Young man bashed in another Sydney attack

A YOUNG man has been hit in the head and further assaulted after falling to the ground during another late night attack in Sydney.

The 20-year-old was bashed while walking with friends along a main road at Rooty Hill, in the city's west, in the early hours of Saturday morning, police say.

He was punched in the head, fell over, and hit again by the assailant who fled with two other men.

Paramedics treated the injured man for a broken nose before taking him to Nepean Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Clothes found at the scene are being forensically examined.

The attack comes on the same day as the death of Daniel Christie, who was king hit on New Year's Eve.

He had been on life support for 11 days and doctors believed he would have suffered brain injuries had he recovered.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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NSW punch victim dies in hospital

Sydney teenager Daniel Christie has died two weeks after being punched on New Year's Eve. Source: AAP

SYDNEY teenager Daniel Christie has died less than two weeks after being punched to the ground on New Year's Eve.

Describing Mr Christie as a "beacon of morality", his family say he died on Saturday morning at Sydney's St Vincent's hospital.

"While no words can describe how crushed we are, Daniel fought courageously over the past 11 days which allowed everyone to say their farewells," his family said in a statement issued by NSW police.

"His death has left us feeling completely destroyed and has torn a hole in the wider community in which he was involved.

"We have been overwhelmed by support and have felt the whole country experience our grief."

The 18-year-old was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a critical condition after being punched in Kings Cross on New Year's Eve.

Police say they expect further charges to be laid against his alleged attacker, Shaun McNeil, when he next appears in court in March.

McNeil has already been charged with causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and three counts of common assault.

Police allege McNeil, 25, hit three young men before targeting Mr Christie and his brother, Peter, when the other young men tried to hide behind them.

McNeil, a labourer, allegedly boasted he was a mixed martial arts fighter before punching Mr Christie in the face as he shielded the other men.

Through his lawyer, McNeil has previously told a court that the first group of young men was trying to sell him drugs and he acted to protect his girlfriend who was with him at the time.

He was unable to explain his actions towards the Christies, police facts previously tendered in court said.

A court has previously heard that doctors believed Mr Christie would probably have suffered a serious brain injury if he survived the attack.

People have the right to go out without experiencing violence, the Christie family said.

"No family should be forced to deal with this situation, however we are not the first and we fear that we won't be the last.

"We do not want Daniel's death to be in vain and are committed to rallying for change.

"Daniel lived by the mantra: 'If change can be, it's up to me' - and this is something we will always embrace.

Mr Christie's organs will be donated, the family said.

Since Mr Christie was taken to hospital, there has been increased pressure on the NSW government to tackle alcohol-related violence on the late-night strip and introduce tougher sentencing for perpetrators.

In November, Thomas Kelly's parents Ralph and Kathy started a petition calling for drunkenness to be a mandatory aggravating factor that must be taken into account in sentencing. 18-year-old Thomas Kelly died after being hit with a single punch in Kings Cross in July 2012.

The petition had about 25,000 signatures before New Year's Eve.

But following the alleged assault on Mr Christie, that surged to more than 124,000.

Comment is being sought from acting premier Andrew Stoner.

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Telstra hit with $510,000 fine

Telstra has been hit with a $510,000 fine for failing to connect new landline customers on time. Source: AAP

TELSTRA has been hit with a $510,000 fine for failing to connect new landline customers on time.

Under federal law, the telecommunications giant is required to connect new urban customers within two days, provided their property has an existing, working, telephone line.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority on Friday said Telstra had successfully connected 88.6 per cent of new connections within that time frame during the 2012/13 financial year, which is below ACMA's 90 per cent benchmark.

ACMA chairman Chris Chapman said the $510,000 fine took into account that the 2012/13 financial year was marked by a number of extreme weather events and Telstra had since made a "significant effort" to improve its performance.

A Telstra spokesman said damage to the network from a string of natural disasters had impacted on the telco's ability to connect new customers during 2012/13.

"Last (financial) year, we faced unprecedented damage to our network from natural disasters," he said in a statement.

"We fixed more than one million faults for our customers and a number of events, such as the Queensland floods, Tasmanian fires and Warrnambool Exchange fire, placed great strain on our network and resources across the country," he said.

He said Telstra accepted ACMA's finding that it missed the key benchmark and apologised to customers affected by the delays.

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Thai man extradited for Vic murder charge

A THAI man accused of murdering a Melbourne good Samaritan fears for his safety behind bars, a court has heard.

Sarud Seehaverachart, 31, was returned from Thailand to face a murder charge over the 2009 death of Luke Mitchell who was killed when he tried to break-up a scuffle outside a Melbourne nightclub.

Seehaverachart surrendered himself to Australian authorities in Bangkok on Thursday in response to Australia's extradition request.

His lawyer told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday his client had concerns for his welfare and safety behind bars.

Magistrate Peter Reardon acknowledged the concerns but said as Seehaverachart faced a murder charge no bail would be granted.

The court also heard that DNA evidence and fingerprints will be taken from Seehaverachart.

Telephone intercept material will also be analysed by police before Seehaverachart's next court hearing.

He was remanded in custody until April 4 where he will face a committal mention hearing.

Co-accused Thatiya Terdputham, a dual Thai-Australian citizen, appeared in court last September charged with murder after being extradited from Thailand.

He will face a committal mention in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.

Mr Mitchell, a chef, died after being bashed and stabbed as he attempted to help a man being assaulted outside a nightclub in Melbourne's north.

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Rudd speech put US defence sec to sleep

Robert Gates' memoir contains an anecdote about a dinner he shared with former PM Kevin Rudd (pic). Source: AAP

AS Kevin Rudd's long soliloquy about Australian history dragged on, the dinner's guest of honour - then-US defence secretary Robert Gates - couldn't help but nod off.

Gates' memoir Duty has been making international headlines due to his criticisms of US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, but it also contains an amusing anecdote involving Australia's former PM.

Mr Gates visited Australia in February 2008 as part of a global tour, but he says a broken shoulder made for some awkward moments.

"At a very nice dinner given in my honour by Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, I was doing fine at table conversation until Rudd began a long soliloquy on the history of Australia," he writes.

"I had made it just past World War I when the combined effect of a painkiller, jet lag, and a glass of wine caused me to fall asleep.

"This led to not-so-subtle attempts by my American colleagues at the table to rouse me."

Mr Rudd was "very gracious" about the whole thing, Mr Gates says.

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Mapping the risk of massive quakes

A TEAM of scientists, led by a Melbourne professor, has published research that shows where giant earthquakes are most likely to strike.

Monash University Professor Wouter Schellart says earthquakes mostly occur at the boundaries of tectonic plates when they rub together. But giant quakes happen only in "subduction zones", where one plate sinks below another into the earth's interior.

A global map has been created that highlights these, including an area off the east coast of New Zealand.

"These big earthquakes are most dangerous and destructive," Prof Schellart told AAP.

"We have built a global map which shows which plate boundaries are most likely to produce these massive earthquakes and this gives seismologists an idea of where they may occur."

Prof Schellart said the research can be used by engineers to inform them of where to avoid building homes and buildings.

The zones where earthquakes are likely to occur are located in Indonesia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Greece.

Dr Schellart and University of Aberdeen Professor Nick Rawlinson have been working on the research since 2009.

In 2004, a giant earthquake off Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered a tsunami which killed more than 200,000 people.

Earthquakes mostly occur at the boundaries of tectonic plates when they rub together, Dr Schellart said.

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Man refused bail after murder charge

A MAN has fronted court over the stabbing murder of a man found dead on the NSW mid-north coast on New Year's Day.

Chad Misiepo, 33, was refused bail at Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday.

He was arrested on Tuesday and charged with the fatal stabbing of 44-year-old Peter Martyn.

Police say emergency services were called to a Port Macquarie home on the morning of January 1, following reports of a stabbing.

Detectives from Strike Force Supel arrested Misiepo at a house in Toormina on Tuesday.

The matter will appear for mention at Port Macquarie Local Court on January 23.

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Federal govt eyes alcohol violence inquiry

Alcohol-fuelled violence across the nation will be the focus of a federal parliamentary inquiry. Source: AAP

THE federal government is planning an inquiry into alcohol-fuelled violence across the country.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion says the wide-ranging parliamentary probe will be aimed at finding better ways to tackle the problem, from downtown Sydney to remote outback communities.

He says the government is still deciding which parliamentary committee will take on the inquiry.

"This sort of inquiry that can look at alcohol management measures in all its shapes and forms," he told the ABC.

"[It] can inform us to make sure that the regulators and lawmakers across all the jurisdictions of Australia have the very best evidence under which to ensure that all our management plans in the future are effective and really change those negative aspects of alcohol consumption."

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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 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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Expats could push up Aussie house prices

EXPATS and foreign investors could push residential property prices even higher this year as the falling Australian dollar prompts offshore buyers to enter the market.

A combination of low interest rates, a weaker local currency and surging house prices in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth might set off another wave of buying in Australia's major cities over the coming months, CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian says.

"Australia's starting to look a lot more attractive from a foreign investment perspective with the falling currency and that will probably show up more in the property market than anywhere else," Mr Sebastian told AAP.

"It will be more prevalent, especially with an improving global risk appetite."

He said foreign demand for Australian property was unlikely to wane, but it would take some time for enough new supply to come online.

RP Data figures released last week show that Australian home prices jumped almost 10 per cent in 2013, with house values in Sydney rising almost 15 per cent, followed by Perth with an annual growth rate of 9.9 per cent.

Since April last year, the Australian dollar has fallen 14 per cent to around 89.5 US cents.

Mr Sebastian said that once rental yields were factored in, Sydney house prices were returning up to 20 per cent.

"I don't think the Reserve Bank would like to see a recurrence of that over 2014," he said.

While it was too early for the central bank to begin lifting rates, there were signs that longer-term rates would rise following a boost in house prices.

There was now a perception that interest rates had reached a low point, with longer-term rates lifting over the past six weeks.

"There's a clear indication that we're getting close to the lows and, if anything, rates will start to lift in 12 months time," he said.

Borrowers were beginning to factor in rate rises, with around 17 to 18 per cent of people choosing fixed housing loans.

Still, mortgage brokers such as Mortgage Choice have reported increased demand for fixed home loans in December, with 33 per cent of applicants securing a fixed product compared to 30 per cent in the previous month.

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Truck driver killed on NSW's Hume Highway

A TRUCK driver has died after his vehicle collided with another truck on the Hume Highway near Yass in southern NSW.

The northbound lanes of the highway were closed for several hours after the accident at about 10.45am (AEDT) on Monday.

Paramedics attempted to revive one of the drivers but the 48-year-old Glenmore Park man died at the scene, police said.

The driver of the second truck was not injured.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

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WA oppn slams decision to move rapist

WA police have recaptured two violent prisoners who escaped from a security van in Perth. Source: AAP

A DANGEROUS sex offender who escaped a security van in WA should never have been allowed to travel from Perth to a regional prison to be near his family at Christmas, the state opposition says.

Rapist Cameron John Graham, 22, and 23-year-old Kelden Edward Fraser, who was on remand, escaped on Friday afternoon while being transferred from Greenough Regional Prison, in the state's Mid West region, back to Perth.

They allegedly stole a car and were captured at 1am (WST) on Sunday when police used a plane to find their bush camp in the Mullewa area, near Geraldton.

Graham was jailed in November for 11 years after breaking into a woman's home in Perth, threatening to murder her sleeping children, repeatedly raping her and forcing her to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash.

The victim and her family moved overseas to escape the trauma of the attack.

Prisoners can be temporarily transferred to another facility to maintain family relationships if it is deemed helpful to their rehabilitation.

But opposition spokesman for corrective services Paul Papalia told AAP on Sunday it was a "failure of the system" that such a dangerous offender, who had been in jail for a short time, would be allowed a transfer.

Mr Papalia wants a parliamentary inquiry and a transparent review of the government's deals with private security company Serco when parliament resumes next month.

He said Serco had had several failures in recent times that needed to be scrutinised publicly.

"Will the failures of Serco be made public?" he asked.

"There should be an open and thorough inquiry."

Mr Papalia also accused Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis of incompetence.

It was a "noble sentiment" for Corrective Services Commissioner James McMahon to take the blame on Saturday, but Mr McMahon had not been in the role for long and it was ultimately the minister's responsibility, Mr Papalia said.

Mr Francis will address media on Sunday.

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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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