Sydney Harbour to launch Australia Day

WHETHER you're into sheep shearing, whip cracking, fireworks or surfing, there is something for everyone this Australia Day.

And a 100-year-old Iraqi-born grandmother and a two-year-old Indian boy are among nearly 3600 people from 113 countries to become citizens across the state on Sunday.

The largest ceremonies in NSW will take place at Sutherland and Blacktown.

Meanwhile in Sydney, an indigenous ceremony will welcome in Australia Day with a ritual fire at the Opera House at 7.30am.

The fire, along with offerings from around the world will then be carried onboard a boat, before meeting bark canoes under the Harbour bridge for a smoking ceremony.

It will commemorate our past and future, with the national anthem to be sung in the Eora language.

Throughout the day, other free festivities include the popular race of Sydney's ferries, as well as the Australian army parachute display over Circular Quay.

In a new event, tug boats and 10 yachts will perform a "ballet" on the harbour.

Singers Mahalia Barnes and Prinnie Stevens will entertain with the sounds of motown in Darling Harbour from 6pm.

Ms Barnes said it is a great opportunity to celebrate and be grateful.

"We live in one of the most amazing countries in the world, we are very, very lucky," she told reporters on Saturday.

"The best thing about it is that everyone goes out and has a good time."

At 8.45pm, fireworks will mark the finale of the festivities on the harbour.

Meanwhile, face painting, an animal farm and a 3pm concert with The Wiggles will be rolled out at Hyde Park through the day to keep the kids entertained.

"Police have said that the crowd that comes to The Wiggles, Dorothy the Dinosaur and Peppa Pig are the best behaved crowds of the Australia Day weekend," Blue Wiggle, Anthony told reporters.

"It is a lovely, lovely day for families to come along, celebrate Australia and the multicultural society we live in."

Further west in Sydney's Olympic Park, about 6000 Sydneysiders are expected to head to Bicentennial Park for fireworks, sheep shearing, whip cracking and sheep dog trial shows.

Elsewhere in the state, more than 110 people are hoping to break a world record by riding the same wave at North Broulee Beach on the NSW south coast.

At Newcastle a national maritime festival will be held from 8am to 5pm.

Across the state, police are urging people to slow down after almost 800 speed infringement notices were issued on day one of the long weekend campaign.

"With 168 major crashes and one fatality, I'd like to again remind drivers to slow down, stay within the speed limit; no deadline is worth dying for," NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said in a statement.

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UK teacher tells of Kruger elephant attack

A BRITISH teacher who suffered a serious leg injury when an elephant tore through her car in South Africa has told how she desperately tried to drive away.

Sarah Brooks, who works at the Sir John Gleed School in Lincolnshire, and her South African fiance Jans de Klerk, were attacked by the elephant as they drove through the Kruger National Park on December 30.

The couple have now returned to England after Brooks spent more than a week recovering from a pelvis fracture and stitches to her right leg after the elephant's tusk pierced it.

The pair have received death threats since footage of the attack - which they say was heavily edited to make it look as if they drove towards the animal - went viral.

The 30-year-old science teacher told the Daily Mail she "completely freaked" as the elephant stormed towards them and in her panic was unable to find reverse in the hire car.

The couple then resorted to stopping, turning off the ignition and looking at the ground, but seconds later the elephant rammed into them.

"The next thing I heard was Jans screaming at me: 'Drive! Drive!'," Brooks said.

"I somehow managed to turn the engine on, Jans found reverse, but just as I got it going, the elephant tipped us up.

"Then he crushed the undercarriage by ramming it with his head, and the key snapped out of the ignition. 'I remember thinking, 'We're never going to be able to drive away now' - and the next thing I knew we were rolling.

"At that moment, your life flashes through your head. I thought, 'We've only been together a year-and-a-half, life's good. Why now? Why the hell now? It just isn't fair.' I didn't know if either of us would live."

She recalled how the bull elephant twice missed her when his tusks ripped through the car before one pierced her leg leaving her streaming with the blood.

De Klerk, who was left unhurt, managed to pull her across to his side of the car, from which the elephant finally walked away only after pushing it up against a tree and smashing the windscreen.

The incident was captured on film by tourists in a car behind, but they drove off after the attack believing the pair to be dead.

The distressed couple, who feared attacks from other animals, waited for help after phoning de Klerk's brother but it was 25 minutes before a helicopter landed.

"They took me to a doctor, where I was patched up before being taken to a hospital to check for internal injuries," Brooks said.

"In the back of the ambulance, I said to Jans: 'I don't want ever to spend another day apart from you.' He said: 'Marry me then?' I said: 'Yes.'"

She told the newspaper that she pleaded with the tourists not to publish the footage, but days later an edited version went viral.

The male elephant, who was believed to be a risk to other tourists, was destroyed after the incident.

The animal had been "on musth", a periodic condition where testosterone levels rise and elephants become more aggressive, and had fought with another elephant earlier that day.

The couple said park rangers told them they were "just unlucky" and had done nothing wrong.

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Jury sides with Love in trial over tweet

A US jury has rejected a defamation case against Courtney Love over a Twitter post that suggested one of her lawyers had been "bought off" for not pursuing a lawsuit over her late husband's estate.

The verdict came after roughly three hours of deliberation in a case that spanned eight days and focused on the Hole frontwoman's postings on the social networking site.

The case centred on one 2010 post that suggested that San Diego lawyer Rhonda Holmes had been "bought off" and that was why she wasn't representing the singer anymore.

Love had hired Holmes to file a fraud case against the estate of her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The lawyer contended during the trial that she was fired by Love and that the tweet and other statements the singer made against her have caused her substantial damage.

Love's tweet stated, "I was (expletive) devastated when Rhonda J Holmes Esq of san diego was bought off" in response to a question from user of the popular social media site.

The message was never meant to be public, Love told jurors. She said she meant for it to be sent as a direct message, which only the recipient would see, but it instead went public and was quickly deleted.

The swift verdict wasn't witnessed by Love, who had left court after closing arguments ended on Friday morning. She arrived just as the courthouse was closing down and met her lawyers, John Lawrence and Matthew Bures, in the hallway where she hugged them both.

Love praised her lawyers and the jury after the verdict. Asked about her social media presence, Love said she refrained from posting on Twitter during the trial. "I didn't tweet out of respect for the case," she said.

While the case was billed as the first "Twibel" trial in which Twitter and libel law intersected, Lawrence said it was tried by the same rules as traditional defamation cases.

Jurors determined that Love's tweet included false information, but the musician didn't know it wasn't true.

Holmes lawyer Mitchell Langberg said the jury's verdict meant the panel determined Love's statement was defamatory, but the singer couldn't be held liable for it. Holmes' side asked the panel to award $8 million in damages and send a message that false statements online had consequences.

Langberg said that while his client was disappointed with the verdict, her reputation was upheld and the world now knows that Love's statements were false.

"At the end of the day, her biggest asset in life is her reputation," Langberg said. "That she got back today."

Love's social media postings have gotten her into trouble several times.

In 2011, she agreed to pay $US430,000 to fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir over statements she posted on Twitter and Myspace.

Simorangkir sued Love again last year, alleging the musician libelled her when Love accused Simorangkir of theft on the Howard Stern's radio show and taunted her on the social media site Pinterest.

The case is pending, but Love said she's trying to be more careful about her online musings than she was when she tweeted about Holmes.

"I don't tweet like I did back then," Love said on Friday.

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Govt 'creating' welfare crisis: Labor

LABOR has accused the Abbott government of "manufacturing" a welfare crisis ahead of a planned crack down on young people claiming the disability pension.

Under federal government plans to overhaul the welfare system, young people who are deemed partially fit to work will no longer be able to claim disability welfare payments, News Corp Australia reports.

Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews said under the previous Labor government, young Australians were able to claim the disability pension despite their condition being minor.

Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite rejected the claim, saying the number of people on the disability pension actually decreased between 2012 and 2013.

He said there was no need for a planned overhaul of the welfare system because Australia didn't have a welfare problem.

"They are creating and manufacturing a crisis to ensure they look like they are a government that is doing something," he told Sky News on Saturday.

The federal government is facing criticism for excluding aged pensioners, who make up the majority of the welfare expenditure, in its welfare payments review as it grapples with a budget deficit.

Finance Minister Mathias Corman said increasing workforce participation among younger people claiming the disability allowance was part of the government's agenda to reduce the budget bottom line.

"We don't think that people with temporary health conditions should be put onto the Disability Support Pension for the remainder of their working lives," he told Sky News.

"We want to help people who are able to work back into the workforce. We think that is good for them and it's obviously good for the country."

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Melb wheel to turn again after shutdown

MELBOURNE'S troubled observation wheel is expected to turn again on Saturday after it shut down just weeks after reopening.

A software problem caused the Melbourne Star to close on Friday.

Technicians are now conducting final tests on the wheel and it is expected to reopen by 10am (AEDT) on Saturday, but it could even be open as early as Friday night.

Chris Kelly from the Melbourne Star Management Group said the wheel would be open for the Australia Day long weekend.

"Since opening on December 23 last year, Melbourne Star has welcomed in excess of 40,000 guests and we apologise sincerely for any inconveniences caused to our guests today," Mr Kelly said in a statement.

The 120-metre high Melbourne Star initially closed in January 2009 when a three-day heatwave caused the brace and supports to buckle and crack only a month after it opened.

Mr Kelly insisted in December the wheel was not a rebuild of the troubled former wheel, but a completely new wheel.

Just days after it reopened, one of the big wheel's 21 cabins was taken out of service while Victoria's workplace safety authority investigated a safety complaint.

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Alcohol and drugs body slams funding cut

ADCA says recent alcohol-related violence highlights the need for government funding. Source: AAP

THE federal government's decision to defund the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia is "short-sighted" at a time when Australia is "wallowing" in alcohol abuse, the council says.

The funding withdrawal in November had "destroyed" the organisation, ADCA says in a submission to a Senate committee on the government's commission of audit that calls for funding to be restored.

The non-government organisation was caught unawares by the government's decision because it had been previously promised funding, it says.

"This was disingenuous to say the least," the council said.

"The government's decision will ultimately prove to be short-sighted and ill-considered."

ADCA says the recent spate of alcohol-related violence over the holiday period highlighted the seriousness of the government's funding cut.

"There is no clearer example of the need for an organisation like ADCA than the current situation in which Australia finds itself - a nation wallowing in alcohol with a failure of leadership to address the critical issues of price, accessibility and advertising of alcohol products."

ADCA is calling on the government to review its decision and restore funding until after the commission of audit is completed.

The council has operated since 1966, providing research and advocacy relating to the health, economic and social harm caused by alcohol and other drugs.

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Starbucks profit jumps, sales growth slows

Starbucks says its quarterly profit is up 25 per cent, following stronger sales around the world. Source: AAP

STARBUCKS says its quarterly profit is up 25 per cent, thanks to lower coffee costs and stronger sales around the world.

The Seattle-based coffee company says global sales rose five per cent at established locations. That was slower than the increase in the previous quarter, however, and total sales were shy of Wall Street expectations.

Troy Alstead, the company's chief financial officer, on Thursday said the slower growth for the final three months of the year was the result of the shift toward online shopping during the Christmas shopping season, rather than heading out to stores.

"The impact to us is that there are fewer people out and about in the weeks leading up to Christmas," Alstead said.

But in a conference call with analysts, CEO Howard Schultz downplayed the impact that trend would have on sales growth going forward, saying that Starbucks' advantage was that its offerings can't be replicated online and that its loyalty card business is growing.

Starbucks, meanwhile, has been employing various strategies to drive up sales at its ubiquitous cafes, such as revamping its sandwiches and baked goods so people are more likely to get something to eat when they come in for a drink. Alstead said that croissant sales had doubled at locations where new recipes were rolled out.

New options such as boxed salads are intended to get people to visit throughout the day, not just during the morning rush hour.

Starbucks, which has about 20,000 locations around the world, is also eyeing a new front: tea. The company last year opened its first tea cafe in New York City, saying it plans to popularise tea culture in the US the way it did with coffee culture.

For the quarter, sales at established locations rose five per cent in both the US and the region encompassing Europe, where Starbucks had been struggling.

In the China and Asia Pacific region, the figure rose eight per cent.

For the three months ending December 29, it earned $US540.7 million ($A618.90 million), or 71 US cents per share. That was more than the 69 US cents per share analysts expected.

A year ago, it earned $US432.2 million, or 57 US cents per share.

Revenue rose to $US4.24 billion, shy of the $US4.3 billion Wall Street expected.

The company stood by its guidance of for sales at established locations to grow in the mid-single digits globally in the year ahead. Earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $US2.59 to $US2.67, up from the previous $US2.55 to $US2.65.

Shares of Starbucks edged up 38 US cents to $US73.77.

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United Airlines posts 4Q profit of $US140m

United Airlines posted a growth in fourth quarter earnings with an increase in passenger numbers. Source: AAP

THE parent of United Airlines has earned $US140 million ($A158.60 million) in the fourth quarter, as more passengers flew and paid more for their tickets.

The airline's fuel bill also shrank.

Net income at United Continental Holdings Inc was $US140 million, or 37 US cents per share. A year earlier it lost $US620 million, or $US1.87 per share.

Not counting special charges, United would have earned 78 US cents per share - well above the 66 US cents expected by analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Revenue rose more than seven per cent to $US9.33 billion, also higher than analysts had expected.

Passengers paid three per cent more per mile to fly compared to a year earlier. They paid more in add-on fees, too. United said so-called ancillary revenue, which covers items such as baggage fees, rose 15 per cent in the quarter to nearly $US21 per passenger.

Fuel expenses fell four per cent to $US2.97 billion for the quarter.

United said in November that it intends to cut $US2 billion in annual costs. The company is still working to integrate Continental after their 2010 merger. Although all the paint on the planes and the signs at the ticket counters read "United," the company still has to schedule flight crews and planes separately for the two airlines, reducing the savings from the merger.

"Our goals for 2014 are to provide even more reliable operations, great customer service and materially better financial performance," chairman and chief executive Jeff Smisek said in a written statement on Thursday.

For the full year, United earned $US571 million, after losing $US723 million in 2012.

Shares of Chicago-based United Continental fell 3.4 per cent in premarket trading to $US47.50. They set a new 52-week high on Wednesday at $US49.20.

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'Asylum-seeker burns issue for Australia'

BRUTALITY claims levelled at the Australian navy by asylum seekers could go unquestioned, with both Australia and Indonesia seemingly reluctant to investigate.

The ABC this week broadcast footage of asylum seekers receiving treatment for burns they claim they suffered when Navy personnel forced them to hold hot engine pipes as they were towed back to Indonesia's Rote Island.

The images surfaced at the same time as non-government group Human Rights Watch criticised Australian government border policies as cruel and demonising.

The Australian government has rejected the claims of mistreatment, and offered to assist an Indonesian police investigation if it means the allegations can be quickly ruled out.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters in Washington she didn't believe Australia's navy would behave in such a manner.

"But of course if there is any co-operation we can extend to ensure that these allegations are scotched then we'd be prepared to do it," she said.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has also dismissed the claims, saying he would take the word of the Australian navy personnel over "people who were attempting to break Australian law".

The police investigation into the claims on Thursday night appeared to be in limbo.

East Nusa Tenggara provincial police say officers are investigating the smugglers, and the boat crew is still at large.

The claims against the Navy were handed to the Indonesian National Police, where spokesman Boy Rafli Amar argued it was really a matter for Australia.

"This case is related to Australia and the one to do the investigation should be Australia because it happened in their territory," he told AAP.

Boy confirmed his officers were co-ordinating with the Australian police attache and were in communication about whether they wanted to run the investigation.

Ms Bishop reiterated Australia's support for the probe on Thursday night, telling the ABC that although the government does not believe its armed forces are above being questioned, the claims go against the navy's reputation for professionalism.

The ground-level co-operation between the two police forces comes despite reports of escalating tensions between the neighbouring nations.

Australia has apologised to Indonesia for naval incursions into its territory but, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Mr Abbott said stopping asylum-seeker vessels was a "matter of sovereignty" that Jakarta ought to understand.

Following Mr Abbott's comments, Djoko Suyanto, Indonesia's Co-ordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security, said Indonesia would continue to bolster its security forces at sea, to prevent any future breaches.

He said it was also incumbent on Australia to "comprehend the meaning of Indonesia's sovereignty as well".

Ms Bishop told the ABC she and her Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa had progressed to step "three or four" in the six-point plan put forward by Indonesia to restore bilateral relations following last year's spy furore and they were arranging a time to meet.

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I never meant to hurt anyone: mall gunman

THE gunman who sent Brisbane's central pedestrian mall into lockdown last year says he never meant to hurt anyone.

Lee Matthew Hillier, 35, told the Brisbane District Court he had no reason to cause fear to innocent bystanders when he took an unloaded semi-automatic pistol to the Queen Street mall on March 8, 2013.

Wearing a suit, the prisoner told his sentencing hearing on Thursday he had relapsed back into drug addiction following his last stint in prison and "things just spiralled out of control".

"I wasn't in there to harm anybody," he said from the dock during an at-times rambling statement.

"To stand there with an empty handgun and to have 30 police stand there with revolvers facing you is very, very confronting."

Hillier, who has remained in custody since the incident, said that leading up to the standoff his best friend "blew his own head off" in a siege but he wasn't going to "sit there and make excuses".

"I'd just like you to take into account that I am standing here and take responsibility for my own actions," he told Justice Terry Martin.

Workers and shoppers fled Queen Street when the heavily tattooed Hillier produced a gun, sending the mall and surrounding businesses into lockdown.

The 90-minute stand-off ended when police shot the shirtless gunman with a combination of non-lethal and live rounds.

Witness statements read to the court said during the stand-off Hillier had appeared agitated, had often pointed the gun at himself and seemed to be frothing at the mouth.

"Get away or I will kill myself," he yelled at one stage according to a witness statement read out by defence barrister Simon Hamlyn-Harris.

Mr Hamlyn-Harris said his client had been at "rock bottom" that day and submitted a psychiatric report that detailed Hillier's disadvantaged background and psychological factors.

Prosecutor Belinda Merrin outlined a lengthy criminal history that included several convictions for weapon and drug possession and a string of traffic offences.

Less than two months before the siege he had blown some of his own fingers off with a homemade shotgun.

The prosecutor said Hillier's propensity for carrying weapons in public meant he was a serious danger to community safety.

Hillier pleaded guilty to a dozen serious charges including assaulting police while armed, going armed to cause fear, and dangerous conduct with a weapon.

Some charges related to the earlier incident when he blew his fingers off.

He also pleaded guilty to a string of traffic offences and breaching bail conditions.

Justice Martin is due to pass sentence on Friday morning.

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Problems pile up for security contractor

THE list of embarrassments besetting security contractor Serco is growing on a daily basis, including prisoners and asylum seekers breaking out of custody under their officers' watch.

It emerged on Thursday that a shackled prisoner was left unguarded at Royal Perth Hospital after one guard went to the toilet and another left the room because he didn't want to be alone with the inmate.

That came hours after a young Vietnamese asylum seeker escaped from the same hospital and was recaptured after a city-wide manhunt that lasted about two hours.

And on Monday, four male Vietnamese asylum seekers escaped from the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre at Northam, east of Perth, but were quickly recaptured.

It was the fourth break out from the facility since mid-August.

Two of the 14 detainees that have broken out during this period are still on the run.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has made his displeasure at Serco clear and on Wednesday revealed he had asked for a reassessment of Yongah Hill detainees so that those at high risk of escaping were placed at a different facility.

A spokeswoman for Mr Morrison said the latest incident involving the young Vietnamese man would "be added to those issues already being reviewed by the government as a result of previous instances of escape".

Earlier this month, rapist Cameron John Graham and fellow inmate Kelden Edward Fraser managed to abscond from Serco's custody by kicking out the door of a prison van at Geraldton airport as they were being transferred to Perth.

They were found 72 hours later at a bush camp near Mullewa.

And on Friday, burglar Bradley John McIntosh-Narrier escaped from Joondalup Health Campus while under Serco's watch.

Guards had removed his handcuffs when he asked to use the toilet, where he ripped a towel rail from the wall to threaten them with before smashing up the room and climbing out through the ceiling.

The Community and Public Sector Union says the WA government needs to reassess its contracts with Serco, which it says does not have enough staff to properly undertake them.

"We are seeing the company saying yes to a raft of different government contracts, getting the money but then failing to deliver," branch secretary Toni Walkington said.

"They are taking on these services that were handled competently by public servants and are then being stretched to the limit and don't have enough staff to get the job done because they are trying to do them as cheap as possible."

In a statement on Thursday, Serco said the officer who left the prisoner unsupervised in hospital while his colleague went to the toilet has been suspended and might be sacked.

The company is investigating the incident, which came to light after complaints from hospital staff last weekend.

"At least two officers are assigned to each hospital sit, which allows for each of them to take comfort and refreshment breaks while the other remains with the prisoner," it said.

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Wind change affects Kwinana bushfire

A bushfire continues to burn out of control in the City of Kwinana, threatening lives and homes. Source: AAP

SIXTY firefighters are battling a bushfire in Perth's southern suburbs that is threatening lives and homes, and has so far burnt through about 49 hectares.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) updated their emergency warning for Medina, Calista and Leda in the City of Kwinana at 4.40pm (WST), saying the wind had shifted to a north westerly direction, pushing the blaze towards Mandurah Road.

It was earlier burning towards the Kwinana Golf Club after starting between Gentle and Wellard roads.

Residents have been told to act immediately to survive.

A temporary evacuation centre has been set up at the Kwinana Town Council building on the corner of Sulphur Road and Gilmore Avenue in Kwinana.

The bushfire is moving fast, and is out of control and unpredictable.

Spot fires are starting up to 100 metres ahead of the fire.

A watch-and-act alert has also been issued for people in Kwinana Beach, east of Rockingham Road and Patterson Road to the railway line in the City of Kwinana.

A bushfire advisory has been issued for people in Orelia, Kwinana Town Centre and Parmelia.

Aerial support has been sent to assist ground crews.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

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St Vincent's Hospital welcomes lockouts

A PROMINENT Sydney neurosurgeon has welcomed Premier Barry O'Farrell's proposed restrictions on trading hours for licensed venues in an effort to combat drunken violence.

St Vincent's Hospital neurosurgeon Dr Mark Winder has in recent weeks treated victims of king-hits - unexpected single blows that can result in death.

"For every hour we see a reduction in alcohol trading in the Kings Cross and CBD area, we are confident of seeing a major reduction in the amount of alcohol-related presentations that will come through our emergency department doors," Dr Winder said in a statement.

"We welcome the NSW government's decision to introduce 1.30am lockouts and 3am closures around the city.

"This will go a long way to reducing some of the horrific injuries that I, and many of my surgical colleagues, have had to contend with in recent times."

St Vincent's Hospital treated one-punch victims Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie, who died in separate incidents in nearby Kings Cross.

Mr O'Farrell on Tuesday announced a legislative package aimed at curbing alcohol-fuelled assaults on Sydney streets and beyond.

Laws would include mandatory minimum jail terms for serious alcohol and drug-related assaults, forced drug and alcohol testing, earlier closing times for bottle shops and early-morning lockouts for big inner Sydney bars.

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UN makes 'mistake' on Iran: Russia

THE UN chief's decision to rescind the invitation to Iran to join this week's Syria peace talks was a mistake but not a catastrophe, Russia's foreign minister said Tuesday.

Sergey Lavrov said that Ban Ki-moon's decision to withdraw his last-minute offer to Iran to attend the conference set to begin on Wednesday in the Swiss resort of Montreux would have a negative impact on the United Nations image.

The invitation to Iran extended by Ban on Sunday put the talks in jeopardy, with the US pushing for rescinding the offer and the Syrian opposition threatening to skip the event entirely.

"This story hasn't helped strengthen the UN authority," Lavrov said at a news conference, adding that recalling the offer looked "unseemly."

The controversy over Iran's participation in the talks reflected deep differences over Syria between the United States and Russia, which has been a key ally of Syria, shielding Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime from the United Nations sanctions and continuing to supply it with weapons throughout the civil war that has killed more than 130,000.

He reaffirmed Russia's stance that the presence of Iran was essential for the success of the talks.

Iran has been Assad's main regional ally, supporting his regime with advisers, money and materiel since the uprising began in 2011.

Lavrov warned that spurning Iran would deepen division lines in the Islamic world and would have a negative impact on global efforts to fight terrorism.

"The absence of Iran isn't going to help strengthen the unity of the world's Muslims," he said.

Lavrov insisted that Russia is not supplying Syria with any weapons that are "banned by international agreements and could destabilise the situation in the region."

At the same time, Lavrov voiced hope for the success of the talks that would put the government and the opposition at the same table for the first time since the start of the conflict three years ago.

"There is no catastrophe, we will push for a dialogue between the Syrian parties without any preconditions," he said.

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Tourists wanted back after Vic bushfire

FIERCE bushfires have failed to shut down tourist operators in Victoria's Grampians region.

However, operators now face the threat of tourists being scared away because of the blazes.

Bushfires, which burnt 52,000 hectares and destroyed 27 homes, were contained by early Tuesday morning.

The fires burnt 37,600 hectares in the northern part of the Grampians National Park and stopped a few kilometres short of the tourism town of Halls Gap.

Northern Grampians Shire Council mayor Kevin Erwin said there was a noticeable decline in tourists visiting after the fires and even cancellations for bookings up to Easter.

His message to tourists was that the region was open for business and safe.

The region's huge tourism industry is worth $949 million and employs 8300 people.

"Business won't survive if the people don't support them, particularly right now when they need it the most," he said.

Halls Gap Tourism Association chairperson Geoff Watts said it was too early to tell if the bushfires would hurt tourism.

However, he said the fires did not damage Halls Gap and tourists could visit the region safely.

"The press that's gone out about Halls Gap is that it's almost burnt to death," he said.

"The message we're putting out to everyone is we're open for business, nothing has changed."

CFA incident controller Mark Gunning said many roads, campgrounds and walks inside the park were open.

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Aust marks 60 years in refugee convention

AUSTRALIA will have been part of the United Nations refugee convention for six decades this week.

The Menzies government acceded to the refugee convention on January 22, 1954, enabling it to officially come into force internationally.

The convention focuses on the process of granting asylum to people fleeing persecution.

In the past 60 years Australia has given some form of protection to about 620,000 refugees, the Refugee Council of Australia says.

However, only about 64,000 of these were granted asylum in Australia.

Most came to Australia via resettlement programs.

Earlier this month the UN's refugee agency warned Australia could in breach of its obligations under the convention if the navy pushed asylum-seeker boats back to Indonesia.

There was speculation in late 2013 the government might pull out of the convention in its efforts to stop the boats but Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said that option was not under consideration.

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NSW govt to cancel mining licences

A COAL company embroiled in an ICAC inquiry has reacted angrily to plans by Premier Barry O'Farrell to introduce legislation to cancel coal mine exploration licences for Doyles Creek, Mt Penny and Glendon Brook.

Cascade Coal said in a statement on Monday night it will take "all steps available" to protect its assets and the interests of its shareholders, and said the "grossly unjust" decision will raise significant questions about sovereign risk.

"This latest announcement is a further example of the lack of procedural fairness and the denial of legal rights that has characterised the whole ICAC process," the statement said.

"This politically expedient decision further underlines the difficulties of doing business in NSW."

Mr O'Farrell made the announcement on Monday following recommendations from the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

He said no compensation would be provided for the cancellation of the licences and the legislation would indemnify taxpayers from any possible claims relating to the issuing or cancellation of the licences.

Coal companies embroiled in the ICAC inquiry into the corrupt dealings around the granting of the licences had asked the state government not to strike out their mining licences.

"This draws a line under this sorry saga of Labor politics and corruption in NSW," Mr O'Farrell's office said in a statement.

"There is no intention to immediately re-release the affected areas but any future process for issuing licences will be consistent with the NSW government's implementation of the ICAC's recommendations on probity."

ICAC recommended in December that the licences be cancelled.

The recommendation came months after it handed down corruption findings against former Labor MP Eddie Obeid, former mining minister Ian Macdonald and union official John Maitland.

Following the findings, Mr O'Farrell gave current holders of the mining licences a month to convince the government not to cancel them.

Cascade Coal, which has the Mount Penny and Glendon Brook licences, has launched a Supreme Court bid to have the ICAC report annulled.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy union said the "grubs" who held the licences should be prohibited from doing any further business in the NSW coal industry.

"Those individuals found by the ICAC to have acted corruptly should be sent to the sin bin," president Tony Maher said in a statement.

"The mining industry is too important to risk the taint of corruption."

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Measles warning in WA after two cases

WESTERN Australians have been warned to check their measles vaccination status after two adults with the disease were hospitalised last week.

A woman in her 30s and a man in his 40s were hospitalised after being infected with measles during a trip to Asia.

Fourteen cases of measles have been confirmed since October, compared with an average of just three cases during the same period over the previous five years.

Health Department acting director of communicable disease control Paul Effler said it was possible more measles cases would occur in WA the coming weeks.

"Measles is highly infectious and is spread through coughing and sneezing," he said.

Symptoms can include fever, tiredness, a runny nose, cough and sore, red eyes, which usually last for days before a red, blotchy rash appears.

Complications can range from an ear infection and diarrhoea to pneumonia or swelling of the brain.

"Anyone who develops measles symptoms should seek medical attention, but it is important that they phone ahead first to ensure they don't share the waiting area with other patients and risk infecting them," Dr Effler said.

Measles can be prevented through vaccination but people born in 1965 or earlier are usually immune because they are likely to have had the disease during childhood.

"Measles is still common in many parts of the world and Australians who travel abroad need to check their immunisation status," Dr Effler said.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

US man speaks to reporters in N Korea

A US missionary who has been jailed in North Korea for more than a year has appeared before reporters and is appealing to the US government to do its best to secure his release.

The missionary, Kenneth Bae, made the comments on Monday at what he called a press conference held at his own request.

Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group.

He was accused of crimes against the state and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour.

He was moved to a hospital last northern summer in poor health.

He is the longest-serving US detainee in North Korea in recent years.

Bae expressed hope that the US government will do its best to secure his release.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Perth Hills on fire again

A new bushfire has erupted near the scene of the blaze that destroyed 50 homes in the Perth hills. Source: AAP

A NEW bushfire has erupted just minutes from the scene of the disastrous blaze that destroyed more than 50 homes in the Perth hills.

A watch and act alert has been issued for the western part of Parkerville and the eastern part of Hovea in the Shire of Mundaring.

There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching the area and conditions are changing.

It is burning towards Wooroloo Regional Park, moving slowly in a westerly direction.

The fire is out of control and unpredictable.

Several roads have been closed at the following intersections: Riley Road and Seaborne Road, Byfield Road and Owen Road, Owen Road and Falls Road, and Brooking Road and Carawantha Road.

Firefighters are on the scene and aerial support has been sent to assist ground crews.

The Shire of Mundaring is managing the fire.

Firefighters had only on Monday declared safe the area where the homes of 56 families in Parkerville and Stoneville were destroyed in the fire, which has been concluded was sparked by a privately-owned power pole falling in catastrophic weather conditions.

As the clean-up continues, law firm Slater and Gordon said it was investigating the legal rights of residents and property owners following the firestorm.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Contact lens to monitor glucose levels

Google is developing a glucose monitor embedded in a contact lens which monitors levels in tears. Source: AAP

GOOGLE has unveiled a contact lens that monitors glucose levels in tears, a potential reprieve for millions of diabetics who have to jab their fingers to draw their own blood as many as 10 times a day.

The prototype, which Google says will take at least five years to reach consumers, is one of several medical devices being designed by companies to make glucose monitoring for diabetic patients more convenient and less invasive than the traditional finger pricks.

The lenses use a minuscule glucose sensor and a wireless transmitter to help those among the world's 382 million diabetics who need insulin keep a close watch on their blood sugar and adjust their dose.

The contact lenses were developed during the past 18 months in the clandestine Google X lab that also came up with a driverless car, Google's web-surfing eyeglasses and Project Loon, a network of large balloons designed to beam the internet to unwired places.

But research on the contact lenses began several years earlier at the University of Washington, where scientists worked under National Science Foundation funding. Until Thursday, when Google shared the project with The Associated Press, their work had been kept under wraps.

"You can take it to a certain level in an academic setting, but at Google we were given the latitude to invest in this project," said one of the lead researchers, Brian Otis.

"The beautiful thing is we're leveraging all of the innovation in the semiconductor industry that was aimed at making cellphones smaller and more powerful."

The device looked like a typical contact lens when Otis held one on his index finger. On closer examination, sandwiched in the lens are two twinkling glitter-specks loaded with tens of thousands of miniaturised transistors. It's ringed with a hair-thin antenna.

"It doesn't look like much, but it was a crazy amount of work to get everything so very small," Otis said at Google's Silicon Valley headquarters.

It took years of soldering hair-thin wires to miniaturise electronics, essentially building tiny chips from scratch, to make what Otis said is the smallest wireless glucose sensor ever made.

Other non-needle glucose monitoring systems are also in the works, including a similar contact lens by Netherlands-based NovioSense, a minuscule, flexible spring that is tucked under an eyelid. Israel-based OrSense has already tested a thumb cuff, and there have been early designs for tattoos and saliva sensors.

A wristwatch monitor was approved by the FDA in 2001, but patients said the low level electric currents pulling fluid from their skin was painful.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More