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.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

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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Navy wants to turn boats around: Abbott

Tony Abbott says that the Australian navy is acting as an "escort service" for people smugglers. Source: AAP

THE Australian navy would prefer to turn asylum seeker vessels around rather than act as an "escort service" for people smugglers, opposition leader Tony Abbott says.

Asylum seeker policy is expected to be high on the agenda on Friday when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd meets with Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bogor.

Mr Rudd has repeatedly rejected opposition calls to implement a policy of sending back asylum seeker vessels bound for Australia, citing safety concerns.

However, Mr Abbott says other navies, such as the Sri Lankan and US forces, have a policy of turning boats around, and the Australian navy should do the same.

"What we've got at the moment is an escort service for the people smugglers," Mr Abbott told Fairfax Radio on Friday.

"I think it's an embarrassment to our country because the people smugglers are having a lend of us.

"I suspect the naval personnel would be only too happy to respond to orders that allow this problem to be solved."

Mr Abbott said Mr Rudd's refusal to turn boats around on safety grounds was a "completely self-serving argument".

"The Australian navy has no problem with boarding pirate vessels in the Persian Gulf.

"You'd think that was rather more dangerous than boarding a boat-people vessel," he said.

In a change of tack following months of criticism of Julia Gillard's handling of asylum seeker policy, Mr Abbott appeared to absolve the former prime minister of blame, instead pointing the finger at Mr Rudd's dismantling of the Pacific Solution.

"Julia Gillard did her best to fix it (while) she was prime minister, but she wasn't able to fix the mess that Mr Rudd created."

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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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Bleich has high hopes for Gillard's future

US Ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich has tipped a future on the world stage for Julia Gillard, praising the former prime minister as an "extraordinarily talented and well respected" person.

Mr Bleich could soon be leaving his post as US ambassador with the same Australian prime minister in charge - Kevin Rudd - as when he started his tenure in late 2009.

But he says the US doesn't cast judgment on the Labor leadership dramas, because both Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard had done nothing but bolster ties with his country.

"We have some pretty funny politics in the US too," Mr Bleich told reporters at the US embassy on Wednesday.

"So we don't throw stones at how other nations choose their leaders and the process in which leadership changes hands."

Mr Bleich celebrated what could be his last July 4 celebration in Canberra as ambassador on Wednesday, with his replacement recently nominated by US president Barack Obama.

John Berry, an openly gay diplomat and close friend of the president, must first be confirmed by the US Senate before the appointment is sealed and he sets off for Canberra.

Mr Bleich said Mr Berry was an outstanding candidate for the diplomatic role who also knew "quite a bit" about Australia.

He said he wasn't sure when he'd be replaced or what the future held for him, but he did offer his thoughts on where Ms Gillard might be heading.

"She made a great impression on myself and on President Obama and other leaders in the United States," he said.

"I know she will continue to play an important role in the US-Australia relationship and continue to be a respected figure on the world stage."

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