Defeated Kenyan PM challenges poll result

OUTGOING Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has lodged a petition with the country's top court to challenge the outcome of the presidential election that saw him defeated by his rival Uhuru Kenyatta.

The move will be seen as a test of democracy in Kenya, which was rocked by bloody violence after the last disputed polls in 2007, when more than 1100 were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced.

Odinga's Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) claims the poll was marred by irregularities including changes to the voter register and inflated numbers of registered voters.

They also accused the electoral commission of using "poorly selected, designed" electronic equipment to transmit the results.

With the petition, Odinga is asking the court "to set aside the results of the presidential election as announced on March 9 and the declaration of Uhuru Kenyatta as president-elect ... and declare null and void the whole electoral process," according to a CORD statement.

The party filed the suit at the Supreme Court in the capital Nairobi on Saturday after Odinga spoke to supporters and reporters outside his offices.

"I have no hesitation whatsoever in lawfully challenging the election outcome," he said.

"To do otherwise would be a betrayal of the new constitution and therefore of everything that Kenyans hold dear."

Earlier, police used tear gas to disperse around 100 people demonstrating in favour of Odinga at the court.

An AFP photographer saw one young man bleeding from a wound to the forehead. Bystanders said he had been struck by a tear gas cannister.

Kalonzo Musyoka, Odinga's running mate in the March 4 election, accused the police of being heavy-handed and said Kenyans had simply "been trying to exercise their constitutional right to freedom of movement".

But he called on party supporters to remain calm.

Kenyatta, who avoided a second-round run-off vote by the slimmest of margins to win a majority with just 50.07 per cent, beat Odinga - his closest rival - by more than 800,000 votes.

Odinga won 43.31 per cent of the votes in his third failed attempt at the top job. He said he would abide by the decision of the court and urged Kenyatta to do likewise.

The Supreme Court has 14 days in which to hand down a ruling.

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Hundreds protest in Kabul over US forces

HUNDREDS of Afghan demonstrators have marched to the parliament complex in the capital Kabul demanding US special forces withdraw from Wardak province after allegations of abuse.

President Hamid Karzai ordered elite US units to pull out of the strategic province after he alleged that US soldiers and Afghan militia working with them had tortured and murdered civilians.

A few hundred protesters, many from Wardak, gathered in Kabul for the rally on Saturday, which was overseen by a large number of armed riot police.

"We put up strict security measures and after the members of the parliament promised they would address these complaints, the protesters dispersed peacefully," Kabul deputy police chief General Daud Amin told AFP.

"They were demanding the withdrawal of American special forces from Wardak and also the release of some people detained by the Americans in the province."

Karzai had demanded that US special forces withdraw by last Sunday but he later gave more time to US military leaders who say they are still negotiating the security hand-over in Wardak.

Afghan security forces are taking over responsibility across the country for battling the Taliban insurgency as the NATO-led coalition prepares to pull out most of its 100,000 troops by the end of next year.

Karzai's stance on Wardak, a key province adjacent to Kabul, was one of a series of anti-US moves in recent weeks as his relations with Washington have fallen to a new low.

Karzai is due to step down at elections next year, 13 years after he came to power with US backing when the hardline Taliban regime was ousted in 2001.

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Football codes urged to tackle concussion

AUSTRALIA'S football bosses have been urged to review their concussion management guidelines to protect players from long-term damage.

Alzheimer's Australia NSW released a series of recommendations in a discussion paper on Sunday, asking the four major football codes to take a serious look at the way they manage head injuries.

The paper asks the codes to consider changing the rules of their game to better protect junior players.

Alzheimer's Australia NSW chief executive John Watkins said there was growing evidence of links between concussion and the development of brain injuries and dementia.

Players must be aware of the potential risks of later-life cognitive impairment and dementia from multiple concussive injuries, he said.

It was also critical to ensure younger players were adequately protected.

The paper called for Australian research into a degenerative brain illness known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which had affected dozens of former American football players.

Australian Medical Association NSW president Professor Brian Owler said he was pleased with the progress made by football codes.

"Encouraging the football codes to do more to minimise the risks and allow players with suspected concussions sufficient recovery time is only sensible," he said.

Former AFL star Greg Williams said last month he had significant gaps in his memory of his playing days, which he attributed to the heavy knocks he copped.

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Cyprus shellshocked over eurozone bailout

RESIDENTS of Cyprus have reacted with shock after the government agreed to a 10 billion euros ($A12.62 billion) bailout that includes an unprecedented levy on all bank deposits.

The debt rescue package, agreed with the eurozone and International Monetary Fund early on Saturday morning after around 10 hours of talks in Brussels, is significantly less than the 17 billion euros Cyprus had initially sought.

It includes 5.8 billion euros to be raised through the bank deposit levy of up to 9.9 per cent, which will apply to everyone from pensioners to Russian oligarchs and tens of thousands of British expats.

At the same time, a "withholding tax" would be imposed on interest on bank deposits, and Cyprus will have to hike corporate tax to 12.5 per cent from 10 per cent and sell off state assets to help balance the public finances.

Though it was reached too late for Cyprus newspapers the bailout deal prompted some to queue up outside banks to withdraw cash from ATMs.

But analyst Sony Kapoor cautioned that there was no point, tweeting: "Dear Cyprus bank depositors, the time to line outside ur banks was last week, no point now."

A flood of angry comments flowed on the internet.

"The Cyprus deal is exactly why I don't keep money in the bank anymore. Brussels can commandeer your cash. Just like that," one person wrote on Twitter.

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides tried to calm shell-shocked Cypriots saying: "The situation is serious but not tragic, there is no reason to panic."

The levy will see deposits of more than 100,000 euros hit with a 9.9 per cent charge when lenders reopen their doors after a scheduled public holiday on Monday. Under that threshold and the levy drops to 6.75 per cent.

Co-operative bank branches, which, unlike the main lenders, usually open for business on Saturdays, kept their doors closed as their systems were shut down, officials said.

One furious customer reportedly parked his digger outside one such branch in the seaside resort of Limassol, claiming the government had "tricked" him into believing deposits were safe.

Cyprus - which accounts for just 0.2 per cent of the combined eurozone economy - is the fifth country to secure a debt rescue package from its eurozone partners in the three-year debt crisis.

The price tag is very small compared with two rescues for Greece worth some 380 billion euros, Ireland's 85 billion euros, Portugal's 78 billion and 41 billion for Spanish banks.

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Anglican leader to skip pope inauguration

THE new leader of the world's Anglicans, Justin Welby, will miss the inauguration of Pope Francis next week as he will be on a "pilgrimage of prayer", his residence has announced.

Welby, who became Archbishop of Canterbury last month, will be represented at Tuesday's inauguration mass at the Vatican by Britain's Archbishop of York, John Sentamu.

"Dr Sentamu will travel to Rome on the Archbishop of Canterbury's behalf on Monday in time for the celebrations the following day," Lambeth Palace said on Saturday.

Welby, leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans, will meanwhile be continuing a "journey in prayer" which he started last Thursday.

The tour encompasses five cities and six cathedrals in his province of Canterbury, which covers southern England.

On Saturday the journey took Welby to London, where he stopped to pray at various locations including St Paul's Cathedral.

A statement on his website said anyone was welcome to join the journey.

"Gather in the morning, pray for the whole day, or drop in whenever you have time," it said.

Welby's own official enthronement ceremony takes place next Thursday at Canterbury Cathedral.

Cardinal Kurt Koch will represent the new pope at Welby's enthronement.

Welby, a former oil executive, takes over as Archbishop of Canterbury from Rowan Williams, who led the Anglicans for the last decade.

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Tense Zimbabwe votes on new constitution

ZIMBABWEANS have voted on a new constitution that would pave the way for crucial elections in a country plagued by political violence.

Voters are expected to roundly back the text, which would introduce presidential term limits, beef up parliament's powers and set elections to decide whether 89-year-old Robert Mugabe stays in power.

Mugabe has ruled uninterrupted since the country's independence in 1980, despite a series of disputed and violent polls and a severe economic crash propelled by hyper-inflation.

The new draft constitution is part of a internationally-backed plan to get the country back on track. It is supported by both the veteran president and his political nemesis Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

But that has not prevented incidents of violence as activists keep one eye on the general election slated for July.

Shortly before polls in the constitutional referendum opened on Saturday, gunmen - later identified as plainclothes police detectives - seized a member of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change from his home southeast of Harare.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told AFP Samson Magumura had been arrested on charges of attempted murder in connection with a recent firebomb attack that injured a Mugabe ally.

But MDC Finance Minister Tendai Biti said police could not confirm where Magumura was being held.

As he cast his vote on Saturday, Mugabe, whom many blame for past unrest, urged Zimbabweans to ensure the referendum proceeded peacefully.

"You can't go about beating people on the streets, that's not allowed, we want peace in the country, peace, peace."

Mugabe also used the opportunity to castigate the West, vowing they would not be allowed to monitor the upcoming general election.

"The Europeans and the Americans have imposed sanctions on us and we keep them out in the same way they keep us out," he said.

Casting his ballot, Tsvangirai expressed hope that a positive outcome would help catapult the country out of a crisis that has been marked by bloodshed and economic meltdown.

"I hope it sets in a political culture where we move from a culture of impunity to a culture of constitutionalism," he said.

Official results of the referendum are expected to be released within five days of the vote.

The new constitution would for the first time put a definite, if distant, end date on Mugabe's 33-year rule.

Presidents would be allowed to serve two terms of five years each, meaning that, elections permitting, Mugabe could rule until 2023, by which time he would be 99-years-old.

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Auction house claims it has Titanic violin

A BRITISH auction house says it has unearthed the violin played by the bandmaster of the Titanic as the ocean liner sank.

Survivors of the Titanic have said they remember the band, led by Wallace Hartley, playing on deck even as passengers boarded lifeboats after the ship hit an iceberg.

Hartley's violin was believed lost in the 1912 disaster, but auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son say an instrument unearthed in 2006 has undergone rigorous testing and proven to be Hartley's.

The auction house says it spent the past seven years and thousands of dollars determining the water-stained violin's origins, consulting numerous experts, including government forensic scientists and Oxford University.

It said on Friday the violin would go on display at Belfast City Hall, near where the Titanic was built.

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New Israeli government formed

KEY parties have signed coalition agreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, clearing the way for him to inform President Shimon Peres that a new government has been formed, a statement from his office says.

"The prime minister welcomes the coalition agreements that have been signed between the Likud and Yisrael Beitenu (on one side) and the Yesh Atid party and the Jewish Home," the statement on Friday said.

"On Saturday evening, the prime minister will inform President Shimon Peres that he has completed the task" of forming a government.

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Berlusconi's lawyers seek to move trials

SILVIO Berlusconi's lawyers have filed motions to change the jurisdiction of two trials nearing verdicts in Milan.

Berlusconi's lawyers claim the Milan courts are biased against the former premier and sought on Friday to move the trials to Brescia, also in the Lombardy region.

Berlusconi's defence has been at loggerheads with the Milan courts as they have petitioned to delay hearings due to Berlusconi's hospitalisation for an eye inflammation.

Both courts have demanded exams by court-appointed doctors, enraging members of Berlusconi's party who allege judges are trying to sideline him politically.

Italy's magistrates association has denied the allegations, which it says undermine the judges' independence.

Milan courts are hearing Berlusconi's sex-for-hire trial and his appeal on a tax fraud conviction.

Berlusconi is expected to be released from the hospital later on Friday.

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Bruni takes revenge on 'penguin' president

FORMER first lady Carla Bruni has reportedly taken a swipe at French President Francois Hollande, depicting him as a bumbling buffoon with no manners in a song that features on her new album.

The lyrics of The Penguin were released on Friday and immediately interpreted as an attack on the man who succeeded her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, as France's leader.

The former supermodel sings: "He takes on the airs of a king/but I know, the penguin/doesn't have the manners of a lord.

"Hey penguin!/If one day you cross my path again/I will teach you, penguin/I will teach you to kiss my hand."

French media saw the lyrics as a reference to Hollande's frosty treatment of his outgoing predecessor on the day he took over as president, notably declining to accompany Sarkozy to the car that carried him away from the presidential Elysee palace.

In French, describing someone as a penguin implies they are both clumsy and a little ridiculous in the manner of a clown or a buffoon.

The Penguin is one of the tracks on Little French Songs, Bruni's fourth album, which is due to be released on April 1.

It also includes a song, Chez Keith et Anita (At Keith and Anita's place), in which Bruni, a former girlfriend of Mick Jagger, depicts the drug-fuelled lifestyle of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and his longtime girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg.

The new album is Bruni's first since 2008's Comme Si De Rien N'Etait (Simply). Her musical career was put on hold while Sarkozy was in office.

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Turkish Airlines to buy up to 117 Airbuses

TURKEY'S national carrier Turkish Airlines says it will buy up to 117 planes from the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, with deliveries scheduled between 2015 and 2020.

"The airline's board of directors announced 117 air planes will be joined to the existing fleet," the airline said in a statement announcing the deal estimated to be worth $US9.3 billion ($A9.00 billion) at catalogue prices.

The order centres on Airbus' A320 medium-haul family and includes firm orders for 82 planes and an option for 35 additional planes. The plane maker said engine selection would be made at a later date.

Most of the orders are for more fuel efficient planes in the A320 stable including the bestselling A320neo which is due for delivery in late 2015.

"The A320 Family with its economic benefits combined with superior cabin comfort will greatly contribute to meet our ambitious growth plans," said Faruk Cizmecioglu, Chief Marketing Officer at Turkish Airlines.

The purchase was smaller than a much rumoured order for 150 planes and hinted at by France's trade minister during a visit to Turkey in January.

Unlike other ailing carriers in Europe, Turkish Airlines is in an aggressive push to become a global airline player, putting itself in direct competition with Middle Eastern rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways.

In December, the airline passed orders for 15 long-haul A330 planes from Airbus and 15 777-300ER from Boeing. In February the airline followed up with a firm order for two more A330-300s.

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Another 800 dead pigs in Shanghai river

SHANGHAI has fished another 809 dead pigs out of its main waterway, bringing the total carcasses found this week to 8300 in a scandal highlighting China's troubles with food safety.

The swine effluent discovered flowing down the Huangpu river - which supplies a fifth of the commercial hub's drinking water - has added the country's most popular meat to a growing list of food items rocked by scandal.

"As of 3pm today, another 809 floating dead pigs have been fished out," Shanghai authorities said on FRiday on their Weibo account, a service similar to Twitter.

It gave assurances that authorities had not found any substandard pork products on the market and were closely monitoring water quality.

Shanghai has blamed farmers in neighbouring Zhejiang province for casting pigs thought to have died of disease into the river upstream, although officials from the area have admitted to only a single producer doing so.

Pork accounted for 64 per cent of total meat output last year, and China's increasingly wealthy urban residents consumed 21 kilograms of the meat per person in 2011.

Despite laws against the practice, animals that die from disease in China can end up in the food supply chain or improperly disposed of.

China faced one its biggest food-safety scandals in 2008, when the industrial chemical melamine was found to have been illegally added to dairy products, killing at least six babies and making 300,000 people ill.

Cheap recycled cooking oil is available nationwide, made illegally from leftovers scooped out of restaurant drains. Amid public disgust, authorities arrested more than 30 people over its sale, but the practise continues.

In another recent incident, the American fast-food giant KFC faced controversy after revealing that some Chinese suppliers provided chicken with high levels of antibiotics, in what appeared to be an industry-wide practice.

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RBA plays down surge in jobs growth.

A RESERVE Bank of Australia official says the large surge in employment growth in February will not, by itself, have an impact on the interest rate outlook.

Total employment surged by 71,500 in February - the largest monthly increase since July 2000 and was much higher than the 8,000 increase the market was expecting.

The unemployment rate remained at 5.4 per cent for the third month in row, figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed on Thursday.

RBA assistant governor (economic) Dr Christopher Kent said the employment data was surprising.

"Our forecast has been for a gradual edging higher in the unemployment rate," he said in a speech to the Australian Institute of Building at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Dr Kent was asked how many months of good jobs figures would mean an end to the interest rate reduction cycle.

"I don't have an exact number, it's going to be very hard to predict," he said.

"I would personally think we don't turn things around on the basis of one month's number, this figure could be a little overstated.

"You don't put too much on one month's number, the labour market is very important, it's not the full story."

The RBA has kept the cash rate steady at three per cent at its two board meetings in 2013 after cutting it four times in 2012.

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Honda recalls vehicles for braking issue

Honda is recalling vehicles for brakes that can suddenly kick in when the driver isn't braking. Source: AAP

HONDA is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles, including 1000 in Australia, for brakes that can suddenly kick in when the driver isn't braking.

No crashes have been reported related to the defect.

The affected vehicles were produced from March 2004 to June 2006.

The affected models include the Acura RL, Acura MDX, Pilot, Odyssey, Legend, StepWgn and Elysion.

The problem is caused by electronics and wiring in the vehicle-stability-assist system.

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Wild cyclonic weather to hit Lord Howe

A tropical cyclone is expected to cause extreme winds and surf on Lord Howe Island. Source: AAP

A TROPICAL cyclone is expected to pass close by Lord Howe Island on Friday morning, lashing the island with damaging winds and surf, the weather bureau says.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said on Thursday night that the category two cyclone was tracking south in the northern Tasman sea, and would pass to the east of the Pacific island on Friday morning.

On its website, BoM said the island off the NSW coast could expect "damaging surf, heavy swells and abnormally high tides" through the rest of Thursday and Friday.

This included wind gusts up to 150km/h until the early hours of Friday, it said.

BoM advised that the cyclone would weaken as it passed by the island.

It also said heavy rain caused by the cyclonic conditions would probably cause flash flooding overnight.

Residents and holidaymakers on Lord Howe Island were being warned to bunker down as the cyclone approaches.

Luke Hanson, the manager of the largest guest lodge on the island, said the conditions were "scary" as the cyclonic winds headed for the island.

"This cyclone's a direct hit, this will be the first time we've been whacked by a category two," Mr Hanson told AAP by phone.

"Everyone's a bit nervous, we've been getting all the guests settled, they've all had an early dinner and gone to bed, and they're just going to ride out the night.

"They don't come to Lord Howe Island in March thinking they're going to get hit by a cyclone."

He said residents had been strapping down outside furniture and sandbagging in preparation for the weather to worsen overnight.

Meanwhile, a high seas weather warning has been issued for Tropical Cyclone Tim, which is currently about 500km east northeast of Cairns.

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Man's body found near Broken Hill

THE body of an elderly man has been found near Broken Hill in outback NSW.

Police said two elderly men, aged 81 and 78, went missing on Wednesday near Broken Hill after leaving the isolated mining town in a four-wheel drive.

Police told AAP on Thursday night that a search for the men was launched on Thursday, and the vehicle was located on Thursday.

One of the elderly men was found deceased near the vehicle while the other man was found alive, they said.

The 4WD may have become bogged, police said.

The ABC reports that the men were on a prospecting trip in a remote part of the region.

It also reports that the man who was found alive has been taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.

In a statement, police said the 4WD was found in remote country known as Euriowie, about 70km north of Broken Hill, about 1.45pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

Police say a report will be prepared for the coroner.

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UK, France prepared to arm Syrian rebels

FRANCE and Britain are ready to arm rebels in Syria, even without full support from the European Union, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says.

UK government sources said on Thursday that no decision had been taken to seek the lifting of the EU arms embargo on Syria, but "all options" remain on the table.

Prime Minister David Cameron hinted earlier this week that Britain could decide to ignore the arms ban and supply weapons to rebels fighting Bashar Assad's regime, telling MPs that he hoped the EU would act together if it became necessary, but "it's not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way".

Cameron is visiting Brussels for a summit with other EU leaders, but Downing Street said Syria was not expected to feature on the agenda.

It is understood that Britain wants to see what impact is achieved by the recent move to supply "non-lethal" assistance - including armoured cars, body armour and secure communications equipment - before further decisions are taken.

Fabius on Thursday suggested London and Paris could ask for an EU meeting planned for May to be brought forward, possibly to the end of March.

Speaking to France Info radio, Fabius said Britain and France were asking the Europeans to lift the arms embargo "so that the resistance fighters have the possibility of defending themselves".

If unanimous EU support for lifting the measure is lacking, the French and British governments would decide to deliver weapons, Fabius said, adding that France "is a sovereign nation".

"We must move quickly," he said.

Responding to Fabius's remarks, a UK foreign office spokesman said: "Our objective is clear - an end to the violence and a political transition to a more democratic Syria through a political solution.

"As it stands, the political track has little chance of gathering momentum unless the regime feels compelled to come to the negotiating table. They need to feel that the balance on the ground has shifted against them.

"The foreign secretary has been clear he hasn't ruled out any options for the future."

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Govt lets down defence victims: taskforce

THE head of a taskforce investigating alleged abuses in the defence force says he's disillusioned with the federal government's failure to act on claims - and thinks victims may be too.

DLA Piper taskforce leader Gary Rumble told a Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade hearing on Thursday that he was disappointed none of the matters raised in a 2012 report had been acted on.

Law firm DLA Piper was commissioned to examine abuse allegations following the Skype scandal at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in 2011 and uncovered 775 plausible abuse allegations across every decade since the 1950s. The earliest related to events in 1951.

"I am deeply concerned that the government's lack of action and decision last year may have distressed individuals who were hoping for some response to their specific issue (and) worn down the willingness of those who told their stories ... to continue to be involved," Dr Rumble said.

He said he was worried the lack of action would encourage perpetrators and potential witnesses to think they could escape punishment.

Dr Rumble said the taskforce had been directed to write a second report for the Chief of the Defence Force and Service Chiefs but only the defence minister, Stephen Smith, had seen it.

Mr Smith wrote to him saying it would not have been appropriate for anyone other than him to see the report.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Smith told parliament new complaints to the taskforce's hotline had been building steadily since it opened last November.

At March 4, there had been 1041 complaints.

Just over 780 were made by personal phone call and in voicemail messages, while 260 were sent by email.

Taskforce chairman, retired judge Len Roberts-Smith, told Mr Smith there was no realistic prospect of its work being completed within the initial 12-month term, so the government has agreed to a six-month extension, with the taskforce now due to conclude its investigations by the end of May 2014.

As well, there will be an end-of-May 2013 deadline for new allegations to be made.

The taskforce is examining individual allegations, which if sufficiently substantiated could allow victims to claim up to $50,000 in compensation.

It is also considering whether a full royal commission is needed to address outstanding allegations at ADFA in the 1990s and allegations of sexual and other abuse of naval cadets at the former navy training centre, HMAS Leeuwin, which operated from 1960-84.

The taskforce said it appeared the abuse at Leeuwin occurred in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Much of the alleged bullying and violence appears to have been unreported," Mr Smith said.

Shadow Defence Minister David Johnston slammed the federal government's "snail pace" response and the way in which Mr Smith has handled the issue as if it were an "afterthought".

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Tunisian MPs approve new government

TUNISIA'S MPs have approved a new government formed to pull the country out of a deep political and economic crisis, as an impoverished vendor died after setting himself alight.

Premier-designate Ali Larayedh's broadly based coalition of his own Islamist party Ennahda, two secular parties and independents received 139 votes, or 30 more than needed, in a parliamentary session broadcast on television.

Another 45 MPs voted against, 13 abstained and 20 were absent from the session, which ended with the singing of the national anthem and shouts of "loyal to the blood of the martyrs" of the January 2011 revolution that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Larayedh's success was overshadowed by the death of Adel Khadri, 27, who torched himself a day earlier and who medics said had died early on Wednesday as a result of severe burns.

Just before the vote, Larayedh commented on Khadri's death, calling it a "sad incident" and saying "I hope we understood the message."

Witnesses quoted Khadri as shouting: "This is a young man who sells cigarettes because of unemployment," before setting himself on fire in Tunis.

Officials said Khadri, from a very poor family in the northwestern locality of Jendoubam, had arrived in the capital a few months ago to look for work.

The number of people committing suicide or attempting to has multiplied since young street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, in a drastic act of protest against police harassment.

His self-immolation in the town of Sidi Bouzid ignited a mass uprising that ousted Ben Ali the following month and touched off the Arab Spring uprisings.

Economic and social difficulties were the key factors that brought down Ben Ali's regime and two years since he fled to Saudi Arabia, unemployment and poverty still plague the North African country.

The economy was badly affected by the revolution, which paralysed the strategic tourism sector, although the country is out of recession and posted 3.6 per cent growth in 2012.

The unemployment rate is about 17 per cent, and is especially high among young graduates.

In addition to economic hardships, Tunisia is grappling with a political crisis exacerbated by the assassination last month of Chokri Belaid, a leftist opposition leader.

The country is still without a fixed political system due to a lack of consensus between the main parties.

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Greenland to get first woman PM

GREENLAND is set to have its first woman prime minister after the social democratic Siumut party won general elections on a vow to tax foreign mining companies, final results show.

Aleqa Hammond's party garnered 42.8 per cent of the vote compared to 26.5 per cent at the last election four years ago. Leftwing incumbent Kuupik Kleist's Inuit Ataqatigiit took 34.4 per cent compared to 43.7 per cent at the last election.

Hammond, whose party favours taxing foreign companies tapping the island's vast mineral wealth, said it was clear voters were dissatisfied with the current leadership.

"Too much secrecy surrounding mining projects and problems in the fishery sector, as well as a lack of construction outside Nuuk, determined the outcome," she told the online edition of weekly newspaper Sermitsiaq.

"We have taken difficult decisions in fisheries, raised rents to be able to afford the necessary renovations, and high unemployment has probably also played a role," Kleist said of the defeat.

Official turnout figures for the 40,000 island electorate were not immediately available.

Hammond only has to choose one other smaller party for a majority coalition. Negotiations for a new government are expected to take several days.

"I will now be talking to my board before deciding how to move forward," the 47-year-old party leader told reporters after her victory became official.

Siumut, which fought its election campaign mainly on changing royalty conditions for foreign mining companies wanting to extract rare earth and other raw materials from the potentially rich Greenland underground, is also looking for independence from Denmark for the autonomous territory.

Denmark currently provides 3.2 billion kroner ($A545.84 million) per year in subsidies to Greenland under an autonomy agreement that gives the country full control of its natural resources, while Denmark maintains control of foreign policy and defence.

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US retail sales surge 1.1pct in February

US retail sales have picked up sharply in February despite a payroll tax hike, driven largely by a surge in petrol prices, government data shows.

Retail and food services sales rose 1.1 per cent from January, the Commerce Department reported, much stronger than the 0.5 per cent increase estimated by analysts.

The department revised upward the January increase in retail sales to 0.2 per cent.

The February gain was the biggest in five months, pushing year-over-year sales up 4.6 per cent from February 2012.

Petrol sales at the pump jumped 5.0 per cent, after a 3.6 per cent rise in January, as petrol prices soared over the period.

Car sales rebounded, rising 1.1 per cent after falling 0.3 per cent in January, and building materials and garden supplies sales increased 1.1 per cent.

Excluding car sales, which tend to be volatile month-over-month, retail sales rose 1.0 per cent, double the gain expected.

Online shopping rose 1.6 per cent.

The robust February numbers came despite consumers' smaller pay packets after the January 1 expiration of a payroll tax cut.

The report suggested resiliency in consumer spending, which accounts for 70 per cent of US economic activity.

"At least so far, the increase in taxes has had minimal impact on household spending, showing that the economy retains a lot of momentum," said Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors.

Growth was not broad-based. Consumers cut back spending on furniture and home furnishings and in department stores, sporting goods, book and music stores, and restaurants and bars.

Core retail sales, those excluding cars, petrol and building materials - a better indication of the pace of consumer spending - were up 0.4 per cent.

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US stocks slip despite strong retail sales

US stocks have slipped in early trade despite a strong report on retail sales in February.

Fifteen minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 24.91 points (0.17 per cent) to 14,425.15.

The broad-based S&P 500 slipped 3.43 (0.22 per cent) to 1549.05, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index lost 7.69 (0.24 per cent) to 3234.63.

Retail and food services sales in February rose 1.1 per cent from January, the Commerce Department reported, much stronger than the 0.5 per cent increase estimated by analysts.

The retail sales are "another marker reflecting an encouraging pickup in economic activity," said Patrick O'Hare of Briefing.com.

The result "is clearly a source of relief for the equity market," O'Hare added.

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Alcohol problems up due to policies: FARE

ALCOHOL-RELATED violence and hospitalisations have risen significantly because successive NSW governments have failed to implement evidence-based policies, researchers claim.

The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) has on Thursday released a report examining the effect policies from a 2003 government summit have had on alcohol-related incidents across NSW over the past decade.

Since then, there has been a 37 per cent increase in hospitalisations attributable to alcohol, a 16 per cent increase in alcohol-related assaults and a 37 per cent spike in domestic violence linked to alcohol, the report says.

"What's happened since 2003 is we have made alcohol cheaper, more affordable and more available and we've seen a resulting increase in alcohol-related harms," FARE chief Michael Thorn told AAP.

More licensed premises trading for longer hours have contributed to the problems, he added.

There were also some improvements highlighted by the report.

Road accidents where alcohol was a factor dropped by 34 per cent and deaths involving alcohol fell 8 per cent.

But Mr Thorn is not happy with the figures and believes much more can be done.

"If they look at the evidence and act on those policies where the evidence is at its strongest, then they will have an impact on reducing alcohol-related harm," he said.

Public education programs, CCTV and tweaks to responsible service guidelines don't work, Mr Thorn said.

"There's no research evidence that (they) make any difference at all in changing behaviours, reducing harm, reducing alcohol consumption."

The most effective way to reduce alcohol-related problems is to limit supply and access.

This can be achieved by imposing closing times on licensed venues and raising the cost of drinks, Mr Thorn said.

Ahead of another alcohol summit on Thursday, Mr Thorn has called on the government to implement a 12-month statewide trial of a 3am lockout.

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Church sex diploma shocks Swedish parents

A "SHAGGING diploma" given to youths at a Swedish Lutheran Church confirmation camp has proved too much for parents who have complained that their 14-year-olds are too young for sex.

After attending a course entitled Love and Sexuality, the teenagers in the southeastern town of Ronneby were given a certificate stating they were "qualified for sex".

Vicar Mats-Ola Nylen said the course had been organised by a man purporting to come from the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU), but the church later found out he hadn't worked for the organisation in years.

Suspicions were raised after parents complained to Nylen about the certificates, saying their teenage children weren't ready for sex.

They were also upset over the use of colloquial phrases like "giving someone a blow job".

"The whole camp revolves around different aspects of friendships and relationships," Nylen told AFP, adding that he felt betrayed by the man, who wore a t-shirt from RFSU at the event which took place over the weekend.

"In the past, young people have complained that the church doesn't talk about these issues."

The vicar had asked to listen in on the session but had been asked to stay away by the man, who said having the vicar there would have had an "inhibitive" effect on participants.

Giving 14-year-olds a certificate saying they were ready to "shag" was sending a mixed message, Nylen said.

"Under Swedish law you don't have a right to engage in sexual activities until you're 15," he noted.

A spokeswoman for RFSU, Josefin Morge, said the organisation stopped using the sex certificates in 2007, and that they had been part of a campaign "not primarily geared at youths".

Although the man no longer worked for RFSU, he had been hired on several occasions by the congregation with no complaints, said Pelle Ullholm, head of RFSU's outreach programs.

Young people who had more information weren't "necessarily sexually active at a younger age, but possibly at a later age," he said.

The man who held the course was not available for comment.

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Syria rebels, army locked in Homs combat

SYRIAN rebels and troops have fought fierce battles over a keenly contested neighbourhood of Homs, as fresh clashes broke out on the road linking Damascus to its international airport, a watchdog says.

The fighting in Homs was focused on the Khaldiyeh district and comes one week into a massive army and pro-regime militia assault to reclaim rebel districts in the central Syria city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Regime forces were backed by tanks, which pounded the neighbourhood, activists said.

Fresh violence also broke out on Tuesday on the outskirts of Baba Amr, another strategic neighbourhood which had become a symbol of resistance to President Bashar al-Assad's regime before it was overrun by the army a year ago.

"Troops launched rockets from the Baath university into parts of Baba Amr," said the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists, doctors and lawyers for its reporting.

Like other educational and health facilities across Syria, the university has been used before as an army base, although students have continued to attend classes.

Fierce clashes meanwhile "raged" in Baba Amr, the Observatory added.

Once an opposition bastion, the army seized Baba Amr from rebel hands last year after a relentless, month-long bombing campaign on the neighbourhood.

Rebels two days ago launched a counter-offensive in a bid to retake Babr Amr, sparking heavy fighting during which the military launched artillery attacks and waves of air strikes.

Elsewhere in Syria, fresh battles broke out on the road linking Damascus to the airport, southeast of the capital on the edges of the Beit Sahem, Aqraba and Jaramana neighbourhoods, said the watchdog.

The road is strategic because it leads to the regime's main gateway to the world, and because it is near the Eastern Ghouta area of Damascus province, home to some of the rebels' better organised fighting forces.

Syria's two-year conflict has left some 70,000 people dead, the UN says.

On Monday alone, at least 148 people were killed in violence across Syria, among them 65 rebel fighters, 42 soldiers and 41 civilians, said the Observatory.

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US stocks open with dip after bull run

US stocks have opened lower as investors take a pause after a series of gains took the Dow to a record close for five days in a row.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 6.60 points (0.05 per cent) at 14,440.69.

The broad-market S&P 500 fell 1.95 points (0.13 per cent) to 1554.27, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite dropped 10.13 points (0.31 per cent) to 3242.74.

With no major economic data on the calendar, "the major averages could take a breather today as investors look to take profits following a recent string of gains," Wells Fargo Advisors said in a market note.

On Monday, US stocks brushed off an early move toward a correction and posted modest gains. The Dow added 0.4 per cent to finish at an all-time high of 14,447.29. The S&P 500 rose 0.3 per cent to 1556.22, nine points shy of its record close, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.3 per cent to 3252.87.

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Tunisian man immolates amid govt crisis

A CIGARETTE vendor has suffered severe burns after immolating himself in an act of desperation on a Tunis street hours before MPs were to vote on a new government to pull Tunisia out of political crisis.

Officials named the man as 27-year-old Adel Cadre and said he hails from an extremely poor family in Teindable in northwestern Tunisia. He arrived in the capital a few months ago to look for work.

"This is a young man who sells cigarettes because of unemployment," witnesses quoted Cadre shouting before he set himself on fire on the steps of the municipal theatre on Habib Bourguiba avenue - epicentre of the 2011 uprising that toppled ex-dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Passers-by rushed to douse the flames but not before Cadre had suffered serious burn wounds. He was still conscious when he was rushed to the Ben Areas hospital by emergency services.

Officials said Cadre, who eked out a living peddling cigarettes in the streets of Tunis, was a broken man.

"His life is not in danger but he has third-degree burns to the head and the back," emergency services spokesman Mango Caddie said.

"He was demoralised. His father died four years ago. He has three brothers and the family is very poor."

The number of people committing suicide or attempting to take their own lives has multiplied in Tunisia since a young street vendor set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, in a drastic act of protest against police harassment.

Mohamed Bouazizi's death in the town of Sidi Abused ignited a mass uprising that toppled Ben Ali the following month and touched off the Arab Spring uprisings across several countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Economic and social difficulties were the key factors that brought down Ben Ali's regime and two years since he fled from Tunisia unemployment and poverty continue to plague the north African country.

The economy was badly affected by the revolution, which paralysed the strategic tourism sector, although the country is out of recession and posted 3.6 per cent growth in 2012.

Unemployment remains high at about 17 per cent, especially among young graduates.

In addition to economic hardships, Tunisia is grappling with a political crisis that has been exacerbated by the daylight murder on February 6 of Chokri Bailed, a leftist opposition leader.

Parliament was to meet later Tuesday to debate a new cabinet line-up headed by premier-designate Ali Larded of the Annealed. Officials said a vote could be delayed until Wednesday.

The new cabinet was formed as part of efforts to resolve the political impasse, which last month brought down the government of Aimed Jabali.

The MPs are also to vote on a timetable for the adoption of a new constitution and the staging of legislative elections.

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Crisis not over, Bundesbank warns

THE eurozone debt crisis is not yet over, even if calm appears to have returned to the financial markets, the Bundesbank warned on Tuesday as it set aside billions of euros in new risk provisions.

"Even if reform policies are kept to, the necessary adjustments in the crisis countries are still going to take years," the head of the German central bank, Jens Weidmann, told a news conference.

"The growth rates seen before the crisis, which were partially artificially inflated, will not be achievable for a long time," he said.

Weidmann also complained that policymakers in some countries still lacked a clear direction.

"The reform process has stalled in France; in Italy, the elections have cast a question mark over it; and the situation in Cyprus is even less clear," he said.

"The crisis is thus not over, despite the calm that has returned to the financial markets in the interim," the central bank chief insisted.

Turning to Germany, Europe's biggest economy which has managed to escape the recession that many neighbours still find themselves in, Weidmann said: "the German economy was still in good shape ... despite the difficulties in many European partner countries."

Nevertheless, the long-running crisis "represents the most significant risk for the economy in Germany," Weidmann warned.

"Only some of the confidence lost as a result of the crisis has been recovered so far," he noted.

As the year progressed, growth could be expected to become stronger, but this would depend on the absence of further shocks to confidence, he argued, insisting that it was up to politicians, not Europe's system of central banks to solve the crisis.

The Bundesbank's net profit for last year rose only slightly from a year earlier, because the central bank had decided to set aside billions of euros more in risk provisions, Weidmann continued.

The bank's 2012 net profit amounted to 664 million euros ($A849.27 million), compared with 643 million euros in 2011.

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Chevron reaffirms 2017 target on oil, gas

CHEVRON Corp has reaffirmed it will meet its target for a large increase in oil and natural gas output in 2017.

The US oil giant, outlining its medium-term investment strategy to analysts, said it would hit 3.3 million barrels a day of oil-equivalent in 2017, up from 2.6 million barrels a day in 2012.

Chevron also said it had "momentum" for growth beyond 2017.

Chevron pointed to a range of large "mega-projects" that will enable the boost in output, such as the $52 billion Gorgon liquefied natural gas project in Australia and a number of large deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

Chevron's investment program comes as oil majors including ExxonMobil boost capital spending to advance a new generation of projects to make up for declining oil and gas fields. Chevron has boosted its 2013 capital budget to $US36.7 billion ($A35.89 billion), up from $34.2 billion in 2012.

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N.Korea nuke strike only if threatened: US

NORTH Korea would likely only use nuclear weapons if it perceived a threat to its survival, but the United States remains uncertain how Pyongyang would define such a threat, the US intelligence chief says.

"Although we assess with low confidence that the North would only attempt to use nuclear weapons against US forces or allies to preserve the Kim (Jong-un) regime, we do not know what would constitute, from the North's perspective, crossing that threshold," James Clapper, director of national intelligence, said in an annual report to Congress on global security threats.

But the United States faces a challenge trying to discern North Korea's strategic calculations when it comes to its nuclear weapons.

"We do not know Pyongyang's nuclear doctrine or employment concepts," the report said.

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un has threatened to "wipe out" a South Korean island amid fresh international pressure and new sanctions over the North's nuclear weapons and missile tests.

While much of the North's rhetoric has been dismissed as bluster, the latest threat to the border island of Baengnyeong, which has around 5000 civilian residents, appears credible, analysts say.

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Frenchman to proclaim new pope to world

THE honour of announcing the next leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will fall to French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who will proclaim the outcome of the conclave from St Peter's Basilica.

The Bach-loving former Vatican diplomat will speak in Latin on a porch over St Peter's Square after the conclave of cardinals announces a new pope has been elected by sending out white smoke from the Sistine Chapel.

"Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus papam! (I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope!)", Tauran will say and then announce the name of the elected cardinal and the papal title he has chosen.

The 70-year-old from Bordeaux has the official title of "cardinal proto-deacon", meaning he is the most senior cardinal from the order of deacons.

The college of cardinals is divided up into three orders: bishops, priests and deacons.

Tauran used to be the top Vatican official for inter-religious dialogue. He previously served as head of the Vatican's diplomatic service and travelled the world for late pope John Paul II.

His own election is seen as highly unlikely but if this happens then it would fall to another cardinal to announce his name in front of the cheering crowds in St Peter's and TV cameras from around the world.

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Greece appoints new privatisation chief

GREECE has appointed its third privatisation chief in less than a year as it struggles to speed up delayed state asset sales to meet bailout goals.

The head of Greece's main water provider EYDAP, Stelios Stavridis, was brought in to spearhead a lagging push to raise 2.6 billion euros ($A3.3 billion) in asset sales this year.

The previous privatisation head resigned on Saturday amid an investigation into his previous position as head of Greece's main power group PPC.

A prosecutor had previously pressed criminal charges against the PPC board over a 2007 power plant construction contract that ran over budget.

The general secretaries of the ministries of finance and development - who previously sat on PPC's board - also stepped down.

The blow came as Greece is in the midst of an audit by international creditors over reforms, including privatisations, that are needed to unlock a new slice of loans this month.

The Greek government had previously pledged to meet, if not exceed, its annual privatisation target this year.

The first official tasked with heading the Greek state privatisation agency resigned in July 2012, citing a lack of government support and planning delays.

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S Africa dragging victim 'in fatal crash'

A MOZAMBICAN taxi driver who was dragged behind a police van and died in custody was in a car accident that killed five schoolchildren just days before his death, a South African court has heard.

Mido Macia, 27, faced charges of culpable homicide over the incident, a lawyer defending the nine policemen charged with his murder said at a bail hearing on Monday.

The defence appeared to argue that some of Macia's injuries uncovered by an autopsy may have been a result of the accident, after prosecutors earlier said Macia was brutally abused before and after his arrest late last month.

No more details about the car accident were given.

Bystanders on February 26 filmed Macia being manhandled, handcuffed to the back of the van and dragged hundreds of metres through the streets of Daveyton, a town east of Johannesburg.

Just over two hours later he was found dead in his cell, with extensive injuries, including cuts and bleeding on the brain, in a case that shocked South Africa and the world.

At Monday's bail hearing, the court heard about the extent of his injuries.

"The deceased died of internal injuries that demonstrate the degree of violence inflicted," said prosecutor December Mthimunye, reading from an internal police investigator's affidavit.

On Friday, the nine policemen said at a hearing at Benoni magistrate's court they were not guilty.

They said Macia, a minibus taxi driver, had assaulted a policeman while resisting arrest after being confronted for parking his taxi on the wrong side of the road.

The driver of the police van claimed he drove away to escape the angry crowd that had gathered, and did not know Macia was being dragged behind.

None of the accused explained how the Mozambican ended up cuffed to the van or dead in his cell.

Footage of the incident went viral and cast a spotlight yet again on the conduct of South Africa's police force.

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Icahn in Dell confidentiality agreement

CORPORATE raider Carl Icahn says his investment firm has entered into a confidentiality agreement with Dell, which is facing a battle over its plans to take the computer maker private.

The agreement will allow Icahn access to detailed financial information which is not publicly available.

A brief statement issued by Icahn said the agreement was signed on Sunday.

"Icahn Enterprises looks forward to commencing its review of Dell's confidential information," the statement said.

Icahn has taken a stake in Dell and is opposing the buyout plan led by founder Michael Dell, claiming it undervalues the company, according to documents released by Dell.

Icahn on Friday told AFP he is doing what he has always done: pressing companies and chief executives to perform better and reward investors better.

"What we do by shaking up a large number of companies that need shaking up is very salutary for our economy," Icahn said in an exclusive telephone interview.

"Many of our companies, but with many exceptions, are run by CEOs that should not be running them," Icahn said. "And as a result, these corporations are not as productive as they should be."

Some reports indicate other offers could be made for Dell which are higher than the $US24.4 billion ($A24.02 billion) buyout. Icahn's letter last week suggested a special dividend paid to shareholders would be a better plan.

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EU bans comestics tested on animals

AFTER years of trying, the EU has finally put into effect a complete ban on the sale of cosmetics developed through animal testing.

The EU has progressively clamped down on animal testing since the 1990s and banned most such products in 2009, but it left a few exemptions for several toxicity tests which will now cease.

The ban applies to all products, wherever in the world they come from.

The European Commission has "thoroughly assessed the impacts of the marketing ban and considers that there are overriding reasons to implement it", it said in a statement on Monday.

"This is in line with what many European citizens believe firmly: that the development of cosmetics does not warrant animal testing."

EU Health Commissioner Tonia Borg said Brussels would continue "supporting the development of alternative methods and to engage with third countries to follow our European approach".

Earlier this month, Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido said it was dropping animal-tested products, with some exceptions where such tests were the only way of proving the safety of goods already on sale.

"Our business partners that supply material to us will not rely on animal testing while we will no longer outsource such testing to outside labs," Shiseido said.

Activists have for years pressured cosmetic firms and other companies that use animal testing to find alternatives to the practice, which they say is cruel and unnecessary.

Shiseido, which dropped animal testing at its own labs in 2011, said it could ensure the safety of its products through other means, including using data from past experiments, human volunteers and other kinds of testing.

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Muscat sworn in as Malta's new PM

MALTESE Labour leader Joseph Muscat has been sworn in as prime minister after his party swept to power for the first time in 15 years in the eurozone's smallest member state.

The 39-year-old Muscat, an ex-journalist and former member of the European Parliament, scored a landslide win against the incumbent Nationalist Party of Lawrence Gonzi in elections on Saturday.

"We want to work with the opposition and all those who do not agree with us but who are willing to work with us. Yesterday, this government received a historic mandate," Muscat said after being sworn in on Monday.

Labour won 54.83 per cent against 43.34 per cent for the Nationalist Party. The rest of the vote went to the Green Party and independent candidates.

The Labour Party will have a majority of between seven and nine seats in the 65-seat parliament.

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Queen delivers Commonwealth Day message

THE Queen has promoted the theme of opportunity through enterprise in her Commonwealth Day message for 2013.

She said the theme was a celebration of achievements, "particularly those that may have seemed challenging, daunting or even impossible which have helped to build strength, resilience, and pride in our young people, in our communities and in our nations.

"Great achievements in human history have a number of common characteristics. From climbing the highest mountain, to winning a sporting competition, making a scientific breakthrough, building a successful business or discovering unique artistic talent, these outcomes all begin as a simple goal or idea in one person's mind.

"We are all born with the desire to learn, to explore, to try new things. And each of us can think of occasions when we have been inspired to do something more efficiently, or to assist others in achieving their full potential. Yet it still takes courage to launch into the unknown.

"Ambition and curiosity open new avenues of opportunity.

"That is what lies at the heart of our Commonwealth approach: individuals and communities finding ways to strive together to create a better future that is beneficial for all.

"Our shared values of peace, democracy, development, justice and human rights, which are found in our new Commonwealth Charter, mean that we place special emphasis on including everyone in this goal, especially those who are vulnerable.

"I am reminded of the adage, nothing ventured, nothing gained. As we reflect on how the Commonwealth theme applies to us individually, let us think about what can be gained with a bold heart, dedication, and teamwork.

"And let us bear in mind the great opportunity that is offered by the Commonwealth of joining with others, stronger together, for the common good."

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Voters give Napthine a tick as Vic premier

HE'S been in the job less than a week but the latest poll shows Denis Napthine is the preferred premier of Victoria.

The Fairfax Media/Nielsen poll, taken on Friday and Saturday in the wake of Ted Baillieu's shock decision to quit as premier, shows Dr Napthine is well ahead of his predecessor as preferred leader by 45 per cent to 38 per cent.

He also nudged out Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews as preferred premier by 40 per cent to 38 per cent, with 21 per cent of voters uncommitted.

However, the good news stops there because voters would elect Labor - 52 to 48 - in two-party preferred terms, signalling the Victorian coalition's first one-term government since 1955.

Dr Napthine became premier last Wednesday night after Mr Baillieu's sensational departure saying he was no longer confident of his party's support.

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Melbourne motorcyclist clocked at 174km/h

A MOTORCYCLIST has had his machine impounded after he was clocked travelling at 174km/h in an 80km/h zone on the Princes Highway in Melbourne's southeast.

Casey Highway Patrol clocked the speeding Honda motorcycle at midday on Sunday at Pakenham.

The 45-year-old rider from Officer is expected to be charged on summons.

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No he couldn't: Obama brother loses poll

HIS half-brother may be the most powerful man in the world but that stardust seemed not to rub off on Malik Obama as he failed miserably to win a county governor's seat in Kenya's recently concluded elections.

Obama, 54, who shares a father with United States President Barack Obama, won just 2792 votes - some 140,000 behind the final winner - in his bid to claim the seat for his home area in western Kenya.

"He was not the winner but at least he competed," said Benson Mughatsia, returning officer for Siaya county, where Obama's ancestral home is located. "He was not last but he was still a long way off."

Standing well over six feet, Obama, who describes himself as an economist and a financial analyst, told AFP on the campaign trail he would use his contacts with Washington to bring development to the rural backwater he hoped to govern.

"Why would my people settle for a local connection when they have a direct line to the White House," he said.

Campaigning under the slogan "Obama here, Obama there", he said he dreamed of bringing chains like McDonald's to the area and launching a bid for the presidency.

Obama, who was refusing to take calls from journalists on Sunday, might have been undone by his much-vaunted refusal to give handouts, a common feature of Kenyan election campaigns where voters collect small sums of money to attend rallies.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama is facing a possible diplomatic headache in how to deal with Kenya's new president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

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Malta's opposition Labour wins election

MALTA'S opposition Labour party has won a general election for the first time in more than 15 years, with party leader Joseph Muscat claiming a "landslide victory" in the eurozone's smallest member.

Early results based on a sample of ballots from Saturday's vote showed Labour ahead with 55 per cent to 43 per cent for the incumbent Nationalist Party led by outgoing Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who immediately conceded defeat.

The provisional results suggest Labour could clinch one of the most comfortable majorities in the 65-seat parliament since the tiny Mediterranean island became independent in 1964.

"I wasn't expecting such a landslide victory for Labour. We must all remain calm, tomorrow is another day," Muscat, a 39-year-old former journalist, said in reaction to the results.

The tiny island state is a rare example of a eurozone state with low unemployment, respectable economic growth and solid public finances.

The unemployment rate is 6.0 per cent and, according to the latest estimates, the country clocked 1.5 per cent economic growth last year.

Muscat has run a slick US-style campaign calling for change, accusing his rival of failing to ensure stability by ruling with a one-seat majority.

Originally an opponent to Malta joining the European Union, Muscat has since changed his views and is a former member of the European Parliament.

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