AN armed man is making threats from a north Brisbane unit block, causing the evacuation of the complex's lower floor.
Police cordoned off the area at Banyo on Thursday night after receiving reports of the gunman making threats.
He is believed to be alone and specialist police are attending the scene.
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd says he is deeply sorry for the deaths of three young men who were killed as a result of his government's botched home insulation scheme.
A Queensland Coroner's report has criticised employers and supervisors, as well as various state government agencies, for numerous safety failings that lead to the deaths of the three men.
But the issue also has potential to damage Mr Rudd, who had announced the program as part of stimulus efforts to shield Australia from the global financial crisis.
"This is an unspeakable tragedy affecting a young boy, a young man, and young men," Mr Rudd said on Thursday night after arriving in Jakarta ahead of a leaders' summit with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"I cannot as a parent begin to understand the grief the parents would be feeling under these circumstances."
Mr Rudd said the government accepted the Coroner's conclusions.
"Let's not beat around the bush. This was a government program," he said.
"I would simply say on behalf of the Australian government how deeply sorry I am, and of course we apologise without reservation."
Former Environment Minister Peter Garrett took the fall for program that led to deaths of three men in Queensland and another in NSW, and was blamed for a number of house fires, even though his department had raised concerns the pace in which the scheme was rolled out was affecting safety.
The report says there were numerous failings on the part of federal and state government agencies in relation to a lack of safety training for workers who were installing the foil insulation.
But it also notes that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Mr Rudd did not respond to warnings issued by the Queensland Building Services Authority about the program.
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PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd will tell business leaders in Jakarta that Australia must look to its northern neighbour as a land of opportunity but that more must be done to boost trade between the two countries.
The prime minister arrived in Jakarta on Thursday night ahead of an annual leaders' meeting in Bogor, near the capital on Friday, where trade as well as the perennial issues of asylum seekers and cattle are set to be high on the agenda.
Mr Rudd will first address a business breakfast in Jakarta on Friday morning, where he will point rapidly expanding middle class in Indonesia as a future source of many opportunities for both countries.
"As one of the fastest growing economies in the region and the world, Indonesia should be one of our biggest trading partners. It will have a trillion dollar economy in a few years," Mr Rudd is expected to say in his speech.
"By 2030, 135 million Indonesians will be middle class consumers driving up demand for goods and services. This rapid growth should mean more opportunities for businesses in both countries.
"But Indonesia remains outside our top 10 trading partners. We need to do more to engage with one of our most important neighbours."
Mr Rudd has vowed to lead a delegation of Australia's top 100 businesses to Indonesia by the end of this year if he is re-elected.
The prime minister, accompanied by his wife Therese Rein, had dinner with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife on Thursday night.
Mr Rudd said shortly after his arrival in Jakarta that boosting trade, including access for Australian businesses, as well as discussions around the cattle trade, would be his priority during his visit.
"We share a truly comprehensive strategic partnership based on mutual respect, shared democratic values and a common interest in building a stable and prosperous region," Mr Rudd said.
Australia's cattle trade with Indonesia has never fully recovered from the 2011 temporary ban on live exports by the Labor government in response to evidence of animal cruelty in Indonesian abattoirs.
The asylum-seeker issue will also be discussed.
But Mr Rudd said it was "quite wrong to have huge expectations that there's going to be some headline result" out of the talks with Dr Yudhoyono.
"Of course border security will be part of the discussions I have with President Yudhoyono," he said.
He said his discussions with the Indonesian president would focus on co-operative strategies of dealing with people smuggling, while hitting out at Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's policy of turning asylum-seeker boats around.
"I'm in the business of working with our Indonesian friends and partners on what actually works in dealing with the challenge of border security rather than using three-word slogans that sound good but in practice don't work."
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JAMES Packer has vowed to make his $1.4 billion Barangaroo high-rollers' resort "the best thing I've ever built" after winning the casino licence.
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HOMES have been evacuated after an armed man barricaded himself in a house in Brisbane's north this evening.
Police declared an emergency situation under the Public Safety Preservation Act about 11.10pm after a man began making threats.
It's believed he is armed with a firearm and was alone in the residence on St Vincent's Rd.
Residents of nearby homes have been evacuated by police.
A boundary has been set up around the home including Blinzinger Road, Musgrave Road, Easton Street, Melville Place, and Royal Parade
It's believed he is armed with a firearm and was alone in the residence.
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A WOMAN has died after being stabbed in the stomach at a home in Toowoomba overnight.
Police were called to a residence in Seppelt Street, Wilsonton Heights, about 10pm where a woman was found with a stab wound to her stomach.
She was taken to the Toowoomba Base Hospital but died a short time later.
A Queensland Police spokeswoman said police were treating the death as suspicious.
A man was currently assisting police with their inquiries.
