First Greenpeace activist gets exit visa

Russia has dropped charges against 29 activists following their protest at an oil rig in the Arctic. Source: AAP

RUSSIA has started issuing visas to foreign crew members of a Greenpeace protest ship and dropped the criminal case against the last member of the team of 30.

Italy's Christian d'Alessandro was notified by investigators that the case against him had been dropped, Greenpeace said on Thursday.

Earlier, Russia closed the cases of the other 29 crew members of Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship under a Kremlin-backed amnesty.

The 30 were accused of hooliganism following a protest at a Russian oil rig in the Arctic.

Anthony Perrett of Britain was the first crew member to be given an exit visa, and happily showed off the document to journalists outside the offices of the Russian Federal Migration Service.

"He will be able to go home before the New Year!" Greenpeace tweeted.

But Russian officials could not guarantee all the activists would get home before 2014.

"We're not sure how it will turn out," a spokesman told AFP.

"But we are hoping that things will be in favour of the Greenpeace activists."

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Ambush in Central African Republic

SIX Chadian peacekeepers have been killed and 15 wounded after being ambushed in the Central African Republic's chaotic capital, the spokesman for an African Union peacekeeping force says.

Eloi Yao told The Associated Press by telephone on Thursday that the peacekeepers were attacked at noon on Wednesday but the identity of the attackers was unclear.

The Chadian contingent, which is made up of Arabic-speaking Muslim soldiers, has been accused of taking sides in the country's communal conflict.

They are seen as being anti-Christian and of having sided with the Muslim rebels who grabbed power in a coup nine months ago.

The attack further underscores the messy nature of the conflict in the Central African Republic, where both French and AU forces have come under attack.

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Philippine rebels vow to intensify attacks

PHILIPPINE communist rebels have vowed to intensify attacks against government troops and build a 25,000-strong guerrilla force, but the military has mocked the target as unrealistic.

New People's Army guerrillas marked the 45th founding anniversary of their underground party on Thursday with a clandestine gathering at a mountain lair, where they invited journalists in southeastern Agusan del Sur province.

A communist rebel statement urged the Maoist guerrillas to "wipe out enemy units and seize their weapons" and "increase the number of our Red fighters to 25,000."

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, however, said the rebels, whose armed guerrilla strength has dwindled to 4000, have been on a decline and would not achieve such a target due to problems such as the loss of community support and infighting.

"They're dreaming," Zagala said. "The reality is they have been on a decline due to the loss of their mass bases, surrenders and other problems."

The communist rebellion in the Philippines began in the late 1960s with a ragtag group armed with a few rifles. The movement peaked during the repressive years under dictator Ferdinand Marcos with several thousand full-time guerrillas.

Though it remains one of the world's longest-running Marxist insurgencies, the rebel movement has grown considerably weaker in recent years due to battle setbacks, surrenders and factionalism. They remain a national security concern.

Talks to end the rebellion have stalled since 2011 due to disagreements between the government and guerrillas over the release of several jailed rebel leaders.

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Man found dead after Brisbane siege

Tough to stick fast to pledges

AUSTRALIANS are stuck in a New Year's resolution time warp - making the same healthy pledges each year, but failing after just a week.

Dive into bright and bold colours

THIS season's swimwear trends are all about having fun in the sun with monochromatic colouring and bold prints transferring from runways to beachgoers' bods.

Sharks hungry for prizemoney

CRONULLA have firmed dramatically in Auckland Nines betting - with bookmakers convinced they will try to "pay off" $600K fine.

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Donors needed to get over blood hurdle

PEOPLE are being urged to roll up their sleeves to help Australians get over one of the last hurdles of 2013.

In the lead-up to the New Year's Day holiday, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service needs to ensure it has a constant supply of platelets, a blood product often used by cancer patients.

Donations cannot be made on January 1 and the service needs 3000 Aussies to make appointments for December 31 and January 2.

Blood service spokesman Shaun Inguanzo says platelets have a shelf life of five days, which means stock collected on Friday will have expired or run out by New Year's Day, unless there's a constant flow of donations.

"In particular, we really need donors in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria," Mr Inguanzo said.

One in three Australians would need donated blood in their lifetime, he said.

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Canoeist missing at NSW dam

A MAN remains missing after falling out of a capsizing canoe and failing to surface at a dam in the NSW Southern Tablelands.

Police said the 21-year-old was one of three young men thrown into the water when the canoe tipped over on the Pejar Dam at Crookwell at about 7pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

The other two, aged in their late teens, managed to swim to shore and signal for help.

The 21-year-old did not surface and a search of the dam was conducted by local police, the SES and a rescue helicopter.

The two younger men were treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Goulburn Hospital with suspected hypothermia.

The search was suspended at 9.30pm with weather conditions deteriorating and no sign of the man.

Local police, the Police Rescue Squad and SES volunteers will resume the search on Friday morning.

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Weekly US jobless claims drop 42,000

THE number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped by 42,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 338,000, the biggest drop since November 2012.

But economists say the figures from late November and December are warped by seasonal volatility around the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays.

The US Labor Department says the less-volatile four-week average rose 4250 to 348,000.

Claims had jumped 75,000 in the two weeks that ended December 14 before plunging last week.

Unemployment claims are a proxy for layoffs and are now consistent with a solid job market.

Hiring has been healthy the past four months. The economy added an average of 204,000 jobs every month from August through November, an improvement from earlier this year.

The unemployment rate fell in November to 7 per cent.

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American abducted in Pakistan urges help

A 72-YEAR-OLD American development worker who was kidnapped in Pakistan by al-Qaeda more than two years ago has appealed to President Barack Obama in a video to negotiate his release, saying he feels "totally abandoned and forgotten".

The video of Warren Weinstein released on Thursday was the first since two videos released in September 2012.

Weinstein, the country director in Pakistan for J.E. Austin Associates, a US-based firm that advises a range of Pakistani business and government sectors, was abducted from his house in the eastern city of Lahore in August 2011.

In the video sent on Thursday to reporters in Pakistan including The Associated Press, Weinstein called on the US government to negotiate his release.

"Nine years ago I came to Pakistan to help my government, and I did so at a time when most Americans would not come here, and now when I need my government it seems that I have been totally abandoned and forgotten," Weinstein said during the 13-minute video.

"And so I again appeal to you to instruct your appropriate officials to negotiate my release."

It was impossible to tell how much Weinstein's statement, made under the duress of captivity, was scripted by his captors.

The video and an accompanying letter purported to be from Weinstein was emailed anonymously to reporters in Pakistan.

The video was labelled "As-Sahab," which is al-Qaeda's media wing, but its authenticity could not be independently verified. The letter was dated October 3, 2013 and in the video Weinstein said he had been in captivity for two years.

In the video, Weinstein wore a grey track suit jacket and what appeared to be a black knit hat on his head. His face was partially covered with a beard.

Al-Qaeda has said Weinstein would be released if the US halted airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen and also demanded the release of all al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects around the world.

The White House has called for Weinstein's immediate release but has said it won't negotiate with al-Qaeda.

The videos last year showed Weinstein appealing for help from the Jewish community and Israel's prime minister.

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