LinkedIn claims five million Aust members

LINKEDIN says it has surpassed five million Australian members as more people apparently try online networking for a career boost.

The publicly-listed US company, launched in 2003, said it's added more than one million Australian members since March and now claims 259 million worldwide.

LinkedIn had 540,000 Australian members in 2008.

"This is yet another important milestone, illustrating that Australians really understand the potential economic opportunities that they can create by leveraging online professional networks," said LinkedIn regional managing director, Clifford Rosenberg.

By way of comparison (although it is often used for different purposes) Facebook claims nine million daily Australian users and is estimated to have 1.15 billion worldwide.

Twitter is understood to have about two million Australian users and 200 million active monthly users worldwide.

LinkedIn, a professional networking hub, pointed to its 'Influencer' program as one reason for its growth.

The program launched about a year ago and gives users access to articles written by business leaders such as Richard Branson and Bill Gates.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is among several high profile Australia-based business people to join the program, publishing articles about gender inequality and leadership.

LinkedIn employs more than 150 staff in Australia with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

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NSW cracks down on menacing dogs

NEW laws will give NSW local councils the power to crack down on dogs deemed "menacing" - even if they have never injured or killed anyone.

Any dog that has tried to attack a person or animal, or displayed "aggressive tendencies", will be considered menacing under the amendments to the Companion Animals Act.

Owners will then be required to desex them and keep them muzzled, leashed and in the control of someone over 18 every time they are out in public.

Failure to comply can result in seven years' jail and a $77,000 fine if the dog attacks someone.

However, the good news for dog owners is they will be able apply for a menacing dog to be taken off the register after 12 months if it undergoes rehabilitation and behavioural assessment.

The crackdown will also see fines for failing to register a companion animal increase from $165 to $275.

The amendments, which passed parliament on Wednesday night, come after a spate of dog attacks including one on two-year-old Deeon Higgins who was mauled to death by a family member's bull mastiff in Deniliquin in August.

The dog had not been deemed dangerous before the attack.

Local Government minister Don Page said on Thursday small dogs would not be excluded from the new measures.

"It's not so much the size of the dog," he told AAP.

"A smaller dog around a small child can also be very dangerous".

The amendments will bring NSW into line with Victoria and Queensland, which also have menacing dog classifications, Mr Page said.

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Easy to reverse kids' heart risk: expert

OBESE children show heart attack warning signs from as young as 11, says a respected Australian researcher.

The good news, however, is the risk can be reversed.

All it takes is 40 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week, says Professor David Celermajer, a heart researcher at Sydney Medical School.

He and his colleagues believe a body mass index (BMI) above 23 is unhealthy.

"We have found that 11- and 12-year-olds whose BMI is 25 have already damaged their blood vessels," says Prof Celermajer, who will give a free lecture at the University of Sydney on Wednesday.

But regular exercise can restore the vessels to a healthy state in about a year, he says.

It can be recreational sport or games at school.

"They don't need to run a marathon but they must build up a light sweat.

The exercise must be sustained or the benefit will be lost, he says.

"You can't just do it for a year and stop."

Another risk factor that can be reversed is passive smoking, says Prof Celermajer.

His has conducted a study of 15-year-olds that shows passive smoking causes damage to blood vessels.

But this can also be reversed in most cases with a smoke-free environment for three years.

"The simplest is for the parent to stop smoking or not smoke near their children."

Prof Celermajer and his team are now aiming to find a way to reverse the risk faced by children with a low birth weight.

"I don't want to panic people. But those who weigh under 2.5kg at birth are at increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.

"We think it is highly likely to be reversible.

"People know about cholesterol, smoking and obesity. The next frontier is low-birthweight babies," he says.

"The knowledge that heart disease begins in childhood or young adult life gives tremendous hope we can delay or prevent catastrophic heart attack and stroke in middle age."

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Chris Brown in rehab after arrest

TROUBLED singer Chris Brown is heading to rehab.

A representative for the R&B star announced on Tuesday that Brown has decided to go to rehab a day after he was released from jail following his arrest for allegedly punching another man in Washington, DC.

Brown remains on probation after his 2009 attack on then-girlfriend Rihanna and could face a prison term as a result of the arrest.

"Chris Brown has elected to enter a rehab facility," a statement said. "His goal is to gain focus and insight into his past and recent behaviour, enabling him to continue the pursuit of his life and his career from a healthier vantage point."

Brown's lawyer, Mark Geragos, said the singer has checked in at an unspecified facility to be treated for anger issues.

"He just decided he wanted to take some time off and do some introspection," Geragos said.

Brown and his body guard were arrested early on Sunday morning after an altercation at The W Hotel in Washington. Brown was initially charged with felony assault after a man said Brown broke his nose with a punch when he tried to get a picture with the singer.

The charge was reduced to a misdemeanour on Monday and he was released from custody.

Though his troubles in Washington are no longer as serious as first thought, the arrest could still have ramifications for the 24-year-old Grammy Award winner.

Brown was placed on four years of probation after pleading guilty to assaulting Rihanna in California. He was required to take domestic violence courses and perform 1400 hours of community service.

Brown's probation was briefly revoked this year after a hit-and-run incident, and a judge ordered him to perform an additional 1000 hours of community service because there were questions about whether he actually completed his initial penalty.

Geragos has said the singer will be exonerated. He said Brown's decision to enter rehab is not an acknowledgment of wrongdoing in the Washington case.

The singer faces up to four years in prison should a judge decide to revoke his probation again.

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Crime gang link to fatal Sydney shooting

A MAN shot dead in Sydney's southwest was affiliated with the notorious Brothers 4 Life crime gang, police say.

The dead man and another man, who also suffered multiple bullet wounds, were well known to police, Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas said.

Mr Kaldas said the dead man had not yet been formally identified, however he is believed to be Mahmoud Hamzy, the cousin of jailed Brothers 4 Life boss Bassam Hamzy.

The men were found in a garage on Bardo Circuit in Revesby just after midnight (AEDT) on Tuesday.

The surviving man is being treated in hospital for gunshot wounds to his leg and stomach.

"Both were well known to us and both men were affiliated with Brothers 4 Life," Mr Kaldas told a media conference.

"Clearly these people are involved in a criminal group and clearly the motives logically would have to be something to do with the illegal activities they've involved themselves in."

Mr Kaldas said at least three people had attacked the men and more than one weapon was used in what may have been an internal dispute among gang members.

"I know the group is called Brothers 4 Life, (but) there is a feeling among some police that they're lucky to be brothers for today," he said.

"They have as much conflict within the group as they do with outsiders."

Opposition Leader John Robertson said the government needed to do more about gun violence.

"Last night we saw two shootings that brought the total this year to 104, and 286 since Barry O'Farrell was elected premier," he said.

"We have a government in NSW that's doing absolutely nothing when it comes to dealing with the criminals and thugs who continue to use guns on the streets of Sydney."

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Butcher of Bega begins High Court bid

CAROLYN DeWaegeneire is appalled taxpayers are funding the High Court appeal of the doctor known as the Butcher of Bega, who removed her genitals without consent.

Graeme Reeves on Tuesday launched his High Court challenge against an increase to his jail sentence.

He was jailed in 2011 for three-and-a-half years after being found guilty of removing Ms DeWaegeneire's clitoris and genitals and sexually abusing another patient during a physical examination.

He also is serving time for obtaining a financial advantage by deception.

The offences occurred between 2001 and 2003 when Reeves worked as a gynaecologist and obstetrician on the NSW South Coast.

Ms DeWaegeneire said she was angry Reeves was receiving Legal Aid for his defence.

"(Today's been) stressful, of course. I don't want to relive it, but I must," she told reporters outside court.

"There's been extraordinary taxpayers' expense to defend one man against me."

She hopes the High Court does not reduce Reeves sentence just because he's ill.

Along with another victim and several supporters, she wore a T-shirt with a picture of two ants, symbolising their battle as "little people at the bottom of the barrel".

"I can't let that man win, for every woman in this country," she said with tears in her eyes.

The court on Tuesday considered the legal issues surrounding the concept of "informed consent".

It also examined in what circumstances a surgeon performing an operation they believe is medically necessary can be guilty of a crime requiring proof of malice or intent to commit grievous bodily harm.

Reeves removed Ms DeWaegeneire's genitals in an operation that was supposed to only take out a pre-cancer lesion.

Reeves' defence has consistently argued he was saving the patient's life and rejected the crown's argument that he did not have consent to remove her genitals.

Appearing for the crown, Lloyd Babb SC told the court the expert evidence was unanimous that the operation had been unwarranted.

In February 2013, the NSW Court of Appeal found Reeves' sentence to be grossly inadequate and re-sentenced him to five-and-a-half years, with a non-parole period of three-and-a-half years.

However, the court also found the trial judge had made an error in directing the jury on the issue of consent.

Reeves' barrister Peter Hamill argued the original sentencing judge had taken into account his client's depression, but that was not used as a mitigating factor by the appeal judges.

He also argued the Court of Appeal should not have applied a section of the Criminal Appeal Act because the trial judge had made an error.

"The court should grant special leave to rectify the injustice to the individual," Mr Hamill said.

"The jury did not decide the issue it had been called to decide."

The hearing continues.

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Has Loch Ness monster migrated to Nth Qld?

COULD a North Queensland tropical island have its very own Loch Ness monster?

Some beachgoers at Magnetic Island, off Townsville, seem to think so after seeing a distinctive long, curved "neck" bobbing up and down off the coast on Friday.

But marine biologists who've seen the picture say the unidentified marine object is probably a piece of a tree or boat.

And a man who has dedicated his life studying mythical animals is also unconvinced it's a "Nessie".

The strange sea sighting has created quite a buzz on the island, with locals desperate to know: just what is lurking in the water?

One of them is marriage celebrant David "Crusty" Herron, who photographed it from a beach about 200 metres away.

"It was bobbing up and down in the water and at first I thought 'what's that'?" Mr Herron told AAP.

"Someone yelled out 'it looks like a Loch Ness monster'.

"I've never seen anything like it - it could be anything. We are all wanting to know what it is."

James Cook University biology professor Glen Chilton says while new and old creatures are constantly being discovered, even near the Great Barrier Reef, it's unlikely to be a strange aquatic beast.

"It's probably a piece of a tree or piece of a boat which has somehow broken away," he told AAP.

Australian cryptozoologist and self-proclaimed "yowie man" Rex Gilroy is keeping an open mind.

"It's hard to say from the photo," he said.

Mr Gilroy, who has authored books on mythical creatures, says he's aware of about 800 sightings of reptilian creatures with long necks and football shaped heads.

Some of those were from the Magnetic Island and Townsville area, he said.

The most recent was in October last year when a fisherman saw a creature with a large grey coloured body protruding from waters off Magnetic Island, he said.

While Mr Gilroy is keeping an open mind about Friday's sighting, he says it could very well be a dragon boat which sunk off Townsville last week.

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Giles holds historic Vietnamese meeting

THE Northern Territory's chief minister and the Vietnamese prime minister have met to discuss expanding trade ties, in the first such meeting between the two jurisdictions.

The NT's Chief Minister Adam Giles met the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Dung, and the Vietnamese ministers for trade, and industry and agriculture, in Hanoi on Monday.

The relationship between the Territory and Vietnam has improved since the live cattle trade resumed in 2010, with Vietnam an emerging market for Territory live cattle exporters.

The NT has exported 16 shipments of live cattle to Vietnam so far this year, worth $24 million.

"Live cattle exports from the Territory to Vietnam have increased 10-fold in nine months and there is huge opportunity to grow the Vietnamese market even further," Mr Giles said in a statement.

He said the government was helping Territory exporters and Vietnamese importers to meet the requirements of the live export supply chain quality control system that came into force in Vietnam earlier this year.

The chief minister is on a 12-day visit to Vietnam, China and Japan to encourage foreign investment, particularly in the NT's energy and agricultural sectors.

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Govt must justify $9b RBA payment: Bowen

LABOR is demanding Treasurer Joe Hockey justify his reasons for giving the Reserve Bank nearly $9 billion in what it's calling a bid to score "expensive political points".

The federal government this week announced it would make an $8.8 billion payment to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to ensure it was in the best shape to face the financial challenges ahead.

Mr Hockey said RBA governor Glenn Stevens had written to him indicating the bank wanted to boost its reserve funds, which had been depleted in recent years by the high dollar and "extraordinary" dividend withdrawals by the former Labor government.

Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen called on Mr Hockey to publicly release this letter, saying the government was trying to score "expensive political points" instead of justifying its decision.

"If he can't, then he's got something to hide," he told Network Ten on Sunday.

There was a case for allowing the RBA to build up its reserve funds but Mr Hockey had come nowhere near justifying how this payment was necessary, he added.

Mr Bowen said at no point did he or former treasurer Wayne Swan receive advice from the RBA or Treasury suggesting it would be appropriate for such a payment to be made.

"On the contrary, the former Treasurer received explicit advice that that would be a retrograde step," he said.

Labor has also questioned Mr Hockey's other decision this week to seek parliamentary approval to raise the debt ceiling to $500 billion.

Mr Bowen said the treasurer would have to release the midyear economic forecast before putting the legislation to raise the cap to a vote in parliament.

"I don't believe he's come anywhere near yet justifying that extraordinary increase to the debt limit," he said.

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Train stuck in Melbourne city loop

A TRAIN with about 100 passengers on board is stuck in Melbourne's city loop.

Authorities say the train dislodged and damaged overhead wiring on Sunday afternoon.

The train is stuck between Melbourne Central and Parliament station.

No one is believed to be injured.

The MFB and police are assisting the rescue effort.

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