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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