Sandy weakens to tropical storm

SANDY weakened from hurricane to a tropical storm early Saturday as it inched toward the US East Coast with sustained winds of 110 kilometers an hour, US forecasters said.

On Friday, the storm packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers an hour, enough to classify it as a Category 1 hurricane.

"Sandy weakens, but is expected to remain a large storm with widespread impacts into early next week," the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said.

It said the storm was expected to continued moving "parallel to the southeast coast of the United States through the weekend."

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End of an era for Berlusconi

ITALIAN newspapers splashed the news of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's jail sentence for tax fraud across their front pages on Saturday, heralding the end of an era dominated by the man one anti-Berlusconi paper called a "natural-born delinquent".

"The mirages and alibis are finished," said La Stampa.

"An entire generation of Italians born after 1975 will for the first time vote in elections next spring that are not a pro- or anti-Berlusconi referendum."

Berlusconi, 76, had already announced last week he would not stand in next year's elections, but his sentencing on Friday to four years in jail - quickly reduced to one under an amnesty law designed to reduce overcrowding in prisons - put an emphatic punctuation mark on the end of his domination of the Italian political scene.

"And so ends a Titanic affair, born in television and finished in court, with a clear, very tough and above all insulting punishment," wrote the editor of the centre-left daily La Repubblica, Ezio Mauro, saying the case highlighted Berlusconi's fall from grace.

Left-leaning daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, which had waged war on Berlusconi's government during his three stints as prime minister from 1994 to 2011, said the media tycoon had a "natural capacity for delinquency".

The verdict "is the proof that Italy was governed for nine years by a tax cheat", said the paper.

During the trial, Berlusconi was accused of artificially inflating the price of distribution rights bought by his Mediaset empire and creating foreign slush funds to avoid paying taxes in Italy.

Scandal-hit Berlusconi condemned his sentence as "intolerable judicial harassment".

The disgraced former premier looked alternately distraught and defiant in front-page photos.

In some shots he wearily pressed a hand to his eye or stared sullenly into space; in others he raised his hands in a protestation of innocence or briskly straightened the lapels of his suit.

Some papers stuck strictly to the facts.

The country's main newspaper, the centre-right Corriere della Sera, said only "Berlusconi convicted" in its headline, and did not run an editorial on the sentence.

Berlusconi's lawyers have said they will appeal by November 10. Italy's lengthy appeals process will likely ensure he never sees the inside of a jail cell.

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Syria ceasefire in tatters, 150 killed

SYRIAN rebels on Saturday declared the failure of a truce declared for Eid al-Adha, as fighting raged, warplanes buzzed key cities and at least 150 people were reported killed since a ceasefire came into effect.

The truce conditionally agreed by President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) on Thursday had raised the prospect of the first real halt to the fighting after 19 months of conflict.

But Friday, the first day of Eid - one of the most sacred holidays in Islam - saw the ceasefire shattered by fresh fighting, deadly car bombings and a new regime vow to hunt down "armed terrorists", its term for rebel fighters.

Fighting raged again on Saturday and regime warplanes were reportedly seen flying over the embattled northern city of Aleppo after a brief lull for the start of Eid.

An AFP correspondent said a warplane was also seen flying over Damascus on Saturday.

A rebel commander in Aleppo said there was no doubt the ceasefire initiative, proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, had fallen apart.

"This is a failure for Brahimi. This initiative was dead before it started," Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi, head of the FSA military council in Aleppo, told AFP by telephone.

He insisted the FSA had not broken the ceasefire and was only carrying out defensive actions.

The Eid holiday had started with a slowdown in the fighting - and state television footage of al-Assad smiling and chatting with worshippers at a Damascus mosque - but quickly degenerated.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a key monitor of the conflict, said 146 people were killed in bombings and fighting on Friday, including 53 civilians, 50 rebels and 43 members of al-Assad's forces.

On Saturday, fresh violence killed at least 13 people, the observatory said, amid clashes and attacks in Damascus province, Aleppo, Daraa in the south and the eastern city of Deir Ezzor.

Among them were five killed in a car bomb attack in Deir Ezzor, it said. State television blamed the attack on "terrorists" and said the bomb had gone off in front of a church, causing significant damage.

According to the observatory, more than 35,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which began as an anti-regime uprising but is now a civil war pitting mainly Sunni rebels against al-Assad's regime, which is dominated by his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

The Britain-based observatory relies on a countrywide network of activists, lawyers and medics in civilian and military hospitals. It says its tolls take into account civilian, military and rebel casualties.

Al-Assad's forces and the FSA had agreed to a call by Brahimi to lay down their arms for the four-day Eid, but both also reserved the right to respond to attacks.

Brahimi had hoped the truce might lead to a more permanent ceasefire during which he could push for a political solution and bring aid to stricken areas.

Al-Okaidi, the FSA commander in Aleppo, said the ceasefire had been doomed from the start and that the international community needed to stop putting faith in the regime.

"The Syrian people have become guinea pigs," he said.

"Every time there is an envoy who tries an initiative, while we know the regime will not respect it."

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Asian markets fall ahead of US growth data

ASIAN markets are lower as dealers look ahead to the release of US economic growth figures, while Hong Kong eased on profit-taking after posting 10 straight days of gains.

The Nikkei was also hit on Friday as the dollar eased back after hitting four-month highs against the yen, which has come under pressure owing to expectations for fresh monetary easing by the Bank of Japan and upbeat US data.

Tokyo fell 1.35 per cent, or 122.14 points, to 8,933.06 and Sydney closed 0.84 per cent, or 38.1 points, lower at 4,472.4.

Hong Kong slipped 1.21 per cent, or 264.66 points, to 21,545.57, bringing an end to a run that had been fuelled by huge inflows of foreign cash.

Shanghai tumbled 1.68 per cent, or 35.57 points, to 2,066.21 with weak Chinese corporate earnings dragging on mainland sentiment.

Seoul lost 1.72 per cent, or 33.07 points, to close at 1,891.43 after data showed South Korea's economy grew in the third quarter at its slowest pace in three years.

The United States will later on Friday release its third-quarter growth figures, with investors looking for signs of improvement in the world's biggest economy.

The results come a day after the Labour Department said initial jobless claims fell by 23,000 to 369,000 in the week ending October 20 - below the average estimate of 375,000.

Durable goods orders - products expected to last at least three years - also rose 9.9 per cent from August, well above the average analyst estimate of 8.0 per cent.

On Wall Street the Dow climbed 0.20 per cent, the S&P 500 advanced 0.30 per cent and the Nasdaq added 0.15 per cent.

However, a rally fuelled by monetary easing moves by central banks in the United States, Japan and Europe has seen markets post healthy gains in recent weeks and dealers are taking the opportunity to cash in.

In Hong Kong, shares have surged more than eight per cent since the US Federal Reserve unveiled its third round of quantitative easing in mid-September, as the extra US dollars flood into higher-yielding markets.

The huge inflows of cash have also sent the Hong Kong dollar surging - leading the city's de facto central bank to step into currency markets to weaken the unit against the greenback, to which it has been pegged for 29 years.

The Hong Kong market has also been lifted by recent data showing that China's economic slowdown was bottoming out.

On forex markets the dollar was changing hands at Y79.92 in afternoon trade, compared with Y80.26 in New York late on Thursday, where it jumped to a four-month high of Y80.34 at one point.

Investors have been selling the Japanese unit ahead of a BoJ meeting next week, at which many hope it expand an asset-purchasing scheme to lift the economy and pump more money into the market.

The euro bought $US1.2923 and Y103.30 against $US1.2930 and Y103.78.

Oil prices were mixed. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December fell 89 US cents to $US85.07 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for December delivery fell $US1.10 to $US107.39.

Gold was at $US1,702.84 at 1910 AEDT, compared with $US1,715.50 late on Thursday.

In other markets:

- Taipei fell 1.76 per cent, or 128.02 points, to 7,134.06.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company rose 2.95 per cent to $Tw87.3 while HTC fell 4.84 per cent to $Tw236.0.

- Wellington fell 0.17 per cent, or 6.71 points to 3,983.78.

Fletcher Building ended down 1.3 per cent at $NZ7.12 and Telecom shed 0.2 per cent to $NZ2.47.

- Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Manila were all closed for public holidays.

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Romney adviser raises race card

AN outspoken surrogate for Mitt Romney's White House campaign has suggested that race was a factor in former secretary of state Colin Powell's endorsement of President Barack Obama.

Former New Hampshire governor John Sununu told CNN late on Thursday that the re-endorsement of Obama by Powell - a Republican who served in both Bush presidencies but backed Obama in 2008 - was possibly due to both men being African-Americans.

"Frankly, when you take a look at Colin Powell you have to wonder whether that's an endorsement based on issues or whether he's got a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama," Sununu told CNN host Piers Morgan.

"When you have somebody of your own race that you're proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for standing with him."

The remarks by Sununu, a prominent and often flamboyant supporter of Romney, could inject race into a campaign the Republican challenger has tried to keep focused on the sluggish US economy.

The remarks came just two days after Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, explaining his anti-abortion stance, sparked controversy by saying that pregnancies caused by rape are "something God intended to happen".

Those remarks threatened to slow Romney's progress in winning over vital women voters in key swing states and gave Obama an opening to brand Republicans as extremists when it comes to women's rights.

Sununu's remarks could prove less damaging - as Obama already enjoys overwhelming support among African-American voters - but may further distract from Republicans' central argument against the president's economic policies.

The two presidential candidates are locked in a virtual tie less than two weeks ahead of the November 6 election, with Romney enjoying a slight lead in national polls but Obama holding a narrow edge in vital states.

Powell, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H. W. Bush and secretary of state under President George W. Bush, is a moderate Republican once seen as a promising presidential prospect.

In his re-endorsement of Obama on Thursday, Powell credited the president with recent improvements in the economy and praised him as a steely commander-in-chief who had wound down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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One in four Spaniards out of work

ONE Spaniard in four is now officially out of work as the economic crisis tightens its grip on the country.

The National Statistics Institute said on Friday that 85,000 more people joined the ranks of the unemployed between July and September, raising the total to 5.78 million.

The figures increased the country's unemployment rate by about 0.4 percentage points in the third quarter to 25.02 per cent.

For those under 25 years of age, the unemployment rate edged down marginally to 52 per cent from 53 per cent in the previous quarter.

The institute said that over the past 12 months some 800,000 people had lost their jobs.

Spain is in its second recession in three years and is under pressure to ask for outside aid to help it deal with its debts.

It has already been granted a 100 billion euro ($A125 billion) bailout facility for its troubled banks, while many of its regional governments are also in bad financial shape.

In September, the European Central Bank said it would buy unlimited amounts of bonds in countries struggling with their debts if they formally apply for aid.

This has helped Spain by lowering its borrowing costs, but conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has held off triggering the actual purchases.

Spain is one of the focal points in Europe's debt crisis because if it defaulted or needed a full-blown bailout, the finances of the 17-country group that uses the euro could be severely stretched.

Rajoy's government, which pledged to reduce unemployment in its electoral campaign last year, has introduced austerity measures and financial and labour reforms to convince investors it has a grip on its accounts but they have yet to show any positive effect on the economy.

The measures, in particular the labour reform that makes it easier to dismiss workers, have led to many strikes and protests. The country faces its second general strike in a year on November 14.

On Friday, yet another rush-hour go-slow by subway workers caused traffic chaos in Madrid.

Organisations such as the Spanish Red Cross and the Catholic Church charity organisation Caritas say unemployment and the austerity measures are leaving tens of thousands of people in need of food and financial help.

On Thursday, Caritas said the foundation run by Amancio Ortega, founder of the Zara store parent company Inditex, would donate 20 million euro to help buy food, medicines and school materials.

The statistics institute said Spain now has 1.8 million households in which no one has work.

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Albany bushfire investigation imminent

AN investigation into a bush blaze near Albany that left a firefighter with life-threatening burns is set to begin within a week.

The bushfire at Two Peoples Bay began on October 12 and was fully extinguished five days later.

A 45-year-old firefighter was badly hurt in the blaze, suffering burns to 60 per cent of her body, and was in a critical condition for several days.

She is now in a critical but stable condition, a Royal Perth Hospital spokesman said.

Another firefighter, a 24-year-old woman, received burns to 40 per cent of her body and remains in a stable condition.

Emergency Services Minister Troy Buswell said on Thursday the Fire and Emergency Services Authority, Department of Environment and Conservation and local government in Albany had appointed an independent person to undertake an investigation into fire.

"This person will be commencing work within the week," Mr Buswell said in an emailed statement.

It's already known that a sudden change in wind direction turned the fire on the truck carrying the two firefighters.

Mr Buswell told parliament on Thursday that the women would have been trained to stay inside the truck and cover themselves in a fire blanket, but training and resourcing for bushfires was constantly evolving.

He said he was "absolutely sure" lessons could be learnt from the Albany fire.

"Fires of that nature are a dynamic and volatile environment," he said.

"I believe that from just about every single fire event that we attend, we can learn something new so we do it better next time."

Mr Buswell warned that conditions were dry as the bushfire season approached.

"It's dry in the Great Southern, it's dry in the South West, it's dry across the metropolitan area," he said.

"In Mundaring, they are on the verge of stopping controlled burns because controlled burns in October are starting to crown - that's when the fire goes up into the top of the trees.

"So we have some big challenges."

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WA economic outlook doesn't faze Buswell

WESTERN Australia should maintain its AAA credit rating if steps being taken by the Barnett government are as effective as hoped, Treasurer Troy Buswell says.

Mr Buswell made the comments after ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) revised downwards its outlook for the WA economy from stable to negative and warned that there was a one-in-three chance of a ratings downgrade in the next two years.

S&P said the revision reflected its expectation that the state's balance sheet could weaken as a result of lower mining royalties, which would take some time to be reflected in its share of GST revenues.

WA's budget had become increasingly reliant on the royalties, which were volatile as commodity prices fluctuated, S&P said.

The WA government currently receives 20 per cent of its revenue from mining royalties.

Mr Buswell downplayed the outlook downgrade, saying S&P's comments were consistent with his own commentary on the state economy.

He said he was confident the steps the government was taking would ensure WA maintained its AAA rating.

In response to a recent plunge in iron ore royalties and a strong Australian dollar, Mr Buswell last month announced sweeping public-sector cost-cutting measures in a desperate bid to keep the budget in surplus.

But on Thursday, he warned the government against responding "too harshly" to a "cyclical movement" in exchange rates and commodity prices.

"It's still my view that we're dealing with a cyclical set of events in and around a high dollar and a relative fall in commodity price," he said.

While revenues from stamp duty and GST had fallen, and notwithstanding short-term fluctuations in commodity prices, mining royalties were on an uptrend, he said.

But they were almost at their peak.

The value of mining royalties would start to plateau at around $6 billion per annum, compared to a projected $4.8 billion in 2012/13, he said.

Even after mining royalties plateaued, there would be continued growth from property and GST as the population continued to rise, he said.

Mr Buswell also confirmed the state government would announce more cost cutting at the forthcoming Mid-Year Economic Review, as flagged last month, to combat the state's vulnerability to exchange rate and commodity price fluctuations.

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Thai hotel brews coffee from elephant dung

FOR those who like their coffee with a strong nose Thailand could be the ideal destination, after a blend made from elephant dung was put on sale by an upmarket hotel chain.

The Black Ivory blend, made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants, is billed as producing a particularly smooth cup.

But it is not cheap, with Anantara Hotels saying the "naturally refined" coffee costs a staggering $US1100 ($A1067) a kilogram, making it one of the most expensive blends in the world.

"Research indicates that during digestion the enzymes of the elephant break down coffee protein," the Thai-based hotel group, which is selling the pungent brew at about $US50 for two cups, said in a statement sent to AFP on Thursday.

"Since protein is one of the main factors responsible for bitterness in coffee, less protein means almost no bitterness."

Once the elephants have digested the coffee berries, the beans are picked out of their dung by mahouts - their trainers - and then sun-dried.

The process is carried out at the hotel's elephant rescue centre in Thailand's north where 30 of the beasts live along with mahouts and their families.

Black Ivory is not the first novelty blend to hit the market in recent years. Coffee passed through the civet, a tree-dwelling mammal in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, sells for a similar price.

One New York coffee shop sells the civet coffee for $US748 a kilo.

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Driver arrested after north shore crash

A MAN is in hospital under police guard after crashing a car into traffic lights and a van on Sydney's north shore, police say.

The driver was allegedly seen speeding in a Mitsubishi near Thornleigh just after 5pm (AEDT) on Wednesday, sparking a short police chase.

Officers ended the pursuit because of concerns about speed.

A police spokesman said the man then crashed into a set of traffic lights and a van at the intersection of Pennant Hills Road and the F3 freeway.

He was arrested and taken under police guard to the Royal North Shore Hospital with minor injuries.

The man, whose age was not immediately clear, is expected to be interviewed on Wednesday night.

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