Huge fire ravages Mackay shopping complex

FOUR youths have been questioned over a massive fire that gutted a north Queensland shopping complex.

No one was injured in the blaze on Greenfield Boulevard, Mackay, but it destroyed most of the Toys R Us, Clark Rubber and Autobarn stores.

Emergency services received reports of the fire at about 11.45am (AEST) on Saturday and it took more than three hours for the blaze to be contained, with the Department of Community Safety (DCS) saying the main fire was put out at about 3pm.

Police said four juveniles were questioned over the fire and two boys, aged 10 and 13, were still assisting with inquiries on Saturday evening.

Officers will remain at the scene overnight as investigations into the cause of the fire continue.

A public safety order is still in place because of concerns about toxic smoke from burning chemicals in some of the shops.

A nearby shop worker, who did not want to be named, said witnesses saw four teenagers being arrested in the car park.

"They (the teenagers) were in our shop this morning. We hunted them out. They were being horrible in here," she told AAP.

"Officers have put those young people in a paddy wagon."

The DCS said a fire investigator would be brought in to work out how the blaze started.

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US computer graphics guru wins Kyoto Prize

AN American regarded as a father of computer graphics, an Indian literary critic and a Japanese molecular cell biologist have received the Kyoto Prize, Japan's highest private award for global achievement.

The Inamori Foundation awarded its advanced technology prize on Saturday to US computer scientist Ivan Sutherland, who developed the graphic interface program Sketchpad in 1963.

Gayatri Chakrovoty Spivak, an Indian literary critic and professor at Columbia University, won the arts and philosophy prize.

Yoshinori Ohsumi, a molecular biologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, received the basic sciences prize for his work on autophagy, a cell-recycling system that could be used to help treat neurodegenerative and age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer.

The Kyoto-based Inamori Foundation was set up in 1984 by Kyocera Corp's founder, Kazuo Inamori.

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'Volunteers' roped into Beijing crackdown

THE Chinese Communist Party's paranoia is on full display for its congress in Beijing in a security squeeze extending from police swarming Tiananmen Square to elderly sentinels watching street corners.

The capital has 1.4 million "public order volunteers" - retirees, street cleaners, firemen and low-paid private security guards - on the lookout for anything that could upset the sensitive gathering, even in the quietest residential neighbourhoods.

But despite their patriotic armbands, many grumble about being roped in as foot soldiers for China's massive police state.

"Volunteer? They made me volunteer," said Zhang Weilin, 25, a security guard at a central Beijing shopping mall who wore a camouflage jacket bearing a "US Army Airborne" patch and that was a size or two too large.

"My security company gave us the uniforms and made all of us (other security guards) volunteer during the congress," he said.

Increasingly worried about rising social unrest and acutely aware of public unhappiness over a lack of democracy, Chinese authorities have dramatically escalated the state security apparatus under President Hu Jintao.

At the end of the congress next week, Hu is widely expected to hand leadership of the party to Vice President Xi Jinping after 10 years in power.

Under Hu, security budgets have exploded - $US111 billion ($A107.1 billion) was allocated in 2011 for "stability maintenance", exceeding China's stated defence budget.

Authorities frequently buttress security by tasking ordinary citizens with maintaining order in their patch and reporting potential threats to the Communist regime, particularly during important events like the congress.

"If we see anything out of the ordinary, like a petitioner trying to protest, we report immediately to the neighbourhood committee, who calls the police," said retired teacher Huo Huihua, watching a Beijing street corner.

Under an age-old system from imperial times, Chinese across the country are officially granted the right to petition to Beijing authorities against local injustices.

However, petitioners and rights groups claim complainants are routinely jailed, beaten, or otherwise persecuted into silence. Rights groups say petitioners are being detained and ejected from the city during the congress.

"It doesn't matter if the petitioner has a legitimate beef or not. That will be up to the police to decide," said Huo, adding a sad grimace that acknowledged routine police brutality.

Zhang Yaodong, a petitioner from Henan province, was beaten to death by unknown thugs on Tuesday ahead of the congress, a rights group has said.

Beijing police refused to comment. Such incidents are common in China and often trigger violent demonstrations.

Although AFP reporters have witnessed numerous petitioners being dragged by police since the congress began, none of the nearly 20 "public order volunteers" interviewed said they had seen anything that merited a report to police.

The security clampdown in Beijing has many of its practical-minded residents involved in the effort wondering why none of the huge security spending has trickled down to them.

"If any 'stability maintenance money' is handed out, it will surely go to the neighbourhood committee. We will never see any of it," said a retired worker named Chen.

Instead, rewards for "volunteers" included uniforms, jackets, soap powder and cooking oil in exchange for the hours spent on street corners in the chilly November air.

Dissident Bao Tong said the huge domestic security build-up of recent years indicates the Communist Party has lost its ruling legitimacy.

"No country in the world makes its own people the biggest enemy," Bao, who was the highest official jailed following the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests that were suppressed by the army, said before the congress opened.

"In a republic, the people should be the masters. 'Stability maintenance' takes the people as the enemy. This is an insult and a disgrace," he said.

Chen Huili, a house cleaner who says she was pressured into acting as a neighbourhood sentinel, has her own reasons for grumbling.

"I didn't volunteer. My company is making me do this," said Chen, as she swept up cigarette butts in a Beijing housing complex wearing a red "public order volunteer" arm band.

"They didn't give me anything but extra work to do."

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Iraq cancels $US4.2bn Russia arms deal

IRAQ has cancelled a $US4.2 billion ($A4.05 billion) package of arms deals with Russia over corruption concerns, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says.

"The deal was cancelled," Ali Mussawi said on Saturday.

"When Maliki returned from his trip to Russia, he had some suspicions of corruption, so he decided to review the whole deal ... There is an investigation going on, on this."

Mussawi declined to say who specifically was being investigated, or if Iraq would begin new negotiations with Moscow.

He also did not say exactly when the final decision was made to stop the deal.

The Russian embassy in Baghdad was not available for comment.

The massive deal was agreed a month ago when a delegation led by Maliki visited Russia. Had it been finalised and implemented, it would have made Russia Baghdad's second-biggest arms supplier, after the United States.

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60 countries expected at Tokyo Syria meet

JAPAN says around 150 delegates from about 60 countries are expected to attend an international conference in Tokyo this month aimed at pressuring the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

It will bring together senior government officials from "Friends of Syria Group" countries supporting the Syrian opposition and seeking to ratchet up pressure on the Assad regime, a foreign ministry official said on Friday.

The Friends of Syria Group has previously organised four such meetings - in Paris in April, Washington in June, Doha in July and The Hague in September, the official said.

"Some 150 participants from some 60 countries participated in the previous meetings and we expect a similar size this time as well," the foreign ministry official said.

Further details of the meeting, including the date, will be announced soon.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said on Monday: "The meeting is aimed at broadening the range of countries taking part in sanctions and enhancing the effectiveness of pressure on the Syrian government."

Tokyo imposed a freeze on assets held in Japan by the Syrian president and military leaders in September last year, in concert with European countries and the United States.

Tokyo has also banned chartered flights from Syria since July.

Syria's foreign ministry on Thursday lashed out at the planned meeting, according to state television, and demanded Tokyo call it off, saying sanctions were hurting the Syrian people.

But the Tokyo official said the Japanese government will go ahead with the forum as scheduled.

A government source in Morocco told AFP on Thursday that a Syrian opposition meeting could be held there if the conditions were right.

Conflict erupted in Syria in March 2011 when Assad's forces moved to crush pro-reform protests, triggering an armed uprising.

More than 36,000 people have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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Hong Kong shares end 0.85% lower

HONG Kong shares have fallen 0.85 per cent following another loss on Wall Street owing to concerns over the US economy and despite a slew of upbeat data out of China.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 182.53 points to 21,384.38 on turnover of HK$57.67 billion ($A7.18 billion). The index has lost 3.3 per cent over the past week.

While President Barack Obama's re-election removed uncertainty, traders have now turned their focus to the deep spending cuts and huge tax hikes that will come into force on January 1 if Republicans and Democrats do not reach a deal.

The package is a major threat to the economy after a protracted but possibly reckless compromise was reached last year - with the expectation a less painful plan could be agreed - to raise the country's borrowing cap.

If the automatic measures kick in, the United States' slow recovery from the financial crisis could be reversed and the nation tip back into recession, dealing a blow to the global economy.

In China, official data showed industrial production rose 9.6 per cent in October from the same month last year, stronger than the 9.2 per cent logged in September.

Other data released by the government - including retail sales, fixed asset investment and the consumer price index - also improved in October compared with September.

The figures, which come as China holds its once-in-a-decade leadership transition, raised hopes that the world's No.2 economy is emerging from its slumber, which could have a positive effect on the global outlook.

But UOB KayHian analyst Fan Zhang said: "We hold our view that China's economy already bottomed out in the third quarter. But given uncertainties in western countries, we remain cautious for the pace of recovery."

Aluminium producer Chalco dropped 3.5 per cent to $HK3.30, while sourcing firm Li & Fung fell 3.4 per cent to $HK12.38, and Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific lost 2.0 per cent to $HK13.66.

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery tumbled 5.6 per cent to $HK10.18 after it warned it would likely post a drop in first-half profit.

Chinese shares closed down 0.12 per cent. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 2.44 points to 2,069.07 on turnover of 39.1 billion yuan ($A6.08 billion). The index dropped 2.27 per cent for the week.

"Although the data provided signs of a further recovery in the domestic economy, investors were still cautious as it might take some time to see a solid recovery," Haitong Securities analyst Zhang Qi told AFP.

Brokerages fell owing to the sluggish performance of the stock market.

Everbright Securities slid 2.72 per cent to 11.07 yuan, while Huatai Securities dropped 2.03 per cent to 8.67 yuan.

Oil firms fell, with Sinopec slipping 0.64 per cent to 6.26 yuan and PetroChina down 0.34 per cent to 8.69 yuan.

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Man in custody over laneway body discovery

A MAN is in custody and assisting detectives as police investigate the death of a woman whose body was found in a laneway in Western Australia's mid west region.

A 36-year-old man is in custody in Meekatharra and assisting major crime squad detectives with their investigations.

The woman's body was found at the northern end of the Meekatharra town site, about 765km northeast of Perth, about noon (WST) on Friday.

The woman has not yet been identified.

Police are treating her death as a suspected homicide but have not yet established the cause of death.

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China economic data point to recovery

CHINA'S factory output and consumer spending improved in October in a new sign of possible economic recovery as the Communist Party prepared to install a new generation of leaders.

Growth in factory output accelerated to 9.6 per cent over a year earlier from the previous month's 9.2 per cent, the government reported on Friday.

Retail sales rose 14.5 per cent, up from September's 14.2 per cent.

The data are welcome news for the ruling party, which is meeting in Beijing for a once-a-decade handover of power to younger leaders.

Coming off the past year's steady declines in economic activity, a rebound might allow the new leaders to benefit from improving public sentiment.

Investment growth strengthened, rising 25.2 per cent over a year earlier, up from the previous month's 25.1 per cent.

Also in October, inflation eased further, giving Beijing more room to cut interest rates or launch new stimulus measures to speed a recovery with less danger of igniting politically dangerous price rises.

The improvement comes as communist leaders are holding a party congress in the capital that is expected to install Vice President Xi Jinping as party leader and China's next president.

The new leadership faces challenges including slowing growth that the World Bank and Chinese analysts say will require a drastic change in the country's economic strategy.

They say Beijing must reduce the dominance of state companies in industries from finance to energy to banking and nurture free-market competition to keep incomes rising.

Economic growth fell to a three and a half year low of 7.4 per cent in the quarter ending in September but investment, retail sales and other indicators improved from the previous quarter.

The government said last month it saw "steady economic growth," suggesting there was no need for further major stimulus.

The slowdown was due largely to government efforts to crush inflation and prevent economic overheating after the huge stimulus in response to the 2008 global crisis fuelled sharp price rises.

Beijing reversed course late last year after global demand for Chinese goods plunged, slamming exporters and raising the danger of job losses and unrest.

The abrupt slowdown added to complications for communist leaders as they tried to enforce calm ahead of the leadership change.

Forecasters expect growth to rebound this quarter or early in 2013.

They say any recovery is likely to be gradual and too weak to drive global growth without improvement in the United States and Europe.

Beijing launched a mini-stimulus early this year, cutting interest rates twice in June and July and stepping up investment by state companies and spending on building airports and other public works.

But authorities avoided bigger measures after their huge spending in response to the 2008 global crisis fuelled inflation and a wasteful building boom.

In October, consumer prices rose 1.7 per cent, down from the previous month's 1.9 per cent.

That was driven by a 1.8 per cent gain in food prices, which are unusually sensitive in a society where the poorest families spend up to half their incomes to eat, down from September's 2.5 per cent.

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Japan steelmaking giant posts $US4bn loss

THE world's second biggest steelmaker, created through the recent merger of Japan's Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal, has posted a $US3.9 billion ($A3.76 billion) combined net loss in its fiscal first half.

The whopping shortfall for Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp was largely linked to stock investment losses and the writedown of money-losing Japanese mills, it said on Friday.

Global competition in the steel industry has intensified in recent years even as demand has been spurred by fast-growing economies such as China, which are undertaking massive construction, infrastructure and manufacturing projects.

However, a slowing global economy and weakening vehicle production are threatening steelmakers' bottom line.

Japanese producers have also struggled with an unfavourable exchange rate, which saw the yen hit record highs against the dollar late last year, making their exports less competitive overseas.

"We are in the situation of mounting uncertainties as nobody can predict how the situation is going to play out or when a recovery is set to start," Executive Vice President Fumio Hombe told a news briefing, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

In its results on Friday, the combined firm said Nippon Steel alone booked a loss of 176.66 billion yen ($US2.2 billion) in the six months to September, reversing a year-earlier profit, with sales down 5.4 per cent.

Sumitomo Metal lost 133.85 billion yen in the same period, expanding its year-earlier loss, on slightly higher sales.

Combined revenue was about $US32.7 billion, they said.

The loss comes after the two Japanese giants formally merged last month, creating the world's second largest steelmaker behind India's ArcelorMittal.

On Friday, the firms said domestic steel demand was steady in the key construction and auto sectors after last year's quake-tsunami disaster, but the expiry of government eco-vehicle subsidies could take a bite out of demand for new vehicles.

Japanese steelmakers are also struggling against fierce competition from Chinese and South Korean rivals, while a global economic slowdown has weighed on demand for steel, used in everything from cars to smartphones.

"Steel demand overseas is beginning to weaken after having been driven largely by strong demand in Asia," the company said in a statement, warning of a supply glut that is "causing the deterioration of the steel market".

"In this severe operating environment, the company continued its efforts to maximise cost improvements", it added.

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Govt using us as tools, says asylum seeker

AN asylum seeker at Australia's offshore processing centre on Nauru has accused the federal government of trying to cover up a mass hunger strike and says detainees are being used as political tools.

The man, who asked to be identified only by his first name Mahdi, has been refusing food for the past eight days.

He says more than 300 of the 377 detainees there are also on a hunger strike.

They're demanding to be sent back to Australia and for the processing centre on Nauru to be closed.

"All of the inmates, be they Iranians, Afghans or Sri Lankans, are standing firm on this," Mahdi told AAP on Thursday.

But the immigration department said on Wednesday that at least 200 meals had been claimed at eating times and a large amount of snacks had been given out to the transferees.

"(This) does indicate that the number of people claimed by advocates to be abstaining from food is incorrect," an immigration department spokesman said on Wednesday.

Mahdi, who is putting together a petition for the detainees on hunger strike, denied this was the case.

"(The government) is trying to cover up this issue," he said.

"This is not something that we'd lie about."

He described conditions on the camp as "very poor" and without proper medical facilities.

"The tents are extremely hot," Mahdi said.

"We can't stay inside the tents during the day because of the heat.

"Our beds get wet when it rains and there's cockroaches and rats everywhere."

Mahdi was sent to Nauru in late September from Christmas Island.

"Many of the guys said they didn't want to go to Nauru and demanded legal representation, but no one listened," he said.

"In the end they were handcuffed and forced to board a plane to Nauru."

Mahdi says the inmates have been told their refugee applications will start to be processed in six months by the Nauruan government.

"But we didn't come to Nauru," he said.

"The Australian government brought us here.

"We don't even know what the laws are in Nauru."

He worried about the mental health of detainees who were "going crazy".

People arriving in Australia by boat without a visa since August 13 have run the risk of being transferred to processing centres in Nauru or Papua New Guinea under the government's new offshore processing policies.

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One dead at Linkin Park concert venue

A SPOKESWOMAN for the South African city of Cape Town says one person has died after a scaffolding collapsed in high winds outside a Linkin Park concert, injuring 19 other people.

Kylie Hatton said on Thursday a woman died after being taken to the hospital. She said 19 people were injured, with 12 hospitalised, after the temporary billboard collapsed outside the Cape Town Stadium. She said police are investigating.

The American rock band said in a statement: "We wish to express our deep sadness and concern for those injured and our heartfelt condolences to the family of the fan who died as a result of her injuries."

The band said they had no relationship with the sponsor or entity responsible for the structure.

The band will perform in Johannesburg on November 10.

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Air raids, clashes hit Damascus: watchdog

SYRIAN rebels and troops have clashed in several districts of Damascus while air raids hit the city's outskirts, a watchdog says, amid intensifying fighting in the capital.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Syria is now so bad that the Red Cross is struggling to cope, the head of the international aid agency said on Thursday.

The violence in Damascus came a day after 133 people were killed on Wednesday across Syria, including 59 civilians, rebels and soldiers in Damascus province alone, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Fresh fighting erupted overnight in Damascus in the southern neighbourhood of Qadam and Mazzeh in the west, where three civilians were killed on Wednesday in a shelling attack on Mazzeh 86, a district mainly populated by members of the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Sectarian tensions have mounted over the course of the 20-month uprising, with civilians in the majority Sunni country bearing the brunt of the death toll.

On Thursday, warplanes pounded the town of Saqba just outside the capital, while helicopters could be seen circling over the East Ghuta area, some 50 kilometres northeast of Damascus, the Britain-based watchdog said.

At dawn, plumes of smoke rose over the southern Damascus districts of Nahr Aisha and Midan after mortar rounds fell on the area, reported the Observatory, which gathers its information from a network of activists, lawyers and medics on the ground.

In the commercial hub Aleppo, troops bombarded the eastern districts of the city, while one rebel was killed as clashes broke out around the air force intelligence branch in Zahraa district in the northwest.

Residents told AFP that warplanes and tanks shelled Zahraa and Liramun at the northwest entrance of the city overnight.

An AFP correspondent reported the sound of machinegun fire and explosions as rebels and troops battled in the Old City.

The Observatory says more than 37,000 people have died since the March 2011 outbreak of the Syrian revolt, which began as a peaceful protest movement inspired by the Arab Spring but evolved into an armed rebellion following repression.

In Geneva, Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told reporters: "The humanitarian situation is getting worse despite the scope of the operation increasing. We can't cope with the worsening of the situation."

The ICRC, which works in collaboration with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to deliver aid in the conflict-racked country, nonetheless has "a lot of blank spots" with regard to the needs of the people on the ground, he said.

"There is an unknown number of people in Syria who do not get the aid they need."

Meanwhile, an Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid for Syria was forced to land in Turkey on Thursday for an inspection of its cargo, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The cargo plane landed at Erzurum airport in eastern Turkey where teams of police and troops with sniffer dogs began a search, it said.

It was the second time in a month that the Turkish authorities have ordered an Armenian plane heading for Syria to land for security checks.

On October 15, another Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid to Syria's battered second city of Aleppo was forced to land at Erzurum airport but the plane was allowed to resume journey after officials said no suspect cargo turned up during searches.

Last month, Turkish jets forced a Syrian plane flying from Russia to land at Ankara airport because of what it called suspect cargo.

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Schoolies advised to look after mates

That's the simple message from organisers of this year's schoolies event on the Gold Coast.

Nearly 30,000 school leavers are expected to descend on Surfers Paradise from next week in the annual end-of-year celebrations.

The death of Gold Coast 600 V8 Supercars reveller Jordan Bailo after a high-rise fall in October sparked immediate concerns about teenagers partying in Gold Coast apartments during schoolies week.

But Gold Coast Schoolies Advisory Group chairman Mark Raeburn says rather than highlight one area of potential risk, his message is for youngsters to keep an eye on each other during next weekend's festivities.

"A couple of years ago it was planking that was the big thing," Mr Raeburn told AAP.

"We had a concern that that was going to become a problem but fortunately it wasn't.

"We try not to feature one thing in particular. What we try and do is focus on just being safe across the board and the big thing is just to watch your mates.

"Keep an eye on the people around you."

Mr Raeburn said the annual pilgrimage to the Gold Coast was much safer now than a few years ago, thanks to the increased cooperation and planning by organising committees and the police.

The alcohol-free schoolies hub on the Surfers Paradise beachfront was designed to bring students out of their apartments and away from non-schoolies in a safe and controlled environment, he said.

"There is no point pretending that these kids aren't going to drink," Mr Raeburn said.

"There's no point pretending kids aren't going to play up because they're away from mum and dad and, in some cases, it's their first experience of living away from home.

"That's the reason we have the hub on the beach - we want kids to come out of the units, because it's in the units that the issues really occur.

"We want them to wear themselves out by dancing madly on the beach."

Mr Raeburn said a particular focus in this year's schoolies will be the use of social media to communicate with those attending and keep them informed of event details.

There will also be a "chill-out" night on Tuesday to provide partygoers with a break in their revelry.

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Hong Kong shares end 2.41% lower

HONG Kong shares have tumbled 2.41 per cent on fears US legislators will fail to reach a deal before year-end to avoid a "fiscal cliff" that could tip the economy back into recession.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index on Thursday fell 532.94 points to 21,566.91 on turnover of $HK72.66 billion ($A9.04 billion). The fall is the index's steepest since July 23 but comes after it enjoyed a 16 per cent rally since the start of September.

Eyes are also on Beijing where the Communist Party began a week-long congress to anoint the country's next leaders.

President Barack Obama's election victory over Republican Mitt Romney has been followed with trepidation as the focus turns to the "fiscal cliff", a combination of deep spending cuts and tax rises.

These will automatically take effect on January 1 unless Democrats and Republicans can agree on alternative ways to cut the deficit.

Henderson Land and New World Development, sourcing firm Li & Fung, oil majors PetroChina and China National Offshore Oil Corporation, coalminer China Shenhua and Macau casino operator Galaxy Entertainment all fell more than 3.0 per cent on profit-taking.

Chinese shares closed down 1.63 per cent. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 34.22 points to 2,071.51 on turnover of 49.3 billion yuan ($A7.62 billion).

Traders are watching the 18th party congress to see if the country's rulers unveil any fresh measures to boost the domestic economy, which has suffered a slowdown in the past year.

"Given the absence of market-moving news from the domestic side, concerns about the US fiscal cliff dominate the (domestic) A-share market," Capital Securities' analyst Li Bin told Dow Jones Newswires.

Resources stocks led the declines on concerns about the global economy.

Coal producer Heilongjiang Heihua slumped 8.40 per cent to 6.87 yuan, Anyuan Coal Industry dropped 5.92 per cent to 12.40 yuan and Shanxi Coking Coal fell 4.27 per cent to 8.29 yuan.

Nonferrous metals producer Chengtun Mining lost 5.19 per cent to 10.23 yuan while Rising Nonferrous Metals fell 3.89 per cent to 41.56 yuan.

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Bahrain revokes citizenship of 31 Shi'ites

BAHRAINI authorities have revoked the citizenship of 31 Shi'ite activists, among them two former members of parliament, for having "undermined state security", state news agency BNA reports.

The names of the 31 activists, including brothers Jawad and Jalal Fairuz, both ex-MPs who represented the major Shi'ite Al-Wefaq bloc, were listed in the report on Wednesday, which quoted an interior ministry statement.

Also named was Ali Mashaima, son of prominent activist Hassan Mashaima who is head of the radical Shi'ite opposition movement Haq and who is serving a life sentence for allegedly plotting against the monarchy.

The government move comes after Bahrain late last month banned all protests and gatherings to ensure "security is maintained," after clashes between Shi'ite-led demonstrators and security forces in the Sunni-ruled country.

The Gulf state has experienced unrest since March last year when the authorities crushed protests led by the Shi'ite Muslim majority.

According to the International Federation for Human Rights, 80 people have died in Bahrain since the violence erupted on February 14 last year.

Hundreds of people were arrested when the security forces, aided by troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, crushed the uprising within a month, while many activists, including some whose names appear on Wednesday's list, were tried in special military courts set up at the time.

Another former MP and leading Al-Wefaq member, Matar Matar, told AFP that "many named (on the list) were acquitted by a military court" after being charged with harming state security.

Others named on the list are currently living abroad, according to opposition sources.

Tension has been running high in the kingdom following a spate of bombings on Monday in the capital Manama which killed two Asian expatriates. Four people have been arrested in connection with the bombings.

King Hamad ordered Tuesday "the swift arrest of the terrorists who carried out the recent terrorist acts in Bahrain" and urged citizens to help "bring them to justice so they receive their punishment over this appalling act."

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Suicide bombing kills five in Pakistan

A POLICE officer says a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan has killed five people, including three policemen.

Asif Iqbal says the attack on Wednesday targeted the vehicle of a senior police officer outside a police station in a crowded market in the city of Peshawar.

The blast killed the senior officer, two other policemen and two bystanders. It also wounded 20 people.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Pakistani Taliban often target security forces in the country's northwest.

Peshawar has been hit many times because it is located on the border of Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for militants in the country.

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World leaders celebrate Obama re-election

FROM his old school in Indonesia to a Japanese beach town that happens to share his name, people around the world cheered President Barack Obama's re-election.

The results of Tuesday's election were closely watched in many countries. Several US embassies held mock elections and threw parties as returns came in.

At Jakarta's Menteng 01 Primary School, which Obama once attended, students happily marched with a poster of the president from one classroom to another after hearing that he had defeated Republican Mitt Romney to win a second term.

"Obama wins ... Obama wins again," they shouted on Wednesday.

A statue of a young "Barry" Obama, as he was called as a child, stands outside the school.

"I want to be like him, the president," student Alexander Ananta said.

The news also thrilled Obama's former nanny in Indonesia, Evie, who became well known this year following reports of her struggles living in the conservative country as a transgender.

"Hopefully, he will contribute to the betterment of not only American citizens, but to the world as well," said Evie, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

China's Foreign Ministry said President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao phoned Obama to congratulate him. Vice President Xi Jinping, who is to begin taking over this week in China's once-a-decade leadership transition, phoned Vice President Joe Biden to congratulate him.

British Prime Minister David Cameron posted his regards on Twitter: "Warm congratulations to my friend (at)BarackObama. Look forward to continuing to work together."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a strained relationship with the American president over his policies on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, congratulated the president in a text message to reporters.

"I will continue to work with President Obama to preserve the strategic interests of Israel's citizens," he said.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority has been disappointed that Obama did not pressure Israel to make greater efforts to make peace with the Palestinians, including a freeze on all settlement construction.

In the absence of negotiations, senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat urged the US president to reverse course and support Palestinian efforts to seek UN General Assembly recognition of an independent state of Palestine.

"We have decided to take our cause to the United Nations this month, and we hope that Obama will stand by us," Erekat told Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency.

In China, Obama's re-election was good news for people concerned about Romney's vow to label China a currency manipulator if elected. Some feared that would ignite a trade war between the world's two biggest economies.

"His re-election is in line with what the Chinese people want," said Hong Zihan, a graduate student who monitored the results at a US Embassy event in Beijing.

For Obama, Japan, the president's re-election means more opportunity to capitalise on their shared name. Obama means "little beach" in Japanese.

The western coastal town threw a party as they watched the election returns. Hula dancers known as the Obama Girls swayed in homage of the president's home state of Hawaii, said Obama city hall official Hirokazu Yomo.

"Four more years," Yomo said. "So we are happy this will continue and help with building our city."

In Burma, which is pushing political reforms forward after five decades of military rule kept it isolated from much of the rest of the world, some said they were relieved Obama was re-elected because he chosen to engage rather than sanction their country.

"It is good that President Obama is re-elected. President Obama is very flexible and international relations have improved during his term," said Thit Oo, a 42-year-old car mechanic.

Washington has started focusing more on Asia since Obama took office. Some Asian countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam, have been looking more towards the US as tensions flare with China over disputed territories in the South China Sea.

A spokesman for the main Syrian opposition bloc, the Syrian National Council, expressed hope that the election victory would free Obama to do more to support those trying to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"We hope this victory for President Obama will make him free more to make the right decision to help freedom and dignity in Syria and all over the world," SNC spokesman George Sabra said on the sidelines of an opposition conference on the Qatari capital of Doha.

Sabra renewed the opposition's appeal to the international community to supply rebel fighters with weapons.

The Obama administration and its Western allies have ruled out military intervention in Syria. The US has also been cool to opposition rebels' demands for weapons such as anti-aircraft missiles, out of concern that they could fall into the wrong hands.

The US and other foreign backers of the Syrian uprising have urged the fractured, largely exile-based opposition to unite and include more representatives from inside Syria.

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Queensland's CMC sacks 13

QUEENSLAND'S Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) says it has lost another 13 staff because of the state government's budget cuts.

The CMC had already announced that between July 1 and October 11 there were 44 separations, none of which were forced redundancies.

On Wednesday the CMC announced that 13 people had been made redundant.

CMC head Ross Martin told the budget estimates hearing in parliament last month that their budget had been reduced by less than one per cent, but it would lead to "losses of capacity".

He said the CMC had a "substantial" workload and there was queuing to deal with investigations.

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Jubilant Obama says 'best is yet to come'

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has told cheering supporters that "the best is yet to come" for the United States as he stormed to a second term by defeating Republican Mitt Romney.

After taking the stage at a raucous Chicago victory party early on Wednesday with wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, Obama returned to the themes of his re-election bid, vowing to fight for the middle class and the American dream.

"In this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up. We have fought our way back," Obama told hundreds of cheering supporters.

"We know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come."

Obama said he had spoken to Romney, congratulating him and his running mate Paul Ryan on a "hard-fought campaign" and vowing to sit down with the former Massachusetts governor to discuss the way forward.

"We may have battled fiercely but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future," Obama said.

"In the weeks ahead I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward."

Obama reached out to those who supported his opponent in the closely-fought race, saying: "Whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you. I have learned from you. You've made me a better president.

"With your stories and your struggles I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead," he said.

"Despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America."

Obama thanked the army of campaign workers and volunteers whose efforts secured his re-election to a second four-year term, calling them the "best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics".

Near the end of his speech Obama hinted at a more far-reaching agenda in his second term despite the lingering partisan gridlock in Washington, calling for a future that "isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet".

"I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggest. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of individual ambitions," Obama said.

"Together with your help and God's Grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States."

Earlier Romney conceded defeat in a short and simple address, telling his supporters he had called Obama to congratulate him on his victory.

"His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations," Romney said in Boston.

"I wish all of them well but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters."

It was a quick, underwhelming end to an 18-month campaign that began on a farm in New Hampshire, survived brutal Republican infighting during the party primaries early this year, and a barrage of negative attack ads by the Obama camp, and rose to give the incumbent a serious scare weeks before the election.

Romney was neck-and-neck with the president for a considerable part of the campaign, but despite repeated trips to swing states like Colorado, Ohio, Florida, and Virginia, Obama held on to leads in the battlegrounds, which eventually became the challenger's undoing.

"This election is over, but our principles endure," said Romney, who said he believed smaller government, limited regulations and lower taxes could create more jobs and bring a speedier economic recovery.

"I so wish that I had been able to fulfil your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader, and so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and this great nation," Romney said to cheers and applause.

Several members of Romney's senior staff stood next to the stage, many stony-faced and sombre, as the Republican nominee addressed his supporters.

Romney returned to a theme that he began injecting into his stump speeches in the closing two weeks of the campaign: the need for greater bipartisanship in Washington.

"At a time like this, we can't risk partisan bickering and posturing," he said.

"Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people's work and we citizens have to rise to the occasion."

Romney also thanked his running mate, congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, as well as wife Ann Romney, his tireless surrogate on the campaign trail whom he called "the love of my life".

"She would have been a wonderful first lady," he mused, to loud applause.

Romney's comments were brief and basic, and it was not immediately clear if he had written a concession speech.

Earlier in the day, when asked by reporters on his campaign plane whether he had two speeches ready to go for Tuesday night, he said he was confident of defeating Obama and had penned an 1118-word victory speech.

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Putin fires defence minister over scandal

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has fired the country's defence minister, two weeks after a criminal probe was opened into alleged fraud in the sell-off of military assets.

Putin made the announcement of Anatoly Serdyukov's dismissal on Tuesday in a meeting with Moscow regional governor Sergei Shoigu, whom he appointed as the new minister.

Putin's comments appeared to connect the decision to a probe announced by the country's top investigative agency last month into the sale of assets, including real estate, at prices far below market value.

The Investigative Committee says the state suffered damages of 3 billion rubles ($A92.10 million).

Putin did not give specifics in his televised remarks, but said he made the decision "in order to create terms for the objective investigation of all questions" involving the ministry.

Russia's military establishment has been haunted by corruption accusations for years and several top military officials have been convicted of embezzlement.

The case announced in October involves Oboronservice, a state-controlled company whose activities include servicing military aircraft and arms and constructing military facilities.

Investigators have searched Oboronservice's offices and the apartment of a senior company official who formerly headed the Defence Ministry's property department.

Investigative committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday that Serdyukov would be questioned in the probe "if there is a basis" for doing so.

Serdyukov was a furniture store executive and head of the Russian tax service before being appointed defence minister in 2007.

He became unpopular among the top brass for reforms to downsize the bloated Russian military; under Serdyukov, as many as 200,000 officers lost their jobs and many units were disbanded.

Speculation about his dismissal had floated around for years, but he had received Putin's staunch backing.

It was not immediately clear if his dismissal would change the reform course.

But Shoigu is a former general and head of the Emergencies Ministry, a background that appeared likely to win him initial respect in the military.

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Romney camp projects confidence

EITHER he is wearing the best poker face in politics, or Mitt Romney is his own truest believer, so sure of his destiny as the next US president that he refuses to contemplate the alternative.

"Confidence" is the singular word that senior strategist Stuart Stevens used to describe the Republican nominee's mood going into Tuesday's election, despite polls showing a slight lead for President Barack Obama.

Nearly everyone running for higher office projects an aura of accomplishment, strength, even inevitability, knowing that charisma can translate into votes.

But plenty of real-time writing on the wall about the US election would suggest to even the most optimistic Romney backer that things may not go as planned for the challenger.

Romney has always faced an uphill climb to the 270 electoral votes needed to win, and while national polls have shown the rivals in the tightest of races, recent gains by the president have left Romney with increasingly long odds.

Obama, say experts and pollsters, has a clearer path to the nomination, especially when one looks at the battleground states where voters will determine the next president.

Obama leads in poll averages in seven of those states, including Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. Of nine swing states experts say are up for grabs this year, Romney leads in just Florida and North Carolina, and by narrow margins.

But you wouldn't know that from speaking to Romney aides, who described the former Massachusetts governor as confident and optimistic as his five-year quest for the presidency approaches its decisive moment.

"He's very eager to lead the country," Stevens said on Monday, dismissing suggestions that the Republican nominee might be nervous on the final full day of campaigning as he puts his political fate in the hands of American voters.

According to two Romney aides, the talk in the staff section of his campaign plane simply does not turn to the prospect of a defeat.

Those who travel day in and day out with Romney - Stevens, senior adviser Kevin Madden, Romney "body man" Garrett Jackson, travelling press secretary Rick Gorka, and trip director Charlie Pearce - have been reminiscing with Romney about the best moments of his campaign, Madden and Gorka said.

"It's been a light mood up front," Gorka told reporters on the campaign plane on Monday.

"It's been an incredible journey. We're very, very excited for these last events today, and we're very, very optimistic about our chances tomorrow."

Romney himself is not a candidate likely to reveal much of his inner emotions out on the trail. As a supremely successful businessman and private equity investor, he had a steely bearing during public campaign events.

In recent days, though, he has boldly told crowds that a victory in their state - Florida, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire - will put him over the top and make him the nation's next president.

He has sometimes appeared exhausted in recent days, as has Obama, as the two men have criss-crossed the country in a feverish final effort to shore up support and win over undecided voters.

But while Obama grew wistful on Monday night, his eyes moist at his final campaign rally, Romney was charged-up.

The crowds certainly help. They have built steadily in the final weeks of Romney's campaign, and a night-time rally at a Pennsylvania farm on Sunday drew 25,000 people.

With the race coming to a close, senior officials in Romney's circle, including campaign manager Matt Rhoades and senior advisers Beth Myers and Peter Flaherty, joined the final campaign ride on Monday.

At a rowdy rally in battleground Ohio, Romney's plane rolled into a hangar as some 10,000 supporters chanted "One more day! One more day!"

With the theme of the movie Air Force One playing, Romney and his wife Ann stepped out of the plane's doorway to a loud roar from the crowd, then walked down the steps and over to a stage.

Several top Romney aides were grinning broadly, sharing hugs and high-fives.

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Gunmen kill brother of Syrian politician

FRESH bombings and air strikes have shaken Syria, a day after nearly 250 people died in the country's worst violence in weeks and rebels launched one of their deadliest attacks yet.

As the opposition met in Qatar under pressure to form a truly representative government-in-exile, the Syrian regime was reeling from a wave of rebel car bombs and attacks that killed nearly 100 soldiers and pro-government fighters on Monday.

Another car bomb struck early on Tuesday, causing injuries and significant damage in the city of Mudamiya near the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Fighting and military shelling also hit the area, said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a countrywide network of activists and medics in civilian and military hospitals.

The regime also renewed a campaign of air strikes pounding rebel positions, with fighter jets dropping at least two bombs in the heart of the town of Douma, 13km northeast of the capital, the Observatory said.

Air raids also hit the northern town of Al-Bab near the Turkish border and in the central Homs province, it said.

The rebels have scored significant gains in recent weeks and hold swathes of territory in the north, but have come under intense bombardment from the air as President Bashar al-Assad's regime seeks to reverse its losses.

The Observatory said the army was shelling areas in the western Latakia region, in Homs and in Quneitra, near the Golan Heights, where the Israeli army said Monday that gunfire from the Syrian side had hit an Israeli military vehicle.

The Observatory said 247 people were killed on Monday, including 93 soldiers and pro-regime fighters, in the deadliest day in Syria since an attempt to impose a ceasefire for the October 26-29 Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday collapsed.

In one of the most devastating attacks on Assad's forces since the start of the Syrian uprising, a rebel car bomb killed 50 pro-regime fighters at a military post in the central province of Hama on Monday.

Fighting was raging Tuesday in northern commercial hub Aleppo and around Damascus, where residents said heavy explosions could be frequently heard while warplanes and helicopters flew over the city.

A Syrian security source told AFP that regime forces had over the past two days repelled a major rebel attack on the capital.

"During the last 48 hours rebels carried out a massive offensive to move into Damascus, which failed.... They were repelled," the source said, adding that about 4000 opposition fighters had been involved on different fronts.

Pro-government daily Al-Watan also reported "heavy clashes between the Syrian army and armed bands" in Damascus over the previous 48 hours.

"More than 120 terrorists were killed by the Syrian army, without significant losses registered within its ranks," the newspaper wrote, citing security sources.

Syrian state television said Tuesday that Mohammad al-Laham, brother of parliament speaker Jihad al-Laham, was "assassinated by terrorists" in Damascus, but provided no other details.

In the Qatari capital Doha, members of the opposition Syrian National Council were to hold talks Tuesday on a proposal to create a new political body to represent the opposition, folding in the SNC and other anti-regime groups.

After repeatedly expressing frustration with the SNC for failing to unite Syria's fractured regime opponents, Washington is pushing for a new body that would be more reflective of the country's diverse make-up and better represent on-the-ground activists and fighters.

In a bid to counteract such criticism, on Monday SNC members approved a restructuring that will see the organisation add 200 new members representing 13 different political groups.

The Observatory says more than 36,000 people have died since the uprising against Assad's rule broke out, first as a protest movement inspired by the Arab Spring and then as an armed rebellion.

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Bomb blast wounds two in Kenyan capital

AT least two people have been wounded in the Kenyan capital when a bomb was set off in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, the latest in a string of attacks, police say.

"Two people have sustained injuries and rushed to hospital ... it was a very powerful explosion," said Wilfred Mbithi, head of police operations in the city, on Tuesday.

Bomb experts scoured the scene after the blast, which was set off on a bridge as people travelled on busy streets to work on Tuesday morning, and is suspected to have been an improvised explosive device, Mbithi said.

"I just heard a loud blast and as I ran, people shouted at me saying I was bleeding," said one victim who only identified himself as John, before he was taken to hospital.

Kenya Red Cross said three people were wounded in the blast, some with minor injuries.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place in a neighbourhood that is home to many Somalis, as well as ethnic Somali Kenyans.

Suspected Kenyan supporters of Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked Shabab insurgents have carried out a string of attacks in opposition to Nairobi sending troops into Somalia last year to fight the extremists.

Mbithi said investigations were being carried out to see if the blast was linked to the Shabab.

The blast comes a day after attackers hurled a grenade into a church in the northeastern town of Garissa, close to the Somali border, killing one policeman and wounding 14 people.

Kenyan troops, now integrated into an African Union force, seized the Shabab bastion of Kismayo in September, a key southern Somali port, prompting warnings of retaliation from both the insurgents and their Kenyan supporters.

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Labor has reservations about pursuit laws

RESERVATIONS about proposed new laws handing a mandatory minimum jail term to drivers who kill or injure someone while fleeing police have been aired in Western Australia's parliament.

After a recent series of shocking deaths during police pursuits on Perth roads, WA police minister Liza Harvey last month introduced new legislation designed to protect officers from prosecution if they injured or killed another person during a chase - as long as they were driving reasonably and in accordance with force guidelines.

Under the proposal, drivers who kill or injure other road users while being chased by police would face a minimum 12 months in jail.

A minimum six months' detention would apply to those charged with reckless driving while fleeing police, which is defined as exceeding the posted speed limit by 45km/h or more or driving over 155km/h.

Opposition police spokeswoman Michelle Roberts said Labor supported rapid passage of the bill, but it still had reservations.

Ms Roberts has repeatedly asked for an example of anyone in WA who had received less than the proposed mandatory sentences for hurting or killing another road user during a police chase.

Opposition spokesman for state development and energy Bill Johnston told parliament he understood there were no such examples, and invited to be corrected.

"As the member for Midland (Ms Roberts) outlined, actually the (proposed) minimum sentence is less than the person would get anyway in the circumstance of these sorts of tragic accidents," Mr Johnston told parliament on Tuesday.

"The penalties are already above the minimum in any case.

"This law makes some small changes around the edges that allows the minister to say that she's acting."

Ms Roberts said it was important to deal with the bill on Tuesday because it was in the interests of police officers and it was the last opportunity to pass it in the final sitting days of parliament for the year.

The police union had previously threatened to suspend themselves from any more pursuits if new laws were not brought in.

The legislation will become law next week if it is passed late on Tuesday, as expected.

Ms Harvey said drivers who fled police didn't tend to do so because they were panicking, rather they had no drivers licence, had criminal convictions or were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

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Israel halted Iran attack

ISRAEL'S prime minister and defence minister ordered the military to go on alert to prepare to attack Iran's nuclear program two years ago, but backed off following opposition from top security officials, an Israeli news show claims in a report to be aired Monday night.

A pre-broadcast news release from Channel 2's Uvda (Fact) show did not say whether a final decision to attack was made.

However, it says the alert order quickly met opposition from then-military chief Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, who warned that Israel's enemies would notice the measure and that in itself might touch off a war.

"This accordion produces music when you play it," the statement quotes him as saying. "This is not something you do if you are not sure you want to end up with a military operation."

The statement also said Meir Dagan, then heading the Mossad spy agency, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak of acting illegally by not seeking formal Cabinet approval.

Netanyahu and Barak "simply tried to steal a decision to go to war," Uvda quotes him as saying.

Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev said the government wouldn't comment until the full show airs. An excerpt broadcast Sunday night showed Barak saying Ashkenazi told him the military wasn't able to carry out the attack.

Ashkenazi denies that, saying he instead told Barak that an attack at that time "would be a strategic mistake," the statement said.

The two former security officials could not be reached for comment.

Israel does not believe Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is peaceful and designed to produce energy and medical isotopes. It considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be a threat to its survival because of its nuclear program, arsenal of weapons capable of striking the Jewish state, support for anti-Israel militants groups and frequent calls for Israel's destruction.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said the threat of force must be seriously considered, recently warning that the world has until next summer at the latest to keep Iran from building a bomb.

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Cows bound for Pakistan despite sheep cull

THOUSANDS of Australian cows are to be sent to Pakistan where 21,000 mainly West Australian sheep were brutally slaughtered - and there's no guarantee they won't face a similar fate.

The revelation came in ABC's Four Corners program on Monday, which probed the circumstances surrounding the inhumane culls in September and October.

Officials from the Sindh provincial government claimed the slaughter - which saw some sheep buried alive - was necessary due to health concerns, but these claims were vehemently rejected by Australia's live export industry and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).

The department and Fremantle-based exporter Wellard desperately tried to stop the cull, taking the matter to court but had to concede they had lost control of the supply chain when those efforts were ignored.

They had been given assurances that sheep remaining after the initial cull would be killed humanely, in exchange for dropping the legal action but that pledge was broken within hours.

A voluntary suspension of live sheep exports to Pakistan is in place but cows are about to be sent there from Victoria, the program claimed.

Exporter Elders was preparing to send a shipment of nearly 3000 breeder cows, 2000 of which were destined for Pakistan, where they would be under the supervision of the same government department that carried out the cull.

"It's unfathomable," Animals Australia campaign director Lyn White - who last year helped expose cruelty in Australia's live cattle trade to Indonesia - told the program.

"Why would you send further animals into a country before you have completed your investigation into what happened to a shipment that has been horrendously treated?"

DAFF deputy secretary Philip Glyde said the department couldn't guarantee it would not happen again.

"I don't think we can," he told Four Corners.

"We could have a similar incident in any of our markets."

Ms White said the federal government's measures to reassure the public about live exports - the Australian Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme brought in after the Indonesian abattoir scandal last year - had failed.

The scheme hands full responsibility for the animals, right up to slaughter, to the exporter.

But Wellard says it had no choice, with its staff forced to leave the dusty Karachi feedlot where the cull occurred by heavily armed police.

The program cited several witnesses to the culls, who said the sheep were in great pain.

"God forgive me this is so cruel," one witness was heard saying on video.

The secretary to the government of Sindh, Sayed Abid Ali Shah, denied the sheep were killed inhumanely, saying they were culled according to Islamic ways.

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Calls for police to investigate college

POLICE should be brought in to stamp out ongoing bad behaviour at St John's College at the University of Sydney, a former fellow of the college says.

Professor Roslyn Arnold has called for greater scrutiny after reports that loutish behaviour has continued at the 150-year-old college, despite an incident in March that saw a female student hospitalised.

The college suspended 33 students in relation to that incident, in which male residents surrounded a girl and encouraged her to drink a toxic concoction as part of an initiation process.

However, despite the reprimand, the college has descended into anarchy, Fairfax reported, with widespread vandalism and first-year students still being forced into initiation rituals involving the consumption of toxic drinks.

Prof Arnold, who used to be one of the 18 fellows who governed the college through its council, has called for tough action to be taken.

"This behaviour has to be brought to the attention of the authorities, and I mean the police," Prof Arnold told ABC Television on Monday.

She said the traditions at the college, often enforced by second year residents on freshers, had left many students living in fear.

"They work to dehumanise people, they work to disempower people, they work to frighten people, and they work very effectively."

Prof Arnold said if the authorities did not bring St John's college to book, then parents should think twice about sending their children to the institution.

"The only thing that will bring an institution to its knees will be if it suffers financial damage."

The college is an independent body, meaning the university has no authority over what occurs on campus.

Earlier on Monday, Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott - a St John's old boy - said the reports of bad behaviour were appalling.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey, another St John's alumnus, said the reports were unacceptable, but added that the behaviour of many university students would probably not meet "general standards".

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European leaders seek Asian support

EUROPEAN leaders gathered in impoverished Laos on Monday on a mission to reassure Asia they are finally getting a grip on the eurozone debt crisis during a major summit in the tiny landlocked nation.

Top European officials including French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti were spearheading efforts to boost much-needed trade with Asia's fast-growing economies.

Hollande said the main aim of his first trip to Asia since taking office in May was to bring the message that "Europe is still an economic power".

"I'm here to reassure Asian countries" but at the same time "to tell them that they also have a role to play in European and global growth", he added.

"Asians have gained a lot from our growth. Now it's time for them to boost our growth with their demand."

He criticised the inflexibility of the Chinese yuan and certain other Asian currencies, saying: "We have to be competitive but that requires fair exchange rates."

Western nations frequently criticise Beijing's tight grip on the yuan, arguing that it gives the Asian giant an unfair trade advantage.

For years Western outrage over Burma's human rights abuses -- including the longtime detention of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners -- was a major cause of friction between the two regions.

Unlike other participating nations, Burma was only allowed to send its foreign minister to previous Asia-Europe summits.

But after reforms including the release of political detainees and Suu Kyi's election to parliament, the West has begun easing sanctions to reward President Thein Sein, who is now on the summit guest list.

Optimism over the sweeping changes, however, has been dampened by deadly clashes between Buddhists and stateless Rohingya Muslims in Burma's western state of Rakhine.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Burma to address "the unresolved problems of the status of the Rohingya people".

"That's an issue of major concern for us. I'll certainly raise that with the Burma leaders here when I have the opportunity to do so," he told reporters in the Laos capital Vientiane.

Dozens of people have been killed and more than 100,000 displaced since June by the unrest.

The violence is also "an issue of concern" for Southeast Asia, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told AFP.

"But the fact that we can meet here in the heart of Southeast Asia almost without having Myanmar as an issue centre-stage as it has been in the past is a reflection of how far Myanmar has travelled in terms of its democratic transition," he added.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been accused by the West in the past of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses by the generals who ran Burma for decades.

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European stocks dip at open; London down

EUROPE'S main stock markets fell at the start of trading on Monday, in cautious trade on the eve of the US presidential election, dealers said.

London's FTSE 100 index of top companies slid 0.44 percent to 5,842.55 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 shed 0.58 percent to 7,320.98 points and in Paris the CAC 40 dropped 0.68 percent to 3,468.71.

"Trading volumes are expected to remain low this morning ahead of the US presidential election tomorrow," said Alpari analyst Craig Erlam.

"The race for the White House has been extremely close for months now and with just one day to go until people in the US go to the polls, traders are likely to remain risk averse."

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