US consumer spending rises 0.8%

AMERICANS increased their spending in September at twice the rate their income rose, a sign of confidence in the economy.

The Commerce Department says consumer spending increased 0.8 per cent in September, the best showing since February.

Personal income rose 0.4 per cent, an improvement from a slight 0.1 per cent gain in August and the best gain since March.

A pickup in consumer spending helped lift economic growth in the July-September quarter to a still-modest 2.0 per cent annual rate.

The economy had grown at a 1.3 per cent rate in the April-June period.

The slight acceleration in growth is seen as encouraging, but economists are still worried the economy is stuck in a slow-growth rut.

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Wharfies to rally for safer ports

MARITIME workers are set to rally at ports across Australia to protest against industry inaction on safety issues following the death of a NSW wharfie.

Members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) will demonstrate on Tuesday calling for the introduction of a national safety code.

It comes after Greg Fitzgibbon, 56, was crushed by 20 tonnes of aluminium he was lifting while working for Newcastle Stevedores on the Chinese-owned, Bahamas-registered Weaver Arrow on September 23.

A day later, major employers such as Patricks, Qube and DP World blocked a stevedoring code of practice, which the MUA says would have improved safety standards.

"Tragically, we saw the reality of the danger of working on Australian wharves just last month," MUA assistant national secretary Warren Smith said.

"Despite the tragic death of Greg Fitzgibbon, Qube, Patricks and DP World seem to think it's acceptable to drag their heels on workplace safety."

Mr Smith said working on the Australian waterfront was dangerous, but "these companies simply refuse to behave reasonably".

Mr Smith said the union would continue to campaign until Australian wharfies received "the highest possible standard of safety".

As part of the coordinated national protest, MUA members from Newcastle, Port Kembla and Sydney will march through Sydney CBD to Shipping Australia from 11.30am (AEDT).

Mr Fitzgibbon's death was the second at Newcastle's docks in ten days.

A 55-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest and died on board the Sage Sagittarius cargo ship, docked at Newcastle Port, on September 14.

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Setback for Ukraine democracy: observers

ELECTION observers say democracy in Ukraine has suffered a setback in legislative polls marked by the absence of the jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

"Considering the abuse of power, and the excessive role of money in this election, democratic progress appears to have reversed in Ukraine," said OSCE special co-ordinator Walburga Habsburg Douglas. "One should not have to visit a prison to hear from leading political figures in the country."

President Viktor Yanukovych's ruling Regions Party led Sunday's ballot with 35 per cent of the vote against the 22 per cent collected by the Tymoshenko alliance, partial results said based on half the precincts reporting.

The 2004 Orange Revolution leader missed the polls because of a seven-year jail sentence she was given last October on abuse of office charges that both Tymoshenko and Western governments view as a vendetta by the president.

An unusually firmly phrased OSCE report noted that the Verkhovna Rada vote was "characterised by the lack of a level playing field, caused primarily by the abuse of administrative resources, lack of transparency of campaign and party financing, and lack of balanced media coverage".

"Certain aspects of the pre-election period constituted a step backwards compared with recent national elections," the OSCE report said.

The report also remarked on a voting process that "was not always transparent" and cases where ballot tabulation could not be fairly monitored - the case in about a third of the polling stations visited by observers.

"Ukrainians deserved better from these elections. The 'oligarchisation' of the whole process meant that citizens lost their ownership of the election, as well as their trust in it," said Andreas Gross of the accompanying Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) delegation.

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Education will boost Asia links: Swan

EDUCATION and personal links and flexible leadership will boost relationships between Australian and Asia, Treasurer Wayne Swan says.

Mr Swan will tell a delegation of China's up and coming leaders in Canberra on Tuesday that Australia's Asian century white paper is a major planning document that lays down an "ambitious roadmap" for the nation's engagement with Asia over the coming decade and beyond.

"It also provides a set of pathways to ensure we have the domestic policy settings and skills we need to advance our strong links with Asia and, of course, with China," the treasurer says.

Mr Swan's talk to the China Advance Leadership program is the first time the federal government has had the chance to sell its message directly to foreign counterparts since the paper was released on Sunday.

He will tell the group the immense scale and pace of China's transformation, along with the rise of other countries in the region, is going to see Asia achieve some incredible milestones in the years ahead.

Mr Swan talks up Australia's economic growth, low unemployment, contained inflation, low interest rates, sound public finances and very large investment pipeline.

But he says for Australia to harness the opportunities that are emerging in the Asian region, it will need to build on capabilities and improve links with Asia across government, business and the broader community.

"Education and people-to-people links are an integral part to gaining deeper connections, be they economic, political, social or cultural," he says.

"More Australian students will be exposed to studies of Asia across the curriculum, and have opportunities to study overseas as part of their studies."

Mr Swan says the white paper has many pathways for government action, but also proposes action for the private sector and for the broader Australian community.

"Because the Asian century will depend as much on the private sector and the broader community's willingness to adapt and transform as it will on governments," he says.

"Education can help us here. But establishing robust people-to-people links will also play a large role.

"In many ways, the China Advanced Leadership Program is exactly the kind of pathway the white paper is describing."

Mr Swan says the leadership of their respective countries have built a firm foundation for strengthening that relationship well into this century and beyond.

"The Asian century is the time for our countries - China, New Zealand and Australia - to build prosperity and spread opportunities together," he says.

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UK, Pakistani, UAE ministers visit Malala

PAKISTAN'S interior minister and the foreign ministers of Britain and the UAE have visited the English hospital treating shot Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, Britain's Foreign Office says.

The ministry says the trio also met with the father of 15-year-old Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban earlier this month as punishment for campaigning for girls' education in an attack that shocked the world.

She was flown from Pakistan on October 15 for treatment at a specialist hospital in Birmingham, central England, in an air ambulance provided by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"I visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham today to inquire after the health of Malala and to convey messages of good health and best wishes on behalf of the government and the whole Pakistani nation," Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Monday.

"We are grateful to the hospital authorities, especially the doctors treating Malala, for taking care of her in a most professional manner. As a result, she has made very good recovery in the past few days."

He expressed gratitude to Britain and the UAE for their support for Malala, who needs reconstructive surgery after a bullet grazed her brain, coming within centimetres of killing her.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "Malala's swift and full recovery is our absolute priority. But we are also determined to do all we can to champion education for women and girls in Pakistan.

"The people of Pakistan have paid a high price from terrorism and extremism. We will stand by all those who, like Malala, are courageously defending the rights of women, in Pakistan and around the world."

The UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan, said his government had provided assistance because its citizens were "appalled" by the attack on Malala.

"She is in our prayers," he said. "Malala's courage inspires us to reinforce our commitment to rejecting ideologies rooted in intolerance and extremism."

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Woman adopts Bond babe names

A BRITISH woman has changed her name by deed poll to become officially known by the combined monikers of 14 Bond girls.

The barmaid, formerly Emma-Louise Hodges, 28, is now "Miss Pussy Galore Honey Rider Solitaire Plenty O'Toole May Day Xenia Onatopp Holly Goodhead Tiffany Case Kissy Suzuki Mary Goodnight Jinx Johnson Octopussy Domino Moneypenny".

Quite a mouthful, reports British tabloid The Sun.

As the latest James Bond film, Skyfall, is released in Britain, the brunette love interest wannabe spoke of her decision to change names.

"I've always thought how great it would be to be a Bond girl - and now I am," Miss Moneypenny said.

"I've always admired actresses like Honor Blackman and Ursula Andress - and the innuendo of some names has always made me giggle.

"I'm hoping it can mean I can find my own suave James Bond."

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SMS texts remind women of check-up

AUSTRALIAN women are being encouraged to sign up for regular text message reminders to screen for warning signs of cervical cancer.

The Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation is launching an SMS messaging service to remind women to have a pap smear test every two years.

Ninety per cent of women who die from cervical cancer have not had regular pap tests, the foundation's chief executive Joe Tooma said.

He said about 43 per cent of women do not have the recommended two-yearly pap test.

GPs send regular postal reminders to women but Mr Tooma said a text messaging service could be more reliable for women who move house or change doctors.

"Anecdotally, we know people tend to keep their mobile phone number for a long time, so we believe sending them an SMS reminder will be a powerful tool in the fight against cervical cancer," he said.

The foundation will also encourage women to wear orange and get together with their sisters and female friends for the inaugural Sister's Day on November 8, which will be held every year on the same day as the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival's Oaks Day.

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Mild tsunami disrupts life in Hawaii

A MILD tsunami has hit Hawaii after a powerful earthquake off the west coast of Canada, forcing a state-wide evacuation but apparently failing to cause major damage.

Television images from the island of Oahu showed relatively small waves peacefully rolling toward shore.

Shortly after, forecasters lifted a tsunami warning issued in the wake of the quake.

"Based on all available data the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at the advisory level and not expected to increase," the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announced.

The centre warned, however, that sea level changes and strong currents could still occur and present a hazard for swimmers and boaters.

"The threat may continue for several hours," the centre cautioned.

Highways and roads in coastal areas were reopened, allowing thousands of residents and hundreds of tourists to return to their homes and hotel rooms.

But the tsunami, set off by a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck off the west coast of Canada, succeeded in disrupting the weekend activities of many tourists and residents.

Countless Halloween parties were interrupted, restaurants, bars and movie theatres emptied, and highways quickly filled with cars heading away from beach areas.

Tourists from Waikiki to Turtle Bay in Honolulu were evacuated to higher floors in their hotels, and major tourist centres looked abandoned for several hours.

Governor Neil Abercrombie declared a state of emergency when the first alert was sounded and kept it in force.

"We are taking a wait-and-see approach - we want everyone to be safe," said the governor's spokesperson, Donalyn Dela Cruz.

Initially, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no "destructive widespread tsunami threat" after the 7.7 magnitude quake shook the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of Canada.

But later it issued a warning, saying a tsunami had been generated by the earthquake and that it was headed toward Hawaii.

The epicentre of the Canadian quake, which occurred at 8.04pm on Saturday (1404 AEDT on Sunday) was located 139 kilometres south of the town of Masset, the US Geological Survey said.

Numerous aftershocks, some as strong as magnitude 4.6, followed the initial quake.

Emergency officials in British Columbia urged residents in low-lying coastal areas to be alert to instructions from local officials and be prepared to move to higher ground.

"The tsunami alarm went off and everybody went to the evacuation site," Danny Escott, owner of the Escott Sportfishing lodge near Masset, said by telephone.

But officials in Canada sought to calm the population.

Natural Resources Canada said in a statement that the quake was felt across much of north-central British Columbia, including Haida Gwaii as the Queen Charlotte Islands are also called, Prince Rupert, Quesnel and Houston.

But the ministry also played down the effects on Canada, saying: "There have been no reports of damage at this time."

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Berlusconi 'obliged' to stay in politics

FORMER Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said he felt "obliged" to stay in politics to reform the justice system, the day after he was found guilty of tax fraud and sentenced to a year in prison.

"There are going to be consequences," he told TG5, one of the television stations he owns, after branding Friday's verdict an "intolerable" political ruling.

"I feel obliged to stay in the (political) field to reform the planet justice," he said.

The 76-year-old three-time premier had announced on on Wednesday that he would not run in the next election due in the spring but did not say he was withdrawing completely from political life.

"I will not be presenting my candidacy but I will remain at the side of younger people who can play and score goals," he said.

Two days later he was sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud, a term reduced to one year thanks to an amnesty, and banned from holding public office for five years.

Berlusconi's reaction was defiant.

"This is an incredible and intolerable political sentence. This is no doubt a political verdict, as political as all trials fabricated against me," he said.

The sentence will not come into effect until appeals have been heard by two higher courts. By that time the statute of limitations will probably have kicked in.

His lawyers have said they will file an appeal next month.
 

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EU lawmakers cancel Iran visit in row

A VISIT to Iran by five Euro MPs has been called off after Tehran refused to let them meet with a jailed activist lawyer and a filmmaker, just a day after the two were awarded a prestigious European human rights prize.

"The five MEPs were about to leave for Tehran when delegation chair (Tarja) Cronberg received a phone call from the Iranian ambassador to the EU, saying they would not be allowed to meet with the two Sakharov Prize winners," jailed lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and filmmaker Jafar Panahi, a European Parliament source said.

Sotoudeh, 47, who is serving an 11-year jail sentence for conspiring against state security, and Panahi, 52, who is under house arrest and has been banned from making films for 20 years, were awarded the 2012 Sakharov Prize on Friday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejected any pre-conditions. Therefore this visit has been cancelled," the Young Journalists Club, an affiliate of the state broadcaster, reported on its website.

The ISNA news agency quoted Hossein Sheikholeslam, international affairs adviser to the speaker of parliament, as saying Iran had "rejected a pre-condition set by the European parliamentary delegation to meet with two prisoners".

"If the delegation agrees to visit Iran under the initially agreed conditions and agenda, then there is no objection to the visit... But we cannot accept the current pre-condition."

Iran has cracked down on both since its disputed June 2009 presidential election.

Sotoudeh is a leading human rights campaigner known for her work as a lawyer representing opposition activists, while Panahi has been acclaimed at international festivals for his gritty, socially critical movies.

The human rights and democracy prize "is a message of solidarity and recognition to a woman and a man who have not been bowed by fear and intimidation and who have decided to put the fate of their country before their own," Parliament President Martin Schulz said on Friday.

Schulz had also warned the visit would be cancelled if the delegation was unable to meet Sotoudeh and Panahi.

The rights award comes on the heels of tough new European Union sanctions against Iran aimed at forcing a breakthrough in talks between global powers and Tehran on its disputed nuclear program.

After a biting oil embargo took effect in July, EU foreign ministers last week tightened the economic noose by targeting dealings with Iran's banks, shipping and gas imports.

The last visit by a European parliamentary delegation to Iran was in 2007.

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