Sydney Harbour to launch Australia Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Police pelted by brawling Vic youths

BRAWLERS pelted police with glass bottles in Melbourne as they tried to break up a large street fracas, sparking fears of drunken violence marring Australia Day festivities.

Officers had been confronted by a huge crowd of aggressive youths after being called to Springvale in the city's southeast just before midnight on Friday.

At least 80 people were already fighting in the street when a glass bottle was thrown at one of the police.

Acting Senior Sergeant Anita Brens says police had to spray down four men in the crowd with capsicum foam to try to break up the brawl.

While the group slowly left the suburban street, they continued pelting police with a barrage of glass bottles.

"They continued to be abusive towards police and fight amongst themselves," she said.

No one was arrested and the police all escaped injury.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine said he was disgusted by the group's behaviour and praised police for being able to handle such a volatile situation.

"That is absolutely inappropriate, that is wrong, it is disgusting behaviour," he said.

"It is not the sort of behaviour we want in Melbourne or Victoria."

The melee came only a day after senior police warned of drunken violence occurring over the Australia Day long weekend.

Deputy Commissioner Tim Cartwright said the assault rate on January 26 has been skyrocketing in recent years, largely due to open-air events, alcohol and large gatherings of people.

"We have lots of public events, lots of occasions, but it's still our worst day," he said.

Patrols will be stepped up in city hotspots and around public transport hubs to deal with the expected surge in violence.

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UK teacher tells of Kruger elephant attack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jury sides with Love in trial over tweet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Govt 'creating' welfare crisis: Labor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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UK girl's choir breaks with tradition

THE pure, high voices of the choir soar toward the vaulted ceiling of Canterbury Cathedral as they have for more than 1000 years.

Just one thing is different - these young choristers in their purple cassocks are girls.

On Saturday, their public debut at Evensong will end centuries of all-male tradition.

Canterbury is not the first British cathedral to set up a girls' choir, but as the mother church of the 80 million-strong Anglican Communion - one struggling to define the role of women in its ranks - its move has special resonance.

That is not lost on the 16 girls, aged between 12 and 16, who have been chosen to make this bit of history.

"That's an amazing thought in the back of your mind - no girl has sung in this cathedral over an amazingly long period of time," said 12-year-old choir member Abby Cox.

"I've always liked singing, but I think this is the major event that has happened in my life and I'm so excited to be part of it."

The choristers attend several local schools and were chosen at auditions in November.

Unlike members of the Canterbury boys' choir, who live at the cathedral and rehearse every day, the girls come together just once a week.

Despite their limited rehearsal time, choir director David Newsholme says the girls are focused and enthusiastic about the psalms, anthems and responses they have to learn.

"We've had to learn it quite quickly, but it's just so fun to be in here you don't really think about that," said Cox.

"You are making music with girls that are as passionate as you are."

Girls' choirs are not a complete novelty in the Church of England - Salisbury Cathedral established one in the 1990s and several other cathedrals have followed.

Female voices have occasionally been heard in Canterbury Cathedral as part of visiting choirs.

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Zara Phillips names baby Mia Grace

THE Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, has named her baby Mia Grace.

The champion horse rider and her rugby-player husband Mike Tindall announced the name of their daughter on Thursday, with Tindall tweeting "For everyone who has asked what our daughters name, it's Mia Grace Tindall."

Zara gave birth last week to the 7lbs 12oz (3.5kg) girl, who is 16th in line to the throne and is the Queen's fourth great grandchild.

Tindall took to Twitter after the birth to describe his joy at becoming a father for the first time, saying it was "definitely the best day of my life".

Zara, a silver medal-winning Olympian, who is one of Britain's leading equestrian riders, gave birth to her first child at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in southwest England with her husband at her side.

Like her mother, the baby will not bear a royal title and will be known as plain "Miss Tindall".

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Afghan boys playing volleyball shot dead

AT least five boys have been shot dead after a group of militants attacked them on a volleyball court in eastern Afghanistan.

"The young boys, who were school students, were playing volleyball in a village in Alingar district at 12.30pm ... a group of gunmen from the nearby village came and shot them," Sarhdai Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor of Laghman, said on Thursday.

"The shooters, who are surely members of the armed opposition, fled the area," Zwak said, implying the attack was carried out by Taliban militants.

"It is not clear yet why they shot dead the boys, but it is clear that the enemies of Afghans cannot tolerate our sports achievements. So, they restore cowardly attacks."

Last week, four young footballers were killed in the southern province of Kandahar when a rocket, allegedly fired by Taliban militants, struck the football field.

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Southwest's 4Q profit rises on fuel costs

SOUTHWEST Airlines is making more money thanks to a lower fuel bill and higher average fares.

The company says fourth-quarter net income was $US212 million ($A240 million), up from $US78 million a year earlier.

The airline says that excluding special items it earned 33 cents per share.

Analysts were expecting 29 cents per share, according to a FactSet survey.

Revenue is up 6.1 per cent to $US4.43 billion, above analysts' forecast of $US4.39 billion.

The increase in net income can be credited to a 9.2 per cent drop in fuel spending, a savings of $US138 million.

However, labour costs are up 7.3 per cent.

The average fare on Southwest is $US156.05 each way, up $US8 or 5.4 per cent from a year earlier.

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Fire at Quebec old age home; 30 missing

A MASSIVE fire has raged through an old people's home in eastern Quebec, killing at least three people and leaving 30 unaccounted for.

The blaze in the 52-unit complex broke out overnight on Thursday in L'Isle-Verte, about 225km northeast of Quebec City.

Initial reports said 20 residents had been rescued, but it's unclear just how many residents are missing.

Quebec Provincial Police Sergeant Ann Mathieu says authorities are trying to determine the exact number of victims and learn the cause of the inferno.

Acting mayor Ginette Caron said many of those unaccounted for were confined to wheelchairs and walkers, noting that only five residents in the centre were fully independent. She said some had Alzheimer's disease.

Mario Michaud, who lives across the street from the building, said he witnessed the unfolding drama shortly after midnight.

"I got up to go to the toilet and I saw smoke," Michaud told local newspaper Info Dimanche.

"The fire had started on the second floor. I woke up my girlfriend and called 911. I saw the firefighters and they got to work.

"A woman on the second floor was shouting and she went out on to the balcony. Her son went to get a ladder but he couldn't get to her. She burned to death."

Local chief firefighter Yvon Charron called it "a night from hell".

The building was home to more than 50 people and also housed a social agency, a pharmacy and a hair salon.

Several fire departments in the region were called in to help extinguish the blaze, which completely destroyed the building.

The fire comes just six months after 47 people were killed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, when a train with 72 oil tankers derailed and exploded in the small community.

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Confidence climbs among mid-size firms

BUSINESSES expect a better trading year in 2014 amid strong profits and a reduction in operating costs.

The Commonwealth Bank future business index, which gauges the sentiment of mid-size businesses with a turnover of $10 million to $100 million, suggests businesses are experiencing a sharp increase in confidence.

The index was 17 points in the December quarter, its highest level since the survey began in September 2011, and up from 10.8 points in the previous three months.

"The vast majority of businesses are anticipating a more prosperous year ahead," said the bank's general manager for corporate financial services, Michael Cant, when the report was released on Thursday.

"Notwithstanding the buoyant sentiment ... there remains a level of conservatism as businesses continue to focus on managing costs."

The survey found the top three challenges facing business are weak consumer confidence, a falling Australian dollar and uncertainty about government policy decisions.

There are also increasing concerns about skills shortages.

However, 77 per cent of organisations expect a better performance in 2014 compared with 2013.

The survey's revenue index for the next six months jumped to 41 points in the December quarter from 25 in the September quarter, the profit forecasts index increased to 27 from 15, and the operating costs index eased to 29 from 33.

Commonwealth Bank chief economist Michael Blythe said the sharp improvement in revenue and profit expectations was quite encouraging.

"We're seeing this improved sentiment flow through to other important areas, such as an enhanced appetite for risk and an expected increase in capital expenditure and headcount," he said.

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Japan's dolphin kill biggest in four years

JAPANESE fishermen have finished killing some of the 250 dolphins trapped recently in what activists say was the biggest roundup they've witnessed in the last four years.

Sea Shepherd, best known for its anti-whaling activities, said the fishermen first selected 52 dolphins to keep alive for sale to aquariums and other customers. They included a rare albino calf and its mother.

Of the rest, about 40 were killed, one became stuck in a net and drowned, and the others were released, it said.

A video released on Tuesday by Sea Shepherd shows dozens of fishermen on boats surveying the dolphins after they were confined to a cove with nets.

Divers can be seen holding the dolphins selected for sale and guiding them to nets hanging off the boats.

While other dolphins have been killed since the hunting season began in September, Sea Shepherd said the 250 herded into the cove last Friday was the largest group it has seen since it began monitoring the hunt.

The annual hunt in the village of Taiji received high-profile criticism when US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy tweeted last weekend that she was deeply concerned about the practise.

The fishermen say the hunt is part of their tradition and call foreign critics who eat other kinds of meat hypocritical.

The hunt was the subject of the Academy Award-winning 2009 film The Cove.

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Verizon 4Q net income reaches $US5.07bn

VERIZON says it posted fourth-quarter net income of $US5.07 billion ($A5.7 billion), helped by the continued addition of more wireless devices to its network.

The results beat Wall Street expectations and its shares edged higher.

The largest US mobile phone carrier's profit amounted to $US1.76 per share.

The company lost $US4.23 billion, or $US1.48 per share, in the year-ago period.

Excluding one-time items, the company says it posted an adjusted profit of 66 cents per share.

Revenue rose three per cent to $US31.07 billion from $US30.05 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected a profit of 62 cents per share on $US31.04 billion in revenue.

Service revenue rose eight per cent to $US17.7 billion.

The company added 1.7 million net retail wireless connections during the quarter. Of that total, 1.6 million were connections that involved monthly service contracts.

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Inflation expected to remain benign in Dec

INFLATION figures on Wednesday aren't expected to stop the Reserve Bank of Australia from cutting the cash rate but the falling Australian dollar might.

The consumer price index (CPI), the key measure of inflation, is forecast to have risen by 0.5 per cent in the three months to December, for an annual rate of 2.5 per cent, an AAP survey of 14 economists shows.

Inflation came in higher than expected in the September quarter at 1.2 per cent - economists had forecast a quarterly rise of 0.8 per cent - driven by rising house prices.

Another unexpectedly high figure in December could see the end of the RBA's easing bias while a lower-than-expected figure could spur another cash rate cut when the central bank's board meets in February, JP Morgan chief economist Stephen Walters said.

HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham said inflation was expected to remain benign but not low enough to see the RBA consider any near-term rate cuts from the current record low of 2.5 per cent.

"The big focus for the RBA has been on the currency in recent months and they got their Christmas wish, the currency is down at the sorts of levels that the RBA governor was hoping it would be," he said.

The median forecast for underlying inflation, which excludes volatile price movements, is 0.6 per cent in the December quarter and 2.3 per cent over the year to December.

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Delta 4Q profit rises after traffic gains

DELTA is reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit as fares and traffic rose.

Delta's yield - a key measure of what each passenger pays to fly one mile (1.6km) - rose four per cent.

Not counting a non-cash adjustment for taxes, Delta earned $US558 million ($A635 million), or 63 cents per share.

Revenue rose six per cent to $US9.08 billion.

Both were better than analysts expected, with one-time items excluded on profit.

Delta's net income was $US8.48 billion because of a one-time, $US8 billion accounting benefit related to taxes.

A year earlier, Delta earned $US7 million, or a penny per share, after Superstorm Sandy hurt profits.

Delta Air Lines Inc expects to boost the amount of flying it does by two per cent to three per cent during the current quarter.

Capacity rose just one per cent last year.

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Johnson & Johnson's 4Q profit rises 19%

JOHNSON & Johnson says fourth-quarter profit jumped 19 per cent, as prescription drug sales climbed sharply and the health care giant enjoyed a big tax benefit.

The maker of baby shampoo, biological drugs and medical devices also benefited from the turnaround of its consumer health care business, which rebounded with rising sales of US sales of Tylenol, Motrin and other brands.

Those had been off store shelves for a few years because of dozens of product recalls dating back to 2009 and the closure of a key factory that's been gutted and rebuilt but hasn't reopened yet.

J&J said fourth-quarter net income was $US3.52 billion ($A4.01 billion), or $US1.23 per share, up from $US2.57 billion, or 91 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, net income was $US3.56 billion, or $US1.24 per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet were expecting, on average, earnings per share of $US1.20.

Revenue totalled $US18.36 billion, up 4.5 per cent from $US17.56 billion a year ago. Analysts expected $US17.94 billion.

Sales of prescription drugs rose 12 per cent to $US7.3 billion, including an 18 per cent jump in US sales. They were led by immune disorder drugs Remicade, Stelara and Simponi, as well as HIV drug Prezista and the injected schizophrenia drug Invega Sustena.

Consumer product sales rose 2.8 per cent to $US3.75 billion, while sales of medical devices and diagnostics dipped one per cent.

The company, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, said it expects earnings per share of $US5.75 to $US5.85 in 2014. That's up from $US4.81 per share earned in 2013.

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Actor called UK soap star 'cockroach'

CORONATION Street star William Roache was called a "cockroach" by a fellow cast member, a UK court has heard.

And one of his alleged sex assault victims was warned by Peter Adamson, who played Len Fairclough in the soap, that he would "lead you astray", the jury heard.

The witness claims Roache indecently assaulted her when she was about 14 after he arranged passes for herself and her younger sister on a visit to Granada Studios in Manchester.

She told the jury at Preston Crown Court last week that Roache groped her in a room after being led past the Rovers Return pub on the set.

On Monday, she was cross-examined by the defendant's lawyer, Louise Blackwell QC, and claimed that Adamson made the "cockroach" remark about the actor while she was at the studios.

"It was Len Fairclough that made the comment," she said.

"Because when he said it he looked directly at him and he looked at us and said 'You want to keep your eye on him, he will lead you astray' and he called him 'cockroach'.

"Len Fairclough said that he would lead us astray. He called him a cockroach with a capital C."

Roache, 81, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, denies two counts of rapes and five counts of indecent assault involving five complainants aged 16 and under on dates between 1965 and 1971.

The court heard that the alleged victim and her sister would sit on the steps outside the studio in the summer holidays in the mid to late 1960s, along with other girls and boys who were autograph-hunting.

But on one occasion after being invited inside the studios, Roache, who has played Ken Barlow in the ITV soap for more than 50 years, took her to his dressing room and indecently assaulted her by putting his hands on her breasts and up her skirt.

She told police: "He was like an octopus - hands everywhere."

Challenged about her account of what happened by Blackwell, the witness told the court: "It happened, no matter what you are saying or what your job is, it happened.

"I have no reason to lie, no reason in the world."

Later Blackwell put it to the witness: "Are you even trying to tell the truth here?"

"I'm telling the truth," she replied.

"Why the hell would I put myself through all of this?"

Roache was charged last May with two counts of rape on one alleged victim, with the publicity that following leading to the four other complainants coming forward.

The witness said she felt the incident had been her fault "for being there in the first place".

Her sister claims she was abused by Roache on a separate occasion.

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Escaped Greek terrorist vows to fight govt

A GREEK fugitive who vanished on leave from prison while serving six life sentences for left-wing bombings and shootings has vowed a return to armed action.

Christodoulos Xiros, 55, was convicted in 2003, along with two of his brothers, of belonging to the November 17 organisation.

The group emerged in the mid-1970s and claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks against foreign diplomats and Greek politicians and businessmen over nearly three decades.

He vanished on January 7 while on a seven-day leave from prison to visit his family.

In a video posted Monday on the internet, Xiros read a seven-page statement.

It was accompanied by an apparently recent photo of him in front of pictures 19th-century Greek resistance fighters and Latin American rebel Che Guevara.

A text version of the statement was included in the posting.

"I once again decided to make the guerilla rifle thunder against those who stole our lives and sold our dreams to make a profit," Xiros says in the statement, which rails against how Greece's financial crisis was handled.

He criticises the media, the judiciary, the police and the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party, and invites Greece's security forces to join with him.

The statement reserves particular bile for the two parties in Greece's governing coalition, the conservative New Democracy and the socialist Pasok, accusing them of treason and stating that the "price of their treason is death."

In extensive references to the financial crisis, he claims that Greece and other European countries have become colonies under "German occupation."

Germany is the single largest contributor toward international rescue loans that Greece has been relying on for years.

"If we ever meet again, which I don't hope (and neither should you) you will do well to kill me. Because if you take me captive again, I will leave again to fight you to the end," Xiros said in the statement.

November 17, which mixed Marxist ideology with nationalism, killed 23 people - including British, American and Turkish diplomats and military officials - before being broken up after a string of arrests in 2002.

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Thai unrest cancels Frankie Valli concert

SIXTIES doo-wop singer Frankie Valli has cancelled a concert in Bangkok scheduled for this week because of Thailand's political unrest.

Promoter BEC-Tero Entertainment PCL says that Wednesday's performance was scrapped because of difficulties associated with the unrest and for the safety of the audience.

The concert was to be held at a venue close to a site where protesters have been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Violence has marred some of the protests, leading to nine deaths since November. Two explosions wounded 28 people in Bangkok on Sunday.

The promoter said concerts by other visiting artists, including Avril Lavigne in February and Eric Clapton and Bruno Mars, both in March, were still on schedule.

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Royal communications teams to merge

THE Prince of Wales' communications team is to merge with its counterpart at Buckingham Palace - a major development towards Charles' future role as king.

Charles' communications secretary Sally Osman will be in charge of the combined press office with the new title of communications director.

The development is not only a physical move but a symbolic one as the Prince's staff will leave their Clarence House offices for Buckingham Palace - likely to be the prince's official home when he is head of state.

There is also speculation that Charles will take on a more prominent role supporting the Queen in her official duties.

With the Queen, 87, and Duke of Edinburgh, 92, advancing in years it is thought Charles may carry out long-haul overseas engagements on behalf of his mother.

Charles has already represented the Queen at a major summit of Commonwealth leaders in Sri Lanka, the first time he has performed the role.

A Clarence House spokeswoman stressed that the Prince and senior members of the royal family have been and will continue to support the Queen in her official duties.

"The Prince and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, carry out engagements to support her and represent her and she's still incredibly busy," she said.

Charles' press office was set up in the early 1990s and will merge with Buckingham Palace's communications team in the coming weeks.

Osman will be in overall charge of the press affairs of all senior royals and will maintain close links with the Palace as she will be managed by the Queen's private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt.

The Clarence House spokeswoman added: "A decision has been taken to re-integrate the press and communications teams across the three royal households into one royal communications team, based at Buckingham Palace.

"Communications teams across the royal households are always looking for ways to work together better.

"This reintegration will formalise that collaboration and help us communicate the work of the royal family more effectively, making full use of modern media and the range of expertise we have across the whole team."

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Overnight repairs on West Gate Bridge

ROAD crews worked overnight to repair a large crack in Melbourne's West Gate Bridge.

The crack, about five metres in length, appeared on Monday morning on the bitumen surface of a steel section of the bridge.

The crack is in the inbound lanes one and two of the bridge, which closed temporarily on Monday afternoon for emergency works.

Three lanes were closed on Monday night as crews completed a more thorough repair job and the bridge was expected to reopen in time for the Tuesday morning peak-hour traffic.

VicRoads believes last week's record heatwave, where temperatures reached more than 41C for four days in a row, caused the damage.

VicRoads acting chief executive Peter Todd said engineers climbed into the bridge and determined the structure was sound and drivers could have confidence in the bridge's structure.

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Gladstone fishers in compo court claim

A GROUP of commercial fishermen suing the Gladstone Ports Corporation for millions of dollars in business losses will have their case heard in Brisbane on Monday.

The group of more than 20 fishermen is seeking compensation for losses linked to an outbreak of fish disease in Gladstone Harbour on the central Queensland coast in 2011.

They claim dredging associated with a massive port development designed to accommodate liquefied natural gas exports caused the outbreak.

In 2012 an application by fishermen and business owners for a hearing was denied by the Planning and Environment Court.

On Monday a claim involving only commercial fishermen will be heard.

Former Gladstone fisherman Trevor Falzon said fishers had been offered minimal compensation and the group was seeking a fair and just outcome.

The 50-year-old said he had been forced to give up his livelihood because of the disease outbreak, which he said was still affecting the harbour.

"The Coordinator-General said any commercial fisherman affected by the development in Gladstone Harbour would be compensated," he told AAP.

"We didn't ask for this development to happen but now we're paying the price."

The hearing has been set down for one day in the Planning and Environment Court.

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NSW cabinet to discuss alcohol violence

THE NSW government will discuss ways to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence during its first full meeting of the year following weeks of pressure to act.

Premier Barry O'Farrell on Thursday announced that cabinet would consider a suite of measures to reduce incidents like the one-hit attacks responsible for the tragic deaths of two Sydney teenagers, Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie.

The proposals to be considered by cabinet include better alcohol licensing regulation, boosted police resources and penalties targeting those who commit crimes while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Several community and professional groups and the NSW opposition favour the "Newcastle solution", under which shots are prohibited after midnight, a 1am lockout is enforced and last drinks are poured at 3am.

The federal Greens have called for a Senate inquiry into drunken violence.

They have been pushing for an inquiry into the promotion and advertising of alcohol but Senator Scott Ludlam believes it should be broader and look at the "epidemic" of booze-fuelled bashings.

"I don't think there has ever been a better time to look at what measures the Commonwealth can take to reduce the horrific impact on people's lives and on families," he told reporters on Sunday.

But NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson says he didn't want the premier "hiding behind yet another inquiry".

The premier, he said, must announce early lockouts in drinking venues.

"All the experts, whether it's police, ambulance officers or the other health professionals dealing with this problem, all know the solution to this is the Newcastle solution," he said.

Pressure has been mounting on Mr O'Farrell to take action following the death of Mr Christie, who died in hospital when his life support was switched off 11 days after a king-hit attack on New Year's Eve at Kings Cross.

Mr Christie's alleged assailant, Shaun McNeil, is facing murder charges.

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NSW firefighters work through night

NSW firefighters worked through the night to battle blazes and build containment lines, with high temperatures and fire danger predicted for the start of the week.

Temperatures in the mid to high 30s and another tough day for firefighters are predicted for Monday.

"The fire danger is going to be very high," an RFS spokesman told AAP.

No "significant" rain is expected for the start of the week and there are no total fire bans in place.

"The winds fortunately aren't going to be overly strong so hopefully that will give us a little bit of time to get some more work done on those containment lines," the spokesman said.

Water-bombing aircraft, heavy machines and firefighters worked throughout Sunday night on control lines at the Minjary fire, burning between Canberra and Wagga Wagga, the Redbank fire, near Bathurst, and the Minimbah fire, near Wagga Wagga.

Three homes were destroyed by the Minimbah fire.

Emergency warnings were in place for out-of-control grassfires at Singleton and the Hells Hole fire near Bathurst.

The Singleton fire was at 7pm (AEDT) downgraded to a watch and act alert.

More than 900 firefighters were deployed in NSW on Sunday, fighting 92 fires, 28 of which were uncontained.

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S Korean student killer to front Qld court

A MAN accused of killing a South Korean exchange student over a substantial amount of money is expected to front court on Monday.

South Korean national Sanghyun Hwang, 28, was charged with murdering Min Tae Kim after his body was found in a shallow grave on an Algester property in Brisbane's southwest last month.

Mr Kim, also 28, disappeared after he went to exchange $15,000 for South Korean currency for his return home.

He had posted an ad on the Gumtree website looking for someone to give him a good exchange rate.

He left his share house in Cannon Hill, east of Brisbane, with his cash to do a deal with an unknown person on December 16.

His murder came not long after 22-year-old South Korean woman Eunji Ban was bashed to death while walking to work in Brisbane's inner city.

A 19-year-old Spring Hill man has been charged with her murder.

The cases are not linked.

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UK party suspends gay rant councillor

THE UK Independence Party has suspended a councillor who claimed recent floods were the result of the British government's decision to legalise gay marriage.

David Silvester claimed the country had been "beset by storms" since the passage of the new law on gay marriage because David Cameron had acted "arrogantly against the Gospel".

He was suspended by the party after defying a request not to do further interviews on his beliefs following his initial claims made in a letter to a local newspaper.

The move came as leader Nigel Farage launched a clearout of "extremist, nasty or barmy" views from the party ahead of polls in May.

Henley-on-Thames councillor Silvester said he had warned the prime minister of "repercussions" if gay marriage had gone ahead and told BBC Radio his daily prayers convinced him the recent flooding was the consequence.

He said the new law, paving the way for the first gay marriages in Britain this spring, was the latest mistake which would anger God - following on from abortion laws, which he likened to the Holocaust.

In the radio interview, which followed his initial claims about the link between flooding and gay marriage in a letter to the Henley Standard, Silvester said: "I don't have a problem with gay people.

"I believe as a Christian I should love gay people and indeed, I do. My prayer for them is they will be healed."

Silvester said he was convinced that there were "repercussions for a nation persisting in what is wrong", and that he had clear beliefs "there are things that are right and wrong".

"Over the years we have done many things that have caused problems," he said.

"One, for example, is the abortion laws in which something like six million children, as many as the people killed by the Nazis in the death camps, have been killed as a result of the abortion laws.

"Now, this is a process. The latest in this process is these homosexual laws and the homosexual marriage."

The councillor said Ukip, to whom he defected from the Conservative Party, had told him not to give any more interviews.

The party, which initially supported him after his letter to the Henley Standard, has now used emergency powers to suspend him.

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