-refugees and think that anyone who is sympathetic is a bit naive. I don't agree with that. We should give people a chance.

"You'd have to have a pretty good reason for leaving your country. These people are in dire straits to do it."

Mrs Ramsay said her family supported her decision. She said the $50 a week she will receive under the Homestay Helping Hand program would mostly cover the cost of providing meals.

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No mercy: Fined at a funeral

A parking inspector from the City of Subiaco gives a hearse a parking ticket during a funeral. Source: The Sunday Times

A FUNERAL director copped a $90 parking ticket for spending one minute in a school zone while she waited to collect a coffin outside a Subiaco church.

Oakwood Funerals manager Pauline Campbell said she was "disgusted" when a City of Subiaco parking inspector slapped a fine on her hearse as the funeral for a 28-year-old man was coming to an end.

Parking outside the Subiaco Church of Christ on Bagot Rd is classified a "school zone" from 3pm on weekdays.

The ticket issued to Ms Campbell is time-stamped at 3.01pm.

"We were just getting ready to bring the coffin out, we were just starting to sing the final hymn, and I heard all this commotion out the front," she said.

"So I went out to see what was going on and there was this parking inspector standing in the middle of the road telling (the drivers) to move the cars.

"I said, 'I can't move my hearse, I'm just about to bring the coffin out', and he said, 'I gave you a chance to move it, if you don't move it you get a ticket'."

Ms Campbell said she had phoned the City of Subiaco ahead of Tuesday's funeral service to explain the hearse might be parked there after 3pm and was told she would have to park in an area at the back of the church.

But she said this was not an option as it would have meant carrying the coffin along busy Rokeby Rd.

Ms Campbell said drivers had spoken with the parking inspector earlier in the day to try to explain they might be parked there past 3pm, but were again told they would have to move.

A photograph of the ticket obtained by The Sunday Times shows it was issued at 3.03pm for a 3.01pm offence.

Ms Campbell said the actions of the parking inspector, who followed up the fine on the hearse by ticketing one of the funeral guests, sparked outrage among mothers who were collecting their children from the primary school.

She said she understood the family of the deceased planned to write a letter expressing their dismay to the City of Subiaco.

"The pallbearers were absolutely disgusted," she said.

Responding to questions by The Sunday Times, City of Subiaco chief executive Stephen Tindale said: "The vehicle that was infringed was parked in a no-stopping-at-any-time area, and was requested to move on several occasions but chose not to comply."

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Charges over alleged Merriwa hit-run

WA Police have charged a man with manslaughter after an alleged fatal hit-and-run in Merriwa. Source: PerthNow

POLICE have charged a man with manslaughter over a hit and run crash in Merriwa yesterday which claimed the life of a 29-year-old man.

It will be alleged about 9.40am the 23-year-old accused man was driving a Nissan Pulsar south on Baltimore Parade when the 29-year-old victim signalled to the driver to slow down due to his manner of driving.

It will be further alleged the accused continued to drive up to a roundabout at the intersection of Grand Paradiso Parade and after driving around it a number of times he drove back towards the direction of the victim.

The 29-year-old Butler man again stepped onto the road to signal to the driver to slow down however it will be alleged the vehicle hit the victim, throwing him over the car and onto the road.

It will be further alleged the accused failed to stop at the scene.

The victim was taken to Royal Perth Hospital and later died from his injuries.

Detectives investigating the incident went to a home in Quinns Rocks and seized the vehicle believed to be involved.

The 23-year-old man from Quinns Rocks was later arrested and charged with manslaughter, no authority to drive, fail to stop after a traffic incident and fail to report an incident occasioning death or grievous bodily harm.

He was refused bail and will appear in the Perth Magistrates Court tomorrow.

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Only ACT gets less under 'terrible' reforms

Prime Minister Julia Gillard at today's education reforms press conference in Canberra. Source: Supplied

PREMIER Colin Barnett says the prime minister's proposed education reforms, which will see Western Australian receive just $300 million from a national package of $14.5 billion, is a "terrible deal'' for the state.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has offered state and territory governments $2 for every extra $1 they invest in education, under her plan to boost school funding.

Ms Gillard today announced details of Labor's schools improvement plan, with extra base funding of $14.5 billion over six years from 2014.

Under the plan, WA would get $300 million, compared to NSW which would receive $5 billion. Only the ACT would receive less money than WA with $100 million.

Liberal West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has long been a thorn in Ms Gillard's side and came out on the attack against the prime minister's plan.

"Under the Commonwealth's model, there would be 25 per cent less funding per student than WA already provides,'' he said.

Mr Barnett said the model presented a one-size-fits-all approach to education across the country that did not work.

"We have sought further information and clarification from the Commonwealth about the financial assumptions we have received, but to date, this has not been forthcoming,'' he said.

"Julia Gillard needs to explain why NSW stands to receive 16 times more funding than WA.''

The premier said it was "incredibly disappointing'' there had not been constructive discussion about the future of education.

"As I have said before, WA will not sign up to any model that results in a reduction in state government funding to state government schools,'' he said.

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Exceptional opportunity for rookie models

Face of enex100 winners Ms en Selam Berhanu and Mr ex Michael Italiano, with Jesinta Campbell. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

THE annual search for the Face of enex100 wrapped up today with two gorgeous winners announced to front the centre's upcoming campaign.

Jesinta Campbell, ex Miss Universe Australia and enex100 ambassador jetted to Perth to announce the en-exceptional couple - Ms En and Mr Ex.

Chiropractic science student Selam Berhanu, 19, was named Ms En, and civil designer and part-time security worker Michael Italiano, 22, Mr Ex.

The pair take home a $1000 wardrobe each, and will feature in an upcoming spread in STM.  Miss Berhanu and Mr Italiano will also feature in the 2013/14 enex100 campaign.

People have often told me I should model, so I thought why not give it a shot," said Miss Berhanu on her win.

"I got to speak to last year's winner Grace Inoue - she hadn't done any modelling before either, so that's encouraging for me."

Judges included STM fashion editor Claire Davies and enex100 marketing manager Gill Collins. 

The PerthNow People's Choice Awards went to Trent Satie and Venus Oz, each taking home a $500 voucher.

More than 30 finalists and VIPs attended the city event, hosted by Gemma Walsh.

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