French gay marriage law clears hurdle

FRANCE'S National Assembly has overwhelmingly approved the first and most important article of a controversial law that will allow gay couples to get married and adopt children.

Deputies voted 249-97 in favour of article one of the draft legislation, which redefines marriage as being an agreement between two people rather than necessarily between a man and a woman.

Although the proposed law still faces at least another week of parliamentary scrutiny before a final vote scheduled for February 12, the ease with which it cleared the first hurdle indicated it is almost certain to emerge unscathed from the debate.

The article approved on Saturday was supported by deputies of the ruling Socialist Party, who enjoy an overall majority in the Assembly, other leftists and Greens as well as at least one member of the UMP, the main centre-right opposition force.

"We are happy and proud to have taken this first step," Justice Minister Christiane Taubira said. "We are going to establish the freedom for everyone t o choose his or her partner for a future together."

UMP deputy Philippe Gosselin said the government was forcing through legislation that France did not want.

"Today it is marriage and adoption. Tomorrow it will be medically assisted conception and surrogate mothers," he said in comments that reflected the strength of feeling among opponents of the government's plans.

Opinion polls suggest a clear majority of French voters support the right of gay couples to wed and a narrower majority favour them being granted the right to adopt as couples (gay men and women can already adopt as individuals if approved by social services).

Massive demonstrations across the country have underlined that those who oppose gay marriage feel very strongly about the issue and President Francois Hollande has been accused of pushing the legislation through without proper consultation.

The Catholic church has been heavily involved in mobilising opposition and protests were scheduled to take place again on Saturday in towns and cities across France.

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Illegal fireworks blamed for road collapse

A TRUCK that exploded and caused an elevated stretch of highway to collapse in central China, killing 10 people, was loaded with holiday fireworks that were illegally produced and transported, authorities say.

Local authorities have shut down the company that made the fireworks, Hongsheng Fireworks Manufacturing Co Ltd, and detained four company officials following Friday's blast, state media reported on Saturday.

It remained unclear what set off the fireworks as they were shipped eastward on a major highway through Henan province. State-run China Central Television said witnesses believed a collision caused by heavy smog might have triggered the blast, which occurred about 90 kilometres west of the ancient city of Luoyang.

The Ministry of Public Security said Hongsheng, based in the neighbouring province of Shaanxi, had illegally produced the explosives, packaged them in disguise and contracted with a trucking company unlicensed to handle hazardous commodities.

It said the factory had failed to check the credentials of the trucking company's personnel.

The state-run China News said the explosives had been declared as general commodities.

Preliminary investigations blamed the explosion for the collapse of the 80-metre stretch of the elevated highway in Mianchi county, sending trucks and sedan cars plummeting 24 metres to the ground, according to a statement by the provincial government of Henan.

Most of those who were killed died from the fall, CCTV said. Eleven people were injured.

Photos by state media and television footage showed hunks of concrete, overturned trucks and crumpled cars in the debris. In one photo, a truck's back wheels were perched at the edge of a shorn-off section of the highway.

"It was horrible. It was horrible," survivor Hou Chunlin murmured from his hospital bed in an interview by CCTV.

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Palestinians evicted from West Bank camp

PALESTINIANS and activists have been forcefully removed from a new camp near a West Bank village, after a third attempt at the novel form of protest against Jewish settlement.

An AFP correspondent said the army used tear gas and violence on Saturday to remove hundreds of people who had set up four temporary huts and three tents near Burin, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank.

The correspondent added that journalists were also forcefully removed from the site. He said the army made arrests, but was not aware of injuries.

A spokesman for the army was unaware of the eviction, but said there was "a violent and illegal riot taking place near Burin. Approximately 150 Palestinians were gathering and hurling rocks at IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers, who are responding with riot dispersal means."

Earlier in the day, residents and activists set up what they called "the neighbourhood ... Al-Manatir", activist Abir Kopty told AFP.

According to Kopty, the name means "the traditional stone huts Palestinians built in their agricultural lands, which were used as shelter for the watchmen of the fields".

"Burin lost a lot of its land to the settlements around, Har Bracha and others, and is subject to settlers' terror and attacks on the people," she said.

She noted that settlers had thrown stones at village residents and activists from afar before the army got involved. The correspondent said that after the eviction, one of the structures was taken away by a group of them.

An Israeli officer had threatened AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiye as he documented Saturday's events that he would be arrested at his home during the night.

A military spokesman said in response to an AFP call that such remarks were inappropriate, and that he would investigate the allegation.

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Bones could reveal England's lost king

Men dressed as medieval knights pose for pictures in Leicester at a site believed to hold the skeleton of medieval king Richard III. Source: AFP

THE fate of England's last king to be killed in battle will be decided this weekend when scholars gather to determine whether a skeleton found buried under a council car park is that of King Richard III.

In September, the Leicester City Council social services car park was dug up on a hunch by a historical society that the king's body was buried there, in what was a friary, 500 years ago after he died in battle.

A body was found and months of painstaking DNA tests are expected to show it is more than likely the skeleton found is that of the king. Scholars are gathering at Leicester to study the evidence gathered for a conclusive ruling which is to be announced Monday.

But indications are already strong thanks partly to Shakespeare.

The playwright described the king, who ruled in 1485, as having a hunchback and being killed with a cleave to the head and arrow in the side.

Archaelogists and local officials announce the possible discovery of the skeleton of Richard III at Leicester. AFP PHOTO / Gavin Fogg

The skeleton found was confirmed to have had a curvature of the spine and a battle wound to the skull.

If the highly anticipated announcement is correct, history could be rewritten, with calls to conduct further tests on two bodies buried at Westminster Abbey.

King Richard has been much reviled throughout history courtesy of Shakespeare, with claims he killed his brother and his brother's two sons, to take the throne.

The two sons were thrown in the Tower of London shortly before Richard became king; bones of children found in 1674 thought to belong to the two boy princes were buried in the Abbey with an inscription of their sarcophagus claiming they were murdered by Richard the Usurper.

Archaeologist Mathew Morris of the University of Leicester at the likely site of the grave of Richard III. AFP PHOTO / Gavin Fogg

But if the bones from the Leicester carpark are Richard's then DNA tests on the children's bones may also support some theories they did not belong to the princes and at least open the debate as to whether he was a murderous king at all.

Richard died during the battle of Bosworth in the War of the Roses, between the House of Lancaster and the House York.

If shown to be the king, the skeleton is expected to be buried at Leicester Cathedral although some are calling for him to be buried alongside other monarchs at Westminster.

The key players in the plot, clockwise from top left, King Richard III; the princes in the tower he is supposed to have killed, Edward V and Richard, Duke of York; the Tudor who took the crown, Henry VII; Sir Thomas More and William Shakespeare, who both wrote of the scandal; and Queen Elizabeth II who has refused genetic testing on what are thought to be the princes' bones.

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LNP threat to sue tobacco companies

Big tobacco has moved into the legal sights of the State Government, with Health Minister Lawrence Springborg saying smokers were "putting pressure on our already burdened system", and indicated legal action was possible. Source: The Courier-Mail

HEALTH Minister Lawrence Springborg has left the door open to launching lawsuits against tobacco companies for the cost of smoking-related illness to Queensland Health.

As exclusive new figures reveal scores of Queensland children are regularly being exposed to passive smoking from their parents, Mr Springborg also raised the prospect of even tougher laws to control smoking.

Mr Springborg said smokers were "putting pressure on our already burdened system", and indicated legal action against tobacco giants was possible.

Latest estimates show the cost of smoking to Queensland society was $6.3 billion in health costs, lost productivity and premature death.

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$200 on-the-spot fines fines - and increased chances of harming their child's health - not enough to stop parents smoking around kids

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"Options for legal action would need to be considered based on specific advice but Queensland Health would welcome any opportunity that assists in addressing the costs of smoking on the health sector," said Mr Springborg.

One in seven deaths in the state are due to smoking, according to latest Queensland Health figures, with an average 3422 deaths a year.

Moves to turn the legal screws on tobacco companies were backed by Professor Mike Daube, who chaired the Commonwealth's committee that recommended plain packaging for tobacco products.

Prof Daube, president of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, said it was time state governments considered US-style legal action against the companies.

Smoking in Queensland: By the numbers.

Major US tobacco companies in 1998 agreed with 46 US state attorneys-general to give them $200 billion over 25 years and settle lawsuits for treating sick smokers.

Prof Daube said: "We have known for decades that cigarettes are a wonderfully efficient killing machine. State governments should . . . emulate the US states that won hundreds of billions of dollars by suing tobacco companies for the costs of smoking."

In addtion to exploring legal action, Mr Springborg said the State Government was also prepared to consider tougher laws on smoking.

Smoking bans already exist for indoor and outdoor public places, as well as tough restrictions on retail advertising, display and promotion of tobacco products.

Anti-smoking groups have lobbied to extend laws to limit the number of outlets selling tobacco, and make smoking a classifiable element in movies.

Figures released to The Sunday Mail show since new laws were introduced in Queensland in 2010 making it an offence to smoke in a vehicle with a child under 16 years, 1412 drivers had been slapped with a $200 on-the-spot fine.

"Should we and could we go further, I am prepared to look at options with my inter-state colleagues," said Mr Springborg.

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Scandal-hit Spain PM denies graft claims

SPAIN'S Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has denied allegations that he received undeclared payments from his ruling party, as he sought to douse a major corruption scandal.

Rajoy vowed on Saturday not to resign despite the publication of documents purportedly showing secret payments to him and other top party officials, branding the damaging reports "harassment".

He promised to publish full details of his income and assets, speaking at an emergency meeting of his conservative Popular Party as angry demonstrators outside called for him to step down.

"I have never received nor distributed undeclared money," he said, adding that he would publish online "statements of income, patrimony and any information necessary" to refute the allegations.

"I commit myself personally and all of my party to maximum transparency."

Rajoy, 57, was speaking out for the first time since being named in the scandal which struck at a tense time as the government imposes tough spending cuts on Spaniards suffering in a recession.

Last year he defied speculation that the country would need a financial bailout only for the political scandal to erupt in the new year.

Leading centre-left newspaper El Pais on Thursday published account ledgers purportedly showing that donations were channelled into secret payments to him and other top party officials.

The newspaper said the alleged fund was made up of donations, mostly from construction companies, adding that such payments would be legal as long as they were fully declared to the taxman.

Rajoy said the ledgers were false.

The allegations fuelled anger among Spaniards suffering in a recession that has thrown millions out of work.

"We must not allow Spaniards, of whom we are demanding sacrifice to think that we do not observe the strictest ethical rigour," Rajoy said.

Protesters say ordinary Spaniards are being made to pay for an economic crisis brought on by the collapse of a construction boom which many blame on corrupt politicians and unscrupulous banks.

As Rajoy spoke, demonstrators yelling "Thieves!" gathered near the party headquarters, kept at some distance by police barriers.

An online petition at change.org calling for Rajoy to resign, launched on Thursday, had gathered nearly 650,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon.

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Iran rial hits all-time dollar low

IRAN'S currency has plummeted to an all-time low, registering a more than 21 per cent drop in a span of two weeks against the US dollar, currency tracking websites and money changers say.

The rial was traded at between 39,000 and 40,000 per US dollar on the open market on Saturday, down from about 33,000 two weeks ago, according to money changers contacted by AFP.

It had briefly dropped in late January to 37,000 per US dollar amid rumours that central bank head Mahmoud Bahmani could be sacked because of his failure to shore up the rial.

The devaluation comes with Iran facing a growing shortage of foreign cash because of international sanctions against its central bank and vital oil sector over its disputed nuclear program.

Uncertainty over stalled negotiations with the UN's atomic watchdog agency and world powers over the nuclear standoff has added to controversy over the rial, according to local media.

The currency was traded at 12,000 in late 2011, prior to the introduction of tough Western sanctions on Iran's oil and banking sectors.

The official US dollar rate in Iran has been fixed for several months at 12,260 rials, but is reserved for official government business. Parallel to the open market, another rate of 24,550 rials is reserved for a few companies importing food or other goods judged essential.

Iran is suffering from heightened geopolitical tensions over its nuclear ambitions and the effects of draconian Western measures curbing access to its reduced oil exports.

The West fears Iran's atomic program is aimed at developing nuclear weapons, but Tehran insists that its activities are peaceful.

In addition to Western sanctions, some analysts and politicians blame the government for what they call mismanagement and failure to feed the market with sufficient foreign currency, stoking the currency plunge and high inflation.

The government, meanwhile, has promised to take measures to support the rial but so far there has been no sign of the pressure on Iran's currency easing.

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ALP vice-president savages NSW Right

SENIOR Labor figure Tony Sheldon has launched a scathing attack on one of the party's factions and says the organisation is in a potentially catastrophic situation.

Mr Sheldon, who is the secretary of the Transport Workers Union and Labor's national vice-president, launched the critique in a speech to the Young Labor National Right Conference in Canberra on Friday.

He said the scandal-plagued NSW Right faction was bringing the rest of the party down.

"Like cockroaches, B-grade politicians are able to thrive on the corruption and detritus that lies under the dishwasher," Mr Sheldon said.

Labor had steadily lost its political compass in recent years, he said.

"Our crisis is more than just a crisis of trust brought on by the corrupt behaviour of property scammers and lobbyists," Mr Sheldon said.

"It's a crisis of belief brought on by a lack of moral and political purpose.

"The memory of what we once stood for is starting to fade."

AAP pbc/goc/rs

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Cabinet shuffle expected as Evans resigns

THE Gillard government faces a major cabinet reshuffle following senior federal Labor MP Chris Evans' decision to resign from the ministry.

News of the Senate leader's departure comes just two days after Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the 2013 federal election for September 14.

Senator Evans, the minister for tertiary education, skills, science and research, will formally announce his resignation in Canberra on Saturday, according to media reports on Friday night.

Uncertainty surrounds Senator Evans' future in parliament. The ABC reports he is expected to quit his portfolios immediately and stay on in the Senate for only two more months, although there are three years left to his term.

Senator Evans' WA Senate colleague, Mark Bishop, told AAP the senator's Perth colleagues had been aware for "some time" that the commute to Canberra was taking its toll.

"I think the actual timing is a surprise," he said on Friday night.

"Chris has been commenting to people for some time that he is tired."

He said the resignation could have serious organisational and political "consequences" for Labor in WA.

"Chris had access to everyone who was important in Western Australia ... the government will lose that inside edge," Senator Bishop said.

Appearing on ABC television on Friday night, Labor MP David Bradbury said he was unsure that Senator Evans was stepping down.

"What I would say about Chris is that Chris has been a wonderful member of the team, leading our team in the Senate," he said.

Christopher Pyne, manager of opposition business in the House, said Senator Evans' resignation "spoke volumes" about the state of federal Labor nearly eight months from the election.

"The information that I have is that Chris Evans has resigned not because of ill health, which was my first thought, but because he's just had enough," Mr Pyne said.

"And for the Senate leader and a cabinet minister to decide that he's just had enough speaks volumes for a dysfunctional Labor government."

He said he believed more resignations would follow.

"I don't want to speculate that this might be part of a (Kevin) Rudd push for the leadership, but it seems particularly odd that two days after the prime minister has fired the starter gun for an election campaign, her Senate leader has resigned, Craig Thomson has been charged with 149 offences, and one would have to say that the election campaign has got off to a very rocky start," he said.

News Limited speculated that Immigration Minister Chris Bowen was likely to be moved into the higher education and skills portfolio.

It also suggested Housing Minister Brendan O'Connor may take the immigration portfolio, while Stephen Conroy was believed to be keen to succeed Senator Evans as government leader of the Senate.

AAP understands Victorian senator Kim Carr may also put his hand up for the job.

A spokeswoman for Senator Conroy, who is the government's deputy Senate leader, said she could not confirm he would move to take the reins from Senator Evans.

A spokesman for Mr Bowen said he was unable to comment on the expected resignation or any cabinet reshuffle.

Senator Evans, first elected to the Senate in 1993, supported Ms Gillard in the leadership contest with Mr Rudd in February last year.

Mark Riley of Seven Network tweeted that Senator Evans had informed Ms Gillard of his decision last week.

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French leader Hollande to visit Mali

PRESIDENT Francois Hollande prepared to visit Mali as French-led troops worked to secure the last Islamist stronghold in the north after a lightning offensive against the extremists.

Hollande will visit Mali on Saturday with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Development Minister Pascal Canin, his office said, three weeks after French troops launched a surprise intervention against Islamists in its former colony.

The trip comes as troops are gathered on Friday at the gates of Kidal, a sandy northeastern outpost that is the last rebel stronghold in the poor west African country, poised to secure the town after capturing its airport on Wednesday.

The French-led campaign has claimed a rapid succession of victories in key Islamist strongholds where citizens greeted troops with euphoria.

In the fabled city of Timbuktu, a school reopened on Friday for the first time since a March coup in Bamako which paved the way for the Islamists to seize towns across northern Mali, taking control of an area as large as Texas.

"When the Islamists took control they wanted to re-open the school, but on their terms: a different curriculum, lessons in Arabic, girls separated from boys and forced to wear veils. We refused," said teacher Aichatou Amadou.

But the joy of citizens throwing off the yoke of brutal Islamist rule, where they were denied music and television and threatened with whippings, amputations or execution, has been accompanied by a grim backlash against light-skinned citizens seen as supporters of the al Qaeda-linked radicals.

Rights groups have reported summary executions by both the Malian army and the Islamists.

Human Rights Watch detailed the killing of at least 13 suspected Islamist supporters in the central garrison town of Sevare.

The victims were shot and dumped into wells, said the watchdog, a report corroborated by other rights groups.

These abuses took place as the Islamists seized Konna, north of Sevare, in a push into government-held territory which sparked France's surprise intervention on January 11 amid fears the entire country could become a haven for terrorists.

In Konna, another five people were "disappeared", their relatives and neighbours told Human Rights Watch.

"Malian authorities have turned a blind eye to these very disturbing crimes," said senior West Africa researcher Corinne Dufka, calling for an investigation.

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Turkish guard killed in US embassy blast

A TURKISH security guard has been killed and several people wounded in a suicide bombing at the entrance to the highly-fortified US embassy in Ankara, officials say.

The force of the blast on Friday damaged nearby buildings in the upmarket Cankaya neighbourhood of the capital where many other state institutions and embassies are also located.

"There were two dead in the suicide bombing, a Turkish security guard and the bomber himself," Ankara governor Alaattin Yuksel told reporters, adding that a woman was also among the wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Turkey has witnessed many bloody attacks in the past blamed on Kurdish militants or al-Qaeda linked groups.

The US ambassador, Francis Ricciardone, confirmed the death of the guard and vowed to work with Turkey to fight terror.

"We are very sad of course, we lost one of our Turkish guards at the gate.... The compound is secure, we all feel very safe thanks to your response," he told reporters.

"We will continue to fight terrorism together. From today's event it is clear we both suffer from this terrible terror problem. We are determined ... only more to collaborate together until we defeat this problem."

NTV television reported that a suicide attacker detonated a bomb at the security roadblock near the entrance to the embassy's visa section, where dozens of people wait every day.

"At approximately 13.15 (2215 AEDT) on February 1, there was an explosion at the US embassy. Appropriate measures have been taken by the Turkish National Police who are now investigating the incident," the US embassy said in a statement.

"The US embassy would like to thank the Turkish government, the media, and members of the public for their expressions of solidarity and outrage over the incident."

Police have cordoned off the area around the embassies, and ambulances were seen on standby amid fears the number of casualties could rise.

Television footage showed an injured woman with a blood-stained face being carried into an ambulance on a stretcher.

Predominantly Muslim Turkey is a close US ally and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

The blast comes barely a week after NATO declared that a battery of US-made Patriot missiles went operational on Turkey's border with war-torn Syria on Saturday.

Turkey, led by Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan, has become a fierce critic of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising erupted in March 2011.

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US bunker standoff enters third day

MORE than three days after he allegedly shot dead a school bus driver, grabbed a five-year-old child and slipped into an underground bunker in the rural US, Jimmy Lee Dykes is showing no signs of turning himself over to police.

Hostage negotiators spoke into a narrow ventilation pipe leading into the bunker, trying to talk the 65-year-old, said to hold anti-government views, into freeing the boy.

One local official said on Friday the child had been crying for his parents.

Dykes, described by neighbours as threatening and violent, is accused of pulling the boy at random from the bus on Tuesday and killing the driver who tried to protect the 21 children aboard.

The gunman and the boy were holed up in a small underground room on his property that authorities likened to a tornado shelter, not uncommon in the rural South.

A state legislator said the shelter has electricity, food and TV, and there were signs that the standoff along a dirt road could continue for some time.

James Arrington, police chief of the neighbouring town of Pinckard, said the captor has been sleeping and told negotiators that he has spent long periods in the shelter before.

"He will have to give up sooner or later because (authorities) are not leaving," Arrington said. "It's pretty small, but he's been known to stay in there eight days."

Midland City Mayor Virgil Skipper said he has visited the boy's parents.

"He's crying for his parents," Skipper said. "They are holding up good. They are praying and asking all of us to pray with them."

Politician Steve Clouse said the boy's mother told him her child has Asperger's syndrome, an autism-like disorder, as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Police have been delivering medication to him through the pipe, he said.

No motive has been discussed by investigators, but the police chief said the FBI had evidence suggesting it could be considered a hate crime. Federal authorities have not released any details about the standoff or the investigation.

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Huge storm front sweeps southeast

SEVERE storms battered southeast Queensland overnight, tearing through areas from Dalby to Brisbane and as far down as the New South Wales border.

The weather bureau issued its first warning about 8.45pm and severe storms were still bearing down on the Caboolture and Caloundra areas after midnight.

Wind gusts of up to 100km/h have been recorded at the Oakley airport, north of Toowoomba.

A Bureau spokesperson earlier warned that damaging winds of over 90km/h were likely to hit Brisbane.

These winds would be on a similar scale to those experienced earlier this week when ex-cyclone Oswald tore through.

MMS your storm pictures to 0428 258 117 or email them

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Lauren Murphy said the storm developed over the Maranoa and Warrego region near St George earlier in the day.

While winds are of a similar speed to ex-cyclone Oswald, Ms Murphy said this storm was not following the same patterns.

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Santander writes off Spanish assets

SPANISH bank Santander says its net profit plunged almost 60 per cent in 2012 as it wrote off nearly 19 billion euros ($A24.94 billion) in dodgy loans and property assets.

However, the charges left Santander's balance sheet looking more secure.

Santander is the biggest bank in the Eurozone by market value.

The group said on Thursday it made 12.7 billion euros in provisions for non-performing loans and another 6.1 billion euros for Spanish real estate exposure - 18.8 billion euros in total.

A property market collapse in 2008 left Spain's banks awash with bad loans and destroyed millions of jobs.

The banking sector as a whole is expected to book more than 80 billion euros in new provisions on their 2012 accounts under a Spanish government drive to clean up their books.

The provisions in 2012 left Santander with 73 per cent of its bad loans covered, up from 61 per cent previously. They also allowed the bank to meet new Spanish legislation requiring better coverage of real estate exposure.

The bank said net profit dropped 59 per cent from the level the previous year to 2.2 billion euros ($A2.89 billion) in 2012, after declining by 35 per cent in 2011.

Without the huge charges, Santander said it would have boosted net profit by about 2 per cent to 23.6 billion euros.

"Profits reached a turning point in 2012," chairman Emilio Botin said in a statement.

"In 2013, with the exceptional write-offs behind us, we should see a marked increase in earnings based on the group's recurrent revenues and cost control," he said.

Net interest income in 2012 rose 3.6 per cent to 30.2 billion euros while gross income climbed 2.2 per cent to 43.7 billion euros.

Spain last year won agreement for a rescue loan of up to 100 billion euros from the Eurozone to finance a banking sector clean-up.

Four Spanish banks and a so-called bad bank that has taken over many risky loans have received 39.5 billion euros so far from the European Union credit.

Santander and another bank BBVA are among the few that have not asked for outside aid.

Santander said its doubtful loans rose to 4.54 per cent of total loans in 2012 from 3.89 per cent a year earlier.

In Spain, the bad loan ratio was higher - at 6.74 per cent compared to 5.49 per cent a year earlier - but well below the industry average, the bank emphasised.

Santander said the global spread of its business allowed it to resist the headwinds in Europe.

Latin America provided 50 per cent of its profits - Brazil alone 26 per cent - while Spain accounted for 15 per cent, Britain 13 per cent and the United States 10 per cent.

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Man stabbed to death at Logan

Police were called to an address on Darren Drive, Slacks Creek, after reports of a stabbing. Picture: Kris Crane Source: The Courier-Mail

A MAN died in the third stabbing in 24 hours in Logan after allegedly being attacked by his housemate with a pair of scissors.

Police were called to a disturbance at Darren Drive shortly after 3pm, where a 42-year-old man had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Several people live in the house, which a police spokesman said was a privately-owned care facility.

He confirmed the victim was stabbed multiple times with a pair of scissors by the alleged offender, a 20-year-old man and resident at the house.

Attempts to resuscitate the victim were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.

The alleged offender allegedly fled from the scene, discarding his clothing and the weapon, but was caught a short time later.

Neighbour Russell Bennett said he heard screaming and yelling in the afternoon but thought nothing of it.

He said a number of people lived in the dwelling, which is divided into several flats.

"Two young guys, an old lady and a young woman live in the house," he said.

Police said the two men had lived on the top level of the share house.

Pat Booth, who lives across the road, said emergency services were occasional visitors to the home.

"Police and ambulance visit a bit but there is never any trouble," she said.

Ms Booth said she didn't know any of the residents.

"People come and go from there. Everyone keeps to themselves around here," she said.

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Police charge man with west Sydney murder

A 26-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with murdering a 66-year-old woman in Sydney's west.

Police said they were called to a home in Lucas Street, Emu Plains, where they found the woman unconscious and suffering head wounds, about 10am on Thursday.

The woman later died in hospital, police said in a statement.

Police at the hospital arrested the 26-year-old, who they say knew the woman, and charged him with murder.

He was refused bail and will front Parramatta Local Court on Friday.

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US stocks fall on weak earnings reports

FACEBOOK shares have fallen nearly six per cent on opening, leading the markets lower in starting trade also hit by poor earnings from Dow Chemical.

Six minutes into trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 27.41 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 13,883.01.

The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 9.5 points, or 0.63 per cent, to 1,498.34.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 2.05 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 3,140.26.

The drop in shares came as social networking giant Facebook reported a big fall in year-over-year earnings and signalled higher costs as it invests in data centres.

Dow and UPS also came in with weak results, each reporting quarterly losses.

The results followed Wednesday's US economic report that showed the economy contracted by 0.1 per cent in the fourth quarter last year.

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HRW condemns Russian rights crackdown

HUMAN Rights Watch has condemned the Russian authorities under President Vladimir Putin for unleashing the toughest crackdown against civil society since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The repressions against critics come after Putin returned to the Kremlin for a third term in May in the face of unprecedented protests against his 13-year rule.

The crackdown caps a decade of "soft" authoritarianism and unleashes a new era where Kremlin critics and rights activists are openly harassed and freedoms further eroded, the New York-based group says.

"The Kremlin in 2012 unleashed the worst political crackdown in Russia's post-Soviet history," the rights watchdog said in an English-language statement released in Moscow accompanying the release of its annual world report on Thursday.

"This (2012) has been the worst year for human rights in Russia in recent memory," the rights group quoted Hugh Williamson, its Europe and Central Asia director, as saying.

"Measures to intimidate critics and restrict Russia's vibrant civil society have reached unprecedented levels."

After returning to the Kremlin for a third term despite unprecedented protests against his 13-year rule, Putin signed off on a raft of laws in what critics saw as a bid to quash dissent.

The new legislation re-criminalised slander, raised fines for misdemeanours at opposition protests and forced non-governmental organisations that receive foreign funding to carry a "foreign agent" tag in a move seen as a throwback to Soviet times.

Human Rights Watch gave a scathing assessment of Putin's predecessor Dmitry Medvedev, calling his much-touted efforts at modernisation "few, timid advances on political freedoms".

The New York-based group also criticised Russia's preparations for the 2014 Olympic Games, saying authorities took away homes from hundreds of families in the resort town of Sochi, which will host the world's premier winter event.

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US weekly jobless claims rise

NEW claims for US unemployment insurance benefits rose last week but were still in line with an improving trend in the jobs market, government figures show.

Initial jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, rose by 38,000 to 368,000 in the week ending January 26, the Labor Department reported on Thursday.

The increase was well above the 345,000 claims expected by economists.

Claims had declined in the prior two weeks as the jobs market slowly improves.

The four-week moving average, which also had fallen for two straight weeks to its lowest level since March 2008, rose by a mere 250 claims last week to 352,000.

Claims hovered in the 370,000 range for most of 2012.

The latest reading came ahead of Friday's highly anticipated January jobs report but the numbers were not part of the data used to prepare the report.

Analysts expect the US jobless rate ticked down to 7.7 per cent in January from 7.8 per cent in December.

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US consumer spending flat in December

US consumers held tight to their wallets in December, the key holiday shopping season, despite a rise in incomes, according to Commerce Department data.

Household spending edged up 0.2 per cent from November, only half the growth of the prior month and slightly below the consensus estimate of 0.3 per cent.

Consumer spending, the main driver of the US economy, slowed in late 2012 amid the government's looming fiscal cliff of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set for January 1, which was partly avoided in a last-minute political deal.

Meanwhile, personal incomes rose for the eighth straight month in December, rising a much stronger-than-expected 2.6 per cent from the prior month.

The income increase was boosted by accelerated payments of bonuses and other forms of "irregular" pay in anticipation of changes in individual income tax rates, as well as lump-sum payments of social security benefits, the department said.

In the partial fiscal cliff deal, political leaders allowed Bush-era payroll tax cuts on social security benefits to expire and lifted taxes in other areas.

With inflation weak in a tepid economy, the December price index for consumer spending was essentially flat, while so-called real disposable income - excluding price changes - rose 2.8 per cent.

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US man kills bus driver, kidnaps child

Residents look over the school bus where a shooting occurred near Destiny Church,  just north of Midland City, Alabama. Picture: Danny Tindell Source: AP

POLICE, SWAT teams and negotiators are clustered at a rural Alabama property where a man is believed to be holed up in an underground shelter after fatally shooting the driver of a school bus and fleeing with a 6-year-old child passenger, authorities said.

WSFA television said the man boarded the bus at around 3.40pm local time Tuesday, shot the bus driver and took one of the children to an underground shelter, where police are currently communicating with him through a PVC pipe.

Police could not immediately be reached for comment, but Sergeant Rachel David of the Dothan Police Department confirmed to WSFA that an adult male had been shot during the incident and that the suspect was "not in custody".

"We are at the very beginning of this investigation," she said.

The Dale County Sheriff's Office named the victim as 66-year-old Charles Albert Poland, Jr. It said he had been a bus driver since 2009 for the Dale County Board of Education.

WSFA, a CNN affiliate, said area roads had been closed and three local school systems had cancelled classes on Wednesday over the hostage situation.

Law enforcement personnel work a checkpoint in Midland City, below the home where a school bus shooting suspect barricaded himself in a bunker with a young child. Picture: Jay Hare

County coroner Woodrow Hilboldt told The Associated Press the overnight standoff continued today with tactical units, negotiators and other officers at the scene near a church. He said the suspect was believed to be in an underground shelter on his property.

"That's what has been described to me as an underground bunker. Someplace to get out of the way of a tornado," Mr Hilboldt said.

Claudia Davis, who lives on the road where the standoff was taking place, said she and her neighbours can't leave because the one road was blocked by police.

Ms Davis, 54, said she has had run-ins with the man suspected as the shooter.

"Before this happened I would see him at several places and he would just stare a hole through me," Ms Davis said. "On Monday I saw him at a laundry mat and he seen me when I was getting in my truck and he just started and stared and stared at me."

Michael Creel, who lives on the road where the shooting happened, said he went outside after his sister heard gunshots.

"Me and her started running down the road," Creel told the Dothan Eagle. "That's when I realised the bus had its siren going off. Kids were filing out, running down the hill toward the church."

- with AP and AFP

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Boeing Q4 sales strong but earnings not

US aerospace giant Boeing reported a sharp fourth quarter fall in earnings as expected on Wednesday, as tax costs surged from a year earlier but operating earnings gained on strong sales growth.

Meanwhile, the company's chief executive said the company was focused on solving the battery problem that grounded its newest aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, worldwide.

"Our first order of business for 2013 is to resolve the battery issue on the 787 and return the airplanes safely to service with our customers," said Boeing chairman and CEO Jim McNerney.

Net earnings for the quarter came in at $US978 million ($A939.35 million), compared to $1.39 billion a year earlier, when earnings were buoyed by a favourable one-off tax settlement.

But sales jumped 16.7 per cent to $19.79 billion, and net earnings before tax gained 6.3 per cent to $1.54 billion from the year-earlier quarter.

Earnings per share came in at $1.28 compared to $1.84 a year earlier; "core" earnings per share, after the tax gain of a year earlier is stripped out, were $1.46, well above analysts' forecasts.

For the full year Boeing net earnings came in at $3.9 billion, down from $4.0 billion in 2011. While total revenues grew nearly $13 billion to $81.7 billion, operating and production costs rose faster, keeping net gains flat.

But core earnings per share were $5.88, better than the $5.01 analysts had predicted.

The company said that after delivering more than 600 aircraft last year, it had a record backlog of orders worth $390 billion going into 2013, both for civilian aircraft and in the defence and security sector.

"We remain focused on our ongoing priorities of profitable ramp up in commercial aeroplane production, successful execution of our development programs, and continued growth in core, adjacent and international defence and space markets," said McNerney.

The company still faces the challenge of the 787 grounding after two planes were hit by still-mysterious battery problems, one a fire. That has forced the company to halt deliveries of the aircraft, though production continues at a five-unit a month pace.

Boeing nevertheless forecast revenues in 2013 to grow slightly to $82-85 billion, leaving basic earnings per share in the range of $5.01-5.20. But it said that core earnings per share should improve to $6.10-6.30.

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Egypt opposition urge talks amid violence

EGYPTIAN opposition leaders are calling for urgent talks on the political crisis gripping the country, as a fresh eruption of violence killed two more people in Cairo.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a leading figure in the National Salvation Front, called for the talks just two days after the opposition had rejected Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's call for dialogue.

"We want an immediate meeting between the president, the ministers of defence and interior, the ruling party, the Salafist movement and the National Salvation Front to take urgent measures to end the violence and begin a serious dialogue," ElBaradei said in a tweet.

Former Arab League chief Amr Mussa, another NSF leader, said "the serious current situation" required the acceptance of dialogue "in order to stop the confrontations and the violence."

It was not immediately clear whether this represented a step back by the NSF, which had been demanding the formation of a national salvation government and the amendment of the Islamist-drafted constitution, before agreeing to any talks.

But Khaled Dawoud, spokesman for ElBaradei's Al-Dustur party, said ElBaradei's Twitter statement was a "denial of all the claims by the presidency that we reject dialogue.

"We are looking for a way out of this (crisis) because we're extremely worried."

The latest round of unrest began with protests marking the second anniversary of the Egyptian uprising on Friday, and took a violent turn a day later after a court sentenced 21 residents of Port Said to death over football related violence last year.

Anger on the streets has been directed primarily at Morsi, who is accused of betraying the revolution that brought him to power and of consolidating power in the hands of his Muslim Brotherhood.

The protests have also underscored long-standing tensions between protesters and the police, a force long accused of abuse.

In Cairo, two people were killed near Tahrir Square on Wednesday. Their identities were not immediately known, but medics said they had both been hit by buckshot.

Their deaths bring to four the number of people killed in Cairo and to 54 nationwide since violence erupted late on Thursday, prompting Egypt's defence minister to warn that the crisis could lead to the collapse of the state.

"The continuing conflict between political forces and their differences concerning the management of the country could lead to a collapse of the state and threaten future generations," General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said on Tuesday.

Most of the deaths have been in Port Said, where clashes erupted on Saturday after a court issued death sentences against 21 supporters of local football club Al-Masry for their role in deadly riots last year.

Meanwhile, the NSF indicated that some of its leaders would meet during the day with representatives of the main Salafist party, Al-Nour, in response to an invitation from the ultra-conservative Islamist group to discuss the "deterioration of the situation."

As the call for talks was made, Morsi was in Berlin for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel on a visit that had been shortened from two days to just a few hours because of the unrest at home.

The visit, Morsi's first to Germany since he was elected in June, will centre on bilateral cooperation as well as the situation in Egypt, state news agency MENA said.

MENA said he is to meet with business people as well as Merkel.

Hours before Morsi's arrival, Germany's foreign minister warned that German financial aid to Egypt is contingent upon democratic progress.

Morsi took over last year from an interim military administration in charge since the February 2011 overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for three decades.

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US man kills bus driver, kidnaps child

A GUNMAN has boarded a school bus in the southern US state of Alabama, shot and killed the driver and kidnapped a young boy, police say.

The area around where the hostage-taking occurred on Tuesday has been evacuated, said Sergeant Rachel David, a spokeswoman for the local police in the town of Dothan.

The incident is yet another scare in a country on edge over gun violence and children, since the December massacre of 20 small kids and six teachers at an elementary school in Connecticut.

The man boarded the bus on Tuesday afternoon, shot the bus driver and took one of the children to an underground shelter.

Local media said police were communicating with him through a PVC pipe but David did not confirm this. She did not give the age of the boy but news reports said he was six.

"Efforts to bring this ongoing incident to a close have continued through the night," a statement from the Dale County Sheriff's office said.

David said the bus driver died and that he has been identified as 66 year old Albert Poland. No arrests have been made.

Classes in schools in surrounding Dale and Ozark counties were cancelled on Wednesday because of the hostage crisis.

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Dow, S&P fall slightly after poor US GDP

US stocks were mostly lower in opening trade after government estimates showed the economy shrunk in the fourth quarter last year largely due to a cut back in government spending.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 10.95 points (0.08 per cent) to 13,943.47.

The S&P 500, a broad measure of the markets, lost 0.78 points (0.05 per cent) to 1,507.06.

But the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gained slightly, adding 3.48 points (0.11 per cent) at 3,157.14, helped by a 7.5 per cent gain from Amazon.

The Commerce Department said the economy shrunk at a 0.1 per cent pace in the fourth quarter of last year, mainly due to defence spending cutbacks, but for the full year the economy expanded a modest 2.2 per cent.

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Israel hits Syria convoy near Lebanon

ISRAELI have forces carried out an air strike on a weapons convoy from Syria near the Lebanese border, security sources have told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The attack came after Israel expressed concerns that Damascus's stockpile of chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group, an ally of the Syrian regime, or other militant groups.

Israeli officials have said such a transfer would be a declaration of war and likely spark an Israeli attack.

Sources differed on whether the strike took place on Syrian or Lebanese territory.

"The Israeli air force blew up a convoy that had just crossed the border from Syria into Lebanon," one source said, adding that the convoy was believed to be carrying weapons, without specifying the type.

An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

A second security source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, also confirmed to AFP that Israeli warplanes had hit a convoy allegedly carrying weapons to Lebanon but said the incident occurred just inside Syria.

"It was an armed convoy travelling towards Lebanon but it was hit on the Syrian side of the border at around 2330 GMT (1030 AEST)," the source said.

Both sources reported a high level of "unusual" Israeli activity over Lebanese air space, which began on Tuesday evening and continued overnight.

The Lebanese army confirmed that Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace up to 16 times between 9:30am (0730 GMT) Tuesday and 2:00am Wednesday.

"Every day there are Israeli overflights, but on Tuesday they were much more intense than usual," a Lebanese security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The incident occurred just days after Israel moved two batteries of its vaunted Iron Dome missile defence system to the north and at a time of rising fears that the conflict in Syria could see weapons leaking into Lebanon.

A former head of intelligence at Israel's Mossad spy service, Amnon Sofrin, said on Wednesday that the Jewish state "should make any effort to prevent any weapons systems of that kind (chemical) going out to terror organisations."

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem before reports of the attack emerged, Sofrin said Israel was unlikely to carry out air strikes on chemical weapons stocks because of the environmental risks.

"When you go and attack a... chemical weapons depot, you're going to do unwarranted damage, because every part will leak out and can cause damage to many residents," he said.

"But if you know of a convoy leading these kind of (chemical) weapon systems from Syria to Lebanon, you can send a unit to the proper place and try to halt it" on the ground, he added.

On Monday, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "urgently dispatched" his national security adviser Yaakov Amidror to Russia to ask Moscow to use its influence in Syria to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons.

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German beer drinking hits new low

GERMANS are emptying fewer beer steins these days.

Consumption of the national beverage fell by 1.8 per cent last year to the lowest level since West and East Germany reunified in 1990.

The German government statistics agency reported on Wednesday that Germans drank 96.5 million hectolitres of beer last year. That's 2.55 billion gallons.

The German brewers' association DBB says an unusually cool summer made fewer people quench their thirst with a cold one.

German beer consumption has been slowly falling for three decades.

Reasons include health concerns and growing preference for other beverages such as wine, especially among younger people.

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Queen not likely to abdicate any time soon

ONE European queen has announced her retirement. Any chance Europe's most famous queen - Elizabeth II of Britain - might join her?

Not likely, experts say.

The spectacle of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands stepping down in April at age 75 so her 45-year-old son can become king is sparking some speculation in Britain about whether Elizabeth might follow suit so her eldest son, Prince Charles, can start his reign.

Elizabeth is 86. Charles, 64, has been heir to the throne since he was three.

The British press tweaked these concerns Tuesday, with the Daily Mirror featuring a photo of Beatrix with the headline: "Queen Gives Up Her Throne to Son." Then, in smaller type, "Easy, Charles...It's Queen Beatrix of Netherlands."

Others said, "Sorry Charles...it's in Holland, not here!"

But commentators quickly noted that Elizabeth - who seems to be in excellent health - has said in the past that she regards being queen as a "job for life."

At her Diamond Jubilee last summer marking 60 years on the throne, former Prime Minister John Major said the idea that the queen would abdicate was "absolutely absurd." He said she would serve her entire life unless a health crisis made it impossible.

Author Robert Lacey, who has written several books about the British monarchy, said Beatrix's decision would likely firm up Elizabeth's resolve.

"It would reinforce her feeling that the Dutch don't know what monarchy is about, and that she should go on forever," he said. "The crown is a job for life in the British system."

He said the queen's mother, who lived to be 101, had made a "snarky" comment when Beatrix's own mother stepped down as monarch decades ago.

Lacey said the idea of abdicating is particularly unpleasant for Elizabeth because her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 so he could marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman.

The resulting scandal, remembered as a low point for the monarchy, brought her father, King George VI, to the throne.

No one in British history has been heir apparent as long as the now greying Charles, who is set to become a grandfather when his daughter-in-law, the former Kate Middleton, gives birth this (northern) summer.

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Pfizer profits jump on asset sale gain

THE world's biggest pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, has reported a big jump in fourth-quarter earnings as cost-cutting efforts plus a gain from an asset sale helped offset the loss of exclusivity of a blockbuster cholesterol drug.

Pfizer reported fourth-quarter net income of $US6.3 billion ($A6.08 billion), up from $1.4 billion in the year-earlier period. The results included a $4.8 billion gain from the sale of the Nutrition business to Nestle.

However, Pfizer continued to feel the effects of the loss of exclusivity of its popular Lipitor anti-cholesterol drug. Fourth-quarter revenue fell seven per cent compared with last year's level to $15.1 billion.

Pfizer's adjusted net income, which excludes one-time items such as the Nestle deal, fell seven per cent from the year-earlier period to $3.5 billion.

The pharma giant pointed to a number of promising new drugs that are at various stages of the developmental pipeline. These include the 2013 launches of Xiljanz, which treats rheumatoid arthritis, and Eliquis for the prevention of strokes.

"Overall, I am pleased with our 2012 financial performance, our recent product approvals and our expense reductions," said chief financial officer Frank D'Amelio.

In early 2011, Pfizer undertook a reorganisation of its research activities and eliminated some activities that were seen as ancillary. The company spent less than a year earlier on promotional programs and some corporate functions.

Pfizer also is studying a potential public offering of up to a 19.8 per cent stake in its Zoetis unit, an animal health division.

Pfizer offered 2013 guidance of $56-$58.2 billion in revenue, compared with the 2012 level of $59 billion, and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $2.20-$2.30, compared with $1.94 in 2012.

Pfizer shares were up 0.8 per cent in pre-market trading.

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Mozambique military on flood duty

MOZAMBIQUE'S military has been called in to help tackle severe flooding that has killed 48 people and is likely to spread to the country's central and northern regions, officials say.

The armed forces have begun helping with clean-up operations in the devastated southern town of Chokwe, which has borne the brunt of the flooding caused by heavy rains.

"We can confirm the army is helping support the affected people," said Benjamin Chabualo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told AFP.

Soldiers have also been involved in rescue efforts and the navy has ferried people by boat to reach areas isolated by flooding.

According to UN figures around 250,000 people have been affected by the floods and 146,000 people are being housed in temporary shelters.

Water levels have begun to recede in the south of the country, but the situation remains critical, and the centre and north are expected to be hit by fresh rain.

In Chokwe many homes have been completely inundated, and the flood surge has left in its wake piles of rubbish, mud and the detritus of lives destroyed.

"In Chokwe families have begun cleaning their homes and (the national civil protection unit) will help the municipality to clean the city," civil protection spokeswoman Rita Almeida said.

Even as the floods ebb in some places, residents faced a tough slog to get clean food, water, shelter and avoid a legion of risks.

"The rains over southern Mozambique have ceased for the time being, and the floodwaters are slowly receding. However, many have lost everything in the floods," according to a UN situation report.

At least 48 people have died, some electrocuted by severed power lines trailing in the water, some crushed by collapsed buildings and some attacked by crocodiles

At temporary shelters aid agencies are feeding approximately 70,000 people.

While tens of thousands of people have made their way to government camps, many more have not.

"We know there are a great many people affected who did not turn up at these centres," said Rita Almeida, Mozambique's national disaster management institute.

Some may have gone to the houses of family and friends, others, in more remote regions, remained stranded.

Helicopters are airlifting food and medical supplies to isolated areas.

"We are lifting supplies to places where neither boats or vehicles can enter," the Director-General of Mozambique's Disaster Management Institute (INGC) said on national radio.

"We are doing all in our power to get food to people where they need it."

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Ford earns $1.6b in 4Q, warns of Euro loss

FORD has earned better-than-expected profits in 2012 as record results in North America trumped losses in Europe. It will have to do even better at home this year as the losses in Europe mount.

Ford earned $US5.7 billion ($A5.50 billion) for the year, or $1.42 per share. That was down from $300 million, or $1.51 per share, in 2011, as a $1.75 billion loss in Europe took its toll.

But Ford reported a record pretax profit of $8.3 billion in North America, where sales rose and Ford made more money on every vehicle it sold. The company is planning to give out record profit-sharing bonuses of $8,300 to 45,800 workers based on its North American results.

Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks said Ford expects even higher results for North America this year, as demand for Ford's pickups and its newest products - the Escape small SUV and Fusion sedan - will likely grow. But Shanks said Ford now expects to lose $2 billion in Europe, up from the $1.5 billion loss it predicted a few months ago.

"Europe will hit bottom this year," Shanks said. He said the company is on track with a plan to close plants and introduce new vehicles in the region. Ford's sales fell by 15.5 per cent in Europe last year.

Worldwide, Ford's sales rose 7.5 per cent to 1.5 million in 2012. The company saw some of its biggest gains in Asia, where it's introducing a slew of new products and building seven new plants. Sales in Ford's Asia Pacific and Africa region were up 41 per cent over 2011.

For the fourth quarter, Ford said its pretax results were the best in a decade.

The company earned $1.6 billion in the final three months of 2012 as sales rose in every region outside Europe. Ford's net income fell from $13.6 billion in the same quarter last year, but that figure included a big accounting-related gain. Without that gain, Ford's earnings were up from $1 billion in the fourth quarter of last year.

Ford earned 31 cents per share, up from an adjusted 20 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2011. That beat analysts' forecast of 25 cents per share, according to FactSet.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 5 per cent to $36.5 billion, beating analysts' forecast of $33.5 billion.

In North America, Ford's pretax profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter to $1.87 billion.

Sales of cars and trucks in the US totalled $14.5 billion in 2012 - the industry's best performance in five years. Forecasts are for an even better 2013, with the Polk auto research firm forecasting 15.3 million vehicle sales as the economy continues to improve.

Ford lost some US market share in 2012 as its Japanese rivals roared back from earthquake-related losses the prior year. But Ford expects its share to grow in 2013.

Shares fell 23 cents to $13.55 in premarket trading.

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Smog again envelops huge swathes of China

RESIDENTS across huge swathes of northern China are battling through choking pollution at extreme levels, as Beijing was plunged into toxic twilight for the fourth time this winter.

Visibility was reduced to around 200 metres in parts of the capital, where mask-wearing pedestrians groped through a murky haze, despite warnings from authorities to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.

In a Beijing city office visited by AFP, up to 20 workers worried that the pollutants could penetrate indoors took extra precautions, wearing gas-mask style protective headgear at their desks.

State broadcaster China Central Television gave the smog's second day huge airplay, showing vehicles using full headlights in mid-morning to light their way through the noxious cloud.

More than 100 flights were delayed or cancelled at Zhengzhou Airport in Henan, the television said, adding that the haze would last until Thursday. At Beijing airport, 61 departing flights were delayed in the morning.

In the eastern province of Shandong, almost 2,000 passengers were stranded at Qingdao's main airport after it shut with 20 flights cancelled as visibility dropped to 100 metres, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The smog of recent days has hit a total area of 1.3 million square kilometres, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said - about twice the size of France.

It described the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Jinan as "gravely polluted".

The National Meteorological Centre (NMC) announced late on Tuesday that it was introducing a three-tier colour-coded weather warning system to alert the public to the severity of smog, according to Xinhua.

Yellow will indicate moderately smoggy weather, with orange for severe conditions and red for extremely severe levels of smog, the report said.

Beijing's winter of smog has sparked an Internet outcry and anger from state media.

The China Daily reiterated its calls for firm action on Tuesday, directing them at the capital's newly-installed mayor Wang Anshun, who formally took over on Monday.

"What do Beijing residents expect of their new mayor?" asked the newspaper in an editorial. "Of all the things that need improving, cleaner air will be at the top of many people's wish list."

Wang was quoted by Xinhua as saying: "The current environmental problems are worrisome."

The Beijing News went as far as to suggest banning or regulating next month's traditional and hugely popular New Year fireworks in the capital. Pollution readings spiked last year after the city's skyline lit up with explosions.

The toxic air follows an extreme bout of pollution earlier this month, when state media said readings for PM 2.5, particles small enough deeply to penetrate the lungs, peaked at 993 micrograms per cubic metre, almost 40 times the World Health Organization's recommended safe limit.

China's pollution problems are blamed on the country's rapid urbanisation and dramatic economic development.

AFP

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US stocks flat ahead of confidence data

US stocks are treading in place ahead of a key consumer confidence report, despite a series of better-than-expected company earnings.

In the first five minutes of trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 10.75 points (0.08 per cent) at 13,892.68.

The S&P 500, a broad measure of the markets, edged up 0.22 point (0.01 per cent) to 1,500.40.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 7.94 (0.25 per cent) to 3,146.36.

"Investors are cautious ahead of several economic reports and as the Federal Reserve kicks off its two-day policy meeting," Wells Fargo Advisors said in a market note.

The Conference Board is scheduled to release its consumer confidence data for November at 1500 GMT (0200 AEST).

Stocks closed mostly lower Monday after a string of rallies that left the indices at multi-year highs. The Dow dropped 0.10 per cent and the S&P 500 fell 0.18 per cent, while the Nasdaq gained 0.15 per cent, lifted by Apple.

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Dangerous prisoner goes off GPS radar

A DANGEROUS prisoner is on the loose after removing his GPS tracking bracelet near Brighton, north of Brisbane.

Setu Aloiai, 31, who served a nine year sentence for indecent assault with a circumstance of aggravation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and is considered a serious violent offender.

He was released from prison in March 2012 under a five year Dangerous Prisoner and Sex Offender supervision order.

Police were contacted at 10.50pm after a body tamper alert was received by the monitoring team.

When attempts to contact Aloiai were unsuccessful a family member searched his residence but could not locate him.

He is 182 cm tall, 83 kg, has a dark complexion, brown eyes, black hair and tattoos on his upper right arm and chest.

Anyone one with information should contact Crime Stoppers immediately on 1800 333 000.

 

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Japan relaxes US beef import restrictions

JAPAN is relaxing restrictions on US beef imports that have been in place due to fears of mad-cow disease.

The Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that Japan and the United States have agreed that imports of beef from cows up to 30 months old will be allowed, up from the current 20-month age limit, effective February 1.

The change matches international standards and applies to beef imports from the US, Canada, France and the Netherlands. It is expected to cover 90 per cent of beef processed in the US.

Japan's Health Ministry had approved the step following public hearings.

Japan banned US beef imports in 2003 after the fatal brain disease was discovered there.

In 2005 Japan allowed imports of beef 20 months or younger.

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Japan PM points to beefed-up military

JAPAN faces a "diplomatic and security crisis", Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says, a day after his defence minister announced plans to strengthen the military amid a bitter dispute with China.

The proposal to raise the defence budget by Y40 billion ($A425 million) or about 0.8 per cent in the year starting from April sparked criticism from Beijing.

The plan also calls for a small increase in personnel for the 228,000-strong military, the first such rise in about 20 years.

On Monday Abe, in his first speech to parliament since taking office last month, spoke of "continuous provocations" faced by his country, "causing us to face a diplomatic and security crisis".

"By taking full measures to develop, manage and safeguard remote islands near our borders, I declare now that, under this cabinet, we will firmly defend the lives and property of Japanese people as well as our territories, territorial waters and territorial airspace," he added.

Tokyo's plans sparked criticism from Beijing amid the sovereignty dispute over an East China Sea island chain.

"Japan's moves in the military and security field will always be a high concern for its Asian neighbours," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters in Beijing.

"We hope the Japanese side can be committed to peaceful development, respect the concerns of the regional countries, take history as a mirror and do more for regional peace and stability."

Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera announced the proposed spending rise on Sunday.

He also said the military would add nearly 300 personnel to help defend the disputed islands that Tokyo calls the Senkakus but are known as the Diaoyus in China.

"With this budget, our existing aircraft can become fully activated. We will be able to build a stronger system" to monitor our territory, Onodera said.

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Police arrest Brazil club owner after fire

AUTHORITIES have arrested one of the owners of a Brazilian nightclub where more than 230 partygoers perished in a blaze blamed by survivors on a band's pyrotechnics show.

Two members of a musical group also were arrested, and a warrant was issued for another owner of the club, Kiss, said police official Michele Vimmermann.

"There were three temporary detentions," Vimmermann said.

Vimmermann said those in custody were nightclub owner Elissandro Sphor, as well as the vocalist and another member of the Gurizada Fandangueira band.

The fire erupted during the group's performance, with some survivors saying its lead singer lit a firework that could have caused sparks and set off the inferno.

Allegations also surfaced that the club lacked the necessary emergency exits, that at least one fire extinguisher did not work and, according to firefighters, their safety licence had expired in August.

The club said in a statement, however, that everything was in order.

In comments to the media, a band member also ruled out responsibility.

Word of the arrests came as Brazil observed three days of national mourning in the wake of the tragedy in the southern university town of Santa Maria that mostly claimed the lives of young people.

As friends and family members bid farewell to their loved ones, officials revised the death toll from 233 to 231 and said at least 100 others remained hospitalised, 80 of them in a serious condition.

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Qld cops rising water as storm hits Sydney

THOUSANDS of homes are underwater in Queensland and NSW as ex-tropical cyclone Oswald closes in on Sydney.

The weather front is beating a devastating path down the coast and authorities are ramping up for another day of evacuations while floodwaters have already isolated hundreds of homes.

The crisis has claimed four lives so far, including a three-year-old boy who was hit by a falling tree in Brisbane's north.

Eighteen people have been rescued with the most recent operation taking place overnight at Lismore, where a man was plucked from the roof of his car.

State Emergency Services (SES) Deputy Commissioner Steve Pearce said some areas in northern NSW had been hit with over half a metre of rain, with more than 2000 people isolated by floodwaters.

After hitting the Hunter on Monday evening, the front was expected to hit Sydney around dawn on Tuesday, he said.

"We're expecting really damaging winds of up 100km/h; we're expecting torrential rain of up to 100mm and possibly 200mm in localised areas," Mr Pearce said.

"We're expecting flash flooding, we're expecting trees to be brought down, wires to be brought down by these winds.

"We're expecting a very challenging 24 hours in front of us."

Shortly before 7pm (AEDT) on Monday, about 1500 residents downstream of Grafton were ordered to leave their homes in Ulmarra, Cowper and Brushgrove districts.

Floodwaters have also cut off all roads between NSW and Queensland.

Meanwhile, more than 2000 homes are underwater in the worst-affected city - Bundaberg in central Queensland.

About 3000 people have also been evacuated two years after floods devastated much of the same areas of the state, resulting in 35 deaths.

Army choppers equipped with night vision were used to evacuate stranded residents into the evening.

"The water is everywhere ... it's the worst on record," the city's mayor, Mal Forman, told ABC TV on Monday night.

Brian Cox, from Queensland's Disaster Management service, said the greatest challenge was ever-rising floodwaters.

He said 190 patients would probably be flown out of Bundaberg Hospital on Tuesday morning.

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US stocks open higher

US stocks have opened higher as Caterpillar's positive forecast for 2013 helped overcome its fourth-quarter 2012 earnings disappointment and pushed up the Dow.

Five minutes into trade on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 15.40 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 13,911.38.

The broad-based S&P 500 continued its streak of gains, adding 7.46 points, or 0.50 per cent, to 1,502.28.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 5.31 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 3,155.02.

Caterpillar was up 2.2 per cent, as it pointed to a better 2013 amid an uncertain global outlook.

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US durable goods orders higher

NEW US orders for durable manufactured goods surged higher in December, led by a jump in commercial aircraft orders, government figures show.

Orders for durable goods - long-lasting products such as vehicles, computers and machinery - rose to $US230.7 billion ($A221.6 billion), up 4.6 per cent from November, the Commerce Department said on Monday.

It was the seventh increase in the past eight months, following a 0.7 per cent gain in November, and well above the 1.6 per cent rise expected by analysts.

Excluding transportation equipment orders, which can be volatile month-over-month, durable goods orders rose 1.3 per cent.

Transportation equipment orders leaped 11.9 per cent after two consecutive months of declines, almost entirely due to commercial aircraft and parts orders, up 10.1 per cent.

Non-defence capital goods orders excluding aircraft, or core capital goods orders, an indicator of future capital spending, rose 0.2 per cent.

Shipments climbed 1.3 per cent.

"Substantial declines in unfilled orders of non-defence capital goods excluding aircraft over the past few months will continue to put downward pressure on shipments growth," Briefing.com said in a research note.

On a 12-month basis, durable goods orders were up 4.1 per cent.

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US woman swept away by 'sneaker' wave

A WOMAN has been swept out to sea by a large wave and drowned on a California beach in the third such tragedy in the region this winter, authorities say.

The 32-year-old was walking with her boyfriend and dog on Sunday when the wave pulled her out to sea, the US Coast Guard said.

"The ocean today was extremely hazardous," Duty Officer Cheryl Antony said. "The waves were about 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.5 metres). It was very, very hazardous for them to be out there."

So-called "sneaker" waves, the kind that suddenly roar ashore, have washed four people into the region's waters this winter.

A man and his wife were walking on a California beach on New Year's Day when a wave overtook their dog. The couple went into the water to rescue the dog, and the man was swept away.

In November, three family members drowned at another California beach while trying to save their dog.

"Winter is an especially dangerous time, and sneaker waves can catch beach goers by surprise, washing them into the sea," the Coast Guard said in a statement. "People walking along the beach should not turn their back to the ocean."

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Landslides leave 16 dead in Indonesia

THE death toll in two separate landslides triggered by torrential rain in western Indonesia has risen to 16, including five geothermal workers, officials say.

The worst landslides happened in Tanjung Sani of Agam district in West Sumatra province, where 20 houses were buried when mud and rocks fell from surrounding hills at dawn on Sunday, killing 11 villagers, said disaster official Ade Edward.

He said six injured villagers were being treated at a hospital, including one in a critical condition.

The bodies of the dead, including three children aged eight and nine, have been evacuated and rescuers using heavy digging equipment are searching for nine people who reportedly were buried under the mud and feared dead.

Hundreds of terrified survivors fled their hillside homes for tents on safer ground, fearing more of the mountainside would collapse under continuing rain, Edward said.

In the neighbouring province of Jambi, days of heavy rains triggered a landslide in a drilling field owned by PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy, a state-run company, late Saturday.

The death toll there rose to five after searchers pulled out the body of another worker from the mud on Sunday, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Company official Adiatma Sardjito said 60 workers survived Saturday's landslide.

"The workers were having dinner when the landslide suddenly occurred," Sardjito said, adding the disaster left five others hurt.

He said the landslide did not impact their production.

Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

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Suu Kyi 'fond' of army that detained her

MYANMAR'S opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi remains "fond" of her country's army despite claims it has recruited child soldiers and used rape as a weapon.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was herself held under house arrest by the military for most of the past two decades, told the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs she hoped the army could redeem itself for "terrible" things it has done.

She confirmed she wants to become Myanmar's president after elections in 2015 - but she will not be eligible for the post without constitutional reforms that need military backing.

"It's genuine, I'm fond of the army," the 67-year-old told the show, which was recorded last month at her home in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw and aired on Sunday.

"People don't like me for saying that. There are many who have criticised me for being what they call a poster girl for the army ... But I think the truth is I am very fond of the army, because I always thought of it as my father's army."

Suu Kyi's father Aung San, considered the father of modern Myanmar, created the army and led the struggle against British colonial rule.

"I was taught that my father was the father of the army, and that all soldiers were his sons - and therefore they were part of my family," Suu Kyi told the BBC.

"It's terrible what they've done and I don't like what they've done at all. But if you love somebody, I think you love her or him in spite of and not because of, and you always look forward to a time when they will be able to redeem themselves."

Rights groups have accused Myanmar's army of serious rights violations including rape, torture and the recruitment of child soldiers.

The military remains locked in an escalating conflict with rebels in the northern Kachin state - where tens of thousands of people have been displaced since June 2011 - despite the announcement of unilateral ceasefire this month.

Suu Kyi said she was happy to admit she wants to become Myanmar's president, and dismissed politicians who pretend they are not hungry for power.

"I would like to be president," she said.

"If you're a politician and you're the leader of a party then you should want to get government power in your hands, that you may be able to work out all these ideas and visions that you've harboured so long for your country."

Like all guests on Desert Island Discs, the longest-running show on British radio which celebrated its 70th birthday last year, Suu Kyi was asked to choose eight songs she would like to bring to a mythical island as a castaway.

She asked friends and family to choose many of the songs, which included Imagine by John Lennon and Green Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones.

She confessed that she does not have "a talent for music" but that her younger son Kim has tried to educate her musically, introducing her to reggae legend Bob Marley and the US rock band Grateful Dead.

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Britain warns of threat in Somaliland

BRITAIN'S Foreign Office has urged its nationals to leave the self-declared nation of Somaliland, warning of a "specific" threat against Westerners in the northern Somali region.

Britain had similarly warned of a "specific and imminent threat to Westerners" in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday and urged its citizens to leave, swiftly followed by Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and France.

The Foreign Office said it already advises against all travel to war-torn Somalia including Somaliland - a rare area of relative stability - but now urged any remaining citizens to pull out.

"We are now aware of a specific threat to Westerners in Somaliland, and urge any British nationals who remain there against our advice to leave immediately," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

"As our travel advice continues to make clear, kidnapping for financial or political gain, motivated by criminality or terrorism, remains a threat throughout Somalia."

A Foreign Office spokesman declined to give an estimate of how many British citizens were currently in Somaliland.

"There are quite a lot of people who have dual Somali and British nationality who travel back and forward to the area, as well as a number of NGOs operating in Somaliland," he told AFP.

While anarchic southern Somalia has been riven by years of fighting between multiple militia forces, the former British protectorate of Somaliland has enjoyed relative peace.

It won independence from Britain in 1960 but days later joined with Somalia. In 1991, after years of bitter war with the government in Mogadishu, it declared independence from the rest of the country.

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No proof public funds paid for Zuma house

A GOVERNMENT inquiry into how a multimillion-dollar upgrade to Jacob Zuma's private residence was financed has found the South African president did not use public money for the works.

"There is no evidence that public money was spent to build the private residence of the president or that any house belonging to the president was built with public money," Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi told a news conference on Sunday.

The developments to the ANC leader's residence in his native village of Nkandla in eastern South Africa triggered a public outcry.

Opposition parties questioned the legality of spending state funds on the president's private property to carry out upgrades that included a helipad and underground bunkers, according to media reports.

Zuma has always denied using taxpayers' money, saying the state only financed improvements to security at the complex.

"We took this unprecedented approach to inform the public about this specific project, to quell some of the misconceptions which have been falsely peddled in the public space," said Nxesi.

He said the state bill for the work came to 206 million rand ($A22 million), lower than figures previously quoted in the international press.

But the inquiry did find some irregularities, Nxesi said.

"It is very clear that there were a number of irregularities with regards to the appointment of service providers and procurement of goods and services."

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Assad made grave error on reform: Medvedev

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad made a "grave, perhaps fatal error" by delaying political reforms, Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev says.

"He should have acted much more quickly and reached out to the peaceful opposition, which was ready to sit at the negotiating table with him," Russian news agencies quoted Medvedev as saying.

"It's a grave error on his part, perhaps fatal," he said, in a rare criticism of Assad by Syria's traditional ally Moscow.

"It seems to me that his chances of staying (in power) are shrinking day by day," Medvedev said in remarks to CNN television on the sidelines of the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

He reiterated Russia's position that only the Syrian people can decide the fate of Assad, whose departure the West has long called for in the face of the nearly two-year-long conflict in Syria.

"I repeat once again: It is for the Syrian people to decide. Not Russia or the United States or any other country."

Moscow has long opposed any foreign intervention in the conflict that the United Nations says has killed at least 60,000 people since March 2011.

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NSW land valuations to be examined

MORE than two million official land valuations in NSW will be examined by a new inquiry, prompted by concerns that property owners are overpaying land tax and council rates.

The concerns have been sparked by reports indicating the system used by the Office of the Valuer-General is out of step, Fairfax Media reported on Monday.

It said the inquiry would examine confidential data for all 2.4 million land valuations between 2000 and 2012 to pinpoint council areas with the biggest discrepancies between official estimates and market values.

A land valuations analysis conducted by a private firm hired by competitive tender will help the inquiry by parliament's joint standing committee on the Office of the Valuer-General decide whether to recommend changes to the system.

The consultant will be asked to test whether official valuations have outstripped market values and if property owners have lost out in particular local government areas.

The inquiry opens in Broken Hill on Thursday and will take public submissions until March 8.

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Mozambique flood toll rises to 40

THE death toll from heavy flooding in Mozambique has climbed to about 40 after four more bodies were discovered in the worst-hit southern town of Chokwe, its mayor says.

"They found four bodies in the last 24 hours," Jorge Makwakwa told AFP, adding that Chokwe's flood-ravaged streets were littered with rotting animal carcasses.

"I am mobilising workers to remove the bodies but we need masks and gloves," he said.

According to a toll from the United Nations on Friday, the severe flooding in the impoverished country had killed at least 36 people and displaced nearly 70,000, most in the southern province of Gaza.

The deadly floods, which have also hit neighbouring South Africa and Zimbabwe, are the result of days of torrential rains this month that swelled the Limpopo river.

UN agencies said on Sunday that 23,000 families had sought shelter in camps in Gaza and the World Food Program had begun feeding some 75,000 flood-affected people.

UNICEF said it had set up three field hospitals and was broadcasting radio messages urging locals to take basic hygiene measures to ward off diarrhoea and cholera.

While the Limpopo river started to recede in Chokwe on Sunday, the 9000 residents who had stayed behind were in urgent need of clean water and food, mayor Makwakwa said, as a major clean-up operation got under way.

While some tried to salvage what they could and laid their possessions out to dry, others walked through the streets inebriated, having helped themselves to alcohol in flood-damaged stores, an AFP reporter on the scene said.

With relief efforts focused on the camps, some locals said they were struggling to get their hands on emergency supplies.

In the village of Guija, children told AFP they had had no water or food since Wednesday, while a doctor said two mothers had given birth on rooftops after they were marooned by the rising waters.

Mozambican authorities were also scrambling to protect the partly inundated coastal tourist city of Xai-Xai on the Limpopo river, where some 45,000 people were thought to be at risk from the deluge.

Helicopters would be dispatched to try to rescue those trapped by the floodwaters, Disaster Relief Management Institute spokeswoman Rita Almeida told AFP.

"Our biggest priority is to reach the people (who have taken refuge) in trees," she said.

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