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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