ASA surprises with Penrice board vote

TROUBLED chemicals manufacturer Penrice Soda has been taken by surprise with a decision by the Australian Shareholders' Association to support both the incumbent and challenging directors at this Friday's board spill meeting.

The Australian Shareholders' Association (ASA) says it will support Penrice's chairman and deputy chairman in their re-election bid but will also support three candidates nominated by dissident shareholder London City Equities (LCE).

Penrice chairman David Trebeck told AAP he was surprised at the ASA's decision and said having all five directors on the company's board would not be workable.

"Heck no," Mr Trebeck said when asked if such an arrangement could work.

"It's exactly the thing that we have been speaking against."

Adelaide-based Penrice will be the first company to face an extraordinary general meeting to vote on a board spill after receiving successive votes against its remuneration report at the past two annual general meetings under the "two strikes" rule.

The company, which announced on January 18 it would cease local production of soda ash in favour of imports and cut 60 jobs, has been subject to a fierce battle between the incumbent board and LCE, which has pushed for board renewal in the face of sustained losses and falling share prices.

The ASA, in a report posted on its website on Monday, said while it had initially opposed a board spill, it now believed the Penrice board should have at least one new member "to introduce the discipline of truly independent thinking".

The ASA monitors said that while three additional board members "might not be workable", all three new candidates - John Harvey, Shay McQuade and Mike Carter - were suitable and no order of priority could be decided.

The monitors said their position may change before the meeting.

In a letter to shareholders ahead of Friday's meeting, Mr Trebeck said the three new candidates "lack public company governance experience and are unlikely to bring any new insights into Penrice".

Penrice shares peaked at $2.10 in 2005 and closed on Tuesday one cent lower at 12 cents.

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Ex-NT chief minister Hendo calls it a day

FORMER Northern Territory chief minister Paul Henderson has announced he is retiring from politics, sparking a by-election in his safe seat.

Mr Henderson, 50, who was chief minister from 2007 until last year, said he had no firm plans about what he would do now that he had retired from politics.

He ruled out speculation that he may seek a role in federal politics.

It was important he could spend more time with his three children, Mr Henderson told reporters.

No date for a by-election to be held in his safe seat of Wanguri has been settled, but it is likely to be March 2 or 9.

"The Territory is a much better and different place today than it was 10 years ago," Mr Henderson told reporters on Tuesday.

He said it was a tough decision to retire from politics, and he defended his comments before the last election when he told voters he would stay in parliament to complete his term, even if the ALP lost power.

"I think in fact it is the norm that a party leader who has lost an election will move on and it is time for renewal," he said.

He said his biggest regret from his time in office was that he couldn't further boost the number of indigenous children attending school.

Political commentator from Charles Darwin University, Ken Parish, said Mr Henderson's announcement was probably timed to coincide with a popularity slump from the ruling Country Liberal Party, maximising the ALP's chances in a by-election.

NT Opposition Leader Delia Lawrie said it was a sad day for the Territory.

"Paul Henderson has been a great contributor and he is leaving an enormous legacy," Ms Lawrie said.

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Aust stocks finish flat

THE Australian share market has closed flat as investors gave a subdued response to the Bank of Japan's plan for a more expansionary two per cent inflation target.

At the close on Tuesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 1.6 points, or 0.03 per cent, at 4,779.1 points, and the broader All Ordinaries index was 0.7 points, or 0.01 per cent, higher at 4,802.9 points.

On the ASX 24, the March share price index futures contract fell one point to 4,742 points, with 26,684 contracts traded, final calculations show.

The Bank of Japan said it would conduct "open-ended" asset purchases to help end a long period of deflation, and described its inflation goal as a "price stability target".

Still, Bell Direct market analyst Julia Lee said the Australian market had already expected the news, following a meeting of Japan's central bank.

"It's good news for the Japanese economy but the market has priced in the news," she told AAP.

Of the big banks, National Australia Bank shares finished almost one per cent weaker after Spanish giant Santander had denied it was interested in buying its troubled UK banks.

Investors had pushed NAB shares up on Monday after London's Sunday Times reported that Santander was considering making a STG2 billion ($A3.04 billion) offer for the Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks.

But the share price dived after a Santander spokesman denied the report.

NAB shares lost 26 cents, or 0.97 per cent, to finish the session at $26.59.

ANZ also went backwards, shedding three cents, or 0.12 per cent, to finish at $25.66.

But the Commonwealth Bank inched up by 34 cents, or 0.55 per cent, to end at $62.54 while Westpac added one cent, or 0.04 per cent, to touch $26.49.

In resources, Macmahon Holdings initially soared more than 15 per cent after the mining contractor sealed a $1.8 billion deal with Fortescue Metals Group.

The five-year contract is the biggest ever signed by Macmahon in the mining services sector and will see it provide services to help Fortescue expand its Christmas Creek iron ore mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

Shares in Macmahon finished up 1.5 cents, or 5.88 per cent, to hit 27 cents while Fortescue shares ended 11 cents higher, or 2.43 per cent, at $4.64.

Meanwhile, household appliances and cleaning products supplier GUD Holdings booked a 21 per cent fall in first half net profit, as its Sunbeam appliances brand struggles against competition.

Its shares finished 15 cents, or 1.79 per cent weaker, at $8.24.

Ms Lee said Australian share market volumes were expected to pick up on Wednesday as the US returned from the Martin Luther King Jr public holiday.

The price of gold in Sydney was $US1,693.83 per fine ounce, up $US3.72 on Monday's closing price of US1,690.11.

National turnover was 1.734 billion shares worth $3.352 billion, with 398 stocks up, 538 down and 368 unchanged.

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New police boats to fight crime in NSW

A NEW fleet of fast response, multi-purpose vessels are about to start fighting crime on NSW's waterways.

The three vessels - to be based at Balmain, Botany Bay and Broken Bay - were unveiled by NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn on Monday.

The boats will allow for faster responses to crime, and each vessel has the ability to deploy as far as Tweed Heads to the north and Eden to the south.

"During busy periods on Sydney Harbour these vessels will enable us to provide a safer and more secure environment for all vessels," Ms Burn said in a statement.

Each of the 9.5m rigid hull inflatable boats has two 250hp four-stroke outboard motors, with a contract speed of 45knots and a range of 200 nautical miles at 25knots.

They are designed to be swift, highly manoeuvrable in high density areas and are fitted with the latest navigation and communication equipment.

"Marine-related crime is very serious and can be dangerous," said NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher.

"We will continue to support police in their fight against this crime."

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Burning smell on flight prompts evacuation

PASSENGERS aboard a Perth-bound Skywest flight were forced to disembark in a southern town after burning smell was noticed in the cabin.

The flight on the turboprop Fokker 50 took off early on Monday from Esperance and was scheduled to land in Ravensthorpe, then Perth.

Chief executive Jason Bitter said 23 of the 46 passengers planned to disembark at Ravensthorpe but all were evacuated as a precaution.

"There was the smell of something burning - nobody saw any smoke," Mr Bitter told AAP.

He said the matter had been referred to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

All Perth-bound passengers were bussed back to Esperance and assigned to another flight.

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Sex assault sailor gets suspended sentence

A SAILOR who sexually assaulted and beat up his former girlfriend has avoided jail after a Sydney judge handed down a suspended 22-month sentence.

The 31-year-old man from Brisbane, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend and two counts of causing her actual bodily harm at her home in Sydney on May 4, 2011.

In the District Court in Sydney on Friday, Judge Peter Maiden said he accepted the man was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the assault and was unable to accept the relationship was over.

He noted the man, a chef who served as an able seaman with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), had an "excellent record" in the navy, which included overseas war service.

"It is a very difficult task the members of our navy have," Judge Maiden said.

"It requires them to remain away from their families and loved ones and in particular can impose mental difficulties."

The court heard the man had attempted to kill himself on two previous occasions and that he told his psychiatrist his relationship with the victim was going fine when in fact it was over, the court heard.

"Clearly the (victim) had separated both physically and mentally from the offender who, on the night of this event, had not accepted that decision," Judge Maiden said.

The man had served in Iraq in 2005 and more recently in West Timor, an experience he described as being "a real mess with (his) head".

"Clearly the stresses of West Timor, his relationship failing and his history and sense of isolation gave rise to this offence," the judge said.

Judge Maiden found the man had no prior criminal history, was unlikely to re-offend and had "excellent" prospects of rehabilitation.

He sentenced him to a total term of 22 months for the three offences, which he suspended.

He also suspended a 13-month jail term for one count of perverting the course of justice, which the court heard was in relation to false emails the man sent.

The sailor was to be discharged from the navy pending the outcome of the case.

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Thousands rally against US gun control

Many people attending anti-gun control rallies in the US have openly displayed firearms. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of gun advocates have gathered peacefully at state capitals around the US to rally against stricter limits on firearms, with demonstrators carrying rifles and pistols in some places while those elsewhere settled for waving hand-scrawled signs or screaming themselves hoarse.

The size of crowds at each location varied - from dozens of people in South Dakota to 2,000 in New York.

Large crowds also turned out in Connecticut, Tennessee and Texas.

Some demonstrators in Phoenix and Salem, Oregon, came with holstered handguns or rifles on their backs.

At the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, attendees gave a special round of applause for "the ladies that are packin'."

Activists promoted the "Guns Across America" rallies primarily through social media.

They were being held just after President Barack Obama unveiled a sweeping package of federal gun-control proposals.

The crowd swelled to more than 800 amid balmy temperatures on the steps of the pink-hued Capitol in Austin, where speakers took the microphone under a giant Texas flag with "Independent" stamped across it.

Homemade placards read "An Armed Society is a Polite Society", "The Second Amendment Comes from God". The Second Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms.

"The thing that so angers me, and I think so angers you, is that this president is using children as a human shield to advance a very liberal agenda that will do nothing to protect them," said state Representative Steve Toth, referencing last month's primary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

Toth, a first-term Republican politician from The Woodlands outside Houston, has introduced legislation banning within Texas any future federal limits on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines, though such a measure would violate the US Constitution.

Rallies at statehouses nationwide were organised by Eric Reed, an airline captain from the Houston area who in November started a group called "More Gun Control (equals) More Crime." Its Facebook page has been "liked" by more than 17,000 people.

Texas law allows concealed handgun licence-holders to carry firearms anywhere, but Reed said rally-goers shouldn't expose their weapons: "I don't want anyone to get arrested."

A man who identified himself only as "Texas Mob Father" carried a camouflaged assault rifle strapped to his back during the Austin rally, but he was believed to be the only one to display a gun. Radio personality Alan LaFrance told the crowd he brought a Glock 19, but he kept it out of sight.

At the New York state Capitol in Albany, about 2,000 people turned out for a chilly rally, where they chanted "We the People", "USA", and "Freedom".

Many carried American flags and "Don't Tread On Me" banners. The event took place four days after Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the nation's toughest assault weapon and magazine restrictions.

Republican Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin said the new law was "abuse of power" by the governor. Some in the crowd carried "Impeach Cuomo" signs. Protester Robert Candea called the restrictions "an outrage against humanity".

In Connecticut, where task forces created by the Legislature and Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy are considering changes to gun laws, police said about 1,000 people showed up on the Capitol grounds.

One demonstrator at the rally in Maine, Joe Getchell of Pittsfield, said every law-abiding citizen has a right to bear arms.

Capitol rallies also took place in Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Missouri and North Carolina, among other states.

Back in Texas, Houston resident Robert Thompson attended the rally with his wife and children, ages 12, five and four. Many in the family wore T-shirts reading: "The Second Amendment Protects the First."

"What we are facing now is an assault weapons ban, but if they do this, what will do they do next?" Thompson asked.

William Lawson drove more than four hours from Wichita Falls and held up a sign reading "Modern Musket" over the image of an assault rifle and the words, "An American Tradition since 1776."

"I'm not some wild-eyed person who wants to fight in the streets," Lawson said. "This is a country of laws. But I want to protect our Constitution."

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson conceded that the Second Amendment sometimes leads to killings, but he told the crowd that the First Amendment can be just as dangerous. Patterson said news coverage of those responsible for mass shootings can spark copy-cat shootings.

"All of us here, together, are right about our liberty," Patterson said. "And we will not back down."

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Original Batmobile sells for $4m

The original Batmobile from the 1960s television series has sold at auction for $US4.2 million. Source: AAP

THE original Batmobile from the 1960s television series has sold at auction for $US4.2 million ($A4 million).

A spokeswoman for the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company in Scottsdale, Arizona says the winning bidder has not been disclosed following Saturday's auction.

The 5.79 metre-long black, bubble-topped car was used in the Batman TV show that starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader.

The car's owner - famed Los Angeles car customiser George Barris - transformed a one-of-a-kind 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car into the sleek crime-fighting machine.

On the show, it boasted lasers and a Batphone and could lay down smoke screens and oil slicks.

Barris' publicist says his client is pleased with the auction result.

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Police save man who drove into Swan River

THREE police officers are being hailed as heroes after pulling to safety a man who deliberately drove his car into Perth's Swan River in a bizarre Sunday morning incident.

The man, who is yet to be identified, was seen driving his white Hyundai sedan along a footpath to the edge of the water at the popular Barrack Street jetty in the heart of the city at around 10.30am WST.

Police said after stopping the vehicle, and placing some personal items including an empty jerry can on the jetty side, the man got back into his car, accelerated hard and ploughed through a temporary fence.

At speed, the car hit rocks at the water's edge, which catapulted the vehicle metres into the water.

Amazingly, witnesses reported then seeing the driver treading water in the river as the car sank, before swimming back under the waves and back into the car.

He was submerged inside the car for some minutes, before police arrived, dived in and rescued the man.

They performed immediate resuscitation on the prone driver, before ambulance officers arrived and continued attempting to revive the man.

He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital in a critical condition.

Inspector Derek Staats from WA police said the incident was highly unusual.

"He accelerated heavily, as witnesses heard screeching of tyres, and drove off," Inspector Staats said.

"They then observed him get out of the car, when it was semi-submerged, and swimming on the surface.

"When the car had sunk, the driver then swum back under water and got back in the vehicle.

"The police officers took immediate action ... they're actions are very admirable."

The incident occurred just yards from the Aquatic Super Series open water swimming event, which is taking place in Perth this weekend.

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UN pushes for war crimes probe in Syria

A senior UN official has called for a war crimes investigation in Syria. Source: AAP

FIERCE clashes raged on Friday in a majority Kurdish city of Syria and near Damascus, as UN rights chief Navi Pillay piled pressure on the Security Council to probe war crimes in the 22-month conflict.

The violence claimed dozens of new lives on Friday, including an Al-Jazeera reporter, the second journalist killed by snipers in 24 hours, the pan-Arab news channel said.

Mohammed Hourani "was shot dead by a regime sniper", Al-Jazeera said, a day after French journalist Yves Debay was gunned down in the northern city of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Hourani was covering clashes in the southern province of Daraa, cradle of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, said the network.

Farther north near Damascus, regime warplanes bombarded rebel strongholds including Daraya, while the army dispatched reinforcements to the town to reclaim it from the insurgents, activists said.

A building housing a field hospital was hit and residents struggled to pull people from the rubble, activist Abu Kinan told AFP via the Internet. He was unable to give a casualty toll.

But the Britain-based Observatory said at least 119 people were killed in violence across Syria on Friday, including 93 civilians.

Fighting also raged in the majority Kurdish northern city of Ras al-Ain, on the Turkish border, with jihadists battling Kurdish militiamen for control of the district, activists and residents said.

They said fighters from the radical Al-Nusra Front - listed by the United States as a "terrorist" organisation - and Ghuraba al-Sham groups launched an assault on Thursday, crossing into the city from Turkey with three tanks.

"The Kurdish fighters seized one of the tanks," on Friday, an activist identifying himself as Havidar told AFP via the Internet.

Syria's Kurds are divided over the conflict with some supporting Assad's regime, others backing the uprising and others striving to stay neutral.

Activists say they fear Turkey, which backs the revolt against Assad, may be using jihadists in Syria to fight its own battle against its own Kurdish minority.

The relentless violence was at the centre of a meeting Friday at the divided Security Council, where human rights commissioner Pillay gave a briefing on the deteriorating events tearing apart Syria.

Pillay called for an International Criminal Court war crimes investigation in Syria, adding her voice to 58 countries who petitioned the body for a such a probe to be launched.

"I have urged the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court for investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity on the part of all parties engaged in this conflict," Pillay said.

She said victims in Syria "see the situation as the United Nations not carrying out its responsibility to protect victims."

Russia and China have used their power as permanent Security Council members to block three resolutions which would have threatened sanctions against Assad and in some cases a war crimes case.

Also on Friday, protesters flooded streets of flashpoint areas across Syria, renewing their calls for the fall of Assad's regime and paying tribute to 87 victims of a deadly bombing in Aleppo university this week.

Syria's spiralling conflict has killed more than 60,000 people in less than two years, says the United Nations. The Observatory has documented 48,000 dead, most of them civilians.

According to an AFP count and the Paris-based rights group Reporters Without Borders, at least 20 professional journalists have been killed in Syria where more than 40 citizen journalists have also died.

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