Santa marathon attracts six thousand

AROUND 6000 people dressed as Santa Claus and his elves have run a "mini-marathon" through the streets of Madrid to promote festive cheer as the country tries to emerge from a two-year recession.

While grown-ups dressed in red costumes with wispy white beards, children donned green elf outfits to run the 5.5 kilometre course on Saturday through the city centre.

The race was organised by one of Spain's leading department stores and it contributed one euro ($A1.55) for each entrant to a charity that buys Christmas presents for deprived children around the world.

Javier Menendez, one of the runners, said he was surprised at the number of people who have donned the robes for the run.

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Severe fire danger for Perth prompts ban

THE heatwave gripping much of Western Australia has prompted bushfire warnings for much of the state and a total fire ban in Perth.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has issued severe fire danger advices for Sunday for the Central West, Upper Great Southern, and parts of the Central Wheatbelt, Pilbara and Perth and sourrounding areas.

With the mercury tipped to top 41C in Perth for the third day of the Ashes Test, a total fire ban has been issued for inland parts of the city and surrounding areas.

They include Armadale, Gosnells, Swan, Chittering, Gingin, Kalamunda, Mundaring, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Toodyay.

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Tas motorcycle crash kills two

Santa baby, don't cry

IT was as if the North Pole's blustery chill had swept through Highpoint Shopping Centre as children froze in the presence of their red-coated Christmas idol.

Lingerie girls take centre field

A BEVY of beautiful girls wowed a crowd of more than 3000 playing in low-cut bikini and briefs as lingerie football came to Melbourne.

Herman eyes Valentine's Day release

EXCLUSIVE: THE brute who left Maria Korp to die in a car boot, and who this year tried to marry her lesbian lover in jail, is ­eligible for release on Valentine's Day.

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Ferry runs aground in Baltic Sea

A FINNISH ferry operator says one of its Sweden-bound vessels is stuck on rocks in the Baltic Sea but none of the nearly 2000 passengers are injured or in any danger.

Viking Line says the M/S Amorella hit the rocks after a power failure on the ship on Saturday as it was on its way from the Finnish port of Turku to Stockholm with 1945 passengers.

In a statement, the operator said a minor leak has been found in a ballast tank but stressed the ship was not taking in water.

The Aland Islands, a group of semi-autonomous Finnish islands, are midway between the two port cities and the ferry was making a scheduled stop there.

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Berlin prosecutors investigate Nazi guard

A FORMER Nazi concentration camp guard living in Berlin is being investigated on suspicion of murder after authorities received a tip from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, prosecutors said.

The 87-year-old, identified only as Horst P., is alleged to have been involved in killings while serving as a guard at the Dachau camp near Munich, Berlin prosecutors' spokesman Martin Steltner said.

He refused to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Wiesenthal Centre's top Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff said information on the suspect came in after the organisation launched a poster campaign in Germany in July soliciting tips on the whereabouts of former guards and Nazis. He passed it on to Berlin prosecutors after confirming the suspect really had been a Dachau guard.

"We were informed that the case is being taken seriously, and we can only hope it will be expedited in an appropriate manner," Zuroff said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem.

Germany's Bild newspaper first reported the case, publishing an interview with the suspect Friday in which he is quoted as denying involvement in any killings.

But, he acknowledged, "when one of the criminals caused a disturbance I reported him, then he was picked up and taken to a special camp. Sometimes I never saw them again but I also never asked any questions."

German authorities are currently investigating about 30 former Auschwitz guards under new legal thinking that anyone who served in a death camp, whose sole purpose was to kill, can be prosecuted as accessories to murder.

That argument has not been successfully expanded to include guards at concentration camps like Dachau, where tens of thousands died but whose purpose was not solely killing.

In this case, that means that prosecutors will have to find sufficient evidence of a specific crime before they can file charges.

Zuroff would not give specific details on the information the Wiesenthal Centre received, but did say it was an "allegation of the commission of a serious crime."

In Bild's story, the newspaper printed a photo collage they said was on the wall of the man's apartment southeast of the German capital. It was labelled "Mein Kampf" - the same title as Adolf Hitler's notorious book - and included photos showing him in uniform.

He was also quoted as saying he joined the SS because he "was told that it was fun."

Steltner said it was not clear how Bild learned of the case, and Zuroff said the Wiesenthal Centre had been hoping not to publicise it until the investigation was farther along.

"The information did not come from us," Zuroff said. "I wanted to give the prosecutors a chance to do the right thing."

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Chinese economy faces 'downward pressure'

CHINESE leaders have warned that the world's second-largest economy faces "downward pressure" and called for boldness in carrying out promised reforms aimed at reviving slowing growth.

In a report issued after an annual planning meeting on Friday, the Communist Party cited an array of problems, possibly trying to stir urgency about carrying out sweeping reforms promised last month in a long-range development blueprint.

There was no immediate word on whether the meeting set a growth target for next year. Investors and analysts were watching to see whether the party would cut its target from this year's 7.5 per cent.

The statement cited a glut of unneeded production capacity in some industries, environmental degradation and concerns about the quality of food and drugs.

"We must clearly recognise there is downward pressure on the economy," the statement said. "The thoughts should be bold and the steps should be firm in carrying out reforms and the people should have real benefits."

Chinese leaders are under pressure to overhaul a growth model based on exports and investment that has run out of steam after delivering three decades of rapid growth.

The plan last month promised China's more dynamic entrepreneurs a bigger role but said state industry would remain the core of the economy, a move some analysts warn could drag on growth.

Economic growth declined over the past two years, hitting a two-decade low of 7.5 per cent in the three months ending in June before rebounding to 7.8 per cent in the latest quarter. Analysts have warned growth might slow again in the current quarter or early 2014.

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Buddhist relics stolen in Cambodia

CAMBODIAN officials say a golden urn containing what are considered to be remnants of Buddha's body has been stolen from its shrine near the capital.

Government spokesman Ek Tha said on Friday the relics have enormous religious and cultural significance for Cambodians.

"This relic has been respected by Buddhist followers for thousands of years," he said. "This theft cannot be accepted. The perpetrator and any associates who connived to commit such a crime must be prosecuted according to the law of Cambodia."

National Police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said the theft was discovered on Tuesday when a guard was woken by a barking dog and found the lock to the shrine's door had been damaged and the urn removed.

He said police questioned 13 of the shrine's guards and detained six as suspects, but that authorities had no information about the relics' location.

"We need more time to do the investigation," he said.

Ek Tha said the relics had been moved by late King Norodom Sihanouk in 2002 from Phnom Penh, the capital, to the mountain shrine in the former royal city of Udong in a ceremony attended by tens of thousands.

Several countries in Asia possess relics believed to come from the body of Buddha.

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Parliament keeps eye on post office talks

A PARLIAMENTARY committee will "keep a watching brief" on Australia Post's discussions with struggling Licensed Post Office (LPO) owners, with many fighting for survival.

In its interim report, the Senate inquiry noted there were "numerous issues" in Australia Post's relationship with post office owners.

Licensed owners have complained of having business poached by Australia Post, and of the financial viability of their agreement with the government-owned body.

"Evidence was given that many LPO operators are struggling to survive to the point where some off-site employment is undertaken to fund their operation," the report tabled in the Senate on Wednesday said.

"It is evident it has now become a fight for survival and must be considered a matter of urgency.

"To do nothing would put the future of hundreds of LPOs, principally in rural and regional areas, at risk."

The committee said it was "heartened" Australia Post was attempting to address concerns of licensed owners.

Chair of the committee, the Nationals John Williams, said the committee had agreed to keep a watching brief of the discussions.

It will release its final report by the end of March next year.

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Navy suspends three over Ballarat claims

Three sailors have been suspended over allegations of unacceptable behaviour on HMAS Ballarat. Source: AAP

THREE sailors have been suspended from duties and could face prosecution for unacceptable behaviour aboard HMAS Ballarat.

Defence force investigators boarded HMAS Ballarat in early November after a sailor made allegations of sexual assault against several members of the ship's company.

Defence issued an update on its investigations on Wednesday, saying there is a reasonable suspicion three members of HMAS Ballarat ship's company have committed serious service offences.

They have been suspended from duty.

"Similar to civilian criminal investigative processes, evidence gathered will now be referred for prosecutorial review," Defence said in its statement.

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said a separate administrative inquiry into "certain aspects" relating to the HMAS Ballarat allegations has commenced.

"This inquiry is being run ... to identify any broader procedural or cultural issues that may require further action by Navy," he said.

He reiterated that Navy did not tolerate unacceptable behaviour.

"It is inconsistent with its values and the behaviours," he said.

"Unacceptable behaviour by individuals damages our people and our effectiveness to conduct operations and achieve our mission," he said.

Defence said the director of military prosecutions may consider a range of actions against the three sailors, including laying charges and referral to the Registrar of Military Justice for consideration by a Service Tribunal, or referral for civilian prosecution.

Defence has not detailed the allegations.

But after the defence investigation was made public a former naval member claimed officers were "set upon, stripped off and had things essentially put in their bums".

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UN maintains Liberia sanctions

THE United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to maintain an arms embargo on Liberia, a travel ban on named individuals, and an asset freeze against former Liberian president Charles Taylor, his key allies and associated companies.

But a resolution adopted by the council on Tuesday asks the committee monitoring sanctions to review all those subject to the asset freeze within 90 days and determine whether they should still be subject to sanctions.

It also orders a review of all sanctions in six months "with a view to modifying or lifting all or part of the measures" depending on Liberia's progress toward disarming combatants, reforming its security sector, fully implementing a peace agreement, and maintaining stability throughout the country.

Liberia was battered by back-to-back civil wars from 1989 to 2003.

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Fire kills 16 at fruit market in China

AT least 16 people died and five were injured after a fire broke out at a wholesale fruit market in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, reports said.

The fire started early on Wednesday and spread over about 1,000 square metres of the Rongjian market in Shenzhen's Guangming district, before firefighters extinguished it 90 minutes later, local officials said.

Police were still investigating the cause of the fire and detained the manager of the market, identified only by the surname Xu, for questioning.

Many tenants of the market lived above their stalls, state media reported.

The 16 dead were from four stalls, and the youngest victim was two years old, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Zhang Xiaowei, a spokesman for the Shenzhen fire department, as saying.

The 145 firefighters initially struggled to stop the fire spreading because of low water pressure at the market, other reports said.

The area where the fire broke out opened in 2008 in buildings converted from disused factories.

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Surf race teen drowned but not knocked out

An autopsy on the body of surf life saving competitor Matthew Barclay shows he died from drowning. Source: AAP

AN autopsy conducted on teen surf life saving competitor Matthew Barclay shows he died from drowning, with no sign he was knocked out by his board.

Matthew died during an under-15 board race which went ahead at the 2012 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast after several other events had been abandoned because of the rough conditions.

The championships' under-15 area referee Jenny Kenny told the inquest into Matthew's death that the board race was originally going to be held on March 29.

However, Ms Kenny said event organisers decided on the morning of March 28 to hold the board race that day after postponing the swim, board rescue and tube races because of unfavourable conditions at Kurrawa Beach.

She said those events were postponed because of the size of the 1.5 metre waves and the fact they were breaking far from the shore, creating a longer course.

The board races were considered safer for the conditions on March 28, she said.

"It wasn't an event in which we could see that there were any inherent dangers for the competitors," Ms Kenny told the inquest in Brisbane on Tuesday.

On Monday an event jet ski operator told the inquest he saw a loose board on a collision course with the unresponsive teen and assumed he must have been hit.

However, forensic pathologist Dianne Little gave evidence on Tuesday that while Matthew died from drowning, there was no sign the 14-year-old suffered head trauma.

Dr Little said there were grazes on his head and body but on examination she found they were inflicted after he died and were probably caused by his body buffeting against the sea floor.

She could find no evidence of natural disease, and toxicology and biochemistry tests showed nothing.

The pathologist said Matthew's lungs showed signs of mild chronic asthma, but ruled out the condition as a cause of death.

"There was absolutely nothing I could find at the autopsy that could explain why he drowned," she said.

The inquest was adjourned on Tuesday to a date to be fixed to allow time for a Workplace Health and Safety report on Matthew's death to be finalised.

Coroner Terry Ryan accepted a request by the Barclay family to include the report in the probe.

Outside court, Matthew's father Stephen Barclay said the delay was in the best interests of everybody and he expected the report to take a couple of months.

Over one-and-a-half days of evidence, the inquest heard the surf at Kurrawa was "challenging" on March 28, with a strong rip and waves up to two metres.

Gold Coast lifeguards expressed concerns for the safety of younger competitors but Matthew's race went ahead at 3.27pm.

Two jet ski operators saw him being tossed about by the powerful swell but were unable to rescue him due to the rough conditions.

Searchers did not find his body until the following day.

Matthew was the third teen to die while competing at Kurrawa during the Australian titles since 1996.

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NRMA customers stuck after power outage

ABOUT 200 people are stuck in their cars waiting for assistance after the NRMA's telephone and dispatch system was brought down in a power outage.

Long delays are expected for those needing help with their cars after power failed at the insurance company's western Sydney call centre on Tuesday afternoon, spokesman Peter Khoury told AAP.

About 200 people are stranded and less than 80 are trying to contact the company.

"We will be working through the night to get to them," he told AAP.

The dispatch system is expected to return to normal by Wednesday morning, he said.

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Boat race pest wins appeal to stay in UK

Australian boat race protester Trenton Oldfield has won an appeal to stay in the UK. Source: AAP

BOAT race protester Trenton Oldfield has secured a victory over the British government that wanted to deport him while simultaneously declaring his family could never live in "racist" Australia.

Mr Oldfield on Monday successfully appealed against Home Secretary Theresa May's decision to kick him out of the country on the grounds that his presence was "not conducive to the public good".

Immigration tribunal Judge Kevin Moore, in overturning the deportation order, said Mr Oldfield was an asset to Britain.

"There is no doubt in my view to your character and commitment and the value you are to UK society generally," the judge said.

Mr Oldfield, originally from Sydney, has a British wife, Deepa Naik, 36, and a five-month-old baby daughter.

He's lived in the UK for more than a decade.

The Australian, 37, swam into the path of the Oxford and Cambridge rowing crews as they raced down the Thames in April 2012 to protest against elitism.

He was subsequently jailed for seven weeks.

"Australia is a particularly racist country," Mr Oldfield said on Monday when explaining that if deported he would be separated from his family.

Mr Oldfield said Ms Naik, who is of Indian descent, had never visited Australia and couldn't live there because some Indians in the community had suffered violent attacks.

There was also everyday "passive water-cooler racism", he said.

"Our home is here. Australia is on the other side of the world."

Mr Oldfield said when he disrupted the boat race he'd recently returned from Canada after seven months caring for his father-in-law who was dying from cancer.

He was saddened to realise wealthier people could afford better drugs and have a better quality of life when gravely ill.

"I was vulnerable in terms of realising how short life can be," Mr Oldfield said before breaking down in tears.

"I was very emotional. When you walk around London you see pockets of deprivation that still exist. I think I was heartbroken."

More than 250 staff and students from Oxford and Cambridge signed a letter of support ahead of Monday's hearing.

Two professors gave evidence that Mr Oldfield's work as an activist and independent publisher added to the debate about inequality.

A further 23 people wrote character references and were present at the tribunal.

The Australian's lawyer, Stephanie Harrison QC, insisted the 2012 protest was an isolated incident.

"It won't be repeated, he has learned his lesson," she said.

But Home Office representative Darren Morley insisted Mr Oldfield broke the law by endangering himself and others, and it was appropriate for the government to reject his spousal visa.

"The whole country saw this ... there's a need to be firm against this type of behaviour," he said.

Mr Oldfield's solicitor Natalia Garcia said outside the tribunal it was extremely unusual for an immigration judge to allow an appeal on the spot.

It was proof of her client's good character and contribution to the UK, she told reporters.

Judge Moore's full determination will be delivered within 10 days.

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Young locked out of property market: oppn

YOUNG people in NSW will struggle to buy property with state government cuts to the first home buyers grants effectively locking them out of the market, the state opposition says.

Monthly loan figures for October, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show about seven per cent of loans taken to buy property were from first home buyers, shadow treasurer Michael Daley said.

In October 2010, the figure was around 17 per cent, he added.

"The disappointing figures follow (Premier) Barry O'Farrell's decision to dump the $7000 First Home Owner Grant and end stamp duty exemptions worth up to $17,990 for first home buyers purchasing existing homes," Mr Daley said.

"Instead, the government's New Home Grant Scheme has paid 9802 grants to property investors and existing home owners buying a second property - further putting first home buyers out of the market."

Under the changes, taxpayer's money is "assisting property speculators", Mr Daley said.

NSW treasurer Mike Baird said the government made the changes to increase the number of first home buyers purchasing new homes.

Grants for newly built homes are up 83 per cent in the six months to November compared to the same period in 2012, Mr Baird added.

A $15,000 grant, applicable for the next two years, is available to first homebuyers of new homes costing up to $650,000.

Stamp duty won't be charged on homes worth less than $550,000 and a reduced fee will be imposed upon those who purchase property for less than $650,000, Mr Baird said.

"Previous incentives to first homebuyers for existing properties simply increased mortgage sizes, as they increased demand without any boost to housing supply," Mr Baird said in a statement to AAP.

"We are unashamedly targeting first homebuyer incentives towards new homes."

The NSW property market, he said, was the best it had been for a decade.

"Increasing housing stock and choice will ease competition in the market and help to get more first homebuyers into the housing market sooner."

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Alcohol sends 30,000 Vics to hospital

NEARLY 30,000 Victorians were hospitalised in a 12-month period due to the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, new data shows.

Men make up the majority of those hospitalised, but there has been a big jump in the number of women ending up in hospital due to alcohol.

The data, compiled by the organisation Turning Point, shows that during 2010/11 there were 29,694 alcohol-related inpatient hospitalisations.

On average, each of those people are staying in hospital for nearly four days, meaning 113,117 hospital bed days were taken up as a result of excess alcohol consumption.

Turning Point director professor Dan Lubman said the figures were a timely warning of the dangers of alcohol as Victorians prepare for the Christmas holiday period.

"While most people are able to consume alcohol in moderation, the decision-making part of your brain becomes less effective the more you drink," Prof Lubman said.

"There is a clear link between intoxication and increased rates of road accidents, injuries and assaults."

Prof Lubman said there was a big jump in the number of women being hospitalised.

In 2001/02 there were 6727 women hospitalised for alcohol-related incidents, but by 2010/11 that number had jumped to 11,484.

Men aged between 50 and 60 years were the most likely group to be hospitalised, the research showed.

For women, those aged between 40 and 44 years and 50 and 54 years are the most likely to end up in hospital for alcohol related reasons.

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Comedy Bamboozled wins Tropfest

AFTER winning a prize in the DSLR category at the last Tropfest, Australian filmmaker Matt Hardie can now add Tropfest 22 winner to his name.

Hardie has taken home the top prize with his comedic short film Bamboozled.

The event on Sunday night was actually the second Tropfest this year - the date change meant there was one in February and one in December - and Hardie was selected as a finalist at both.

"I thought this one wasn't going to do as well to be quite honest," Hardie told AAP about Bamboozled after his win at Sydney's Centennial Park.

"We did it so quickly. We thought it was good but I really didn't think it was going to go all the way."

How wrong he was.

Not only did he win 1st prize, which includes $10,000 in cash, a new Toyota car, a trip to LA, a Nikon DSLR and lenses, but he also received Best Male Actor, an award he shares with his co-star Aaron Tsindos.

Hardie's film was announced as the winner out of 16 finalists by Legally Blonde director Robert Luketic, who made the decision along with a panel of judges including Red Dog director Kriv Stenders, filmmaker Nash Edgerton, Milk producer Bruna Papandrea, actress Susie Porter and Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam Elliot.

Tropfest founder and director John Polson also took to the stage during the announcements to reveal the TSI (Tropfest Signature Item) for next year's festival - Mirror.

Polson says he was delighted at the turnout, with thousands embracing the new date in December and the new location at Centennial Park after years at the Domain.

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