Tourist bus flips in Cuba, injuring 16

Cuban authorities say a serious highway crash involving a bus has left 16 foreign tourists injured. Source: AAP

CUBAN authorities says a serious highway crash involving a bus carrying foreign tourists has left 16 passengers injured, most of them from Europe.

State-run newspaper Cinco de Septiembre says the government-operated vehicle ran off the road and turned over on Thursday evening. The crash occurred on the route between Trinidad and Varadero, two principal tourist destinations.

Nineteen people were on board. The injured were listed as two Britons, two Czechs, four Dutch, one Filipino, one Irish and six Russians.

Three of the tourists were considered to be in serious condition but none was in immediate danger of dying, Cinco de Septiembre said on Friday.

Two underwent surgery and were in intensive care.

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Teens film high speed NSW car chase

A MAN'S son and nephew have used a mobile phone to film him behind the wheel during a high-speed police car chase in southern NSW.

The teenagers were passengers in the car the 36-year-old ACT man was driving when it allegedly hit speeds of 140k/h during the pursuit from Goulburn to Collector.

Police had first tried to stop the car on the Hume Highway following a registration check about 3pm (AEST) on Friday.

A search revealed the registration plates belonged to another vehicle for which the registration had expired.

But police allege the driver sped off the highway into Mazamet Road, did an abrupt u-turn and re-entered the south bound lanes of the Hume Highway.

Road spikes were deployed just south of Goulburn but a second set was needed to finally stop the car on the Federal Highway at Collector.

The driver's 16-year-old son and 18-year-old nephew were filming the incident on a mobile phone, which was seized as evidence by police.

The 36-year-old Banks driver initially resisted arrest.

He was later charged with police pursuit (Skyes Law), exceed speed, unlicensed driving, unregistered vehicle, uninsured vehicle, use unauthorised number plates and possess property stolen outside NSW.

The man was refused bail when he appeared in court on Saturday and will reappear on Monday.

The two teenagers were released while police carry out further investigations into several other offences they believe the car was involved in.

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Fat Malaysian orangutan put on diet

AN obese orangutan has been put on a strict diet by Malaysian wildlife authorities after two decades of gorging on junk food handed out by tourists.

Jackie reportedly weighs 100 kilograms, twice the normal weight of an adult female in the rich jungle habitats of Borneo island.

The 22-year-old ape was relocated more than three months ago by the wildlife department in the state of Sabah - which lies in the northeast of Borneo - because visitors to the Poring forestry park kept feeding her.

Department director Laurentius Ambu was cited in a newspaper report on Friday as saying that Jackie's familiarity with her human carers led her to seek out tourists at the park's visitors' area.

"I am glad that Jackie is a much happier orangutan now," Ambu was quoted as saying in The Star.

Officials could not be immediately reached for comment, but Ambu was reported as saying Jackie's weight-loss program would "take time".

The primate's new diet is said to include more leafy vegetables and fruit.

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Huge seagrass regrowth at Qld port

SEAGRASS is making an unlikely comeback at a large Queensland port that's been criticised by green groups for damaging the environment.

But the new findings, released by James Cook University's seagrass monitoring program on Friday, paint a grim picture for the flora in other areas of the state.

During 2010 and 2011 huge areas of seagrass were wiped out by heavy rainfall, flooding and cyclones.

"We've had three years in a row of poor conditions," lead researcher Dr Michael Rasheed told AAP.

"The seagrass really hasn't had a chance to bounce back in most areas."

Of the populated areas monitored by researchers, only Gladstone Harbour, Townsville and off-shore areas of Abbott Point near Bowen saw significant regrowth in 2012.

At Gladstone Harbour, where the highest growth was recorded, researchers found meadows had expanded by 700 hectares.

The amount of seagrass in the area is now what it was in 2010.

The findings come as an independent review panel assesses the health of the harbour and the impacts of port developments on the Great Barrier Reef.

The United Nation's environment arm was highly critical of Australia's management of the reef in a report last year and requested a review of the harbour.

Environmentalist Bob Irwin has described the harbour as a war zone.

Dr Rasheed says activities at Gladstone Harbour are likely affecting seagrass, but the port's water quality management scheme is encouraging growth.

Researchers found there has been far less growth in coastal areas at Abbott Point near Bowen, Weipa, Cairns, Innisfail, Karumba and Mackay.

Dr Rasheed says it has been difficult for seagrass to bounce back in these areas as such large chunks were destroyed during storms such as Cyclone Oswald.

Seagrass is an important part of the marine eco-system, is a nursing habitat for many species and is also a food source for turtles and dugongs.

The seagrass monitoring program is partly funded by the Gladstone Ports Corporation.

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Egypt army detains ousted president Morsi

Egypt's army has toppled president Mohamed Morsi after a week of bloodshed that killed nearly 50. Source: AAP

EGYPT'S army has detained Islamist president Mohamed Morsi after a week of deadly clashes and mass protests calling for him to go after a year in office.

His defence minister, armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, announced Morsi's overthrow on Wednesday on state television, even as police began rounding up key Morsi aides and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Warrants have been issued for the arrest of a total of 300 Brotherhood officials, state media reported.

Thousands of protesters camped out on the streets of Cairo for days celebrated wildly at the news of Morsi's downfall, letting off fireworks and sounding car horns.

But at least seven of Morsi's supporters were killed in clashes with security forces in Alexandria and the eastern city of Marsa Matrouh, security officials said.

The official MENA news agency also reported three people killed in the southern province of Minya when pro-Morsi supporters attacked the Islamist's opponents.

Morsi and his senior aides were "under house arrest" in a military facility, a senior Muslim Brotherhood member told AFP.

The ousted president was later taken to the defence ministry, Gehad El-Haddad added. His father, senior Morsi aide Essam El-Haddad, is one of those detained.

Egypt's army is "preventively" holding Morsi, a senior army official said on Thursday.

"He is being held preventively for final preparations," the official added, suggesting Morsi might face formal charges.

Police also began arresting leaders of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement, an interior ministry general told AFP. Saad al-Katatni, head of Morsi's Freedom and Justice Party, was already in custody, he added.

Morsi issued a defiant call for his supporters to defend his elected "legitimacy" in a pre-recorded speech posted online after Sisi's statement.

Thousands of his supporters remained camped out in northern Cairo, but Egyptian television stations stopped broadcasting live feeds of the pro-Morsi rally after the military announced his overthrow.

In his speech, Sisi laid out details of the roadmap for a political transition.

The Islamist-drafted constitution would be frozen and presidential elections held early, he said, without specifying when.

The armed forces, which had deployed troops and armour across the country, would "remain far away from politics", he stressed.

In Cairo, celebrations at the news began immediately.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital to celebrate, cheering, whistling, letting off firecrackers and honking car horns for several hours.

"It's a new historical moment. We got rid of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood," said one celebrator, Omar Sherif.

In an amateur video posted online, Morsi declared: "I am the elected president of Egypt" and urged people to "defend this legitimacy".

And Morsi's national security adviser Essam al-Haddad, said on Facebook: "For the sake of Egypt and for historical accuracy, let's call what is happening by its real name: military coup."

But the opposition Congress Party of Amr Mussa insisted "this is not a coup".

"Consultations will start from now, for a government and reconciliation," said Mussa, a former Arab League chief, who last year ran against Morsi for the presidency.

Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, had come under massive pressure in the run-up to Sunday's anniversary of his maiden year in office.

His opponents accused him of failing the 2011 revolution by concentrating power in the hands of his Muslim Brotherhood.

The embattled 61-year-old had proposed a "consensus government" as a way out of the crisis.

But it failed to satisfy his critics and the army stepped in.

Its commander named the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly al-Mansour, as interim leader of the Arab world's most populous country.

Mansour, a hitherto little known judge, is expected to be sworn in on Thursday.

Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, sat beside army chief Sisi as he announced on state television that Morsi's rule was over.

So too did the heads of the Coptic Church and Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning.

The choreography was designed to show broad civilian support for the military's move against Morsi.

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Packer Sydney casino proposal to proceed

Another high roller room in Sydney will attract unsavoury and laundered money, says a NSW Greens MP. Source: AAP

JAMES Packer's proposal for a second Sydney casino has been given the green light to proceed to the next stage.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell says the proposal for Crown could proceed to "stage three" of the assessment proposal but it was not yet a licence to build.

The parliamentary committee charged with assessing Mr Packer's proposal, as well as a rival bid by the owners of The Star, found Crown's contribution to gross state product and tax was 26 per cent and 31 per cent larger than Echo's respectively.

"There is no agreement yet for a new VIP facility," Mr O'Farrell told reporters in Sydney in Thursday.

"There is an agreement to go to stage three."

Cabinet met on Thursday morning to consider a report by businessman David Murray into which of the two competing bids for a Sydney site would deliver the state the greatest financial benefit.

Echo wanted to build two new hotels next to The Star and connect Pyrmont, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo into one integrated resort, while extending the company's right to be the state's sole casino operator for a further 15 years.

Meanwhile, Packers's Crown Group is lobbying for a second Sydney casino with plans for a new $1.5 billion luxury hotel and VIP-only facility on Barangaroo.

Mr Murray said the decisive factor in the decision favouring Crown was the opportunity to introduce competition to the market.

"It came out strongly for both proponents but more strongly for Crown," Mr Murray told reporters.

He said Sydney had been underperforming nationally and internationally, and NSW needed an integrated resort style facility to compete more effectively.

The Crown project will result in 1250 additional jobs after construction, increased international tourism and an increase in Gross Domestic Product of $442 million per year in 2025.

The Sydney Business Chamber said Sydney was the winner in the government's decision to give Crown the go ahead to develop its project at Barangaroo.

"The Crown proposal with its retail and commercial components and its interaction with the Harbour and surrounding open public domain will mean that Sydneysiders will get the full value of the entire precinct for generations," Executive director Patricia Forsythe said in a statement.

"The Crown focus on high quality facilities and services will ensure that Sydney is able to promote itself as a strong tourist destination particularly with the growing Asian market."

Mr O'Farrell said Mr Murray made his decision to ensure there was no monopoly in the casino sector.

"Competition being a driver to encourage people to sharpen pencils, to work harder and to attract greater business," he said.

Mr O'Farrell said the Crown proposal would cater for VIP gaming only, with no poker machines, no low bet tables and members-only requirements.

"That will be part of the legislation and that will be part of the licence," he said.

He said the proposal would have to proceed under a number of conditions, including non-rebate gaming to be taxed at 29 per cent while the licence fee and gaming tax payments over the first 15 years of full operation must exceed $1 billion.

These costs will be independently reviewed after 20 years of operation.

Mr O'Farrell said local VIP membership criteria must include a 24 hour cooling off period.

Mr O'Farrell said he had not spoken to Mr Packer to tell him the news, saying "this process is being done at arm's length".

Mr Murray said having two casinos was good for competition.

"Two sites tend to spark off one another and produce more," Mr Murray said.

Independent member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, said the recommendation in favour of Mr Packer's bid could be seen as "proof of undue influence".

He also questioned the Murray review.

"Public submissions were not sought, there was no community debate and massive community opposition was ignored," Mr Greenwich said.

Greens NSW MP John Kaye said the decision would turn Sydney into a symbol of corruption and exploitation.

"The O'Farrell government has never strayed off James Packer's song sheet so it is hardly surprising that Crown has been given the golden gift," he said.

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New plan to tackle overseas phone bills

Mobile phone operators will now be forced to provide alerts about the cost of international roaming. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIANS will soon have no excuse for racking up huge mobile bills when they travel abroad with telcos set to adopt a warning system to highlight exorbitant overseas charges.

A new standard by the communications watchdog, announced on Wednesday, will force mobile phone providers to alert users to the financial consequences of roaming on overseas networks.

"For young people who just jumped on the plane and then come home to find that their mobile phone has cost them more than the plane journey, I think they're entitled to say 'this is wrong'," Communications Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Sydney.

"What we're about today is doing something about it."

From September phone users will receive an SMS when they arrive overseas detailing the significant hike in charges for using roaming services.

Users will also be able to disconnect from roaming, from either home or abroad, for a small fee.

If they choose not to they'll be notified of excess data charges in $100 increments.

Though the official start date for the Australian Communications and Media Authority's plan is September, Mr Albanese said Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are already in compliance.

The government is also in international negotiations to control pricing regimens for data, starting with New Zealand, he added.

"A lot of Australians who are in New Zealand (think) if you're in Wellington it's no different than if you're in Perth.

"Well there is a big difference," he said.

"If people want to rack up a sizeable bill that's ok, but they should do so in the full knowledge of what they're doing."

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RBA governor speech sends $A lower

THE Australian dollar hit a near three-year low minutes after Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens revealed the RBA board deliberated for a "very long time" before deciding to leave the cash rate unchanged.

Mr Stevens made the remark as he opened a speech at a business lunch in Brisbane on Wednesday, a day after the RBA decided keep the cash rate at its record low of 2.75 per cent.

"As you may know, the Reserve Bank board in fact held its meeting here in Brisbane yesterday, at which we deliberated for a very long time and then we acted to stick with the cash rate unchanged," Mr Stevens said.

When he began his speech at 1250 AEST, the Australian dollar was at 91.6 US cents.

By 1300 AEST the currency had fallen to 91.23 US cents, and at 1348 AEST it hit 90.95 US cents, its lowest point since early September, 2010.

RBC Capital Markets fixed income and currency strategist Michael Turner said the comment provided confirmation that the door was open for another rate cut in August.

"It was the comments on the length of deliberation which has caught the attention of markets," Mr Turner said.

"Markets have reacted to the unscripted comments by pushing the Australian dollar lower and bonds higher."

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Man pleads guilty to McGurk murder

ONE of the men charged over the 2009 shooting of Sydney businessman Michael McGurk has pleaded guilty to his murder.

Haissam Safetli is now set to give evidence against property developer Ron Medich in his upcoming committal hearing, a court has heard.

Magistrate Jan Stevenson insisted Safetli be brought up from the cells to face Central Local Court on Tuesday after his solicitor Dennis Miralis entered guilty pleas on his behalf to one count of murder and one count of stalk and intimidate.

Mr Miralis said his client "doesn't wish to appear before the court".

"He is not feeling well ... He disclosed that in the cells," Mr Miralis said.

But Ms Stevenson said: "I want him up here Mr Miralis. I would like him in court."

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Hopefuls trade barbs in race for Rankin

A POTENTIAL successor to retiring MP Craig Emerson says his main rival doesn't have what it takes to keep the safe Labor seat out of coalition hands.

Dr Emerson has announced he will vacate his seat of Rankin, which takes in part of Brisbane and satellite city Logan, at the next election.

The former minister and Julia Gillard-backer made the call after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd won last week's leadership spill.

Jim Chalmers, who has worked as former Treasurer Wayne Swan's chief-of staff, and former federal MP Brett Raguse have both confirmed they will seek pre-selection for the long-held Labor seat.

Indigenous health worker Leanne Enoch has also been named in media reports as a contender, but she is yet to publicly declare her intentions.

Mr Raguse, who lost the neighbouring seat of Forde in 2010, says he has a much higher profile than Dr Chalmers.

He says his profile will help ensure Rankin, which has been in Labor hands since its creation in 1984, isn't seized by Liberal National Party (LNP) candidate and well-known businessman David Lin.

"Jim is a nice guy ... but no one knows him," Mr Raguse told AAP.

"The branchies (branch members) don't know him and this is a crucial election... and we are truly under threat."

Mr Raguse said Mr Rudd contacted him personally to ask him to join and he was sure he would have Dr Emerson's support too if he sought it.

Conversely, Dr Chalmers says he has Dr Emerson's support, but is yet to seek Mr Rudd's.

Dr Chalmers says Mr Raguse doesn't even hail from the electorate.

Meanwhile, he has been hitting the phones garnering support from branch members.

"The support for my candidacy so far has been based on my genuine local credentials, my policy experience, and my passion and energy to represent the community I grew up in," he said.

Comment from Ms Enoch has also been sought.

Ms Enoch, who failed as a candidate in the 2009 Queensland election, gained notoriety after successfully taking legal action against columnist Andrew Bolt for articles he wrote about "fair-skinned" Aborigines.

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Coles caught out on home grown claims

SUPERMARKET giant Coles has been fined $61,200 for selling imported fruit that it advertised as Australian-grown.

The competition watchdog acted after a complaint that Coles had displayed imported navel oranges and kiwi fruit underneath signs reading 'Helping Australia Grow' and displaying the triangular Australian Grown symbol.

A review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) between March and May this year found the signage was also being used in other stores for imported asparagus and almonds.

Coles denies breaking any law, saying the signs were mistakenly left behind when stock was moved within its stores.

The payment of the fines is not an admission that Coles broke the Competition and Consumer Act, the ACCC said.

But the signs wrongly gave the impression to customers that the imported produce was Australian grown, it said.

There were small stickers on the produce showing the overseas country of origin, but that did not correct the overwhelming impression that it was Australian due to the imagery of the 'Helping Australia Grow' advertising, the ACCC said.

"Consumers should be able to rely on the accuracy of claims about food, particularly when they are prepared to pay a premium for products made in Australia," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.

"Misleading country of origin claims can also have a significant impact on the competitive process and hurt the local economy."

Coles said it paid the ACCC's fines out of expediency to avoid a lengthy and costly legal action in defending its position.

Mr Sims said the misleading signage did not appear to be a case of widespread or systemic conduct, but action was needed because of the importance consumers placed on such claims.

The offences occurred in five stores, in Queensland, NSW, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

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Residents in Mandela village pray for him

NELSON Mandela's neighbours have held a special prayer service in his ancestral village in South Africa to wish the gravely ill anti-apartheid hero a speedy recovery.

Worshippers sang solemn hymns in a community hall in Qunu, calling on God to heal the revered leader "during this difficult time".

"We want him to recover from whatever pain he is experiencing. That is what we are here for and praying for," said Methodist Church minister Sonwabile Msotyana, as Mandela started a fourth week in hospital.

"This is a very important man that is lying there, not only for South Africa but the entire world," he said on Sunday.

The Nobel peace laureate is in critical condition in Pretoria where he was hospitalised on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.

Mandela's oldest grandson Mandla and several other relatives also joined the inter-denominational service around 1000 kilometres away in South Africa's rural hinterland.

Supporters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) dressed in party colours also attended.

Mandela spent 27 years in jail for his opposition to white minority rule, and went on to become the nation's first black president after all-race elections in 1994.

"The new South Africa would not have been possible" without the sacrifices made by Mandela and other anti-apartheid leaders, Methodist Bishop Don Dabula said.

Together they "liberated us from the yoke of oppression", he added.

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Crunch meeting over future of Browse

THE future of the stalled multi-billion dollar Browse gas project will be discussed when the joint venture partners meet for talks on Monday.

The troubled project, believed to be worth between $30 billion and $90 billion, is led by Woodside, who want to exploit three gas fields off the northwest coast of Western Australia.

Premier Colin Barnett has said a July 1 crunch meeting would be held between venture partners Shell, BP, Japan Australia LNG and PetroChina International Investment.

It is believed the Perth meeting concerns Woodside's preference for floating processing, whereby Browse Basin gas will be processed on a large purpose-built vessel stationed far off the coast.

This has angered Mr Barnett, who was determined to see onshore processing and the subsequent flow of local jobs.

His government is pressing ahead with land acquisition at James Price Point, setting aside space for future gas developments.

After years of work on the project, and resistance on environmental grounds, Woodside scratched plans to build an onshore processing plant in April, saying it would not deliver the returns the company needed.

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Gunpowder blast kills man in Qld

A MAN is dead and two others have been seriously injured after gunpowder exploded in far north Queensland.

Police say the men were believed to have been trying to dispose of expired gunpowder in a burn-off on a rural property west of Mareeba on Saturday morning.

It caused an explosion, killing a 58-year-old Cairns man and seriously injuring another 58-year-old man and a 33-year-old man.

One suffered chest injuries and the other had serious lacerations to his arm.

Police say the cause of the blast is not suspicious.

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