Sydney  - Australia's last s

Sydney - The Australian government laid out plans Tuesday for a carbon-emissions trading scheme that industry critics said would cost jobs and environmentalists said would not save the planet.

The cap-and-trade scheme, to begin in July next year, includes the energy and transport sectors but excludes agriculture. The targets a 5 to 15-per-cent reduction in emissions on 2000 levels by 2020.

Jakarta - Five Australians jailed for immigration offenses after landing a small plane in Indonesia's eastern-most province of Papua have been acquitted on appeal, their lawyer said Tuesday.

In January, a court in Merauke district sentenced the Australians to two and three years in prison respectively after convicting them of landing a plane illegally and entering Indonesia without visas in September.

"The appeals court accepted our argument that our clients obtained permission to land," defence attorney Efrem Fangoihoy said.

Fangoihoy said his clients could leave Indonesia as early as Wednesday.

They were released from prison and put under city arrest last week pending a decision on their appeals.

Melbourne, Mar. 10: Swiss tennis great Roger Federer has hired Darren Cahill as his new coach.

Cahill, who has previously coached Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt, will begin his association with Federer at the Indian Wells this week, reports The Australian.

Cahill and Federer, who has been off the circuit for six weeks with a back injury, have been working together in Dubai, where the Swiss star has a base.

Federer has previously worked with other Australian coaches Peter Carter, who passed away in 2002, and Tony Roche.

Sydney, Mar. 10: Former Australian Test great Doug Walters says that he has seen enough of batting prodigy Phillip Hughes to suggest that he will be a great success in England later this year.

"The Ashes will be the one he''ll be judged on. I don''t think he''ll get any worse [wickets]. I don''t see why he''d have any trouble in England and England won''t be able to find a bowling attack much better than that [in South Africa]," said Walters, who famously failed to match his successes in Australia away in England.