Foxtel feels viewer backlash over changes

Subscription TV giant Foxtel is facing a customer backlash over changes to its movie content. Source: AAP

REDUCING the number of movie channels but not the subscription fee has been a horror for customers and a drama for Foxtel.

From January 1, the subscription TV giant moved to just one movie package of 11 channels (movies/drama), which includes two channels repeating the same programs two hours later.

The new offering also splits movie content into genres.

Previously there were two packages and a total of 15 channels, with four of them repeating content two hours after it was initially screened.

The reduction in the number of packages and channels, but not the subscription per month for those who were previously paying for both packages, has caused a major backlash.

Subscribers have vented their anger on Foxtel's Facebook page with more than 600 posts criticising the change.

"If the range of new movies doesn't increase and the cost doesn't stay the same then it'll back to DVD's and downloads.... even back to cinemas....," wrote Dennis Radisich.

Bruce Foster wrote: "Expect my call tomorrow Foxtel, I'm cancelling my Movies subscription! Refuse to pay for the reduced channels for the same price! Oh and if you send me a price increase in the next month or so expect me to cancel the lot!!"

Foxtel's director of corporate affairs Bruce Meagher said the call centre had received more telephone calls than usual about the new movie channel package.

However, he said most subscribers who called were satisfied with the changes once they were told they would not be worse off.

He said once Foxtel had finalised movie deals with Disney and MGM, subscribers would be the winners.

"We are significantly increasing our on demand library so that will also increase the number of movies available," Mr Meagher told AAP.

"We would say they are no worse off and over time they will be far better off.

"The experience we are getting in the call centre, because they are getting calls as well, once that is explained to people they are quite OK about it.

"What we have to do on Facebook is go back and start directly addressing it which is what we are working today."

Meagher said having two less time shifted channels was not really an issue, because a lot of subscribers used an IQ box to record movies.

He said customers who were only subscribing to one of the two previous movie packages were being catered for.

Streamlining the movie channels would mean less "straight to DVD" content being aired and there would also be an increase in the number of movies available on-demand.

"We are significantly increasing our on-demand library so that will also increase the number of movies available even though they are not on a channel," he said.

"For those who only took one of the movie packages before, there are grandfathering arrangements so they will get the same number of channels as they had before."

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US Congress finally averts fiscal cliff

THE US Congress has finally backed a deal to avert a "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and massive spending cuts that had threatened to unleash economic calamity.

The deal increases taxes on the rich and puts off $US109 billion ($A105 billion) budget cuts for two months, lifting the clouds of immediate crisis.

The deal's fate had hung in the balance for hours as House conservatives sought to add spending reductions to a version passed by the Senate in the early hours of 2013.

In the end, the House voted 257 votes to 167 to pass the original bill after a fiercely contested and unusual session on New Year's Day.

President Barack Obama, who campaigned for re-election on a platform of building a more equitable economic system, declared the deal was a promise kept, despite falling short of earlier hopes for a grand deficit bargain.

"I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest two per cent of Americans while preventing a middle class tax hike that could have sent the economy back into recession," Obama told reporters after the vote.

"The deficit needs to be reduced in a way that's balanced. Everyone pays their fair share. Everyone does their part," Obama said, before heading to Air Force One to resume his interrupted annual holiday in his native Hawaii.

Had the deal splintered, all Americans would have been hit by tax increases and the spending cuts would have kicked in across the government, in a combined $US500 billion shock that could have rocked the fragile recovery.

The House vote took place after a conservative rebellion fizzled when it became clear there were not sufficient votes in the restive Republican caucus to send an amended version of the bill cuts back to the Senate.

Republican party leaders ultimately feared they would carry the can if the deal collapsed, leaving Americans enraged by higher taxes and the prospect that an economy slowly recovering from crisis could be plunged back into recession.

The political feuding which spanned the Christmas and New Year holidays reflected the near impossibility in forging compromise in Washington, where power is divided between a Democratic president and the Republican House.

It was also a signal that Obama, despite a thumping re-election win in November, may find it tough to achieve second-term legislative goals that include immigration reform, clean energy legislation and gun control.

The truce in dysfunctional Washington is likely to be brief, given the fight that will ensue over the spending cuts that now loom at the end of February.

This fights will be paralleled by one over Obama's request for Congress to lift the country's $US16 trillion borrowing limit. Republicans are already demanding concessions on expenditures in return for allowing it to rise.

Stock markets, which had been likely to plunge if the deal had foundered, reacted positively to the news with indices in Asia rising sharply.

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Bali pool death at private home not club

Bali police are investigating the suspicious death of a Qld woman who was found dead in a pool. Source: AAP

A QUEENSLAND woman found dead in Bali was found at her home, not the beach club where she worked, her employers say.

Indonesian police are investigating the death of 33-year-old Denni North, who was found facedown in a pool on the resort island on December 30.

She had been working as a guest relations consultant at the Cocoon Beach Club and her death is reportedly being treated as suspicious.

The club released a statement on Facebook on Wednesday saying Ms North had been found dead in a swimming pool at her home, not at the club as has been reported.

"We cannot comment on any details of her death but would like to confirm the incident did not occur at Cocoon but at her private residence, we do not believe it to be suspicious but the police are investigating," it said.

Ms North, from Deception Bay north of Brisbane, reportedly frequented the beach club as a customer and was later offered a job there.

The club has offered assistance to her family, the police and the Australian consulate.

"She was a vivacious and beautiful young woman and we are incredibly saddened by her death and send our deepest condolences to her family and many friends," the statement said.

Meanwhile, tributes are flowing to the Facebook page RIP Denni North, created as an online memorial.

"You are an angel that was taken from us to soon .. RIP Beautiful xx," wrote friend Samantha Knight.

Leanne Forbes posted a Youtube link to the Sarah McLachlan hit Angel, while friend Jackie Blake posted a photo of herself and Denni at a costume party.

"Ever the Rock star .... Lost count of the times you made me almost spurt wine from my nose with laughter! God we will miss you and your hilarious story telling funny girl xoxo," Ms Blake wrote.

A recent guest at the club, Veronica Bulline, said she was very sad to hear about the death of the "beautiful and bubbly young girl".

"RIP Denni, you made the Cocoon such a wonderful place to be for all us Australians. My thoughts go out to her family," the post said.

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House destroyed in 'suspicious' fire

A Melbourne house has been destroyed in a suspicious early morning fire, police say. Source: AAP

A MELBOURNE house has been destroyed in a suspicious fire.

Fire crews arrived shortly after 5.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday to find a single storey weatherboard house ablaze in the western suburb of Albion.

The fire was so fierce that an entire block of units had to be evacuated as more than 10 unit windows were broken by the intense heat, a Melbourne Fire Brigade (MFB) statement said.

A two-storey house on the east side was also evacuated but did not sustain any fire damage.

Crews brought the blaze under control in 25 minutes, but it took more than two hours to extinguish.

A search confirmed that there were no occupants in the house.

The damage bill has been estimated at $300,000 and the cause listed as "suspicious", the statement said.

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Vic Police happy despite 356 NYE arrests

Victoria Police has praised the behaviour of New Year's Eve revellers. Source: AAP

VICTORIA Police has praised the behaviour of New Year's Eve revellers, saying the majority of people were well-behaved.

Across the state, 356 people were arrested overnight, including 240 arrests of drunk people, but Deputy Commissioner Tim Cartwright said this was an improvement on the 400 arrests of drunk people in 2010.

"When we look back two years ago we arrested 400 people for drunk, last night it was 240 drunk," Mr Cartwright told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"(It's) still too many, but it's good to see that we've got some improvement."

He said a small number of people did the wrong thing, but they were dealt with by police.

Officers made 182 arrests for assaults and recorded 55 drink driving offences, a number Mr Cartwright said was disappointing.

In the seaside town of Lorne, a 18-year-old man was stabbed in the chest during a fight at about 11.45pm (AEDT).

He was taken by air ambulance to Melbourne's The Alfred hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Ambulance crews were kept busy attending dozens of jobs including many drug overdoses.

A 15-year-old boy was one of more than 30 people to overdose in country Victoria.

Ambulance Victoria operations manager Paul Holman said crews were extremely busy after midnight attending a number of violent incidents including glassings and assaults.

"We have been flat-out since midnight, every available paramedic resource has been used, not only in the CBD, but right across Melbourne," he told reporters early on Tuesday morning.

A 22-year-old man in Melbourne suffered burns to his forearm and hand when fireworks he was holding exploded in his hand.

He was taken to The Alfred hospital with burns.

The police blitz of Melbourne's CBD resulted in 39 drunk and 17 assault arrests.

Melbourne City Council estimates about 550,000 people packed into the CBD to watch the fireworks, with Mr Cartwright saying the decision to spread out fireworks helped with crowd control.

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Fiscal cliff fix not enough: Carr

Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr says the temporary fix to avoid the "fiscal cliff" is not enough. Source: AAP

THE short term agreement to head off the "fiscal cliff" in the United States is not enough, Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr says.

The White House and top Republicans have struck a deal to avert huge New Year tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" that had threatened to send the US economy into recession.

The pact would raise taxes on the richest Americans - those earning over $US450,000 ($A436,000) a year - but exempt everyone else, and will put off $US109 billion ($A105.63 billion) in budget cuts across the government for two months, top congressional aides said late on Monday (local time).

But Senator Carr said the US must go further to convince the world that it was still a world leader.

"We want a longer term agreement that will see America rein in the debt and deficit that have questioned its ability to provide world leadership," Senator Carr told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

"I've said throughout that America is one budget deal away from resolving the issue of American decline."

Treasurer Wayne Swan said there was more work to be done to achieve a deal the rest of the world needed.

"As the IMF have said, anything short of a deep and wide-reaching resolution will not be good enough this time around," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We will continue to closely monitor these developments because they have a significant impact on the entire global economy, including Australia and our region."

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More toxic canisters wash up in Qld

MORE canisters containing a potentially lethal chemical have washed up on Queensland beaches.

Three canisters containing aluminium phosphide, which authorities warn can be fatal if inhaled, have been discovered on beaches in central Queensland this month.

A canister was located on Lady Elliot Island on December 10, a second canister was discovered at Rules Beach, while a third was reported to police at Deep Creek south of Gladstone on Sunday morning.

Their discovery comes after four canisters were washed up along a 200-kilometre stretch of coastline from Ayr to Ingham in the months since February.

Police are re-issuing their warning for beachgoers to avoid the canisters if they spot them and immediately call triple zero.

The deadly chemical they contain is used to fumigate ships, and it's believed the canisters came from a passing vessel.

"For safety's sake, should anyone find one, I urge them to immediately report it by calling triple zero," Gladstone District Officer Glenn Kachel said in a statement.

"Do not inspect the contents, open the canister or transport it."

Aluminium phosphide generates phosphine gas when it comes into contact with air or moisture and can also self-ignite in certain conditions.

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Brisbane home destroyed in blaze

FIREFIGHTERS are battling a blaze that has caused significant damage to a house in Brisbane's northwest.

Multiple fire crews were called out to the Ferny Grove property just before midday on Sunday and are continuing to fight the blaze.

There are no reports of anyone being hurt in the fire, nor is anyone believed to be missing from the house.

Fire investigators are already at the scene in an attempt to determine the cause of the blaze and whether it is suspicious.

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Australia ready to welcome in 2013

A GLITTERING night planned by pop princess Kylie Minogue will lead New Year's Eve celebrations throughout Australia.

And the famous Sydney fireworks that are shown around the world are promising not to disappoint.

As creative ambassador for Sydney's event, Minogue developed the event's theme "embrace" and chose its colour scheme and soundtrack.

"I love the concept of embrace - it can mean so many different things, and I'm looking forward to embracing new possibilities for the next year," Minogue told reporters.

She will be honoured with a one-of-a-kind sparkling musical-note firework.

The semiquaver will be one of 100,000 individual pyrotechnic creations this year, including brand-new koala, octopus and hand images up in lights.

"What we aim to do (each year) is to make it the best one - for people to go away and say 'that was the best display I've ever seen'," fireworks director Fortunato Foti said.

For those cities that don't have Kylie, there will still be celebrations with families, friends, champagne and fireworks.

Most capital cities are hosting two lots of fireworks - one around 9pm for families and another at midnight.

Melbourne's skyline will be lit up like never before as New Year's Eve fireworks are launched from building tops across the city.

The City of Melbourne is expecting more than half a million people to flock to the city to welcome in 2013, with three official live sites featuring entertainment at Flagstaff Gardens, Treasury Gardens and Docklands.

At midnight, fireworks will be launched from 22 sites across the city - 18 from buildings.

"So the message is, if you can see the city skyline, then you will see the fireworks on New Year's Eve," Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said.

Fireworks will light up Brisbane's CBD with Southbank Parklands the place to be.

On the Gold Coast, organisers of the Surfers Paradise New Year's Eve celebrations are hoping a superhero theme will bring a more family-friendly crowd.

Children are being invited to dress up as their favourite superhero before attending one of the biggest fireworks shows in the state, with more than 10,000 fireworks to be released from Surfers Paradise beach.

Adelaide is also going for family-friendly events with thousands expected to gather at the venues - Elder Park in the city and at seaside Glenelg.

Organisers will keep drinkers separate from other partygoers at Elder Park.

A heatwave in Perth is likely to continue with 40C forecast for New Year's Eve before dropping to 36C on New Year's Day.

However, that's not expected to keep people away from the festivities.

Events include the City of Perth's free outdoor New Year's Eve Northbridge party.

And Hobart will get a chance to show off its newfound hipness to thousands in town for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and Tasmania's biggest event, The Taste Festival near Salamanca Place.

Proving Tasmania is the world's new avant-garde capital, American rockers The Flaming Lips will give up their annual Freakout New Year's Eve gig in the US to bring in 2013 at The Falls Festival east of Hobart.

And to prove it's not too cool, there will be fireworks.

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Police urge calm after rape victim dies

NEW Delhi's top police officer and chief minister have urged people to mourn the death of a gang-rape victim in a peaceful manner as large parts of the city centre were sealed off.

Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar asked people to maintain calm across the city, according to a statement from his office which also announced that the area around the India Gate monument and 10 metro stations would be closed to the public.

New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also appealed for calm and pledged "solid steps will be taken very soon" to protect women in India's capital.

"Please maintain peace and at the same time we must make sure that every action is taken to make women secure in our city," she told reporters.

The calls for calm came after the Indian woman who was gang-raped on a New Delhi bus died in a Singapore hospital early on Saturday after suffering severe organ failure.

People across India have started coming out to mourn the death of the 23-year-old student, whose death has already sparked mass protests.

Police said they would allow people to hold peaceful demonstrations only in some areas and hundreds of policemen have been deployed to prevent any violence on the streets.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also said he was deeply saddened by the death and the protests that were sparked by the case were "understandable".

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