Permira snaps up UK's Dr Martens

BRITISH boot brand Dr Martens has been snapped up by private equity firm Permira in a STG300 million ($A507.14 million) deal, ending more than 50 years of family ownership.

It means the boots - footwear of choice for generations of skinheads, punks and students - will join a stable of brands which also includes Hugo Boss and New Look.

The Northamptonshire-based Griggs family, who have been making shoes since 1901, will retain control of around 20 per cent of the business.

Dr Martens employs 700 people worldwide, including 350 in the UK, and its products are sold in 63 countries.

The deal, expected to complete in January, will see Permira take control of parent company R Griggs.

Chief executive David Suddens says the brand's authenticity and the millions of customers who have used "Docs" as a symbol of self-expression for over half a century are what makes Dr Martens unique.

"The Permira funds respect that heritage and want to support the management team in nurturing it," Suddens said.

Cheryl Potter, partner and head of the consumer sector team at Permira, says Dr Martens is an iconic brand with a passionate fan base of followers.

Dr Martens has enjoyed a revival in fortunes in recent years as a new generation of stars such as Miley Cyrus, Emma Watson and Agyness Deyn took up the "bovver boots" whose popularity - once espoused by the likes of The Who's Pete Townshend - had been on the wane.

The deal follows reports of the Griggs family looking to exit the business after more than five decades running the brand that last year made STG15.3 million pre-tax profits on revenues of STG110 million, following an abortive sale attempt last year.

Permira is thought likely to try to expand Dr Martens' online and store presence into new international markets.

The Griggs family started producing the Dr Martens boots in 1960 after the development of a revolutionary new air-cushioned sole by the Germans Klaus Martens and Herbert Funck.

It still pays an annual fee to the families of the two men.

Production was moved to Asia, but the original Northamptonshire factory was reopened in 2007 to produce vintage styles.

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Roma family removals probe in Ireland

IRELAND'S police watchdog will review the cases of two Roma families having children removed from their homes amid claims they could not prove their identity.

Two reports have been ordered on the controversial action by gardai and health officials after a seven-year-old girl was taken from her south Dublin home for 48 hours and a two year-old boy from his home in Athlone in the Midlands overnight.

Both children were subsequently proven to be members of the families with the girl returned home after DNA tests.

The police watchdog, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission, said it has not received any complaints but has demanded copies of a report by the Commissioner Martin Callinan.

"We have requested this in order to inform ourselves fully of the circumstances of events so that we can take an appropriate position," a spokesman for the Ombudsman said.

Separately, the Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan will investigate why the children were removed from their families.

She will be furnished with two reports - from Mr Callinan and the Health Service Executive (HSE) - in two weeks time.

Both youngsters have blonde hair and blue eyes while their parents have darker complexions and hair, which is not out of the ordinary in the Roma community.

Amnesty International threw its weight behind calls from one of the families for an independent inquiry.

Colm O'Gorman, spokesman for the organisation in Ireland, said responses to reported child protection concerns needed to be proportionate and non-discriminatory.

"If it is found that the authorities' actions were discriminatory, steps must taken to ensure this is not repeated. There must be a public apology to the Roma families for the wrongdoing.

"The eyes of the world are now on Ireland, and the Government must show institutional discrimination will not be tolerated."

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Spain's unemployment rate falls

THE number of unemployed people in Spain dropped by 72,800 to 5.9 million in the third quarter, pushing the unemployment rate down to 25.98 per cent.

The drop in the number of jobless people in the third quarter, compared to the same period in recent years, was the sharpest since 2005, the National Statistics Institute reported in its Labour Force Survey on Thursday.

Employment rose by 39,500 to 16.82 million in the July-September period, marking the first rise in the third quarter of a year since 2010, with the labour force participation rate hitting 59.59 per cent, the Labor Force Survey said.

The unemployment rate for men in the second quarter was 25.50 per cent, while the jobless rate for women was 26.55 per cent.

The youth unemployment rate - calculated for those younger than 25 - was 54.39 per cent in the third quarter, down 1.75 percentage points.

The number of households with all members of the labour force unemployed fell by 13,400 in the July-September period, but it still stands at a high 1.8 million, the report said.

The Bank of Spain said in its latest economic bulletin Wednesday that the country climbed out of recession in the third quarter, growing 0.10 per cent from the previous three-month period to end a streak of nine consecutive quarters of contraction.

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Bad bushfire conditions set to linger

BUSHFIRE-WEARY NSW residents shouldn't expect any respite just yet, with dangerous fire weather expected to linger for at least another three days.

Scores of fires continued to burn around the state late on Thursday as the bushfire crisis entered its second week.

But none burned at emergency level overnight.

A Rural Fire Service spokesman has warned that warm weather and strong winds were expected to plague the state until early next week at the least.

He conceded some residents may become "frustrated" after days of being urged to leave their homes, then being allowed to return.

But he pleaded for locals in bushfire-affected areas to continue to heed official warnings because the danger remained real.

Governor-General Quentin Bryce is expected to tour bushfire-hit parts of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, on Friday.

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Appeal for UK Savile cop to come forward

A FORMER UK police officer who anonymously told journalists that he caught Jimmy Savile trying to seduce an underage girl in 1965 has been urged to come forward and speak to investigators.

The ex-Leeds Pc spoke to the Daily Mirror and the BBC under the pseudonym Paul Leonard, claiming that Savile was found parked in a lay-by with a young girl in his Rolls Royce.

He told the newspaper that the disgraced DJ said he was waiting for midnight when the girl turned 16, and threatened: "If you want to keep your job I suggest you get on your bike and f-off."

Today West Yorkshire Police appealed for the man to speak to them about the incident.

The force released a statement that said: "West Yorkshire Police are appealing for a man who spoke to the media yesterday in relation to the Jimmy Savile case to get in touch.

Previous appeals have been made for witnesses with information about Savile to come forward, but the force said they do not believe that he has made contact before.

The statement went on: "To our knowledge, Mr Leonard was not one of those who made contact. Given that Paul Leonard used a pseudonym, a false name, in his media interviews his identity or the content of what he says is very difficult to verify.

"We are however keen to speak to 'Mr Leonard' in order that this can be investigated thoroughly."

The former officer told the Daily Mirror that he had been warned off pursuing the incident by a more senior officer.

He claimed that a sergeant had said: "Shut up, son, he's got friends in high places. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave it there."

The officer told the newspaper: "There wasn't a copper in Leeds who didn't know Savile was a pervert. But he was so well-connected. He was like a superstar."

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Drug offers hope for pancreas cancer

A BREAST cancer drug can double two-year survival rates of patients with pancreatic cancer, trial results have shown.

Nab-paclitaxel, marketed as Abraxane, also increased the proportion of patients still alive after one year by 59 per cent.

It is already approved for women with spreading breast cancer who have run out of other options.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, killing 80 per cent of patients within a year.

The disease claimed the life of Hollywood star Patrick Swayze.

Data from the MPACT (Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Clinical Trial) study showed significant improvements when patients were treated with Abraxane in combination with standard chemotherapy.

Average survival increased from 6.7 months to 8.5 months. One year survival rates rose from 22 per cent to 35 per cent and at two years they doubled from 4 per cent to 9 per cent.

The results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Today's news represents a major step-forward in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer," said consultant oncologist Dr Harpreet Wasan, from Hammersmith Hospital in London, who runs a pancreatic cancer research program.

"The prognosis for these patients is exceptionally poor and, unlike many other cancers, current treatment options are limited. Based on this data, nab-paclitaxel offers patients a major new advance."

Ali Stunt, founder and chief executive of the charity Pancreatic Cancer Action, said: "Pancreatic cancer is lagging behind other cancers in terms of treatments that extend survival, but nab-paclitaxel has the potential to offer hope to patients with this deadly disease."

Abraxane's manufacturer Celgene has applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for a licence to use the drug to treat advanced pancreatic cancer.

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Conditions easing for NSW firefighters

LARGE fires continue to burn across NSW, but Friday should bring a welcome change of conditions for firefighters and residents in fire zones.

While the extent of the devastation was unclear on Thursday night, one of the worst-hit areas was Springwood, in the Blue Mountains, where up to 30 homes were known to be lost.

But authorities expect the number of destroyed or damaged properties across the state will be much worse and fear lives may be lost.

Elsewhere, thousands of firefighters are struggling against about 100 blazes across the state - on the Central Coast and further north, the Southern Highlands and the south coast.

Temperatures in the low to mid 30s, with a maximum of 37 recorded near Newcastle, combined with strong winds gusting up to 102 km/h provided terrible conditions for firefighters on Thursday.

Thousand of hectares were burnt, mainly around the state's Central Coast, and authorities expect hundreds of homes to be lost.

But the weather should ease on Friday, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP.

Temperatures should drop by about 10 degrees, with the mercury expected to hit 20-25 degrees in most parts of the state.

During the night, winds will decrease and will be negligible for most of NSW on Friday, blowing below 15km/h.

The strongest breeze is predicted to swirl at 30km/h.

"We are not expecting winds to be of any significance because of a high pressure region," the BOM spokesman said.

"Apart from humidity, all the other factors will play in the favour of the firefighters."

No serious rain is expected but showers may come for the coastal parts of the state between Monday and Wednesday.

While firefighters will be flat-out, some students will be able to take the day off, with numerous schools closed on Friday.

Winmalee Primary School, Winmalee High School, Ellison Primary School and Zig Zag Primary School in the Blue Mountains and Yanderra Primary School in the Southern Highlands weren't damaged, but fires are dangerously close to the schools, a Department of Education spokesman told AAP.

St Columba's High School and St Thomas Aquinas Primary at Springwood, Bunya Child Care Centre and Rainbow Preschool at Winmalee are also closed.

Students from Winmalee High School and St Columba's can attend other schools to sit their HSC exams, or if they can't make it safely to an alternative location they can make an application to ensure they aren't adversely affected.

Parents and students are advised by the department to contact their schools on Friday morning for further updates.

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Time for human Hendra trial: scientist

THE scientist who developed the Hendra vaccine wants to see it trialled on humans.

Almost a year after the Equivac vaccine became commercially available for horse inoculation, Professor Christopher Broder is hoping to secure funding to start human trials.

The US scientist says the Hendra virus protein, in every vaccine dose, has already been successfully tested on cats, ferrets, monkeys and horses.

The first foals recently born to horses vaccinated against Hendra also showed no complications, and Prof Broder says there's no reason why human trials can't go ahead.

"I'd certainly like to see that done," Prof Broder told AAP.

"We picked the right protein and we've been able to show in not only one animal model - but now four animal models - that there are no adverse reactions to the vaccination."

However, Prof Broder said he wasn't sure how soon he could secure funding for a phase-one safety trial.

"Whether or not those funds will become available in the next few years is anyone's guess considering the current state of research support in both the United States and Australia," he said.

Prof Broder said current testing focused on how often a horse's immunity against Hendra should be boosted.

Horses are believed to contract the virus from feed contaminated by urine, saliva or birthing fluids from flying foxes.

There's no known cure for Hendra, but the Equivac HeV vaccine aims to break the cycle of transmission and prevent human deaths.

Four people have died from the virus in Australia since 1994.

Even if the Hendra vaccine can't be tested on humans, Prof Broder is confident it will go a long way towards preventing Hendra virus in horses and people.

Every person infected with Hendra has contracted the virus from a horse, he said.

"The vaccine is going to break that chain of potential transmission and, in reality, if 90 per cent of horses end up getting vaccinated and it's taken up very well then Hendra virus is definitely not going to be a problem any more.

"And I think it has a really good chance of being that way."

Prof Broder will spend the next two weeks in Australia discussing the progress of the vaccine with government representatives and those who have been instrumental in fighting the Hendra virus.

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Warships to leave Sydney Harbour

THEY sailed, they berthed and they entertained.

Now the warships in town for the International Fleet Review will depart Sydney Harbour, marking the close of the nine-day navy event.

Those from afar off as Nigeria, India and the United Kingdom arrived a week ago and helped celebrate 100 years since the Royal Australian Navy fleet entered the harbour.

Most will depart at 7am.

Many of the ships will also go on to participate in Exercise Triton Centenary in Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast, which will see nations display warfare skills and exchange maritime views.

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Vic police vow to continue bikie crackdown

POLICE have vowed to continue their crackdown on bikies involved in criminal activities after the largest raid on a single club in Victoria's history.

Guns, ammunition, drugs and cash were seized and 13 people arrested when more than 700 police, including federal and customs officers, swooped on Hells Angels clubhouses and members' homes on Thursday morning.

All of those arrested have significant roles within the Hells Angels, police say.

They include sergeant at arms Peter Hewat, 58, who faces 13 charges at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday after $47,000 of cash and weapons were allegedly seized from his Craigieburn business and Mickleham home.

Police had hoped to find a high-powered AK-47 and a M1 carbine assault rifle - used in recent drive-by shootings by Hells Angels members at rival clubhouses in Hallam, Dandenong and Clayton South - but were unsuccessful.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay has vowed to track them down and put pressure on the gang.

"We haven't recovered those firearms, so we will continue our operation, we will continue our work until we get those guns," he said.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh said the police crackdown will continue.

"Our operation is ongoing and we intend to continue to target all of those groups and individuals that are involved in criminal activities," she said.

Ms Walsh expects Hells Angels across Australia to feel the impact of Thursday's raid.

"The impact interstate has been significant and I think this type of activity and this type of show of strength puts ... all those that are involved in criminal activities on notice," she said.

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