BlackBerry posts surprise loss

Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry has announced an $A90.93 million first quarter loss. Source: AAP

CANADIAN smartphone maker BlackBerry has posted an unexpected first quarter loss and disappointing sales figures for its new phones, sending its share price tumbling in early trading.

The Waterloo, Ontario firm announced an $US84 million ($A90.93 million) loss in the first quarter ended June 1, compared with a loss of $518 million in the same period a year earlier.

Revenues topped $US3.1 billion, up nine per cent.

But analysts expected a seven cent per share profit instead of a 13 cents per share loss.

The results come after the company rolled out new smartphones based on the new BlackBerry 10 platform, seen as its best hope at regaining traction after suffering staggering losses in market share in recent years.

The group said it shipped 6.8 million smartphones in the quarter, 13 per cent more than in last quarter. This includes 2.7 million of its new touchscreen Z10 and Q10 with a small keyboard launched earlier this year, missing analysts' targets.

Its stock price as a result slumped nearly 20 per cent.

"I can't imagine anyone is happy with Blackberry performance except maybe Blackberry competitors," said industry analyst Jeff Kagan.

"Can Blackberry turn things around with their new Q10, the keyboard device that just launched? Hopefully yes, but to tell you the truth hopes are dimmed by this first quarter performance."

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No weekend reprieve from rain in Sydney

Wet weather is expected to continue to hang over Sydney and the Central Coast over the weekend. Source: AAP

IT'S bad news for Sydney and NSW's Central Coast for the rest of the weekend, with wet weather set to persist across the region.

The northern suburbs of Sydney and parts of the Central Coast were the target of most of the rain on Saturday.

At Mona Vale Golf Course on the city's northern beaches more than 60mm of rain has been recorded since 9am, while Gosford in the Central Coast has been hit with more than 30mm.

Forecaster with the NSW Bureau of Meteorology, Olenka Rudewych said the showers would continue until Monday, before easing into Tuesday.

"Mostly sunny conditions are returning towards Wednesday onwards," she told AAP.

But while Sydney and its surrounds will see the rain lift into early next week, for those further north more bad weather is forecast.

The chance of thunderstorms are predicted on the north coast for the rest of the weekend, with moderate to heavy falls foreshadowed for Monday.

People living in coastal areas north of Port Macquarie could see localised falls from 80 to 100mm during this time, Ms Rudewych said.

Since Saturday morning the wet weather has seen the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) receive more than 100 calls for assistance, with volunteers responding mainly to leaking roofs and fallen trees in Sydney's north and the Central Coast.

SES spokeswoman Sue Pritchard warned those taking a break over the school holidays to keep an eye on their kids.

"People get a bit crazy in this weather and can get cabin fever ... so make sure they (the kids) aren't mucking around in creeks and around storm water drains."

Nor is it time to work out the capabilities of your 4WD through flood waters, she said.

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Slow growth may hit social programs: WA

THE Commonwealth is spending money it doesn't have and unrealistically raising expectations with its education and disability care reforms, the West Australian Premier says.

Colin Barnett made the comment at a business function in Perth on Friday after newly-installed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he'd visit states that had not yet committed to the reforms - but omitted WA.

"Policies like NDIS (the national disability insurance scheme) and Gonski sound fine and may well be raising expectations about social policy that may not be fulfilled," the Liberal leader said.

With slower national economic growth, he questioned whether the programs could be delivered.

Mr Barnett also said he expected Mr Rudd would do better in the polls than his predecessor, but predicted there would still be a change in government.

BHP Billiton president of iron ore, Jimmy Wilson, told the forum it would be good if the man who pushed for a higher rate mining tax than the one eventually introduced could provide stability to the government and its dealings with the business community.

Fortescue Metals chief executive Nev Power said it was important Mr Rudd re-engaged the Labor party with the business community, as he promised in his first public address after being reinstated on Wednesday.

And Santos vice president of WA and Northern Territory, John Anderson, simply called for an election date.

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Nina trip was to be last for Dyche family

WHEN American David Dyche III set out with his wife and teenage son across the Tasman, it was to be their last sailing trip as a family.

Seventeen-year-old David IV would head off to college in the USA after the trip on board the 21-metre schooner Nina - a journey that would take them from New Zealand to Australia.

They set off from Opua, in Northland, on May 29, bound for Newcastle, but hit 100km/h winds and 8m swells on June 4.

They haven't been heard from since.

Family and friends raised the alarm on June 14, when the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand began looking for the schooner.

Along with Mr Dyche III, his wife Rosemary and son, who hail from Florida, the crew also includes 73-year-old Evi Nemeth, another American man, 28, an American woman, 18, and a 35-year-old British man.

The crew were last heard from on June 4, when meteorologist Bob McDavitt got a text from Ms Nemeth saying "ANY UPDATE 4 NINA?.... EVI."

The text message followed a call from the same crew member saying, "The weather's turned nasty, how do we get away from it?"

Two extensive searches by an RNZAF Orion earlier this month revealed nothing and on Thursday RCCNZ made the decision to commence a shoreline search above Northland, to search for any wreckage or a life raft.

They hold grave concerns for the seven crew members.

Mr Dyche, an experienced sailor and the owner of Nina, has spent several years sailing around the globe with his wife and son.

He knew their journey across the Tasman would be rough.

"The Tasman Sea is shooting gales out like a machine gun, living up to it's reputation," Mr Dyche posted on Facebook three days prior to their departure.

"We are shooting at leaving out after the first one this week. No doubt we will be dancing with one or two of them."

They also knew it would be their last trip all together.

"Dave is leaving and going to college in the states in July. This is our last trip together crossing the Tasman Sea," Mr Dyche wrote.

Family members have not given up hope that the seven crew members will be found alive, with the Dyche's daughter Cherie writing on a cruiser's forum: "I have to remember hope is our lifeline."

Ms Nemeth's son Laszlo is flying from Denver to New Zealand on Friday, according to Florida's The News Herald.

"I know there were several highly skilled people on the boat," Mr Nemeth said.

"So, knowing that, I'm hoping I'm just blowing a lot of money to go down to New Zealand. And, I hope when I get there, (my mother) is there, and she's fine and she just starts yelling and screaming at me because I spent the money." Nina, an 85-year-old wooden schooner, won the famous British Isles Fastnet race in 1928.

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Slipper flags retirement at next election

FORMER Speaker of the parliament Peter Slipper is set to retire from his Queensland seat of Fisher at the next election.

However, Mr Slipper has put a condition on his retirement from parliament.

"After serving 23 years in this place ... I thought I would deliver this precautionary valedictory speech," Mr Slipper told the lower house on Thursday.

"And of course whether I run in the election or not will depend on who ultimately is chosen to be the Liberal National Party candidate in the seat of Fisher."

In a rambling speech, the Queensland MP said he had wanted "as all speakers do" to be the best speaker in Australia's history.

"I wanted to improve standards, I wanted to make this parliament a place where the Australian people could be proud of it," he said.

"I wanted to return to a more traditional sense of attire, with a modern touch."

He controversially became the independent speaker in November 2011 after resigning from the Liberal Party.

Less than five months later he stood down in the face of investigations into his Cabcharge use.

He also faced a sexual harassment case launched by a staff member James Ashby. The case was dismissed.

He will in December face a trial over the allegations he misused a taxpayer-funded Cabcharge card while visiting wineries and restaurants outside Canberra in January 2010.

Mr Slipper lashed out at the coalition, especially Mal Brough, the former coalition government minister preselected by the Liberal Party to contest his seat of Fisher.

He recounted attending a breakfast with businessman Clive Palmer recently, when he was told coalition members had apparently sought funding for a legal suit against him.

"I do recall that Mr Palmer mentioned to me that about Easter last year that Mr Brough, accompanied by the member for North Sydney (Joe Hockey) came to see Mr Palmer to ask him to fund James Ashby's legal fees with respect to the litigation," he said.

Mr Slipper said former Attorney-General Nicola Roxon had mentioned the possibility of a Royal Commission into whether there was a plot behind Mr Ashby's allegations against him.

Mr Slipper lashed out at the coalition, especially Mal Brough, the former coalition government minister preselected by the Liberal Party to contest his seat of Fisher.

He recounted attending a breakfast with businessman Clive Palmer recently, when he was told coalition members had apparently sought funding for a legal suit against him.

"I do recall that Mr Palmer mentioned to me that about Easter last year that Mr Brough, accompanied by the member for North Sydney (Joe Hockey) came to see Mr Palmer to ask him to fund James Ashby's legal fees with respect to the litigation," he said.

Mr Slipper said former Attorney-General Nicola Roxon had mentioned the possibility of a Royal Commission into whether there was a plot behind Mr Ashby's allegations against him.

"I would hope that the government moves to see the involvement of members of the opposition in particular in what has resulted in a situation where there was an attempt ... not only to remove the speaker of the Australian parliament but also to bring down the government."

Mr Hockey told parliament he had never met Mr Ashby, did not know of him at the time, and had never raised the matter with Mr Palmer over a cup of coffee.

"That is patently untrue," he said.

He asked that Mr Slipper correct the record.

Making a subsequent personal explanation to the House, Mr Slipper said: "there was nothing to withdraw".

"I was simply repeating a conversation," he said.

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Grave fears for missing US schooner

GRAVE fears are held for seven people aboard an 85-year-old American schooner missing between New Zealand and Australia.

The 21-metre schooner Nina left Opua, in the Bay of Islands, on May 29, bound for Newcastle, NSW, but it hasn't been heard from for more than three weeks.

Aboard the boat, which was built in 1928, were six Americans, aged between 17 and 73, and a 35-year-old British man.

After concerns were raised by family and friends, the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) began a communications search on June 14.

However, no other vessels in the area have sighted the schooner.

The Nina has a satellite phone, a tracking beacon and an emergency beacon, which has not been activated.

RCCNZ search and rescue mission co-ordinator Kevin Banaghan says two extensive searches by an RNZAF Orion have revealed nothing.

Searches have also begun to the north and northeast of New Zealand, in case the boat was disabled and drifting, and in a 324,000 nautical-mile area between northern New Zealand and the Australian coast, based on it being damaged and continuing to progress towards Australia.

"We do hold grave concerns for the Nina and her crew, but remain hopeful of a positive outcome," Mr Banaghan said.

Winds and swells were very rough on June 4, when it was last located.

The Northern Advocate has previously reported the boat's captain to be American David Dyche III.

Since leaving their Florida home in 2008, Mr Dyche and his family have travelled the world aboard the boat.

The Nina has taken part in the annual Tall Ships race in the Bay of Islands for the past two years.

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Super trawler ban laws vague: judge

Laws aimed at stopping a super trawler from fishing in Australian waters are vague, a judge says. Source: AAP

LAWS aimed at stopping a super trawler from fishing in Australian waters are vague, a Federal Court judge has said.

Justice John Logan has criticised the wording of the laws, passed by federal parliament last September.

Environment Minister Tony Burke used new legislative powers to ban the 142-metre Dutch vessel Abel Tasman from fishing in Australian waters for two years, following a public backlash.

Lawyers for Seafish Tasmania, which owns the super trawler, have applied to the Federal Court to have the ban declared invalid.

On the second day of argument, Justice Logan complained the legislation didn't specifically ban a "trawler" but rather a vessel over 130 metres with a trawl net.

"I could hang (a net) off the Queen Mary 2 and ... if I sailed the Queen Mary 2 through the fishery, all of a sudden I'm caught by this," he said.

Barrister Richard Niall SC, for the Commonwealth, said it didn't matter that the word "trawler" was omitted.

He said the legislation referred to a vessel which engaged in a particular combination of large-scale trawling and on-board processing of fish for commercial purposes.

Justice Logan returned: "I know what he (Minister Burke) had in his mind. But he's got to translate it into something that makes sense to the world at large."

The Commonwealth is arguing that the two-year ban is proper and enables a full consideration of the risks associated with a new and uncertain method of fishing.

Hearings were expected to wind up on Wednesday but may run into Thursday.

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20 dead in India rescue chopper crash

A helicopter helping victims of floods in northern India has crashed, killing all people on board. Source: AAP

ALL 20 people on board a military helicopter were killed when it crashed in flood devastated northern Indian, the country's air force chief says.

The helicopter carrying soldiers, police and rescue workers crashed on Tuesday afternoon during a rescue mission in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand where flash floods and landslides have killed some 1000 people.

The death toll from the crash rose from eight to 20 after rescue workers continued their search for bodies at the crash site in a mountainous area of the state, air force officials said on Wednesday.

"Twenty warriors have died. It is a loss for the entire nation," Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne said in the state capital Dehradun.

"It is difficult to say at the moment how the plane crashed, if it was because of a technical fault or poor weather conditions," he said. "The cockpit recorder has been found," he added.

The helicopter had been flying a mission near the holy pilgrimage area of Kedarnath, the epicentre of the disaster.

Those killed were from the National Disaster Response Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the air force, officials said.

The military, including 60 helicopters, has been leading efforts to evacuate some 6000 pilgrims and tourists still stranded throughout the state since the floods hit on June 15.

Raging rivers have swept away houses, buildings and even entire villages in the state, which was packed with travellers in what is a peak tourist season.

More than 1000 bridges have been damaged along with roads, cutting off villages and towns.

Multiple agencies undertaking relief and rescue operations are becoming increasingly concerned about the spread of disease, particularly from the bodies of those who perished in Kedarnath.

Mass cremations of hundreds of bodies were delayed on Tuesday, as heavy rains hampered preparations.

"We want to cremate the bodies but the rains are not allowing the process to start," said senior disaster management official K.N. Pandey.

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Australian shares finish lower

AUSTRALIAN shares have closed lower as Asian markets fall on fears of a credit squeeze in China.

At the close on Tuesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 13.1 points, or 0.28 per cent, at 4,656, while the broader All Ordinaries index was down 17.6 points, or 0.38 per cent, at 4,633.5.

On the ASX 24, the September share price index futures contract was eight points lower at 4,625, with 39,730 contracts traded.

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Gold miner Perseus hit by downgrade

GOLD miner Perseus has cut its production forecasts and flagged changes at its mine in Ghana to maximise margins after a sharp fall in the gold price.

The update from the company sent its share price plummeting, losing 15 cents, or 22.6 per cent, to 51.5 cents.

Minor maintenance issues at Perseus' Edikan gold mine have reduced daily gold production, and the company now expects production in the second half of the 2012/13 financial year will fall below its previously issued guidance of at least 105,000 ounces.

Cash costs for the six months to June 30 are also likely to exceed the forecast of $US1,100 per ounce, Perseus said.

It also said it was reassessing its operating plans for the Edikan mine, because of the recent fall in the gold price and a review of the company's cost structure.

More details on the plans will be released with the company's June quarter activities report, to be released in July, Perseus said.

"The soon to be published guidance will reflect Perseus' strategy of focusing on maximising the cash margin per ounce of gold produced ahead of maximising gold production," the company said.

Cost reductions are being made at Edikan and in the company's head office in Perth, and more detail on their impact on the business will be released later in the year, Perseus said.

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Leighton and Fortescue in $2.8b deal

LEIGHTON has won an extension to its work at Fortescue Metals' Solomon Hub iron ore project in the Pilbara, taking the total value of the work to a record $2.8 billion.

Leighton Contractors, a subsidiary of Leighton, has never had a single contract worth more than its deal with Fortescue.

The iron ore miner has granted Leighton Contractors a $1.3 billion deal for work on the Kings deposit at the Solomon Hub, adding to the $1.5 billion contract granted in 2012 for work at the Firetail deposit.

The Kings mine is under construction and is expected to be completed in months, and Firetail opened in May.

Leighton Contractors will operate and maintain the open cut mining fleet, and carry out mine planning, ore quality control and ore processing facilities at the Solomon Hub.

The company is also operating and maintaining associated infrastructure, such as the airport and village.

Under the deal, Fortescue is providing the bulk of the capital to purchase the mining plant and equipment.

"We're pleased with Leighton Contractors' performance at Firetail and we're delighted to award them the contract at Kings," Fortescue chief executive Nev Power said in a statement.

The Solomon Hub, located approximately 60 kilometres north of Tom Price in Western Australia, will produce 60 million tonnes of iron ore each year from the Kings and Firetail mines.

Leighton shares lost 17 cents, or 1.12 per cent, to close at $14.95 on Monday.

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Indonesia neglects child migrants: report

A WATCHDOG group has criticised Indonesia over its treatment of children who are migrants or seeking asylum, saying they are placed in abysmal conditions with no way of appealing their detention.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in an 86-page report released on Monday that Indonesia has detained hundreds of migrant and asylum-seeking children each year without giving them a way to challenge their detention. The country lacks asylum laws and allows immigrants to be detained for up to 10 years.

"Hundreds are detained in sordid conditions, without access to lawyers and sometimes beaten. Others are left to fend for themselves, without any assistance with food or shelter," the report said.

The group said there are almost 2000 asylum-seeking and refugee children in Indonesia as of March and that more than 1,00 arrived in 2012. They are fleeing persecution, violence and poverty in Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar and elsewhere.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation with thousands of islands and miles (kilometres) of unpatrolled coastline, is a key transit point for smuggling migrants.

Hundreds of asylum-seekers from war-ravaged countries have died in sea accidents on the hazardous sea journey from Indonesia to Australia.

The Human Rights Watch report was based on interviews with more than 100 migrants, including children as young as five, as well as Indonesian officials and staff members of non-governmental and inter-governmental organisations.

It said both adults and children described abuse by guards or other detainees, including being kicked, punched, beaten with sticks, burned with cigarettes and subject to electric shocks.

In one case, the report quotes parents as saying immigration guards forced their children, including a four-year-old and six-year-old, to watch guards beat other migrants.

Alice Farmer, the group's children's rights researcher, said migrant and asylum-seeking children risk life and limb to flee their countries.

"Yet the port in the storm Indonesia offers is squalid detention facilities, where children waste months or years without education or hope for the future," she said.

"Migrant children in Indonesia are trapped in a prolonged waiting game with no certain outcome," added Farmer.

"Desperate children will keep coming to Indonesia, and the government should step up to give them decent care."

But Indonesian immigration official Subandriyani, who goes by one name, described the claims in the report as "untrue and baseless" and said guards would not dare abuse detainees as they would be sacked.

"We make routine checks at detention centres and we try our best to uphold human rights," he told AFP. However, he admitted there were problems of overcrowding at some centres.

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