A350 takes off for battle with Boeing

AIRBUS' new A350 plane has glided smoothly through its maiden flight, leaving company executives relieved and brimming with confidence for the battle with Boeing that lies ahead.
Designed to help the European manufacturer catch up with its American rival in the market for long-haul, fuel-efficient planes, the new Airbus completed a faultless test flight on Friday from an airport close to the company's headquarters in southern France.
After just over four hours in the air, the new plane touched down to jubilant cheers from thousands of Airbus employees and aviation enthusiasts who had assembled to watch the landmark flight.
"We were on time and everything went perfectly," relieved Airbus boss Fabrice Bregier said after watching his "new baby" cruise past the crowds on the ground at a height of just 100 metres before looping round against clear blue skies and coming in to land.
Although the flight was only the first in an intensive year-long testing program, Airbus needed Friday's showcase to pass off without any hiccups in order to maximise the potential for further orders at next week's Paris Air Show.
"I'm confident it will be a roaring success in the market," declared Tom Enders, the chairman of Airbus's parent company EADS.
Boeing expressed its congratulations to its rival. "A new airplane is a very complex endeavour and this is a milestone the industry can celebrate together," it said.

Much like its competitor - Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, in service since September 2011 - the A350 makes extensive use of light composite materials that significantly reduce fuel consumption and costs.
Arnaud Verneau, one of the flight engineers on board on Friday, revealed the flight had been smoother and quieter than anyone had hoped for.
"We were even able to put it on auto pilot on after two hours, which we had not anticipated doing," he said, adding that the plane's lighter materials had not resulted in more noise inside the cabin.
"We will see as the tests progress but for the moment, it is the same (as a traditionally constructed plane)," he said.
More than 10,000 hours of ground tests had been done on the airliner before the flight, and over the next year five test planes will criss-cross the globe in the warmest and coldest regions, at low and high speed.
If all goes well, first delivery is expected at the end of 2014.
Confirmed customers so far include Qatar Airways, British Airways and Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, and Airbus is hoping for a slew of new orders next week.
Boeing still dominates the long-haul market, and Airbus has positioned its A350 between the US firm's popular 777 and its new 787, hoping to eat away at both planes' markets.
The test flight may cast a shadow over Boeing at the Paris Air Show, where the US firm is hoping to prove its Dreamliner is back on track after recent technical problems with overheating batteries - one of which caught fire - forced the worldwide grounding of the fleet.

Pope Francis taps trusted prelate Monsignor Battista Mario Salvatore Ricca to oversee Vatican bank

POPE Francis has taken his first major step in reforming the troubled Vatican bank by tapping a trusted prelate to oversee its management.
Francis signed off Saturday on naming Monsignor Battista Mario Salvatore Ricca as interim prelate of the Institute for Religious Works.
It's a key job that has been left vacant since 2011: The prelate oversees the bank's activities, attends its board meetings and critically, has access to all its documentation. The prelate reports to the commission of cardinals headed by the Vatican No. 2 who run the bank, giving him a virtually direct line to the pope.
Right before resigning, Benedict XVI tapped German aristocrat and financier Ernst von Freyberg as IOR president. Von Freyberg has said the bank's main problem is its reputation, not any operational shortcomings.

Newborn baby among 159 boat migrants rescued by Italian coastguards

THE Italian coast guard has rescued 159 migrants from a boat in the sea off Calabria, including a newborn baby and seven children, Italian media say.
The alarm was sounded just before midnight on Friday after a boat was reported to be in trouble off the coast near Roccella Jonica in southern Italy.
Syrian, Afghan and Egyptian migrants were on board the boat, which is believed to have set off from Turkey a few days ago.
Four of the migrants were hospitalised for dehydration while the others, including 14 women, were put up in temporary accommodation in the town's primary school, according to local mayor Giuseppe Certoma.
Certoma said the town would adopt the baby girl, who was born during the crossing, "as if she was our daughter."
"We have to see if she was born in international or Italian waters, but if she was born in Italian waters we will register her. The important thing is that she is healthy," he said.
Good weather has raised fears of increased numbers of immigrants trying to reach Italy by sea.

Nelson Mandela in hospital 'prison' - bodyguard

NELSON Mandela is a lonely man, one of his bodyguards has said, accusing the anti-apartheid's medical team of controlling visits like prison guards.
As South Africa and the rest of the world held its breath a week after the revered 94-year-old was hospitalised, Shaun van Heerden spoke out against the team run by army Surgeon-General Vejay Ramlakan.
"At times it felt like he was back in prison," Mr Van Heerden said on Saturday.
The bodyguard said he was "given leave" by his employers over accusations he leaked the place where Mandela was being treated to the media.
Before he was checked in last week to receive treatment for a recurring lung infection, Mandela was receiving medical care from his Johannesburg home.
Mr Van Heerden charged the medical staff surrounding Mandela often curtailed the frail statesman's freedom by imposing unnecessarily tough restrictions on visits.
"Even before he was admitted few people were allowed to see him. Some of his old friends were denied access," he alleged.
Mr Van Heerden also accused members of the medical team of being "star struck" and overstepping their duties when around Madiba, often posing for pictures with him.
"I have witnessed cases where some of them shoved copies of his book, The Long Walk to Freedom, into his hands for him to sign."
"That is amazing, and I did not like it," he said.
Mr Van Heerden who worked as Mandela's bodyguard for nearly 10 years described him as a "gentleman who seriously cares about those around him".
His eldest daughter, Zenani, who is South Africa's ambassador to Argentina, as well as his daughter Makaziwe and his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and current wife Graca Machel have visited him almost daily.
Mr Van Heerden believes however that "Mandela is a very lonely man."
He said he would have loved to see some of his friends from the struggle days allowed access to him.
"When he was at home he should have been allowed visits from old friends, but they were not allowed," he said.
"Surely, measures can be put in place if they fear that people from the outside might bring infections."
It is Mandela's fourth hospital stay since December, leading to a growing acceptance that the much-loved father of the "Rainbow Nation" may be nearing the end of his life.
Security has been beefed up at the specialist private facility in Pretoria where Mandela was checked in on June 8, with police searching vehicles and people going in.
Details about his exact condition have not been released, but officials say he is receiving "intensive care".
On Thursday President Jacob Zuma said Mandela's health "continues to improve" but his "condition remains serious", after visiting in hospital for the first time.
Mandela's grandson said the former South African leader was feeling better.
Mandla Mandela said he had visited his grandfather in hospital in Pretoria with two elders and "he looked good, it gave us hope that he is going to recover soon."

Impress your guests with this rich beef pie and creamy mash

FANCY a nice pie with some creamy mash for dinner tonight? Taste.com.au makes it easy with this great recipe.
2 tablespoons olive oil
800g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 2.5cm pieces
1 medium brown onion, chopped
2 small carrots, halved, cut into 2cm pieces
1 celery stick, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons plain flour
420g can Heinz Big Red condensed tomato soup
3/4 cup beef stock
Sour cream mash
1.25kg sebago potatoes, peeled, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
Watch this video for more cooking instructions
Step 1
Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the beef, in batches, for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Transfer to the bowl of a slow cooker.
Step 2
Heat remaining oil in pan. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add carrot and celery. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until vegetables just start to turn golden. Add garlic, paprika and caraway seeds. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour. Cook, stirring, to coat vegetables.
Step 3
Gradually add soup and stock, stirring to combine. Transfer mixture to slow cooker. Season with pepper. Stir to combine. Cover slow cooker with lid. Turn on to low. Cook for 6 hours or until beef is very tender. Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan-forced. You will need to stir the mixture occasionally during the last 2 hours cooking to prevent it from sticking and burning to the edge of the slow-cooker bowl.
Step 4
Meanwhile, make sour cream mash: Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Return potato to pan over low heat. Mash until smooth. Stir in sour cream and cheese. Season with pepper.
Step 5
Spoon beef mixture into a 4.5cm deep, 24cm (top) round pie dish. Dollop mash on top (you may need to spread top slightly with a spatula). Bake pie dish on a baking tray for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden. Serve

Holden workers asked to take pay cut

HOLDEN will ask factory workers to take a pay cut of up to $200 a week or risk the company shutting its Australian manufacturing operations.
Union officials met with Holden today to start confidential negotiations over wages and conditions following the Coalition's threat to cut $500 million from industry funding by 2015 if it wins the Federal election in September.
Although factory workers are yet to have the offer put to them, word of the potential pay cuts quickly spread on Facebook: "Holden wants workers to take a $5 to $7 [per hour] pay cut, is that even legal?" said one post. "Might be better than no job at all," said another. "Ask a Ford employee if they'd be happy with it."
Others viewed it as a way for Holden to reduce payouts to its workers. "If it guarantees a long term future it might be different, but I think this is aimed at reducing redundancy payouts."
Holden is in the middle of finalising 400 redundancies at its vehicle assembly line in Elizabeth and 100 redundancies at its engineering facilities in Port Melbourne. It is the largest round of Holden job cuts since the Global Financial Crisis.
Figures obtained by News Limited show car assembly workers in Australia are paid about $50 an hour when all taxes, entitlements and other benefits are included, compared to $32 an hour for manufacturing workers across all sectors.
Labour accounts for 65 per cent of a vehicle's manufacturing cost in Australia, say local factory sources.
The battle over wages comes in the same week Holden boss Mike Devereux confirmed the car maker would be forced to shut its vehicle assembly line in Elizabeth South Australia and engine facility in Port Melbourne if funding was cut from the industry.
Following last month's announcement of Ford's factory shutdowns in October 2016, Holden said the car manufacturing industry would be able to survive - but was dependent on "consistent and globally competitive government support".
Federal opposition industry spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella said earlier in the week: "We have to end this embarrassing cap-in-hand approach to government and secret deals behind closed doors."
But the national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union vehicles division David Smith said yesterday Holden's position was not a hollow threat.
"Holden is absolutely not bluffing," Smith told News Limited. "General Motors has to make an investment decision for the next 10 years. If the Coalition pulls $500 million from funding it won't have to wait for another productivity report to decide what to do. Holden will have made the decision for them. They'll be out, and it will cause social destruction in these communities."
The AMWU vehicles division representative said the union and its workers were open to discussion about new conditions that would help secure Holden's manufacturing future, but stopped short of volunteering its workers to take a pay cut.
"The union is prepared to sit down and have a look at areas of operations that would bring about a more productive workplace," said Smith. "But there is a limit to how much you can ask. Wages alone are not the answer. A pay cut only has a benefit for a certain period of time, then people become restless."
Smith said Holden factory workers had already been flexible, working one week on and one week off during the Global Financial Crisis, and had collapsed two daily shifts into one in the years since.
Holden confirmed there was a meeting with union officials today but would not disclose the details of the discussions.
"Holden does not comment on any discussions with our unions or workforce," said Holden's government affairs spokesman Matt Hobbs. "We are in constant discussion about a range of topics. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to preserve the future of Holden manufacturing. All parties are fully committed to Holden continuing to build cars in this country."
The Federal Industry minister Greg Combet told News Limited earlier in the week: "The Coalition's policy [to cut funds] would kill the auto manufacturing industry in Australia stone dead."
Representatives for Greg Combet and Sophie Mirabella declined to comment on the proposed wage cuts.
A spokesman for Premier Jay Weatherill said the State Government had not been made aware of plans to cut pay for Holden workers but remained in frequent contact with the company over a planned $50 million support payment.
Mr Weatherill yesterday said Holden "aren't bluffing" when they claim plant closures are on the table and again warned federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's refusal to offer more money to the automaker would result in shutdowns.
SA Opposition economic development spokesman Martin Hamilton-Smith said it was a "very difficult time for Holden".
"The Opposition encourages the company and the unions and the workforce to work through the issues," he said.
"This news underpins just how important it is that state and federal governments do all they can to help the company and workforce."
SA Opposition Leader Steven Marshall was unavailable for comment but is due to give a Budget reply speech in State Parliament on Tuesday, where it is expected he will address the issue of ongoing car industry support.

NEWS Gas explosion razes house, kills occupant in an instant

AN elderly man was killed and his fibro home reduced to a pile of splinters in a gas explosion that reverberated across a NSW mid-north coast town yesterday.

The ferocity of the blast at Tuncurry was felt kilometres away at Forster, with residents fearing an earthquake had struck their picturesque village.

It was later revealed that 80-year-old John Richard Fisher - trying to keep warm on a wintry day - unwittingly caused the blast when his leaking gas heater ignited and blew his house apart.

The force of the explosion threw Mr Fisher's car over a rear fence and severely damaged neighbouring properties.

The blast left a section of The Lakes Way resembling a war zone.

NSW Fire Brigade investigators, who had to wear special breathing apparatus because of asbestos that littered the site, last night confirmed it was a gas explosion.

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Police said a man's body had been found in the debris.

Ron Hayes, who lives more than 500m away, felt the explosion inside his double brick house just before 11am.

"I was completely bamboozled," Mr Hayes said.

"I went outside and there was no smoke, no fire, just the neighbourhood animals howling.

"Then I went up the road and, wow! I just couldn't believe what I was seeing."

He said Mr Fisher was a well-known local whose death would affect the entire community.

"Everyone knew him. It's tragic what's happened," he said.

It is understood Mr Fisher's son lives next door and cared for his elderly father, who lived alone.

The spread of debris, glass and asbestos closed The Lakes Way for most of yesterday, causing traffic chaos for hours.

Local schools gave students an early mark and some businesses allowed staff to leave early to make an 80km detour through Bulahdelah in order to get to the other side of the road closure.

Locals took to Facebook to describe their shock.

"I was playing bowls at Tuncurry and all the ladies nearly had heart attacks, the noise was so loud. So sorry to hear there was a fatality," Kay Negus wrote.

Colin Bell wrote: "I swear it sounded like the world was going to end. Never heard nothing like it in my life. Scariest thing ever."

Police forensic officers are expected to continue scouring the debris today as part of their investigation.

Gas heater safety tips from Elgas Australia:

* Choose a gas heater that is appropriately sized for the room

* Make sure a qualified gas technician installs it and carries out any maintenance to it

* If equipped with a filter, the filter should be regularly cleaned during heating season to maintain proper air flow.

* Keep children and pets away from gas heaters 

* Turn gas heaters off when unattended and when you go to bed.

* Keep gas heaters at least one metre away from all flammable objects including furniture, drapes, books and boxes

* Never use a gas heater to dry clothing, shoes or other articles.

* Gas heaters should only be used in rooms with adequate ventilation

* Never use or store flammable liquids or aerosols near a gas heater. 

* Have your heater inspected by a qualified technician every two years.