Young man bashed in another Sydney attack

A YOUNG man has been hit in the head and further assaulted after falling to the ground during another late night attack in Sydney.

The 20-year-old was bashed while walking with friends along a main road at Rooty Hill, in the city's west, in the early hours of Saturday morning, police say.

He was punched in the head, fell over, and hit again by the assailant who fled with two other men.

Paramedics treated the injured man for a broken nose before taking him to Nepean Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Clothes found at the scene are being forensically examined.

The attack comes on the same day as the death of Daniel Christie, who was king hit on New Year's Eve.

He had been on life support for 11 days and doctors believed he would have suffered brain injuries had he recovered.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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NSW punch victim dies in hospital

Sydney teenager Daniel Christie has died in hospital after being punched on New Year's Eve. Source: AAP

SYDNEY teenager Daniel Christie has died less than two weeks after being punched to the ground on New Year's Eve.

Describing Mr Christie as a "beacon of morality", his family say he died on Saturday morning at Sydney's St Vincent's hospital.

"While no words can describe how crushed we are, Daniel fought courageously over the past 11 days which allowed everyone to say their farewells," his family said in a statement issued by NSW police.

"His death has left us feeling completely destroyed and has torn a hole in the wider community in which he was involved.

"We have been overwhelmed by support and have felt the whole country experience our grief."

The 18-year-old was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a critical condition after being punched in Kings Cross on New Year's Eve.

Police say they expect further charges to be laid against his alleged attacker, Shaun McNeil, when he next appears in court in March.

McNeil has already been charged with causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and three counts of common assault.

Police allege McNeil, 25, hit three young men before targeting Mr Christie and his brother, Peter, when the other young men tried to hide behind them.

McNeil, a labourer, allegedly boasted he was a mixed martial arts fighter before punching Mr Christie in the face as he shielded the other men.

Through his lawyer, McNeil has previously told a court that the first group of young men was trying to sell him drugs and he acted to protect his girlfriend who was with him at the time.

He was unable to explain his actions towards the Christies, police facts previously tendered in court said.

A court has previously heard that doctors believed Mr Christie would probably have suffered a serious brain injury if he survived the attack.

People have the right to go out without experiencing violence, the Christie family said.

"No family should be forced to deal with this situation, however we are not the first and we fear that we won't be the last.

"We do not want Daniel's death to be in vain and are committed to rallying for change.

"Daniel lived by the mantra: 'If change can be, it's up to me' - and this is something we will always embrace.

Mr Christie's organs will be donated, the family said.

Since Mr Christie was taken to hospital, there has been increased pressure on the NSW government to tackle alcohol-related violence on the late-night strip and introduce tougher sentencing for perpetrators.

In November, Thomas Kelly's parents Ralph and Kathy started a petition calling for drunkenness to be a mandatory aggravating factor that must be taken into account in sentencing. 18-year-old Thomas Kelly died after being hit with a single punch in Kings Cross in July 2012.

The petition had about 25,000 signatures before New Year's Eve.

But following the alleged assault on Mr Christie, that surged to more than 124,000.

Comment is being sought from acting premier Andrew Stoner.

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Fire bans in some NSW national parks

Fire bans have been imposed in some NSW national parks as extreme fire weather continues. Source: AAP

CONTINUING dry conditions and predicted extreme fire weather in NSW's Lithgow, Oberon and Bathurst districts have prompted the imposition of national park fire bans.

Acting Blue Mountains Regional Manager Kim de Govrik said the fire bans were in place until further notice and were necessary during such dangerous fire periods.

"Deteriorating fire weather leading up to extreme temperatures next Wednesday mean we have introduced the temporary ban in the interest of public safety and for the protection of these reserves," he said in a statement on Friday.

The bans mean that people may not light fires in National Parks-run parks, nature reserves, conservation areas and historic sites in the affected areas.

The bans also apply to gas barbecues.

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Pakistani teen recommended for hero award

POLICE in Pakistan have recommended that a teenager killed stopping a suicide bomber from attacking a school be awarded a civilian honour.

Aitzaz Hassan, 15, a student in Hangu district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the country's northwest, tackled the bomber on Monday.

He died in hospital after the bomber blew himself up at the school gates. No one else was hurt in the incident.

Nasir Khan Durrani, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief of police, has written to the provincial chief minister recommending Hassan for the posthumous award, a police statement issued on late Thursday said.

"The suicide bomber tried to enter the school where hundreds of students were studying. Aitzaz Hassan sacrificed his life and stopped the bomber with bravery and courage," the statement said.

"He saved the lives of hundreds of innocent students with his extreme valour and bravery."

Pakistan has several categories of civilian award and it will fall to the government to decide which, if any, Hassan should receive.

The boy's father, Mujahid Ali Bangash, told AFP on Thursday that he felt not sadness but pride at his son's death.

"Many people are coming to see me but if they try to express sympathy, I tell them to congratulate me instead on becoming the father of a martyr," he said.

"I will be even more than happy if my second son also sacrifices his life for the country."

An editorial in Dawn, the country's oldest English-language newspaper, said Hassan's selfless bravery should be an inspiration to other Pakistanis and a lesson to the authorities in the courage needed to stand up to extremists.

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Defence chief disputes asylum-seeker claim

Indonesia's military head has discussed Tony Abbott's boat policy with Australia's defence chief. Source: AAP

DEFENCE chief General David Hurley has rejected claims Australian navy personnel mistreated asylum seekers, while not denying reports that boats were towed back to Indonesia.

General Hurley says Defence personnel conduct themselves in a "humane and considerate" way while protecting Australia's borders, contrary to the claims of the asylum seekers who say members of the navy verbally and physically mistreated them.

One, 28-year-old Yousif Ibrahim of Sudan, told news agency AFP they were handcuffed and called insulting names during a voyage back to Indonesia this month.

"We asked for water, they didn't want to give us," he said.

"They called us inhuman words, like illegal refugees, monkeys from Africa."

General Hurley did not confirm the tow-back operation took place, but he issued a statement disputing the asylum seekers' account.

"Defence Force personnel assigned to Operation Resolute are required to conduct operations in an unpredictable and demanding environment under intense scrutiny," he said.

"They are trained to operate with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity and consistently demonstrate great compassion and courage, often at great risk to their own safety."

Conflicting messages are coming from Indonesia about its views of Australia's turn-back policy, with Indonesian military commander General Moeldoko saying he has discussed the measure with General Hurley in recent weeks.

"Therefore, we do not need to feel offended," the Jakarta Post quoted Moeldoko as saying.

His apparent sanction of the policy contradicts the opposition of Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who on Tuesday said turn-backs were "not a solution".

Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday defended the government's secrecy about asylum-seeker operations.

He said he preferred to be a "closed book" than give rise to "mischief-making".

"The point is not to provide sport for public discussion, the point is to stop the boats," Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio.

"I'm pleased to say it is now several weeks since we've had a boat, and the less we talk about operational details on the water, the better when it comes to stopping the boats."

But Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said it was time Mr Abbott told the public what was happening.

"The government needs to stop hiding the truth and start answering the most basic questions," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Nauru has confirmed the cost of a media visa is set to soar from $200 to $8000.

Labor and the Greens have questioned whether the hike is designed to deter Australian reporters from visiting the tiny island's controversial Australian-run detention centre, linking it to the Abbott government's secretive approach.

But a Nauru government spokeswoman says the change - yet to come into force - is for "revenue purposes".

Asked whether the Australian government requested the change, she told AAP: "I haven't been told anything to suggest that."

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Indonesian police hold bodies in Bali

Bali police won't release the bodies of a mother and daughter until they can rule out foul play. Source: AAP

INDONESIAN police won't release the bodies of an Australian mother and daughter who died in Bali until they can rule out criminal activity in their deaths.

Queensland nurse Noelene Bischoff and Yvana Bischoff, 14, died on Saturday, a day after checking into the beachfront resort of Padang Bai in Karangasem, on the east coast of the Indonesian island.

The cause of death isn't known at this stage, but there is speculation toxic fish caused them to fall fatally ill.

Indonesian authorities initially agreed to the family's request for the bodies to be flown to Queensland for autopsies.

But lead Detective Adnan Pandibu says local police now want to continue their investigation after finding 29 types of medication in the Bischoffs' hotel room.

"We have not ruled out criminal activity and we will not yet allow the release of the bodies from the morgue," he told the Daily Mail.

Antar-Bangsa Funeral Service, who was contacted by Australian authorities about transporting the bodies, says there has been a delay.

"For now we're not sure, we haven't heard anything after we were first contacted (by Australian authorities)," spokesman Agus Prababe told AAP.

"We don't know what's happened."

Bali taxi driver Kadek Budi has told how he drove Ms Bischoff and her daughter around on their last day alive.

He said when he dropped them off at their hotel, they were healthy and happy.

"She said 'thank you, we are very happy today, you are a good driver and after the Gili Islands, when I am back in Seminyak, I will call you again'," Mr Budi told News Corp Australia.

"She was very friendly, the conversation was good and I thought I would see her again, and drive her again."

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Taliban deny sending Afghan girl to attack

The Taliban say they did not send a 10-year-old girl to carry out a suicide attack. Source: AAP

THE Taliban have denied that they sent a 10-year-old girl as a suicide bomber against Afghan police, a day after she said her brother had put her in an explosives-packed vest but that she refused to blow herself up at a checkpoint in Helmand province.

Border police in the southern Afghan province arrested the girl's father, Abdul Ghfar, and were searching for the brother, a police commander said.

The girl, who was detained on Monday and identified herself only as Spozhmai, said her brother is a Taliban commander.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahamdi denied any involvement in the alleged plot, which he dismissed as government propaganda.

"We never do this, especially with girls," he said.

Spozhmai spoke to journalists Monday after Afghanistan's Interior Ministry announced her detention.

Addressing television cameras, she said her brother, named Zahir, told her to approach a checkpoint and ask the deputy commander for a ride with him to neighbouring Kunar province.

"I agreed, then he attached the vest on my body and told me to spend the night here and leave in the morning," she said.

But after she and her brother spent the night somewhere, she said she had second thoughts.

"I said I won't go, then he took off the vest and tried to convince me that they [police] will die and I will remain alive," Spozhmai said. She said her brother then fled with the vest.

Police said they believed her account.

"The guy named Zahir had the suicide vest and escaped, but she was still there and when our commander of the battalion heard her voice, they surrounded the area and brought this girl to their base, and we all heard her story on how she was forced into this action," Colonel Hamidullah Sediqi said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the Taliban, saying that "using a child as a suicide bomber is un-Islamic and goes against Afghan culture and beliefs".

Although the Taliban deny it, human rights groups say the insurgent group has occasionally dispatched children for suicide bombings. But girls have been used only rarely, according to Heather Barr, Afghanistan senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"There have been very few documented cases of girls being involved in suicide bomb attacks," Barr said. According to Human Rights Watch, an eight-year-old girl was killed in central Oruzgan province in 2011 when a bag of explosives the Taliban instructed her to carry to a police checkpoint detonated.

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Segways to hit Melbourne city streets

Tourists will soon be gliding through the city of Melbourne on Segways after changes to regulations. Source: AAP

TOURISTS will soon be gliding through the city of Melbourne on upright scooters to take in the sights.

Changes in state government regulation will allow tour businesses to apply for a permit to operate Segway tours around tourist attractions on the city's perimeter.

Until now, vehicle registration provisions have stopped businesses from operating tours using the two-wheeled machines.

The changes are among 36 announced by the Victorian government on Wednesday aimed at cutting red tape.

Treasurer Michael O'Brien says there had previously been concern about whether the speed of Segways could pose a danger to others.

"What we've been able to do through these reforms is work out if you have an appropriate permit system, you can deal with those concerns," he told reporters.

Other changes introduced to cut red tape include lifting restrictions on the sale of plastic knives to minors, raising height limits for walls that can be built without need for a council permit and making it easier for liquor-licensed venues to stage alcohol-free under-age events.

Most of the reforms will be put in place to meet the government's 25 per cent red tape reduction target by July.

Mr O'Brien says the changes will reduce the burden on businesses, government and cut costs to consumers and contribute to more than $715 million in red tape savings over the term of the government.

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Rescued Antarctic group due home on Jan 22

PASSENGERS rescued from an ice-bound ship in the Antarctic are expected to reach Tasmania on January 22.

But the effort that rescued 52 expeditioners, many of them from Australia and New Zealand, will delay the Australian Antarctic Division's shipping schedule, including the resupply of Antarctic stations.

University of NSW Professor Chris Turney led the Australian Antarctic Expedition to the region at the end of last November but the expedition's Russian vessel, Akademik Shokalskiy, became stuck in thick ice on Christmas Eve.

After more than a week of being locked in ice, the 52 scientists, tourists and journalists aboard the ship were airlifted by a helicopter from a Chinese vessel to the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis.

The rescue disrupted the resupply mission of the Aurora Australis to Australia's Casey station as it diverted 800 nautical miles to help the stricken vessel.

The Aurora Australis, with the rescued passengers aboard, is due soon at Casey station.

Australian Antarctic Division director Dr Tony Fleming said the ship should be ready to head back to Tasmania about January 13, arriving in Hobart about January 22.

"This is about two weeks behind schedule and will mean delays to the rest of the season," he said in a statement.

A US Coast Guard icebreaker, the Polar Star, has been sent from New Zealand to go to the aid of the trapped Russian and Chinese ships and is expected to arrive on Sunday.

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Aust trade deficit narrows as exports grow

Australia's trade balance stayed in the red in November, with a deficit of $118 million. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S international trade deficit has narrowed for the fourth consecutive month and strengthening resources exports are expected to support a shift back to surplus.

The deficit on goods and services was $118 million in November, down from October's deficit of $358 million, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.

It also was better than the $300 million deficit economists had expected.

During the month, exports were flat, while imports were down one per cent.

The decline in the value of imports helped narrow the deficit, ANZ economist Dylan Eades said.

The figures also showed a small increase in rural goods and resources exports, he said.

"What we have seen in the last six to nine months is that exports, particularly iron ore, are beginning to pick up," Mr Eades said.

"All of that investment that we've seen from Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton and Fortescue, we are beginning to see those projects come to completion and we are seeing them move into the production phase. So, as a result, we are starting to see quite a strong volumes increase.

"Metal ores exports are around 40 per cent higher over the past year and we expect that to continue. We're expecting iron ore export volumes to rise from around 570 million tonnes in 2013 to about 620 million tonnes in 2014 and 680 million tonnes in 2015.

"We would be expecting a continued improvement in the trade balance over the next few months."

The data highlighted Australia's dependence on China, CommSec chief economist Craig James said.

"Australia's annual exports to China totalled over $92 billion, so it will be truly staggering just how much income will be generated from our largest trading partner when all the major resource projects are operating at full capacity," Mr James said.

"Annual exports to China equate to $4,000 for every Aussie man, woman and child.

"Despite the mountain of export revenue being generated from China, Australia's trade accounts are still in the red, rather than the black... That situation should be corrected when all the key LNG facilities are up and running over the next few years."

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League player refused bail

Rugby league player Russell Packer has been sentenced to two years in jail for assaulting a man. Source: AAP

NRL player Russell Packer has had his bid for bail knocked back before an appeal against the severity of his two-year sentence for a drunken assault.

Magistrate Greg Grogan on Monday sentenced the 24-year-old Newcastle Knights recruit to two years behind bars for an assault outside a Sydney hotel last November.

The sentence delivered on Monday caught Packer and his supporters, including Newcastle Knights officials, off guard at Downing Centre Local Court.

Packer's lawyer Murugan Thangaraj, SC, immediately lodged an appeal after the sentence was handed down and later applied for Packer's bail.

The police prosecutor did not oppose bail under certain conditions including that Packer report to police three times a week and abstain from alcohol.

Mr Thangaraj argued there was no evidence Packer would assault again and it was important for him to continue his rehabilitation.

But Magistrate Greg Grogan said he was concerned about community safety if Packer was released on bail.

He said Packer appeared to be a ticking time bomb on the night of the assault and he denied him bail.

Packer kissed his emotional partner as he was placed in handcuffs and led out of the court.

The appeal against the severity of the sentence has been lodged for February 11.

The court was told that Packer had been kicked out of the Chambers Hotel at 1.30am on November 23 last year because he was too drunk.

He moved about 20 metres from the Martin Place pub, then got into a disagreement with another man after being accused of stealing two cigarettes from a woman sitting nearby.

Mr Grogan told the court that Packer punched the man in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.

Packer punched the man several times as he lay on the ground and then stamped on his head, the court was told, leaving the victim with two fractured facial bones.

Packer pleaded guilty on Monday to assault occasioning actually bodily harm and failing to leave a venue.

Mr Grogan labelled Packer's behaviour "cowardly and deplorable" and said the result could have been much worse.

"The person fell to the ground and luckily it would appear did not suffer those injuries seen in media reports as of late," Mr Grogan said.

"There was potential for that, Mr Packer.

"You added fuel to the fire by attacking a man lying motionless on the ground, punching him and then standing up and stomping on his head."

Mr Grogan said the public was sick and tired of the behaviour Packer showed that night.

In passing sentence, Mr Grogan said that with a 25 per cent discount for entering a guilty plea early, Packer was jailed for a fixed two-year term.

Newcastle Knights football general manager Warren Smiles said the club would support Packer.

"There is a process in place with the appeal going forward to the court date in February," he told reporters outside court.

"From there we will support Russell through the process and his family, his two young children." In a statement on Monday, the Newcastle Knights said Packer's contract with the NRL was not registered and he had previously been stood down from all club duties.

The club said it would make no further comment until the court process was concluded.

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Services sector contracts in December

Australia's services sector continued to contract in December, according to a private sector survey. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S services industry finished 2013 on a sour note, with the sector contracting at a faster rate in December.

According to the Australia Industry Group Performance of Services Index (PSI), employment, new orders and sales all contracted during the month.

The retail sector also continued to decline, despite receiving a boost from Christmas sales.

Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said the sector had shown signs of improvement since the federal election, but the latest figures showed the industry remained weak.

"Continuing weakness in the important services sector underlines the fragility of the domestic economy at a time when a lift in non-mining related activity is needed to meet the challenge of rebalancing in the wake of the mining investment boom," he said.

He added that the Reserve Bank of Australia may need to consider cutting interest rates further if the sector does not begin to recovery in the next few months.

The PSI declined 2.8 points to 46.1 in December.

A reading of less than 50 indicates a contraction in the sector, and the lower the reading below that number, the greater the rate of decline.

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