Eight more dead in Bangladesh riots

10 people have been killed in Bangladesh's violence over the execution of an Islamist party leader. Source: AAP

EIGHT more deaths were reported in Bangladesh in intensified riots and protests sparked by the execution of a top Islamist leader, as the prime minister warned of a crackdown on the violence.

Police said Islamist supporters torched houses and fought running street battles with officers in towns and cities during a third day of unrest over the execution of Abdul Quader Molla for war crimes.

Two people were killed on Sunday in the northern town of Patgram and another six elsewhere overnight, police said, as Islamist supporters enforced a nationwide strike over the execution of Molla, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party.

"Police fired shotgun pellets to disperse the Jamaat protesters who torched at least 20 houses belonging to ruling party supporters," government administrator Habibur Rahman told AFP of the violence in Patgram.

Molla's hanging on Thursday night triggered fresh unrest in the impoverished country, already reeling from political violence in the build-up to a deeply divisive national election scheduled for January 5.

Twenty people are now known to have died and dozens more have been injured in the clashes since Thursday between outraged Jamaat activists and police and between the activists and supporters of the ruling Awami League.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned of strong action against the rioters, saying "we have shown enough patience. We will not tolerate anymore."

"People of the country know how to reply to these atrocities (the latest violence), we (government) also know how to respond to, control you (the rioters)," she told a rally late on Saturday to commemorate those killed in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Molla, 65, became the first person to be executed for his role in that war. Jamaat called the hanging a "political murder" and said it would avenge it.

Molla had been found guilty in February by a much-criticised domestic tribunal of having been a leader of a pro-Pakistan militia that fought against the country's independence and killed some of Bangladesh's top professors, doctors, writers and journalists.

He was convicted of rape, murder and mass murder, including the killing of more than 350 unarmed civilians. Prosecutors called him the "Butcher of Mirpur", a Dhaka suburb where he committed most of the atrocities.

Of the six killed overnight, police said three died in the southern town of Companyganj, two in the northern town of Ramganj and one in the coastal town of Laxmipur.

At Companyganj, an opposition bastion, police fired rifles to disperse at least 8,000 rampaging Jamaat supporters who torched four government offices and attacked officers with crude bombs and guns, a senior police officer said.

In Ramganj, activists of Jamaat and its main ally, the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, attacked a convoy of ruling party lawmakers, leaving two people dead, sub-inspector Ershadul Alam told AFP.

Molla was one of five Islamists and other politicians sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal, which the opposition says is aimed at eradicating its leaders.

The sentences have triggered riots and plunged the country into its worst violence since independence.

Some 250 people have now been killed in street protests since January, when the first verdicts were handed down.

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Red-suited revellers hit NY bars

The costumed New York pub crawl known as SantaCon has seen thousands of Santa's partying in bars. Source: AAP

SANTA Claus came to town despite snow and widespread criticism of the costumed New York pub crawl known as SantaCon.

New York City's SantaCon started on Saturday morning in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village. Thousands of red-suited revellers then spread out through the city's bars and snowy streets.

This year's SantaCon takes place in New York amid criticism that the event has become too rowdy. SantaCon participants were told to make charitable donations and encouraged to bring small gifts to bestow on one another and passers-by.

Organisers say similar events were set for more than 100 other cities worldwide on Saturday, including San Francisco; Portland, Oregon, Newport Beach, California and Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Severe storm warning for wind and hail

ANOTHER round of severe thunderstorms is set to pummel the southeast.

The weather bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning after storms were detected over the Scenic Rim region near Mount Barney, Laravale and Kooralbyn.

The southeast Queensland warning said damaging winds and large hailstones are likely.

Forecasters from the Bureau of Meteorology said the thunderstorms were moving in a northerly direction, with Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast put on alert.

The storms are predicted to hit Beaudesert about 5.30pm.

More to come.
 

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.
 

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Sydney road and railway line reopen

A MAIN road and part of a railway line that were shut after a train malfunction on a level crossing in Sydney's northwest have reopened.

Garfield Road at Riverstone and the T1 western railway line between Mulgrave and Quakers Hill station are open but the Transport Management Centre says delays could still occur on trains in the area.

No delays are expected on local roads.

Supplementary buses are running and users of public transport are being asked to allow extra travel time.

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Coleman keen to clinch an overseas deal

WOODSIDE Petroleum boss Peter Coleman would love to pull off a big overseas deal and set his company up for years of strong growth.

But this week's announcement that the oil and gas giant will defer a $1.25 billion investment in Israel isn't going to get him to that point anytime soon.

The well-touted Leviathan LNG project in the Mediterranean Sea is getting increasingly complicated, as a series of regulatory delays and problems with its joint venture partners force the company to tread carefully.

Some believe Woodside should concentrate on what it knows best - delivering low cost LNG from offshore gas fields in Western Australia.

But Mr Coleman has larger growth aspirations.

This week he said Woodside would wait another two months before committing to a 30 per cent stake in the Leviathan project with US-based firm Noble Energy.

That's more than a year after he announced the project.

"We're not in it to do a deal for a deal," Mr Coleman told analysts.

"It needs to be a compelling value case given the amount of investment involved in the decision."

Some analysts have highlighted the geopolitical risks involved and questioned the viability of exporting gas from Israel which is grappling with its own gas reservation policy and tax regime.

Late last year Woodside said it planned to stump up $1.4 billion for Leviathan, a decision which was based entirely on a Tzemach advisory panel report.

The Tzemach report recommended Israel export just over half of its gas, but it sparked outrage among Israelis who want most of the gas reserved for domestic purposes.

Mr Coleman said the new Israeli government had given Woodside assurances around LNG export volumes.

Further legal challenges could create more uncertainty.

It comes as Woodside awaits the outcome of a review into Israeli tax law relating to LNG and pipeline exports which is due to be released in early February.

In addition, joint venture partners are reportedly talking about building a pipeline into Turkey.

For all of the "moving parts" involved in doing business in the Middle East, Mr Coleman remains upbeat but cautious ahead of committing shareholder funds.

"There's still an opportunity for Woodside to create significant value within the joint venture, but first and foremost we are focused on ensuring that we have a commercial outcome that delivers value to us," he says.

He has previously said the company would prefer to give money back to shareholders if a project doesn't stack up.

"We have other options that we're also pursuing and in this case we're ensuring that whatever we do, if we do enter into this joint venture, it's done in a way that's a commercially sensible outcome for all of us."

Woodside's overall estimated investment expenditure for 2013 has dropped to $US1.1 billion ($A1.21 billion) from the previous guidance of $US2.3 billion ($A2.53 billion) due to the deferral of expected expenditure on Leviathan.

Total investment expenditure in 2014 is expected to be between approximately $US2.0 billion ($A2.25 billion) and $US2.4 billion ($A2.70 billion).

It comes as Mr Coleman was this week quizzed about Woodside's stalled Sunrise project in the wake of the East Timor spy scandal, and a fortnight after Mr Coleman completed a trip to Japan where he began marketing gas from the proposed Browse floating LNG project in north Western Australia.

He would not reveal details of recent price negotiations, but indicated the company was in a strong position in Japan as the nation struggles to secure energy after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Woodside spent more than $1 billion on the controversial Browse onshore proposal near Broome but abandoned it after widespread community opposition, citing higher costs.

The risks of outlaying a similar amount will be in the front of Mr Coleman's mind next year as Woodside crunches the numbers on Leviathan, factoring in a substantially weaker Australian dollar.

Around this time the company is due to open an office in Myanmar as it continues exploring in New Zealand, Ireland and WA.

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Asylum seeker baby seeks citizenship

Lawyers for an asylum-seeker family have lodged a citizenship application for their newborn baby. Source: AAP

LAWYERS for an asylum-seeker family have lodged a citizenship application for their sick baby, who was born in Australia.

Baby Ferouz was born in a Brisbane hospital in November after his mother, father and two siblings were transferred there from the Nauru detention centre.

The family, who come from Myanmar (Burma), have been fighting against being returned to Nauru because Ferouz, who was born early, and his mother, who has diabetes, are still weak.

Earlier this month, the law firm acting for the family applied for a protection visa for the newborn.

On Friday, the firm said it had lodged a citizenship application for the child.

"Ferouz was born in Brisbane. He has a Queensland birth certificate and there is no other country where he has a right to citizenship," Maurice Blackburn associate Murray Watt said in a statement.

He said Ferouz's family was from the persecuted Rohingya minority group in Myanmar, and the government there does not recognise them as citizens.

"Only last month, the government of Myanmar rejected a United Nations resolution urging it to grant citizenship to the Rohingya," Mr Watt said.

"In these circumstances, the law is clear that baby Ferouz is entitled to Australian citizenship, and therefore to remain in Australia permanently."

He again called on Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to show some compassion and allow the family to remain in Australia.

Mr Watt said the protection visa lodged for the baby last week was still being considered by the government.

Comment from Mr Morrison has been sought.

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Echo says debt restructure to cost $22m

Casino owner Echo Entertainment has restructured its debt arrangements to reduce finance expenses. Source: AAP

CASINO owner Echo Entertainment will incur a one-off charge of $22 million from changes made to its debt arrangements.

But the owner of Sydney's The Star said the changes will reduce its finance costs from the second half of the 2013/14 financial year to the 2015/16 year.

Echo had closed out some of its interest rate swap positions and restructured its lending arrangement, it said.

That will involve pre-tax expenses of $22 million which will be recognised its in results for the first half of the 2013/14 year.

Echo shares were down 7.5 cents, or 3.1 per cent, at $2.325 at 1412 AEDT.

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Vic zoo elephant herd welcomes new calf

An Asian elephant calf has been welcomed by his herd at Melbourne Zoo in his first group outing. Source: AAP

HE'S only two days old but Melbourne Zoo's boisterous elephant calf is already stomping his way around his enclosure, even trying a bit of rock climbing.

The baby Asian elephant suckled from mother Dukkoon, played with older sister Mali and tried to climb the enclosure's boulders during the family's first group outing.

"He is very boisterous already," Melbourne Zoo elephant keeper Andy Durham said on Tuesday.

"He loves to explore.

"He's very confident and he's got a big set of lungs on him."

The zoo will begin selecting names, based on the calf's personality, to be translated into Thai.

A public "name the baby' competition will likely be held, Mr Durham said.

The calf's birth on Sunday has lifted the spirits of the herd after the death of 11-month-old calf Sanook last Tuesday.

Even grieving mother Num-Oi is helping feed the new arrival, unusual for elephants in captivity.

"When a new calf is born, it's not uncommon for that calf to feed off a related adult female," Mr Durham said.

"In captivity, it is a little more unusual because the elephants aren't related."

The calf can be seen by zoo visitors from Wednesday.

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Job cuts will cause commuter delays: union

A PLAN to outsource electrical jobs on the Greater Sydney rail network will lead to lengthy delays for commuters, a trade union warns.

The Electrical Trades Union NSW (ETU) also says a move to contract out RailCorp's electrical maintenance instead of keeping jobs in-house has already been tried, tested and failed.

The union says 21 electrical workers from RailCorp have been told they will not have a job next year due a restructure.

The positions to be culled include emergency response roles, electrical manager and maintenance engineer.

ETU NSW Secretary Steve Butler said the job cuts - from Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong - would lead to delayed responses to breakdowns for commuters.

"Past RailCorp reviews have confirmed that retaining electrical maintenance personnel within the company was the most efficient way to maintain assets and respond to critical incidents," he said in a statement on Monday.

He said industry insiders had told the union that response times would be between six to 48 hours for major incidents that happened outside of business hours, including blackouts or people being trapped in lifts.

Mr Butler also claimed RailCorp tried to outsource electrical maintenance work on the Hunter line several years ago but ended up reinstating the positions in-house.

Comment has been sought from the office of NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian.

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Fire inquiry hears of exploding ordnance

RECOMMENDATIONS for hazard reduction burning were ignored by the department of defence at a training ground where a botched explosives exercise started a bushfire which destroyed homes in the Blue Mountains.

The exercise at the Marrangaroo Training Area near Lithgow set off unexploded ordnance on October 16 and grew into the massive fire that burned for more than a month, a commission of inquiry has heard.

The inquiry on Monday heard details of explosives going off, endangering Defence firefighters, and embarrassingly inadequate preparation by the Defence Force.

A Rural Fire Service investigation was satisfied the training exercise caused the fire, which became known as the State Mine fire.

Defence has apologised for sparking the blaze.

Senior counsel assisting the inquiry, Lieutenant Colonel David Jordan, told the hearing the fire became a significant danger to Defence members after it was caused by a botched explosive ordnance training exercise.

Defence personnel tried to put the blaze out with shovels and some were almost hit by shrapnel from explosives.

"This was not exactly a safe method of operation," Lt Colonel Jordan said during his opening statement.

"There was a lot of unexploded ordnance.

"It became exploded as the fire passed through."

The unexploded ordnance made it too dangerous for firefighters to get close to the blaze and it was not declared extinguished until November 20.

Lt Colonel Jordan said detonations were banned when there was a "very high" fire rating and on that particular day it was "high" in Lithgow.

But a "very high" rating was in place in the greater Sydney area, including the nearby Blue Mountains.

The inquiry also heard that a report by consultants GHD in 2011 found the area was at risk of a bushfire.

Hazard reduction hadn't taken place at the site for almost 20 years despite a Rural Fire Service (RFS) recommendation two years earlier to have it done.

Lt Colonel Jordan also discussed the "inadequate" firefighting capability on the base.

After the fire started, a hose used by Defence personnel was not long enough to reach it.

Wing Commander Paul Anthony Muscat, who was in charge of the training school, said the explosives training exercise was considered low risk.

"Low risk doesn't mean no risk," he told the hearing.

"It's not negligent. It's just [that] we couldn't fight the fire ... We just need to make sure we don't have this happen again."

The inquiry will investigate whether the fire caused injury to any person at the training area, whether it damaged property and the qualifications and experience of the Defence people involved in fighting the fire.

The fire burnt through 50,000 hectares and destroyed five homes and seven other structures in the Lithgow area.

The inquiry before former Sydney judge John O'Meally continues on Tuesday.

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