Central African Republic troops fight back

The Central African Republic troops are battling to re-capture a rebel-held city, officials say. Source: AAP

GOVERNMENT soldiers in the Central African Republic are battling to re-capture a rebel-held city, a military official says, despite regional efforts to seek a peaceful end to the growing crisis.

The military official said the fighting in Bambari, which rebels from the Seleka coalition seized on Sunday, was "especially violent", and a humanitarian source said witnesses some 60 kilometres away could hear detonations and heavy weapons fire for several hours.

The new violence came the same day as the Central African Republic's neighbours took steps to tackle the crisis in the chronically unstable country, where rebels have advanced towards the capital Bangui, stoking local and international alarm.

Foreign ministers in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) announced late on Friday that more troops of the Central African Multinational Force (FOMAC) would be sent to the country.

"Five hundred and sixty men are already on the ground, and we agreed to a request by the ECCAS general secretariat to increase their numbers and allow them to accomplish their mission as a rapid deployment force", as Seleka rebels threaten the capital, Chad's Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat said after a meeting in the Gabonese capital Libreville, which is seen as a potential venue for peace talks.

The international force is "to deploy so Bangui and all cities that have not been captured (by the rebels) so far cannot be targeted by the rebels", added Gabon's Foreign Minister Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet.

ECCAS deputy secretary general Guy-Pierre Garcia said earlier that the rebels and the Central African government had agreed to unconditional talks.

"The goal is to get to negotiations (between the government and the rebels) by January 10," a source in the Central African Multinational Force said.

Central African (CAR) President Francois Bozize's appeals for help from former colonial power France and from the United States have fallen on deaf ears.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday that France had no intention of getting involved in the crisis, and would only intervene to protect its own nationals there.

The French defence ministry said late on Friday that 150 troops had arrived in Bangui from Libreville as a "precautionary measure" to protect French and other European citizens.

Fears about the deteriorating security situation led Washington to evacuate its embassy in Bangui and the United Nations to pull out staff.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday that it too had evacuated some workers, although it stressed it would continue to provide aid to the growing number of displaced people.

A diplomatic team from FOMAC has begun talks with authorities in Bangui and sent a delegation to the rebel-held strategic town of Ndele in the north to meet members of the rebel coalition Seleka, which launched its offensive on December 10.

The UN has demanded rebels halt their offensive, and urged Bozize's government to ensure the safety of civilians amid fears of a breakdown in law and order in the country.

A coalition of three rebel movements known as Seleka - or the "alliance" in the Sango language - has taken a string of towns, including four regional capitals, among them the garrison town and key diamond mining hub of Birao.

The coalition wants the government to fulfil the terms of peace pacts signed in 2007 and 2001, providing for disarmament and social reintegration, including pay.

Bozize took power in a 2003 coup and has twice been elected into office.

In 2006, France, which supported Bozize in his rise to power, had lent logistical help and air support to fight off rebels.

While Seleka says it has no plans to move on the capital, a statement last week announcing it had suspended its advance was followed within a day by news of further rebel victories.

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Chile seeks arrests in singer's 1973 death

A Chilean court has sought to prosecute any suspects in the killing of singer Victor Jara. Source: AAP

A CHILEAN judge has ordered the arrest of eight ex-army officers for the brutal murder of leftist folk singer Victor Jara, killed in 1973 just days after General Augusto Pinochet came to power.

This is the first time a Chilean court has sought to prosecute any suspects in the killing of the pacifist singer - a crime that became emblematic of the bloody Pinochet dictatorship that left more than 3000 people dead.

Two of the former soldiers were accused of murder, while the others were said to be accomplices, Chilean justice officials said in a statement.

An international arrest warrant was issued for one of the suspects, Pedro Barrientos Nunez, who lives in the United States.

"After bringing together many elements, there comes a time when one must end the investigation and try to move toward a resolution," Judge Miguel Vazquez Plaza told reporters.

Jara family lawyer Nelson Caucoto said he was "quite satisfied" with the decision.

The singer, whose lyrics spoke of love and social protest, became an icon of Latin American popular music with songs like The Right to Live in Peace, The Cigarette and I Remember Amanda.

Jara was married to British dancer Joan Turner, with whom he had two daughters.

He was also a member of Chile's Communist Party and a fervent supporter of the Popular Unity coalition that backed Marxist president Salvador Allende, who came to power by popular vote in 1970.

Jara was arrested the day after the September 11, 1973 coup that installed Pinochet as dictator.

His body was found days later, riddled with 44 machine gun bullets. He had been held, along with around 5,000 other political prisoners, in Santiago's biggest stadium, where he was interrogated, tortured and then killed. He was 40.

Among other horrors, the singer-guitarist's fingers were crushed, broken by rifle butts and boots.

The case was revived in 2009, and Jara's body was exhumed, after a soldier who had been in the stadium after the coup admitted to the shooting - though he later retracted his confession.

In December 2009, thousands of Chileans attended an official funeral for the singer, whose original burial had been conducted by his widow in near-secrecy and almost total anonymity.

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Gillard, Abbott pay tribute to Greig

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have paid tribute to cricket great Tony Greig who has died in Sydney. Source: AAP

JULIA Gillard and Tony Abbott have paid tribute to Tony Greig, saying Australia has lost a sporting icon and legend.

Greig, a former England captain and cricket commentator, died in a Sydney hospital on Saturday after suffering a heart attack. He was 66.

Responding to the news, Prime Minister Gillard called Greig a "wonderful example of someone who came to Australia from somewhere else in the world and embraced his adopted country as his own".

"As a superb all-rounder, ambitious national captain and authoritative commentator over the best part of half a century, Greig's standing in the game is matched by very few others," Ms Gillard said in a statement.

"Australia has lost one of the iconic voices of sport."

Ms Gillard said Greig's life in cricket "wasn't always without controversy, but no one could doubt his passion and commitment to the sport he loved".

The Sydney-based, South African-born Greig had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in October and suffered a heart attack at his home on Saturday morning.

It's understood his family were at his side at St Vincent's Hospital when he died.

The opposition leader described Greig as an "Australian legend".

"Tony Greig is an icon of cricket and a household name in Australia," Mr Abbott said in a statement.

"His distinctive voice was synonymous with cricket every Australian summer for more than three decades.

"He may have played for and captained the old enemy England, but Tony Greig will be remembered as an Australian legend too."

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Toxic cough syrup kills 16 in Pakistan

AT least 16 people, mostly drug addicts seeking a fix, have died after drinking toxic cough syrup in an eastern Pakistani city.

The deaths started occurring on Wednesday in the industrial city of Gujranwala, about 70 kilometres north of Lahore, police and doctors said.

"We have received 54 patients at hospital who said their condition deteriorated after taking cough syrups and 16 of them have died," local hospital chief Anwar Aman told AFP on Saturday.

The victims were aged between 20 and 40 and most had a history of drug addiction, Aman said, adding that so far the culprit syrup had not been identified.

Senior police official Azam Mehr confirmed the toll and said samples of cough syrups available at local pharmacies have been collected and sent to laboratories.

"Police and the health department have started inquiries and investigations into the deaths," Mehr said.

Last month at least 19 people were killed in Lahore after drinking toxic cough syrup.

In January about 100 heart patients died in Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city, after taking locally made tainted medicine.

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Russia presses Syria regime to hold talks

Peace envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi called for real change and a transitional government in Syria. Source: AAP

RUSSIA, one of the few remaining allies of President Bashar al-Assad, says it is pressing the Syrian leadership to put into action previous pledges for dialogue with the opposition.

"We actively encouraged ... the Syrian leadership to maximally put into action its declared readiness for dialogue with the opposition," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on Friday when asked about his meeting Thursday with Syria's deputy foreign minister.

Lavrov said Russia also encouraged Assad's government "to underscore that they are open to discussing the widest range of items in line with the agreements reached in Geneva on June 30".

Russia's top diplomat warned on Thursday that time was running out for the parties to save an accord reached by global powers in Geneva that calls for the introduction of a transitional government, but makes no explicit call on Assad to step down.

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi pushed on Thursday for the plan after several days of talks with the leadership and opposition representatives in Damascus.

Lavrov said after his meeting with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad that "the chances for such a solution ... are diminishing."

Russia has refused to back international pressure on Assad to step down and Lavrov made clear on Friday that Moscow's position on this point had not changed.

"The international community must not incite either side towards violence or pose preliminary conditions," said Lavrov.

"With all due respect to the international community, it is, of course, the Syrian people who must decide" Assad's fate, Lavrov stressed.

Moscow on Saturday will host Brahimi in a new bid to save efforts at ending a 21-month conflict that is estimated to have claimed more than 45,000 lives.

A top Russia official had earlier on Friday said Moscow had also sent an invitation for talks to the head of the opposition National Coalition as it presses on with its diplomatic campaign.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told the RIA Novosti news agency the talks with National Coalition head Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib could take place in Moscow or at a foreign location such as Geneva or Cairo.

Lavrov told reporters that "as far as we understand, they (the National Coalition leaders) are not against this offer" for new talks.

The last Moscow meeting with representatives of the National Council in July ended in mutual recriminations and saw the opposition accuse Russia of inciting further violence by supporting Assad.

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East Timor facing challenges as UN leaves

THE UN ends its peacekeeping mission on Monday after 13 years in Asia's youngest nation East Timor, with the country still hoping to overcome its bloody past and rampant poverty.

East Timor this year held largely peaceful elections, voting in a new president and parliament, as the country marked a decade of formal independence and paved the way for the foreign forces to leave.

But as the last remaining UN police and troops depart, the fragile democracy is still struggling with widespread malnutrition, high unemployment and maternal mortality rates among the worst in the world.

East Timor was occupied by Indonesia for 24 years, with about 183,000 people dying from fighting, disease and starvation before the half-island state voted for independence in 1999 in a bloody referendum, prompting the first UN mission.

There is little concern about violence in the immediate future, yet few employment opportunities, crushing poverty and a rapidly expanding population could threaten peace in the long term, analysts say.

"There's always in this situation the potential for something serious to go wrong," Professor George Quinn from the Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific told AFP.

More than 40 per cent of young Timorese are jobless, according to AusAID, and although the predominantly Catholic nation has a small population, the fertility rate of 6.5 per woman is the world's fourth-highest, UN data shows.

Despite $US1.5 billion ($A1.45 billion) of aid pouring into the nation of 1.1 million people in a decade and abundant offshore oil and gas reserves, about 41 per cent of the population live on less than the local poverty line of 88 US cents a day.

In the capital Dili, barefoot children eat scraps from the ground in slums and vendors make a pittance at fruit and vegetable markets.

World Bank data from 2010 showed 45.3 per cent of children under five were malnourished, up from 40.6 per cent in 2002. On the UN's human development index, East Timor ranks 147th out of 187 nations, below Pakistan and Bangladesh, and well below the regional average.

East Timor's economy has also become visibly two-tier since 1999 - some are raking in US dollars from government infrastructure projects in urban areas, while the majority are subsistence farmers in far-flung villages.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao insisted after his July re-election that energy revenue would transform East Timor "from being an undeveloped, low-income country by 2030, by making use of all our material and human potential".

While the country's Petroleum Fund has swollen to $US10.5 billion and makes up between 80 to 90 per cent of government revenue, critics point out the reserves are fast falling as they call for diversification of the economy.

Rural Timorese also complain the money has not changed their lives.

"East Timor has always had a problem with properly disbursing its income, and that problem still persists," Professor Quinn said.

Despite East Timor's problems, the departure of the remaining UN forces - which numbered 1600 at the mission's peak - underscores the progress the country has made.

The withdrawal has been welcomed by most, especially leaders who insisted the country was able to handle its own security well before responsibility was handed back to national police in October.

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Vic govt to wait on tender for hospital

THE Victorian government will delay a decision on a major construction tender until a union bid to halt the process is heard.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) made an application in the Federal Court on Friday to stop the state's tender process for the new $630 million Bendigo hospital until a full hearing next year.

The union, which has a union-friendly agreement with builder Lend Lease, sought an injunction to temporarily stop the government's tender process, arguing the state could be breaking the Fair Work Act if it excludes the company.

Earlier this month, it emerged building giant Lend Lease - one of two companies shortlisted to build the project - could lose the project because it breached the Baillieu government's new building code by signing a four-year pay and conditions deal with the CFMEU.

Lawyers for the state told Justice Peter Gray on Friday the government would not make a decision on the tender until April 1 or before a further court hearing, whichever comes first.

A date will be set for a full hearing in the Federal Court before the end of March.

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Miner Lonmin says ill CEO will step down

BRITISH platinum miner Lonmin says chief executive Ian Farmer, off work since August due to a "serious illness", is stepping down permanently from his role at the troubled group.

Simon Scott will continue as interim head until a permanent successor is found, the world's third-largest platinum producer said in a statement on Friday. Scott would eventually revert to being chief financial officer, it added.

Friday's announcement follows a turbulent end to the year for Lonmin, whose shareholders last month approved a rights issue to boost its finances after violent strikes disrupted work at its Marikana platinum mine in South Africa.

"Lonmin plc announces that Ian Farmer, who is being treated for a serious illness, has informed the board of his request to step down as chief executive officer (CEO) and as a director of Lonmin with immediate effect," the company said.

"The board has appointed an executive search agent to pursue the selection and engagement of Ian's successor as CEO. In the meantime, Simon Scott will continue in his role as acting CEO with the full support of the Lonmin board.

"Simon has requested that he should not be considered as a candidate for the role of CEO. Following the appointment of a new CEO, Simon will dedicate his time fully to his role as chief financial officer."

Farmer, 50, was chief executive for four years at the end of a career with Lonmin lasting more than a quarter of a century.

Lonmin chairman Roger Phillimore said Farmer's ability, commitment and drive would be missed.

"He has been CEO for the last four years and the consistent improvement in Lonmin's operating performance over that period owes much to his leadership," he said.

The end of Farmer's tenure was overshadowed by the violence at Marikana that left 46 people dead, including 34 who were killed by police gunfire on August 16.

The recently announced rights issue, worth $US817 million ($A790.94 million), was aimed at reducing Lonmin's level of debt and increasing its financial strength in the wake of the violence.

Major shareholder, Swiss commodities giant Xstrata has called for a management shake-up at Lonmin, citing serious financial problems at the mining group.

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