Commuter train derails in Chicago

AN eight-car Chicago commuter train has ploughed across a platform and scaled an escalator at an underground station at O'Hare airport, injuring 32 people.

No one suffered life-threatening injuries in the Blue Line derailment, Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago said during a Monday morning briefing.

Chicago Transit Authority investigators along with the city fire department and police were reviewing security footage and interviewing the driver and other CTA workers to pin down the cause of the accident.

Steele said crews were working to remove the train and fix the escalator and aren't sure when the station will reopen.

The train appeared to have been going too fast as it approached the end-of-line station and didn't stop at a bumping post - a metal shock absorber at the end of the tracks.

"The train actually climbed over the last stop, jumped up on the footpath and then went up the stairs and escalator," Santiago said.

"Apparently (it) was travelling at a rate of speed that clearly was higher than a normal train would be," Steele said.

It wasn't clear how many people were on board at the time but the accident happened during what is "typically among our lowest ridership time," Steele said.

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Aust, Indon police 'must work on trust'

AUSTRALIAN police feel the bilateral hiatus with Indonesia has created hesitation in a once remarkable relationship forged by the Bali bombings, according to a report.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) interviewed Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Indonesian National Police (POLRI) officers for a special report on the partnership.

The rift between Jakarta and Canberra following last year's spy scandal led Indonesia to suspend police cooperation in some areas, including people smuggling and cybercrime.

Both nations' foreign ministers are set to resume talks this week on a plan to restore bilateral ties - something unlikely to take effect until after Indonesia's presidential elections later this year.

ASPI says the police relationship can't resume as if nothing happened.

Both forces should therefore use this time to think about what they want their cooperation to deliver in the future.

Following the spy revelations, the report says, POLRI officers had to check their communications equipment to ensure it hadn't been compromised by other nations, including Australia.

ASPI believes a close and productive relationship will return, provided there's an effort made to close any trust deficit that has emerged.

"All the AFP and POLRI officers interviewed for this project think the current tension has not damaged (people-to-people relationships)," it says.

"Although some note that the ambiguous situation has made some Indonesian officials hesitant to engage their Australian counterparts."

The report suggests workshops for future AFP and POLRI leaders, and inviting POLRI officers to support the AFP during November's G20 meeting.

In the past, the AFP-POLRI relationship has brought significant benefits to both countries, most notably in terrorism.

After the 2002 Bali bombings, officers lived together, shared information openly, and convicted more than 30 terrorists.

Australia posted its first police liaison officer to Jakarta in 1977. Today there are around 30 AFP officers working in Indonesia.

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Dentist tool broke off in patient's mouth

A NEW Zealand teen suffered pain when a dentist tool broke off during root canal treatment, but he only found out about the mistake from another dentist.

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Cape York plan 'may damage rock art'

OPENING up parts of Queensland's Cape York to mining could devastate the famous Quinkan rock art, a traditional owner groups says.

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Malaysia says missing jet crashed at sea

MALAYSIA says the passenger jet that went missing more than two weeks ago crashed in the Indian Ocean, but it's shed no light on the mystery of why it veered from its intended course.

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New Crowe film Noah banned in Indonesia

AUSTRALIAN actor Russell Crowe's portrayal of religious figure Noah won't be seen in Indonesian cinemas, with the film rejected by the censors.

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Thomson to learn fate over misusing funds

SINCE using union members' money to pay for prostitutes Craig Thomson has lost his reputation, his Labor Party membership and his seat in federal parliament.

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Forrest donates $65m to WA universities

MINING billionaire Andrew Forrest has gifted a staggering $65 million - believed to be the nation's largest single philanthropic donation - to attract the world's best minds to Western Australia's universities.

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Sea cucumber overfishing could hurt reef

OVERFISHING is putting sea cucumbers in a pickle on the Great Barrier Reef, marine biologists say.

Sydney University's Professor Maria Byrne and Dr Hampus Eriksson, a post-doctoral researcher at Stockholm University, say more than 24 sea cucumber fisheries have closed in recent years.

Over 70 per cent of tropical sea cucumber fisheries are now considered depleted, fully exploited or over-exploited.

After analysing catches in the Great Barrier Reef over the last 20 years, the researchers say sea cucumber fishing is now showing worrying signs of being unsustainable.

"Sea cucumbers play a vital role in reef health and our previous research indicates that they may help reduce the harmful impact of ocean acidification on coral growth," Prof Byrne said in a statement.

"The crown-of-thorns starfish is often singled out as responsible for the decline in the barrier reef.

"This work suggests that overfishing of ecologically important species such as sea cucumbers, may have also contributed to this decline."

Dr Eriksson said that with declining catches of high value sea cucumber species, Australian fishers had turned to other, lower value species, which were also being overfished.

"Pursuing profits by targeting abundant species which sell for less while continuing to fish scarce high-value species is a pathway to their extinction," Dr Eriksson said.

Prof Byrne said further studies were needed to understand the impact of declining sea cucumber numbers on the reef.

"We recommend introducing precautionary reductions in sea cucumber fishing," she said.

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Union to protest Telstra job cuts at AGM

Newman rolls dice on casinos

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Travel claims remain in compo laws

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Qld's 'Guantanamo Bay' for bikies

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Beattie urges party to use Rudd

DURING the first week of the election campaign, a smiling Peter Beattie and Kevin Rudd worked hard to convince Queenslanders they were the best of mates.

Uniform exams backed by inquiry

A HSC-STYLE exam in senior mathematics and science subjects has been recommended for Queensland school students by a state inquiry.

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