Stately Bentley to go SUV: company

Luxury car maker Bentley says it will go ahead with plans to launch a sport utility vehicle in 2016. Source: AAP

LUXURY car maker Bentley, a unit of German auto giant Volkswagen, says it will go ahead with plans to launch a sport utility vehicle in 2016.

The Bentley brand has been associated down the years with stately vehicles for heads of state, the rich and show business stars.

"Bentley Motors today confirms that it will proceed with the development of the Bentley SUV," which would be made in Crewe in Britain and go on sale in 2016, the automaker said in a statement earlier this week.

"It will create over 1,000 jobs" in Britain.

Over the next three years, Bentley would invest more than STG800 million ($A1.34 billion) in its headquarters at Crewe and the development of new models, it said.

Bentley's pursuit of an SUV had been up in the air in the past months, as the company awaited a green light from Volkswagen and debated where production would be based.

"The Volkswagen Group believes in the UK as a competitive location for industrial production. Bentley fans all around the world are looking forward to the brand's first SUV," said VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn.

Bentley is part of the VW group, Europe's largest automaker, alongside other brands such as Audi, Porsche, Seat and Skoda.

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US won't seek death penalty for Snowden

The US has told Russia it will not seek the death penalty for intelligence leaker Edward Snowden. Source: AAP

ATTORNEY General Eric Holder has told the Russian government that the US will not seek the death penalty for former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden.

In a letter dated July 23, the attorney general said the criminal charges Snowden faces do not carry the death penalty and that the US will not seek the death penalty even if Snowden were charged with additional death penalty-eligible crimes.

Holder says his letter follows news reports that Snowden, who leaked information on largely secret electronic surveillance programs, has filed papers seeking temporary asylum in Russia on grounds that if he were returned to the United States, he would be tortured and would face the death penalty.

The attorney general's letter was sent to Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov, the Russian minister of justice.

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Couple born same day die a day apart

A US husband and wife who were born on the same day and celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last year have died just a day apart.

The couple's son Les Brown Junior told the Long Beach Press-Telegram on Thursday that 94-year-old Helen Brown died on July 16 and 94-year-old Les Brown died on July 17. She had stomach cancer. He had Parkinson's disease.

The Browns were born on New Year's Eve, 1918. Their son said his parents met in high school and eloped in 1937 aged 18 because their parents thought the marriage between a wealthy man and a working-class woman would never last. They celebrated their 75th anniversary last September.

The couple moved to Long Beach in 1963. He was a photographer and she sold real estate.

They'll have a joint memorial service on Saturday.

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Last shift for 400 Holden workers in SA

AS 400 people work their last shift at Holden's Elizabeth factory, unions have again expressed concerns about the future of the manufacturing industry in South Australia.

The Adelaide workers, who accepted voluntary redundancies, will complete their last shift on Friday, leaving a workforce of 1700.

SA Unions says the loss of the jobs is not only a sad day for the workers and their families but another warning sign that a manufacturing plan is needed for the state.

As well as the loss of jobs, the cumulative experience of hundreds of skilled workers is going, Unions secretary Janet Giles said in a statement.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union State Secretary John Camillo told AAP it was very sad to see the workers facing their last day, some having been with Holden for 37 years.

The morale of the remaining workers is "very low" as they are still unsure of the future of the Elizabeth operations.

Holden, which says that to remain viable it needs to save $15 million in labour costs, is currently negotiating a new labour agreement which could include pay cuts.

But Mr Camillo said the workers had made it quite clear they would not accept such a move.

Extensive talks have been held with Holden, with union proposals including flexibility about working days, lunch breaks, annual leave and other entitlements.

Mr Camillo said the workers had even agreed to bring in their own tea and coffee, to cut out the $200,000 annual tea service bill.

An independent expert Goran Roos has been scrutinising Holden's books and considering ways to achieve savings.

Mr Camillo said his report is due to be presented early next week.

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Atlas Iron targets production increase

ATLAS Iron increased shipping volumes 16 per cent during the June quarter and expects to lift production further this financial year.

The Perth-based miner says it shipped 2.2 million tonnes of iron ore during the June quarter, up 16 per cent on the previous three months.

It says it plans to produce between 9.8 and 10.3 million tonnes this financial year, compared to the 7.4 million tonnes it shipped during 2012/13.

Atlas says it received net cash flows from operating activities of $62 million, excluding working capital adjustments, during last financial year, while capital operating costs were around $49-50 a tonne, which was within its guidance range.

The company said the average price for its iron ore fell from $US126 ($A136.33) a tonne in the March quarter to $US107 last quarter, but the price had since recovered.

Atlas managing director Ken Brinsden said production had been affected by unseasonal bad weather in Western Australia during the June quarter.

But he said the company was nonetheless happy with its performance.

"This is a strong result, with the company continuing to expand production while meeting the quarter's cost and shipping guidance," he said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange on Wednesday.

"This was achieved despite difficult and unseasonal weather conditions."

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Havana airport to get $US10.2m upgrade

Cuba's Havana airport will get a $US10.2m upgrade to improve operations at the overcrowded facility. Source: AAP

CUBA'S main international terminal is getting a $US10.2 million ($A11.04 million) overhaul to improve operations at the overcrowded facility, according to state-run media.

The Havana Reporter, an English-language semi-weekly newspaper, says the Terminal 3 upgrade will include eight footbridges for boarding and the expansion of a parking area outside the terminal.

Government website Cubadebate added that the project also calls for new walkways, additional check-in counters, lighting and air conditioning improvements and systems to conserve water and electricity.

Airport director Juan Carlos Quintana told Cubadebate that the eastern part of the terminal would be upgraded to accommodate larger airplanes, and nearly 17,500 square metres of new roofing has already been installed.

Terminal 3 is the most modern of the Jose Marti International Airport's terminals. It was built with Canadian assistance at a cost of $US93 million, and inaugurated in 1998 in a ceremony involving Fidel Castro and Canada's then-premier, Jean Chretien.

However, it has not kept up with increasing traffic since then, and at times seems to be straining at the seams with long waits at check-in, immigration, security and baggage claim.

Cubadebate said the terminal has as many as 1,800 to 2,000 travellers passing through at times, a number that can rise to 2,500 if people accompanying passengers to the airport are factored in.

"The current design only allows for the terminal to accommodate 1,400 passengers, a number lower than the real volume that exists in these moments, which hurts the quality of service," the website said.

Overall, 2.5 million travellers pass through Terminal 3 each year, according to Cubadebate.

The terminal handles most international traffic with the exception of charter flights to and from the United States, which go through Terminal 2.

The number of travellers to the island has increased steadily since the 1990s, when in the midst of a severe economic crisis following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Castro's Communist-run government turned to tourism for badly needed hard currency.

Some 2.7 million tourists visited the island in 2011, according to the most recent government figure available, up from 2.1 million in 2007. Authorities predict it will hit three million this year.

Canada sends more travellers to Cuba than any other country, followed by England, Italy and Spain.

Repairs on the terminal began earlier in July and are expected to last six months, during which time access will be restricted to passengers only, Cubadebate said.

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