Defence works on regional engagement

AS Australia prepares to withdraw troops from East Timor, the Solomons and Afghanistan, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is working on renewing its engagement with Asia-Pacific nations, Defence chief David Hurley says.

General Hurley refused to comment on the content of the upcoming Defence White Paper, due for release in the next few months.

But he said issues which prompted the government to commission the White Paper earlier than scheduled, including the end of long-running defence operations, would obviously feature in the new strategic document.

General Hurley said the headquarters Joint Operations Command had devoted much time over the last year in revamping and renewing the campaign plan for defence engagement in the region, and new frameworks had been put in place.

"We are not rediscovering the northern region but being able to build up our interaction," he told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) function in Canberra.

General Hurley said defence had maintained a very high operational tempo for the last decade but would end East Timor and the Solomons operations this year and reconfigure deployments in the Middle East.

He said a key task for 2013 was resetting the ADF for the future and keeping it at a level of capability that would still allow it to respond to a government requirement to deploy troops somewhere in 48 hours.

General Hurley said at a time when the defence budget was under severe pressure, one reason to engage with the region was that it was far more expensive in the long run having to fall back on using defence capabilities.

"We have got to put the money where we are going to get the best bang for the buck at the moment and part of that will be shaping our environment and building up relationships and confidences in the region," he said.

General Hurley said defence was also rethinking how it operated in the Pacific, conducting the first meeting of south-west Pacific nation defence chiefs last year.

"We got that group together to say 'okay, how do we reshape the dollars we have all got, to do the best we can in terms of search and rescue, assisting with maritime security tasking, counter-piracy, the fishing industry'. We actually dragged Chile into that as well," he said.

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Japanese hostage describes Algeria terror

A JAPANESE hostage who narrowly survived the armed attack on an Algerian gas plant says he was sure he would die after seeing two colleagues shot dead in front of him.

The unnamed man described in a newspaper report on Monday how Islamist gunmen had dragged him from his barricaded room, handcuffed him and executed two hostages standing nearby.

In a chilling account of his escape, published Monday in the Daily Yomiuri newspaper, the Japanese hostage told colleagues he had been on a bus when it was attacked by a group of heavily-armed militants in the Sahara desert early Wednesday.

Seven Japanese are known to have survived the three-day assault, which ended in a bloodbath on Saturday - all of them connected to Japanese plant builder JGC.

The man said he was leaving a lodging house with other foreign workers in a convoy of buses when militants first swooped, according to JGC spokesman Takeshi Endo.

As the vehicle in front was hit by a hail of bullets, the driver of his bus slammed the vehicle into reverse and tried to flee.

But a wheel snapped off, stranding the bus and forcing passengers to run through the desert and seek refuge at the workers' formerly-secure lodging house.

The man barricaded himself in his room and cowered with the lights off, as gunmen began their rampage through the compound.

But a short time later the door splintered open as militants shot the lock apart and burst in, plucking the frightened man from his hiding place and clamping handcuffs on him.

He was frogmarched to a bright room with other foreign hostages where his captors began speaking Arabic with some of his Algerian colleagues.

The next thing he knew someone opened fire and two people slumped to the floor, dead, in front of him.

"I was prepared to die," Endo quoted the employee as saying.

The bodies of other foreigners lay on the ground as he and a Filipino colleague were bundled into a vehicle and driven off towards the gas plant.

Without warning the vehicle was sprayed with bullets, which pierced the windshield and forced the prisoners to duck down as low as possible to avoid being shot.

As their captors abandoned the vehicle the prisoners were left alone, not knowing who had opened fire.

In the hours that followed the Japanese survivor hid under a truck, trying to stay away from the gun battle that raged around him. As bullets flew past he saw a bus full of hostages -- some wearing JGC uniforms -- drive past.

He watched with horror as the vehicle came under attack, but said he had no idea of the fate of those on board.

After nightfall, when the shooting had stopped he began trudging through the desert, walking for an hour before he came across Algerian soldiers and safety.

Japan's Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported it had spoken to an Algerian man who was taken hostage with about 20 foreign nationals, including six Japanese.

He said the foreigners were forced to link arms and then had their wrists and ankles bound with plastic ties, effectively forming a human chain.

The militants then wrapped explosives around their captives' bodies.

He said hostages were allowed to use the lavatory and were offered food, but none of the Japanese accepted because they were too scared.

The 45-year-old said he had made his escape on Thursday when the Algerian military staged its first assault.

He said he and other Algerians had run in the confusion, but the foreigners could not get away.

"I don't know what happened to them afterwards. I hope they survived," he was quoted by the Mainichi as saying.

JGC, which has 78 employees in Algeria, said Monday morning 17 of its employees who were at the plant are still unaccounted for -- 10 Japanese and seven others.

Witnesses have said nine Japanese people were killed in the 72-hour ordeal.

JGC spokesman Takeshi Endo told reporters in Japan that employees who were in the plant at the time of the siege but managed to escape before being taken hostage would help to identify anyone in the hospital.

"We were cautious about asking them to do this tough job, but they agreed to do it and as they were working closely with the colleagues who are still missing, it will surely be helpful," Endo said.

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Five seriously hurt in Austria train crash

TWO packed commuter trains have collided head-on in the morning rush-hour traffic in Vienna, leaving five people seriously hurt.

"At the moment there are five people seriously injured and several people with light injuries," emergency services spokeswoman Claudia Gigler told AFP on Monday.

The Austrian automobile association said one person was trapped inside the wreckage.

Many passengers were suffering from shock.

Gigler said the cause of the crash was not known.

Austrian Railways spokeswoman Sarah Nettel said that the crash occurred at 8.45am (1845 AEDT) in the Penzing district of western Vienna.

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US ship ignored reef warnings: Philippines

A PHILIPPINES official has accused a US Navy minesweeper of ignoring warnings to stay away before it became stuck on a World Heritage-listed coral reef.

The accusation on Monday by the superintendent of Tubbataha marine park, Angelique Songco, added to growing anger in the Philippines over the incident.

The US Navy has apologised but may still face fines.

Park rangers radioed the USS Guardian to say it was nearing the Tubbataha Reef on Thursday, but the captain insisted they raise their complaint with the US embassy, Songco told reporters.

She said shortly after the warning, the 68-metre vessel became stuck on part of Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Sulu Sea about 130 kilometres southeast of the western island of Palawan.

The site is protected by Philippine law, and is off limits to navigation, except for research or tourism approved by Songco's office.

Songco said it was too early to assess the damage to the coral.

The vessel was still stuck on the reef and being battered by big waves.

The commander of the US Navy's 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Scott Swift, apologised in a statement from Japan on Sunday.

"As a protector of the sea and a sailor myself, I greatly regret any damage to this incident has caused to the Tubbataha Reef," Swift said.

He acknowledged that protecting the reef was vital, and that the navy took its obligations to preserve marine environment seriously.

He said the crew members had left the vessel, and there were no traces of any oil leaks.

The Philippine Navy said three of its ships had been put on standby near the area to assist in efforts to remove the Guardian from the reef. Two civilian tugboats had been contracted by the Americans.

The Guardian had been en route to Indonesia after visiting a Philippine port north of Manila when the incident occurred, according to the US Navy.

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Vic residents return to bushfire-hit homes

RESIDENTS have returned to their bushfire-damaged homes in Victoria's east, as authorities battle to bring a massive blaze under control before more predicted hot weather.

Firefighters took advantage of Sunday's cooler weather to strategically backburn amid fears towns could again be threatened on Thursday.

The massive 56,000-hectare blaze has already killed one man who was found in a burnt-out car and destroyed at least 21 homes since it began in the Baw Baw National Park last Thursday.

There are fears the fire may have been deliberately lit.

Residents in Seaton, Glenmaggie and Glenmaggie Point have returned home.

Glenmaggie resident Peter Monds, a CFA member, was manning phones at a control centre when his home was destroyed.

Inside his uninsured home were many photos and memories.

"There's no good crying about it," he told the Nine Network.

"It's gone, it's gone."

Authorities say 21 houses, 35 sheds and 11 vehicles have been lost in the fire and the fire could go for two weeks.

The fire was threatening the small hamlet of Licola, but it has been held about 15km from the town.

Firefighters began a 180 hectare backburn about 10am (AEDT) on Sunday.

Incident Controller Michael Masters said the CFA and DSE were doing a joint backburn due to the likelihood of a very high fire weather day predicted for Thursday.

"The risk of high temperatures and a north westerly wind poses a very significant risk to the Aberfeldy-Donnely bushfire breaking containment lines if we don't backburn today," he said in a statement.

Mr Masters said the 180 hectare backburn would reduce fuel loads in an unburnt area 5km south of Glenmaggie and 6km northwest of Heyfield.

Fire crews are also working on the eastern perimeter in the Coongulla state forest north east of Glenmaggie to strengthen containment lines.

Police are appealing for people to come forward if they witnessed anything suspicious in the hours before the blaze started at Aberfeldy in Gippsland about 11.30am on Thursday.

They particularly want to speak to anyone who was camping in the Donnelly Creek Road area on Thursday morning or local residents.

Smoke from the bushfires reached Melbourne on Sunday and could be smelt in the CBD air.

Authorities have urged the public to ensure there is actually a bushfire in their area before reporting it to Triple-0.

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Indian media hails Gandhi's promotion

Indian newspapers are trumpeting the elevation of Rahul Gandhi in the ruling Congress party. Source: AAP

INDIAN newspapers are trumpeting the elevation of Rahul Gandhi to second-in-command of the ruling Congress party and predict a showdown for the position of prime minister with opposition rival Narendra Modi.

"Party finally crowns prince," headlined the English-language tabloid Mail Today over a full-page spread that featured a smiling picture of the 42-year-old on Sunday.

The son, grandson and great-grandson of Indian prime ministers is now second in the party's hierarchy after his mother, party president Sonia Gandhi, who led the party to back-to-back victories in the 2004 and 2009 polls.

The move indicated that the Congress party was "not averse to pitting him against Narendra Modi and fielding him as its prime ministerial candidate," the Mail said.

"The party, it is evident, now feels that it will be in an advantageous position... in case of such a battle."

Gandhi was on Saturday formally named as the vice-president of the party, propelling his long-anticipated accession to power and paving the way for him to lead the party in general elections next year.

The Times of India said the stage had been set for a possible showdown between Gandhi and Modi, a hardline leader of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who is widely expected to run for prime minister in 2014.

"As number two in the Congress, he has been, for all practical purposes, pitched as the prime minister candidate of the party... thus setting the stage for a showdown with the Gujarat strongman," it said referring to Modi.

The BJP -- which is the main opposition party in parliament -- is yet to name a candidate to take on the Congress-led alliance but clamour is growing for Modi to be pitched for the prime ministership after he won key state polls last year.

The Hindustan Times said the Congress had stopped short of naming Gandhi as the candidate for the country's top job "perhaps out of consideration for its sitting octogenarian PM Manmohan Singh".

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Snow causes chaos in China

Snow in northern China has forced the cancellation of over 100 flights and the closure of highways. Source: AAP

SNOW in northern China has forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights and the closure of dozens of highways, authorities say.

Beijing Capital International Airport's official website said on Sunday a total of 111 flights were cancelled at the facility, including 16 international ones.

Another 68 flights were delayed, with 11 of those on international routes.

More than 40 highways in northern China were closed due to the snow, the government's official weather website said. No accidents were reported.

As of 8:00 am Sunday weather authorities recorded up to 8.6 centimetres of snow in a mountainous part of northwestern Beijing near the Great Wall of China.

Much smaller amounts fell in central Beijing and had largely stopped by Sunday afternoon.

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Union slams privatisation of hospital pool

Staff at Sydney's Prince of Wales hospital will stop over moves to privatise the hospital's pool. Source: AAP

THE Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney is set to meet budget cuts by privatising its hydrotherapy pool but outraged union members claim it will jeopardise patient care.

Health Service Union (HSU) staff will stop work to protest the move at midday on Monday, said the union's NSW secretary Gerard Hayes on Sunday.

"How can patients at the Prince of Wales have confidence that their recovery will be the priority when a new private operator has commercial objectives to meet?" he said.

Mr Hayes said the pool "sell-off" would provide part of the $35 million in savings the hospital must find to meet the NSW government's $3 billion in health cuts.

It's believed it is the first move of its kind in NSW.

The hour-long protest at High Cross Park also marks the official launch of the HSU's "O'Farrell Cuts, We Bleed campaign", which will travel across the state for the next six months.

"Daily, our members are reporting cuts like these ones," Mr Hayes said in a statement.

The union is using the privatisation of the hydrotherapy pool as an example of how cuts to the health budget will devastate staff and patients.

Mr Hayes said the facility was crucial for people suffering cerebral palsy, post-polio syndrome, musculoskeletal conditions and breast cancer.

"Yet the O'Farrell government wants to turn the pool over to a private operator, whose main imperative will be to turn a quick buck," he said.

"We intend to fight him on this, every step of the way."

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Two survive light plane crash in Qld

TWO people suffered only minor injuries when light plane crashed on the Gold Coast.

The ultralight plane slammed into a paddock on Saturday afternoon near Stapylton-Jacobs Well Rd at Jacobs Well, at the northern end of the coast.

The male pilot and female passenger suffered minor injuries and were taken to Logan Hospital as a precaution.

The Qld Forensic Crash Unit will liaise with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau in an investigation into the incident.

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Somali leader asks for Minnesota's help

A DAY after the US officially recognised Somalia's government for the first time in two decades, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called on Somalis living in Minnesota to help rebuild their war-torn homeland.

Mohamud spoke to about 4000 people at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Friday night.

He said US recognition was "the beginning of a new foundation."

Omar Jamal, first secretary of the Somali Mission to the United Nations, said the president asked the crowd to assist their nation - either by returning to Somalia or from their homes in Minnesota.

Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the US.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had joined the Somali president in Washington DC to announce the change in diplomatic relations.

After Friday's speech, Ilhan Omar said she felt there was a plan to rebuild her homeland.

"I felt like it was the first time in 20 years that we can see a light at the end of the tunnel," said Omar, 30.

Amira Adawe hopes the US government's recognition of Somalia will open the door to widespread international aid.

"I can't wait to go back home and help," she said.

Clinton cited the militant group al-Shabab's retreat from every major Somali city. The US has provided $US780 million ($A743.18 million) to African forces to help that battle.

Authorities say more than 20 young Somali men have left Minnesota since 2007 to join al-Shabab, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda. A Minneapolis man was convicted in October of sending young men to Somalia to join the group.

Roda Rabi, who protested the president's visit, said many Somalis were unhappy with Mohamud's efforts since his election in September. Rabi said Mohamud has failed to follow the UN plan for Somalia's reconciliation.

Saeed Fahia, executive director of the Confederation of the Somali Community in Minnesota, said it's too early to judge the new president. Too much has happened in the past two decades to be solved in a matter of months, he said.

"It would be difficult for any human being to take on Somalia's problems," he said.

"After 23 years, Somalia is back in the world community.

"After all these years of fighting and drought ... we will be able to work toward rebuilding."

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