MORE retirement accommodation is needed in Adelaide's inner suburbs to allow seniors to downsize but stay in their communities, the retirement industry's peak body says.
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AUSTRALIAN activist Colin Russell has arrived home saying he has no regrets about his time spent in a Russian jail and that Greenpeace will campaign the "same as ever".
The 59-year-old flew into Hobart on Thursday night after being detained by Russian authorities for three months over a seaborne protest against oil drilling in the Arctic.
With his wife and daughter at his side he told reporters at Hobart Airport that being detained was unexpected and "wasn't in my travel brochure".
Mr Russell, a radio operator, was one of 30 activists arrested and detained in September for protesting against a Russian oil rig operated by Moscow-based energy company Gazprom in the Pechora Sea.
Known as the Arctic 30, the group, made up of 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists, had been accused of piracy then hooliganism.
The charges were dropped last week after the Russian parliament passed an amnesty law and freed the defendants.
Russian authorities granted Mr Russell an exit visa last week, allowing him to return home.
He said the Greenpeace protest was a peaceful one and the Russian reaction was "probably overdone".
But the arrests and detention would not deter the environmental group, he said.
"I think we'll still campaign the same as ever ... that's what we do.
"I have no regrets about the time in jail .. it's done the job," Mr Russell said.
"It's freedom of speech and I think maybe Russians learnt a bit of a lesson too that people should have the right to freedom of speech."
Mr Russell said the Russian troops who boarded the Greenpeace vessel "weren't messing around".
"It was pretty hair raising, pretty scary when you see people with full balaclavas on and automatic weapons, I'm not used to that of course."
He said he was not harshly treated in the jail he was in but it was run down and not clean and one man there had tuberculosis and AIDs.
Mr Russell said he would have to have blood tests for the disease for the next two years.
He said the Australian government "could have gone into bat a little bit more for me".
"Australia was going to let me go through Russia's due legal process, but it just doesn't exist," he said.
But he did pay tribute to Australian consular officials who kept him informed and supplied him with food and books.
Mr Russell said he wanted to thank everybody in Australia who backed him during his ordeal.
His daughter Madeleine said it was a "huge relief" to have her father back and she was grateful to everyone who had supported them, while his wife Christine said she was proud of what her husband had done.
THE deaths of two men in car crashes in Victoria and Tasmania have taken the national holiday road toll to 25.
A man aged in his 80s died after his car struck a median strip and flipped onto its roof in Hastings, southeast of Melbourne at around 3.45pm (AEDT) on Thursday.
In Tasmania a man died when his car hit a tree and burst into flames in Powranna south of Launceston at about 3.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday.
Deputy Commissioner Scott Tilyard said the driver had been in recent contact with police but there had been no police pursuit.
"Police were endeavouring to locate the driver as there were concerns for his welfare," he said.
Tasmanian Professional Standards officers will conduct an internal investigation.
The deaths take the Christmas holiday road toll to 25.
Seven people have died in NSW, five in Western Australia, four in Victoria, three each in Queensland and Tasmania and one each in South Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT.
The national road toll period runs from midnight on December 23, 2013, until midnight on January 3, 2014, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.
A CHINESE cook who crashed into the sea while trying to fly a hot-air balloon to islands claimed by both China and Japan has been rescued by Japan's coast guard.
Xu Shuaijun, 35, crashed on Wednesday after hitting turbulence as he approached the islands, known in Japan as Senkaku and Diayou in China, the coast guard said on Thursday.
The coast guard said it received a missing-person report from Taiwanese officials and that one of its helicopters spotted Xu about 20km from the islands.
He was picked up by a boat and later handed over to a Chinese patrol ship, the coast guard said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Xu was in good condition.
Qin disavowed any official ties with Xu. "I note that he is a hot-air balloon enthusiast," he said.
The islands have been a sore point in bilateral relations for years, and nationalists from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong have occasionally tried to sail to them.
A recent visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to a Tokyo shrine that honours World War II war criminals has outraged China, adding to the bilateral tensions.
Authorities say the rescue mission for the passengers stranded off Antarctica will commence shortly. Source: AAP
MORE than 50 passengers who were on a Russian ship stuck in sea ice in Antarctica have been rescued in a helicopter transfer to an Australian icebreaker.
Expedition leader Chris Turney said the 52 scientists, tourists and journalists stuck on board the Akademik Shokalskiy since Christmas Eve had been airlifted to safety and had arrived at the rescue ship.
"We've made it to the Aurora australis safe & sound. A huge thanks to the Chinese & @AusAntarctic for all their hard work! #spiritofmawson."
Passengers, many of them Australians and New Zealanders, were picked up by a helicopter from the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long and transferred to the Australian Antarctic Division supply ship.
The AMSA took to social media at 10.20pm (AEDT) tweeting: "Aurora Australis has advised AMSA that the 52 passengers from the Akademik Shokalskiy are now on board."
The helicopter from the Chinese ship reached the ship around 5pm (AEDT) after several attempts were thwarted by severe weather.
The group was then moved in five flights of up to 12 passengers, with each return journey to the Xue Long some 10 nautical miles distant expected to take 45 minutes.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) had initially said the rescue would go ahead on Thursday, but then announced around 1pm (AEDT) that sea ice conditions would delay the mission.
The Aurora Australis will carry the passengers to Tasmania, arriving by mid-January.
The Russian vessel, which left New Zealand on November 28, got stuck after a blizzard pushed sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place.
Earlier icebreaking attempts by the rescue vessels to reach the ship failed because of the thickness of the ice.
Passengers on Thursday were airlifted in relays from a makeshift landing pad on the ice beside the Russian ship and were landed on an ice floe near the Aurora Australis.
THE tiny Chinese city of Macau has again smashed its annual record for casino earnings as revenues last year hit a staggering $US45 billion ($A50.7 billion), further underlining its position as the world's biggest gambling market.
Macau's nearly three dozen casinos raked in 33.5 billion patacas ($A4.7 billion) in December, according to data released on Thursday by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the gambling regulator.
That brought revenue for 2013 to 360.8 billion patacas ($A50.7 billion), up 18.6 per cent from 2012.
Analyst Grant Govertsen of Union Gaming Research estimated that Macau's take would be more than seven times the amount earned on the Las Vegas Strip.
The former Portuguese colony's once-lethargic casino market has thrived since the government ended a gambling monopoly a decade ago and let in foreign players such as Las Vegas Sands Corp and Wynn Resorts Ltd.
The ensuing competition has transformed the tiny enclave into a gambling powerhouse, with glitzy new casino resorts centered on the Cotai Strip, marketed as Asia's version of the Las Vegas Strip.
All six casino operators in Macau, an hour by high-speed ferry from Hong Kong, are pouring billions of dollars into new megaprojects in the district in a fresh round of expansion.
Macau's casino revenues are the envy of other markets around Asia, which have been looking at ways to duplicate the southern Chinese city's success.
Increasing numbers of wealthy high-rolling visitors from mainland China have helped power Macau's rise as a casino hub.
Revenue has already overtaken the entire market in the US, where a year ago some 12,000 US casinos raked in $US37.3 billion, according to figures from the American Gaming Association.
In the same period, Macau, which has 35 casinos and a population of about 560,000, earned $US38 billion, according to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.
Though comparable US figures for 2013 are not yet available, Macau's lead is certain to widen as growth in major markets like the Las Vegas Strip has largely hit a plateau.
THE company that makes Crocs shoes is getting a $US200 million ($A226.3 million) bailout from a private equity fund, and its CEO is retiring.
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Residents in and near Port Hedland have been told to take shelter as Cyclone Christine intensifies. Source: AAP
A RED alert remains in place for communities from Pardoo to Mardie in the Pilbara as tropical cyclone Christine starts to impact the region.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the alert was current at 6.10pm (WST) for communities including Port Hedland, South Hedland, Whim Creek, Roebourne, Point Samson, Wickham, Karratha and Dampier.
"There is a threat to lives and homes." DFES said in a statement. "You are in danger and need to act immediately."
It urged residents in affected areas to "get ready to move to the strongest, safest part of your house".
"Keep your emergency kit with you. Stay away from doors and windows, and keep them closed. Stay indoors until the all-clear is given by authorities," DFES added.
It said relocation points had been set up at the JD Hardie Centre at Port Hedland, Karratha Leisureplex at Karratha, Civic Centre at Marble Bar, high school gym at Tom Price, and Ashburton Hall at Paraburdoo.
A yellow alert is current for people in or near Marble Bar, Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Pannawonica.
A blue alert has been issued for coastal areas between Wallal and Pardoo, between Mardie and Onslow, the inland area from Marble Bar to Newman, and between the Collier Ranges and Three Rivers.
In its latest update, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said the category-three cyclone was 75kms northwest of Port Hedland and 155kms northeast of Karratha.
It's moving towards the Pilbara coast at 16km/h, the bureau advised.
BoM said the "very destructive inner core" of the system "has begun to impact the coast between Port Hedland and Whim Creek".
It said Port Hedland was currently experiencing destructive wind gusts of up to 130km/h.
The bureau expected Christine to track south southwest, with the system's centre likely to cross the coast close to Whim Creek by about midnight.
BoM warns that winds of more than 200km/h are likely near the centre as the cyclone crosses the coast.
Winds of more than 130km/h are expected in the Karratha and Dampier region later Monday night and are forecast to hit Tom Price at 8am (WST) Tuesday.
BoM says gale-force winds up to 120km/h are currently occurring between Wallal and Roebourne, and should hit Karratha Monday night.
Coastal communities between Pardoo and Wickham including Port Hedland are also being warned about the potential for a for a "very dangerous storm tide tonight".
Heavy rainfall is expected near where the cyclone is tracking, and flood warnings have been issued for the Pilbara.
An extra 1000 police officers will be on the streets on New Year's Eve in Perth. Source: AAP
LIVE music, fancy-dress parties and fireworks are on offer in Perth for New Year's Eve, but police are warning revellers to act responsibly.
An extra 1000 police will be on the streets on New Year's Eve, to clamp down on rowdy or anti-social behaviour and drink-drivers.
Assistant Commissioner Gary Dreibergs said with so many people expected in Perth's entertainment precincts, people should look out for their mates and plan their trip home before they go out.
"To put it simply, respect yourself, and respect others," he said.
"All too often we see minor matters escalate into serious incidents because someone who has consumed too much alcohol isn't able to make the right decision to step away from a minor disagreement or other trivial occurrence, such as being bumped by someone else."
Police have also warned people not to hire drivers who are advertising their taxi services online illegally.
Family entertainment in Perth includes fireworks in Mandurah and Rockingham, and a party at Perth Zoo with live music.
On New Year's Day, about 35,000 people are expected to attend the Perth Cup at Ascot Racecourse.
BUSH communities across the Northern Territory will have more say as the government begins dismantling large councils in favour of more local representation.
From January 1, the Minister for Local Government will be granted far-ranging powers in terms of local government, such as being able to abolish or constitute a council, to suspend council members, and to call, cancel, defer or suspend an election.
Minister Dave Tollner has already announced the splitting of the Victoria Daly Shire Council southwest of Darwin into two separate bodies, with a new regional council to be set up in the Wadeye and Peppimenarti area by July.
The Act will reverse some of the "disastrous" decisions the previous Labor government made in relation to local government in remote communities, Attorney-General John Elferink told AAP.
"(They) allowed bureaucracy to get in the way of service delivery ... in the process they disenfranchised the people who were governed, and that cost them dearly in the bush."
Meanwhile, the NT's child protection system will also be more accountable than it has ever been, he said.
A Children's Commissioner Act was passed to enable a transparent child protection system, with an independent commissioner who can investigate service providers that fail to support vulnerable children, and monitor the government's implementation of decisions arising from inquiries into child protection.
Previously the commissioner's legislative existence was the product of the same act that governed child protection, Mr Elferink said.
Also from January 1, farmers will be able to obtain 30-year permits to diversify income streams on land held under pastoral lease tenure.
This includes producers reliant on the live export trade who face significantly reduced income.
And from the first day of the new year the Petroleum Act will be amended to the greatest extent since 1982 to attract greater exploration interest in the NT, said Minister for Mines and Energy Willem Westra van Holthe.
It will allow the controlled release of vacant land, and allow the government to accept multiple applications for exploration permits, as the NT pursues the oil and gas exploration industry.
GERMAN Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has condemned an attack on the residence of the German ambassador in Athens, saying the act would not affect German-Greek relations.
"This is an act that we are taking very seriously. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, can justify such an attack on a representative of our country," Steinmeier said in Berlin.
The foreign minister said the assailants would not succeed in "damaging the good relations between Germany and Greece and between Germans and Greeks".
Greek police said shots were fired from a Kalashnikov assault rifle at the residence of Wolfgang Doldt in the Athens district of Chalandri at 3am on Monday.
No one was injured in the attack.
At least 20 shots were fired, according to a report by the radio station Skai. Four bullets reportedly lodged in the garden gate.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had telephoned Chancellor Angela Merkel about the attack.
He said Merkel wished Greeks a good EU presidency over the next six months, saying that Greece could count on German support.
A spokesman for Steinmeier stated that the reaction by Greek authorities to the shooting was "quick and circumspect".
The Greek government also assured Germany that security measures would be strengthened at the site and that everything would be done to apprehend and prosecute the culprits.
According to press reports, anti-terrorism police have arrested three people.
The German ambassador's residence was the target of a terrorist attack in 1999 when an anti-tank weapon was fired at it.
Many in Greece blame Germany's stance on austerity measures for their economic troubles.
SYDNEYSIDERS are in for "absolutely spectacular" fireworks this New Year's Eve as the harbour city gears up to ring in 2014.
Tuesday night's fireworks will include 11,000 aerial shells and 25,000 shooting comets that will explode from seven barges spread across 6km of Sydney Harbour.
For the first time in a decade, 1000 fireworks will also be shot from the top of the Opera House, as well as from the Harbour Bridge and jet skis stationed in the harbour.
Fireworks displays will explode across the harbour at 9pm, 10.30pm and midnight.
Sydney New Year's Eve producer Aneurin Coffey said there was "something for everybody" in the pyrotechnic extravaganza.
"Plan your night ahead so work out where you want to go and work out a backup location in case that area is full," Mr Coffey said.
"It'll be absolutely spectacular, there's some really new stuff this year."
For those heading to the foreshore, organisers say the Sydney Opera House and Dawes Point usually see the first trickle of spectators from about 5am (AEDT), with Bradfield Park, Blues Point Reserve and Observatory Hill Park also popular early.
With 1.5 million people expected to flock to Sydney for the celebrations, organisers are also urging people to seek vantage points outside the CBD.
Emergency services will be out in high numbers, with 2500 police on the beat in Sydney and 3000 across NSW.
This year's top-secret bridge effect,a highlight of the midnight display, is said to be as big as a 12-storey building and 72 metres wide.
