Peace envoy urges 'real' change in Syria

INTERNATIONAL peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has called for "real change" and a transitional government in Syria but the armed opposition has swiftly retorted that it cannot include President Bashar al-Assad or his top lieutenants.

The envoy unveiled his initiative in Damascus on Thursday as Russia, the Syrian regime's most powerful ally, denied the existence of a joint peace plan with the United States, amid a flurry of year-end diplomatic activity to try to end the bloody 21-month conflict.

"Change should not be cosmetic; the Syrian people need and require real change, and everyone understands what that means," the UN-Arab League envoy said on the fifth and final day of his latest peace mission to Syria.

"We need to form a government with all powers ... which assumes power during a period of transition. That transition period will end with elections," Brahimi said.

He did not specify a date for the envisaged elections, either presidential or parliamentary depending on what could be agreed. He also made no mention on the fate of Assad, whose current term expires in 2014.

"The transition period should not lead to the collapse of the state and its institutions," Brahimi said, adding the initiative was incomplete.

A diplomat at the UN Security Council said on Wednesday the veteran Algerian troubleshooter had received no support from either side since arriving in Damascus on Sunday.

"Assad appears to have stonewalled Brahimi again, the UN Security Council is not even close to showing the envoy the kind of support he needs and the rebels will not now compromise," the diplomat said.

The armed opposition National Coalition and Western governments that recognise it reiterated on Thursday that no transition that gave a role to Assad and his inner circle would be acceptable.

"We will accept any political solution that does not include the Assad family nor those who harmed the Syrian people," National Coalition spokesman Walid al-Bunni told a news conference in Istanbul.

"Our first condition for them is to leave the country," he added.

France, which was the first Western government to recognise the opposition grouping as sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people, said Assad should not have any role in a transition, accusing him of "still ferociously repressing his people".

Russia, which to the fury of the West has refused to cut cooperation with Damascus, hosted a Syrian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad, ahead of talks on Saturday with Brahimi.

"This is of course a part of the efforts we are undertaking to encourage dialogue not just with the government but all opposition forces," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.

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US stocks slip as 'fiscal cliff' looms

US stocks have edged lower as the deadline for the White House and Republican lawmakers to reach a deal to avert the looming "fiscal cliff" crisis creeps closer.

In the first five minutes of trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2.09 points, or 0.02 per cent, at 13,112.50.

The broad-market S&P 500 edged down 0.78 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 1,419.05.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite lost 4.79 points, or 0.16 per cent, at 2,985.36.

The White House and Congress have until New Year's Eve to reach a compromise on how to avert a year-end crisis that could lead to stiff tax hikes and drastic budget cuts.

Experts say a failure to strike a compromise could plunge the world's biggest economy into recession.

On Wednesday, the Dow was down 0.19 per cent, while the S&P 500 lost 0.48 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.74 per cent.

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Egypt's Morsi to visit Germany

EGYPTIAN President Mohamed Morsi is to visit Germany on January 30, the official news agency MENA reported, quoting a presidential spokesman.

Mr Morsi is to make the trip at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the spokesman, Yasser Ali, said.

The visit was announced after a month of political turmoil in Egypt over a new constitution the Islamist president had adopted despite opposition protests and street clashes.

It will be Mr Morsi's second trip to Europe as president after one in September to Belgium and Italy to drum up badly needed aid and investment in Egypt's struggling economy.

He will precede his flight to Germany with a visit to Tunisia to commemorate that country's second anniversary of its revolution, which started the 2011 Arab Spring that spread to Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria.

Mr Morsi was elected president of Egypt in June this year, taking over from an interim military administration that ruled since the February 2011 overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled the country for three decades.

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Militants kill two police, 21 missing

GOVERNMENT officials say dozens of militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons attacked two tribal police posts in northwest Pakistan, killing two policemen.

Twenty-one other policemen are missing and presumed kidnapped.

The officials say the attacks occurred before dawn in the town of Darra Adam Khel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The town is located near Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for Taliban militants in the country.

The officials say security forces have launched an operation to try to recover the 21 missing policemen. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Suspicion will likely fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have been waging a bloody insurgency against the government.

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Missing man found safe in Brisbane

A 71-YEAR-OLD man has been found safe and well after going missing in southeast Brisbane, police say.

The man, who suffers from a medical condition, was last seen leaving a store in Stones Corner on Thursday afternoon.

He was located safe and well at Milton during the evening, police said.

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Pony back with circus after Xmas kidnap

A TINY pony is back at its Austrian circus home more than a week after apparently being kidnapped by a woman who wanted to give her sick daughter a Christmas surprise.

Fridolin the pony, who is only about 60 centimetres tall, went missing from the Vienna Christmas Circus early last week. He was found near a Vienna bus stop on Wednesday.

Circus director Adolf Lauenburger told the Austria Press Agency overnight that a woman called the circus and told officials where to find the pony.

The woman said her daughter wanted a circus pony and she'd taken him to fulfill the girl's wishes for Christmas - but decided she couldn't keep the animal.

Mr Lauenburger wasn't able to identify the woman. Police were looking into the matter.

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Man charged over Qld bomb hoax

A 55-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with making a bomb hoax to a Burleigh Heads shopping centre.

The Burleigh Heads man was charged following investigations into a telephone call received at a West Burleigh Road shopping centre on Thursday morning, police said.

He is expected to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on January 30.

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More readers turning to e-books

US readers are increasingly opting for digital books instead of ink-and-paper editions, according to a Pew Research Centre study.

The share of US adults reading electronic books rose to 23 per cent in November from 16 per cent the same time last year, according to the Pew study.

Meanwhile, ranks of people age 16 or older turning to pages of printed books fell to 67 per cent from 72 per cent, the findings indicated.

Overall, 75 per cent of US adults read books in one form or another in a slight slip from the 78 per cent figure seen late in 2011, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

The growing popularity of e-books was in step with the hot trend in tablet computers, whether they are dedicated reading devices such as Kindles or Nooks or multi-purpose Internet portals such as Apple iPads or Google Nexus devices.

The portion of US adults with some kind of tablet jumped to 33 per cent late this year, as compared with 18 per cent as 2011 came to an end, according to the Pew study.

Understandably, the number of people borrowing e-books from US libraries also rose, findings indicated.

People in higher education and income brackets were more likely to be e-book readers, as were those between the ages of 30 and 49, according to Pew.

The findings were based on a survey taken between October 15 and November 10.

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Three Palestinians dead from swine flu

THREE Palestinians in the West Bank have died in the past week from the H1N1 influenza strain known as swine flu, the Palestinian health ministry said.

"There were three deaths in the past week, and more than 50 people sickened by the virus," said Assad Ramlawi, the ministry's director general of health care for the West Bank.

He said the deaths occurred in the northern cities of Jenin, Qalqilya and Tulkarem, but played down the significance of the fatalities.

"The situation is not out of the ordinary. This virus spreads at the beginning of winter season," he said, adding that those who had died "had weak immune systems, which is what caused their deaths."

The health ministry said medical staff had been trained to detect and treat the virus.

The virus has affected Israel and the Palestinian territories in the past, killing dozens of people.

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The Queen goes 3D for Christmas

SHE made her acting debut at the London Olympics. Now the Queen is hitting the screen again - in 3D.

Buckingham Palace says the monarch was "ready to embrace something new" for her annual Christmas broadcast in honour of her Diamond Jubilee year - 60 years on the throne.

The 86-year-old monarch has made a prerecorded Christmas broadcast on radio since 1952 and on television since 1957.

She writes the speeches herself, and the broadcasts mark the rare occasions in which the Queen voices her own opinion without government consultation.

The palace said the Queen has watched the broadcast and found it "absolutely lovely."

It airs at 3pm on Christmas Day.

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US weekly unemployment claims rise

THE number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week by 17,000, reversing four weeks of declines.

The Labor Department reports that a seasonally adjusted 361,000 people sought unemployment aid during the week ended December 15, from a revised 344,000 the week before.

But the less volatile four-week moving average fell 13,750 to 367,750, the lowest since late October, suggesting the job market continues to grow modestly. Applications had surged after superstorm Sandy, then fallen back.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. The drop of the four-week average suggests companies are cutting fewer jobs, even if they aren't hiring enough to lower the unemployment rate significantly.

The economy has generated an average of 151,000 jobs a month in 2012, not enough to pull the high unemployment down sharply.

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Huge blizzard threatens holiday travel

THE US Midwest's first major snowstorm of the winter caused "life-threatening conditions" and flight delays that could ripple into problems across the country as travelers gear up for the Christmas holiday.

A regional energy company said the storm had cut power to more than 40,000 households and businesses in Iowa, where nearly 30 centimetres of snow had fallen in the capital, Des Moines.

The Weather Channel said around 27 centimetres of snow covered parts of Wisconsin, with around 20 centimetres in Omaha, Nebraska.

The storm dumped more than 0.6 metres snow in parts of the western US, including Washington state and Wyoming.

Chicago's bustling O'Hare International Airport, one of the world's busiest, rated delays at five on a five-point index, hours before the snow was even expected to hit, in mid-afternoon, according to FlightStats.com.

The website reported that flights were being held up an average of just under two hours, and some flights slowed by up to four hours.

Flights through smaller airports in South Dakota and Iowa were cancelled.

The delays and cancellations could affect travel across the country, especially since many passengers need to change planes in Chicago - and even if they do not, their aircraft may have to pass through there.

The national weather service forecast "intense snowfall rates," along with high winds and reduced visibility to start in Chicago by 3pm local time (2100 GMT).

Two major airlines, Delta and United, issued travel alerts allowing passengers to change their tickets without fees for travel through affected areas.

Further south, the weather service warned of a "life-threatening blizzard" that was located over central Missouri Thursday morning and heading into western Illinois by morning.

"This will result in life threatening conditions and nearly impossible travel overnight through today," the bulletin warned.

"Falling trees may also occur to due heavy snow accumulation on trees and high winds."

Many schools across Nebraska and Iowa were closed Thursday or opening late.

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France recognises brutal rule in Algeria

FRENCH President Francois Hollande acknowledged the "unjust" and "brutal" nature of France's occupation of Algeria for 132 years, but stopped short of apologising for the past as many Algerians have demanded.

On the second day of his state visit to this North African nation, he told the two houses of parliament that "I recognise the suffering the colonial system has inflicted" on the Algerian people.

He specifically recognised the "massacres" by the French during the seven-year war that led to Algerian independence in 1962. The admission was a profound departure from Mr Hollande's predecessors who, if not defending France's tormented past with Algeria, remained silent.

The Socialist president's visit came as Algeria celebrates 50 years of independence from France, during which the two countries' ties have been fraught with tension.

Mr Hollande was traveling to the western city of Tlemcen, the birthplace of Algerian wartime nationalist Messali Hadj.

Mr Hollande said at the start of his visit that he and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika are opening a "new era" with a strategic partnership among equals.

Large numbers of Algerians, and some political parties, have been seeking an apology from France for inequalities suffered by the population under colonial rule and for brutality during the war. However, Mr Hollande said at a news conference that he would make no apologies.

"History, even when it is tragic, even when it is painful for our two countries, must be told," Mr Hollande told lawmakers on Thursday.

"For 132 years, Algeria was subjected to a profoundly unjust and brutal system" of colonization.

"I recognise here the suffering that colonisation has inflicted on the Algerian people," he added.

Mr Hollande notably listed the sites of three massacres, including one at Setif where seven years ago Bouteflika compared French methods to those used by Nazi Germany and asked France to make a "gesture ... to erase this black stain."

The violence in Setif, 300 kilometres east of Algiers, began on May 8, 1945, apparently during a celebration of the end of World War II.

Demonstrators unfurled Algerian flags, which were banned at the time by the French. As police began confiscating the flags, the crowds turned on the French, killing about two dozen of them.

The uprising spread and the response by French colonial troops grew increasingly harsh in the following weeks, including bombardments of villages by a French war ship. Algerians say some 45,000 people may have died. Figures in France put the number of Algerian dead at about 15,000 to 20,000.

Mr Hollande and Mr Bouteflika agreed to relaunch economic, strategic and cultural relations between the two countries on a new basis among equals. A new start must "be supported by a base," Hollande said, and "this base is truth."

"Nothing is built in secretiveness, forgetting, denial," Hollande said.

A Declaration of Algiers was published late on Wednesday saying that France and Algeria "are determined to open a new chapter in their relations" of "exceptional intensity" and spelling out political, human and economic goals.

France announced a deal for French automaker Renault to build a factory in Algeria with cars destined for all of Africa. The long-negotiated joint venture will be 49 per cent owned by Renault and 51 per cent by two Algerian companies, according to a statement by Renault, the first carmaker to establish production facilities in Algeria. The factory will be located outside Oran, a port city west of Algiers, and eventually expand to an automotive training center.

The accord is one of about 15 agreements being signed during the visit, on topics ranging from culture to defense.

Mr Hollande, who came to the French presidency in May, made an initial break with the French past by officially recognising the deaths of Algerians at a 1961 pro-independence demonstration in Paris at the hands of French police.

He referred to the "bloody repression" and paid homage to the victims of "this tragedy," for which an official death toll has never been issued.

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N Ireland police open Bloody Sunday probe

NORTHERN Ireland police say they have opened a criminal probe into the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, when British soldiers shot to death 13 unarmed Irish Catholic protesters.

A police commander, Judith Gillespie, confirmed the move after meeting families of the Bloody Sunday dead on Thursday.

Nobody has ever been charged over the killings, which inflamed Catholic support for the outlawed Provisional Irish Republican Army.

Gillespie says 15 full-time detectives will collect witness testimony, and then question former soldiers who opened fire as criminal suspects.

When asked how long the investigation would take, Gillespie said she couldn't know but detectives would "go where the evidence takes us".

The Bloody Sunday victims' families and the IRA-linked Sinn Fein party, which represents most of Northern Ireland's Catholic minority, welcomed the move.

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Wall Street lower, looks past improved GDP

WALL Street stocks are mostly lower in early trade, as traders shrugged off an upward revision in US economic growth and focused on concerns about the "fiscal cliff".

About 10 minutes into the session on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 8.67 points, or 0.07 per cent, at 13,243.30.

The broad-market S&P 500 shed 0.38 points, or 0.03 per cent, at 1,435.43.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite lost 3.79 points, or 0.12 per cent, at 3,040.58.

Official data showed the US economy grew 3.1 per cent in the third quarter, faster than previously estimated, but analysts said underlying economic activity remained fragile.

The market action came as Washington continued to wrangle about the so-called fiscal cliff, a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts that, in the absence of a political compromise, could take the world's biggest economy into recession.

On Wednesday, the Dow finished down 0.74 per cent, the S&P 500 dropped 0.76 per cent, while the Nasdaq lost 0.33 per cent.

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Central bank boss quits over fake degree

ECUADOR'S central bank president has resigned over revelations he used a bogus university degree to get into a graduate school and study business.

Pedro Delgado acknowledged he never completed his economics studies at Ecuador's Catholic University and fabricated a diploma later to gain admission to a business school called INCAE, in Costa Rica.

"I made a mistake, a very serious mistake, 22 years ago," Mr Delgado said on television Wednesday night.

"I made the wrong decision and, in order to achieve my academic goal, I made a mistake that is now costing me dearly."

Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, who is Mr Delgado's cousin, said Mr Delgado's dishonesty had dealt a serious blow to his government.

It was INCAE that first started investigating Mr Delgado and passed on its findings to the Quito government, which confirmed the central banker had no undergraduate degree and made as if he did.

Mr Delgado had run the central bank since November 2011.

He was also in charge of monitoring companies seized by the state over unpaid debt, and has been accused by opposition groups of a number of improprieties including attempts to coordinate financial activities with Iran.

"Nothing was found because all these accusations were fabricated to damage the image of the one who leads the revolution," Mr Delgado said of these other charges and alluding to Mr Correa.

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Overseas adoption process takes 4 years

PROSPECTIVE parents are waiting more than four and a half years for the completion of overseas adoptions, official figures show.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) says it took an average of 56 months for the processing of an inter-country adoption in 2011-12, compared to 37 months in 2007-08.

AIHW spokesman Tim Beard said the dramatic increase could be attributed to lengthening processing times in other countries - which are now an average of 30 months, up from 19 months four years ago.

"Processing times are affected by factors such as the number and characteristics of children in need of adoption, the number of applications received and the resources of the overseas authority," he said.

"These are all factors outside the control of Australian authorities."

Despite the lengthy waits, Mr Beard said Australian adoption authorities had actually improved their own processing times.

The total number of completed adoptions in Australia in 2011-12 was just 333 - a record low and a steep decline from the 384 finalised in the previous year, the figures show.

The number was 1494 in 1987-88.

Among the adoptions finalised in 2011-12, overseas children outnumbered Australian children for the first time.

Mr Beard said the generational decline in adoptions reflected social and legislative changes.

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Weekly US jobless aid applications drop

THE number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits has fallen sharply for a fourth straight week, in a sign the US job market may be improving.

The Labor Department says weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell 29,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 343,000, the lowest in two months. It is the second-lowest total this year.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs, so the drop indicates that companies are cutting fewer jobs. But employers also need to increase hiring to rapidly push down the 7.7 per cent unemployment rate.

Applications spiked five weeks ago because of Superstorm Sandy. The storm's impact has faded. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell 27,000 to 381,500.

Before the storm, applications had fluctuated between 360,000 and 390,000 this year.

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Residents urged to photograph king tides

KING tides will begin their twice-a-year run up the NSW coast early on Friday morning - and residents are being asked to get out their cameras.

The tides will begin in Eden about 8.30am (AEDT), reach Sydney at 9.33am and hit Newcastle by 9.39am.

Environmental organisation Green Cross hopes to use the event to draw attention to rising sea levels.

Green Cross CEO Mara Bun is asking coastal residents to photograph their local king tides and upload them to help create a digital picture of future sea levels.

"Through gathering and sharing visual data we raise awareness around Australia and can adapt for the future," she said.

The project will become a permanent record of environmental change, with 40 local councils across NSW, Queensland and Tasmania offering funding and digital support.

In 2009, the business districts of Ballina, Woy Woy, Bateman's Bay, and Carrington were photographed during a king tide as they were inundated with between 30 and 50cm of seawater.

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Central banks extend currency swaps

THE world's five top central banks have agreed to extend temporary currency swap arrangements by a year, the European Central Bank says.

The swap facilities were one of a range of emergency measures used by central banks to prevent the financial system from failing at the height of the financial crisis.

The ECB, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank decided on "an extension of the existing temporary US dollar liquidity swap arrangements until February, 1 2014," the ECB said in a statement on Thursday.

The swap arrangements had previously been authorised until February 1 next year.

The five central banks also decided to extend bilateral swap lines in their own currencies by a year to February 1, 2014, the ECB statement said.

These swaps enable the provision of liquidity in each jurisdiction in any of their currencies, "should market conditions so warrant", it continued.

Swap lines enable central banks to deliver specific currency funding to banks, businesses and other institutions in their jurisdiction during times of market stress.

The move "will enable the eurosystem to continue to provide euros to those central banks when required and to provide to its counterparties, when necessary, Japanese yen, pounds sterling, Swiss francs and Canadian dollars (in addition to the existing liquidity-providing operations in US dollars)," the ECB explained.

The Bank of Japan would consider extending both sets of swap arrangements at its next monetary policy meeting, the ECB added.

The ECB will also continue to conduct regular US dollar liquidity-providing operations with maturities of about one week and three months "until further notice", the central bank said.

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US stocks edge up in opening trade

US stocks have edged higher as investors digest a batch of mostly positive economic data on jobs, retail sales and inflation.

In the first five minutes of Thursday trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.21 points (0.08 per cent) to 13,256.66.

The broad-market S&P 500 advanced 0.65 point (0.05 per cent) to 1,429.13, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 2.66 (0.09 per cent) to 3,016.48.

The "inability to rally after the Fed announcement yesterday has taken some steam out of the market, which has been in rally mode since mid-November," said Patrick O'Hare of Briefing.com.

"It is understandable given the Grinch-like message from the Fed that participants shouldn't expect a meaningful pickup in economic activity soon whether we go over the fiscal cliff or not," he said.

On Wednesday, after a surge on the Fed's announcement of more bond purchases to support the sluggish economy, the Dow fell 0.02 per cent, breaking a five-day winning streak.

The S&P 500 edged up 0.04 per cent and the tech-rich Nasdaq dropped 0.28 per cent.

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Syrian regime 'approaching collapse': NATO

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad's regime is approaching collapse and he should take steps to begin talks on a political transition, NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen says.

"I think the regime in Damascus is approaching the regime of collapse ... it is only a question of time," Rasmussen said on Thursday, adding Assad should "initiate a process that leads to the accommodation of the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people".

"I urge the regime to stop violence, to realise what the actual situation is," he said, as Moscow signalled for the first time that its long-time ally in Damascus could be losing a bloody conflict which has so far cost more than 42,000 lives.

His comments came amid a growing perception the tide has turned, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov saying the rebels had made important gains after getting increased external support.

"As for preparing for victory by the opposition, this, of course, cannot be excluded," the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Bogdanov as saying.

"You need to look the facts in the eyes - the government regime is losing more and more control over a large part of the country's territory."

Asked if the reported use of Scud missiles was a sign of Assad's desperation, Rasmussen said he could not judge the motive but "the use of such indiscriminate weapons shows utter disregard for the lives of the Syrian people.

"It is reckless and I strongly condemn it," Rasmussen added.

The Scud, fired into Israel and Saudi Arabia by Iraq's Saddam Hussein during the 1991 Gulf War, can deliver a payload of 3500 kilos over a range of 200 kilometres or more, defence analysts say.

Karim Bitar, research director at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), said the regime's use of Scuds was an indication it was bracing for a decisive battle.

"The battle for Damascus is about to begin and this battle could change the rules of the game," he said.

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Suicide bomb targets Afghan NATO airbase

A SUICIDE car bomber has attacked a NATO airbase in southern Afghanistan just hours after the US Defence Secretary left, killing two civilians, wounding 15 and injuring four foreign soldiers.

There was no indication that the attack was connected with defence chief Leon Panetta's visit, a US spokesman said on Thursday.

"I can confirm that insurgents detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) in the vicinity of Kandahar airfield.

"Currently ISAF officials are on the scene collecting facts and assessing the situation and as information becomes available we will release it as appropriate," the spokesman said.

"I have no information at this time that this incident was associated with the visit of the secretary of defence. The attack occurred after the secretary returned to Kabul."

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to AFP, but did not link it to Panetta's visit.

Panetta was due to hold a press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai later in the day.

"The suicide bomber detonated his car as an ISAF convoy was entering the Kandahar airfield," Kandahar provincial police chief General Abdul Razeq told AFP.

"As a result of this suicide attack two civilians have been killed, and 15 civilians and four ISAF soldiers have been injured."

A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force confirmed the attack, without giving details of any ISAF casualties. It is ISAF policy not to disclose the number of its personnel wounded in any attack.

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US producer prices fall in November

US producer prices have fallen for the second straight month in November, the Commerce Department reports, losing 0.8 per cent in a sign inflation pressures remain muted in the economy.

The main pull downward was a 4.6 per cent drop in energy prices; food prices rose 1.3 per cent.

Stripped of those two volatile components, the rate was an increase of just 0.1 per cent, the department said on Thursday.

Year-on-year, the producer price index for finished goods was up just 1.5 per cent, after three months at or above two per cent.

Inflation has become less of a concern for policymakers despite four years of extremely easy-money policies of the central bank.

On Wednesday the Federal Reserve underscored that point by tying its interest rates more closely to the jobless rate, saying that as long as medium-term inflation expectations remained moderate - below 2.5 per cent - it would not begin raising its benchmark interest rate until unemployment fell below 6.5 per cent.

The jobless rate was 7.7 per cent in November.

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China car sales on track for record: GM

US car giant General Motors (GM) says its full-year sales in China, the world's biggest auto market, will surpass last year's 2.55 million and set a new record.

In the first 11 months, sales of GM and its ventures in China surged 10.4 per cent from a year earlier to 2.59 million vehicles, more than the total for the whole of last year, GM said in a statement on Thursday.

For November alone, GM sold 260,018 vehicles in China, up 9.7 per cent from 2011.

China's overall auto sales growth slowed last year after the government scrapped purchasing incentives and limited car numbers to ease traffic congestion and cut pollution.

In 2011 sales rose just 2.5 per cent to 18.51 million units, compared with an increase of more than 32 per cent in 2010 but growth has recovered slightly this year.

Nonetheless foreign manufacturers have bucked the slowdown with stronger brand recognition and perceptions of better quality among domestic consumers, although Japanese brands have been hurt by a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.

GM said last week one of its Chinese joint ventures will invest 6.6 billion yuan ($A1.06 billion) in a new plant to meet growing demand for commercial vehicles.

The venture between GM and Chinese partners SAIC Motor and Wuling Motors aims to open the 400,000-vehicle-a-year plant in the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing in 2015.

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Hugh Jackman still eyes 007 role

HUGH Jackman is ready to don a tux and sip a martini with the Aussie screen star joking that he is willing to wait for his chance to play famous fictitious British spy James Bond.

Jackman, 44, said he was too busy playing Wolverine in the X-Men series in 2006 when he was approached to take on the 007 part.

Instead Briton Daniel Craig, 44, got the gun and has now made three Bond films.

"At the time it was wrong for me, but when I saw Daniel in the movie I thought maybe I should have been more interested, because it was great," Jackman told British newspaper The Sun.

"But I am great mates with Daniel. When he was in Australia we caught up and, you know, no one could have played Bond better."

But the Sydneysider has not given up on the chance to serve Her Majesty's secret service and took a swipe at his mate's unflattering physique.

"I will just wait," he quipped. "The good thing about Daniel is he's, what, 62 now, isn't he? He's falling apart at the seams. So I just keep telling him, 'I'm ready, whenever you want to let him (Bond) go, I'm ready.'

"The good thing is I have also got a British passport."

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HK leader warns of housing 'talent drain'

HONG Kong's leader says the Chinese city needs to boost its housing supply and create more living space or the "best and the brightest" talents of the next generation will go elsewhere.

Property prices in Hong Kong, one of the world's most densely populated cities, has skyrocketed in recent years after an influx of mainland Chinese buyers, pushing home ownership beyond the reach of many of its seven million people.

Leung Chun-ying said the issue needed to be addressed urgently or the space-starved city, which already competes with Singapore to be Asia's economic powerhouse, will lose its competitiveness.

"If we cannot, within the phase of the next two or three decades, generally increase the space in Hong Kong, the best and the brightest of the next generation will leave us," the 58-year-old former property consultant told the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club.

"We would have lost our competitiveness in attracting and retaining overseas talents, (and) also our competitiveness in retaining our local talents.

"We need to have adequate land supply not just to meet new demand... but also to give people more elbow room in their living space and also in their work space."

Leung has vowed to boost land supply and make housing more affordable since he took office in July after he was elected by a 1200-strong committee packed with pro-Beijing elites.

And the government in October slapped new taxes on foreign buyers and raised stamp duty on resale within three years, in a bid to cool the overheated housing market.

The leader said his government will continue to deepen ties with Beijing, despite opinion polls earlier this year showing anti-Beijing sentiments had surged to a new high since the former British colony was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997.

Leung said he has rolled out a slew of measures to tackle the disenchantment among Hong Kongers toward mainlanders, including a decision to stop mainland Chinese women from giving birth in the semi-autonomous city.

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PR guru arrested on 'child sex' claim

British publicist Max Clifford poses for photographers as he arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice to give evidence at the Leveson Inquiry. He has been arrested on child sex abuse allegations. Source: AFP

MAX Clifford, one of the UK's most high profile public relations executives, has been arrested on suspicion of child sex abuse.

Clifford's lawyer, Charlotte Harris, confirmed the arrest and said Clifford would assist the police "as best he can with their inquiries."

Clifford, 69, represents some of Britain's best known entertainment figures.

Police would only say that a man in his 60s was arrested on Thursday morning in Surrey, south of London, on suspicion of sexual offenses and he is being questioned at a central London police station.

Clifford did not answer calls to his mobile phones.

Police said the arrest was part of an investigation called Operation Yewtree, a wide-ranging inquiry into alleged sexual offenses committed by Jimmy Savile and others. Savile was a BBC entertainer who has in recent months been accused of serial sexual abuse of underage girls. He died last year without having been charged with any offenses.

Police have said there may be several hundred abuse victims.

The Savile allegations have caused a major embarrassment for his employer, the BBC, which has been accused of failing to report on investigations into Savile's alleged crimes.

Four others have been arrested in the investigation of the alleged abuse. None has been charged.

British media have identified the suspects as including comedian Freddie Starr and former glam rock star Gary Glitter.

Clifford told the Associated Press in October that he was receiving calls from many celebrities and entertainers worried they would be caught up in the widening Savile investigation.

"They're phoning me and saying, 'Max, I'm worried that I'm going to be implicated.' A lot of them can't remember what they did last week, never mind 30 or 40 years ago," he said.

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Homeless man charged in NY subway death

US authorities have charged a homeless man in the death of a New York resident pushed in front of an oncoming subway train and killed as onlookers watched.

Naeem Davis, 30, was arraigned on Wednesday night on a second-degree murder charge and ordered held without bail in the death of 58-year-old Ki-suck Han on Monday. He is due back in court on December 11.

As the handcuffed defendant walked past reporters, he blamed the victim for what happened.

"He attacked me first. He grabbed me," Davis said.

Asked by a television news reporter if he meant to kill Han, Davis replied "No."

Prosecutor James Lin told the judge that Davis saw the train strike Han before leaving the Times Square station.

"The defendant never once offered any aid to the victim as the train approached the platform and in fact, this defendant watched the train hit the victim," Lin said.

But Davis' Legal Aid lawyer, Stephen Pokart, said outside court that his client reportedly "was involved in an incident with a man who was drunk and angry."

A witness, Leigh Weingus, told The New York Times that Han appeared to be aggressive towards Davis.

Han's wife had said she had argued with her husband that morning and that he had been drinking.

Han's death got widespread attention not only for its horrific nature, but because he was photographed a split-second before the train trapped him and seemingly no one attempted to come to his aid.

A freelance photographer for the New York Post, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, was waiting for a train on Monday afternoon when he said he saw a man approach Han at the Times Square station, get into an altercation with him and push him into the train's path.

The Post photo in Tuesday's edition showed Han with his head turned towards the train, his arms reaching up but unable to climb off the tracks in time.

The photographer, R. Umar Abbasi, told NBC's Today show on Wednesday that he was trying to alert the motorman to what was going on by flashing his camera.

He said he was shocked that people nearer to the victim didn't try to help in the 22 seconds before the train struck.

"The people who were standing close to him ... they could have moved and grabbed him and pulled him up. No one made an effort," he added.

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US stocks open flat

US stocks are mixed in early trade as markets continue in their generally sideways drift in a patient wait for a political deal in the fiscal cliff deficit talks.

After 30 minutes of trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 18.97 points (0.15 per cent) to 13,015.52.

The S&P 500 slipped 1.94 (0.14 per cent) to 1,407.34, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.57 (0.02 per cent) at 2,974.27.

US weekly jobless claims did not surprise at 370,000, settling back to the year's general range after spiking higher for three weeks because of superstorm Sandy.

Fiscal cliff talks continued, with both sides moving slightly closer via hints at compromise but no real news to confirm that the sharp tax hikes and spending cuts programmed for January 1 will be averted.

Apple, which took its sharpest fall in four years on Wednesday, opened more than two per cent lower before rebounding; it was down 0.3 per cent at $US537.23.

Investors continued to dump shares of miner Freeport-McMoRan after it announced a $US9 billion ($A8.65 billion) deal to buy two US oil and gas firms at hefty premiums.

Investors criticised the deals, saying they appeared to heavily benefit the board members and top shareholders in Freeport that also had interests in the other two companies, McMoRan Exploration and Plains Exploration.

Freeport shares were down 4.0 per cent, after losing 16 per cent Wednesday.

Plains lost 2.3 per cent and McMoRan 0.2 per cent.

Bond prices gained. The 10-year US Treasury yield dipped to 1.57 per cent from 1.59 per cent late Wednesday, while the 30-year fell to 2.76 per cent from 2.78 per cent.

Bond prices and yields move inversely.

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Bus driver finds, hands in $500,000

VIENNA'S transport authority says a city bus driver checking a bag left behind by a passenger had the surprise of his life - 390,000 euros ($488,000) in neatly stacked 500-euro bills.

Transit authority spokeswoman Anna-Maria Reich says the driver handed the stash to police who tracked down the owner, an unidentified elderly woman.

But the driver has nothing to show for his honesty beyond praise from superiors. Weeks later, the owner has not contacted him to offer a reward.

The incident happened last month and Ms Reich confirmed details first reported by several Austrian tabloids.

It was unclear why the woman was carrying so much cash.

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Tough Aussie's visa battle to stay in UK

AN Australian man recognised for his bravery after suffering knife wounds while protecting elderly women on a London bus has been refused the right to remain in the UK, a newspaper reports.

Tim Smits, 33, from Melbourne, was stabbed and punched when he stood up to thugs on a bus in September 2011, Britain's Evening Standard newspaper reported.

His actions earned him a local council citizenship award and an honour from the Carnegie Hero Trust Fund.

However, the UK Border Agency has rejected the graphic artist's application for a compassionate extension to his visa.

Mr Smits spent months recovering from the violent attack for which two men were jailed.

"What needs to happen before it's compelling and compassionate?" Mr Smits told the Standard on Thursday of his visa extension application.

"The refusal letter was a massive hammer blow - a kick in the balls I just didn't need.... I had dealt with so much already.

"All the appreciation I have had from the community has really kept up my spirits, but the coldness of the Border Agency and lack of compassion has made me sick.

"It's made me question if I want to live in a country that wants to kick me out, even though I love it here. It doesn't give you much faith in humanity."

Mr Smits, who has appealed the rejection of his visa application, stood up to two 19-year-old men who began abusing fellow bus passengers on a suburban London route. He was knifed by one of the teens and punched by another.

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Russia bans 'extremist' Pussy Riot videos

A RUSSIAN court has banned access on the internet to the videos of performances by the jailed feminist punk band Pussy Riot, ruling the films to be extremist.

A Moscow court declared the videos, including the infamous Punk Prayer in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, to be "extremist" and ordered internet providers to "restrict access" to the films, Russian news agencies reported.

The judge also listed as subject to restriction the official Pussy Riot web page and the band's popular Livejournal blog, the location of most of its manifestos and photos from other actions.

The ruling appears to impose a wholesale ban on accessing the videos inside Russia but it remains to be seen how this will be implemented.

Google representative Alla Zabrovskaya told AFP in an emailed comment the internet giant's video-sharing subsidiary YouTube needs to receive the written court decision listing the specific internet links before making its own decision on the matter.

The judge's decision pertains to a total of four videos from four different performances published on five different websites, court spokeswoman Yevgenia Pazukhina told Interfax.

The ruling supported the position of Moscow's prosecutors who told the court that linguistic experts found the clips offensive.

Materials officially branded "extremist" are put on a blacklist kept by the Russian justice ministry. Their dissemination can be considered a criminal offence.

Currently the list has about 1500 items, mostly related to banned religious and ultra-nationalist groups or those deemed to have a fascist ideology.

Two Pussy Riot band members are currently serving two-year prison sentences after their cathedral performance was ruled an act of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

The video of the February Punk Prayer has gone viral and been viewed on YouTube several million times. Its lyrics appeal to the Virgin Mary to "get rid of (President Vladimir) Putin".

Pussy Riot also sang a song Putin Got Scared on Red Square, and staged an illicit concert on the roof of a Moscow prison for those detained at a protest rally last December.

The band's Yekaterina Samutsevich, who has been convicted for the church stunt but freed with a suspended sentence, called Thursday's ruling a "direct recognition of artistic censorship" in Russia.

The case of Pussy Riot has polarised Russian society while their prosecution was seen as excessive by many Western countries, and global stars like Madonna pledged their support.

Putin, who returned to a third historic presidential term in the Kremlin in May, has overseen the passage of a series of laws restricting freedom of speech and internet.

This month, a new blacklist of internet sites went into effect that allows the government to block pages with banned content, including extremism.

Critics have said the new law's vague wording can be exploited, while observers say the blacklist is a clear step toward wide-ranging web restrictions similar to those in China.

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Concorde manslaughter conviction overturned

A FRENCH appeals court has overturned a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people, ruling Thursday that mistakes by the company's mechanics were not enough to make it legally responsible for the deaths.

The crash hastened the end for the already-faltering supersonic Concorde, synonymous with high-tech luxury but a commercial failure. The program, jointly operated by Air France and British Airways, was taken out of service in 2003.

In the July 25, 2000, accident, the jet crashed into a hotel near Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport soon after taking off, killing all 109 people aboard and four on the ground. Most of the victims were Germans heading to a cruise in the Caribbean.

A French court initially convicted Continental Airlines Inc. and one of its mechanics in 2010 for the crash of the Air France Concorde, and imposed about 2 million euros ($2.5 million) in damages and fines on the carrier.

The lower court ruled that the mechanic fitted a metal strip on a Continental DC-10 that fell onto the runway, puncturing the Concorde's tyre. The burst tyre sent bits of rubber into the fuel tanks, which started the fire that brought down the plane.

"This was a tragic accident and we support the court's decision that Continental did not bear fault. We have long maintained that neither Continental nor its employees were responsible for this tragic event and are satisfied that this verdict was overturned," Megan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based United Continental Holdings, said in a written statement. Continental merged with United in 2010.

Parties including Air France and Continental compensated the families of most victims years ago, so financial claims were not the trial's focus - the main goal was to assign responsibility.

In the original trial, Continental and the mechanic, John Taylor, were also ordered to pay tens of thousands of euros in damages to families of a few victims in the case.

At the time, Continental lawyer Olivier Metzner argued that the U.S. airline was a convenient scapegoat and that there wasn't enough evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

In France, unlike in many other countries, plane crashes routinely lead to trials to assign criminal responsibility - cases that often drag on for years.

In the years it took French judicial investigators to work their way to trial, amassing 80,000 pages of court documents, the Concordes were revamped, retired and finally sent to museums.

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US stocks open higher on growth estimate

US stocks have opened higher, chasing solid gains in markets in Asia and Europe, helped by an expected strong upward revision in the US economic growth estimate for the third quarter.

All major sectors were higher, led by consumer goods and mining stocks.

Five minutes into trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 52.98 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 13,038.09.

The S&P 500 gained 7.34 points, or 0.52 per cent, at 1,417.27.

The Nasdaq Composite added 20.79 points, or 0.69 per cent, at 3,012.57.

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US economy grew stronger 2.7% in 3Q

THE US economy grew at a 2.7 per cent pace in the third quarter, faster than previously estimated, the Commerce Department says in a report that nevertheless points to a weaker fourth quarter.

Gross domestic product growth was revised upward from the prior estimate of 2.0 per cent, reflecting in part increases in federal government spending and private inventory investment, the department said.

Growth in the July-September quarter was the strongest of the year, and followed a meagre 1.3 per cent pace in the second quarter.

Still, growth remained modest as the world's largest economy headed into the fourth quarter.

"This morning's GDP report is one of those rare instances when growth is a lot stronger than in the advance report but the domestic economy turns out to be a lot weaker," said Chris Low at FTN Financial.

Growth in consumer spending, which accounts for 70 per cent of output, was revised down to 1.4 per cent, just slightly above the second-quarter pace.

Inflation slowed slightly from the second quarter. Prices rose 1.4 per cent in the third quarter and the core price index, excluding food and energy prices, increased 1.1 per cent.

Sal Guatieri at BMO Capital Markets said the weaker momentum in consumer and business spending and a jump in business inventories suggested a slower pace in the fourth quarter.

"Outside of the housing market recovery, the economy has little momentum as we edge closer to the year-end fiscal cliff," he said.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday reported that businesses around the country are increasingly worried about the combination of significant spending cuts and tax increases that will occur in January unless politicians reach a compromise on a less severe deficit reduction plan.

Manufacturers said they were worried about the economy in 2013 "in part due to the uncertainty regarding the outcome of the fiscal cliff", the Fed said in its Beige Book survey of regional economies.

Economists say the $US500 billion ($A480 billion) amalgam of tax hikes and spending cuts required by last year's debt-ceiling deal could pitch the US economy back into recession in 2013.

Meanwhile US jobless claims fell back to 393,000 in the most recent week, the Labor Department said on Thursday, still showing the impact of superstorm Sandy, which blasted the Northeast in late October.

Claims in the week to November 24 fell from 416,000 the previous week and 451,000 in the November 10 week.

But they remained well above the 360,000-380,000 range held most of this year.

The three weeks of high claims, much the result of the shutdown of the economy in and around New York due to the storm, pushed the four-week rolling average to 405,250.

Many companies in the region, especially small businesses, are still struggling to get back to normal nearly one month after the storm struck.

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CNN names Jeff Zucker as new chief

CNN has named former NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker as its new top executive.

Mr Zucker is replacing Jim Walton, who announced he was leaving this past summer.

Mr Zucker takes over a network that was the first in cable news but has lagged behind Fox News Channel and, often, MSNBC in the ratings and has been searching for direction.

Since leaving as chief of NBC Universal, Mr Zucker has been working with Katie Couric to put her talk show on the air. He spent many years as the top producer on NBC's Today show during its glory years in the 1990s.

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Syria 'shuts off the internet'

TWO US-based internet-monitoring companies say Syria has shut off the Internet nationwide.

Activists in Syria reached Thursday by satellite telephone confirmed the unprecedented blackout, which comes amid intense fighting in the capital, Damascus.

Renesys, a U.S.-based network security firm that studies internet disruptions, says Syria effectively disappeared from the internet at 12:26pm local time.

Akamai Technologies, another U.S-based company that distributes content on the Internet, also confirmed a complete outage for Syria.

Syria has partially cut Internet connections during the 20-month uprising against President Bashar Assad but a nationwide shutdown is unprecedented.

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S&P affirms China's credit rating

STANDARD & Poor's has affirmed China's sovereign credit rating, another sign that the world's second largest economy is rebounding as Beijing prepares to usher in new leaders.

The ratings agency said China's "exceptional growth prospects" and "modest government indebtedness" were key factors supporting its creditworthiness. It also said China's outlook was "stable".

China's AA- long-term and A-1+ short-term sovereign credit ratings rank just below S&P's highest rating of triple-A.

S&P's credit analyst Kim Eng Tan said the upbeat assessment comes amid expectations of no major policy changes following the unveiling of new leaders at the Communist Party's pivotal congress earlier this month.

"We expect no major change in policy directions in China in the wake of the recent top leadership changes," he said.

"Efforts toward deepening structural and fiscal reforms are likely to continue.

"We expect the Chinese economy to continue its strong growth while the country maintains its large external creditor position in the next three to five years."

China's economic growth hit a more than three-year low of 7.4 per cent in the third quarter this year, but recent data has fuelled optimism that its economy is rebounding.

China is set to install new Communist Party general-secretary Xi Jinping as president in March, replacing incumbent Hu Jintao. While Li Keqiang is expected to replace current Premier Wen Jiabao.

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Halloween stampede claims fifth victim

A FIFTH young woman has died from injuries sustained in a stampede during a Halloween dance party in Madrid arena.

Spanish National Radio said 20-year-old Maria Teresa Alonso died in Madrid's Fundacion Jimenez Diaz hospital from brain injuries.

Three young women died in the stampede early Nov. 1 while a fourth woman died days later in another Madrid hospital.

Madrid authorities investigating the tragedy are probing whether the venue's maximum capacity of 10,600 people was exceeded on the night of the disco party that starred American DJ Steve Aoki.

The stampede occurred in a passageway leading to the central concert area of the Madrid Arena venue.

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Mining magnate Palmer resigns from LNP

Billionaire Clive Palmer says he isn't worried about being kicked out of the Liberal National Party. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer says he has resigned from the Liberal National Party, despite receiving a letter that he said reinstated his membership to the Queensland party.

The mining billionaire said he was resigning from the LNP because he didn't want to "become the issue".

"It's important that with the critical issues facing the state, I don't become the issue," he told ABC's Lateline program.

"So I discussed the issue with my wife and at 8.30pm (AEST) tonight I thought the best course of action for me would be to resign from the LNP straight away."

Mr Palmer said he had received a letter by the LNP president's executive committee confirming his suspension had been lifted as of Thursday morning.

Mr Palmer was suspended from the party on November 9.

The LNP executive was set to meet on Friday morning to decide whether the life member will remain in the party.

Mr Palmer told AAP earlier there was no way he would have been expelled from the party, because there had been no complaint made against him.

He said his resignation would now allow him to speak more honestly because he "wasn't restrained in any way".

"It's a bit of a shock to me to leave a party I've been a member for 43 years, and to leave in such circumstances.

"But I weighed everything up and I think it's very brave and courageous of the state executive of the LNP to restore my suspension and lift that as they did."

He reiterated earlier comments that the Queensland government was too heavily influenced by lobbyists and by business.

He said senior political figures had threatened his business interests because he'd spoken out politically.

"Well, I believe that to be true.

"I believe that our interests have been threatened because of the political stands that I've taken by people, and I think that's wrong.

"I don't want my employees to bear any burden because of the stands I've taken on what I thought was right."

But Mr Palmer did not rule out a future political role, including the possibility of setting up his own party.

"I certainly will remain interested and I certainly won't be silenced by anybody when I see people being persecuted in this country."

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Smartphone users: watch for online tricks

ATTENTION smartphone shoppers: watch for cyber criminals using phony apps or messages in an effort to hijack your device or steal your data.

Law enforcement and security experts say that as more people use their mobile devices in stores and on open Wi-Fi networks, the risks are increasing as well.

The FBI-backed Internet Crime Complaint Center is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulent apps, messages and Wi-Fi networks which can trick users of mobile devices to divulge passwords, personal data or credit card numbers.

"Many times, e-mails, texts or phone calls will look or sound like they are coming from a well-known retailer, stating a need to 'verify' the full credit card number you used for a purchase or ask you to click a link to update personal account information," the center said.

The center said Android devices are often targeted by spyware, including one system called FinFisher, capable of taking a mobile device, or Loozfon, "an information-stealing piece of malware."

Security firm McAfee's Gary Davis said that as the popularity of apps surges, "so have the chances that you could download a malicious application designed to steal your information or even send out premium-rate text messages without your knowledge."

Davis said some fraudsters are using Twitter ads offering special discounts for popular gifts, linking to malicious software.

"Criminals are getting savvier with authentic-looking social ads and deals that take consumers to legitimate looking websites," Davis said.

"In order to take advantage of the deals or contests, they ask them for personal information that can obtain a shopper's credit card number, email address, phone number or home address."

Lookout, a security firm offering free apps for Android and iPhone, also urges prudence.

"Be careful what you do on public Wi-Fi networks especially when you're shopping. Do not expose passwords, account numbers or credit card information unless you are certain that you are on a secure connection," a company statement said.

"Use discretion when downloading apps. Even the most innocent-looking shopping app can contain software designed to steal personal data, make fraudulent charges or even hijack your phone. Only download apps from sites you trust."

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Five charged with Sydney home invasions

FIVE men have been charged in relation to a number of home invasions and armed robberies across Sydney.

Police say two of the men allegedly broke into a man's home at Haberfield, in Sydney's inner-west, at 5.30am (AEST) on Thursday.

The duo allegedly struck the man with a wooden bat before stealing the keys to his car.

They then fled the scene with a group of males outside the house.

Officers later located the stolen car at a fast food restaurant car park about 5km away at Hurlstone Park.

They arrested five men aged between 16 and 19 and later charged them with a number of other offences, including armed robbery and aggravated break, enter and steal.

It is alleged the five were involved in several other home invasion and armed robbery incidents within the Sydney metropolitan area.

All five were refused bail, with four to appear at Bidura Children's Court on Friday, and the other to appear at Central Local Court on Friday.

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Man takes hostages, demands Japan PM quit

A MAN armed with a knife has taken five people hostage at a Japanese bank, police say, with local media reporting he was demanding Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's cabinet resign.

About seven hours after the drama began on Thursday the man released one hostage, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Television footage showed a woman walking away from the bank as night fell, escorted by a police officer and apparently handcuffed.

She was not immediately identified and the reason for the handcuffs was unclear.

The hostage-taking happened at the Zoshi branch of the Toyokawa Shinkin Bank in the central prefecture of Aichi in the early afternoon, a police spokesman said without elaborating.

Local media said the man, wielding a survival knife, took four employees and a female customer captive and was demanding the Noda cabinet step down as well as asking to speak to journalists.

Noda last week called an election for December 16. He is expected to lose, with polls suggesting the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party will be the biggest party.

The hostage-taker was originally said to be in his 30s or 40s but later reports suggested he was in his 50s.

NHK said there was no report of injuries to the hostages and the man had made no demands for money.

However, he was asking for 10 days' worth of food and water, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said. Broadcasters said he had also demanded cigarettes and a lighter.

Television footage showed a man who appeared to be a police officer carrying a megaphone and a plastic bag to a side door of the building. Shutters were down all over it but lights could be seen inside.

TV footage showed the area around the bank sealed off and guarded by police.

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Aussies living longer 'disability free'

AUSTRALIANS are living longer and the extra years are coming "disability free", new figures from the federal government show.

In the decade to 2009, life expectancy at birth jumped 3.4 years to 79.3 for men. Life expectancy for women rose 2.4 years to 83.9.

Over the same period the number of years men can expect to live without disability rose 3.7 to 61.6 years. For women the figure jumped 2.2 to 64.3 years.

"The good news is when it comes to these additional years many are disability free," Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) senior executive Brent Diverty told AAP.

The AIHW report "Changes in life expectancy and disability", released on Friday, notes that a large part of the growth in expected disability-free years occurred between 2003 and 2009.

That period saw disability rates decline for the first time in 30 years at the same time as there was a relatively slow growth in life expectancy.

The most recent life expectancy figures - for the 10 years to 2011 - were released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier in November.

They show a baby boy born today can expect to live 79.7 years. A girl can expect to live until she's 84.2.

The gap between the sexes is closing over time but, as Mr Diverty says, "it's difficult to say if it will ever completely close".

Life expectancy in Australia rose markedly from the beginning of the 20th century as a result of improvements in sanitation, healthcare and nutrition. Declining smoking rates helped later on.

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Dolphin dies during disputed flight

A dolphin being flown from the Philippines to Singapore has died in transit. Source: Supplied

ONE of 25 dolphins being transferred to a Singapore oceanarium despite protests from activists has died during its flight to the city-state.

Wen Wen, a male dolphin aged about 10, died suddenly less than an hour before the flight from the Philippines landed, a Marine Life Park spokesperson said.

The spokesperson of the park - which opened to the public for the first time yesterday and is part of the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino - said the dolphin appeared fine when medically examined before the flight.

"We are deeply saddened... he will be sorely missed," the spokesperson said.

The other 24 bottlenose dolphins had arrived and were acclimatising to their new home.

"No effort or resources will be spared in ensuring the health and well-being of our dolphins and all marine animals at Marine Life Park," the statement said.

Wen Wen is the third dolphin to die out of 27 which RWS acquired from the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific between 2008 amd 2009.

Wildlife activists in the Philippines - where the dolphins were kept and trained before being exported to Singapore - filed a lawsuit last month to stop them from being flown out.

They said the dolphins' capture violated an international treaty on the trade in endangered animals and plants.

A court in the Philippines initially agreed to a temporary ban on transferring the dolphins but another court overturned it.

A Singapore-based animal rights group also opposed the inclusion of the dolphins in the marine park, saying catching them from the Solomon Islands is detrimental to the survival of the species there.

The remaining 24 dolphins are due to make their public debut at the park's twin attractions the S.E.A Aquarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark only next year.

The aquarium is touted as the world's largest with 100,000 marine animals from over 800 species in 45 million litres of water.
 

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Girl dies in schoolies balcony fall

HUNDREDS of people have been evacuated from a high-rise hotel on the Gold Coast where a teenage girl has fallen to her death.

The girl, believed to be a schoolie, fell from the Chevron Renaissance tower in Surfers Paradise.

Police will only say a woman has died after falling off the balcony of a Gold Coast Highway high rise at 9.30pm (AEST) on Thursday.

They are speaking to members of the family and could not confirm whether she had been part of schoolies festivities.

One witness told the ABC he saw the girl fall onto the pool area of the hotel.

"A girl fell off the balcony - just watched her fall," schoolie Seb Giorgio said.

"I didn't want to watch."

Rory, a barman across the road from the Towers Of Chevron Renaissance, said hundreds of schoolies were standing outside the hotel.

"I saw 200 schoolies out the front of the building, two ambulance (crews), there were cops everywhere," he told AAP.

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Kuwait bails tweeters after emir 'insults'

A KUWAITI court has freed three Twitter users on bail after detaining them for nine days for allegedly insulting the ruler of the oil-rich Gulf state, a rights activist says.

A fourth tweeter however remained in detention as his case will be heard by a court on Sunday, the director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights, Mohammad al-Humaidi, said on his Twitter account.

One of the tweeters was freed on bail of $US3550 ($A3440) and the other two on $US17,700 each, Humaidi said. Their trial is set for December.

The four were arrested on November 14 and held in police custody pending further investigation on accusations they wrote tweets deemed offensive to Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

Three other Twitter users, including a woman, had been arrested with them but only remained hours in custody before being each freed on bail of $US3550.

Kuwait has clamped down on opposition activists and Twitter users mainly on accusations of undermining the status of the emir as the country heads to general polls on December 1 amid a bitter political dispute.

Several former opposition MPs and activists are facing trial over similar charges. Public criticism of the ruler is illegal under the Kuwaiti constitution.

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Romney blames Obama win on 'gifts'

FORMER Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama won re-election last week because of the "gifts" he provided to blacks, Hispanics and young voters and his effort to paint Romney as anti-immigrant.

"The president's campaign, if you will, focused on giving targeted groups a big gift," Romney said in a phone call with top donors on Wednesday.

He cited immigration proposals aimed at Hispanics and free contraception coverage that appealed to young women. "He made a big effort on small things."

Romney said his campaign, in contrast, had been about "big issues for the whole country".

The Republican nominee didn't acknowledge any major missteps and said his team had run a superb campaign.

By contrast, many Republicans are questioning their strategy after Obama's strong win, with some saying they must reach out to Hispanics and others as their core demographic - aging white males - shrinks.

Growing numbers of Hispanic, black and young voters overwhelmingly voted Democratic last week.

Top Republicans meeting for the first time since the election said the party lost its bid to unseat Obama because Romney did not respond to criticism strongly enough or outline a specific agenda with a broad appeal.

Many had assumed that an election with the struggling economy as the top issue would favour a businessman like Romney, but he was weakened by his constant shifting on sensitive social issues such as abortion.

In conversations at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Las Vegas, a half dozen party leaders predicted the Republicans will lose again if they keep running the same strategy.

"We need to have a brutal, brutally honest assessment of everything we did," said Haley Barbour, the former Mississippi governor who is widely seen as one of the Republicans' sharpest political operatives. "We need to take everything apart ... and determine what we did that worked and what we did that didn't work."

AP rs

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Procter & Gamble plans more job cuts

CONSUMER products giant Procter & Gamble says it plans to cut more jobs and increase share repurchases as it works on its turnaround plan to focus on its most profitable categories and countries.

The maker of Tide detergent and Gillette razors says on top of its already announced plan to cut 5700 non-manufacturing jobs, it will cut two to four per cent of its non-manufacturing jobs.

Also it now expects to buy back shares worth $US4 billion ($A3.87 billion) to $US6 billion. Previously it forecast $US4 billion.

The news comes as the company holds its annual analyst meeting in Cincinnati.

Procter & Gamble has been facing increasing investor displeasure about its lack of global market share growth. That has grown since activist investor William Ackman disclosed a stake in the company.

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Vic Ford workers face the axe

VICTORIA'S Ford workers are facing the grim prospect of arriving at their workplace for the final time on Friday as the company sheds hundreds of local jobs.

After a tense night, some 200 workers will arrive to be sacked from Ford's Broadmeadows and Geelong plants in face-to-face meetings with management.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) said some of the workers who will lose their jobs had been employed at Ford for more than 25 years.

"It will be devastating for them," AMWU vehicle division assistant federal secretary Dave Smith told AAP.

Ford said in July it would axe 440 jobs at the two plants by November due to a slump in large car sales and a production reduction.

But redeployment, in-house transfers and 118 voluntary redundancies will result in 212 being axed on Friday.

Mr Smith said the union was happy with the way the company had dealt with the redundancies.

Generally speaking, he said, the company had adhered to "the principle we asked them to and that is to treat people with respect and dignity".

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Charles and Camilla to visit Christchurch

PRINCE Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will spend the final day of their six-day tour of New Zealand in quake-ravaged Christchurch.

The royals are in the country on the final leg of their Diamond Jubilee tour representing the Queen.

The prince and duchess arrive in Christchurch about midday NZ time (1000 AEDT) on Friday and they'll be welcomed at the Christchurch City Council by mayor Bob Parker, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency (CERA) chief executive Roger Sutton.

From there the royals will meet privately with 20 people who were seriously injured in the deadly February 22, 2011 quake and their caregivers.

They'll then visit some of the areas of the city hardest hit by the quake, including the central business district red zone.

In addition to seeing some of the quake's devastating impacts first hand, the couple will also get a sense of the work that's being done to rebuild the city.

The royals will visit the Re:Start shipping container mall on Cashel Street, where they'll meet Sam Johnson, the founder of the student volunteer army which helped with much of the post-quake clean-up.

The final public engagement of the royal tour will be a trip to the 150th Canterbury A&P show with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Minister for Primary Industries David Carter.

Prince Charles and Camilla depart Christchurch bound for Britain on Friday night.

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Spain halts evictions of most vulnerable

SPAIN has announced a two-year halt to evictions of the most vulnerable home owners as a public outcry mounts over suicides linked to desperate people facing expulsion.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's right-leaning government says it has it agreed on the moratorium "for humanitarian reasons" and the new measure is restricted to those most in need.

"These are urgent measures in difficult circumstances linked to the crisis", Economy Minister Luis de Guindos told a news conference on Thursday after a weekly government meeting.

The Spanish Banking Association said Monday it was freezing mortgage-related evictions for two years in extreme cases. Savings banks, too, suspended expulsions while awaiting new government rules.

Many people were shocked by two suicides in 15 days by indebted homeowners facing expulsion in Spain, where both banks and borrowers were hammered by a 2008 property crash.

On November 9, 53-year-old former Socialist politician Amaia Egana jumped out of her apartment window to her death in the northern Basque municipality of Barakaldo as bailiffs were set to evict her.

Her suicide came 15 days after 53-year-old Jose Luis Domingo hanged himself shortly before bailiffs came to turn him out of his home in the southern city of Granada.

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44 killed in Congo fighting

FORTY-FOUR people have been killed in new fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels, ending a two-month ceasefire.

Both sides have blamed the other for starting the fighting.

"The M23 has attacked us around 5am this morning," Colonel Olivier Hamuli said on Thursday, adding that the fighting against 700 rebels continued until about 3pm.

Forty-four M23 fighters were killed in the battle, the governor of North Kivu province, Julien Paluku, told The Associated Press by phone.

But the M23 rebels said the Congolese army initiated the hostilities. On Saturday, the political branch spokesman, Bertrand Bisimwa, accused the army of attacking the rebels in Kitagoma, near the Ugandan border.

However, local sources say the attack in Kitagoma was carried out by an armed group allied with the M23 and the rebels are only looking for an excuse to start fighting again.

The spokesman for the United Nations mission in Congo (MONUSCO), Manodje Munubai, also confirmed Thursday's clash.

Since August, members of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region have been holding talks in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to try to find a solution to the conflict. There had been a de facto ceasefire during the mediation, but tensions mounted on the ground over the past two weeks as the talks seemed to be reaching a dead end.

Troop movements increased on both sides of the frontline, triggering skirmishes between the rebels and the army.

Direct fighting finally broke out Thursday in Rugari, the town between the M23 and the Congolese army positions, only 30 kilometres from Goma, the provincial capital, and around 15km from Kanyaruchinya, a camp where more than 60,000 people have sought refuge from the conflict since June.

More than 250 families fled the fighting on Thursday and arrived at the Kanyaruchinya camp, said a witness contacted by AP in Goma.

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Eurozone slides back into recession

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. Source: AFP

THE 17-country eurozone has fallen back into recession for the first time in three years as the fallout continues from the region's financial crisis.

And with surveys pointing to increasingly depressed conditions across the 17-member group that uses the euro at a time of high unemployment in many countries, there are fears that the recession will deepen, and make the debt crisis - which has been calmer of late - even more difficult to handle.

Official figures overnight showed that the eurozone contracted by 0.1 per cent in the July to September period from the quarter before as economies including Germany and the Netherlands suffer from falling demand.

The decline reported by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, was in line with market expectations and follows on from the 0.2 per cent fall recorded in the second quarter. As a result, the eurozone is officially in recession, commonly defined as two straight quarters of falling output.

"The eurozone economy will continue its decline in Q4 and probably well into 2013 too - a good backdrop for another debt crisis," said Michael Taylor, an economist at Lombard Street Research.

Because of the eurozone's gruelling three-year debt crisis, the region has been the major focus of concern for the world economy. The eurozone economy is worth around 9.5 trillion euros ($11.6 trillion) which puts it on a par with the US. The region, with its 332 million people, is the US's largest export customer, and any fall-off in demand will hit order books.

While the US has managed to bounce back from its own savage recession in 2008-09, albeit inconsistently, and China continues to post strong growth, Europe's economies have been on a downward spiral - and there is little sign of any improvement in the near-term.

The eurozone had managed to avoid returning to recession for the first time since the financial crisis following the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers, mainly thanks to the strength of its largest single economy, Germany.

But even that country is now struggling as confidence wanes and exports drain in light of the economic problems afflicting large chunks of the eurozone.

Germany's economy grew 0.2 per cent in the third quarter, down from a 0.3 per cent increase in the previous quarter. Over the past year, Germany's annual growth rate has more than halved to 0.9 per cent from 1.9 per cent.

Perhaps the most dramatic decline among the eurozone's members was seen in the Netherlands, whose economy shrank 1.1 per cent on the previous quarter.

Five eurozone countries are in recession - Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Cyprus. Those five are also at the centre of Europe's debt crisis and are imposing austerity measures, such as cuts to wages and pensions and increases to taxes, in an attempt to stay afloat.

As well as hitting workers' incomes and living standards, these measures have also led to a decline in economic output and a sharp increase in unemployment.

Spain and Greece have unemployment rates of over 25 per cent. Their young people are faring even worse with every other person out of work. As well as being a cost to governments who have to pay out more for benefits, it carries a huge social and human cost.

Protests across Europe on Wednesday highlighted the scale of discontent and with economic surveys pointing to the downturn getting worse, the voices of anger may well get louder still.

"The likelihood is that this anger will continue to grow unless European leaders and policymakers start to act as if they have a clue as to how to resolve the crisis starting to unravel before their eyes," said Michael Hewson, markets analyst at CMC Markets.

Europe has no doubt made some progress this year in allaying some of the worst fears in the markets, notably through the announcement of new bond-buying program from the European Central Bank. However, with Greece still teetering on the edge and the eurozone in recession, the economic storms are never far away.

Mario Draghi, the ECB's president has been widely credited for helping foster the more optimistic tone in the markets but he admits there's still a long way to go.

"The year that is about to end will be remembered not only for the effects the European sovereign debt crisis has had on the euro and for the significant weakening of the European economy, but also for the responses to these challenges by the ECB, national governments and the European Union," he said in a speech at Univerisita Bocconi in Milan.

"Ultimately, it is up to governments to dispel once and for all the persistent uncertainties that markets perceive and citizens fear," Mr Draghi added.

The wider 27-nation EU, which includes non-euro countries, avoided the same recession fate as the eurozone. Eurostat said the EU's output rose 0.1 per cent during the third quarter, largely on the back of an Olympics-related boost in Britain.

The EU's output as a whole is greater than the US It is also a major source of sales for the world's leading companies. Forty percent of McDonald's global revenue comes from Europe - more than it generates in the US General Motors, meanwhile, sold 1.7 million vehicles in Europe last year, a fifth of its worldwide sales.

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Star Wars, dominoes in Toy Hall of Fame

LUKE Skywalker and Princess Leia have outmuscled little green army men for a spot in the US National Toy Hall of Fame.

Star Wars action figures have joined centuries-old dominoes in the class of 2012.

The hall in Rochester, New York, announced the inductees on Thursday. A committee chose them from among 12 finalists.

Star Wars action figures went on the market in 1978, following the 1977 release of the 20th Century Fox movie.

The 10cm figures of Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and company were sold until 1985 and again from the mid-1990s to today. Dominoes originated in China in the 1300s.

The toys beat out Clue, the Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Lite-Brite, the Magic 8 Ball, the pogo stick, sidewalk chalk, Simon, the tea set and Twister.

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Officer challenges NSW premier for inquiry

A SENIOR police investigator has publicly challenged NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to launch a royal commission into child sex abuse by clergy, saying the premier is lucky his own children haven't become victims too.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, who has investigated clergy abuse around Newcastle for decades, wrote an open letter to the premier and then criticised the state government's continued failure to launch a judicial inquiry on national television.

"We're lucky. We haven't had to go through what some of those other families have gone through," he told ABC's Lateline on Thursday, noting that Mr O'Farrell is the father of two boys.

"He has a lot of thanks to give that his boys were never ever abused. ... If he has any compassion and humanity for some of these victims, he's got to turn around (his position)."

The comments came after the senior officer published an open letter stating that there are so many NSW sex abuse cases that he's actually lost count.

"I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church," he wrote in his letter.

"Mr O'Farrell, please don't block your ears. Many priests don't want a royal commission, nor does the hierarchy of the church, but God knows we need one."

Det Chief Insp Fox said he has "irrefutable" evidence of a cover-up involving a number of diocese bishops.

"It potentially goes even higher than that," he told Lateline.

In 2010, a woman he said is a credible whistleblower and church insider came forward and gave him an "explosive" statement that is now with the Director of Public Prosecutions.

"There is an archbishop, a bishop and a priest that are implicated in a potential cover-up," he said.

But he said he was directed to give all of his material to a taskforce upon learning of the information.

A superior officer then stood him down from investigating child sex abuse cases further, he said.

He said he doesn't know why he was stood down, but noted that many in the NSW police force would consider him to be outspoken.

He's also not sure if he will face disciplinary action for publicly calling on the premier to act.

"But I don't care," he said.

"What I do care about is that there are so many victims out there. ... There's something very wrong when you have so many pedophile priests operating in a such a small area for such an extended period of time with immunity."

Police later released a statement that stressed how Det Chief Insp Fox's views are not those of the force.

"NSW Police Force are not in a position to comment on the call for a judicial enquiry," the statement said.

But the statement clarified that Det Chief Insp Fox had only been removed from the case because the taskforce was being run in another regional command area.

Police also believe the allegations he raised of cover-ups by the church have been investigated thoroughly, the statement said.

"As a whole the church have cooperated with police," the statement said.

Those views, however, are in contrast to those held by Victoria Police.

Last month, police in that state accused the Catholic Church of intimidation, secrecy, destroying evidence, and failing to report accusations against the clergy.

Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton told a parliamentary inquiry that the church had also hindered justice by failing to report a single case of child sex abuse in more than 50 years.

"The process is designed to put the reputation of the church first and victims second," he said.

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US trade gap shrinks in September

THE US trade deficit narrowed in September to $US41.5 billion ($A40 billion), down from a revised $US43.8 billion in August, on a surge in exports led by industrial supplies, government data shows.

Exports of goods and services jumped 3.1 per cent over August, to $US187 billion, eclipsing a 1.4 per cent rise in imports to $228.5 billion, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.

Exports of goods rebounded after two straight months of declines, surging 4.2 per cent month-on-month to $US134 billion.

The improvement in the US trade deficit surprised most analysts, who had forecast it would widen to $45.4 billion.

The overall trend has shown a steady narrowing of trade balance in the past four months. On a three-month moving average, the trade gap stood at $US42.6 billion in September, down from $US49.7 billion for the three months ended in May.

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US stocks recover from post-vote plunge

US stocks have edged higher in opening trade, a day after greeting President Barack Obama's re-election with a massive plunge.

In the first five minutes of trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added a bare 8.29 points, or 0.06 per cent, to 12,941.02.

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 2.00 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 1,396.53.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gained 7.98 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 2,945.27.

The Dow marked its biggest one-day loss in a year on Wednesday after Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney at the polls, losing 313 points; the S&P lost nearly 34 points and the Nasdaq nearly 75 points.

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Interpol elects French woman as president

INTERPOL has elected a French police commissioner known for her drive against organised crime in Bordeaux and Corsica as its first female president at its general assembly in Rome.

"Mireille Balestrazzi of France becomes the first woman to be elected president of Interpol," the world's top association of crime-fighters said on Twitter.

Balestrazzi, 58, became a police commissioner in France in 1975 and was already vice-president for Europe on Interpol's executive committee.

She is particularly well known for her time as director of judicial police in Corsica in the 1990s at a time of fierce turf wars on the island.

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who attended the Interpol assembly earlier this week, said Balestrazzi was "a great police woman".

"She is one of the women who are the pride of the French police," he said.

Valls said her experience with organised crime would serve her well in fighting drug trafficking, mafias from southern and eastern Europe as well as growing political violence that requires a coordinated international response.

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26 dead in Syria clashes near border

AT LEAST 16 Syrian soldiers and 10 rebels were killed on Thursday in heavy clashes in the northwestern town of Ras al-Ain near the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Ten rebels and 16 soldiers have been killed so far in fighting for the majority Kurdish border town of Ras al-Ain," its head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, after Turkish media said two Turks were wounded by bullets from the Syrian side.

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Ambos on amber alert over staff numbers

PARAMEDICS across NSW will don yellow vests on Friday to draw attention to what they call dangerous and chronic under-staffing.

The Health Services Union (HSU) claims the state's Ambulance Service is running with 770 fewer full-time positions than necessary.

Staff numbers have remained at a standstill for a decade despite a workload increase of four per cent each year, the union says, and changes to rural rosters have left some paramedics on call for 160 hours straight.

The HSU's acting industrial manager, Tom Stevanja, said existing staffing and roster arrangements left paramedics vulnerable to fatigue and put patients at risk.

"Response times are blowing out and patients are suffering for it," Mr Stevanja said in a statement.

"We've got crews from Singleton responding to emergencies in Muswellbrook because there's no local crew available.

"One officer recently had to respond on lights and sirens 85 kilometres from Macksville to Woolgoolga. In Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra there's no cover for paramedics tied up for hours at hospitals."

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Royals kick off Sydney visit

AFTER mingling at the Melbourne Cup, enjoying an outback Queensland barbie and sampling South Australian wine, Charles and Camilla will begin the Sydney leg of their whirlwind Australian tour on Friday.

After arriving at Kingsford Smith Airport on Thursday night, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will make their first stop at Garden Island in Sydney Harbour, where they will meet Australian Defence Force personnel and their families.

From there, Charles is to attend a Campaign for Wool event at Circular Quay, before heading to Bondi for an emergency services reception hosted by NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell.

The Prince will then attend a corporate social responsibility function put on by the National Rugby League and Community One, also at Bondi.

Meanwhile, Camilla will be appointed colonel-in-chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police at Government House.

In the early evening, the royal couple are due to cross the harbour by barge to the Sydney Opera House for a reception with NSW Governor Marie Bashir.

The royal couple's busy day will conclude with a reception at Kirribilli House with Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

Charles and Camilla will fly out of Sydney for Canberra on Saturday morning.

The royals are on a 13-day tour of the southern hemisphere and are in Australia for six days as part of the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations.

On the tour they have already met World War II veterans of the Kokoda Campaign in Papua New Guinea, sampled an "Aussie" barbecue in Longreach, Queensland, and attended the Melbourne Cup.

On Wednesday, they enjoyed South Australian wine and cheese in Adelaide, before flying to Tasmania for a five-hour stopover on Thursday.

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