Johnson & Johnson 3Q net rises slightly

HEALTH care giant Johnson & Johnson's third-quarter profit has edged up as a big jump in prescription drug sales and lower research spending made up for slumping sales of medical devices.

Its results beat Wall Street estimates and its shares rose 1.3 per cent to $US91 in premarket trading.

The maker of baby shampoo, joint replacements and drugs for immune disorders says net income was $US2.98 billion ($A3.15 billion), or $US1.04 per share, up from $US2.97 billion, or $US1.05 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time charges, it earned $US1.36 per share. That was four cents per share better than analysts expected.

The company, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, says revenue totaled $US17.58 billion, up three per cent. Analysts expected $US17.43 billion.

J&J nudged up its profit forecast to $US5.44 to $US5.49 per share. Analysts expect $US5.46 per share.

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Vic police to view video of MP 'assault'

POLICE will examine parliamentary security video of an alleged assault by the man who holds the balance of power in the Victorian parliament.

Former bouncer and independent Frankston MP Geoff Shaw is captured on amateur video apparently pushing an elderly man to the ground and throwing punches, after being surrounded by taxi drivers protesting outside Parliament House.

Parliamentary Speaker Ken Smith has viewed CCTV video of the incident and handed it to police.

Taxi driver John Zammit, 79, was allegedly left with a bloodied face by the former Liberal turned independent.

He claims Mr Shaw kicked him.

The Frankston MP said he was "heckled, yelled at, spat upon and hit by a large group of protesters".

"I was forced to push a protester from me and continued my way up the stairs to the entrance of Parliament House," Mr Shaw said in a statement.

"Another protester or protesters grabbed around my ankles as I climbed the stairs."

Liberal upper house MP David Davis said the incident was "very regrettable".

"(It) is not what Victorians would want to see on the front steps of Parliament House," he told reporters.

Mr Smith warned it is a contempt of parliament to interfere with a politician as they enter the building.

The alleged assault comes just days before Mr Shaw is due to appear in court for a second time on fraud-related charges over the alleged misuse of his taxpayer-funded vehicle and parliamentary fuel card.

He will ask that the matter be heard by a magistrate rather than a judge in an apparent attempt to avoid being kicked out of parliament.

Under the Victorian constitution, MPs are ineligible for office if convicted of an indictable offence carrying a punishment of five or more years in jail.

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Coca-Cola's profit up on increased sales

COCA-COLA says its profit have risen in the third-quarter as the world's biggest beverage maker managed to sell more of its drinks despite choppy economic conditions.

The maker of Sprite, Powerade and Vitaminwater said global sales volume edged up two per cent, fuelled by its performance in emerging markets such as China, India and Russia.

Although the Atlanta-based company is struggling to sell more of its namesake soda back at home, it has continued to boost sales by introducing smaller cans and bottles that better fit with people's lifestyles, as well as focusing more heavily on other drinks, such as flavoured water.

In North America, for instance, soda volume was flat for the period, following a four per cent decline in the previous quarter and flat growth a year ago. But uncarbonated drinks such as tea, juice and bottled water, rose five per cent. As a result, overall volume for the region rose two per cent.

Meanwhile, soda sales are faring much better in developing markets; the company said its namesake brand saw volume growth of 22 per cent in India. In China, soda volume rose eight per cent.

The company blamed volatile economic conditions for more disappointing results in other parts of the world. In Europe, volume fell one per cent. Coca-Cola also cited hurricanes for a two per cent volume in Mexico.

For the quarter, the company said it earned $US2.45 billion ($A2.59 billion), or 54 cents per share, up from $US2.31 billion, or 50 cents per share, a year ago.

Not including one-time items, earnings per share were 53 cents, which was in line with Wall Street expectations.

Shares of Coca-Cola Co rose 1.6 per cent at $US38.51.

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Cost and number of cyber attacks drops

THE average cost of a cyber attack in Australia has dropped by $100 over the past 12 months.

The average victim now loses $200, down from an average of $300 just 12 months ago, according to the annual cyber crime report from security firm Norton.

The report shows the number of victims has also dropped from an estimated 5.4 million in 2011-2012 to five million in the past year.

The combined cost to Australians has dropped from $1.65 billion to $1.06 billion, the report estimates.

Sean Kopelke, Norton's head of technology for the Pacific region, says the drop in crime could be the result of better security awareness.

"(Australians) are getting a little bit more sensible around understanding the security risks," Kopelke said - especially with emails and social networking.

Meanwhile, cyber attacks are "focusing more on select individuals".

He said attackers were trying to secure lower cash sums - in the tens rather than hundreds of dollars - in order to "slip under the radar".

"(Criminals) aim for this 20 or 30 dollar figure instead of several hundred dollars because people will be more prone to pay it," he said.

So-called "ransomware" attacks, where criminals lock computers down and demand a payment to unlock them, are increasingly common, he said.

Fraud and identity theft are also common.

Australia compared well with the rest of the world, where the average cost per victim remained at more than $300.

The global cost was estimated to stand at $US113 billion ($A119.36 billion), up slightly from $US110 billion in the last report.

Kopelke said the number of victims in developed countries was down across the board, but this was more than offset by an increase in victims from developing countries.

The report surveys 500 people in each of 24 countries each year, but overall estimates include data from Norton's global intelligence network.

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Armed man 'wanted to see the Queen'

A MAN with a history of mental illness was hoping to see Queen Elizabeth II when he tried to rush through a Buckingham Palace gate armed with a 15-centimetre knife, a court has been told.

David Belmar, 44, has pleaded guilty to trespassing and possession of a bladed article for the incident a day earlier, when he was tackled after jumping over a vehicle barrier outside Buckingham Palace.

The Queen was not at Buckingham Palace at the time.

Prosecutor Edward Aydin told Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday that Belmar told police he wanted to see the Queen and was "not happy" about his welfare benefits.

Aydin says that Belmar is taking medication for mental health issues and has a fixation on the Queen.

In 1989, he said, Bellmar received a police warning for lighting fireworks and throwing them onto the palace grounds.

"He is a danger to the public, carrying a knife in central London, and he is a danger to the Queen," Aydin said.

Belmar's lawyer Robert Katz denied that Belmar has a fixation with the Queen and said that Belmar did not brandish the knife.

Officers found it wrapped in a plastic bag in Belmar's jacket.

Judge Quentin Purdy order Belmar kept in custody unit he is sentenced.

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