Man of Steel, HBO boost Time Warner

US media giant Time Warner reported a big jump in second quarter earnings Wednesday thanks to strong performances by HBO and blockbuster films like Man of Steel and The Great Gatsby.

Net profit soared 87 per cent to $US771 million ($A861.89 million) on a 10 per cent rise in revenues to $US7.4 billion. That was better than the $US7.1 billion expected by analysts.

Basic earnings per share came in at 83 cents, compared to 43 cents a year earlier.

The company upped its forecast for this year's performance, saying it expected the percentage rise in adjusted earnings per share to be "in the mid-teens" off a base last year of $US3.24.

Television network revenue rose 6.8 per cent to a record $US3.8 billion, while revenues from the film and TV entertainment division rose 12.5 per cent to $US2.9 billion.

"Our networks businesses, Turner and HBO, continued to shine, reflecting the success of our increased investments in distinctive programming that is resonating with audiences, advertisers and affiliates," chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said in a statement on Wednesday.

"At Warner Bros, we had a fantastic quarter, including one of its most successful upfront seasons ever, with orders for 31 new and returning shows from the broadcast networks. And we had a strong theatrical quarter with our blockbuster reboot of the Superman franchise, Man of Steel, and The Great Gatsby," he said.

The company said the latest Superman film, starring Henry Cavill, grossed over $US600 million at box offices worldwide.

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French paper reveals lurid DSK claims

SEX parties attended by Dominique Strauss-Kahn were described by witnesses as "carnage with a heap of mattresses on the floor", a newspaper says, citing a report by judges who charged him with pimping.

The former IMF chief and 12 other defendants were last month ordered to stand trial on charges of "aggravated pimping as part of a group" over an alleged prostitution ring in the northern French city of Lille.

French daily Le Figaro on Wednesday published extracts from a legal document in which judges probing the case laid out the reasons why they ordered the 64-year-old to face trial.

The case centres on allegations that prostitutes were supplied for sex parties in Lille, some of which are said to have taken place at the city's upmarket Carlton Hotel.

Magistrates in the affair are examining whether Strauss-Kahn knew that the women involved in the orgies were being paid - a claim he has always strenuously denied.

Based on countless statements from witnesses including prostitutes, the magistrates said in the report that the sex parties had been variously described as a form of "sexual consumption" or as "carnage with a heap of mattresses on the floor".

The judges argued that it was not just a question of "debauchery" but of "ordering services."

The case also centres on whether Strauss-Kahn helped organise the parties.

According to the newspaper, the judges argue in their report that the parties centred around Strauss-Kahn and only took place when he was around.

They also argue that he made available a flat that he rented for the orgies.

One of Strauss-Kahn's lawyers has denounced the decision to go to trial - which could take place next year - as part of a "relentless" judicial campaign against his client.

The pimping charge against Strauss-Kahn is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up 1.5 million euros ($A2.24 million).

The so-called "Carlton affair" came to light after Strauss-Kahn resigned from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund over an alleged sexual assault on a New York hotel maid.

That case was closed in December when Strauss-Kahn agreed to pay undisclosed damages - reportedly in excess of $US1.5 million - to the hotel maid. He has always said the encounter was consensual.

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Argentina searches for missing after blast

ARGENTINE authorities are combing through the charred ruins of an apartment building destroyed by an explosion and fire that left at least 10 people dead.

Another 62 people were injured and 13 are missing after Tuesday's thunderous blast caused by a gas leak in the building in Rosario, the country's third largest city, said Santa Fe province's health minister Miguel Cappiello.

Of 26 injured people who are still hospitalised, three are in serious condition, including a boy aged three or four, he added.

The building housed 60 apartments, many inhabited by students or young people because the rent is cheap.

Rescue efforts went on through the night and continued on Wednesday.

Crews asked people to keep silent as they gingerly sifted through the remains of the building, listening for any sign of life.

A gas company worker named Carlos Garcia who was working in the building shortly before the blast has been taken into custody, his lawyer Hugo Bufarini said.

"He did not tell me what happened because he cannot talk as he is so upset and in a state of shock. But it seems he is the scapegoat," Bufarini said.

He said Garcia has 20 years of experience working with gas.

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George W Bush doing well after heart op

FORMER US president George W Bush has been discharged from a Texas hospital a day after having a heart procedure to ease a blocked artery.

Spokesman Freddy Ford says the 43rd president is "doing great" and went home on Wednesday morning. Further details weren't released.

Doctors on Tuesday inserted a stent to help prop open an artery. The blockage was discovered on Monday during Bush's annual physical.

Ford says the 67-year-old former president is expected to resume his normal schedule by Thursday.

Bush has a reputation as a fitness buff and is known to enjoy jogging, riding bicycles and doing other exercise to keep in shape.

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Yemen 'foiled Qaeda plot to seize cities'

YEMENI authorities have foiled an Al-Qaeda plot to seize control of two cities and an oil export terminal and to kidnap foreigners, a government spokesman says.

"The main aim of the plot was to seize control of two cities, Al-Mukalla and Ghayl Bawazeer" in the southeast, Rajeh Badi told AFP on Wednesday, adding that oil export facilities near Mukalla were also to be targeted.

Foreigners working at the terminal were to be kidnapped as well, he said.

He said that the Mina al-Dhaba oil terminal west of Mukalla, and a nearby export facility for oil derivatives, were to be targeted by militants disguised in army uniforms.

"They would demonstrate pretending to be guards demanding bonuses... and then storm the port," he said.

"If they were to fail in seizing control of the facilities, the plan was to take foreign experts away as hostages," he added.

The attack was planned for the 27th day of Ramadan, the fasting month for Muslims, which coincided with Monday, August 5.

The plot was foiled around two days before it was due to be launched, Badi said.

Another thwarted plan was to attack a main gas pipeline in the southeast province of Shabwa, that would cut exports of liquefied gas from the Balhaf terminal southwest of Mukalla, Badi said.

The Yemeni revelation is the first indication of the nature of an al-Qaeda threat that prompted the mass closures of US diplomatic missions in the region and farther afield from Sunday.

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Fracking could affect 2015 UK polls

CONCERNS over fracking could "tip the balance" in some of the Britain's most marginal seats in the next general election, campaigners say.

A dozen MPs with some of the slimmest majorities in 2010's election could see controversial fracking for shale gas and oil in their constituencies, analysis has shown.

Prime Minister David Cameron this week indicated his backing for shale gas that can be exploited without harm to the environment, as the coalition aims to exploit a resource ministers hope will cut energy prices and boost the economy.

But signs of unease among some Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs has emerged as test drilling in Balcombe, West Sussex, was met with protests by local people and environmentalists, although current operations do not involve fracking.

Opponents of fracking fear the process of fracturing the shale rock with high pressure liquids to release gas or oil could affect water supplies and cause minor earthquakes.

Concerns have also been raised about the impacts of noise and traffic associated with development, damage to the countryside and house prices, and that exploiting shale gas in the UK could hit efforts to cut carbon emissions.

Constituencies of 12 MPs with majorities of less than 1000 in the 2010 election include areas that have been licensed for oil and gas exploration to companies that could use fracking to exploit the sites.

The seven Labour MPs, three Conservatives and two Liberal Democrats include Labour's Julie Hilling in Bolton West, who won with a majority of just 92, and former minister John Denham, who holds Southampton Itchen with a majority of 192.

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Norway tunnel fire sends 55 to hospital

A TRUCK has caught fire in Norway's second-longest tunnel, leading to the evacuation of 160 people - 55 of whom were hospitalised due to smoke inhalation and other injuries.

The truck caught fire 3.5 kilometres into the tunnel, Gudvangatunnelen, in a district east of Bergen on Monday, police spokesman Jorn Lasse Refnes said.

Gudvangatunnelen is 11.4 kilometres long and is in the western part of Norway.

Rescue services spokesman Reinardt Sorensen said the light went out in the tunnel after the fire.

Most of the injured suffered from smoke inhalation, but some people were lightly hurt after they crashed their cars in the darkness, he said.

The 160 people evacuated from the tunnel included the truck driver, who walked away uninjured, Sorensen said. He added that it wasn't yet clear what caused the fire, which was extinguished.

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UK's Falklands War naval chief dies

SANDY Woodward, who commanded the British navy task force that retook the Falkland Islands in the 1982 war with Argentina, has died aged 81, the defence ministry says.

The admiral died after a long illness, his daughter told the BBC.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "a truly courageous and decisive leader who helped ensure Falkland Islanders can still live in peace and freedom".

Britain has held the Falklands since 1833 but Buenos Aires claims the barren South Atlantic islands are occupied Argentine territory.

Argentina's then-ruling military junta invaded the windswept archipelago on April 2, 1982 but surrendered on June 14 after the British task force reclaimed it.

Troops landed on the islands and marched to the capital Stanley.

The conflict cost the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British service personnel.

The Falkland Islands government said: "We are saddened to hear of the passing of Adml Sir Sandy Woodward. A true friend of the Falklands. We remain forever grateful."

Admiral Sir George Zambellas, head of the British navy, said Woodward would always be remembered for his "powerful and clear command" of the task force.

He had been "undaunted by the challenge of fighting a capable enemy over 8,000 miles from the UK, in the most demanding and extreme of weather conditions," Zambellas said.

Woodward joined the navy aged 13. He wrote a memoir of the Falklands campaign entitled One Hundred Days.

On the 29th anniversary of the islands' recapture, he said military cuts meant Britain would struggle to defend the Falklands from another Argentine attack.

The admiral cited the lack of an aircraft carrier and weakening US support for British sovereignty.

In the face of increasing Argentine calls to negotiate the Falklands' sovereignty, the islanders - who number just 2,563 - voted 99.8 per cent in favour of remaining a British overseas territory in a referendum in March.

The London Evening Standard newspaper's defence editor Robert Fox, who landed on the Falklands with the assault troops in 1982, said Woodward could be "quite peppery" but got through by "sheer grit".

"He wasn't an intellectual - he was a very bright, very sharp, very capable commander," he told BBC television.

"The kind of risks he took and was ordered to take wouldn't be taken today.

"They were under-protected, they were under-armed in many ways."

Britain's victory "was remarkable and it was remarkably quick, because he knew how to take risks," Fox said.

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American Airlines, US Airways to merge

EUROPEAN Union competition authorities have given their approval, following US bankruptcy backing in February, for the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, which will create the world's largest airline.

"The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed merger between US Airways Group and AMR Corporation, including its main subsidiary American Airlines, Inc, all of the United States," said a statement on Monday.

The decision is conditional on the merged company making way for increased competition on the London-Philadelphia route, where a joint venture with British Airways and Iberia creates a de facto monopoly.

Having received such commitments, "the Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise competition concerns."

The Commission found no other significant concerns affecting European routes.

"The Commission could clear this transaction in the first phase given the commitments offered by the parties which address the competition concern we identified on the London-Philadelphia route," said EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.

"The commitments include a corresponding slot at London Heathrow as well as far-reaching feeder arrangements to induce entry by a new competitor on the route.

"We are therefore satisfied that the competitive dynamics will be maintained so as to ensure choice and quality of air services for passengers on this route."

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US services sector gained in July

ACTIVITY in the US economy's crucial services sector grew solidly in July on a jump in business activity and new orders, the Institute for Supply Management reports.

The ISM said on Monday its purchasing managers index for services rose to 56 per cent in July, 3.8 points higher than the level in June and beating the 53.2 average forecast by analysts.

A reading above 50 indicates growth and one below 50 shows contraction.

The report showed especially strong improvement in business activity, with 12 of 16 sectors reporting increases. The sub-index for business activity rose 8.7 per cent points from June to 60.4 per cent.

The improvement "indicates continued growth at a faster rate in the non-manufacturing sector," said Anthony Nieves, chair of the survey committee.

"Respondents' comments are mostly positive about business conditions and the overall economy."

New orders surged, the index jumping to 57.7, up from 50.8 per cent in June.

Prices also picked up, the index rising 7.6 points to 60.1.

But non-manufacturing employment growth slowed, with the index falling to 53.2 in July from 54.7 in June.

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Pakistan rains kill 58, affect 66,000

MONSOON floods across Pakistan have killed at least 58 people and affected tens of thousands of others, and officials say there is more rain to come.

"At least 58 people have died, more than 30 others were injured and 66,000 were affected by rain and flooding in Pakistan since July 31," Brigadier Mirza Kamran Zia, operations chief of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), told reporters on Monday.

Zia said floods were receding and people were returning to their homes, but he warned that more rain than usual was expected this month and next.

NDMA chief Major General Muhammad Saeed Aleem said the recurring flooding was the result of global climate change.

"Unexpected rains are global climatic change phenomena, but we can prepare and plan ahead to mitigate the disaster," Aleem said.

"We are worried about cental Pakistan this year, where more rain and flooding from hill torrents is expected."

Flash floods following monsoon rain paralysed parts of the largest city Karachi at the weekend.

Authorities in the city of 18 million people, which contributes 42 per cent of Pakistan's GDP, said it would take more than two days to clear up after the water flooded markets, buildings and houses, and blocked roads.

Hundreds of cars were half-submerged after poor sewerage and drainage systems became blocked due to garbage.

In the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, homes were swept away.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sent three of his cabinet ministers to inspect damage in flood-hit areas.

Pakistan has suffered devastating monsoon floods for the last three years, including the worst in its history in 2010 when catastrophic inundations killed almost 1,800 people and affected 21 million.

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Business confident about Dec qtr

BUSINESS confidence looks to be getting better, helped by a falling exchange rate and the expectation of another Reserve Bank of Australia rate cut.

The latest Dun and Bradstreet Business Expectations Survey showed that 24 per cent of businesses expect increased earnings in the fourth quarter of the year.

Dun and Bradstreet chief executive Gareth Jones said businesses were looking to the end of the year for better conditions.

"It's fair to say that business owners have had a tough time of it through the first part of this year; battling against high operating costs, poor cash flow and consumers that have generally spurned spending for savings," he said.

"Our first look at December quarter expectations, however, hints that operating conditions are stabilising along with a lower Aussie dollar and with expectations of a further interest rate cut to stimulate spending.

"As we await a period of sustained economic stability, it may be that the conclusion of the election is the event that kicks these initial findings on sentiment from stable to optimistic, he added.

The D&B survey shows that 38 per cent of businesses are likely to delay significant decisions and investment until after the September 7 federal election.

Dun and Bradstreet economic adviser Stephen Koukoulas said business expectations were still below those of a year ago.

"While the economy is not yet strong, the tentative signs of a bottoming or a moderate upturn in most components of the Business Expectations Survey is encouraging," Mr Koukoulas said.

"With a further interest rate cut and the lower Australian dollar still to show up in economic activity, there is a strong chance that we could see a turning point that could signal a stronger year for the economy in 2014."

The RBA board meets on Tuesday and is widely expected to cut the cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a new record low of 2.50 per cent.

The Australian dollar has lost more than 12 US cents since early May and is now trading below 90 US cents.

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Support for Rudd takes a hit: Newspoll

VOTER support for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has slumped, according to a poll published hours after he named a date for the federal election.

Mr Rudd claimed underdog status on Sunday as he announced Australians would go to the polls on September 7 and according to the latest Newspoll, he could be right.

The poll, conducted this weekend and published in part by News Limited late on Sunday, shows that although Mr Rudd is still more popular than Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, his support as preferred prime minister is at its lowest.

Voter satisfaction with Mr Rudd dropped four percentage points in the past two weeks from 42 per cent to 38 per cent and dissatisfaction jumped six points from 41 per cent to 47 per cent.

The survey found voter support for Labor had fallen one percentage point in the last fortnight to 37 per cent, compared to the coalition's 44 per cent.

On a two-party preferred basis, the coalition has kept its lead of 52 per cent to Labor's 48 per cent.

Support for the Greens is down one point to nine per cent, compared to 11.8 per cent at the last election.

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Bishop says sorry for UK school abuse

A SENIOR Scotland Catholic has apologised to pupils from a former boarding school in the Highlands amid claims of sexual and physical abuse by monks, two of whom are believed to be Australian.

Alleged victims who attended the Catholic Fort Augustus Abbey school told a BBC Scotland investigation that they were molested and beaten by monks over a period of three decades from the 1950s.

It has also been claimed that abuse was carried out at Carlekemp, its feeder school in East Lothian. Both schools are now closed.

Five men said on the Sins Of Our Fathers documentary, screened last Monday, that they were raped or sexually abused by Father Aidan Duggan, an Australian monk who taught at Carlekemp and Fort Augustus between 1953 and 1974.

Duggan died in 2004 but some abuse claims relate to men who are still alive.

A retired Sydney priest is being investigated by police over the abuse allegations.

Hugh Gilbert, the Bishop of Aberdeen, said mass at Fort Augustus church on Sunday and address the issue in his homily.

"It is a most bitter, shaming and distressing thing that in this former Abbey School a small number of baptised, consecrated and ordained Christian men physically or sexually abused those in their care," he said.

"I know that Abbot Richard Yeo has offered an apology to those who have suffered such abuse and I join him in that.

"We are anxious that there be a thorough police investigation into all this. And, that all that can be done should be done for the victims. All of us must surely pray for those who have suffered."

Scotland on Sunday also reported that the Church is planning to publish annual audits dealing with abuse allegations against Scottish clergy.

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Iran's Rowhani tells West to use dialogue

IRAN'S new President Hassan Rowhani says the only way for the international community to interact with Tehran on its controversial nuclear program is through dialogue and not sanctions.

"The only path to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building, mutual respect and reducing hostilities," he said in a speech after being sworn in before parliament on Sunday.

"If you want a proper answer, do not speak with Iran with the language of sanctions but with the language of respect," he said, adding Iran would "not surrender to sanctions, nor be threatened with war".

He was referring to years of unfruitful negotiations with the so-called P5+1 group of the US, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany over Iran's nuclear activities, which the world powers suspect is aimed at military objectives despite Iranian denials.

Rowhani, who won a surprise June 14 presidential election, has promised to engage in constructive interaction with the world.

The inaugural speech indicated the path that Rowhani's moderate administration would take.

After the speech, he also presented parliament with his government line-up, mostly filled with technocrats seen as close to his mentor, pragmatic ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Among the key nominees were veteran retired diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif, tapped for the foreign ministry, and ex-oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, named to return to the same portfolio.

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US a 'willing partner' if Iran serious

IRAN will find the US a "willing partner" if new President Hassan Rowhani is prepared for serious talks on its nuclear program, the White House says.

In a message congratulating Rowhani on his inauguration, the White House said it "presents an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community's deep concerns over Iran's nuclear program".

"Should this new government choose to engage substantively and seriously to meet its international obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue, it will find a willing partner in the United States," the statement by White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Sunday.

In taking the oath of office in Tehran, Rowhani called on the West to engage Iran through dialogue not sanctions.

"The only path to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building, mutual respect and reducing hostilities," Rowhani said after being sworn in before parliament.

"If you want a proper answer, do not speak with Iran with the language of sanctions but with the language of respect," he said, adding Iran would "not surrender to sanctions, nor be threatened with war".

The West is hoping for a fresh start under Rowhani after years of unsuccessful negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program, which it suspects is aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability.

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Sri Lanka protest toll rises

POLICE have poured into a village near Sri Lanka's capital for the funeral of a teenager shot dead by troops during a protest against contaminated water.

Security in Weliweriya village was strengthened as a hospital official said a third person had died after succumbing to injuries sustained during the army's crackdown on the residents' protest on Thursday.

"We have another three people in the intensive care and their condition is serious," spokeswoman for the hospital in Colombo, Pushpa Soysa, said.

Police said 17-year-old Akila Dinesh Jayawardena was killed when troops fired at unarmed residents demonstrating against a factory which they accused of discharging chemical waste and polluting ground water.

Jayawardena was buried on Sunday evening amid tight security by police commandos who were seen near the village cemetery too.

Mourners returning from the burial stopped briefly at the village centre to shout slogans denouncing the authorities and pressing their demand for safe drinking water. They dispersed peacefully, witnesses said.

Roman Catholic priest Lakpriya Nonis said armed troops stormed his St Anthony's church shortly after Thursday's protest and assaulted men, women and children who had sought refuge there.

"They came into the church premises and assaulted people sheltering inside," the priest told reporters after Sunday's burial.

Official sources said nearly 50 people were injured with most of them suffering bullet wounds, while some had been beaten with sticks and rifle butts.

The privately-run Sunday Times said up to six people had been killed and that authorities were not revealing the total number of casualties.

The burials of the other two victims are yet to be decided.

Dipped Products Ltd says it's not responsible for the pollution at Weliweriya.

Its factory remains shut because of the protest.

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Retirees more worried about finances

AFTER consistently topping the list of those who feel most financially secure, retirees are starting to worry.

A survey by ME Bank shows Australian households recorded an overall financial comfort level of 5.5 out of 10 - up from 5.29 six months ago.

But while all other households feel slightly better about their finances, retirees were the only group to turn more pessimistic.

The financial comfort of retirees - in particular those propped up by government payments - deteriorated by five per cent.

They reported feeling increasingly worried about their investments, living standards and income stability.

This is the first time retirees have not topped the list of most financially comfortable since ME Bank's survey began in 2011.

The report suggests lower borrowing rates has relieved pressure on those with mortgages, but done little for low-debt retirees.

Meanwhile, a stronger share market and housing market helped empty nesters - parents whose children have left home - assume the top spot, with their comfort levels up by 12 per cent.

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