PM won't be moving to Kurrajong

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott won't be following the footsteps of revered Labor PM Ben Chifley.

THE pair have at least one thing in common.

Neither stayed at the official prime ministerial residence, The Lodge.The modest Chifley, prime minister from 1945-49, opted to stay at the Hotel Kurrajong to cut costs.Mr Abbott hasn't yet moved into The Lodge, which has been undergoing renovations.Instead he resides in the Australian Federal Police training college a short distance from parliament house.So why not move into the new look Kurrajong Hotel, a Canberra landmark within walking distance of Parliament House."I am not sure whether the current budget would run to it," Mr Abbott said at the launch of the newly renovated Kurrajong.He said his accommodation at the AFP college had been described as spartan, but he likened it to the family suite at a good country motel.He acknowledged the Kurrajong, constructed from 1925-27 as accommodation for public servants in the new capital, was part of Canberra's history."You can hear the whispers of the past. The walls are 90 years old. If they could talk they would tell such a story," he said.One whisper could be that of Ben Chifley who died of a heart attack in Kurrajong Room 205 in June 1951. Hotel legend has it that his grey-suited ghost can occasionally be seen.The Kurrajong was acquired by a joint venture of the NRMA and Toga Hotels Group in 2013 and has been undergoing renovation for the past six months.

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N Korea's Kim Jong-un to visit Russia

NORTH Korea says Kim Jong-un will visit Russia in May, his first foreign trip of the "supreme leader" since coming to power three years ago.

THE heads of state of North Korea and 19 other countries have already confirmed their participation in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary in May of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoting a Russian government spokesperson.

The spokesperson however, did not specifically mention Kim's name, leaving room for ambiguity as North Korea also has an honorary head of state in the form of Presidium of the Supreme Assembly President Kim Yong-nam.But it is believed that it will be supreme leader Kim who will attend the commemoration in Moscow, since Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally sent him an invitation last month.Kim's trip is expected to be a significant one as he has never met with other heads of state since coming to power in December 2011, following the death of his father Kim Jong-il.Analysts view the possible visit to Moscow as another sign of growing closeness between North Korea and Russia, which in the last few months have broadened their ties with several agreements for joint initiatives, including an ambitious rail project.Choe Ryong-hae, considered the 'number three' in the North Korean regime, met with Putin in November in Russia, where both parties underlined the need to increase bilateral co-operation.Analysts have also pointed out that Kim's visit to Moscow could, however, annoy China who is North Korea's historic ally and main economic benefactor.In contrast to the closeness with Russia, relations between North Korea and China have dampened since Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test at the beginning of 2013.

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US hands war crimes suspect to Uganda

THE US embassy in Uganda says US Special Forces in Obo, Central African Republic, have handed over a Lord's Resistance Army commander who is charged with war crimes to Ugandan troops.

US embassy spokesman Daniel Travis confirmed the handover of Dominic Ongwen, who had been held by US troops since January 6.

Travis said it was "a major step forward" securing the future of LRA-affected areas of east and central Africa.Ugandan army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ankunda said Uganda will transfer the rebel commander to Central African Republic authorities for transfer to The Hague, Netherlands, for trial of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.Ugandan troops are a major part of the African Union Regional Task Force in Central African Republic.

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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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'Number spoofing' scam hits UK consumers

BRITISH consumers are increasingly being targeted by a "number spoofing" scam in which criminal gangs fool telephones into displaying the numbers of legitimate organisations.

THE con works by fraudsters cloning the telephone number of a trusted organisation such as a bank and then making that number appear on the victim's caller ID display, according to Financial Fraud Action UK, the name under which the financial services industry co-ordinates its fraud prevention efforts.

They do this using technology, often employed by call centres, which can copy any number even if the one they are calling from is entirely different.The criminal will gain the victim's trust by drawing their attention to the number, claiming it is proof of their identity, before trying to defraud them.Banks have reported an increase in the scam, which is a new variation on telephone frauds where criminals cold-call people and pose as bank staff, police officers or other trusted organisations to persuade their victim to part with financial and personal details.Often, criminals pretend they are phoning to tell the victim that a fraud has been detected on their bank account.Once they have their victim's confidence, they will try to elicit information such as the victim's PIN details, online passwords or other sensitive information which will then be used to steal from their bank account.Some criminals will also trick victims into sending money to other accounts or to hand over cash or cards to a courier for "safe-keeping", whereas in reality the courier is delivering the card straight to the fraudster.The anti-fraud body's intelligence unit, the Financial Fraud Bureau, has seen evidence that the scam has become increasingly common in recent weeks, with organised criminal gangs making use of it.It warns people never to assume that someone is who they say they are just because their number matches that of an organisation.If someone tries to draw a consumer's attention to the number on their caller ID display, the consumer should immediately treat this as a warning sign of a scam.A bank or the police would never call someone and ask for their four-digit PIN, full online banking passwords or ask them to transfer or withdraw money or to hand their card over to a courier.

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Charlie's Country looks for Oscars nod

AFTER a rapturous reception at Cannes, Australian film Charlie's Country is in line for an Oscars nod.

THE story of an Aboriginal man who takes a stand after the invasion of his Arnhem Land community is Australia's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.

Nominations will be announced on January 15.Charlie's Country was developed, written, produced and directed by Rolf de Heer, and co-developed by lead actor David Gulpilil.When it screened at Cannes Film Festival, Gulpilil earned rave reviews and was awarded the Best Actor prize in the Un Certain Regard section.No Australian film has yet been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.

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CSG risks can be managed: chief scientist

THE NSW Greens are calling for coal seam gas (CSG) mining to be banned across the state despite the NSW chief scientist backing the controversial industry.

AFTER more than 18 months of investigating the industry, Professor Mary O'Kane handed down her eagerly awaited report on Tuesday, which Premier Mike Baird said would be the "line in the sand" for the industry.

The report comes after the NSW government last week extended its freeze on new CSG exploration licences for another year.While Prof O'Kane's report acknowledged CSG mining posed risks to the environment, she said those risks could be "managed" by tighter regulation, closer monitoring of the industry and more training for CSG companies.She said the industry should be allowed to proceed under stricter laws and safeguards. Prof O'Kane has also recommended a single independent regulator to be established to oversee the CSG projects.Acting Resources and Energy Minister Kevin Humphries said the government would consider the report's 16 recommendations and officially respond "in due course"."We are committed to a safe and sustainable gas industry, while protecting the environment and the state's other critical industries," he said in a statement.Carmel Flint, spokeswoman for anti-CSG group Lock the Gate, urged the government to halt Narrabri and Gloucester CSG projects until Prof O'Kane's recommendations are implemented.NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham went a step further and called for a "complete ban" on CSG mining."This report highlights the risks associated with coal seam gas, risks that the Greens have been highlighting for many years and that communities across NSW have been campaigning against," he told reporters."Many of the risks highlighted in the report cannot be mitigated."Opposition Leader John Robertson said the report backed Labor's call to suspend CSG exploration and extraction across the state until more work is done to investigate its risks.NSW Farmers president Fiona Simson rejected claims the report gave the industry a "green light" to operate in NSW."There has been a strong message sent to government and industry here," Ms Simson said in a statement."If they cannot operate in a world's best practice manner and guarantee the protection of agricultural land and water, then they will continue to have difficulty in their quest to operate in this state."Cotton Australia chief Adam Kay, says the report had the potential to be "game-changing" for agriculture in the state if fully implemented."If implemented, all of these recommendations would provide the state's cotton growers with greater protection and certainty when interacting with the CSG process and resources companies," he said.

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HK protesters threaten to occupy buildings

PROTEST leaders clarified their ultimatum for the Hong Kong government on Wednesday, after pro-democracy demonstrators turned their backs on a Chinese flag-raising ceremony on National Day.

"BECAUSE the government ordered police to fire 87 rounds of tear gas at protests, there is now no room for dialogue. Chief executive Leung Chun-ying must step down," said Lester Shum, vice secretary of the Hong Kong Federation of Students.

"If he doesn't resign by (Thursday) we will step up our actions, such as by occupying several important government buildings," Shum said.But the organisers backtracked on an earlier threat to widen the protest areas or stage a labour strike.The activists are demanding reforms ahead of the 2017 elections, including open nominations of candidates for next chief executive.Visitors from mainland China gawked at Wednesday's big crowd of pro-democracy protesters. One mainlander shouted, "Go home and stop inconveniencing people."Fireworks planned for the evening to mark National Day were cancelled, city officials said.Student leader Joshua Wong, 17, said the cancellation of holiday celebrations showed the government was under heavy pressure.Wong reiterated protesters' demands for Beijing to withdraw its election reform plan and for Hong Kong's current leader to resign.Beijing has been left grappling with one of the biggest challenges to its rule over the city at a time when the Communist Party is cracking down hard on dissent on the mainland.The most intense civil unrest Hong Kong has experienced since its 1997 handover from British rule was sparked by Beijing's decision in August to restrict who can stand for the city's top post.Hong Kongers will be able to vote for their next chief executive in 2017 but only two or three candidates vetted by a pro-Beijing committee will be allowed to stand.Protesters call this fake democracy. They have two demands - that Leung step down and that Beijing rescind its insistence that candidates for future leaders be vetted.But Beijing has stayed defiant, saying it supports Hong Kong's handling of the protests. Analysts say the chance of the Chinese government backing down is virtually non-existent.In comments to mark the National Day anniversary, Chinese President Xi Jinping said "all tumours grown on the healthy organism" of the Communist Party must be removed."We must never waver in our faith and must never separate ourselves from the people," Xi added at the commemoration, according to Xinhua news agency.

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At least 1,119 Iraqis killed in Sept: UN

AT least 1,119 Iraqis died in violence in September, the UN mission in Baghdad says.

WEDNESDAY'S statement says 854 civilians and 265 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed and 1,946 Iraqis were wounded last month.

The worst-hit city was Baghdad, with 352 civilians killed.The United Nations says the figures are the "absolute minimum" number of casualties and they do not include deaths in the western Anbar province or other militant-held parts of northern Iraq.The August death toll stood at 1,420. In June, 2,400 were killed as Sunni militants swept across Iraq, the highest figure since at least April 2005.

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50th anniversary of Japan's bullet train

JAPAN celebrated the 50th anniversary of its emblematic bullet train with several ceremonies around the country on Wednesday.

WHEN it began, the bullet train was the world's first high velocity train and became the Asian country's symbol of modernity following the devastation of World War II.

To mark the anniversary, a new generation model N700A train left the central station of Tokyo on Wednesday for Fukuoka under the watchful eyes of Japan Railway company workers and guests.Similar acts took place in the central Japanese cities of Shizuoka and Nagoya, and the western city of Osaka.Wednesday's celebrations marked the departure of Hikari No.1, the first Shinkansen train on the Tokaido line to leave Tokyo's central station on October 1, 1964.The line covered the Eastern Sea Route, the main trade route of Japan which joined Edo, or old Tokyo, with western cities of Kyoto and Osaka for centuries.On those inaugural trips, the trains achieved a maximum speed of 210km/h and covered the 550km journey between Tokyo and Osaka in four hours, unlike the conventional line, which took almost seven hours.The Shinkansen now runs on the route at a speed of 270km/h, connecting both cities in two hours and 25 minutes. They are plans to increase the train's speed to 285km/h from next year.

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