Vic braces as heat arrives, wind blows

A COOL southerly change will bring relief to firefighters battling grassfires throughout Victoria.

Fire crews have worked to control more than 40 fires that have started across Victoria on a day of extreme weather.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has declared a total fire ban day, with temperatures soaring to 41C in Mildura.

The Bureau of Meteorology says a cool change is rolling in across the southwestern corner of the state and will push through northeast until midnight (AEDT).

Weather bureau forecaster Peter Blake said Melbourne's temperatures could drop by eight degrees when the cool change reached the city about 5pm (AEST).

Victorian firefighters have been called out to four campfires and burn-offs.

The CFA warns that several fires are still burning, including in Tatyoon, south of Ararat, and in Canadian, south of Ballarat.

Fire crews are unable to access a large fire burning in remote land in Sunset Country, southwest of Mildura, due to its location and weather conditions.

Fire services commissioner Craig Lapsley said firefighters had done a great job, given conditions.

Mr Lapsley said extra aircraft had been deployed to help fire crews.

"Today is a day that experienced extreme fire danger in the northern parts of the state," Mr Lapsley said.

"Any fire that's running has the potential to increase in size and is a significant concern."

Mr Lapsley warned campers not to light camp fires on total fire ban days.

Victoria remains on total fire ban until midnight on Saturday.

Residents in areas that are fire-prone are urged to remain informed and alert.

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Liberian UN workers, peacekeepers face off

UN mission workers in Liberia have clashed with UN armed peacekeepers over work conditions. Source: AAP

CIVILIAN employees of the United Nations Mission in Liberia have clashed with the United Nations armed peacekeepers in a protest over what they claim are unfavourable work conditions.

An Associated Press reporter saw four UN workers manhandled by UN troops, including one who was knocked down, after the workers tried to block the main entrance to the UN base on Friday.

The workers are protesting a change in the time they are picked up for work.

They claim the UN is asking them to be outside for pickup by 5am, a time they say is unsafe in the war-recovering capital of Monrovia.

A UN officer commanding the troops declined to comment.

The UN mission was established in 2003, just after ex-warlord Charles Taylor stepped down as president and went into exile.

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Gold Coast adventurer reaches South Pole

A GOLD Coast adventurer taking a pink "boob-sled" across Antarctica has made it to the South Pole.

Dr Geoff Wilson reached the milestone on Friday, leaving him with 1100km to go in his quest to become the first Aussie - and third person - to cross the southern continent solo.

But he reckons the worst of the journey is over.

"Now I've got the shorter run to the coast, which is the traditional entry route for most polar travellers," he told ABC Radio on Friday.

"The positive is that it's down hill and it will get warmer and warmer as I get closer to the coast."

Dr Wilson has endured sub-zero temperatures and strong icy winds throughout his trek.

Earlier this month he even ventured into the elements naked, dancing around a tent to celebrate beating the Australian record for the longest trek across the icy continent.

However, his main goal is to take the "boob-sled" 3300km from one side of Antarctica to the other - and raise $1 million for breast cancer charity the McGrath Foundation.

"I've been pulling the boob-sled for 2280km to here, so it's double the current record for Australian solo polar travel already and there's still 1100km to go," he told ABC Radio.

"It will be the first Australian crossing of the Antarctic continent and there's only two other guys who have ever done it solo unassisted - they're both Norwegian legends.

"We may, as long as I keep making good decisions, give the record a shake which has been held since 1997 by a very tough Norwegian called Borge Ousland."

Dr Wilson began the trek on November 4 and expects the journey to take him up to 80 days.

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Searchers for tramper find body

A BODY has been recovered from the bottom of a 100-metre cliff in Nelson Lakes National Park in New Zealand by searchers looking for British tramper Andrew Wyatt.

The body is yet to be formally identified, police say.

The body was below the Lake Constance Bluff, which is on Mr Wyatt's intended route between Blue Lake Hut and Waiau Pass.

Four ground teams, one dog team and a communications team were flown into the park by Air Force Iroquois on Friday to resume the search for Mr Wyatt after the weather improved.

He had been missing for 12 days.

The search was suspended on Christmas Day due to bad weather.

A helicopter spent three hours visiting all the huts in the area on Monday.

Mr Wyatt arrived in New Zealand on November 21 and was last seen on December 15 at Blue Lake Hut.

He planned to walk the Te Araroa Trail that links Cape Reinga to Bluff.

Police have been in daily contact with Mr Wyatt's parents in the UK.

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No laughing matter as scary clowns strike

UK clowns are up in arms about impostors who are tarnishing their name by scaring people in public places.

The copycat craze - believed to have been started by a man known on Facebook as the Northampton Clown - involves people dressing as the circus characters to surprise passers-by in public places.

Derbyshire police received 29 reports of clown sightings after social media claims that a man in the Nottingham area was dressing up and carrying balloons and a knife.

One report read: "Caller scared as someone had tried to get in to their house - posted on Facebook that a clown had been going around village trying door handles."

Another said: "Caller reported having received numerous calls from concerned parents about a clown going up to the windows of houses brandishing a gun and knife frightening the residents."

Tony Eldridge, the secretary of Clowns International, which represents the entertainers in Britain, said the problem had escalated beyond harmless fun.

"The fear of clowns - coulrophobia - is a real thing and some people will react very badly to this.

"This has nothing to do with clowning. It's a small group of people with stupid views and it spoils the fun for everybody else."

He added that most legitimate entertainers followed a code of clown conduct which includes not wearing their costume in public.

The trend emerged when the Northampton Clown, who posts photos of himself in public places, rose to prominence and gained nearly 200,000 "likes" on Facebook.

Last month Norfolk police told the public to ignore clowns after sightings around King's Lynn.

These included a person in a "full clown outfit" with a red suit and red hair chasing members of the public.

South Yorkshire police recorded 28 incidents involving people dressed as clowns.

These included a clown standing in a park, jumping out at somebody in the street and staring through the window of a house.

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US migrant stats 'can't be produced fast'

US prosecutors say they can't meet demands to deliver documents about thousands of immigrants. Source: AAP

US prosecutors say they can't meet a judge's demands that they quickly deliver documents about thousands of immigrants who've been detained across the country for months or years as their immigration statuses are reviewed.

The office of US Attorney Preet Bharara laid out the government's position to US District Judge Richard M. Berman in a letter made public on Wednesday.

The letter came five days after the judge criticised the government, saying it had been on notice since the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)requested the documents nearly five years ago.

The ACLU eventually filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in Manhattan federal court in 2011 seeking documents from the US Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The ACLU questioned the practice of "prolonged immigration detention - for months, if not years - without adequate procedures in place to determine whether their detention is justified".

It cited a dramatic increase in the number of immigration detainees in recent decades, noting they weren't serving criminal sentences but were being detained by the thousands to ensure they're available for removal from the country if removal is ordered and appeals are exhausted.

The judge said the government's continued refusal to produce documents had stymied efforts to reform a system in which thousands of immigrant detainees, some applicants for asylum, languish in immigration jails longer than six months.

He also attacked as "painstaking and riddled with further delay" the government's process for releasing documents, saying the government hasn't produced any documents since his September 9 order to release documents, and had at times claimed it would take seven years to produce 100 files.

The government, though, said in its letter it is "not feasible" to produce documents from more than 22,000 individual files as ordered but said it can produce a reliable sample of 385 files within 15 months, with rolling releases within eight weeks of a revised order.

In 2009, The Associated Press conducted a computer analysis of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement database obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, finding there were 32,000 immigrants from 177 countries detained, including more than 18,000 with no criminal convictions.

The analysis showed that nearly 10,000 had been in custody more than a month, that 400 of those with no criminal records had been locked up more than a year, that a dozen had been held for three years or more and that one man from China had been incarcerated more than five years.

Many of the longest-term, non-criminal detainees were asylum seekers.

The analysis was referenced in the ACLU lawsuit.

According to a 2001 US Supreme Court ruling, immigrants are supposed to be deported or released within about six months.

The steady increase in the number of immigrants held behind bars grew considerably after Congress passed a pair of laws in 1996 requiring immigrants who committed crimes be locked up for deportation. The numbers continued to rise after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and amid anti-immigrant political rhetoric.

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Man badly burned preparing Christmas lunch

A NSW man was airlifted to a burns unit after being injured in an explosion while preparing lunch. Source: AAP

A NSW man is being airlifted to a specialist burns unit after being injured in an explosion while he prepared Christmas lunch.

The 62-year-old man in Shell Cove was found by police and rescue services with burns to his face, arms and legs.

Police were told the man was preparing the family's Christmas lunch when the explosion occurred.

They are investigating reports the gas bottle to the barbecue was connected incorrectly.

The man was airlifted to Concord Hospital for treatment.

Police hope to speak with the injured man once he is well enough to get a clearer idea of how the explosion happened.

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WA police concerned for missing woman

Police are concerned for a woman who disappeared from Albany, a day after arriving from Queensland. Source: AAP

POLICE are concerned for a 79-year-old woman who disappeared from Albany on Christmas Eve, a day after arriving from Queensland.

Joan Hanson went missing from Caledonia Crescent at Goode Beach at 5.30pm (WST) on Tuesday.

Police say they are concerned for the welfare of Ms Hanson, believed to be suffering dementia and unfamiliar with the area.

She is of small, slim build and has grey hair.

She was wearing glasses, light-coloured trousers, a yellow-brown shirt, a yellow zip-up sleeveless vest and white shoes when she went missing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Operations Centre on 131 444.

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Cyclone could develop Christmas Day

A TROPICAL cyclone is expected to form in northern Western Australia on Christmas morning.

A blue alert has been issued for people in or near the coastal and inland communities between the WA and Northern Territory border and the Mitchell Plateau.

That includes people in Wyndham, Kalumburu, Troughton Island and surrounding areas.

"Although there is no immediate danger, you need to start preparing for dangerous weather and keep up to date," the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) warns.

Residents have been warned to secure or remove loose material from around their homes and ensure their emergency kits are complete.

At around 12.30pm (WST) on Tuesday the tropical low was estimated to be about 285km northeast of Kalumburu and 355km north of Wyndham, moving south at 7km/h towards the north Kimberley coast.

The low may develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 18 to 24 hours, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Gales with gusts to 100km/h may develop on the coast on Wednesday morning.

Heavy rain is also expected over the far north Kimberley region during Wednesday and Thursday.

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Sexting MP cleared by Qld parliament

SEXTING Queensland MP Peter Dowling has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Queensland Parliament.

Parliamentary Clerk Neil Laurie says his investigation into the Redlands MP found nothing to support claims that he misused travel entitlements, facilities or equipment.

However, in a letter to Premier Campbell Newman, Mr Laurie stresses that his finding is not a moral judgment on Mr Dowling's actions.

"I wish to stress that my consideration of all the matters contained in the complaint and the associated issue ... did not involve any moral consideration," the letter, released on Christmas Eve, read.

Mr Dowling gained notoriety after his mistress wrote to parliament in August to reveal their affair.

She said the pair had sex in his parliamentary office and he texted her a photo of his penis in a glass of red wine.

The mistress also alleged that Mr Dowling took advantage of parliamentary travel trips to meet her in locations including Perth and New Zealand.

During these trips he accepted free upgraded flights, which he didn't declare on his members' register of interest.

Mr Dowling stood down as chair of parliament's ethics committee after the scandal made headlines.

In September, Mr Laurie finalised his investigations into allegations that Mr Dowling had failed to register a flight upgrade.

He has written to the Crime and Misconduct Commission advising the corruption watchdog of the outcome of his latest investigation.

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Premium hike to prompt insurance rethink

AUSTRALIANS may rethink their private health insurance coverage in the wake of increases almost triple the annual rate of inflation, consumer groups say.

Insurance premiums will go up from April 1 next year by a weighted average of 6.2 per cent.

This implies an average rise of $3.86 a week, based on a basic combined family policy, equating to more than $200 a year.

The annual increase, approved by federal Health Minister Peter Dutton on Monday, comes after premiums rose by an average of 5.6 per cent in 2013 under the former Labor government.

It also compares with the current annual rate of inflation of only 2.2 per cent.

"This is an unhappy Christmas present for the many Australians who do struggle to meet the cost of health insurance," Consumers Health Forum spokesman Mark Metherell said.

The forum and consumer group Choice said the increase was hefty and could make many people rethink whether it was worth having private health cover.

They advise consumers to compare policies to ensure they were getting a competitive price, review extras cover and check for discounts for paying in advance.

Mr Dutton blamed the former Labor federal government for putting pressure on the sector, saying the 2014 price rise could have been lower.

However, the number of claims was more than expected in the past year, meaning the overall cost of benefits paid out jumped by eight per cent on the previous 12 months.

The premium increases would help insurers absorb those increased costs, Mr Dutton said.

Labor said it was a slap in the face for Australians, two days before Christmas. Health spokeswoman Catherine King said when Labor was in power it tried to ensure the lowest possible premium increases.

The rises approved for 2014 range from 3.14 per cent for Health Partners policies to 7.99 per cent for NIB policies.

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Settlement over leaky NZ schools

James Hardie and the NZ Ministry of Education have reached a settlement over leaky school buildings. Source: AAP

BUILDING products maker James Hardie Industries and the New Zealand Ministry of Education have reached a confidential settlement over leaky school buildings.

The ministry lodged a claim in the High Court in April against cladding manufacturers that supplied materials for schools affected by weather-tightness failure, seeking remediation on 800 buildings across more than 300 schools.

Two of the manufacturers were New Zealand subsidiaries of Sydney-based James Hardie Industries.

On Monday, the company announced it had finalised a settlement with the ministry and the ministry had agreed to drop its legal claims.

The money would be used to help schools fix weather-tightness issues, and support future, high quality school property developments around New Zealand, the ministry said.

"This settlement represents a win-win situation for both parties and I'm very pleased to see it reached," Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye said.

"This agreement strengthens the government's ability to significantly address weather-tightness issues in our schools and support future investments in school property - without the need for lengthy court action."

The ministry will continue pursuing other defendants including Carter Holt Harvey and CSR Building Products (NZ) Limited who supplied materials for buildings affected by weather-tightness failure.

The ministry has settled more than 40 claims on leaky buildings since 2009.

James Hardie said the settlement would not have a material adverse impact on its business results.

It had taken a provision of $US15.2 million ($A17.08 million) over the ministry's $NZ1.5 billion ($A1.40 billion) class suit against cladding manufacturers, according to its second quarter financial statements.

James Hardie has been named in five High Court judgments on other leaky building cases this year involving three Auckland apartment buildings, one apartment property in Mount Maunganui and one home in Wellington.

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Hot air balloon lands in Melbourne carpark

THE pilot of a hot air balloon has been praised for his emergency landing in a Melbourne carpark without any of the 10 people aboard being injured.

The balloon came down in the carpark of an apartment building in the inner suburb of Balaclava on Sunday morning.

Everyone walked out of the balloon without a cut or scratch.

Victoria Police Sergeant Barney Wursthorn said the successful emergency landing was a testament to the pilot's skills.

"He's pretty much put the basket down where he wanted to and chosen a parking spot here in the carpark," he told reporters at the scene.

"It's quite a good effort by the pilot."

He said the pilot had to make a controlled landing after having problems with the wind.

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Iraqi general among 24 killed in attack

Twenty-four Iraqi military personnel have been killed in an attack in western Iraq. Source: AAP

TWENTY-FOUR Iraqi military personnel, including a senior commander, have been killed in an attack in western Iraq, according to police.

A series of back-to-back bombings on Saturday occurred as troops were raiding a hideout of insurgents with suspected links to al-Qaeda in Anbar, west of Baghdad.

The senior officer killed was identified as Major-General Mohammed al-Karawi, the commander of the Iraqi army's Seventh Division.

The dead also included intelligence officers, police said.

At least 35 soldiers were wounded in the attack, which prompted the authorities to put security forces on heightened alert in the mainly Sunni province, media reports said.

Military reinforcements have been sent to Anbar in preparation for the launch of a large-scale campaign in the area, reports said.

In the aftermath of the attack, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed an "iron-fist" policy to tackle the insurgents.

"I call on personnel of our brave army to strike with an iron fist against the heads of the evil minority, and pursue them everywhere until Iraq is purged of their wickedness," he said.

An increase in attacks by insurgents in recent months has raised the prospect of a return to the violence that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.

According to UN estimates, 659 people were killed in attacks in Iraq in November.

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