US driver survives plunge off cliff

A driver who survived a 90-metre plunge told rescuers he intentionally drove off the ocean cliff. Source: AAP

A DRIVER who plunged 90 metres off a Southern California ocean cliff was rescued after firefighters waded into the surf to free him from the car.

KNBC-TV says the 19-year-old man, who was in hospital in a critical condition, told paramedics that he intentionally drove off the cliff.

Authorities were called to the scene at about 2am local time on Friday.

They found the car being slammed by waves.

Firefighters, lifeguards and local police helped in the rescue. The driver was finally pulled free and flown to hospital.

The crash site is on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, about 32 kilometres south of downtown Los Angeles.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25)

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SA bushfire under control

A serious bushfire south of Adelaide has been contained the Country Fire Service says. Source: AAP

FIREFIGHTERS have protected a South Australian country town from an out-of-control bushfire, with two fire crew volunteers injured while quelling the blaze.

An emergency alert was issued at 3pm (AEDT) on Saturday about a serious bushfire burning towards the town of Mallala, north of Adelaide.

About 200 Country Fire Service (CFS) personnel battled the blaze at Lower Light with 35 appliances and the help of water bombers.

A CFS spokeswoman said firefighters contained the blaze after it had travelled seven kilometres in three hours.

"The fire was fast-moving and came close to a farming community and within three to four kilometres of the Mallala township," she said.

"But fortunately CFS firefighters managed to protect the township."

A male CFS firefighter was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening chest injuries.

A female CFS firefighter was treated at the fire for smoke inhalation.

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Port Hedland evacuates due to cyclone

A cyclone warning has been issued for coastal areas along Western Australia's northern coast. Source: AAP

SHIPS are being moved from a major port in Western Australia ahead of a developing tropical cyclone expected to hit on Saturday night.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says a tropical low north of WA is expected to develop into a tropical cyclone by Saturday night as it moves southwest.

The low is 340 kilometres north-northwest of Broome, moving at nine kilometres an hour.

The Port Hedland Port Authority began the evacuation of 29 vessels in the inner and outer anchorage areas on Saturday morning.

Another 12 ships in the inner harbour also began evacuating on Saturday.

The port authority said in a statement it anticipated the last vessel would leave the shipping channel by 3am on Sunday.

Gale-force winds and widespread rainfall are expected to hit the Port Hedland area on Sunday.

Winds with gusts of up to 100km/h are forecast to develop through Saturday night on the west Kimberley coast between Cape Leveque and Broome.

BOM advises gales and heavy rainfall may extend to Exmouth and adjacent inland areas on Sunday night and Monday.

If the tropical low system develops as BOM expects, a severe tropical cyclone will likely hit the Pilbara on Monday or Tuesday.

A cyclone warning is in place for coastal areas from Cape Leveque to Whim Creek.

The State Emergency Service is urging residents in or near coastal communities between Dampier Peninsula and Onslow in the Kimberley and Pilbara to prepare emergency kits.

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Cyclone brewing off WA's north

A TROPICAL cyclone is likely for Western Australia's northern coast this weekend, with possible 100km/h winds to hit the Kimberley.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued a cyclone warning for coastal areas from Kuri Bay to Broome on Friday, and also a cyclone watch alert from Broome to De Grey.

The BoM said a tropical low to the north of Broome was expected to form into a tropical cyclone on Saturday.

The system is expected to intensify over the weekend as it tracks southwest towards the Pilbara coast on Monday.

The Port Hedland Port Authority said the Pilbara iron ore export hub was expected to be hit by gales from late Sunday night, so port evacuations should start from Saturday afternoon.

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One dead after Qld truck smash

ONE motorist is dead after a truck and a car collided on a Queensland highway.

The crash, which sparked a grassfire, happened about 4.20pm (AEST) on Friday on the Mount Lindesay Highway, between Greenbank and Jimboomba.

It is the second death on Queensland roads since the beginning of the national holiday road toll period, which runs from midnight on December 23, 2013, until 11.59pm on January 3, 2014, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

A 69-year-old man died on Tuesday after his car crashed into a tree northwest of Bundaberg.

However, Queensland police say that fatality was caused by a medical condition.

The national toll stands at 12.

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Teenage driver dead, others charged

A TEENAGE driver has died after her car rolled in a crash in north-west NSW, while the driver of a car in an earlier accident in which two men died has been charged.

Just after midday on Friday, emergency services were called to Killarney Gap Road, 30 kilometres from Narrabri, after reports of a car crash.

At the scene police found a silver Mitsubishi Triton ute that had rolled a few times.

An 18-year-old woman, who was the only person in the vehicle, died at the scene.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old driver involved in a smash on the NSW Central Coast on Thursday attended Auburn Police Station at 10am on Friday, where he was charged with negligent driving occasioning death.

A southbound vehicle had hit an embankment north of Jolls Bridge just before 5am (AEDT) on Thursday.

One man was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.

A second man, a back-seat passenger, was trapped in the wreckage and died before he could be released.

Three other men, 29, 27 and 22, were treated by paramedics and taken to hospital.

The driver will appear at Burwood Local Court on January 21.

The crash takes the NSW holiday road toll to four and the national road toll to 11.

The national road toll period runs from midnight on December 23, 2013, until midnight on January 3, 2014, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

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Toddler saved after falling into pool

A QUICK-THINKING family member used CPR to save a toddler who fell into a pool on the NSW Central Coast.

The two-year-old girl was pulled unconscious from the backyard pool on Thursday afternoon, but she was breathing by the time paramedics arrived and she regained consciousness.

CareFlight director Ian Badham praised the quick action of the family member.

The girl was airlifted with her mother to The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

"Because she had been underwater for a while, she was taken to the hospital to be checked out and kept under observation," Mr Badham said.

She remains in a stable condition.

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Nine road deaths dampen festive season

NINE people have died on Australian roads this festive season, including two friends killed in a single-vehicle incident in NSW on Boxing Day.

A man, 31, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene of the crash on the NSW Central Coast. A second man, 22, was trapped in the wreckage and died before he could be released.

The crash, which occurred just before 5am (AEDT), left three other men aged 29, 22 and 27 in hospital.

Police said they hoped to speak to the injured men, all from Sydney suburb Auburn.

In Canberra, a motorcyclist died after losing control of his bike late on the evening of Christmas Day.

The 22-year-old hit a traffic island in the inner-north suburb of Lyneham about 11pm on Wednesday.

He died in Canberra Hospital.

In Perth, a 17-year-old boy died after falling off the back of a utility on Christmas evening.

Police say the boy suffered severe head injuries when he fell from the tray of the Nissan ute.

A 24-year-old man in the Northern Territory was killed after losing control of his motorcycle on a dirt road near the Todd River in Alice Springs on Christmas Day.

Two Victorian women killed in a head-on collision two days before Christmas were the first fatalities for the 2013 Christmas period.

A 69-year-old Queensland man died on Christmas Eve when his car hit a tree near Bundaberg.

On Monday night police found a man dead in a sedan spilt in two following a high-speed crash into a tree north of Moree in NSW.

The deaths take the national toll to nine, compared with 16 recorded by Boxing Day in 2012.

The national road toll period runs from midnight on December 23, 2013, until midnight on January 3, 2014, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

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Shoppers elbow their way towards record

Retailers say shoppers are out in force as Boxing Day sales get underway in Sydney's CBD. Source: AAP

A STRONG coffee, patience and slightly protruding elbows.

That appears to be the recipe to surviving the monstrous crowds that flocked to malls for Boxing Day sales.

Retailers and industry leaders are hopeful Thursday's crowds will break records, with one of Melbourne's busiest shopping centres full and queues surrounding Sydney's shopping drawcards.

The enthusiastic crowds may produce the 5.6 per cent increase in Boxing Day spending predicted by the Australian National Retailer Association (ANRA).

In Sydney, police were called to control foot traffic in the inner city and barricades were erected.

Queues outside stores including adidas, Lacoste and Zara remained lengthy at 4pm.

While many people were happy to give up their time to wait in line to grab a bargain, shopper Marie Blandino was not convinced.

"It's a bit of turn-off if you see the line," she told AAP.

"I just keep going."

The Guildford woman took a moment of reprieve in the shade, surrounded by her purchases, but admitted she was disappointed with the discounts.

"I thought it would be a bit more (discounted), to be honest," she said.

At Sydney's Pitt Street Mall, Penrith woman Alice, who did not want her surname published, said there was too much pushing and shoving.

"It's been a bit of an overcrowded day," she said.

"There is a bit of elbowing and nudging - you have to keep your elbows out."

Department stores Myer and David Jones opened their flagship Sydney stores at 5am, with many forming queues before then.

It was a similar story for the smaller stores in the Queen Victoria Building.

"I have been here since 6am and there were quite a few people waiting outside stores," QV Bar Cafe manager Nik Kalis said.

"A lot of people started the day with a strong coffee so they could shop harder."

At Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre, general manager Anthony Rafaniello said he was pretty sure records would be set.

"Pre-Christmas was strong but this was far stronger," he said.

"We probably couldn't fit more people."

ANRA chief executive Margy Osmond had on Thursday morning predicted a bumper Boxing Day.

"(It) probably makes it just about the best we have seen since the GFC," she said.

Victorians were tipped to spend the most this Boxing Day, at $636.8 million.

In NSW, shoppers were expected to spend $545.4 million, followed by Queensland at $349.5 million.

Some stores took the unusual step of starting their Boxing Day sales online a day or two earlier, and many shoppers chose to bargain hunt from home, with 1.5 million people recorded on the David Jones website.

In comparison, a million people passed through David Jones' flagship inner-city stores throughout the country on Boxing Day.

Cate Daniels, a David Jones operations manager, said more than 30,000 men's business shirts, 75,000 towels, 90,000 pairs of shoes and 20,000 handbags were sold.

"Whilst we have had a strong start to clearance, it is early days, with only one day's trading performance, so we need to trade through the entire clearance period to see if the early momentum is maintained," she said in a statement.

Myer's website was the source of frustrations vented on social media, with visitors being greeted by a colourful sign declaring technical difficulties.

Myer apologised on Twitter.

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Locals help out after Grinch steals gifts

GENEROUS people have been playing Santa and dropping off gifts for two Victorian families whose gifts were stolen from under their Christmas trees.

Police at Wodonga near the Victoria-NSW border are calling the thefts "an unthinkable act of heartlessness".

But they say they have been overwhelmed by the number of donated presents that have been arriving at the police station throughout Christmas Day.

The Salvation Army also gave presents to the children at one of the homes.

"The occupants of the houses were asleep and realised all their gifts were missing when they went to open them this morning," a police spokeswoman said.

The two homes are on different streets, Wilca Way and Hartwig Road, on the southern end of the town.

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WA police concerned for missing woman

Police are concerned for a woman who disappeared from Albany, a day after arriving from Queensland. Source: AAP

POLICE are concerned for a 79-year-old woman who disappeared from Albany on Christmas Eve, a day after arriving from Queensland.

Joan Hanson went missing from Caledonia Crescent at Goode Beach at 5.30pm (WST) on Tuesday.

Police say they are concerned for the welfare of Ms Hanson, believed to be suffering dementia and unfamiliar with the area.

She is of small, slim build and has grey hair.

She was wearing glasses, light-coloured trousers, a yellow-brown shirt, a yellow zip-up sleeveless vest and white shoes when she went missing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Operations Centre on 131 444.

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AmEx to pay $US75.7m in settlement

American Express will pay at least $US75.7m over what authorities say was misleading marketing. Source: AAP

AMERICAN Express has agreed to pay at least $US75.7 million ($A84.92 million) to end an investigation into what regulators say was misleading marketing of some discontinued card products.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) said on Tuesday American Express led consumers to believe that an account protection product would work for up to two years when the benefits usually lasted no more than three months, and it didn't properly explain the enrolment process for a product intended to protect against identity theft.

It said 85 per cent of consumers who signed up didn't complete the enrolment process, but they were billed anyway.

The agency also said that the company misrepresented the terms of a "lost wallet" product that was offered to Spanish-speaking customers in Puerto Rico, and it did not provide written materials in Spanish.

The New York-based company said it agreed to pay $US16.2 million in fines and repay at least $US59.5 million to customers.

American Express said it has set aside enough to cover most of the costs of the settlement with the FDIC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Office of Comptroller of the Currency. It has already made most of the payments to customers.

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Man stabbed, woman left unconscious

A man has been found stabbed and a woman found unconscious, in Sydney suburb of Guildford. Source: AAP

A MAN has been found with stab wounds to his neck and a woman has been found unconscious in Sydney's west.

Police were called to a house on Woodville Road, Guildford, just after midday on Tuesday after reports of a man and woman fighting in the yard of the premises.

The man was found with stab wounds to his neck while a woman, aged in her mid-20s, was found unconscious.

The man's age is not known.

Both were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and taken to Westmead Hospital.

Their condition is not yet known, police say.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, while a crime scene has been established on Woodville Road with two southbound lanes closed.

They will be examined by specialist forensic officers.

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A very merry Christmas for Aussie shops

THE Christmas clock is ticking, and the tills have been ringing.

Last-minute shoppers have helped push Australian retailers towards what's tipped to be their biggest Christmas since the global financial crisis hit.

Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) CEO Margy Osmond says the overall spend in the four-week run-up to Christmas this year is expected to hit $29.6 billion.

"We think Australian retailers will probably have the best Christmas they've had for four or five years," she told AAP on Tuesday.

She said the last-minute rush had favoured the big retailers.

"A lot of the specialty stores have done much better this Christmas but there's no doubt in the last couple of weeks it's the department stores that are the big winners because it's the place you can go and tick every box all in the one spot," Ms Osmond said.

Residents in smaller states - the Northern Territory, the ACT, Tasmania - had generally gotten their Christmas shopping out of the way early, while their counterparts in NSW and Victoria were more likely to have left it till the last minute.

Kevin Finch was looking harried in Sydney's CBD on Tuesday evening, ticking off the people he was still buying for.

"My mother, my father, some family friends, and my grandma," he told AAP.

"Stupidly, I thought today would be a bit quieter."

He said he wouldn't be venturing out for the Boxing Day sales on Thursday, but keen bargain-hunters can get in earlier than that.

In a break with tradition, department store David Jones has already launched its post-Christmas sale online, while the Myer online sale will kick off at 9am (AEDT) on Wednesday.

ANRA's Margy Osmond is expecting a 5.6 per cent boost on post-Christmas sales figures from a year ago, with an expected $1.9 billion spend on Boxing Day alone.

Retailers predict stores around the country will take in more than $15 billion over the next three weeks, with the bulk of that likely to be spent on Boxing Day.

Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman told AAP he expects "a huge number of people" to head for malls around the country when the bricks-and-mortar sales start on Thursday.

But Mr Zimmerman didn't think the lure of early sales online would take away from the familiar frenzy seen in department stores on the day.

"There's a real atmosphere around Boxing Day sales, it's full of people, it's full of excitement and noise and generally speaking there's entertainment around," he said.

"You may well find that people will be encouraged to come out, they'll think it might not be quite so busy as it's been in the past because of the online sales, but I suspect it will be just as busy."

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Indon official in trouble over plane rage

AN Indonesian official has allegedly ordered his staff to prevent a plane landing because an airline refused to free up a seat for him.

Marianus Sae, the head of Ngada district in East Nusa Tenggara province, is being sought for questioning in relation to the incident, police said Tuesday.

When Sae was told there were no seats left on the Saturday morning flight from the provincial capital Kupang to his district's Turelelo Soa airport, he phoned his security officials there and ordered them to put their cars on the runway, the Kompas.com news website reported.

Unable to land, the flight operated by state-run domestic operator Merpati Nusantara was forced to return to Kupang, local news reports said.

"We have questioned several people involved and are awaiting the permission of the governor to question the district chief," provincial police chief Ketut Yoga Ana said.

The alleged action "clearly violated the law" and was punishable by up to three years in prison, he said.

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi said Sae had endangered the lives of the people on board.

Sae said he "begged them for a seat because I had an important meeting with district council but the flight was fully booked. I explained to them I was the district chief but they ignored me," he was quoted as saying by Kompas.com.

The airline said it had rebuked its employees for refusing to issue a ticket for the district chief.

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Batts inquiry must reveal truth: family

A royal commission into the Rudd government's home insulation scheme is set to begin in Brisbane. Source: AAP

KEVIN and Christine Fuller are about to spend their fifth Christmas without their son, Matthew, but take some comfort in knowing they're a step closer to finding out why he died installing home insulation.

A $25 million royal commission into the Rudd government's bungled "pink batts" scheme to establish "what really went wrong" opened on Monday.

Mr Fuller is hopeful the commission will uncover the truth about the program that's been blamed for the death of his 25-year-old son and fellow insulation installers Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and Marcus Wilson.

"What we've always wanted is the truth, the whole truth to come out," Mr Fuller told reporters on Monday.

"(And for) changes to be made so no one else goes through what we've been through."

Commissioner Ian Hangar QC says he will examine whether the deaths of the four men between October 2009 and February 2010 were avoidable had there been a different approach to workplace health and safety risks.

The $2.8 billion program launched by Kevin Rudd in early 2009 to inject money into the economy has also been linked to at least one serious injury and hundreds of fires.

The royal commission will investigate whether the government sought or received advice about the program and how it responded.

It will also investigate the actions of the government and the public servants involved.

Mr Fuller says both state and federal public servants still had a lot to answer for as previous inquiries had only established that employers "did things wrong".

Lawyer Bill Potts says he would like to cross-examine Mr Rudd and other ministers involved in the program on behalf of his client Murray Barnes, the father of Rueben.

However, Mr Potts says the commission mustn't turn into a political witch hunt.

"What we want to know is whether there were warnings, and if there were warnings why weren't they heeded?" he told reporters.

Mr Potts said there was little to protect Rueben, 16, from being electrocuted while installing home insulation at Rockhampton.

"He received three weeks' training and the only safety equipment he had was sunscreen," he said.

"Rueben Barnes died, and at Christmas there is an empty space at his father's table."

Those affected by the bungled scheme will be called to appear at the inquiry, however some testimonies may be made in private.

Counsel Assisting Keith Wilson QC says 76 parties have been summonsed to appear.

Public sittings are expected to be held in March and April next year, with the commission to deliver its findings mid-year.

Asked whether it made Christmas easier now that the commission was finally underway, four years after her son's death, Mrs Fuller said: "It does help."

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Newcrest faces shareholder class action

Gold miner Newcrest is facing a class action from shareholders over its massive financial writedown. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S largest gold miner is facing a class action from shareholders over its massive financial writedown.

Newcrest Mining in June downgraded its production forecasts and reduced the value of its assets by more than $6 billion, partly due to the significant fall in the gold price.

In the days leading up to the announcement, three different analysts downgraded their investment views on Newcrest, causing a fall in the company's share price.

The corporate regulator is investigating possible breaches of disclosure laws, due to speculation analysts were given market sensitive information before it was released to the wider investment market.

Newcrest has denied it breached any laws, and an investigation it commissioned in July found no wrongdoing.

Law firm Slater and Gordon has now told Newcrest it has been instructed to start a shareholder class action in the Federal Court against the gold miner, relating to Newcrest's market disclosure ahead of its June writedowns.

But before proceedings commence, the law firm has invited Newcrest to begin "confidential and without prejudice discussions" about the matter.

"Newcrest is considering its position in relation to this approach," the company said.

If the company does not enter talks, the legal action will begin.

"Newcrest intends to defend any proceedings if they are commenced," it said.

Newcrest shares closed 16 cents, or 2.1 per cent, weaker at $7.54.

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Two women killed in Victorian crash

TWO women killed in a collision on a Victorian highway are believed to be Australia's first road fatalities for the Christmas-New Year period.

Police say a car and a 4WD vehicle collided on the Calder Highway, 8km north of Ouyen in the state's northwest about 1pm (AEDT) on Monday.

A 22-year-old Mt Waverley woman in one car and a 63-year-old woman in the other died at the scene.

The women were both passengers in the vehicles that are believed to have collided head on.

Five other people were in the vehicles with four suffering serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said he could not stress enough to people the need to act safely on the roads.

"It's Christmas, please look after yourselves, your family, your loved ones and take care while you travel on our roads."

The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2013 until 2359 January 3, 2014, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

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Six horses slaughtered in SA stable

Six miniature show horses have been hacked to death at a stable south of Adelaide. Source: AAP

SIX miniature show horses have been found slaughtered in a stable at Clayton Bay, about 70 kilometres south of Adelaide.

Police describe the incident as "bizarre and cruel".

Three other miniature horses in the same stable were not harmed.

The distraught owner of the horses reported the incident to police on Saturday.

The owner's son, Daniel Spong, told ABC Radio it may have been a targeted attack but it was not known why.

"It just would take an extremely sick individual, I think, to carry this out. We just can't believe it."

Police say the horses are believed to have been killed some time between Friday night and Saturday morning at a property at Clayton Bay.

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Snake on train sparks police warning

A MAN found carrying a snake in a box on a train has prompted a police warning to passengers that pets are not permitted on the Queensland Rail City Network.

The Police Railway Squad intercepted the man and his python on Friday afternoon.

"Although the harmless python was appropriately boxed and the authorised owner was returning from a veterinarian appointment, it is still an offence to travel with an animal on a train," police said in a statement on Sunday.

The passenger was issued with a warning notice for carrying an animal on a train and permitted to continue his journey supervised by Queensland Rail staff.

The maximum penalty for carrying an animal on a train is $2200.

Police and Queensland Rail have urged rail passengers to to arrange appropriate alternative transport for their pets.

Assistance animals such as guide dogs are exempt from the train ban.

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Two men killed in gyrocopter crash

THE pilot of a gyrocopter that crashed in Victorian bushland, killing him and his passenger, has been remembered as an experienced flyer and beloved father.

The bodies of both men, named in media reports as 51-year-old pilot Reg Thaggard and international student Jordan Peng, were found in rugged terrain in Kinglake National Park early on Sunday morning.

A police plane finally spotted the wreckage of the aircraft in dense bushland after search crews had spent hours scouring the park for both men.

It was supposed to have been a 15-minute flight from the Yarra Valley conference centre, taking off just after 7pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

But Victoria Police Acting Senior Sergeant Colin Anderson said the pair had been flying over a remote area of the ranges to view bushfire damage when the aircraft went down.

"It's devastating to all concerned - people involved that have to retrieve people from the situation and those directly involved with the people that have been killed," he said.

One of the pilot's friends, Damien Mould, said losing Mr Thaggard was like losing a family member.

"It's devastating to me," he told the Nine Network.

"He's a family man. He's a wonderful guy."

He leaves behind a wife and several children.

Mr Thaggard's passenger is believed to have been an 18-year-old student from Singapore.

The cause of the crash is not yet known.

Many in the flying community believe the crash couldn't have been the result of pilot error.

"He's an extremely good pilot," Mr Mould said.

"I'm sure he would have down everything in his power to try and get that aircraft down safely."

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