Woolworths investigates mushroom poisoning

CANBERRA residents who may be feeling ill after consuming mushrooms bought from a Woolworths supermarket are being advised to seek immediate medical attention following a possible Death Cap mushroom poisoning.

ACT Health is investigating after three patients from the same household attended Canberra's Calvary Hospital in the last 48 hours with poisoning symptoms.

They claim to have been affected by mushrooms purchased from a Woolworths in the suburb of Dickson on April 17.

"This appears to be an isolated incident and there have been no other recent reports of Death Cap mushroom poisoning in the ACT," the territory's chief health officer Dr Paul Kelly said.

In a statement on Saturday, Woolworths advised that customers follow ACT Health's recommendations, which include seeking immediate medical attention if they experience stomach aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

ACT Health also recommends throwing away any mushrooms bought from Woolworths in Dickson around that time as a precaution.

Woolworths says it is not aware of any other cases.

"We take customer safety very seriously and are working closely with our supplier and ACT Health to investigate the claims," the company said.

In Canberra in 2012, a man and a woman died and two others were poisoned but recovered after consuming a meal which contained Death Cap mushrooms.

"People are reminded not to pick and eat any wild mushrooms. It can be extremely difficult for even experienced collectors to distinguish Death Cap mushrooms from other edible mushrooms," Dr Kelly said.

The highly toxic Death Cap mushroom is a native to Europe but has spread around the world, with populations observed in Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide. It resembles a common edible variety used in Chinese cooking.

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Hard line on boats paying off: Morrison

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says the government's tough stance on asylum seekers is working. Source: AAP

NO people-smuggling venture had succeeded in landing asylum seekers on Australia for more than four months, the government says.

In the latest update on Operation Sovereign Borders, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday that vigorous border protection activities was deterring illegal boat arrivals, even into the post-monsoon period when weather conditions usually improve.

Mr Morrison said the practice of turning back unauthorised boats remained in effect.

"Anyone seeking to enter Australia illegally by boat will be faced with the same policies those who previously attempted illegal entry met," he said in a statement.

Mr Morrison said no one had reached Australia since December 19 and that continued this month. But 3351 on 47 boats arrived in April 2013 under the former Labor government.

The latest Operation Sovereign Borders operational update says there are now 1281 in the processing centre on Manus Island and 1177 on Nauru, making a total of 2458.

Another 1405 remain on Christmas Island. During the last week, eight asylum seekers were transferred to Nauru.

Seven unauthorised maritime arrival transferees were voluntarily returned to Iran.

Since Operation Sovereign Borders started on September 18, 220 asylum seekers have voluntarily returned to their home countries.

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NSW fisherman drowns trying to save wife

A SYDNEY rock fisherman who jumped into rough seas to save his wife has died and his mate is feared drowned.

The two men, 24 and 26, were part of a group of six that travelled to the NSW Central Coast from Sydney on Friday to go rock fishing.

The friends, some of whom are students, were on a notoriously dangerous rocky ledge at Wybung Head, near Lake Macquarie, when a woman was swept into the ocean by a wave.

The woman's husband and a friend entered the water to rescue her but disappeared. The woman survived after being washed back onto the rocks.

A major search operation was sparked about 6:30pm on Friday when the men failed to resurface.

Police say no one in the group was wearing a life jacket.

A helicopter winched the woman from the rock ledge while paramedics and police rescued three other people.

The emotional woman and her supportive friends returned to Wybung on Saturday as the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter, police and surf life savers searched for her missing husband and friend.

The husband's body was pulled from the ocean at 9am.

"The wife is absolutely devastated as you can imagine," Tuggerah Lakes police acting Inspector John Dooley told AAP.

The search has been called off but will resume at 8am on Sunday.

Local fishermen say the stretch of coast is treacherous and catches many people off guard.

"At that actual location, the people who go rock fishing aren't prepared for the danger of the sport," Peter Trenear, of Pelicans Wharf Fishing Tackle, told AAP.

"For the inexperienced, it can be life threatening."

Mr Trenear said he was washed off rocks in the same area about six years ago and had to be plucked from the ocean by a rescue helicopter.

"It was so easy, the water caught me by surprise," he said.

Insp Dooley said police had carried out several rescues and body recoveries at the spot over the years.

He warned people planning to rock fish to wear life jackets and check ocean conditions.

"You must be appropriately equipped to go down on these rock ledges," he said.

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No tsunami risk from Tongan quake

A 6.3-MAGNITUDE earthquake has struck off the coast of the Pacific Island nation of Tonga but experts say there is no threat of a tsunami.

The quake reportedly struck in waters northeast of the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa, at about 7pm local time (1600 AEST) on Saturday.

Geoscience Australia reports the impact could have been felt by people more than 600-kilometres away.

Seismologist Marco Maldoni said residents of the island nation would definitely felt shaking after the movement of tectonic plates and that that part of the world was prone to earthquakes.

"That earthquake itself happened where the Australian plate meets the Pacific plate," Dr Maldoni told AAP on Saturday.

"Thankfully this is a non-tsunamigenic earthquake - something that can potentially generate a tsunami."

Dr Maldoni said that in the past five years there had been about 200 earthquakes within that area, with another one occurring near Tonga at a magnitude of 6.2 as recently as Friday.

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Man saved from sinking yacht off WA coast

A MAN has been winched to safety after his yacht began sinking off the coast of Perth.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a distress call on Saturday at 5.27pm with rescue crews locating the sailor aboard the sinking vessel 80 nautical miles from the West Australian capital.

An emergency helicopter winched the man to safety just before dusk.

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Elderly man charged over strata shooting

AN elderly man who allegedly shot a neighbour during a heated strata meeting is facing a shooting with intent to murder charge.

Police were called to a unit block in Lakemba, in Sydney's southwest, on Thursday night after the meeting between residents turned violent.

A 66-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to his neck while the alleged shooter, an 85-year-old man, had a head injury.

The victim is believed to be the building's strata manager.

A unit owner who attended the meeting, Mercedes Bush, said owners decided to sack the strata manager before the shooting.

"I ran away from them and fled to number six unit to escape from them, but everybody ran away," she told Fairfax Media.

Police say given the tight space the violent stand-off played out in, it was fortunate no one else was hurt.

"It's very lucky no one else was seriously injured," Inspector David McCloskey told reporters on Friday.

The elderly man was charged with multiple offences on Friday afternoon, including shoot with intent to murder.

A bedside court hearing will be held on Saturday.

The man is in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with head injuries.

The victim is also in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

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Royals provide 'different' Anzac touch

The royal couple joined a record crowd of 37,000 for the Anzac Day commemorations in Canberra. Source: AAP

IT was the personal touch from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge which impressed Dick and Janice Middleton.

The handwritten message on the wreath of red poppies placed at the Stone of Remembrance was simple but said all that was required.

"Never forgetting those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom".

The note is signed William and Catherine.

The royal couple laid the wreath at a solemn national Anzac ceremony in Canberra, in which Prime Minister Tony Abbott thanked them for their attendance.

"Your presence reminds us of all our comrades in arms," he said.

The Middletons from Engadine in Sydney praised the couple as "so casual and so friendly with everyone".

The pair, Dick having completed national service with the air force in 1956, and Janice wearing her uncle Merv's medals from World War I, said the royal couple had lifted the service at the Australian War Memorial.

"They're not the royals of old," said 77-year-old Dick.

"It's written in their own hand - very plain and casual.

"It just shows a different approach."

William, who was a lieutenant in the Royal Air Force, wore two service medals and a sprig of rosemary to the late morning service.

The Duchess dressed in a grey tweed trench coat and a poppy broach that Emma, the wife of Australian Victorian Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, gave her at a reception on Thursday night.

The couple also visited the tomb of the unknown soldier and placed a poppy on the Wall of Remembrance, where they were visibly moved by the sea of red flowers.

The national service was the second attended by the Duke and Duchess on Friday, after they surprised all by joining a record crowd of 37,000 at the Canberra dawn service.

The couple had not been expected at the memorial so early, but made a discreet entry just after 5am.

The final duty on William and Kate's 10-day visit to Australia was to plant a sapling, cultivated from seeds collected in Gallipoli following the Battle of Lone Pine.

For Prince William, who served in the RAF for more than seven years, the tree had a special family connection.

Prince Henry the Duke of Gloucester - who later went on to serve as Australia's governor-general after World War II - planted the original pine at the war memorial in October 1934.

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More peace, less Simpson says Tas governor

TASMANIAN Governor Peter Underwood has told Hobart's Anzac Day ceremony Australia needs to understand the truth of its involvement in war.

Mr Underwood has called for peace studies centres to be funded and for the Anzac centenary in 2015 to be a designated Year of Peace.

The governor is renowned for his strongly worded anti-war Anzac Day addresses, and last year implored Australians to avoid glorifying the centenary.

More than six thousand people have attended Hobart's dawn service while seven thousand in Launceston didn't let near-freezing temperatures deter them.

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Smaller crowd falls silent at Gallipoli

THIS year's dawn service at Gallipoli was billed as a dress rehearsal for the 2015 centenary but a smaller-than-expected turnout made it a very intimate affair.

Some 4400 mostly Australian and New Zealand pilgrims were at North Beach 12 months out from the 100th anniversary when 10,500 people will be crammed on to the site.

The crowd on Friday was reminded that reverential silence on the often eerily quiet Turkish peninsula is a tribute to the diggers who died in 1915.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Michael Ronaldson said the soldiers who landed at Anzac Cove 99 years ago were, by their own admission, ordinary men.

"They did not seek glory, nor did they want their actions to be glorified - for it was they who quickly came to know the true horror of war," the minister said as the sun rose over the Gallipoli cliffs.

"That these ordinary men, however, did extraordinary things is beyond doubt."

Senator Ronaldson said the Anzacs left a vanquished fighting force but "were victorious in helping forge the identity of our two new nations".

"As the dawn of this new day breaks over the peninsula our tribute to the spirit of Anzac is a reverential silence," he said.

Some 8700 Australians died during the eight-month campaign alongside 2700 New Zealanders.

It's estimated up to 87,000 Turks lost their lives.

The modern Turkish nation, too, was built partly on the back of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's success as a commander at Gallipoli. He went on to become the republic's first president in 1923.

Young Australian Erinn Cooper camped out overnight to represent her father and grandfather at the dawn service.

The 22-year-old comes from a military family - her father served in East Timor and Iraq while her grandfather fought in World War II.

"It's really mind-blowing to be here," she said.

"Anzac Day is our biggest day of the year. It's a really big thing in our family."

Ms Cooper considered applying for the centenary in 2015 but decided the ballot was too risky.

"Coming this year was something we could actually make happen."

Organisers saw this year's service as a dress rehearsal for 2015.

But while the crowd will be much bigger next year, it will also potentially be more manageable.

Authorities know exactly who's coming because the event is ticketed.

Further, the pilgrims will be older on average because 1600 passes were set aside for direct descendants and veterans.

In 2015, only 25 per cent of visitors will be under 35, whereas usually 60 per cent are in that age group.

Australian authorities think it's likely Prince Charles will attend the centenary service in Gallipoli although his spokeswoman has told AAP it is "too early to say".

Prince William this week revealed he was looking forward to "taking part in next year's Gallipoli centenary" along with wife Kate and brother Prince Harry.

That led to speculation they'd be at North Beach but a palace spokesman has clarified they could attend any number of Anzac ceremonies anywhere in the world.

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HMAS Darwin makes record heroin bust

Australian HMAS Darwin has seized a record one-tonne haul of heroin from a vessel off Kenya. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN warship HMAS Darwin has seized more than a tonne of heroin valued at almost $290 million from a smuggling boat off Kenya.

The record 1032kg haul was discovered aboard a dhow in the Indian Ocean, about 27 nautical miles east of Mombasa, Defence says in a statement.

Darwin's crew spotted the vessel on Wednesday and a boarding team discovered 46 sacks of heroin hidden among bags of cement.

HMAS Darwin's Commander Terry Morrison said the seizure removed a major source of funding for terrorist and criminal networks.

"The search tested the steel of Darwin's boarding parties who were working in difficult conditions throughout the night," he said in a statement.

Darwin is taking part in the UK-led Combined Task Force 150.

It's one of three multinational task forces conducting security and counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf region.

Coalition Maritime Force (CMF) director of operations, Australian Captain Craig Powell, said the heroin haul was the largest in the history of the CMF, with a street value of about $289 million.

Australian warships have destroyed large quantities of heroin, hashish and amphetamines during patrols off Africa in the past year.

Drugs are destroyed by dumping them in the sea, and crews of smuggling vessels are sent on their way.

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Tinkler named as ICAC witness

Mining magnate Nathan Tinkler has been named as a witness for the latest NSW corruption inquiry. Source: AAP

MINING baron Nathan Tinkler has been named as a witness in NSW's latest corruption inquiry.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will launch public hearings for Operation Spicer in Sydney on Monday, with Mr Tinkler due to enter the witness box on Friday.

There is no suggestion Mr Tinkler has acted corruptly.

Operation Spicer will investigate allegations that former NSW energy minister Christopher Hartcher, and others, corruptly solicited, received, and concealed payments in return for MPs favouring the interests of those responsible for the payments.

Mr Hartcher is now suspended from the NSW Liberal Party.

The allegations, which centre on a period between April 2009 and April 2012, also involve fellow suspended NSW Liberal MPs Darren Webber and Christopher Spence.

ICAC will also investigate allegations that NSW MPs, including Messrs Hartcher, Webber and Spence, solicited, received and failed to disclose political donations from companies, including prohibited donors, contrary to the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981.

Further allegations include whether the business Eightbyfive entered into agreements with a series of companies including Australian Water Holdings Pty Ltd (AWH), purportedly for media, public relations and other services, in return for Mr Hartcher favouring the interests of Eightbyfive.

Australian Water Holdings was at the centre of the most recent ICAC inquiry, which ended last week.

The then NSW premier, Barry O'Farrell, resigned after appearing as a witness at that inquiry after it emerged that he was sent a bottle of expensive wine by AWH chief executive Nicholas Di Girolamo.

AWH and some of its senior managers are alleged to have engaged in improper conduct, including passing on dubious expense claims to taxpayer-funded Sydney Water.

ICAC is due to report findings from its investigation into those allegations later this year.

ICAC Commissioner Megan Latham will oversee the Operation Spicer public hearings, which are expected to last about three weeks.

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Four WA boys jailed over man's death

FOUR teenagers convicted of unlawfully killing a 28-year-old man have each been sentenced to more than four years in detention, while the victim's mother has urged them to make a better future.

Tauri Litchfield was killed in Mandurah, south of Perth, in March last year after four boys, aged 15 and 16, assaulted and chased him until he tripped over a wall and hit his head.

In sentencing on Thursday, Children's Court president Denis Reynolds said the boy who punched Mr Litchfield - after he slapped the youth on the back of the head for trying to pickpocket him - wanted to show the older man that he was the boss.

"You likely felt demeaned (by the slap) in the presence of the group," Judge Reynolds said.

He said if the boy had not started and continued to pursue the confrontation, Mr Litchfield would still be alive.

Despite suggestions Mr Litchfield had been agitated after celebrating St Patrick's Day, Judge Reynolds found he did not engage in any unprovoked violence and was extremely fearful for his safety from the "pack" of youths when he tried to escape further assault.

People should be able to walk in public alone, and deterrence was important to prevent similar violence in the community, Judge Reynolds said.

Mr Litchfield's mother, Kerry Biggs, told the court she was broken by the loss of her son and would take the pain to her grave.

"I will carry his heart in my heart forever," she said.

Ms Biggs told the teenagers they could still change their lives.

"You have an opportunity to choose how to use the rest of your lives, to make a better future for your family, your community and your children," she said.

Ms Biggs said there were no words to describe the agony and anguish she felt.

"When you have your own children, then you will understand what you took from us," she said.

Judge Reynolds, who questioned the remorse of the troubled teenagers, said he hoped they would take note of Ms Biggs' comments in their rehabilitation.

Mr Litchfield's girlfriend, Lisa Emes, said in her victim impact statement that she screamed for him to wake up in hospital so she could see his blue eyes again.

The court heard that two of the boys did not have criminal records, but two others had violent records including one who was involved in an attempted group sex attack and another who threw a brick at a person's face.

Three teenagers were each sentenced to four-and-a-half years in detention, while the instigator was sentenced to five-and-a-half years behind bars.

Each boy has already been in custody for about a year and will be eligible for supervised release orders after serving half their sentences.

A fifth boy was acquitted of any crime against Mr Litchfield, while a charge against a sixth boy was dropped during the trial.

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No review of Michael Jackson doctor's case

The California Supreme Court has refused to review the conviction of Michael Jackson's doctor. Source: AAP

THE California Supreme Court has refused to review the involuntary manslaughter conviction of Michael Jackson's doctor, rejecting his lawyer's petition without comment.

The decision by the state's highest court on Wednesday was the latest stop on Dr Conrad Murray's legal odyssey. A state appeals court upheld his conviction earlier this year and then refused to reconsider its decision.

Lawyer Valerie Wass said Murray will take his fight to federal court. "We're greatly disappointed, but we intend to pursue this in federal court," Wass said.

She said she telephoned Murray with the news and, "He said, 'The fight is not over.' "

Authorities said Murray gave Jackson a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol in 2009 while the singer prepared for a series of comeback concerts.

Murray was convicted in 2011 and served two years in jail. He was released in October because of a change in California law requiring nonviolent offenders to serve their sentences in county jails and as a result of credits for good behaviour.

The six-week trial focused on Murray's care of Jackson, including nightly doses of propofol to help the entertainer sleep.

The earlier appellate court decision said, "The evidence demonstrated that Mr Jackson was a vulnerable victim and that (Murray) was in a position of trust, and that (Murray) violated the trust relationship by breaching standards of professional conduct in numerous respects."

Since his release, Murray has been travelling and spending time with family, "trying to get his life back together", Wass said.

The federal appeal she plans to file will focus on media coverage of the trial and exposure of the unsequestered jury to the internet, Wass said. Murray has maintained throughout his appeals that the jury should have been sequestered because of the flood of publicity surrounding the case.

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GM 1Q profit dragged down by recalls

GENERAL Motors has reported its worst quarterly performance in more than four years as the costs of a series of recalls dragged down earnings.

First-quarter profit fell 86 per cent to $US125 million ($A135.05 million).

The Detroit car maker took a $US1.3 billion charge for recalling about 7 million vehicles worldwide. GM also incurred $US300 million in restructuring costs, mostly in Europe. And it took another $US419 million charge due to a change in the way it values Venezuela's currency.

GM made 6 cents per share, down from 58 cents per share a year ago. The recall charge alone cut 48 cents off GM's first-quarter earnings.

Excluding one-time items, GM made 29 cents per share, far above Wall Street estimates of 3 cents per share.

It was a disappointing start to what many expected would be a strong year for GM. The US government, which bailed out the car maker five years ago, sold its remaining stake in the company at the end of last year, freeing GM of the "Government Motors" nickname.

In January, the company announced its first quarterly dividend in six years. And GM has rolled out multiple new models in recent months including high-profit pickup trucks and full-size SUVs.

But the recalls overshadowed the first quarter under the leadership of new CEO Mary Barra, the first woman to lead a major car maker.

In February, GM announced it would recall more than a million older small cars because the ignition switches can slip from "run" to "accessory" or "off," shutting down the engine.

That knocks out power steering and brakes and can cause drivers to lose control and crash. It also disables the air bags. Later, the recall was expanded to 2.6 million cars, and other recalls took the number to near 7 million.

GM admitted knowing about the problem at least a decade ago. Thirteen people have died in crashes linked to the problem, according to GM, although relatives of the victims say the death toll exceeds 30.

The financial results were GM's worst since late 2009, when it posted a $US4.4 billion loss for the five months after leaving bankruptcy protection.

Even so, the company's revenue for the quarter was strong. GM took in $US37.4 billion, up 1.3 per cent from the year-ago quarter and in line with analysts' estimates.

GM's global sales for the quarter rose 2.3 per cent to 2.42 million cars and trucks. China sales grew 13 per cent, and sales in Europe rose less than 1 per cent. But sales fell 2 per cent in North America, GM's most profitable region. Sales fell 10 per cent in South America.

The company's North America division earned $US600 million. Without the recall charge, it would have earned $US1.9 billion, up from $US1.4 billion a year ago. Sales in the region fell to 745,000 cars and trucks.

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Applications for US unemployment aid jump

THE number of people seeking US unemployment benefits surged 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 329,000 last week, though the gain likely reflected temporary layoffs in the week before Easter.

The US Labor Department says the four-week average of applications, a less volatile number, rose 4750 to 316,750. The four-week average fell two weeks ago to its lowest level since October 2007, two months before the recession began.

Applications can be volatile around Easter, because many school systems temporarily lay off bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other employees during spring break. Some of those workers file for unemployment benefits.

Despite the volatility, applications have generally been declining in recent months, a hopeful sign for the job market. Three weeks ago, applications fell to 301,000, the lowest level in nearly seven years.

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Thai navy to pursue Aussie journalist

THE Royal Thai Navy has rejected pleas by an Australian journalist to drop charges against him over an online website report alleging the involvement of naval personnel in human trafficking in Southern Thailand, calling the case an issue of "national security".

Alan Morison, originally from Melbourne, and Thai reporter, Chutima Sidasathien, were last week granted bail after being charged with criminal defamation and breaches of the Computer Crimes Act.

If found guilty they face jail terms of up to seven years.

Morison is editor of an on-line English language news service based in Phuket which last year republished portions of a Reuters report alleging Thai naval personnel involvement in the trafficking of ethnic Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

The case against Morison and Chutima has drawn support from human rights and media groups calling for the Thai Navy to withdraw the charges in the name of media freedom in Thailand.

Morison has claimed the case is aimed at shutting down the Phuketwan website over its reporting on the issue of the trafficking of Rohingya.

Many Rohingya have been forced to flee Myanmar, largely by boat, hoping to reach Malaysia.

But Third navy Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Tharathorn Khajitsuwan, claimed the case was a matter of national security.

Tharathorn told local media the navy would not allow anyone to go free after making false accusations.

Morison and Chutima had called on the Thai Navy to withdraw the case to coincide with the World Media Freedom Day on May 3.

Thailand's National Human Rights Commission has called a meeting of representatives from the navy and Phuket police to discuss the charges and clarify the lawsuit.

The Thomson Reuters journalists who originally reported on the allegation of human trafficking, Jason Szep and Andrew Marshall, were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.

The Thai navy is considering another lawsuit against Reuters over the same charges.

Morison and Chutima are due to appear in court on May 26.

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Greece reaches financial milestone

THE European Union says Greece has reached a major financial milestone that was required if it were to be granted more debt relief.

European Commission spokesman Simon O'Connor said on Wednesday that Greece's government revenues last year exceeded expenditure when interest payment and other items were excluded.

He says Greece's so-called primary budget surplus of 1.5 billion euros ($A2.23 billion) or 0.8 per cent of its annual gross domestic product, is "well ahead of the 2013 target."

Greece's international creditors have said a primary surplus will entitle Greece to further debt relief. Discussions are set to be concluded in the second half of the year.

Most analysts expect the eurozone to lower the interest rates Greece pays on its loans or be granted another extension on when they have to be repaid.

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Bieber sorry for Japan war shrine visit

Canadian singer Justin Bieber has apologised for visiting Japan's Yasukuni war shrine. Source: AAP

JUSTIN Bieber has apologised to those he offended by visiting Japan's Yasukuni war shrine this week, saying he was misled to see it as only a place of prayer.

The Shinto shrine in Tokyo honours 2.5 million war dead, including 14 convicted war criminals. China and South Korea in particular see Yasukuni as a symbol of Japan's past militarism and see visits to it as a lack of understanding or remorse over wartime history.

Two photos posted late on Tuesday and subsequently removed from Instagram showed Bieber praying outdoors at the shrine and standing beside a Shinto priest. The images outraged China as well as many commenters on Instagram and Twitter.

In a new Instagram post on Wednesday evening, Bieber said he asked his driver to stop when he saw the shrine.

"I was mislead to think the Shrines were only a place of prayer. To anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry," the post said.

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Special royal birthday for one in Adelaide

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have wished a local woman a happy 100th birthday in Adelaide. Source: AAP

IT was a royal visit focused on the young, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also made time for the young at heart during their stopover near Adelaide.

At the end of their two-and-a-half hour visit to Elizabeth, north of Adelaide, Kate and William took a moment to make 100-year-old Monica Swarbrick's day.

"The duke wished me a happy birthday," said Ms Swarbrick.

On a hot and sunny Wednesday in Elizabeth, Kate wore a dusty pink Alexander McQueen outfit, while William was in a navy suit and maroon tie.

Ann Hargreaves, 87, was one of the lucky few to speak with the duchess outside the civic centre.

"She (the duchess) said 'it's a lot warmer here than it is in England'," Ms Hargreaves, who was born in London the same year as the Queen, told reporters.

Maurice McCartney, 73, shared a moment with William as he greeted wellwishers.

"I said 'it's fantastic to meet you, and he said 'I've got to keep moving'," said Mr McCartney, who was sporting a Digger's slouch hat and a woollen Union Jack scarf.

On the youth-themed Adelaide stop, William and Kate visited a community music program and a nearby skateboard park, before heading to the Playford Civic Centre for their last engagement - an official reception with around 200 guests all aged under 30.

The royal pair were met with wild applause from thousands of fans lining Playford Avenue when they stepped out of the royal motorcade, about 12.30pm.

After unveiling a plaque renaming the forecourt of the civic centre Prince George Plaza - after their nine-month-old son - William and Kate entered the reception.

The couple split up inside to mingle with with local volunteers and students.

Maria Hull, 18, from Northern Connections community group, said the duke told her he had "played a didgeridoo before".

"He actually owns it, he has it at home," Ms Hull, from Salisbury, said.

"He said he really appreciates Aboriginal culture."

Zoe Stone, 23, was one of a group of volunteers from cancer support group Canteen to meet the duchess.

"I'm shaking after getting that opportunity to meet her," Ms Stone told AAP.

"I was nervous, but she was very lovely and she was very supportive of the organisation."

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Nepal officials deny sherpa exodus

NEPALESE mountaineering officials on Wednesday denied that sherpa guides on Mount Everest plan to abandon this year's climbing season out of respect for 16 colleagues killed in an avalanche last week.

The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), a national body representing tourism promoters, released a statement saying they had not received any confirmation regarding the abandonment) of the expeditions on Everest.

"Whatever the news disseminated in the media about the abandon(ment) of the expedition is false and does not hold any sense," the statement said.

Several guides and Western mountaineers said Tuesday that the sherpas held a meeting on Tuesday following an emotional remembrance ceremony at which they had agreed not to climb the peak this season.

Local guide Pasang Sherpa, part of the International Mountain Guides expedition at base camp, told AFP the sherpas still intend to sit out this season.

"We don't know what is happening in Kathmandu, but ... we don't want to go up the mountain this year," he said after the statement by the NMA.

The situation at base camp, described as tense by climbers there amid fears this year's season could be wrecked, remains highly fluid. Representatives of the sherpas are locked in talks with the government in Kathmandu.

The government, expected to earn at least $US3 million ($A3.21 million) this year from Everest climbing fees alone, is eager to protect Nepal's reputation as one of the world's leading mountaineering destination.

Before the walkout threat on Tuesday, the sherpas had made a series of demands including higher compensation for the dead and injured, an agreement to raise insurance payments and a welfare fund.

Last Friday's avalanche struck a party of sherpas preparing routes for commercial climbers up the mountain, killing 13 and leaving three missing in the most deadly day on the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak.

The government has offered to set up a relief fund for injured guides using up to five per cent of fees paid by climbers, while increasing life insurance payments by 50 per cent.

The amounts fall short of demands by the sherpas who want 30 per cent of climbers' fees to be earmarked for the fund and life insurance payments, set at $US10,000 ($A10,711.80), to be doubled.

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Mourners arrive for Peaches Geldof funeral

MOURNERS have started to arrive ahead of the funeral of Peaches Geldof as a host of celebrities prepare to say farewell to the television presenter and model.

Bob Geldof is expected to lead tributes to his daughter later on Monday at the same church where the funeral of her mother, Paula Yates, was held.

Musician and television personality Jools Holland was among the first to arrive at St Mary Magdalene and St Lawrence church in the village of Davington, near Faversham in Kent.

Dozens of locals also looked on as cars began to arrive outside the church, which is where the 25-year-old socialite married musician Tom Cohen, the father of her children, in 2012.

The funeral of TV presenter Yates was held there after she died from an accidental heroin overdose in 2000, aged 41.

Bono and Annie Lennox are expected to be among the mourners who will attend the funeral, according to reports.

The Geldof family have said the service will be held in private.

Mystery still surrounds the sudden death of Geldof on April 7.

Her body was found at the home she shared with her husband and their two young sons, Astala, 23 months, and 11-month-old Phaedra, in Kent, after officers were called "following a report of concern for the welfare of a woman".

Former Boomtown Rats singer Geldof paid tribute to his daughter alongside his partner Jeanne Marine and Peaches' sisters Fifi Trixibelle, Pixie and Tiger, saying she was the "wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us".

Kent Police said it was being treated as a "non-suspicious, unexplained sudden death".

An inquest is not expected to be opened until after the results of toxicology tests are known.

Cars carrying flowers for the funeral arrived outside the church, which is next to Sir Bob's Davington Priory country estate, where Peaches grew up.

There were bouquets and cards left by well-wishers outside the entrance to the property's driveway.

Peaches' ashes are expected to be scattered in the estate's garden, where she played as a child, according to reports.

Written in chalk on the church's wall, a message read "RIP Peaches".

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NSW police breath-test 60,000 during blitz

ALMOST 60,000 people have been breath tested by NSW police who have issued more than 2000 traffic fines and charged 58 motorists with drink driving during the Easter road blitz.

They've handed out 910 speeding notices and another 1,500 tickets for other offences since Operation Tortoise began on Friday.

On Sunday afternoon, a 25-year-old man was breath tested after Deniliquin police saw him swerve onto the wrong side of the road.

He allegedly blew 0.261, more than five times the limit, and was charged with high-range drink driving and is due before Finlay Local Court in June.

A 19-year-old woman was on Sunday morning charged after being caught behind the wheel with an alleged blood-alcohol concentration of 0.163.

She also caught the attention of police while driving down the wrong side of a Cronulla road.

In the early hours of Monday morning a man, 24, was allegedly clocked speeding through a 80km/h zone at 140 km/h.

"The driver was issued a traffic infringement notice for exceeding speed by more than 45km/h and his licence was suspended for a period of six months," police said.

Traffic and highway patrol's commander Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said it's disappointing people were drink-driving despite consistent warnings from police.

"If you're going out to have a drink you need to find another way home, driving is simply not an option," he said.

Despite the heavy traffic only two people have died, down from three during Easter last year.

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More than 400 charges in Operation Unite

MORE than 400 charges have been laid for assaults and drink driving offences in Western Australia during the eighth Operation Unite targeting alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.

Total statistics from Thursday to Sunday night included 433 charges, 165 arrests and 200 summons.

They include 21 assaults, as well as 15 people caught driving under the influence, 43 people in excess of 0.08 per cent, 12 people in excess of 0.05 per cent and two people in excess of 0.02 per cent.

Specialist squads made up of officers from the Liquor Enforcement Unit and the Regional Operations Group joined the operation in WA for the first time.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said last week that the excessive consumption of alcohol was still the most significant factor contributing to night-time violence.

Operation Unite is not about restricting people from having a good time, it is about continuing to raise community awareness about the dangers of determined drunkenness and the impact it has on others, he said.

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Halliburton posts $US622m Q1 net income

HALLIBURTON says it was profitable in the first-quarter after reporting a loss for the period a year ago.

Its latest results topped Wall Street expectations, and its shares edged up in premarket trading on Monday.

The Houston-based company reported net income of $US622 million ($A665.92 million), or 73 US cents per share. Revenue rose 5 per cent to $US7.35 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected 72 US cents per share on revenue of $US7.26 billion.

A year ago, the company reported a net loss of $US18 million, or 2 US cents per share on revenue of $US6.97 billion. That included a charge for setting aside money for litigation over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Without the charge, its adjusted profit was 67 US cents per share a year ago.

Halliburton shares rose 45 US cents to $US61.35 in premarket trading.

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Mickey Rooney laid to rest in California

Hollywood veteran Mickey Rooney has been laid to rest at a private funeral in California. Source: AAP

MICKEY Rooney has been laid to rest at a private funeral in California.

Family and friends of the Breakfast at Tiffany's star bid farewell to the beloved actor at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Saturday, following a memorial service on Friday.

The funeral comes a week after Rooney's conservator and attorney Michael Augustine, and Rooney's estranged wife, Janice Rooney, debated on where to hold the send-off. The two parties eventually settled on the popular site, where other Hollywood legends are buried.

Rooney, 93, died on April 6.

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Rush to play composer Lionel Bart

GEOFFREY Rush has reportedly signed up to star in a movie musical based on the life of celebrated Oliver! composer Lionel Bart.

The Australian star will portray the music maestro, who created the score and lyrics for the hit Oliver Twist stage show, in a new film by director Vadim Jean, according to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper.

The movie will feature some of Bart's most famous works and tell the story of his rise to fame.

Jean says: "It's a full-blown musical, and we're using versions of his songs in ways that you've never heard before ... The idea is to place the songs - some very well-known, others less so - into situations that help tell his story."

Rush will play Bart in his later years.

During his career, Bart also wrote a number of hit pop songs, including Sir Cliff Richard's Living Doll and the theme song for 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. He died in 1999 aged 68.

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Online lover kills woman after meeting her

A 22-YEAR-OLD man shot dead a woman he had befriended online and then shot himself after discovering she had misled him about her age and marital status, police in India say.

Vineet Singh, an unemployed man living in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh state, and Jyoti Kori, 45, a housewife in the central Indian town of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh apparently had a two-year romance on Facebook without ever having met in person, said Jabalpur superintendent of police Hari Mishra on Sunday.

Singh set up a first meeting with Kori in Jabalpur on Friday, and upon discovering that she was not 21 as she had claimed and that she was married with three children, he shot her.

After shooting and wounding himself, Singh sought help and was taken to hospital where he died.

Investigations were ongoing, Mishra said.

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Queen's portrait by David Bailey released

A PORTRAIT of the Queen by the renowned British photographer David Bailey has been released to mark her 88th birthday.

The photograph of the monarch, smiling, was taken at Buckingham Palace in March and commissioned on behalf of the UK government's GREAT Britain campaign.

The image will be used in activity to support the campaign, which aims to generate jobs and growth through highlighting Britain as a world-class destination for trade, tourism, investment and education.

The Queen is wearing pearls and a dress by Angela Kelly, who has served as personal assistant and senior dresser to her since 2002.

A Buckingham Palace source said: "Bailey's name was suggested by Number 10 and the GREAT campaign and the Queen agreed. The Queen agreed to sit for it in recognition of the work of the GREAT campaign."

Bailey said: "I've always been a huge fan of the Queen. She has very kind eyes with a mischievous glint. I've always liked strong women and she is a very strong woman."

It is hoped that the image will encourage overseas visitors to experience Britain's royal heritage. Britain's monarchy, including royal heritage and property, is one of the biggest drivers of tourism into the UK, generating an estimated STG500 million ($A901.47 million) per year from overseas tourism spend.

The campaign has delivered economic returns worth more than STG500 million to the economy with a further STG600 million to STG800 million of returns forecast for 2013-14.

It is the government's most ambitious international marketing campaign and showcases the best of what Britain has to offer in order to encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the UK.

The initiative was launched by the Prime Minister David Cameron in September 2011 and is a global campaign, deployed by Britain's diplomatic posts in 144 countries around the world.

Bailey, 76, has photographed an extraordinary range of subjects over more than half a century - actors, writers, musicians, filmmakers, designers, models, artists and people encountered on his travels.

The Queen's birthday falls on Monday.

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Ten die over Easter on Aussie roads

A man has died after a car ran over him while he was lying on a Melbourne road. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S Easter road toll has climbed to 10 following two deaths in Queensland and one in Victoria on Sunday.

A man lying on the road was Victoria's first fatality during the reporting period.

A car ran over him while he was lying on Canterbury Rd in Box Hill at 12.20am on Easter Sunday, police said.

The man, in his 20s, died at the scene while two people in the car were uninjured.

Police are investigating how the man came to be lying on the road.

Queensland had its third road fatality when a 43-year-old woman motorcyclist died after a crash in the Townsville suburb of Kirwan.

Police say the woman's motorbike collided with a car at the intersection of Thuringowah Drive and Burna Street about 5.15pm.

She was taken to Townsville Hospital and later died. The car driver was uninjured.

Earlier on Sunday, a man died after his car hit a pole.

Police say the man's car crossed to the wrong side of Wembley Road in Logan in the early hours of Sunday, hitting a light pole before coming to rest in bushland. The man, in his 50s, died at the scene.

On Thursday, a 67-year-old woman died on the way to hospital after she was hit by a station wagon while crossing the road in the town of Beaudesert, south of Brisbane.

The deaths follow tragedies in NSW, Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland over the holiday period.

Three of the fatalities were on WA roads and involved young men aged between 17 and 20.

(EDS: The Easter road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 17 to 2359 April 21)

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Malaysia discusses aid for relatives

A SENIOR Malaysian official has met with relatives of people aboard a missing jetliner to discuss financial aid, as the search entered the 44th day without positive results.

Hamzah Zainuddin, deputy minister for foreign affairs, said the relatives present during the meeting on Sunday in the capital of Kuala Lumpur agreed to submit individual proposals for a financial assistance package.

"We touched on the topic of financial assistance in the meeting this morning, and (the relatives) have decided that they will propose a plan for financial assistance, which will be emailed to us as soon as possible," he said in a statement.

Hamzah, who also the chairman of a committee in charge of dealing with the next of kin, said his team has met with embassies of countries whose citizens were among those aboard the missing plane.

Hamzah said he assigned an emissary to meet with Chinese government officials, whose citizens comprised two-thirds of the 239 people aboard the missing plane, to discuss ways and means to assist the next of kin of passengers from China.

He added he would be going to Beijing soon to meet Chinese officials, to ensure that relations between Malaysia and China "will continue to be strong and unaffected by the MH370 issue".

The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines jetliner went missing without a trace about an hour after it took off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8. Malaysia Airlines is a state-run company.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the disappearance of the plane appeared to be a deliberate act and the aircraft was believed to have been lost in the Indian Ocean.

The Australian-led Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC), which coordinates the search operations, said on Sunday the submersible drone Bluefin-21 has completed its seventh underwater mission with "no contacts of interest have been found".

"Bluefin-21 has searched approximately 50 per cent of the focused underwater search area to date," the JACC said in a statement.

Aside from Bluefin-21, up to 11 military aircraft and 12 ships assisted in the search for the missing aircraft.

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