Yancoal privatisation faces FIRB hurdle

CHINESE giant Yanzhou Coal Mining's plans to take full control of its Australian offshoot Yancoal could face a potential roadblock from the Foreign Investment Review Board.

Yanzhou, which already owns 78 per cent of the local miner, has approached Yancoal with a proposal to fully privatise the company.

RBS Morgans senior analyst Tom Sartor said the full takeover may be the best move for Yancoal, which has seen its share price slide significantly since its listing last year, in line with falling coal prices.

But the privatisation would need FIRB approval which, Mr Sartor says, could be problematic, given the board previously insisted Yancoal list in Australia.

FIRB approved Yanzhou's 2009 takeover of Felix Resources, which led to the establishment of Yancoal, on the condition the company list on the ASX.

"It (the full takeover) is probably the neatest solution but whether or not FIRB will allow them to do it is another story," Mr Sartor said.

Yancoal became Australia's largest listed coal company when it debuted on the ASX in June 2012, following its takeover of Gloucester Coal.

But the company has seen its shares slide from a listing price of $1.50 to as low as 63 cents in May.

Yancoal shares were trading at 74 cents on Tuesday afternoon, up four cents since before the privatisation proposal was announced.

Mr Sartor said that while the fall in the coal price had hurt the company's stock price, local investors were also turned off by its debt levels.

"It's gearing levels are off the charts. It holds $3.6 billion worth of debt, which is almost the equivalent value of its assets."

In a statement on Tuesday, Yancoal's board of directors said they were considering the non-binding proposal.

"The Yancoal Independent Board Committee is undertaking appropriate due diligence investigations to enable it to assess the proposed terms of the proposal and will engage in discussions with Yanzhou before making a recommendation to shareholders," it said.

Yancoal operates a number of coal mines across the Hunter Valley, the NSW central west and Queensland's Bowen Basin.

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Agonising abuse of tiny Tanilla: NSW court

SHE was forced to run countless laps. Whipped with an extension cord. Made to stand for hours at a time.

And her mother failed to put a stop to the abuse.

The last two months of two-year-old Tanilla Warrick-Deaves's life are outlined in an agreed statement of facts tendered in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, where her mother, Donna Deaves, pleaded guilty to her daughter's manslaughter.

The little girl was left unconscious in a pram in her NSW Central Coast home for nearly two days after she was allegedly badly beaten in the shower by a man who cannot be named for legal reasons and who is due to stand trial for murder later this year.

According to the facts, Tanilla - described by grieving relatives as a "happy-go-lucky" little girl - ultimately died from blunt force head injuries on August 27, 2011 after Deaves finally called triple zero.

But the little girl had allegedly suffered agonising and severe physical abuse in the months before.

The man allegedly beat her up on several occasions, made the toddler stand unsupported for hours on end as punishment for soiling herself and constantly forced her to run laps of the lounge room, despite her suffering from bowed legs.

He whipped her with items including his belt, an extension cord, thongs, a broom and a hairbrush.

Tanilla was "often dressed in a full body suit that covered her arms and legs to hide the bruises that covered her body", the documents said.

About a week before her death, the man allegedly told a friend, "I've hit her with an extension cord, a strap, a jug cord, a wooden spoon and she doesn't learn. Look I'll make her scream...", before he threatened Tanilla with his belt.

On August 25, he allegedly whipped Tanilla with a cord as she ran laps around the lounge room in the presence of Deaves before he put her under a cold shower.

He then banged her head against the shower glass until her mouth was bloody as the toddler screamed "no, no, no", the documents said.

Deaves told police she tried to intervene but the man slapped Deaves across the face before he held Tanilla upside down over the toilet bowl and threatened to put her head in the water.

He then allegedly kicked the little girl across the hall, causing her to hit her head against some cupboards.

After placing the unconscious child in the pram, Deaves said she came to the view that the little girl was brain damaged and was not going to wake up.

When asked by police why she did nothing, Deaves said, "It was a bit late", adding she thought Tanilla would be better off dead than to have lived as a vegetable.

But the doctor who performed a post-mortem examination said Tanilla "may well have survived if she had received prompt medical treatment".

Deaves has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of criminal negligence.

She will face a sentence hearing in September.

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Five killed in India building collapse

A TWO-STOREY hotel has collapsed in the southern Indian city of Secunderabad, killing five restaurant workers and injuring 15 others, police say.

"Five people have died and 15 more have been injured when the City Light Hotel collapsed early this morning," local police official B Surender told AFP on Monday.

Nearly 25 people were working at the hotel on a busy road in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh state when one of the kitchen walls gave way, burying staff under the debris, Surender said.

"Five of the workers have been admitted to hospital with serious injuries. We are still working to clear the rubble and find the remaining people," he said. It was unclear how many people were still trapped.

"The building was very old and the walls showed cracks, according to people working nearby," he added.

Several buildings have collapsed in India in recent months, many of them apartment blocks in the financial capital Mumbai, including one in April that killed 74 people.

The collapses have highlighted pervasive poor construction standards in the country, where massive demand for housing and endemic corruption often result in illegal buildings and a lack of safety inspections.

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Bail refused for accused NSW bash killer

A MAN charged with manslaughter over the death of another man who was brutally assaulted near Newcastle will remain behind bars.

Matthew Beattie, 26, was charged on Sunday night with manslaughter and grievous bodily harm after a Currans Hill man, 28, died in Newcastle's John Hunter hospital earlier on Sunday.

The 28-year-old had wounds to his head and abdomen when he was found by emergency crews in a house at Port Stephens on June 30.

On Monday, Beattie appeared at Campbelltown Local Court where he did not apply for bail, which was formally refused.

The Leumeah resident, wearing a white track top and black pants, kept his head bowed during the brief appearance.

Magistrate Robert Rabbidge adjourned the matter for mention in Newcastle Local Court on July 10.

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Vic footy spectator's wheelchair taken

A footy spectator had his wheelchair stolen while watching a match at the MCG, police say. Source: AAP

A FOOTY spectator had his wheelchair stolen while watching a match at the MCG.

The man, 60, left his wheelchair near the Medallist Bar while he watched the Geelong versus Hawthorn AFL game from his seat on Saturday night, police said.

The wheelchair was believed stolen between 7pm and 10.30pm (AEST).

It is described as a light-blue Karma Econ 800 model, standard folding wheelchair.

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Mandela still critical as his family feuds

Nelson Mandela remains hospitalised in a critical state for a fourth week with a lung condition. Source: AAP

NELSON Mandela remains hospitalised in a critical state after doctors ruled out turning off his life support unless he suffers massive organ failure.

Meanwhile his grandson's lawyers were planning to lodge an official complaint over a court document which they say falsely claimed he was "in a permanent vegetative state".

The anti-apartheid hero's health condition was unchanged over the weekend, South Africa's presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said on Saturday.

He is in a critical but stable condition after his June 8 admittance for an obstinate pulmonary infection and relies on machines to help him breathe.

There has been no official update on his health but a close friend of the former statesman had said turning off life support was discussed and ultimately dismissed.

"I was told the matter had been raised and the doctors said they would only consider such a situation if there was a genuine state of organ failure," Denis Goldberg, who has known Mandela for more than 50 years, told AFP on Friday.

"Since that hasn't occurred they were quite prepared to go on stabilising him until he recovers."

The 80-year-old Goldberg was convicted along with Mandela in 1964 for their fight against white-minority rule.

He visited the former president in hospital on Monday.

A court document filed by a lawyer for Mandela's feuding family 10 days ago stated the 94-year-old was "assisted in breathing by a life support machine".

"The Mandela family have been advised by the medical practitioners that his life support machine should be switched off," the court filing read.

"Rather than prolonging his suffering, the Mandela family is exploring this option as a very real probability."

The document - which was designed to press a court to urgently settle a family row over the remains of Mandela's children - also stated that Mandela was "in a permanent vegetative state".

South Africa's presidency has said that was not the case, but refused to give further details of his condition, citing the need to respect Mandela's privacy.

President Jacob Zuma, Mandela family members and his close friends have reported since last week his condition has improved.

Earlier Goldberg said Mandela was "clearly a very ill man, but he was conscious and he tried to move his mouth and eyes when I talked to him".

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for fighting white-minority rule and went on to lead the process of racial reconciliation as South Africa's first black president.

Meanwhile an acerbic feud between his relatives showed little sign of abating.

Fifteen family members had won a court order against Mandla after he moved the family graves two year ago without their consent.

The fall-out from the dispute continues to reverberate.

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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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