Vic hospitals cancel 1300 operations

ELECTIVE surgery for 1300 patients across three Melbourne hospitals will reportedly be cancelled over the next five months as the fallout from $107 million in federal budget cuts continues.

Western Health says 550 patients at the Western and Sunshine hospitals and 750 patients at Williamstown Hospital will not receive elective surgery as planned this financial year, Fairfax reports.

Thousands of elective surgeries are set to be cancelled across the state as hospitals slash services to cope with the federal funding loss.

More than 300 beds were being closed as federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and her Victorian counterpart David Davis negotiated a time to meet on the funding issue late Thursday, Fairfax said.

Mr Davis has said Canberra has cut $107 million from existing hospital budgets, while Ms Plibersek maintains Victoria will receive $900 million more in hospital funding over four years.

The cuts have prompted The Alfred to reportedly axe 300 operations, while the Royal Children's Hospital has announced it will have to slash 50 jobs.

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Sony fined for UK cyber-attack data breach

ELECTRONICS giant Sony has been fined by Britain's data watchdog for a breach that compromised the personal information of millions of customers using PlayStation video games consoles.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said the April 2011 cyberattack was a "serious breach" of Britain's data protection laws and fined the Japanese electronics giant STG250,000 ($A378,000).

Personal information including names, addresses, email addresses, dates of birth and account passwords were compromised, while customers' payment card details were also at risk.

The ICO said the breach was one of the most serious it had ever seen.

It found the attack could have been prevented if Sony's software had been up to date, while technical developments also meant passwords were not secure.

"If you are responsible for so many payment card details and log-in details, then keeping that personal data secure has to be your priority," said ICO deputy commissioner David Smith.

"In this case that just didn't happen, and when the database was targeted - albeit in a determined criminal attack - the security measures in place were simply not good enough.

"It is a company that trades on its technical expertise, and there's no doubt in my mind that they had access to both the technical knowledge and the resources to keep this information safe.

"The case is one of the most serious ever reported to us."

Following the breach, Sony rebuilt its network platform to ensure the personal information it processes is kept secure.

The company intends to appeal against the decision.

"Sony Computer Entertainment Europe strongly disagrees with the ICO's ruling and is planning an appeal," a spokesman said.

The company said it noted that the ICO recognised it was "the victim of 'a focused and determined criminal attack', that 'there is no evidence that encrypted payment card details were accessed', and that 'personal data is unlikely to have been used for fraudulent purposes'".

Sony said: "Criminal attacks on electronic networks are a real and growing aspect of 21st century life and Sony continually works to strengthen our systems."

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Fire rips through Hobart's Queens Domain

A LARGE fire is spreading from hilly bushland just northeast of Hobart's CBD.

The fire was moving uphill from the northeast side of the Queens Domain, fanned by strong winds, Tasmania Police said at 10.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

Motorists are being urged to avoid the area and be mindful of police directions and firefighting operations.

Authorities say no buildings are currently threatened.

The blaze has so far consumed around five hectares of long, dry grass at a city council reserve next to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, with at least 14 crews battling to bring it under control, a Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) spokesman said.

"It's quite visual with everybody around Hobart, (but) it's not threatening any properties," he told AAP.

The blaze broke out about 9.40pm (AEDT) and took firefighters using 17 vehicles around three hours to bring under control, a TFS spokesman said.

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Man set to be charged over Sydney shooting

A MAN is expected to be charged over the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man in broad daylight in Sydney's southwest.

Joshua George died after being shot once to the chest at Claymore about 1.30pm (AEDT) on Sunday.

After the shooting, police began hunting for 21-year-old Graeme Smith who is believed to have gotten into an argument with the 24-year-old at a party near Campbelltown the night before.

Police had previously said they had no idea about Mr Smith's whereabouts.

But about 7.15pm (AEDT) on Thursday, officers attached to the Police Transport Command spotted a 21-year-old man while they were patrolling outside the Blacktown railway station.

The man, who was reported to have a distinctive tattoo on his neck, had a scarf or jumper covering it.

Once the material was removed, it confirmed to officers who the person was, a police spokesman told AAP.

Police said the man was arrested a short time later and taken to Blacktown Police Station, where he is currently assisting police with their inquiries.

Inspector Stephen Oswald from Blacktown Local Area Command said he was arrested without incident.

"The police utilised a number of tactical options but he came along willingly once there was some assistance there from local and Transport Command Police," he told reporters on Thursday night.

However, a woman who was with him was taken into custody after allegedly abusing police and resisting arrest.

He is expected to be charged with murder and is likely to appear in court on Friday.

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Apple's plunge hits Nasdaq

APPLE'S plunge on disappointing earnings has pulled the Nasdaq lower in opening trade, but the other key indices managed to stay in positive territory.

Five minutes into trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 34.79 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 13,814.12.

The broad-based S&P 500 up 0.56 point, or 0.04 per cent, to 1,495.37.

But the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 22.12 points, or 0.70 per cent, to 3,131.55.

The drop in Nasdaq came as Apple, the biggest US company by market capitalisation, disappointed the market with below-expected revenues and a middling outlook on upcoming revenues. Apple shares were off 11.4 per cent.

On the positive side, US jobless claims came in well below expectations, an unexpectedly strong result for the second week in a row.

Chinese manufacturing activity in January was also strong, suggesting the world's second-biggest economy is moving into better times.

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Downpours set to continue after Oswald

HEAVY rainfall is expected to hit much of the Queensland coast, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that six-hour rainfalls of up to 200mm are possible.

Torrential rain generated by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald has lashed coastal north Queensland, causing rivers to break their banks and flood the towns of Ingham, Halifax and Tully, and some areas of Townsville.

A severe weather warning was issued overnight on Thursday, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warning that gusts in excess of 125km/h are possible about the Central Coast-Whitsundays and Capricornia districts.

Heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding, is also likely over the Central Coast-Whitsundays, Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett, as well as the eastern parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields.

Downpours could also hit the Sunshine Coast on Friday, as well as coastal and inland areas between Brisbane and Bowen - south of Townsville.

"Six-hour rainfall accumulations of 100 to 200mm are possible," the BoM said.

However, there is some good news, with a severe weather warning cancelled for the Northern Goldfields, the Upper Flinders and Herbert and Lower Burdekin districts.

The Bureau of Meteorology is watching Oswald closely and says there is a 50 per cent chance it will re-form somewhere off the coast of Gladstone and Rockhampton on Saturday.

About 6000 homes in the Cairns region were without power on Thursday morning after fallen trees hit power lines.

Oswald crossed the western coast of Cape York Peninsula near Kowanyama as a category one cyclone on Tuesday and is now a low-pressure system.

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Fire threat for eastern Vic

WARM weather and powerful winds are poised to spur on two large bushfires burning in Victoria's east from the early morning.

Fires in the Alpine and Gippsland regions, east of Melbourne, could both surge in the early hours of Friday, authorities say.

The fire threatening Gippsland towns, which has killed a man, destroyed 22 homes and burned through 67,000 hectares, is expected to again cause chaos on Friday.

Residents in the Alpine towns of Hotham Heights and Harrietville had been urged to activate their fire plans and leave - only if it was safe - before nightfall.

Towns that include Heyfield, Toongabbie and Maffra are in the line of potential carnage, while CFA crews say they're particularly worried about the Erica and Briagolong communities.

The Bureau of Meteorology says northerly winds are set to peak at 5am (AEDT) on Friday, with a southwesterly change not expected until late in the day.

A total fire ban has been declared for the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, North Country, Central, North Central and West and South Gippsland fire districts.

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