Updated: 20:20, Friday January 27, 2012 A French judge has charged Jean-Claude Mas, the founder of the PIP breast implant company at the heart of a global health scare, with 'involuntary injuries', his lawyer says.More than 400,000 women around the world are believed to have received implants made by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which shut down in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using substandard, industrial-grade silicone gel.Mas, 72, was arrested

Updated: 20:21, Friday January 27, 2012 Sir Michael Somare says he won't make a statement until the weekend about the ongoing political turmoil in Port Moresby.Following the apparent failure of an attempted mutiny by a group of soldiers who wanted him reinstated, the veteran PNG leader announced through his spokeswoman and daughter, Betha Somare, that he would not speak as anticipated on Friday. Moments before the announcement, Sir Michael's appointee for police commissioner, Fred…

Updated: 04:24, Saturday January 28, 2012 Pakistan's former president, Pervez Musharraf, has delayed his return home, the head of his party says, after repeated threats by the country's leadership that the ex-strongman would be arrested upon arrival.'He finally decided today that he would accept the recommendations' of the executive committee of the All Pakistan Muslim League party to delay his return, party secretary-general Mohammed Ali Saif told reporters on Friday.'This decision (of returning) will be deliberated by…

Updated: 04:24, Saturday January 28, 2012 Leading finance chiefs have sought to reassure anxious global business leaders that Europe is on track to solve its crippling debt crisis before it drags the world's economies down.The finance chiefs say the picture in Europe has changed over the past two months as the European Central Bank lends billions of euros to fragile banks, indebted countries push through convincing reforms and EU leaders come near to building a closer fiscal union…

Updated: 04:24, Saturday January 28, 2012 Gunmen have killed 15 village traders returning from a market at night and set their bodies ablaze in northern Nigeria's Zamfara state.'Gunmen, suspected to be armed robbers, attacked some local traders on their way back from a market in neighbouring Katsina state late Thursday,' Zamfara state police commissioner Tambrai Yabo told AFP on Friday.'The armed robbers waylaid the traders travelling back in an open truck and opened fire on them. They then…

Updated: 05:32, Saturday January 28, 2012 Thousands of protesters have thronged Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand democratic change, vowing to revive their unfinished revolution a year after they toppled veteran president Hosni Mubarak.Protesters marched from across the capital to join thousands in Tahrir, the symbolic heart of Egypt's uprising, on a day dubbed 'the Friday of Pride and Dignity' by the dozens of pro-democracy groups organising the rallies.'Down with military rule!' shouted marchers, echoing the growing discontent…

Updated: 04:55, Saturday January 28, 2012 Tropical Category Two Cyclone Iggy is expected to intensify over the weekend as it moves towards Western Australia's Pilbara coast.The Fire and Emergency Services Authority has warned residents in the Midwest Gascoyne or Pilbara regions, in coastal areas from Port Hedland to Coral Bay, to prepare their homes and family.This includes people in Karratha, Onslow, Exmouth, Wickam, Point Samson, Dampier, Roebourne and surrounding areas.The weather bureau says Iggy is about 560 kilometres…

Updated: 04:33, Saturday January 28, 2012 The federal opposition believes the Reserve Bank and not the government, should do much of the heavy lifting if the local economy needs a boost in the face of a souring global economy.An International Monetary Fund briefing note shows Australia won't miss out in a new round of global economic growth downgrades, with the agency now forecasting three per cent growth in 2012, down from the 3.3 per cent forecast in…

Updated: 04:35, Saturday January 28, 2012 The US economy grew at a 2.8 per cent annual rate in the final three months of last year, its fastest growth in 2011.Americans spent more on cars and trucks, and companies built up their stockpiles. But growth in the October-December quarter - and all of last year - was held back by the biggest annual government spending cuts in four decades.The Commerce Department said on Friday the economy grew just…

Updated: 07:14, Saturday January 28, 2012 Greece says it is 'a step away' from a major debt writedown as it resumes talks with private creditors to escape a looming default and stem further turmoil in the eurozone.Charles Dallara, the lead negotiator for banks, insurers and other private investors, arrived at the residence of Prime Minister Lucas Papademos for talks with the premier and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Friday.'We are a step away from concluding procedures on…

Updated: 07:11, Saturday January 28, 2012 France and Afghanistan will ask NATO to hand over all combat missions to the Afghan military in 2013, a year earlier than planned, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.It signalled a sharp break by France, the fourth-largest troop contributor in Afghanistan, from its previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.The proposal was made a week after four unarmed French troops were killed…

Updated: 06:45, Saturday January 28, 2012 NSW drug squad detectives have located a missing shipping container with drugs concealed inside, as part of an ongoing investigation into a large-scale drug importation.Officers attached to Strike Force Garner have been investigating a syndicate importing pseudoephedrine and other drugs concealed in shipping containers since December 2011.A police statement says a final container they'd been seeking was located at Pambula, on the state's far south coast, about 3.30 yesterday afternoon (AEDT), with…

Updated: 04:30, Saturday January 28, 2012 A man aged in his 70s is in hospital with serious head injuries after he was struck by a car in Sydney's west.Police said emergency services were called to Merrylands Road at Merrylands around 9.45pm (AEDT) on Friday where they found the man seriously injured.He was taken by ambulance to Westmead Hospital where he is in a critical condition.Witnesses said the man was hit by a westbound Mitsubishi Mirage as he crossed…

Updated: 05:29, Saturday January 28, 2012 The death toll has climbed to nine from the collapse of three buildings in Rio de Janeiro, but the cause of the accident remained unclear.At least 15 people were still missing from Wednesday's collapse of three adjacent office buildings - 20, 10 and four storeys high - in the heart of the city. At the time, most of the occupants had left work.The deputy chief of the fire department, Ronaldo Alcantara,…

Updated: 07:06, Saturday January 28, 2012 Mitt Romney knew he had to do something special to revive his flagging presidential campaign - he came out swinging in Florida and landed some hefty blows.The Romney team had reportedly recruited a new debate coach this week and it paid off on the stage in Jacksonville.Days before the first big state to cast its vote, Mr Romney appears to have at least reversed some of the momentum…

Updated: 04:08, Saturday January 28, 2012 A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad, killing at least 32 people in the latest brazen attack since the US troop withdrawal from Iraq.Police officials said the blast occurred at 11am in the predominantly Shi'ite neighbourhood of Zafaraniyah, where mourners had gathered for the funeral of a person killed the day before. They said 65 people were wounded in

Updated: 04:29, Saturday January 28, 2012 Residents of a southern Queensland town are on flood alert as heavy rain and thunderstorms continue to batter the state.It's understood residents in Roma, 500 kilometres west of Brisbane, have begun sandbagging properties in preparation for heavy rain today, on top of Thursday's falls.The weather bureau says the river level is expected rise to a moderate flood level even without more rain today.Maranoa Council Mayor Robert Lougnan says residents in low…

Updated: 04:49, Saturday January 28, 2012 Syrian security forces have stepped up a deadly crackdown on dissent, as activists said almost 100 people died in two days of violence ahead of a bid to condemn Damascus at the UN Security Council.The head of the Arab League monitoring mission in Syria said that, since Tuesday, unrest had soared 'in a significant way', especially in the flashpoint central cities of Homs and Hama and in

Updated: 04:31, Saturday January 28, 2012 Some 3000 survivors of Italy's cruise ship disaster will receive 11,000 ($A13,624) each plus expenses, negotiators said on Friday two weeks after the accident which is feared to have killed up to 32 people.Navy divers blew new holes in the side of the beached vessel on Friday to search previously unexplored parts of the ship for missing people, though officials said there was now no chance of

Updated: 20:37, Friday January 27, 2012 The torrential rain that had been predicted for northern NSW on Friday and the weekend will not eventuate after all, says the State Emergency Service.Torrential rainfall predicted for the region on Friday and over the weekend wouldn't be as heavy as expected, SES spokeswoman Stephanie Heard says. 'We are still expecting a number of wet days, but the intensity of the rain is expected to ease today, so…