Mag editor loses cancer battle

A radiant Sarah McCarthy in February 2011. Picture: Andrew Cowen. Source: Supplied

(L-R) Sarah McCarthy from Girlfriend magazine with Ursula Hufnagl from Chic Model Agency in 2008. Source: Supplied

(L-R) Gemma Daniels from Rimmel with Sarah McCarthy at the 2009 Girlfriend Rimmel Model search. Source: Supplied

VIBRANT, clever and always vivacious, former Girlfriend magazine editor Sarah McCarthy (nee Cornish) died over the weekend at the much-too-young age of 38.

A loyal, hard and passionate worker, friends said she worked just as hard on fighting her cancer diagnosis over two years ago.

The effervescent beauty was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late 2010.

"Sarah found the joy and beauty in anything," says Nicole Sheffield managing director, NewsLifeMedia, who worked with McCarthy during her time at Pacific Magazines.

"She was a joy to work with, her creativity and passion inspired so many young girls through their turbulent tweenage and teenage years. 

"I truly loved working with her in her easy going yet graceful style, it is indeed a sad day and she will be missed by our entire industry."

After trying for a baby with her husband Dan for two years, routine tests performed on McCarthy in 2010 found an ovarian cyst that was cancerous. 

McCarthy had chemotherapy and ultimately underwent a hysterectomy. A few months later, the cancer had spread to her bowel, bladder and colon. But she continued her fight.

Recently friends and family had said McCarthy had been doing well, but after feeling ill late last week she was taken to hospital where she suffered a heart attack on Saturday morning. 

In a statement to staff at Pacific Magazines today, CEO Nick Chan said the news had come as a shock to everyone. 

McCarthy resigned from her successful position as the editor of teen magazine Girlfriend in August 2011 in order to focus her energy on her health. 

A creative and innovative editor, McCarthy was instrumental in the success of the magazine taking it to the number one position in the teen girls' magazine market for the first time since its inception. 

Prior to this she was the editor of Total Girl for four years, the number one 'tween' title in the country.

Under her leadership, Total Girl won two MPA awards, one for 'General Excellence' in 2006 and a 'Consumer Marketing Campaign of the Year' in 2007. 

McCarthy had previously worked across many fashion and lifestyle titles in a number of editorial roles and was instrumental in the launch phase of a number of youth websites including tvhits.com.au, kzone.com.au and the award-winning Girlfriend.com.au.

Like all of her magazine masthead contemporaries, McCarthy was an advocate for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month which supports women battling the disease. A disease where three women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every day in Australia.

Not one for lengthy goodbyes, when McCarthy announced her departure from the magazine in her editor's letter back in 2011 to focus on her health, she was her usual upbeat and energetic self.

"I'm not good at goodbyes or anything that might lead to tears," she told her loyal readers in 2011. "… so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. This is goodbye. Farewell, and lots of love."

A sentiment undeniably echoed now by her peers, colleagues, beloved family, husband and many good friends.

Pay tribute to Sarah McCarthy in the comments below

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The Wolverine diet: What Hugh had to do

Hugh Jackman bares his famous flesh in this still from his new movie, Wolverine. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

HUGH Jackman's own superpower: the ability to drink gallons of water in a single day.

While he's appeared incredibly pumped up in his previous turns as Wolverine, Jackman and director James Mangold decided that for his outing in The Wolverine, the actor was going to have to get even bigger. "Veiny" big. His arms could be read by a blind man.

"I think this is the best or closest to the way that I imagined the character," Jackman tells The Post. To get the ripped silhouette he'd always pictured but never had enough time to build in a gym, Jackman deployed an old bodybuilding trick.

Ahead of key shirtless scenes, he went on a dehydration diet, guzzling up to four gallons of water every day for a week. Then he'd stop drinking all liquid for 24 hours.

"You can lose up to 10 pounds of water weight, particularly the water that sits under your skin," Jackman says. "It really cuts you up."

The actor also trained for months, working out three hours a day over two sessions. For diet help, he turned to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The advice: Pack away 6,000 calories worth of lean meat, fish and vegetables. Every. Single. Day.

On Jackman's Twitter account, the actor occasionally posted photos of that day's menu, which looks like take-out for five people, with rows of containers stuffed with salmon, chicken breast and steamed broccoli. He jokes that "digesting food" is his main occupation now.

Besides helping his body look particularly jacked, the dehydration diet served another purpose: It helped the actor get into character.

At a time when every celebrity foible winds up on YouTube, nary a bad word has tainted Jackman's long showbiz career. He seems to be one of Hollywood's truly nice guys, which makes his transformation into Wolverine even more remarkable.

"On today's menu we have..." Picture: Twitter @RealHughJackman

Wolverine - aka Logan - is a vicious killer, a mutant born with sharp claws that extend from his knuckles and a healing factor that repairs wounds and makes him virtually immortal.

Wolverine was recruited into a secret government program, his bones coated with an indestructible metal and his memory wiped. He eventually joined mutant superteam the X-Men to fight for good, but he continues to be tortured by his past and his animalistic nature.

Meanwhile, Jackman, 44, enjoys show tunes.

Playing the killer required its own method, starting with that dehydration diet. "Trust me, that really pisses you off," Jackman says. "I wouldn't recommend that for everyone."

He also begins each day with a cold shower, because that's a good "physical trigger" to becoming angry. The morning workouts are also key.

"That kind of zone you need to be into with that intense training is similar to the state that Wolverine lives in all the time," he says.

Jackman no doubt puts so much into playing the mutant superhero because landing the role helped turn him into a superstar. (He scored the Wolverine gig after fellow Aussie Dougray Scott got held up making Mission: Impossible 2.)

The Wolverine marks Jackman's sixth outing as the character, beginning with X-Men. Considering that most franchises get rebooted and actors replaced after three films, having a single man play the role for more than a decade is quite a feat.

"5am car park deadlifts with @davidkingsbury" Picture: Twitter @RealHughJackman

So 13 years on, a lot is riding on The Wolverine, in part because the character's first solo outing, 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was considered a dud by critics and fanboys alike.

"Oh, yeah. I'm aware of the disappointment [some people felt], and on some level, for good reason," the actor says. "Everyone would stop me in the street to tell me all about it. It's a character that's been around for a while, and people are passionate about it, and they're not bashful in coming forward."

Jackman promises that this movie will be different, presenting a purer picture of the character. The plot is based on one of the most beloved comic book arcs in history, 1982's Wolverine by writer Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller (of "Sin City" and "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns").

Jackman first read the series preparing for "X-Men" and immediately told producer Lauren Shuler Donner, "Now this is a movie!" He's been waiting 13 years to see it on-screen.

The Wolverine finds Logan traveling to Japan at the behest of a dying former soldier, whose life the hero saved during World War II. Once there, Wolverine hooks up with the old man's granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), battles ninjas, yakuza and the armored Silver Samurai (Will Yun Lee). He may also lose his healing power.

"I always thought it would be a great juxtaposition to have this guy in Japan, because in many ways, he embodies the opposite of all Japanese traditions and honor and codes," Jackman says. "He's a lone wolf. He does what he wants."

As the film progresses, Wolverine learns to appreciate the Japanese way of life. "This is a person who's lost. He's a warrior but he's struggling to find purpose," Jackman says. "That whole code of the samurai and honor and bravery and him coming to respect that and know himself is a really good canvas for the writers to work with."

The movie could have been very different. Initially, Darren Aronofsky of Black Swan was hired to direct. He later dropped out of the project, saying he was reluctant to spend so much time overseas away from his family, but rumor had it that he bolted after clashing with the studio over the film's rating. Aronofsky was supposedly keen to do a hard-edged, blood-soaked, R-rated adventure.

Watch the official trailer exclusive for The Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman

Jackman says that's not entirely true and that Aronofsky wasn't completely sold on making a film for adults. "At the end of the day, even Darren was aware that I run into so many 12-year-olds or 13-year-olds [to whom] Wolverine is not just cool, he's very important," Jackman says. "To deliberately exclude them was never something we were going to do lightly."

For fans who love Jackman in the role that made him world-famous, this may well be one of the last times to see him on screen. The 44-year-old is currently shooting the sequel to X-Men: First Class, called X-Men: Days of Future Past, and after that, he doesn't yet have plans to strap on the claws again.

"I don't want to tease you and say this is the last one," Jackman says. "But my basic philosophy is that I go movie-to-movie and see how it all goes, but if I don't feel I have anything new or different to offer or the story doesn't progress in some way, then I won't be doing it."

So, yes, there may come a time for someone else to grow those iconic muttonchops. But here's hoping not for many years.

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Ivan Milat's other victim

Ivan Milat with two of the firearms among his arsenal of weapons. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

AN 18-year-old who was stabbed and then shot, execution style, and his body covered with branches in the Jenolan State Forest forest west of Sydney is serial killer Ivan Milat's eighth victim, says the former task force commander who led the backpacker murder investigation.

Following Milat's conviction in 1996 for the murder of seven backpackers, police reconsidered dozens of unsolved murder cases to see whether the victims could have been slain by Milat.

But former NSW Police assistant commissioner Clive Small has revised down the potential cases to just one, whose style of killing, burial - and the date of his death - make him a certain victim of Milat's killing spree.

Former NSW Police assistant commissioner, Clive Small. Source: News Limited

"There was a pattern to the Ivan's killing that had to do with his personal circumstances," Mr Small told news.com.au.

"When he killed he was by himself, or he wasn't in full control of his relationship, or it was falling apart or it had ended.

"With Ivan it was all about control and when Peter Letcher was murdered Ivan had broken up with his partner.

"The other murders [that have been attributed to Ivan] don't fit the pattern."

It was on a Friday in November 1987 that Mr Letcher found himself flat broke and in need of a lift to Bathurst from Sydney.

An unemployed sawmiller, he had travelled to Sydney to propose to his 15-year-old girlfriend, who told him she was too young to get married.

Peter Letcher's clothes. Source: Supplied

Mr Letcher, one of four children, had lost touch with his family and had not lived at home for the two years before his murder, after losing his job at a timber mill.

"He was as good as gold before he lost his job but he had been a bit of a wayward person after that," his mother, Ann Letcher later said.

He was last seen alive on November 13, when he left Busby in south-western Sydney, saying he intended hitchhiking back home.

Mr Letcher never made it home.

Peter Letcher intended hitchhiking from south-western Sydney home to Bathurst — he never made it home. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

Around the same time, Milat was working for the Department of Main Roads (DMR) as a surface sprayer.

Milat had been charged, but acquitted, of the rape of two young female hitchhikers he picked up near Liverpool railway station in south-western Sydney in 1971.

When that occurred, Mr Small said, Milat was not in a relationship.

He subsequently married a young woman, Karen Duck, but in 1987 the relationship was falling apart.

He had a growing obsession with guns which frightened Ms Duck, and an armoury which included large knives, a pistol, a revolver and a Ruger 10/22 rifle.

Serial killer Ivan Milat. Picture: News Limited. Source: News Limited

He took her on four tours of the remote Belnaglo Forest and once to the Jenolan State Forest, to see a dirt track and a pine plantation.

Ms Duck decided to leave her marriage with Milat, setting off, Mr Small says, the same emotional circumstances which triggered all his killings.

In the days before Mr Letcher disappeared, Milat was working for the DMR in the Jenolan State Forest area, 160kms west of Sydney, and living in south-western Sydney.

On January 21, 1988, two bushwalkers came across Mr Letcher's remains, 15m off a forest trail in a clear-felled section of forest about 20km from the tourist attraction, the Jenolan Caves.

His body was lying face down in a shallow ditch, covered in branches and leaf litter.

He was clad only in jeans, football socks and running shoes.

Nearby lay his shirt and jumper, which were riddled with bullet holes.

The body was badly decomposed and it was only after forensic tests that police discovered the bullet wounds to his head.

Investigating detectives concluded Mr Letcher had been bound and blindfolded, stabbed multiple times in the back and shot five times in the head with a .22 calibre weapon.

A whisky bottle was found at the scene.

Police search the Jenolan State Forest where the body of Peter Letcher was found in January, 1988. Source: Supplied

Mr Letcher's murder happened two years before the first known backpacker murders were to occur, of Melbourne teenagers, Deborah Everist and James Gibson, who died from multiple stab wounds in December, 1989.

Twenty-six days after their disappearance, British hitchhiker, Paul Onions, escaped from the vehicle of a gun-wielding man on the Hume Highway, 800m north of the Belanglo Forest turn-off.

Milat's other victims were:

• German Simone Schmidl, 20, who disappeared in January 1991, who died from multiple stab wounds, including a knife through her spinal cord.

• Britons Caroline Clarke, 21, who was shot 10 times as if she was target practice and Joanne Walters, who was stabbed.

• German former soldier, Gabor Neugebauer, 21, who was gagged and shot six times and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Anja Habschied, who was decapitated and her spinal cord severed.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr Rod Milton concluded the backpacker killer took great enjoyment out of the killing scene and arranged his victims' bodies like "babes in the wood".

Beer bottles and cigarette butts were found near some of the burial sites and the bodies were placed in shallow graves and covered with branches and leaves.

"After his wife left him, Ivan went off the rails," Mr Small said.

Milat has been named as a suspect in the murders of Sydney nurses Gillian Jamieson and Deborah Balkan, both 20, who disappeared from a Parramatta Hotel in 1980, and many other cases.

"But it's the Peter Letcher case that fits Ivan," Mr Small said.

Police made a search of the area where Mr Letcher's remains were found following Milat's conviction on the backpacker murders, but at the time could find no evidence of any further killings.

###

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Jailed rape woman pardoned

A Norwegian woman says she is shocked over being jailed in Dubai after she reported she had been raped.

A WOMAN who was jailed in Dubai for having sex outside marriage after she reported an alleged rape has been pardoned after an outcry.

Interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv, of Norway, was on a business trip in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates when she says she was raped in March.

Woman raped on business trip jailed for extramarital sex

Marte Deborah Dalelv told Associated Press she was given back her passport by the public prosecutor's office today and that her 16-month sentence for having sex outside marriage had been dropped.

Marte Deborah Dalelv from Norway, 24, talks to the Associated Press reporter in Dubai.(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) Source: AP

She reported the attack to the police, but found herself charged with having extramarital sex, drinking alcohol and perjury.

The case angered human rights groups and authorities in Norway.

Norwegian businesswoman Marte Deborah Dalelv, 24 was sentenced in Dubai to 16 months in prison for extramarital sex after she reported being raped. AFP PHOTO /HANDOUT/ FACEBOOK/ SCANPIX NORWAY Source: AFP

Dalelv, who has been living at the Norwegian Seamen's Church in Dubai during her trial, immediately filed an appeal against the verdict to avoid being jailed in the Gulf state. Today, after her story became public, she was informed that she had been pardoned.

"Marte (Dalelv) is released! Thanks to everyone who signed up to help,'' Espen Barth Eide wrote on Twitter.

A spokeswoman for the Norwegian foreign ministry told AFP that Dalelv had been pardoned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

"She hasn't been deported, she has been pardoned. She can remain in Dubai if she wishes. Her passport has been returned to her,'' foreign ministry spokeswoman Ragnhild Imerslund said.

"She will travel home shortly,'' she added.

"Marte has been given her passport back and can leave the country. It is not decided when she will travel," Norwegian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Åse Bjerke, told the NTB news agency.

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Gallen's no to ASADA deal

Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen. Picture: Mark Evans Source: DailyTelegraph

AT least eight Cronulla Sharks players, including NSW State of Origin captain Paul Gallen, were in negotiations to cut a deal over alleged anti-doping violations in March, according to documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

FOCUS BACK ON NRL'S STARS

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LEAGUE ASSURED EQUAL TREATMENT

The documents show that the Sharks players felt they were let down by the club on the basis that Cronulla staff directed them to use certain supplements, now believed to be prohibited peptides, and were advised the products had been cleared by ASADA.

The deal was being brokered at the same time as the NRL became aware the AFL had a favourable private deal with the government, meaning Essendon players could possibly escape the drugs-in-sport investigation with no sanctions.

In a separate document exclusively published by The Daily Telegraph on Monday, the government indicated ASADA would explain to the Essendon players that these are exceptional circumstances and the defence of no fault or negligence may be available, meaning they might not have to serve a ban at all.

In contrast, Cronulla and the NRL were only offered the lesser "no significant fault" defence that reduces bans to a minimum of six months.

A list of conditions in return for players accepting a six-month "no significant fault" suspension for alleged use of "prohibited substances" included contracts being honoured for the period of any sanction, Cronulla guaranteeing not to sack any players, a percentage of the salary cap increase for 2014 and one-year contract extensions for off-contract players.

Sharks captain Gallen is believed to have requested three State of Origin match payments of $30,000 each and an Anzac Test payment of $20,000 be included as part of his package, along with more than $100,000 worth of sponsorships, two Toyota vehicles and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Cronulla Sharks winger Beau Ryan admits the ongoing ASADA investigation is having a negative impact on the club.

In total, Gallen's list of demands was worth about $200,000, the two vehicles and the motorcycle.

In exchange for the financial benefits, the Sharks players indicated they may be prepared to agree to waive all future rights against the club. They were also prepared to abide by a "gag order", keeping them silent about the 2011 supplement program, which was overseen by sports scientist Steven Dank and trainer Trent Elkin.

The eight Sharks players prepared to consider the no fault plea bargain included Gallen, Wade Graham, Nathan Gardner, Nathan Stapleton, Matthew Wright, Stewart Mills and Jayson Bukuya.

In a surprise twist, prop Bryce Gibbs was also named as one of the players mulling over the deal even though Gibbs was still playing at Wests Tigers in 2011.

The deal was being negotiated by Cronulla Sharks' previous board of directors in response to an ASADA "offer".

The documents show the players maintained they were innocent victims in the affair and that they were advised that the products had been cleared and were safe to use; both health-wise and ASADA-wise.

The players argued that the club effectively forced them to use the supplements through the club officials that were involved in the substance program.

The players indicated they have strong grounds of action against the club but they were prepared to waive such action against Cronulla if the club would agree to certain concessions.

These included:

* CONTRACTS being honoured during the sanction period;

* THE Sharks guaranteeing not to sack any player for breach of contract during the six-month bans;

* ONCE they serve the suspension, they will immediately be considered available for selection;

* A PERCENTAGE of the new salary cap increases for 2014;

* PLAYERS who were out of contract at the end of 2013 being given one-year extensions; and

* PLAYERS with bonus clauses or on match payments have those elements of their contracts honoured.

Sharks captain Gallen, Graham, Gibbs and Stapleton all sought to have representative bonuses and payments covered, while the remainder of the Sharks players named are all on match payments and sought the equivalent value of 23 games in a season be covered.

Gallen also sought reimbursement for other off-field earnings and was concerned that he would lose sponsors or media deals. He requested that in the event that a contract was terminated because of an anti-doping sanction, the club reimburse the lost amount.

Gallen's sponsors and media partners are: Blades; 2KY; Triple M; Pain Away; Toyota, which provides him with a Hilux (in addition to the car provided by the club); Harley Davidson; and The Sunday Telegraph.

The NRL was granted permission to forensically audit the Sharks' computer system in February, when the game's governing body sent Deloitte in to examine the club's records.

It's understood that when the Sharks players learned of the AFL's deal with the federal government, they stopped considering the ASADA "offer" and ceased negotiating.

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Passengers push train off trapped woman

Train passengers and railway staff push a train car in their effort to rescue a woman who fell and got stuck between the car and the platform while getting off at Minami Urawa Station in Saitama, near Tokyo. Picture: Norihiro Shigeta Source: AP

DOZENS of Japanese train passengers pushed a 32-tonne train carriage away from the platform to free a woman who had fallen into the 20cm gap between the train and platform during the busy morning rush hour yesterday.

The act of heroism was captured by a newspaper photographer, whose photo of the rescue ran in the Yomiuri daily's evening edition.

A public announcement that a passenger was trapped prompted about 40 people to join train officials to push the carriage, whose suspension system allows it to lean to either side, according to the Yomiuri newspaper, Japan's largest daily.

The unnamed woman in her 30s was then pulled out uninjured to applause from onlookers at JR Minami-Urawa station, just north of Tokyo.

After just an eight-minute delay, the train went on its way.
 

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Royal baby: Kate goes into labour

The Duchess of Cambridge has gone into labour. Source: AP

THE Duchess of Cambridge last night went into labour and was rushed to hospital in central London with Prince William at her side to give birth to the future heir to the throne.

Shortly before 7.30am local time, Kensington Palace made the public announcement Kate had earlier been admitted to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington and was in "the early stages of labour".

"The duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital with the Duke of Cambridge," the palace stated in a very brief statement.

Palace sources about eight hours after she was admitted into hospital added: "Kate went into labour naturally and things are progressing well".

The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to hospital in the early stages of labour. Source: AP

"Things are progressing as normal,'' the couple's spokesman said.

STORY: Kate joins exclusive mums' club

PICTURES: Kate's splendid pregnancy look

PICTURES: Prince William and Kate Middleton

The 31-year-old duchess was admitted at 5.30am London time making the short drive with Prince William and a police minder from her home at Kensington Palace.

STORY: Hospital has long tradition of royal births

PICTURES: Gorgeous Little Royals

Prince William is with his wife at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, where he himself was born in 1982. His mother Princess Diana also gave birth to William's younger brother Prince Harry there.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labour.

— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) July 22, 2013

A palace official had earlier contacted royal physician and the Queen's former gynaecologist Marcus Setchell and current royal gynaecologist Alan Farthing to be at the hospital. Both men had been on standby for some days, armed with encrypted mobile phones waiting for the call.

RELATED: Royal baby by the numbers

STORY: Tweets fly as users share royal baby news

Prince Charles, who will become a grandfather for the first time, was yesterday asked about the birth while he visited a train museum in York in the far north of the country.

When asked what he knew of the labour, he replied: "Absolutely nothing at the moment, we're waiting."

Prince Charles views a steam locomotive at the National Railway Museum in York as his son William's wife, Kate, is in the early stages of labor in London. Picture: Lynne Cameron Source: AP

Prime Minister David Cameron described it as a "very exciting occasion" and said the whole nation "is hoping for the best".

The archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverand Justin Welby tweeted: "My thoughts and prayers are with Kate and the whole family on this enormously special day."
 

PICTURES: Kate Middleton growing up

The announcement ends three weeks of speculation as the likely birth date for the royal baby who if it is a girl, will be the first royal born in 300 years who will be a future heir to the throne without the likelihood of any future male babies leapfrogging her in line of succession.
 

Outside the hospital, a large contingent of the world press stretching an incredible 150m along the road fronting the hospital and in parts 10 people deep, gave out a small cheer as news broke the birth process had begun.

The royal couple managed to enter the hospital through a private entrance, avoiding the large throng of media camped out at various entrances to the hospital. A number of police were immediately posted outside the ward and the hospital wing. Across the country, the momentous early morning news attracted great public excitement and relief. Hundreds descended on the hospital within the first few hours of the news.

At Buckingham Palace crowds also gathered outside the gates on what was the hottest days of the year with the mercury tipping 32 degrees. Britons and other well wishers were being directed to Buckingham Palace instead of the hospital street which was already overcrowded by midmorning.

ANALYSIS: Futurists discuss how the world will change

While Prince William will personally ring his grandmother the Queen to tell her the news as well as his father Prince Charles it is at Buckingham Palace that the public will hear the news.

At the Palace officials were dusting off plans for an elaborate "piece of theatre", as officials have called it, that will follow the birth and follows tradition.

After the baby is born, all doctors and staff present signed an official proclamation that is then handed to a royal courier who is then given a police escort through the streets of central London to hand the note to the palace.

The note is then to be placed on an elaborate easel, last used 30 years ago to announce William's birth, to be placed on display in the courtyard of the palace near the front gates to be read by the public.

In days of old the notice would be tied to the railings but these days it has to be placed behind in case someone wants to souvenir it. London-based artillery squad will then give a 41-gun salute and church bells across the land will ring out. The Tower of London will also fire a succession of 62 cannon blasts to celebrate the birth.

At the same time the bulletin is posted, there will be an official announcement on Twitter and the media will be formally notified. The document will give the baby's gender, weight and time of birth.

It could be some time before the baby's name is made public. When William was born, a week passed before his name was announced. Charles's name remained a mystery for an entire month.

Former press secretary to the Queen Dickie Arbiter said the birth was a historic first.

"There will be three heirs in waiting while the sovereign is fit and well and that's a first," he said.

A ROYAL BABY LABOUR PLAYLIST

William and Kate have made it publicly known they have no idea the sex of the baby, in a life so stage managed there are very few surprises they have the luxury of enjoying and wanted to enjoy this one.

Kate is also planning to have a natural birth at the prestigious Lindo Wing where a 24-hour care package can cost more than AUD$10,000.

Both Prince William and Prince Harry were both born at the same wing.

The news Kate had gone into labour no doubt pleased the Queen who last week joked she hoped it would hurry up since she is planning to go on her annual summer holiday in Balmoral this Friday. The last time a still-serving monarch got to meet a great grandchild born into the line of succession was almost 120 years ago in the reign of Queen Victoria who was ruling when Edward VIII was born third in line in 1894.

No real surprise all things royal baby was trending on social media. Millions of Tweets were also being exchanged. One Tweet being retweeted read: "Her labour will last longer than an Aussie Cricket innings."

The Duchess of Cambridge is being supported through her labour by a cheering squad of wellwishers from outside her hospital.

While Prince William does his bit from the bedside, royal fans gathered in the street hoping to witness history in the making.

Experienced mother Maria Scott, 42, of Newcastle upon Tyne has been sleeping in a tent outside the hospital since Saturday and was ecstatic about the development.

While she didn't see the car arrive, her women's intuition told her the Duchess had gone into labour.

"I didn't see her this morning, but I had a sense that something was going on," Mrs Scott said.

" I don't know how but I did."

Sending a message of support, she encouraged the patient to try to relax and listen to her doctors.

"I wish her a speedy labour," she said.

"I hope she can take it easy and just go with the flow."

The baby will be third in line for the British throne — behind Prince Charles and William — and will eventually become king or queen. Source: AP

Canadian tourist Jane Coombes came straight the hospital when she heard news of the admission.

"We only got here yesterday. It was so nice they waited for us," she said.

"We will keep coming back to check on her. It would mean everything to me if the birth happened while I was here."

The history buff has been coming up with baby names for months.

"If it's a boy I think they should call him Alfred, after King Alfred the Great. He was the best king in the 1800s. He defeated the Vikings and revived learning in the UK."

Dressed head to toe in Union Jacks, John Loughrey, 58, of Wandsworth, wished Kate good health and a rapid recovery.

"God bless you Catherine. As your royal subjects we will support you."

Having spent seven days camped outside the hospital he hoped he wouldn't be there much longer - for the sake of the Duchess.

"I reckon it could be within 24 hours," he said. "We just want a healthy baby, that's the main thing."

The world's press was also buzzing with anticipation having been stationed outside the hospital for weeks awaiting the royal arrival.

Jenny Barbsy, from BBC London radio, said the sheer number of media representatives on site, from countries as far away as Japan, Korea, Australia and America.

"I'm a bit shocked actually," she said.

"It's been crazy, this morning it went from a few to this, it's nuts."

"I feel a bit sorry for her actually, I'm not sure I'd like to be giving birth to my first child with all this hubbub going on outside. Hopefully she's around the back a little bit."

The sign at the gates of Buckingham Palace announcing the birth of Prince William (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) Source: Supplied

The birth of a new heir to the throne has been breathlessly anticipated since William and Kate wed on April 29, 2011, in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

When news of a royal pregnancy was announced, there was rejoicing in many households in Britain and throughout the world.

Despite a rough start to the pregnancy, when she was taken to hospital for acute morning sickness, the 31-year-old Kate made a number of public appearances that were halted only near the end of her term.

Since the duchess has cut back on her royal duties, media outlets have been clamouring for position outside of the hospital in anticipation of the birth, jockeying to secure the best vantage point for filming William and Kate emerging, babe in arms.

Officials have said that William plans to take two weeks' paternity leave and then return to his military duties as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in Wales.

His tour of duty is scheduled to wrap up around September, and he and Kate are expected to move from their isolated cottage on the island of Anglesey off the coast of Wales to Kensington Palace in central London.

But major refurbishment works at the palace likely won't be finished until at least a month or two after the infant is born - meaning that William and Kate will most likely have to make do with their current temporary home in London, a two-bedroom property at the palace.

Come autumn, however, the family will be able to move into their permanent London home, Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace - a four-storey house with a nursery, 20 rooms and a private garden.

- with Angus Hohenboken, wires

Do you think the royal baby will be a boy or a girl? And what do you think it will be called? Tell us what you think.

23.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Warner's absence makes no sense

Australia may have lost the first Ashes Test, but morale seems much higher than before the first ball of the series.

IT defies belief David Warner is about to leave the Ashes tour for an Australia A tour of Africa.

I get the thinking, send him to South Africa and Zimbabwe to find form and bring him back later in the series, but I strongly disagree with it.

Unless Jimmy Anderson bobs up in the Zimbabwe side, Warner scoring runs won't count for anything. He would be far better served facing James Pattinson in the nets.The standard of bowling he will face in Africa and the conditions will be chalk and cheese to the challenges that await him in England.

Apart from the practice issue there is the question of Australia being caught short of batsmen if something happens on match morning.

It's true Warner has not played for a month but he has been practising in the nets every day and, to me, the whole match practice thing is overrated. Sometimes you have to take the plunge

By practising in the nets Warner would be no lesser prepared than a batsman starting a new season, and plenty of batsmen have started summers with a century in their first match.

I would promote Usman Khawaja in place of Ed Cowan for the second Test.

David Warner watches from the sidelines during the first Ashes Test.

I love Cowan's work ethic but he does not look comfortable at the crease.

The choice of Australia's bowling attack for Lord's is interesting with speculation suggesting tall seamer Jackson Bird is putting pressure on Mitchell Starc.

My go-to man for this tour was always going to be Ryan Harris, but maybe Bird has outbowled him.

I can understand the push for more control but no matter what attack Australia chooses the most obvious improvement must be in the collective run scoring of the top order.

There is no faulting Australia's effort or commitment. But we need more runs.

It really is that simple.

03.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rudd slammed for Kokoda remark

Kevin Rudd has 'taken on board' the UN report which criticises the asylum-seeker processing centre in PNG.

ABOUT 625 Australian soldiers did not survive the brutal fighting against crack Japanese troops along the 100km long Track during WW2.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill in Port Moresby yesterday Mr Rudd acknowledged that more than 3000 Australians a year followed in the footsteps of the 30,000 diggers who fought a pitched campaign along the Track between July and November 1942 under appalling conditions.

Kevin Rudd describes himself as a Kokoda 'survivor'

About 1600 were wounded and another 4000 fell victim to tropical diseases especially malaria.

Mr Rudd famously walked the Track in 2006 with Liberal heavyweight Joe Hockey as part of a TV stunt.

Despite saying yesterday that he was a friend of PNG he did not visit the country once when he was foreign minister.

"I was one of them way back then and I am a survivor of the Kokoda Track," Mr Rudd blurted at his Moresby press conference, conducted with a portrait of himself in the background.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (L) speaks alongside Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. AFP PHOTO / NESS KERTON Source: AFP

Bede Tongs, 93, from Queanbeyan in NSW was awarded the Military Medal for single-handedly taking out a Japanese machine gun post at Templeton's Crossing in September 1942.

He lost 53 mates on the Track and he urged Mr Rudd to stay away from throwaway lines.

"Good on him, he is a survivor, but is he a contributor?'' Mr Tongs said.

"That wasn't the right thing for him to say, but politicians always want to say something to bring prominence upon themselves.

"It was a stupid thing to say, he wasn't there. Instead of saying stupid things he should spend more money on health and education for our friends in PNG.''

Kokoda Track Veteran Bede Tongs. Source: News Limited

Mr Tongs said 560 men from the 3rd Battalion went up the track in September 1942 and just 110 were still standing at Gona on December 4.

Mr Hockey upset Mr Rudd's wife Therese Rein when he said he should have drowned the comeback PM instead of rescuing him from rapids.

He said he had seen all versions of Kevin - "Kokoda Kevin, and I apologise to the Australian people, I should have drowned him when I had a chance in the mountains.''

Ms Rein said she had walked the Track and it was about mateship and courage and endurance.

"That doesn't seem to hang together very well with those comments,'' Ms Rein said.

Given that most of the 625 Australians who died along the Track are buried at the Bomana War Cemetery on the outskirts of Port Moresby, and Mr Rudd didn't pay his respects during his lightning PNG visit, the true Kokoda "survivors'' are not happy.

Len Griffiths with fellow Kokoda veteran Dickson Hango. Source: News Limited

Len Griffiths of Canberra was an infantry Sergeant with the 3rd Militia Battalion when he stood to attention in the village of Kokoda in November 1942 as his mate Merv Shea from Yass raised the Australian flag.

Mr Griffiths, 91, and his mates had routed the Japs after weeks of bloody fighting and were chasing them towards the sea at Buna-Gona.

When told that Mr Rudd had survived Kokoda he said, "He was lucky wasn't he.''

Mr Griffiths described the PM's comment as "disrespectful'' and "a bit dicey''.

"It sounds a bit ordinary to me. Typical Rudd bravado I reckon.''

###

03.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Branch-stacking stench fouls PM Rudd's reform

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has played down the latest poll which shows an increase in support for Labor.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd addresses the National Press Club in Canberra / Pic: Kym Smith Source: The Daily Telegraph

KEVIN Rudd's promise to clean up the NSW Labor Party is in tatters following allegations of branch-stacking to elect a former Labor boss and union official to replace retiring minister Peter Garrett.

Mr Rudd is now being called upon by ALP members in the seat of Kingsford Smith, in Sydney's south, to urgently intervene following claims that the membership books had been "cooked" to deliver the preselection to Labor Senator Matt Thistlethwaite in a vote due this Saturday.

Labor sources suggest Mr Thistlethwaite was pushed to run for the seat to free up his Senate spot for the current NSW party secretary Sam Dastyari - the man helping Mr Rudd clean up Labor.

The Daily Telegraph has obtained ALP documents showing glaring irregularities in the membership list of Mr Thistlethwaite's local branch of Malabar, which neighbours Foreign Minister Bob Carr's local Maroubra branch.

The documents show that 58 people - more than half the entire branch membership - apparently paid their membership fees on the same day and coincidentally on the March 31 cut off-date to become eligible to vote in this week's ballot.

Senior ALP sources confirmed that this was highly suspicious and should have triggered an investigation by the party head office.

"It's not stacking - more like a front end loader," said one local ALP member who claimed the "bad old days" had returned.

"The rules are quite clear. No one else can pay for your membership, if someone else paid for your membership it would be paid in bulk.

"The question is where did the money come from?"

Rudd-alike Anthony Ackroyd gives us his best impersonation of the PM.

Tony Bowen, the Labor mayor of Randwick who will today nominate to contest the preselection against Mr Thistlethwaite, has warned that the integrity of Mr Rudd's promise to reform rested on a fair fight in the marginal seat.

Mr Bowen is the son of respected former deputy prime minister Lionel Bowen who held the Kingsford Smith seat for 21 years until 1990.

"Given the trouble that beset the NSW Labor party in recent years and the amount of scrutiny this preselection will be under and its significance nationally, it has to be absolutely squeaky clean," he said. "There cannot be any margin for any funny business."

Mr Thistlethwaite, the former NSW Labor Party secretary and Australian Workers Union candidate, still has three years to serve as a senator.

Sources claim he was initially reluctant to give up his safe Senate seat for the lower house seat he has always coveted now that it is marginal.

However, one senior party figure suggested he was pushed to run to free up his Senate spot as a second option for Mr Dastyari, whose future claim to Mr Carr's Senate spot would not be guaranteed if Labor won the election and Mr Carr decided to continue serving as Foreign Minister.

A local branch member and former head of Labor's state electoral council for the seat, Tim Mitchell, said: "Kevin Rudd last week announced reforms to clean up the party - a lot of members will have serious doubt that they will have a clean and proper process this week to ensure only eligible members of the party will be voting in the pre-selection this Saturday."

Mr Rudd has refused to allow head office to impose candidates in a bid to democratise the party and has called for all outstanding preselections to be rank and file ballots. But in what some local members claimed was a "sham", nominations for the seat close at midday today with people given less than 24 hours to challenge voting members they believe ineligible before a vote in five days time, compared to up to three weeks for all other outstanding preselections.

03.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Benji's plea to quit the Tigers

Lara Pitt has the latest news on Benji Marshall who has asked for a release from the Tigers to play Rugby Union.

UPDATE: SUPERSTAR Benji Marshall has sought an early release after rejecting an upgraded $1.5 million offer from Wests Tigers.

The Daily Telegraph has been told Marshall will opt for rugby with either the NSW Waratahs or Auckland Blues.

St George Illawarra are also understood to have expressed a desire to sign the disgruntled Marshall, whose manager Martin Tauber informed Wests Tigers chief operating officer Grant Mayer Monday night about his client's controversial decision.

But it appears the Wests Tigers board will refuse to grant Marshall an early release from his deal, which expires after the 2015 season.

Should the Tigers grant Benji Marshall an early release? Vote and leave your comments on Benji's request below

If Marshall stays in rugby league, it will have to be at Wests Tigers.

However, he may opt to switch codes with the Blues or Waratahs. The Tigers are virtually powerless to stop him playing rugby union.

Benji Marshall has asked for a release from the final two years of his contract with the Wests Tigers. Nathan Hindmarsh gives us his expert opinion on the matter.

A source close to Wests Tigers said: "The board won't be letting him go.

"He won't be able to play for another NRL club. It was a big money offer. A few people are stunned he would knock back the increased offer, given his form."

POTTER REACTION: MARSHALL HARD TO REPLACE

Marshall has just returned from a holiday in Bali.

Wests Tigers board was under pressure to retain Marshall, 28, because of his marketing ability and popularity among fans.

The club is still reeling from losing a coach - Tim Sheens - and a chief executive officer - Steve Humphreys - in the past nine months.

Benji Marshall's Wests Tigers days are coming to an end. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Marshall's relationship with new coach Mick Potter is said to be shaky, at best.

Potter dropped Marshall to the bench for the match against Souths in round 10.

"He is going to be very hard to replace," Potter said Monday night.

"There is only one Benji Marshall and it's going to make it tough."

Marshall had permission to re-negotiate after an NRL salary cap increase through the new television deal.

The Dragons are searching for a five-eighth after Jamie Soward signed with Penrith for the next four years and are believed to have made a massive approach to Marshall's management.

Rugby League analyst Paul Kent suggests that playmaking star Benji Marshall should be allowed to chase big money in other codes after 11 successful years playing for the NRL.

St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust did not returns calls Monday night.

JOSH MASSOUD: WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?

Marshall has been restless this year and his form has suffered.

His probable departure would allow the Tigers to sign Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses, two of the club's rising stars.

Tigers interim CEO Grant Mayer said: "At the end of the day it will be a decision for the board to make and I would think it will happen sooner rather than later.

"From a Wests Tigers perspective, we are extremely disappointed to receive the news as we believe that we have been exceptionally generous to a player that has given us wonderful service over a number of years.

The 28-year-old has played 193 matches for Wests Tigers and is the club's all-time leading points scorer.

03.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Graphic warning: Your meal bites

GRAPHIC images and plain packaging for junk food may be forced on consumers, as food industry heavyweights debate tough measures to combat obesity.

A panel of food science, nutrition and manufacturing experts will tackle whether tobacco's plain packaging approach would help curb the country's growing obesity epidemic at the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology convention today.

This follows February's call from Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young to examine the option.

Institute president Anne Astin said junk food regulation was a "thorny issue of the future'' that needs to be addressed urgently.

"If our health system can't cope with the increasing incidence of lifestyle-related diseases, it's something we will have to consider as an option. The levels of intervention need to become stronger. Ultimately, it may come to plain packaging.''

Dr Astin said the institute did not have an official position on junk food labelling, but hoped the discussion panel would stimulate debate.

"There has to be a multi-faceted approach, and the problem can't be fixed by regulation only - there needs to be enormous emphasis placed on education, and part of that is having information on food packages,'' she said.

"We're entering an entirely different space in terms of food science and technology, and it's greatly linked to nutrition. The food industry will be critical in contributing to consumer change and behaviours.''

Changes to junk food packaging and regulations are a hot topic worldwide, as New York City's ban on 16-ounce (473ml) soft drinks was introduced, overturned and now continues through the courts.

In New Zealand, Otago University professor of marketing Janet Hoek said tobacco use had halved after the country introduced plain packaging.

She called on the NZ Government to do the same for junk food, telling the New Zealand Herald "it makes sense to examine the potential these policies could have in reducing consumption of foods associated with obesity''.

In February, Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg told The Courier-Mail he was "anti-nanny state'', but in relation to food regulation "there are some things where government cannot dismiss stepping in, and this is one of those''.

A spokesperson for Mr Springborg said yesterday initiatives including an $8 million anti-obesity campaign had been implemented since February, and that his office would not consider other changes in the short term.

The Federal Government will not consider the changes any time soon, either, according to a spokesperson for Health Minister Tanya Plibersek.

Dietitians Associations of Australia spokesman Alan Barclay said plain packaging would be "extreme'' and may lead to eating disorders.

''Treating foods like poison sets people up for disordered eating, and we shouldn't be treating food as good or bad. The definition of junk food is problematic - we all know what it means, but how would you pin it down?''

Leigh Elliott, mother of two, said she saw benefits of plain packaging but doubted it would make a huge difference to her family's habits.

''If there was a graphic warning, it might act as a deterrent for kids because they take things so literally, but it's really up to the parents to say no. As for adults - we should be old enough to make our own decisions.''

She said at the supermarket, her children may be less inclined to notice plain packaging, but she tends to do most of her grocery shopping online now.

''If I was buying it online, packaging would make little to no difference, because I search out and seek each product.''

03.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Beckham's pick for royal baby name

Football superstar David Beckham thinks Prince William and Catherine should name their baby after soccer royalty. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

FORGET the traditional George, Philip or Arthur. Soccer superstar David Beckham has a surprising suggestion for the royal baby's name.

Speaking to Sky News, Beckham joked that Prince William and Catherine should name the baby David if it's a boy.

"David's pretty good. I think they should go for David - if it's a boy", he said.

What's your pick for the royal baby's name?

Boy or girl, Beckham's confident the baby will have wonderful parents.

"They're going to be amazing parents - because they are so loving towards children.

"William has grown from that young boy into an unbelievable gentleman. And that's a great quality for a father."

Speculation ahead of the royal birth has intensified, with Duchess of Cambridge's bub being heralded as a vital gift to the nation - or at least up there in importance with winning Wimbledon and retaining the Ashes by the Church of England.

Journalists are camped outside the hospital, the baby's wikipedia page is up and running, and fake Twitter accounts are sprouting up, but the royal baby is taking his or her time.

The Duchess is staying with her parents in Berkshire ahead of plans to move to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington in central London for the finale of the high-profile pregnancy and birth.

03.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Palm surgery patients try to cheat fate

Palmistry is the belief that the lines running across the palm of the hand can be used to tell someone's fortune.

JAPANESE intent on changing their fate have begun having plastic surgeries to alter their palms.

The new trend relies on the ancient art of palm reading - also known as palmistry -, the belief that you can tell a person's future based on the lines on their palms.

Plastic surgeons have reported an increase in patients asking for operations to extend or add lines associated with luck or marriage.

According to a report on the Daily Beast, the surgeries cost around $1100 and are performed with an electric scalpel.

Takaaki Matsuoka, a plastic surgeon at the Shonan Beauty Clinic's Shinjuku branch in Tokyo, said: "If you try to create a palm line with a laser, it heals, and it won't leave a clear mark. You have to use the electric scalpel and make a shaky incision on purpose, because palm lines are never completely straight."

Around 40 palm plastic surgeries have been performed at the Shonan Beauty Clinic alone in the last two years.

The surgery is popular with men and women usually takes 10 to 15 minutes, includes anywhere between 5 and 10 lines on the palm, and takes about a month to heal.

Dr Matsuoka said men usually wish to change lines related to business success, such as the fate line, the money-luck line and the financial line. Women often want to change their marriage line.

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03.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

The 50 most annoying things in life

The average person gets annoyed by something beyond their control at least seven times per day. Source: Supplied

DRIVEN up the wall by junk emails, cold calls and aggressive sales pitches?

You're not alone. Pushy salesmen, spam emails and having to deal with foreign call centres have topped a poll of biggest modern life "bugbears".

Other irritants include having to stand on the train, dodging dog poo, spelling errors in books and deliveries getting lost in the post.

Among common household frustrations are forgetting to put the bins out and unloading the washing machine to find clothes covered in bits of tissue.

The study, carried out by a British building society, revealed the average person gets annoyed by something that is beyond their control up to seven times a day.

One-fifth of respondents said they get irritated if they read a book and find spelling errors. Losing the remote control, breaking a nail and missing the train also appear on the top 50 list.

1. Pressure selling - people continuously trying to sell you something you don't want

2. Spam emails

3. Pushy sales people

4. Foreign call centres

5. Being put on hold

6. Dog mess on the pavement

7. Pot holes in the road

8. Spam text messages

9. Drivers who take up two spaces

10. Getting stuck behind really slow drivers

11. Queuing

12. Really slow people in front of you at the till

13. Rude customers or clients at work

14. Getting stuck in traffic

15. Having to stand on the train when you've paid loads for a ticket

16. Having to pay to use public lavatories

17. You unload the washing to find a tissue has covered everything

18. Credit card offers through the post

19. Bird mess on the car

20. Middle lane drivers

21. You put on a couple of kilos in weight when you think you've been good

22. Cars not stopping for you at a zebra crossing

23. Your delivery gets lost in the post

24. You hang the washing out only for it to rain

25. Spelling errors in books

26. Company 'reply to all' emails that aren't relevant to you

27. Having to shave

28. Having to find spare change for the supermarket trolley

29. Banks phoning you to offer you a credit card / loan / overdraft

30. Being sold something different from what you paid for

31. You close the computer or the computer crashes and you've forgotten to save your work

32. Predictive text

33. Being duped by a sales person

34. Self-serve tills

35. Your partner leaving crumbs / mess on the kitchen side

36. Delayed trains

37. Getting a paper cut

38. Calling companies complaints lines

39. You miss the train by a couple of minutes

40. Realising you've left your phone at home

41. Banks phoning you to check your personal details

42. Losing the remote control

43. You forget to put the bins out on rubbish collection day

44. Your shopping bag breaks and you lose your goods all over the floor

45. The milk has gone off

46. Breaking a nail

47. Dishes being stacked on the draining board

48. Automatic direct debits

49. Keypad tones

50. Someone rings you and they lose reception straight away

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23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Murray claims Wimbledon crown

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray reflects on his victory over Novak Djokovic at the All England Club.

ANDY Murray ended Britain's agonising 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men's singles champion on Sunday when he destroyed world number one Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the blistering heat of the All England Club.

The 26-year-old became the country's first male winner since Fred Perry in 1936, the year the Spanish Civil War started, Jesse Owens defied Hitler at the Berlin Olympics and Gone With The Wind was published.

It was Murray's second Grand Slam title to follow his breakthrough triumph at the US Open in 2012 which followed his Olympic gold medal as well as a heartbreaking, tearful loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final.

However, Sunday's title showdown, between two men who have now contested three of the last four Grand Slam finals, rarely lived up to expectations.

GREAT DROUGHT BREAKING PERFORMANCES

BRITS CALL FOR MURRAY KNIGHTHOOD

MURRAY WIN LIGHTS UP TWITTER

Wally Masur gives his thoughts on Andy Murray's mens singles victory on Day 14 at Wimbledon.

DJOKOVIC BLAMES SEMI STRAIN FOR LOSS

KYRGIOS FINISHES JUNIORS IN STYLE

Both struggled in the stifling 40C heat and the top-seeded Serb, who had beaten Murray in the Australian Open final in January, looked jaded after his record four hour 43-minute semi-final victory over Juan Martin del Potro.

And despite leads of 4-1 in the second set and 4-2 in the third, he was out-hit by Murray who finished with 36 winners to 31, with 21 unforced errors to the Serb's 40 and having carved out 17 break points.

"I have played Novak many times and when everyone finishes playing, he will go down as one of the fighters,'' said Murray.

Andy Murray raises the winner's trophy after beating Novak Djokovic to claim his first Wimbledon title. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP

"He did the same today and that is what made it tough. I understand how much everyone wanted to see British winner at Wimbledon and I hope everyone enjoyed it.

"My team have stuck by me through some tough moments. This one is for Ivan (Lendl, his coach) as well, I know he did everything to try to win this one when he was playing. He's fantastic, he's been patient and I thank him.''

Djokovic, who lost in straight sets at a Grand Slam for the first time since the semi-finals at Wimbledon three years ago, praised Murray.

"It wasn't easy. Andy deserves the win, he played incredible tennis. Congratulations to him and his whole team and the country, I know what it means to you all,'' said the Serb.

"It makes the success even bigger as I am aware of the pressure he gets. There are always lots of expectations on him to win this tournament. It's a great achievement.''

Inside a baking Centre Court, and watched by Victoria Beckham, Wayne Rooney as well as Hollywood stars Gerard Butler and Bradley Cooper, the first point of the match was a punishing 20 strokes.

Andy Murray has been crowned champion of Wimbledon after a straight sets victory over Novak Djokovic in the final at the All-England Club.

Murray, who has played in the final of his last four majors, had break points in the first and third games, with the Scot finally pouncing on his seventh for a 2-1 lead.

Djokovic levelled at 2-2 but Murray was the more aggressive, positive man and broke to love for a 4-3 edge firing almost four times as many winners than the top-seeded Serb.

Murray saved three break points for a 5-3 lead but Djokovic was furious that umpire Mohamed Lahyani had called a ball out at 30-40 while allowing play to continue with the Scot going to deuce.

The British second seed took the opener 6-4 after 59 minutes with a love service game, having hit 17 winners to six and with only six unforced errors to the world number one's 17.

Murray wasn't getting complacent -- he had won the the first set of the pair's last three meetings and still lost the match.

Djokovic was obviously aware of the history, speeding into a 4-1 lead with two more marathon rallies of 30 and 32 shots.

Britain's Andy Murray (L) hugs coach Ivan Lendl (R) as he celebrates beating Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the men's singles final on day thirteen of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.

But Murray roared back to 4-4 in a final which, despite its punishing hitting, still felt flat.

Djokovic, however, was becoming increasingly frustrated and in his fog of anxiety, Murray mugged him for a break to lead 6-5 and went two sets to the good at 7-5.

Murray had only lost once when two sets up and that was in the Wimbledon third round in 2005 against David Nalbandian, his debut year when he was a rookie 18-year-old.

A break in the second game of the third set gave Murray a 2-0 lead before Djokovic suddenly raced away with the next four games for a 4-2 lead.

But terrier Murray reclaimed the break in the seventh game and levelled in the eighth with a running, curled forehand off a Djokovic drop.

It was almost over.

Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates Championship point during the Gentlemen's Singles Final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

Djokovic, in his 11th Grand Slam final and chasing a seventh major, was broken for 4-5 before the British star, with the crowd on their feet, wasted three match points.

He finally achieved his place in history when Djokovic netted a backhand after three hours and nine minutes of action.

Andy Murray of Great Britain punches the air as he holds the Gentlemen's Singles Trophy on the Centre court balcony following his victory.

Andy Murray of Great Britain climbs down after celebrating in his player's box with friends, family and members of his coaching team following his victory in the Gentlemen's Singles Final match against Novak Djokovic.

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Webber wheel flies off, hits cameraman

Mark Webber was leading the race early on, but had a disastrous pit that put him in last place

A CAMERAMAN is recovering in hospital after being hit by a wheel that came off Australian Mark Webber's Red Bull car at the German Grand Prix.

The wheel flew off the right rear axle of Webber's car during a pit stop after eight laps of the grand prix, won by the Aussie's German teammate Sebastian Vettel.

It bounced through two garages and hit the cameraman, Paul Allen, in the back.

The sport's governing body, the FIA, says the British cameraman was then taken to Koblenz Hospital by helicopter, where he is receiving treatment for a broken collarbone and ribs.

World champions Red Bull were fined 30,000 euro ($A42,811) for an unsafe pit release.

"I hope the guy's okay ... and I very much hope there's no serious damage done,'' Webber said.

A wheel come loose from Mark Webber's tyre during a pit stop at the German Grand Prix.

Webber was running second at the time to Vettel.

It took two-and-a-half minutes before he rejoined the race at the back of the field.

Webber was left disappointed - especially after a rare flying start from third on the grid.

"It was a case of coulda woulda shoulda,'' he said. "A very good result might have been possible today without that incident in the pits.

"I think I could have challenged for the win.

Sebastian Vettel had to work hard, but just pipped Kimi Raikkonen to take the German Grand Prix.

"It would have been tough because Seb had to work hard to stay ahead of the Lotuses, but I would have been up there.

"When you know you have the pace, it makes a result like today all the more frustrating.''

Another incident then slowed the race when after 24 laps a car, without a driver in the cockpit, rolled backwards down the track in front of the oncoming racing field.

The car was the Marussia of Frenchman Jules Bianchi who had jumped out when the backmarkers' machine had suffered an engine failure.

Track staff failed to control it and it slowly rolled, out of control, backwards from its parked position and across the track before stopping after hitting an advertising hoarding.

After Bianchi left his car that had become engulfed in flames it started to roll down the hill interupting the race.

Later Vettel finally won a race on home soil after surviving spells of intense pressure to steer his Red Bull to victory.

But the defending triple world champion had to survive several spells of intense pressure to steer his Red Bull to victory in the German Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old German, who also had never won a race in the month of July, came home narrowly ahead of fast-closing Finn Kimi Raikkonen and his Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean of France.

Vettel's win was his fourth this year and the 30th of his career and it lifted him 34 points clear of nearest rival, Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, in the drivers' championship.

"It's unbelievable,'' said Vettel. "Kimi was pushing very close in the end, but I was pushing in every lap except from the ones with the safety car.

The car of French Formula One driver Jules Bianchi of Marussia catches fire during the German Formula One Grand Prix race at the Nuerburgring circuit. Picture: Thomas Frey

"I enjoyed today and I could feel Kimi coming and it was quite close with Romain too, but we recovered and I am very happy the race ended after 60 laps -- and not 61 or 62 laps.''

Vettel's win means that in the constructors' series, Red Bull lead with 250 ahead of Mercedes on 183.

Raikkonen, who closed within a second of Vettel at the end as he stretched his record run of points-scoring races to 26, said: "My radio only worked in one part of the circuit and unfortunately today there was quite a lot to discuss.''

Grosjean, who finished third to grab his first podium finish in five races, said: "It's good, it is a good result for the team. I thought I had a good chance, but Sebastian drove very well.

"The team took the decision to put us on different tyres and it worked out in the end.''

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel celebrates on the podium after winning the German Formula One Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring racetrack. Picture: Luca Bruno

Alonso came home fourth ahead of Britons Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Jenson Button of McLaren with Australian Mark Webber seventh in the second Red Bull.

Hamilton started from pole, but fell back and struggled with his tyres before fighting back in the closing stages with some fine passing moves.

"I have nothing positive to say about these tyres,'' said Hamilton. "I don't understand why we struggle so much on them, but the team is working hard and we need to keep pushing.

"I felt I was having such a difficult time and I wanted to know if Nico wasn't having a problem then it must be something with my driving or my set-up.

"But it turned out it wasn't. We didn't have any blowouts this weekend -- but I don't particularly like the tyres.''

Mexican Sergio Perez finished eighth for McLaren ahead of Germans Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes and Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber.

* * *

German Grand Prix results

1. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Red Bull) 1hr 41min 14.711sec

2. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Lotus) at 1.008

3. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Lotus) 5.830

4. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Ferrari) 7.721

5. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 26.927

6. Jenson Button (GBR/McLaren Mercedes) 27.996

7. Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull) 37.562

8. Sergio Perez (MEX/McLaren Mercedes) 38.306

9. Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes) 46.821

10. Nico Hlkenberg (GER/Sauber) 49.892

11. Paul di Resta (GBR/Force India) 53.771

12. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Scuderia Toro Rosso) 56.975

13. Adrian Sutil (GER/Force India) 57.738

14. Esteban Gutierrez (MEX/Sauber) 1:00.160

15. Pastor Maldonado (VEN/Williams) 1:01.929

16. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Williams) at 1 lap

17. Charles Pic (FRA/Caterham) 1 lap

18. Giedo van der Garde (NED/Caterham) 1 lap

19. Max Chilton (GBR/Marussia) 1 lap.

Only 19 finished.

Retired: Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari): 4th lap; Jules Bianchi (FRA/Marussia): 22th lap; Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA/Toro Rosso): 23th lap

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Is this the WORST MOVIE EVER?

One of these two can act OK. The other is Johnny Depp. AP Photo/Disney Enterprises Source: AP

THE verdict is in, and Johnny Depp won't like it. The Lone Ranger, according to virtually every reputable newspaper, website and serious film critic, is an absolute stinker.

Some call the film racist. Others say the $250 million bomb could be the death of the blockbuster. Some are even saying it may well be the worst movie in the history of film.

The Lone Ranger reportedly cost as much as $250 million to make, but reports say it will struggle to take $300 million worldwide. Movies generally require at least double their budget to break even, so these are worrying days for the film's backer Disney.

In fact, The Lone Ranger is doing so poorly that there are reports Disney could lose $150 million and its stock price may be affected. Perhaps Disney will need a loan arranger.

But enough with the bad puns. Here is some of the acid the critics are spitting. Let's start with Wesley Morris, the guy who won last year's Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Writing on leading US sports and pop culture website Grantland, Morris wrote:

"For it is awful and profligate, brainless and eternal, loud and cruel, a movie but not … Depp's Tonto war paint speaks to the state of his stardom right now: dried out."

Ouch. But if you read more widely, you'll see it's not just Depp's popularity under threat. Gilbert Cruz, writing on vulture.com , says this movie is a perfect example of almost everything that's wrong with the current Hollywood blockbuster system.

"In addition to being massively expensive, The Lone Ranger demonstrates the industry's franchise obsession, origin-story laziness, over-reliance on bloodless violence, and inability to prevent running-time bloat. These are not small problems, and there is no sign that they will be riding off into the sunset anytime soon …

"It's hard not to feel sorry for the damned film. It's a product of a system stuck in neutral. Hollywood happened to The Lone Ranger, not the other way around."

Yeah, that'll hurt. But not as much as the following slap across the cheek from the normally neutral Associated Press. The Lone Ranger ends with a train wreck. AP reviewer Jake Coyle was one of many to note that the film felt like a train wreck in more ways than one.

"For 2 ½ hours, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Lone Ranger inflates, subverts and distorts the conventions of the Western until, in an interminable climax, the big-budget spectacle finally, exhaustingly collapses in a scrap heap of train wreckage."

Have you seen the film? Tell us what you thought in the comments below

The Washington Post joined the train wreck party, writing:

"Despite its impressively staged set pieces, The Lone Ranger can't survive the epic train wreck resulting from its own tonal clashes, wherein mournful scenes of genocide and stolen immigrant labor are tastelessly juxtaposed with silly slapstick humor."

Johnny Depp as Tonto in The Lone Ranger. AP Photo/Disney Enterprises Source: AP

The touchy nature of casting a white man as a Native American has been an issue for many people. We could point to endless serious critiques of this decision, but why look further than satirical website The Onion?

"For all of Hollywood's failed attempts to create something that accurately recounts our glorious past while also honoring the bravery and wisdom of our ancestors, The Lone Ranger does just that. And on July 3, the American people will finally know our story.

"At press time, a coalition representing the nation's estimated 3 million American Indians had released a statement completely forgiving the United States for its systematic butchery and subsequent confinement of their people, saying that the new Lone Ranger movie 'had made it all worth it'."

Then again, British actor Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for portraying Gandhi, so who is anyone to say Depp can't play a Native American?

Also, to those who say that The Lone Ranger is like eating a bucket of stale popcorn off the floor of a cinema which hasn't been vacuumed for a month, it's worth noting that it is generally regarded as only the second worst movie of the year.

Will Smith's bomb After Earth wins that hands down. It scored just 11 per cent on movie rating site Rotten Tomatoes compared to The Lone Ranger's marginally less woeful 23 per cent.

And to think, Smith knocked back the role as Django in Tarantino's Django Unchained for the After Earth gig.

That's almost as bad a decision as putting a pirate on a horse.

###

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Geordie crew on their Aussie adventure

What does anal bleaching, the Whitsunday islands and skydiving have in common? Take a look inside the Geordie Shore's Sydney house and find out. Season 6 premieres July 10, on MTV.

The Geordie Shore crew with reporter Alison Stephenson at the Geordie HQ in Coogee. Picture: news.com.au Source: news.com.au

THEY caused mayhem in Sydney for five weeks and it looks like we haven't seen the last of the Geordie Shore crew just yet.

The brash British lads and lasses say they have fallen in love with Australia so much they want to live here permanently.

"I'm going to move here", Sophie told news.com.au after filming wrapped up in May.

"If anything ever fails with MTV and Geordie Shore, I'll be straight here. I wish I could take this country to England, I feel so sorry for England, it's a piece of s--t compared to this place, it's a s--thole."

The Geordie Shore crew with reporter Alison Stephenson at the Geordie HQ in Coogee. Picture: news.com.au Source: news.com.au

Added James: "I want to buy a holiday place, come over here for the summers and have our summers back home.

"Everyone is fitness mad, everyone does squats, I'm looking at everyone's ass thinking 'do they have butt implants'?

"I've finally found the place I want to be in."

And it seems that love may be mutual, if the reaction of fans is anything to go by.

Police were called to the house on day one of filming after hundreds of fans gathered outside the house in Coogee, blocking the road.

The Geordie crew relax in the shag pad. picture: MTV Source: news.com.au

"It was crazy, I felt like Justin Bieber," said Sophie of the mass hysteria that followed them.

"There was a girl in the backyard staring at me and my boyfriend getting changed and I was like 'omg what the hell are you doing' and she said she climbed the wall because someone dared her to do it. We had to ring the police and they had to come and remove her - I couldn't believe it."

James said he didn't realise how popular the cast were Down Under.

"Some of the girls would come up to you and just start crying and stuff, they couldn't even speak, it was mental."

Members of the Geordie Shore gang reveal there is some romance during the show's sixth series, and say they'll be back in Australia soon. Season 6 premieres July 10, on MTV.

When the fans had calmed down and moved on, news.com.au was given exclusive access to the cast inside the multi-million dollar Coogee mansion the crew called home.

(Take a look at the place BEFORE it was ruined with fake tan, clumps of hair and booze all over the walls here.)

The cast spilled on the best bits of their adventure, giving us all the details on everything from sky-diving to what went on in the shag-pad, and what they they love and hate about Australia.

(Watch the above videos for all the gossip and an exclusive look inside the palatial Geordie pad.)

And while there was a lot of sun, sand and surfing during their visit, of course the trip wasn't short of their usual "mortal" approach to life.

A Geordie style bus tour for fans of the show last Friday night revealed some of the nightspots the motley crew favoured during their stay in Sydney.

The Geordie crew eating dinner on the balcony of their palatial Coogee pad. Picture: MTV Source: news.com.au

Oceans Bar at Coogee, King's Cross hotspots World Bar and Trademark, The Bucket List at Bondi and The Golden Sheaf at Double Bay were just some of the local drinking holes visited by the Geordies.

While "'tashin on" and "pullin' birds" - as the Geordies would say - will form a big part of season six, the series wasn't short of mental moments and sticky situations.

"Seriously, this is the most explosive series you're ever ever going to witness," promised Charlotte.

Scary Canary, a popular backpacker bar in the Sydney CBD was the centre for much of the action, with the posse visiting the spot four times during the series.

It was where Charlotte was so sick she threw up on the bar, four drinks were also thrown into the VIP area, and where Scotty threw a tantrum and stormed out.

Scotty, Gaz and James in the house gym. Picture: MTV Source: news.com.au

Security was also forced to step in at King's Cross nightspot Trademark after Holly was pushed by a bunch of girls and she took a swing at one of them.

Gaz and Scotty also got into a fight at the same nightspot after Gaz was caught trying to "cut Scotty's grass", or in other words was trying to "pull his bird".

All in all, exactly what you'd expect from the party-til-you-drop-and-don't-ever-stop crew.

Watch the above videos for a sneak peak at the series and what to expect.

Season 6 of Geordie Shore premieres Wednesday July 10 on MTV at 7am with a premiere repeat at 8.30pm.

Watch the trailer for season 6 of Geordie Shore, when the cast head down under.

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Plane crash pilot was in training

New footage shows the Asiana Airlines plane crash. Credit: CNN

THE pilot of the Boeing 777 which crashed at San Francisco airport, killing two passengers, was on his first flight in the jet.

A spokeswoman for Asiana says it was the pilot's first flight to the airport with the jet.

"It was Lee Kang-kook's maiden flight to the airport with the jet. He was in training. Even a veteran gets training (for a new jet)," she said.

"He has a lot of experience and has previously flown to San Francisco on different planes including the B747... and he was assisted by another pilot who has more experience with the 777."

In other key developments:

US investigators said the Boeing 777 was travelling much slower than recommended and a pilot asked to abort the landing moments before the plane smashed into the ground.

The plane flips upwards as the landing goes horribly wrong. Picture: Fred Hayes via CNN

The flight data recorder also showed that as the Boeing 777 approached the runway its pilots were warned that the aircraft was likely to stall.

The request to abort the landing was captured on the cockpit voice recorder 1.5 seconds before the plane crashed, said National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Deborah Hersman, who is leading the probe.

Her announcement came after a video obtained by CNN confirmed that the aircraft, carrying more than 300 people, clipped a seawall short of the airport and skidded on its belly on to the runway.

The footage showed the nose up with the rear of the plane hitting the ground first, before it rolled on to the concrete, abruptly bounced upward and then spun round 180 degrees.

The crash was also caught on video.

The parents of Flight 214 victim, Wang Linjia, are comforted by parents of some other students who were on the Asiana Airlines jet that crashed at San Francisco International Airport. Ye Mengyuan and Wang Linjia, students at Jiangshan Middle School in China's eastern Zhejiang province, were both killed.

Fred Hayes was  watching planes land at San Francisco airport and filmed the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash landing.

He told CNN he shot the footage about 2km from the crash.

Two teenage girls who died when thrown clear of the plane as it landed have been identifed as Ye Mengyuan and Wang Linjia, both 16, from China's eastern Zhejiang province.

The girls, aged 16 and part of a school group from China,  were found on either side of the plane near the "front middle", said San Francisco fire chief  Joanne Hayes-White.

A coroner is investigating whether one of the girls was killed by a rescue vehicle as she lay on the runway.

An animation shows how an Asiana Airlines flight crashed at SFO San Fransisco. Credit: ABC Seven

The girls were part of a group of 29 students and five teachers on a class trip from Jiangshan Middle School.

New animated video released by the American ABC network shows how it is thought the accident happened, with the Boeing 777 coming in too low so that the landing gear clipped the runway. The plane then skids off the runway before being consumed in flames.

Chief Hayes-White added that 19 people remain in hospital, six of them in critical condition.

As investigators try to determine what caused the crash the accident left many wondering how nearly 305 of the 307 passengers and crew members were able to make it out alive.

Smokes rises from Asiana Flight 214 after it crashed at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Bay Area News Group, John Green)

Police officers threw utility knives up to crew members inside the burning wreckage of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 so they could cut away passengers' seat belts. Passengers jumped down emergency slides, escaping from thick billowing smoke.

And amid the chaos, some urged fellow passengers to keep calm, even as flames tore through the Boeing 777's fuselage.

"It's miraculous we survived," said passenger Vedpal Singh, who had a fractured collarbone and whose arm was in a sling.

Investigators took the flight data recorder to Washington, D.C., overnight to begin examining its contents for clues to the last moments of the plane before the crash, officials said. They also plan to interview the pilots, the crew and passengers.

"I think we're very thankful that the numbers were not worse when it came to fatalities and injuries," said National Transportation Safety Board chief Deborah Hersman on US network NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. "It could have been much worse."

This aerial photo shows the wreckage of the Asiana Flight 214. Picture: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

While authorities have said very little about the investigation at this early stage, clues have emerged in witness accounts of the planes approach and video of the wreckage, leading one aviation expert to say the aircraft may have approached the runway too low.

Mike Barr, a former military pilot and accident investigator who teaches aviation safety at the University of Southern California, said it appeared that something on the plane in its low approach may have caught the runway lip - the seawall at the end of the runway.

San Francisco is one of several airports around the country that border bodies of water that have walls at the end of their runways to prevent planes that overrun a runway from ending up in the water.

Since the plane was about to land, its landing gear would have already been down, Mr Barr said. It's possible the landing gear or the tail of the plane hit the seawall, he said. If that happened, it would effectively slam the plane into the runway, he said.

Noting that some witnesses reported hearing the plane's engines rev up just before the crash, Mr Barr said that would be consistent with a pilot who realized at the last minute that the plane was too low and was increasing power to the engines to try to increase altitude.

An eyewitness photo captures the evacuation of passengers from the Asiana flight. Picture: David Eun/Twitter

Mr Barr said he could think of no reason why a plane would come in to land that low.

"When you heard that explosion, that loud boom and you saw the black smoke ... you just thought, my god, everybody in there is gone," said Ki Siadatan, who lives near the airport and watched the plane's "wobbly" and "a little bit out of control" approach from his balcony.

"My initial reaction was I don't see how anyone could have made it," he said.

Inside the plane, Mr Singh, who was sitting in the middle of the aircraft with his family, said there was no forewarning from the pilot or any crew members before the plane touched down hard and he heard a loud sound.

"We knew something was horrible wrong," said a visibly shaken Singh. He said the plane went silent before people tried to get out anyway they could. His 15-year-old son said luggage tumbled from the overhead bins.

The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 seen on the runway at San Francisco International Airport after crash landing.  Picutre: AFP

Passenger Benjamin Levy said it looked to him that the plane was flying too low and too close to the bay as it approached the runway. Mr Levy, who was sitting in an emergency exit row, said he felt the pilot try to lift the jet up before it crashed.

He said he thought the maneuver might have saved some lives. "Everybody was screaming. I was trying to usher them out," he recalled of the first seconds after the landing. "I said: 'Stay calm, stop screaming, help each other out, don't push.'"

By the time the flames were out, much of the top of the fuselage had burned away. The tail section was gone, with pieces of it scattered across the beginning of the runway. One engine appeared to have broken away.

The flight originated in Shanghai, China, and stopped over in Seoul, South Korea, before making the nearly 11-hour trip to San Francisco, airport officials said. The airline said there were 16 crew members aboard and 291 passengers. Thirty of the passengers were children.

San Francisco Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White said the two who died were found on "the exterior" of the plane. "Having surveyed that area, we're lucky that there hasn't been a greater loss," she said.

This image courtesy of CBS affiliate KPIX, shows firefighters fighting a fire on an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777.  Picture: AFP

Airport spokesman Doug Yakel said 49 people were critically injured and 132 had less significant injuries.

South Korean government said the passengers included 141 Chinese, 77 South Koreans, 61 Americans, three Canadians, three from India, one Japanese, one Vietnamese and one from France, while the nationalities of the remaining three haven't been confirmed.

At least 70 Chinese students and teachers were on the plane heading to summer camps, according to education authorities in China.  

Asiana President Yoon Young-doo said at a televised news conference that it will take time to determine the cause of the crash. But when asked about the possibility of engine or mechanical problems, he said he doesn't believe they could have been the cause.

He said the plane was bought in 2006 but didn't provide further details. Asiana officials later said the plane was also built that year.

Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Boeing 777 lies burned on the runway after it crash landed at San Francisco International Airport, killing two girls and leaving 182 injured. Ezra Shaw

Mr Yoon also bowed and offered an apology, "I am bowing my head and extending my deep apology" to the passengers, their families and the South Korean people over the crash, he said.

Four pilots were aboard the plane and they rotated on a two-person shift during the flight, according to The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in South Korea. The two who piloted the plane at the time of crash were Lee Jeong-min and Lee Gang-guk.

Mr Yoon, the Asiana president, described the pilots as "skilled," saying three had logged more than 10,000 hours each of flight time. He said the fourth had put in almost that much time, but officials later corrected that to say the fourth had logged nearly 5,000 hours. All four are South Koreans.

Asiana is a South Korean airline, second in size to national carrier Korean Air. It has recently tried to expand its presence in the United States, and joined the Star Alliance, which is anchored in the U.S. by United Airlines.

The 777-200 is a long-range plane from Boeing. The twin-engine aircraft is often used for flights from one continent to another because it can travel 12 hours or more without refueling.

This photo provided by Zach Custer shows smoke rising from the plane. Picture: AP Photo/Zach Custer

The most notable accident involving a 777 occurred on January 17, 2008 at Heathrow Airport in London. British Airways Flight 28 landed hard about 1,000 feet short of the runway and slid onto the start of the runway. The impact broke the 777-200's landing gear. There were 47 injuries, but no fatalities.

The president of Asiana Airline said the plane that crash landed in San Francisco did not have engine problems and apologises to passengers. Julie Noce reports.

A tail section can be seen where investigators continue to inspect the scene of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 at San Francisco International Airport on July 7, 2013. AFP /Josh Edelson

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