Jet disappeared 'deliberately': Malaysia

Some experts theorise one of the pilots or someone else hijacked the missing Malaysia Airlines jet. Source: AAP

THE missing Malaysian airliner was apparently deliberately diverted and flown for hours after vanishing from radar, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, stopping short of confirming a hijack as the "excruciating" jet drama moved into uncharted new territory.

Najib said on Saturday that investigators believed "with a high degree of certainty" that Malaysia Airlines flight 370's communications systems were manually switched off, and that the plane veered westward in a fashion "consistent with deliberate action" after dropping off primary radar.

But he told a highly-anticipated press conference watched around the world that he could not confirm rising suspicions that the plane had been forcibly taken over.

"Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path," he said.

The investigation data appeared to cast aside a host of theories attempting to explain the plane's disappearance, which has transfixed the world and left the families of the 239 passengers and crew distraught, enraged and baying for information that authorities have not been able to provide.

These include the notion of a sudden mid-air explosion or a catastrophic equipment or structural failure, or a crash into the South China Sea.

At the same time, it opened a whole new avenue of possible speculation, including an attempted 9/11-style attack, enhancing the twist-and-turn mystery surrounding one of the biggest enigmas in modern aviation history.

Final satellite communication with the Boeing 777 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing came more than six-and-a-half hours after it vanished from civilian radar at 1.30am on March 8, Najib said.

He said investigators had concluded the plane was indeed diverted to the west from its original flight path, and as a result search operations in the South China Sea were being called off.

But the remaining area remained dauntingly large. Najib said the plane could be anywhere from "Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean".

Earlier, a senior Malaysian military official said investigators now believe the plane was commandeered by a "skilled, competent and current pilot," but stopped short of specifying whether a hijacker or member of the crew was suspected.

"He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it," the official said.

As the search for the plane continues, the focus in the gripping saga will shift to who would have diverted the plane and why.

Malaysian security officials were already embarrassed by revelations earlier in the week that two Iranian men had managed to board the plane using stolen European passports.

It could also bring new attention on Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, and his First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27.

An Australian television report broadcast an interview with a young South African woman who alleged Fariq and another pilot colleague invited them into the cockpit of a flight he co-piloted in 2011 - a breach of post-9/11 security rules.

The Boeing 777 vanished over waters between Malaysia and southern Vietnam. The night was clear and no distress signal was received.

Even with attention now firmly on the Indian Ocean, the search parameters pose enormous logistical challenges.

The vast Indian Ocean has an average depth of nearly 3,900 metres and any debris would have been widely dispersed by currents after a week.

"Wind and sea conditions are definitely going to play a very big part if there is wreckage, and if it happens to be in the Indian Ocean. It is an immense area," said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor for aviation industry magazine FlightGlobal.

The plane has one of the best safety records of any jet, and the airline also has a solid record.

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SA election still too close to call

About one million people are set to cast their ballots to decide the next state government of SA. Source: AAP

THE South Australian election is neck and neck with almost a quarter of the vote counted, as swings varied widely across the state.

The early results had both Labor and Liberals winning 19 seats each in the 47-seat parliament with two others also likely to remain in the hands of independents.

That left seven in doubt with opposition leading in several of those but Labor looking set to win the inner suburban seat of Adelaide from the Liberals.

On the primary statewide vote the swing to the opposition was three per cent with the swing away from Labor 1.6 per cent.

Going into the election the Liberals needed to pick up six seats to govern in their own right or at least three to have any chance of forming a minority government.

Labor held six of its seats on a margin of 2.7 per cent or less.

Despite the result remaining in doubt, Labor looks set to lose a number of ministers even if they can hang onto government.

Transport Services Minister Chloe Fox in Bright and Employment Minister Grace Portolesi in Hartley were both in trouble while Manufacturing Minister Tom Kenyon was behind early but could hang on.

Labor was also trailing in a number of other seats including the seat of Ashford, but was leading in Elder where the Liberals accused the government of a racist slur against their candidate Carolyn Habib by distributing a pamphlet which just featured her surname on the cover.

Earlier today Premier Jay Weatherill said he expected the result to be close with the election to be decided in a number of key seats.

"Obviously there are a range of seats that are going to be battleground seats. A large number of them this time," he said.

With the count so close a hung parliament also remained on the cards.

Mr Weatherill said he was focussed on winning a majority of seats, while Liberal leader Steven Marshall said the opposition had not ruled out forming a minority government.

"I've never ruled that out but I do say that it would be great for a government to govern in their own right here in South Australia," Mr Marshall said.

Just over 1.1 million South Australians were enrolled to vote.

About 70,000 of those cast their ballots early at voting centres across the state with about 86,000 people also expected to lodge postal votes.

Those votes could ultimately prove crucial.

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Stormy weather moves through Vic

STORMS have swept through Victoria, bringing down trees and causing damage to homes.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm alert on Saturday, warning that damaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hailstones were likely to affect parts of the state.

The State Emergency Service said so far 80 calls for assistance had been received, mainly from greater metropolitan Melbourne, and coastal areas such as Chelsea and Frankston.

Residents in state's northeast and northwest have also contacted emergency services.

Many of the calls relate to fallen trees and roof tiles coming away from residential properties, causing minor leaks and flood damage to homes, the SES said.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Stephen King said Saturday evening's storm activity would extend up from the metropolitan area up through central Victoria towards Bendigo and Echuca.

The bureau's severe thunderstorm warning currently applies to Northern Country, North Central, North East, West and South Gippsland and parts of the Central and East Gippsland.

An earlier severe thunderstorm warning for Melbourne has now been cancelled as the immediate threat has passed.

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China eases exchange rate controls

CHINA has announced it will ease exchange rate controls that have been criticised by Washington and other trading partners as part of reforms aimed at making its economy more efficient.

The band in which the tightly controlled yuan is allowed to fluctuate each day against the US dollar will double in size but stay relatively narrow, allowing a 2 per cent change up or down.

The move, widely expected, adds to a steady drumbeat of policy changes announced as part of plans by the ruling Communist Party to give market forces a bigger role in the state-dominated economy.

Widening the trading band will help to "optimise the efficiency of capital allocation and market allocation of resources to accelerate economic development," said a central bank statement.

Washington and other governments complain Beijing suppresses the value of the yuan, unfairly making Chinese exports cheaper abroad and hurting foreign competitors.

Some US lawmakers have demanded punitive tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing failed to ease controls, but successive American administrations have resisted imposing sanctions.

Allowing the yuan to rise in value would increase the buying power of Chinese households, helping to achieve the ruling party's goal of nurturing more sustainable economic growth based on domestic consumption instead of trade and investment.

Reform advocates say that by suppressing the yuan's value, Beijing has been forcing even poor households to subsidise exporters.

In recent weeks, the central bank has been guiding the yuan's exchange lower against the dollar in what analysts said was an effort to discourage speculators who are moving money into China to profit from the currency's rise.

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Hodgman dynasty's new Tasmanian high

Over 360,000 Tasmanians will vote in 305 polling places from Hobart to King Island in Bass Strait. Source: AAP

IF only Will Hodgman's parents could have seen this.

Victorious Mr Hodgman and defeated opponent Lara Giddings united in wishing the father and mother of Tasmania's new premier had lived to see his election success.

Mr Hodgman's party swept to majority government in Saturday's poll, ending a Labor dynasty that began in 1998.

But it was another dynasty that was on many minds after Mr Hodgman lost his father Michael, a former Fraser government minister, last year after a long illness.

"I am envious that unlike (Ms Giddings) my parents are not able to see tonight," Mr Hodgman said.

Ms Giddings had earlier made a point of sympathising with her opponent.

"Having had the support of my family and the pride of my parents in what I have achieved ... I say to Will I'm only sorry for you that your father Michael and your mother Marian cannot be here," she said.

But the night belonged to the Hodgmans and the premier elect claimed victory at his second attempt with his English wife Nicky by his side, punching the air as he reached the podium.

"Tasmanians have voted for a change in direction and that is what we intend to deliver," Mr Hodgman said.

The 44-year-old father of three young children becomes Tasmania's 45th premier, and his family's first.

Michael Hodgman, known as "the mouth from the south" was also a state politician, while Will's grandfather Bill and uncle Peter were also members of parliament.

The Liberals looked likely to win 14 seats in the 25-seat parliament after four years of an ALP-Greens alliance.

Like last year's federal election, Mr Hodgman had campaigned on ending minority government and his party was rewarded with around 53 per cent of votes.

Under Tasmania's Hare-Clark system, which delivers five members per seat, the Liberals increased their number from two to three in the state's north, the same electorates that punished the ALP at last year's federal poll.

A 14 per cent swing left Labor with six seats, the Greens with two and three in doubt.

The Greens' vote plummeted in a swing of nearly 10 per cent, while the Palmer United Party looked likely to miss out after polling five per cent.

But in the popular vote it was a landslide, Mr Hodgman recording the highest personal tally of any candidate.

Ms Giddings paid tribute to Labor predecessors stretching back to the late Jim Bacon.

"Tasmania is more inclusive, Tasmania is more progressive, more dynamic and more culturally confident than we were back in 1998," she said.

With Ms Giddings absent from the Wrest Point tally room, the traditional jeering came from Liberal supporters as Greens leader Nick McKim took the podium.

Mr McKim said the past four years had proven the Greens were capable of stable and effective government.

"We've been in tougher places before and we've come right back from there," he said.

Ms Giddings looked certain to hold her seat but Labor leadership hopeful David O'Byrne had a fight on his hands.

The pair share Mr Hodgman's electorate of Franklin, along with Mr McKim who was re-elected.

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Gorgon could be delayed until 2016

AUSTRALIA'S largest gas project Gorgon could be delayed until at least 2016 as joint venture partners Chevron and Shell differ on the expected start-up date.

It follows a series of delays and cost blowouts to the massive $US54 billion ($A60.02 billion) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in north Western Australia.

Shell chief executive Ben Van Beurden presented a table to analysts overnight showing the estimated start-up date for the massive 450 million ton project had been pushed back to between 2016 to 2018.

Shell's presentation in London contradicts lead partner's Chevron's assurances that the project is on track to begin in mid-2015.

Chevron this week reiterated its start-up date for first gas next year.

In December last year, Chevron pushed back the time-frame from the first quarter of 2015 and announced the cost of the project had blown out by $US2 billion to $US54 billion.

A spokeswoman for Royal Dutch Shell, which has a 25 per cent stake in Gorgon, referred questions about the start-up time to Chevron.

The original budgeted cost of Gorgon was $US37 billion when it was given the green light in 2009.

Earlier this week, Chevron said Gorgon was almost 80 per cent complete, with two thirds of the gas already committed to buyers.

Offshore pipelaying was now complete and 65 per cent of the LNG from Gorgon had been committed under long-term contracts.

Mr Beurden also reaffirmed the company's $US15 billion target for asset sales over 2014-15 but made no mention of whether it would include a sell down of its stake in Perth-based Woodside Petroleum.

Royal Dutch Shell, a joint venture partner in Woodside's Browse project in Western Australia, has previously indicated it will begin an asset sales program.

Analysts predict Shell could reap $US6.95 ($A7.82) billion by selling its 23.1 per cent interest in Woodside.

Mr Beurden said the company had already announced more than $US4.5 billion of asset sales, including equity in the Wheatstone LNG stake and downstream businesses in Australia.

"There are more divestments to come reaching an expected $US15 billion for 2014 and 2015 combined," Mr Beurden told analysts.

Shell also said start-up for its 110 million ton Prelude floating LNG project would be between 2016 2018.

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Indigenous concerned about Cape York plan

TRADITIONAL owners on Queensland's Cape York say they need more time to consider the government's 20-year plan for the peninsula.

About 10 indigenous groups say they want the March 25 deadline for submissions on the Cape York regional plan extended because of the significance of the plan.

The draft, released in November, outlines future land use for the region - mapping areas where development may be considered and areas of high environmental value.

Laura traditional owner Desmond Tayley says indigenous land owners, who will be affected most by the land use changes, weren't consulted before the draft was drawn up.

"This could be one of the biggest plans that affects how we do business on Cape York," he told AAP on Friday.

"The cultural heritage aspects are not really recognised in this plan ... the traditional owners and land owners have never really been consulted."

Mr Tayley says although the government spoke with Cape York councils, this didn't necessarily mean traditional owners were consulted.

He also wants similar protections offered to the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, where mining has been banned, extended to include rock art sites in and around Laura.

Traditional owners from Western Yalanji, Mapoon, Pormpuraaw, Archer Point, Olkola, Lockhardt River, Chuula, Batavia Downs and the Wenlock Catchment Group have also expressed concern.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says the draft plan was developed in close consultation with traditional owners and discussions will extend beyond the official March 25 deadline.

"The Queensland government is prepared to take as long as is necessary to get this plan right," he said in a statement.

"I can reassure communities on the Cape that all their submissions and comments will be considered in finalisation of the plan."

The 28 members of the Cape York Regional Planning Committee includes MPs, mayors, green groups and resource sector representatives.

The government has said the plan encourages economic growth, while green groups say it opens up vast areas of the cape to mining.

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SA driver over seven times alcohol limit

AN Adelaide woman has been caught drink driving, recording a staggering blood alcohol reading of more than seven times the legal limit.

Police were called to the suburb of Ingle Farm at 5.30pm after a motorist reported concerns about the woman's driving.

The 47-year-old woman from Para Hills, returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.370.

Police said she will be reported for drink driving and her licence disqualified for 12 months.

The woman's vehicle has been impounded for 28 days.

At a later date, she will be summonsed to appear in court.

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Vic MP recovering after surgery

A VICTORIAN MP who underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour is now on the road to recovery.

The member for Carrum, Donna Bauer, had surgery last Saturday to remove a large growth that was discovered during a routine medical check.

Doctors are confident that the tumour, which turned out to be an aggressive localised cancer, has been contained and successfully removed.

As a safeguard, Mrs Bauer will undergo a six-month course of chemotherapy.

The MP has assured constituents that her office remains open for business and she has thanked the community for their support.

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Jakarta governor to run for president

INDONESIA'S main opposition party has nominated popular Jakarta governor Joko Widodo as its candidate for July's presidential election.

"To the people of Indonesia, please give your support to Mr Joko Widodo as the candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle," the party's deputy chairwoman Puan Maharani, daughter of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, said at a press conference.

Recent polls suggest that Widodo, a former furniture businessman and mayor of Solo in Central Java province, would win the election if it were held now.

Widodo rose to political prominence as Solo mayor thanks to his hands-on leadership style and programmes including free healthcare and education.

As governor, he has a reputation for paying frequent visits to Jakarta's slums, and is known for riding a bicycle to work.

"I have been given a mandate by PDI-P chairwoman Madam Megawati Sukarnoputri to be the presidential candidate of PDI Perjuangan," Widodo said during a visit to a Jakarta neighbourhood.

Analysts say the party is hoping Widodo's nomination will boost its support in the April 9 legislative elections.

The popularity of the ruling Democratic Party, led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has been declining following a series of corruption scandals.

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AFP drops Corby interview investigation

THE Australian Federal Police have dropped a proceeds of crime investigation into Schapelle Corby.

Federal officers raided Seven Network offices in Sydney last month amid intense speculation the network was working on a deal with the convicted drug runner for a lucrative first interview following her release from an Indonesian jail.

Under proceeds of crime legislation, convicted criminals can't benefit financially from their notoriety.

On Thursday evening the AFP announced it was dropping the investigation altogether and would hand back all seized documents.

"In recent weeks, Indonesian authorities have clearly outlined that any such interview would be in breach of Ms Corby's parole conditions and could result in her parole being revoked," the AFP said.

"Any possibility of an agreement has now been superseded by these additional parole conditions.

"This decision does not mean that the original concerns that initiated the investigation were not well founded."

The backdown comes weeks after AFP assistant commissioner Michael Phelan was forced to apologise over a mistake in the warrants executed on Seven, which suggested they related to a criminal rather than civil matter.

Corby, 36, spent more than nine years in jail in Bali after being found guilty of importing marijuana.

Seven has launched legal action against the AFP over the raids.

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Sydney man's alleged killer to front court

Sydney real estate agent, Vissa Esan, 48, has been stabbed to death on the way to work. Source: AAP

A MAN has been charged over the alleged stabbing murder of Sydney real estate agent Vissa Esan.

Police say the 47-year-old Aussie Unity Real Estate owner was confronted inside his Pendle Hills office about 7.45am (AEDT) on Thursday.

It's alleged Mr Esan, whose wife is expecting their first baby, was knifed in the chest.

He was rushed to Westmead Hospital but died a short time later.

A 33-year-old was arrested nearby and has now been charged with murder.

The man was refused bail to appear in Fairfield Local Court on Friday.

A large crowd of local business people, residents and Mr Esan's distraught colleagues gathered near the crime scene on Thursday.

They said the Sri Lankan-born businessman migrated to Australia about 20 years ago and lived in Kellyville.

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One dead in fatal road collision in SA

ONE person has died after a car hit a tree and then a truck in South Australia's rural Riverland region.

Police and emergency services remain at the scene of the fatal smash that occurred at a Renmark intersection at about 7.30pm on Thursday.

The passenger of the car died at the scene while the driver sustained life-threatening injuries and is expected to be airlifted from the Berri Hospital to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, police said.

The truck driver was not physically injured.

The Sturt Highway has been closed between the Paringa bridge and Renmark Avenue and diversions are in place to divert traffic.

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Qld and Texas now sister states

Qld Premier Campbell Newman has opened a new office in Texas to boost economic ties with the US. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND the Sunshine State has reached out to Texas, the Lone Star State.

Premier Campbell Newman has travelled from Australia's far north to America's deep south to meet with Texas Governor Rick Perry - a former Republican presidential contender - to formalise a sister state agreement.

The pair also opened the Queensland government's new North America Trade and Investment office in Houston, the largest city in Texas.

"This new office is the beginning of a new era for the state's business relationship with the US," Mr Newman said in a statement on Thursday.

It's hoped the new relationship will boost Queensland-US trade, which is valued at $6.4 billion.

"Texas shares many similarities with Queensland's four pillar economy of resources agriculture, tourism and construction industries - so the opportunities for increased trade are enormous," Mr Newman said.

Mr Newman was also due to meet with energy companies to discuss shale gas extraction technology.

The Queensland premier also headed to the United States's largest rodeo on the final leg of his US tour, which has also visited Los Angeles and New York.

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Sydney's QVB evacuated over package

POLICE have blocked off Sydney city streets following the discovery of a suspicious item on a footpath.

The Queen Victoria Building is behind a police cordon and Market Street has been closed between Kent and George streets as specialist police assess the item.

A NSW Police spokesman has told AAP the item was located about 9.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

"There's just been an incident, that's all," officers at the scene have told bystanders.

Fairfax Media reports that the QVB and nearby buildings have been evacuated, as has the QVB's car park.

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Shark fight continues despite EPA ruling

Conservationists have vowed to continue the fight against Western Australia's shark kill policy. Source: AAP

CONSERVATIONISTS have vowed to continue the fight against Western Australia's shark kill policy, despite being dealt another blow in a bid to end the so-called cull.

After earlier losing a legal bid to have the baited drumlines off the WA coast removed, on Wednesday the state's Environmental Protection Authority declined to formally assess the program which has claimed over 100 sharks since the start of the year.

Despite more than 23,000 submissions - the most received by the EPA on one issue - chairman Paul Vogel said this year's program would not have a significant effect on the environment.

But state and federal MPs, as well as conservation groups, voiced outrage at the decision and immediately demanded an appeal.

Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said the ruling that the policy was not impacting the environment was a nonsense.

"This policy is nothing more than a kneejerk, indiscriminate cull that has already harmed over 100 sharks," Ms Siewert said.

"Many sharks are being injured or attacked on the lines and we don't know how many are dying after they're released."

It was revealed on Wednesday the drumlines off Perth and the state's south-west had caught 104 sharks, including 101 Tiger sharks. Forty of those were either dead or destroyed, with 30 of them over three metres long.

The policy to kill any great white, tiger or bull shark bigger than three metres spotted in surfing and swimming hotspots was allowed by federal environment minister Greg Hunt.

He granted WA an exemption under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, allowing the protected species to be killed until the end of the trial on April 30.

Dr Vogel said the 13-and-a-half week program posed a "negligible risk" to target and non-target species of sharks, and to the broader ecosystem.

However, in a early warning to Premier Colin Barnett's plan to roll out a similar policy next summer, Dr Vogel said his ruling today was not a carte blanche endorsement.

"I need to see where they intend to do it (next year), and how they intend to do it," Dr Vogel said.

WA Greens MP Lynn McLaren questioned whether the policy would be fully assessed next summer if it was only put in place for three months.

"If the Premier instates the drum lines in brief and frequent stints over a long time frame, does he forever avoid an environmental assessment of this barbaric policy?" Ms McLaren said.

The EPA said any appeals received against the EPA's decision would be investigated by the Appeals Convenor and determined by the Minister for Environment, Albert Jacob.

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Religious leaders fight holy day shopping

THOU shalt shop for no longer.

That's the commandment from religious and union leaders who say politicians must love, honour and obey existing retail trading hours.

Four-and-a-half days are at present restricted retail trading days in NSW, with shops forced to secure an exemption if they want to open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day (up to 1pm), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Christian Democrat MP Rev Fred Nile is concerned NSW may be considering extending trading hours on those days.

He says there's been "very heavy pressure" from the retail industry to introduce 24-hour, seven day-a-week trading across the country.

"We don't want to give them an inch at this stage to encourage them to make any changes at all," he told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

NSW Treasurer and Industrial Relations Minister Mike Baird said the modernisation of retail trading laws in the state was "well overdue".

The government was committed to providing more choice to retailers, employees and consumers and introduced a bill to parliament in 2012 with that objective.

Despite the bill being withdrawn because of a lack of support in the upper house, the government would be examining "all options" to provide shops with the choice to open on Boxing Day, he said.

"It makes no sense that around a third of the state can trade on Boxing Day following exemptions for 'tourist trading precincts' approved by previous governments, but the rest cannot," the treasurer said in a statement.

Wesley Mission CEO Rev Keith Garner fears moves to ease trading rules on Boxing Day will pave the way for more shops to be allowed to stay open on religious holidays.

"If we lose these days, we'll never get them back," he said.

"Once Boxing Day goes, it won't be long before people say, 'Well, what's up with Good Friday?'"

Australian National Retailers Association chief Margy Osmond dismissed those concerns as outdated.

"I don't know which decade they're living in - I get a whiff of the 1950s about this," she said.

"The way people want to shop, when and where they want to shop, is very different (to the 1950s)."

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Facebook, BBC top British websites poll

New research has revealed Facebook and the BBC are the top two most popular websites in the UK. Source: AAP

THE two websites Britain cannot live without are the BBC and social networking site Facebook, new research has found.

The top five websites were revealed to be Facebook (24 per cent), BBC (20 per cent), Amazon (nine per cent), Gmail (five per cent) and Yahoo (five per cent), in a poll for Nominet, the company that runs the .uk internet infrastructure.

Facebook was chosen by 32 per cent of women, while for men (26 per cent) the BBC website was in the number one position.

Almost half of those quizzed (46 per cent) said the best thing about the web was finding quick answers to questions, while a quarter (25 per cent) said that what they liked the most was finding old friends.

A further quarter of people (24 per cent) said that they used the web most to help with something that was a cause of worry.

For young people aged 18 to 24, the search for a job was higher up the list - with 28 per cent of them citing "finding a job" as the best thing the web has given them.

The survey of 2001 adults was commissioned to celebrate the web's birthday on Wednesday, marking 25 years since Sir Tim Berners-Lee published the paper that served as the blueprint for the modern web.

"The web is such an integral part of everyday life that we simply can't live without it," said Lesley Cowley, chief executive of Nominet.

"It has changed to something beyond what even Sir Tim and his colleagues could have imagined 25 years ago, when they were looking for an easier way to share and structure information.

"The social, political and economic impact of the web makes it a story we are all part of, and to which we all contribute daily, whether that's finding the answer to a question or connecting with friends and colleagues."

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Native title and mining leases co-exist

THE High Court of Australia has made a landmark ruling in favour of traditional owners following a long-running native title dispute in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

The Ngarla people were granted a native title claim in the East Pilbara in 2007. But there was a dispute over whether a mining lease extinguished their rights.

The Federal Court ruled in favour of the traditional owners in 2012, however, that decision was challenged by the WA government.

On Wednesday the High Court dismissed the appeal and determined that native title rights were not extinguished by 50-year-old mining leases.

Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Simon Hawkins said it was "very disappointing" that the state government had challenged the Federal Court ruling.

"The courts had been clear all along that the native title rights did not prevent mining companies from doing anything they were lawfully allowed to do under their mineral leases," he said.

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Barangaroo firefighters work through night

FIREFIGHTERS will work through the night at Sydney's Barangaroo construction site, where a major blaze forced the evacuation of about 2500 workers and brought peak hour traffic to a standstill.

The basement fire broke out around 2pm (AEDT) on Wednesday and threatened the collapse of a multi-storey crane.

"We're still trying to get the fire extinguished," NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Ian Krimmer told AAP on Wednesday night.

"We've got crews in the basement area and it's only once we get that fire out that the engineers can go in."

Officials were reluctant to speculate about how long the Barangaroo precinct would remain in lockdown but Supt Krimmer said dousing the flames would likely take several hours.

Some 100 firefighters were at the site and preparing to work into the early hours of Thursday morning, pumping water into the seat of the fire.

The thick plumes of smoke visible earlier on Wednesday had dissipated but an acrid smell hung in the air near the fire site at nightfall on Wednesday.

The Ambulance Service of NSW has warned that vulnerable people in smoke-affected areas - the elderly, very young and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma - should consider staying indoors.

Fears that the fire-damaged crane could topple forced the closure of several city roads including the usually-bustling Western Distributor, plunging much of the inner city into gridlock on Wednesday evening.

The Transport Management Centre has warned that if the Western Distributor remains closed through the Thursday morning peak, commuters will face heavy delays.

"That road will not be reopened until we are given the go-ahead," a spokeswoman told Macquarie Radio on Wednesday evening.

"There would be really, really significant delays, because obviously heading into the city is the peak direction for the mornings ...

"If it is not (open), we would ask people not to drive, to stay right away from that area."

Lasers have been trained onto the 20-storey crane to alert emergency crews to any movement.

Once the blaze is brought under control, structural engineers will be able to assess the damage.

But Lend Lease chief operating officer Dan Labbad said engineers planned to dismantle the crane regardless of the results of the inspection.

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union assistant state secretary Rob Kera said workers were upset about the blaze.

"We conducted a full audit of the evacuation procedure on this site. To say it was an absolute disgrace is an understatement," he said.

"The men at this point and time are pretty upset, they are pretty devastated."

The Barangaroo area is being redeveloped as a residential and retail hub, with plans for a high-rollers' casino owned by billionaire James Packer.

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Man with stolen passport was asylum seeker

A man travelling on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet with a stolen passport was an asylum seeker. Source: AAP

A MAN travelling with a stolen passport on a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner was an Iranian teenager trying to migrate to Germany, and is not believed to have any terrorist links, police say.

The announcement is likely to dampen, at least for now, speculation that the disappearance of the Boeing 777 was linked to terrorism. Police said a second passenger also travelling with a stolen passport has not been identified. Both bought their tickets in Thailand and entered Malaysia together.

No debris from the plane has been found. On Tuesday, baffled authorities expanded their search to the opposite side of Malaysia from where it disappeared more than three days ago with 239 people on board.

The airline says the pilots did not send any distress signals, suggesting a sudden and possibly catastrophic incident. Speculation has ranged widely about possible causes, including pilot error, plane malfunction, hijacking and terrorism.

News that two of the passengers were travelling with stolen passports immediately fuelled speculation of foul play. However, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told a news conference Tuesday that investigators had determined one was a 19-year-old Iranian, Pouria Nourmohammadi Mehrdad, who was planning to enter Germany to seek asylum.

"We believe he is not likely to be a member of any terrorist group," Khalid said.

He said the young man's mother was waiting for him in Frankfurt and had been in contact with police. He said she contacted Malaysian authorities to inform them of her concern when her son didn't get in touch with her.

He also said there was no truth to a statement by at least one other government official that five passengers had checked in for the flight but never boarded the aeroplane.

The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur, on the western coast of Malaysia, early Saturday en route to Beijing. It flew across Malaysia into the Gulf of Thailand at 11,000 metres and then disappeared from radar screens.

Authorities have said the plane may have attempted to turn back toward Kuala Lumpur.

The hunt began on Saturday near the plane's last known location. But with no debris found there, the search has been systematically expanded to include areas the plane could have reached with the fuel it had on board. That is a vast area in which to locate something as small as a piece of an aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines said search and rescue teams have expanded the scope beyond the flight path to the Straits of Malacca between Malaysia's western coast and Indonesia's Sumatra island - the opposite side of Malaysia from its last known location.

An earlier statement said the western coast of Malaysia was "now the focus," but the airline subsequently said that phrase was an oversight.

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Boat briefing travel cost over $15,000

The travel bill for Operation Sovereign Borders media briefings has come in at more than $15,000. Source: AAP

THE Abbott government spent more than $15,000 flying Operation Sovereign Borders commander Angus Campbell and other officials to Sydney for weekly media briefings before abandoning the practice.

The travel costs for 11 press conferences during an 11-week period in 2013 have been revealed under Freedom of Information.

Between September 23 and December 20, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison staged 14 briefings with Lieutenant-General Campbell and Defence Force vice-chief Mark Binskin before abandoning the practice.

The costs of sending customs officials from Canberra to the Sydney briefings, including chief executive Michael Pezzullo, was $8243.13 for 11 weeks. This included accommodation and meals for an unnamed official for two nights.

General Campbell's travel bill was $5552.31 for airfares and car hire in Sydney.

Cab charges and airport parking costs totalled $1450.

The travel itinerary receipts do not say whether airfares were business class.

Travel costs for the three briefings in December were not released.

Mr Morrison, who is based in Sydney, has discontinued his weekly briefings and opted to issue written statements and hold press conferences when needed.

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Japan marks 3rd anniversary of disaster

Japan has observed a moment of silence in Japan to mark the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami. Source: AAP

JAPAN has observed a moment of silence to mark the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster which swept away thousands of victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked the nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.

Survivors bowed deeply at remembrance ceremonies in towns and cities around the disaster zone and in Tokyo, where Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko led tributes to those who died in Japan's worst peace-time disaster.

A national moment of silence followed the cry of tsunami alarm sirens which were set off at 2:46pm, the moment a 9.0-magnitude undersea quake hit.

Its raw force unleashed a towering wall of water that travelled at the speed of a jet plane to the coast. Within minutes, communities were turned to matchwood, and whole families drowned.

Giant waves also crashed into the Fukushima nuclear plant, sparking reactor meltdowns and explosions, and setting off the worst atomic crisis in a generation.

The crippled plant remains volatile and the complicated decommissioning process is expected to last for decades, as fears persist over the health effects of leaked radiation. Tens of thousands were evacuated from the stricken area.

Emperor Akihito paid tribute to victims killed in the tragedy, and those struggling in its aftermath.

"Many victims still lead difficult lives in devastated areas and places that were evacuated," he said from a national theatre hall in downtown Tokyo.

"It is important for all people to join together and show their support in the long-term... I pray for a return of peaceful times to devastated areas."

Although no one died as a direct result of Fukushima, about 1,650 area residents passed away from complications related to stress and other problems following the accident.

A total of 15,884 people are confirmed to have died in the tsunami with another 2,633 still listed as missing. Human remains are sometimes still found years later.

In the shattered town of Namie, just eight kilometres from the stricken plant, about 200 former residents, police and firefighters gathered to search for remains.

They raked a beach where broken timber and cars pulled by the waves once lay half buried.

"Our parents are still missing," said 25-year-old former resident Miho Suzuki, joined by her sister.

"I don't think we'll ever find them, but we came here to take part because we felt like doing something to help."

For another former Namie resident, Morihisa Kadoya, returning to a town that remains uninhabitable due to health concerns seems like a distant dream.

"It's impossible to come back - the decommissioning at the plant is going to take years," he said.

Despite the government pledging billions of dollars in reconstruction aid, progress in disaster-hit regions has been slow, and thousands of disaster refugees struggle to cope.

Among almost 270,000 evacuees from the tsunami and Fukushima, about 100,000 are in temporary housing while others found shelter in new cities or with relatives.

Japan has so far built only 3.5 per cent of the new homes promised to disaster refugees in heavily affected Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.

And doubts are growing. Some 77 per cent of Japanese say the pace of reconstruction has fallen short, according to a poll by Japanese media this month.

"I'm determined to accelerate the recovery and not let this disaster fade from memory," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament Monday.

"Japan's revival won't come without the restoration of devastated areas."

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Israeli drone crashes in Gaza

AN Israeli airstrike has killed three Gaza militants near an area where an unmanned Israeli surveillance aircraft crashed earlier in the day, a Gaza official says.

The Israeli military said the Skylark drone experienced a technical malfunction and it was investigating what caused it to go down.

Israel uses drones to gather intelligence on militant activity in Gaza, a territory governed by the Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas, and where several other armed groups also operate.

Hamas militants said they recovered the aircraft in southern Gaza and handed it over to security forces. No further details were immediately available.

The Israeli army would not say whether the drone's fall into Hamas' hands could provide secrets or technology to the militants. The Skylark, however, is known to have safeguards to prevent disclosure of information to unauthorised personnel.

Shortly after the drone crashed, the Islamic Jihad movement said an Israeli airstrike struck the area, killing three members belonging to the group.

The Israeli military said it was responding to mortar fire that had just taken place toward Israel.

"Terrorists must know that there is a price to pay when participating in aggression," said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman.

The military also said that in an incident late on Monday, Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian after he threw rocks at Israeli cars in the West Bank. Palestinian police initially blamed Jewish settlers for the shooting.

The shooting came after Israeli guards shot and killed a Jordanian judge who the Israelis said tried to grab a rifle from a soldier at the border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.

Shootings at the Allenby crossing on the West Bank-Jordan border are rare. Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement 20 years ago and have close security ties.

The military said its initial investigation showed that the man attacked a soldier while shouting "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is Great," and the soldiers were forced to open fire, first toward his legs and then once again, after the suspect began to strangle a soldier.

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Emerging markets to keep lid on activity

EDS: Not to be used until 2200 AEDT Tuesday, March 11

By Colin Brinsden, AAP Economics Correspondent

CANBERRA, March 11 AAP - Sub-par economic performances by several emerging markets will likely be a restraint on the global economy in the near term, the OECD says.

In an update of its November economic outlook, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development says major advanced economies are continuing to strengthen, helped by low interest rates and reduced drag from their budgets.

However, it said in an Interim Economic Assessment released in Paris on Tuesday that for major emerging market economies (EMEs) it is more of a mixed picture, with some experiencing a marked loss of momentum.

"Given that emerging economies now account for over half the world economy, continued sub-par economic performance for several of the major EMEs is likely to mean that global growth remains only moderate in the near term," the OECD said.

The decision last December by US Federal Reserve to begin winding back its asset-buying stimulus program, otherwise know as tapering, forced a number of emerging market central banks to lift interest rates to stem capital outflows.

The OECD believes this gradual scaling down of stimulus by the US Fed was the right decision with the recovery in the world's largest economy relatively well established.

But it also highlighted the vulnerabilities of some emerging economies to swings in capital flows and currency pressures.

"In a few cases it may be possible to ease fiscal policy to offset the contractionary effect of tighter monetary policy, but some EMEs are constrained by the need to reduce budget deficits," it said.

As for Australia's number one trading partner, China, the OECD says growth is around trend and inflation is well contained.

However, it believes China needs to restrain credit growth to help address the growing vulnerability of its financial system.

More broadly, the OECD said some long-standing risks remain for the outlook.

"Japan is only just beginning to confront its daunting fiscal challenges, fragilities in the euro area are still acute, and the possibility persists of a sharp slowdown in China driven by balance sheet effects," it says.

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Australia gives $10m aid to Somalia

The federal government has pledged $10 million in aid to war-ravaged Somalia. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA will pledge $10 million in aid to war-ravaged Somalia.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says $2 million will be given to support the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to combat terrorism, while a further $8 million will be granted for humanitarian efforts such as water access and medical care.

Ms Bishop said enhancing Somalia's stability was in Australia's national interest.

"It will help combat terrorism, improve stability in the Indian Ocean Rim and reduce piracy along important trading routes for Australia," she said in a statement on Monday.

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Inquiry told Pell backs right to sue

A NSW hearing will examine the response of the Catholic Church to John Ellis's claim of child abuse. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S most senior Catholic Cardinal George Pell believes victims of child sex abuse should be able to sue the church.

Revealed at a hearing of the federal Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney on Monday, Cardinal Pell's position represents a major policy change from the church.

The commission is examining the experiences of victim John Ellis who unsuccessfully pursued civil litigation against the church and Cardinal Pell for the abuse he suffered while an altar boy.

It's been told the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney spent $1.5 million to defeat Mr Ellis' $100,000 claim stemming from the hurt and distress he suffered at the hands of Father Aidan Duggan at Christ the King's Church in Bass Hill, Sydney from 1974 to 1979.

He lost his case when the court ruled the church was not a legal entity which could be sued and Cardinal Pell could not be held responsible.

The case has been viewed as a barrier to future compensation attempts.

In her opening remarks to the commission on Monday, Gail Furness SC, counsel advising the commission, outlined Mr Ellis' costly fight.

She said when Cardinal Pell gives evidence later in the hearings he will say that, on reflection, some of the steps in Mr Ellis' case caused him concern.

In his submission to the royal commission, she went on, Cardinal Pell will say: "Whatever position was taken by the lawyers during the litigation, or by lawyers of individuals within the Archdiocese following the litigation, my own view is that the church in Australia should be able to be sued in cases of this kind."

Mr Ellis lost his action in 2005 and the church and its solicitors pursued him for more than $550,000 costs for three years, before they were finally waived.

Ms Furness said Mr Ellis, a lawyer, was first told his claim could not be resolved because the alleged abuser, Fr Duggan, had dementia.

Before any mediation began he was informed by Raymond Brazil, a facilitator for the church's Professional Standards Office (NSW/ACT) that any "financial gesture would be in the form of a gratuity and not compensation in the legal sense".

There was a cap of $50,000 and only the most serious cases receive the maximum amount.

The commission has heard the church's Towards Healing program which is meant to be compassionate and pastoral in its approach does not have a financial cap on redress.

Mr Ellis told the inquiry the impacts of the abuse were still unfolding for him and his wife Nicola at the time.

He had been asked to resign from his position as partner in the law firm Baker and McKenzie and in the initial stages of therapy, was living away from home.

He requested $100,000 but was offered $25,000.

The offer was upped to $30,000 and he considered accepting this because he was financially strapped.

Mr Ellis said he was told the offer was less than he wanted because: "The impact on you is considered to be less because the abuse continued after you were 18."

He was also told the church authority questioned the casual links between his present issues and the abuse.

"I felt the impacts on me were being minimised in that response", Mr Ellis said.

He told the commission: "I had no desire to engage in legal proceedings against the church.

What he wanted was a payment of something like the suggested $100,000, an apology from the Cardinal, acknowledgment of the church's failure to protect him and counselling.

He also wanted honest information about how Father Duggan had come to be placed at Bass Hill.

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Tattoo key to saving abused boy

A LITTLE boy adopted by a pedophilic Queensland couple and farmed out to an international ring of sex abusers was rescued thanks to a distinctive temporary tattoo, investigators have revealed.

Australian, New Zealand and US officials have given an in-depth account of how they brought down the two men in a Four Corners report.

Peter Truong and Mark Newton paid US$8000 for a child, adopted him, then took him on a world tour of abuse.

The report revealed the pair trained their young son not to give information to investigators by staging mock interviews.

Detective Inspector Jon Rouse from Queensland Police said the boy "withdrew completely" during police interviews.

"You know, he would hide, he wouldn't look at the interviewer," Det Insp Rouse told the ABC program.

"I believe one of his responses was that he didn't want to get them into trouble."

Images found on a hard drive in the Truong-Newton home showed the boy had been taken to 30 countries in six years, meeting unidentified men.

The young boy - named as Adam in the Four Corners report - had filled his passport by the age of three.

And it was an overseas holiday snap that helped detectives close in on his adoptive fathers.

Photos dated April 2011 showed him getting a henna tattoo at a zoo in North Carolina.

Det Insp Rouse said the tattoo proved crucial in helping identify Adam.

"The dead set immediate giveaway was the tattoo," he said.

"There's a henna tattoo, very, very particular.

"You put it all together, it's definitely our boy ... that was it, case closed."

Newton was sentenced to 40 years' jail last year, while Truong received a discount for supplying passwords to encrypted hard drives, thus helping secure the arrest of other international pedophiles, and was jailed for 30 years.

The Four Corners program comes with high-profile Florida lawyer John Rex Powell agreeing to serve at least 20 years' jail in the US for his involvement in the ring.

In a deal with prosecutors in Indiana, Powell agreed on Monday to serve up to 30 years behind bars, and after his release be subject to supervision for the rest of his life.

An Indiana judge will decide how much time he will serve.

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Several swine flu cases on Palm Island

SEVERAL people have contracted swine flu on Palm Island in north Queensland, health officials say.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service confirmed on Monday that four residents from the mainly indigenous community off Townsville have the virus.

One patient has been admitted to Townsville Hospital and the others have been treated on the island.

Dr Robert Norton, director of microbiology and pathology at Townsville Hospital, says although there have been several cases it doesn't constitute an outbreak.

"It is not uncommon for this virus to circulate throughout Queensland," he said.

During a 2009 outbreak on the island a 19-year-old woman lost her 36-week-old unborn child due to swine-flu related complications.

Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey says the number of recent cases are concerning and may be due to the poor level of healthcare available on the island.

"I think the delivery of health care on the island isn't as good as it should be," he told AAP.

"If this [level of healthcare] was in a normal mainstream community then every man and his dog would want something done."

He says the community wants more say over how healthcare is administered on the island, and he's in discussions with Queensland Health about changing their approach.

Health officials recommend an annual vaccination to stop the spread of swine flu or Influenza A (H1N1).

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Aust ready to do more for Malaysia: Bishop

Canberra says it will do more to help search for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Source: AAP

CANBERRA will do more to help search for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane if Kuala Lumpur needs additional assistance, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said after speaking with her Malaysian counterpart.

The Australian minister also flagged the need for tighter passport controls.

Malaysia has dispatched ships to investigate the sighting of a floating object that could be a life raft, as it continues to hunt for the missing airliner.

The plane's disappearance has led to an international search and rescue operation with Australia sending two P-3C Orion RAAF aircraft.

"It does show that countries pull together when there is a crisis such as this," Ms Bishop told reporters in London where she's attending the annual Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting.

"I spoke to the Malaysian foreign minister Anifah (Aman) yesterday and offered him our support.

"I asked that if there was anything further that Australia could do they just have to let us know."

Ms Bishop said it was a very distressing time for the families of passengers and crew on the flight.

"We can assume that it has gone down but we don't know where or why."

Six Australians and two New Zealanders are among 239 people feared dead aboard the Kuala Lumpur to Beijing flight.

A terrorism investigation is underway amid revelations two passengers travelled on false passports.

Asked if Australian airports regularly scanned passports against the Interpol database of stolen documents, the foreign minister said: "I believe so."

"We would like to think that our passport system is exceedingly robust," Ms Bishop said.

"But this is an incident that is not isolated and the response from Interpol, for example, indicates that much tighter scrutiny may well be required."

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Wife prays for miracle for missing husband

Hopes are dwindling that Paul Weeks will be found alive after the plane he boarded went missing. Source: AAP

THE wife of a Perth man on board a missing Malaysia Airlines jet is praying for a miracle that he will return home safely.

The Malaysia Airlines plane was carrying 239 people, including six Australians and two New Zealanders from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it disappeared from radar screens over the South China Sea on Saturday.

Paul Weeks, a 39-year-old mechanical engineer, was travelling to Mongolia for his first shift in a fly-in-fly-out job.

His emotional wife, Danica, said on Sunday she was desperately waiting for news of him.

"I can't give up hope. I would love him to walk through that door, hold him one more time," she told the Nine Network in Perth.

She said he left his wedding ring and watch at home.

"(He said) 'If something should happen to me then the wedding ring should go to the first son that gets married and then the watch to the second'," she said.

The couple have a three-year-old son, Lincoln, and a 10-month-old son, Jack.

Mr Weeks was born in New Zealand and moved to WA with his young family in 2011, following the devastating Christchurch earthquakes.

His LinkedIn profile shows he had been working with MTU Detroit Diesel Australia in WA and previously, as a vehicle mechanic for the New Zealand army for more than five years.

Mr Weeks was listed as one of two New Zealand passengers despite now living in Australia.

His older sister, Sara, said all the family in New Zealand remained hopeful for good news, but were preparing themselves for the worst.

"When Danica kissed him goodbye, she was hoping he would be back in a month," she told Fairfax.

Other friends and family have used social media to post tributes.

Emma Brosnahan wrote: "Such a sad day, still praying for you Pauly and hoping miracles do happen. Sending Danica Weeks & the boys as much love & strength as we can possibly muster."

Rebecca Rousselle posted: "So sad to hear this tragic news of such a great guy and an old friend. My heart goes out to his family, I can't imagine how devastating this must be and just want to send my love."

Mr Weeks told The Press newspaper in 2012 he left New Zealand because of recessionary pressure, high food prices and continuing aftershocks in Christchurch.

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Third NSW man charged over $1m drug haul

A man has been charged after police found $1.3 million worth of cannabis plants in northern NSW. Source: AAP

A THIRD man has been charged after more than $1 million worth of cannabis was seized in raids on the NSW mid-north coast last week.

Police say they found 692 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of $1.3 million during searches at properties in Comara, Carrai and Port Macquarie on Tuesday.

A rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition and equipment used in the cultivation of illegal drugs were also found, police say.

A 57-year-old man was arrested after he went to Port Macquarie Police Station on Saturday afternoon.

He was charged with commercial cultivation of cannabis plants and was refused bail to appear at Port Macquarie Local Court on Sunday.

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Thoughts with those on Malaysia flight: PM

PM Tony Abbott says Australians' thoughts are with the families of those on a missing Malaysia jet. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says Australians' thoughts are with the passengers and families of those on a missing China-bound Malaysia Airlines jet.

Queensland couples Catherine and Robert Lawton and Mary and Rodney Burrows, and Sydneysiders Li Yuan and Gu Naijun, are among 239 people on board flight MH370, which disappeared between Malaysia's east coast and southern Vietnam.

Mr Abbott on Sunday described the tragedy as a "horrible, horrible business".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and their families on that ill-fated aircraft, particularly to the six Australian passengers and their families, that have now been confirmed to be on board," he told reporters in Adelaide.

"We're looking at ways in which we can help with the search and recovery operation."

Opposition leader Bill Shorten echoed Mr Abbott's comments.

"I believe the Australian nation's thoughts go out to the families of those Australians and New Zealanders that are on this plane, and indeed the families of everyone," he told reporters in Melbourne.

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Australian found with amnesia in Cambodia

AN Australian man who went missing in Thailand more than a month ago has been found across the border, reportedly suffering from memory loss.

Financial consultant Nathan Hansford had last been seen leaving his home in the Bangkok suburb of Thungkru on January 31, prompting Thai police to launch an investigation last week.

Late on Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed Mr Hansford had been located in Cambodia.

"Consular officials in Cambodia are in contact with Mr Hansford's family," a DFAT spokeswoman told AAP.

A family statement released to Fairfax Media said Mr Hansford had been involved in a motor vehicle accident and was suffering from amnesia.

"It is time for us to focus on helping Nathan in his recovery," the statement said.

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Thai case against Aust journalist delayed

AN Australian journalist facing criminal defamation and computer crimes brought by the Royal Thai Navy says the case is being delayed until April, raising hopes the charges may be dropped.

Alan Morison, originally from Melbourne and editor of online news website Phuketwan, along with Thai reporter, Chutima Sidasathian, were due to face the Phuket prosecutor on Monday and be formally charged.

But Morison told AAP the prosecutor's office informed them Friday the hearing of the case was being delayed until next month.

"We actually (still) have to front down there (at the prosecutor's) office on Monday at 9.30 but we're not expecting the case to proceed because of this delay that the prosecutor now says is necessary until April," he said.

The office did not clarify reasons for the delay.

"There was no reason given and there was no date set in April either," Morison said.

But AAP has learnt the charges against Morison and Chutima had also been raised by diplomatic sources at senior levels within the Thai government.

The Navy's charges relate to a report in "Phuketwan" last year of a Reuter's news story into alleged trafficking and other mistreatments against Muslim Rohingya who flee ongoing persecution in western Myanmar hoping to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

The report alleged that members of the Thai security forces in the southern provinces were corruptly involved in the human trafficking of the Rohingya.

Morison and Chutima say they have been willing to go to jail over the charges, which if convicted could face up to seven years jail.

Both journalists have received significant support from media outlets, the United Nations, as well as the US-based Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch said on Friday the Thai Navy's response to the reports in the Phuketwan covering the Rohingya had been "heavy handed".

The Rights group called on the Navy to "cease its efforts to silence the journalists and instead permit civilian authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into alleged trafficking and other serious mistreatment of Rohingya boat people."

Morison said the delay gave hope authorities may drop the charges altogether.

"We think that maybe the 'roots' finally seeped that this is quite a significant case; we hope so anyway," he said.

"But we're happier to have a delay than suddenly be forced to make the choice between bail or jail."

"We just hope that some of the support and influence that has sprung up in Bangkok has actually seeped through to Phuket and they are getting the message," he said.

But a street protest in Melbourne outside the Thai consulate on Tuesday is still expected to go ahead.

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