Asian shares mixed on weak US data

ASIAN markets have closed mixed after lower-than-expected US jobs growth sounded a warning about the recovery of the world's biggest economy.

Investors on Monday failed to follow Wall Street, which closed last week on record highs despite the job figures indicating that growth remains sluggish.

Tokyo fell 1.44 per cent or 208.12 points to close at 14,258.04, Seoul dropped 0.37 per cent or 7.16 points to 1,916.22, and Sydney fell 0.11 per cent or 5.5 points to 5,111.3.

But Shanghai rose 1.04 per cent or 21.06 points to 2,050.48, while Hong Kong gained 0.14 per cent or 31.04 points to 22,222.01.

Markets in the region were digesting Friday's Labor Department figures, which showed the US added just 162,000 jobs in July, well below the 175,000 increase expected by analysts.

The unemployment rate fell to 7.4 per cent from 7.6 per cent in June.

The data will serve as an indicator of when the Federal Reserve may rein in its bond-buying program, with sluggish growth suggesting any scaling back of the massive stimulus scheme will be delayed.

Despite the disappointing figures leading to an initial dip, Wall Street saw a late surge to end the week at a record high, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing up 0.19 per cent or 30.34 points at 15,658.36. The broad-market S&P 500 ended up 0.16 per cent or 2.80 points at 1,709.67.

The release at the weekend of a slightly improved Chinese non-manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) failed to give Asian stocks a boost.

China's official non-manufacturing PMI for July came in at 54.1, up from 53.9 the previous month. A reading below 50 indicates contraction, while anything above signals growth.

Banking giant HSBC said on Monday its PMI for the services industry in China stood at 51.3 in July, unchanged from June.

The US dollar fetched Y98.76 in afternoon Asian trade, almost flat from Y98.89 in New York on Friday, but sharply down from around Y99.50 in Tokyo on Friday.

The euro bought $US1.3274 and Y131.11 on Monday against $US1.3279 and Y131.35 in US trade.

Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equities at SMBC Nikko Securities, said there was "some caution over stocks having risen too sharply" in previous sessions.

Still, "falls are likely to be limited as uncertainty has broadly receded over the global economic outlook in recent weeks", he added.

Oil prices turned higher on Monday, with New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in September, gaining 30 US cents to $US107.24 a barrel in afternoon trade. Brent North Sea crude for September rose 25 US cents to $US109.20.

"The HSBC purchasing managers' index for the services industry in China remains in an expansionary region, and this has provided support for crude prices," Lee Chen Hoay, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, told AFP.

Gold cost $US1,315.90 at 1820 AEST, compared with $US1,289.00 late on Friday.

In other markets:

- Manila fell 0.37 per cent, or 24.22 points, to 6,509.73.

SM Prime Holdings dropped 0.72 per cent to 16.50 pesos while Ayala Corp fell 0.67 per cent to 596 pesos.

- Taipei rose 0.48 per cent, or 38.75 points, to 8,138.63.

MediaTek shed 1.24 per cent to $Tw358.5 while HTC was up 7 per cent at $Tw153.

- Wellington climbed 0.14 per cent, or 6.59 points, to 4,589.49.

Fletcher Building gained 1.55 per cent to $NZ8.54 and Fonterra Shareholders' Fund slipped 3.65 per cent to $NZ6.86.

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labor's after hours care boost for parents

PARENTS stressed over the daily school drop off and pick up have been promised a $450 million boost to after school hours care with Kevin Rudd's big pitch to families on the first day of campaigning.

Up to 345,000 children aged five to 12 years will benefit from the pledge, which would provide up to 500 schools with the extra funding needed to introduce new services, or expand what they currently offer.

"A kid's development doesn't just begin at 9am and end at 3pm," Mr Rudd said of the measures, which would start in 2014.

"The government will give parents a further helping hand."

Mr Rudd said after school care could open as early as 7am and run to 7pm, while extra hours might also be provided during holidays.

Additional places would be provided in areas where parent currently lack access to such care.

New services, such as music programs, supervised sport and homework clubs, would also be encouraged, with grants of up to $200,000 available to schools.

"The practical stuff which makes that time before and after school useful and a fun place to be as well," Mr Rudd said.

Families who access the improved after-school services would still be eligible for the 50 per cent Child Care Rebate, the prime minister said.

The union representing after hours care workers said the extra funding would help meet the dramatic increase in demand for services.

"This new $450 million program will go a long way to improving services offered to families, which can only make a positive contribution to children's wellbeing and to women's workforce participation," United Voice president Michael Crosby said in a statement.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said 70 per cent of people with kids were in paid work.

"They need affordable, accessible and high quality childcare as well as the ability to plan their working hours around formal care," she said in a statement.

The Women's Electoral Lobby said it would boost work opportunities for mothers "hampered by a lack of access to flexible and appropriate care for school age children".

The Australian Greens Sarah Hanson Young welcomed the move but said it only "tinkers around the edges" of the funding hole faced by the childcare sector.

Comment is being sought from opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne.

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust 'funds PNG police thugs' on Manus

Media reports say Australia is secretly funding a notorious paramilitary police unit in PNG. Source: AAP

MEDIA reports say Australia is secretly funding a notorious paramilitary police unit in Papua New Guinea to guard the Manus Island detention centre.

Fairfax Media claims the Department of Immigration is secretly funding PNG's "Mobile Squad" whose members "just last month beat a local man to death on the island".

Fairfax says the officers of the squad are getting a special living away allowance of about $100 a day compared with local pay rates of $1.50 an hour.

The squad has also been given three rented Toyota LandCruisers and the Sydney Morning Herald says the rental bill is "paid by Australian Immigration Department funds".

The newspaper says "on Friday the Immigration Department did not deny the payments were being made and said $558,821 had been allocated last year to cover costs associated with the temporary centre".

Fairfax claims the squad's presence on the island suggests "PNG and Australian officials fear a major clash with landowners" and says its name has become a "byword for police brutality in Papua New Guinea and many of its operations have been condemned by human rights organisations such as Amnesty and Human Rights Watch".

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Libyan deputy PM resigns

Prince to play on with Broncos

VETERAN Brisbane playmaker Scott Prince is set to shun retirement and fight for the right to remain at the Broncos scrumbase next season.

Twitter GM apologises to 'abused' women

THE GENERAL manager of Twitter UK has issued a personal apology to three female journalists as the micro-blogging site issues new rules to crack down on unacceptable behaviour.

Price plan could save you $250m

EXCLUSIVE: SHOPPERS would be able to compare the price of pills per tablet and paint by the litre under a proposal for all political parties.

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Formula recalled in NZ over botulism scare

Infant formula has been recalled in NZ and exports to China may be at risk of contamination. Source: AAP

INFANT formula has been recalled in New Zealand and exports to China may be at risk after Fonterra revealed its whey protein had been contaminated with a toxic bacteria.

Fonterra announced on Saturday some of its whey contained a bacteria that can cause botulism, which can cause nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting, paralysis or even death.

The powder has been exported to Australia, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam.

China's quality watchdog has suspended imports of New Zealand milk powders and ordered importers to pull products from their shelves.

Fonterra's chief executive Theo Spierings has rushed to China for crisis talks, and Trade Minister Tim Groser says he'll follow "at the drop of a hat" if he is advised political talks are necessary.

In New Zealand Nutricia Karicare is recalling two products: Karicare Infant Formula Stage 1 (0-6 months) with batch numbers 3169 and 3170, and Karicare Gold+ Follow On Formula Stage 2 (6-12 months) with batch number D3183.

The recall was precautionary and none of its products indicated any contamination, Nutricia said.

Parents have vented their frustration on social media at the recall and changing advice, after initially being told only formula for children aged 6 months plus was affected.

"I am furious that there is a chance that your formula has be contaminated, I have changed brands as of last night, will not be ever using karicare formula again !!" Catherine Bunting posted on Karicare's Facebook page.

Fonterra animal feed subsidiary NZAgbiz is recalling calf milk replacer found to contain the affected whey.

A small amount of affected product had been sold to customers in the North Island, but the majority was still in stock, NZAgbiz general manager Justine Pearce said.

Expert advice confirmed the risk to animal health was low, she said.

Fonterra says all its eight affected customers have either recalled or deemed their products safe.

About 38 tonnes of whey protein concentrate manufactured at Fonterra's Hautapu plant in Waikato were contaminated by an unsanitary pipe in May 2012.

Testing in March indicated a problem, and the whey tested positive for clostridium botulinum on Wednesday.

Fonterra notified MPI on Friday afternoon.

The batches of whey product have been used in 870 tonnes of products, MPI acting director general Scott Gallacher said.

More than 60 staff from MPI, MFAT and the Ministry of Health are working on the response.

There has been no reports of children with botulism in New Zealand, Health Minister Tony Ryall says.

Fresh milk, yoghurt, cheese, and UHT milk products are not affected.

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taiwan hit by rabies outbreak after 50 yrs

Taiwan has struggled to contain the island's first outbreak of rabies in more than 50 years. Source: AAP

TAIWAN has ordered tens of thousands of vaccine doses to protect people against the island's first rabies outbreak in more than 50 years.

Health officials have struggled to contain the Taiwan outbreak since July 17, when a ferret badger in the southern part of the island was confirmed as rabid.

Since then, 17 more ferret badger cases have been confirmed, and the case of a rabid Asian house shrew reported on Wednesday indicates the disease is jumping species. No humans or dogs have yet been involved in the outbreak.

Health Minister Chiu-Wen-ta says the new human vaccine doses are expected to arrive on Friday and will supplement about 3000 in stock.

Health workers have been vaccinating animals throughout Taiwan to try to control the outbreak. The island has some 40,000 animal-use dosages in stock, with an additional half million expected by August 20.

At a government animal protection facility in the Taipei suburb of Xindian, dozens of anxious dog owners lined up to have their pets inoculated. The animals ranged from well-coiffed poodles and French bulldogs to street mongrels, their mouths covered with muzzles.

Before last month, Taiwan's last reported rabies case was in 1959. A dog bit a farmer, whose wife became infected after washing the farmer's rabies-tainted clothing; the farmer himself did not contract the disease.

Now, the only jurisdictions that world health officials consider rabies-free are Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Fiji, Hawaii, and Guam.

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust in asylum bidding war: ex-US diplomat

A FORMER top US diplomat says Australia's major political parties are engaging in a bidding war on asylum seekers, and has labelled Papua New Guinea as unstable.

Richard Armitage, the former US deputy secretary of state, has previously criticised the Gillard government for cutting defence spending to the lowest point since 1938 in the May budget.

In a sit-down interview with AAP, he said instability in PNG showed why spending only 1.56 per cent of economic output on defence was a bad idea.

"It's not as if PNG is the most stable of countries," he said on the sidelines of a Financial Services Council conference in Brisbane.

"This takes a certain level of defence effort and when you are active there, it eats up a certain amount of your capabilities."

He also called on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to have a greater role in the processing of asylum seekers in PNG, and noted the politics of the issue in Australia.

"There needs to be less politics. This is a national problem, not a Labor or a coalition problem," Mr Armitage said.

"There seems to be a bidding war going on."

In an earlier off-the-cuff speech, Mr Armitage said Americans regarded Australia as having a free ride following the defence cutbacks, but said this could change after the election.

He later told AAP Australia ideally should spend two per cent of its GDP on defence, in accordance with NATO guidelines.

"It doesn't cause diplomatic tensions with the United States, but it's noticed," he said.

"This paltry sum is not sufficient to your defence needs."

Mr Armitage noted that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 2009 defence white paper was "more muscular", but added "we'll see" regarding the present Labor government.

Mr Armitage said a potential North Korean missile strike would draw in American allies.

"There's no way we wouldn't all be in it from the get-go," he said, but added that Australia was not viewed by Americans as a "US policeman".

On US politics, Mr Armitage, a life-long Republican who voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2012, said his party would be unlikely to win the 2016 US presidential election, and predicted Hillary Clinton would run.

"We joke among ourselves ... They say by 2040 if there's a moderate Republican in the White House they want to be ready."

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW Labor responds to Rudd intervention

Legal challenge to PNG solution

PNG's opposition resurrects a legal challenge to Australia's detention centre on Manus Island after the arrival of asylum seekers.

QR board rolled on new chief

THE Newman Government has been slammed by the Opposition after overruling the board of Queensland Rail to appoint its choice of CEO.

Hold the phone, she's not apples

A WOMAN has received a rotten surprise after buying what she thought were two Apple iPhones through online classifieds website Gumtree.

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Response to asylum seeker boat too slow

AUTHORITIES could have prevented the deaths of 102 asylum seekers who drowned after their termite-ridden boat capsized in the Indian Ocean, a court has heard.

On Wednesday, retiring West Australian Coroner Alastair Hope handed down his findings into the sinking of the Siev 358, a rickety wooden fishing vessel overloaded with 212 passengers and crew when it flipped between Indonesia and Christmas Island on June 21 last year.

He was inquiring into the deaths of the 17 whose bodies were recovered.

A further 85 went missing and are presumed dead.

Not only was the boat unseaworthy, it was being crewed by inexperienced and inattentive people smugglers, and was pummelled by waves that filled the hull.

The WA Coroner's Court heard one crew member who was meant to be monitoring machinery below deck fell asleep, failing to notice the bilge pump had become dislodged, also causing sea water to be pumped into the vessel.

The boat capsized almost 32 hours after the first distress call on June 19, which was made via satellite phone to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC).

Under a 2004 agreement between Australia and Indonesia, the nation that receives the first distress call is responsible for a rescue.

But the line kept dropping out and there were language barriers.

It was more than three hours later before the caller provided the boat's location, saying it was now "broken".

RCC then asked Indonesian authorities to assume responsibility for the rescue. Some seven hours later, they sent through a fax saying they had done so, but it was clear no vessel or aircraft was ever sent by Indonesia to assist the Siev 358, Mr Hope said.

The desperate and terrified survivors were ultimately found - clinging to the upturned hull and some in the water - by a merchant ship.

Mr Hope deemed the tragedy a terrible accident, and his top recommendation was for Australian and Indonesian authorities to work together to improve communication during search and rescue responses.

He also recommended that the transfer of search and rescue responsibility should occur at a relatively senior level, and that when possible, documents containing information about search and rescue responses be translated into languages of the involved countries.

Mr Hope was also highly critical of Customs and Border Protection for not sufficiently helping the coronal investigation.

Classified material, including a comprehensive review of the incident by Customs' national director Jeff Buckpitt, was not supplied to a separate WA Police investigation, despite requests.

The report contained information that would have been of great help to the WA Police, Mr Hope said.

Customs' failure to at least advise WA Police of the existence of the report resulted in a substantial duplication of effort, Mr Hope said.

"In my view, the approach of the Commonwealth ... was not helpful and not in keeping with what should be the spirit of such investigations," he said.

Mr Hope concluded that lives could have been saved - or all of the deaths could have been avoided - if the search had been initiated much sooner.

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More

Civilian casualties up 23% in Afghan war

CIVILIAN casualties in the Afghan war have risen 23 per cent in the first half of this year as a result of Taliban attacks and increased fighting between insurgents and government forces, the UN says.

News+

Oops! Please register or log in to continue. (It's quick, easy and free.) Continue

16.41 | 0 komentar | Read More