Qld-NSW interstate drug ring smashed

AUTHORITIES have dismantled an interstate criminal enterprise accused of importing flu medicine to make $10 million worth of the drug ice.

A Queensland-based network is accused of placing orders with importers for ContacNT on behalf of criminal gangs in NSW.

The over-the-counter flu medicine can be used to extract pseudoephedrine, which is then used to produce the drug ice.

The 10-month joint operation, codenamed Operation Lithium, has resulted in the seizure of eight kilograms of precursor chemicals.

They had the potential to produce ice with an estimated street value of $10 million.

Two men and a woman from the Brisbane area were charged on Thursday with a raft Queensland and NSW drugs charges.

All three appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.

One man was remanded into custody while the other man and woman are expected to also appear in Sydney courts next week.

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Comedians get stuck into news at Ten

NETWORK Ten is promising a fresh new look but looks like it's reviving some well-worn formats - including The Panel.

While it's not bringing back Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro, Glenn Robbins and Kate Langbroek, Ten will be putting a bunch of comedians in a Melbourne studio to discuss live the events of the week in news, sport and showbiz.

Oh, and it'll screen at 9.30pm on Wednesdays - a timeslot The Panel called its own from 1998 to 2004.

This time it'll be Dave Thornton, Tommy Little, Tom Gleeson and Meshel Laurie who will be trying to find the funny in everyday events in the weekly chat show This Week Live.

The comedians released a statement on Friday, but didn't exactly reveal what they would be bringing to the show.

"I'm cautiously optimistic that a Christmas Party car pool with Ita Buttrose is now a very real possibility for me," said Laurie.

"I'm 39 and bald," Gleeson said.

"I don't belong on television, but someone's paying me to do it, so I'll turn up."

Ten already mixes a lighter-hearted look at the news with The Project.

* This Week Live will premiere on Ten at 9.30pm on Wednesday, July 24.

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Asia shares mostly up on ECB rate comments

ASIAN markets have mostly climbed after the European Central Bank said it would keep interest rates at record lows for "as long as necessary", while concerns over Portugal's political crisis also abated.

The euro remained under pressure in Asia after suffering losses late Thursday in the wake of the ECB announcement, while the dollar extended its gains against the yen after climbing back above 100 yen.

Tokyo rose 2.08 per cent, or 291.04 points, to 14,309.97 and Sydney was 0.98 per cent, or 47.0 points, higher at 4,841.7, while Hong Kong added 1.89 per cent, or 386.00 points, to end at 20,854.67.

Shanghai was flat, edging up 1.10 points, to 2,007.20.

Seoul eased 0.32 per cent, or 5.83 points, to 1,833.31 as market giant Samsung Electronics suffered a sell-off after announcing a weaker-than-expected earnings forecast.

With New York markets closed for Independence Day, traders took their lead from Europe, where markets rallied on comments from the ECB that it would maintain its easy monetary policy.

The bank's policy-setting governing council "expects the key ECB interest rates to remain at present or lower levels for an extended period of time", its head, Mario Draghi, said.

"Our exit (from low interest rates) is very distant."

Speaking to a news conference after the ECB's governing council voted to hold its key interest rate at an all-time low of 0.50 per cent for the third month in a row, Draghi vowed that "monetary policy will remain accommodative for as long as necessary".

At the same time the Bank of England said it would keep interest rates low and hinted it would not lift them in the short term.

London's FTSE 100 rose 3.08 per cent, the DAX 30 in Frankfurt added 2.11 per cent and the Paris CAC 40 gained 2.90 per cent. Madrid was up more than 3.0 per cent.

On forex markets the euro tumbled in London trade, with low interest rates meaning the currency would not provide very good returns.

And on Friday it continued to fall, buying $1.2887 and 129.20 yen, off from $1.2922 and 129.62 yen in London.

Worries about Portugal's future were also soothed after the centre-right coalition said it had found a "formula" to avert a break up of the government, after the shock resignation of the foreign and finance ministers.

The pair had stepped down in a dispute over austerity policies put in place as part of a deal to qualify for bailout cash.

The dollar, which has been buoyed by an improved global outlook, rose to 100.21 yen in Tokyo, compared with 99.71 yen in London late Thursday.

Eyes will later Friday turn to Washington, awaiting the release of non-farm payroll data, which will provide an idea of the state of the US economy.

In Seoul, electronics giant Samsung ended 3.80 per cent lower after estimating 9.5 trillion won ($8.3 billion) in operating profit for the April-June quarter.

While it said the figure would be a record, analysts had expected a figure of more than 10 trillion won after it released its much-vaunted Galaxy S4 smartphone in April.

"Demand for high-priced, high-end smartphones shows slowing growth, which could hurt Samsung's profit margin," IBK Investment and Securities analyst Lee Seung-Woo told the Yonhap news agency.

Oil prices were mixed after rallying recently on events in Egypt. Dealers are keeping tabs on events in the country after the army overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, with fears growing that the coup could send shockwaves through the crude-rich Middle East.

In afternoon trade New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in August, was down 24 cents at $101.00 a barrel in afternoon trade, while Brent North Sea crude for August rose nine cents to $105.46 63.

Gold was at $1,241.70 per ounce at 0810 GMT, compared with $1,250.80 late Thursday.

In other markets:

- Taipei rose 1.37 per cent, or 108.1 points, to 8,001.82.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company rose 1.87 per cent to Tw$109.0 while smartphone maker HTC was 1.0 per cent higher at Tw$203.0.

- Manila closed 0.56 per cent higher, adding 36.22 points to 6,500.48.

SM Investments rose 1.02 per cent to 890 pesos and Alliance Global Group advanced 1.02 per cent to 24.85 pesos but Bank of the Philippine Islands slipped 0.11 per cent to 92 pesos.

- Wellington rose 0.69 per cent, or 30.91 points, to 4,489.86.

Chorus added 1.9 per cent to NZ$2.63 and Fletcher Building gained 1.5 per cent to NZ$8.62.

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Syria army renews assault on central Homs:

SYRIAN warplanes have bombed the central city of Homs , with insurgents and troops battling on the ground as regime forces pressed an assault on rebel-held neighbourhoods, an NGO said.

"Warplanes carried out two raids against the Khaldiyeh neighbourhood of Homs, and both Khaldiyeh and the Old City were under heavy rocket fire producing the sound of explosions and plumes of smoke," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Sporadic clashes were ongoing between rebels and regime forces on the outskirts of Khaldiyeh," the watchdog added.

Regime forces began a campaign to retake several rebel-held neighbourhoods of Homs, often dubbed the capital of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, on Saturday.

The neighbourhoods being targeted have been under siege by regime troops for more than a year, and many civilians have fled, but concerns have been raised about those who remain.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed fears for 2,500 civilians "trapped" in the city, which is home to a patchwork of religious communities.

Ban called on "the warring sides to do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties and to allow immediate humanitarian access, as well as opportunities for trapped civilians to leave without fear of persecution".

Elsewhere in the country, the Observatory said an aide to the labour minister was injured by an explosive device planted in his car in the Baramkeh district of Damascus.

The group, which relies on a network of activists, doctors and lawyers on the ground, also reported shelling on the Palestinian Yarmuk refugee camp in the capital.

In southern Daraa province, the group said six people were killed in shelling on the town of Sheikh Miskeen.

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NSW police officer dies in motorbike crash

AN off-duty police officer has died in a motorbike crash on a property in northern NSW.

Constable Aaron Ryan, 35, died at the scene of the crash 25 kilometres north of Moree, police say.

Investigations are under way.

Const Ryan's commander Superintendent Jenny Hayes said he was a fine officer who would be dearly missed.

"He was well-known and popular not only in the command but also within the local community," she said.

"His death will affect everyone who knew him for a long time."

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Hong Kong stocks end 1.60% higher

HONG Kong shares climbed 1.60 per cent Thursday following more strong jobs figures from the United States and thanks to bargain buying after the index suffered a sell-off in the previous session.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index added 321.36 points to end at 20,468.67 on turnover of HK$48.37 billion ($US6.24 billion).

Chinese shares ended up 0.59 per cent. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 11.83 points to 2,006.10 on turnover of 82.7 billion yuan ($US13.5 billion).

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NSW energy company denies mass lay-offs

A STATE-RUN power company in NSW says it is "reforming" its operation but has strongly rejected union claims it will entail forced redundancies.

The United Services Union (USU) on Wednesday said Essential Energy was "pressing ahead with their program of mass redundancies across the state" and refusing to provide details about which jobs and how many would be lost.

But Essential Energy's chief operating officer Gary Humphreys has dismissed the USU's claims as "dishonest."

"Our program of reform is being managed by a recruitment freeze, natural attrition and employee-initiated voluntary redundancy," he said in a statement.

"There is absolutely no forced redundancy program ... and there are no targets."

The reforms, under which 144 of the power company's 4500 employees have voluntarily sought redundancy, have been implemented to "improve efficiency and reduce electricity price increases in regional NSW," Mr Humphreys said.

The USU has also raised concerns the reforms will cause the loss of jobs and services in regional areas.

"Once Essential Energy cuts these positions it will be almost impossible for communities to get them back," USU energy manager Scott McNamara said in a statement.

It has taken its dispute with Essential Energy to the Fair Work Commission where it is "challenging the haphazard nature of the employee-initiated redundancy program," Mr McNamara said.

But Mr Humphreys said the Fair Work Commission had not supported the application.

"This is an attempt to block our employees' right to apply for a voluntary redundancy if they wish," he said.

"The USU has shown it is out of touch with the interests of its members at Essential Energy."

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Koala with royal links stolen in SA

A four-year-old female koala has been stolen from the backyard of an Adelaide wildlife carer. Source: AAP

A KOALA held by Prince Charles on his Adelaide visit last year has been stolen from the backyard cage of a wildlife carer.

The four-year-old female named Kao was stolen from the Trott Park property from between 7pm (CST) on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday, police say.

Fauna Rescue SA rescuer Rae Campbell told Nine News that Kao would not survive without constant medical treatment.

She was raised by Ms Campbell after being hit by a car which killed the koala's mother.

Kao has not been released as she is under constant supervision of a vet.

Ms Campbell said she has put out a cage in front of her property so Kao can be returned with no questions asked.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall each cuddled a koala at a Government House reception last November during part of their diamond jubilee tour of Australia.

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CMC to prosecute vexatious complainants

PEOPLE who make a complaint to Queensland's crime and corruption watchdog and go public with the details could be charged under sweeping reforms.

The state government announced on Wednesday it will adopt the majority of recommendations from two scathing reports into the beleaguered Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC).

Senior ministers have lambasted the body for publicly releasing and accidentally destroying sensitive documents from the Fitzgerald inquiry into police corruption.

They also claim the CMC allowed itself to be used as a political football during the 2012 election campaign.

An investigation will be launched into whether laws were broken in the dissemination of material from the Fitzgerald hearings and whether there should be disciplinary action.

Also under the changes, the government will try to reduce complaints flowing into the CMC, especially those found to be baseless or vexatious.

People who lodge a complaint will have to sign a statutory declaration and if it's found to be malicious, the CMC will be obliged to instigate prosecutions.

A new offence is expected to be introduced prohibiting anyone, including a CMC officer, disclosing that a complaint has been made or its subject.

The government is still considering possible exemptions but the offence could be waived in cases of fair reporting or if the complainant commences legal proceedings.

A person found to have made a baseless complaint may be made to pay compensation to the CMC or the person complained against, and the threshold of what constitutes "official misconduct" will be raised in a bid to reduce complaints.

There will also be an administrative restructure to reduce increasing bureaucratisation.

The government won't split the CMC, as recommended, but it will lose its education and research functions to create a renewed focus on fighting crime.

"We have seen over the years, a watchdog that has lost its way and has become over burdened with red tape," Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said.

"Queenslanders deserve to have a watchdog they can trust."

The government plans to introduce the legislation by year's end and implement all recommendations by March 2014.

The opposition told AAP it would examine the government response and comment in the next few days.

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Girl thrown from car in NSW crash

A YOUNG girl thrown from a car after a collision on a Sydney freeway has escaped serious injury as have a four-year-old boy and a woman also in the vehicle.

The six-year-old girl from Engadine was taken to Westmead Hospital with non life threatening injuries, police say.

When she was found by emergency services after the collision on the F3 at Wahroonga on Tuesday morning she was still strapped into her booster seat.

At first doctors feared the worst and assessed the girl for head injuries.

But they soon discovered she had escaped with only bruising and cuts to her head.

The 27-year-old truck driver was taken to Hornsby Hospital for mandatory blood and urine testing.

Police are investigating the crash and have asked for anyone with information to come forward.

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