Melbourne, Feb. 4: Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has asked for police protection to ward off a paparazzi photographer, who is allegedly tormenting his family.

According to the Herald Sun, Warne has lodged a complaint against celebrity snapper Jamie Fawcett, who was at the centre of a long-running harassment row with screen star Nicole Kidman.

Warne has complained the photographer has been staking him out, amid speculation he has reunited with ex-wife Simone Callahan, the Herald Sun reports.

Sydney  - Toxic debt has beaten bromance and textaholic to become Australia's Word of the Year, contest organizer Macquarie Dictionary announced Wednesday.

Defined as lending that "proves subsequently to be financially worthless," the term won the title because of it's notoriety as the root cause of the financial crisis still shaking economies around the world.

Macquarie publisher Sue Butler said that "as a lexical creation (it has) a visceral impact."

Sydney  - Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd said Wednesday that crumbling commodity prices had halved its first-half profits.

BHP's net profit for the six months to December was down 57 per cent to 2.6 billion US dollars, from 6 billion US dollars in the corresponding period in the previous financial year.

The poor result reflected write-downs for mothballing its Ravensthorpe nickel mine in Western Australia and other projects.

BHP chief executive Marius Kloppers said the outlook as "weak, uncertain and volatile."

Sydne

Melbourne, Feb. 3 : The New Zealand women''s cricket team narrowly beat their Australian counterparts in the annual women''s cricket Rose Bowl series against New Zealand.

Half-centuries by Karen Rolton and Lisa Sthalekar could not save the Australians, and now the White Ferns can capture the five-match series with a victory in the third match to be played in Hamilton on Friday.

The New Zealand brigade defended their total of 7-218 on Tuesday by holding the world champions to 9-214, The Age reports.

Melbourne, Feb. 3 : Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has said he is disappointed with Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori for insinuating that he cheated by deliberately claiming a false dismissal during Sunday''s one-day match in Perth.

Vettori said after the game that Haddin knew the wicket of Neil Broom was not legitimate, after the batsman was ruled to have been bowled by Michael Clarke in the 36th over despite replays showing Haddin''s gloves were in front of the stumps - an automatic no-ball.

New Zealand players were furious as they watched the replays while Broom trudged off.