AN 18-year-old woman has been arrested and accused of stabbing a man in the neck in north Parramatta.
Police were called at about 12.30am on Tuesday following an altercation involving a group of people.
They arrested the woman and took her to Parramatta Police Station.
The man was taken to Westmead Hospital and is being treated for a non-life threatening injury.
A RISING proportion of small businesses is enjoying improved revenue flows, and there has been a sharp jump in those firms expecting better times this year, a new survey shows.
Research by business software provider MYOB found that while less than a quarter (22 per cent) of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) surveyed reported rising revenue over the year to February, it was the best result since March 2011.
Those reporting a decline in revenue also eased to 34 per cent compared to 39 per cent when last surveyed in August 2013.
The March 2014 MYOB Business Monitor also saw a significant increase in SMEs anticipating a revenue rise in the next 12 months - 34 per cent compared to 25 per cent previously.
MYOB CEO Tim Reed said the findings clearly told a positive story.
"Buoyed by record-low interest rates and a lower Australian dollar, local SMEs' hard work and resilience is now bearing fruit," he said when releasing the report on Tuesday.
The survey of 1032 sole traders to mid-sized companies found that those in finance and insurance were the most positive in terms of both actual revenue and the revenue expectations.
South Australia and Victoria were the most optimistic mainland states.
The price of fuel was once again the top pressure point for SMEs, as it had been since March 2011.
Cash flow remained in second place, while attracting new customers rose one place to equal third with competitive activity.
The federal government has pledged $10 million in aid to war-ravaged Somalia. Source: AAP
AUSTRALIA will pledge $10 million in aid to war-ravaged Somalia.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says $2 million will be given to support the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to combat terrorism, while a further $8 million will be granted for humanitarian efforts such as water access and medical care.
Ms Bishop said enhancing Somalia's stability was in Australia's national interest.
"It will help combat terrorism, improve stability in the Indian Ocean Rim and reduce piracy along important trading routes for Australia," she said in a statement on Monday.
AMERICANS are boarding public buses, trains and subways in greater numbers than any time since the suburbs began booming.
Nearly 10.7 billion trips in 2013, to be precise - the highest total since 1956, according to ridership data reported by transit systems nationally and released Monday by the American Public Transportation Association.
Transit ridership has now fully recovered from a dip caused by the Great Recession. With services restored following economy-driven cutbacks, ridership numbers appear set to continue what had been a steady increase.
"People are making a fundamental shift to having options" aside from a car in how they get around, said Michael Melaniphy, president and CEO of the public transportation association.
"This is a long-term trend. This isn't just a blip."
Expanding bus and train networks help spur the growth.
Ridership on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority light-rail trains increased 6 per cent over 2012, as the public took advantage of an expanded network of lines.
Overall, LA Metro gained 9 million trips to reach 478 million in 2013, the transportation association said.
Among the other transit systems in California with record ridership was the Caltrain commuter rail service that connects San Francisco with Silicon Valley.
Houston, which has been more notable for its sprawl than its public transportation offerings, had a large ridership gain.
So did Seattle, Miami, Denver and San Diego.
The New York area's behemoth transit network saw the greatest gain, accounting for one in three trips nationally.
Transit advocates argue that the public increasingly values the ability to get around without a car. They offer as evidence the nation's urban shift and the movement to concentrate new development around transit hubs.
"People want to work and live along transit lines," Melaniphy said.
"Businesses, universities and housing are all moving along those corridors."
THE number of cases of the highly-contagious scarlet fever in England have soared to a 24-year-high.
Health officials say that there have been "widespread" increases in the number of cases in England.
During February there were significantly more cases of the bacterial illness than would normally be expected for this time of year, according to Public Health England (PHE).
In the four weeks to February 23, health officials were notified of 868 cases of scarlet fever - over the last four years experts have noted an average of 444 cases.
Officials said that the figure is at its highest for this time of year since 1990.
The increase has been noted across England apart from in the northwest.
An interim report on the infection stated that "routine monitoring of surveillance data has identified widespread increases in scarlet fever notifications in February 2014, beyond those seasonally expected. These are the highest notification totals for this time of year since 1990."
A PHE spokeswoman said on Monday that there are seasonal rises in scarlet fever between December and April each year.
Every few years there is also a notable increase in the number of cases and the latest bout of infections is likely to be part of that cycle, she added.
The organisation has warned health officials to be "mindful" of the current rise in figures when treating patients.
The most noticeable symptom of scarlet fever is a distinctive pink-red rash that feels like sandpaper to touch. Other symptoms include a high temperature, a flushed face and a red, swollen tongue.
It is "extremely contagious" and can be caught by breathing in bacteria from an infected person's coughs and sneezes, touching the skin of a person with a streptococcal skin infection and sharing contaminated towels, baths, clothes or bed linen.
PHE's head of streptococcal infection surveillance Dr Theresa Lamagni said: "The first symptoms of scarlet fever often include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting.
SEVERAL shots have been fired into an empty home in Sydney's south.
The latest shooting happened shortly before 10pm (AEDT) on Monday, at a residence on The Kingsway at Woolooware.
Several bullet holes have been discovered in the front of the home and police say a crime scene has been established.
Detectives and forensic police are conducting further inquiries.
AS the five-day heatwave in Australia's southern states enters its second day, it is expected to push health and emergency services to the limit.
Victoria and South Australia are tipped to endure the worst of the conditions, but NSW and Tasmania will also feel the hot air mass spreading from the west.
Adelaide continues its five consecutive days of temperatures above 40 degrees, with 42C forecast for Tuesday, 43C on Wednesday and Thursday and 40C on Friday before a cool change.
Melbourne is forecast to top 40C on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with 39C predicted for Wednesday.
Victorian Fire Service Commissioner Craig Lapsley says the heatwave will bake Victoria's bush and grassland, creating perfect bushfire conditions.
Ambulance Victoria manager of emergency management Paul Holman described this week's conditions as the worst heatwave since the lead-up to the 2009 Black Saturday fires.
During Victoria's 2009 heatwave 370 people died from heat-related illnesses and there was a 46 per cent increase in calls to triple zero in three days.
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has urged all people to take care of those most vulnerable to the heat, including elderly relatives, friends and neighbours.
He says people without air-conditioning at home should consider heading to cooler public facilities such as cinemas, shopping centres and libraries.
Sydney will be spared the worst of the weather, with temperatures in the high 20s in the city and high 30s in the city's west.
A total fire ban has been declared for southern Tasmania on Tuesday and parts of the state's south will reach the mid to high 30s during the next few days.
After a weekend of extreme heat that triggered bushfires, Perth will experience a mild week before temperatures hit the high 30s at the weekend.
A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy has been hit by a car after it veered off the road and mounted a footpath in Sydney's west.
Police say a P-plater was driving when the child was clipped by the car, but the boy luckily walked away with only cuts and bruises.
The accident happened as the driver turned from Railway Terrace at Merrylands into Merrylands Road on Monday evening.
"The car has left the road, mounted the footpath and clipped a six-year-old boy," a police statement said on Tuesday.
The boy suffered only minor injuries and was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital for precautionary medical checks.
An 18-year-old man was breath-tested at the scene and returned a negative result.
WORKERS at a restive Goodyear plant in northern France have detained two managers in a conference room at the tyre factory.
The factory's union says the director and human resources chief were blocked from leaving after an especially difficult meeting on Monday with staff.
A Goodyear representative, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the tense situation, says the two managers were being held against their will.
"Boss-napping" became rampant in France in 2009 at the height of the economic meltdown, although the practice has since tapered off.
But the Amiens plant has an especially contentious past. Goodyear has been trying to restructure or close the factory for more than five years.
Sometimes violent workers' protests, government concerns and France's prolonged layoff procedures have stalled the process.
BRITAIN'S Treasury chief says the country still has a long way to go to eliminate the deficit and that substantial savings must be gleaned from welfare cuts.
George Osborne says 2014 is to be the "year of hard truths" and that there are still big underlying problems in the economy.
Osborne told autoworkers in Birmingham on Monday billions of pounds in welfare cuts will be needed to reduce the deficit, which has been swollen by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Pensioners are likely not to be affected, as the coalition government has suggested they will remain protected.
