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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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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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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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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Flood evacuations in Catholic shrine town

FRENCH rescue services and police are evacuating hundreds of pilgrims from hotels threatened by floodwaters from a rain-swollen river in the Roman Catholic shrine town of Lourdes.

Lourdes' grotto is said to be the site where the Virgin Mary appeared to a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette in 1858. Officials say the town draws about 6 million visitors a year.

A spokesman for the Lourdes sanctuary said the grotto itself was under 1.5 metres of water after the Gave River overran its banks. Visits were temporarily suspended.

Regional government spokesman Anatole Puiseux said about 500 people were being evacuated from riverside hotels and more rain was forecast for later on Saturday.

The shrine has special meaning for the suffering, many of whom believe its spring water can heal and even work miracles.

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Car bomb rips through Beirut

LEBANON'S state-run news agency says a massive blast in east Beirut was caused by a car bomb and that there are casualties.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw bloodied people being helped into ambulances and heavy damage to what appeared to be residential buildings in the mostly Christian Achrafieh neighborhood.

The motive behind the blast was 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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Three arrested for bar killings, fire

DENVER police say three people have been arrested in connection with the killing of five people at a bar that was then set on fire to hide the crime.

Police say the motive was robbery.

An officer on routine patrol around 2am Wednesday saw that Fero's Bar & Grill about five miles south of downtown Denver was on fire.

Inside, firefighters found the bodies of one man and four women, including Young Fero, the bar owner.

Police Commander Ronald Saunier says the suspects went to the bar to rob it before closing time, but he didn't go into details about how it turned into a murder case.

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Govt needs to act on working hours: union

THE NSW government should investigate the impact of longer working hours on the mental health and productivity of the state's workforce, Unions NSW says.

The state's peak union body says with 25 per cent of full-time workers doing more than 50 hours work per week, a government taskforce should be set up to examine the issue.

Secretary Mark Lennon says the health effects of longer working hours should be a major concern for the O'Farrell government.

"Sadly, the eight hour day has become a distant memory for a vast swathe of the NSW workforce," Mr Lennon said in a statement on Friday.

"The reality is that long hours are of no benefit to anyone, they increase stress and mental illness and eat away at productivity."

He said international research showed long working hours were impacting on the productivity and mental health of the workforce.

A cut back in excessive hours would help reduce compensation claims and workplace injuries, he added.

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Drive-by shooting in Sydney's west

A MAN shot in the thigh on Thursday night could have been injured in a drive-by shooting earlier this evening in Sydney's west, police say.

In a statement, police said they received reports of shots being fired in Garnett Street, Merrylands, just before 8pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

They said they suspected the shots were fired as part of a drive-by shooting.

About an hour later, a man, believed to be in his 20s, turned up at Auburn Hospital with a gunshot wound to his thigh, police said.

The man is in a stable condition and police are trying to ascertain whether he was shot in the incident at Merrylands.

Police have seized several bullet casings at the scene of the shooting.

They are currently interviewing local residents in an attempt to identify witnesses.

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March to protest violence against women

MELBOURNE residents are invited to take part in a night march on Saturday, protesting against violence and harassment towards women in the same area where Melbourne women Jill Meagher went missing.

Organisers of the Reclaim the Night march have organised the event in Sydney Road, Brunswick, where Ms Meagher disappeared last month.

Ms Meagher, 29, was killed in the early hours of September 22 during a short walk home after drinks with friends, triggering widespread public outrage.

The ABC radio employee was farewelled at a private funeral earlier this month.

Event co-organiser Natalie Pestana said the long-running march, which happens globally, is a statement that women should have the right to feel safe walking in public areas and not have to live in fear.

"We should be able to walk down the street without getting harassed," she said.

Ms Pestana said women also should not have to shoulder any blame if they encounter a violent or dangerous situation.

"When things happen to them, they should not be blamed," she said.

"Just because we're women, we get victim blamed."

The march will begin at 7pm (AEDT) on Saturday at the corner of Barkly Street and Sydney Road.

Adrian Ernest Bayley, 41, of Coburg, has been charged with Ms Meagher's rape and murder and is due to appear at a committal mention early next year.

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