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Man charged over Christmas Eve stabbing

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 29 Desember 2012 | 11.25

A MAN has been charged over a Christmas Eve stabbing outside a Sydney restaurant.

Police say an argument between two men, aged 29 and 33, in Strathfield's Everton Road, turned violent shortly before midnight (AEDT) on Monday.

The younger man was allegedly stabbed multiple times in the chest and abdomen.

He was taken to Westmead Hospital for surgery and is still recovering in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Police, acting on a tip-off from a member of the public, arrested a 33-year-old at a coffee store in Strathfield on Friday night.

He has been charged with wounding with intent to murder and refused bail to appear before Parramatta Bail Court later on Saturday.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kylie gears up for a special Sydney NYE

POP princess Kylie Minogue will meet with Sydney New Year's Eve planners to put the finishing touches on plans for the big night.

As creative ambassador for the event in 2012, the UK-based singer developed the event's theme "embrace" and chose its colour scheme and soundtrack.

She arrived in Sydney early on Friday, and will meet with New Year's Eve organisers on Saturday afternoon.

Minogue told reporters on Saturday she was jet-lagged, but excited to be welcoming the new year from Sydney streets.

"It's so exciting to be seeing signage in the streets. I keep telling anyone who'll listen: 'Look! Look up there!'" she said.

"I can't wait."

She said she designed the New Year's Eve "embrace" theme to mean different things to different people - but for her, it means sharing a big hug with that special someone.

Asked who or what she would be embracing during the midnight countdown on Monday, the star did not hesitate.

"My boyfriend, firstly," she said.

"And I have some family coming up for New Year's Eve.

"I love the concept of embrace. It can mean so many different things, and I'm looking forward to embracing new possibilities for the next year."

Event producer Aneurin Coffey said Minogue had been a hands-on creative ambassador.

"She's been a lot more involved than we expected," he told reporters on Friday.

"When you actually get someone like Kylie on board, you never know quite what you're going to get, but she was absolutely ecstatic to be involved."

She will be honoured with a one-of-a-kind sparkling musical note firework.

The semiquaver will be one of 100,000 individual pyrotechnic creations this year, including brand new koala, octopus and hand images up in lights.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia condemns Japan whale hunt

The Australian government has vowed to continue its fight against Japan's whale hunt. Source: AAP

THE Australian government has vowed to continue its fight against all forms of whaling as Japan's whaling fleet leaves for its annual hunt in the Southern Ocean.

"The Australian government condemns all commercial whaling, including Japan's so-called 'scientific' whaling," Environment Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.

"It is particularly offensive that Japan's whaling will take place in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the International Whaling Commission.

"We will keep working to achieve a permanent end to all commercial whaling."

The Australian government started legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice in May 2010.

Both Australia and Japan have filed their detailed written arguments to the court and the case has been set down for oral hearing in The Hague.

The Australia government anticipates the case is likely to be listed for hearing in the latter half of next year.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said the decision to start legal proceedings was not taken lightly.

"The Australian government considers Japan's whaling program is contrary to its international obligations and should stop," said Ms Roxon.

Citing the Fisheries Agency, Kyodo News reported on Friday three vessels had left from the far-western port of Shimonoseki, while environmental group Greenpeace said the mother ship had left another port also in the country's west.

The fleet plans to hunt up to 935 Antarctic minke whales and up to 50 fin whales through March, the fisheries agency said earlier.

Greens Acting Leader Adam Bandt called on the Australian government to seek a court injunction to stop the whaling.

"The Labor government and the coalition government before its attempts to stop this illegal whaling have been an abject failure because they've been half-hearted," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"The government says it wants to do something about it and has commenced proceedings in the court, but it hasn't done the simple thing that would actually stop the whaling, and that is go off and seek an injunction.

"If the Japanese government can go off to a United States court and get an injunction to stop the Sea Shepherd, well then the Australian government can go off as well and get an injunction to stop this illegal whaling."


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vietnam police arrest dissident lawyer

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 28 Desember 2012 | 11.25

VIETNAMESE police have detained a well-known dissident lawyer as part of a continuing government crackdown on opposition to its rule.

State-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that Le Quoc Quan was taken into police custody in Hanoi on Thursday for alleged tax evasion.

Neither authorities nor Quan's family were available for comment.

Quan is one of Vietnam's better-known dissidents and maintains an anti-government blog.

In August, he needed hospital treatment after being beaten outside his home by men he suspected were state agents.

International human rights groups have criticised Vietnam for jailing dissidents for peacefully expressing their views.

Hanoi maintains that only lawbreakers are put behind bars.

In 2007, Quan was detained for three months on his return from a US government-funded fellowship in Washington.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apple must pay on copyright: Chinese court

A CHINESE court has ordered Apple Inc to pay 1.03 million yuan ($A159,740) to eight Chinese writers and two companies who say unlicensed copies of their work were distributed through Apple's online store.

The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ruled on Thursday that Apple violated the writers' copyrights by allowing applications containing their work to be distributed through its App Store, according to an official who answered the phone at the court and said he was the judge in the case.

He refused to give his name, as is common among Chinese officials.

The award was less than the 12 million yuan ($A1.84 million) sought by the authors.

The case grouped together eight lawsuits filed by them and their publishers.

An Apple spokeswoman, Carolyn Wu, said the company's managers "take copyright infringement complaints very seriously".

She declined to say whether the company would appeal.

Unlicensed copying of books, music, software and other products is widespread in China despite repeated government promises to stamp out violations.

Apple's agreement with application developers requires them to confirm they have obtained rights to material distributed through the company's App Store.

"We're always updating our service to better assist content owners in protecting their rights," Wu said.

The Chinese writers said they saw applications containing unlicensed versions of their books last year.

In November, a court ordered Apple to pay 520,000 yuan to the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House for copyright infringement in a separate case.

Apple is appealing, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

In the latest case, the Beijing court awarded 605,000 yuan to one company and 21,500 yuan to the second, according to the court official.

The biggest individual judgment went to writer Han Ailian, who was awarded 186,000 yuan.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leighton wins two LNG contracts

LEIGHTON Holdings has secured $1.2 billion worth of contracts linked to the $34 billion Ichthys liquefied natural gas project in Darwin.

The first contract, worth $923 million, is to build infrastructure such as roads, foundations and trenches, at Blaydin Point for Ichthys' onshore facilities.

Construction is due to start in May and be completed by July 2016, Leighton's wholly-owned subsidiary Leighton Contractors said in a statement on Friday.

It is the third project Leighton had won for Ichthys' onshore processing site.

Separately, the company said it had clinched a $280 million operations and maintenance contract for Blaydin Point's temporary facilities.

Leighton Contractors will operate and maintain services for all temporary site facilities, including power supply, water treatment plants and pest control, for more than four years during the construction phase.

The temporary facilities were currently being built by Leighton Contractors' infrastructure division.

"We see the LNG and coal seam methane markets offering significant opportunities for the Leighton Group, which has developed a high degree of competency in delivering essential infrastructure for large resources projects," Leighton chief executive Hamish Tyrwhitt said.

The Ichthys gas field lies about 200kms off the West Australian coast.

It is expected to produce 8.4 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas a year.

Gas will be piped from the Ichthys field to Darwin, about 900km away, for processing and shipping.

Leighton shares were cents at $17.96.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Student survivors of Hiroshima honoured

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 27 Desember 2012 | 11.25

HIROSHIMA University says it will bestow honorary doctorates on three former students from South-East Asia who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of the Japanese city.

The degrees will be given to former Brunei prime minister Pengiran Yusuf, 91; Hasan Rahaya, 91, a former Indonesian MP, and Abdul Razak, 87, who taught Japanese in Malaysia, the university said.

The three were among a group of students from Japanese-occupied South-East Asia studying in Japan during World War II under a programme designed to provide young foreigners with pro-Japanese education.

According to the university, they were forced to stop their studies after the western Japanese city was hit by the atomic bomb dropped by US forces, killing an estimated 140,000 people instantly.

They were among nine foreign students at the university who were exposed to radiation from the bomb, a university official said, adding that two of them died instantly.

The university plans to send officials to the three countries early next year to present the degrees to the three, he said.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

US childhood obesity falls: study

Obesity rates among small children in the United States may be on the decline, a study suggests. Source: AAP

OBESITY rates among small children may finally be on the decline after more than tripling in the United States over the past 30 years, a study indicates.

The study found obesity rates peaked in 2004 and then declined slightly among low-income children aged two to four who receive benefits from a federal food stamp program called SNAP.

"To our knowledge, this is the first national study to show that the prevalence of obesity and extreme obesity among young US children may have begun to decline," wrote lead author Liping Pan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The results of this study indicate modest recent progress of obesity prevention among young children. These findings may have important health implications because of the lifelong health risks of obesity and extreme obesity in early childhood."

Obesity is most prevalent among minority and low-income families and has been associated with a range of health problems and premature death.

The researchers analysed data from a pediatric nutrition surveillance system which monitors almost half of the children eligible for federally funded maternal and child health and nutrition programs.

They were able to access height and weight data from 27.5 million children aged two to four in the 30 states which consistently reported their data.

In 1998, obesity levels were at 13.05 per cent of the children. This rose to a peak of 15.36 per cent in 2004 before declining to 14.94 per cent in 2010.

Extreme obesity rates rose from 1.75 per cent in 1998 to a peak of 2.22 per cent in 2003 before slipping down to 2.07 per cent in 2010, the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr David Ludwig said the declines seen were not enough, and he urged an overhaul of the federal food stamp program (SNAP) to help low-income families tackle obesity by eliminating junk food and adding more fruit and vegetables to their diet.

"SNAP is essential for hunger prevention in the United States, but its exclusive focus on food quantity contributes to malnutrition and obesity, and is misaligned with the goal of helping beneficiaries lead healthier lives," wrote Ludwig, who works in an obesity prevention centre at Boston Children's Hospital.

While other federal food programs, like the free meals offered in schools, have been revised to focus on healthful eating, SNAP has no regulations to influence the quality of food purchased.

Ludwig noted that it pays for an estimated $US4 billion ($A3.87 billion) in soft drinks per year, which adds up to about 20 million servings of soda a day.

"The public pays for sugary drinks, candy, and other junk foods included in SNAP benefits twice: once at the time of purchase, and later for the treatment of diet-induced disease through Medicaid and Medicare," he wrote.

"The nation's $US75 billion investment in SNAP could provide a major opportunity to reduce the burden of diet-related disease among low-income children and families if policies that promote nutritional quality are instituted."

More than a third of US children were overweight in 2008, the CDC found in a previous study.

Childhood obesity rates jumped from seven per cent of children aged six to 11 in 1980 to 20 per cent in 2008. The number of obese teens aged 12 to 19 jumped from five per cent to 18 per cent over the same period.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Heatwave and fires continue in Perth

PERTH'S heatwave has already sparked several accidental and deliberate fires in the past couple of days, and with the mercury continuing to hover around 40 degrees until the New Year, authorities are warning people to be extra vigilant of spot fires and firebugs.

Children playing with fire crackers are believed to have started a fire that threatened homes in Kenwick, Perth's southeast, on Wednesday about 9.30pm (WST).

A Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) spokesman says the blaze started in bush and burnt about two hectares.

In a separate incident, exhaust from a car is believed to have started a fire in Upper Swan, in Perth's northeast, when a man doing fencing work parked his car on dry grass.

About $500,000 worth of damage was caused when a faulty air conditioner started a fire around 12.30am on Thursday in Embleton, in Perth's northeast.

In Chidlow, a car suspected of being involved in a burnout caught fire at 12.30am.

Two boys, aged 11 and 14, have also been questioned by police over a fire in Darlington, in Perth's east, at 7pm on Wednesday where witnesses reported hearing an explosive banging sound before a fire was spotted in some scrub.

Two other youths were also questioned over a fire believed to have been deliberately lit in South Lake, in Perth's south, about 10pm where tree scrubs and grass were set alight.

The 15-year-old boys were released without charge on Thursday morning, but police still want to speak to a third boy who they believe may be able to help with their investigation.

The DFES warns that residents need to be aware of potential fire hazards, especially for the remainder of the week as Perth swelters in the heat.

Deputy commissioner of operations Lloyd Bailey said if fires started in these weather conditions they would spread quickly and would be difficult to control.

"We are asking everyone to be especially vigilant, monitor your surroundings, stay up to date and be careful not to undertake any activity that may start a fire," he said.

Fire crews are battling blazes across the state, including one in the Shire of Northam, but none are currently threatening homes.

Elsewhere in the state, residents between Wongan Hills, Moora, Mullewa, Murchison, Cue and Mount Jackson are preparing for thunderstorms.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts the chance of a late storm in Perth on Thursday, but the temperature is still expected to reach 41 degrees.

There will be isolated showers and thunderstorms on Friday, but again the temperature will be 40 degrees.

Saturday will be a very hot 42 degrees and Sunday will be 41 degrees.

December is expected to finish with 38 degrees on Monday, before a slightly cooler 34 degrees on New Year's Day.

Surf Life Saving WA has also been busy as many flock to the beach to beat the heat.

Shopping centres were also swamped on Boxing Day and were expected to attract more visitors for the remainder of the week as people attempted to escape the heat with some air conditioning.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fun turns to mishap for some on Xmas Day

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 26 Desember 2012 | 11.25

NEW toys, goofing around and eating the good stuff are all part of Christmas Day but paramedics know the fun can quickly turn to pain and tears.

Ambulance Service of NSW crews were kept busy on Tuesday thanks to skateboards, scooters, trampolines, a jumping castle, prawns and play-wrestling matches.

The Christmas Day call-outs included a trampoline accident in which a man in his late thirties seriously injured his neck at Bourkelands in the state's south.

At Inverell in western NSW, a two-year-old boy suffered a minor head injury when he walked under a trampoline while others were bouncing on it.

A three-year-old girl broke her arm while playing in a jumping castle at Tweed Heads South in northern NSW.

Also in the state' north a man in his thirties injured his neck while wrestling with friends at Corlette and at Sawtell another man seriously injured his ear while play-wrestling with a family member.

In Sydney a 12-year-old boy fractured his arm when he fell off a skateboard at Port Hacking and at Glenwood an eight-year-old boy suffered serious cuts to his arm when he came off a scooter.

Another scooter fall at Avoca Beach in the state's north injured a 12-year-old boy who was taken to hospital.

There was also pain at the beach with a 35-year-old woman hurting her neck when a wave dumped her at North Bondi, while a 25-year-old man dislocated his shoulder surfing at Byron Bay.

Paramedics also attended a man in his sixties after he suffered an allergic reaction to prawns at Alstonville in the state's north.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Students 'missing' after accident in Japan

A GROUP of 15 Japanese students who went missing after a boat accident near Tokyo have all been rescued, public broadcaster NHK and Jiji press news agency report citing police and local officials.

A group of 50 students from different high schools were on a joint practice session when they fell into chilly waters after their canoes capsized, reports said adding that 35 were immediately rescued.

It remained unclear how the accident happened or what condition the students were in when they were rescued.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Longest bullet train launched in China

The world's longest high-speed rail route has started in China, linking Beijing and Guangzhou. Source: AAP

CHINA has started service on the world's longest high-speed rail route, the latest milestone in the country's rapid and - sometimes troubled - super fast rail network.

The opening of the new 2298-kilometre line, between Beijing and Guangzhou, means passengers will be whisked from the capital to the southern commercial hub in less than a third of the 22 hours previously required.

China Central Television broadcast the departure of the first train live from Beijing West Railway Station and also carried live reports from inside, showing passengers snapping commemorative photos.

Trains will travel at an average speed of 300 kilometres per hour over the line, which includes 35 stops in major cities such as Zhengzhou, Wuhan on the Yangtze River and Changsha.

State media have reported that December 26 was chosen to start passenger service to commemorate the birth in 1893 of revered Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

The Beijing-Guangzhou route was made possible with the completion of a line between Zhengzhou and Beijing. High-speed sections linking Zhengzhou and Wuhan, and Wuhan and Guangzhou, were already in service.

China's high-speed rail network was established in 2007, but has fast become the world's largest with 8358 kilometres of track at the end of 2010.

That is expected to almost double to 16,000 kilometres by 2020.

The network, however, has been plagued by graft and safety scandals, most notably a deadly bullet train collision in July 2011 that killed 40 people and sparked a public outrage.

The accident was China's worst rail disaster since 2008 and caused a torrent of criticism aimed at the government, amid accusations that authorities compromised safety in their rush to expand the network.

Authorities say they have taken steps ahead of the new line's opening to improve maintenance and inspection of infrastructure, including track, rolling stock and emergency response measures.

"The emergency rescue system and all kinds of emergency pre-plans are established to improve emergency response ability," according to a ministry booklet.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jobs estate pays to free impounded yacht

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 25 Desember 2012 | 11.25

Steve Jobs' estate has paid a deposit to resolve a dispute that had impounded his superyacht Venus. Source: AAP

STEVE Jobs' superyacht Venus is free to leave Amsterdam port after the late Apple co-founder's estate paid a deposit to resolve a dispute with designer Philippe Starck, who had the yacht impounded.

"The Venus is no longer impounded, we have found a solution," Gerard Moussault, a Hague-based lawyer for the Jobs estate, told AFP on Monday.

"A security deposit was paid into a bank account, but I cannot say for how much," Moussault said after French designer Starck last week asked Amsterdam bailiffs to seize the sleek 70-metre yacht.

The vessel, which reportedly cost over 100 million euros ($A127 million) to build, was impounded after Starck said Jobs' estate still owed him three million euros for his contribution to its design.

Starck said he was to be paid a fixed sum of nine million euros, while lawyers for Jobs' estate said he was to be paid a percentage of the project's cost equal to six million euros.

The Dutch-built yacht, which was only unveiled in October - just over a year after Jobs died - is in Amsterdam harbour because of bad weather.

"The captain is waiting for better weather to set sail," Moussault said.

Starck's lawyer in the Netherlands, Roelant Klaassen, said on Friday that Jobs and Starck were "very close in the period that the design was made and the building proceeded.

"That's one of the reasons there was no formal agreement on the job," he said.

The yacht will reportedly be shipped by another ship to the United States, where Jobs' family, including widow Laurene Powell Jobs and their three children Reed, Erin and Eve, are to take charge of her.

The aluminium-hulled yacht was built by Royal De Vries shipbuilders in Aalsmeer, just south of Amsterdam, with interiors designed by Starck.

The bridge features a control panel made up of an array of seven iMac computers.

Starck said last year he was working on the yacht, which was mentioned in Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, who died on October 5, 2011. He said it was "sleek and minimalist", with teak decks.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia to renovate Lenin's mausoleum

Russia is carrying out major repair work on the mausoleum for revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin. Source: AAP

THE mausoleum for Russia's revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin must undergo major repair work after its foundation suffered water damage, the Kremlin says.

The communist icon's body will also undergo preservation work, a move that adds fuel to a debate in Russia about whether his remains should be buried.

The Lenin Mausoleum, a boxy structure standing just outside the Kremlin walls on Red Square, has not seen any major works for 80 years, said Sergei Devyatov, a representative of the Kremlin's secret service, which is responsible for the building.

The mausoleum's foundation is starting to tilt and has become water-damaged. Works to eliminate the problem will take until April, he said.

"We have also scheduled works to maintain Lenin's body," Devyatov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

The body will not be moved during the works, he said.

A team of scientists periodically restores Lenin's body, when it is given a new suit and various preservation treatments.

Debates on whether to remove the body from the mausoleum constructed in 1924, when Lenin died at age 53, started after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Though the mausoleum is a tourist attraction, increasing numbers of Russians are calling for Lenin to be buried. Russia's Communist party vehemently opposes the idea.

In the latest big debate on the issue last year, the ruling party United Russia launched a campaign for Lenin's burial, however the discussion was quickly shelved.

At that time, 56 per cent of Russians said it would be better to bury Lenin, while 31 per cent said his body should be left alone, a Levada poll said.

President Vladimir Putin earlier this month said the body reflects Russian tradition, even controversially comparing it to the ancient Orthodox relics of saints displayed in famous monasteries in Russia, Ukraine and Greece.

"The Communists have taken on the tradition," he said at the time. "They did this with knowledge and considering the needs of their time."


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Severe storm warning for NSW

THE Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for large parts of NSW, with emergency authorities urging residents to be prepared for flash flooding and damaging winds.

The warnings, issued at 2.06pm (AEDT) on Tuesday are for the central tablelands, parts of the mid-north coast, the Hunter region, northwest slopes and plains, central west slopes and plains and the lower western, upper western and northern tablelands forecast districts.

Thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and damaging winds over the next several hours, the bureau said.

Locations which may be affected include Scone, Orange, Mudgee, Bathurst, Katoomba, Tamworth, Gunnedah, Narrabri, Dubbo, Parkes, Nyngan, Wilcannia and Cobar.

The State Emergency Service (SES) is advising people to move cars under cover and away from trees, secure loose items around dwellings, keep clear of fallen power lines, creeks and storm drains, and to call triple zero if trapped by flash flooding.

People are also being urged to avoid using phones during storms, to unplug computers and appliances and to stay indoors and away from windows.

A strong wind warning has also been issued for NSW coastal waters between Yamba and Crowdy Head.

Winds are northeasterly, then tending southeast to southwesterly and increasing up to 30 knots by Wednesday morning, with combined sea and swell increasing up to three metres.

But the bureau noted that wind gusts could be 40 per cent stronger than the averages given, with maximum waves up to twice the quoted heights.

For emergency help in floods and storms in NSW and the ACT, ring the SES on 132 500.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust shares close at 18-month highs

Written By Unknown on Senin, 24 Desember 2012 | 11.25

INVESTORS have brought some festive cheer to the Australian sharemarket, sending it back up to 18-month highs on light volumes on Christmas Eve.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closed 11.6 points, or 0.25 per cent, higher at 4,635.2, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 10.4 points, or 0.22 per cent, at 4,645.6.

On the ASX 24, the March share price index futures contract was up 21 points at 4,613 with 10,439 contracts traded.

Technically the move can be attributed to the fact that US futures markets were pointing to a recovery over the weekend after fiscal cliff worries sent stocks on Wall St lower on Friday.

However CommSec market analyst Steven Daghlian said a rise in Australian equity values on Christmas Eve is pretty typical.

"On Christmas Eve the market has done well 80 per cent of the time since the mid-1980s," he told AAP.

"Going back 70 years, the Australian market has gained about 70 per cent of the time in December, which is the second-best month overall behind January."

It is also the 10th time in 12 sessions the ASX has posted gains.

All sectors finished in positive positions - albeit only modestly higher - driven by materials and financial names.

Resources giant BHP Billiton was up 16 cents to $36.86, Rio Tinto climbed 10 cents to $64.84, while iron ore producer Fortescue Metals was three cents lower at $4.35.

Shares in miner and steel and mining consumables maker Arrium fell despite it announcing some good news about it using extra capacity at Whyalla Port to ship out iron ore.

Arrium shares closed 1.5 cents down at 88.5 cents.

Gold stocks recovered some of their recent losses following falls in the commodity's price, with Australia's largest goldminer Newcrest 23 cents higher at $22.70.

Among the banks, ANZ shares improved two cents to $24.97, Commonwealth Bank was the best performer increasing 33 cents to $62.33, Westpac closed flat at $26.17 while National Australia Bank shed six cents to $24.88.

Shares in mining contractor Macmahon Holdings fell after it said it expected to make just $2 million on the $14 million sale of its construction business to Leighton Holdings, due to $12 million in redundancy costs.

Macmahon shares gave up one cent to 22.5 cents.

Billabong shares gained after the troubled surfwear retailer said it would allow its latest suitor, former board member Paul Naude, to conduct due diligence on the company.

The surfwear retailer's shares were half a cent up at 83 cents.

National turnover was light with traders skipping the market, which also closed two hours early at 1400 AEDT.

The number of shares that changed hands was 597.4 million, with a value of only $888.8 million compared to $4 billion on an average day's trade, with 417 up, 377 down and 314 unchanged.

The market re-opens on Thursday, with a quiet week expected as no economic data will be released and other major markets around the world operating limited trading sessions around Christmas.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Santa visits Tas forest defender in tree

SHE may be living in a tree but even conservationist Miranda Gibson isn't away from Santa's line of sight.

The 30-year-old, who has spent the past year living at the top of an old eucalyptus in Tasmania's Mount Mueller, west of Hobart, got an early Christmas gift with Santa himself paying her a visit on Monday.

The big man came bearing presents from the local community, including some treats that Ms Gibson says she'll enjoy on Christmas day by herself.

It's her second Christmas in the eucalyptus campaigning to protect the surrounding forests from logging and persuade the federal government to nominate the area for world heritage protection.

Ms Gibson said while she was disappointed to be celebrating another Christmas by herself, she'll still be with family via Skype and will be unwrapping her presents with them remotely.

"I would have liked to spend it with my family this year," Ms Gibson told AAP on Monday.

"It's a shame that I have to be separated from them like last Christmas, but I guess one of the (other) hardest things is the uncertainty in the future of the forests and the legislative council, and not knowing how long it will be."

As for Santa, Ms Gibson said hopefully next year he would be dropping by when she finally made it back to terra firma.


11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria jets kill 60 in bakery strike

A military air strike has hit a bakery in a Syrian rebel-held town, leaving at least 60 people dead. Source: AAP

A GOVERNMENT airstrike on a bakery in a rebel-held town in central Syria has killed more than 60 people, activists say, casting a pall over a visit by the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country's civil war.

The strike on the town of Halfaya left scattered bodies and debris up and down a street, and more than a dozen dead and wounded were trapped in tangled heap of dirt and rubble.

The attack appeared to be the government response to a newly announced rebel offensive seeking to drive the Syrian army from a constellation of towns and village north of the central city of Hama. Halfaya was the first of the area's towns to be "liberated" by rebel fighters, and activists saw Sunday's attack as payback.

"Halfaya was the first and biggest victory in the Hama countryside," said Hama activist Mousab Alhamadee via Skype. "That's why the regime is punishing them in this way."

The total death toll remained unclear, but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 60 people were killed. That number is expected to rise, it said, because some 50 of those wounded in the strike are in critical condition.

Amateur videos posted online on Sunday showed residents and armed rebels rushing to the scene. One stopped to cover a mound of human flesh lying in the street with his coat.

More than a dozen dead or seriously wounded people lay in the street near a simple, concrete building, some in puddles of blood. Near its front wall, bodies jutted from a pile of dirt and rubble on the footpath.

Rebels screamed in distress while trying to extract the bodies, while others carried away the wounded.

It was unclear from the videos if the building was indeed a bakery. Nearly all the dead and wounded appeared to be men, some wore camouflage, raising the possibility that the jet had targeted a rebel gathering.

For the past week, rebels have been launching attacks in the area, most notably in the nearby village of Morek, where they hope to seize control of the country's main north-south highway, preventing the regime from getting supplies to its forces further north in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo.

On Saturday, one rebel group threatened to storm two predominantly Christian towns nearby if their residents did not "evict" government troops they said were using them as a base to attack nearby areas.

The activist accounts could not be independently verified due to restrictions on reporting in Syria. The Syrian government does not respond to requests for comment on its military activities.

The attack coincided with the start of a two-day visit by Lakhdar Brahimi, who represents the UN And the Arab League, to meet with top Syrian officials.

Brahimi has made little apparent progress toward ending Syria's crisis since assuming his post in September, mostly because the sides appear more interested in fighting it out than in sitting down for talks.

Brahimi did not speak publicly upon arriving in Damascus for a two-day mission, and it was unclear whether he would present new ideas to end the war.

The trip is Brahimi's third since taking the job following the resignation of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan after both sides disregarded a ceasefire he brokered in April.

While not advancing a comprehensive peace plan, Brahimi has called on the sides to negotiate a solution.

The security situation has gotten notably worse for the regime since his last visit, with rebels storming a number of military bases and seizing valuable munitions. Russia, Assad's most powerful international backer, also appears to have changed his assessment of Assad's strength, as top officials say they do not seek to preserve his regime, while still calling for a negotiated solution.

Still, neither side appears willing to talk.

In a lengthy Sunday news conference, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi repeated the Syrian government's line that it is fighting terrorist groups backed by foreign powers who seek to destroy Syria.

Al-Zoubi said the government was willing to engage in dialogue but said the other side wasn't.

Violence raged elsewhere in the country on Sunday. Anti-regime activists reported government airstrikes on suburbs east of the capital and the northern province of Aleppo.

Airstrikes on the town of al-Safira, south of Aleppo, killed 13 people, including a mother and five daughters from one family, a local activist named Hussein said via Skype. He gave only his first name for fear of retribution.

The Observatory said at least 10 rebels and an unknown number of government troops were killed in clashes in Afreen, near Aleppo, Syria's largest city, as rebels sought to storm an army base there.

Anti-regime activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since Syria's crisis began in March 2011.


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100,000 prepare for fishy Christmas feast

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 23 Desember 2012 | 11.25

Tens of thousands of people are expected to stock up on seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets. Source: AAP

FORGET the ham - 100,000 Sydneysiders are expected to stock up at the Sydney Fish Markets this Christmas.

The doors opened at 5am (AEDT) on Sunday and won't close until 5pm on Christmas Eve for an annual tradition, the 36-hour seafood marathon.

General manager Bryan Skepper told AAP families could beat the heat and crowds by coming at night.

"Midnight is one of my favourite times to see the mums and dads coming in, and they'll have the children with them with their caps on," he said.

"They come in, get their seafood and head home to wait for Santa."

Market retailers expected to sell 840,000 oysters and 100 tonnes of prawns over the holiday period, Mr Skepper said.

"Then there's lobsters for those with a bigger budget, or if you want something a little different, throw some snapper or octopus on the barbecue," he said.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson was among those who showed up at the Pyrmont markets early on Sunday morning.

She told AAP families could give local fishers a Christmas pressie by buying seafood that was grown or caught in Australia or, even better, NSW.

"We're trying to help our commercial fishing industry, it's a very important industry to the NSW economy and unfortunately a lot of seafood is actually imported," she said, adding that about 70 per cent of seafood eaten in Australia was sourced abroad.

"When you're buying your seafood, look out for the signs that say 'product of Australia'."

Local sustainable seafood products include mullet, bream, whiting, flathead, kingfish, a variety of oysters, prawns, blue swimmer crabs, mud crabs, and rock lobsters.

The Sydney Fish Markets stay open until Monday evening and light rail services will run through the night.


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Govt gets tough on anti-social behaviour

Troublemakers could be banned from all licensed venues as part of a NSW government crackdown. Source: AAP

TROUBLEMAKERS could be banned from all licensed venues in their area as part of the NSW government's crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Under the new guidelines, venues can impose five measures, with increasing severity, to ban troublesome patrons.

These include the ability for operators to liaise with other local licensees and invoke a multi-venue barring order against repeat serious offenders, ClubsNSW chief Anthony Ball said.

Instead of waiting for known troublemakers to cross the line before taking action, venues will now also be able to enact preemptive bans on "anyone who has caused problems at other pubs and clubs", Mr Ball said in a statement on Sunday.

"Once you're banned from one club in an area, you are likely to be banned from them all," he said.

A multi-venue barring order will be enforced against someone if they act violently or aggressively, vandalise property, refuse to leave a venue, use or sell drugs on the premises or engage in any criminal activity.

Information will be shared amongst licensees through local liquor accords, the members of which will also adjudicate on ban proposals.

NSW Hospitality minister George Souris said the new guidelines will help licensees keep venues safe.

"Patrons of licensed venues have a right to enjoy safe and responsible environments and should not have to put up with troublemakers who are intoxicated, violent, quarrelsome or disorderly," he said.

Anyone who is banned from all their local watering holes will be notified in writing and will be given an opportunity to have the decision reviewed, a document from the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing said.

"The big winners out of this are the millions of families and friends who go out to their local club each year to have a good time and enjoy themselves," Mr Ball said.

"These people shouldn't have to put up with the small number of people who cause problems for everyone else."


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Hunting in NSW parks 'will cost lives'

Tourism will suffer if the government allows hunters access to national parks, the opposition says. Source: AAP

LIVES will be put at risk and tourism will suffer under a plan by the NSW government to allow amateur hunters access to national parks, the opposition says.

A leaked NSW Office of Environment and Heritage document obtained by the opposition identifies a high risk of a bullet or arrow causing death or serious injury under new laws that allow recreational hunters to shoot feral animals in some parks.

It also warns of reduced visitor numbers, environmental damage and the possibility of rotting carcasses being left to fester in water.

Labor environment spokesman Luke Foley slammed the government over the proposal, saying its first responsibility is to ensure the safety of citizens.

"This report (is) a chilling warning of the dangers in store if Mr O'Farrell proceeds with this mad capped scheme," Mr Foley told reporters on Sunday.

"There's a high risk of a projectile injury causing death or serious injury.

"Any responsible government would pull back and cancel, abandon the plan."

Mr Foley said community safety has been placed behind the needs of Premier Barry O'Farrell to pander to the Shooters Party, under a deal he struck to ensure passage of bills through the NSW upper house.

"What comes first and foremost is his unprincipled deal with the Shooters Party to control the state upper house," he said.

"The shooters are literally calling the shots."

Because the government won't supervise or set exclusion zones for shooters, they will be able to hunt near walking trails and roads, putting bushwalkers at serious risk, Mr Foley said.

Domestic and international tourists will be deterred from visiting national parks, he added.

"People just don't want to go there for the experience of bullets flying by them."

"Why is someone going to go bushwalking when the government won't even have the bushwalking trails off-limits?"

Environment Minister Robyn Parker on Saturday said hunters would be subject to strict conditions under a risk assessment process being developed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

She said safety "will always be paramount in managing the program".


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