9 killed in clashes in southeast Turkey

CLASHES between Turkish security forces and Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country have reportedly left nine people dead.

The Anatolia news agency said on Saturday three Turkish troops and three Kurdish rebels were killed in fighting that broke out in Hakkari province, near the border with Iraq.

The agency said rebels also attacked a military unit in Bitlis province, northwest of Hakkari, killing three government-paid village guards who are helping the Turkish security forces.

The attack comes amid a sharp escalation in violence over the past few months in Turkey's southeast, where the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, are fighting for self-rule for Kurds.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the group took up arms in 1984.

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India's Kingfisher licence suspended

THE flying licence of India's Kingfisher Airlines has reportedly been suspended after the debt-laden carrier failed to satisfy concerns about its operations.

The licence of the airline has been "suspended until further orders", the Press Trust of India news agency said on Saturday, citing officials from the country's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The airline's fleet had already been grounded since the start of October after its staff went on strike over unpaid salaries.

Kingfisher, which has billions of dollars in debts, has not paid staff for seven months and is desperately seeking a foreign buyer to save it from complete collapse.

The DGCA had asked the carrier earlier this month why its licence to fly should not be cancelled as it was not adhering to flight schedules, "causing great inconvenience" to the travelling public.

A Kingfisher spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.

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Boys hitting puberty earlier

WHEN it comes to the birds and the bees, some parents may want to have that talk with their boys a little sooner than they expected.

Researchers have found signs of puberty in American boys up to two years earlier than previously reported - age 9 on average for blacks, 10 for whites and Hispanics. Other studies have suggested that girls, too, are entering puberty younger.

Why is this happening? Theories range from higher levels of obesity and inactivity to chemicals in food and water, all of which might interfere with normal hormone production. But those are just theories, and they remain unproven.

Doctors say earlier puberty is not necessarily cause for concern. And some experts question whether the trend is even real.

Dr. William Adelman, an adolescent medicine specialist in the Baltimore area, says the new research is the first to find early, strong physical evidence that boys are maturing earlier. But he added that the study still isn't proof and said it raises a lot of questions.

Earlier research based on 20-year-old national data also suggested a trend toward early puberty in boys, but it was based on less rigorous information. The new study involved testes measurements in more than 4000 boys. Enlargement of testes is generally the earliest sign of puberty in boys.

The study was published online in Pediatrics to coincide with the American Academy of Pediatrics' national conference in New Orleans.

Dr. Neerav Desai, an adolescent medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, said he's seen a subtle trend toward slightly earlier puberty in boys. He said it's important for parents and doctors to be aware so they can help children emotionally prepare for the changes that come with puberty.

Doctors generally consider puberty early if it begins before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys.

Boys are more likely than girls to have an underlying physical cause for early puberty. But it's likely that most, if not all, of the boys in the study were free of any conditions that might explain the results, said lead author Marcia Herman-Giddens, a researcher at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Problems such as thyroid abnormalities and brain tumors have been linked to early puberty. But boys with chronic medical conditions or who were using medicines that could affect puberty were excluded from the research.

In girls, early puberty has been linked with increased chances for developing breast cancer, but whether it poses health risks for boys is uncertain. Some scientists think early testes development may increase the risk for testicular cancer, but a recent research analysis found no such link.

"If it's true that boys are starting puberty younger, it's not clear that means anything negative or has any implications for long-term," said Dr Adelman, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on adolescence.

For the new study, researchers recruited pediatricians in 41 states who participate in the academy's office-based research network. Doctors asked parents and boys aged 6 to 16 to take part during regular checkups. The visits took place between 2005 and 2010.

Half of the boys were white. The rest were almost evenly divided among blacks and Hispanics.

On average, white boys started puberty at age 10, a year and a half earlier than what has long been considered the normal average. For black boys, the average age of 9 was about two years earlier than in previous research. Among Hispanics, age 10 was similar to previous research that only involved Mexican-American boys. The new study included boys from other Hispanic backgrounds.

Testes enlargement was seen at age 6 in 9 per cent of white boys, almost 20 per cent of blacks and 7 per cent of Hispanics.

Pubic hair growth, another early sign of puberty, started about a year after testes enlargement in all groups but still earlier than previously thought.

In girls, breast development is the first sign, and recent research suggested that it starts at age 7 in about 10 per cent of white girls, 23 per cent of blacks and 15 per cent of Hispanics. That's substantially higher than rates reported more than a decade ago.

But some experts have questioned methods used in studies in girls, noting that the age when girls start menstruating has not changed much and remains around age 12 on average.

Dr. Dianne Deplewski, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Chicago, has not seen any increase in boys referred to her for signs of early puberty. She said it's possible that the new study results were skewed by families who brought their boys to the doctor because they already had concerns about their health.

The study had other limitations. Testes were measured just once, and doctors weren't randomly recruited but volunteered to participate. That means it's possible that those with early maturing patients were overly represented, but Dr Herman-Giddens said it's unlikely boys in the study were different from those in the general U.S. population.

She said the research methods weren't perfect but that they're the best to date. She also stressed that the results shouldn't be used to establish a "new normal" for the start of puberty in boys.

"Just because this is happening doesn't mean this is normal or healthy," the researcher said.

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Kuwaiti elections announced

KUWAIT'S ruler has set parliamentary elections for December 1 after months of a deepening political crisis that has pitted the pro-Western ruling family against opposition forces led by Islamists.

It will be the second time an election for the 50-seat chamber is held this year.

In a February vote, Islamists and allies took control of parliament but the country quickly fell into a political dispute over the results.

Recent opposition protests have directly blamed Kuwait's emir for dragging the Gulf nation into political conflict.

State media said Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah set the election date on Saturday.

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ACT rejects Labor, Greens: Liberals

Triumphant Liberal leader Zed Seselja says ACT voters have rejected a Labor-Greens alliance in Saturday's election.

But he's stopped short of claiming victory, with the opposition falling one seat short of majority government in the 17-seat legislative assembly.

It will take days of negotiation with the Greens before a new minority government can be formed in the territory.

The Liberals, on the back of their biggest-ever primary vote, are on track to take eight seats to Labor's seven giving them their highest representation in the 23-year history of self-government.

With more than 70 per cent of the vote counted at 10.50pm (AEST), Labor had 39.1 per cent of the overall vote (up 1.7pc on 2008), to the Liberals 38 per cent (up 6.4pc) and the Greens 11 per cent (down 4.6pc)

A surprise Labor casualty could be Attorney-General Simon Corbell who might lose his seat to fellow Labor candidate Meegan Fitzharris.

The Greens drop from four seats to two with their leader Meredith Hunter still in a tight race with Summernats car festival founder Chic Henry, running for the Australian Motorists Party.

If she loses, the Greens would have only one seat in the assembly.

Mr Seselja said the election result was a rejection of both Labor and the Greens.

"Most importantly it is a rejection of their alliance," he told the party faithful.

"It would be a rejection of the verdict of the people if the Labor Party and the Greens were to now forge a closer alliance.

"We are ready to deliver the kind of government the ACT deserves."

Labor leader Katy Gallagher said it was not the night for victory speeches from any party.

"We're not arrogant, we're not coming out saying we have won this election," she told supporters.

"We've won the highest primary vote, we've increased our vote, we've held our seats and we've seen a swing towards us."

Ms Gallagher noted more than half the electorate voted for "a progressive government", referring to the combined Labor-Greens vote of 50.1 per cent.

Mr Seselja reiterated earlier pledges that he wouldn't offer the Greens a ministry as part of any negotiations, unlike in 2008.

But he shied away from questions on whether or not he would negotiate with them at all.

Liberal MLA Jeremy Hanson said: "Should we get eight seats we have a very strong case for government."

However, Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury said the minor party would not be taking the number of seats won into account.

"We want to make sure there's a stable government for four years," he told AAP.

"We delivered that this term, we expect to deliver it in the coming term."

The Greens had a duty to the one-in-eight Canberrans who voted for the party to deliver on as many of their policies as possible, Mr Rattenbury said.

"We're quite open to talking to both of them (major parties) and that's something we will start in the next few days," he said.

"We won't see an agreement to form a government, one way or the other, for quite some days yet."

Labor MLA Andrew Barr said a Liberal-Greens alliance would be "extraordinary" since "they are just a world apart".

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Afghan blast kills 19 en route to wedding

AN explosion from a roadside bomb tore into a minibus carrying people to a wedding in northern Afghanistan, leaving 19 dead and 16 wounded, authorities say.

Spokesman Shir Jan Durani said on Friday the group was travelling to Dawlat Abad district, about 450km northwest of the capital, Kabul.

District police commander Bismullah Muslimyar said six children and seven women were among the dead in the blast, which occurred at 6am after a nighttime police patrol.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the attack.

"Planting a mine on a road used by civilians and the killing of innocent people represents hostility toward humanity," he said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council expressed serious concern at the high number of civilian casualties in the war, especially among women and children.

The Taliban and other militants are responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian deaths in the country.

About 77 per cent of the deaths between January and June can be attributed to insurgents, a UN report said.

Insurgent-placed homemade bombs continue to be the deadliest weapon for civilians, accounting for 29 per cent of all such deaths in the period, it said.

Separately, six football fans died and 36 were injured Friday when their bus collided with a fuel tanker on a narrow road about 400km northwest of the capital, provincial governor Mohammad Aleem Saaie said. The fans were travelling to Kabul for the final round of the country's football championships.

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Oldfield cops six-month jail sentence

AUSTRALIAN boat race protester Trenton Oldfield has been hit with a six-month jail sentence for causing a public nuisance at this year's Oxford-Cambridge rowing race.

The anti-elitism campaigner delayed the annual race in London by 25 minutes after swimming out in front of the crews on April 7.

In delivering her verdict at a west London court, judge Anne Molyneux was damning of Oldfield.

"Your offence was planned," she said.

"It was deliberate. It was disproportionate. It was dangerous. You have shown no regret."

Oldfield will be due for release after serving three months of the sentence.

The 36-year-old London-based activist said in court last month that he was protesting against inequality and that the boat race symbolised elitism within Britain.

The former Sydney schoolboy rower said last month the severe budget cuts in the Britain had tipped him over the edge.

A 12-person jury at Isleworth Crown Court last month found him guilty of causing a public nuisance.

Oldfield, who has worked heavily in social projects and with volunteer groups over the past decade in London, had not committed a criminal offence before jumping in the Thames six months ago.

Ms Molyneux said that Oldfield had shown prejudice by targeting the sporting event between the United Kingdom's most venerated and influential universities.

"You made the decision to sabotage the race based on the membership of its participants of a group to which you took exception," she said.

"That is prejudice. No good ever comes from prejudice."

"Every individual and group of society is entitled to respect."

Dozens of friends and supporters of Oldfield lifted a banner outside Isleworth Crown Court that read: "Stop criminalising protest".

Oldfield was ordered to pay costs of STG750 ($A1168).

Oldfield's wife Deepa Naik said outside court the punishment dished out to her husband wouldn't deter him from protesting again on his release from jail.

"He has a strong spirit and he stands by what he did," she said.

She said the custodial sentence was a reflection of the fears of the establishment over Oldfield's actions.

"Most nation states work very hard at maintaining untrue myths about themselves," she said.

"Great Britain has convinced many that it is the home of democracy and a gauge of civilisation.

"Anyone living here today knows Britain is a brutal, deeply divided class-driven place.

"London is today the most unequal society in the western world. This poverty and inequality is totally unnecessary and has been severely exacerbated by government cuts and reductions in civil liberties."

She called on Australians to voice their disapproval over the ruling.

"Please come out and make your concern known as much as possible in solidarity with Trenton," she said.

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Elephant may have 'tested' zookeeper

THE "miracle" elephant known as Mr Shuffles who critically injured a Taronga Park zoo keeper on Friday may have been testing her authority, a veterinary behaviourist says.

Senior elephant keeper Lucy Melo was in the elephant barn at the Sydney zoo when the two-year-old Asian elephant calf - who weighed more than 500kg at his first birthday - "challenged" her and pinned her against the bollard just before 11.30am (AEDT) on Friday.

She had been engaged in a routine training session teaching the elephants how to wash.
Ms Melo was still conscious and talking when paramedics first arrived but lapsed into unconsciousness and had a cardiac arrest for about five minutes.

On Friday night, Taronga Park said Ms Melo remained in a critical but stable condition at Royal North Shore hospital.
Jacqui Ley, from the Sydney Animal Behaviour Service, said Mr Shuffles may have have been testing Ms Melo's authority - a behaviour typical of adolescent animals.

"He may have been testing her in the same way that youngsters test those in authority, pushing her to see if she got cross," Dr Ley told AAP.

"Young male animals of any species play more boisterously than females and there's commonly more challenging involved, wrestling, and tests of strength.

"So he was probably just being a young male animal, the problem is that he weighs a tonne and she weighs 50 or 60 kilograms."

The zoo said on Friday that it didn't know why the elephant challenged Ms Melo, who was part of the team that went to Thailand to bring the Taronga's five Asian elephants to Sydney.

Mr Shuffles was named Pathi Harn - the Thai word for miracle - because of his survival of a difficult birth.

He was then named Mr Shuffles because his early attempts at walking resembled the shuffle of an elderly man in slippers.

Dr Ley said it was important for the public not to judge Mr Shuffles because he would not have meant to hurt Ms Melo.

"The safest interpretation is that he was just being a young male," Dr Ley said.

"The thing we have to be careful about is not making moral judgments on this animal, in the same way we wouldn't make moral judgments on a two-year-old who has done something terrible."

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Blast rattles Beirut, black smoke rising into sky

A LOUD explosion has been heard in Lebanon's capital, and black smoke was rising from the eastern part of Beirut.

The circumstances of Friday's blast were not immediately clear.

Lebanon has seen a rise in clashes and tensions in recent months stemming from the civil war in neighboring Syria.

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HSBC says websites hit by cyber attack

BANKING giant HSBC says some of its websites have been hit by a "large scale" cyber attack that disrupted online services, but it has assured customers their data wasn't compromised.

The bank said in a statement on Friday HSBC servers came under a "large scale denial of service attack" on Thursday.

It said a number of sites were affected around the world but did not give an exact number or say where they were.

"This denial of service attack did not affect any customer data but did prevent customers using HSBC online services, including Internet banking," the bank said.

"We are taking appropriate action, working hard to restore service," the bank added. It said some of the sites are back up and running.

A denial of service attack typically involves sites being saturated with requests.

The London-headquartered, Asia-focused lender said it is working with authorities to investigate the incident. It gave no indication of who it believed might be behind the attack.

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Pakistan held, freed millitant before girl's attack

ONE of the two Taliban militants suspected of attacking 14-year-old girl activist Malala Yousufzai was detained by the Pakistani military in 2009 but subsequently released, intelligence officials said.

Malala was shot and critically wounded on Oct. 9 as she headed home from school in the northwest Swat Valley, Pakistan.

The Taliban said they targeted Malala, a fierce advocate for girls' education, because she promoted "Western thinking" and was critical of the militant group.

The military detained Attaullah during the army's 2009 offensive in Swat because of suspected ties with the Pakistani Taliban, which had established effective control over the valley at the time, said two intelligence officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

The military successfully pushed most of the militants out of Swat, but Attaullah was released because of a lack of evidence linking him to specific attacks, said the officials. It's unclear how long he was held.

The shooting of Malala outraged people around the world and stepped up pressure on the Pakistani government to intensify its fight against the Taliban and their allies.

Malala was airlifted to England earlier this week for specialised treatment and to protect her from follow-on attacks by the Taliban, who have threatened to target her again until she is killed.

A Pakistani official said that Malala was improving and has been moving her limbs. The official, who said he was briefed by Malala's doctors in England, spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't cleared to talk on the record about the case.

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Morgan Stanley shares up on earnings

MORGAN Stanley shares are up in pre-market trading after the bank reported higher net income and revenue for the third quarter.

Excluding an accounting charge, the bank earned $US535 million ($A518.03 million) for common shareholders in July to September, up from $US39 million a year ago.

Revenue rose 18 per cent to $US7.5 billion after excluding the charge.

That beat the $US6.4 billion that analysts were expecting.

Revenue rose in most areas where the bank does business.

It was up by the biggest proportion in the asset management unit, which helps clients - mostly institutions - invest in private equity, real estate and other investments.

The stock is up about 1 per cent, rising 16 US cents to $US18.65, in pre-market trading.

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Portugal news wire staff strike over cuts

STAFF at Portugal's national news agency Lusa have started a four-day strike over government plans to cut state funding for the company by 30 per cent next year.

The government is locked into a program of spending cuts in return for Portugal's 78 billion euro ($A99.41 billion) bailout last year.

The government intends to reduce the amount it pays under the agency's public service contract to 13.2 million euros in 2013, from 19.1 million euros.

The state owns 50.14 per cent of Lusa, with other Portuguese media companies holding the rest.

State funding represents about 70 per cent of Lusa's revenue.

Lusa reported a net profit last year of 613,000 euros.

Almost 80 per cent of its 291 staff are journalists.

The Lusa news service stopped at 8am (1800 AEDT) on Thursday.

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Nokia's net loss widens, stock soars

NOKIA, until recently the world's biggest mobile phone maker, has posted a third quarter net loss of 969 million euros ($A1.23 billion), compared to a loss of 68 million euros a year earlier.

However, shares in the company rose by more than 9.0 per cent in Helsinki after sales came in higher than forecast.

The group's cash position was also slightly better than expected.

Nokia has suffered a string of downgrades by international credit rating agencies over the past few months amid worries over its future profitability and its cash position.

The Finnish company's chief executive Stephen Elop described the third quarter as "difficult", with sales down by 19 per cent to 7.2 billion euros.

The sales figure was however better than the market had expected.

Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast average sales of 6.9 billion euros.

Nokia dominated the international mobile market for more than a decade but has of late lagged behind smartphone rivals such as Apple and Samsung.

Chief executive Elop took the helm of the troubled company in 2010 and phased out the Symbian operating system for smartphones in favour of a partnership with Microsoft.

The result has been the Lumia range of phones, which has been criticised for not being competitively priced.

The price of the flagship Lumia 900 was heavily discounted in the US market following disappointing sales.

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Adultery shouldn't be treated as crime: UN

ADULTERY should not be punished as a crime, the UN's human rights body says, insisting that women's rights especially are violated when countries allow punishments ranging from fines to death for infidelity.

"Adultery must not be classified as a criminal offence at all," said Kamala Chandrakirana, who heads the UN expert body charged with identifying ways to eliminate laws that discriminate against women.

"The criminalisation of sexual relations between consenting adults is a violation of their right to privacy," she said in a statement, insisting adultery "must not be punishable by fine, imprisonment, flogging, or death by stoning or hanging".

Women are especially impacted by laws criminalising marital infidelity, and often receive harsher punishments than men, while in some countries their testimony carries only half the weight of a man's, the statement said.

Chandrakirana called on "all governments which retain criminalisation of adultery" and which allow punishments, including flogging and death, "to repeal any such provisions".

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US embassy in Stockholm evacuated

The US embassy in Stockholm has been evacuated over a possible security incident, a spokesman for the mission said, while police said a suspect envelope had sparked the scare.

"We've evacuated the embassy while we are investigating a possible security incident," embassy spokesman Jeff Anderson said.

"We are working together with the Swedish authorities."

Swedish police said on their website that a patrol had been dispatched to the embassy after "a letter with unidentified content had arrived at the embassy".

News agency TT reported the letter contained an unidentified white powder, though police would not confirm that.

"It's a content one would not expect to receive," Stockholm police spokesman Albin Neverbery said.

"When it comes to a sensitive location like an embassy, we take no chances," he said, adding: "A police bomb squad has taken care of the envelope. We're securing the site."

Police, who had no information about any threats issued against the bassy, were dispatched to the scene at 11.35am (2035 AEDT) and were still there in the early afternoon.

Both embassy staff and visitors were evacuated from the building during the scare. The Stockholm mission has some 170 employees.
 

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Five dead in arson-homicide at bar

FIREFIGTHERS responding to bar fire in Denver have discovered five people dead inside. Investigators are calling the blaze an arson-homicide.

Denver Police Chief Robert White says the fire at Fero's Bar & Grill in east Denver was reported at about 2am local time on Wednesday.

Mr White says the four women and a man also appeared to have suffered other injuries.

Mr White says he did not know if the deaths occurred before or after the bar was closed.

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Lonely zoo elephant sparks controversy

AN elderly elephant named Mali is the star at Manila's zoo but also the focus of a campaign alleging animal cruelty that has united the country's powerful bishops, global pop stars and a Nobel laureate.

Mali, who is 38, spends her days in Manila picking peanuts from children's hands and being squirted with water in a concrete-floored enclosure that animal rights groups say is far too small for any elephant to enjoy living in.

They also say that, after being shipped from Sri Lanka when she was three years old, Mali is suffering profound loneliness after living her entire adult life without another elephant.

"She is definitely unwell. As much as her physical suffering... there is also psychological suffering," said Rochelle Rigodon, campaign manager for Manila-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA began campaigning for Mali to be removed from the zoo seven years ago, and its efforts to have the elephant spend the rest of her life at a sanctuary in Thailand have brought together a strikingly diverse group of people.

British pop star Morrissey, 2003 Nobel laureate in literature J.M. Coetzee and famous animal welfare campaigner Jane Goodall have all written letters to the Philippine government asking for Mali to be transferred.

"Mali is cruelly denied stimulation, room to explore... (and) is in danger of going insane," Morrissey wrote in a letter to President Benigno Aquino when he performed in Manila in May.

Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, has also written a letter calling for Mali to be shifted to Thailand.

He has formed an unlikely union with local fashion models and actresses, such as Isabel Roces and Chin-Chin Gutierrez, who have posted messages expressing concern about Mali's plight to their masses of Twitter followers.

Their campaign has had some success, with Mr Aquino ordering the Bureau of Animal Industry in May to evaluate if Mali should be transferred to Thailand. So far, no decision has been announced.

Animal rights activists say the problems at the zoo are not limited to Mali.

-- "Old cages made of wire" --

The zoo, owned by the City of Manila and built in 1959, is a far cry from its glory days in the early 1960s, when it boasted a huge menagerie of lions, tigers, bears, leopards, giraffes, chimpanzees and bison.

Many of these animals have succumbed to old age, and there are not enough funds to replace them.

Many of the animals that do remain reside in half-century-old cages made of wire and bars, with the zoo operating on a budget of $1.4 million a year, small for its size. It holds 717 animals from 102 species.

Anna Cabrera, executive-director of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society accused the zoo's veterinarians and administrators of "gross incompetence".

"It (the zoo) stinks... they don't have the expertise for the animals in the zoo," she said.

However chief veterinarian Donald Manalastas insisted Mali and the other animals were treated well.

"We could do better but their (the animals') care is never compromised," Mr Manalastas said.

He pointed to the advanced ages of Mali and another 38-year-old star of the zoo, Berta the hippopotamus, as proof the animals were being looked after.

"If we were not giving them the right food, the proper care, they would not survive. We must be doing something right," he said.

Mr Manalastas also talked enthusiastically about the zoo's success in breeding the Philippine freshwater crocodile, or Crocodylus Mindorensis, which is critically endangered.

From an original four, these reptiles reproduced rapidly until there were 20 last year, according to Manalastas. He said they were able to trade eight to another zoo overseas for a camel that will hopefully arrive next year.

And the zoo undoubtedly remains a popular attraction, with 950,000 visitors a year, many of whom come from poor communities in and around Manila.

The Philippines has a dire poverty problem, with roughly one quarter of the population of 100 million people living on a dollar a day or less.

The entrance fee for the zoo is set deliberately low at 40 pesos (95 cents) for adults and 20 pesos for children to give the poorer citizens of Manila the opportunity to see wildlife and have a fun day out.

"This place is a social service, not a profit-oriented organisation," said Manila City's parks and recreations chief, Deogracias Manimbo.

"It's an alternative place for less-privileged people. It is designed for the poor of Manila."

Amid the uproar over Mali, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has rejected calls to relocate the elephant, and his stance is popular among the visitors.

"Manila Zoo would not be complete without an elephant," office worker Rowena Castro said as she pointed to her four-year-old son watching the enormous animal being hosed down by a keeper.

"That is the main reason he came: to see the elephant."

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Suicide truck bomb hits NATO base

A HUGE blast from a Taliban suicide truck bomb attack on a joint NATO-Afghan army base in eastern Afghanistan injured several international and Afghan troops, officials said.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that some of its troops were wounded along with Afghan soldiers, but would not disclose how many.

Reports by Afghan officials of the number of Afghan soldiers wounded in the attack - claimed by Taliban insurgents - varied from 11 to 45, with the lower figure confirmed by the defence ministry. There were no reports of any deaths.

The attack came as Afghan forces take on an increasing role in the war against the Taliban with NATO drawing down its forces ahead of a pull-out of all combat troops at the end of 2014.

So far this year the Afghan army and police have suffered an average of 535 casualties - killed and wounded - each month, ISAF says.

In contrast, a total of 358 ISAF troops have been killed this year, according to the icasualties.com website. ISAF does not usually release the number of its troops wounded in operations.

"This morning a joint ISAF-ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) combat outpost in Zurmat district in Paktiya province was attacked by insurgents using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and indirect fire," an ISAF spokesman said.

The Taliban said their fighters had infiltrated the base after the suicide attack. ISAF refused to confirm this, saying only that the base was now secure.

"Our mujahideen armed with rockets, machine-guns, hand-grenades and suicide vests successfully infiltrated an American forces base in Zurmat district following a suicide car bomb attack," said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid.

The ability of Afghan forces to take full responsibility for the fight against the Taliban is a key plank of NATO's exit strategy from the 11-year war and commanders regularly talk up the growing effectiveness of local troops.

But many observers point to reports of indiscipline and lack of motivation among the Afghan forces as warning signs of problems ahead after they lose the military and logistical support of the huge NATO operation.

"The Afghan army and police are overwhelmed and underprepared for the transition," said Candace Rondeaux in a recent report for the International Crisis Group.

But Western nations are keen to get their troops home from a long and costly war and have repeatedly stressed that the 2014 deadline for withdrawal would be met whatever the conditions on the battlefield.

While the Taliban's favourite tactic remains planting homemade bombs that kill indiscriminately, they have recently launched a number of direct attacks on military forces.

On October 1, a suicide bomber attacked an Afghan-NATO foot patrol in the eastern city of Khost, killing at least 20 people, including three foreign troops and six Afghan police.

And last month, Taliban insurgents launched a major attack on ISAF's Camp Bastion in Helmand province, destroying millions of dollars' worth of aircraft and killing two US marines.

The growing unpopularity of the conflict has been reflected in the US presidential campaign, where both President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney have had little to say about America's longest war.

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S Korea holds Chinese 23 fishermen

SOUTH Korea's coastguard said it was holding 23 Chinese fishermen in custody for questioning after a violent clash in the Yellow Sea that left one Chinese crew member dead.

The coastguard seized two 93-tonne vessels on Tuesday and towed them to the southwestern port of Mokpo after an operation against some 30 Chinese trawlers it said were fishing illegally in South Korean waters.

"A Chinese consul general interviewed the fishermen one by one after they arrived here this morning," a coastguard spokesman said from Mokpo.

A 44-year-old fisherman was fatally wounded by a rubber bullet after coastguard commandos boarded one of the vessels and were confronted by crew members armed with knives, axes, saws and other weapons.

He was declared dead after being rushed by helicopter to a hospital in Mokpo.
Coastguard officers said they had fired five rubber bullets, with one hitting the chest of the man who wielded a saw.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine if the rubber bullet killed him, Mokpo coastguard chief Kang Seong-Hee told reporters.

"We never fire rubber bullets if they comply with inspections," he said.

The South's foreign ministry expressed regret over the death, while the Chinese embassy in Seoul asked South Korea to investigate it "seriously and thoroughly".

Illegal fishing by Chinese boats is common in South Korean waters, and more than 130 boats have been seized so far this year.

In December 2010 a Chinese boat overturned and sank in the Yellow Sea after ramming a South Korean coast guard vessel. Two Chinese crewmen were killed.

And last December, a coastguard officer was stabbed to death in a struggle with Chinese sailors.
 

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Pandit stepping down as Citi CEO

CITIGROUP Inc. says Vikram Pandit is stepping down as CEO and a board member.

The New York bank's new CEO will be Michael Corbat, the CEO of the company's Europe, Middle East and Africa division.

Mr Pandit says that "now is the right time for someone else to take the helm at Citigroup" after the bank "emerged from the financial crisis as a strong institution".

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Coca-Cola's Q3 profit up three per cent

COCA-COLA'S net income rose three per cent in the third quarter, as the world's biggest beverage maker sold more of it drinks around the globe and raised prices.

The Atlanta-based company, which makes Sprite, Dasani water and Powerade, says global sales volume rose four per cent during the period, with growth across every region.

The company says it earned $US2.31 billion ($A2.26 billion) for the period ended September 28. That's compared with $US2.22 billion, or 48 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Not including one-time items, the company says it earned 51 US cents per share, in line with analyst expectations.

Revenue rose one per cent to $US12.34 billion, but fell shy of Wall Street expectations of $US12.4 billion.

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Dangerous economic cocktail looms: OECD

THE world faces a "dangerous" cocktail of low growth and high unemployment, OECD chief Angel Gurria said, after the global body warned of weak prospects for major economies.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in its latest global overview, said this month leading indicators for the 34-nation body point to "weakening growth in coming quarters" for most major economies.

"You have a problem of high unemployment especially among the youth - growing inequalities and low growth - and in some cases contracting growth," Gurria said on Tuesday at an OECD conference in New Delhi on measuring global wellbeing.

"Like the James Bond cocktail - when you shake together and do not stir - you have a very, very dangerous combination."

Some 50 million people are unemployed in OECD countries - 15 million more than in 2008, Gurria said.

"Five years on (after the onset of the global financial crisis), it is still ongoing," said Gurria, secretary-general of the Paris-based organisation that groups the world's leading industrialised democracies.

Unemployment in Greece is at a record 25.1 per cent as its economy contracts, while in Spain the jobless rate is 24.6 per cent as the government implements austerity measures to fend off a sovereign bailout.

The gap between rich and poor is now at its widest in 30 years with governments facing a loss of confidence in their ability to deal with boosting growth, tackling debt and making the financial sector more stable, Gurria said.

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PM faces questions on sexism in India

JULIA Gillard's blistering parliamentary attack on Tony Abbott has gone viral in India, prompting a very direct question from a local: "Do you like the man?"

Participating in a youth forum at the Australian High Commission in downtown New Delhi on Tuesday, Ms Gillard was asked about women in politics.

Before long, discussion turned to the divisive speech Ms Gillard delivered amidst the Peter Slipper controversy last week, in which she savaged Mr Abbott for alleged sexism and misogyny.

The event's moderator, popular local journalist Karan Thapar, said he watched the speech after it went viral on social media and couldn't take his eyes off the stunned and squirming Mr Abbott.

"Do you like the man?" Thapar asked.

Laughing, Ms Gillard responded: "That's a very hard question.

"Day to day I don't spend much time thinking about the leader of the opposition.

"I bear him no personal ill-will.

"And I hope he is leader of the opposition for the rest of his life," she said, prompting guffaws of laughter from the 40 Indian youngsters.

Ms Gillard said she was surprised by the international reaction to the speech, which also drew a wide audience in the United States.

"So I suspect I'm going to be talking about these issues for a long, long time to come. But that's a good thing."

Ms Gillard said she believed Australia was at a mid-point for women in politics.

"I think we'll get to a stage where our political dialogue is gender-blind but we're not quite there yet."

She also faced questions about the rise of China, America's increasing interest in the Asia Pacific, uranium sales and the 2009 and 2010 attacks on Indian students in Victoria, which sparked a firestorm of controversy in the subcontinent.

Ms Gillard suggested the Indian media had misrepresented the story and Australia's reaction to the attacks, but she believed the relationship had bounced back.

Earlier in the day, Ms Gillard attended a cricket clinic for impoverished slum kids in a New Delhi park.

But she couldn't be convinced to have a hit or roll her arm over, citing the infamous footage of John Howard's less-than-impressive display in 2005.

She also announced legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar would be awarded a membership of the Order of Australia.

She will meet with India's leaders on Wednesday before flying out on Wednesday night.

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Italy's trade balance shows $A761m deficit

ITALY'S trade balance showed a deficit of 598 million euros ($A761.64 million) in August, ending three months of surplus, the National Institute of Statistics said.

The deficit was due to trade with non-EU nations, which showed a deficit of one billion euros, while trade within the European Union held a surplus of 400 million euros, the institute said.

Italy's trade balance had shown strong surpluses in May, June and July, suggesting the economy was doing better than feared despite the eurozone debt crisis.

Although in deficit, the August balance is an improvement from 12 months ago, when Italy posted a 2.9 billion euro deficit.

In August, exports rose by 3.9 per cent, driven by a 4.7 per cent boost for exports to fellow European Union countries.

But a 4.4 per cent rise in imports was largely due to a increase in spending on energy and durable goods, the institute said.

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