Last French troops exit Afghanistan

FRANCE has flown its last combat troops out of Afghanistan, two years before allied countries in the 100,000-strong NATO mission led by the United States are due to recall their fighting forces.

Around 200 soldiers of the 25th Belfort infantry regiment, responsible for overseeing the hastened French exit from the 11-year war, took off around 2.30pm local time (2100 AEDT), an airport official said.

They are expected to return to France on December 18 following a three-day decompression stay on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Their departure means France has around 1500 soldiers left in Afghanistan, the vast majority in Kabul. They are due to stay into 2013 to take responsibility for repatriating equipment and training the Afghan army to take over.

Only several hundred French soldiers involved in cooperation or training missions will remain in the country.

At the height of its involvement, France had 4000 soldiers in Afghanistan as the fifth largest military contingent in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), behind the United States, Britain, Germany and Italy.

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Ex-cop sentenced for journalist's murder

A MOSCOW judge has sentenced a former police officer to 11 years jail and fined him 3 million rubles ($A95,400) for his part in the 2006 murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, who prosecutors claimed helped track Politkovskaya's movements and provided the triggerman with a gun, had struck a plea bargain qualifying him for a reduced sentence in exchange for co-operation.

Politkovskaya's family opposed the deal, which allowed Pavlyuchenkov to admit guilt without testifying, on the grounds it would not help find the masterminds of the killing.

The alleged gunman and four other defendants will be tried separately.

Politkovskaya, a sharp critic of Kremlin policies in Chechnya, was gunned down in her apartment building on October 7, 2006.

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Pakistan wastes up to $72m a day: watchdog

PAKISTAN wastes a whopping $US51 million to $US72 million ($A48.5-$68.5 million) every day as a result of inefficiency, corruption and tax shortcomings, the head of an anti-corruption watchdog said.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said the losses come from leaks, corruption and incompetence, tax losses, land grabbing, loans and defaults, overstaffing, energy losses, project delays, cost overruns, administrative costs and foreign exchange outflow.

"There are daily losses of five to seven billion rupees," NAB chairman Fasih Bokhari told a news conference.

But he did not explain how he had calculated the losses in monetary terms to reach this staggering estimate of wastage.

"This is the average data I'm giving you," he told reporters.

The NAB, which is answerable to the Pakistani president, was accused by the government of making ill-timed allegations ahead of elections.

In the past, the Supreme Court has accused it of being ineffective.

According to the World Bank, Pakistan's GDP in 2011 was $US211.1 billion, which would make losses of $US61 million a day equal to around 10 per cent of GDP.

The country suffers from a debilitating energy crisis and has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world, estimated at 9.2 per cent of GDP.

Only 260,000 out of 180 million citizens have paid tax consecutively for the last three years, according to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Pakistan was ranked 139 out of 174 on Transparency International's 2012 corruption perceptions index and corruption is considered an endemic problem.

The Centre for Investigative Reporting in Pakistan said that more than 60 per cent of the cabinet and two thirds of federal MPs dodged tax payments in 2011.

MPs have their salaries taxed at source, but a spokesman for the FBR said they are required to file tax returns for other sources of income, although agriculture, for example, is exempt.

Of those who did pay, most made only negligible contributions.

The Supreme Court sacked prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in June for contempt after refusing to ask Switzerland to reopen graft cases against President Zardari, as part of a power struggle between the judiciary and the government.

A 2007 amnesty allowed 8000 people, including politicians, to escape charges related to 3478 cases ranging from murder, embezzlement and abuse of power to write-offs of bank loans worth millions of dollars.

The Supreme Court overturned the amnesty in December 2009.

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Britain lifts ban on fracking

BRITAIN'S government says a controversial shale gas extraction method known as fracking should resume, despite the fact that it is suspected of having triggered earthquakes.

Exploratory fracking can restart under tight controls to "mitigate the risks of seismic activity", Energy Secretary Edward Davey said in a statement on Thursday.

The British energy firm Cuadrilla Resources had been forced to halt drilling trials on Lancashire's Fylde coast in northwest England. Its work was thought to have caused a 2.3-magnitude tremor in April 2011 and a 1.5-magnitude tremor in May.

But Davey said on Thursday: "My decision is based on the evidence.

"It comes after detailed study of the latest scientific research available and advice from leading experts in the field.

"We are strengthening the stringent regime already in place with new controls around seismic risks," he added.

"And as the industry develops we will remain vigilant to all emerging evidence to ensure fracking is safe and the local environment is protected."

Davey said shale gas was a "promising new potential energy resource" for Britain which could contribute to energy security and reduce the reliance on imported gas.

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is the drilling of underground shale rock formations by injecting chemicals and water to release trapped natural gas.

Opponents say it causes water pollution but energy groups say it provides access to considerable gas reserves and drives down prices.

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This Christmas, remember Jesus: churches

FAMILY feasts, presents, carols and trees.

These are all hallmarks of Christmas celebrations, but the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) wants people to also reflect on the season's christian foundations this year.

In a joint statement the Catholic, United, Baptist, Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Seventh-day Adventist Church have urged people to remember the story of Jesus Christ's birth and what Christmas is really about.

"The true Christmas assures everyone that God really cares," Seventh-day Adventist Church Pastor Ken Vogel said.

"My prayer this Christmas is that we will see beyond our present challenges to the joy and hope that we are called to bring to others because God has come ... leaving behind the darkness of uncertainty and failure," Catholic Archbishop Denis J Hart said.

"Christmas is a time to rejoice and look at the world with fresh eyes," NCCA general secretary Reverend Tara Curlewis said.

NSW Council of Churches president Dr Ross Clifford said Australian Christians should share the message of Jesus with fellow worshippers in Asia this Christmas.

"God sent Jesus to redeem and renew people in Asia as much as anywhere else on earth," he said in a statement.

"Asia has 60 per cent of the world's population, a majority of the world's natural disasters and alleged human rights abuses.

"People everywhere need to be given an opportunity to respond to the Christian message in their own cultures."

Dr Clifford added the NSW Council of Churches continued its commitment to the "the life affirming and life changing gospel of Jesus Christ."

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Russia queries US nod for Syria rebels

RUSSIA says it is surprised by US President Barack Obama's recognition of the Syrian opposition, saying Washington was now betting on an armed victory by rebels in the conflict.

"I was somewhat surprised to find out" about the recognition announcement, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in comments broadcast on state television on Wednesday.

"The United States has decided to place all its bets on an armed victory of the (Syrian) National Coalition," he added.

Russia will now ask the Americans to specify how they regard the Syrian opposition after Obama's comments, he added.

Russia has defiantly refused to turn against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite the conflict that according to rights groups has killed 42,000 people.

In an interview with AFP last month, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev slammed as "unacceptable" the recognition and support by France and other states of the newly unified Syrian opposition to Assad.

Lavrov said that the recognition by the United States contradicted previous agreements on the Syria crisis earlier this year, which envisaged the start of an "inter-Syrian dialogue".

He said Moscow had believed that Washington understood the need for full talks that would include representatives of the Syrian government.

"So for us this is an unexpected turn of events and we will clear up what exactly they (the United States) meant," Lavrov added.

The Syrian National Coalition is a bloc of opposition groups led by moderate cleric Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib formed after talks in Qatar in November as part of a Western-backed push to make the opposition a more cohesive force.

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Assange plays down lung trouble rumours

WIKILEAKS frontman Julian Assange has played down reports of his ill health but says an Australian offer of medical assistance amounted to providing a list of local doctors.

During an interview with ABC Radio on Wednesday night, Mr Assange responded to reports he had a chronic lung condition.

"I wouldn't necessarily go that far but the circumstances are difficult," he said.

The Australian citizen has been holed up in Ecuador's London embassy since taking refuge there in June in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over rape allegations.

He previously lived under house arrest at a supporter's Norfolk mansion.

A husky-voiced Mr Assange on Wednesday said he had "been in worse positions".

"Solitary confinement was worse," he said.

"Two years under house arrest, going to the police station every day at a certain time with a manacle around my leg was worse."

Ecuador's envoy to Britain, Ambassador Ana Alban, reportedly told journalists in Quito last month Mr Assange had "a chronic lung condition that could worsen at any time".

A message was later posted on the South American country's London embassy website clarifying that Mr Assange did "not have an urgent medical condition".

He said the Australian government had offered to assist in case of medical emergency, including monetary assistance, but then scaled down the assistance they were willing to give.

"The Australian government gave a list of numbers for doctors in the London area, that was all that they would do," he told ABC Radio.

Mr Assange is concerned that if he goes to Sweden, authorities will allow him to be extradited to the United States to be questioned over WikiLeaks' release of thousands of US diplomatic cables.

He was granted asylum in Ecuador in August but Britain has refused to grant him safe passage out of the country, leaving Mr Assange stuck in the embassy.

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Avon to cut 1500 jobs, quit 2 Asia markets

AVON Products says it will cut about 1500 jobs and leave two Asian markets as the struggling beauty products seller takes initial steps toward its cost-cutting goal.

The New York company will leave South Korea and Vietnam to focus on high-priority markets as part of a push to save $US400 million ($A381.77 million) by 2015. The initial steps are expected to be largely completed by the end of next year.

Avon will take a charge of between $50 million and $60 million in the fourth quarter tied to the cost cutting. It says the initial steps will account for about 20 per cent of its savings goal.

Avon Products Inc has struggled for years to turn around results at home and in emerging markets.

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Carr to visit Sri Lanka this week

Foreign Minister Bob Carr will travel to Sri Lanka this week for talks on people smuggling. Source: AAP

FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr will travel to Sri Lanka on Friday to discuss trade ties, tourism and efforts to disrupt people smuggling.

The three-day trip will be Senator Carr's first visit to the south Asian nation as a minister and will include discussions on Australia's aid assistance to Sri Lanka, a spokesman for the minister told AAP on Tuesday.

People smuggling will also be on the agenda.

Sri Lankan authorities have in the past 12 months disrupted 69 people smuggling operations involving 2900 people who were intending to come to Australia, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, HMAS Larrakia intercepted a boat carrying 57 suspected asylum seekers and two crew on Monday night, north of Ashmore Islands

The opposition's immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said asylum seeker boats were continuing to arrive in record numbers "even with the onset of the monsoon season where conditions are perilous and the risk of taking boat journeys to Australia intensifies".

Later on Tuesday, Senator Carr's office announced he would visit Timor Leste on Thursday ahead of the Sri Lankan trip.

Economic, aid and security issues are on the agenda when he meets East Timor leaders.

The visit coincides with the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force (ISF) ceasing security operations and commencing withdrawal from East Timor last month.

"The withdrawal marks a new era in Australia-Timor-Leste relations with the transfer of security responsibilities to local forces," Senator Carr said in a statement.

"Discussions would also involve future plans for development assistance, with an emphasis on Australia's continued support for education and health."

He will visit the Resistance Museum and present a gift from Australia - material about East Timor held by the National Film and Sound Archive.

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More than half-million Syrian refugees: UN

THE number of Syrian refugees registered in neighbouring countries and North Africa has passed half a million, the UN's refugee body says. Many more have not come forward to seek help.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said on Tuesday it had either registered or was in the process of registering 509,550 Syrians in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and North Africa.

"And these numbers are currently climbing by more than 3000 a day," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva.

She described how close to 1000 Syrian refugees had crossed into Jordan alone in the past two nights, arriving "with soaked clothing and mud-covered shoes due to heavy rainfall".

More elderly and small children were also arriving in Jordan, including 22 newborn infants who entered the country on the night of December 9 alone.

As of Monday, there were 154,387 Syrian refugees either registered or waiting to be in Lebanon, 142,664 in Jordan, 136,319 in Turkey, 64,449 in Iraq and 11,740 in North Africa, according to the UNHCR.

"In addition ... most of these neighbouring countries and North Africa also have large numbers of Syrians who have yet to come forward and seek help," Fleming said.

Jordan, she pointed out, estimates there are some 100,000 Syrians in the country not registered, while Turkey says more than 70,000 Syrians are living outside its 14 camps.

"The numbers of those struggling to live on the local economy and who eventually come forward to register are expected to increase as ... resources are depleted and host communities and families can no longer support them," she said.

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Officer attacked outside Vic parliament

A VICTORIAN protective services officer has been assaulted while guarding Parliament House and his assailant appears to have shot himself.

Victorian Police believe a man beat the officer about the head before stealing his gun and shooting himself dead in a nearby east Melbourne street.

The parliament was reportedly in lock-down for two hours and the state government has announced a thorough investigation into the incident.

"The thoughts of the Victorian Parliament are with the officer, his family and friends, and his colleagues," a government spokeswoman said.

"In any circumstance, an assault on a Victoria police officer is completely unacceptable and deeply concerning."

Premier Ted Baillieu and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan were receiving regular briefings, she added.

The officer was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries.

His alleged assailant stole his firearm and fled through Fitzroy Gardens, police believe.

Soon after, police received reports a man had shot himself in nearby Jolimont. That man died at the scene.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

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Opel to end car production at German plant

GENERAL Motors Co's Opel unit says it plans to end car production at one plant in Germany in 2016, but a slimmed-down factory may continue to make components.

Employees at the Bochum plant in northwestern Germany, one of four in the country, were told that vehicle production will end when the company stops making the current Zafira model.

That was widely expected after the company announced a turnaround plan in June, and "despite intensive efforts this situation could not be changed," Opel said.

Opel, like several other mass-market car manufacturers on the continent, has been struggling amid economic gloom in Europe and overcapacity in the auto industry. The turnaround plan envisions cost cuts, new models and efforts to win new export sales.

The Adam Opel GmbH unit is based in Germany, where the automaker has more than 20,000 employees - a bit over half of GM's total European workforce. About 3,000 people work at the Bochum plant, and it wasn't clear how many jobs might remain after car production ends.

GM's warehouse in Bochum will continue operating after 2016 and may be expanded, Opel said. It also is negotiating with employee representatives to move component production to the site.

Opel "will implement still-necessary job reductions in the most socially responsible way," Steve Girsky, chairman of Opel's board of directors and vice chairman of GM, said in a statement on Monday.

He added that the company hoped to avoid forced layoffs.

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Mandela doing 'very well', says minister

SOUTH African former president Nelson Mandela's stay in hospital for unspecified medical tests has stretched into a third day.

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who visited Mandela on Monday at 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, said he was "doing very, very well". She said the nation must keep Mandela "in our prayers".

Government officials previously have said the 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon is "comfortable" and receiving medical care that is "consistent with his age". The nation's military has been responsible for Mandela's medical care since 2011.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule. He became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term. He has since retired from public life.

Mandela made his last public appearance in 2010. He has grown increasingly frail in recent years.

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Queen in 3D Christmas message

NOT one to be left behind in the technology stakes, the Queen's 2012 Christmas message will be available to viewers in 3D, British media reports.

The 86-year-old monarch, believed to be the first royal to use the new broadcast format, has already recorded the message, said Britain's Daily Mail newspaper on Monday.

The address will be distributed to networks around the globe, to be screened on Christmas Day.

Audiences will need a television with 3D technology, along with a special pair of glasses, in order to view the full effect.

The Queen, known to camera crews as "one-take Lizzy" because she never requires more than a single recording, has filmed a Christmas message each festive season for more than 50 years.

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Fighter jets fly low over Cairo

EGYPTIAN F-16 fighter jets made low passes over the centre of Cairo on Sunday in a rare manoeuvre by the air force over the capital amid high political tension.

The military was not immediately available for comment.

At the end of October, jets made similar passes as part of a surprise military exercise.

On Saturday, the army released a statement on political unrest that has killed seven people in the capital, urging supporters and opponents of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi to open talks to stop Egypt descending "into a dark tunnel with disastrous results".

"That is something we will not allow," it said.

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UK cops contact NSW police over hoax

BRITISH police say they have contacted NSW authorities about a possible investigation into an Australian radio station's hoax call to a UK hospital.

The callers impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles and received confidential details about the former Kate Middleton's medical information. The call was recorded and broadcast.

The prank took an ugly twist Friday with the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old mother of two, three days after she took the hoax call.

Police have not yet determined Saldanha's cause of death, but people from London to Sydney have been making the assumption that she died because of stress from the call.

The disk jockeys involved have been suspended indefinitely.

NSW police confirmed they had been contacted by London police and said they would cooperate.

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Austereo responds over royals call prank

2Day FM's presenters behind the prank call linked to a UK nurse's death are said to be "fragile". Source: AAP

THE chairman of Southern Cross Austereo has written to the British hospital targeted by a radio station prank phone call saying it is reviewing the broadcast and processes involved.

Max Moore-Wilton led a crisis meeting on Sunday afternoon to discuss a stinging letter from Lord Glenarthur, chairman of King Edward VII's Hospital where British nurse Jacintha Saldanha worked before she apparently took her own life on Friday.

In the reply to Lord Glenarthur, released after the board of Southern Cross Austereo's meeting, Mr Moore-Wilton wrote he had been "saddened" by recent events, describing them as "truly tragic".

He stressed that Southern Cross Austereo, which owns Sydney station 2Day FM, would fully cooperate with any investigation into the incident.

"As we have said in our own statements on the matter, the outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable," he wrote.

"I can assure you were are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast and processes involved ... our company joins with you all at King Edward VII's Hospital and Mrs Saldanha's family and friends in mourning their tragic loss."

Lord Glenarthur had condemned 2Day FM's prank phone call, in which two presenters, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, posing as members of the royal family asked to speak to the Duchess of Cambridge, as "truly appalling".

Nurse Saldanha had answered the phone and transferred the call to a colleague, who went on to give sensitive information to the pair about the duchess.

Lord Glenarthur asked for assurance there never be a repeat of the incident.

Austereo have said Greig and Christian are distraught and are being given intensive counselling.

An Austereo spokeswoman told AAP on Sunday night the pair were willing to comment on the matter.

"They have expressed a desire to speak," she said. "We haven't ascertained when they're ready for that and how we're going to organise that, but they certainly want to."

In a video message on the Austereo website, chief executive Rhys Holleran says there are no current plans for Greig and Christian to return to the air.

"At this point in time, the radio show won't go ahead into the future, and will be reviewed," he said.

London's Metropolitan Police have contacted NSW Police, through the Australian Federal Police, over the prank. Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas said the call was a fairly routine procedure and that the Met had not asked for any action to be taken.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

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