Chinese data weakens kiwi dollar

THE New Zealand dollar has dropped as weaker than expected Chinese manufacturing data raised concerns about the world's second biggest economy.

The kiwi fell to 82.74 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 83.06 cents at 8am and 83.22 cents on Wednesday. The trade-weighted index declined to 78.61 from 78.86 on Wednesday.

Chinese manufacturing activity shrank this month, according to the preliminary reading of the Markit/HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index, raising fears about the strength of the nation's economy and weighing on the prospects for New Zealand and Australian trade.

The Chinese data added to weakness in the kiwi dollar after a Wall Street Journal report that the Federal Reserve would trim another $US10 billion ($NZ12b) from its monthly asset purchases to $US65 billion at next week's policy meeting.

"The Chinese manufacturing PMI flash from HSBC was a lot worse than expected," said Stuart Ive, senior client adviser at OMF in Wellington.

The kiwi rose to 94.03 Australian cents from 93.81 cents on Wednesday with the Chinese data weighing more heavily on Australia's currency, as China is that country's largest export market.

Traders are waiting for New Zealand's Reserve Bank to review monetary policy next week. They continue to price in a 46 per cent chance governor Graeme Wheeler will lift the official cash rate from its record-low 2.5 per cent.

The local currency dropped to 61.06 euro cents from 61.31 cents on Wednesday and to 86.37 yen from 86.54 yen.

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Guns, drugs seized in Sydney's west

A MAN from Sydney's west has been arrested after firearms, ammunition and drugs were seized from his home.

Six firearms were discovered at the property in Narellan on Thursday, including a semi-automatic rifle, a shortened 12-gauge shotgun, and three plastic pistols.

Police also found two cannabis plants as well as ammunition for the rifle and shotgun.

A 58-year-old man has been charged with three counts of possessing a firearm, one count of possessing ammunition and one count of cultivating marijuana.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Camden Local Court on February 12.

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Cockroaches part of Aust Day fun in Qld

SOUTH Bank will be the epicentre of Queensland's Australia Day activities as thong-wearing, snag-eating banana benders try to beat the heat in the water.

The South Bank Parklands, in inner-city Brisbane, and its man-made lagoon will host festivities from 10am (AEST) on January 26.

As punters cool off in the water or shade, they will be able to enjoy music, interactive art installations, family entertainment and a fireworks display.

A highlight will be a RAAF flypast and 21-gun salute at noon.

For those who want to see just how Aussie they can get, the Story Bridge Hotel will again hold its annual Australia Day Cockroach Races.

Thousands are expected through the Kangaroo Point pub to watch the six-legged critters scuttle towards glory.

If those celebrating haven't lost their appetite from the unique event, they can head back to South Bank to grab some tucker at the Great Australian Bites showcase.

The event will feature a true-blue barbecue menu and hear from culinary greats such as David Pugh, who's the head chef at Brisbane's Restaurant Two.

Citizenship ceremonies and other local events will also take place across the state.

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WA police may appeal tasering conviction

TWO West Australian policemen found guilty of assaulting an Aboriginal man by repeatedly tasering him in a lock-up are considering appealing over their convictions.

Aaron Grant Strahan, 45, and Troy Gregory Tomlin, 34, were on Wednesday given suspended jail terms and fined after being convicted in Perth Magistrates Court of unlawfully assaulting Kevin John Spratt on August 31, 2008.

CCTV footage showed the constables tasering Mr Spratt nine times in just over a minute after he refused to be strip-searched in the East Perth watch house.

Magistrate Richard Bromfield ruled on Tuesday that Tomlin was guilty of all three charges he faced, while Strahan was guilty of three charges and acquitted of a fourth.

While defence lawyer Karen Vernon had asked the magistrate to impose a good behaviour bond or a fine, Magistrate Bromfield said imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence.

State prosecutor James MacTaggart had not asked for a jail term, instead suggesting a significant fine.

Tomlin was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for six months, as well as a $3800 fine.

Strahan was also given an eight-month jail term, suspended for six months, and a $3250 fine.

A spokeswoman for WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said one or both of the officers were considering appealing their convictions.

Tomlin and Strahan declined to comment outside court.

Strahan is still performing operational duties for the WA police, while Tomlin is now a police auxiliary officer.

Both were formerly senior constables.

Magistrate Bromfield described their actions as "a gross error of judgment" and "persistent and repetitive assaults" on a vulnerable victim in custody.

He rejected a suggestion from Ms Vernon that Mr Spratt could have been screaming in joy during the assault as "fanciful", instead describing his utterances as loud and protracted cries of anguish.

And while Mr Spratt had been intoxicated and unco-operative before the assault, his struggling during the incident was an understandable response as the tasers were clearly causing him discomfort.

"No reasonable person could view that footage without being disturbed," Magistrate Bromfield said.

"He was in custody. He could not flee from either of you. He was in an extremely vulnerable position."

While the defence had argued the policemen's actions were justifiable because Mr Spratt was uncontrollable, the court heard from an expert witness that police were instructed not to use the devices for the purposes of ensuring compliance.

On Tuesday, Mr Spratt said a taser should only be used as a last resort.

After the sentence was handed down, he thanked media outside court for covering the matter.

Mr Spratt is submitting an application to WA Attorney General Michael Mischin for an ex-gratia compensation payment and is also considering civil proceedings against the officers.

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WA Senate result trial to start next week

WA Greens senator Scott Ludlam has had his submission to the hearing that could see him lose his seat dismissed by a High Court justice.

The six WA senators elected in November could face another ballot if the High Court - sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns - declares the result invalid at the completion of a trial due to start next week.

The result in WA has already been the subject of an investigation by former Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty after 1370 ballots went missing during a recount.

In November, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) filed a petition calling for the WA Senate election to be declared void.

The Palmer United Party and the Labor party have launched separate actions seeking that the first vote be declared the official result.

Senator Ludlam, who was elected to the sixth position after the recount, in December filed a petition saying if the court was satisfied he was not elected, the election of all six senators should be declared void.

However, his petition will not be included in next week's trial after Justice Kenneth Hayne on Tuesday dismissed it.

He also ordered Senator Ludlam pay costs for six of the other seven respondents.

The AEC did not seek costs.

In the initial count, the final two WA Senate places went to Zhenya Wang of the Palmer United Party (PUP) and Labor's Louise Pratt.

But in the recount, without the missing votes, Wayne Dropulich of the Australian Sports Party and Senator Ludlam were elected.

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Sydney teen stabbed in back during brawl

A TEENAGER has been stabbed in the back during a brawl in Sydney's south.

Police responding to reports of a fight on Monday night found the wounded 15-year-old on a residential street at Bexley.

Paramedics treated the teenager at the scene before taking him to St George Hospital, police said.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Tuesday at the same hospital while seeking treatment for a cut to his hand.

He was charged with malicious wounding and is due before Sutherland Children's Court on Tuesday.

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NZ dollar falls on inflation outlook

THE New Zealand dollar has fallen ahead of inflation figures expected to feed into the Reserve Bank's interest rate outlook and after an earthquake in the lower North Island caused a brief flurry of selling.

The kiwi traded at 82.43 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 82.46 cents at 8am, down from 82.62 cents on Friday in New York. The trade-weighted index declined to 78.37 from 78.61 last week.

New Zealand's consumers price index to be released on Tuesday is forecast to have fallen 0.1 per cent in the final three months of 2013, for an annual rate of 1.5 per cent, according to a Reuters survey.

The RBNZ plans to hike interest rates this year to head off the threat of inflation, and investors will be watching the CPI to gauge when governor Graeme Wheeler might start tightening policy.

"CPI looms large - we know it's a key figure, especially with all the talk being about interest rates at the moment," said Alex Hill, head of dealing at HiFX in Auckland.

"It might impact on the tone from Wheeler at the end of the month."

Monday's 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the Lower North Island sparked a brief drop in the local currency, which it has since recovered, though Mr Hill said the strength of the US dollar will keep the kiwi under pressure.

The kiwi fell to 85.72 yen at 5pm in Wellington from 86.20 yen last week, to 93.87 Australian cents from 94.12 cents and to 60.93 euro cents from 61.04 cents.

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Shell's Arrow Energy to cut jobs in QLD

ARROW Energy is planning to cut jobs and reduce costs at its coal seam gas (CSG) project in central Queensland after key shareholder Royal Dutch Shell downgraded its profit forecasts.

Hundreds of jobs are believed to be at risk at Arrow which employs 1200 people.

A spokesman confirmed the company has conducted a review of staffing levels as it cuts costs.

But he was unable to give details of the number of jobs at risk.

"While the company acknowledges this will be a difficult time for employees, it is committed to supporting them through this transition," the spokesman said.

"The company remains focused on finding additional value and reducing overall costs."

The spokesman added that Arrow would continue to assess development options, including joint venture opportunities, as it looks to develop its gas reserves.

Last year the Queensland government gave Arrow's proposed $15 billion, 18 million tonne liquefied natural gas plant at Gladstone the green light.

The prospect of job cuts comes after Shell said its fourth quarter 2013 profit figures, which will be released on January 30, are expected to be significantly lower than recent levels due to current oil and gas prices and the weaker downstream oil products industry.

Shell is focusing on improving capital efficiency and strengthening its operational performance and project delivery.

Arrow, which is focused on the exploration, extraction and use of coal seam gas, is 100 per cent owned by Shell and PetroChina who formed a 50/50 joint venture partnership to acquire Arrow for $3.5 billion in 2010.

Analysts say Shell's profit downgrade is unlikely to affect the company's future investment in joint venture projects such as Gorgon, Browse and its Prelude floating LNG (FLNG) project in Western Australia.

AAP krc/gfr

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US okays mental disability test for babies

THE US Food and Drug Administration has cleared a first-of-a-kind blood test that can help diagnose mental disabilities in babies by analysing their genetic code.

The laboratory test from Affymetrix detects variations in patients' chromosomes that are linked to Down syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome and other developmental disorders. About 2 to 3 per cent of US children have some sort of intellectual disability, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The test, known as the CytoScan Dx Assay, is designed to help doctors diagnose children's disabilities earlier and get them appropriate care and support. It is not intended for prenatal screening or for predicting other genetically acquired diseases and conditions, such as cancer.

While there are already genetic tests used to detect conditions like Down syndrome, doctors usually have to order them individually and they can take several days to develop.

Pediatricians said that Affymetrix's test should offer a faster, more comprehensive screening approach. Dr Annemarie Stroustrup stressed that such tests are generally only used after children exhibit certain physical or behavioural signs that suggest a disorder.

"When there's something about the child that strikes us as unusual or pointing to a potential genetic disease, that's when we would use this testing," said Stroustrup, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

"This is not a screening test to be done on all newborns to predict how they are going to do in school when they are 5."

The technology behind Affymetrix's test has already been used for several years to screen fetuses for potentially debilitating diseases. Known as microarray analysis, the technique involves a high-powered computer scanning a gene chip of the patient's DNA for slight chromosome imbalances. Older techniques involve scientists looking at chromosomes under a microscope for major irregularities.

The FDA said it approved the new test based on studies showing it accurately analyses a patient's entire genome and can accurately spot variations associated with intellectual disabilities.

Hospitals in all 50 states are now required to screen newborns for at least 29 disorders that can be detected though laboratory testing, including sickle cell anaemia and cystic fibrosis. Generally those tests pick up irregularities in metabolism, not genetic variations.

The mandatory screening program, begun a half-century ago, is considered one of the nation's most successful public health programs.

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Whales swim out in Golden Bay

MORE than 60 pilot whales stranded at Farewell Spit at the top of New Zealand's South Island have been refloated but experts say it's too early to say they won't strand again.

Department of Conservation rangers, Project Jonah volunteers and others have been fighting to save 62 whales after days of strandings.

On Sunday afternoon, DOC said the whales had been refloated about 5 kilometres from the base of the spit, in Golden Bay.

"It is too early to say yet whether or not the rescue effort will be fully successful with the whales remaining in deeper water and moving further out to sea," DOC said in a statement.

"There is still a risk of whales restranding."

Most of the refloated whales are swimming in deeper water towards the other side of Golden Bay and it is hoped they will continue to swim safety further out in the bay.

They are being monitored by the Tasman District Council harbourmaster in a boat.

About six to eight whales have remained close to Farewell Spit and are swimming further along the spit.

About 28 stranded whales have already died this weekend, DOC says.

A total of 71 whales were found on the beach on Sunday morning, including eight dead, spread over 1.6km.

On Saturday morning, 53 whales stranded, including 13 that died.

The whales are believed to be part of the same pod seen off Taupata Point, south of Farewell Spit, on Tuesday.

Pilot whales regularly become stranded on Farewell Spit. On January 6, 39 whales stranded there and died or were put down.

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