Thai protesters urge Thai PM to quit

THAI police have fired tear gas and detained dozens of demonstrators as clashes erupted at the first major street protests against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government.

The violence, while relatively small scale, appeared to mark a new phase in Thailand's long-running political crisis pitting Thai royalists against ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra - Yingluck's brother - and his supporters.

About 17,000 police were deployed for the rally in Bangkok's historic district, which was organised by the royalist group Pitak Siam, a relatively new force in the kingdom's fractured political scene.

"In the name of Pitak Siam and its allies I promise that we will topple this government," the movement's head, retired general Boonlert Kaewprasit, declared from the rally stage.

The demo comes two and a half years after dozens of people died in a military crackdown on "Red Shirt" protests against the previous government in the heart of the capital.

About 20,000 people were estimated to have joined Saturday's rally, according to police, far short of the half a million organisers had hoped would attend.

Tensions flared as police fired several rounds of tear gas at protesters trying to ram through barriers near the main rally site in the Royal Plaza using a truck.

"Tear gas was used in one area because protesters did not comply with the rules," said national police spokesman Major General Piya Uthayo.

About 100 protesters were detained while knives and bullets were confiscated, he said.

Thirty-seven people, including a number of police officers, were treated for cuts and other injuries, officials said.

The authorities called in an extra 5,700 police after the clashes, but said they would allow the rally to go ahead at the Royal Plaza so long as the other protesters gathered peacefully.

Yingluck on Thursday voiced fears the protesters aimed to use violence and to "overthrow an elected government and democratic rule", in a televised address to the nation.

The government invoked the Internal Security Act (ISA) in three districts of the capital to cope with possible unrest, giving the police additional powers to block routes, impose a curfew, ban gatherings and carry out searches.

"We will evaluate the situation daily and if it escalates we are ready to invoke emergency rule," Thai police chief General Adul Sangsingkaew said on national television.

Thailand has been rocked by a series of sometimes violent rival street protests in recent years, although an uneasy calm had returned after national elections in 2011.

Two months of mass opposition protests in 2010 by Red Shirt supporters loyal to Thaksin - who was toppled in a coup in 2006 - sparked a deadly military crackdown that left about 90 people dead and nearly 1,900 wounded.

At their height, those rallies drew about 100,000 people demanding the resignation of the previous government.

Thaksin's sister Yingluck is now prime minister after his political allies won a landslide election victory last year.

Thaksin, who made billions as a telecoms tycoon, is adored by many poor Thais for his populist policies while in power, but reviled by many in elite, military and palace circles who see him as authoritarian and a threat to the monarchy.

The demonstrators at Saturday's rally, who included supporters of the influential "Yellow Shirt" royalist movement, called on Yingluck's government to stand down.

"I can't stand that they disrespect the king. I want the government to quit," said 48-year-old farmer Namsai Jantarat from the northern province of Chiang Mai.

Observers say prosecutions - often targeting people linked to the Red Shirts - for insulting the monarchy have surged since royalist generals overthrew Thaksin following a series of mass protests by the rival Yellows.

The Red Shirts threatened to strike back in the event of a new coup.

"This rally is illegitimate," Red Shirt leader Thida Thavornseth said at a news conference on Saturday. "We will come out in force if there is any sign of a coup or the government loses control."

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Arafat's remains said to be exhumed

The remains of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed on Tuesday. Source: AAP

THE remains of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed on Tuesday as part of a renewed investigation into his death, a Palestinian investigator says.

Arafat died in November 2004 in a French military hospital, a month after suddenly falling ill. Palestinian officials claim he was poisoned by Israel, but have not presented evidence. Israel has denied such allegations.

Earlier this year, the detection of a lethal radioactive substance in biological traces on Arafat's clothing sparked a new investigation. Tests were inconclusive, and experts said they need to check his remains to learn more.

On Tuesday, Swiss, French and Russian experts will take samples from Arafat's bones, said Tawfik Tirawi, who heads the Palestinian team investigating the death.

Arafat will be reburied the same day with military honours, but the ceremony will be closed to the public, Tirawi told a news conference.

Earlier this month, workers began prying open the concrete-encased tomb in Arafat's former government headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The Palestinian Authority, the self-rule government in the West Bank, had hesitated before agreeing to exhume the remains, in part because of cultural and religious sensitivities.

Since mid-November, the gravesite has been surrounded with a blue tarpaulin and roads leading to the Arafat mausoleum were closed.

Arafat is still widely revered in the Palestinian territories, and Palestinian officials said they don't want the process observed by media and others.

The new probe into his death began this summer, after a Swiss lab discovered traces of polonium-210, a deadly radioactive isotope, on clothes said to be his.

The clothes were provided by Arafat's widow, Soha, and given to the lab by the Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera.

Separately, Mrs Arafat asked the French government to investigate, while the Palestinian Authority called in Russian experts.

Arafat's death has remained a mystery for many.

While the immediate cause of death was a stroke, the underlying source of an illness he suffered in his final weeks has never been clear, leading to persistent conspiracy theories that he had cancer, AIDS or was poisoned.

Many in the Arab world believe Arafat, the face of the Palestinian independence struggle for four decades, was killed by Israel.

Israel, which saw Arafat as an obstacle to peace, vehemently denies the charge.

There is no guarantee the exhumation will solve the mystery.

Polonium-210 is known to rapidly decompose, and experts are divided over whether any remaining samples will be sufficient for testing.

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Tibetan self-immolates in China

A TIBETAN villager has died after setting himself on fire, Chinese state media said -- the latest death in a wave of protests against Beijing's rule.

China's official Xinhua news agency said the herdsman set himself alight late on Friday in the northwest province of Qinghai.

It quoted local authorities as saying that the 26-year-old, identified as Dazheng, set himself ablaze in the village of Dageri in Zekog County.

Xinhua earlier reported that another Tibetan died on Thursday, also in Qinghai. It identified the man as Libong Tsering, 19, who died in the Dowa township of Tongren county.

Many Tibetans in China accuse the government of religious repression and eroding their culture, as the country's majority Han ethnic group increasingly moves into historically Tibetan areas.

China rejects this, saying Tibetans enjoy religious freedom. Beijing points to huge ongoing investment it says has brought modernisation and a better standard of living to Tibet.

The Tibetan government-in-exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala expressed "deep concern over the alarming escalation in self-immolations by Tibetans inside Tibet".

Dharamshala has been the headquarters of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, since he fled from Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The Central Tibetan Administration said in a statement that the latest death had pushed the total number of self-immolations since 2009 by Tibetans inside Tibet to 81, including five in the last six days and 19 in November alone.

The administration said that Chinese authorities had cut off Internet and phone lines following the latest death.

The Tibetan government-in-exile urged China's new leadership to "promptly address the longstanding grievances" of Tibetans that have led to the "escalation in desperate forms of protest".

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Portugal troops leave East Timor

PORTUGAL has withdrawn the bulk of its police officers from East Timor as international forces wind up a 13-year mission in Asia's youngest nation, where thousands have died in political bloodshed.

Seventy-five of the officers boarded a Lisbon-bound plane in the former Portuguese colony, among the last of 1200 UN peacekeepers to return home before the official end of their mission on December 31.

Only around three dozen UN Police remain in the country, including several from Australia, Portugal, Malaysia and Pakistan. Most of them will leave next week and all will have to withdraw by December 31.

International forces began pulling out in earnest last month with Canberra this week saying it was sending home hundreds of troops from the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force (ISF), ending a six-year operation.

At the UN's terminal in Dili's Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, officers in Portugal's black police uniforms and UN blue berets bade a tearful farewell to Portuguese expatriates who had come to see them off.

Captain Jorge Barradas, commander of the Portuguese police contingent, said he had mixed feelings about leaving a country where he has served on and off since 2001.

"It is kind of a sad feeling for us to leave East Timor. But on the other hand, leaving means that East Timor has developed and is secure so it's also a pleasure to leave," he said.

The UN entered the territory, officially known as Timor-Leste, after violence broke out in 1999 following the resounding "yes" vote for independence from neighbouring Indonesia.

The referendum was organised by the UN after Indonesia announced it would end a brutal, 24-year occupation in which about 183,000 people, or a quarter of the population, died from fighting, disease and starvation.

The nation conducted peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections this year, and UN peacekeepers last month handed full responsibility for policing back to the nation, which celebrated a decade of formal independence in May.

Portugal, which controlled East Timor for more than 300 years before Indonesia invaded, is among 44 nations that have served in the current UN Police mission dispatched after a second wave of violence hit in 2006.

It has made one of the biggest contributions to the force, sending 2000 officers since 2006, when unrest ahead of elections left 37 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.

The only major violence in the impoverished half-island nation of 1.1 million people since 2006 has been a failed assassination attempt against then-president Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in 2008.

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Toxic seafood warning in Sydney bay

A TOXIC algal bloom which potentially poisons a range of seafood has been detected in Sydney's Botany Bay.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries said it had detected a species of algae which produces paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins.

It said it found toxins above safe levels for human consumption in shellfish from Botany Bay during routine monitoring on Friday.

The NSW Food Authority has warned people against eating oysters, mussels, cockles, clams or the gut of rock lobster or abalone taken from the bay or the Georges River.

It's also warning people against eating periwinkles, sea urchins or crabs.

Cooking won't destroy the toxins, it said.

Anyone who experiences symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning are being advised to seek medical assistance.

Symptoms include tingling in the mouth, pins and needles, unsteadiness on the feet, weakness of the arms or legs and nausea.

Shellfish bought from commercial seafood outlets were not affected, the Food Authority said.

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Man charged with kidnapping woman

A MAN has been charged with kidnapping a woman on NSW's north coast.

Police allege the 22-year-old man held a 29-year-old woman against her will after he approached her at a Coffs Harbour boarding house on November 11.

The woman escaped and later contacted police saying she had lost consciousness and woke up in unfamiliar surroundings.

Police on Friday arrested the Ballina man and charged him with take and detain a person with intent to obtain an advantage.

He was refused bail and will appear in Lismore Local Court on Saturday.

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Asian markets mostly up in quiet trade

ASIAN markets are mostly up following a rally in the previous session, while dealers await another meeting on Greece's bailout and the resumption of talks on the US fiscal cliff.

Trade was subdued on Friday with Japanese markets closed for a public holiday and the United States celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday.

Sydney ended flat, dipping 0.10 points to 4,413.0 while Seoul gained 0.62 per cent, or 11.83 points, to close at 1,911.33.

Hong Kong added 0.79 per cent, or 170.78 points, to end at 21,913.98 and Shanghai closed up 0.58 per cent, or 11.77 points, at 2,027.38.

One dealer said jitters would likely have set in over upcoming negotiations between Democrats and Republicans to hammer out a deal on the fiscal cliff of tax hikes and spending cuts that comes into effect on January 1.

"I think next week the market will face the reality that there's still a lot of work to do on the fiscal cliff and the debt ceiling," said Chris Weston, chief market strategist at IG Markets in Australia.

Global markets have soared over the past week on hopes a compromise will be found in Washington that will avert the fiscal cliff, which will likely send the economy into recession if it comes into effect.

The euro was holding onto recent gains against the dollar as dealers remain confident eurozone finance ministers will agree to release the next batch of bailout cash to Athens when they meet on Monday, after a hold-up in talks this week.

Sentiment was also boosted by comments on Thursday from French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici that a deal on Greek debt would be reached.

"We seem to be poised to fulfill the conditions for a lasting exit from the eurozone crisis," Moscovici told France's Senate after returning from the failed talks in Brussels.

He said although politicians failed to reach a deal this week, "we will as of Monday".

The single currency bought $1.2905 in Asian trade, compared with $1.2875 in London on Thursday while it was also at 106.25 yen from 106.22 yen.

Investors brushed off a closely-watched survey by research firm Markit showing the region's manufacturing activity in November little changed from lows experienced in October.

Markit's eurozone Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for November stood at 45.8 points, from 45.7 in October, which was the lowest since June 2009.

"For the fourth quarter of 2012 so far, PMI data suggest the strongest contraction of output since the second quarter of 2009," Markit said in a report.

The dollar was at 82.32 yen, from 82.42 yen.

Trading on foreign exchange markets was quiet owing to Japan's public holiday but the yen was still under pressure on expectations the country's central bank will unveil a new round of monetary easing next month.

Investors began selling the unit last week after the man likely to become prime minister after a December 16 general election said he would push for unlimited loosening of monetary policy by the bank.

Regional traders were also drawing support from Thursday's release of preliminary data by HSBC showing Chinese manufacturing activity grew for the first time in 13 months in November.

On oil markets New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in January shed 27 cents to $87.20 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for January delivery fell 25 cents to $110.30.

Gold was at $1,734.47 at 1030 GMT compared with $1,729.27 late on Thursday.

In other markets:

- Taipei rose 220.25 points, or 3.1 per cent, to 7,326.01.

TSMC rose 4.6 per cent to Tw$95.5 while HTC was 1.48 per cent higher at Tw$240.0.

- Manila closed 0.71 per cent higher, adding 38.97 points to 5,552.34.

Philippine National Bank jumped 3.37 per cent to 84.30 pesos while Bank of the Philippine Islands rose 3.11 per cent to 92.80 pesos.

On Wednesday, trading in both banks were suspended for a day when it was announced they were in talks for a merger. No developments have yet been announced.

- Wellington increased 11.12 points, or 0.28 per cent, to 4,008.33.

Fletcher Building was up 1.9 per cent to NZ$7.99, Chorus rose 1.5 per cent to NZ$3.30 and The Warehouse gained 1.3 per cent to NZ$3.19.

- Singapore closed up 0.09 per cent, or 2.65 points, at 2,989.28.

DBS Bank fell 0.07 per cent to Sg$13.88 and Singapore Telecom was unchanged at Sg$3.14.

- Kuala Lumpur fell 4.23 points, or 0.26 per cent, to end at 1,614.32.

Axeiata Group lost 0.7 per cent to 5.83 ringgit, while Telekom Malaysia shed 0.6 per cent to 5.37.

- Bangkok gained 0.17 per cent, or 2.19 points, to 1,281.70.

Coal producer Banpu edged up 2.19 per cent to 374.00 baht, while Siam Cement dropped 1.02 per cent to 390.00 baht.

- Jakarta ended up 12.88 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 4,348.81.

Food manufacturer Indofood Sukses Makmur rose 1.74 per cent to 5,850 rupiah while miner Aneka Tambang gained 1.63 per cent to 1,250 rupiah.

- Mumbai was flat, dropping 10.77 points to 18,506.57.

Infosys was down 0.37 per cent at 2,376.00 rupees while Mahindra & Mahindra was down 0.02 per cent at 954.15 rupees.

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Israel firms security as Gaza truce holds

Gaza's Hamas PM hailed the territory's multiple militant groups for respecting the ceasefire. Source: AAP

ISRAEL has restricted Palestinian access to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound and kept a tight grip on security as a truce ending fighting in and around Gaza firms.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right wing Likud party meanwhile prepared for a crunch primary on Sunday amid signs that its popularity is slipping among Israelis who would have preferred a ground invasion of Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Tensions on the streets of annexed Arab east Jerusalem remained high after angry demonstrators stormed an Israeli police station in an bid to secure the release of a Palestinian woman who tried to stab a border guard.

A Molotov cocktail was also launched late on Thursday at a Jerusalem tram while the Israeli army said it had detained 55 Palestinian "terror operatives" in connection with "recent terrorist and violent activity" in the West Bank.

Israel barred Palestinians under the age of 40 from accessing the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site, which is also revered by Jews as the site of King Herod's temple before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

"An extensive police force and border guards will also be deployed in sensitive areas around the Old City of Jerusalem," Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

The mosque compound has been the focus of clashes in the past and Israel sought to prevent any repetition that could jeopardise the truce that ended eight days of fighting in which 163 Palestinian and six Israeli died.

The truce itself was holding firmly despite a dozen rockets being fired at Israel from Gaza in the first post-truce hours and a warning from Netanyahu that he would resume the offensive if necessary.

The Palestinians also reported their first post-conflict casualty at the hands of Israeli soldiers who they said opened fire on a group of farmers who were going about their daily business near the Gaza border.

An Israeli army spokeswoman accused the Palestinians of staging a "disturbance" that prompted soldiers to fire warning shots.

The first opinion polls assessing the government's handling of the Gaza conflict in the run-up to a snap general election called for January showed a general sense of disappointment that Israel had accepted the ceasefire terms.

A study commissioned by the Maariv newspaper found that 49 per cent of respondents said Israel should have continued its operation and just 31 per cent said they agreed with the truce.

The same poll found support for Netanyahu's Likud party down by six percentage points over the past month.

But the Likud was still leading the opposition Labour party by a 37 to 22 per cent margin and on pace to be able to form a new governing coalition with ultra-nationalist and Jewish Orthodox groups.

Maariv said many Israelis felt that the truce spelled a "missed opportunity" for the Jewish state to eradicate Gaza's Hamas leaders.

"The ceasefire agreement was essential in the wake of the global and international circumstances and the heavy pressure placed on Israel" by the United States, Maariv wrote.

But "it seems that most of the public in the country has a hard time accepting these explanations."

Sunday's Likud primary will decide who makes it onto the party list to be put to voters in the January 22 election. Analysts are watching to see if the party tilts further to the right in response to public disaffection over the truce.

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Date set for Leveson report release

THE report from the first part of the UK's Leveson inquiry into press standards is to be released next week.

British Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry in July last year in response to revelations that the News of the World commissioned a private detective to hack murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone after she disappeared in 2002.

The first part, which started in September last year, looked at the culture, practices and ethics of the press in general and its final report will be published on November 29, the inquiry announced on Thursday.

Inquiry chairman Lord Justice Leveson will publish the report, which is expected to include recommendations for the future regulation of the British press, at 1.30pm next Thursday (12.30am AEDT next Friday), followed by an "on-camera statement".

The report will be laid in both houses of parliament, the inquiry said, and will be available on its website once it has been laid in parliament.

Lord Justice Leveson and his panel of advisors heard months of evidence - some explosive - from key figures including celebrities, lawyers, politicians and journalists.

Formal evidence started on November 14, 2011, and, according to its website, the inquiry sat for a total of 88 days up to and including June 30 this year.

The final report will reveal Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations for the future regulation of the British press.

Leaked details of private letters that Lord Justice Leveson wrote to newspaper groups were said to have revealed stinging criticism, with one source telling The Guardian the chairman had thrown the "kitchen sink" at the press.

As debates over possible outcomes from the inquiry have raged in the run-up to the publication of its report, the Prime Minister has been urged not to impose statutory regulation on the press.

Editors of local papers covering his constituency, as well as those of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Culture Secretary Maria Miller, all pleaded for the protection of a free press.

Cameron has indicated he will implement any recommendations which are not "bonkers".

He, Clegg and Miliband told victims of press abuses on Wednesday, including Kate McCann and Chris Jefferies - who was caught up in coverage of the murder investigation of landscape architect Joanna Yeates - that they would "look favourably" on Lord Justice Leveson's proposals.

The second part of the inquiry, examining the extent of unlawful activities by journalists, cannot begin until detectives complete their investigation into alleged phone-hacking and corrupt payments to police, and any prosecutions have been concluded.

Several people face charges relating to the phone-hacking scandal, which involves three investigations: Operation Elveden, examining alleged bribery of public officials; Operation Weeting, which is looking at allegations of phone hacking; and Operation Tuleta, an inquiry into accusations of computer hacking and other privacy breaches.

On Tuesday, the CPS announced that five people, including former spin doctor Andy Coulson and ex-News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, are facing charges under Operation Elveden.

A senior counter-terrorism detective has already been charged as part of the investigation and is due to face trial in January.

Eight people, including Coulson and Brooks, face charges under Operation Weeting, linked to an alleged conspiracy to hack phones.

The others are private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and five former News of the World journalists - ex-managing editor Stuart Kuttner, former news editor Greg Miskiw, former head of news Ian Edmondson, ex-chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and former reporter James Weatherup.

They are all due to face trial next September.

So far, 18 people have been arrested as part of Operation Tuleta, but no one has yet been charged.

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Manslaughter charge for gun cleaning death

A MAN who shot a teenager in the head after a gun he was cleaning went off at a semi-rural property near Perth has been charged with manslaughter.

West Australian police said the 29-year-old man had allegedly been cleaning the gun when the firearm was discharged, fatally shooting an 18-year-old male in the head at a residence in Hope Valley on May 27.

Detectives initially charged the Baldivis man with possessing a firearm with circumstances of aggravation.

On Thursday, he was additionally charged with manslaughter, following a review of the evidence.

The man was refused bail during a court appearance on Thursday and is due back in court on Friday.

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New reforms to tackle gender inequality

A PACKAGE of reforms aimed at reducing gender inequality in the workforce has cleared the Senate.

Labor frontbencher Penny Wong said the reforms were "significant" and would tackle gender inequality across the board, for men and women, in all workplaces.

Senator Wong said closing the gap between male and female workforce participation could boost Australia's gross domestic product (GDP) and productivity, as well as filling holes in areas of skills shortages.

"Gender equality is good for the economy. It's also the right thing to do," she told the chamber on Thursday.

The bill removes requirements on bosses to provide descriptions of their gender equality policies and programs and instead concentrate on outcomes in the workplace.

It also lays out indicators for gender equality and will allow for minimum performance benchmarks and standards to be developed with industry and experts.

Importantly, the bill amends the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 to include not just women but men and all employers and employees in the workplace.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency will be tasked to ensure workplaces are complying with the new measures.

The coalition opposed the bill, arguing among other things that it could increase union power and create more business red tape.

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Obama hails all Americans on Thanksgiving

US President Barack Obama pardoned a pair of turkeys to mark the start of Thanksgiving festivities. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has wished Americans a happy Thanksgiving and urged the nation to move forward as one while remembering people in need of help.

With families across the country set to enjoy the traditional turkey dinners that mark Thursday's annual public holiday - first celebrated by pilgrims who fled religious persecution in England - Obama said not everyone was so fortunate.

"As we prepare to gather around our dinner tables, there are families in the northeast who don't have that luxury," he said, referring to tens of thousands of citizens in New York and New Jersey reeling from superstorm Sandy.

"Many of them have lost everything ... homes, possessions, even loved ones.

"And it will be a long time before life goes back to normal," he said of Sandy, which crashed into the US last month, killing 43 people in New York City alone, causing widespread damage and leaving thousands without power.

In his weekly message, brought forward by 48 hours on account of the holiday season, Obama also sought a semblance of political unity after a rancorous and bitterly divisive election campaign that saw him win a second White House term.

"Thanksgiving is a chance to put it all in perspective - to remember that, despite our differences, we are and always will be Americans first and foremost," said Obama, who trumped Republican rival Mitt Romney on November 6.

The president, a Democrat, also heaped praise on US armed forces personnel serving around the world.

"To all our service members it is my honour to be your Commander-in-Chief. And from our family to yours, happy Thanksgiving," he said.

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UK report finds extensive child sex abuse

AN extensive report has found high levels of child abuse in Britain, with more than 2400 victims during a 14-month period that was scrutinised.

The Office of Children's Commission interim study released on Wednesday also found some 16,500 additional children are at "high risk" of sexual exploitation.

It follows a series of reports of "grooming" cases in which rings of men preyed on troubled underage girls.

It also comes after the police and the BBC have been sharply criticised for failing to take action against the late Jimmy Savile, an entertainer who has been alleged to have repeatedly abused young girls.

The commission found that abuse is greater than had been thought and that many sexual exploitation victims are not seen by professionals and do not have their cases recorded.

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Dan Kelly's pistol sells for $122,000

Dan Kelly wrote his name on his gun. Perhaps he was worried someone might steal it. Source: Herald Sun

Dan Kelly would have killed to get such a good price for his pistol. Source: News Limited

A PISTOL that belonged to bushranger Dan Kelly, the youngest brother of of Ned, has sold at auction for $122,000 in Melbourne.

The sale of the weapon, an East India Company-issued cavalry pistol, to a private collector on Wednesday was well above the reserve price of $70,000.

Dan Kelly's name had been scratched onto the walnut stock of the pistol with the date 1876.

Auctioneer Charles Leski said the gun had been discovered in 1900 in Rockhampton by gunsmith H P Hansen who had bought a lot of old and rusty firearms.

In a newspaper report of the day, it was reported that Mr Hansen cleaned the dirt, rust and grease off an old pistol which revealed the Kelly name.

The newspaper report went on to say a muzzle-load single-shot pistol, which was found on a Kelly pack-horse at the Glenrowan siege where Dan died, is possibly this gun.

It remained in the Hansen family since then and was being offered for sale by a descendent.

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NSW govt 'gouging' motorist's pockets

THE state government is gouging the pockets of motorists by rolling out more mobile speed cameras, the opposition says.

Opposition roads spokesman Ryan Park said NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has broken a promise not to use mobile speed cameras as revenue-raisers, after the government made record revenues in its first year.

He said in 2011/12, the state government has reaped $3.61 million in revenue from mobile speed cameras, more than double what was brought in the previous year.

"In opposition, Mr O'Farrell said mobile speed cameras were revenue-raisers, but now he is using them to gouge record amounts of money out of the pockets of motorists," Mr Park said in a statement.

Mr Park said those revenues will only increase once 109 new fixed speed cameras and 42 mobile speed cameras are rolled out, along with increased hours mobile speed cameras operate.

"Clearly this is a desperate grab for cash at the expense of motorists."

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UN chief urges 'immediate' halt to rockets

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate halt to rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip, after talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

"I reiterate my call for an immediate cessation of indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militants targeting Israeli populated centres. This is unacceptable," he told a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday.

"Now is the time for diplomacy and stopping the violence," he said, a week into deadly Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip from which militants have been firing hundreds of rockets at the Jewish state.

UN ambassadors have announced the Security Council will hold an open debate on the Gaza crisis on Wednesday afternoon if a ceasefire is not called before then.

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DR Congo rebels enter Goma: report

REBELS in the Democratic Republic of Congo have entered the main city of Goma in the mineral-rich east of the country, according to a reporter on the scene.

A column of rebel fighters entered the city from the main airport road on Tuesday, sweeping past government troops, and moved toward the centre.

The development marks an escalation in the fighting, which erupted last week after a four-month lull and which has raised fears of a wider conflict engulfing the volatile region.

A UN official had earlier told AFP that the rebels had seized control of the airport, but another official later said that the situation there was not clear.

Loud explosions shook the area and there were reports of looting in Goma, the regional capital of 300,000 right on the border with Rwanda that is also sheltering tens of thousands of refugees who have fled the clashes.

The international community has raised alarm about the fighting, which erupted last Thursday with advances by the M23 rebels, former soldiers who mutineered in April.

The UN accuses neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda of backing the rebels, charges both countries deny.

Washington has warned the fighting was "an extremely dangerous and worrying situation" and the EU, Britain and France have also raised alarm.

The latest round of fighting erupted last week after the US and the UN slapped sanctions on the leader of the M23, Sultani Makenga.

Makenga is accused of atrocities including masterminding killings, rapes, abductions and recruiting child soldiers.

The rebels have said they plan to fight the DR Congo government "until it falls".

The UN has some 1500 "quick reaction" peacekeepers in Goma, part of some 6700 troops in North Kivu province, backing government forces against the rebels.

Aid agencies have evacuated staff from the city and the UN had planned to remove non-essential personnel on Tuesday.

On Monday Kinshasa rejected the rebels' ultimatum for direct talks within 24 hours, calling it "irrational rantings."

"We prefer to negotiate with Rwanda, the real aggressor," government spokesman Lambert Mende told AFP.

Rwanda late on Monday had accused government troops of deliberately bombing its territory.

The fighting is the most serious since July, when UN helicopters last went into action against the M23.

The M23 rebels are former soldiers who mutinied in April after the failure of a 2009 peace deal that integrated them into the regular army.

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RBA hints at future cuts

RBA governor Glenn Stevens reiterated that future changes to the cash rate have not been ruled out. Source: AAP

THE exceptional luck of higher incomes thanks to the mining boom is over for now and productivity growth is the main game, Australia's central bank says.

The move is the most important one facing Australians because it will dictate the growth in living standard, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor Glenn Stevens says.

"I noted two years ago that while our terms of trade are handed to us, for better or worse, by international relative prices, the efficiency with which we work is a variable we can actually do something about," he told a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) event in Melbourne on Tuesday night.

"If we want to speed up the growth of economy on a sustained basis, it will be about raising productivity performance."

Productivity had been declining in Australia for more than a decade, he said.

He praised the Productivity Commission, but said its work was hindered by vested interests resisting its proposals, partisan politics and state-federal sphere difficulties.

He also hinted at future interest rate cuts, while addressing the challenges faced by an economy in transition.

The RBA released minutes from the bank's November 6 board meeting on Tuesday.

During his address, Mr Stevens reiterated that future changes to the cash rate had not been ruled out.

"The board felt that further easing might be required over time," he said.

"It was also conscious, though, that a significant easing of policy had already been put in place, the effects of which were still coming through and would be for a while.

"In addition, the latest inflation data, while not a major problem, were a bit on the high side, and the gloom internationally had lifted just a little. So it seemed prudent to sit still for the moment."

The RBA had previously cut the cash rate in May, June and October to its current level of 3.25 per cent.

Mr Stevens said domestic data - particularly for growth and inflation - would provide guidance on future moves.

Speaking of longer-term trends, he said Australia's economy was in transition, as terms of trade fell from historic highs, and the resources sector moved into another stage.

"The terms of trade have peaked, and will probably have fallen by about 15 per cent by the end of this year," he said.

However, talk of an end to the mining boom was "somewhat overhyped", he said.

Investment in mining projects was the next phase, now that commodity prices had eased, and was likely to peak sometime in 2013 or 2014, with the third phase of extraction and export of resources still to come, particularly with regard to gas projects.

"With the peak in the investment phase of the mining boom now coming into view, the question naturally arises as to how the balance between the various types of demand in the economy will unfold," he said.

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Israel must be tried for war crimes: Iran

ISRAEL is solely responsible for the conflict in Gaza and should be tried for "war crimes", Iran says, stressing that the Palestinians must be "armed to defend" themselves.

"Neither Iran nor Hamas seek conflict or war, or aim to endanger the lives of innocent people," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in his weekly briefing on Tuesday.

The guilty party is "the criminal Zionist (Israeli) regime, which should be tried for war crimes."

He made the remarks in response to comments by Israeli President Shimon Peres, who accused Iran of encouraging the Palestinians to continue rocket attacks on Israel rather than negotiate a ceasefire.

"The unpleasant one is the Iranians. They are trying again to encourage the Hamas to continue the shooting, the bombing, they are trying to send them arms," Peres said in an interview on CNN on Monday.

"We are not going to make a war with Iran. But we are trying to prevent the shipping of long range missiles which Iran is sending to Hamas," Peres said referring to Iranian-made Fajr 5 rockets used by Hamas militants to target Tel Aviv.

Mehmanparast meanwhile praised "the firm response from Gaza" and stressed that the Palestinians must be armed against Israel.

He neither denied nor confirmed that Iran was supplying Hamas with rockets.

"Who produces the Fajr 5 missiles is a question for military experts ... and how these missiles are being delivered to the Palestinians should be answered by intelligence officials in the Zionist regime," he said in an ambiguous formulation.

"But what is important is that the Palestinians should be armed to defend themselves," he added.

The Fajr 5 rocket can hit targets up to 75 kilometres away, a far greater range than the home-produced Qassam rockets normally used by Palestinian militants in Gaza to target Israel.

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Glencore shareholders dig Xstrata merger

SHAREHOLDERS of Swiss commodities giant Glencore have overwhelmingly approved a tie-up with Swiss mining giant Xstrata during an extraordinary general assembly meeting.

A full 99.42 per cent of the shareholders voted in favour during Tuesday's meeting in Zug, in central Switzerland, clearing one of the final hurdles to the massive merger.

If Xstrata shareholders follow suit when they meet later on Tuesday, also in Zug, the new entity should become a reality.

It is set to be called Glencore-Xstrata and to stand as the world's fourth-biggest commodities company in terms of market capitalisation, after BHP Billiton, Vale and Rio Tinto.

While the merger finally appeared to be a sure thing after Xstrata's main shareholder, Qatar Holding - the main sovereign wealth fund of the energy-rich emirate said last month it was satisfied with renegotiated terms, there are still some elements of suspense.

It remains unclear what will happen with an initial plan to hand out massive retention payments to 73 Xstrata executives to ensure they remain with the merged company, which had many shareholders up in arms

According to the revised deal though, the bonuses will no longer be mandatory for the tie-up to go through and Xstrata's departing chief executive will no longer receive a massive payout.

According to the revised conditions, the Xstrata executives are set to receive a total of 179 million euros ($A222.07 million).

A handful of demonstrators greeted the shareholders as they arrived for the Glencore meeting on Tuesday to protest against Xstrata's copper mining activities in Agua Rica, Argentina.

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Israel kills 13, raising death toll to 90

ISRAELI strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed 13 people, raising the Palestinian death toll to 90 as Israel's campaign enters its sixth day.

In the latest incident on Monday, a missile hit a motorcycle east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, killing two men and critically wounding a child who was with them, a statement by Gaza's ambulance service said.

The two were named as Abdullah Abu Khater, 30, and Mahmud Abu Khater, 32, but the relationship between them was not immediately clear.

An earlier strike on Qarara in the same area killed two farmers - Ibrahim al-Astal and Obama al-Astal, medics said.

In a strike on southern Gaza City, a car was hit, killing one man and injuring another three, officials said, naming the dead man as 23-year-old Mohammed Shamalah.

Shortly before that, three people were killed in a strike on a car in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, all of them from the same family: Amir Bashir, Tamal Bashir and Salah Bashir.

Early on Monday morning, two women and a child were among four killed in a strike on Gaza City's eastern Zeitun neighbourhood. They were Nisma Abu Zorr, 23, Mohammed Abu Zorr, 5, Saha Abu Zorr, 20 and Ahid al-Qatati, 35.

Medics said another man had been found dead in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, naming him as Abdel Rahman al-Atar, a 50-year-old farmer.

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Hong Kong stocks close higher

HONG Kong shares have closed up 0.49 per cent following a positive lead from Wall Street on hopes US politicians will be able to avert a looming fiscal crisis.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index added 103.35 points to end at 21,262.36 on turnover of HK$46.24 billion ($A5.78 billion) on Monday.

Chinese shares ended up 0.11 per cent, or 2.25 points, at 2,016.98 on turnover of 36.1 billion yuan ($A5.63 billion), after briefly dipping below a key support level to a nearly four-year low on worries over the domestic economy.

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SE Asian nations disagree over China

SOUTHEAST Asian leaders have disagreed over how to handle territorial disputes with China, overshadowing talks at a regional summit meant to strengthen trade and political ties.

The leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations had hoped to present a united front on the South China Sea row to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at annual talks.

But that effort broke down on Monday just before Southeast Asian leaders were scheduled to meet Wen, amid divisions between Chinese ally Cambodia and the Philippines.

Cambodia, this year's ASEAN chair, said on Sunday that Southeast Asian leaders had agreed not to "internationalise" the disputes and would confine negotiations to those between the bloc and China.

The apparent deal would have been a victory for China, which has long insisted that it should only negotiate directly with rival countries and that the Philippines should not seek support from the United States.

However Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Monday publicly rebuked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, telling his fellow leaders no such consensus had been reached and he would continue to speak out on the global stage.

"The Philippines ... has the inherent right to defend its national interests when deemed necessary," Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters, quoting Aquino's comments to his fellow leaders on Monday morning.

The feud echoed unprecedented infighting at an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Phnom Penh in July, which ended for the first time in the bloc's 45-year history without a joint communique.

The Philippines and Vietnam had wanted the communique to make specific reference to their disputes with China. But Cambodia, the hosts of the talks and a close China ally, blocked the moves.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan, have claims to parts of the sea, which is home to some of the world's most important shipping lanes and believed to be rich in fossil fuels.

But China insists it has sovereign rights to virtually all of the sea.

Tensions have risen steadily over the past two years, with the Philippines and Vietnam accusing China of increasingly aggressive diplomatic tactics to stake its claims.

Temperatures could rise again later on Monday when US President Barack Obama arrives in Phnom Penh to join the East Asia Summit, a two-day event also involving the leaders of Japan, South Korea, India, New Zealand and Australia.

Obama has previously angered China, and emboldened the Philippines, by calling for the rival claimants to agree on a legally binding code of conduct to govern their actions over the sea.

Analysts said he would likely repeat that call in Phnom Penh, as well as make comments highlighting the importance of freedom of navigation in the sea.

ASEAN officials had said they would push Wen during their talks on Monday to quickly start high-level, formal negotiations on a code of conduct.

But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang insisted that China wanted to continue with the current arrangement of lower-level talks on the issue. "We already have good discussions with ASEAN," Qin said.

Even with the South China Sea row festering, countries involved in the East Asia Summit were expected to focus on ways to expand economic ties.

ASEAN nations are set to officially launch negotiations on Tuesday for an enormous free trade pact with China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

And despite their own territorial rows, China, Japan and South Korea are likely to hold talks in Phnom Penh on Tuesday aimed at kickstarting three-way free trade negotiations, according to Qin.

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Aust joins global illegal timber fight

FORESTRY Minister Joe Ludwig says Australia has joined the global struggle against the trade in illegally logged timber.

Senator Ludwig says it will be an offence to import illegally logged timber into the Australian market and to process timber illegally harvested in Australia after the passage of a government bill through the Senate on Monday.

"It places requirements on Australian importers and processors - not on our trading partners or exporters," he said in a statement.

Senator Ludwig said the government had consulted with importers, processors, industry, retailers, conservation groups and Australia's trading partners to develop the act.

He said the legislation now brought Australia into line with the European Union and US in taking action to stop the trade of illegally logged timber.

Senator Ludwig said about nine per cent of the timber coming into Australia was illegally logged, costing hundreds of millions.

"The broad assessment would be around $400 million but again I wouldn't say with any degree of accuracy that is the number," he told the chamber on Monday.

Environmental groups supported the bill's passage.

"This law gives more confidence to Australians buying imported wood products that they won't be inadvertently supporting illegal logging and the destruction of tropical rainforests in the Asia-Pacific region," Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Josh Meadows said in a statement.

Forests campaigner with Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Reece Turner, said illegal logging often involved land theft and trashing of national parks, while breeding corruption and human rights abuses.

"It's a huge challenge to countries in our region including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia," Mr Turner said.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said the bill was a "small step" despite its weakness.

But she said the government's failure to support Greens amendments to strengthen the legislation was "deeply disappointing".

Opposition senator Richard Colbeck said the coalition did not support the bill without some "sensible modifications".

"We don't want to provide a blunt instrument for rogue environmental groups to attack legitimate businesses," he said.

The Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2012 now awaits royal assent.

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Softball-sized hailstones hit Brisbane

HAILSTONES the size of a softballs rained down on Brisbane's south and southwest suburbs during the height of the thunderstorm that swept through the city on Sunday.

The Bureau of Meteorology said there were reports of hailstones 9cm in diameter falling during what it described as a "dangerous thunderstorm", which shut down Brisbane Airport for a short period.

Forecaster David Grant said hailstones 4-6cm in diameter also had been reported in the west and inner west of the CBD.

It was the second consecutive day for Queensland's southeast being battered by ferocious storms.

Power company Energex said the storms had knocked out electricity to more than 100,000 homes and businesses over the weekend.

More than 18,000 homes and businesses were still without power on Sunday when almost 25,000 lightning strikes were recorded, with many hitting the electricity network.

Many of the lightning strikes occurred when a storm raced through the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast council areas early in the afternoon and in a separate storm hitting the Logan, Brisbane and Moreton Bay council areas.

Energex asked southeast Queenslanders to remain patient while crews worked to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

Qantas cancelled three out of four flights to Sydney on Sunday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

They advised Brisbane-based passengers to return home while they promised to find hotel rooms for about 300 other passengers who would not be flying out.

One passenger told AAP the storms that swept through were very fierce, causing the airport to shut down operations for at least 30 minutes.

Virgin had to divert three flights flying into Brisbane on Sunday with two going to Rockhampton and the other to Coolangatta, where passengers were put on buses.

It also cancelled five flights out of Brisbane where the planes would not have been able to reach their destination city - such as Sydney and Adelaide - before curfews took effect.

Emergency Management Queensland advised people to move their cars under cover and away from trees, not to attempt to drive, walk or ride through flood waters and avoid using the phone during a thunderstorm.

The Department of Community Safety told AAP at least 160 calls had been received on Sunday, to help with minor flooding, leaking roofs and tarping.

At about 7pm (AEST) fans at Brisbane's Harvest music festival had to be evacuated because of the hail, with music lovers taking to Facebook to express their disappointment.

International acts such as Santigold, Grizzly Bear and Sigur Ros were due to take the stage at the festival, which was held at the Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

"We just got evacuated from Harvest Festival... All the good bands were about to start", said Brooke Baldock of the Gold Coast.

Amy Chambers, who lives in the inner-city suburb of Dutton Park, said Sunday night's storm was sudden and violent.

"There are a lot of trees and tree limbs down," she said.

"The rain was coming down horizontal and there was hail about the size of a dollar coin. I've heard it was much bigger in other parts."

Ms Chambers said the wind blew so hard it forced her front door open.

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Traffic accident sparks riot in China

THOUSANDS of people have gone on the rampage in a southeastern Chinese city after a traffic accident, smashing police cars and overturning three police vans.

One resident said people became angry because police and paramedics took nearly an hour to arrive after the accident. A Hong Kong-based human rights group said it was to do with corruption.

Residents said police were stopping cars and checking people for drink driving when the accident happened on a main road in Fuan.

The accident happened when a car sped away from the check point, smashing into three motorcycles and injuring five people.

Onlookers became angry because police officers and paramedics took nearly one hour to arrive, said a witness, who estimated 1000 to 2000 people clashed with police and overturned three police vans.

Photos carried by online southeastern news sites show hundreds of people swarming across a wide street with two vans thrown onto their sides. In one photo, three people are standing on top of an overturned van.

The official Fuan police microblog said on Sunday a sedan had collided with a car and three motorcycles, leaving five people injured.

"The accident made a small number of local people dissatisfied," said the statement.

Later on Sunday, the propaganda department of Fuan's Communist Party put out a statement countering accusations police and paramedics had been slow to respond.

It said police had immediately called paramedics and traffic police and a patrol car drove to a hospital to pick up three doctors. The five injured were taken to hospital 40 minutes after the accident happened, it said.

"As the rescue work was going on, some relatives of the injured people and onlookers got out of control," said the statement. "They started to push and shove the doctors and knock the ambulance and so the ambulance left the scene under police escort."

It said "a handful of lawless people misled some people who didn't know the truth" and they began targeting police vehicles.

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Curti's death 'worse than a nightmare'

THE sister of Roberto Laudisio Curti has described her brother's death as "worse than a true nightmare".

Ana Laudisio has spoken of the "brutality" of her brother's last moments before he died in Sydney's CBD after being tasered by police officers 14 times on March 18.

Roberto, a Brazilian student, was staying with Ms Laudisio, who lives in Sydney.

Ms Laudisio said she received a strange phone call from Roberto about 4.30am on the day he died.

At the time she did not realise her 21-year-old brother had taken the hallucinogen LSD, and said Roberto was not a regular drug user.

She said after the call she sent her brother a series of text messages, telling him she loved him and it would "all be ok". Later that day she found out Roberto was dead.

"The hardest moments are unpredictable when they come and the pain they bring," Ms Laudisio told the Nine Network's 60 Minutes program on Sunday.

"I've been through a lot in my life, but honestly this is the most painful thing."

Ms Laudisio said she and her sister had raised their brother after their parents died when Roberto was aged 10.

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Invasion would cost Israel support: UK

A GROUND invasion of the Gaza Strip would lose Israel much international sympathy and support, British Foreign Secretary William Hague says.

Hague told Sky News it was much more difficult to limit civilian casualties in a ground assault and it would threaten to prolong the conflict.

His comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the armed forces were ready to "significantly expand" their operation against militants in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Britain has said that Hamas bears the principal responsibility for the crisis due to perpetual rocket attacks on Israeli territory.

But Hague said it would be hard for the international community to maintain sympathy with Israel if it launched a ground operation.

"That, of course, is a different proposition," he said.

"The prime minister (David Cameron) and I have both stressed to our Israeli counterparts that a ground invasion of Gaza would lose Israel a lot of the international support and sympathy that they have in this situation.

"It's much more difficult to restrict and avoid civilian casualties during a ground invasion and a large ground operation would threaten to prolong the conflict.

"So we have made our views very clear on that with Israel, just as we have made very clear our view that the barrage of rockets from Gaza onto southern Israel is an intolerable situation for the Israelis and it's not surprising they have responded to that.

"A ground invasion is much more difficult for the international community to sympathise with or support - including the United Kingdom."

He said Britain would like to see an agreed ceasefire, with an end to the rocket attacks being an essential component of any peace deal.

"In the absence of that ceasefire, we of course are calling on all involved to de-escalate, to avoid civilian casualties and to abide by international humanitarian law," he said.

Hague said it would be a "mistake" for the Palestinians to try to gain observer status at the United Nations at this point as it would be "divisive" with the United States.

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