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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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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Woolworths investigates deadly mushrooms

WOOLWORTHS has advised any customers who may be feeling ill after recently buying mushrooms from an ACT supermarket to seek immediate medical attention following a possible Death Cap mushroom poisoning.

ACT Health is investigating three cases of possible poisoning by Death Cap mushrooms which may have been purchased from a Woolworths in the suburb of Dickson.

Three patients from the same household attended Canberra's Calvary Hospital in the last 48 hours with symptoms of Death Cap mushroom poisoning.

"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 night, Woolworths advised that customers who feel ill to follow ACT Health's recommendations and seek immediate medical attention.

ACT Health also advised people who bought mushrooms from Woolworths Dickson around April 17 to throw them away 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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New generation of Anzacs remembered

OVERSEEING Australian army operations in Afghanistan and other dangerous places, Lieutenant General Ash Power knows first-hand the ongoing, devastating consequences of war.

In his time as Chief of Joint Operations, 18 Australian soldiers have died in Afghanistan with many others wounded.

General Power will lead the Call to Remembrance at the Anzac Day dawn service in Villers-Bretonneux in France on Friday and, like so many, he has a close personal connection to the area.

His grandfather Hab Power fought on the Western Front in World War I and General Power said Anzac Day was a time to honour diggers past and present.

"If you look back to attrition warfare, the trench warfare of the First World War, thank heavens we've moved a long way from that," General Power told AAP on Thursday.

"But it's still traumatic, and each of these people we lose is a human being.

"Each of them have mums and dads, brothers and sisters, some have their own kids and the loss is significant for each of those families.

"Thankfully the scale has changed but it is a time to not only remember those remarkable generations of the two world wars but to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by so many up to today."

This is the first Anzac Day since Australia started pulling out of Afghanistan, where 40 Australian solders have died since 2001.

But General Power said the Australian Defence Force would remain busy and Australians continued to risk their lives every day in minor operations at places such as Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula and South Sudan.

General Power has also overseen the ADF's role in the search for the missing plane MH370, a task he will resume after Anzac Day.

He admitted he wasn't optimistic that an end to the search was in sight.

"The Indian Ocean is huge and if someone's done this deliberately to try and hide it, it's probably the best place on the surface of the earth to do it," he said.

"It's really remote and very difficult. There's not much going for us but we'll continue to work at it for a little while yet."

Foreign minister Julie Bishop will also attend Friday's ceremony in France.

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Heineken returns to growth in Europe

Brewer Heineken has returned to growth in its crucial Western Europe market in the first quarter. Source: AAP

HEINEKEN says it has returned to growth in its crucial Western Europe market in the first quarter, after a long period of stagnation.

Organic sales - a figure which strips out the effects of currencies and acquisitions - grew by 3.4 per cent.

However, the Dutch-based brewer's reported sales fell because of the strong euro and because its Eastern European sales shrank. Earnings were lower because of one-off gains in the same period a year ago.

Net profit was 143 million euros ($A214.25 million), against 227 million euros a year ago. Sales fell 2.6 per cent to 4.08 billion euros.

Heineken said that like-for-like sales in Western Europe, where it is the largest brewer, were up 1.8 per cent to 1.51 billion euros.

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Rudd's batts evidence must yield answers

Former PM Kevin Rudd will appear at a royal commission into Labor's home insulation program. Source: AAP

THE relatives of four men who died installing insulation deserve answers, not apologies, from former prime minister Kevin Rudd when he fronts an inquiry, a lawyer says.

Mr Rudd will take the witness stand at the royal commission into Labor's home insulation program on Wednesday, May 14.

The bungled stimulus scheme has been blamed for the deaths of Queenslanders Rueben Barnes, Matthew Fuller and Mitchell Sweeney, and Marcus Wilson from NSW.

Lawyer Bill Potts is representing Rueben's father Murray who simply wants the former government to take responsibility for its actions.

"Rueben's father wants to know where the buck stops," Mr Potts told AAP.

"Does it stop at the PM's desk?"

Mr Rudd apologised for the three Queensland fatalities in July last year after a coroner found the scheme's rushed rollout was a significant factor in their deaths.

Mr Potts said apologies were easy to make and the families deserved concrete answers from the $20 million royal commission.

"It's not just crocodile tears we're after."

Former environment minister Peter Garrett, put in charge of the scheme, will give evidence the day before Mr Rudd, according to a witness list released on Thursday.

Former Labor senator Mark Arbib, who was charged with coordinating government stimulus programs, will appear on May 12.

The relatives of the men who died will be permitted to address the inquiry the day after Mr Rudd's appearance.

Mr Rudd will be represented by leading defence barrister Bret Walker, SC, and is expected to be pressed about the scheme's rushed rollout, including revelations two public servants were given two days to cost it.

He may also be questioned over the program's lack of installer training and what safety warnings he received before its July 1 2009 rollout.

The royal commission before Ian Hanger, QC, resumes in Brisbane on May 1.

It's expected to wind up on May 16, after former Labor frontbencher Greg Combet gives his evidence.

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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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Brisbane's southside on measles alert

Brisbane's southside is on measles alert after a man was diagnosed with the infectious disease. Source: AAP

BRISBANE'S southside is on measles alert after a man was diagnosed with the highly infectious disease.

It's likely he was infectious when he visited the Underwood Marketplace shopping centre between 9am and 11.30am last Thursday, health authorities say.

Public health physician Dr Kari Jarvinen says people who were at the shopping centre around that time should immediately contact their GPs.

Residents in Logan and Brisbane's southside should be particularly vigilant for symptoms, he said.

A red, spotty rash and other measles symptoms, including a fever, cough and runny nose, usually appear 10 days after infection.

Dr Jarvinen said that given the large numbers of people potentially exposed to the latest infection, further measles cases could emerge in Brisbane over the next few weeks.

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Tasers rolled out across country Victoria

Officers in all 24-hour police stations in regional Victoria will be given Taser stun guns. Source: AAP

HUNDREDS of Tasers will be rolled out in police stations across regional Victoria following a trial of the stun guns.

Officers in all 24-hour stations in country Victoria will get Tasers after police trialled the devices in six major regional centres.

Deputy Commissioner for Regional Operations Tim Cartwright said police were still taking a "softly softly" approach to Tasers given community concerns about their use.

Mr Cartwright said officers had drawn Tasers about 60 times but only fired them on seven occasions during the trials over the last four years.

There were no serious injuries when the Tasers were fired, he said.

He said it was difficult to distinguish between the use of capsicum spray and Tasers but there had been a continuing decline in injuries to officers and the people they dealt with.

"At the same time, the number of confrontations has increased quite markedly," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"Typically we see people either on drugs or alcohol or with mental illness or a combination of factors trying to do harm to themselves or others.

"Given the number of confrontations that we have we've been very pleased with the results."

Mr Cartwright said metropolitan officers would not be equipped with Tasers as the critical incident response and special operations group teams already carried the devices and were on hand in those areas 24 hours a day.

He said in the long run Victoria Police would want all officers to be equipped with Tasers.

"We've been very careful in our approach and continue to be careful in our approach but it is another opportunity for our members to minimise the risk to themselves and members of the community."

The rollout of 580 new Tasers to 24-hour stations in 29 regional areas will cost $13.5 million.

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Younger veterans to lead Perth Anzac march

YOUNGER post-Vietnam military veterans will be brought to the front of the Anzac Day march in Perth, one of three firsts for this year's annual commemorations.

Returned and Services League of Western Australia president Graham Edwards said they would lead the ex-military contingent, only marching behind senior veterans in cars.

With the focus of Anzac Day being World War I for the next four years - given November 2014 marks 100 years since Australian troops departed for the four-year conflict - this year's march was a good time to shine the spotlight on former servicemen from more recent hostilities, Mr Edwards said.

In another first, the RSLWA has held daily Last Post ceremonies at Kings Park's State War Memorial this week in a bid to cap ever-swelling crowds on the Anzac Day public holiday. More than 40,000 people are expected to attend on Friday.

Crowds of up to 500 people have been attending the 15-minute sunset services since they started on Sunday, with the final ceremony to be held on Thursday.

Mr Edwards said the sunset ceremonies would return in 2015.

"Anzac Day itself is getting so big, people tell us that they felt like they've lost the important connection that's there," he told AAP.

"We hope that these (sunset) services will continue to grow and people will become involved in them, because that's what it's all about."

On Thursday at 5.30pm, a service will be held at Blackboy Hill in Greenmount, where West Australian World War I troops trained before marching to Midland, catching a train to Fremantle and setting sail.

The rest of the convoy, from New Zealand and other parts of Australia, left from Albany.

"While there's a strong focus on Albany as there should be, we can't lose sight of the fact most West Australians left from Fremantle and they joined the convoy after," Mr Edwards said.

And on Friday, the dawn service at Kings Park will be broadcast live for the first time.

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Cancellations on Everest as sherpas walk

ANOTHER major mountaineering company has abandoned its Everest expedition after a deadly avalanche killed 16 Nepalese guides, as the government strives to save the climbing season, a vital earner for the country.

New Zealand-based Adventure Consultants lost three people in last Friday's avalanche which struck a party of sherpas preparing routes for commercial climbers up the world's highest peak.

The company said in a statement late Tuesday that "after much discussion and consideration of all aspects, the tough decision has been made to cancel the 2014 expedition this season".

US-based Alpine Ascents International and the Discovery Channel, which intended to broadcast the first winged jumpsuit flight off the summit, have also scrapped their plans on the 8848-metre peak.

Hundreds of others at base camp who have paid tens of thousands of dollars face bitter disappointment after sherpas announced Tuesday they would abandon the season to honour their fallen colleagues.

That decision, which would wreck the season and lead to messy compensation claims, featured in crisis talks under way in Kathmandu between tourism officials, representatives of the sherpas and expedition leaders on Wednesday.

British mountaineer Phil Crampton, owner of climbing company Altitude Junkies, said immediate action was needed to "make expeditions possible this year".

He said a high-level government delegation will head to base camp on Thursday to present a document to the sherpas and address their concerns.

Before Tuesday's call to abandon the season, the guides had issued a string of demands to the government, including higher compensation for the dead and injured, an agreement to raise insurance payments and a welfare fund.

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 $10,000, to be doubled.

The government, expected to earn at least $US3 million ($A3.21 million) this year from Everest climbing fees alone, has issued permits to 734 people, including 400 guides, for 32 expeditions this season.

Hundreds of anxious climbers remain at base camp, uncertain whether to leave or stay following the sherpas' announcement, with tensions running high.

New Zealand mountaineer Russell Brice, owner of top expedition company Himex, told AFP he hoped the government delegation's visit on Thursday would persuade sherpas to start climbing again.

"I hope the visit will calm tempers and the sherpas will understand the reasons for continuing the season," Brice said from base camp.

"They can continue their negotiations once the climbing season ends."

More than 300 people, most of them local guides, have died on the peak since the first ascent by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

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Climber caught in Vic rock "squeeze test"

A rock climber has been rescued after he was stuck overnight in a crevice in western Victoria. Source: AAP

A MAN wedged in a "very, very narrow" crevice at a Victorian rock climbing mecca, dubbed the Squeeze Test, wasn't getting out of a jam in a hurry.

It took a marathon, multi-agency rescue effort, a pulley system and lots of olive oil pinched from nearby campers to finally end his 10-hour ordeal.

The 24-year-old manipulated his body through a narrow gap between two boulders, known as The Squeeze Test, at Mount Arapiles, when he became wedged late on Monday night.

Ambulance Victoria Wimmera group manager Nick Thresher said it was a "very, very narrow opening" and emergency crews knew the man wasn't going to get out in a hurry.

"It was impossible to access," Mr Thresher said.

"We knew it was going to take an awful long time."

It was initially feared the man would suffer "crush syndrome", where body parts compressed in an accident can fill with potentially deadly toxins that spread rapidly through the body once freed.

But he escaped with only minor cuts and hypothermia.

Mr Thresher said specialist paramedics, Country Fire Authority and State Emergency Service volunteers as well as police search and rescue officers rigged up a pulley system to free the climber.

The man's friends scrounged around the adjacent camping ground at the western Victorian site, described by Mr Thresher as a mecca for rock climbers, for olive oil, vaseline and even shampoo.

"We actually lubricated his body with various lubricating agents which were provided for us," he said.

The man was finally freed about 8am (AEST) on Tuesday and taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he is in a stable condition.

Mr Thresher warned climbers against attempting The Squeeze Test.

"It is a very risky activity," he said.

"Our message would be carefully consider if you really need to do The Squeeze Test," he said.

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Cyclone hampers MH370 air search

The air search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet has been suspended due to a tropical cyclone. Source: AAP

A TROPICAL storm has hampered the aerial search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet as an underwater drone scours the final third of the narrowed-down search area.

The decision to suspend the aerial search on Tuesday came just just hours after organisers said up to 10 military aircraft would be deployed.

The Perth-based Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre said heavy seas and poor visibility were making any aerial search "ineffective and potentially hazardous".

Before the suspension was in place, four military aircraft had already departed RAAF Base Pearce while one RAAF E7 Wedgetail plane, which coordinates all search traffic, had flown out of RAAF Base Learmonth.

JACC said the aircraft continued with their missions, but captains of other aircraft would use their discretion whether to push on with planned activities or return to base.

The surface search continued throughout the day, with 10 vessels scouting for floating debris from MH370, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean on March 8 with 239 people on board.

At 2.30pm, the Bureau of Meteorology said ex-Tropical Cyclone Jack had weakened below cyclone intensity.

It was 660 kilometres south-southwest of Cocos Islands and moving southeast at 20km per hour.

Earlier on Tuesday, JACC said the Bluefin-21 automated underwater vehicle had combed about two thirds of the search area, centred some 1584 kilometres northwest of Perth, during its first eight missions.

The area has been narrowed to a 10km radius around the site of the second acoustic detection by a towed pinger locator on April 8.

Acoustic signals were also picked up in the vicinity on April 5.

No items of interest have been found so far, JACC said.

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Baird unveils 'experienced' NSW ministry

NSW Premier Mike Baird says the decision to drop Greg Smith (pic) from his cabinet wasn't easy. Source: AAP

NSW Premier Mike Baird says his new-look cabinet has the hunger and experience to transform the state.

Mr Baird on Tuesday dumped four O'Farrell ministers and promoted five new young faces into his ministry.

"It is a group that brings experience but, just as importantly, it brings a hunger," Mr Baird told reporters.

"A hunger to transform New South Wales."

Opposition Leader John Robertson slammed the reshuffle for rewarding bad ministers and for under-representing women.

Rising star Andrew Constance emerged as one of the clear winners in the new line-up, being appointed treasurer.

Pru Goward becomes planning minister, replacing Brad Hazzard who was given the role of attorney-general.

The announcement came an hour after veteran north coast MP Don Page, grandson of former prime minister Sir Earle Page, said he was retiring from politics.

Mr Baird confirmed the Nationals MP had been demoted from local government minister and paid tribute to his service to the state.

Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said he wouldn't be surprised if George Souris - another Nationals MP who has also been demoted - would also step away from parliament before the next election.

Greg Smith was dumped as attorney-general and Robyn Parker lost the environment portfolio.

Mr Baird described Mr Smith as a "good man and a good friend", but stood by his decision to replace him as attorney-general.

Troy Grant, Paul Toole, Rob Stokes, Dominic Perrottet and Jai Rowell, who are in their 30s and 40s, were also promoted to the ministry.

Meanwhile, the reshuffle hands the Hunter ministry to Gladys Berejiklian, who represents the Sydney electorate of Willoughby, in addition to her transport portfolio.

Northern beaches MP Mr Baird replaces Mr O'Farrell as minister for Western Sydney.

He said it was "entirely appropriate" he represented the west given the many infrastructure projects being built there.

"I'm going to be there a lot," the premier said.

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Uluru might have royal return

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will receive a series dot paintings when they visit Uluru. Source: AAP

THE ancient heart of Australia welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and gave them a special gift - a moment of peace and solitude.

On a day warm in spirit and temperature, Prince William and Kate spent Tuesday afternoon at Uluru in the Northern Territory - the site of William's first encounter with Australia more than 30 years ago.

At the end of the day, which included a welcome to country ceremony by Anangu traditional owners, they were taken on a special guided walk to the base of the desert monolith.

Anangu man Sammy Wilson took the royals on the Kuniya walk, an easy 1km return journey to the Mutitjulu Waterhole, full from recent rains that have also greened the surrounding desert, at the base of Uluru.

The royals walked the last part of the path to the waterhole alone to spend some time in quiet reflection.

For a handful of minutes, theirs was the desert kingdom.

"It's nice and peaceful down there, very peaceful," William said later.

Mr Wilson said his guests enjoyed their tour.

"They said 'Oh, we might come back," he said.

The duchess, who started the afternoon in a mauve Roksanda Ilincic dress before changing into a grey and white checked sundress, and William waved to the 50 or so onlookers who had gathered to see the royal couple ahead of their walk.

After the walk, William and Kate enjoyed a sunset viewing of Uluru, watching the rock's magnificent colour-changing display in the waning sunlight.

The viewing was a late addition to their schedule that was kept under wraps to give the royals a rare moment of intimacy - albeit one still captured by a handful of authorised media and a crowd of wellwishers.

It was their last engagement on a packed afternoon that had hundreds of locals and tourists, some having driven from Alice Springs or further afield, turning out to wish them well.

The couple's visit began with the future of central Australia, presenting certificates to graduate students at the National Indigenous Training Academy and meeting students from high schools at an afternoon tea, before ending with their immersion in the Red Centre's ancient traditions.

Anangu elders danced an "inma" - a song and story - in the red desert dust at a welcome to country ceremony at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre where the royals were also presented with gifts.

Among Kate's gifts was a necklace of painted gumnuts and red ininti seeds from the local desert.

Although he remained behind in Canberra, baby Prince George was given a gift of hand carved wooden animals - said to be ideal for the royal sandpit.

William was given a hand-carved shield, after being presented with a barbed hunting spear made of mulga wood and kangaroo tendon bindings earlier in the day.

It was the first visit for the young royal family but a return for William, whose journey to the Red Centre as a babe in arms in 1983 is looked on warmly by the Anangu people and Territorians alike.

Cecilia Cadell met the royals on the Kuniya walk and said hello.

"She was beautiful - she said hello, it makes you have goosebumps," she said.

Melbourne visitor James Bremner, who watched the media pack at the Uluru visit, pitied the royals.

"I feel sorry for them, in a way, that the can't have a normal life as such," he said.

William and Kate will spend the night - their first away from George in Australia - at the exclusive Longitude 131 resort, situated in the desert close to Uluru.

The resort's 15 luxury tent pavilions feature king-sized beds, prestige bathrooms and sweeping private views of Uluru.

On Wednesday the couple fly to Adelaide, where they will visit Elizabeth, named after William's grandmother, the Queen.

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16-year-old survives stowaway flight drama

AN FBI agent says a 16-year-old US boy who stowed away in the wheel well of a flight from California to Hawaii has no memory of the trip and is lucky to be alive.

The teen survived the trip halfway across the Pacific Ocean unharmed despite frigid temperatures at 38,000 feet (11,500 metres) and a lack of oxygen.

FBI spokesman Tom Simon in Honolulu said on Sunday night the boy was questioned after being discovered on the tarmac at the Maui airport with no identification.

"Kid's lucky to be alive," Simon said.

Simon said security footage from the San Jose airport verified that the boy hopped a fence to get to Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 on Sunday morning.

The teen had run away from his family after an argument, Simon said. When the flight landed in Maui, the boy hopped down from the wheel well and started wandering around the airport grounds, he said.

"He was unconscious for the lion's share of the flight," Simon said. The flight lasted about 5 1/2 hours.

Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Alison Croyle said airline personnel noticed the boy on the ramp after the flight arrived and immediately notified airport security.

"Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived," Croyle said.

Simon said the boy was medically screened and found to be unharmed.

"Doesn't even remember the flight," Simon said. "It's amazing he survived that."

The boy will not be charged and was referred to child protective services, Simon said.

In August, a 13- or 14-year-old boy in Nigeria survived a 35-minute trip in the wheel well of a domestic flight after stowing away. Authorities credited the flight's short duration.

Others stowing away in wheel wells have died, including a 16-year-old killed after stowing away aboard a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston in 2010 and a man who fell on to a suburban London street from a flight from Angola in 2012.

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Royals' quiet day makes news

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend a day of rest in Canberra before heading north. Source: AAP

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were supposed to be having a day free of official engagements, spending the day in Canberra but it proved too tempting for the paparazzi.

The royal couple and their baby were photographed unawares in the ground of Government House at Yarralumla, with vision making news broadcasts across the country.

Kate was filmed taking a stroll with her son in the grounds, with the images showing Prince George being carried on his mother's shoulders, pushed in a buggy and on Kate's lap as the pair played together.

William and Kate were also filmed without their knowledge walking hand in hand along the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin, casually dressed in shirts, jumpers and jeans. At one point, Kate is captured giving an odd little kick.

The pictures taken on a rest day during their tour Down Under may be seen by aides as an intrusion into the couple's privacy.

Although there has been no official word from Kensington Palace, it was tweeted that the palace has requested that the media refrain from intruding on the family's privacy.

On Tuesday, William and Kate will tour Uluru.

The visit will be only their second night away from their son during their 19-day tour of Australia and New Zealand. George, who turns nine months on Tuesday, is expected to remain in Canberra with his nanny.

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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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Picture perfect royals visit the zoo

IT was the picture perfect moment the world had been waiting for.

Royal baby Prince George giggled, smiled and played his way through just his second public engagement - a trip to the zoo with his parents Prince William and Kate on Sunday.

The trio arrived at Sydney's Taronga Zoo to visit the bilby enclosure named after Prince George as part of Australia's gift marking his birth on July 22 last year.

It was just the fifth time the royal tot, who is almost nine months old, had been seen in public on this trip.

Dressed in royal blue shorts and a striped, light blue shirt and blue shoes and socks, he appeared to wriggle mischievously in Kate's arms as the family strolled to the bilby enclosure.

For much of this royal tour of New Zealand and Australia, the eyes of the world have been trained on Kate and her fashion choices.

For the zoo, she had changed out of the dove-grey Alexander McQueen outfit she had worn to an Easter church service, into a lemon cream broderie anglaise dress.

At the enclosure, George met a bilby - also called George, then helped his parents unveil a plaque, renaming the enclosure the Prince George Bilby Exhibit.

Bilby keeper Paul Davies said the royal couple were relaxed with George inside the enclosure.

"All of a sudden they were just a family in the zoo," Mr Davies said.

He said at one point George wanted to grab the bilby's ear.

"I said 'he can touch the bilby', but they said no, he (the bilby) will have one ear less," Mr Davies said.

After the bilbies, George returned to Admiralty House and William and Kate viewed other animals at Taronga.

They fed tree kangaroos, strolled past giraffes, enjoyed a bird show, and took in the rhino conservation display.

At the bird show, the couple had galahs and owls swooping just centimetres above their heads.

Taronga Zoo bird trainer Brendan Host presented the bird show, before introducing the duke and duchess to two echidnas, a quokka and a koala named Leuca.

"I think Kate was very taken with Leuca," Mr Host, 27, told reporters after the show.

"She didn't realise the koala would smell the way it did because they eat eucalyptus leaves.

"I think she just really enjoyed the moment."

The royals posed with Leuca and the echidnas with iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background.

This was Australia - as much as the royals - on show.

As he touched the koala, William commented: "This is the moment everyone's been waiting for."

The couple also heard about a number of Australia's endangered species at the bird show - and appeared to take a keen interest.

Taronga Zoo volunteer Meghan was in the audience at the bird show and said the duchess looked "incredible".

"She's stunning, she's perfectly put together, there's never anything out of place."

Michael, 49, at the zoo with his three-year-old son Jimmy, described George as "quite a handsome little man.

"And the duke and duchess; they're a beautiful couple of course."

He said Jimmy "wanted to have a little bit of a play" with the young prince, adding that he hoped the royals had a "great day out" at the zoo.

The duke and duchess finished their tour at the rhino conservation area and the Taronga Wild!, a mass public art exhibition and community conservation initiative raising awareness and support for Taronga's black rhinoceros breeding program.

They also met John Scanlon, secretary-general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

"The duke speaks passionately about his child - Prince George - having the opportunity to see these animals in the wild," Mr Scanlon said afterwards.

"He's very passionate and engaged in this issue."

In February, William attended a high-level summit on the illegal wildlife trade in London alongside his father Prince Charles and brother Prince Harry to ensure the "survival of some of the world's most treasured species" and set up his own initiative, a wildlife charity, United For Wildlife.

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China car show opens with fanfare

Global and Chinese automakers are unveiling their new vehicles at Auto China 2014 this week. Source: AAP

LEADING car makers have gathered in Beijing for China's biggest car show, expressing confidence in the world's largest car market although lacklustre growth and environmental restrictions have thrown uncertainty into the mix.

More than 1100 vehicles are on show at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in the capital's suburbs, which opens on Monday.

General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai are among the manufacturers taking part, along with SAIC and Dongfeng, China's top two domestic automakers.

At Ford's display, president and CEO Alan Mulally arrived in a bright red Mustang, the latest incarnation of the iconic model celebrating its 50th year.

The expo comes as a growing number of Chinese cities are restricting the number of cars, in a bid to battle pollution and congestion - moves that analysts warn could cut into purchases.

The eastern city of Hangzhou, a popular tourist destination, last month became the sixth major city to implement such a restriction, with some estimates placing the limit at 80,000 car plates a year.

China's car sales jumped by 13.9 per cent to 21.98 million vehicles last year. But that growth hit a speed bump in March, slowing to a 6.6 per cent year-on-year rise after reaching a record 17.8 per cent high in January.

China's economy has also turned in its weakest performance in 18 months, growing 7.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2014.

Despite the concerns, industry players and analysts say the China market's importance to global manufacturers cannot be overstated.

"I think the market for cars is going to continue to be fantastic," Mulally said on Sunday, adding that the promise of increased domestic spending outweighed concerns about congestion.

China's overall plan "to move to a consumer-based economy" was a key factor "that reduces risk", he said.

"We are also working with all of the cities and the government because just to add more cars in the cities is not going to be the answer," he said.

Ford has opened three plants in China since 2012, with four more under construction, Mulally said.

"This is part of our biggest global manufacturing expansion in 50 years," he said.

Karsten Engel, president and CEO of BMW's operations in China, said the German manufacturer would introduce 10 new models to China this year, and carry out more manufacturing and research and development inside the country.

"All these efforts are based on our confidence in the long-term development of our success here," he said.

Further underscoring China's significance, French auto giant Peugeot Citroen's agreed earlier this year to hand over part control to Dongfeng and the French state.

German giant Daimler said last month that it had signed a deal worth 1 billion euros ($A1.485) with Chinese partner Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation to expand production at their joint venture in Beijing.

South Korea's largest automaker Hyundai Motor also announced in March that it was planning a fourth plant in China.

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Pope calls for solidarity at Easter mass

Pope Francis has baptised 10 people at an Easter Vigil in St Peter's Basilica. Source: AAP

POPE Francis has celebrated Easter mass with a message of social solidarity as the world's Orthodox marked a holiday marred by bitter divisions over Ukraine and clashes breaking out in Jerusalem.

Francis led the ceremony for the holiest day in the Christian calendar on St Peter's Square, which will be followed by a special blessing and address to crowds of Catholic faithful in the famous Vatican piazza.

Swiss Guards and cardinals could be seen as tens of thousands of people crowded into St Peter's Square and the main avenue leading up to the Vatican, which was decorated with 35,000 flowers donated by Dutch growers.

At an Easter vigil on Saturday, Francis asked Catholics to bring "the fire which Jesus has kindled in the world... to all people, to the very ends of the Earth".

Francis said the core of the Easter message was about returning to the basics and asking: "Have I gone off on roads and paths which made me forget it?"

This is Francis's second Easter since he was elected by fellow cardinals in March last year promising to make the Catholic Church less "Vatican-centric", more transparent and closer to ordinary people.

On Good Friday, Francis attended a traditional torch-lit ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome where he called for help to "abandoned people" and railed against "the monstrosity of humankind".

Prayers read out during the event honouring Christian martyrs past and present touched on pressing contemporary social issues including drug addiction, unemployment, prison overcrowding and domestic abuse.

The Vatican almoner meanwhile dispensed charity on the pope's behalf to homeless people sleeping rough around Rome's main train station Termini, handing out an Easter greeting card and 50-euro ($A74) notes.

At the start of four days of Easter rituals on Maundy Thursday, the pope washed the feet of 12 disabled people at a centre in Rome in a new take on a traditional ceremony inspired by Christ's humility.

Easter this year coincides with the Orthodox calendar and Ukraine's government said it was holding off on a confrontation with pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine until after the Easter holidays.

But four people were reported killed in a gunbattle at a barricade in the volatile eastern Ukrainian town of Slavyansk on Sunday, a local leader told journalists.

And there was a bitter war of words between religious leaders, with Kiev's Patriarch Filaret thundering that Russia was an "enemy" whose "attack" was doomed to failure because it was evil and against God's will.

In Moscow, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill prayed for God in turn to put "an end to the designs of those who want to destroy Holy Russia" and said Ukraine was "spiritually and historically" at one with Russia.

There were also tensions in Jerusalem amid Easter celebrations, with Israeli police arresting 16 Palestinians as they clashed with demonstrators at the Al-Aqsa compound in the Old City - a sensitive holy site revered by Christians, Jews and Muslims.

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Former NSW premier Neville Wran dies

LONG-TIME NSW premier Neville Wran has died after a long illness, aged 87.

His wife Jill Hickson said in a statement to AAP that Mr Wran died just before 6pm on Sunday evening.

Ms Hickson was with him and all his family close by.

Mr Wran has been suffering from dementia and has been under special care for the past two years.

"This is of course a very sad time for us all, but in fact a blessed release for Neville," Ms Hickson said.

"Dementia is a cruel fate and I have been grieving the loss that comes with it for some years. But I hope now, especially this political climate, people will join me in celebrating the life of a great man, a true political hero."

She paid special tribute the nursing staff of Lulworth House who had been caring for the former premier.

"They really are angels," she said.

He led the Labor government in NSW from May 1976 to July 1986.

MORE TO COME

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