Two dead in NSW waters

TWO men pulled from the water at NSW beaches have died despite efforts by paramedics to revive them.

Just before 1pm (AEDT) on Monday, a snorkeller found a 29-year-old man unconscious under a rock shelf off Delwood Beach near Manly in Sydney's north.

Police said the man was believed to be a Korean national who had been swimming with friends who lost sight of him when they reached shore.

The snorkeller who found him a short time later went ashore and raised the alarm before returning with friends to pull him from the sea.

Emergency crews arrived and performed CPR before taking him to Manly Hospital in a critical condition, a NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said.

A hospital spokeswoman said despite the efforts of staff the man was unable to be revived and was pronounced dead.

Police said the death did not appear to be suspicious and a report would be prepared for the coroner.

Earlier on Monday at about 10am a 32-year-old bodyboarder who entered the water at Inyadda Beach at Bendalong, near Nowra, was pulled ashore by local surfers.

It's suspected he suffered a medical emergency.

A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said a doctor who was at the beach administered CPR until paramedics arrived.

They spent about 20 minutes trying to revive the man but he died at the scene.

He may have had a pre-existing medical condition.

The incidents happened on the same day a woman's body was found in Sydney harbour after she went missing from her family's 12-metre cruiser that was anchored in Rose Bay.

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Chris Brown misses 'African Grammys'

A MUSIC awards show dubbed the "African Grammys" was hit by an embarrassing series of hitches culminating in the absence of star Chris Brown and an apology by the organiser.

The show had been delayed from Saturday to Sunday to enable rapper Brown to attend, with organiser Ernest Adjovi initially blaming the delay on Brown missing his flight but later saying heavy rains and other logistical hiccups were behind the postponement.

Brown finally arrived with singer Rihanna in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan on Sunday, when he was due to perform at the glitzy Kora Awards that recognise musical achievements from around the continent.

But while the Koras were going on at a luxury hotel, the US singer was a few minutes away in the national stadium performing at a much-delayed concert for Peace in Africa.

Benin businessman Adjovi later apologised for the numerous "dysfunctions" that had occurred during the three-hour ceremony.

Rihanna, who hails from Barbados, was by Brown's side when he arrived.

The pair have a tumultuous history, and celebrity watchers obsess about whether they are an item again after Brown admitted assaulting Rihanna in a case dating back several years.

Brown was sentenced to five years probation, a year-long domestic violence program and 180 days of community labour after pleading guilty to assaulting Rihanna on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2009.

Ivorian quartet Magic System won the Kora award for best African group of the year while best artiste from the continent was DJ Arafat, another Ivorian.

"Mama" Patience Dabany, former first lady of Gabon and mother of current head of state Ali Bongo, was proclaimed woman of the year.

Past Kora ceremonies have been attended by South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela and the late Michael Jackson.

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Malaysia protesters rally against Lynas

A CONVOY of cars carrying protesters has driven across Malaysia in the latest demonstration against an Australian rare earths plant that activists claim will produce dangerous radioactive waste.

It came as demonstrators launched a hunger strike in the capital Kuala Lumpur in protest at the plant run by Lynas Corp, which began processing rare earths last month after a delay of more than a year due to strong opposition.

The Australian miner hopes the $US800 million ($A775.23 million) plant can help break the Chinese stranglehold on the market for rare earths, used in everything from missiles to mobile phones, but the project has been dogged by controversy from the start.

Some 100 activists in 20 cars wearing green T-shirts began their protest from the headquarters of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, located just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

At least 150 cars are expected to join the convoy during the six-hour journey to the Lynas plant in eastern Pahang state, organisers said.

"It is our struggle to bring down this corrupt regime and evict Lynas from Malaysia," said activist Wong Tack, chairman of the Himpunan Hijau movement which is spearheading the anti-Lynas campaign.

The protest will culminate with a rally and a candlelit vigil outside the Lynas plant, said Wong.

In central Kuala Lumpur, more than 30 people including children began a 100-hour hunger strike to oppose the Lynas refinery.

Residents and activists say the plant will release radioactive gases and solid waste such as radium and lead, as well as small amounts of uranium.

But Lynas has insisted that any radioactive waste would be low-level and not harmful and that it would be safely disposed of.

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Abalone fisherman drowns off WA coast

A MAN diving for abalone has drowned off the coast off Western Australia, police have confirmed.

The man in his 40s, believed to be of Chinese origin who was living in Perth, was fishing in the waters near Cape Leeuwin in the state's southwest when he got into trouble.

He had been in a group of about 10 people fishing for the delicacy when disaster struck.

St John Ambulance crews attended the scene and attempted to revive the man but were unsuccessful.

The fisherman is the second person within two months to die while attempting to catch abalone in the waters off WA.

In November, a 20-year old was swept out to sea in treacherous conditions while on an abalone hunt north of Perth.

The Malaysian man was caught in a strong rip in Yanchep Lagoon, 55 kilometres north of Perth, and was swept away.

That group was searching for the expensive delicacy on the first day of the heavily restricted recreational fishing season.

The disaster triggered calls for metropolitan abalone fishing spots to be closed in dangerous weather.

However, the ocean conditions in the Lighthouse Bay area where Sunday's incident occurred were not thought to be dangerous.

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Indian gang-rape victim cremated

India has been engulfed by an outpouring of grief as the body of a gang-rape victim arrived home. Source: AAP

THE victim of a gang-rape which triggered an outpouring of grief and anger across India has been cremated at a private ceremony in New Delhi as it emerged she was planning to get married in February.

The unidentified 23-year-old, the focus of nationwide protests since she was brutally attacked on a bus in New Delhi two weeks ago, died on Saturday of her injuries in a Singapore hospital where she had been airlifted for treatment.

She was cremated on Sunday away from the public glare only hours after her body was repatriated.

The funeral pyre was lit after traumatised relatives and friends said their final prayers at a ceremony in southwestern Delhi, according to mourners who revealed she had been due to wed her boyfriend, who was injured in the same attack.

"They had made all the wedding preparations and had planned a wedding party in Delhi" for February, said Meena Rai, a close friend and neighbour.

"I really loved this girl," she said. "She was the brightest of all."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the main ruling Congress Party, were at Delhi airport to console the victim's parents as they arrived home on a chartered plane with their daughter's body at 4.00am (0930 AEDT) on Sunday.

The victim's death has prompted government promises of better protection for women and deep soul-searching in a nation where gang-rapes are a daily occurrence and sexual harassment is routinely dismissed as "Eve-teasing".

Waves of protests have erupted across India since the attack on the night of December 16 when the woman was not only repeatedly raped but also sexually assaulted with an iron bar, leaving her with terrible intestinal injuries.

Thousands took part in late-night candlelit vigils on Saturday after Singh led appeals for calm to prevent a repeat of the sometimes violent protests.

As police said the six accused of murdering the unnamed woman could face the death penalty, there was a widespread determination that the killing would serve as a tipping point for how the nation deals with violence against women.

"We are aware that this is not the first case, nor will it be the last case of gang-rape in India, but it is clear that we will not tolerate sex crimes any more," said Bela Rana, a lawyer who joined a rally in central Delhi.

The city has been dubbed the "rape capital" of India. A report in Sunday's Hindustan Times said more than 20 women had been raped there since December 16.

According to police and prosecutors, the murder victim's ordeal began when six men lured her and her male companion onto a bus that they thought would take them home.

Instead a group of joyriders, who had been drinking heavily, launched a savage attack lasting some 40 minutes that only ended when the victims were thrown off the bus.

The attack has prompted intense debate among Indians who had grown almost inured to an epidemic of violence against women.

Gang-rapes are so common that they rarely get a mention in the newspapers. Victims are often deterred even from reporting them for fear of shaming their families or receiving a brush-off from police.

The Times of India said in an editorial on Sunday that two key questions must be addressed in the aftermath of the incident: "What exactly will the government do now to make the country a safer and better place for all women? And what will all of us do to tackle deeply entrenched prejudice and misogyny in our society?"

The government has already promised to bring in tougher sentences for the most extreme sex crimes and speed up a notoriously slow justice system.

A statement issued by United Nations spokesman Martin Nesirky said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "offers his sincerest condolences" to the victim's family and "utterly condemns this brutal crime".

"Violence against women must never be accepted, never excused, never tolerated," the statement said. "Every girl and woman has the right to be respected, valued and protected."

Ban urged the Indian government to take steps to deter such crimes and bring perpetrators to justice, and to "strengthen critical services for rape victims", the statement said.

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19 Shi'ites killed in Pakistan bus blast

A CAR bomb attack on buses carrying Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims to Iran has killed 19 people and wounded 25 in Pakistan's insurgency-hit southwest, officials say.

The remotely-triggered bomb hit a convoy of three buses in Mastung district on Sunday and set one of them ablaze, said Tufail Baluch, a senior government official in the district.

"At least 19 people have been killed and 25 injured. All of them were Shi'ite pilgrims," he told AFP, adding most of those killed were burnt to death.

"The bomb was planted in a car. The condition of some of the injured is critical," Baluch said.

Some 180 Shi'ite pilgrims were on their way to Iran in the buses when the bomb ripped through one of them, said Akbar Hussain Durrani, a senior government official in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

One bus carrying some 45 pilgrims was badly damaged, he said.

Mastung is some 30 kilometres south of Quetta.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The province has become an increasing flashpoint for sectarian violence between Pakistan's majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shi'ites, who account for around a fifth of the country's 180 million people.

Baluchistan is also rife with Islamist militancy and with a regional insurgency which began in 2004. The insurgents demand political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's oil and gas resources.

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National road toll rises to 29

The holiday road toll has risen to 29 after the death of a pedestrian hit by two cars in Tasmania. Source: AAP

THE death of a pedestrian killed after being hit by two separate cars in Tasmania has taken the holiday road toll to 29.

The 21-year-old man was standing on the Tasman Highway when he was struck by a ute at Cambridge, east of Hobart, at about 2.40am (AEDT) on Saturday.

The ute did not stop and shortly afterwards a sedan travelling west on the highway ran over the man, who was injured and lying on the road. The man died at the scene.

In Victoria, a man died following a crash involving two cars at Hoddle Street in East Melbourne.

One car ran into the back of the other vehicle just before 5.20am (AEDT), propelling it into a tree on the footpath.

A male passenger in one of the cars died at the scene.

Meanwhile, a NSW motorcyclist died following a collision with a ute in the state's north.

The man in his 60s was riding his motorbike on the Summerland Way, near Whiporie, when it hit a Mazda ute at about 10.45am (AEDT).

The motorcyclist died at the scene while the driver of the ute was not hurt, police said.

On Friday night, a 38-year-old woman died after a head-on collision near Bundaberg in central Queensland.

Four other people were taken to hospital as a result of the crash.

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

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Man charged over Christmas Eve stabbing

A man has been charged over a Christmas Eve stabbing outside a Sydney restaurant. Source: AAP

A MAN has been charged over a Christmas Eve stabbing outside a Sydney restaurant.

Police say an argument between two men, aged 29 and 33, in Strathfield's Everton Road, turned violent shortly before midnight (AEDT) on Monday.

The younger man was allegedly stabbed multiple times in the chest and abdomen.

He was taken to Westmead Hospital for surgery and is still recovering in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Police, acting on a tip-off from a member of the public, arrested a 33-year-old at a coffee store in Strathfield on Friday night.

He has been charged with wounding with intent to murder and refused bail to appear before Parramatta Bail Court later on Saturday.

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Central African Republic troops fight back

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Paper ordered to hand over Buswell notes

WEST Australian newspaper The Sunday Times has been ordered to hand over documents relating to an article it published containing allegations about the behaviour of state Treasurer Troy Buswell.

Mr Buswell, who is also WA's transport and emergency services minister, has launched a defamation case against his ex-lover, independent MP Adele Carles, after she made a string of accusations about him that were published in the newspaper.

A subpoena was issued seeking the correspondence between Ms Carles and the journalist including handwritten notes, emails, letters and audio recordings.

At a hearing in the WA Supreme Court on Thursday, lawyers for the newspaper argued the subpoena should be set aside because it was an abuse of process, a "fishing exercise" and had no legitimate forensic purpose.

However, Justice John McKechnie dismissed the application from the newspaper on Friday and ordered that The Sunday Times provide the documents by Monday.

Justice McKechnie rejected any argument that the subpoena would cause the newspaper to disclose confidential information.

"No question of journalist's privilege, if such a thing exists, or protection of sources arises," he said.

"The article purports to quote the defendant directly, and of course, names her prominently.

"Confidentiality alone or in combination with other factors is insufficient to set aside the subpoena."

Mr Buswell's lawyer, Martin Bennett, told reporters outside court he wanted to see all relevant notes made by the journalist that would provide some context for the comments extracted for the two stories published on December 9.

"They're all necessary documents to formulate a proper pleading in a defamation matter," he said.

Mr Bennett said there was currently no prospect of the defamation case being settled out of court.

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Indian teen pressed to drop case

A 17-YEAR-OLD Indian girl who was gang-raped has taken her own life after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers, police and a relative say.

Amid the ongoing uproar over the gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi earlier this month, the latest case has again shone the spotlight on the police's handling of sex crimes.

One police officer has been sacked and another suspended over their conduct after the assault during the festival of Diwali on November 13 in the Patiala region in the Punjab, according to officials.

The teenager was found dead on Wednesday night after swallowing poison.

Inspector General Paramjit Singh Gill said on Thursday that the teenager had been "running from pillar to post to get her case registered", but officers failed to open a formal inquiry.

"One of the officers tried to convince her to withdraw the case," Gill, the police chief for the area, told AFP.

Before her death, there had been no arrests over her case although three people were detained on Thursday. Two of them were her alleged male attackers and the third was a suspected woman accomplice.

The victim's sister told Indian television that the teenager had been urged to either accept a cash settlement or marry one of her attackers.

"The police started pressuring her to either reach a financial settlement with her attackers or marry one of them," her sister told the NDTV network.

Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India reported that a police officer has been suspended for allegedly refusing to register a rape complaint in the northern state of Chhattisgar.

The woman and her husband later brought the case to the attention of a more senior officer and a hunt has been launched for her attacker, an auto rickshaw driver.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year in India were against women.

The real figure is thought to be much higher as so many women are reluctant to report attacks to the police.

During an address to the chief ministers of India's states on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to bring in new laws to cover attacks on women.

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Japan whaling fleet leaves for Antarctica

JAPANESE whaling vessels have left port bound for the Southern Ocean on their annual hunt of the marine mammals, a media report and Greenpeace say.

Citing the Fisheries Agency, Kyodo News reported on Friday three vessels had departed from the far-western port of Shimonoseki, while environmental group Greenpeace said the mother ship had left another port also in the country's west.

"The mother ship, Nisshin Maru, left Innoshima today," said Greenpeace Japan's executive director Junichi Sato on Friday.

"Today was virtually the last day when they could leave for the Antarctic Sea," he said, adding that the fisheries agency had announced that the departure would take place within this month.

The mother ship would join the three vessels that left Shimonoseki earlier in the day, Kyodo said.

The fleet plans to hunt up to 935 Antarctic minke whales and up to 50 fin whales through March, the fisheries agency said earlier.

Japanese authorities refused to confirm either departure to AFP.

"We do not disclose when the vessels leave or left for safety reasons," said an agency official said.

Coastguard officers will be aboard the ships to cope with possible harassment from anti-whaling activists, the coastguard and fisheries agency officials said earlier this month.

The fleet's departure comes weeks later than expected and days after a US court ordered militant environmental group Sea Shepherd to stay at least 500 yards (metres) from whaling vessels.

The injunction was ordered by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in the latest step in a legal battle between the anti-whaling group and Japanese authorities over vessels in the Southern Ocean.

It said Sea Shepherd and Canadian militant conservationist Paul Watson, who is wanted by Interpol, "are enjoined from physically attacking any vessel engaged by plaintiffs", including Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research.

In addition, they are banned from "navigating in a manner that is likely to endanger the safe navigation of any such vessel", said the order, issued on Monday.

"In no event shall defendants approach plaintiffs any closer than 500 yards (460 metres) when defendants are navigating on the open sea," it added. The joint plaintiffs are Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd., Tomoyuki Ogawa and Toshiyuki Miura.

It follows the issuing in August of an arrest notice by Interpol for Watson, Sea Shepherd's founder, who jumped bail in Germany in July.

He had been arrested there on charges from Costa Rica relating to a high-seas confrontation over shark finning in 2002.

In a statement on its website, Sea Shepherd called the new US court ruling "the first shot of the season" by Japanese whalers.

Confrontations between the whalers and activists have escalated in recent years, and the Japanese cut their hunt short in early 2011 due to Sea Shepherd harassment.

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China's boom damages coral reefs: study

CHINA'S economic boom has seen its coral reefs shrink by at least 80 per cent over the past 30 years, a joint Australian study has found.

Scientists from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology say their survey of mainland China and South China Sea reefs shows alarming degradation.

"We found that coral abundance has declined by at least 80 per cent over the past 30 years on coastal fringing reefs along the Chinese mainland and adjoining Hainan Island," said the study, published in the latest edition of the journal Conservation Biology.

"On offshore atolls and archipelagos claimed by six countries in the South China Sea, coral cover has declined from an average of greater than 60 per cent to around 20 per cent within the past 10-15 years," it added.

Coastal development, pollution and overfishing linked to the Asian giant's aggressive economic expansion were the major drivers, the authors said on Thursday, describing a "grim picture of decline, degradation and destruction".

Coral loss in the South China Sea - where reefs stretch across about 30,000 square kilometres - was compounded by competing territorial claims.

There were some marine parks aimed at conservation but study author Terry Hughes said these were too small and too far apart to arrest the decline in coral cover.

"The window of opportunity to recover the reefs of the South China Sea is closing rapidly," he said.

More than 30 years of unbridled economic growth has left large parts of China environmentally devastated by some of the most severe air, water and land pollution in the world, global studies have shown.

This has sparked protests and some proposed new factories have been scrapped or postponed.

The government also has a plan to transform China's development mode to one that is more environmentally friendly.

However, the South China Sea is strategically significant, home to vital shipping lanes and believed to be rich in resources.

China claims most of the sea including waters near the shores of its neighbours. Rival claimants include Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and tensions have flared in recent years.

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Elderly man drowns off Melbourne beach

A MAN has drowned at a Melbourne beach while swimming with his family.

Police say the 74-year-old from Footscray suffered "some sort of medical condition" while in the water near the pier at Williamstown beach.

Family members and others attempted to revive him but they were unsuccessful.

Police say the death is not suspicious and they will prepare a report for the coroner.

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Cars hit by bullets in Sydney's west

POLICE are asking the public for help after several gunshots hit cars outside a home in Sydney's west early Thursday morning.

Residents of a home in Greenfield Park found cars parked outside their house damaged by projectiles, police said in a statement.

The residents had heard four loud bangs about 2am (AEDT) on Thursday, which they thought were fireworks.

They later discovered bullet casings on the road outside their house.

Police have taken four shell casings from the area for testing.

They are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

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Xmas Day storms blamed for 3 deaths in US

TORNADOES across the US south and brutal winds, have knocked down countless trees, blown the roofs off homes and left many Christmas celebrations in the dark.

Holiday travellers in the nation's much colder midsection battled treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions from the same fast-moving storms.

As predicted, conditions were volatile throughout the day and into the night with tornado warnings still out for some parts of Alabama. The storms were blamed for three deaths and several injuries, and left homes from Louisiana to Alabama damaged.

In Mobile, Alabama, a tornado or high winds damaged homes, a high school and a church, and knocked down power lines and large tree limbs in an area just west of downtown around nightfall.

Meanwhile, blizzard conditions hit the nation's midsection.

Earlier in the day, winds toppled a tree on to a pickup truck in the Houston area, killing the driver, and a 53-year-old north Louisiana man was killed when a tree fell on his house.

Icy roads already were blamed for a 21-vehicle pile-up in Oklahoma, and the Highway Patrol there says a 28-year-old woman was killed in a crash on a snowy highway near Fairview.

The snowstorm that caused numerous accidents moved out of Oklahoma late on Tuesday, carrying with it blizzard warnings for parts of northeast Arkansas, where 25 centimetres of snow was forecast. Wind gusts of up to 48km/h also caused about 71,000 customers to lose electricity.

Blizzard conditions were possible for parts of Illinois, Indiana and western Kentucky with predictions of 10 to 17.5 centimetres of snow.

An apparent tornado caused damage in the west Alabama town of Grove Hill, located about 130km north of Mobile.

Trees fell on a few houses in central Louisiana's Rapides Parish but there were no injuries reported, said sheriff's Lt Tommy Carnline.

Near McNeill, Mississippi, a likely tornado damaged a dozen homes and sent eight people to the hospital, none with life-threatening injuries, said Pearl River County emergency management agency director Danny Manley.

Mississippi governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in the state, saying eight counties have reported damage and some injuries.

At least three tornadoes were reported in Texas, though only one building was damaged, according to the National Weather Service. Tornado watches were in effect across southern Louisiana and Mississippi.

More than 500 flights nationwide were cancelled by the evening, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. More than half were cancelled into and out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport that got a few centimetres of snow.

Christmas lights also were knocked out with more than 100,000 customers without power in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

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Manila fires spark riots

ANGRY residents beat a man to death and threw rocks at firefighters after a shantytown fire left thousands of people homeless and another Christmas Day blaze in the Philippine capital left seven people dead.

A resident was beaten to death by his neighbours after shouting that he started Tuesday's shantytown fire in suburban San Juan city, a senior fire officer said.

The man was reportedly drunk and was not responsible for the fire, which started in a house where children were playing with lighted candles, the officer said.

About 5000 people were left homeless and 13 people were hurt in the shantytown. The injured included two firefighters and a volunteer hit by rocks thrown by residents who were impatient and tried to grab fire hoses to save their own shanties.

As firefighters struggled to penetrate the narrow alleys, one of them was mauled by a mob and rescued by a police officer. Two fire trucks also were damaged in the violence.

"It's Christmas and many of the men in the neighbourhood were drunk," the officer said, adding that some residents brandished knives.

In Quezon City, another of the 16 cities that make up metropolitan Manila, a pre-dawn fire on Tuesday killed a veterinarian and six household members who were trapped inside a house, an arson investigator said.

The blaze was suspected to be triggered by an overloaded electrical circuit, he said.

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Man held over elderly Vic couple's death

VICTORIAN police have made a breakthrough during the investigation of the deaths of an elderly couple found dead in their burning house at Yarraville last Saturday.

They have arrested a man in relation to the deaths and are now interviewing him.

At this stage they are not releasing any more details about the arrest other than to say the man is assisting police with their inquiries.

The fire that destroyed the house is believed to have been deliberately lit with police treating the circumstance of the deaths as suspicious.

On the day of the fire detective inspector John Potter described the incident as "gruesome".

He said police believed both people, aged in their 70s and 80s, could have been killed before the house was set alight.

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Man critical after boat capsizes off Vic

A MAN has been airlifted to the Alfred Hospital after nearly drowning in a boating accident at Venus Bay in Victoria's southeast.

The 22-year-old man was with three mates in an aluminium craft off Venus Bay when it tipped over, throwing them into the water, police said.

The three others got to shore safely but the young man had to be revived on shore by paramedics before being flown to hospital.

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Myanmar plane crash kills child, rider

A FLIGHT packed with Christmas tourists has crash-landed on a road in central Myanmar (Burma), killing two people and injuring 11.

Four foreigners were among the injured, state television reported on Tuesday. The airline said the injured were American, British and Korean.

The fatalities included an 11-year-old passenger believed to be a Myanmar citizen and a man riding a motorcycle on the road where the plane came down, state TV said.

The Air Bagan flight was carrying 63 passengers, including 51 foreigners, and six crew members.

It was flying from the city of Mandalay to Heho airport in Shan State, the gateway to a popular tourist destination, Inle Lake, Air Bagan said in a brief statement on its Facebook page.

The airline described the incident as an "emergency landing".

Authorities gave a different and more dramatic account, saying the pilot mistook the road for a runway due to bad weather.

"While descending, the plane mistakenly landed ... due to fog beside the runway," state television reported. It said the aircraft made a hard landing on a road and then came to a stop in a nearby rice paddy field.

"The rear end of the plane broke and caught fire," state TV said, carrying a statement posted on Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut's Facebook page.

Rescuers brought the fire under control about 45 minutes later, he said.

Witnesses said smoke filled the plane when it hit the ground and was still rising from the plane's badly charred wreckage hours later.

Airport officials in Heho said that injured passengers were taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Taunggyi for treatment.

Air Bagan is one of five private airlines that fly domestic routes in Myanmar. It is a unit of Htoo Trading Company, which is owned by business tycoon Tay Za.

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Rotten egg attack mars Indonesia Christmas

MORE than 200 Indonesian Muslims have thrown rotten eggs at Christians wanting to hold a Christmas mass near empty land outside Jakarta where they plan to build a church.

Some 100 Christian worshippers intended to hold the mass on the site about 30 kilometres east of the capital, the focus of a project barred by district government and community members in 2009.

Since then, worshippers from the Filadelfia Batak Christian Protestant group have held Sunday services under scorching sun outside the property.

On Christmas Day, local community members blocked the road near the land, a local police chief on Jakarta's outskirts told AFP.

An AFP photographer witnessed furious locals - men and women wearing Muslim head scarf, with small children in tow - physically blocking the road and throwing rotten eggs at the gathering worshippers.

Police managed to convince the Christians to drop their plan and return home.

"We tried our best to avoid any clash and the Christians agreed to leave," a police spokesman said, adding that 380 officers and military personnel including an anti-riot squad were deployed to the area.

Church leader Palti Panjaitan said the incident came after a Christmas Eve attack on Monday evening when "intolerant people" threw not only rotten eggs but plastic bags filled with urine and cow dung at them.

"Everything had happened while police were there, they were just watching without doing anything to stop them from harming us," Reverend Panjaitan told AFP.

The country's high court last year overruled the district government's 2009 decision, but constant intimidation from Muslims in the area has delayed the church's construction, church officials said.

Indonesia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion but rights groups say violence against minorities including Christians and the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect has escalated since 2008.

Ninety per cent of Indonesia's population of 240 million identify themselves as Muslim but the vast majority practise a moderate form of Islam.

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Mongolia graft probe clears Aussie lawyer

AN Australian lawyer who had been barred from leaving Mongolia has been cleared of involvement in a corruption case and will soon be able to leave the country, her employer says.

SouthGobi Resources, a subsidiary of resources giant Rio Tinto, said Mongolia's Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) had ended its questioning of its chief legal counsel Sarah Armstrong.

SouthGobi has been informed by the IAAC that the 32-year-old "is no longer a suspect in their investigations", the coal firm said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange where it is listed.

"The IAAC has informed the company that she will shortly be able to leave the country," SouthGobi said.

The Australian was barred from boarding a flight from Ulan Bator to Hong Kong in October as Mongolian authorities probed a corruption case, triggering calls from Armstrong's mother to let her daughter return home.

Officials wanted to question Armstrong as a witness to alleged corruption and money-laundering, although details of the case have remained sketchy.

Mongolian officials said Armstrong was wanted over an investigation into the former chief of Mongolia's mining authority, who is suspected of illegally handling mining licences, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

SouthGobi said the IAAC was continuing its probe into "the divestment of certain SouthGobi licences to third parties" and the "involvement and conduct of government officials" linked to the case.

It gave no other details.

Australia is the biggest investor in Mongolia's mining sector.

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Child saved from Gold Coast resort pool

A THREE-YEAR-OLD girl has been saved from drowning at Seaworld Resort on the Gold Coast.

The girl was pulled from a pool at the resort and given oxygen by paramedics before being taken to Gold Coast Hospital, according to the Nine Network.

The report said the girl was semi-conscious when she was attended to.

Police confirmed they had received a notification about the near-drowning and were making initial inquiries into the incident.

The Courier-Mail reports the child was attended to at the resort by a nurse and lifeguard before emergency services arrived.

The girl is reportedly in a stable condition.

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Christmas road toll rises to seven

The national holiday road toll has risen to six, with the death of an elderly woman south of Sydney. Source: AAP

A YOUNG Western Australian man and a woman in South Australia have died in car crashes on Christmas Eve, pushing the national holiday road toll to seven.

Their deaths on Monday are the first recorded in WA and SA since the official 12-day holiday road toll period began early on Sunday morning.

Police will investigate the circumstances of the WA crash, which killed a man whose car hit a power pole on Burton Road in Esperance, about 720km southeast of Perth, just after midnight on Sunday.

In SA, a woman died after the car she was travelling in veered off the Riddoch Highway near Naracoorte on Monday afternoon and hit a tree.

Emergency services were called to the crash site shortly after 2pm (CST) on the Riddoch Highway, 5km north of Naracoorte.

They were unable to revive the middle-aged woman.

An elderly woman's death on Sunday was the first recorded in NSW this holiday season, while Tasmania has recorded one death.

Three people have died in Victoria since the toll period began.

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

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Emperor Akihito in good health on birthday

Japanese Emperor Akihito has addressed thousands of supporters on his 79th birthday. Source: AAP

JAPANESE Emperor Akihito has reassured thousands of well-wishers on his 79th birthday that he has regained his health since heart by-pass surgery.

The softly spoken monarch gave his birthday address on Sunday from a glass-covered balcony at the Imperial Palace as crowds waving small flags braved bitterly cold weather.

"In February, I had heart surgery and worried many people. Please remain assured that I am now living normally like before," he said in a brief speech.

The Japanese throne is held in deep respect by much of the public, despite being stripped of much of its mystique and its quasi-divine status in the aftermath of World War II.

"He represents the people, and it was nice to see him in such good shape," said retiree Takeo Nagahashi, who was among more than 10,000 people who came to the palace to see the emperor's address.

"I was worried and seeing his healthy face made me happy. I hope he will live for a long time."

Another retiree, Yuichiro Sato, said: "It was a beautiful speech that reassured me. He seems healthy."

During his birthday address, Akihito said his thoughts were with those who have been unable to return to their homes since the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan in March 2011.

"I plan to spend my time praying for the happiness of all of the Japanese public, particularly those who were affected by the disaster," Akihito said, describing the year as a "difficult" one.

Before his birthday, Akihito told a ceremonial press conference he had recovered to the point where he could play tennis.

He said he wanted to continue carrying out his public duties at the same level as before, despite calls from his family and court officials to reduce his workload.

Since his heart surgery, Akihito and his wife, Michiko, have travelled around Japan. In May they visited Britain to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, the royal couple's first overseas trip since 2009.

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Driver dies in Tasmanian crash

Tasmania has recorded its first road fatality of the holiday road toll period. Source: AAP

A MAN has died north of Hobart in Tasmania's first road fatality of the holiday season.

The driver was alone in a car when it crashed on East Bagdad Road near Bagdad about 1.45pm (AEDT) on Sunday.

Police said the man was the only occupant, but further information was not immediately available.

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

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Three die in Vic as road campaign begins

A man has died after his car smashed into a tree and flipped on its side in Melbourne's southeast. Source: AAP

THREE people have died on Victoria's roads in a horror start to the state's annual holiday road safety campaign.

Police say an elderly woman died after a car crashed into a light pole in Bentleigh East, in Melbourne's southeast, on Sunday afternoon.

She had been a passenger in the vehicle. The driver is in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The crash came only hours after a man died when his car veered off the road in nearby Moorabbin and smashed into a tree, flipping on its side.

He died at the scene.

The third crash came at 4.15pm (AEDT) in Kerang, in the state's far north.

Police say a sedan veered into oncoming traffic on the Murray Valley Highway and collided head-on with a truck.

The sedan driver, a woman and sole occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene while the truck driver was taken to hospital.

The three deaths came on the first day of Victoria's 12-day holiday road toll campaign.

There were nine deaths in Victoria during last year's campaign.

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

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Supermarket looting spreads in Argentina

LOOTERS have ransacked supermarkets in several Argentine cities, causing two deaths and evoking memories of widespread theft and riots that killed dozens during the country's worst economic crisis a decade ago.

Santa Fe Province security minister Raul Lamberto described the attacks on Friday on stores as simple acts of vandalism and not social protests.

Lamberto said two people were killed by a sharp object and gunfire after attacks early Friday on about 20 supermarkets in the cities of Rosario and Villa Gobernador Galvez. He said 25 people were injured and 130 arrested during the looting about 190 miles (305.71 km) northeast of Buenos Aires.

Closer to the capital, riot police fired rubber bullets to drive off a mob that was trying to break into a supermarket in San Fernando, a town in Buenos Aires province.

A police lieutenant was hit on the head with a crowbar and suffered severe injuries during the clashes in San Fernando, authorities said. Officials said 378 people had been arrested in those confrontations.

Some shops closed in several cities despite the busy Christmas shopping season, worrying that the looting might spread.

The troubles followed a wave of sporadic looting that began on Thursday when dozens of people broke into a supermarket and carried away television sets and other electronics in the Patagonian ski resort of Bariloche. The government responded by deploying 400 military police to that southern city.

The unrest brought back memories of violence during Argentina's economic crisis in 2001, when jobless people stormed supermarkets, shops and kiosks.

Former President Fernando de la Rua resigned on Dec. 20, 2001, after days of protests against his handling of the crisis amid rioting that caused dozens of deaths and injuries.

The National Security Secretariat said this week's looting in at least six Argentine towns was the act of "vandals" instigated by union leaders who oppose President Cristina Fernandez.

With inflation running at about 25 per cent a year, Argentines have sought to change their pesos for dollars, but the government has cracked down on such trades and made it nearly impossible to obtain dollars legally.

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Man critical after ladder fall in Sydney

A MAN is in critical condition after falling four metres from a ladder in Sydney's inner west.

The 55-year-old fell from the ladder at Enmore around 3.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday and suffered a fractured skull.

A CareFlight spokesman said a doctor put the man in an induced coma, and began on-scene care of the head injury.

The doctor continued treatment as the man was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where he remained in a critical condition on arrival.

AAP lcf/msk

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Obama and family fly to Hawaii for Xmas

President Barack Obama and his family are spending the Christmas holidays in Hawaii, officials say. Source: AAP

PRESIDENT Barack Obama and his family are spending the Christmas holidays in Hawaii, where he was born and raised.

The first family left Washington aboard Air Force One on Friday night. They are to arrive in Honolulu early on Saturday.

White House officials say the president's holiday itinerary doesn't include any scheduled public events.

No return date has been given by the White House. Obama himself said earlier on Friday that, since a deal hasn't been reached to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff," he would be returning to Washington after Christmas.

The president told reporters: "I'll see you next week."

Obama and his family traditionally spend the end-of-year holidays in Hawaii.

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Boom state WA forecasts budget deficit

THE West Australian government has flagged the boom state's first deficit in 13 years, sparking calls for a complete review of capital expenditure programs.

In its Mid Year Economic Review, released on Friday, the state's books were tipped to slide into the red by $187 million in 2013/14 with the softening in mining royalties expected to continue.

That would follow an expected surplus for the current financial year of $140 million, down $56 million from budget estimates.

Treasurer Troy Buswell said it had become increasingly evident the WA economy was faced with "structural challenges" in commodity and foreign exchange markets - so much so that it had changed its forecasting methodology.

For instance, the WA government previously assumed the iron-ore price would return to its long-term average within four years but had stretched that out to 10 years, and believed commodity price volatility had become the new norm.

Mr Buswell said he was confident that the looming deficit could be avoided - if revenue projections proved too pessimistic and if spending was curbed - but opposition treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt said it was impossible.

"There's no way he's going to correct it in just one (financial) year," Mr Wyatt told reporters.

Mr Wyatt was also damning of the state government's projected steady rise in net debt over the forward estimates to $24.76 billion in 2015/16 - despite its previously stated pledge to cap debt at $20 billion.

"Troy Buswell has presided over average expense growth of 10 per cent every year that Colin Barnett has been premier," Mr Wyatt said, adding that it was time for the scandal-prone minister to go.

"When a treasurer can stand up during one of the state's great boom times and produce books that forecast a deficit in two years' time, it's time for that treasurer to acknowledge and for the premier to acknowledge that he's not focused on the job, he's more interested in part-time gags.

"I think every Western Australian who will be paying for this set of financial books for a long time yet were expecting a lot more."

Mr Buswell said the higher debt levels were needed to meet the infrastructure and services demands of a growing population, with some 1500 new arrivals in WA each week, and that managing expense growth was a core priority.

But the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA's chief economist John Nicolaou said the next WA government - given the state election was set for March - should commit to doing a full review of capital expenditure programs "to ensure the lion's share of the burden of balancing the books isn't left to business".

"Efficiency dividends will only go so far before a complete review of programs is required," Mr Nicolaou said.

"Net debt levels will remain a key challenge facing an incoming government, to ensure WA retains its AAA credit rating and the ability to fund election priorities."

Ratings agencies on Thursday warned that the state was at risk of losing its AAA credit rating due to high debt levels.

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Police warn of High Court case scam

POLICE are appealing for victims of a widespread fraud which they say has seen Australians hand over more than $2 million.

NSW Police said on Friday that they had launched an investigation into the allegedly fraudulent scheme, which asks people to provide funds for a supposed High Court case.

People are being told the case relates to "national security" and is shrouded in secrecy.

"They are promised a higher return on any investment or payment they make towards the cause," police said in a statement.

"Consequently, these victims have deposited funds into a bank account."

So far, police believe more than $2 million has been lost to the fraud.

Since 2007, funds have been provided by a number of victims at a range of financial institutions in NSW, Victoria, the ACT, Queensland and South Australia.

"We would urge anyone who is approached along these lines to be cautious and not hand over any money, it's a fraud," Detective Senior Constable Nathan Hogg, from Albury Criminal Investigation Unit, said.

"Also, we need anyone who has knowledge of this fraud or is an existing victim to contact Crime Stoppers immediately."

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Canberra police get Taser cameras

ACT police will be armed with new Tasers equipped with video recording capabilities from Friday. Source: AAP

ACT police will be armed with new Tasers with video cameras on them from Friday.

The new X2 Tasers also have audio recording capability.

They will be given to sergeants who are supervisors on each shift and replace an older model that did not have video cameras.

Acting Deputy Chief Police Officer Paul Shakeshaft said the weapon's new features would ensure it was used in line with strict guidelines about collecting evidence.

"When police are confronted with volatile and violent situations, Tasers with video cameras have the real potential to de-escalate these situations when activated in conjunction with a verbal warning," he said in a statement on Friday.

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Europe launches British military satellite

A EUROPEAN rocket has launched a major satellite designed to expand telecommunications for the British military from the Kourou space base in French Guiana, flight operators say.

Skynet 5D - the fourth in Britain's new generation of Skynet military satellites - was taken aloft by a heavy Ariane 5 at 2149 GMT on Wednesday (0849 AEDT on Thursday), Arianespace said in an internet feed of the launch.

The 4.8-tonne satellite was partnered by a second payload, Mexsat Bicentenario, a 2.9-tonne telecoms satellite for the Mexican government.

The Skynet system is a public-private arrangement between Britain's Ministry of Defence and the space firm Astrium, which builds the satellites.

Under it, British forces pay an annual charge for which they are guaranteed bandwidth for their communications, and any surplus is sold to fellow NATO countries or other allies.

Skynet 5D is designed to provide coverage over the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

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Sudan bus collision kills 33 people

THIRTY-THREE people have been killed and 24 injured when two inter-city buses collided in Sudan, in one of the country's worst road accidents in years.

The crash between a full-sized passenger bus and a minibus occurred late on Wednesday near the small community of El Kamlien, about halfway between Khartoum and Wad Medani.

"The minibus tried to overtake another vehicle and then collided with the bus," which was travelling in the opposite direction, a police statement said.

Deadly road accidents, often involving buses, are relatively common in Sudan, where driving skills are poor.

The latest follows complaints by city bus drivers in Khartoum that Sudan's surging inflation and sinking currency have driven maintenance costs out of control.

In October, 13 people died and 26 were injured when a passenger bus blew a tyre and collided with a minibus on the road to Wad Medani southeast of the capital, official media reported at the time.

Twenty-one people died in April 2009 when a bus and a truck collided south of Khartoum.

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Qld public servants reject pay offer

Queensland's public servants have rejected the state government's 2.35 per cent pay offer. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S public servants have rejected the state government's controversial wage offer.

The government sent the core wage agreement directly to 55,000 public servants for a vote three weeks ago, bypassing the public service union.

Together union refused to endorse the offer because it removed job security and no-contracting-out clauses.

The government offered the workers, who are mainly administration staff, a 2.35 per cent pay rise every year for three years.

Together told AAP 22,000 votes out of 28,000 received have been counted so far, and just under 70 per cent have voted no.

Secretary Alex Scott said the vote was a referendum on the Newman government's treatment of the public service, which had 14,000 positions axed this year.

"This is a huge repudiation of the cuts and the agenda the government has been trying to push through," he said.

"The public servants have clearly stood up to the government."

Comment has been sought from the state government.

Minister Assisting the Premier Glen Elmes confirmed the majority of public servants had rejected the offer.

He said 75 per cent of the vote had been counted, with enough "no" votes to place the result beyond doubt.

It's likely the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission will decide on the future pay and conditions of public servants, Mr Elmes said.

He said it was an "unfortunate outcome" for workers, with arbitration known to take up to two years in some cases.

Public servants would now have to wait to get a pay rise, the minister said.

He blamed the Together union for "fooling" workers into believing the ballot would have an effect on their job security.

"This ballot was always a simple question about whether public servants wanted a pay rise," he said in a statement.

The government will meet unions and the industrial relations commission early next year to discuss the next step.

Mr Elmes said the government would continue to focus on making the state's public service a nation-leader in terms of responsiveness and efficiency.

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Teens survive collision with train in Qld

FOUR teenagers were lucky to escape serious injury when their car was hit by a freight train in central Queensland.

Two 19-year-old males and two females, 18 and 19, suffered only cuts and bruises after their vehicle left the Gladstone road and careered into the path of an oncoming coal train just after midnight (AEST).

The unloaded train collided with the car with enough force to push it off the tracks.

The train driver escaped injury.

Police have charged the male driver with drink driving and driving with undue care and attention.

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Gang rape in India sparks protests

MPS, rights groups and citizens across India have expressed outrage over the gang rape of a woman on a bus in New Delhi and are urging the government to crack down on crimes against women.

Opposition lawmakers protested outside parliament on Wednesday and called for the death penalty for the rapists.

Demonstrations erupted outside New Delhi's police headquarters demanding swift punishment for the rapists, and angry university students set up roadblocks across the city.

Police say six men raped the 23-year-old medical student, and beat her and her companion with iron rods before throwing them off the bus on Sunday.

The woman was in a critical condition in hospital and doctors said she has severe internal injuries.

Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar said four men have been arrested and a search was underway for the two other men.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told parliament that he had ordered increased police patrols on the streets, especially at night.

Shinde said the government has proposed amendments to criminal laws to increase the punishment for rapes and other crimes against women but they are still awaiting discussion and passage in parliament.

Analysts and protesters said the upsurge of anger was chiefly due to the increasing incidents of crime against women and the seeming inability of the government and police to ensure the safety of women.

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Share hope this Christmas: Uniting Church

AS you get together with family and friends this Christmas, do not forget those facing hardship, the Uniting Church says.

In the annual Christmas message, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Reverend Professor Andrew Dutney, said the holiday was a time for all Australians to come together and renew bonds of family and friendship.

But while Australia was a rich and lucky country, Rev Dutney said there were many who will experience hardship over the season.

"Often we see that hardship, but for one reason or another we find ourselves looking away," he said on Wednesday.

"The message of Christmas is one of hope. So please share that hope by opening your hearts to your neighbour, welcoming the stranger, helping whoever it is who needs your care.

"As you and your loved ones celebrate Christmas this year and reflect on the year just past, I encourage you to open your hearts and minds."

On behalf of the Uniting Church, Rev Dutney wished all Australians a safe and happy Christmas.

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Aust bonds lower after RBA minutes

AUSTRALIAN bond futures prices were lower after the release of the minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest board meeting reduced traders' expectations of future interest rate cuts.

RBC Capital Markets fixed income strategist Su-Lin Ong said local bond futures prices fell following the release of the RBA's minutes at 1130 AEDT.

"The minutes from the December meeting suggested it was quite a close decision and I guess the interpretation is that with the cash rate down to three per cent the hurdle to cut further may be quite high," she said.

"So that weighed quite high on fixed income markets."

The RBA cut the cash rate to three per cent in December, from 3.25 per cent previously.

Ms Ong said developments in negotiations on the 'fiscal cliff' of tax hikes and spending cuts due to apply in 2013, unless US political leaders can agree to alternative measures, was likely to drive bond markets over the coming days.

"I think most attention is on these fiscal cliff negotiations, we have had some progress since the weekend and I think there is an expectation that we are inching closer to both a compromise and agreement," Ms Ong said.

US President Barack Obama has offered a proposal to House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner which would raise revenue by $US1.2 trillion ($A1.14 trillion), and cut spending by the same amount.

At 1630 AEDT on Tuesday, the March 10-year bond futures contract was at 96.640 (implying a yield of 3.360 per cent), down from 96.670 (3.330 per cent) on Monday.

The March three-year bond futures contract was trading at 97.220 (2.780 per cent), down from 97.235 (2.765 per cent).

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Man faces 10 years jail over flight abuse

AN international flight was diverted after a drunken Perth man allegedly tried to smoke a cigarette on the plane before punching and spitting on crew members.

The 34-year-old man was taken off the flight, enroute from Sydney to Japan on Monday night, when it was diverted to Cairns.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege the man was heavily intoxicated and was abusive towards the crew and other passengers.

He had to be forcibly restrained by the crew and was arrested when the plane landed in Cairns, police said.

Assistant commissioner Shane Connelly said the public needed to remember that when they travelled on an aircraft their behaviour was subject to Australian laws.

"Enough is enough. An aircraft captain and co-pilot can ill-afford to be distracted from their duties of safely flying an aircraft by having to deal with drunk, violent or disorderly passengers," he said.

"The cabin crew are there to make your flight safe and enjoyable.

"They should not have to restrain violent passengers, be abused or assaulted, or be interfered with in conducting their duties."

AFP responded to more than 1000 alcohol-related incidents at Australia's 10 major airports during the 2011-12 financial year.

Out of those incidents, 145 were for offences related to offensive and disorderly behaviour and excessive alcohol consumption.

AFP said the plane was forced to dump its fuel load when it diverted to Cairns and the airline would seek to recover significant costs.

The man was due to face Cairns Magistrate Court on Tuesday charged with smoking in an aircraft, disorderly and offensive behaviour on board an aircraft, and interfering with crew or aircraft.

The offences carry a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.

He will also be charged with assaulting crew general, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

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Price cut for some SA power users

The SA government has negotiated price cut for around 20 per cent of the state's electricity users. Source: AAP

ABOUT 200,000 South Australian households will get an electricity price cut from January, with the state government indicating more will follow in a looming discounting war.

The government has negotiated a 9.1 per cent price cut for about 20 per cent of the state's electricity consumers in return for locking in the new prices for two years.

Small businesses will get a 4.5 per cent price cut under the same deal.

The Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) will also lose its price-setting powers from February when the state's electricity market becomes fully deregulated.

The government says the new deal will benefit all consumers, including those on cheaper market contracts, as increased competition among existing and new retailers prompts a "race to the bottom".

"With the deregulation of the electricity retail market here in South Australia, we will see a price war that will put further downward pressure on electricity prices," Premier Jay Weatherill told reporters on Tuesday.

"This is a fantastic present for South Australian energy consumers."

Mr Weatherill said ESCOSA would remain in place to monitor prices and the government would reintroduce regulation at the first sign of collusion or other anti-competitive behaviour involving energy retailers.

Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan said South Australia was the first state to act on the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement earlier this year on energy market reform.

"This decision is a great result for people of SA and will mean greater competition, more choice and lower prices," Mr Swan said in a statement.

The South Australian Council of Social Services also welcomed the price cut, which it said would save the average household $180 a year.

The Energy Retailers Association of Australia and the Energy Supply Association of Australia both welcomed the changes and said the deregulation would offer consumers more choice and better services.

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Murder accused's wife faces Qld court

THE wife of a man accused of murdering Ayr woman Sarahjane Dower has appeared in a Queensland court charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Jody Viero, 29, was given bail in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday after her case was adjourned until January 14.

Viero is also facing charges of arson, interfering with a corpse and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Ms Dower disappeared on September 1 and human remains were discovered in her burnt-out vehicle two days later in a creek near Townsville in north Queensland.

Police are yet to confirm the remains are those of Ms Dower but her ex-partner and the father of her two children, Kynan Watego Devenna, has been charged with her murder.

Former soldier Devenna, 30, who served in Afghanistan and East Timor is also facing charges of interfering with a corpse and arson.

Devenna's matter was adjourned until January 18 with further testing of blood at the crime scene to be undertaken.

The Ayr community has set up a fund to support Ms Dower's two sons, aged six and nine.

Her stepfather John McDonnell said the family had been thankful for the support.

"The boys are going well, they've just finished at school for the year and they are as happy as they can be," Mr McDonnell told the Townsville Bulletin.

"But it's not really a Christmas without her."

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WA police find marron, marijuana at house

A 59-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with drug-related offences following a search of his home south of Perth, which also uncovered 37 live marron in the bathtub.

Police searched the man's Mandurah home on Saturday afternoon and found about 290 grams of cannabis and various electrical items allegedly stolen from a vehicle in the same area the previous night.

Officers from the Department of Fisheries also went to the house because the recreational fishing season for marron does not start until January 8.

The man was charged with one count of possessing a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply, one count of supplying a prohibited drug and one count of receiving stolen goods.

He is due to appear in Mandurah Magistrates Court on Friday.

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Land tax revenue would have to triple: Vic

Land tax revenue would have to triple if Victoria abolished stamp duty, the state government says. Source: AAP

LAND tax revenue would have to triple if Victoria abolished stamp duty, the state government says.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has urged the states to reform their own taxation regimes, saying they could start by getting rid of stamp duty.

Victorian Treasurer Kim Wells said it would mean Victorian families would be hit with a huge increase in land tax.

"Labor would have Victoria more than triple land tax revenue and levy it on the family home," Mr Wells said in a statement after a meeting of treasurers in Canberra on Monday.

The meeting wound up without any major agreement on the GST.

Mr Wells said the Victorian coalition government had said on a number of occasions that it did not support extending GST to services like health and education.

"We have advocated for a number of sensible reforms, including a lowering of the low value GST threshold for imports," he said.

"The Commonwealth also needs to make an effort to close loopholes in the GST system which are undermining the revenue base."

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Union warned about WA dock's standards

A KARRATHA man's arm was crushed as he worked at the dock supplying Chevron's massive Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia on Saturday, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says.

The man was airlifted to a Perth hospital after his arm became trapped between the dock and a barge at the Mermaid Marine Supply base in Dampier, which is used exclusively by Chevron.

MUA WA secretary Chris Cain described Chevron and its contractor as "cowboys", saying poor safety standards had been a problem at the Mermaid Marine Supply base for months.

"It's becoming clearer and clearer that Chevron and their contractors like Mermaid are cutting corners to make up time and money on the Gorgon project," Mr Cain said.

The union said WorkSafe WA had been warned that poor training and management made an accident "inevitable".

Safety representatives had arranged for WorkSafe WA inspectors to visit the site on Friday.

"We've got serious issues when the day after WorkSafe says there's no problem, ambulances are called to an accident of the type exactly predicted by health and safety representatives," Mr Cain said.

The union said the accident raised serious questions that need to be answered, such as why WorkSafe was called to investigate the accident hours after it happened.

WorkSafe and Mermaid Marine have been contacted for comment.

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ANC conference starts with Zuma under fire

SOUTH Africa's ruling ANC kicked off what promises to be a contentious five-yearly party conference on Sunday, with embattled President Jacob Zuma facing a leadership challenge from his number two.

Thousands of singing and dancing ANC members clad in party colours and regalia descended on the city of Bloemfontein for the five-day conference, which will go a long way toward deciding who will lead South Africa until the end of the decade.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe is hoping to wrest control of the party from Zuma.

Should he succeed, the ANC's commanding electoral standing means he is almost certain to become the country's next president.

But Zuma -- despite being marred in a series of financial scandals and leading the party to its most serious crisis in decades -- is expected to prevail.

Preliminary voting has put the incumbent well ahead of his rival in the leadership stakes, and he remains the odds-on favourite to remain in power after the 2014 elections.

But with the party in the kind of crisis seldom seen since it was banned by the apartheid government in 1960, Zuma could be in for a rocky ride.

The conference will cap a horrendous year for the storied revolutionary movement.

Despite the cadres' best efforts, 12 months of celebrations to mark the party's 100th year have been drowned out by allegations of corruption, flashes of authoritarianism and economic mismanagement which critics say borders on gross negligence.

Zuma is expected to address some of those issues in a speech later on Sunday, before candidates for key party posts are named.

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Treasurers meet to discuss tax reform

TAX reform will top the agenda when Treasurer Wayne Swan meets his state and territory counterparts on Monday but his government is holding firm against any major changes to the GST.

The Standing Council on Federal Financial Relations is expected to discuss stamp duty on home sales and the recent GST review led by former premiers Nick Greiner and John Brumby when it meets in Canberra.

Mr Swan said on Sunday that tax reform isn't the exclusive job of the federal government.

"All levels of government must do their share of the heavy lifting - a point I'll be making to my state and territory counterparts tomorrow," the treasurer said in his weekly economic note.

Mr Swan singled out state stamp duties on home sales for particular scorn, saying they discourage people from relocating for work and make it harder for people to upsize or downsize as their families change.

But Mr Swan has made it clear the government remains opposed to raising the rate or broadening the base of the goods and services tax.

"It's wrong to pretend that jacking up the GST is the holy grail of tax reform," he said.

"While it has become an accepted part of the tax mix and its integrity should be protected, the fact is it is a regressive tax - those on lower incomes pay a larger proportion of their incomes on it than those on higher incomes."

Extending the tax on food, health and education would hit those on the bottom 20 per cent of incomes much harder, he said.

The GST rate has been 10 per cent since it was introduced in mid-2000, and fresh food, education and health products are exempt.

The GST review proposed a number of refinements to the tax's distribution arrangements.

Queensland, NSW, Victoria and WA put in a joint proposal to the review arguing for a population-based distribution of GST funds, which would slash money going to smaller states.

The federal government's Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT) will also be on the treasurers' agenda.

Mr Swan has also called on Australians to submit their ideas and priorities for next year's budget.

But people should keep in mind the pressures on government revenue, he said.

"That means proposals for budget spending should ideally be accompanied by proposals for equivalent savings," he said.

Submissions should be sent to Treasury's Budget Policy Division or emailed to prebudgetsubs@treasury.gov.au no later than January 31.

The budget will be handed down on May 11.

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Two dead after shooting at US hotel

US police say a man and woman are dead after a shooting at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Ray Steiber said the shooting happened at about 8.30pm on Friday at the Excalibur hotel-casino.

Steiber said a man shot a woman near the front entrance of the high-rise hotel and the man then turned the gun on himself and was found dead at the scene.

Steiber said the woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Neither the gunman nor the victim was identified.

However, Steiber said the woman worked as a vendor at the hotel's concierge desk, where tourists can get show tickets and restaurant reservations.

He said the relationship between the shooter and the victim wasn't immediately clear.

No one else was injured.

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Philippine cops kill Malaysian 'terrorist'

PHILIPPINE police have killed a suspected Malaysian terrorist who was allegedly planning a bomb attack in one of the largest cities in the country's south, police say.

The suspected terrorist, identified as Mohd Noor Fikrie Bin Abud Kahar, was shot dead by police on Friday following a scuffle inside a hotel in Davao, a bustling port city and a regional commercial hub on the main southern island of Mindanao.

As the man and his Filipino wife were checking out of the hotel, he tried to grab a backpack from his wife containing a homemade bomb, Davao city police chief Ronald de la Rosa said.

Officers tried to seize the man, who broke free and threatened to detonate the device.

"You want the bomb? You want the bomb? Shoot me! Shoot me! I will explode the bomb," de la Rosa quoted the man as saying.

The threats prompted officers and people in the hotel lobby to scamper out for safety, the police chief said.

The man and his wife then ran into the street, where they hugged each other as the man raised a mobile phone, threatening to use it to trigger the bomb.

The man grabbed the backpack from his wife and ran toward a park full of revellers while his wife was arrested by police, de la Rosa told The Associated Press by telephone from Davao, about 980 kilometres south of Manila.

Guards locked the park's gate to keep the man out.

Still raising his hand that held the mobile phone, he then ran into a packed restaurant where a sniper shot him twice in the chest. Other officers then fired at him and killed him, de la Rosa said.

The bomb, which was subsequently defused, was fashioned from a mortar shell.

The police chief said intelligence reports indicated terrorists planned to explode a bomb in Davao.

Intelligence agents had received a tip from a "very reliable source" that the couple were staying at the hotel, de la Rosa said.

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Yemen airstrikes kill 6 al-Qaeda suspects

Yemeni officials say six al-Qaeda suspects have been killed in army attacks on militant positions. Source: AAP

YEMENI security officials say six al-Qaeda suspects have been killed and 12 others wounded in army attacks on militant positions around the country.

The officials say two militants were killed on Friday in airstrikes in southern Abyan province. The attacks came days after militants overran a military post in the area.

The officials also say four militants died when the military shelled their positions in Marib province, to the east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

Washington considers Yemen's al-Qaeda offshoot to be the world's most dangerous branch of the terror network. The US is helping the Yemeni government battle the militants.

Al-Qaeda has retaliated by carrying out assassinations of several senior Yemeni military officials.

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ICAC hears of coal deal 'games'

THE son of Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid accused people of "playing games" on a multimillion-dollar coal deal in a secretly taped phone call to a mate of former NSW energy minister Ian Macdonald, a corruption inquiry has heard.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday heard an intercepted phone call between Moses Obeid and Greg Jones, a friend of then mines and energy minister Ian Macdonald, who is at the centre of a corruption inquiry into the granting of coal licences in the NSW Upper Hunter.

The May 2011 call was made after investors in Cascade Coal had struck a deal promising the Obeids $60 million to get out of their mining venture in the Bylong Valley, but the Obeids received only $30 million.

In the call, Moses Obeid says to Mr Jones, "From where we're sitting it looks like someone's f***g playing games".

Mr Jones, who had a secret shareholding in Cascade, says "You're missing the whole f***king point. I don't think you have any idea what we've been through."

The ICAC has heard that a $30 million payment was made to the Obeids from the bank account of Cascade investor Richard Poole's wife, Amanda.

The Obeids are still pressing Cascade investors for the remaining $30 million, the inquiry has heard.

In another taped phone call from May last year, Mr Jones says he has just had a "bloody big blue" with the Obeids, before going on to describe them as "paranoid idiots" and "off with the f****n pixies".

The ICAC also heard a taped phone call from April 2011 between Mr Poole and Mr Jones, soon after a $500 million deal for White Energy to purchase Cascade fell over and a new buyer was being sought for Cascade.

In that call, Mr Jones calls himself a "free moving spirit", before telling Mr Poole to "do what you think" and then "we'll have a look at it".

Poole replies, "I've made some wild assumptions, but we want money fast and we don't give a f**k how we get there."

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Australia to do defence deal with Denmark

AUSTRALIA will team up with Denmark on producing and procuring defence equipment, Defence Minister Stephen Smith says.

Mr Smith hosted his Danish counterpart Nick Haekkerup in Perth on Friday.

The minister said Australia and Denmark will sign a defence materiel memorandum of understanding.

"(It) will foster co-operation in the use of defence technical resources and encourage and promote discussion on joint development, production and procurement of defence materiel," Mr Smith said.

The pair also discussed Australia and Denmark's respective contributions to the war in Afghanistan and plans for a 2014 withdrawal.

Denmark has 567 troops in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan while Australia has 1094 in Uruzgan Province.

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Sonic Youth singer's guitar stolen

SONIC Youth guitarist and singer Thurston Moore says his iconic guitar was stolen after a show in Philadelphia.

Moore reported on the band's Facebook page on Thursday that his circa-1966 Fender Jazzmaster guitar was pilfered late on Wednesday night from the Best Western hotel where he was staying.

Philadelphia police spokeswoman Jillian Russell said Moore was in the hotel's bar with his luggage and guitar when he noticed the guitar was missing. She said it's valued at $US20,000 ($A19,083).

Such appeals to the public have helped the band track down stolen gear before. A rental truck full of their one-of-a-kind guitars, amps and drums was stolen in southern California in 1999.

Moore is a founding member of Sonic Youth, an influential alternative band that formed in 1981 in New York City.

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SA man charged over cigarette scam

A MAN has been arrested for stealing cigarettes from two Adelaide supermarkets after allegedly posing as a tobacco company employee collecting discontinued stock.

Adelaide police said the 33-year-old from suburban Mile End had been charged with two counts of theft by deception in relation to thefts from supermarket at Plympton and Kilkenny.

He was granted police bail to appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on January 23.

A police spokeswoman said an investigation was continuing into the thefts of a large quantity of cigarettes from other venues.

Earlier this week Victorian police said a man posing as a tobacco company employee had collected cartons of cigarettes worth more than $30,000 from supermarkets in Victoria and South Australia.

They said the man told staff he was there to remove discontinued stock due to the introduction of mandatory plain packaging of tobacco products.

He says he will be back with new stock - but doesn't return.

AAP

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NAB chief sprukes IR and tax overhaul

THE head of National Australia Bank (NAB) has called for an overhaul of Australia's industrial relations and taxation systems as the resources investment boom nears its peak.

NAB Chairman Michael Chaney said investment would reach a high in the next year or two, putting the onus on government to focus on microeconomic reform.

"We've got to make sure that as the terms of trade are lower we focus on productivity in order to get economic growth," Mr Chaney told reporters after NAB's annual general meeting (AGM) in Perth on Thursday.

"If any part of the economy turns down, all banks are affected."

Mr Chaney said the nation would need to increase productivity to achieve acceptable economic growth.

"This will only come about through a renewed focus on microeconomic reform in industrial relations, regulation, infrastructure and taxation, to name a few," he told the meeting.

He also suggested a review of the domestic funding model used by local banks, which raise a significant amount of their funding on international, short-term, and wholesale funding markets.

Australia's economy had been very strong in recent years, leading to strength in the banking sector, he said.

"All of the stress tests carried out by the regulator indicate the banks will continue to be very strong in the event of any sort of a downturn," he said.

The global financial crisis had shown how banks' funding can be threatened, and resolving issues surrounding the current model could help avoid constraints on Australia's economic growth, he said.

Mr Chaney added that using Australia's growing superannuation pool could be one funding solution, along with a more neutral tax treatment of savings.

It follows opposition calls for a review of Australia's financial system.

Mr Chaney said the $1.3 trillion in superannuation funds under management now formed a substantial part of the financial system.

"People who invest in equities don't make bank deposits and that causes the banks to go to the wholesale funding markets offshore and any review of the system needs to take account of that pool of superannuation savings as well as banking assets and deposits," he said.

Other ideas included the development of an active corporate bond market in Australia and increasing domestic deposits.

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EU seals deal on watchdog for banks

THE European Union has agreed to create a bank supervisor to oversee lenders across the eurozone, following marathon talks which ended hours before the year's final EU summit.

The summit later on Thursday will aim to end the third gruelling year of the debt crisis on a high note with a Christmas gift for Greece, by officially releasing the next tranche of international aid.

Under the scheme approved by EU finance ministers overnight, a new single supervisor for eurozone banks will allow banks to be recapitalised directly without adding to government debt loads.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is to manage the system in tandem with the EU-wide European Banking Authority and national supervisors.

The "overall aim is to restore confidence in the banking sector", said the meeting's chair, Cypriot Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly, as he announced the deal to the press in the early morning hours, comparing the deal to a "Christmas present for the whole of Europe".

From March 2014, banks with assets worth more than 30 billion euros ($A37.45 billion) will be covered directly, although the ECB will be able to call up other smaller lenders over which it has liquidity fears.

EU financial markets commissioner Michel Barnier said the new supervision deal was a "first stage" that would over the course of 2013 be followed up by legislative proposals for a fund to wind up banks that can't be fixed and also a cross-border deposit guarantee.

The "historic" agreement came after 14 hours of talks and less than 12 hours ahead of the two-day summit of EU leaders who ordered the marathon preparations.

Britain, which will not be joining the new system, wanted special voting rights that would protect the City of London global financial centre, and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said it was "a good outcome for the entire European Union", but that "the countries that weren't going to join the banking union, like Britain, were protected".

The so-called Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) will ultimately allow eurozone rescue funds to directly recapitalise struggling banks such as those which failed in Greece and Spain, where a burst property bubble left a string of bad debts.

Barnier told a press conference that the ECB, which lies at the centre of the new arrangements, would directly supervise some 200 of the biggest of the estimated 6000 eurozone lenders under the scheme.

Fresh from the European Union's much-discussed Nobel Peace Prize, the summit later in the day is set to turn back on the tap and begin delivering some 40 billion euros in loans to Greece.

The release of the funds, after months of delay, comes in return for harsh economic austerity programs that have generated a flood of protests - and chilling talk of Greece's exit from the eurozone.

But economic reform efforts across Europe, while whipping up social unrest, have eased market pressure on the euro single currency. And the biggest impact was a vow by the ECB to offer almost unlimited guarantees to prevent bigger countries falling into similar trouble.

The crisis has seen debt bounce around between government and bank books, and the foundation stone for a banking union delivers a fresh step towards closer cross-border integration in future.

"We will come out of this together, and stronger," said EU Council President and summit chair Herman Van Rompuy of the combined moves to beat the economic doom and gloom at this week's Nobel awards ceremony in non-EU star economy Norway.

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Hewson to join board of PNG miner Larus

Former opposition leader John Hewson will join the board of oil and gas explorer Larus Energy. Source: AAP

FORMER opposition leader John Hewson will join the board of oil and gas explorer Larus Energy as a non-executive director.

Dr Hewson will join the Papua New Guinea focused company as it develops its PNG oil and gas project.

Dr Hewson said there was considerable potential within Larus Energy's asset in PNG.

"The company is well positioned to develop and commercialise its assets," Dr Hewson said.

Dr Hewson is currently working alongside local financial interests and banks in bidding to build a gas fired power plant and a biochar project in PNG.

Larus Energy's chairman Kay Philip will step down from the board at the end of 2012.

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Russia 'deeply regrets' N. Korea rocket

RUSSIA says it deeply regrets North Korea's long-range rocket launch, and warns it would do nothing to help regional stability.

"Russia deeply regrets the new rocket launch undertaken by North Korea in defiance of international opinion, including calls by Moscow," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The launch would "not help the strengthening of stability and would have a negative effect" on the situation in the region, it added.

Russia said it was "unacceptable" that the launch flew in the face of UN Security Council resolution 1874 that bans North Korea from the use of ballistic missile technology in rocket launches.

It called on North Korea to refrain from any new steps that would contradict UN Security Council resolutions but also urged "other sides" not to take actions that could further raise tensions.

The defence ministry said that trajectory of the rocket had not taken it over Russian territory.

"Experts are now looking at data to determine whether a new satellite is in orbit," the spokesman of the defence ministry's airspaces forces Alexei Zolotukhin told Interfax.

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Pet shop stops selling Christmas puppies

A pet store in Adelaide says it will not sell puppies as Christmas presents to stop impulse buying. Source: AAP

A PET store in Adelaide has stopped selling puppies in the lead-up to Christmas to discourage impulse buying.

The Pet Spot at suburban Salisbury says selling puppies as Christmas presents contributes to many animals being dumped afterwards.

Instead, it's urging people who "genuinely want the wonderful addition of a pet for Xmas" to contact an animal rescue group.

The shop concedes its stand might appear rude to some.

"But we are trying to promote and achieve responsible pet ownership," it said on Wednesday.

After revealing its decision on Facebook this month the store's stand has attracted almost 20,000 likes.

It has also prompted a range of mostly positive comments.

"Now if we could just stop backyard breeders and puppy farmers, we and our pets just might look forward to a happy New Year," said one pet owner Helen Thomas.

A South Australian parliamentary committee will next year examine the companion animal industry including issues surrounding the so-called puppy factories, registration of animals and compulsory desexing in a bid to reduce the number of animals being euthanased.

Labor MP Leon Bignell proposed the inquiry and said many MPs knew of stories that did not end well for companion dogs and cats.

"Particularly around Christmas time when people buy a cute little furry ball of fun that they think the whole family is going to enjoy," he told parliament.

"Suddenly, when they are cleaning up after this kitten or this puppy, it is not quite the fairytale they had in mind."

The inquiry has been backed by Liberal frontbencher Duncan McFetridge, a vet of 22 years, who said he had worked at the coalface of pet ownership.

"I have seen many fantastic stories, but I have seen unfortunately some absolute tragedies where people take on more than they had ever anticipated or expected," he said.

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