President Obama meets Malala

US President Barack Obama (R) has met in Washington with Pakistani advocate Malala Yousafzai. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has met with 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for girls' education and the target of a Taliban assassination attempt who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Obama met with Malala on Friday, the same day the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Pakistani teen had been considered a front-runner for the prize and was in Washington to speak at two events.

The teen said in a statement after the meeting that she was honoured to meet with the president, who is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

"I thanked President Obama for the United States' work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees. I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact," she said.

She called for greater cooperation between the governments of the United States and Pakistan.

The White House said in a statement that Malala met with the president and first lady in the Oval Office where the president signed a proclamation to mark Friday as the International Day of the Girl.

The proclamation says in part that "on every continent, there are girls who will go on to change the world in ways we can only imagine, if only we allow them the freedom to dream."

Malala was shot in the head in October 2012 while she was going home from school. She was flown to a hospital in Britain, where she now lives. Her memoir "I am Malala" was published on Tuesday.

On Friday she spoke at a World Bank event and was scheduled to speak at a book event at the Sidwell Friends School, which Obama's daughters attend.

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Bali victims remembered 11 years on

LITTLE children clambered around the Bali bombing memorial in Sydney on Saturday, knocking the flowers laid by the friends and family of those killed.

One boy asked his new playmate, "Which one is yours?"

And she, a girl no older than seven, pointed to one of the names of the dead and said "He was my uncle".

They were not yet born when the bombs exploded at Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club on October 12, 2002, but they have grown up in the shadow of the attacks.

Eighty-eight Australians were among the 202 people killed in the attacks on Bali's tourist hub Kuta, and 43 of the dead were from NSW alone.

"The Bali bombing was our September 11," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a message read out to the hundreds who gathered at Coogee to mark the 11th anniversary of the blasts.

Randwick mayor Scott Nash said 20 of the dead came from Sydney's eastern suburbs, from Bondi to Malabar, and few locals had not been touched in some way by the attacks.

"The beautiful people that we lost were sons, mothers, fathers, daughters and friends," he said.

"Tough times often bring out the very best in humanity and we can see that today, as we see it each year."

Waves crashed and tourists frolicked on the beach below as mourners gathered at the Dolphins Point headland observed a moment's silence.

Among them was Kristie McKeon, who was just 12 when her mother, big sister and several family friends were killed in the bombings.

She and her father were injured but escaped with their lives.

"It was our last night in Bali," the 23-year-old recalled.

"I remember the bomb going off, being on the floor and trapped under the roof, escaping in panic through a hole and then reaching the back wall and being hoisted over as the fire grew."

The graphic designer said she had been forced to grow up without the two most important women in her life to guide her.

They will not be here to watch her marry next year.

"Family is something I lost, but something I look forward to finding again," she said.

"My only wish is that my mum and sister were here to be a part of it.

"I will never forget.

"I will always remember."

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Leighton scandal leads to third exit

A THIRD former Leighton executive has quit his current post because of an alleged connection to the construction giant's bribery scandal.

Russell Waugh, the engineering chief at UGL, has mutually agreed with the company to step down immediately.

He was appointed to the position only three weeks ago, as UGL, a $1.3 billion company, prepares to demerge its engineering and property businesses.

Among the allegations levelled against Leighton is that it paid bribes to win overseas contracts.

Mr Waugh ran Leighton's oil and gas construction business in India, and established Leighton International's offshore oil and gas business.

He has been accused of knowing about alleged corruption within Leighton International.

UGL and Mr Waugh said the decision for him to stand down was made in the interests of UGL, its clients and shareholders.

"I continue to strenuously deny all allegations made about me and reported recently in the press," Mr Waugh said in a statement.

"The allegations are based on rumour and hearsay and do not stand up to any serious scrutiny.

"I will continue to take steps to restore my reputation and good standing."

UGL said it was best for Mr Waugh to step down in order to privately defend the allegations made against him.

"This decision is not reflective of any view held by UGL on the allegations made against Russell Waugh during his tenure with Leighton," it said.

Earlier this week, former top Leighton executives David Stewart and David Savage stepped down from British firms Laing O'Rourke and Keller, also due to allegations they knew of improper conduct at Leighton.

Mr Waugh left Leighton in August, 2012.

The Australian Federal Police is investigating potential corruption within Leighton International, after the company alerted it to potential breaches of its code of ethics.

UGL shares were up 20 cents, or 2.6 per cent, at $7.80 at 1507 AEDT, and Leighton shares were up 47 cents, or 2.7 per cent, at $17.82.

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Italy's Alitalia board to meet on future

ITALIAN airline Alitalia is to hold a crunch meeting to vote on a recapitalisation plan that would save it from imminent default and avoid its planes being grounded by the weekend.

The national postal service was brought in at the last minute on Thursday and Italian media said it could stump up 75 million euros ($A108.05 million) in a planned 300-million-euro capital increase.

The airline could also seek a 200-million-euro loan.

Claudio Tarlazzi of the UIL Trasporti union said the company was not planning to repay a 95-million-euro loan from its shareholders.

Poste Italiane's investment would give it a stake of between 10 and 15 per cent in the troubled airline, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The current shareholders are a consortium of Italian companies which hold a majority and French-Dutch carrier Air France-KLM which owns 25 per cent and would like to boost its stake.

The government in a statement expressed "satisfaction" over Poste Italiane's move, but Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said the involvement was an "intermediate solution".

"Now the integration with a foreign partner can be faced in a condition of parity," he said, after weeks of talks with unions and management at Alitalia, which employs 14,000 people.

The plan still has to be formally approved by the board of directors on Friday and by an extraordinary shareholder meeting next week.

Bankruptcy for Alitalia, which already had to be bailed out five years ago, would be a major embarrassment for Prime Minister Enrico Letta as he tries to persuade investors to come to Italy and persuade Italians that the country is on the point of shaking off a two-year recession.

Alitalia "is a strategic asset for the country but not without conditions", the government statement said, adding that there would have to be "a major overhaul of the industrial plan".

Without a rescue, Alitalia would face the humiliation of having its jet fuel supplies cut off by energy major Eni starting on Saturday because it wants its debts paid back.

"There needs to be a recapitalisation or on Saturday Alitalia will have to stay on the ground," Vito Riggio, head of Italy's civil aviation agency, said on news channel SkyTG24.

"If a company does not have the funds to meet its commitments, there is no choice," he said.

Alitalia already owes ENI around 30 million euros.

Trade unions have pleaded with the government to bring in a major public investor to rescue Alitalia, but Italy has to be careful not to infringe European Union rules on state subsidies.

They have accused Air France-KLM of trying to engineer a bankruptcy to serve its own interests.

Air France-KLM has said it would like to be more involved but only under certain conditions.

"Our conditions for helping Alitalia are very strict," Air France-KLM chief Alexandre de Juniac told Les Echos newspaper last week.

"If the conditions are there, I am ready to go ahead. If not, we won't be able to do it."

Alitalia "is a company that is making a lot of effort but still has major weaknesses", he said.

"It would become Air France-KLM-Alitalia one day if we join together - a very big European home."

The French carrier Air France has its own troubles and is involved in a deep restructuring plan. The Air France-KLM group as a whole is set to become profitable again by the end of 2013.

Air France-KLM has tried to buy Alitalia in the past but the proposed deal was blocked by the government at the time and would prove hugely controversial in Italy where recent takeovers by foreign companies have been criticised.

Alitalia reported net losses of 294 million euros in the first half, compared with a 201-million-euro loss over the same period in 2012.

The company has also said it managed to reduce its overall debt to 946 million euros by June 30 of this year from 1.023 billion euros in March.

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Dutch team takes World Solar Challenge

The leading cars in the World Solar Challenge are expected to reach Adelaide on Thursday morning. Source: AAP

THE car finished in the rain, with the sun it runs on nowhere in sight, but that didn't matter to the Dutch Nuon team as they triumphed in the World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide.

The Nuna7 crossed the line on Thursday morning to claim the title with an average speed of more than 90.71km/h for the 3000km journey.

Bad weather slowed its progress on the final day but also caused problems for key rival, Tokai University from Japan.

At one stage, organisers said, the Japanese car ran out of power and was forced to pull over just north of Adelaide to recharge its batteries.

Tokai was still expected to finish second with Solar Team Twente, also from the Netherlands, heading to Adelaide in third place.

Nuon's win was the team's fifth from seven starts and its first in the challenge since 2007, after finishing second behind Tokai in both 2009 and 2011.

As well as 2007, Nuon, from the Delft University of Technology, won in 2001, 2003 and 2005.

A spokesman said while the weather had deteriorated on the run into Adelaide, the team had done its calculations to ensure it could reach the finish.

"We predict every second of the race. So we know exactly what weather is going to be where, how much is going to be in our battery and how much energy we're going to use with the speed we're driving at," he said.

"We actually calculated everything so that our battery would be fully empty finishing here and so that we could drive at the highest speed possible."

In the main challenger class only 10 teams were on track to complete the full distance, with 12 withdrawing because of mechanical or other issues.

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Origin to benefit from high gas prices

ORIGIN Energy is looking forward to the step change in earnings it will enjoy from 2015 due to rising gas prices and its liquefied natural gas project coming online.

The prospect of a gas shortage in NSW or at least high export parity prices has Australian east coast domestic users extremely worried.

Origin said on Thursday during an investor roadshow that it had already signed domestic gas supply contracts at export parity pricing - an estimated $6-$9 a gigajoule instead of the historical $3-$4 as the $70 billion suite of Queensland LNG export projects come online.

The company was also looking beyond the the $24.7 billion Australia Pacific LNG in Queensland that has dominated its focus in recent years and preparing to decide on new gas and renewable energy development opportunities.

They included gas opportunities such as Ironbark in Queensland and Halladale/Black Watch in the Otway Basin and the Stockyard Hill wind project in western Victoria.

The nation's largest energy retailer's underlying profit last year of $760 million came out of selling electricity and gas wholesale and retail and fell 15 per cent because of heavy discounting.

It forecast a lift in those earnings with NSW and Queensland expected to remove price tariffs over the next two years.

The APLNG would double cashflow and revenue, the company said.

"Origin's investment in APLNG will drive a step change in earnings," it said.

While there are warnings from NSW businesses that the state is facing a gas shortage, Origin signed a nine-year deal last month to buy more than $3 billion in gas from ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton to go to NSW representing more than one-third of its needs albeit at higher prices.

Origin's shares were 2.5 cents higher at $13.98 at 1430 AEDT.

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New jet simulators for Adelaide

A NEW jet simulation centre positions Adelaide as a focus for pilot training in the Asia-Pacific, the South Australian government says.

Flight Training Adelaide (FTA) on Wednesday opened a new facility at Parafield Airport, in Adelaide's northern suburbs, to house two flight simulators.

Both are capable of replicating flying an Airbus A320 aircraft or a Boeing 737-800.

Trade Minister Tom Kenyon says the simulators will ensure FTA remains one of the major pilot training schools in the southern hemisphere.

"They'll provide the most up-to-date training for a new generation of commercial airline pilots," the minister said on Wednesday.

As well as the new simulators, FTA operates 46 training aircraft and graduated 200 pilots last year.

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Qld govt has plan B over sex offender

THE Queensland government is considering tougher laws to ensure serial sex offender Robert John Fardon remains behind bars.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says he has a "plan B" if his appeal against Fardon's release fails.

Fardon was briefly freed last week after a Brisbane judge ruled he could be released under strict supervision orders.

But he was back behind bars a few hours later, after the attorney-general lodged an urgent appeal, saying he believed Fardon posed an ongoing risk to the community.

The 64-year-old has been serving an indefinite jail term for sex offences against women and girls dating back to 1967.

Court of Appeal judge Philip Morrison on Wednesday delayed a decision whether to grant Fardon freedom.

He adjourned the matter to Thursday, and extended the stay order to keep Fardon in prison until 4pm on Thursday.

A spokesman for Mr Bleijie told AAP there is a plan B but declined to go into details.

"We are not going to change the laws unless it's absolutely necessary," he said.

He did confirm the government is looking at whether the periodic 12-month review of whether to release dangerous sex offenders under supervision orders should be less frequent.

Fardon's barrister Dan O'Gorman expressed concern over media reports and criticised Mr Bleijie.

"It's inappropriate for the first law officer (Mr Bleijie) of this state to be using the media this way especially with the full knowledge the present proceedings is before this court," Mr O'Gorman said.

He did not oppose the delay but expressed concern that every additional day could be an additional day of freedom Fardon loses.

Justice Morrison told the court the main reason for Wednesday's delay was because a transcript was not available yet.

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Quake in southwest Sydney felt 38km away

AN early-morning tremor that shook Sydney's southwest was felt as far away as Wollongong, but there have been no reports of damage.

The 3.5 magnitude earthquake was felt at 7.15am (AEDT) on Tuesday, prompting about a dozen reports to Geoscience Australia.

Most came from Campbelltown residents, but a few were from as far away as outer Wollongong.

Senior seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said the quake was "in the ball park" range for the area's typical seismic activity.

With an epicentre 50km south-west of Sydney, about halfway between Campbelltown and Appin, it's estimated the tremor would have been felt up to 38km away.

It would have had the force to knock things off shelves and cause minor cracks, but was unlikely to cause any serious damage, Professor Kevin McCue of the Australian Seismological Centre said.

He said the shudder was not unusual as the southern highlands had experienced earthquakes up to magnitude 5.5 over the past few years.

The area has recorded about 50 quakes in the past 50 years.

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Morrison to inspect Nauru hospital

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is to visit Nauru and will deliver a message to asylum seekers. Source: AAP

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison will inspect the Nauru hospital where an asylum seeker is expected to give birth to twins in several weeks time.

Mr Morrison will visit the hospital on his first visit to Nauru since the coalition formed government, the Nauru government told AAP.

Part of the island's only hospital burnt down in August in what is believed to have been an electrical fire.

The Australian government last week sent an asylum seeker who is 22 weeks pregnant with twins to Nauru.

After the hospital tour on Tuesday, Mr Morrison will dine with Nauru President Baron Waqa.

There are 801 asylum seekers being held on Nauru.

Mr Morrison is expected to visit three asylum-seeker camps, including the compound where families are held, on Wednesday.

Mr Morrison has sent a blunt message to asylum seekers arriving by boat without a visa, telling them they will not be coming to Australia.

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Pilot dies in NSW ultralight plane crash

A MAN has died in an ultralight plane crash in southwest NSW.

Ben Dumbrell, a well-known respected member of the Tumut community, was found dead inside the wreck of his ultralight on a property at Adelong at 6.15am (AEDT) on Monday.

The 65-year-old's family reported him missing on Sunday night when he hadn't been heard from since heading for Holbrook on Saturday morning.

Police say Mr Dumbrell was an experienced pilot who had piloted aircraft since he was 24.

The cause of the crash is not yet known, but it is believed to have occurred shortly after take-off.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has inspected the crash and a report is being prepared for the coroner.

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Beer-swilling WA pig meets tragic end

A BEER-SWILLING feral pig that made headlines for stealing six packs from tourists in Western Australia has met a tragic end.

Main Roads in the region confirmed on Monday the wild pig had been found dead after being hit by a truck near Port Hedland.

The pig, dubbed "Swino" by locals, had been hunted for weeks after raiding campsites at the De Grey River rest area in the South Hedland region last month.

"We had hoped he could become our mascot, so it is a sad end for him," Fionna Findley of Main Roads said.

"It is a very common occurrence for feral animals to get hit and killed by vehicles, but we are all a bit upset."

The pig was said to have drunk as many as 18 cans of beer in one session, before sticking his snout in bin bags to find late-night snacks left by tourists.

Witnesses even reported seeing the porcine predator picking a fight with a cow.

Officers had been trying to locate the animal, who had kept his snout clean since his booze-up a month ago.

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Lorde's debut album charts at No.1

THE top six albums in Australia's charts are all new entries for the first time in Aria Albums Chart history.

Lorde takes out the No.1 spot with her debut album Pure Heroine, scoring the third highest weekly sales of the year.

Also entering high with their debut album at No.2 is California trio Haim with Days are Gone.

New at No.3 is the tribute album Crucible - The Songs of Hunters & Collectors, which features covers by Birds of Tokyo, Eddie Vedder & Neil Finn, Cloud Control, Something for Kate, The Rubens and The Avalanches plus a disc of the originals by the band.

Justin Timberlake debuts at No.4 with The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2, while Birdy sees her second album Fire Within enter at No.5.

The final new entry to the top six at No.6 is We Are Young & Free from Hillsong Young & Free, one of the many musical groups within the Hillsong organisation.

So with only four positions within the Top 10 surviving from last week, we see Drake drop from No.2 to No.7 with Nothing Was the Same. Jason DeRulo is only down three places to No.8 with Tattoos, while Fuse for Keith Urban is down six places to No.9.

Last week's No.1 debut of Mechanical Bull for Kings of Leon drops to No.10.

On the ARIA Singles Chart, meanwhile, Katy Perry remains at the top for a sixth week with Roar, which equals her first No.1 I Kissed a Girl for longevity.

Roar also helps Perry become the equal second-longest running number one for 2013, as she now ties with Avicii's Wake Me Up.

Robin Thicke is the leader so far with Blurred Lines at eight weeks.

Competition for the No.1 spot this week comes from the No.2 debut for Jessica Mauboy, Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up) ahead of her new album Beautiful, which is out this week. The song may well drop next week as people buy the album.

After two weeks at No.2, Miley Cyrus's highest charting single in Australia, Wrecking Ball, falls back to No.3, while also down a spot is Let's Get Ridiculous for Redfoo to No.4.

With Jason DeRulo in the country for a promo visit, his former No.1 Talk Dirty holds at No.5, whilst OneRepublic spend a third week at their peak of No.6 with Something I Need.

John Newman drops down three places to No.7 with Love Me Again after peaking at No.4 last week, Lana Del Rey is down a place to No.8 with Summertime Sadness, and Drake is down to No.9 with Hold On, We're Going Home, while recent visitors Karmin returns to the Top 10 at No.10 with Acapella.

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Coalition MPs' wedding travel costs $20k

IF the average Australian wedding costs $36,000, what should taxpayers make of paying almost $20,000 for five coalition MPs - including Prime Minister Tony Abbott - to attend three weddings?

Interim Labor leader Chris Bowen says the series of revelations about Mr Abbott, three of his ministers and a backbencher show a pattern of poor judgement.

"This goes to judgement of senior Liberals claiming travel expenses for what are very clearly, very clearly not legitimate travel expenses," he told reporters on Sunday.

"We all accept that mistakes can happen but this goes to a pattern of poor judgement and a pattern of a lack of transparency and disclosure."

Mr Abbott has paid back $1094 claimed for travelling to Wangaratta for then-Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella's wedding in 2006.

Ms Mirabella was set to be in Mr Abbott's cabinet but lost her seat at the recent federal election to independent Cathy McGowan.

A spokesman for Mr Abbott said he had recently repaid money claimed for the 2006 trip after the Department of Finance told him it could not guarantee he was entitled to it.

Likely speaker Bronwyn Bishop also attended the wedding.

Separate questions have arisen about the Bollywood adventure of three other coalition MPs which cost taxpayers more than $12,000.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart flew Julie Bishop, Barnaby Joyce and Teresa Gambaro from Perth to Hyderabad in a private jet to watch the granddaughter of her business partner marry in front of 10,000 guests, Fairfax media reported on Sunday.

They later claimed travel expenses to return home.

Ms Bishop claims to have spent more time talking to business executives over the three days than she did attending the wedding, while Mr Joyce met officials in Malaysia on his way home.

It's the second wedding Mr Joyce attended which has come under scrutiny.

A week ago he and Attorney-General George Brandis paid back almost $2300 they got to cover travel to the 2011 wedding of former radio shock jock Michael Smith.

"This simply isn't good enough," Mr Bowen said of the series of wedding revelations.

"This money is only being paid back after journalists are asking questions, not because the individuals involved have decided on balance that it was an illegitimate claim."

But minister Malcolm Turnbull says his colleagues would have been "absolutely satisfied" they were doing the right thing when claiming the expenses.

However he conceded there was a degree of ambiguity in the rules.

"The better course of action is to always err on a more conservative side and if there is any doubt, then don't make a claim," he said.

"All of the colleagues that you have mentioned are people that are scrupulous about the way they use taxpayers' money and would have been absolutely satisfied that what they were doing was the right thing."

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