US driver survives plunge off cliff

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

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

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

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

They found the car being slammed by waves.

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

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

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

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Port Hedland evacuates due to cyclone

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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SA bushfire under control

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Gambler rewards honest US cabbie with $10K

A US gambler who left behind $US300,000 in a cab has handed over $US10,000 to the honest driver. Source: AAP

A POKER player who left $US300,000 ($A338,275) in the back seat of a Las Vegas taxi made good on his promise this week, handing over a $US10,000 reward to the honest cabbie who returned the stash.

Yellow Checker Star Cab Company CEO Bill Shranko confirmed Friday that Gerardo Gamboa had been paid by the poker player. The cab company also honoured the driver's good deed by naming him employee of the year, awarding him $US1000 and giving him a gift certificate to a Las Vegas steakhouse.

It's unclear how Gamboa plans to spend the belated Christmas gift. He did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Friday.

The tale, first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, started Monday when Gamboa accepted a fare at the Bellagio casino. A hotel doorman noticed a brown paper bag on the back seat and handed it to him; Gamboa thought it was sweets.

The driver said he had another passenger by the time he began wondering what kind of chocolates were in the brown paper bag. He peeked inside at a traffic light and spotted the cash.

"I told my passenger, 'You are my witness on this'," the 13-year taxi driver told the Las Vegas Sun, "and then I immediately called my dispatcher".

Gamboa took the six bundles of $100 bills to the company's main office, where Las Vegas police and casino officials linked it to the poker player.

It took several hours to verify the identity of the owner and return the cash. Authorities aren't identifying the poker player.

Before he learned about the anonymous gambler's gift, Gamboa said he wasn't in it for the money.

"If he doesn't give me anything, that's OK," Gamboa told the Sun earlier this week. "I'm not waiting for any kind of return. I just wanted to do the right thing, and I appreciate what the company did for me."

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China one-child policy change approved

Chinese state media says the National People's Congress has approved to change its one-child policy. Source: AAP

CHINA'S top legislature has sanctioned the ruling Communist Party's decision to allow couples to have a second child if one parent is an only child.

It's the first major easing in three decades of the restrictive national birth planning policy.

Implemented around 1980, China's birth policy has limited most couples to only one child, but has allowed a second child if neither parent has siblings or if the first born to a rural couple is a girl.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the standing committee of the National People's Congress approved a resolution on Saturday to formalise the party decision.

It says the national lawmaking body has delegated the power to provincial people's congresses and their standing committees to implement the new policy.

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NYE fireworks to light Melbourne skyline

Melbourne will ring in the new year with fireworks that can be seen anywhere with a skyline view. Source: AAP

MELBOURNE will ring in the new year with a spectacular fireworks show that will be able to be seen anywhere with a view of the city skyline.

The sky will light up at 9.30pm at Yarra Park and at midnight for the 10-minute extravaganza, which will use two semi-trailer loads of fireworks.

More than 550,000 revellers are expected to pack the city centre, with fireworks to be launched from 22 locations, including city rooftops, by a team of 44 pyrotechnicians.

Celebrations will take place at four places including Docklands, Flagstaff Gardens, Treasury Gardens and Kings Domain.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the addition of Kings Domain ensured the city was covered from all angles to ensure revellers had a good viewing and crowds were dispersed safely.

The four sites will run from 9pm to 1am and include DJs and multimedia entertainment and a countdown ahead of midnight.

The 9.30pm family fireworks will take place at Yarra Park. The same show will also run from Footscray Park.

The City of Melbourne New Year's Eve event is alcohol-free and revellers who flout the rules face fines.

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Gold Coast adventurer reaches South Pole

A Gold Coast adventurer taking a pink "boob-sled" across the Antarctic has reached the South Pole. Source: AAP

A GOLD Coast adventurer taking a pink "boob-sled" across Antarctica has made it to the South Pole.

Dr Geoff Wilson reached the milestone on Friday, leaving him with 1100km to go in his quest to become the first Aussie - and third person - to cross the southern continent solo.

But he reckons the worst of the journey is over.

"Now I've got the shorter run to the coast, which is the traditional entry route for most polar travellers," he told ABC Radio on Friday.

"The positive is that it's down hill and it will get warmer and warmer as I get closer to the coast."

Dr Wilson has endured sub-zero temperatures and strong icy winds throughout his trek.

Earlier this month he even ventured into the elements naked, dancing around a tent to celebrate beating the Australian record for the longest trek across the icy continent.

However, his main goal is to take the "boob-sled" 3300km from one side of Antarctica to the other - and raise $1 million for breast cancer charity the McGrath Foundation.

"I've been pulling the boob-sled for 2280km to here, so it's double the current record for Australian solo polar travel already and there's still 1100km to go," he told ABC Radio.

"It will be the first Australian crossing of the Antarctic continent and there's only two other guys who have ever done it solo unassisted - they're both Norwegian legends.

"We may, as long as I keep making good decisions, give the record a shake which has been held since 1997 by a very tough Norwegian called Borge Ousland."

Dr Wilson began the trek on November 4 and expects the journey to take him up to 80 days.

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SPC sacks 73 two days after Xmas

Fruit giant SPC has sacked the entire maintenance workforce at its cannery in north Victoria. Source: AAP

FRUIT giant SPC has sacked the entire maintenance workforce at its cannery in north Victoria two days after Christmas.

The 73 Shepparton maintenance workers were told on Friday they would be replaced by contract workers before May 2014, the Electrical Trades Union says.

SPC Ardmona issued a statement saying the employees were aware of the critical need for the company to transform its business.

"The majority have responded in practical and financial ways to lift productivity to help secure our long-term in future in the Goulburn Valley," a company spokesperson said.

"SPC Ardmona has been assessing its work practices for many months to identify significant improvements in productivity."

The company, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Amatil, is seeking government assistance.

It wants $25 million from the federal government and a matching contribution from the Victorian government.

Electrical Trade Union branch officer Damian King told AAP the union had been in discussion with SPC for months seeking productivity gains as part of an EBA renegotiation.

He said the union had offered a two-year wage freeze in an effort to preserve jobs.

"They've basically said times are tough for them," Mr King told AAP.

He said the union was due to meet with the company early in 2014 and workers had been blindsided by the job cuts.

"In 20 years as a union official I've never heard of mass sackings between Christmas and New Year's," Mr King said.

"It's disgusting."

The SPC spokesperson said the company had earlier advised the workers their positions were under review.

She said SPC Ardmona expected the external maintenance service provider would set up an office in Shepparton.

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Can't wait to get back to normal: Russell

If Russian authorities approve activist Colin Russell's exit visa he could be home for New Years. Source: AAP

AN Australian activist detained in Russia for three months says he can't wait to return to normal life - including mowing the lawn and sleeping on his own pillow.

Colin Russell, 59, was one of 30 activists arrested and detained in September for protesting against a Russian oil rig operated by Moscow-based energy company Gazprom in the Pechora Sea.

Known as the Arctic 30, the group, made up of 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists, had been accused of hooliganism.

The charges were dropped last week after the Russian parliament passed an amnesty law and freed the defendants.

Russian authorities granted Mr Russell an exit visa on Friday night, allowing him to return home to Tasmania.

Mr Russell, a radio operator, said he was happy it was finally over.

"So are the girls," he said via a Greenpeace spokesman in St Petersburg on Friday night.

"(I) can't wait to get back to normal, throw the stick for George the dog, mow the lawn, sleep on my own pillow.

"My whole life is waiting for me." Greenpeace communications manager James Lorenz told AAP Mr Russell was enormously relieved to be going home.

"It's been a long time."

Mr Russell is expected to fly to Amsterdam, where Greenpeace International is based, with his wife Christine and daughter Madeleine.

He will arrive in Australia on January 2.

Britain-born Australian resident Alex Harris and Adelaide resident Jon Beauchamp were also granted exit visas.

"We're leaving Russia, it's over, we're finally truly free," Ms Harris, 27, said in a statement.

"It feels like the moment I've been waiting for, and my family too, but also for millions of people around the world who have worked for this, and I simply cannot find the words to say how grateful and humbled I am by their support.

"People I will never meet have campaigned for our release - they wrote emails, they marched, they protested, they made a noise that became deafening, even in the Kremlin.

"I promise I will repay those people by using my freedom to stand up for the Arctic."

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Cyclone brewing off WA's north

A tropical cyclone is likely for WA's northern coast this weekend, with possible 100km/h winds. Source: AAP

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

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

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

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

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

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Indon remembers 170,000 tsunami victims

People gathered at mass graves as Indonesia's Aceh province marks nine years since a deadly tsunami. Source: AAP

FLAGS are flying at half-mast and locals have gathered at mass graves as Indonesia's Aceh province marks nine years since it was ravaged by a tsunami that killed 170,000 people.

The province on the northern tip of Sumatra island bore the brunt of the tsunami that devastated the region and affected coastal areas across south and South-East Asia.

"It's been nine years but it feels like it was yesterday," said 50-year-old Makmun Adam, who lost two children and his wife in the tsunami.

"I pray to God that they be given a place in heaven," he said.

Indonesian red-and-white flags will be flown at half-mast for three days to mark the disaster.

The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude-9.3 earthquake off Sumatra and killed an estimated 230,000 people in 13 countries in the Indian Ocean.

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WA paraglider trapped on cliff

EMERGENCY volunteers are working to rescue a man trapped on a cliff face in WA.

Police say the 26-year-old was paragliding in Sandpatch, near Albany in the state's south, when something went wrong.

Rescue Service firefighters and State Emergency Service volunteers from Albany are at the scene and a rescue helicopter is on its way.

A spokesman for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said crews were working to raise the man up the cliff face.

A police media spokeswoman said the man's injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

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Toddler saved after falling into pool

A family member's quick actions have saved a toddler who fell into a pool on the NSW Central Coast. Source: AAP

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

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

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

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

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

She remains in a stable condition.

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Nine road deaths dampen festive season

Nine people have died on Australian roads this festive season, including a teen who fell off a ute. Source: AAP

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

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

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

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

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

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

He died in Canberra Hospital.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tourists die in poorly ventilated hotel

TWO Italian tourists have been found dead in their poorly ventilated hotel room in Nepal's capital, Katmandu.

The man and woman were found after the hotel's owners alerted police they were not responding to calls, police official Umesh Raj Joshi said on Thursday.

Police broke the windows, which were taped shut, and found the bodies on the bed.

Joshi said they appeared to be regular visitors to Nepal.

Gas and kerosene heaters are common in Nepal during the winter because of a shortage of electricity.

They are dangerous if used in closed rooms.

Two Chinese tourists died from gas poisoning from a heater in a mountain resort room near Katmandu earlier in December.

About 500,000 tourists visit Nepal a year.

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Indonesia cuts Christians' jail sentences

NEARLY 8,500 Christian prisoners in Indonesia have been given sentence cuts of 15 days to two months to mark Christmas.

"Remissions were given to Christian inmates who have shown good behaviour," Akbar Hadi, a justice ministry spokesman told state news agency Antara on Wednesday.

More than 160 prisoners were eligible for immediate release thanks to sentence cuts, he said.

Indonesia traditionally offers sentence cuts to prisoners to mark religious holidays and Independence Day.

There are more than 150,000 prisoners across the country and overcrowding is a problem in many of the more than 400 prisons.

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Ship passengers happy despite ice trap

Australian explorers are stranded near Antarctica after their ship became wedged in by sea ice. Source: AAP

PASSENGERS on a Antarctic-bound cruiseliner are in fine spirits and are enjoying Christmas despite being trapped by ice after a storm.

There are 50 tourists, scientists and explorers and 20 crew on the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which is on a Spirit of Mawson voyage along the edge of Antarctica.

They are in no immediate danger, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

"The ship is reinforced against ice and well adapted to the conditions," said Alvin Stone, spokesman for voyage operators.

He said those on board were in fine spirits and were enjoying Christmas.

Mr Stone said the storm was well-timed as those on board has just returned from a 60km trek across pack ice in Antarctica.

The ship had sailed from New Zealand to visit several sites.

The AMSA received a distress call on Christmas morning.

A spokeswoman said three ships had been sent to assist but it would take at least two days for the nearest vessel to reach the remote location - about 1500 nautical miles south of Hobart.

"It's in quite a remote part of the world," she said on Wednesday.

"But we have everyone safe. The vessel isn't in any immediate danger."

The ship's voyage is part of a research expedition to commemorate the centenary of Douglas Mawson's exploration.

Expedition leader Chris Turney didn't seem too bothered by being stranded.

He wrote in a Christmas Day tweet: "Heavy ice. Beautiful; light wind. Only -1degC. All well. Merry Xmas everyone from AAE."

The privately funded expedition includes a trip to Mawson's Huts on Antarctica, which had been inaccessible for many years because of an iceberg.

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Beiber announces his retirement on Twitter

Justin Bieber has tweeted that he intents to retire, but he has told fans he will be "here forever". Source: AAP

JUSTIN Beiber has used Twitter to announce his retirement.

In a tweet that caused a Christmas Day social media frenzy, the 19-year-old superstar said: "My beloved beliebers I'm officially retiring."

But he later tweeted that he would never leave his fans and that he was "here forever".

The original tweet was retweeted almost 200,000 time in three hours, according to Twitter.

This is not the first time the celebrity has hinted that he plans to retire.

He told a Los Angeles radio station on December 19 that he intended to take a break from his music career.

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Santa spreads cheer at Vic hospital

SANTA has spread Christmas cheer across the world, stopping into a Melbourne hospital to deliver gifts to seriously sick children.

Young patients at the Royal Children's Hospital were delighted to have a visit from the jolly fellow, who stopped off at each ward.

Across the state of Victoria, Christmas Day was celebrated with fine weather and merriment.

There was no rain recorded, with Melbourne reaching a top temperature of 31.8C.

Charities gave out meals for the less fortunate on Christmas morning with more than 300 hampers distributed.

A Melbourne man was lucky to escape with his life after he was pulled out of his burning home in Whittlesea on Christmas morning.

And two Victorian families suffered what police described as "an unthinkable act of heartlessness" when their presents were stolen overnight.

But their neighbours in the community of Wodonga banded together to restore some festive spirit by donating gifts to them.

Victorian church leaders have issued Christmas messages, urging people to open their hearts to those who are without and to acknowledge victims of clergy abuse.

Melbourne's Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart called on the church to reach out to victims of sexual abuse as part of his Christmas address.

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Christmas came early for shy girl: cleric

Thousands of worshippers have attended mass while others have flocked to the beach for Christmas. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIANS should strive to make every day Christmas Day for the people around them.

That is the message delivered to a standing-room crowd at St Mary's Cathedral's annual Christmas mass in Sydney.

Thousands of worshippers flocked to the cathedral on Wednesday night for the service, led by Father Brendan Purcell.

He told a story he thought of when asked recently if he had witnessed a miracle.

He spoke about a young girl who was so embarrassed by a skin ailment that she refused to go to school and hid in her room.

He said somehow her sister persuaded her to go to school on the last day of the term, and the principal told her she would progress to the next year, despite missing around three months of school.

"They made that day Christmas for her," Fr Purcell said.

"It's up to us to make every day Christmas Day for the people around us."

Most families in and around Sydney were forced to celebrate Christmas Day inside due to rainy weather.

But it was a different story in northern parts of NSW, Victoria and Queensland, where sweltering heat drove families and santa-hat sporting holiday makers to the beach.

Despite the sizeable crowds, there were few major incidents on the beaches.

"We have had tremendous numbers on the beaches and a lot of volunteers turning up to help," Gold Coast Surf Life Saving duty officer Laurie Cavill said.

"There has been isolated rescues but no major incidents."

Further south ambulance crews were called to Ballina and Byron Bay for a dislocated shoulder and drunk beach goers.

"All in all it's been a good day and volunteer life savers across the state have been been on top of their game. So far nothing bad has occurred," Surf Life Saving NSW spokesperson Matt Miller told AAP.

In Perth, surf life savers also had a "pretty good day" with a spinal injury and dislocated shoulder among the few incidents reported.

Alice Springs mayor Damien Ryan said the aquatic centre was the hot spot for the town on a rainy Christmas.

"In other parts of the world they sing about a white christmas," he told ABC Radio.

"But this morning when I got up and the rain clouds were halfway down the wonderful Macdonnell Ranges. It looked like they were snow capped - it was pretty close for us."

In Melbourne, where temperatures reached 31.8C, Santa dropped by the Royal Children's Hospital to distribute gifts.

Also benefiting from the Christmas spirit were two Victorian families who had their presents stolen overnight.

Their Wodonga neighbours banded together and donated gifts to them.

Further afield, the thoughts of many Australian families were with the 2200 Australian troops deployed overseas.

Despite the end to Australia's mission in Uruzgan province and the return of troops just before Christmas, 500 remain in Afghanistan.

Major General Craig Orme, Commander Joint Task Force in the Middle East, said senior officers would spend Christmas Day visiting troops in the region.

"Christmas on operations is a hard time. The work continues and the absence from family and friends is reinforced," he said in a statement,

"But our personnel deployed across the Middle East Area of Operations will make time to mark the occasion with their deployed family."

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A very merry Christmas for Aussie shops

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Indon official in trouble over plane rage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Police officer punched, spat on

Three men have been arrested after a police officer was punched and spat on in Sydney. Source: AAP

A POLICE officer has been punched and spat on and three men arrested following a fight in Sydney's southeast.

A scuffle started outside a bar on Botany road in Botany on Monday night when police tried to remove a patron from the bar.

Police allege a 22-year-old man punched an acting sergeant in the head and spat on him before running from the pub.

He was caught a short time later.

Police arrested another two men, aged 36 and 40.

They were all taken to Redfern Police Station where the 22-year-old was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to police.

He was refused bail and will appear in Central Local Court today.

The two other men were both charged with assaulting police and were granted bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on January 13.

The acting sergeant suffered a cut to his head and was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment.

Two other officers involved were not hurt.

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Cyclone could develop Christmas Day

A TROPICAL cyclone is expected to form in northern Western Australia on Christmas morning with warnings issued for parts of the state and the Northern Territory.

A blue alert has been issued for people in or near the coastal and inland communities between the WA and Northern Territory border and the Mitchell Plateau.

That includes people in Wyndham, Kalumburu, Troughton Island and surrounding areas.

"Although there is no immediate danger, you need to start preparing for dangerous weather and keep up to date," the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) warns.

Residents have been warned to secure or remove loose material from around their homes and ensure their emergency kits are complete.

The Northern Territory Emergency Service has also advised people in affected areas to tie things down and seek shelter when conditions deteriorate.

The service warned that driving conditions may be hazardous and urged people to avoid flooded roads and watercourses.

At around 6.30pm (CST) on Tuesday the tropical low was estimated to be about 270km northeast of Kalumburu and 335km north of Wyndham, moving south at 4km/h towards the north Kimberley coast.

The low may develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 12 to 24 hours, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Gales with gusts to 100km/h may develop on the coast on Wednesday morning.

Heavy rain is also expected over the far north Kimberley region during Wednesday and Thursday.

AAP anr/ldj

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Belfast peace talks fail to reach deal

OVERNIGHT talks in Belfast have failed to resolve deep-seated divisions over parades and flags that have triggered widespread rioting in Northern Ireland.

Richard Haass, director of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, led the multiparty talks.

The hope was that he could forge a compromise plan by the end of the year on areas of bitter dispute: parades, British and Irish flags and emblems, and remembering the dead from Northern Ireland's four-decade conflict.

Talks ended around 4am on Tuesday without agreement.

Haass insisted the process was "still alive" and said he might return to Belfast before the end of the year.

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'Pink batts' inquiry set to begin

A royal commission into the Rudd government's home insulation scheme will begin tomorrow. Source: AAP

A ROYAL Commission of Inquiry into deaths and injuries linked to the Rudd government's home insulation scheme will begin on Monday in Brisbane.

Four young men died while working on the roll-out of the so-called "pink batts" scheme set up in 2009.

Three of the men were Queenslanders Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and the fourth New South Welshman Marcus Wilson.

Their families believe the $2.8 billion program - implemented by then-prime minister Kevin Rudd to inject money into the economy during the global financial crisis - was rushed and lacked adequate safety standards.

The inquiry will also investigate the affect the program had on the reputation and profits of long-standing home insulation businesses.

Heading the Royal Commission is barrister and commercial dispute resolution practitioner Ian Hanger, QC.

Mr Hange has until June 30 next year to provide a report of his findings and recommendations.

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Spacesuit flaw postpones ISS repairs

NASA has delayed until Christmas Eve the next outing to repair the International Space Station. Source: AAP

A NEW flaw has emerged with a US-made spacesuit, forcing NASA to delay until Christmas Eve the next outing to repair the International Space Station.

The problem came up in a system that handles water condensation in veteran astronaut Rick Mastracchio's spacesuit after he re-entered the space station airlock following a spacewalk that lasted more than five hours, NASA said.

It was not believed to be the same type of issue that caused a dangerous water leak in the helmet of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano in July.

An investigation into that situation is ongoing.

Faced with unexpected repairs due to an equipment cooling breakdown at the orbiting lab on December 11, NASA arranged makeshift snorkels inside the 35-year-old spacesuits and absorbent pads in the helmets for these spacewalks in case such a leak happened again.

"During repressuristion of the station's airlock following the spacewalk, a spacesuit configuration issue put the suit Mastracchio was wearing in question for the next excursion - specifically whether water entered into the suit's sublimator inside the airlock," the space agency said in a statement.

"This issue is not related to the spacesuit water leak that was seen during a July spacewalk."

Now, astronauts are resizing a spare spacesuit aboard the ISS for Mastracchio, 53, to wear on the next spacewalk to complete the pump replacement.

The outing was planned for Monday, but will now take place Tuesday, beginning at 7:10am (2310 AEDT).

NASA released the news late on Saturday, after the spacewalk by the two American astronauts ended with the successful disconnection and removal of the old pump.

NASA mission control in Houston checked in with them frequently to see if they were experiencing any wetness in their helmets, and each time the spacewalkers reported no problems.

Space agency officials told reporters this week that Hopkins, 44, would be wearing the suit Parmitano had worn when he experienced the leak that nearly drowned him, noting its water pump system had been replaced.

The spacewalks were called for after a faulty valve forced a partial shutdown in the system that regulates equipment temperature at the space station.

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Six horses slaughtered in SA stable

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

A $100,000 reward is being offered to catch the "extremely sick" person who slaughtered six miniature show horses in a South Australian stable.

Police describe the animal killings at Clayton Bay, about 70km south of Adelaide, as "bizarre and cruel", with no leads on a suspect.

Three miniature horses in the same stable were not harmed but six others were found dead with their throats cut.

The owner's son, Daniel Spong, told ABC Radio it may have been a targeted attack but he doesn't know why.

"It just would take an extremely sick individual, I think, to carry this out," he said.

"We just can't believe it.

"These horses each have their own characters and personalities, and each of the staff and family have their own personal relationships with the animals." He said the distraught owners were offering a $100,000 reward.

A police spokesman said the horses are believed to have been killed some time between Friday night and Saturday morning.

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Man critical after CBD assault

Two men are in a critical condition, following a night of alcohol-fuelled violence in Brisbane

Police would like to speak to this man in relation to a serious assault in Brisbane's CBD early Sunday morning. Source: Supplied

Police would like to speak to this man in relation to a serious assault in Brisbane's CBD early Sunday morning. Source: Supplied

A MAN has come forward over a bashing in Brisbane CBD overnight, which left another man with critical injuries.

A man voluntarily attended Petrie police station a short time ago and is currently speaking with detectives.

The other man is still in hospital in a critical condition with life threatening injuries.

EARLIER, police relased CCTV images of a man as part of ongoing investigations into the serious assault of a man in Brisbane's CBD.

Police are searching for a man who intervened in a couple's fight, seriously injuring a 38-year-old man in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The couple were arguing on the footpath of Queen Street near the intersection with Wharf Street around 4am when an unidentified man stepped in, seriously injuring the 38-year-old.

Brisbane region detective inspector Ian Park said the partner of the injured Arana Hills man was by his bedside in hospital.

"She's very upset obviously by what's happened," he said.

He said the man today remained in Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition with serious injuries after being resuscitated at the scene.

Insp Park said alcohol may have been a factor.

"I guess it's a fair assumption that at 4 o'clock there is going to be alcohol involved, so we would appeal to people to just be careful with alcohol and look after themselves and each other and not to drink to excessive levels, which is always a deadly cocktail."

There were reports that people performed CPR on the man before paramedics arrived.

Alessandro Vosolo, who is staying on the 44th floor of the building, said the fight sounded violent and lasted less than four minutes.

"Fighting, screaming, arguing like guys getting thrown around, that sort of thing," he said.

One witness said he was on the 20th floor of the hotel and heard the fight.

"A dude got beat up... We heard it but then police rocked up."

Police insp Park said a number of witnesses had already been interviewed but appealed for more people to step forward, particularly the man, understood to be Caucasian and in his 30s, who was involved in the fight.

The injured man was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition.

"Initial information suggests that a man and a woman were seen arguing on the footpath of Queen Street near the intersection with Wharf Street when another man intervened just before 4am," police said in a statement.

Police said the two men were then involved in a fight in which a 38-year-old Arana Hills man sustained a serious head injury.

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Detective inspector Ian Park said police were also investigating the assault of a man who got into a fight with a hotel staff member at the Orient about 4.30am.

A 37-year-old man fell down the stairs and suffered serious head injuries when his head hit the concrete pavement.

"I believe the may have been a disagreement between this person and a staff member but as to what actually took place is subject to investigation," Insp Park said.

The man was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he is in a serious condition.

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In a third incident, a man was allegedly glassed in the face at the Family Nightclub on McLachlan St in the Fortitude Valley about 3am Sunday.

Police said a 19-year-old was struck in the face with a glass, receiving cuts to his cheek area. Police said the man did not have life-threatening injuries.

A spokesman said security staff and patrons stopped the alleged attacker and held him until police arrived.

A 20-year-old Calamvale man has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm. He is due to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday morning.

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Swedish Christmas goat engulfed in flames

A giant straw goat in Sweden symbolising Christmas spirit has been burnt down for the 27th time. Source: AAP

VANDALS in Sweden have burned down for the 27th time a giant straw goat meant to symbolise Christmas spirit.

The 13-metre high and 3.6-tonne heavy straw goat was engulfed in flames early on Saturday after unidentified assailants attacked it in the Swedish town of Gavle, 150km north of Stockholm.

The straw goat is a centuries-old Scandinavian yule symbol that preceded Santa Claus as the bringer of gifts.

Since 1966, when the tradition of erecting the giant straw goat in the town square was introduced, Vandals have burnt it down 27 times.

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