Stolen macaws found in midnight raid

Two rare and valuable birds stolen from a wildlife park have been recovered from a Sydney backyard. Source: AAP

TWO rare and valuable birds stolen from a wildlife park over Christmas have been recovered from a Sydney backyard.

Some time after 9.30pm (AEDT) on Christmas Eve, an unknown number of offenders broke into Featherdale Wildlife Park on Kildare Road, in the west Sydney suburb of Doonside.

They made off with 10 birds including two blue and yellow macaws worth $6000 each, two red-tailed black cockatoos, and six white-breasted ground doves.

The birds were not missed until 4.30am on Christmas Day.

Police received a tip-off and visited an Auburn house after midnight on Friday night.

There, they say they found the two stolen macaws in a backyard aviary.

The other birds were not found.

Police say they have spoken with the home's residents and no charges have been laid, but inquiries are continuing.

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Apple drops patent claims against Samsung

Samsung has reportedly agreed not to sell the Galaxy S III Mini in the United States. Source: AAP

APPLE has agreed to drop its patent claims against Samsung's Galaxy S III Mini after the South Korean rival said it would not sell the gadget in the United States, a court filing shows.

The announcement is the latest twist in a patent battle between the two tech titans.

Last month, Apple asked that a series of Samsung products - including the Galaxy S III - be added to the patent infringement suit between the mobile giants.

"Apple will agree to withdraw without prejudice its request to include the Galaxy S III Mini in this case given Samsung's representation that it is not making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing that product into the United States," the company said in its latest federal court filing in San Jose, California.

Samsung, the world's top mobile and smartphone maker, was ordered by a US jury in August to pay Apple $US1.05 billion ($A1.02 billion) in damages for illegally copying iPhone and iPad features for its flagship Galaxy S smartphones.

It has appealed the ruling, depicting the verdict as "a loss" for consumers and contending that Apple had "manipulated" the patent system.

Since then, two separate rulings by courts in Japan and the Netherlands have dismissed Apple's claims of patent infringement.

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Madonna builds ten schools in Malawi

Madonna has built 10 primary schools in Malawi during 2012, her charity has announced. Source: AAP

FORMER Material Girl Madonna has built 10 primary schools in Malawi during 2012, her charity announced.

Two years after abandoning a $US15 million ($A14.52 million) girls academy, the pop diva said on Friday projects in 2012 would educate 4871 children in the tiny southern African country.

The projects were carried out by her charity Raising Malawi and the global non-profit buildOn.

"I am overjoyed that my commitment along with buildOn's to help educate the children of Malawi has come to fruition," Madonna said in a statement issued by her charity.

"In a country where girls have little opportunity for education, it's additionally inspiring to know that more than half the students attending will be young girls.

"The fact that more than 4800 children in Malawi will get to go to school next year is a tremendous step forward for their individual growth and the growth of Malawi," Madonna added.

The schools, which had been scheduled to be built over 18 months, were completed six months ahead of schedule.

The charity said six of the schools are already in use and all 10 would be up and running in January 2013 for the first day of school in the New Year.

Madonna is no stranger to Malawi.

In 2006 she adopted toddler David Banda under controversial circumstances and two years later adopted another child, Mercy James.

Her charity, Raising Malawi, has poured millions of dollars in support of orphanages and a network of orphan care service providers.

Malawi is ranked by the UN Human Development Index as one of the world's 20 least developed countries and 39 per cent of its 13 million citizens live below the poverty line, on less than a dollar a day.

UNICEF estimates that only 26 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls complete primary school because of poverty and the long distances travelled to reach schools.

Madonna controversially stopped the construction of the state-of-the-art $US15 million Raising Malawi Academy for Girls-RMAG- in Chinkhota village, 15 kilometres from the administrative capital Lilongwe, after it was mired in allegations of financial mismanagement.

The academy, styled on the lines of the one built by TV host Oprah Winfrey in South Africa, had been meant to offer 500 scholarships to girls from poor backgrounds and groom them into future leaders.

In abandoning the project, Madonna said the academy would not be adequate as two-thirds of the girls were not educated beyond primary school. Instead, she said, she wanted to reach "thousands and not hundreds of girls" by constructing several schools.

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Second man charged for Christmas murder

A second man has been charged following the Christmas Day murder of a man north of Brisbane. Source: AAP

A SECOND man has been charged following the Christmas Day murder of a man north of Brisbane.

Police said a 31-year-old man from Kippa Ring had been charged with one count of murder after a 43-year-old man died following a disturbance at a Morayfield home just after 9.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

The victim was found unconscious in the driveway of the property and later died in hospital.

The accused man is expected to face Brisbane Magistrates Court later on Saturday.

A 20-year-old man from Deception Bay has already been charged with murder and faced Caboolture Magistrates Court on Friday.

It's believed police are searching for up to four people who may have been involved in the man's death and their investigations are ongoing.

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Man drowns at NSW Central Coast beach

A MAN has drowned at a beach on the NSW Central Coast after getting caught in a rip.

Police say the 27-year-old man was one of six people swimming at Budgewoi beach when four members of the group got into trouble because of strong currents at about 5.25pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Most of the group were helped out of the water by friends but the 27-year-old could not be reached.

He was later taken from the water by beachgoers but could not be revived.

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Diplomats quit Central African Republic

Central African Republic President Francois Bozize has sought foreign aid to stop rebel forces. Source: AAP

BANGUI, Central African Republic, Dec 28 AFP - The United States has evacuated its embassy in the Central African Republic as the nation's leader appealed for French and US help after rebels seized large parts of the mineral-rich country.

The United States said it had not cut diplomatic ties with the beleaguered government but warned US citizens not to travel to the chronically unstable country while unrest continues.

The United Nations is also pulling out its staff as rebel fighters get closer to the capital Bangui.

"We ask our French cousins and the United States of America, the great powers, to help us to push back the rebels... to allow for dialogue in Libreville to resolve the current crisis," President Francois Bozize told thousands of supporters at a rally in Bangui.

"There is no question of allowing them to kill Central Africans, of letting them destroy houses and pillage, and holding a knife to our throats to demand dialogue," said Bozize, who seized power in a coup in 2003.

"It is a plot against the Central African Republic, a plot against its people."

Organisers said 10,000 government supporters converged on central Bangui which a rally leader described as "our Tahrir Square".

Central African Republic, with a population of about 4.5 million, has seen frequent coups and mutinies since independence from France in 1960.

The rebel coalition known as Seleka - which means "alliance" - has seized four regional capitals, including a diamond mining hub, since fighting began on December 10.

While it says it has no plans to move on the capital, a statement last week announcing it had suspended its advance was followed within a day by news of further rebel victories.

France is vowing not to intervene.

President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that France would not use its troops stationed in the country to interfere in the conflict.

"If we are present, it is not to protect a regime, it is to protect our nationals and our interests, and in no way to intervene in the internal affairs of a country," Hollande said.

"Those days are gone."

A French foreign ministry spokesman nevertheless condemned "the continued hostility by the rebel groups" and said the crisis should be resolved through dialogue.

On Wednesday, demonstrators angry at France's failure to intervene tore down the flag at its embassy in Bangui and broke the windows of the building.

One French national said the population feared looting and a breakdown of order.

"It would not take much for things to explode," she said.

France has about 250 soldiers based at Bangui airport providing technical support to a peacekeeping mission run by the central African economic bloc ECCAS.

General Jean-Felix Akaga, commander of the regional central African military force known as FOMAC, said Bangui was "fully secured" by its troops, adding that others will arrive to help reinforce the mission.

The rebels are accusing Bozize and his government of having failed to respect the terms of peace deals signed between 2007-2011.

As the ill-equipped Central African army proved little challenge to the insurgents, Bozize asked for help from neighbouring Chad. The Chadian troops are the only real obstacle to the rebels, who are now at least 300 kilometres away.

The United Nations mission in the country has been working to help the government overcome more than a decade of strife.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has condemned the rebel attacks while Washington expressed "deep concern".

Nassour Ouaidou, the head of ECCAS, told AFP the group was trying to broker a truce.

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Asian markets up despite US fiscal woes

ASIAN shares have risen on hopes of a last-minute deal to avert the US fiscal cliff, despite warnings from a leading Democrat that an agreement is unlikely just days before a year-end deadline.

Expectations for more aggressive monetary easing by the Bank of Japan continued to weigh on the yen, which was sitting at more than two-year lows against the dollar.

In its last trading day of the year Tokyo's Nikkei on Friday climbed 0.70 per cent to highs not seen since before last year's March 11 quake-tsunami disaster. The index ended 72.20 points up at 10,395.18. It rose 22.9 per cent for the year.

Sydney gained 0.50 per cent, or 23.3 points, to close at 4,671.3 and Seoul closed up 0.49 per cent, or 9.70 points, to 1,997.05.

Hong Kong added 0.21 per cent, or 46.81 points, to end at 22,666.59, while Shanghai put on 1.24 per cent, or 27.35 points, to 2,233.25.

US politicians have until Tuesday to come up with a deficit-cutting budget that is less painful than the steep tax hikes and swingeing spending cuts that most economists say will tip the country into recession.

With time counting down, Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other for the lack of progress on a deal, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying: "I have to be very honest, I don't know time-wise how it can happen now."

President Barack Obama cut short his Christmas holiday to host top congressional leaders on Friday in a last-ditch bid to find an agreement.

Dealers seemed to take heart from reports that the House of Representatives would reconvene on Sunday, raising hopes of an 11th-hour compromise.

However, SMBC Nikko Securities general manager of equities Hiroichi Nishi told Dow Jones Newswires: "The market has factored in the possibility that talks will spill over to 2013.

"It remains a focus of attention, but sooner or later it's going to be solved."

On Wall Street, the Dow fell 0.14 per cent, the S&P 500 slipped 0.12 per cent and the Nasdaq shed 0.14 per cent.

Despite the uncertainty in Washington the dollar climbed against the yen, buying Y86.40 in early Asian trade, up from Y86.09 in New York late on Thursday, hovering around its highest level since August 2010.

The euro was at Y114.39 and $US1.3248, against Y113.97 and $US1.3235.

Investors have been selling the yen on expectations Japan's new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, will carry out his promises of more aggressive monetary easing and big government spending to lift inflation and kickstart the economy.

There was little movement on news that factory output for November was down a bigger than forecast 1.7 per cent month on month and a warning from the economy ministry that "industrial production is on a downward trend".

Oil prices rose, with New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in February adding 39 US cents to $US91.26 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for February gaining 41 US cents to $US111.21 in the afternoon.

Gold was at $US1,661.40 at 1900 AEDT, compared with $US1,655.26 late Thursday.

In other markets:

- Taipei rose 51.09 points, or 0.67 per cent, to 7,699.50.

TSMC was 1.46 per cent higher at $Tw97.0 while Hon Hai Precision edged down 0.11 per cent to $Tw88.9.

- Manila added 0.31 per cent, or 17.84 points, to close at 5,812.73.

BDO Unibank gained 0.07 per cent to 72.80 pesos while SM Investments rose 0.22 per cent to 882 pesos.

- Wellington ended 0.38 per cent, or 15.46 points, higher at 4,080.90.

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Official acquitted over Magnitsky death

A Russian court has acquitted a prison official over the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009. Source: AAP

A MOSCOW court has acquitted a former top prison official accused of negligence over the death in detention of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009, an incident that sparked a diplomatic row with the United States.

Judge Tatiana Neverova of the Tverskoy district court on Friday delivered an innocent verdict for Dmitry Kratov, the former deputy head of the Butyrka jail. He had done everything in his power to help Magnitsky, she said.

The decision had been widely expected after prosecutors earlier this week unexpectedly said Kratov should be acquitted as there was no "cause-effect" relationship between his actions and the death.

Kratov was the only official remaining as a defendant over the death of Magnitsky, which his supporters say was instigated by top officials after the lawyer discovered a high-level tax scam.

Magnitsky's mother had earlier announced she would boycott the court hearing in protest at the decision by the prosecutors to call for the acquittal of Kratov.

"Participation in this court hearing would have been humiliating for me," Natalia Magnitskaya said in a statement published by her son's former employer, Hermitage Capital.

"I understand that everything has been decided in advance and everything has been pre-determined."

Magnitsky's plight caused international outrage and led to the passage of a US law that blacklists Russian officials allegedly involved in the death.

Moscow retaliated by introducing legislation banning the adoption of Russian children by American citizens, in the biggest diplomatic scandal in years between the two sides.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Thursday that he would be signing the bill into law.

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Indian teen pressed to drop case

An Indian girl who was gang-raped has taken her own life after she was pressured to drop the case. Source: AAP

A 17-YEAR-OLD Indian girl who was gang-raped has taken her own life after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers, police and a relative say.

Amid the ongoing uproar over the gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi earlier this month, the latest case has again shone the spotlight on the police's handling of sex crimes.

One police officer has been sacked and another suspended over their conduct after the assault during the festival of Diwali on November 13 in the Patiala region in the Punjab, according to officials.

The teenager was found dead on Wednesday night after swallowing poison.

Inspector General Paramjit Singh Gill said on Thursday that the teenager had been "running from pillar to post to get her case registered", but officers failed to open a formal inquiry.

"One of the officers tried to convince her to withdraw the case," Gill, the police chief for the area, told AFP.

Before her death, there had been no arrests over her case although three people were detained on Thursday. Two of them were her alleged male attackers and the third was a suspected woman accomplice.

The victim's sister told Indian television that the teenager had been urged to either accept a cash settlement or marry one of her attackers.

"The police started pressuring her to either reach a financial settlement with her attackers or marry one of them," her sister told the NDTV network.

Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India reported that a police officer has been suspended for allegedly refusing to register a rape complaint in the northern state of Chhattisgar.

The woman and her husband later brought the case to the attention of a more senior officer and a hunt has been launched for her attacker, an auto rickshaw driver.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year in India were against women.

The real figure is thought to be much higher as so many women are reluctant to report attacks to the police.

During an address to the chief ministers of India's states on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to bring in new laws to cover attacks on women.

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Japan whaling fleet leaves for Antarctica

Japan's whaling fleet has left port for the Southern Ocean on their annual hunt. Source: AAP

JAPANESE whaling vessels have left port bound for the Southern Ocean on their annual hunt of the marine mammals, a media report and Greenpeace say.

Citing the Fisheries Agency, Kyodo News reported on Friday three vessels had departed from the far-western port of Shimonoseki, while environmental group Greenpeace said the mother ship had left another port also in the country's west.

"The mother ship, Nisshin Maru, left Innoshima today," said Greenpeace Japan's executive director Junichi Sato on Friday.

"Today was virtually the last day when they could leave for the Antarctic Sea," he said, adding that the fisheries agency had announced that the departure would take place within this month.

The mother ship would join the three vessels that left Shimonoseki earlier in the day, Kyodo said.

The fleet plans to hunt up to 935 Antarctic minke whales and up to 50 fin whales through March, the fisheries agency said earlier.

Japanese authorities refused to confirm either departure to AFP.

"We do not disclose when the vessels leave or left for safety reasons," said an agency official said.

Coastguard officers will be aboard the ships to cope with possible harassment from anti-whaling activists, the coastguard and fisheries agency officials said earlier this month.

The fleet's departure comes weeks later than expected and days after a US court ordered militant environmental group Sea Shepherd to stay at least 500 yards (metres) from whaling vessels.

The injunction was ordered by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in the latest step in a legal battle between the anti-whaling group and Japanese authorities over vessels in the Southern Ocean.

It said Sea Shepherd and Canadian militant conservationist Paul Watson, who is wanted by Interpol, "are enjoined from physically attacking any vessel engaged by plaintiffs", including Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research.

In addition, they are banned from "navigating in a manner that is likely to endanger the safe navigation of any such vessel", said the order, issued on Monday.

"In no event shall defendants approach plaintiffs any closer than 500 yards (460 metres) when defendants are navigating on the open sea," it added. The joint plaintiffs are Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd., Tomoyuki Ogawa and Toshiyuki Miura.

It follows the issuing in August of an arrest notice by Interpol for Watson, Sea Shepherd's founder, who jumped bail in Germany in July.

He had been arrested there on charges from Costa Rica relating to a high-seas confrontation over shark finning in 2002.

In a statement on its website, Sea Shepherd called the new US court ruling "the first shot of the season" by Japanese whalers.

Confrontations between the whalers and activists have escalated in recent years, and the Japanese cut their hunt short in early 2011 due to Sea Shepherd harassment.

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