UK warns of terror attack in Somalia

THE British government says it believes terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks in Somalia and urged UK nationals to leave the country.

The Foreign Office already advises against all travel to Somalia, including Somaliland, where it says there is a specific threat to Westerners.

It said on Saturday it had revised its travel advice to reflect concerns that terrorists are in the final stages of plotting attacks in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

Britain has no diplomatic representation in Somalia and is unable to provide consular assistance in the country.

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Kenya to toughen poaching sentences

Poaching has recently risen in east Africa, with whole herds of elephants massacred for their ivory. Source: AAP

KENYA plans to bolster lenient sentences for convicted wildlife poachers or ivory smugglers in a bid to stamp out a spike in elephant killings, the government says.

Poaching has recently risen sharply in east Africa, with whole herds of elephants massacred for their ivory. Rhinos have also been targeted.

Last year poachers slaughtered 384 elephants in Kenya, up from 289 in 2011, according to official figures, from a total population of around 35,000. This year, poachers have already shot dead 74.

"We intend to fight poachers at all levels to save our elephants," government spokesman Muthui Kariuki said in a statement on Saturday.

A major obstacle to this is that Kenyan courts are limited in their powers to jail or fine those convicted of wildlife crimes, he said.

"One of the major setbacks are lenient penalties and sentencing for wildlife crime by the courts," he said.

"The government is concerned about this and has facilitated the process of reviewing the wildlife law and policy with a view to having more deterrent penalties and jail terms."

Passing tougher wildlife laws will be made a priority for Kenya's parliament, elected last month but which has yet to begin business.

"We look forward to... parliament giving priority to passing of a new wildlife law and policy," Kariuki added.

Kenya's wildlife act caps punishment for the most serious wildlife crimes at a maximum fine of 40,000 Kenyan shillings ($A450), and a possible jail term of up to 10 years.

Last month, a Chinese smuggler caught in Kenya with a haul of ivory was fined less than a dollar a piece.

The smuggler, who was arrested carrying 439 pieces of worked ivory while in transit in Nairobi as he travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Hong Kong, was fined $US350 ($A337) and was then set free.

Such fines pose little if any deterrence, with experts suggesting a kilogram of ivory has an estimated black market value of some $A2406.

The illegal ivory trade is mostly fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are used to make ornaments and in traditional medicine.

Africa is now home to an estimated 472,000 elephants, whose survival is threatened by poaching as well as a rising human population that is encroaching on their habitat.

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Italian police find tonne of hashish

ITALIAN police have uncovered a tonne of hashish worth 15 million euros ($A18.7 million) in a frozen foods truck carrying potatoes and arrested its Dutch driver.

The police said they became suspicious when they noticed the truck on the outskirts of Rome as part of an anti-drug investigation and found out that it was very far from its registered delivery point.

Behind the potato boxes being shipped from the Netherlands they found "various boxes containing hashish in bars weighing around 100 grams each and wrapped in cellophane", the statement said on Saturday.

"The total quantity of drugs found was around one tonne," it added.

Police spokesman Alessandro Langello said: "The investigation is ongoing. We are trying to uncover the criminal organisation behind this shipment."

Dutch authorities in 2011 busted a large-scale operation to export homegrown cannabis from the Netherlands to countries including Italy.

Although cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands, the country in 1976 decriminalised possession and sale of less than five grammes of the drug.

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Don't bank on Korea evacuation: DFAT

Tensions in North Korea could escalate quickly, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs says. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIANS in South Korea shouldn't assume the government will be able to evacuate them if the threat of war on the peninsular escalates, Canberra says.

North Korea has escalated its rhetoric in recent weeks, threatening to attack the United States and South Korea.

Most recently, it warned foreign embassies in Pyongyang it couldn't assure the safety of diplomats and suggested they should evacuate.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says it has consular crisis contingency plans for South Korea, as it does for all countries in which Australia has official representation.

"It is important that Australians living and visiting South Korea make their own decisions regarding their safety based on their personal circumstances," a DFAT spokeswoman said.

"Such decisions should not assume that the Australian government will evacuate citizens if the situation deteriorates - this may not always be possible."

There are many thousands of Australians in South Korea but the DFAT spokeswoman said there were no immediate plans to get them out.

Current travel advice warns of tensions between the north and south but remains at the lowest level, advising travellers only to exercise normal safety precautions.

The spokeswoman said travel advice on the smartraveller.gov.au website remained the definitive source of information from the Australian government for Australians travelling and living overseas.

Advice on the website is updated as relevant and credible information is received.

"Australians should monitor developments closely, particularly through South Korean media, because of the risk that tensions on the Korean Peninsula could escalate quickly," she said.

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Ballet star Polunin walks out of show

ONE of the ballet's world's brightest but most volatile stars has vanished, again.

Sergei Polunin had been due to star in a dance piece based on Billy Hayes' Turkish prison memoir Midnight Express opening next week in London.

But director Peter Schaufuss said the 23-year-old dancer did not show up for rehearsals on Wednesday.

Polunin's whereabouts could not immediately be determined on Friday.

Schaufuss told the BBC he was "hugely disappointed" the young star had left.

"Artists have good and bad days - that goes with the territory - but rehearsals were going well," he said.

The dance company said Polunin's mentor, Igor Zelensky, had also left the production.

Ukraine-born Polunin became the youngest-ever male principal dancer at Britain's Royal Ballet when he was 19, but walked out of the company last year, saying he was giving up dance.

He later said he had quit because he could no longer handle the stress of a dance career.

Polunin, who moved to Britain aged 13, had spoken in a 2011 interview about the pressure he felt to succeed.

"I would have liked to behave badly, to play football. I loved sport," he told The Guardian. "But all my family were working for me to succeed. ... There was no chance of me failing."

Polunin later returned to performing under Zelensky at Moscow's Stanislavsky Ballet and has made guest appearances with the Royal Ballet.

When his role in Midnight Express was announced late last year, Polunin said it was "exactly the kind of work I want to be making, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

The Peter Schaufuss ballet company said understudy Johan Christensen would take over the main role in Midnight Express, which opens on Tuesday.

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US, Philippine troops start war games

THOUSANDS of US and Filipino troops have begun annual military exercises that the Philippines say are vital to building its defence capabilities to face the rising threat of China.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario used the launch of the 12-day Balikatan manoeuvres on Friday to accuse China of destabilising Asia with aggressive and illegal actions in the South China Sea.

"For our region, excessive and exaggerated maritime and territorial claims have not only created uncertainty, but have undermined the rule of law," del Rosario said in a speech at the nation's military headquarters in Manila.

"Regional peace and stability have been placed at serious risk."

Del Rosario later said he was referring specifically to China.

China claims most of the South China Sea, including waters and tiny rock outcrops near the coasts of smaller neighbours such as the Philippines.

Tensions have escalated in recent years as China has sought to stamp its authority over the region.

The Philippines has accused China of occupying a shoal close to its main island, and appealed to the United Nations to rule on the validity of Chinese claims to the resource-rich sea.

And last month China's navy began patrolling disputed waters, sending vessels to within 80 kilometres of the Malaysian coast and at one point firing "warning signal shells" at a Vietnamese boat.

Amid the rising tensions, the Philippines has sought closer diplomatic and military ties with the United States, its former colonial ruler.

The two countries share a 61-year-old mutual defence pact, which requires the United States to come to the aid of the Philippines if it is attacked.

Del Rosario said the Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises were a very important part of the Philippines' efforts to secure US support.

"For my country we need to secure our borders and protect our territorial integrity more vigorously than we have before," he said.

"Balikatan... is an important contribution in not only preparing both our armed forces to work together but also in building my country's own capacity to defend itself."

The manoeuvres involve more than 8,000 US and Filipino troops, 30 military aircraft including a dozen US F/A-18 Hornets and three naval vessels, the two countries said.

Friday's launch only involved speeches from military and political leaders from the two sides.

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China closes markets as flu toll rises

Shanghai authorities are culling poultry at a market as the H7N9 bird flu virus was detected there. Source: AAP

SHANGHAI has ordered all live poultry markets in the city closed after culling more than 20,000 birds to curb the spread of the H7N9 flu virus, which has killed six people in China.

The latest fatality was a 64-year-old farmer who died in Huzhou, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, local officials said on Friday, according to the state Xinhua news agency.

He is thought to be among 14 previously confirmed human cases of H7N9, and is the second person from Zhejiang province to die from the new bird flu strain, with the other four fatalities in Shanghai, China's commercial hub.

Shanghai has a population of 23 million people and city government spokesman Xu Wei said its live poultry markets were being shuttered temporarily for "public safety" purposes, and all trade in live poultry banned.

The moves came after the virus was found in pigeon samples from the Huhuai market in Shanghai, where Xinhua said a total of 20,536 chickens, ducks, geese and pigeons had been slaughtered.

Images posted on the Sina Weibo microblog by a local television reporter showed men in protective clothing and face masks entering the market in the city's western suburbs during the night, and dozens of empty birdcages.

On Friday, the entrance to the poultry section was concealed with wooden boards and sealed off with plastic tape, with a police car parked nearby and white disinfectant powder sprinkled in the street.

Two staff members at the market told AFP the slaughter was completed overnight, but one of them added: "Of course, I'm worried."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has played down fears over the H7N9 strain, saying there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission, but that it was crucial to find out how the virus infects humans.

Like the H5N1 variant which typically spreads from birds to humans through direct contact, experts fear such viruses could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, with the potential to trigger a pandemic.

Shanghai city health official Wu Fan also said on Friday there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission. One person who had been in close contact with a victim had shown flu-like symptoms, but tested negative for H7N9, she said.

"There is no possibility of spreading the infection overseas," Wu told a press conference.

The first two deaths from the virus, which had not been seen before in humans, occurred in February but were not reported by authorities until late March. Officials said the delay in announcing the results was because it took time to determine the cause of the illness.

The state-run China Daily on Friday quoted the ministry of health in Beijing as pledging "open and transparent exchanges with the WHO and other countries and regions".

In 2003, Chinese officials were accused of trying to cover up the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed about 800 people across the world.

US health authorities said on Thursday they were liaising with domestic and international partners to develop a vaccine for the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a US federal agency, said it was "gathering more information to make a knowledgeable public health risk assessment, and developing a candidate vaccine virus".

According to the WHO, the animal source of the infection and its mode of transmission are not yet clear.

"We do not yet know enough about these infections to determine whether there is a significant risk of community spread," the UN's health agency said in an online H7N9 update.

Experts are concerned that the virus appears to have spread across a wide geographical area, with people sickened not only in Shanghai, but also the nearby provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.

"I am cautiously worried," virologist John Oxford of the Queen Mary University of London told AFP.

"If there were four cases in Shanghai, I would be much less concerned, but because it is so geographically widespread I think it is trying to tell us something."

State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Friday that health ministry officials were meeting with agricultural personnel to draw up an action plan aimed at "preventing the spreading of the disease".

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India building collapse kills 38: police

A building that was being constructed illegally in Mumbai has collapsed, killing at least 27 people. Source: AAP

AT least 38 people have been crushed to death on the outskirts of Mumbai after an unauthorised partly-built apartment block collapsed, police say, highlighting the dangers of India's illegal housing boom.

The seven-storey building collapsed on Thursday evening into a mangled heap of steel and concrete of about eight metres high that rescuers and local residents struggled to cut through, officials said.

Rescue efforts continued into Friday, with diggers and steel cutters employed to reach victims who were carried away on makeshift stretchers.

Limbs protruding from the wreckage were a grisly sight in some areas.

As emergency workers combed the rubble for survivors in front of a huge crowd of onlookers, two toddlers were pulled out alive late Thursday to cries of "Allahu akbar" (God is greater) and cheers and clapping, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

"The death toll is now 38 and 69 are injured," said Sandeep Malvi, a spokesman for the local municipal administration in Thane, where the building collapsed about 35 kilometres from the centre of Mumbai.

Among the dead were at least seven women and nine children.

Local police commissioner KP Raghuvanshi said his force had registered a case of causing death by negligence against developers.

"There are two builders and we are looking for them," he told reporters at the scene.

Building collapses are a common occurrence in India, where a booming economy and rising real estate prices has led often unauthorised multi-storey structures to mushroom on the outskirts of cities and towns.

Many of Thursday's victims were migrant labourers who had come to Mumbai to find work on building sites, typically earning as little as two to four dollars a day. They often bring their wives and children who live on-site.

Others had already moved into homes in the block, including schoolgirl Hasina Shaikh and her family, who were living on the fifth floor.

"I had just returned from school and was changing my clothes when the building started shaking and came down on us. When I regained consciousness later, I was in the hospital," she told the DNA newspaper.

Shaikh said she did not know the whereabouts of her relatives.

Mohammed Anwar, 36, witnessed the accident while his father-in-law, a carpenter, was working inside the structure. "I saw the building collapse like a pack of cards," Anwar told the Mumbai-based paper.

The local civic administration said it was probing the incident and would check other new structures built recently in the vicinity, a middle-class commuter area with modern-style residential blocks.

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Estonia capital gives residents free ride

LOOKING for a free ride? Go live in Tallinn.

Estonia's capital has become the world's first to introduce free public transport for all of its residents.

All that's required is a transit pass showing you're a registered Tallinner - and the city's buses, streetcars and trams are yours for free.

"I live on a tight budget since I don't have too much work right now," said Mare Tulp, who recently registered as a Tallinn resident.

"I need to save money wherever I can, so I'm very happy with the free public transit scheme. This is a good thing for the common person."

Three months after launching the initiative, city officials are hailing the experiment as a success, though sceptics say it's an expensive, populist trick ahead of local elections.

The free-ride scheme is the brainchild of Mayor Edgar Savisaar, who wants to reduce congestion and pollution while cutting costs for the city's poor.

Savisaar claims families will be able to save a month's salary now that they can get around Tallinn for free.

Deputy Mayor Taavi Aas says the experiment, which will cost the city about 12 million euros ($A14.8 million) annually in lost ticket sales, has surpassed expectations.

Passenger numbers are up 10 per cent, while the number of cars on city streets has fallen by as much as 15 per cent, according to Tallinn's transport authority.

A recent opinion poll commissioned by the city shows that 90 per cent of Tallinn residents are satisfied with the project.

"People now move around the city more frequently during weekends," Aas said. "This means they also spend more money, which boosts the economy."

City officials say it's too early to tell how much the city's economy has been stimulated in this way.

But the program is expected to boost the city's tax revenue because the registration requirement is winning the city more taxable residents.

According to city calculations, about 40,000 people living and working in Tallinn are registered in other cities and towns. But more than 5000 new Tallinn residents have been registered since January 1, compared with 3600 residency registrations for all of last year.

With 1000 new residents equalling an estimated 1 million euros in city tax revenue, the current registration rate would offset the program's costs this year, Aas said.

The initiative covers buses, streetcars and trolleybuses in Tallinn - a city of 425,000. The only catch is that one must be registered as a city resident and get a transit pass for 2 euros.

Once on board, you must place the pass on an electronic reader. If you don't, a ticket controller can fine you up to 40 euros ($A50).

Installing the system was a breeze in tech-savvy Estonia, birthplace of Skype and pioneer of online voting.

Many European capitals, including London, have similar electronic fare systems, but the difference is Tallinners never have to top up the card with money.

Critics say the experiment is doomed and will bankrupt Tallinn.

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Lego denies pulling toy after racism claim

LEGO is denying that the withdrawal of its Star Wars: Jabba's Palace box set is due to accusations of Islamaphobia and racism.

The decision to discontinue the product at the end of 2013 "was taken last year and communicated in January," but Austria's Turkish Cultural Community "interpreted this a little differently," spokeswoman Katharina Sasse told AFP on Thursday.

She added however that the large amount of "feedback" about the product, not only from the Austrian organisation but also from others, had been "passed on to our development department".

"We listen very closely and take feedback very seriously. It must be said though that when it comes to the Star Wars line, we develop our products in line with the films," she said.

A statement from the Turkish organisation gave the impression the Danish firm had decided to stop making the set because the group's representatives had made clear in a recent meeting that it was a "clear case of cultural racism".

The organisation said the building in the set closely resembled the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, while a figure with an axe and machine gun in the minaret-like structure could be mistaken for a muezzin, who calls the Muslim faithful to prayer.

"This toy depicts Jabba the Hut as a villain who smokes an oriental water pipe who has captured a princess to be a belly dancer. This has no place in a child's bedroom," the organisation's head Birol Kilic said.

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European stocks mostly higher

EUROPEAN stock markets have risen ahead of interest rate decisions due from the ECB and Bank of England and with Japan unveiling more aggressive monetary easing.

Investors are also keeping a close watch over escalating Korean tensions.

In late morning Thursday trade, London's FTSE 100 index of leading companies was down 0.03 per cent at 6,418.11 points, despite improved services sector data raising hopes of Britain avoiding a third recession in five years according to analysts.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 grew 0.40 per cent to 7,906.32 points and in Paris the CAC 40 increased 0.85 per cent to 3,786.51.

France on Thursday placed 10-year bonds on the primary market at a yield of under 2.0 per cent for the first time, according to data released by the country's debt management agency.

"Although the noises out of North Korea have increased by many decibels causing concerns, there are other attractions today staying in the focus of the markets," said Gekko Markets trader Anita Paluch.

"It is all about the central banks today as ECB and BoE are holding their meetings and announcing the rates decisions. As such investors are holding their breath.

"Certainly there are hopes for abundant liquidity since it is the main factor that drives the markets nowadays. It's highly unlikely that we see a change in the interest rate, but the ECB is certainly considering its options, given the Cyprus situation, the fact inflation in the eurozone has eased up, and the region is facing prolonged recession," she added.

A key survey on Thursday showed private sector business activity in the 17-nation eurozone fell sharply in March, adding to an increasingly gloomy outlook for the economy.

The Markit Eurozone Composite Purchasing Managers Index dropped to 46.5 points, unchanged from the initial estimate but well short of February's 47.9 and the boom-bust line of 50 points.

In foreign exchange trade on Thursday, the euro fell to $1.2793 from $1.2845 late in New York on Wednesday. Sterling was weaker against the dollar and euro, while on the London Bullion Market, gold prices climbed to $1,547.47 an ounce from $1,540.29 on Wednesday.

In Britain, which is not a member of the eurozone, the country's services sector recorded an activity reading of 52.4 in March, the Markit/CIPS purchasing managers index (PMI) showed.

Across in Asia, Tokyo shares bounced and the yen tumbled on Thursday after the Bank of Japan's policy action, but other Asian markets slipped, with Seoul hit by growing tensions on the Korean peninsula, analysts said.

The yen sank against the dollar and the euro after the Bank of Japan (BoJ), in its first meeting under a new governor, announced a raft of measures aimed at ending decades of deflation and dragging the economy out of years of insipid growth.

The Nikkei index closed up 2.20 per cent to 12,634.45 points. The Nikkei index had slumped as much as 2.3 per cent in the morning, with dealers concerned new BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda would fall short on promises to boost the economy.

Seoul ended down 1.20 per cent after North Korea blocked access to its Kaesong joint industrial zone with South Korea for the second day running. There were also reports Pyongyang has moved a medium-range missile to its east coast.

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Anger as Palestinians bury prisoner, teens

HEBRON, Palestinian Territories, April 4 AFP - The West Bank simmered with anger on Thursday as thousands mourned a prisoner who died in an Israeli jail and two teenagers shot dead in subsequent protests.

Furious crowds lined the streets of the southern city of Hebron as the cortege carrying the body of 63-year-old prisoner Maisara Abu Hamdiyeh passed by, on the way to a local mosque before being buried, an AFP correspondent said.

Abu Hamdiyeh, who had served 10 years of a life sentence for attempted murder, died of throat cancer on Tuesday in an Israeli hospital, with the Palestinian leadership blaming Israel for medical negligence.

As news of the prisoner's death spread, protests erupted in several places, quickly turning into clashes with the Israeli army, notably in Hebron, Abu Hamdiyeh's hometown.

Near the northern village of Anabta close to Tulkarem, the clashes turned deadly, with two teenagers shot dead overnight by troops, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.

Palestinian security officials said Amer Nasser, 17, was killed by a bullet to the head and Naji Balbisi, 19, was shot in the chest.

The Israeli military said troops had opened fire at "rioters who hurled petrol bombs" at a military post.

In Anabta, where schools and shops were closed in mourning, about 6000 people gathered for the funeral, with many calling for revenge as the two bodies, both wrapped in Palestinian flags, arrived, an AFP correspondent said.

Speaking to AFP, Maath Kanaan spoke bitterly about the loss of his friend Amer.

"He always had a nationalist spirit and he was the first one to go to demonstrations. They killed him in cold blood," he said.

With Palestinian anger at boiling point, Gaza militants fired a mortar shell at southern Israel early on Thursday, public radio said.

The army confirmed the fire but could not say whether it was a mortar round or rocket, although it caused no damage or casualties.

Since news of Abu Hamdiyeh's death emerged, Hebron has been wracked by ongoing clashes between stone-throwing youths and Israeli troops, and since Tuesday the city has been shut down for a three-day general strike by mourners.

In Gaza, Salafist militants have fired a handful of rockets over the border in protest, prompting a retaliatory airstrike and a warning from Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon that Israel would not tolerate attacks on its territory.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to the Middle East for his third trip in a month, looking for signs Israel and the Palestinians are ready to make tough sacrifices for peace.

In a surprise move, the State Department announced on Wednesday that Kerry would return to Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories early next week to build on a series of talks last month between American and regional leaders.

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Top Swedish judge backs WikiLeaks

JULIAN Assange may be safe from extradition to the United States even if he returns to Sweden, suggests one of the Scandinavian country's top judges.

In a rare public lecture delivered in Adelaide, Justice Stefan Lindskog defended the leaking of classified information, saying the case against the WikiLeaks founder was "a mess", and raised many questions over the legality of the US ever being able to extradite Assange via Sweden.

"It should never be a crime to make known crime of a state," Justice Lindskog, the chairman of the Supreme Court of Sweden, told a crowd at the University of Adelaide on Wednesday night.

Swedish prosecutors are pursuing Assange for questioning over allegations of sex offences against two women.

Assange is living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has been granted political asylum after failing to resist moves to extradite him to Sweden.

He fears if he goes to Sweden he will be at risk of extradition to the US to face conspiracy or other charges arising from WikiLeaks obtaining thousands of secret US military and diplomatic reports.

But Justice Lindskog, who went into an extraordinary amount of detail on Assange's Swedish sexual assault case, said the extradition treaty may see the courts rule against sending Assange to the US.

"Extradition shall not be granted when alleged crimes (are) military or political in nature," he said.

He also said extradition could only be granted if the Swedish courts would hear a similar case to the charges being brought by the other country - and it was debatable if Mr Assange would have committed a crime under Swedish law.

"What is classified under US law is probably not classified under Swedish law, and enemies to the US may not be enemies to Sweden," he said.

Thirdly, Swedish law protected sources who leak to the press, he said, and that protection meant a prosecution would likely not go ahead in Sweden and therefore may not be grounds for extradition.

He added that extensive media coverage of the case has simply led to distrust in the legal system.

"I think it is a mess," he said.

Justice Lindskog also backed a suspected source to WikiLeaks, US soldier Bradley Manning.

He said the release of classified information was for the benefit of mankind - especially secret combat video in Iraq that showed the American crew mowing down a group of civilians and a Reuters photographer.

He said he hoped Mr Manning would have a fair trial.

Prior to the speech, Assange had condemned Justice Lindskog's decision to speak in Australia, calling it "absolutely outrageous".

But George Williams, a University of New South Wales law professor who took part in a panel discussion after the speech, said it was important to remember the judge wasn't sitting on the case.

"This is a little unusual, but different countries have different standards when it comes to public comment on cases," he told AAP earlier in the week.

In February, Foreign Minister Bob Carr had stressed many of the same points as Justice Lindskog, saying it was "sheer fantasy" to think the US could ever extradite Mr Assange from Sweden.

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Taliban attack on Afghan court kills six

Taliban attackers have stormed an Afghan court and surrounding buildings, killing six people. Source: AAP

TALIBAN attackers have stormed an Afghan court and surrounding buildings, killing at least six people and wounding 70 others in the western town of Farah.

At least four militants who launched the bomb and shooting attack also died in the assault, which comes as NATO winds down its combat mission in the war-torn country by the end of next year.

Two attackers died when they detonated a car bomb at the gate of the provincial court building, two were shot by security forces and another man was still alive, with a firefight still ongoing hours after the assault began.

"Our latest report shows that at least six (other) people have been killed and 70 people have been wounded," said Mohammad Akram Khpalwak, governor of Farah province.

Agha Noor Kentos, police chief of Farah, said five police were among the wounded as ambulances returned to the scene on Wednesday to take other injured people to hospital.

"At around 8am, five attackers riding in two military-style vehicles drove to the provincial court building, one (vehicle) detonated at the gate and three attackers entered the building," Kentos said.

"One is still resisting and five security forces have been wounded," he said, adding the target could have been the court or government buildings nearby.

Wakil Ahmad, a doctor at Farah hospital, said medics were treating about 50 wounded people, including 35 civilians, 11 police, two army soldiers, two judges and one court prisoner.

Taliban militants fighting the US-backed central government immediately claimed they were behind the attack.

"Our fighters attacked several government buildings in Farah according to their planned tactic. They conducted the attack with small arms and grenades," the group said on its website.

Abdul Rahman Zhawandon, spokesman for the governor of Farah, said the area had been sealed off as firing continued.

"The attackers entered a provincial appeal court building, security forces have surrounded them, the exchange of fire continues," he said.

"Some attackers entered a Kabul Bank office attached to the court building."

The governor's compound is about 200 metres away from the scene of attack.

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Top NASA climate-change expert retiring

Pioneering NASA climate-change expert James Hansen is retiring after 46 years. Source: AAP

PIONEERING NASA climatologist James Hansen, one of the first scientists to raise the alarm about global warming, is retiring after 46 years, a colleague confirmed to AFP.

Hansen, 72, who headed the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, announced his departure in an email to the New York Times on Monday.

The Times reported Hansen was stepping down to allow himself to campaign more aggressively for legislation to cut greenhouse gases.

Hansen first rose to prominence in 1988 when his testimony at a highly publicised US congressional hearing thrust the issue of man-made climate change on to the political agenda.

His work has often been attacked by climate change sceptics while his activism has also brought him into conflict with the federal government, most notably when the administration of George W. Bush sought to muzzle him in 2005.

Gavin Schmidt, deputy chief of the Goddard Institute, was quoted as saying that Hansen "has been at the forefront of almost every conceptual advance in climate in science over 40 years.

"The stuff that Jim wrote 20 years ago has set the tone for the whole field [and the] predictions he made have generally worked out very favourably," Schmidt said.

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NSW bike rider killed after hitting tree

A 23-year-old man has died after his motorcycle hit a tree on NSW's south coast. Source: AAP

A MOTORCYCLE rider has died after hitting a tree on the NSW south coast.

The 23-year-old man was riding along Quinns Lane, South Nowra about 1.30pm (AEDT) on Wednesday, when he left the road and struck a tree.

The man suffered head injuries and died at the scene, police said.

It's believed the man was from Bomaderry.

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Three bodies near NT search site for plane

THE body of one male and two females have been found within the search site for a missing light aircraft in the Northern Territory.

Fears have been held for the lives of 45-year-old electrical contractor Stuart Sceney, his 53-year-old wife Karmi Dunn, and daughters Mekdes, 12, and Kal, 15, since their plane disappeared on Monday.

The Cessna 210 took off from Bullo River Station about 2pm (CST) and failed to land at an airfield south of Darwin a few hours later.

The body of a female was recovered late on Tuesday afternoon, washed up on a beach in the south of the search area near Cape Ford.

Acting Commander Mark Christopher said a forensics team recovered the body, but police were unable to say whether it was a child or a woman.

A further two bodies were discovered later on Tuesday afternoon but no identifying details were available.

Mr Sceney and his wife were well-known and respected in the Territory.

Carmelita (Karmi) Dunn helped in the implementation of the ground-breaking NT 1974 Aboriginal Land Rights Act, and was one of the Territory's most respected and revered indigenous elders.

Ms Dunn had two adopted African children, but it's not known if they were aboard the plane when it went missing.

Ethnologist and pilot Arthur Palmer, who was head of land claims at the Northern Land Council when Ms Dunn was an inaugural staff member, told AAP Ms Dunn possessed one of the sharpest minds on the council.

"She was (also) a brilliant sportswoman and now she's a corporate player," he said.

"She's a dear friend and I'm praying she's alright."

Mr Sceney was a former player and member of the Saint Mary's Football Club in Darwin.

Club president Shaun Hardy told ABC radio Mr Sceney often flew to remote communities as part of his job.

"As far away as Broome, and across the north into Queensland and the remote Territory, so he's certainly very accustomed to flying in Territory conditions," he said.

Media reported a plane wreck has been spotted at Anson Bay, but NT police say this is incorrect.

Up to eight aircraft and numerous vessels have been scouring the search area.

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France orders Rwandan genocide charge

A FRENCH court has for the first time ordered a Rwandan to face trial over the country's 1994 genocide, a judicial source says.

Pascal Simbikangwa, a former Rwandan army captain arrested on the French island of Mayotte in 2008, is facing charges of complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity but can still appeal the decision in an attempt to avoid the trial.

It was not immediately clear on Tuesday if his lawyers would file an appeal.

Simbikangwa, a former intelligence officer under Rwanda's Hutu government, was arrested under an international arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in the genocide, which killed some 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, over three months.

France in early 2010 set up a new unit to try cases of genocide and crimes against humanity involving suspects detained in France.

Two investigating magistrates from the unit ordered the trial on Friday following a request from prosecutors in early March.

France has repeatedly refused to extradite genocide suspects to Rwanda, fearing they would be denied a fair trial, but has sent some to Tanzania to face trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Simbikangwa, born in 1959, is accused of being a member of the Akazu, an informal organisation of Hutu extremists believe to have planned and implemented the genocide.

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WHO plays down China bird flu fears

THE World Health Organisation is playing down fears over a strain of bird flu which has killed two people in China.

However, it says it is crucial to find out how the virus infected humans.

"It's the first time that H7N9 was found in humans," the UN health agency's spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told reporters on Tuesday, referring to the deadly strain of avian influenza.

"It is of concern to WHO and we will be following this with the health authorities in China to know more. But for the time being, it's only three cases and it has shown, for the time being, no human-to-human transmission," she added.

China's National Health and Family Planning Commission said over the weekend two men, aged 87 and 27, died in Shanghai in early March after being infected with H7N9 avian influenza.

The presence of the virus in the victims was only confirmed on Friday.

A 35-year-old woman in the eastern province of Anhui, near Shanghai, was in critical condition with the virus, the commission said.

"To date the investigation showed no link between the three cases, but the investigation is still ongoing," said Chaib, adding that 88 individuals who had been in contact with the victims were being monitored.

"The state of knowledge as of now is limited," she underlined.

Shanghai's health bureau has ordered hospitals to strengthen surveillance of respiratory illness cases.

"They are taking the measures necessary," said Chaib.

The woman from Anhui had contact with birds, while the younger man in Shanghai worked butchering and selling meat, China's state-backed Health News said on its website on Monday, suggesting a route for transmission.

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UK artist guilty of indecency charges

AN internationally renowned artist has been convicted of sex offences against children in England.

A jury at Truro Crown Court found Graham Ovenden, 70, guilty of four charges of indecency with a child.

They cleared the pensioner, a former pupil under Sir Peter Blake and who has had work exhibited in galleries across the globe, of three charges of indecent assault on the direction of Judge Graham Cottle.

The judge told the jury of seven men and five women that he would accept majority verdicts, of which at least 10 of them were agreed, on the remaining five charges - three of indecent assault and two of indecency with a child.

Ovenden, who was not present in court having been taken ill, denied all the charges relating to four children - now all adults - between 1972 and 1985.

The incidents, involving young girls, are said to have taken place at Ovenden's former and current addresses, in London and Cornwall, respectively.

Ovenden had been described in court by prosecutor Ramsay Quaife as "a paedophile", who abused children while they modelled for him.

The charges relate to four claimants, who contacted police long after the abuse is alleged to have taken place, and only when they realised exactly what had happened to them as girls, the court heard.

But Ovenden denied the abuse ever happened.

He told the court he had taken pictures of children - including those in various states of undress - but said they were not indecent.

He also described the "witch-hunt" against those who produce work involving naked children, accusing police of "falsifying" images recovered from his home computer.

Ovenden, of Barley Splatt, near Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, denies having a sexual interest in children.

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Easter road toll 7 more than last year's

Eighteen people have been killed on the nation's roads during Easter, seven more than last year. Source: AAP

EIGHTEEN people have been killed on the nation's roads during the Easter break, seven more than this time last year.

Two pedestrians are among the victims, with the latest a male who died at the scene of a crash at Waterloo Corner, north of Adelaide, on Monday evening.

In Perth, a male pedestrian, 21, died after being hit by a prime mover on the Mitchell Freeway about 7.20pm (WST) on Sunday.

Police are preparing a report for the coroner and have asked witnesses to the accident, or anyone who saw a pedestrian on the freeway beforehand, to call Crime Stoppers.

The first death on WA roads in the Easter period was on Thursday, when a 66-year-old man died after his car and caravan rolled over near Albany in the state's south.

There were also two off-road crashes in WA which were not included in the official toll figures.

On Saturday afternoon, a 37-year-old man died and a 33-year-old man was injured when their motorcycles collided on a blind bend on private property about 50km north of Kalgoorlie.

The 37-year-old man, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from his bike and suffered serious head injuries.

On Friday afternoon, a 29-year-old motorcyclist from Geraldton died after crashing in sand dunes near Northampton in WA's Mid West region.

In South Australia, a 27-year-old man died when his ute rolled in Mount Gambier on Saturday night.

Three people died in two separate crashes in South Australia on Good Friday.

"South Australia has already recorded its worst Easter road toll in recent years and thousands of families are still to make the journey home today," South Australia Police said in a statement.

The official Easter road toll is now five in South Australia, two in NSW, four in Queensland, three in Victoria, two in Tasmania and two in WA.

There have been no road deaths in the ACT or the Northern Territory.

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Protest 'polar bear' floats past Kremlin

A GREENPEACE activist in a polar bear suit has floated along the Moscow River past the Kremlin before being briefly detained in a stunt by the environmental group to protest against energy exploration in Russia's Arctic waters.

The activist in a furry white suit stood on a white air cushion designed to look like an ice floe with signs reading "Help!" and "Arctic not for Sale" before a river patrol came out in a motorboat and bundled the activist inside.

The activist was later released from a police station with no charge, Greenpeace said on Twitter, adding that "the crimes are being committed in the Arctic."

Greenpeace said Monday's protest aimed to draw attention to a planned joint venture between Norway's Statoil and Russia's Rosneft to explore Russia's Barents Sea for untapped oil reserves.

Greenpeace said in a statement on its website it was starting to collect signatures for a petition calling on Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to halt the project, warning of the risk of oil spills.

It accused Statoil of being ready to take on environmentally risky projects in Russia that it would not consider doing in its home country.

Greenpeace activists in polar bear costumes last year picketed the headquarters of state-owned energy giant Gazprom. They were charged with breaking rules on protests and fined.

Russia's Arctic is seen as one of the world's last remaining natural wildernesses, but the Russian authorities are increasing looking to exploit its energy reserves as deposits elsewhere run out.

"If there was a disaster in the Barents Sea, the damage to the northern environment and also fish resources and population of littoral towns would be catastrophic," Greenpeace warned.

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Abbott gay marriage views bizarre: ALP MP

Frances and Bridget Abbott have told News Limited that same-sex couples should be able to marry. Source: AAP

A FEDERAL Labor backbencher has accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of "trotting out his daughters' views" in support of gay marriage to counterbalance his own opposition to marriage equality.

Frances and Bridget Abbott have told News Limited they believe same-sex couples should be able to marry and they have discussed the matter with their father.

But Mr Abbott on Sunday reaffirmed the coalition's position that marriage should remain between a man and a woman.

"As long as it is party policy - and that's a matter for the party room - there's no conscience vote," he told Sky News.

Labor MP Graham Perrett, who has two gay brothers, said Mr Abbott's stern opposition to a conscience vote was puzzling.

"He's saying it's set in stone," Mr Perrett told Sky News on Monday.

"(Mr Abbott is saying) because it's the policy now, it must be the policy forever, which is a bizarre approach."

He added that Mr Abbott was "trotting out his daughters' views to counterbalance his hardcore views about marriage equality".

"I would've thought it's the sort of issue that Tony Abbott, with that free-thinking family of his, might allow his party ... to have a conscience vote," Mr Perrett said.

Liberal MP Paul Fletcher said he'd consulted widely with in his upper North Shore Sydney electorate of Bradfield and had found a "strong majority view" in favour of maintaining the status quo on marriage law.

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Suicide truck bomb kills 8 in Iraq

A suicide truck bomber has killed eight people at a police headquarters in Iraq. Source: AAP

A SUICIDE truck bomber killed eight people at a police headquarters as data showed March was Iraq's deadliest month since August, raising fears of a surge in violence leading up to elections.

The latest attack, in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, comes as Iraq marks 10 years since the US-led invasion of the country that intended to oust Saddam and install a stable, democratic ally in the Middle East but instead unleashed brutal violence and endless political disputes.

The attacker detonated the tanker truck at a police headquarters in Tikrit, 160 kilometres north of Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 14, police and medics said.

Most of the casualties in the attack, which struck in morning rush hour, were police, the sources added.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni militants linked to Al-Qaeda often use suicide bombers and vehicles packed with explosives to target security forces and officials in a bid to destabilise the country.

The bombing comes ahead of provincial elections scheduled for April 20, due to be held in 12 of Iraq's 18 provinces, the country's first polls since a parliamentary vote in March 2010.

But questions have been raised over the credibility of the polls as they have been postponed in two provinces roiled by months of protests, and 11 candidates have been killed, according to an AFP tally.

Officials cited security threats to candidates and election officials in justifying the delay in Anbar and Nineveh province, but diplomats have voiced concern over the move.

"The fact is that while security has been put forward as a rationale for that postponement, no country knows more about voting under difficult circumstances than Iraq," US Secretary of State John Kerry said on a surprise visit to Baghdad last month.

The vote is seen as a key barometer of support for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as he grapples with criticism from within his unity cabinet and protests in the minority Sunni Arab community.

Though violence remains high by international standards, Iraq's military and police are consistently described by Iraqi and American officials as capable of maintaining internal security, but are not yet fully able to protect the country's borders, airspace and maritime territory.

Figures compiled by AFP and based on reports from security and medical officials, meanwhile, showed that March was the deadliest month in Iraq since August with 271 people killed and 906 wounded in attacks.

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Fears for Aussie amid Savile sex scandal

A SHOWBIZ friend of the high-profile Australian entertainer arrested last week in England on suspicion of sex offences fears his mate's life may have been ruined even if he's never charged.

The 83-year-old Australian celebrity was questioned on Thursday by a British police task force set up following the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal.

He was released hours later on police bail.

"It appears there's a witch-hunt going on looking at the number of high-profile celebrities arrested," the unnamed friend of the 83-year-old told UK tabloid, The Sunday Mirror.

"Even if those arrested are never charged, their lives will still have been ruined and that's unfair.

"It's easy making historic allegations against showbiz names."

The friend said he was "dumbfounded" by the latest events.

The Australian will not be named by the Metropolitan Police unless he is charged at a later date.

He is the 11th person to have been arrested as a result of Operation Yewtree.

It was established after a TV documentary alleged former BBC disc jockey Savile, who died in 2011 aged 84, sexually abused countless children over decades.

While the Australian was in the media spotlight at the same time, police have stressed his arrest was not connected to the specific allegations made against Savile.

The 83-year-old has reportedly moved out of his Berkshire home and into a London flat in recent weeks to avoid press scrutiny.

He was first interviewed under caution in late November 2012, five days after a search warrant was executed at his home.

The entertainer's British agent has not returned AAP's calls in recent days.

No one answered the door at his Berkshire home on Friday.

A police investigation concluded earlier this year that Savile was a predatory sex offender who abused youngsters as young as eight over more than 50 years, using his fame to rape and assault victims on BBC premises, in schools and hospitals.

The scandal has led to the arrests of singer Gary Glitter, comedians Freddie Starr and Jim Davidson and radio presenter Stuart Hall.

Prosecutors last week said there wasn't enough evidence to charge former BBC producer Wilfred De'ath who had also been arrested.

De'ath subsequently hit out at the MET which he said had been "arresting people on rather spurious allegations" having failed "to get" Savile when he was alive.

"Operation Yewtree has gone too far ... it really is getting silly," De'ath told the BBC.

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Iraq Christians mark Easter

AFTER years of flight from violence-racked Iraq to more stable countries, Baghdad's dwindling Christian community marked Easter Sunday by praying for a visit from the new Pope.

Worshippers attended services at 28 churches across the Iraqi capital, often under heavy security that meant they were frisked before entering while soldiers and police stood guard outside.

"It would be so important for us if he came," said Acil Aysar, a 17-year-old attending mass at the Mar Yusuf church in Baghdad's central Karrada neighbourhood.

"Our Pope is simple and good," added 70-year-old Mowafaq Akrawi, who placed a photograph of Pope Francis behind the Virgin Mary that greets visitors at the Chaldean church.

Though a visit seems unlikely - Iraq remains very violent, and persistent rumours of impending papal visits have been repeatedly denied in previous years - the newly enthroned Chaldean patriarch of Iraq, Archbishop Louis Sako, said this month that Pope Francis had expressed an interest in such a trip.

The Chaldean church, which has 700,000 followers worldwide and uses Aramaic, the language that Jesus Christ spoke, is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

But along with other Iraqi Christian churches, it suffered persecution, forced flight and killings in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion.

The bloodiest single attack on the community came on October 31, 2010, when Islamist militants killed 44 worshippers and two priests in Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church.

And although violence is markedly lower than during the worst of Iraq's sectarian war, attacks are still common, with 263 people killed in March, according to an AFP tally.

"With the violence, I do not think (the Pope will visit)" said Aysar, clad in a blue silk dress.

"Even for us, it is dangerous."

She said her mother had been wounded in the leg three years ago by shrapnel.

Estimates of the number of Christians living in Iraq before 2003 vary from more than one million to around 1.5 million. But now they are estimated at fewer than 500,000.

The dramatic decline in their numbers is visible on the ground.

Hind Kamal, a young mother, noted that "during Saddam's time, we could not even get into the church because there were so many people."

"Now, because it is Easter, the church is full. But normally there are usually no more than 100 people."

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Media man dies in Sydney cliff top fall

Sydney sport and media circles are in mourning over the death of PR consultant Rod "Rocket" Allen. Source: AAP

SYDNEY sport and media circles are mourning journalist-turned-PR consultant Rod "Rocket" Allen, whose body was discovered on Cockatoo Island.

It is understood Mr Allen had been camping with his wife Laila on the Sydney Harbour island on Saturday night to celebrate a former colleague's 50th birthday.

Police believe Mr Allen fell from a cliff overnight, but investigations into his death continue.

A spokeswoman could not confirm a News Ltd report he became disoriented when he was returning to his tent on the northern side of the island in the early hours of Sunday morning and fell from a viewing platform overhanging a sandstone cliff.

News Ltd reported investigations by water police would focus on whether there was adequate fencing, lighting and signage around the 20-metre drop and the pathways leading to the platform.

The man nicknamed Rocket joined the media industry more than 20 years ago, as a cadet with News Ltd, and eventually became a sports managing editor for Fairfax before going on to found the public relations firm Rocket Group in 2009.

As media manager for the Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club, he watched the Wanderers win the Premiers Plate on Friday in the team's inaugural season.

Club executive chairman Lyall Gorman said football had lost a great friend.

"On this day of immense shock and sadness, we remember Rod's wonderful warm nature," Mr Gorman said.

"I am not sure that in the nine years I have known Rod that I have ever seen him happier or prouder when it came to football (than on Friday)."

As news of his death spread on Sunday evening, friends and colleagues took to Twitter to express their grief.

"Wow.. Can't believe it, Rod Allen, amazing guy, love to his family and friends. Shocked," said Socceroos captain Lucas Neill.

One colleague wrote: "Rod Allen was an inspirational sports editor and a wonderful mentor for all who worked with him,"

Another described the media man as a "master of his craft and an even better bloke", while a third remembered him as a "good guy with a ready smile".

Mr Allen had worked as head of media relations for Football Federation Australia, supporting Australia's bids for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, the Socceroos' campaigns for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

FFA CEO David Gallop paid tribute to Mr Allen's professionalism.

"His no-nonsense approach to the task at hand was his trademark and many who dealt with him appreciated this dedication to getting the story, hitting deadline or managing an issue," Mr Gallop said.

"On behalf of the Australian Football Community, we offer our deepest condolences to his family during this extremely sad time."

Fairfax reported friends and family left the island about 2pm (AEDT) on Sunday before gathering in Balmain to mourn.

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Pope prays for peace in Syria, Korea

POPE Francis prayed for a "political solution" in Syria and for "reconciliation" on the Korean peninsula in his first Easter Sunday message in front of a crowd in St Peter's Square.

Latin America's first pontiff also issued an appeal for hostages held by militants in Nigeria and condemned human trafficking as "the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st century".

The pope delivered his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing to Rome and the world from the same balcony of St Peter's Basilica where he made his first appearance after his momentous election to the papacy this month.

Speaking in front of some 250,000 people from around the world in the Vatican, Francis prayed for "dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort.

"How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?" he said.

"On the Korean peninsula, may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow," he said, a day after North Korea declared it was in a "state of war" with South Korea.

Francis also prayed for Nigeria "where great numbers of people, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups" - an apparent reference to a French family kidnapped in Cameroon and believed held by the Nigerian group Boko Haram.

The pope also toured St Peter's Square in his open-top "popemobile" - kissing babies and waving to cheering crowds who held up flags from around the world including his native Argentina.

Easter is the holiest day in the Christian calendar and celebrates the belief in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. It is the culmination of weeks of intense prayer for Christians.

At an Easter Vigil in St Peter's Basilica on Saturday, the first pontiff from outside Europe in nearly 1,300 years of Church history reached out to non-believers and lapsed Catholics, urging them to "step forward" to God.

"He will receive you with open arms," said the 76-year-old, formerly Buenos Aires archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, who has called for the Roman Catholic Church to be closer to ordinary people and the needy.

The Catholic Church is struggling in the face of rising secularism, particularly in Europe where attendances at Mass are falling sharply.

On Sunday, Francis prayed God's message would reach "every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons."

"How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour," he said.

On Holy Thursday, Francis celebrated an unprecedented Mass in a youth prison in Rome in which he washed the feet of 12 inmates including two girls and two Muslims - a ritual seen as a gesture of humility towards the 12 apostles attributed to Jesus.

Previous popes only ever performed the ritual with priests or Catholic laymen.

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