Kenyan police quizzed over airport looting

INVESTIGATORS in Kenya are questioning police and airport workers suspected of taking advantage of a fire at Nairobi's main airport on Wednesday to steal cash and alcohol, an officer says.

"It is embarrassing because some of them concentrated on looting instead of raising alarms," said a police officer in the probe team who did not want to give his name.

"We're questioning all of them. Police officers, immigration staff, civilians who work in other areas and even taxi drivers," he added.

Security cameras caught some thieves in action, he said.

Kenyan paper Daily Nation said seven police officers would appear in court on Monday. The men were found with cash and alcohol on them, the paper said.

The cause of the fire that broke out at 5am local time at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday and blazed out of control for several hours has not yet been determined.

The airport's main arrivals hall was gutted in the blaze.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has ruled out terrorism.

But "those responsible for negligence will have to be punished", he warned on a visit to the airport Friday.

The fire caused no casualties but paralysed the airport, which is the principal aviation hub for east Africa, on Wednesday.

International and domestic flights were cancelled.

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Britain issues forced marriage alert

THE British government has warned teachers, doctors and airport staff to be on alert for a rise in forced marriages over the school summer holidays.

Summer marks a peak in reports of young people - mainly girls - being taken abroad on "holiday", not knowing their families are forcing them into a marriage, the interior ministry said.

Britain's Forced Marriage Unit dealt with some 1,500 cases last year, a third of them involving children aged under 17. In nearly half the cases the victims were taken to Pakistan.

"The rise in forced marriage reports over the school holidays is shocking," crime prevention minister Jeremy Browne said on Saturday.

"Teenagers expecting their GCSE or A-level (exam) results should be embarking on a bright future, not condemned to a marriage with someone they have never met and do not want to marry.

"My message to young people who feel they are at risk is, please come forward - you do not have to suffer in silence, there is help available and it can be stopped."

The Forced Marriage Unit is handing out cards this summer providing information for potential victims, telling them to speak to police or airline staff if they believe they are being taken to be married against their will.

But the opposition Labour party said the warning might have been more helpful if it was issued before schools broke up for the holidays.

The Forced Marriage Unit said the victims it had dealt with last year were taken to 60 countries, including Bangladesh (11 per cent), India (8 per cent) and Afghanistan (2.1 per cent).

In 18 per cent of cases, the victim was male.

The government announced plans last year to introduce new laws for England and Wales that would see parents sent to jail if they force their children into a marriage.

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Another asylum seeker boat arrives

A BOAT carrying 28 asylum seekers has been intercepted by the Navy off Christmas Island.

Customs says the boat, which also had two crew on board, sought and recieved assistance from HMAS Maryborough on Friday night.

The people on board have been transferred to Christmas Island, where they will be given health checks.

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Rudd dumps ALP candidate for Hotham

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has dumped the ALP's candidate for the safe Labor Victorian seat of Hotham following claims of misconduct several years ago, while another candidate has quit the campaign after a racism row.

Geoff Lake was forced again to apologise for abusing a fellow councillor during a meeting of Monash City Council in 2002.

Details of a sexual harassment claim from the time, reportedly being shopped around by his own party colleagues, say he called Liberal councillor Kathy Magee a "f...ing bitch" and a "f...ing slut".

Mr Lake told News Corp newspapers he had apologised several times to Ms Magee and was still remorseful.

Labor ministers including Mark Dreyfus and Tanya Plibersek defended Mr Lake on Saturday, saying it was a long time ago, when he was 22, and he had apologised many times.

However, late on Saturday, Mr Rudd issued a statement saying the party had removed Mr Lake's endorsement following a report by Labor's national secretary George Wright into misconduct claims.

"The national secretary has informed me that he is not satisfied that there has been full disclosure about these previous matters," Mr Rudd said.

"Based on the investigation, I have concluded that it is inappropriate for Mr Lake to continue as the endorsed Labor candidate for Hotham."

He said he would ask the national executive to preselect a new candidate for the Hotham.

Meanwhile, Labor candidate for Kennedy, Ken Robertson, has resigned after reportedly calling Tony Abbott a bigot, Sky News says.

"I hope Australia never has to suffer his Catholicism and the things that he's doing personally, because I think he's a very, very bigoted person," Mr Robertson reportedly said.

"He'd have the White Australia policy back in a flash, if he could."

Earlier on Saturday, the coalition said Mr Rudd's sincerity about party reform would be tested by what action he takes against the two Labor candidates.

Shadow attorney-general George Brandis said the two reports of "serious misconduct" posed a test for Mr Rudd.

He linked it to Thursday's announcement Labor was dumping its candidate for Forde, Des Hardman, in favour of former Queensland premier Peter Beattie.

"If Mr Rudd is willing ruthlessly to sack a candidate who is innocent of any wrongdoing, what leadership will he show, what action will he take against these two candidates ... who have in different ways disgraced themselves?" he asked reporters in Brisbane," Senator Brandis said.

"If Mr Rudd stands by these candidate, while dismissing poor old Mr Hardman in Forde as part of his political chess game, then the Australian people will make their own judgments about Mr Rudd's personal standards and they'll make their own judgment about Mr Rudd's hypocrisy."

One Nation candidate Stephanie Banister, who was ridiculed after referring to Islam as a country in a television interview, has also withdrawn from the election campaign.

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Japan national debt at one quadrillion yen

JAPAN'S eye-watering national debt has topped Y1 quadrillion, official data shows, a record figure that underlines Tokyo's struggle to curb its huge borrowing.

The figure supplied by the finance ministry of Y1.008 quadrillion by the end of June amounts to about $A11.51 trillion at current exchange rates.

A quadrillion is one thousand trillion.

Tokyo has the dubious distinction of having, proportionately, the biggest debt pile among industrialised nations, more than twice the size of its economy.

The lion's share of that debt is from long- and short-term Japanese government bonds, as well as other borrowing.

The staggering figure, about 1.7 per cent higher than the previous quarter, comes a day after Japan pledged to slash its budget and get spending under control.

Japan has not faced a public debt crisis like the kind seen across the debt-riddled eurozone, largely because most of its low-interest debt is held domestically rather than by international creditors.

But the International Monetary Fund and others have issued warnings about Tokyo's ever-increasing borrowing, after a series of sovereign credit rating downgrades in recent years.

This week, the IMF called on Japan to adopt a "credible" fiscal plan to repair its books, including raising sales taxes to generate new revenue.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is mulling whether to go ahead with a series of sales tax rises that would double the rate to 10 per cent by 2015, a key source of new income but one that some fear would stall his economy-boosting plan dubbed "Abenomics".

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One Nation defends candidate over gaffe

THE One Nation party is defending its candidate who was ridiculed after referring to Islam as a country, saying it was a simple slip of the tongue.

One Nation leader Jim Savage says its candidate for Rankin in Queensland, Stephanie Banister, 27, was dealt a terrible injustice following the Seven Network interview, which was picked up by newspapers and radio stations around the country.

Ms Banister, who had only been in politics for 48 hours at the time of her interview, referred to Islam as a country.

"I don't oppose Islam as a country but I do feel their laws should not be welcome here in Australia," she told the network.

However, Mr Savage says Ms Banister meant to say "in" a country and immediately corrected herself, but this was not aired.

"Channel Seven went to air trying to give the impression Stephanie said Islam was a country," he said in a statement.

"She immediately corrected herself, but Seven conveniently left this off.

"I am bloody furious that Channel Seven targeted this young woman, without our knowledge.

"Of course as a rank novice it was easy to manage to get her to make a simple slip of the tongue.

"The poor girl was giving her very first TV interview, and if anyone thinks it is easy, try doing it some time.

"Even the Channel Seven reporter, Erin Edwards, in an interview she did with me last week asked if I was racist against Islam.

"I had to inform her Islam was not a race."

Mr Savage called for Ms Banister to be given a fair go, adding other politicians had referred to Islam as a race but were not taken to task by the media.

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Tokyo investors eye Japan, US data

TOKYO investors will be eyeing Japanese and US economic data next week, but trading is expected to be thin with many dealers off for a national holiday.

US economic figures including retail sales and industrial output are due out as markets look for clues as to when the US Federal Reserve will start rolling back its huge stimulus drive.

The Fed has said any pull back from its quantitative easing scheme rested on evidence of a solid recovery in the world's largest economy.

"If it is confirmed that the US economy is keeping in good shape, that would support the (Tokyo) market," Nomura Securities said in a client note.

Eurozone GDP figures will also be in focus while, closer to home, second-quarter economic growth figures for Japan will be eyed as Tokyo mulls a series of sales tax hikes aimed at chopping its mounting public debt, already the worst in the industrialised world.

There are fears that a drive to stimulate the world's third-largest economy could be cut short by raising taxes.

In the week to August 9, Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 5.88 per cent, or 850.97 points, to 13,615.19.

The Topix index of all first-section shares lost 4.62 per cent, or 55.26 points, to 1,140.91.

The tumble was largely due to a 4.0 per cent drop in the Nikkei on Wednesday as selling pressure soared because of a stronger yen and after Wall Street fell sharply.

On Friday, Tokyo stocks ended flat after zigzagging in and out of positive territory, with market heavyweight Nikon diving after a big drop in the camera giant's quarterly profit.

"The market remains in the summer doldrums," said SMBC Nikko Securities general manager of equities Hiroichi Nishi.

Next week, many traders will be off for national holidays.

"The markets could see some renewed buffeting if trading volume drops off even more than we have seen in recent weeks," said an equity derivatives trader at a foreign brokerage.

On Friday, Nikon dropped 14.29 per cent to Y1,726 after saying on Thursday its net profit fell 72 per cent in the April-June quarter as digital camera sales slumped, while slashing its sales and profit outlook for the fiscal year to March.

Toyota rose 0.16 per cent to Y6,170, Sony gained 0.83 per cent to Y1,943 while Sharp was down 0.74 per cent to Y401.

In Tokyo afternoon trading, the US dollar was nearly flat at Y96.66 from Y96.64 in New York on Thursday.

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European stocks mixed before weekend

EUROPEAN stock markets have traded mixed and the euro retreated from seven-week highs against the US dollar as traders banked profits ahead of the weekend pause.

London's FTSE 100 index on Friday gained 0.26 per cent to 6,546.46 points following strong British export data and approaching midday in the British capital.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 fell 0.16 per cent to 8,305.24 points and the CAC 40 index in Paris dipped 0.13 per cent to 4,059.15.

"Markets have hit a lull ... (amid) holiday mode after a busy two weeks dominated by economic figures and news from all the major policy decision makers," said Toby Morris, senior sales trader at CMC Markets, in reference to action being taken by global central banks.

On Friday, the world's second-biggest economy China reported industrial growth for July reached a five-month high.

Industrial production, which measures output at factories, workshops and mines, rose 9.7 per cent year-on-year, well above analyst expectations.

Authorities also announced steady expansion in retail sales and fixed asset investment, and a benign inflation figure of 2.7 per cent, unchanged on last month.

Analysts said the figures pointed to a more stable outlook for China's economy - seen as a key driver of global growth - after months of mounting pessimism.

The data came as Britain's biggest retailer, supermarket chain Tesco, said on Friday that it is in exclusive talks over combining its Chinese operations with those of China Resources Enterprise.

Tesco said the move was in line with the group's strategy of seeking to profit from fast-growing economies, and comes as China seeks to balance export growth with domestic consumption.

Tesco - the world's third-biggest supermarket group after French rival Carrefour and US retailer Wal-Mart in first place - said the proposed joint venture would create a business with annual sales of about STG10 billion ($A17.18 billion).

Shares in Tesco rose 0.87 per cent to stand at 372.3 pence in London morning deals.

Shares in Dutch telecom group KPN leapt by 18.0 per cent in response to a bid for full control by Mexican group America Movil.

The euro edged up to $US1.3383 from $US1.3380 in New York late on Thursday.

The US dollar nudged higher to Y96.68 from Y96.65 on Thursday.

On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold rose to $US1,306.61 an ounce from $US1,298.25 on Thursday.

Asian stock markets closed out the week mixed, while on Wall Street overnight US stocks snapped a three-day losing streak.

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Peter Garrett's talents wasted: Blundell

Senate candidate James Blundell (R) says Peter Garrett's intellect was wasted in politics. Source: AAP

COUNTRY music star James Blundell says fellow artist Peter Garrett's intellect was wasted in politics.

But the lead Queensland Senate candidate for Katter's Australian Party has vowed his celebrity status won't be exploited, in the same way Labor used the former Midnight Oil frontman.

"I think Peter Garrett is the greatest misuse of intellect I've seen in my adult, politically active lifetime," he told AAP.

"The decision makers and policy makers should have been listening to what Peter was saying because the reason Peter Garrett and Midnight Oil became incredibly famous was because they really, really connected with their peers, and half a generation above and below."

Blundell says he and Mr Garrett chatted about the shaved-head rock star's future career as they sat side-by-side at country music legend Slim Dusty's funeral in 2003.

He also feels that Mr Garrett, who is retiring from politics at this election, was unfairly tied to the failed pink batts scheme.

"To give him pink batts is the stupidest thing I've seen in my life," he said.

The 28-year music veteran and Golden Guitar winner says his own celebrity status won't be exploited, after persistent pleas from party leader Bob Katter for him to stand.

"If a celebrity is there for the glory of it, they will be badly hurt," he said.

Blundell called State of Origin coach and rugby league great Mal Meninga for advice, and to ask why he famously aborted a 2001 run for the ACT parliament.

"Mal is a bloke I absolutely love and he was one of the people ... I had a list of people to call because I wanted to know what happened," Blundell said, adding he hoped not to "go the Mal route".

Blundell also admits to being in favour of gay marriage, unlike many in his party.

"We have an agreement to disagree or to keep that whole issue away from the top 20 important things to discuss," he said.

"We don't see eye-to-eye on it 100 per cent."

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Schools key in Corangamite: Shorten

Senior minister Bill Shorten believes Labor's battle for the seat of Corangamite will be tough. Source: AAP

LABOR can win the election, senior minister Bill Shorten says, but he's less confident it will retain its most marginal seat.

Campaigning in the Victorian seat of Corangamite, which the ALP's Darren Cheeseman holds by only 0.3 per cent, Mr Shorten told students the government could win the election.

"Bookmakers have us not as the favourite in a two horse-race," Mr Shorten said at a Geelong school.

"Bookmakers can be wrong. It's four weeks to go.

"We can win. That's for sure."

When asked if Labor could retain Corangamite, Mr Shorten qualified his response by saying the ALP would prevail in the seat if the election was fought on education policy.

"Corangamite is an electorate which has got a great future," Mr Shorten said.

"If this is an election that is fought on education policies, Darren Cheeseman will remain the member for Corangamite."

Mr Cheeseman said he would have to work hard to show voters how Labor was addressing their concerns.

"This going to be a very close contest here. Every single vote will count," Mr Cheeseman said.

"If we campaign hard ... I think we've got every chance of winning this seat again."

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