Tunisia faces strike after assassination

Tunisian opposition figure, Mohamed Brahmi, has been shot dead outside his home by unknown gunman. Source: AAP

TUNISIA is facing a general strike on Friday as the country plunges into crisis after gunmen shot dead a leading opposition figure, an assassination that brought thousands onto the streets.

The killing of MP Mohamed Brahmi, a father-of-five who was shot by unknown gunmen outside his home on Thursday, sparked international condemnation. It was the second such assassination this year.

It was not clear who carried out the killing, but the ruling Ennahda party, a moderate Islamist group, was forced to deny accusations from his family that it had been involved.

There are demonstrations in central Tunis and in Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the Arab Spring and Brahmi's hometown.

Police in Tunis fired tear gas to disperse scores of demonstrators who tried to set up a tent for a sit-in calling for the fall of the regime.

The General Union of Tunisian Labour (UGTT) called Friday's general strike across the country in protest at "terrorism, violence and murders".

The union last called a two-hour general strike on January 14, 2011, the day former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fell.

Tunisia's national airline Tunisair cancelled all flights on Friday.

Brahmi, 58, of the leftist Popular Movement, was killed outside his home in Ariana, near Tunis, Watanya state television and the official TAP news agency reported.

"He was riddled with bullets in front of his wife and children," Mohsen Nabti, a fellow member of the small movement, said in a tearful account aired on Tunisian radio.

Watanya said Brahmi had been struck by 11 bullets fired at point-blank range.

The February 6 assassination of Chokri Belaid, another opposition figure, also outside his home, sparked a political crisis in Tunisia and charges of government connivance.

The family of Brahmi accused Ennahda of being behind both murders.

In Sidi Bouzid, crowds chanted "Down with the Brothers, down with the people's torturers!"

Thousands also protested in nearby Menzel Bouzaine, where Ennahda party offices were set ablaze.

Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, himself an Islamist, told reporters: "I condemn in the strongest terms this odious crime which targets the whole of Tunisia and its security."

He also called for calm.

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9 dead, 8 missing in China landslides

NINE people have died and eight are missing after rain caused landslides in a northwestern Chinese province rocked by a strong earthquake earlier this week.

The landslides struck on Thursday just south of the city of Dingxi where Monday's earthquake left 95 dead, frive missing and more than 800 people injured.

Xinhua News Agency says the more serious landslide buried 13 people in Nanyu village and nine bodies have been recovered. It says rescue efforts are underway in the neighbouring village of Yongguang where four people are missing.

The area along the Yellow River has rolling hills of loose soil blown south from the Gobi desert. Thunderstorms have loosened the terraced hillsides that were made unstable by the quake.

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Eight injured as fuel tank explodes

EIGHT people have been injured after an underground fuel tank exploded, shattering the windows of nearby homes and businesses in Sydney's northwest.

An ambulance spokesman says the injured included locals and passersby, and some have possible hearing damage.

Three people were working on the disused tank on Blaxland Road, Eastwood, when it exploded about 12.20pm (AEST) on Friday, a fire spokesman told AAP.

It's understood they were attempting to remove the underground tank.

"There has been an explosion but no fire," the spokesman said.

"There have been some injuries and some damage to surrounding buildings with broken glass and windows."

Two of the workers are believed to have been taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition, while the other one was treated at the scene.

Another five people are being treated for possible hearing damage, the ambulance spokesman said.

Three fire units are at the scene, along with the hazardous chemical crew.

"We will be there for some time as we have to check that the area is safe before we can head back," the fire spokesman said.

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Vic's 'kid'-napped goats found safe

IT'S a kidnapping with a twist and a happy ending for Victorian kids Duey and Hazel.

Abducted from a Mornington school over the weekend, the baby goats have been found safe and seemingly unfazed by their little adventure.

Mornington locals came across Duey munching flowers on Wednesday night while Hazel was found not far away on Thursday morning while loitering near residences in the area.

The kidnappers had to cut through a cyclone fence to steal the bleating duo from their home at Padua Secondary College's agricultural compound.

However it was not all smooth sailing, with police saying the evidence at the scene showed the feisty goats put up a fight before being carried off.

Both goats have since been returned to their anxious owners and police are seeking the driver of a white Ford BA ute which was seen in the vicinity of where Duey was found.

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Emergency waiting times improve

THE time patients spend in hospital emergency departments is falling, with half of Australia's major facilities recording improvements.

National Health Performance Authority (NHPA) figures show 26 of 52 major metropolitan hospitals have recorded higher percentages of emergency department patients who leave within four hours.

Between 43 per cent and 80 per cent of patients were treated within the timeframe in the first quarter of this year, reflecting improvements of at least five percentage points from a year ago.

But hospitals in most states still need to make further improvements to reach the nationally agreed 2015 target for 90 per cent of patients to leave emergency departments within four hours.

NHPA chief Dr Diane Watson said the performance numbers allowed managers to see which hospitals were making the biggest strides.

"It can be difficult to know what is possible if you don't know how you compare to your peers," she said on Thursday in a statement.

The hospital that recorded the biggest improvement was Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

It met the waiting time target 62 per cent of the time, up from 33 per cent in the first quarter of 2012.

Out of 11 major metropolitan hospitals that improved waiting times by more than 10 percentage points, seven were from Queensland, three from NSW and one from Victoria.

But three major metropolitan hospitals - including two in Western Australia - went backwards, recording a performance decline of nine percentage points.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek declined to comment on individual hospital performance but told journalists in Sydney most hospitals were doing better "on most measures".

However it was important to continue to strive for improvement, she added.

"We do see that some hospitals have already reached, for example, the 90 per cent mark for treatment of people within that four hour time limit," she said.

"But in most cases it's one, or two, or three hospitals in a state."

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Qld 'moving on' public housing tenants

QUEENSLANDERS living in public housing will be encouraged to see their homes as transitional and the management of housing stock will be outsourced.

Housing Minister Tim Mander announced on Thursday his 2020 vision for public housing, which focuses on encouraging tenants to move into the private rental market.

Mr Mander said while high-needs tenants would be protected, it's hoped within seven years that 250,000 people will either be moved out of social housing, or discouraged from initially entering the system.

They'll receive government support, education and guidance to maintain private rentals.

"Our aim is to change the mentality that some people have about social housing," Mr Mander told a budget estimates hearing.

"It is meant to be a privilege, not something which is accessed for life."

The government also wants 90 per cent of social housing managed by community housing providers by 2020.

"We are moving away from being direct provider of services, to being an enabler of services in regards to management of social housing tenancies," Mr Mander said.

Another 12,000 socially affordable housing dwellings would be built by 2020, focusing on one and two bedroom units.

An extra 820 new properties would be built in indigenous communities and at least 200 indigenous families would be assisted in moving into home ownership.

Labor's Jo-Ann Miller said singles on the dole wouldn't be able to afford private rentals, not even the cheapest accommodation in her electorate west of Brisbane.

"Your new strategy is already flawed isn't it? You haven't done the sums yourself, it's a con on all Queenslanders isn't it?" she asked during the estimates hearing

In 2011 about 31,000 households were waiting to enter public housing but that number has been reduced to about 22,000.

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Lower prices dent Oil Search revenue

OIL and gas producer Oil Search's revenue has fallen due to lower production and lower crude oil prices.

But the company is upbeat about its exploration projects in Papua New Guinea which, it says, could significantly boost its production.

The company's total operating revenue was $US381 million ($A414.13 million) in the first six months of calendar 2013, down 4.4 per cent from $US398.5 million in the same period in 2012.

Average crude oil prices in the first half of 2013 were six per cent lower than in the first half of 2012, at $US108.58.

Oil Search also produced less oil and gas in the first half of 2013, with volumes down two per cent from the previous corresponding period to 3.19 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe).

Both factors contributed to a six per cent drop in oil sales for the six months to June 2013.

However, the company still expects to produce between 6.2 mmboe and 6.7 mmboe in 2013.

Managing director Peter Botten said Oil Search made one gas and two oil discoveries in PNG during the three months to June.

The company will apply to the PNG government for an oil field development licence at the Mananda ridge in August.

"The potential oil in place on this feature could be as high as 100 million barrels," Mr Botten said in a statement.

Oil Search also said it was watching with interest talks that could lead to an expansion of the PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, in which the company is a joint venture partner.

"It is likely that Oil Search will have an opportunity to participate in this expansion," Mr Botten said.

Oil Search shares were down 14.5 cents, or 1.8 cent, at $8.085 at 1329 AEST.

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Nose-first landing injures eight in NY

EIGHT people have been injured after the front landing gear of a Southwest Airlines plane with 150 people on board collapsed on landing at New York's La Guardia airport.

The accident left the Boeing 737-700 with its nose resting against the runway and forced the temporary closure of the airport, which mostly handles flights to and from other US cities.

The airline confirmed that emergency services had helped with the evacuation of the passengers and crew of flight 345 from Nashville.

"Eyewitness reports indicate the aircraft's nose gear collapsed upon landing," it said in a statement on Monday.

"Initial reports indicate local responders are caring for five customers and three flight attendants who have reported injuries at this time. Southwest is co-operating with local authorities, and the (US aviation safety body) NTSB has been notified."

Television images showed the plane with its nose angled down to the ground and its evacuation slides out. The fuselage was surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Passengers on board the plane saw sparks flying as the nose scraped along the runway, according to accounts given to waiting relatives and friends.

All take-offs were suspended for more than two hours after the incident.

Three people were killed and 180 were injured earlier this month when an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashed while landing in San Francisco.

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Brain study debunks sex addiction

IT'S bad news for Tiger Woods, Russell Brand and others who blame their wild behaviour on sex addiction.

A new study by brain researchers at the University of California Los Angeles suggests that sex addiction is not a real disorder.

The study, published in the scientific journal Socioaffective Neuroscience and Psychology, examined the neural responses to pornography of 39 men and 13 women who reported having difficulty controlling their desires.

The study found that the neural responses were different to the way drug addicts' brains respond to images of drugs.

"Their brains did not respond to the images like other addicts to their drug of addiction," study author Dr Nicole Prause told Psychology Today.

"If our study is replicated, these findings would represent a major challenge to existing theories of sex 'addiction'."

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At least 19 dead in twin China quakes

AT least 19 people have been killed by two shallow earthquakes which have struck northwest China.

The US Geological Survey says the initial 5.9 magnitude quake hit at 7:45am on Monday (0945 AEST) with its epicentre 151km west of Beidao in Gansu province at a depth of just 9.8km.

A second 5.6 magnitude tremor hit the same region at 9:12am and was 10.1km deep, USGS says.

The official, surnamed He, from the Communist Party committee in Minxian, says there are 19 dead and more than 200 injured in seven townships severely hit by the quakes.

A report on the 163.com internet news portal said 500 troops including 120 specialised rescuers were on their way to the scene.

Pictures broadcast on state television showed rural villages with rubble-strewn streets.

Much of western China is prone to earthquakes.

Beijing's own China Earthquake Networks Centre put the magnitude of the larger quake at 6.6, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

It reported that locals in Minxian county said they saw trees and homes shaking, with the quake lasting for about one minute.

It was felt in the provincial capital Lanzhou and as far away as Xian, the capital of the neighbouring province of Shaanxi.

The USGS rated it at seven on its "shakemap", with shaking perceived to be "very strong" and the potential to cause "moderate" damage.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan province killed about 200 people earlier this year, five years after almost 90,000 people were killed in a huge tremor in the same province.

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Rudd has more work to do before election

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd says the government has more policy challenges to deal with before he calls an election.

Asked about the timing on Monday, Mr Rudd said his government had spent the few weeks since he reclaimed the Labor leadership dealing with issues like asylum seeker policy and economic challenges.

"In this period of government we've been focused on the outstanding policy challenges that we face and there are still a number to address," he told reporters after a caucus meeting in Sydney.

"These are big challenges for government, we still have other challenges to deal with."

Today was the last day Mr Rudd could have visited the governor-general if he wanted an early August 24 election.

The following Saturday, August 31, is firming as favourite but Mr Rudd's latest comments suggest he could be planning to go later.

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Brisbane school fire destroys labs

A large fire that broke out at Mitchelton State High School's science block has been put out. Source: AAP

FIRE crews have put out a huge blaze that badly damaged a Brisbane school's science block.

Students and staff evacuated Mitchelton State High School after fire broke out about 8.30am (AEST) on Monday.

No one was injured, the Department of Community Safety told AAP.

Firefighters were still dampening down hot spots.

The cause of the fire was not yet known.

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PM bids for stronger hand as Japan votes

JAPANESE voters have gone to the polls in an election expected to strengthen Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's hand.

Half of the 242 seats in the upper legislative chamber are up for grabs, in what is expected to be the last national election for three years.

Voting began at 7am local time on Sunday across the nation. Booths close at 8pm with exit polls expected shortly thereafter.

With approval ratings well over 60 per cent on average since December when he won the premiership in a general election, a win for the hawkish premier's ruling bloc is all but assured.

Control of both chambers will remove political obstacles to Abe's agenda.

Supporters say that will give him free rein to force unpopular changes on Japan's long under-performing economy.

They point to the need for reform of the labour market to make it easier for firms to hire and fire workers, participation in a huge free trade pact and a rise in consumption tax, which economists say will help to slow the pace of growth in the already sky-high national debt.

The reforms are the third instalment of an economic policy plan dubbed "Abenomics" that has already seen a slew of government spending and a flood of easy money from the central bank.

Those moves pushed the value of the yen down and sent the stock market soaring, bringing cheer to some sectors of corporate Japan.

However, Abe's detractors say Abenomics is a ruse, part of a tactical power grab that will see the premier return to his conservative social agenda once he has control over both houses of parliament.

They fear this will mean a loosening of Japan's constitutional commitment to pacifism, a boosting of the military and a more strident tone in already-strained relations with China and South Korea, both of which have territorial disputes with Tokyo.

Whatever Abe's intentions, the predicted swing towards his Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition allies could give Japan its first long-term prime minister since Junichiro Koizumi, who ruled for the first half of last decade.

"The Abe administration can become a long-run regime," said Koji Nakakita, professor of politics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. "It even has the potential to go beyond the next three years."

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Reviving talks in Israeli strategic intere

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says resuming negotiations with Palestine are "vital". Source: AAP

RENEWING negotiations with the Palestinians is a "vital" Israeli interest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, a day after an agreement was announced for the basis to resume talks.

"The resumption of the peace process is a vital strategic interest of the state of Israel," the Israeli premier said in a statement on Saturday.

"It is important on its own to try to bring an end to the conflict between us and the Palestinians, and is important because of the challenges facing us, especially from Iran and Syria," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet in Washington in the near future after an agreement on the basis to resume peace talks.

Talks have stuttered and started for decades in the elusive bid to reach a final peace deal between the Arab world and Israel.

But they collapsed completely in September 2010 when Israel refused to keep up a freeze on settlement building in Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu also stated the two central goals he perceived for the talks: "Preventing a bi-national state... that would endanger the future of the Jewish state, and preventing the establishment of another Iranian-sponsored terrorist state within our borders."

He did not provide further details on what the sides had agreed upon ahead of the initial rounds of talks.

Earlier on Saturday, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said Israel would release a "limited" number of Palestinian prisoners as a "gesture".

"I will insist on Israel's security demands and its vital interests," Netanyahu's statement said.

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GetUp stunt highlights real issue

INDEPENDENT Senator Nick Xenophon says GetUp's $40,000 gold giveaway to encourage people to enrol for the election is a stunt but one which highlights a genuine issue.

Senator Xenophon said it was the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) should be encouraging people to enrol not an activist group.

"Good on GetUp for highlighting a flaw in the system. As much of a stunt as it is, it's a stunt that makes the point that the system isn't working," he told AAP.

Launching their scheme on Saturday, GetUp! National Director Sam McLean said 1.4 million people eligible to vote weren't on the electoral role and 493,000 were under 24.

Those who enrol and register with GetUp! will go into a draw, with one winner from each state and territory receiving $5,000 worth of gold.

The gold will be delivered the Sunday after the election, which has yet to be called by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Senator Xenophon said the AEC should be encouraging people to enrol and if they lacked the resources for the task, they should ask.

He said it was debasing Australia's democratic system that so many weren't able to vote.

"If the government can find $40-$50 million to spruik the NBN, surely it can find the resources to get people to enrol to vote," he said.

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