Wiggles, Aussie talents woo Carols crowd

THOUSANDS of arms and legs waved and flailed at Sydney's Carols in the Domain, as the original members of The Wiggles celebrated their last carols bonanza.

More than 50,000 people packed into the Domain on Saturday, as the popular annual event ushered in the Christmas cheer with The Ten Tenor's rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful at 8.30pm (AEDT).

But the cheers really kicked off when Australia's most loved children's music group said their final goodbye to the event.

"Three of the members are hanging up their skivvies so tonight is their very last television performance before handing over to new band members," the Carols co-host Natalie Barr said.

"So this is it Australia, the end of an era," Matt White said.

The crowd jumped to their feet, shooting out arms and legs in unison with the original Red, Yellow, Red, Purple and Blue wiggles as they sang and danced to Fruit salad, Hot Potato and Jingle Bells.

"The Wiggles have been performing at Carols in the Domain for 20 years ... and we have always had such a wonderful time," Red Wiggle Murray Cook said, adding that next year will see the three new Wiggles perform.

Earlier in the evening candles began waving as Troy Cassar-Daley sung Have Yourself a Merry Christmas - later coming back with guitar in tow to sing Jingle Bell Rock.

Georgie Parker and Jay Laga'aia teamed up for the Christmas favourite Here Comes Santa Claus and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, eliciting a big cheer from the crowd.

Meanwhile The X-Factor favourites The Collective channelled the 1980s, with a rendition of the Wham! classic Last Christmas' prompting some more screams from the audience.

"Slightly popular. The Twittersphere just exploded, The Collective is in town," White quipped.

The X-Factor winner Samantha Jade, backed by a chorus, also wooed the crowd with Away in a Manger.

The cast of the new musical Legally Blonde then turned the stage pink with the modern favourite All I Want For Christmas is You.

Nineteen-year-old tenor - and 2009 Australia's Got Talent winner - Mark Vincent had the revellers in awe with a booming rendition of Jerusalem.

R&B singer-songwriter Jessica Mauboy delivered a tender rendition of Silent Night, before Vincent returned, joining opera singer Ali McGregor to lead the Salvation Army choir with Ode to Joy as fireworks boomed into the Domain sky.

A full-cast finale, joined by a suitably burly, jolly Santa Claus, saw a medley featuring Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and We Wish You a Merry Christmas close the night in party mode as pyrotechnics blasted above one last time.

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Islamists, opponents clash in northern Egypt

CLASHES have broken out in northern Egypt between Islamist supporters and opponents of the country's highly contentious draft constitution.

The two sides hurled rocks and stones at each other in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, prompting police to fire tear gas to separate them.

The clashes add to the already tense political crisis in Egypt on the eve of the second leg of voting on the draft charter.

The Islamists had called for a massive rally outside the main mosque in the heart of Alexandria. It was not clear who started the fight.

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Court overturns Google convictions

AN ITALIAN appeals court has overturned the convictions of three Google executives who had been charged for a video on a Google site that showed a disabled teen being bullied.

Google called the ruling "a total victory."

A lower court in 2010 held the executives criminally responsible for the posting of the video.

The verdict raised concerns that Internet platforms could be forced to police their content and put European privacy concerns in contrast with the freewheeling nature of the Internet.

Google said it removed the video in question within two hours of being notified by authorities.

The appellate ruling throws out the convictions against Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer, its senior vice president and chief legal officer David Drummond and retired chief financial officer George Reyes.

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Crash victim hails Vic brain injury hub

A MAN who nearly died in a road accident in 2008 has spoken of the importance of a new $36 million facility dedicated to acquired brain injuries being built in Victoria.

Simon Warlond is one of more than 1200 Victorians living with a brain injury caused by road trauma.

He has praised the new 42-bed facility, jointly funded by the federal and state governments, which will provide rehabilitative care to people with severe brain injuries.

"It is a very frightening thing to go through and it is so important to have a unit dedicated to ABI," Mr Warlond said.

The qualified welder was a passenger in a car that left the road and hit a tree.

He woke in a hospital bed surrounded by padded walls only to learn three weeks had passed.

After months of painstaking rehabilitation he attempted to return to his normal life but found he was plagued by fatigue and other health problems.

Assistant treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips said people like Mr Warlond represented Victoria's hidden road toll.

"Apart from the physical and emotional distress, a severe brain injury can cost more than $2 million in care over a lifetime," Mr Rich-Phillips told reporters at a Melbourne hospital on Thursday.

The rehabilitation centre at Caulfield Hospital will provide long-term care and support to those with brain injuries.

It will include a four-bed transitional living service.

Construction will start in January and is expected to be completed in mid-2014.

Mr Warlond, who undertook art therapy as part of his rehabilitation, recently completed an arts diploma and has been accepted to complete a degree at RMIT.

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Cyprus adopts 'crucial' austerity budget

CYPRIOT MPs have approved a tight austerity budget for 2013 touted as the "most crucial" in the island's history as Nicosia tries to secure a bailout deal to rescue troubled banks and pay salaries.

The state budget incorporates harsh spending cuts and tax hikes that were agreed in talks with a troika of international lenders.

The budget was passed late on Wednesday with 51 votes in favour and only two against.

Total public expenditure for 2013 is projected at 9.5 billion euros ($A12.1 billion), whereas GDP will decline to 17.49 billion euros, marking a two per cent drop from 17.85 billion euros in 2012.

The budget also includes a 7.25 per cent fiscal adjustment target dictated by international lenders.

Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly had urged MPs to pass the 2013 budget to help Cyprus rebuild its broken economy as it faces an unprecedented recession. He called it the "most crucial" budget in the island's history.

Cyprus has been unable to borrow from international markets since July last year due to its Greek-exposed banks and junk rating from credit agencies.

The economy is predicted to shrink by 2.4 per cent in 2012, falling deeper into recession at 3.5 per cent in 2013 and slow down to -1.3 per cent in 2014.

By cutting expenditure and improving revenue, Cyprus hopes to streamline the fiscal deficit to 4.4 per cent from an expected 5.5 per cent of GDP this year.

The bailout memorandum covers a four-year period with the aim of Cyprus achieving a four per cent budget surplus in 2016.

The troika of lenders - the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund - is expected to make its recommendation to the eurogroup on January 21.

Inflation on the island is expected to fall to two per cent next year from 2.5 per cent in 2012 due to a lock on consumer spending.

To make savings, the government will gradually increase the retirement age in the public service to 65, chop generous allowances for senior officials and reduce the number of employees on the state payroll.

And while the economy slips deeper into recession, unemployment is forecast to reach 12 per cent in 2012, jump to 13.8 per cent next year and 14.2 per cent in 2014.

Due to the euro crisis, the public debt will increase to a minimum 92 per cent of GDP in 2013 from 85.8 per cent this year.

Total budget expenditure, including loan payments, is set at 9.45 billion euros, 7.5 per cent higher than the 8.80 billion euros for 2012 - compared to a total income of 7.62 billion euros.

The state payroll, including pensions, is expected to reach 2.60 billion euros, a 5.3 per cent drop from 2.74 billion euros in 2012 due to a wage freeze and reduction in the workforce.

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Bomb kills seven in Afghanistan

A ROADSIDE bomb targeting a police pickup truck killed two policemen and five civilians in southwestern Afghanistan, provincial authorities said.

The vehicle was blown up in the city of Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province, said acting provincial police chief Mohammad Rahim Chakhansori.

Provincial governor Sarwar Sobat confirmed the death toll, saying a policewoman was wounded in the attack.

Afghan forces are often the victims of attacks by Taliban insurgents as they increasingly take control of security before the withdrawal of NATO troops from the country by 2014.

Roadside bombs are the weapon of choice for the hardline Islamists.

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Sudan's war-torn S Kordofan to be divided

SUDAN'S war-torn South Kordofan state is to be divided, giving separate status to the western part dominated by nomadic Arab Misseriya tribesmen, the government said.

Vice President Ali Osman Taha "announces the establishment of West Kordofan state," the official SUNA news agency said in a brief dispatch.

The move recreates the state of West Kordofan which was eliminated in 2005 following a peace agreement between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement that ended a 23-year civil war.

At that time Khartoum agreed to unite West and South Kordofan in line with calls from the SPLM, which was supported by ethnic fighters based in the Nuba Mountains that straddle South and West Kordofan.

The boundary between the two states fell just west of Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan where Nuba rebels formerly allied to the southern insurgents have been fighting since June last year, shortly before the South separated after an overwhelming "yes" vote in a referendum.

The rebellion by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North - which Khartoum alleges is backed by South Sudan - is concentrated in the eastern half of the state.

West Kordofan is home to most of cash-strapped Sudan's oilfields as well as to the territory of Abyei, whose final status was the most sensitive issue left unresolved when South Sudan became independent.

Sudan and South Sudan failed to settle the Abyei issue by a December 5 African Union deadline.

The AU has proposed that a referendum be held next October on whether the territory joins Sudan or South Sudan.

Under that plan, members of the Dinka, a dominant South Sudanese tribe who live in the Abyei area, would have the right to vote along with Sudanese with "permanent abode".

The Misseriya, who regularly graze their animals and move through Abyei, strongly object to the plan.

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Iran 'hangs six drug smugglers, rapist'

IRAN has hanged seven men, six of them for drug trafficking and another for rape, in prison in the central province of Isfahan, Kayhan newspaper reported.

The seven, aged 25 to 45, were executed on Wednesday, the province's public prosecutor, Mohammad Reza Habibi, said in the report.

"One of the smugglers was charged with armed trafficking of more than 300 kilograms of opium," Mr Habibi said.

"The others were in possession of crack and heroin (weighing) between one and 65 kilograms."

The Islamic state, where murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are punishable by death, has one of the highest annual number of executions in the world, alongside China, Saudi Arabia and the US.

Amnesty International has condemned the executions, but Tehran says the death penalty is essential to maintain law and order and that is is enforced only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.

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Three astronauts blast off for ISS

A SOYUZ spacecraft carrying Russian, American and Canadian astronauts has blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

The spacecraft took off on schedule at 1212 GMT (2312 AEST) carrying Russian Roman Romanenko, NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, an AFP correspondent said.

"The Soyuz TMA-O7M has separated from the third stage booster rocket and has been brought into the correct orbit," the Russian space agency said in a statement.

The Soyuz spacecraft is due to dock with the ISS on December 21 at 1412 GMT.

Romanenko, the commander of the Soyuz flight, is going to the ISS for the second time, as is Marshburn, while Hadfield is making his third trip.

Hadfield will take over as commander of the space station, the first Canadian to do so, according to the NASA website.

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Spending increased in November: survey

BUSINESSES may get that sales boost they've been begging Santa for after all, with a new survey showing a rise in consumer spending ahead of Christmas.

According to the Commonwealth Bank's Business Sales Indicator (BSI), economy-wide spending rose 2.2 per cent in November, following a one per cent fall in October.

CBA executive general manager, local business banking, Adam Bennett said the increase in spending was good news for businesses hoping for a pre-Christmas boost after a tough year for many traders.

"Although we have experienced spending volatility over the past six months, the latest results provide businesses with some much-needed good news in the lead up to Christmas," he said.

"Coming off the back of a tough year for many sectors, it is important that businesses across the country are prepared to make the most of consumer spending over the coming weeks."

The increase in spending came despite a sharp fall in both consumer and business sentiment in November, according to influential surveys conducted by Westpac and the National Australia Bank.

It also comes after a year of modest growth in retail sales, with retail spending up just over three per cent in the year to October, according to official figures.

The BSI tracks credit and debit card transactions at CBA's point-of-sale terminals, which the bank says cover about 30 per cent of the market.

CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian said the November results were encouraging but consumers remained conservative in their spending habits.

"While we have seen a lift in spending we know consumers are still, on a whole, adopting conservative habits," he said.

"Hopefully this uptick in spending, coupled with positive economic news such as the recent interest rate cut and favourable jobs data, will help drive consistent spending patterns into the New Year."

The BSI showed the strongest monthly increase in spending was on the arts and entertainment sector, while service providers suffered the biggest decline, with a fall of 4.9 per cent.

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FedEx 2Q earnings fall on weak air segment

FEDEX, the world's second-largest package delivery company, says its profit slid 12 per cent in the second quarter on weakness in its air network and the impact of superstorm Sandy.

The US-based company maintained its forecast for the full fiscal year ending in May, hoping that a strong holiday season and a massive cost-cutting plan will offset global economic weakness.

FedEx Corp posted earnings of $US438 million ($A417.40 million), or $1.39 per share, on Wednesday, compared with $497 million, or $1.57 per share, a year ago. Superstorm Sandy cut earnings by 11 cents per share by driving down shipping volume and increasing costs.

Revenue rose to $11.1 billion from $10.6 billion previously.

Analysts forecast earnings of $1.41 per share on revenue of $10.84 billion, according to FactSet.

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German prosecutors charge ex-Porsche chief

GERMAN prosecutors have charged two former Porsche executives with market manipulation in connection with the sports car company's failed takeover of Volkswagen AG.

Prosecutors in Porsche's home city of Stuttgart say former chief executive Wendelin Wiedeking and ex-chief financial officer Holger Haerter made misleading statements about the company's intentions in 2008.

A statement issued by prosecutors on Wednesday accuses the pair of denying up until October 2008 their intention to increase Porsche's stake in VW despite having decided to do so six months earlier.

They say the denials caused VW's share price to drop at a time when Porsche was secretly preparing to buy stock in Europe's largest automobile maker.

Porsche's bid for Volkswagen failed, and VW eventually turned the tables and took over Porsche.

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Nearby star 'a good candidate for Earth'

TAU Ceti, one of our closest stars, is a good candidate for hosting an Earth-like planet, astronomers say.

Located 12 light years away, the Sun-like star has five planets in orbit in a balmy zone which gives the best chance for nurturing life, they say.

One of the planets has a mass about five times that of the Earth, making it the smallest planet found so far in this vital zone, they said.

About 800 exoplanets - worlds orbiting stars other than our own - have been spotted since 1995.

But none is a home from home. These planets are either uninhabitable gas giants or are big rocky worlds that swing so close to their star they are literally roasted.

The quest is to find a rocky planet that is not only close to the mass of Earth but is also located in the so-called "Goldilocks zone".

This is an orbital distance from the star where temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right to sustain liquid water, which is essential for life as we know it.

The Tau Ceti finding was made by astronomers from Australia, Britain, Chile and the United States, who applied a new technique to filter data from more than 6000 observations.

By doing so, they believe they have eliminated distorting signals, called "noise", that mask the existence of low-mass planets.

They applied the technique to light from Tau Ceti, to determine it is not a lone star but in fact one with a planetary system.

"This discovery is in keeping with our emerging view that virtually every star has planets, and that the galaxy must have many such potentially habitable Earth-sized planets," said Steve Vogt, a veteran exoplanet-hunter.

"We are now beginning to understand that Nature seems to overwhelmingly prefer systems that have multiple planets with orbits of less than one hundred days."

"This is quite unlike our own solar system. So our solar system is, in some sense, a bit of a freak."

On October 17, European astronomers reported they had detected a planet with about the mass of Earth orbiting Alpha Centauri B, which is only 4.3 light years away.

However, the planet itself is not "another Earth" as it is not in the Goldilocks zone. It zips around the star at a scorchingly close distance, and liquid water could not exist there.

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Iraq president in 'stable' condition

IRAQI President Jalal Talabani is in "stable" condition after a "health emergency" that saw him admitted to a Baghdad hospital, his office says.

"Bodily functions are normal and the health condition of his excellency the president is stable," a statement posted on the presidency's website said, adding that the emergency was due to hardening of the arteries.

An earlier statement said that "due to fatigue and tiredness, (Talabani) had a health emergency and was transported... to the hospital in Baghdad" on Monday night.

Al-Iraqiya state television meanwhile reported that Talabani had suffered a stroke, and said a medical team was working to stabilise his condition.

Talabani has struggled with various health problems in recent years.

He underwent successful heart surgery in the United States in August 2008, and a year earlier had to be evacuated to neighbouring Jordan to be treated for dehydration and exhaustion.

He has also travelled to to the United States and Europe for treatment for a variety of ailments.

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PM to apologise to forced adoption victims

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard will formally apologise to victims of past forced adoption practices in March next year.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, about 150,000 unwed Australian mothers had their babies removed by churches and adoption agencies.

In some cases women were tricked into signing adoption papers and physically shackled to hospital beds.

The federal government said on Wednesday it would offer a formal apology to those mothers and children on March 21 when the parliament is sitting.

"The government recognises the pain and suffering of those affected by these policies and practices," Attorney-General Nicola Roxon told AAP.

"The apology will be offered on behalf of the nation as a significant step in the healing process for those affected."

She said a reference group chaired by former Family Court Judge Nahum Mushin had provided advice to the government on the wording of the apology.

"These practices resulted in profound feelings of sadness and loss, not only for the mothers who had their children taken, but their children, fathers and countless other family members," Ms Roxon said.

"We hope that this national apology will assist in recognising the hurt and help families to heal."

Arrangements for the apology are still being finalised and there will be a further announcement in early 2013 about how people can register to attend the event in Canberra.

The apology will include a ceremony for mothers and fathers who were forcibly separated from their children, the now adult children who were adopted, affected siblings, and extended family members.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott will also be given the opportunity to deliver a speech on the day.

The states of NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania governments have already apologised to victims.

In February, a Senate committee tabled a report after an 18-month inquiry into the Commonwealth government's involvement in past forced adoption practices, which recommended a national apology.

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Uni not the only option, HSC students told

NSW school leavers are being encouraged to consider taking up an apprenticeship following the release of the 2012 HSC results on Wednesday.

Students who miss out on a university spot could take up an apprenticeship or a traineeship as an ideal introduction to the workforce, the Australian Business Apprenticeships Centre says.

"University shouldn't be seen as the best or only option for young people in an increasingly competitive labour market, where it can be difficult to secure employment after graduation," general manager Andrew Williams said in a statement.

"Young people should consider an apprenticeship regardless of their ATAR score, whether they obtained a high score or a lower score."

The class of 2011 secured apprenticeships in wide range of industries including automotive, electrical and manufacturing.

These industries along with building and construction are expected to retain their popularity for aspiring jobseekers in 2013.

"ATAR is not a strong predictor of future success and young people should be encouraged to follow their passions," Mr Williams said.

"For a young school leaver with plenty of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn new skills, this very practical, on-the-job training can set them on a great career path for the future."

Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATAR), which determine whether a student qualifies for a university course, will be released on Thursday.

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Oil prices rise on US budget hopes

OIL prices have risen as hopes grow of a US deal to avert a "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts in the United States - the world's biggest consumer of crude - analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in January, increased by 49 cents to $US87.69 ($A83.49) a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for February advanced 58 cents to $108.22 per barrel in London midday deals.

"Crude oil prices rebounded on Tuesday amid hopes about the US budget details after the meeting between US President (Barack) Obama and House Speaker John Boehner provided some optimistic signs about the US economy, showing potential for a rebound in the US oil demand," said Sucden brokers analyst Myrto Sokou.

President Barack Obama hosted top Republican politician John Boehner in the White House for 45 minutes on Monday in the latest effort to keep the US economy from going over the fiscal cliff.

The meeting follows news that Boehner had changed his position on not allowing any more taxes, saying at the weekend that he would agree to some hikes for people earning more than $1 million.

Originally Obama insisted higher taxes kick in for households earning more than $250,000, but has since offered to increase the threshold to $400,000.

Analysts say the development shows the outline of a tentative deal is being formed.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, a report said coal was set to surpass oil as the world's top fuel within a decade, driven by growth in emerging market giants China and India, with even Europe finding it hard to cut use despite pollution concerns.

"Thanks to abundant supplies and insatiable demand for power from emerging markets, coal met nearly half of the rise in global energy demand during the first decade of the 21st century," said Maria van der Hoeven, head of the International Energy Agency.

Economic growth is expected to push up further coal's share of the global energy mix, "and if no changes are made to current policies, coal will catch oil within a decade," she said in a statement.

The latest IEA projections see coal consumption nearly matching oil consumption in four years time, rising to 4.32 billion tonnes of oil equivalent in 2017 against 4.4 billion tonnes for oil.

That has consequences for climate change as coal produces far more carbon emissions responsible for global warming than other fuels.

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Two charged with Melbourne murder

TWO men and a woman have been charged in connection with the death of a 24-year-old Frankston man in December last year.

The man's body was found on the corner of Hastings Road and Clarendon Street, near the Frankston hospital, in the early hours of December 22.

In an out-of-sessions court hearing on Monday night, a 61-year-old man from Hastings and a 29-year-old Carrum Downs man were charged with his murder.

A 30-year-old woman, also from Carrum Downs, was charged with perverting the course of justice.

They were remanded in custody and will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

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Woman's body found in NSW bushland

A 41-YEAR-OLD man is in police custody after a woman's body was found in bushland on the NSW mid-north coast.

Police said they found the body in a search of bushland on Butlers Road at Bonville about 6pm on Sunday.

The search was being conducted after the woman was reported missing earlier in this month.

Police said they had arrested a 41-year-old man who was assisting them with their inquiries at Coffs Harbour police station.

A crime scene has been set up at the scene and also at a motel on the Pacific Highway at Coffs Harbour.

The homicide squad is investigating.

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Tourism Australia to partner with Etihad

TOURISM Australia has signed a three-year marketing agreement with Etihad Airways worth $6 million as the peak body moves to fill the gap created by the loss of funding from Qantas.

The announcement of the partnership with Etihad comes on top of Virgin Australia announcing it had doubled its marketing partnership with Tourism Australia in a new deal worth $12 million over the next three years.

Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy said the memorandum of understanding with Etihad - the airline's first with the peak body - would target visitors from the Middle East, United Kingdom and Europe.

"In just five years of flying to Australia, Etihad Airways has demonstrated a strong and growing commitment to its Australian operations," Mr McEvoy said in a statement.

Etihad Airways chief executive James Hogan said Australia was an important market to the Abu Dhabi-headquartered carrier, with 16 per cent of the airline's seat capacity dedicated to flights into and out of the country.

"Etihad Airways and Tourism Australia have already started planning a major campaign for the first half of 2013 - together with Virgin Australia - in order to leverage the synergies of the airlines' joint networks and cooperative marketing spends," Mr Hogan said in a statement.

Etihad holds about 10 per cent of Virgin Australia stock and the two carriers formed a global alliance in 2010.

In November, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce ended the airline's partnership with Tourism Australia.

Mr Joyce said the partnership had to be terminated because of Tourism Australia chairman Geoff Dixon's clear conflict of interest, given he was part of a group of investors proposing to take the airline in a different direction.

At the time of the termination, Qantas was in the last year of a three-year partnership with Tourism Australia worth $44 million.

Under the deal, which was due to end in June 2013, Qantas put in $5 million in cash each year and supplied tickets for media and trade events.

Qantas said it would redirect those funds to state tourism bodies.

"Qantas remains the biggest private investor in promoting Australia to the world," a Qantas spokesperson said in an emailed statement after the Virgin-Tourism Australia funding boost was announced on December 13.

Tourism Australia had commercial partnerships with about 20 international airlines.

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More Aussies could avoid stroke: experts

EDS: Not for use before 0001 AEDT Monday, December 17

By Melissa Jenkins

MELBOURNE, Dec 17 AAP - Many stroke sufferers miss out on a lifesaving de-clotting drug and four in 10 get treated in general wards rather than specialist stroke units, an advocacy group says.

Stroke is Australia's second-largest killer and many of the 350,000 survivors live with a disability and struggle with basic daily tasks such as eating and cooking.

The National Stroke Foundation is lobbying the federal government and opposition to commit to a $198 million action plan to boost services and increase awareness of how to prevent stroke and recognise the signs of stroke.

Chief executive Erin Lalor says many patients who attend hospital with stroke don't get access to de-clotting thrombolysis drugs that must be administered within four hours.

"If the hospital is too slow or people delay presentation to hospital they can't have it," she told AAP.

"It's a lifesaving drug."

She said four in 10 people were treated for stroke in general wards, rather than specialist units, and this increased their chances of death or disability.

A number of major hospitals, particularly in Queensland, don't have specialist stroke units, Dr Lalor said.

As part of the plan, the foundation wants the government to spend $121 million extra over three years to fund more stroke units and boost the quality of existing care.

They want a national rollout of a pharmacy health-check program, currently funded by the NSW and Queensland governments, which involves a free blood pressure and diabetes check. Pharmacists then advise people whether they need to go to their GP for more testing.

When Lina Brohier had a stroke in 2008 at age 31, a transient ischemic attack followed, making her dizzy, heavy and voiceless.

The attack passed and she didn't go to the doctor.

"If there was more information and advertising about stroke maybe people like me would be prevented from having a stroke," she told AAP.

"You think ... it's not going to happen to me; it's something that happens to old people."

The stroke left her with no muscle movement on the right side of her body.

After extensive rehabilitation and occupational therapy, Ms Brohier made a full recovery.

Dr Lalor said people over the age of 45 should be able to get an integrated check for their risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease when they visit their GPs.

She said there also needs to be more support for people living with stroke, as well as their carers.

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Business confidence at record highs, CBA.

EDS: Not to be used before 0001 AEDT, Monday December 17, 2012

By Caroline Smith

SYDNEY, Dec 17 AAP - Optimism among mid-sized Australian businesses has hit record highs in the lead-up to Christmas, a quarterly survey has found.

Commonwealth Bank's future business index rose to 9.3 in December, from 4.3 in September.

The survey focuses on companies with a revenue of $10 million to $100 million, assessing their outlook on business conditions and challenges, projected revenue, investment plans and how prepared they are to cope with volatile conditions in the next six months.

The index first hit 9.3 in March this year, and was its highest ever score.

Almost half (45 per cent) of the companies surveyed said they were well-prepared for future business conditions, while 31 per cent said they thought conditions would improve in the next six months.

However, they expressed concern about rising energy costs in Australia, and a potential economic slowdown in Asia.

Looking at individual sectors, transport and logistics, business services and information, and media and technology were the most confident.

The least confident included manufacturing, wholesale trade and mining - with the latter reporting a significant drop.

Commonwealth Banks executive general manager of corporate financial services Symon Brewis-Weston said that despite the confident reading, most firms were approaching 2013 with caution.

"We're finding that its something of a wait-and-see period for the mid-market," he said.

"The feeling is that while companies expect a moderate decline in costs and they're feeling more prepared for the future, there is little appetite for investment and major changes.

"Companies are placing less emphasis on growth at the moment and ensuring they have the financial support required for any unforeseen challenges in the future."

The index showed moderate optimism among the states and territories, with Victoria and Tasmania recording steady confidence, both rising to 14 from 6.2.

Meanwhile, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory were the only regions in decline, both falling to six from 10.4.

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Nelson starts as War Memorial director

FORMER federal opposition leader Brendan Nelson has taken up his new role as head of the Australian War Memorial.

Dr Nelson says he is honoured to be working at such an iconic institution and wants it to stay relevant to all Australians.

"Every Australian, whether by birth or immigration, should feel a connection to the memorial, what it represents and means to us," he said in a statement.

"Our challenge now is to preserve all that is at the heart of the memorial whilst adapting and presenting it to the contemporary world."

Dr Nelson recently returned to Australia after finishing his posting as Australia's envoy to the European Union, NATO, Belgium and Luxembourg.

He served as both defence and education minister in the Howard government.

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