Cyclone impacting WA's north coast

Residents in and near Port Hedland have been told to take shelter as Cyclone Christine intensifies. Source: AAP

A RED alert remains in place for communities from Pardoo to Mardie in the Pilbara as tropical cyclone Christine starts to impact the region.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the alert was current at 6.10pm (WST) for communities including Port Hedland, South Hedland, Whim Creek, Roebourne, Point Samson, Wickham, Karratha and Dampier.

"There is a threat to lives and homes." DFES said in a statement. "You are in danger and need to act immediately."

It urged residents in affected areas to "get ready to move to the strongest, safest part of your house".

"Keep your emergency kit with you. Stay away from doors and windows, and keep them closed. Stay indoors until the all-clear is given by authorities," DFES added.

It said relocation points had been set up at the JD Hardie Centre at Port Hedland, Karratha Leisureplex at Karratha, Civic Centre at Marble Bar, high school gym at Tom Price, and Ashburton Hall at Paraburdoo.

A yellow alert is current for people in or near Marble Bar, Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Pannawonica.

A blue alert has been issued for coastal areas between Wallal and Pardoo, between Mardie and Onslow, the inland area from Marble Bar to Newman, and between the Collier Ranges and Three Rivers.

In its latest update, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said the category-three cyclone was 75kms northwest of Port Hedland and 155kms northeast of Karratha.

It's moving towards the Pilbara coast at 16km/h, the bureau advised.

BoM said the "very destructive inner core" of the system "has begun to impact the coast between Port Hedland and Whim Creek".

It said Port Hedland was currently experiencing destructive wind gusts of up to 130km/h.

The bureau expected Christine to track south southwest, with the system's centre likely to cross the coast close to Whim Creek by about midnight.

BoM warns that winds of more than 200km/h are likely near the centre as the cyclone crosses the coast.

Winds of more than 130km/h are expected in the Karratha and Dampier region later Monday night and are forecast to hit Tom Price at 8am (WST) Tuesday.

BoM says gale-force winds up to 120km/h are currently occurring between Wallal and Roebourne, and should hit Karratha Monday night.

Coastal communities between Pardoo and Wickham including Port Hedland are also being warned about the potential for a for a "very dangerous storm tide tonight".

Heavy rainfall is expected near where the cyclone is tracking, and flood warnings have been issued for the Pilbara.

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Perth gets ready for NYE parties

LIVE music, fancy-dress parties and fireworks are on offer in Perth for New Year's Eve, but police are warning revellers to act responsibly.

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Councils, kids and cattle see 2014 changes

BUSH communities across the Northern Territory will have more say as the government begins dismantling large councils in favour of more local representation.

From January 1, the Minister for Local Government will be granted far-ranging powers in terms of local government, such as being able to abolish or constitute a council, to suspend council members, and to call, cancel, defer or suspend an election.

Minister Dave Tollner has already announced the splitting of the Victoria Daly Shire Council southwest of Darwin into two separate bodies, with a new regional council to be set up in the Wadeye and Peppimenarti area by July.

The Act will reverse some of the "disastrous" decisions the previous Labor government made in relation to local government in remote communities, Attorney-General John Elferink told AAP.

"(They) allowed bureaucracy to get in the way of service delivery ... in the process they disenfranchised the people who were governed, and that cost them dearly in the bush."

Meanwhile, the NT's child protection system will also be more accountable than it has ever been, he said.

A Children's Commissioner Act was passed to enable a transparent child protection system, with an independent commissioner who can investigate service providers that fail to support vulnerable children, and monitor the government's implementation of decisions arising from inquiries into child protection.

Previously the commissioner's legislative existence was the product of the same act that governed child protection, Mr Elferink said.

Also from January 1, farmers will be able to obtain 30-year permits to diversify income streams on land held under pastoral lease tenure.

This includes producers reliant on the live export trade who face significantly reduced income.

And from the first day of the new year the Petroleum Act will be amended to the greatest extent since 1982 to attract greater exploration interest in the NT, said Minister for Mines and Energy Willem Westra van Holthe.

It will allow the controlled release of vacant land, and allow the government to accept multiple applications for exploration permits, as the NT pursues the oil and gas exploration industry.

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Times Square preps for New Year's Eve bash

New York City's Times Square is getting ready for New Year's Eve celebrations on Tuesday night. Source: AAP

NEW York City's Times Square is getting ready for New Year's Eve.

The square will host millions on Tuesday night counting down the last few moments of 2013.

Starting on Saturday, six Citibikes from the city's bike share program were being installed in Times Square and connected to 12-volt deep cycle batteries.

New Yorkers and tourists will generate power by pedalling. That will help illuminate the famed ball that will descend New Year's Eve.

Each bike will generate an average of 75 watts an hour. It takes 50,000 watts to power the ball, which is lit by 30,000 LEDs.

Additionally, a giant paper shredder and a dumpster were installed in Times Square on Saturday to allow visitors to destroy bad memories of 2013.

The annual event is dubbed Good Riddance Day.

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Winds flaming north coast bushfire

AN out-of-control bushfire threatening homes on the state's north coast is being pushed north by strong winds, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) says.

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Suicide bomber kills 13 in Russia's south

A female suicide bomber set off a blast in a train station in Russia killing at least 13 people. Source: AAP

AT least 13 people have been killed and scores wounded by a suicide bomber at a railway station in southern Russia, officials said.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee said the explosion on Sunday at the central railway station in the city of Volgograd was set off by a suicide bomber, heightening concerns about terrorism ahead of February's Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the nation's top investigative agency, the Investigative Committee, said at least 13 people died in the blast.

Russia's Health Ministry said about 50 people were injured.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, but it came months after Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov called for attacks against civilian targets in Russia, including the Sochi Games.

Suicide bombings and other attacks linked to Islamic rebels have rocked Russia for years.

In October, a female suicide bomber blew herself up on a city bus in Volgograd, killing six people and injuring about 30.

Officials said the attacker came from the province of Dagestan, which has become the centre of an Islamist insurgency that has spread across the region after two separatist wars in Chechnya.

Russian state television reported that Sunday's explosion occurred at the security gate at the station's entrance.

Footage from a security camera facing the station that was broadcast by Rossiya 24 television showed the moment of explosion: a bright orange flash inside the station behind the main gate followed by plumes of smoke.

The television showed a line-up of ambulances outside the station and motionless bodies placed on the pavement.

The blast closely followed another attack on Friday in Pyatigorsk in the North Caucasus mountains, when a car rigged with explosives blew up on a street in the city, the centre of a federal administrative district intended to stabilise the North Caucasus region.

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