5,000 have fled Philippines unrest

ALMOST 5,000 Filipinos have fled the Malaysian state of Sabah since security forces launched an offensive to root out Islamic invaders loyal to an obscure Philippine sultan, a government agency says.

The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Saturday it had recorded 4,983 adults and children who had arrived in the south of the archipelago after fleeing Sabah due to the ongoing fighting.

Paslur Abdullah, executive director of the government centre in charge of caring for the new arrivals, said the total was likely to be higher as many would have returned without registering.

"They arrive on small vessels. Some of them disembark without registering and they are met by relatives. We cannot detain them," he said, adding that it was not know if any of the invaders were among those fleeing.

The Filipinos began arriving in early March after clashes broke out between Malaysian forces and followers of the self-declared Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III who claims Sabah as his territory.

Some 200 followers of Kiram, some of them armed, arrived in Sabah in February in an attempt to claim the Malaysian state for the sultanate, reviving a centuries-old territorial row.

The incursion and a Malaysian counter-assault has left more than 60 militants dead along with 10 security personnel, according to Malaysian authorities, and strained relations with Manila.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino has previously expressed concern that the unrest in Sabah might displace the estimated 800,000 Filipinos working there.

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Mandela spends third day in hospital

Nelson Mandela spent his third day in hospital after making "steady progress". Source: AAP

NELSON Mandela was on Saturday spending his third day in hospital after making "steady progress" for a recurring lung infection, the latest health scare for the nonagenarian anti-apartheid icon.

Messages of concern for the ailing 94-year-old, one of the towering figures of modern history, have poured in since his admission late Wednesday and President Jacob Zuma's spokesman gave an upbeat report on Friday.

"He was in good spirits, he had a full breakfast, and the doctors report that he's making steady progress," said Mac Maharaj.

"He sat up and had his breakfast in bed."

There was no update yet on Saturday from Mandela's doctors on his condition or details on how long he would remain at the undisclosed hospital, he said.

Mandela's recent health troubles have triggered an outpouring of prayers but have also seen South Africans come to terms with the mortality of the revered Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The former president is idolised in his home nation, where he is seen as the architect of South Africa's peaceful transition from white-minority ruled police state to hope-filled democracy.

Nearly 20 years after he came to power in 1994, he remains a unifying symbol in a country still riven by racial tensions and deep inequality.

It is the second time this month that he has been admitted to hospital, after spending a night for check-ups on March 9.

That followed a nearly three-week hospital stay in December, when Mandela was treated for another lung infection and underwent gallstone surgery.

He was diagnosed with early-stage tuberculosis in 1988 during his 27 years in prison under the apartheid regime and has long had problems with his lungs. He has also had treatment for prostate cancer and has suffered stomach ailments.

Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela told public broadcaster SABC that "Tata (father) is doing well".

"He's responding very well to treatment," said Madikizela-Mandela, who attended a Friday church service in Soweto where the congregation prayed for Mandela.

But officials said doctors' reports of Mandela's steady progress should be taken in context.

"Yes, indeed it is good news but we need to be cautious, bear in mind his age," said presidential spokesman Maharaj, who was a political prisoner with Mandela at Robben Island jail off the coast of Cape Town.

The name and location of the hospital where Mandela is being treated have not been disclosed to allow his medical team to focus on their work and to shield the family from the intense media interest.

In the past he has been hospitalised at a clinic in Pretoria.

Away from the public eye, Mandela has grown increasingly frail.

His December hospital stay was his longest since he walked free from jail in 1990.

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Karzai in Qatar to discuss Taliban office

AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai travelled to Qatar on Saturday to discuss Taliban militants opening an office in the Gulf state for peace talks that could end more than a decade of war, his office said.

Until earlier this year, Karzai was strongly opposed to the Islamist extremists having a meeting venue outside Afghanistan as he feared that his government would be frozen out of any negotiations.

The militants refuse to have direct contact with Karzai, saying he is a puppet of the United States, which has supported his rise to power after the military operation to oust the Taliban in 2001.

But, with NATO-led combat troops due to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, Karzai agreed to the proposed Taliban office in Qatar and is expected to firm up the plan with the emir of Qatar on Sunday.

Any future peace talks still face numerous hurdles before they begin, including confusion over who would represent the Taliban and Karzai's insistence that his appointees are at the centre of negotiations.

"We will discuss the peace process, of course, and the opening of an office for the Taliban in Qatar," presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said before Karzai left Kabul with several senior members of his government.

"If we want to have talks to bring peace to Afghanistan, the main side must be the Afghan government's representatives -- the High Peace Council, which has members from all the country's ethnic and political backgrounds."

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Pope to celebrate first Easter vigil

Pope Francis has prayed for peace in the Middle East and stronger Christian-Muslim dialogue. Source: AAP

POPE Francis is to celebrate his first Easter vigil on Saturday after praying for peace in the Middle East and stronger Christian-Muslim dialogue at a torch-lit ceremony for Good Friday.

The newly-elected Argentine Pope will preside over a mass at St Peter's Basilica, baptising four adult converts to Catholicism - an Albanian, an Italian, a Russian and a US national.

The ceremony will wrap up a series of intensive preparations leading up to Easter Sunday - the holiest day in the Christian calendar - by the first non-European Pope in nearly 1,300 years.

Tens of thousands of people are expected at mass on Sunday when the pope will issue a special blessing from the same balcony of St Peter's Basilica where he appeared on the night of his election.

Francis marked Good Friday with a traditional ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome, presiding over the re-enactment of Jesus Christ's last hours.

"Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the cross upon themselves as Jesus did," said Francis, who followed the ceremony from under a canopy overlooking the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre.

The Pope also referred to a visit to Lebanon last year by Benedict, who stunned Catholic followers by resigning last month at the age of 85 saying he was too weak mentally and physically to continue.

"We saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and so many others," the 76-year-old Pope said.

At the Colosseum ceremony in Rome, prayers read out during the ceremony were written by a group of Lebanese young people who voiced hope for a Middle East "torn apart by injustice and conflicts".

The Vatican has voiced concern over the fate of Christian minorities in many parts of the Middle East and the rise of radical Islam, as well as calling for an end to conflict in the region.

Francis began the Easter season on Holy Thursday by washing the feet of 12 young prisoners including two Muslim inmates - in an unprecedented new take on an ancient pre-Easter ritual.

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Suicide bomber kills 10 in Pakistan

A suicide bomber has targeted a senior Pakistani police commander in Peshawar, killing six people. Source: AAP

A SUICIDE bomber on Friday targeted a senior Pakistani police commander near the US consulate in Peshawar, killing at least 10 people, including two women, officials said.

It was the latest in a string of attacks as the country prepares to hold historic elections on May 11. The vote will mark the first democratic transition of power in Pakistan, which has been governed by four military rulers.

A security official said Abdul Majeed Marwat, commander of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, survived the attack and was taken to a military hospital with "only scratches".

Around 28 other people were wounded in the blast, medics said.

"It was a suicide attack, the target was the FC commander," police official Arshad Khan told AFP.

Witnesses said the bomber was on foot and blew himself up when the convoy of the police chief stopped at a military checkpost in the busy cantonment area of Peshawar.

The checkpost is about 300 metres from the heavily guarded American consulate, which has itself been the target of attacks in the past, an AFP reporter said.

"We have received six dead bodies, including two women. Eleven people were also injured," Sayed Jameel Shah, a spokesman for Peshawar's main Lady Reading Hospital, told AFP.

Another four bodies and 17 other wounded were taken to the Combined Military Hospital, a senior security official told AFP.

Among the dead were two soldiers and one member of the FC, while the wounded were a mixture of civilians and military personnel, officials said.

The blast damaged two motorcycles and four cars, including Marwat's vehicle. Splashes of blood lay on the ground and an AFP reporter saw a pair of legs, presumed to be that of the bomber.

Umar Din, 21, a rickshaw driver, said the force of the explosion flipped his rickshaw onto the ground.

"I came out and saw my passenger bleeding," he told AFP. "I picked up the passenger on my shoulder and ran to a safer place, it was horrible, people were bleeding and crying," he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Pakistani police, soldiers and paramilitary units are frequently targeted by domestic Taliban, who have been fighting an insurgency since July 2007.

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Mandela spends second day in hospital

South Africa's Nelson Mandela is said to be responding positively to treatment for a lung infection. Source: AAP

NELSON Mandela was spending a second day in hospital Friday after responding positively to treatment for a lung infection, the latest health scare for the revered anti-apartheid icon.

South African presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said there was no update on the condition of the frail 94-year-old, who was admitted to hospital just before midnight on Wednesday.

President Jacob Zuma sought Thursday to reassure South Africans that Mandela was in good hands as his doctors reported some progress in his treatment.

"The country must not panic, Madiba is fine," Zuma told the BBC, referring to South Africa's first black president by his clan name.

"The doctors advise that former president Nelson Mandela is responding positively to the treatment he is undergoing for a recurring lung infection," Zuma's office said in a short statement Thursday.

The Nobel peace laureate was conscious when he was admitted, Maharaj, who was in prison with Mandela on Robben Island, had told AFP.

It is the second time this month that Mandela has been admitted to hospital, after spending a night for checkups on March 9.

That followed a nearly three-week hospital stay in December.

"In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about," Zuma said.

Mandela is idolised in his home nation, where he is seen as the architect of the country's peaceful transition from a white-minority ruled police state to hope-filled democracy.

Nearly 20 years after he came to power in 1994 he remains a unifying symbol in a country still riven by racial tensions and deep inequality.

While Mandela the symbol bestrides South African politics, the man has long since exited the political stage and for the country's large young population he is a figure from another era.

He has not appeared in public since South Africa's football World Cup final in 2010, six years after retiring from public life.

Still, his nearly life-long struggle against apartheid resonates.

"We are deeply concerned with Nelson Mandela's health - he is a hero, I think, to all of us," US President Barack Obama said.

"When we think of a single individual that embodies the kind of leadership qualities that I think we all aspire to, the person's name that comes up is Nelson Mandela. So we wish him all the very best," Obama added.

"He is as strong physically as he has been in character and in leadership over so many decades. Hopefully he will come out of this latest challenge."

The name and location of the hospital where Mandela is being treated were not disclosed, to allow the medical team to focus on their work and to shield the family from the intense media interest.

"We know they are going through a difficult time and we want to ensure that their privacy is maintained," said Maharaj.

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China orders stepped-up scrutiny on Apple

APPLE is to face "strengthened supervision" from China's consumer watchdogs, state media reported Friday, as the US computer giant is hit by a barrage of negative publicity and court cases in the country.

China is Apple's second-biggest market, and its iPhones and other products -- many of them made in the country -- are highly popular, although it faces fierce competition from South Korea's Samsung.

State media have carried a series of attacks against Apple, with the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official mouthpiece, running critical items for five consecutive days over alleged double standards in customer service and returns policies.

Apple has denied those accusations in statements to Chinese media but the condemnations have continued unabated, with the newspaper urging consumers to "strike away Apple's unparalleled arrogance" in one of its commentaries.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) has asked trading standards bodies across the country to step up "contract supervision" on electronics manufacturers "such as Apple", the People's Daily said Friday.

"Local governments are required to... investigate and punish illegal activities in accordance with the law," it quoted the SAIC as saying in an official note.

An SAIC spokesman who declined to be named confirmed the existence of the document to AFP but declined to disclose details.

The People's Daily articles follow reports on state broadcaster CCTV, but users of China's Twitter-like weibos have been split, with some backing Apple and saying state-owned Chinese firms deserved more criticism for poor service.

Speculation has mounted that it is an organised campaign, and columnist and microblogger Lian Peng said he bought a new iPad Friday "on purpose" and will "seriously consider buying an iPhone 5".

"I don't fancy electronic items. But I feel embarrassed if I don't purchase after seeing the bombardment of advertising jointly staged by CCTV and the People's Daily," he wrote.

Kai-Fu Lee compared current events to 2009, when he was the head of Google China and the US search engine firm suffered state media potshots followed by official penalties.

Google effectively shut down its Chinese search engine in 2010 after months of tensions with the government over censorship, and now sends mainland users to its uncensored site in Hong Kong.

But any underlying motive behind the attacks against Apple remains unclear.

China and the US are embroiled in a series of rows over technology and cybersecurity.

No-one from Apple's China office was available for comment on Friday.

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More victims feared in Vic wall collapse

Police are calling for witnesses to a wall collapse on Melbourne's Swanston Street. Source: AAP

A TEENAGER sacrificed his own life by falling on his sister to try and save her when a wall collapsed on them in a Melbourne street, it's been reported.

Students Alexander and Bridget Jones were walking on Swanston Street in Carlton on Thursday when a section of brick wall collapsed on them.

Alexander, 19, was killed, while Bridget, 18, suffered critical injuries and is fighting for her life in hospital.

A man who cared for Bridget until the ambulance arrived told the Nine Network he believes Alexander's actions saved his sister's life.

"I personally believe that the young man who fell on her and subsequently died is the reason why the young lady is still alive," he said.

The Jones family have told the Nine Network they believe Alexander sacrificed his own life when put himself in harm's way to save his sister.

Alexander is a former Montmorency Secondary College school captain who spoke of becoming Prime Minister, according to reports.

Bridget has undergone surgery and remains in a critical condition in the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Police believe there are more victims of the deadly wall collapse who had fled the scene out of fear before receiving treatment.

The wall collapsed as winds of up to 115km/h swept through the city.

North Melbourne resident Very Impressive, who changed his name by deed poll in 1992, said he rushed to help clear bricks after he heard the "almighty crash".

Mr Impressive said he used his jacket to Bridget warm her warm and spoke to her to try and keep her calm and aware of what was going on.

"We got more of the wall off them and we discovered there was a young man fallen against the young woman," he said.

Detective Senior Constable Brooke Manley said police want to speak to anyone who was injured in the incident, helped with the rescue or who saw it happen, including passengers on passing trams or people who recorded video footage.

"Our advice from the fire brigade is that there were other people injured," Det Manley said.

"Those people have left the scene through fear of remaining, being that they weren't entirely sure what the incident was, whether it was a wall collapsing or something on a larger scale."

Premier Denis Napthine said Planning Minister Matthew Guy would work with the building commission to examine similar walls around the state.

"It's been a free-standing wall for some time and we need to just make sure those sort of walls that are around Melbourne, around Victoria, are secure and safe," said Dr Napthine.

"This was a terrible, terrible, tragedy and we need to do everything we can to make sure it never happens again."

Eyewitnesses said a swarm of people desperately dug through bricks and rubble to help those trapped beneath when the wall collapsed about 3pm (AEDT).

The collapse occurred at the old Carlton & United brewery site, which is now a vacant building lot owned by construction company Grocon.

The company said there was no construction work under way.

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Newman backflips on Cape York reforms

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has backflipped on indigenous welfare reforms in Cape York. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman has backflipped on a decision to end indigenous welfare reform trials in Cape York.

Earlier this week Mr Newman said the state couldn't justify the cost of the program, even though it had been successful, and wouldn't fund it after 2013.

He insisted he wasn't abandoning the scheme, which has received about $100 million from the federal and Queensland governments.

He wanted a wider, more cost-effective rollout.

The trials have run since 2008 in four indigenous communities - Coen, Aurukun, Mossman Gorge and Hope Vale.

Part of the trial sees welfare payments withheld from parents who don't make decisions in the best interests of their children.

The premier's office issued a brief statement on Thursday afternoon to say the Cabinet Budget Review Committee had met and decided that it would spend another $5.65 million to extend the trial.

"We will continue to work with all indigenous communities to improve social outcomes," Mr Newman said in the statement.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who was in Brisbane on Thursday, said he wanted to see the reforms expanded to communities across the country.

"I'm happy to work constructively with all levels of government to make sure this happens," he said.

An independent report on the reforms, released on Thursday, said positive changes in education and social behaviour had been seen in the trial communities.

But gains in housing and economic development had been limited.

School attendance jumped - from four per cent below the rate in similar communities in 2008, to six per cent above it in 2011.

But keeping students in high school remained a significant challenge, the report said.

Residents say they're working towards becoming better parents and managing their money better to meet the needs of their families.

"Compared to three years ago, children are happier, more active and eating healthier food," the report said.

"Life is on the way up generally."

Progress was being made to remove legal and financial barriers to indigenous home ownership.

The reforms had also led to the creation of 220 jobs but had had a limited impact on the number of residents dependent on welfare.

The report concluded there could be no quick fix to challenges that were decades in the making.

"However, the trial of welfare reform points to a level of progress that has rarely been evident in previous reform programs."

The trial was supposed to end last year but was extended to December 2013 after the federal government kicked in $11.8 million.

In total, about $100 million has been spent on the reforms by federal and state governments.

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Santos 'committed' to CSG rules

SANTOS says it's committed to environmental protection in the state's north amid claims the oil and gas company is exploiting the NSW government's "piecemeal approach" to CSG waste water regulations.

The Wilderness Society says Santos has been allowed to build two "dams" in the Pilliga forest in northern NSW, which would store chemical-laden water involved in CSG fracking.

The dams, which have a capacity of 600 million litres and will contain poisonous arsenic, lead, chromium, salts and petrochemicals, could overflow into creeks that run to the Namoi River, which feeds the Murray-Darling, the Wilderness Society says.

It says no plans have been developed to deal with a possible overflow of the "dams", despite Santos expecting to begin drilling at the site this year.

Wilderness society campaign manager Naomi Hogan told AAP on Thursday that the construction of the "dams" shows Santos is taking advantage of the state government's "piecemeal approach" to CSG waste water regulations.

"The arsenic and heavy metals in the water would certainly cause danger to any species that were to drink that water, any vegetation," she told AAP.

In a statement, Santos said it had "committed to the community that we will operate at a high standard", and would be building a new water treatment plant in the area.

"This will be the best solution from a long term environmental perspective and is a major component of our Pilliga rehabilitation", said Sam Crafter, Santos community and government relations manager.

"Investing in new purpose built facilities is the best way to ensure that the local environment is protected, and the Pilliga Forest is rehabilitated."

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