UK marks 25 years since Lockerbie bombing

The Lockerbie atrocity remains the deadliest act of terrorism in the UK, says PM David Cameron. Source: AAP

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has paid tribute to the "fortitude and resilience" of people affected by the Lockerbie bombing.

He said the 1988 atrocity, which killed 270 people, remained "one of the worst aviation disasters in history and the deadliest act of terrorism" committed in the United Kingdom.

"The loss of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie at 7.03pm UK time on the evening of December 21, 1988, was a shocking event," he said.

"A loss made more poignant still by being so close to Christmas.

Cameron said memories of the 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 Lockerbie residents who lost their lives had not dimmed.

"Over the last quarter of a century much attention has been focused on the perpetrators of the atrocity. Today our thoughts turn to its victims and to those whose lives have been touched and changed by what happened at Lockerbie that night," he said.

"To families, friends, neighbours, loved ones, and all those caught up in the painful process of recovery, let us say to them: our admiration for you is unconditional.

"For the fortitude and resilience you have shown. For your determination never to give up.

"You have shown that terrorist acts cannot crush the human spirit.

"That is why terrorism will never prevail.

"And even in the darkest moments of grief, it is possible to glimpse the flickering flame of hope."

The tragedy continued to forge a strong bond between Lockerbie Academy and Syracuse University, the prime minister said.

"Syracuse lost 35 of its own on that fateful evening. Nothing can restore the promise of those young lives cut short."

Each year since the tragedy the university has awarded 35 scholarships to its own undergraduates and two to Lockerbie students.

"This is the lasting and optimistic legacy bequeathed to future generations on behalf of those who lost their lives on this day 25 years ago and who we remember today," Cameron said.

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Fears for missing Qld teenager

Police fear for a 14-year-old Gold Coast girl missing for four days. Source: AAP

POLICE fear for a 14-year-old Gold Coast girl missing for four days.

Shaylin Cole has not contacted family or friends since she was last seen at Mudgeeraba, in the Gold Coast hinterland, on Tuesday night.

It is believed she may be with a female friend and possibly on her way to Sydney.

Police urge anyone who might have seen Shaylin, who is about 155 centimetres tall with a pink/red tinge to her hair and hazel eyes, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Mega zinc mine set to close in 2015

AUSTRALIA'S largest open-cut zinc mine is set close in 2015, affecting hundreds of workers.

The Century Zinc mine, near Mount Isa, achieved record mining rates this year, meaning zinc metal reserves will be exhausted one year earlier than anticipated.

The mine has about 900 employees and contractors, including many indigenous drive-in, drive-out workers.

Owner MMG says it will investigate opportunities to convert the remaining minerals to ore reserves, but expects open-pit production to cease in mid-2015.

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Portrait Gallery appoints new director

A FORMER Fulbright Scholar has been appointed the new director of the National Portrait Gallery.

Angus Trumble will take over from interim director Jennifer Bott at the Canberra gallery from February 10.

Mr Trumble was a Fulbright Scholar at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, has worked as the curator of European art at the Art Gallery of South Australia and was a Harold White Fellow.

His most recent appointment was as the senior curator of paintings and sculpture at the Yale University Center for British Art.

"Mr Trumble's appointment brings knowledge and drive to one of Australia's newest national collecting institutions," the Minister for the Arts, George Brandis, said in a statement announcing the appointment on Friday.

Mr Trumble has been appointed for a five-year term.

The National Portrait Gallery is currently hosting the summer exhibition Elvis At 21, Photographs By Alfred Wertheimer, which showcases photographs charting the king of rock'n'roll's rise to fame.

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Xenophon wants new data-interception laws

FEDERAL independent Nick Xenophon wants changes to Australian telecommunications interception laws following calls for a narrowing of National Security Agency (NSA) powers.

A review board, set up by President Barack Obama in the wake of Edward Snowden's leaking of NSA secrets, has recommended a wide-ranging overhaul of its practices while preserving "robust" intelligence capabilities.

The panel issued 46 recommendations, including an end to retention of telephone "metadata" by the spy agency.

Senator Xenophon said the report was a "wake up call" and he would introduce legislation to curtail telecommunications interception powers in Australia.

The South Australian, who has previously called for a review of Australia's data surveillance practices, said if it was good enough for the US "then it's time we did the same thing".

"In the US legislation, there are safeguards for non-US citizens to avail themselves of the same procedures and judicial review as US citizens," he told AAP on Thursday.

"If the legislation doesn't pass it will be indeed ironic that Australian citizens will have more protection under US law than under their own laws."

Australia's domestic spy agencies have been under scrutiny after Snowdon leaks revealed the Defence Signals Directorate had tapped the phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife.

"All I'm asking for the prime minister and opposition to do is to support what our closest ally is doing," Senator Xenophon said.

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Boxer unfit for trial after jail beating

A WORLD kickboxing champion known as "the Aussie sniper" is unfit to stand trial for a drug charge because of brain injuries suffered in a savage jail attack, a Sydney judge says.

Adam Keith Watt should remain out of jail for up to three years to allow him to continue his rehabilitation, Justice Derek Price has ruled.

Five years ago, Watt, 45, was charged with conspiring to import 210 kilograms of pseudoephedrine into Australia from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The former commonwealth and world champion kickboxer was accused of being in league with an international syndicate when he allegedly conspired to import the chemicals which would have produced about $50 million worth of the drug ice.

At the time of his arrest, Watt, who was trained by boxing great Jeff Fenech, was due to host an Australian TV boxing series.

While in custody in 2009, Watt was the victim of a savage assault which left him with a brain injury.

He was released on bail last year to allow him to attend the Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney.

In a judgment handed down in the Supreme Court this week, Justice Price found Watt was currently mentally unfit to stand trial.

However, he found the Crown case against Watt was capable of being proved beyond reasonable doubt and the charge should not be dismissed.

"The alleged offence is not trivial," the judge said.

"An agreement to import 210 kilograms of pseudoephedrine into Australia is a very serious offence and the accused's mental condition does not warrant the charge being dismissed."

Instead the judge ruled Watt should be released from his current bail conditions for a period not exceeding three years up until December 15, 2016.

During this time, Watt must continue to attend rehab.

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Qld AG expresses confidence in courts

Queensland's attorney-general says he's not against expanding mandatory sentencing in the state. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S attorney-general says reports of hostility between the judiciary and the government have been exaggerated.

Jarrod Bleijie says some remarks about a "cooling of relations" between judges and the government over new laws aimed at bikies and sex offenders have been blown out of proportion.

He made the comments in a speech to judges, barristers and other members of the legal fraternity at a Christmas ceremony at the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Wednesday.

He said it was ok for politicians and judges to disagree, so long as they did so in a civil fashion, and he said that had been the case in recent months.

"What is important to observe is that whilst the legislators and members of the legal community may, from time to time, disagree on important issues, that criticism should respect the institutional integrity of both the executive and the judiciary," Mr Bleijie said.

He said the government and the people of Queensland continued to have confidence in the courts to dispense justice.

"Lest the view from one end of George Street to the other has become blurred, the government and people of Queensland continue to have full confidence in the members of this and every court of the state to dispense justice according to their oaths taken."

Some judges and lawyers have been at odds with Mr Bleijie in recent months, questioning both inside and outside court some of the new laws he's introduced.

Mr Bleijie has launched a series of appeals relating to his bikie and sex offender laws, citing his view that some rulings have not reflected community expectations.

And he's said, particularly in relation to sex offenders, that as far as victims are concerned, Queensland has a legal system, not a justice system.

on Tuesday, Mr Bleijie said he would look to appeal reduced sentences given to three bikies who refused to give evidence at Crime and Misconduct Commission hearings.

In giving the men reduced sentences, Supreme Court judge Peter Applegarth referred to the government's harsh new jail conditions that apply for bikies, including solitary confinement.

As he flagged the possibility of appeals in those cases, he said the sentences failed to set a deterrent and weren't in line with what the community wanted.

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