Egypt's Islamists rally for Morsi

Vast crowds have rallied in Cairo to protest a draft constitution seen as undermining freedoms. Source: AAP

ISLAMISTS have rallied in support of President Mohamed Morsi's new expanded powers and the drafting of a contested charter, in a clear show of Egypt's deepening polarisation.

The demonstration on Saturday in the heart of Cairo comes a day after tens of thousands of Morsi opponents converged on Tahrir Square to protest against the president's decree and the speedy adoption of the draft constitution.

The charter has taken centre stage in the country's worst political crisis since Morsi's election in June, setting largely Islamist forces against more secular opponents.

It is expected to go to a popular referendum within two weeks.

Members of the constituent assembly were due to hand Morsi at 4pm (1am AEDT Sunday) the final draft of the constitution adopted after a marathon overnight session on Thursday that was boycotted by liberals, seculars and Christians.

By mid-morning, hundreds of pro-Morsi demonstrators, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood, on whose ticket Morsi ran for office, and other hardline Salafist groups gathered at Cairo University, with riot police on standby and roadblocks in place.

"The Muslim Brotherhood supports President Morsi's decisions," read a banner carried by Islamists who chanted, "The people want the implementation of God's law".

The Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters have branded the opposition as enemies of the revolution that toppled long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Across the Nile river, hundreds of protesters camping out in Tahrir Square since Morsi issued a decree expanding his powers were expected to be joined by more demonstrators throughout the day.

The National Rescue Front a coalition of opponents, has called on Egyptians to "reject the illegitimate" decree and the "void" draft constitution, and stressed the public's right "to use any peaceful method to protest including a general strike and civil disobedience".

The crisis was sparked when Morsi issued the decree on November 22 giving himself sweeping powers and placing his decisions beyond judicial review, provoking mass protests and a judges' strike.

Amnesty International said the draft "raises concerns about Egypt's commitment to human rights treaties", specifically ignoring "the rights of women (and) restricting freedom of expression in the name of religion".

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Manila slams China's plans to board ships

THE Philippines has denounced Chinese plans to search ships sailing through what Beijing says is its territory in the South China Sea in the latest irritant between the countries.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday that the plans should be condemned by the international community because they violate maritime domains of countries in the region and impede freedom of navigation.

Chinese state media announced the plans, saying southern Hainan province, which Beijing says administers the South China Sea, had approved laws giving its police the right to search vessels that pass through the waters.

Last week the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and India protested against a map on a new Chinese passport that depicts disputed areas as belonging to China.

The Philippine statement said it wants Beijing to "immediately clarify its reported plans to interdict ships that enter what it considers its territory in the South China Sea".

It said Manila was concerned that ships entering waters claimed by China, which is "virtually the entire South China Sea ... can be boarded, inspected, detained, confiscated, immobilised and expelled, among other punitive actions".

China's action will be "illegal and will validate the continuous and repeated pronouncements by the Philippines that China's claim of indisputable sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea is not only an excessive claim but a threat to all countries", the statement said.

The maritime territorial disputes include the Spratly Islands over which China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have conflicting claims. The Spratlys chain is believed to sit atop rich oil and gas reserves and straddles one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

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Syrian army moves to secure Damascus

Clashes have raged near Damascus airport, as members of the Friends of Syria group meet in Tokyo. Source: AAP

THE Syrian army has shelled the outskirts of Damascus in a drive to establish a secure perimeter around the capital, including the key airport road that has come under sustained rebel attack.

The 27-kilometre highway remained perilous a day after troops said they had reopened the key link to the outside world in heavy fighting that followed repeated deadly fire on a bus carrying airport staff and at least two attacks on UN convoys, a watchdog said.

The fighting on Saturday sparked mounting expressions of concern from UN officials.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the conflict had reached "appalling heights of brutality". UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Syria was in danger of becoming a "failed state" if a political settlement was not reached soon.

The army shelled both the southwestern outskirts of the capital and the town of Douma in the northeastern suburbs, human rights monitors and opposition activists said.

Douma forms part of the so-called Eastern Ghouta region where troops have gone on the offensive to secure the airport highway.

Analysts say President Bashar al-Assad's regime has been trying to establish a secure perimeter around Damascus at all costs in a bid to be in a position to negotiate a solution to the 20-month conflict.

The repeated firing on the airport road prompted the cancellation of a string of international flights.

Airport officials said flights had resumed on Friday, but a military source acknowledged more heavy fighting lay ahead to fully secure the road.

Traffic resumed after the army cleared rebels from the western side of the highway and part of the eastern side on Friday.

"But the most difficult part is yet to come," the military official said. "The army wants to take control of the eastern side, where there are thousands of terrorists and this will take several days."

Shelling and fighting between troops and rebels also rocked Syria's second city Aleppo on Saturday, scene of urban warfare for more than four months, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Also, clashes were reported in the central city of Homs, dubbed by activists "the capital of the revolution".

In the east, troops re-entered the Al-Omar oilfield, three days after pulling out, the Observatory said.

"Despite Thursday's pullout, rebels did not enter the oilfield for fear that it was mined," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The oilfield is one of the regime's last positions east of the city of Deir Ezzor. Rebels last week seized a huge swathe of territory stretching from the city to the Iraqi border, the largest in Syria outside government control.

Early last month, the rebels seized control of the Al-Ward oilfield, the first it had captured. The army has since also lost control of the Al-Jofra oilfield and the Conoco gas reserves, according to the Observatory.

Syria's oil and gas production is now largely for domestic consumption as a result of embargoes on its exports by its biggest pre-conflict customers. But rebel activity has also taken a mounting toll on output.

Violence nationwide killed at least 122 people on Friday, including 73 civilians and 22 fighters from neighbouring Lebanon, the Observatory said, bringing to more than 41,000 the number killed since the uprising erupted in March 2011.

UN chief Ban predicted that Syrian refugee numbers would surge to more than 700,000 by next month as more civilians fled the fighting in residential areas, up from 480,000 now.

Peace envoy Brahimi warned the intensifying conflict could see "the state and its institutions withering away, lawlessness spreading, warlordism, banditry, narcotics, arms smuggling and worst of all the ugly face of communal and sectarian strife take hold of Syria".

Google and Twitter said that they had reactivated a voice-tweet program, last used in 2011 when the internet was shut down in Egypt during its revolution, to allow Syrians affected by an internet shutdown to get messages out.

Most phones and internet networks were down for a second straight day on Friday, the Observatory said.

Syrian authorities blamed maintenance work. Washington accused Damascus of deliberately cutting communications.

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Man arrested after Darwin navy boat raid

POLICE believe a number of people were involved in a conspiracy to steal weapons from a navy patrol boat during a midnight raid in Darwin.

A dozen semi-automatic pistols and two pump-action shotguns were stolen from the armoury of the Armidale-class patrol boat Bathurst at midnight (CST) on Thursday, while it was moored at HMAS Coonawarra, near the city centre.

A duty sailor on board was overpowered during the robbery, assaulted and then restrained with cable ties.

Following an "around the clock" investigation into the robbery, Northern Territory police surrounded a unit in Darwin city about 2.30pm (CST) on Saturday.

A 40-year-old man tried to run from the area, but was captured and taken into custody nearby, Commander Richard Bryson, of the NT Police, said.

He said all 14 weapons were recovered at the unit, however police were still investigating what the man's involvement in the robbery was.

"We have a number of avenues of inquiry to go (on)," Cmdr Bryson told reporters on Saturday.

"The police force need to establish whether this person received the weapons or if he is one of the principal offenders.

"It would appear a number of people have conspired."

Cmdr Bryson said it appears several people were involved in the patrol boat raid, the ABC reported.

"Investigators will continue those investigations until all persons that had a hand in that conspiracy have been brought to justice," he said.

No charges have yet been laid and investigations are continuing.

Cmdr Bryson said he was happy to have the patrol boat's weapons removed from the streets.

"I commend all the officers involved with this investigation for working around the clock to achieve such a positive outcome," he said on Saturday.

On Friday, police said a person, allegedly wearing a balaclava and military clothing, boarded the patrol boat.

Cmdr Bryson told reporters on Friday that it appeared the intruder had good knowledge of the layout of the vessel and Australian Defence Force (ADF) procedures.

Navy chief Vice Admiral Ray Griggs has ordered an investigation of the security at Australia's fleet of ships and bases around the country in response to the theft.

Another five firearms were stolen from a business at Berrimah, near Darwin, about 5.30am on Friday after a shop's gun safe was broken into, but police have not identified any link between the two thefts as yet.

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North Korea to test long-range rocket soon

NORTH Korea says it will launch a long-range rocket between December 10 and 22, a move likely to heighten already strained relations with the US and South Korea, where a presidential election will be held on December 19.

This would be North Korea's second launch attempt under leader Kim Jong Un, who took power after his father Kim Jong Il's death nearly a year ago.

The announcement comes several weeks after US President Barack Obama was elected to a second term and before his public inauguration on January 21.

Washington considers North Korea's rocket tests to be veiled covers for tests of long-range missile technology banned by the United Nations.

An unnamed spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology said North Korea had "analysed the mistakes" made in a failed April launch and improved the precision of the rocket and satellite, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The April launch broke up shortly after lift-off, but quickly drew condemnation from the UN, Washington, Seoul and other capitals.

North Korea's statement said a rocket carrying a polar-orbiting Earth observation satellite will blast off southward from its northwest coastal space centre.

The US has criticised North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles as a threat to Asian and world security.

Under its young leader North Korea has pledged to bolster its nuclear arsenal unless Washington scraps what Pyongyang calls a hostile policy.

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'No support' for tough climate deal

THE United Nations climate chief is urging people not to look solely to their governments to make tough decisions to slow global warming, and instead to consider their own role in solving the problem.

Approaching the half-way point of two-week climate talks in Doha, Christiana Figueres, the head of the U.N.'s climate change secretariat, said she didn't see "much public interest, support, for governments to take on more ambitious and more courageous decisions."

Ms Figueres said "each one of us needs to assume responsibility. It's not just about domestic governments."

Her comments came as negotiators from nearly 200 countries were struggling to prepare draft agreements on how to move forward on greenhouse emissions cuts and climate aid for poor countries.

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Low-paid workers to get pay increase

EDS: not for release before 0001 (AEDT) Saturday December 1

SYDNEY, Nov 30 AAP - In what is being hailed as an important step towards ending the discrepancies between men's and women's wages, 30,000 low-paid social workers will receive pay increases.

After a ruling from Fair Work Australia, the commonwealth, ACT and NSW governments have committed to funding the pay increase.

Extra funds from government will help make up the 18 per cent average gap between men's and women's wages, Australia Services Union NSW and ACT secretary Sally McManus said.

"Finally funding these increases shows that our governments are serious about equal pay for our workers," she said in a statement.

The increases for social, community and disability sector workers will begin on Saturday.

Ms McManus said the pay increases will make a huge difference in the lives of those who look after society's most vulnerable.

"They're the people who look after our homeless, who support people with disabilities and the people families in crisis turn to," she said.

"It's fantastic to see these workers finally getting the recognition they deserve."

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Syria rebels 'using children in battle'

HUMAN Rights Watch has accused the Syrian opposition of using young boys to serve as fighters, guards and lookouts in the brutal conflict with regime forces.

"Children as young as 14 have served in at least three opposition brigades, transporting weapons and supplies and acting as lookouts," the New York-based watchdog said.

"Children as young as 16 have carried arms and taken combat roles against government forces."

It called on rebel commanders to make public commitments to end this practice and to forbid anyone under 18 from serving in military roles, regardless of whether they volunteer.

"All eyes are on the Syrian oppositiPriyanka Motaparthyon to prove they're trying to protect children from bullets and bombs, rather than placing them in danger," said , children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

HRW interviewed five boys between 14 and 16 who said they had worked with the armed opposition.

"Majid," a 16-year-old boy from Homs, told HRW that he received combat training and had participated in missions in Syria along with his older brother.

"The job you have depends on you," he said. "If you have a brave heart, they'll send you to fight checkpoints."

"Haitham" and "Qassim," two sixteen-year-old boys from Daraa province currently living in Jordan, said they had voluntarily joined a local brigade.

"(The Free Syrian Army) is accepting people from 16 and up," Haitham said.

"Raed," 14, transported weapons and other supplies for rebels across the Turkish border at their request.

"All of the kids were helping like this," he said.

At least 17 children have been killed while fighting alongside the FSA, according to the Syria Violations Documenting Centre, an opposition monitoring group. Many others have been severely wounded and some permanently disabled.

In August, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria issued a report in which it expressed concern over reports of children under 18 fighting and performing auxiliary roles for opposition groups.

"The commission received assurances from (FSA chief) Colonel Riad al-Asaad that an FSA policy not to use children in combat is in place. There is evidence to suggest, however, that this policy is not uniformly being adhered to by the FSA and other anti-Government armed groups," it said.

HRW found that refugee boys in neighbouring countries remain vulnerable to recruitment and participation under pressure from older men, including FSA fighters on leave.

"We've watched men urge boys to support the FSA and join the fight," Ms Motaparthy said.

"Particularly when their older family members fight with armed opposition groups, or have been killed by regime forces, boys can face pressure to pick up weapons and fight back, sometimes even at very young ages."

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Senate passes Malaysia free trade deal

THE Senate has passed legislation to create stronger trade ties with Malaysia through a new free trade agreement.

Senators on Thursday approved legislation to implement the agreement, which will lead to almost all Australian goods being able to enter Malaysia free of import duties.

The Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement would guarantee tariff-free entry for 97.6 per cent of recent goods exported from Australia after it comes into force. It would rise to 99 per cent by 2017.

Malaysian exporters would enjoy duty-free entry to the Australian market.

The coalition backed this legislation with Shadow Attorney General George Brandis saying it dated back to 2005 when the former Howard coalition government launched negotiations.

He said Malaysia was Australia's third largest trading partner in ASEAN and 10th largest partner overall with exports of $5 billion and imports of $9.1 billion in 2011-12.

"Prominent Australian industries are set to benefit from this new trade agreement with Malaysia including the Australian dairy industry," he told the Senate.

Senator Brandis said other Australian industries set to gain from the trade agreement include the local automotive sector, wine, agriculture including sugar, wheat and rice, plastics, processed foods, chemical and a range of manufactured goods.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon said he queried why Australia was interested in free trade with Malaysia but not in promoting democracy.

"There is no question that Malaysia is an important trading partner. But we must be listening to all sides of Malaysian politics," he said.

"The passage of this free trade agreement should be, must be, conditional on our support of free and fair elections in Malaysia."

Greens leader Christine Milne said the greens had a longstanding position that free trade agreements were not what they were cracked up to be.

"No matter how efficient an Australian farmer, they cannot compete against farmers in other economies if farmers in other economies don't have to bear the cost of compliance with environmental laws and standards or compliance with labour standards," she said.

"We cannot have free trade agreements in the future unless they take those things into account."

The Senate passed the Customs Amendment (Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation and Other Measures) Bill 2012 and the Customs Tariff Amendment (Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2012.

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European stocks rebound on US optimism

EUROPEAN stocks have rallied, mirroring gains elsewhere, on optimism over talks aimed at avoiding a so-called fiscal cliff in the United States, and after upbeat unemployment data in Germany.

In late morning deals on Thursday, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index won 0.92 per cent to 5,855.57 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 added 0.71 per cent to 7,395.68 points and the Paris CAC 40 climbed 1.05 per cent to 3,552.09.

Madrid's IBEX 35 index soared by 1.30 per cent to 7,938.70 points, rebounding from losses the previous day following heavy job cuts at Spanish nationalised lender Bankia.

The European single currency advanced to $US1.2986 from $US1.2939 late in New York on Wednesday. On the London Bullion Market, gold prices rose to $US1,724.07 an ounce from $US1,708 on Wednesday.

The V2X indicator which measures volatility on the Eurostoxx 50 index of the 50 biggest quoted companies in the eurozone fell to the lowest level since 2007, before the collapse of Lehman Brothers marked the beginning of the financial crisis.

Asian markets mostly tracked Wall Street higher on Thursday after House of Representatives speaker John Boehner said on Wednesday he was optimistic of a fiscal deal between his Republicans and their bitter Democratic rivals.

President Barack Obama also said he expected a solution would be found before Christmas to avert the "fiscal cliff" of automatic taxation hikes and spending cuts that will be activated on January 1 if they fail to reach agreement.

"The mood changed dramatically yesterday after John Boehner and President Obama expressed optimism that a deal could be reached," said analyst Fawad Razaqzada at trading firm GFT Markets.

European sentiment was also boosted on Thursday by official data showing that Germany's jobless total rose 5000 in November from October. That beat forecasts of a 15,000 gain, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

"The number ... is definitely good news, especially if we bear in mind the estimate was much higher," said trader Anita Paluch at Gekko Global Markets.

London's indices gained support also after British engineering firm Invensys agreed to sell its rail signalling division to German industrial giant Siemens for STG1.742 billion ($A2.68 billion), sparking speculation over a potential takeover.

Invensys added in London late on Wednesday that it would return STG625 million to shareholders, or about 76 pence per share. The firm will also place STG250 million in reserve, while the remainder will address a group pension deficit.

In reaction on Thursday, Invensys shares rocketed by 9.61 per cent to 306.90 pence on London's second-tier FTSE 250 index, which was 0.87 per cent higher at 11,994.50 points.

"We suspect it may be only be a matter of time before Invensys is acquired once the sale to Siemens is completed - likely around May 2013," noted RBC Capital Markets analyst Andrew Carter.

"The disposal of rail leaves Invensys more focused on automation and eliminates the UK defined benefit pension net deficit, thereby removing two major obstacles for potential acquirers."

Siemens stock added 0.76 per cent to 79.54 euros in Frankfurt deals.

Kingfisher shares slid 1.48 per cent to 276.45 pence after Europe's biggest home-improvements retailer posted weak third-quarter profits and sales, hit by adverse foreign exchange moves and a poor performance in France.

In Paris, shares in construction engineering group Eiffage rose by 7.40 per cent to 29.61 euros, to show a rise of nearly 60 per cent this year, mainly for technical reasons because the price had breached a key level and because of year-end book dressing by investors.

Traders were later on Thursday to digest the latest estimate of US economic growth for the third quarter of the year.

New York stocks had churned higher on Wednesday, spurred by encouraging remarks by politicians over the fiscal talks.

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