Glass found in frozen broccoli bags

Bags of frozen broccoli are being recalled after bits of glass were discovered inside the product. Source: AAP

BAGS of frozen broccoli are being recalled after bits of glass were discovered inside the product.

Metcash Trading is recalling 500g bags of Black and Gold broccoli florets from IGA stores and other independent grocers across Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, and in the ACT.

Only bags that have a best before date of July 8, 2014 with a batch code of YJ12190 are impacted by the voluntary recall.

The company said in a statement that it is in contact with the manufacturer to find out what happened.

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Abbott has fans on Gillard's home ground

THE giant Liberal Party banners dominated the Adelaide street corner, the words "Hope, Reward and Opportunity" beaming out across the traffic.

A large gathering of the party faithful, draped in matching blue t-shirts, waited eagerly for their leader to arrive.

The scene looked almost presidential as Tony Abbott took to the stage amid a sea of banners to promise his troops a vision for the future.

"That bright future starts on the seventh of September!" he said, before jumping offstage to mingle with fans.

It's hard to believe this used to be Julia Gillard's turf.

She was the home favourite in South Australia, credited with delivering Labor historic swings in the state in the 2010 election.

But the "Julia Gillard effect" won't play a part in the upcoming election.

The Liberals are hoping her ousting as Labor prime minister by Kevin Rudd will in fact play into their hands in SA and help them win or secure a number of key seats.

Abbott popped by three of these seats on Saturday - Boothby, Sturt and Hindmarsh.

The coalition holds Boothby by a razor-thin 0.6 per cent margin. Local member Andrew Southcott is promising $500 million to upgrade a major local road if elected.

Gillard, who went to school not far from where he was standing, used to have strong local credentials here. But Southcott's not worried he'll lose the seat he's held since 1996, he said.

"Unfortunately for them, Kevin Rudd is the guy who came along and knifed the hometown girl," he told AAP.

Fellow SA MP Christopher Pyne got a boost from Abbott as well, with the opposition leader promising $17.5 million to upgrade a leisure centre in his electorate.

Mary Crouch, a member of the local Norwood Flames basketball club since 1971, said this pledge was a sure-fire vote winner.

"We just need the coalition to win, fingers crossed!" she told AAP as Pyne and Abbott tossed basketballs with children.

The opposition leader had to wear a number of hats on Saturday, switching from local hero to aspiring prime minister as he dealt with questions on Syria's worsening civil war.

Reports that the Syrian regime had employed chemical weapons against their people saw Rudd return to Canberra and suspend his campaign temporarily.

Abbott initially said he'd get his briefing from his deputy Julie Bishop but later his office confirmed he'd be attending the official meeting as well.

He may look like a leader in waiting but Abbott marked the two-week point to the election by warning his supporters to be anything but complacent.

"My friends, there is still much to be done," he said in Hindmarsh, a seat they hope to win from Labor's Steve Georganas.

The stump speech to about 100 people was just a warm up, as Abbott prepares to officially launch the coalition's election campaign in Brisbane on Sunday.

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Kylie Minogue may join The Voice UK

KYLIE Minogue could be following in sister Dannii's footsteps on reality TV after emerging as a frontrunner to join the British version of The Voice.

Minogue is in talks to star in the third series of the BBC reality TV singing contest, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The publication cites an insider as saying the pop princess has been shortlisted to appear on the show, although she has yet to officially sign on.

If confirmed, the pop star will join Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and crooner Tom Jones on the judging panel.

Minogue joined sister Dannii on Sunday's episode of The X Factor Australia in the mentoring chair, delivering a ratings hit for the Seven Network.

In 2012, the pop princess was rumoured to have been in talks with producers of Britain's X Factor to appear as a judge.

At the time, Minogue didn't rule out tackling a reality TV role in the future.

"It may only be a matter of time, who knows? Those shows are going to keep happening every year for the foreseeable future. I'm a fan of those shows," she told Britain's Sunday Express.

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Inquiry into ministerial propriety in NSW

A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry will be held into ministerial propriety in NSW amid claims about the conduct of a number of government ministers.

The minor parties sided with Labor in the upper house on Thursday to vote in favour of the committee, which will have the power to compel witnesses to appear.

It will look into ministerial responsibility, potential conflicts of interest between a minister's public and private interests, the influence of lobbying and the lobbyist code of conduct.

"Several ministers within the O'Farrell government have been subjected to serious questions over their conduct in office," Opposition Leader John Robertson said after the vote.

Labor MP Luke Foley said the "soap opera" surrounding former finance minister Greg Pearce, who was sacked earlier this month, showed the government had failed to deliver on its promised higher standards.

Mr Pearce became the government's first ministerial casualty for failing to disclose a conflict of interest over an appointment to the board of Sydney Water.

The committee could examine allegations raised during budget estimates last week over Treasurer Mike Baird's role in the appointments of three Liberal Party donors to the boards of state-owned corporations.

Community Services Minister Pru Goward has also been accused of misleading parliament and the public over the number of case workers in child protection.

"There is a serious case for the upper house - as the house of review - to take a closer look at the conduct, the actions and the statements of Barry O'Farrell's ministers in office," said Mr Foley, who is the opposition leader of the upper house.

"If NSW ministers are behaving ethically, with probity and are telling the truth, they have nothing to fear."

Asked about the inquiry on Thursday morning, Mr O'Farrell said he was happy to co-operate and appear before any review.

The state's corruption watchdog last month recommended two former Labor MPs, Ian Macdonald and Eddie Obeid, be charged following the largest corruption investigation in NSW's history.

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US govt 'deeply saddened' by Lane murder

THE US government is "deeply saddened" by the drive-by shooting murder of Australian baseball player Chris Lane in Duncan, Oklahoma.

During a press briefing in Washington DC on Tuesday that covered the unrest in Egypt, Middle East peace talks and the Bangladesh elections, a spokesperson for US Secretary of State John Kerry, Marie Harf, was asked about Mr Lane's death.

"The United States is deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of the death of an Australian citizen in Oklahoma," Ms Harf said.

"This is clearly a tragic death, and we extend our condolences to the family and the loved ones. We understand that local authorities are focused on bringing those responsible to justice. Clearly, we would support that."

The State Department's comments came after former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer urged Australian tourists to stay away from America to protest the need for stricter gun controls in the US.

Duncan schoolboys James Edwards, 15, and Chancey Luna, 16, have been charged with first-degree murder and face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Michael Jones, 17, was charged with using a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a weapon and accessory after the fact of murder in the first degree.

Jones faces up to 45 years in jail if convicted.

Prosecutors allege the boys randomly selected Mr Lane on Friday while he jogged down a Duncan street.

Mr Lane was shot with a .22 revolver "for the fun of it" because the boys were bored, authorities allege.

Mr Lane, 22, from Melbourne, had a scholarship to study and play baseball at Oklahoma's East Central University.

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Palmer says he's found huge PNG gas field

QUEENSLAND mining magnate Clive Palmer says he has discovered one of the world's largest gas fields, a $35 billion deposit off Papua New Guinea.

Privately-owned company Palmer Petroleum, which he chairs, says the offshore gas field is in the Gulf of Papua, west of Port Moresby.

"The results of the studies are extremely favourable," Mr Palmer said on Wednesday.

"The asset could be worth in excess of $US35 billion and is potentially one of the world's largest gas fields."

He said the gas deposit is located near Exxon Mobil's $US19 billion LNG project in Papua New Guinea, on the northern end of the Gulf of Papua.

Mr Palmer said his company spent more than $50 million to explore an area of more than 3000 square kilometres.

Drill hole analysis and 3D surveys were conducted with British geological company Robertson, which belongs to the world's largest seismic surveyor of oilfields, CGG.

Analysts declined to comment on the discovery.

Earlier this year, Oil Search, which operates all of Papua New Guinea's oilfields, said it found modest quantities of gas in the Gulf of Papua, which led to its decision to pursue further exploration.

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N. Korea slams South leader over drill

NORTH Korea has accused South Korean President Park Geun-hye of provocative war-mongering a day after Seoul launched an annual military drill with the US.

Rather than criticising the joint exercise itself - as it has often done in the past - the North focused its anger on comments Park made at a meeting of her National Security Council that coincided with the start of the drill on Monday.

At the meeting, held in an underground bunker, Park made it clear that South Korea should not allow its guard to drop despite a recent easing of tensions with the North.

"No matter how peaceful things are, a crisis would come if we forget about war," Park said.

"It is very important to ensure firm security preparedness in any circumstances," she added.

The 10-day Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise is a largely computer-simulated drill that plays out the scenario of a North Korean invasion.

Pyongyang has bitterly condemned the exercise in the past, but has been muted in its criticism this year following a series of recent breakthroughs in North-South talks on cross-border projects.

Tuesday's denunciation by the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said Park's comments amounted to an "agitation for extreme confrontation" and poured "cold water" on the recent efforts at reconciliation.

"(Seoul) should clearly know that if they continue to pursue confrontation ... (inter-Korea) ties will go back to the worst point, entailing uncontrollably catastrophic consequences," the committee said in a statement.

The statement contained no direct criticism of the military exercise and did not address Park by name, referring only to the South's "chief executive".

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Second charged over Gold Coast murder

A 27-year-old woman is being questioned over the murder of a Gold Coast businessman last month. Source: AAP

A SECOND person will be charged with the murder of a prominent Gold Coast businessman, police say.

Shyam "Sam" Dhody, 37, was shot dead at his Gilston home on July 5.

Officers say a man, 32, is expected to face a bedside hearing in a Brisbane hospital on Tuesday afternoon to be charged with murder and attempted murder.

Mr Dhody's partner was charged with murder earlier on Tuesday.

She wasn't initially considered a suspect after telling police she found his body on their bed when she returned home from work.

But she was taken in for questioning before being charged with murder and attempted murder.

She's due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Her lawyer Jason Jacobson told reporters she was "in shock" and would defend the charges.

"She absolutely denies any involvement what-so-ever in either of the alleged offences," he said.

"We are going to do our best to proceed with an application to the Supreme Court for her bail as soon as possible."

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New car sales economy's 'shining light'

NEW car sales remain a shining light of the Australian economy, despite falling last month.

New car sales in July fell 3.5 per cent from June to 93,797, but were up three per cent over the past 12 months, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.

CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian downplayed the fall.

"If you look at the broader picture, over the past 12 months we've sold a record 1.14 million cars," Mr Sebastian said.

"The car industry has certainly been benefiting from consumers updating their rides.

"That spending has probably come down to cheaper vehicles and the strength of the currency allowing the automakers to discount a little bit deeper than they normally would.

"Perhaps there's a bit of modest consolidation for the sector but certainly, it's one of the shining lights of the Australian economy."

Mr Sebastian said four-wheel drives and SUVs seemed to be the big driver of new car sales, accounting for a record 36.1 per cent of all sales over the past 12 months.

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Dentist charged over surgery faces trial

OVER a period of weeks, a Sydney dentist allegedly went to nursing homes and filed down the teeth of a dozen elderly residents without their consent, a court has heard.

Dr Andrew Istephan, 34, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of assault occasioning actual harm on nursing home residents between September and November 2011.

At the opening of his trial crown prosecutor Gary Corr told the Downing Centre District Court that Istephan had been contracted by the organisation, Elderlink.

The organisation, which provides health services to nursing homes, outsources procedures and then takes fees from the money provided under government schemes.

The rest of the funding is provided to the specialist providing the care.

Of the dozen people Istephan performed procedures on, Mr Corr said only three - Ethel Walker, Nancy Johnston and Ealinor Huxley - were capable of giving consent themselves.

"On all of these persons he filed their tooth or teeth down for the preparation of a crown," Mr Corr said.

"Those three women will say they did not consent to having their teeth filed down."

The other nine people were not capable of consenting due to dementia or other issues.

Mr Corr says the families of these people were not consulted about the dental work.

"You will hear that the majority of those cases the preparation for crowns occurred on the first time.

"Within minutes of examining them he had drilled around at the enamel of the teeth in order to prepare for crowns."

Defence barrister Gregory Heathcote said when a patient was not capable of giving consent, Istephan gained permission from staff at the facilities, which included homes run by Uniting Care.

He said Istephan then proceeded "out in the open", drilling and making moulds of patients' teeth.

The trial before Judge David Frearson continues.

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Egypt Islamists vow new demonstrations

Egyptian Islamists announced fresh demonstrations after police cleared a Cairo mosque of protesters. Source: AAP

EGYPTIAN Islamists have announced fresh demonstrations after police ended a tense stand-off with protesters in a Cairo mosque, as the death toll from four days of violence surpassed 750.

Security forces on Saturday dragged Islamist supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi from the Al-Fath mosque, passing through angry crowds who called them "terrorists" and tried to beat them.

The interior ministry said 385 people inside the mosque had been arrested.

The clashes came as the government said the country's death toll had risen to more than 750 since Wednesday, when police cleared two camps of Morsi loyalists in the capital.

A statement by the Anti-Coup Alliance said several marches would take place in Cairo on Sunday afternoon, continuing the daily campaign of protests in defiance of an intensifying crackdown.

According to an AFP tally, more than 1000 people have been killed since mass demonstrations at the end of June against the unpopular rule of Morsi, accused of concentrating political power in the hands of his Islamist backers and of failing to address economic woes.

He was deposed by the military on July 3 in what his supporters say was an armed "coup d'etat" that deepened splits in an already highly divided society.

Meanwhile, international criticism of the bloodshed mounted, with Germany and Qatar jointly condemning the "brutal violence" and United Nations boss Ban Ki-moon urging "maximum restraint" and "de-escalation" at what he termed a "dangerous moment" for Egypt.

The siege of the Al-Fath mosque in Ramses Square began on Friday, with security forces surrounding the building where Islamists were sheltering and trying to convince them to leave.

The Islamists had lined up the bodies of dozens of protesters who had been killed on Friday inside the mosque-turned-morgue.

By Saturday afternoon, the situation turned violent, with an AFP reporter at the scene saying gunmen inside the mosque were trading fire with police outside.

Police eventually dragged people from inside the mosque, firing in the air to hold back residents who tried to attack the Islamists with sticks and iron bars.

Both outside the mosque and elsewhere in Cairo, residents targeted those suspected of being Islamists, often for no more than wearing a beard or a veil.

The tense siege came at the end of "Friday of anger" demonstrations called by Morsi's supporters that left at least 173 people dead across the country, including 95 in the capital and 25 in Alexandria.

Among those killed on Friday was a son of Mohamed Badie, chief of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement.

The interior ministry said it had arrested 1004 Brotherhood "elements" during the unrest, and on Saturday security sources said the brother of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri had been detained.

Sources also said one soldier was killed in northern Sinai where militants have launched daily attacks against security forces.

Egypt's interim army-backed government has defended the crackdown, with presidential adviser Mustafa Hegazy saying forces had acted with "a huge amount of self-restraint and self-control".

The cabinet has also insisted the security services were acting to confront a "terrorist plot".

But international criticism poured in on Saturday.

Thousands marched in Turkey against Morsi's ouster, and the Vatican said Pope Francis was following events with "mounting concern."

The United States has announced the cancellation of its biannual military exercise with Egypt, but stopped short of suspending $US1.3 billion ($A1.43 billion) in annual aid.

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Jailed agent stole trust money to gamble

A SYDNEY real estate agent who laundered nearly $1 million of his clients' money to feed his gambling addiction will spend at least one year behind bars.

Former big-time Surry Hills agent Patrick Scott was jailed this week for siphoning $813,936 from his company trust account, NSW Fair Trading says.

The former LJ Hooker director was the sole signatory of the account, and moved the money into a personal account set aside for betting.

On one occasion he bet $77,000 from the Sportingbet account in a single day.

His total losses over two years amounted to $518,788.

Scott confessed to NSW Fair Trading investigators in November 2011, telling them he had a gambling problem, before handing over his real estate licence.

He was sentenced in Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday to 16 months' jail, with a non-parole period of one year.

Fair Trading commissioner Rod Stowe said the sentence was fair, given the amount of money involved.

"Consumers have the right to have their investments being held in trust by agents kept safe," Mr Stowe said.

"Mr Scott abused this position of trust, by dipping into trust accounts containing hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to his clients."

Scott's sentencing was part of a wider crackdown on real estate agents.

A Fair Trading spokeswoman told AAP it was investigating 29 other cases.

A trust account is used to hold money on behalf of a client until the funds are needed to complete a sale.

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