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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