More Vics drive while on drugs

VICTORIA has recorded a big jump in the number of drug-affected drivers on the roads, but fewer drink-drivers are getting behind the wheel.

There were 723 motorists found to be on drugs on Victorian roads during operation Summer Stay, compared with 396 over the same period last year.

The road safety blitz, conducted between November 15 and midnight on Monday, detected more than 79,000 traffic offences including 2371 drink-drivers.

That was a big reduction on 2863 caught in 2012/13.

But there was a large rise in the number of speeding motorists, with almost 3000 more caught than in 2012/13.

Road Policing Command Superintendent Neville Taylor said it was encouraging to see a reduction in the number of drink-driving offences, but people were still taking unacceptable risks on the roads.

"In 52 days we have caught more than 27,000 people speeding on our roads," Supt Taylor said.

"That's completely unacceptable and it's incredibly disappointing to find that there are still people in our community who are taking huge risks on the road, endangering their own lives and the lives of others."

Supt Taylor said while the number of drink-driving offences had dropped, it was still far too high.

Five people died on Victorian roads during the Christmas road toll period, five fewer than during the same period last year.

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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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NZX joins Asian equity market dip

NEW Zealand has joined Asian equity markets in retreating after figures showed slower Chinese services sector activity.

The NZX 50 Index fell 3.720 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 4765.318 on Monday.

Within the index, 22 stocks fell, 15 gained and 13 were unchanged. Turnover was $38 million, about a third of average daily trading last year, making it hard to read too much into price movements.

Equity markets were weaker across much of Asia as figures showed the HSBC/Markit services sector Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 50.9 in December, the slowest pace in six months, stoking concern the pace of growth in the world's No.2 economy may slow.

Kathmandu, the outdoor clothing chain that counts Australia as its largest market, fell 2.7 per cent to $3.31.

SkyCity Entertainment, which has operations in Adelaide and Darwin, fell 1.3 per cent to $3.75.

The kiwi dollar has advanced 4.8 per cent against the Australian dollar this year and touched a five-year high late last month.

Auckland International Airport fell 1.9 per cent to $3.55.

OceanaGold, operator of the Macraes gold field, fell 4.7 per cent to $1.81.

Mighty River Power fell 1.4 per cent to $2.10, leading a decline among some energy related stocks. Z Energy dropped 1.4 per cent to $3.65 and Contact Energy fell 1.4 per cent to $5.10.

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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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Oscar-winning producer Saul Zaentz dies

LEGENDARY Hollywood producer Saul Zaentz has died aged 92.

The producer passed away at his home in San Francisco, California on Friday after a battle with Alzheimer's disease, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

His nephew Paul Zaentz, a fellow producer, confirmed the news, saying: "He was an extraordinary man. He had a lot of guts, a lot of integrity."

Zaentz began his career in the music business with Fantasy Records, signing rock legends Creedence Clearwater Revival to the label, but later became involved in a notorious high-profile legal battle with the band's frontman John Fogerty.

He went on to gain recognition as an independent movie producer and he won three Oscars for his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus and The English Patient.

In 1997, he also won the Irving G. Thalberg Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work. In the same year, he also received the Producers Guild of America's Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award for The English Patient.

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US icebreaker sent to help trapped vessels

An American icebreaker will attempt to free two ships stuck in ice in Antarctica. Source: AAP

AN American icebreaker will try to free two ships trapped by thick Antarctic ice.

The US Coast Guard's Polar Star accepted a request from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to help the Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been marooned since Christmas Eve.

It will also aid the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, which was involved in a dramatic helicopter rescue of the Shokalskiy's 52 passengers last Thursday before also becoming beset by ice.

AMSA on Sunday confirmed the Polar Star, which was on its way from Seattle for an Antarctic mission, had diverted course and was on its way to help.

It will take about seven days for the icebreaker, with a crew of 140 people, to reach Commonwealth Bay after collecting supplies from Sydney on Sunday.

The AMSA spokeswoman said the Polar Star had greater capabilities than the Russian and Chinese vessels.

"It can break ice over six metres thick, while those vessels can break one-metre ice," she told AAP on Sunday.

"The idea is to break them out, but they will make a decision once they arrive on scene on the best way to do this."

AMSA will be in regular contact with the US Coast Guard and the captain of the Polar Star during its journey to Antarctica.

Twenty-two crew remain on board the Shokalskiy, which sparked a rescue mission after a blizzard pushed sea ice around the ship and froze it in place on December 24.

The scientists, journalists and tourists on board the research ship were airlifted to safety last week, via the Xue Long's helicopter.

Those passengers are now on board Aurora Australis on their way to Australia's Antarctic base at Casey Station, and then Tasmania.

The Aurora was forced to suspend its resupply of the Australian base to rush to the aid of the Shokalskiy, but it is not yet known what impact the incident will have on scientific program.

China has vowed "all-out efforts" to assist the Xue Long, which is surrounded by ice of up to four metres thick and is 21 kilometres from open water, according to state news agency Xinhua which has reporters on board.

"If the ship is stranded for a very long time, which is very rare indeed, then we'll have to evacuate the people on board and leave the vessel there," Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration director Qu Tanzhou said.

Chris Turney, leader of the Shokalskiy's expedition to retrace the steps of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson, defended the mission on Sunday.

"The science on the expedition was supported by a number of major research institutions including NOAA (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the University of Wisconsin and a host of others," he said.

Turney said there was a long history of both governmental and private vessels going to the assistance of others in the Antarctic.

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Man's arm slashed at Sydney park party

A SYDNEY party-goer's arm has been slashed with a broken bottle, severing an artery.

Officers say they were called to Lackey Street in South Granville about 3.45am (AEDT) on Sunday after a fight broke out, and found the 20-year-old Fairfield man with a deep laceration to his left bicep.

The man had surgery in Westmead Hospital, according to police.

Another man, a 20-year-old from Parramatta, was arrested and questioned but released without charge pending further investigation.

Detectives from Rosehill Local Area Command are waiting to speak with the injured man and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

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Bernanke urges more action on recovery

Outgoing US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has called his time as chairman "eventful". Source: AAP

FEDERAL Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who steps down at the end of January, has called for more action to ensure the United States recovers from the economic and financial crisis.

In a speech at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bernanke retraced the eight years he spent at the helm of the US central bank as it tackled the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession.

"Needless to say, my tenure has been eventful - for the Federal Reserve, for the country, and for me personally," Bernanke said, according to the text of his speech.

"We took extraordinary measures to meet extraordinary economic challenges," said the chairman, who will be succeeded on February 1 by his vice chair, Janet Yellen, pending her approval by the Senate.

Highlighting that the US unemployment rate fell from 10 per cent in 2009 to 7.0 per cent recently, Bernanke nevertheless insisted: "Much progress has been made, but more remains to be done. "

The jobless rate "still is elevated," he said, reiterating concerns about the "unusually high" number of long-term unemployed and declining participation in the labour force, in part probably due to workers discouraged by poor job prospects.

Bernanke said that an important factor holding back the economy was "disappointing" productivity growth.

"The reasons for weak productivity growth are not entirely clear," he said.

He said it may be the result of the severity of the financial crisis that tightened credit conditions, inhibiting innovation, or may reflect longer-term trends unrelated to the recession.

"Obviously, the resolution of the productivity puzzle will be important in shaping our expectations for longer-term growth."

He said the Fed's decision in mid-December to modestly taper its $85 billion a month asset-purchase program did not indicate any lesser commitment to maintain an easy-money policy "for as long as needed."

Instead, the taper "reflected the progress we have made toward our goal of substantial improvement in the labour market outlook that we set out when we began the current purchase program in September 2012."

The Fed intends to keep its key interest rate near zero "well past" the time that the unemployment threshold of 6.5 per cent is crossed, he said, particularly if inflation continues to run below 2.0 per cent.

Bernanke emphasised his efforts to make the central bank more transparent, saying it had been one of his initial goals when he took the post in February 2006, just as the housing price bubble collapsed and triggered the financial crisis.

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