Tasmania fire downgraded

THE major fire at Bicheno in Tasmania's east has been downgraded and the Tasman Highway has been reopened.

The Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) has issued an "advice" alert level for the fire, which was earlier classified at an emergency warning level.

The TFS says the fire danger rating in the area is low to moderate, and there is no immediate threat to communities.

The Tasman Highway has been re-opened and motorists are being urged to be cautious due to possible smoke and emergency services vehicles in the area.

The fire is still not under control and authorities say people may experience embers, smoke and ash falling on Coles Bay Road, south of Apsley River, and the Tasman Highway, south of Bicheno.

Back burning off the Cole Bay Road will continue through the night and residents are advised that they should not be alarmed if there is more smoke in this area.

Earlier, the fire at Forcett, east of Hobart, was downgraded to a watch and act level as cooler weather spread across the island state.

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Suu Kyi 'should' help with Kachin

A peace negotiator has appealed to Aung San Suu Kyi to help end the bloody conflict in Kachin. Source: AAP

MEDIATORS trying to broker a peace deal between the military and ethnic minority rebels in northern Myanmar have appealed to Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to help end the bloody conflict.

The military's use of air strikes against the rebels has stoked international concerns about a civil war that has overshadowed widely praised political reforms seen since the end of junta rule in 2011.

"Aung San Suu Kyi also has responsibility to implement ethnic peace," Yup Zaw Hkaung, a local businessman and peace negotiator in the Kachin state capital Myitkyina, told AFP by telephone on Saturday.

"When she came to Kachin State to campaign for votes, she talked about peace. She cannot abandon Kachin," he said, adding that neither the opposition leader nor President Thein Sein had replied to letters asking for help.

Civil war has plagued parts of the country formerly known as Burma since it won independence from Britain in 1948.

Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner turned lawmaker, used her maiden speech to parliament in July last year to call for greater protection of ethnic minority rights.

But the veteran activist has disappointed rights campaigners by not speaking out more vocally in support of another minority group, the Rohingya, in the violence-torn western state of Rakhine.

In northern Kachin, tens of thousands of people have been displaced since June 2011 when a 17-year ceasefire between the government and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) broke down.

The number of casualties is unknown. The Kachin accuse the government of pushing dialogue only on the basis of a ceasefire and troop withdrawals, neglecting to address longstanding demands for greater political rights.

Myanmar has reached tentative ceasefires with most of the other major ethnic rebel groups, but several rounds of talks with the Kachin have shown little tangible progress.

"The fighting has been escalating," Yup Zaw Hkaung said.

"We are urging dialogue as soon as possible. People are in big trouble."

He said his Peace Creation Group, a mediation team formed with three other local businessmen, wanted to meet Thein Sein face-to-face to discuss the conflict with the former general, whose office said in December 2011 he had ordered an end to military offensives against the rebels.

"As air strikes with jets have been used in the attacks, hatred between the two sides could be growing," Yup Zaw Hkaung said. "We assume that the military is fighting based on the decision of the union government."

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Earthquake off Alaska

A MAJOR earthquake measuring 7.7 shook an area in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the US state of Alaska early Saturday, US government researchers said.

The epicentre of the quake, which occurred at 0858 GMT (1958 AEDT) was located 102 kilometres west of Craig, Alaska, according to the US Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no widespread threat of a tsunami at this time, but it issued a regional warning affecting the Alaskan coast in the proximity of the epicentre.

The earthquake reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.

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Manila gunman 'helper' to be charged

A HOUSE caretaker who reloaded the pistol of a man who went on a shooting rampage near Manila that left nine people dead is facing multiple murder charges, officials in the Philippines say.

John Paul Lopez, who worked for the gunman, Ronald Bae, surrendered to authorities late Friday, hours after the rampage, which left eight victims and the gunman dead, said Cavite provincial deputy police chief Dionicio Borromeo on Saturday.

Eleven people were wounded in the incident in Cavite province's Kawit township.

The carnage occurred just days after the death of a 7-year-old girl who was hit in the head by a stray bullet during New Year's Eve revelry in Manila, which sparked public criticism over lax gun control in the Philippines. Friday's rampage fuelled pressure for more assertive action by authorities to deal with unlicensed firearms.

"This is really one of the worst shooting incidents in the Philippines, after the Maguindanao massacre," Borromeo said, referring to the November 2009 killing of 54 people, including 32 media workers, allegedly by followers of powerful political clan in the southern Philippines.

Borromeo said Lopez, 27, explained that Bae, 41, had threatened to kill him if he did not reload bullets into the magazines of a .45-calibre pistol used in the killing spree.

Borromeo, however, said Lopez never tried to stop Bae or talk him out of the rampage, whose victims included a pregnant woman and her young daughter and 7-year-old girl.

"We will file a case against him of multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder," Borromeo said.

He also said the Kawit police chief and his deputy have been relieved of their posts by senior police officials while they are being investigated for allegedly not responding to reports that Bae had fired his weapon behind his house four days earlier. Borromeo said records and officers' testimonies indicated they received no such reports.

It was unclear what triggered the rampage, but Bae had a "marital problem" with his wife, whom he left in northern Pampanga province and returned to his old home in Kawit for the New Year, Cavite provincial Governor Jonvic Remulla said.

Bae, who was killed in a shootout with police, had been on a "drug and alcohol binge" with his friends since Monday, drinking and taking methamphetamine, Cavite provincial Gov. Jonvic Remulla said.

Bae also killed a 7-year old girl and wounded her 2-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother, who is his godson. The three children tried to shield themselves behind seat cushions, said their uncle Edwin Lacorte. The two children are in serious condition in a hospital.

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Hong Kong stocks end 0.29% lower

HONG Kong shares have ended 0.29 per cent lower after a rally in the previous two sessions was capped by concerns the US Federal Reserve will end its monetary easing scheme earlier than expected.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index shed 67.51 points to 23,331.09 at Friday's close on turnover of HK$77.49 billion ($10.0 billion).

However, the slight dip after rising 3.3 per cent over Wednesday and Thursday was just "a healthy technical correction", said KGI Asia chief operating officer Ben Kwong.

"The two drivers for the Hong Kong market's uptrend - the China recovery story and abundant liquidity - remain intact," he told Dow Jones Newswires.

While fiscal cliff woes have been put off, minutes from the Fed's December meeting show a growing bias towards some policy tightening this year, with some members looking to end its asset purchases during 2013 and others by the end of the year.

The Fed in September unveiled its third bond-buying scheme - called quantitative easing (QE3) - to boost growth, saying it would not stop until the economy was up on its feet. And in December it added to that scheme.

Banking giant HSBC fell 1.56 per cent to HK$82.00, China Mobile slipped 0.87 per cent to HK$90.65 and Haitong Securities fell 3.3 per cent to HK$12.96.

Mainland developer Hopson rose 10.5 per cent to HK$16.06 and bourse operator Hongkong Exchanges also outperformed, closing 2.0 per cent higher at HK$142.60.

Chinese shares closed up 0.35 per cent on their first day of trade for the year, following a near three per cent rise in the previous two sessions.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 7.86 points to 2,276.99 on turnover of 114.6 billion yuan $US18.4 billion ($A17.66 billion).

The index gained 1.96 per cent in this week's two trading sessions - the market was closed from Tuesday for a three-day New Year holiday.

Analysts said sentiment was boosted by hopes for a rebound in the domestic economy after an improvement in manufacturing activity, but investors also expect Beijing to unveil pro-growth policies next month.

Steel makers gained after an industry group said manufacturing activity and new orders in the sector recovered in December.

Luyin Investment Group surged by its 10 per cent daily limit to 5.70 yuan while Fangda Special Steel Technology jumped 7.71 per cent to 4.19 yuan.

Construction companies ended higher. China Railway Construction gained 8.69 per cent to 6.38 yuan while China Railway Group rose 5.92 per cent to 3.22 yuan.

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China fines LG, Samsung, 4 others

CHINESE regulators have fined South Korean companies LG and Samsung and four Taiwanese companies on charges they fixed prices of flat panel screens sold to Chinese manufacturers.

The government announced on Friday that LG, Samsung and the Taiwanese companies were ordered to repay a total of 172 million yuan ($A25.91 million) to Chinese customers.

In addition, the companies were fined a total of 144 million yuan.

The Chinese Cabinet's economic planning agency said investigators found representatives of the six companies met dozens of times in 2001-06 to agree on prices to charge for flat-panel screens.

It said that improperly raised costs for Chinese manufacturers.

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Death report as Tas bushfire razes homes

TASMANIAN police say they are not able to confirm reports of a death in a huge bushfire in the state's south that has already destroyed homes, a school and an RSL club.

They say up to 65 buildings could have been damaged or destroyed in the small community of Dunalley, 56km southeast of Hobart.

They include the local school, RSL club, service station and houses, ABC television reported.

Around 15 houses at nearby Boomer Bay could also have been lost as the impact of catastrophic fire conditions in southern Tasmania begins to emerge.

Tasmania Police commissioner Scott Tilyard said no death had been confirmed.

"It really has the status of a rumour at this stage," he told the ABC.

But as a police boat was being sent to rescue people taking refuge on the waterfront at the top of the Tasman Peninsula, damage to property was becoming clearer.

"Reports are of anything up to about 65 buildings may have been impacted by the fire and that is the area where there has been an unconfirmed report that possibly there might have been one life lost," Mr Tilyard said.

Around 50 people were awaiting the arrival of the police vessel to help them evacuate but were safe, he said.

Huge plumes of smoke were visible from Hobart on Friday as the island capital sweltered through its hottest day on record.

Accompanying winds whipped up the two largest blazes that had started on Thursday; at Forcett, near Dunalley, and Lake Repulse near Mt Field National Park northwest of Hobart.

Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) Chief Officer Mike Brown said conditions on Friday had reached the catastrophic level in the rating system developed after the Black Saturday fires in Victoria.

"We reached catastrophic fire danger ratings at times during this afternoon," Chief Officer Brown told reporters.

"I don't think we're quite out of the woods yet.

On a day Hobart hit a top temperature of 41.8C - smashing the previous record of 40.8 set in 1976 - up to 40 fires were burning around the state.

The TFS used its emergency phone warning system to ask residents to leave the affected areas and police said around 80 per cent had chosen to go.

Near Dunalley, the TFS said it was too late to leave the communities of Connellys Marsh or Primrose Sands.

Those at Connellys Marsh were being advised the nearby beach was a safer option for them.

Carlton River Road was considered impassable and Primrose Sands residents were also being told to head to the nearby beach.

The popular Port Arthur tourist area was cut off after police closed the Arthur Highway, isolating the Tasman Peninsula.

The second major fire, which authorities suspect was started by a campfire, is affecting communities including Broad River, Jones River and Ellendale.

Late on Friday afternoon, the TFS upgraded a warning for another fire near Bicheno in that area.

Campers were being evacuated and residents were being encouraged to act on their bushfire plans or leave.

A large grass fire at Epping Forest in the state's north was also causing concern.

A mild southerly change was due in Hobart around midnight after conditions considered worse than 2006/7 when houses were lost on the state's east coast.

The change is unlikely to bring rain but could ignite more fires with lightning strikes, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

"Lighter winds tomorrow and milder temperatures and higher relative humidities will be of help," senior forecaster Malcolm Downing told AAP on Friday.

Hobart hit 41.8C at 4.05pm (AEDT), its highest temperature since record keeping started in 1883.

Authorities say smoke is likely to be visible for several hours and people sensitive to it should stay indoors.

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Nikkei up 2.82% on first trading day

TOKYO stocks have closed up 2.82 per cent on the first trading day of 2013, as the yen tumbles on relief over a US deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and huge spending cuts.

The Nikkei 225 index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which ended 2012 at its highest level since the March 2011 quake and tsunami disaster, added 292.93 points on Friday to 10,688.11.

The Topix index of all first-section issues gained 3.34 per cent or 28.71 points to 888.51.

"Japan's markets are opening relatively late after the US government acted, and thus they stand to benefit from the news as well as the enthusiastic response from other bourses," said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equities at SMBC Nikko Securities.

Global markets rallied after the US House of Representatives late on Tuesday passed a deal between the White House and Republicans to raise taxes on the rich and put off automatic $US109 billion ($A104.61 billion) budget cuts for two months.

The deal lifted the clouds of immediate crisis, sending the yen to its lowest level since July 2010 against the dollar.

The dollar rose to 87.73 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, up from 87.19 yen in New York on Thursday afternoon. The euro was at 114.35 yen and $1.3034 from 113.80 yen and $1.3052.

The market is watching the next moves by Congress and President Barack Obama.

CLSA equity strategist Nicholas Smith said: "Thereafter (the) focus will be on who Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe wants to recommend as the new Bank of Japan governor."

Abe, who took office in December, has pressured the central bank to take aggressive easing steps to help drag Japan out of years of deflation and weak growth.

It has spawned speculation he will want someone willing to agree to his inflation target to replace current governor Masaaki Shirakawa, whose five-year tenure ends on April 8.

An equity trading director at a foreign brokerage said: "Players await US jobs figures tonight. There is currently no reason to sell the market, and a good jobs report will fuel more buying."

Friday was also the first trading day for Japan Exchange Group, which brought together The Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange.

"We will aim for Asia's number one exchange that is selected by investors from around the world," the group's chief executive Atsushi Saito said at a ceremony at the Tokyo bourse.

Exporters were higher, with Toyota Motor up 6.36 per cent at 4,260 yen and Nikon up 5.14 per cent at 2,656 yen.

Among financials Nomura Holdings climbed 4.17 per cent to 524 yen and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group rose 3.53 per cent to 3,225 yen.

Embattled electronics firm Sharp fell 2.64 per cent to 295 yen after a report during the New Year break it was considering making a public share offering worth more than Y100 billion ($A1.10 billion) this year.

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Lawyers broaden soy milk class action

HUNDREDS of Australians who fell ill after drinking soy milk containing dangerous levels of iodine have widened their class action to include two Japanese companies.

Bonsoy soy milk was removed from supermarket shelves in late 2009 after 10 people, including a newborn baby, suffered thyroid problems in NSW.

Tests at the time revealed a cup of the milk contained seven times the recommended daily intake of iodine.

Since then, about 600 people have joined a Victorian Supreme Court class action against Spiral Foods, the product's Australian distributor.

An amended statement of claim was lodged in the court last month to include the milk's Japanese manufacturer, Marusan, and exporter, Muso.

Maurice Blackburn senior associate Irina Lubomirska said the two companies had ignored warnings about the milk's iodine content.

"We say that these three companies had test results in mid-2006 which showed that Bonsoy contained extremely high levels of iodine, but they did nothing," Ms Lubomirska said.

"On at least three occasions they were contacted by customers expressing concerns about iodine content of Bonsoy and they did not act to ensure the product was safe."

The matter will return before the court for directions on March 13.

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Consumers warned about NSW cruise company

NSW'S Fair Trading Commissioner has warned people to avoid a cruise company that failed to give customers their night out on Sydney Harbour to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks.

The warning comes after about 150 people found themselves $450 out of pocket when the cruise vessel MV Eve failed to show up at a Darling Harbour ferry wharf.

The advertised six-hour cruise was meant to include a DJ and unlimited food and drink.

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe on Thursday warned consumers not to deal with Eve Harbour Cruises Pty Ltd or its director, Allen Yousif.

He said the company had failed to provide cruise services on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve for customers who had paid and had since been unable to contact the company to obtain a refund.

Mr Stowe said consumers who continued to deal with Eve Harbour Cruises faced a substantial risk of losing money through similar cancellations.

He said his agency was continuing to investigate the activities of the company and Mr Yousif and urged consumers who had lost money to lodge a complaint with NSW Fair Trading.

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Motorcyclist killed in NSW Hunter

Police will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a motorcyclist near Newcastle. Source: AAP

A MOTORCYCLIST has been killed in a collision with a four-wheel-drive in NSW's Hunter region, taking the state's holiday road toll to 13 and the national toll to 48.

Police said the man, aged in his 60s, died at the scene following the crash on the Putty Road at Howes Valley about 50km south of Singleton about 5.15pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

The cause of the crash is being investigated and police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Police, meanwhile, have launched an internal investigation into the death of another motorcyclist after a police chase at Heatherbrae, north of Newcastle, on Boxing Day.

Officers stopped the 40-year-old man at an RBT station at Fern Bay and found he did not hold a current rider's licence.

Police said that when the man sped away, officers pursued him for about 15km before his bike crashed into a metal pole on Masonite Road.

The rider was taken to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle in a critical condition and died on Thursday morning.

* The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2012, until 2359 January 3, 2013, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

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UN allocates $10m for typhoon victims

THE United Nations has allocated $US10 million ($A9.57 million) for emergency assistance to nearly a million people in the Philippines displaced by typhoon Bopha.

Bopha slammed into the southern region of Mindanao on December 4, triggering floods and landslides that killed 1067 people, leaving 834 still missing and feared dead.

Luiza Carvalho, UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator, said on Thursday the money would be used for emergency shelter, debris clearing, water and sanitation, nutrition, protection and health services for the victims.

"I was shocked by the scale of the destruction," she said in describing her visit to the affected areas.

"Cities and villages have been completely devastated, with only a few roofless buildings and walls still standing, and entire plantations have been wiped out."

More than 200,000 houses were destroyed by the typhoon, displacing an estimated more than 973,000 people into tents and temporary shelters made from debris and tarpaulins.

The UN earlier appealed for $US65 million in humanitarian aid for the Philippines.

To date, $US38 million has been contributed or pledged, it said.

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Sharp drop in N Korea refugees to South

THE number of North Korean refugees fleeing to the South fell sharply in 2012, officials in Seoul say, with activists citing crackdowns and tighter border controls.

A total of 1508 North Koreans arrived in the South in 2012 - nearly all of them via China - down from 2706 the previous year, the Unification Ministry said on Wednesday.

Activists said the North under new leader Kim Jong-Un had cracked down on people trying to flee the country.

Searches for North Koreans living in hiding in China have also been intensified in co-operation with Chinese security authorities, they said.

"Border guards are under an order from Kim Jong-Un to shoot to kill anyone who attempts to cross the (North Korea-China) border illegally," Pastor Kim Sung-Eun of the Caleb Mission told AFP.

The mission is one of several South Korean Christian evangelist groups which help North Koreans escape and resettle in the South.

Kim said the cost of getting someone out of North Korea had escalated in recent years to around 10 million won ($A9,000) - more than half of which is used to bribe border guards.

A total of 24,613 North Koreans have settled in the South since 1998, the Unification Ministry said, with around half of them unemployed or retirees struggling to make ends meet.

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Indian lawyers shun rape accused

LAWYERS in India say they will refuse to defend the men accused of a fatal gang-rape that sparked protests across the country.

Hearings are expected to begin on Thursday at the Saket district court in south New Delhi, where police will formally present a 1000-page charge sheet against the six accused.

"We have decided that no lawyer will stand up to defend the rape accused as it would be immoral to defend the case," Sanjay Kumar, a lawyer and a member of the Saket District Bar Council, told AFP.

Kumar said the 2500 advocates registered at the court have decided to "stay away" to ensure "speedy justice", meaning the government would have to appoint lawyers for the defendants.

Another lawyer at the court confirmed the boycott to AFP.

Five men are expected to face charges including rape, murder and kidnapping in the Saket court, with the prosecutor likely to seek the death sentence.

A sixth suspect is believed to be 17 years old, meaning he would be tried in a court for juveniles.

The brutality and horrific nature of the attack on a 23-year-old has led to protests in the capital and elsewhere over the widespread abuse of women and sex crime in India.

The rape victim died at the weekend after 13-day struggle to survive injuries so grievous that part of her intestines had to be removed.

She was repeatedly raped on a bus on December 16 before being thrown from the moving vehicle at the end of a 40-minute ordeal.

In 2008, Indian lawyers refused to defend a gunman who took part in attacks on Mumbai which killed 166 people, leaving him with a government-appointed lawyer. He was executed in November last year.

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Five killed in French flat fire

FIVE people, including a child, have been killed and 18 others hurt in a pre-dawn fire in a Paris apartment building.

Rescue workers say they all lived in the same flat on the fifth floor of the six-storey building in a disadvantaged area of Gennevilliers, northwest of the capital, adding that the cause of the fire remained unknown.

Around 100 firefighters fought the blaze that began in the early hours of Wednesday in a fourth-floor flat.

Fifteen of the 18 people injured were taken to hospital. Two were firefighters who suffered hand burns.

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Toxic cannisters washed up on Qld beaches

POLICE are warning people not to handle mysterious silver canisters containing a toxic gas that are washing up on beaches in central Queensland.

The silver canisters, which have been found on beaches since February last year, contain toxic aluminium phosphide which can be fatal if inhaled or ingested.

Aluminium phosphide is a colourless, flammable and toxic gas.

Mild exposure by inhalation can cause a ringing in the ears, fatigue, nausea and pressure in the chest.

Police have received reports of the containers being found between Lady Elliot Island and Mabuiag Island, with the most recent being discovered at Zilzie near Rockhampton.

Authorities don't know where the canisters are coming from.

The canisters are 30cm high and 15cm in diameter. People who find them are urged not to handle them and immediately call Triple Zero.

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Shark sightings clear SA beaches

SOUTH Australian swimmers have had a New Year's scare with shark sightings forcing the closure of two popular beaches.

Police said Moana Beach, south of Adelaide, had been evacuated and closed on Monday evening (ACDT) after a 2.5-metre shark was spotted 100 metres from the shore.

A short time later, nearby Christies Beach was closed following another sighting of a 2.5-metre shark.

Police said it was not known if it was the same animal in both sightings.

AAP pbc/a

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Tourists flock to Sydney for NY eve

SYDNEY'S famous fireworks have attracted not only locals, but brought in overseas visitors keen to experience New Year's Eve down under.

American Melissa Sjostedt says she's wanted to see the fireworks on the bridge since reading about it in a four-page spread in the National Geographic 10 years ago.

"Ever since that I've always wanted to see this for real, live, in person," the 30-year-old from Florida told AAP from Dawes Point Reserve.

Mathieu Herman, 30, from New York City, said he'd made the trip to Australia specifically for New Year's Eve.

"I saw it last year on TV and it looked fabulous. I said to myself 'it's something I've just got to do'.

"I love Australia and if the fireworks are as good as they're supposed to be, I might move here."

Sisters Liann, 25, and Joanne, 19, from Flintshire in North Wales, got to Lady Macquarie's Chair at 10.30am to snag the best view of the fireworks.

"It's been a cracker day so far except for the achey bum, I should have brought more pillows," said Liann as she reclined, drink in hand, on a beach towel.

"It's our first time in Australia so we don't know what to expect.

"But it's got to be better than back home, it's minus five (degrees) there at the moment."

Essig Roland and his girlfriend Marika Rauecker, both from Austria, were anxiously waiting at 7pm (AEDT) just to get into the packed venue.

"What can you do but just stand here and wait" said Mr Roland, who'd been queueing for an hour.

Pop princess Kylie Minogue, chosen as the event's creative ambassador, was a big drawcard for the couple making the trip down under for New Year's this year.

"We're big Kylie fans we've already been to her concert in Austria," he said.

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Thousands gather on Sydney harbour for NYE

Sydney's lord mayor says the city is spending $6.6 million on its New Year's Eve event. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of revellers have gathered at Sydney's sparkling harbour to take part in the party that kicks off New Year's celebrations the world over.

Temporary cyclone fences surround the city's best vantage points as people armed with fold-up chairs, picnic blankets, nibbles and booze stake a claim.

Lucky types are bobbing on boats in the harbour while others are happy to simply line the sides of roads, with jubilant partygoers spilling from pubs onto the streets.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore says about 1.5 million spectators are expected to line Sydney Harbour to watch the fireworks.

Another two million Australians will catch the $6.6 million event on their teles, as will at least one billion people worldwide.

"This is really putting Australia on the map in terms of welcoming people to the New Year," Ms Moore said.

Pop princess Kylie Minogue, chosen as the event's creative ambassador, developed the theme 'Embrace' and chose its colour scheme and soundtrack.

She will be honoured with a musical-note firework which will be one of 100,000 individual pyrotechnic creations this year, including koala, octopus and hand images in lights.

Minogue said being home to host New Year's Eve was a dream come true.

"It's been a huge year for me and the finish line is tonight," she said, adding that her boyfriend was the first in line for a hug come midnight.

Minogue said her 25 years in the music industry hadn't been easy and had its ups and downs, but it had been "an amazing ride" overall.

Other celebs who have headed Down Under to ring in the New Year include Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx and Jonah Hill.

They will be joined at The Star casino's Marquee Nightclub by Gossip Girl heart throb Chace Crawford, Glee's Matthew Morrison and Arrow actor Colton Haynes.

Out on the streets, more than 3000 police officers will be on crowd control.

"If you act up, you are going to be arrested and charged. There's no view of the fireworks from a police cell," warned Assistant Commissioner Alan Clarke.

At Mrs Macquaries Point, 6283 people had already claimed a spot by midday while the super keen began queuing for the panoramic views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline 24 hours before the gates of the Botanic Gardens opened at 10am.

Many have queued for hours under the sun.

"It's a much younger crowd than usual, a lot of backpackers rather than families like previous years," said Karla Davies from the Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust.

American Melissa Sjostedt said she had wanted to see the fireworks on the bridge since reading about it in a four-page spread in the National Geographic 10 years ago.

"Ever since that I've always wanted to see this for real, live, in person," the 30-year-old from Florida told AAP from Dawes Point Reserve.

People going to the CBD to watch the fireworks have been urged to leave their cars behind and take public transport, with road closures in place and extra trains and buses laid on for the night.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be closed in both directions from 11pm on Monday to 1am on Tuesday.

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UK bishop urges against gay marriage

THE head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has urged followers to write to their representatives in Parliament to oppose the government's plans to allow gay marriage.

In a letter read to congregations over the weekend, the Archbishop of Westminister, Vincent Nichols, called for Catholics to express their views "clearly, calmly and forcefully."

Nichols who is president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales says he is concerned about how a change in the law would affect what children are taught about marriage.

He says he wants members of Parliament to "defend, not change, the bond of man and woman in marriage as the essential element of the vision of the family."

Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative-led government plans to introduce legislation in January to allow gay marriages. Recent opinion polls suggest a large majority of the public supports the change.

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