Torture weapons 'promoted at UK fair'

ILLEGAL torture weapons are being promoted at an arms fair being held in London, according to the Green Party's Caroline Lucas.

Lucas said the French company MagForce International and the Chinese company Tianjin MyWay International Trading are promoting the weapons at the DSEI arms fair in London's Docklands.

The Brighton Pavilion MP said it was not the first time illegal weapons have been found at the arms fair, being held at the ExCeL centre, and called on ministers to urgently make a statement about how it was allowed to happen.

"I have evidence here that French company MagForce International and Chinese company Tianjin MyWay international trading have been promoting illegal weapons of torture at the DSEI arms fair being held in London Docklands this week," Lucas told Britain's House of Commons.

"Can you advise me what to do to get this information to BIS (Business, Innovation and Skills) ministers as fast as possible to get them urgently to make a statement in this House about how this can have happened, especially since it is not the first time that illegal weapons have been found at DSEI?"

Speaker John Bercow confirmed that Lucas had taken the speediest action possible.

"You have found your own salvation," he replied.

"The Treasury bench will have heard what you have to say, it will be a matter only I'm sure of seconds before your remarks wing their way towards the Business Secretary (Vince Cable).

"I may simply say it is then for him to decide how to respond. It is not a matter of order for the chair but you are well aware of the opportunities that you have to call ministers to account and I feel sure that you will deploy the weapons at your disposal."

The DSEI arms fair began on Tuesday and will end on September 13.

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Abbott urged not to rush first 100 days

PRIME Minister-elect Tony Abbott should not be aiming for a long list of accomplishments in his first 100 days of power - he should instead use this period to set out his reform agenda timetable.

That's the view of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia in a report on Thursday of what it believes should be the priorities of a coalition government in its first 100 days.

The institute's chief executive Lee White believes economic success would be increased if the government takes the time to set up robust policy-making processes from the outset.

"Setting up good processes isn't glamorous," he said in a statement.

"It won't deliver an overnight win but it's important work and if they get it right it will pay huge dividends throughout their time in office."

However, the report urges that the fixation on a set timetable to return the budget to surplus must change because it inflicts further stress on sectors that are already doing it tough, which could result in a worse economic outcome.

It says the new government must provide a budget update or mid-year economic and fiscal outlook within the 100 days, given some of the big ticket items it intends to roll out, such as Mr Abbott's paid parental leave scheme.

The institute believes the government has a big opportunity to kick-start the tax reform agenda, but warns Australia will be taking a step backwards if the carbon price is repealed.

"Driving businesses to become more carbon efficient is critical for our future," it says.

It says repealing the carbon price 18 months or more after it has been implemented will have a significant impact on business.

"While a transition 'back in time' might sound simple enough in theory, in reality, there will be a broad range of potentially significant consequences that government and business haven't yet fully considered, such as the potential impact on financial reporting and profit results."

It also says some concessions linked to the mining tax should be kept, even if the tax itself is scrapped.

"We are not looking for a long list of accomplishments at the end of the first 100 days. Quite the reverse," Mr White says.

"We want the new government to set out its agenda, engage in consultation and work through a structured deliberative process of decision making before embarking on reforms."

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Asthma prevention vital for pregnant mums

PREGNANT women with asthma should continue taking their medication to prevent complications, says an Australian professor.

The problem is some fear side effects and stop doing so.

But taking medication is safer than going without, says Professor Guy Marks of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.

He's co-author of a report that says women who stop using their preventer medicines are at risk of developing pre-eclampsia, giving birth early or having an underweight baby.

If asthma is well controlled during pregnancy the prospects for the mother and child are the same as for women who do not have asthma, Prof Marks says.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting pregnant women in Australia, yet little is known about how many continue to use their preventer medication, says the paper published by the Institute of Health and Welfare.

It calls for population-level monitoring of asthmatic women and for them to have a health check in the first trimester and every four to six weeks thereafter.

Studies of pregnant women in Western Australia, Newcastle and Melbourne suggest about 12 per cent have asthma, but many women and health professionals are concerned about the side effects of medication.

Current clinical guidelines recommend continuing to take medication throughout pregnancy.

"But we really don't know how many women are sticking to the guidelines, or how well," says Prof Marks.

Better data collection would also help paint a clearer picture of who is getting care and who is missing out.

"The problems and solutions we identify along the way could also be used to help with the management of other common chronic diseases, like diabetes and epilepsy," Prof Marks says.

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Southeastern takes 12% stake in News Corp

SOUTHEASTERN Asset Management, the investment firm that along with activist investor Carl Icahn opposed the proposed buyout of Dell, says it's taken a nearly 12 per cent stake in News Corp.

According to the Tuesday Securities and Exchange Commission filing in the US, Southeastern now owns 23.8 million News Corp Class B shares for an 11.9 per cent stake in the company, making it the largest institutional shareholder of the company, according to FactSet.

Earlier this week, Southeastern and Icahn dropped their opposition to Dell's plan to sell itself to its company founder Michael Dell in a $US24.8-billion ($A26.7-billion) deal.

New York-based News Corp owns both The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

Last week, it announced a deal to sell off 33 smaller publications, including eight dailies.

In morning trading, shares of News Corp added 11 cents, to $US16.83.

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Housing key to retail recovery: Deloitte

THE performance of the Australian housing sector will play a key role in any recovery in consumer spending and retail sales growth, an independent economic forecaster says.

Deloitte Access Economics believes the election of a majority government should allow for more certainty around political policy and improve general confidence.

This should see retail spending pick up in the September quarter, with a more sustainable improvement kicking into 2014/15.

Deloitte Access' quarterly retail report on Wednesday showed there was a promising start to 2013 before sales turned "tragic" by mid year, with overall weak growth.

This was likely due to a drift higher in the jobless rate and the marking down of economic growth prospects by both Treasury and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Now a retail sales recovery may be on the way as house prices start to lift.

"When people are bidding up the price of housing they are also lifting their rate of retail spending," Deloitte Access partner David Rumbens said in the report.

"With housing affordability much improved from two years ago, this channel may form a powerful driver."

Home building is also lifting on the back of population growth and low interest rates.

The forecaster expects real, or inflation adjusted, retail sales to expand by 2.4 per cent in 2013/14, after 2.8 per cent growth in the previous financial year.

Then sales should grow by up to 3.6 per cent in 2014/15, helped again by low interest rates and a modest improvement in the jobs outlook.

Mr Rumbens expects low interest rates will especially benefit NSW, Victoria and the ACT in terms of spending lifts.

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Shorten should lead Labor: Marles

FORMER trade minister Richard Marles has called on Bill Shorten to put his hand up for the Labor leadership, saying it's in the interests of the party he do so.

His comments came as former health minister Tanya Plibersek urged her Labor colleagues not to rush into choosing their next leader, saying whoever is picked must be in it for the long haul.

The Labor leadership contest narrowed on Monday after former treasurer Chris Bowen announced he wouldn't have a tilt.

Mr Shorten, a former Labor minister and past head of the Australian Workers Union, or outgoing deputy prime minister Anthony Albanese, are the likely frontrunners for the top job.

Mr Marles said Mr Albanese was a strong parliamentary performer and would without question make a great Labor leader.

But Mr Shorten's leadership was crucial at this time for the Labor Party, he said.

"I actually think that it's in the interests of the Labor Party for Bill to put his hand up at this time," he told ABC's Lateline program on Monday.

If both Mr Albanese and Mr Shorten had a run at the leadership, Labor would be faced with a "difficult choice but also a wonderful choice".

If there is only one candidate, only the Labor caucus will be involved in endorsing the new leader.

If there are two or more, a new party rule means the leadership for the first time will be decided in a ballot weighted 50 per cent to the caucus and 50 per cent to grassroots members of the ALP.

Ms Plibersek said it would be "perfectly fine" to hold a ballot, and the rules allowed for "quite a long period" between the first caucus meeting and the time for choosing a leader.

The final caucus hadn't been determined yet, and prime minister-elect Tony Abbott had previously implied parliament wouldn't resume until November.

"I don't see that anybody should be in any real hurry," she told ABC's Q&A program on Monday.

"We need to choose someone who can take us to the next election and potentially win and be prime minister, but also someone who would be around for two terms of longer if that was our fate."

Mr Marles said it was important the new Labor guard learned from the past and "maturely" selected a leader without creating "baggage" and divisions within the party.

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Chinese man convicted via Yahoo email free

China has freed a dissident writer who was convicted of leaking "state secrets" in 2005. Source: AAP

CHINA has freed a dissident writer who was convicted of leaking "state secrets" in 2005 in a landmark case where his Yahoo emails formed key evidence against him, international writers' groups say.

Shi Tao, 45, was released on August 23 after serving nearly nine years of a 10-year sentence for "providing state secrets to overseas organisations," the Independent Chinese PEN Centre and PEN International said.

"We welcome news of Shi Tao's early release, at a time when there seem to be increasingly long shadows over freedom of expression in China," said Marian Botsford Fraser, head of PEN International's Writers in Prison Committee.

"Shi Tao's arrest and imprisonment, because of the actions of Yahoo China, signalled a decade ago the challenges to freedom of expression of internet surveillance and privacy that we are now dealing with," Botsford Fraser said.

Other dissident writers said they believed Shi was arrested because of online publications in which he criticised the ruling Communist Party.

The government said Shi had leaked details via email of a "certain important document" that he learned about through his work as a reporter in the southern city of Changsha.

Yahoo later apologised for handing over Shi's emails to Chinese authorities.

In 2007, it settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of Shi and another Chinese journalist who was convicted partly through information provided by Yahoo.

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NATO airstrike 'kills 10 Afghan civilians'

Ten civilians have been killed in a NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan, officials say Source: AAP

AT least ten civilians have been killed in a NATO airstrike on a pickup truck carrying women and children in eastern Afghanistan, Afghan provincial officials say.

ISAF said 10 enemy forces had been killed in a precision strike in the Wattapur district of Kunar province on Saturday, but that they had received no reports of any civilian casualties.

Kunar Police Chief Abdul Habib Sayedkhil said the airstrike hit a pickup truck carrying the women and children as well as four armed insurgents.

"At least four women, four children and two civilian drivers were killed in a NATO airstrike in Wattapur district of Kunar province," he said.

Kunar Provincial Governor Shujaul Mulk Jalala said 12 civilians - four women, four children and four men - were killed, along with four insurgents.

Civilians casualties in NATO operations have long been a source of tension between the Afghan government and US-led NATO troops, who are winding down operations as they prepare to withdraw by the end of next year.

President Hamid Karzai has banned his forces requesting NATO strikes during operations in residential areas.

ISAF said it was aware of the allegations and was looking into the incident.

"We can confirm Coalition Forces' conducted a precision strike yesterday... resulting in 10 enemy forces killed," it said in a statement.

"At this time, we have no reports of any civilian casualties in regards to this incident."

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Berlusconi appeals case to European court

Silvio Berlusconi has turned to Europe's human rights court to avoid a ban on holding public office. Source: AAP

ITALY'S ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has turned to Europe's human rights court in a bid to avoid a ban on holding public office and other punishment for his tax fraud conviction.

His top aide, Angelino Alfano, told reporters on Sunday the petition to the tribunal "shows that the Berlusconi case isn't closed".

A Senate panel on Monday starts formal discussing if Berlusconi must surrender his Senate seat.

A recent law says those sentenced to more than two years are ineligible for six years to hold public office.

Berlusconi's lawyers contend the law doesn't apply retroactively to him.

Last month, Italy's top criminal court upheld the conviction.

A law to reduce prison overcrowding shaves the four-year prison term to one year.

Because of his age, Berlusconi, 76, is eligible for house confinement.

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Rolf's Queen portrait 'missing': report

AUSTRALIAN artist Rolf Harris's portrait of Queen Elizabeth is reportedly in art limbo, with no-one confirming its whereabouts.

Harris, who has been charged with a string of child sex offences, was commissioned to create the colourful painting of the monarch in 2005.

However, the UK's Daily Mail reported on Sunday that it couldn't confirm its whereabouts.

A spokesman for the Walker Art Gallery reportedly told the newspaper they had the painting on loan until August 2012 when they returned it to Buckingham Palace.

The Royal Collection, however, reportedly said it had gone back to the BBC.

Yet a BBC spokesman has told the paper that: "If the piece is not with us or the Palace, it must be in Mr Harris' personal collection."

A spokesman for the entertainer, however, did not respond to any queries from the paper.

Harris has maintained his silence since being charged last month with 13 child sex offences in the UK including the indecent assault of two teenage girls in the 1980s.

The 83-year-old, who performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert in 2012, was arrested in late March by officers from Operation Yewtree, which was established following the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal.

At the beginning of August he was re-arrested following further allegations and then charged later in the month.

He's due to appear at a London court this month.

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