COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright NINE NETWORK Image caption Charlie Fry said he was "blindsided" by the shark A UK doctor says he escaped a shark by punching it in the face after the animal injured him in Australia. Charlie Fry, 25, was at a beach north of Sydney on Monday when the shark "jumped out of the water and hit him in the right shoulder", police said. Dr Fry said he punched the shark while in the water before climbing back on his board and surfing to shore. He said he had been inspired by  surfer Mick Fanning, who famously fended off a shark  during a competition in 2015. The shark left scratches and a small puncture wound on Dr Fry's arm. Police said the animal was about 2m (6.5ft) long. "I saw this shark come out of the water and breach its head and I punched it in the face with my left hand,"  Dr Fry told local Nine Network's Today programme  on Tuesday. "When it happened, I was like, 'just do what Mick did, just punch it in the...

Image copyright EPA Image caption Police investigate the crash in the Sydney suburb of Greenacre Two eight-year-old boys have died after a car crashed into a primary school classroom in Sydney, police have said. The incident at Banksia Road Public School also left three girls in hospital with injuries. Most of the other 19 children in the classroom were assessed at the scene by paramedics, authorities said. The driver of the car, a 52-year-old woman, was taken to a police station. Authorities say they do not believe the crash was intentional. The incident happened at about 09:45 local time on Tuesday (22:45 GMT Monday) in the suburb of Greenacre. Paramedics described the scene as "pandemonium". "Obviously it was a scene of carnage," said Supt Stephanie Radnidge, from New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance. "There were a number of distressed and overwhelmed children and teachers at the scene of a horrible accident." Others treated at scene The ...

Image copyright BEHROUZ BOOCHANI Image caption The men have been without electricity, food, security and medical staff for a week. A Papua New Guinea court has ruled against restoring basic services to refugees staying in a closed Australian-run detention centre. About 600 men are refusing to leave the Manus Island camp which had its electricity, running water and food cut off last week. The PNG Supreme Court found the men's human rights had been breached. However it rejected a bid to reconnect services on the basis there was alternative accommodation for the men. Refugees and rights groups have consistently resisted moving to the new centres due to fears the men will be attacked by locals. Refugees 'dig for water' in Australia camp 'Our situation is just like hell' Timeline: A controversial centre The court said those fears only existed around the time of the centre's closure. "There is no real good reason why they should not voluntarily...

Image copyright BEHROUZ BOOCHANI Image caption A refugee suffering from heart pain was driven to hospital but then sent back, activists say Refugees who have refused to leave an Australian-run detention centre in Papua New Guinea are struggling with acute health problems, advocates say. Over the weekend, one refugee collapsed from heart pain and had to wait more than four hours before being taken to hospital, activists said. The hospital lacked the equipment to treat him and sent him back, they said. About 600 men have gone for days without electricity, food and running water at the Manus Island centre. The centre was closed on 31 October, but many of the men have refused to leave or relocate to a new centre, due to fears of attacks from locals. Most of the men have been classified as refugees. Lawyers for the men have filed a case with a PNG court and are arguing for the centre's basic services to be reinstated. Refugees 'dig for water' in Australia camp Tim...

Image copyright LIBBY WEAVER A best-selling author has recalled 20,000 copies of her new book, which used the term "mongolism" to describe Down's syndrome. Celebrity nutritionist Libby Weaver apologised and said she was "mortified to have caused anyone any distress". The Australian, who has written several bestselling books, said she had no idea the word was offensive and not correct. The term "mongolism" was used until the 1980s. The medical term now used is Down's Syndrome or Trisomy 21. Ms Weaver posted a video message on her website saying that she used the word in her latest book What Am I Supposed to Eat?, thinking it "was a current medically used word". "It has since been brought to my attention it is a word that is used in a derogatory way and I am very, very sorry to have caused anyone any distress through this error, particularly children with Down Syndrome and their families," she said. The author, w...