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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Friends, family farewell Commando

FAMILY, friends and fellow soldiers have gathered on the Gold Coast to farewell Corporal Cameron Baird, killed in action in Afghanistan last month.

Corporal Baird, 32, a Commando serving with the Special Operations Task Group, died when he was hit by enemy fire during a clash with insurgents. He was the 40th Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan.

At his funeral service, 2nd Commando Regiment commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel B - who can be identified only by initial - described him as a soldier who led from the front.

"Today we honour Cam, we remember him and we thank him for all that he has given and all that he has shared with us over the years," he told the service at the Reedy Creek Baptist Church on Friday.

"Conspicuous gallantry, composure and leadership under fire reads the citation for his Medal for Gallantry, and this is how his team mates described his actions every time he went out on an operation."

Corporal Baird is survived by his parents, brother and his partner.

The service was attended by the Defence force chief General David Hurley, Army chief Lieutenant General David Morrison and Special Operations Commander Major General Gus Gilmore.

Corporal Baird was an experienced Special Forces soldier on his fifth deployment to Afghanistan. He had also served in Iraq and East Timor.

He was awarded the Medal for Gallantry for bravery in Afghanistan in 2007.

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Bolivia threatens to close US embassy

BOLIVIA'S president has threatened to close the US embassy as leftist Latin American leaders joined him in blasting Europe and the United States after his plane was rerouted amid suspicions US fugitive Edward Snowden was aboard.

President Evo Morales, who has suggested the United States pressured European nations to deny him their airspace, warned he would "study, if necessary, closing the US embassy in Bolivia.

"We don't need a US embassy in Bolivia," he said. "My hand would not shake to close the US embassy. We have dignity, sovereignty. Without the United States, we are better politically, democratically."

Morales arrived home late on Wednesday after a long lay over in Vienna, saying his plane was diverted there because it was barred from flying over four European nations, sparking outrage among Latin American leaders.

The Bolivian leader's air odyssey began hours after Morales declared in Moscow he would be willing to consider an asylum application from Snowden, who is seeking sanctuary in several Latin American nations to evade US espionage charges.

In a show of support, Presidents Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Cristina Kirchner of Argentina, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Jose Mujica of Uruguay and Desi Bouterse of Suriname met with Morales in the central city of Cochabamba.

At a rally before the meeting, Maduro claimed that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had ordered France, Portugal, Italy and Spain to deny access to Morales's plane on Tuesday.

"A minister of one of these European governments personally told us by telephone that they were going to apologise because they were surprised, and that those who gave the order to aviation authorities in this country ... were the CIA," he said.

After the meeting, the leaders issued a statement calling on the European governments to publicly apologise "in relation to the serious incidents that occurred", but Morales said earlier that apologies were not enough.

Correa said the leaders would "take decisions and show that we won't accept this sort of humiliation against any country of (Latin) America.

"Imagine if this happened to a European head of state, if this had happened to the president of the United States. It probably would have been a casus belli, a case for war," he said. "They think they can attack, crush, destroy international law."

Correa had called for a larger summit gathering leaders of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), but the presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru were not present, even though they too condemned the incident.

In an implicit criticism of his absent peers, Correa said: "If what happened doesn't justify a meeting of heads of state of our South America, what justifies one?"

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos voiced support for Morales, but warned on Twitter against "converting this into a diplomatic crisis between Latin America and the EU (European Union)".

Bolivian officials accused France, Portugal, Italy and Spain of denying entry to Morales's jet late on Tuesday as he flew back home from Russia due to "unfounded rumours" that Snowden was on board.

Morales has also lashed out at the United States, urging Europeans to "free themselves from the US empire".

The US consulate's walls in the city of Santa Cruz were sprayed with red graffiti, one reading "Gringos Obama out", while about 100 protesters burned flags and threw rocks at the French embassy in La Paz late on Wednesday.

Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, is in legal limbo in a Moscow airport, trying to escape US justice after leaking details of a vast US phone and internet surveillance program.

The Bolivian government has lodged a complaint with the United Nations and planned another to the UN Human Rights Commission.

Russia joined Latin American leaders in condemning France, Spain and Portugal, while Venezuela's Maduro said his government would review relations with Madrid.

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Chrysler recalls 490,000 cars, SUVs

Chrysler is recalling about 490,000 cars and SUVs worldwide to fix faulty automatic head restraints. Source: AAP

CHRYSLER is recalling about 490,000 cars and sports utility vehicles worldwide to fix a glitch on automatic head restraints.

The US car manufacturer says potentially faulty microcontrollers have been installed in certain vehicles that may prevent head restraints from automatically moving forward during some kinds of rear-impact collisions.

The recall affects 2011-2013 Chrysler Sebring, 200 and Dodge Avenger midsize cars; 2011-2013 Jeep Liberty SUVs and 2011-2012 Dodge Nitro SUVs.

Most of the recalled vehicles - about 442,000 - are in the United States, but the recall also affects 25,000 in Canada, 10,000 in Mexico and 12,000 in other countries.

The car maker says it's also recalling about 69,000 pickup trucks worldwide to update electronic stability control (ESC) software. Again, most are in the US.

Chrysler says it's unaware of any related injuries or accidents from the problems with the head restraints or the ESC warning lamps.

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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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New home sales continue recovery

SALES of new homes are continuing their rise from the lows experienced in 2012.

New home sales rose for the fourth month in a row, with a 1.6 per cent improvement in May, taking monthly sales to their highest level in a year and a half, the Housing Industry Association (HIA) said on Wednesday.

HIA chief economist Harley Dale said there was solid evidence of modest growth in new residential construction and that was expected to continue into the new financial year.

"That outcome was important, following as it did a sustained period of weakness which saw activity in a majority of markets reach, historically, very low levels," he said.

"The key is whether a new home building recovery can be sustained, and at a growth rate sufficient to meaningfully assist the Australian economy with its rebalancing acts."

As mining and resource investment falls it's hoped other parts of the economy will pick up pace - rebalancing the economy.

Dr Dale said government help in increasing the supply of new housing was needed to help the Australian economy make the transition.

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RBA says GFC timing was 'lucky'

AUSTRALIA was lucky the global financial crisis hit when it did, Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens says.

While it is a commonly held view that Australia was lucky to have the mining boom and record growth in China to support its economy, Mr Stevens said the timing of the global slowdown was equally fortuitous.

If not for the GFC, Australia would be in a much worse position as it attempts to navigate the current period of weaker economic growth, Mr Stevens told a business function.

He said the GFC helped to reduce inflation from around five per cent to a more acceptable level of around 2.5 per cent.

The fallout from the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US also prevented Australia from taking on more risky lending practices, Mr Stevens said.

"Although such lending was less prominent in Australia at that time, it was growing fast and would have become a much bigger vulnerability had it continued at that pace," he said.

"The fact that things went wrong in the US when they did meant that what was a small problem here stayed small."

With mining investment expected to start to decline in the next year or so, Mr Stevens said other parts of the economy would have to pick up.

Business investment, which has remained very weak in recent years, was likely to pick up over the next few years, he said.

Conditions were also likely to improve in the housing sector, Mr Stevens said.

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MacTiernan mulls over Perth nomination

Vincent mayor Alannah MacTiernan will reveal on Thursday if she'll nominate for the seat of Perth. Source: AAP

FORMER West Australian government minister Alannah MacTiernan says she'll decide in the next 48 hours whether to nominate as Labor's candidate for Stephen Smith's seat of Perth.

Ms MacTiernan, the Mayor of Vincent, said she would announce her intentions on Thursday when nominations close.

"Obviously, there's a process after that," she told AAP.

"There's not much I can add. I'm not going to engage in a commentary while making a decision."

Senior Labor sources expect Ms MacTiernan to nominate.

In 2010, she stood unsuccessfully for the seat of Canning, but lost to Liberal Don Randall.

As WA's Planning and Infrastructure Minister from 2001 to 2008, she championed the development of the Perth-to-Mandurah railway line, which proved a big success.

Ms MacTiernan hit national headlines in March when WA Labor was trounced at the state election and she called time on Julia Gillard, saying something radical needed to be done to improve the party's fortunes.

Barrister Tim Hammond on Monday announced he would not nominate for the federal seat being vacated by the Defence Minister, who is retiring at the election after holding Perth for 20 years.

Mr Hammond, who unsuccessfully contested the seat of Swan at the 2010 election, reportedly does not want to nominate because he and his wife have a 17-month-old daughter and want to have more children.

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Brosnan's daughter dies of cancer

Pierce Brosnan is in mourning after his daughter lost her three-year battle with ovarian cancer. Source: AAP

ACTOR Pierce Brosnan is in mourning after his daughter lost her three-year battle with ovarian cancer.

Charlotte Brosnan passed away on Friday, aged 41, from the same disease that killed her mother, Australian actress Cassandra Harris, in 1991.

"On June 28 at 2pm my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer. She was surrounded by her husband Alex, her children Isabella and Lucas and her brothers Christopher and Sean," Brosnan said in a statement.

"Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl. We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon. We thank everyone for their heartfelt condolences."

The former Bond star married Harris in 1980, and adopted Charlotte and her brother Christopher after their father's death in 1986.

Brosnan and Harris also went on to have a son together, named Sean.

The actor is now married to journalist Keely Shaye Smith, with whom he has two boys, 16-year-old Dylan and Paris, 12.

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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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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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