US unemployment rate falls to 5.6%

THE US has capped its best year for hiring in 15 years with a healthy job gain in December and the unemployment rate falling to a six-year low.

THE data adds to signs of strength that contrast with sputtering global growth.

The Labour Department says employers added 252,000 jobs last month and 50,000 more in October and November combined than previously estimated.The unemployment rate dropped to 5.6 per cent from 5.8 per cent and is at the lowest level since June 2008.Yet wage growth remains weak. Average hourly pay slipped 5 US cents. And the unemployment rate fell partly because many of the unemployed gave up looking for work. The government doesn't count people as unemployed if they aren't searching for jobs.

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Fast-track on $25m Vic station upgrade

Ballarat's station precinct will undergo a $25 million refurbishment, Victoria's premier has said. Source: AAP

A $25 million refurbishment of the Ballarat station precinct will help secure the regional town's economic future, Victoria's premier says.

A FOUR-STAR hotel and convention centre will form a major part of the redevelopment.

Premier Daniel Andrews says the upgrade will boost the town's tourism and jobs opportunities, with the facilities set to generate up to $38 million in private sector investment."The services economy, the visitor economy is a very big part of the Ballarat economy's future," Mr Andrews told reporters on Friday.He says Regional Development Victoria will immediately start work on the precinct, but hasn't flagged a date for construction to begin.

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Aust actor Rod Taylor takes final bow

AS a young, struggling actor in Sydney, Rod Taylor cleaned hospitals and suffered through other odd jobs to make ends meet.

THERE were days when he pondered giving up his love of acting and becoming an engineer.

Then, one night, his life transformed.Sir Laurence Olivier's Old Vic production of Richard III stopped in Sydney, and after watching the great one on stage, Taylor decided acting would be his life.He died on Wednesday aged 84 at his home in Beverly Hills surrounded by family, including his wife of 35 years, Carol Kikumura, and daughter Felicia.He would have turned 85 on January 11.Taylor almost reached his goal of acting until he was 90, with his last significant role as Winston Churchill in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 war drama Inglourious Basterds."My dad loved his work," Felicia said."Being an actor was his passion - calling it an honourable art and something he couldn't live without."He once said, 'I am a poor student sitting at the feet of giants, yearning for their wisdom and begging for lessons that might one day make me a complete artist ... so that if all goes well, I may one day sit beside them'."Taylor worked with giants during his 50-plus film career. The list included Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Orson Welles, Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, Bette Davis and Jane Fonda.After starring in Australian films King of the Coral Sea and Long John Silver in 1954, Taylor, on his way to London, stopped by Hollywood and never left.In 1956, the boy from Lidcombe found himself on the set of Giant, directed by George Stevens and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean.It was his performance in the 1960 sci-fi classic based on HG Wells' novel The Time Machine that gave Taylor his first major role.Three years later, Hitchcock cast him alongside Tippi Hedren in another classic, The Birds.Taylor would tell stories of how Hitchcock fed the many seagulls in the film whisky and wheat.The only reason they were staying still was because they were half-drunk, Taylor said in an interview with Turner Classic Movies.Hedren, now 84, remained friends."He was one of the most fun people I have ever met, thoughtful and classy," the actress said on Wednesday.While often playing the tough guy, Taylor admitted to not being comfortable with the image.He also didn't consider himself good-looking enough for other roles."That's why it is wonderful for me now to play ugly, old dinosaurs," Taylor said of his latter roles, including a return to Australia for the 1997 comedy Welcome to Woop Woop.Taylor's representative said he died from natural causes.

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Sirisena elected Sri Lanka's new president

IN a result that was unthinkable just weeks ago, former cabinet minister Maithripala Sirisena has won Sri Lanka's presidential election.

SIRISENA humbled his one-time ally and longtime president who paid the price for blatantly amassing power while failing to address the country's economic troubles.

Sirisena, who defected from the ruling party in a surprise move in November, capitalised on outgoing President Mahinda Rajapaksa's unpopularity among the island's ethnic and religious minorities, as well as grumbling among the Sinhalese majority about his growing power.The challenger received 51.2 per cent of the votes in Thursday's election and Rajapaksa got 47.5 per cent, said Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya.Rajapaksa had conceded defeat and vacated his official residence early on Friday morning, hours before the official announcement.Sirisena, 63 and a longtime politician, called on his supporters to remain peaceful after the victory, telling them at a gathering at the Election Commission that they shouldn't "even hurt anybody's feelings"."The honour of this victory is in your peaceful conduct," he said, thanking Rajapaksa for ensuring the transition had so far gone smoothly.Sirisena was expected to be sworn in later on Friday.Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who met Rajapaksa early on Friday, said the outgoing president saw his defeat in early election results and agreed to hand over power.He said Rajapaksa deserved credit for ending the civil war but the people had called for a change.While Rajapaksa's campaign centred around his victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009 and his work rebuilding the country's infrastructure, Sirisena's focused on reining in the president's expanding powers.He also accused Rajapaksa of corruption, a charge the president denied.Rajapaksa, who was elected in 2005, had been widely expected to easily win his third term in office until Sirisena suddenly split away in November, gathering the support of other defecting MPs and many of the country's ethnic minorities, making the election a fierce political battle.

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AirAsia black box pings detected

INDONESIAN divers sent to locate the flight recorders of the AirAsia plane that crashed on December 28 have returned empty-handed, the armed forces chief says.

EARLIER on Friday a search vessel equipped with a ping beacon detected a signal 300 metres from where the tail of the aircraft was found this week, General Moeldoko said.

The flight recorders are usually located in an aircraft's tail section, and help investigators determine the chain of events that lead to an accident."We sent seven divers and they found some debris, but the black boxes were not there," Moeldoko told TVOne broadcaster.He said another group of divers who spent more than an hour examining the tail 30 metres underwater discovered that some parts of the tail section were missing."Our fear is that the black box was already separated from the tail," said Moeldoko, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.He said sudden weather changes forced search crews to halt an attempt to retrieve the tail using lifting bags, which would be strapped to the tail and inflated.The work would resume later on Friday if the weather allowed, he said.AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed into the Java Sea with 162 people on board. No survivors have been found.The head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, Bambang Sulistyo, said the confirmed death toll from the crash rose to 48, after two more bodies still strapped to their seats were found Friday.The search for the plane's fuselage, thought to contain many of the victims' bodies, is ongoing.

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Tribute at UK parliament to French victims

HUNDREDS of British MPs, peers, parliamentary staff and journalists have gathered in Westminster Hall in London for a two minute silence in memory of the 12 people killed in the Paris terror attack.

SPEAKER John Bercow led the vigil as the Big Ben bells tolled twelve noon over the Parliamentary estate and as the event ended said: "Colleagues, thank you for supporting the people of France."

Politicians from all sides united to hold pens in the air and with many holding banners reading "Je suis Charlie".Debates continued in both the Commons and Lords during the silence but those not speaking flooded to Westminster Hall.Labour MP Chris Bryant announced the event in the Commons and afterwards said: "It's a delight to see politicians from the Lords and the Commons, staff, police officers, everybody, standing still to commemorate the people who died in France yesterday."Frankly, that solidarity extends not just to the journalists and the police officers killed in France but also to journalists everywhere where freedom of the press is not enjoyed."Among the politicians taking part were Commons leader William Hague and Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman.

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Freed Pakistan blasphemy-accused killed

A 52-YEAR-OLD Muslim man arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan has been killed by gunmen after being released from jail, police say.

POLICE officer Mohammad Ayub said on Thursday that the bullet-riddled body of Aabid Mehmood was found the day before in Taxila, a town about 40 kilometres from the capital Islamabad.

He said Mehmood was arrested in 2011 after claiming to be Islam's prophet, but authorities freed him recently after concluding that he was not mentally stable.Ayub said relatives of the man buried him at the courtyard of his home after residents objected to his burial at a local graveyard.Under Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, anyone convicted of insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad can be sentenced to death.However, people often take the law into their own hands.

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German nurse admits 30 hospital killings

A GERMAN nurse who is on trial for three hospital murders admitted to a psychologist that he killed 30 patients in all, and nearly killed an additional 60 with drug overdoses, a court has heard.

PROSECUTORS had earlier decided to limit the trial to just three killings to make the case easier to prove.

The court-appointed psychologist told the court in the northwestern city of Oldenburg the man admitted in their talks he had used overdoses of a cardiac drug on "about 30" seriously ill people from 2003 to 2005 at Delmenhorst Hospital.The other 60 survived the injections. The accused, 38, insisted he had not tried to kill anyone at other hospitals during his career, or while he had worked as an ambulance crewman.Prosecutors say his motive was to recklessly create intensive-care emergencies where he could impress and win gratitude with his talent for saving people from the brink of death.His name has been withheld under German media privacy guidelines.At a trial that began last year he is is charged with three murders and two attempted murders. He is already serving seven and a half years in prison on a 2008 conviction for attempted murder.A colleague caught him red-handed in summer 2005 as he was injecting a patient in intensive care with an overdose. Her accusation set the series of cases going, but more deaths a decade ago only gradually emerged in reviews of patient files.

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Early weight gain 'ups asthma risk'

BABIES who rapidly gain weight in the first three months of life are more likely to develop asthma, a study has found.

RESEARCHERS at the University of Bristol analysed information on height, weight and asthma symptoms in almost 10,000 people from birth to age 17.

They found rapid weight gain from birth to age three months was consistently associated with asthma in eight and 17-year-olds.It was also linked with lower lung function and increased responsiveness of the airways, which are both signs of asthma.In contrast, fast weight gain in children aged between three and seven years was associated with higher lung function at 15 years old.Asthma is one of the world's most common chronic diseases in childhood, affecting 1.1 million children and 4.3 million adults in the UK.Britain has some of the highest asthma rates in Europe, with three people dying from the condition each day, according to Asthma UK.Dr Agnes Sonnenschein-van der Voort, lead researcher on the study, said: "It is clear from our research that there is a connection between babies gaining weight quickly in the first three months of life and the risk of them developing asthma later on."We are not sure exactly what causes this, but it may be that rapid weight gain leads to abnormal development of the lungs or the immune system. Further studies will be required to confirm these findings."We would recommend that GPs check a child's personal growth curve if they come to them with asthma-related symptoms and take this into account in their decision to start medication."The research, which used data from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol, analysed records for 9723 people.Current asthma was reported for 13.9 per cent of those aged eight, 13.2 per cent at age 14 and 15.3 per cent at age 17.Many factors are associated with an increased risk of asthma but the cause of the condition is still not known.It is now widely accepted that events in early childhood could be critical for asthma development, with rate of foetal growth and low birth weight both associated with the condition.The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

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Pakistan cricket legend Khan marries

PAKISTAN'S legendary cricket star and politician, Imran Khan, has tied the knot, ending weeks of speculation about whether one of the country's most famous bachelors was getting married for a second time.

KHAN married Reham Khan, a former BBC journalist who now hosts a talk show on Pakistani television, during a ceremony on Thursday at his house on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad. Party officials said it was a simple ceremony.

"We hope that this marriage will be successful, and it will be a good omen for the nation," said Naeemul Haq, a senior official with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf political party.Khan, who led Pakistan to the World Cup in 1992, was previously married to British socialite Jemima Khan and has two sons.His new wife reportedly has three kids from a previous marriage. Khan's PTI is the third largest party in the parliament, and he has been one of the most vocal opponents to the current government.Pakistan has been abuzz for weeks about the remarriage and in a press conference earlier this week, Khan promised to share some good news with the country. His former wife, Jemima, with whom he had an amicable divorce, said on Twitter that she hoped Imran would be happy in the new phase of his life.Pakistani television showed photos of the couple in formal Pakistani wedding attire. Imran wore a gold-colored achkan, a knee-length coat for formal occasions, and white pants, called salwar. His bride wore a more elaborate, silver-colored wedding outfit.Little is known about their romance, although Reham Khan has interviewed the politician on her talk show. The two are not related, and Khan is a common family name in the country.Weddings in Pakistan are often elaborate affairs but PTI officials said only close friends and relatives were invited to the ceremony and that instead of a reception, food and clothes would be distributed to poor families.Even so, some opposition politicians slammed Khan for getting married at a time when the nation is still mourning last month's Taliban massacre at a Peshawar school.

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Key facts about SA's Sampson Flat bushfire

THE SAMPSON FLAT BUSHFIRE

THREAT

The Country Fire Service has declared a major bushfire in the Adelaide Hills is 95 per cent contained.Fires have been sparked in other areas of the state, including Bordertown in the east and Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula.Severe thunderstorm warning for damaging gusts of 90-120km/h across the state.DAMAGE134 people, mainly firefighters, injured32 homes confirmed destroyed or badly damaged4 businesses destroyed or badly damaged12,500 hectares of land burnt outRESOURCES DEPLOYED IN RECENT DAYS700+ firefighters80 appliances14 aircraft2 air cranesFORECASTThursday - An 80 per cent chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon, and the chance of a thunderstorm. Rainfall up to 5mm.Light winds becoming northwest to southwesterly 15-25km/h in the morning, then turning south to southeasterly 25-35km/h during the afternoon.

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Clemency denied for Bali Nine pair

TWO members of the Bali Nine on death row in Indonesia have had their bids for presidential clemency rejected, the governor of Kerobokan prison says.

MYURAN Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 30, have been on death row since 2006 following convictions over a plot to transport more than 8kg of heroin from Bali to Sydney.

Both men are members of the so-called Bali Nine - the name given to the nine Australians arrested in April 2005 in Bali over the smuggling plan.Chan and Sukumaran, who have been demonstrating their rehabilitation in Kerobokan jail, applied for clemency under previous president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, but he failed to act before he left office in October.On Wednesday, Kerobokan's prison governor Sudjonggo told AAP the pair's clemency request to Indonesia's new president, Joko Widodo, had been denied."We have received clemency decree for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran ... I haven't seen the content of it, but according to (chief of supervision) Pak Wayan, the clemency of both of them is rejected," he said.News Corp Australia reports that an official from the Presidential Palace in Jakarta arrived in Bali with a rejection letter on Wednesday.It says Sukumaran's clemency plea has been rejected, but a decision on Chan's plea has not yet been made.Indonesia is preparing to carry out its first death sentences this year, with five or six offenders, Indonesians and Nigerians, to face the firing squad imminently.President Widodo, who is a hardliner on drugs, recently spoke out against clemency for drug offenders, who he says are threatening to ruin Indonesia's future.

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Newman starts campaign on Gold Coast

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman (centre) has started his campaign trail on the Gold Coast. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman has started his campaign trail on the Gold Coast.

MR Newman, who on Tuesday called a snap election for January 31, wasted no time spruiking the LNP's promise to spend a second term bolstering the state's economy.

He is expected to hold a number of interviews with radio stations both on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane on Wednesday morning.His movements for the rest of the short campaign remain unclear, with reporters on the trail kept in the dark until the last minute.Mr Newman's main opponent, Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk, is also remaining tight-lipped about her campaign itinerary, with details about her first day still sketchy.The leaders have just 25 days to win over Queenslanders.The Liberal National Party holds a huge majority in parliament but has lost public support following controversial measures including leasing assets and slashing the public service.Ms Palaszczuk will have to convince voters her party has changed its ways since the Bligh government was punished at the polls in 2012.The Newman government holds 73 seats to Labor's nine in the 89-seat parliament.

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Bushfires slowing in Victoria's west

AN out-of-control bushfire threatening rural homes in Victoria's west has slowed down.

AN emergency warning for Glenisla Crossing and Cherrypool has been downgraded to a watch and act alert.

The fire started in the Black Ranges State Park in Victoria's west and broke through a containment line on its southern flank early on Wednesday.Updated advice from the Country Fire Authority said the fire was still travelling toward the communities, but its progress had slowed."Staying close to shelter is the safest option, in case conditions change again suddenly," the alert said.Earlier, State Incident Control Centre spokesman Darren McKenzie said the conditions made the fire's path difficult to predict."Earlier today we had a small breakout on the southern flank of the fire," Mr McKenzie told AAP on Wednesday."Small spot fires, difficult terrain and dense eucalypt trees are making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze."The weather bureau says Victoria and SA can expect rain on Thursday and Friday, with the chance of heavier falls through the weekend.Up to 30mm is forecast to fall across the southeast of the country on Thursday.

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British PM condemns Paris shooting

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned the shooting attack on a French satirical magazine in which 11 people died.

POLICE said several masked gunmen stormed the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo in Paris shooting indiscriminately.

Cameron joined the condemnation of Wednesday's attack, saying: "The murders in Paris are sickening. We stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press."Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the killings were a "barbaric attack on freedom of speech"."My thoughts are with the victims, their families and their colleagues," he said.Charlie Hebdo has launched a series of attacks on Muslim extremism and the last tweet on its Twitter profile page @Charlie_Hebdo_, sent about an hour before the shootings, included a satirical cartoon of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.In it he wishes everyone "good health".

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German 'Islamisation' protests denounced

GERMANY'S mainstream political parties have denounced an anti-Islam demonstration that has drawn 18,000 people to the streets of Dresden, while fringe politicians have urged the public to engage with the protesters' concerns.

FOREIGN Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Germany's mass circulation tabloid Bild on Tuesday that the so-called Pegida group - which protests what it sees as "Islamisation" in Europe - "does damage to our country, as well as harming our image abroad".

Former chancellor Helmut Schmidt also criticised the movement, saying that it "appeals to hollow prejudices, to xenophobia and intolerance"."Slogans cannot replace facts: Germany needs immigrants," Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was quoted as saying. "We must have a heart for refugees in need."The politicians were among 80 prominent Germans to put their names under a Bild-backed petition against Pegida. Other celebrities to support it include TV presenter Thomas Gottschalk and former footballer Oliver Bierhoff.Despite the widespread consensus against the anti-Islam group - which manifested itself in counter demonstrations on Monday in Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart and Dresden - several fringe politicians called for dialogue with Pegida and engagement with protesters' concerns.Bernd Lucke, leader of Germany's right-wing conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD), said he would meet with Pegida representatives in Dresden on Wednesday."Pegida is a new movement that is hard to assess at this point," he said. "This is why it is important to engage with it and to exchange opinions."Christian Lindner, head of the business-friendly Free Democrats that flunked out of parliament at the last general election, said it would be counterproductive to deny Germany's problems with integration and that critical engagement with the group was necessary.

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Son charged in NYC hedge dad shooting

US authorities say the son of a hedge fund founder has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of his 70-year-old father.

THOMAS Gilbert Jr was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of forgery devices on Monday night.

New York City police say Thomas Gilbert Sr was shot in the head in his Manhattan apartment after the two argued over the son's allowance.It's alleged the son went to his parents' home on Manhattan's East Side on Sunday and asked his mother to go out to get him some food. When she returned, police say she found her husband on the floor with a bullet wound in the head.The defendant is due back in court on Friday.

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Trio could avoid jail for AFL player brawl

Three men (pic) have pleaded guilty to their roles in a brawl involving AFL player Jeff Garlett. Source: AAP

THREE men are likely to avoid jail for their roles in a bloody Melbourne CBD brawl involving AFL player Jeff Garlett.

IT began after Garlett argued with two women over a taxi and other male friends became involved, a court has heard.

The 25-year-old Melbourne player, who was struck and knocked unconscious by a traffic bollard during the early-morning incident on Lonsdale Street last year, has been charged with affray.Acting Sergeant Jacqueline Steiger said members of both groups were allegedly throwing traffic bollards at each other during the August 3 fight.She said Garlett needed four stitches in his head, while his then-Carlton teammate Mitch Robinson suffered a fractured eye socket and nerve damage when he was punched and kicked.Garlett's brother Gerald and another man were also present, the Melbourne Magistrates Court heard.Emmanuel Golong, 27, Abram Hothnyang, 22, and Liep Kuel, 27, have pleaded guilty to charges of affray and recklessly causing injury stemming from the incident.Kuel and Hothnyang's lawyer, Steve Preece, stressed it was a fight between two groups, not a targeted attack."It's not the situation where one group has set upon another," he said.Mr Preece said one of the men in Garlett's group was "shadow boxing" and taunting the others during the initial verbal dispute.The trio will reappear on Wednesday for sentencing, though Magistrate Franz Holzer indicated on Tuesday they would likely be issued corrections orders with convictions recorded.A fourth co-accused, Samuel Gai, will go before the court on January 30, while Garlett is to appear in March.Robinson was not charged.

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Two NY police officers shot in the Bronx

TWO New York City police officers responding to a robbery in the Bronx have been shot and wounded.

THE officers were taken to a Bronx hospital with non-life threatening injuries. One officer was wounded in the arm, and the other was struck in the back, police said.

Deputy Chief Kim Royster, commanding officer of the public affairs unit, said the officers were not targeted by the gunman - unlike two officers shot to death about two weeks ago in their patrol car in Brooklyn.Royster said a weapon was recovered but it wasn't clear whether it belonged to the suspects.The shooting happened just after 10.30pm local time Monday (Tuesday AEDT).Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were gunned down in their patrol car on December 20 by a man who vowed online to kill "pigs." The man opened fire, then ran into a subway where he shot himself to death.Ramos was buried on December 27 and Liu was buried on Sunday.

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Rocket strike kills three in Afghanistan

AT least three civilians have been killed and two others injured when a rocket hit a house in southern Afghanistan.

THE projectile hit Sheikhzai village of Nawzad district, said a police spokesman for the southern province of Helmand.

He blamed "armed anti-government groups," a term that often refers to Taliban militants, although nobody has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack.The incident occurred a few days after an army rocket struck a wedding ceremony in Sangin district of the province, killing at least 27 civilians.

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Coach to buy Stuart Weitzman

LUXURY handbag and accessories company Coach is expanding its footwear collection, buying Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC from private equity firm Sycamore Partners for about $US530 million ($A573 million).

COACH Inc will also make up to $US44 million in contingent payments to Sycamore Partners if certain revenue targets are hit over the three years after the deal closes.

Coach is in the midst of transforming its brand, working to reduce the level of its promotions and changing product offerings. The company previously announced that it plans to close about 70 underperforming stores in fiscal 2015 as it tries to make its business more competitive with fast-growing rivals.Stuart Weitzman had approximately $US300 million in revenue for the 12 months ended September 30, 2014. The brand is currently available in 70 countries. Its products are sold in fine specialty and department stores globally and in its own retail stores in the US and Europe."We are excited to be working with the Coach team and leveraging its strong infrastructure to help us drive efficiency and expand our product mix to an even broader consumer base worldwide," Stuart Weitzman, creative director and executive chairman of Stuart Weitzman Holdings, said in a statement on Tuesday.Weitzman will remain in his roles with the company.New York-based Coach said it will finance the deal with available cash and other sources of financing available to it in the credit and capital markets. The acquisition is expected to add to its earnings per share, excluding transaction-related costs.The deal is expected to close by May.Coach's stock rose 46 cents, or 1.3 per cent, to $US37.19 in pre-market trading shortly before the market open. Its shares were down 34 per cent over the past year through Monday's close.

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Twenty-six homes lost in SA fires

At least 26 homes have been destroyed in the bushfires in the Adelaide Hills. Source: AAP

AT least 26 homes have been destroyed in the bushfires in the Adelaide Hills.

PREMIER Jay Weatherill said 41 outbuildings have also been destroyed or badly damaged by the Sampson Flat fire but that figure is expected to climb.

Mr Weatherill said 29 people have been injured or hospitalised as a result of the fire.The current priorities of fire crews are to contain the fire within its massive perimeter, clear roads to help restore services and to protect the more than 1000 homes in the fire zone.Mr Weatherill said conditions are hindering the damage assessment teams, but authorities were determined to allow residents access to their properties as soon as practical.The Country Fire Service says the four-day old fire has not expanded significantly on Monday, but conditions are predicted to worsen.Mr Weatherill praised the work of fire fighters and was relieved he's not having to talk about deaths."But we've got a bit of a way to go before we can relax," he said.Country Fire Service chief officer Greg Nettleton said more firefighters from NSW and Victoria would arrive on Monday and Tuesday as part of efforts to prepare for potentially more volatile conditions on Wednesday.Temperatures are forecast to sore to 38C on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday when a late weather change should move through the fire zone, bringing with it shifting winds and the possibility of thunderstorms."The day of the change is always the day of highest potential," Mr Nettleton said."It's always on the day of the change that it's one of those watch-out days for us."However, Mr Nettleton said he was not anticipating conditions to be as bad as they were on Friday or Saturday."If I compare where I was at on Saturday afternoon to where we're at now, I'm much, much more comfortable," he said.Authorities on Monday allowed residents back into some fire-affected areas but about 20 checkpoints remain in place, with falling trees and powerlines a major safety concern.About 1000 homes were still without power on Monday afternoon.

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Roads around Vic parliament reopened

ROADS around Victoria's Parliament House have been reopened after a police check declared the area safe.

AN abandoned backpack had been found earlier on Monday in a nearby park. For security reasons streets around the parliament were locked down while police did a check.

A police spokeswoman said the backpack had been deemed safe and there were no suspicious circumstances.Roads around the area have been reopened to traffic.

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Bushfire threat in Perth's east

Fire crews are on high alert as extreme conditions sweep Western Australia's Pilbara region. Source: AAP

THERE is a possible threat to lives and homes from a fire burning in Perth's east.

A BUSHFIRE watch and act alert is in place for people near Bailup Road, Toodyay Road and Burma Road in Bailup in the Shire of Mundaring.

Affected communities need to leave or get ready to actively defend their properties, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services says.The blaze was reported about 4pm on Monday and was caused by lightning.Meanwhile, lives and homes are no longer in danger from a bushfire burning in the Perth hills but residents are being warned to remain vigilant.A watch and act alert has been downgraded to an advice for people in Araluen Estate in Roleystone after fire crews managed to bring the blaze under control.The bushfire burnt through about four hectares and its cause is unknown.

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Insurers, banks to help bushfire victims

Insurers and major banks have promised to do all they can to help victims of the SA bushfires. Source: AAP

INSURERS and major banks have promised to do all they can to help the victims of the South Australian bushfires.

THE Insurance Council of Australia has declared a catastrophe for bushfire-affected regions and has set up a team to work with affected policyholders.

"The ICA is liaising with the state government, emergency services, local governments and members of parliament to provide support and help resolve issues," chief executive Rob Whelan said on Monday.Mr Whelan said the ICA didn't yet have firm estimates of the bushfire damage but expects to have a better idea in the next few days as owners return to properties.And, he said, farmers whose livestock are injured don't have to wait for assessors before euthanasing animals.Meanwhile, banks are offering relief packages.BankSA chief executive Nick Reade said South Australians caught up in some of the worst bushfires in the state's history needn't worry about immediate financial commitments.Affected customers can defer mortgage repayments, while businesses can restructure their loans without incurring usual establishment fees.Credit card customers can request an emergency credit limit increase or apply to defer repayments.Customers wishing to purchase replacement goods can apply for a personal loan at a discounted interest rate with no establishment fee.The ANZ, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and NAB announced similar measures.

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Prices to rise in 2015

AFTER enjoying some pre-Christmas price cheer, shoppers are in for a shock in the new year.

ALMOST a third of Australian businesses are expected to lift their prices in the first three months of 2015 while just four per cent will discount, according to Dun and Bradstreet's Monthly Business Expectations Survey.

The survey shows the selling price index for the March quarter rising to its highest level since the third quarter of 2009.The index can be linked to the falling Australian dollar, trading at five-year lows against the greenback and causing higher costs for many local businesses.Indicative of this, 40 per cent of wholesalers are planning to raise their prices over the next three months, while just one per cent will cut prices.Gareth Jones, chief executive of Dun and Bradstreet in Australia and New Zealand, says the falling currency is having a mixed impact on the business sector."The double-edge nature of currency movements is being borne out in the Business Expectations Survey, with mixed views from businesses on its effect," he said."While there has undoubtedly been a benefit for sections of the economy, such as manufacturers, the weaker dollar has introduced new cost pressures for businesses and industries that are reliant on imported goods."To cover these costs, many operations will be forced to lift their own prices, which will in turn flow through to other businesses and consumers alike."Despite the price increases, business expectations for sales, capital investment and employment have increased marginally compared to the previous year.But the broad lift in expectations that commenced at the beginning of 2014 appears to be moderating, as more firms forecast flat results.While prices are set to rise, profits are not, with businesses' profit outlook unchanged from last year, according to Dun and Bradstreet.But D and B economic advisor Stephen Koukoulas says the outlook is not entirely bleak."While expectations for future profits have cooled in light of recent negative news on the economy, there are also positives to be found in the gradually improving picture for business spending and hiring, which fits with recent assessments from the RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia) and Treasury," he says."Low borrowing rates, cheaper fuel and an improving US economy, meanwhile, provide additional cause for optimism."

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