UK teacher tells of Kruger elephant attack

A BRITISH teacher who suffered a serious leg injury when an elephant tore through her car in South Africa has told how she desperately tried to drive away.

Sarah Brooks, who works at the Sir John Gleed School in Lincolnshire, and her South African fiance Jans de Klerk, were attacked by the elephant as they drove through the Kruger National Park on December 30.

The couple have now returned to England after Brooks spent more than a week recovering from a pelvis fracture and stitches to her right leg after the elephant's tusk pierced it.

The pair have received death threats since footage of the attack - which they say was heavily edited to make it look as if they drove towards the animal - went viral.

The 30-year-old science teacher told the Daily Mail she "completely freaked" as the elephant stormed towards them and in her panic was unable to find reverse in the hire car.

The couple then resorted to stopping, turning off the ignition and looking at the ground, but seconds later the elephant rammed into them.

"The next thing I heard was Jans screaming at me: 'Drive! Drive!'," Brooks said.

"I somehow managed to turn the engine on, Jans found reverse, but just as I got it going, the elephant tipped us up.

"Then he crushed the undercarriage by ramming it with his head, and the key snapped out of the ignition. 'I remember thinking, 'We're never going to be able to drive away now' - and the next thing I knew we were rolling.

"At that moment, your life flashes through your head. I thought, 'We've only been together a year-and-a-half, life's good. Why now? Why the hell now? It just isn't fair.' I didn't know if either of us would live."

She recalled how the bull elephant twice missed her when his tusks ripped through the car before one pierced her leg leaving her streaming with the blood.

De Klerk, who was left unhurt, managed to pull her across to his side of the car, from which the elephant finally walked away only after pushing it up against a tree and smashing the windscreen.

The incident was captured on film by tourists in a car behind, but they drove off after the attack believing the pair to be dead.

The distressed couple, who feared attacks from other animals, waited for help after phoning de Klerk's brother but it was 25 minutes before a helicopter landed.

"They took me to a doctor, where I was patched up before being taken to a hospital to check for internal injuries," Brooks said.

"In the back of the ambulance, I said to Jans: 'I don't want ever to spend another day apart from you.' He said: 'Marry me then?' I said: 'Yes.'"

She told the newspaper that she pleaded with the tourists not to publish the footage, but days later an edited version went viral.

The male elephant, who was believed to be a risk to other tourists, was destroyed after the incident.

The animal had been "on musth", a periodic condition where testosterone levels rise and elephants become more aggressive, and had fought with another elephant earlier that day.

The couple said park rangers told them they were "just unlucky" and had done nothing wrong.

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Jury sides with Love in trial over tweet

A US jury has rejected a defamation case against Courtney Love over a Twitter post that suggested one of her lawyers had been "bought off" for not pursuing a lawsuit over her late husband's estate.

The verdict came after roughly three hours of deliberation in a case that spanned eight days and focused on the Hole frontwoman's postings on the social networking site.

The case centred on one 2010 post that suggested that San Diego lawyer Rhonda Holmes had been "bought off" and that was why she wasn't representing the singer anymore.

Love had hired Holmes to file a fraud case against the estate of her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The lawyer contended during the trial that she was fired by Love and that the tweet and other statements the singer made against her have caused her substantial damage.

Love's tweet stated, "I was (expletive) devastated when Rhonda J Holmes Esq of san diego was bought off" in response to a question from user of the popular social media site.

The message was never meant to be public, Love told jurors. She said she meant for it to be sent as a direct message, which only the recipient would see, but it instead went public and was quickly deleted.

The swift verdict wasn't witnessed by Love, who had left court after closing arguments ended on Friday morning. She arrived just as the courthouse was closing down and met her lawyers, John Lawrence and Matthew Bures, in the hallway where she hugged them both.

Love praised her lawyers and the jury after the verdict. Asked about her social media presence, Love said she refrained from posting on Twitter during the trial. "I didn't tweet out of respect for the case," she said.

While the case was billed as the first "Twibel" trial in which Twitter and libel law intersected, Lawrence said it was tried by the same rules as traditional defamation cases.

Jurors determined that Love's tweet included false information, but the musician didn't know it wasn't true.

Holmes lawyer Mitchell Langberg said the jury's verdict meant the panel determined Love's statement was defamatory, but the singer couldn't be held liable for it. Holmes' side asked the panel to award $8 million in damages and send a message that false statements online had consequences.

Langberg said that while his client was disappointed with the verdict, her reputation was upheld and the world now knows that Love's statements were false.

"At the end of the day, her biggest asset in life is her reputation," Langberg said. "That she got back today."

Love's social media postings have gotten her into trouble several times.

In 2011, she agreed to pay $US430,000 to fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir over statements she posted on Twitter and Myspace.

Simorangkir sued Love again last year, alleging the musician libelled her when Love accused Simorangkir of theft on the Howard Stern's radio show and taunted her on the social media site Pinterest.

The case is pending, but Love said she's trying to be more careful about her online musings than she was when she tweeted about Holmes.

"I don't tweet like I did back then," Love said on Friday.

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Govt 'creating' welfare crisis: Labor

LABOR has accused the Abbott government of "manufacturing" a welfare crisis ahead of a planned crack down on young people claiming the disability pension.

Under federal government plans to overhaul the welfare system, young people who are deemed partially fit to work will no longer be able to claim disability welfare payments, News Corp Australia reports.

Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews said under the previous Labor government, young Australians were able to claim the disability pension despite their condition being minor.

Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite rejected the claim, saying the number of people on the disability pension actually decreased between 2012 and 2013.

He said there was no need for a planned overhaul of the welfare system because Australia didn't have a welfare problem.

"They are creating and manufacturing a crisis to ensure they look like they are a government that is doing something," he told Sky News on Saturday.

The federal government is facing criticism for excluding aged pensioners, who make up the majority of the welfare expenditure, in its welfare payments review as it grapples with a budget deficit.

Finance Minister Mathias Corman said increasing workforce participation among younger people claiming the disability allowance was part of the government's agenda to reduce the budget bottom line.

"We don't think that people with temporary health conditions should be put onto the Disability Support Pension for the remainder of their working lives," he told Sky News.

"We want to help people who are able to work back into the workforce. We think that is good for them and it's obviously good for the country."

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S. Sudan agrees truce, but crisis remains

The South Sudanese government and rebels have signed a ceasefire deal to end a five-week conflict. Source: AAP

SOUTH Sudan's government and rebels have signed a ceasefire, but analysts warn that bringing battling gunmen on the ground under control and making the truce stick is far from guaranteed.

Weeks of war in the impoverished young nation is feared to have spiralled out of the control of the political leaders, who themselves bickered for weeks to agree even a first stage deal, signed late on Thursday in a luxury hotel in neighbouring Ethiopia.

But even as the ceasefire was signed, government delegation head Nhial Deng Nhial said he was sceptical of the rebels' capacity to rein in their forces, "given that the bulk of the rebels are made up of civilians" - essentially any one of the countless people who have kept hold of their guns after decades of conflict.

The fighting has seen waves of brutal revenge attacks, as fighters and ethnic militia use the violence to loot and settle old scores, with the United Nations and rights workers reporting that horrific atrocities have been committed by both sides.

Finding a deal for lasting peace - and implementing that on the ground - will be the hard part.

"Anything that stops the fighting is welcomed, but it is obvious to say, implementation is key, and past deals in South Sudan have remained little more than ink on paper," said a Western diplomat.

"These two sides have gone so far in a few short weeks ... it was hard enough to get the delegations in Ethiopia to the table, let alone those who have been doing the actual fighting."

The world's newest nation has been at war since December 15, with thousands killed and close to half a million forced to flee their homes. Some have sought refuge in UN bases from the ethnic violence, other to large, squalid camps while tens of thousands of others have fled to neighbouring countries.

There will be no quick fix: billions of dollars worth of international aid, advice and development help were already poured in to the fledgling nation after the end of civil war with Sudan in 2005, but that cash apparently did little to prevent the terrifyingly swift collapse of the state.

Even for the most careful watchers of the complex power struggles of South Sudan, the conflict - and its brutal nature with neighbour turning on neighbour - were shockingly fast.

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Hockey bracing for volatile times ahead

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey as warned Australia may face volatile economic times. Source: AAP

FEDERAL Treasurer Joe Hockey has warned of volatile economic times ahead, but says the trend is favouring a stronger global economy.

The International Monetary Fund upgraded its world growth forecast this week, but warned of continued fragilities in some economies and that downside risks remain.

"We need to make sure that we in Australia prepare for the volatility," Mr Hockey told ABC radio on Friday.

This was one of the reasons why the government granted the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) $8.8 billion to help top up its reserve fund, he said.

However, the trend is favouring a stronger world economy, in particular in the US, but also in China.

"China will continue to grow, they will still want our resources, but we can no longer rely on them as the sole champion for Australian growth," he said.

As such, he insists Australia must live within its means and stop wasting taxpayers' money.

This week he granted his Commission of Audit into government spending a further two weeks to deliver a "comprehensive" interim report beyond the original target of January 31.

He won't be acting on its recommendations until the May budget.

However, public servant job cuts were continuing in the interim.

A 100-year-old government agency is being scrapped and its 200 staff offered redundancy.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer Steven Ciobo said on Friday that the Australian Valuation Office will cease to provide services from June 30.

"A compelling case for the commonwealth providing its own valuation services no longer exists, particularly given there is a highly competitive market of private sector providers," Mr Ciobo said in a statement.

Shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh said if there was a compelling case, the government had yet to make it.

"Scrapping a century-old institution deserves a proper report, not just a short press release from the parliamentary secretary," Dr Leigh said.

The office has been delivering valuation services exclusively for the government since 1910.

Mr Ciobo said the office had become unsustainable, with expected losses of up to $4 million this financial year, and a further $1 million needed to bring its IT equipment up to date.

While the public sector remains under a cloud as the government tightens the purse strings, new Department of Employment data released on Friday shows it secured modest wages growth under enterprise bargaining agreements during the September quarter.

Public sector agreements rose to an average annualised rate of 3.5 per cent from 3.2 per cent in the previous three months. Private sector wage growth was flat in the quarter, but also running at 3.5 per cent annually.

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Hot summer dents Nufarm earnings

HOT, dry weather during December and January in key growing areas has resulted in lower sales and depressed margins for agricultural chemicals and seeds supplier Nufarm.

Nufarm on Friday said it expects to meet its first half guidance for earnings before interest and tax of $50 million to $60 million, but towards the lower end of the range.

"Unfavourable seasonal conditions persisted in Australia during December and January with hot and dry weather in key growing regions," Nufarm said in a statement.

"This has resulted in unusually low sales activity and depressed margins."

The performance of the Australian operations were broadly expected to be in line with the first half of the previous fiscal year.

Businesses in Europe, North America and Asia were performing in line with expectations.

In the seeds business, dry summer conditions in Australia had resulted in lower sales of sorghum and sunflower products.

Nufarm said that despite the challenging conditions in Australia, it was confident of generating earnings growth over the full year.

Nufarm expects to report its results for the six months to January 31 on March 26.

Shares in Nufarm dropped eight cents to $4.09.

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NZX joins Asia-Pacific markets' decline

NEW Zealand shares have retreated as the market joined a region-wide decline.

The NZX 50 Index fell 39.263 points, or about 0.8 per cent to 4911.076 on Thursday. Within the index 35 stocks fell, seven rose and eight were unchanged. Turnover was $101.7 million.

Across Asian-Pacific markets there was a downturn after Chinese data showed manufacturing was shrinking.

"The negative data out of China flowed on particularly through Australia," said James Smalley, a director at Hamilton Hindin Greene.

"We just seem to be following those trends at the moment."

Budget retailer Warehouse Group led decliners after it warned its first half profits could fall as much as 13 per cent. New Zealand's largest listed retailer slid 4.5 per cent to $3.54.

Among other retail stocks to fall, outdoor equipment chain Kathmandu Holdings dropped 4.4 per cent to $3.35 and Hallenstein Glasson, which was punished last week after it issued a profit warning, fell 2.9 per cent to $3.35.

Listed property entities declined as the talk of an interest rate hike "sooner rather than later" diminished the appeal of property stocks that typically return a steady cash dividend, Mr Smalley said.

Goodman Property Trust fell one per cent to 97 cents. Kiwi Income Property Trust dropped 0.9 per cent to $1.10. DNZ Property Fund fell 0.3 per cent to $1.53, and Argosy Property was unchanged at 93 cents.

SkyCity Entertainment Group slipped 1.8 per cent to $3.82 and Fletcher Building fell 0.3 per cent to $9.13.

Mr Smalley said some of the heat came out of the tech stocks as investors took the opportunity to take profits.

Xero, whose share price has gained 480 per cent in the past 12 months, declined 1.4 per cent to $42.59 and Wynyard slipped 7.6 per cent to $2.93.

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Whitehaven shares down on price prediction

Whitehaven Coal has lifted production and sales during the December quarter. Source: AAP

SHARES in Whitehaven Coal have dropped by almost two per cent after the company said it expects metallurgical coal prices to fall in the first quarter of 2014.

The NSW miner expects the price of coal used in steel making to fall to around $101 a tonne in the March quarter, due to reduced demand from Asian steelmakers.

But the market for thermal coal, used in power generation, remains relatively well supplied, with pricing to be guided by negotiations set to begin in February and March, the company said.

"Recent metallurgical coal price settlements by the large coal miners saw a reduction in the price for all metallurgical coal types for the first quarter of 2014," Whitehaven said in a statement.

Prices are then expected to remain flat before increasing in 2015.

The company achieved a significant lift in sales and production in the three months to December 31.

Whitehaven sold 3.16 million tonnes of coal in the period, up 52 per cent on the same quarter in 2012.

Sales were boosted by a 44 per cent rise in production to 2.86 million tonnes, mostly from its Narrabri Mine, where production soared 81 per cent.

The company achieved an average price of $103 a tonne for its metallurgical coal and $82 a tonne for thermal coal during the quarter.

Whitehaven said the introduction of a flat tax on all coal imports into South Korea should favour its higher quality coal imports against lower quality rivals.

Meanwhile, work on the company's Werris Creek mine expansion was completed in December, while construction work had begun on the construction of rail facilities to its Maules Creek project.

Whitehaven shares fell 3.5 cents, or 1.9 per cent, to $1.845.

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Jobs go as CCA shifts juice operations

Coca Cola Amatil says it will halt bottling and packaging operations at a South Australian facility. Source: AAP

COCA-COLA Amatil (CCA) will cut 28 jobs as it shifts part of its juice production from regional South Australia to Adelaide.

The beverage giant has announced it will halt bottling and packaging operations relating to its Crusta and Goulburn Valley drinks at its facility at Ramco, northeast of Adelaide.

Juice extraction and blending work will continue at the Ramco plant, while the bottling and packaging operations will be shifted to CCA's beverage facility in Adelaide.

CCA on Thursday said 28 employees will be made redundant as part of the move.

But, the company said, the employees would be offered jobs at other CCA facilities around the country.

CCA supply chain director Bruce Herbert said the move was necessary to keep costs under control.

"Ensuring cost effective operations are crucial to CCA's future ability to continue to sustain its juice business," he said.

"Without these changes, juice production for CCA would be uncompetitive."

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Vic man cleared in boy toilet photo case

A MAN accused of taking photos of a young boy in a Melbourne shopping centre toilet will not be charged.

Police had been searching for a man after an eight-year-old boy and his father noticed someone inside the Cheltenham shopping centre toilets in December.

It was alleged the man entered the toilet cubicle next to the boy and used a mobile phone to snap photos of him from underneath the cubicles' dividing wall.

But the man came forward and spoke to detectives on Wednesday, resulting in police deciding to drop the case.

"He has provided credible information in relation to the circumstances of the December 28 incident," a police statement said.

"Police do not expect any charges to arise."

A police spokeswoman did not elaborate on the man's explanation for the incident.

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