Probe into alleged attack by Qld cops

POLICE have launched an investigation after footage emerged showing a police officer allegedly punching a man in the face outside a Brisbane nightclub.

The footage, taken by a member of the public, shows three uniformed police officers speaking to a man down an alleyway outside The Beat nightclub on Ann St about 11.30pm (AEST) on Friday.

Bank employee Joe Ritson says he filmed the scene while waiting for a taxi.

"I had a feeling something was going to happen so I started filming it and like three seconds later one of the cops punched him in the face and I was like 'holy crap that is full on'," Mr Ritson told Ninemsn.

"They punched him, pushed him up against the wall and then started kicking him.

"The ute (in the video) kind of obscures it but you can see one of the them kneed him in the back."

Mr Ritson told Ninemsn he doesn't why the police officers had approached the man.

The footage was uploaded to Youtube, but has since been taken down.

A statement from Queensland Police said they were aware of the video and had launched an investigation.

The Ethical Standards Command has also been informed.

Brisbane Region Acting Assistant Commissioner Allan McCarthy said although police were looking into the incident it didn't necessarily mean the officers were at fault.

"This does not mean any allegations or complaints about the officers have been substantiated," he said in a statement.

"It is important not to pre-empt the outcome, however the circumstances will be investigated thoroughly to determine if the officers have acted in accordance with the high expectations of the Service."

Mr McCarthy said all officers are expected to act professionally and ethically in accordance with the service's high standards.

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Dutch poll says 21% 'back more euthanasia'

More than one in five Dutch people believe that euthanasia should be allowed for elderly people. Source: AAP

MORE than one in five Dutch people believe that euthanasia should be allowed for elderly people who are "tired of living", new research suggests.

Of 2000 Dutch people polled, 21 per cent said euthanasia should be allowed for people who no longer wish to live - even if they do not have a serious disease.

Dutch euthanasia law allows doctors to assist suicide for patients who are suffering unbearably from a medical condition with no prospect of improvement.

Hundreds of terminally ill Britons have travelled to receive assisted dying in countries where euthanasia is permitted, reports suggest.

There has been much debate in the Netherlands as to whether euthanasia laws should be extended so doctors can help elderly people who are not seriously ill, but who are simply tired of living, to die.

Researchers decided to examine the level of public support for the matter.

While one in five agreed with the prospect, just over half disagreed and a quarter neither agreed nor disagreed.

Those who supported euthanasia for older people tired of living were more likely to be highly educated and non-religious, researchers said.

Publishing their findings in the Journal of Medical Ethics, they wrote: "Although it is lower than the level of support for assistance in dying for patients whose suffering is rooted in a serious medical condition, our finding that a substantial minority of the general public supports physician assistance in dying for older people who are tired of living implies that this topic may need to be taken seriously in the debate about end-of-life decision-making.

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VW replaces head of struggling US division

AS Volkswagen's US division struggles to reach sales goals, the auto maker said on Thursday it was replacing the division's boss.

The company said Jonathan Browning, 54, was leaving his job as president and chief executive of the Volkswagen Group of America "for personal reasons and returning to the UK".

His replacement is Michael Horn, 51, the company's global head of after-sales service, repair and components. Horn was formerly head of sales for Europe.

Through November, US Volkswagen sales fell more than five per cent to just under 374,000, while the overall market has grown more than eight per cent.

Sales of the compact Jetta sedan fell 4.4 per cent, while Passat midsize sedan sales declined 2.1 per cent, according to Autodata Corp.

This year's decline came after VW sales skyrocketed more than 30 per cent in 2012.

Analyst Thomas Libby at IHS Automotive said that after "very effective" launches of redesigned Passat and Jetta models, Volkswagen had taken a break in updating its offerings.

"There is general agreement that new product is a major factor in performance in the US market, and VW has had a dearth, a pause, in product launches," he said.

Volkswagen also lacks competitive products in some key US market categories. Libby singled out the non-luxury crossover segment, where the company's Tiguan was no longer competitive on price or value comparisons.

The leadership shuffle comes amid a debate over unionising Volkswagen's only US plant in Tennessee. The plant stands alone among VW's major factories worldwide in that it has no formal worker representation, whether through a union or a German-style works council.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union says it has collected enough signatures to be recognised outright, though the company could also call for a secret ballot.

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Reporter sues Toronto mayor for defamation

THE controversial mayor of the Canadian city of Toronto is being sued by a newspaper reporter after he suggested the journalist is a pedophile.

In a TV interview, Rob Ford accused Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale of taking pictures of children. Ford said he didn't "want to say that word but you start thinking what this guy is all about."

The day after the interview aired, Ford told reporters that he stands by his words. "I stand by every word I said."

Ford's insinuation was related to an instance when Dale was close to the mayor's house in May 2012, investigating a plot of public land adjacent to Ford's home that the mayor wanted to buy.

Dale has said he was writing a story about the plot so he went to take a look at it when the mayor emerged from his home to confront him. Dale said the mayor's two children were nowhere in sight, nor were any children in sight.

Dale said he decided to take action after Ford repeated the accusations on a radio show on Thursday, saying again that Dale was taking photos outside of his house.

Dale said Ford added this: "When you've got young kids, that freaked me right out.

"This isn't quite as egregious as the (first) comment he made, but it brought renewed attention to his malicious and defamatory insinuation ... that I have some sort of predatory interest in young children - that I am a pedophile. I can't tolerate it. I won't tolerate it," wrote Dale in his article.

Dale said the libel notice asks Ford to immediately retract the false insinuation that I am a pedophile and all of his false statements about my conduct on May 2, 2012. Dale said he is also suing Vision TV, which twice broadcast Ford's first remarks. Dale asks that Ford and Vision owner ZoomerMedia apologise immediately "publicly, abjectly, unreservedly and completely."

Allegations about Ford smoking crack surfaced in May when two reporters for the Toronto Star and one from the website Gawker said they saw a video of Ford appearing to smoke from a crack pipe, but they did not obtain a copy. Ford vilified the Star, accusing the paper of trying to take him down.

He admitted last month to smoking crack "in a drunken stupor."

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Bacteria linked to patient deaths in Qld

QUEENSLAND'S chief health officer is confident a Brisbane hospital grappling with a group A streptococcus bacterial outbreak, linked to two patient deaths, has the situation under control.

The deaths of two elderly patients at Greenslopes Private Hospital's rehabilitation centre have been linked to the bacteria outbreak.

Two other elderly patients at the rehabilitation centre have tested positive to the bacteria but are responding well to antibiotics.

The centre's admissions have been suspended as all patients and staff are tested.

Queensland Health said the main hospital building was not at risk because the rehabilitation unit was a separate facility.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young says the hospital has met all the public health guidelines for such an outbreak.

"All patients and staff currently in the unit are being tested and monitored for signs of the infection," Dr Young said.

"I understand all patients discharged from the unit since November 29 are being contacted by the hospital and given information about the symptoms to look out for."

Two men, aged 91 and 95, died at the hospital in the past week. One had pneumonia, the other a bloodstream infection.

They were later found to have the streptococcus bacteria in their bloodstreams.

Dr Young said she was notified of the deaths on Thursday, which is within the mandatory notification period.

Often the bacteria is found in the throat and on the skin and can cause minor symptoms such as a sore throat.

But in rare cases it can invade the bloodstream or the lungs and cause life-threatening illnesses, typically in people with compromised health, such as the elderly.

A legionnaires' disease outbreak was at the private Wesley Hospital this year.

Linked to the hospital's water system, that outbreak led to the death of a cancer patient in his 60s. Another patient was put in intensive care.

The Wesley was effectively shut down for about a fortnight and hospitals throughout the state were tested for the bacteria.

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PA 'saw signs of drugs at Lawson home'

Nigella Lawson's ex-PA told a UK court she saw evidence of regular drug use by the celebrity cook. Source: AAP

A PERSONAL assistant accused of defrauding Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi has told a London court she saw evidence of regular drug use by the celebrity cook.

Elisabetta Grillo, 41, said she found various signs that Lawson was using cocaine, including a packet of white powder found in a toilet in the home she shared with former husband, John Diamond, as well as rolled-up banknotes and credit cards with white powder on them.

Asked if she had ever seen Lawson taking drugs, Grillo - who is also known as Lisa - said "No".

But she told Isleworth Crown Court in west London that she was aware that Lawson had taken drugs and, when pressed by barrister Anthony Metzer QC about what type of substances, she said cocaine and cannabis.

Grillo, who worked for Lawson as an au pair, said she did not confront the 53-year-old about the issue as she didn't want to embarrass her.

Italian-born Grillo, who is accused alongside her sister Francesca of defrauding Lawson and Saatchi, said that when she was living with Lawson in Shepherd's Bush around a year after she first started working for her and then-husband Diamond, she found a small packet of white powder in the toilet while cleaning.

She told the court: "I was cleaning the house and I noticed a little packet on top of the loo, toilet.

"I opened it because it was kind of a little funny envelope and I saw white powder."

On other occasions she found rolled-up notes - on one occasion a 20 pound note - with white powder on them.

"Once I noticed a credit card with white, and a CD, like a music CD, with white stuff," she said.

Grillo also told the court she found similar evidence when Lawson moved in with Saatchi at his home in Eaton Square.

She said that in a drawer in Lawson's office she found rolled-up banknotes, including American dollars.

Asked by Mr Metzer if there was anything on them, she said: "Yes, again, white stuff."

The defence barrister asked her how often over the years she had seen signs of drug use, to which she replied: "Regularly".

Grillo also referred to a box, shaped like a book, in which Lawson has denied stashing drugs.

The celebrity cook last week admitted taking cocaine with Diamond when he found out he had terminal cancer, and on another occasion in July 2010 during her troubled marriage to Saatchi.

But Lawson, who also admitted smoking cannabis in the last year of her marriage to the art gallery owner, said the idea that she was a drug addict or habitual user of cocaine was "absolutely ridiculous" and accused her ex-husband of "peddling" stories about her alleged habit.

Metzer asked Grillo if Ms Lawson's assertion that she took cocaine with Diamond but never again until 2010 was true.

"No", she replied. "Because I know I saw more stuff before that."

Asked how often she saw evidence of cocaine use, she said: "Like, every three days, something like that. Regularly, not only once, for sure."

She told the court that Lawson's moods were "very up and down" and said she could be "mean".

Grillo then described how she felt after she was accused of stealing from the celebrity couple.

"I was sad after 14 years. They broke my heart," she said.

Grillo told the court she was shocked to be confronted by finance director Rahul Gajjar in July 2012 over her use of taxis or the company credit card.

The court heard that the Grillo sisters later met with Gajjar who urged them to sign a letter admitting fraud and agreeing to pay money back. But they refused and Elisabetta Grillo told the jury they would not sign as she did not want to admit to something she had not done.

She said she was upset by the allegations and she tried to contact Ms Lawson via letter and phone call but did not receive a reply.

She was asked about an email written to Lawson and Saatchi by her and her sister in October last year in which they begged for forgiveness.

Asked by Metzer what she was asking forgiveness for, she said: "Because I disappointed them. It's not because I did something bad... I wanted someone to talk with me, neither Charles or Nigella talked to us, they sent the lawyers and the police."

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NZ mine payments not 'blood money'

New Zealand prosecutors have dropped charges against former Pike River Coal boss Peter Whittall. Source: AAP

HEALTH and safety prosecutors are denying the reparations offer they accepted from former Pike River Coal boss Peter Whittall is "blood money".

All 12 health and safety charges against the Australian mining executive have been dropped after the Crown told Christchurch District Court on Thursday that their chances of convicting him were low.

This was in part because a number of witnesses were not prepared to front up in court, others weren't prepared to sign briefs of evidence, and some experts clashed in their evidence.

It had been alleged Mr Whittall, who was chief executive of Pike River Coal for six weeks before the 2010 explosions, participated or knew about safety breaches at the mine.

Unions and upset family members of some of the 29 miners who died in the explosions have described Mr Whittall's offer to pay the victims' families and survivors $110,000 each - accepted by prosecutors - as "blood money".

Geoffrey Podger, the acting deputy chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's health and safety group, said legal advice was taken before deciding to accept the offer.

"The issue of whether people have sought to make amends is a relevant factor," he told Radio New Zealand.

"But if the case had been strong enough to go to trial, we would have done so."

The amount Mr Whittall has offered to pay, which will come from insurance and from legal costs he won't now have to meet, is the same as Pike River Coal was fined when it admitted charges, but which it wasn't able to pay due to receivership.

Mr Podger denied suggestions the fact the case could shine attention on failings of the ministry's predecessors, the Department of Labour, was part of the reason for not prosecuting, saying independent legal advice from the crown solicitor was taken.

"We have always said that our performance over Pike River was unsatisfactory," he said.

Family members said the men who died would not now get justice.

Mr Whittall's lawyer, Stacey Shortall, said the dismissal of the charges meant that money which otherwise would have been spent on the legal case could now be used to compensate the families.

She told Radio New Zealand there were fundamental flaws in the prosecution case.

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Foreign airlines to boost stake in Virgin

VIRGIN Australia's largest shareholders Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways and Air New Zealand will increase their stakes in the airline to almost 70 per cent as part of a $351.5 million capital raising.

Retail shareholders took up just 25.3 per cent of the entitlement.

The announcement has angered rival Qantas and pushed its shares two per cent lower to 97 cents after touching an all time low of 96 cents on Thursday.

Qantas has complained for weeks about an uneven playing field in the Australian aviation market as Virgin is not restricted on foreign investment.

Chief executive Alan Joyce has been lobbying the federal government to block Virgin's equity raising.

Virgin's three foreign shareholders already own 63 per cent of the airline and they are expected to increase their combined stakes to around 67 per cent.

Air New Zealand is expected to hold the largest stake, at just over 24 per cent and Singapore and Etihad will boost their respective stakes to just above 21 per cent.

Virgin founder Richard Branson owns around 10 per cent.

Retail shareholders will raise $17.5 million as part of the entitlement.

Virgin said the balance of 136.4 million remaining shares would be issued to the underwriters and the sub-underwriter of the retail entitlement offer.

Air New Zealand had agreed to sub-underwrite the offer and Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines had agreed to increase their exposure to Virgin through cash settled derivatives.

Virgin conducted the raising at 38 cents a share, which was one cent higher than Wednesday's closing price.

A Qantas spokesman said the move meant Virgin Australia was now almost 80 per cent foreign owned after receiving more than $300 million from state-owned enterprises."

"But it has all of the international traffic rights reserved for majority Australian-owned carriers," Qantas said.

At the close of trade Virgin shares rose one cent to 38 cents while Qantas shares fell two cents to 97 cents.

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Chevron's Gorgon blows out to $US54bn

Chevron says the cost of its Gorgon LNG project in West Australia has blown out to $A59.87 billion. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S largest gas project Gorgon has suffered a multi-billion dollar cost blow-out and delay, the latest in a string of industry overruns.

The cost of energy giant Chevron's liquefied natural gas project has blown out from $US52 billion to $US54 billion ($A57.65 billion to $A59.87 billion).

Also, the start-up date for first gas from the Western Australian project is now expected to be in mid-2015 instead of the first quarter.

Despite those issues, the project's economics remained attractive, said Chevron vice-chairman George Kirkland.

"We continue to make steady progress against key project milestones and are applying lessons learned to our Wheatstone development which is almost 25 per cent complete," he said.

"Approximately 75 per cent of our combined LNG offtake from the two projects is committed under firm, long-term sales and purchase agreements."

The smaller but still large $A29 billion Wheatstone project in WA is also operated by Chevron. The two projects will produce 400,000 barrels a day at full capacity.

Thursday's cost blow-out is not a surprise, with Chevron previously complaining about a regulatory environment that was leading to wage and other cost problems. It also follows a cost increase last December from $US37 billion to $US52 billion.

LNG is tipped to replace iron ore as Australia's top earning export within two decades.

However, the $A200 billion suite of seven LNG projects being built have been marred by regular cost blow-outs and delays, and the development of rival projects overseas in countries such as Canada.

Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) WA state secretary Christy Cain said while Chevron had highlighted high labour costs as contributing to cost blowouts, improved management practices would lead to savings.

"Instead of blaming workers for the cost blowouts on Gorgon, Chevron management should be taking a good look at themselves and their management practices," he said.

"Public debate should focus on the salaries and perks of Chevron's management."

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Another spill at Rio Tinto uranium mine

Rio Tinto says it is trying to find out what caused a toxic spill at its Rossing Uranium mine. Source: AAP

MINING giant Rio Tinto is still trying to find out what caused a toxic spill at its Rossing Uranium mine in Namibia - the company's second major radioactive incident this month.

One of 12 leach tanks in the processing plant at Rossing in the Namib desert failed on December 3.

Rio said there was no environmental impact from the incident, with spilled slimes channeled in trenches and contained in a holding tank.

While the spill caused the milling operation to stop, it was expected to restart once the failed tank was isolated from the production process.

The company said some people received first aid at the scene, but no employees were seriously injured and production in other areas of the mine was not affected.

Rio's open pit Rossing mine opened 37 years ago and now produces four per cent of the world's uranium.

The Australian government has suspended processing operations at the Ranger mine in the Northern Territory after a leach tank with a 1.5 million-litre capacity burst and spilled out a radioactive and acidic slurry on Saturday.

Ranger is operated by Rio Tinto subsidiary Energy Resources of Australia.

Rio Tinto, a major shareholder in Rossing, said the operators of both facilities were offering "full support" as investigations into the incidents continue.

"Each company has commissioned a full investigation into these incidents to determine the cause and contributing factors," Rio Tinto said in a statement.

The company hopes the investigations will identify what caused or contributed to the Rossing incident.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said the Rossing acid spill was identical in nature to the Ranger spill.

"Rossing opened in 1976, Ranger in 1981 - both of these mines are ageing and failing," he said.

"Rio is now on the world's radioactive radar. In Namibia worker and environmental safety standards are much lower than at Ranger."

He said the industry was failing and it was time to shut down old mines.

The uranium price has been trading at record lows due to continued weak demand.

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