Hard line on boats paying off: Morrison

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seven unauthorised maritime arrival transferees were voluntarily returned to Iran.

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

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NSW fisherman drowns trying to save wife

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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No tsunami risk from Tongan quake

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Woolworths investigates mushroom poisoning

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

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

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

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

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

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

Woolworths says it is not aware of any other cases.

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

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

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

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

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Man saved from sinking yacht off WA coast

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

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

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

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Elderly man charged over strata shooting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A bedside court hearing will be held on Saturday.

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

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

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More peace, less Simpson says Tas governor

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

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

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

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

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Royals provide 'different' Anzac touch

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

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

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

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

The note is signed William and Catherine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It just shows a different approach."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Smaller crowd falls silent at Gallipoli

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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HMAS Darwin makes record heroin bust

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Rudd's batts evidence must yield answers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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New generation of Anzacs remembered

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tinkler named as ICAC witness

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

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

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

There is no suggestion Mr Tinkler has acted corruptly.

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

Mr Hartcher is now suspended from the NSW Liberal Party.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Four WA boys jailed over man's death

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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No review of Michael Jackson doctor's case

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Greece reaches financial milestone

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

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

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

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

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

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Special royal birthday for one in Adelaide

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"He said he really appreciates Aboriginal culture."

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

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

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

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Thai navy to pursue Aussie journalist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bieber sorry for Japan war shrine visit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Nepal officials deny sherpa exodus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Baird unveils 'experienced' NSW ministry

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

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

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

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

"A hunger to transform New South Wales."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Climber caught in Vic rock "squeeze test"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But he escaped with only minor cuts and hypothermia.

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

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

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

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

Mr Thresher warned climbers against attempting The Squeeze Test.

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

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

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Uluru might have royal return

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mr Wilson said his guests enjoyed their tour.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Biden tells Ukrainian leaders US with them

VICE President Joe Biden has told Ukrainian political leaders the United States stands with them against "humiliating threats" and he encouraged them to root out corruption as they rebuild their government.

In the most high-level visit of a US official since crisis erupted in Ukraine, Biden told leaders from various political parties in Kiev on Tuesday he brings a message of support from President Barack Obama as they face a historic opportunity to usher in reforms.

"The opportunity to generate a united Ukraine and getting it right is within your grasp," Biden said.

"And we want to be your partner and friend in the project. We're ready to assist."

Biden spoke to nine Ukrainians in a hearing room with gilded mouldings at the parliament, or Rada, as the media looked on.

The group included three candidates running for president in the May 25 election - most notably billionaire chocolate magnate and front-runner Petro Poroshenko. Biden told the candidates he hopes that they have more luck than he did in two presidential runs.

Biden also met privately with acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov and acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and later planned to meet with democracy activists. After his meetings, Biden plans to announce new technical support to the Ukrainian government for energy and economic reforms.

The vice president's visit comes at a critical time, days after a tenuous international agreement was reached to de-escalate violence in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia insurgents oppose the government in Kiev.

"You face some very daunting problems and some might say humiliating threats are taking place," Biden said.

Biden told the lawmakers a priority for the US is to help them become independent from Russian energy supplies. "Imagine where you'd stand today if you could tell Russia to keep your own gas," Biden said.

He said they had an historic chance now that former President Viktor Yanukovych has fled the country.

"This is a second opportunity to make good on the promise of the Orange Revolution," Biden said in a reference to 2004 protests that overturned a widely criticised election that had given Yanukovych the presidency. Yanukovych later took office but left the country after violent protests in February.

Biden added, "You have to fight the cancer of corruption that is endemic in your system right now."

He mentioned cleaning up the court system and finding the right balance of power between the president and Rada.

"I want you to know I do not underestimate the incredible pressure you all are under," Biden said.

"I do not underestimate the challenges you all face. And I do not underestimate the frustration you all must feel when someone like me comes along to say what a great opportunity this is for you all."

But he added that the upcoming election may be the most important in the country's history. "The truth of the matter is your fellow countrymen expect a whole lot from you right now," he said.

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Asia-Pacific navies sign agreement

NAVAL officials from the US and two dozen Asia-Pacific nations have adopted an agreement aimed at improving communication at sea to reduce the possibility of conflict amid rising friction between an increasingly assertive China and its neighbours.

The Code For Unplanned Encounters at Sea provides simple instructions to be translated into regional languages that navies can use when they come across ships from other countries.

It's hoped the code will lessen the possibility of collisions or misunderstandings that could lead to conflict in the heavily trafficked sea lanes surrounding China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Tensions have risen in the region over competing territorial claims, especially over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Japan but claimed by China.

The agreement, approved unanimously at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao, is targeted at "establishing international standards in relation to the use of the sea," according to a text of the agreement provided by a US Navy officer.

Although not legally binding, China's adoption of the code indicates its increased willingness to engage with its neighbours, US Navy officials said.

The US, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru and several other nations also signed on.

In the China-Japan island dispute, the US has said it takes no side on the question of sovereignty but that it recognises Japan's administration of the chain and has responsibilities to protect Japanese territory under a mutual defence treaty.

Chinese and Japanese ships have come into regular contact in the area since China stepped up patrols near the islands after Tokyo moved to nationalise them in 2012.

The code will be translated into local languages and allow navy sailors to communicate using bridge-to-bridge radio communications.

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16-year-old survives stowaway flight drama

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NSW police breath-test 60,000 during blitz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Royals' quiet day makes news

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On Tuesday, William and Kate will tour Uluru.

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

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More than 400 charges in Operation Unite

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mickey Rooney laid to rest in California

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

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

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

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

Rooney, 93, died on April 6.

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Queen's portrait by David Bailey released

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Queen's birthday falls on Monday.

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New intensive care beds for Vic babies

The Victorian government has promised sick babies will have more intensive care beds in Melbourne. Source: AAP

SICK babies will have more intensive care beds in Melbourne, the state government has promised.

Five new neonatal intensive care unit cots will be funded in the May 6 state budget, taking the state's capacity to 100 baby beds.

Health Minister David Davis said $4 million of capital funding would get the cots ready, with a further $5.6 million a year set aside to staff them.

"As well as newborns, this specialist equipment supports babies after surgery, infants requiring long-term ventilation and those suffering from seasonal illnesses such as bronchitis," Mr Davis told reporters on Sunday.

He said the beds were most often used for babies who were born early and had complications from birth.

Mr Davis said Victoria handled the most difficult cases from Tasmania, South Australia and southern New South Wales.

"We do carry a larger-than-our-share load, but we do that willingly," he said.

"We have very capable hospitals."

The new cots will be installed at the Royal Children's Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, the Royal Women's Hospital and Mercy Hospital for Women.

Mr Davis said they would be rolled out once negotiations with Victoria's health services were complete.

Opposition health spokesman Gavin Jennings said the government was playing catch up because it failed to keep up with demand for intensive care treatment for babies.

"We've had situations where our babies have had to be sent interstate because we haven't had enough intensive care beds," he told reporters.

"The last time that that was measured, it was running at about one baby a month being transferred out of Victoria to receive intensive care. Clearly that is not good enough."

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Man arrested over Qld mum's death

Police are investigating the suspicious stabbing death of a woman in far north Queensland. Source: AAP

A MAN has been charged with murder over the death of a mother of two in far north Queensland, police say.

The 27-year-old woman died after being stabbed in a Cairns unit in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A number of people who were at the unit saw the attack, Detective Acting Superintendent Bruno Asnicar said, and a man, 32, who knew the woman, was arrested.

"The witnesses are quite rightfully very upset," Det Supt Asnicar said.

"We will work with them, we'll put them in touch with the right people to speak to, victims of crime assistance and so on and so forth, to try to get them through it."

The woman, who has two children aged two and eight, lived at the unit off and on.

A Lockhart River man has been charged with murder and is due to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday.

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Pakistani TV host survives gun attack

Pakistani police say gunmen have shot at famous television talk show host Hamid Mir in Karachi. Source: AAP

UNKNOWN gunmen on motorbikes have opened fire at a prominent Pakistani television anchor on a busy road in the southern port city of Karachi, officials say.

Hamid Mir, who hosts a popular talk show on Pakistan's Geo News channel, was travelling to his office from the airport when his car came under attack, senior police official Peer Muhammad Shah said.

"Four gunmen riding on motorbikes started firing at the car near Karsaz (east of the city) when Mir's car was passing through. He received three bullets in the lower parts of his body," Shah said.

Karachi police chief Shahid Hayat confirmed the incident.

"Hamid Mir has received three bullets but the doctors told me that he is out of danger," Hayat said.

Geo's Islamabad bureau chief Rana Jawad said he had talked briefly to Mir on his mobile phone as he was under attack.

"I spoke to him briefly when he was escaping, he said they have shot him and now they were following him," Jawad said.

"He has been shot thrice, in the pelvic (area), abdomen and thighs," he added.

Mir has long been a critic of the country's powerful intelligence agencies and military for their alleged role in the disappearance of thousands of people in the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Amir Mir, brother of Hamid and also a journalist, accused the country's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency of responsibility for the attack, saying the wounded television anchor had felt threatened before the attack.

"He had told me that if anything happens to him, the ISI chief General Zaheer-ul-Islam would be responsible for it," he said.

He blamed a "disgruntled faction of the army and ISI" for attempting to assassinate his brother.

"The ISI chief was not happy with him because he exposed their human rights abuses in Baluchistan, he said.

"The army and its powerful intelligence agency cannot bear criticism from journalists."

He added the army disliked perceived attacks on the military's role in politics.

Pakistan's intelligence agencies have long been accused of harassing and threatening journalists.

Last year Hamid Mir survived an attack in Islamabad when a bomb planted under his car was defused before it could go off.

The journalist, who hosts a long-running talk show on Geo News, had also complained of receiving death threats from the country's intelligence agency.

The army described the accusations as baseless in a statement via the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the armed forces, which said it "condemned the incident and demanded an independent enquiry".

The statement added that "raising allegations against ISI or the head of ISI without any basis is highly regrettable and misleading".

Last month Raza Rumi, a prominent television anchor known for his outspoken critical views of the Pakistani Taliban, survived a similar assassination attempt in Lahore.

Rumi's driver died of the injuries he sustained.

Earlier in March, Pakistan announced it would set up a special commission to protect journalists and will include press freedom as part of peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban.

Rights groups have called Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.

According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, seven reporters lost their lives in Pakistan last year.

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Labor loses 'giant' in Neville Wran

Former long-serving New South Wales Premier Neville Wran, has died aged 87. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN Labor has lost a "giant" with the death of Neville Wran, who led NSW as premier for a decade.

Mr Wran, 87, died with his family by his bedside just before 6pm on Sunday at the Lulworth House nursing home in Sydney's eastern suburbs, where he had been in care for the past two years.

He suffered from dementia.

"This is of course a very sad time for us all, but in fact a blessed release for Neville," his wife, Jill Hickson, said in a statement to AAP.

"Dementia is a cruel fate and I have been grieving the loss that comes with it for some years.

"But I hope now, especially in this political climate, people will join me in celebrating the life of a great man, a true political hero."

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the Australian Labor Party had lost a giant.

"Few are made as tough, as smart and as honourable as Neville Wran," he said.

"After 1975, the Wranslides helped rebuild Labor in New South Wales and nationally. It was Neville who kept the light on the hill burning bright."

Mr Wran was a decent man of the utmost integrity, he said.

Liberal Mike Baird, who became NSW Premier last week, said he was deeply saddened and described Mr Wran as a towering figure in the NSW Labor Party and in the state during the 1970s and '80s.

Federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Mr Wran was a dear friend, great business partner and mentor.

"We send our love and condolences to his family especially Jill, his wife, and his children Kim, Glenn, Harriet and Hugo," he said.

"He was a true believer, a doer, a reformer and a builder.

"There was nobody better to have on your side in a crisis than Neville - a remarkable combination of sagacity and solidarity."

Bob Carr, who surpassed Mr Wran's record for the longest continuous service as NSW premier, said Mr Wran set a template for successful Labor leaders, including prime ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating.

"He was a master politician," Mr Carr told Sky News.

"He presented a model of stable state government that had a big impact on future Labor governments that followed his."

Barry O'Farrell, who last week stood down as NSW premier, tweeted: "Sad news. Neville Wran helped build NSW including initiating our sister-state relationship with China's Guangdong province in 1979."

Mr Wran led the Labor government in NSW from May 1976 to July 1986, before dramatically announcing his resignation to a shocked Labor conference.

He was a successful lawyer before entering parliament in the Legislative Council in 1970. He moved to the lower house in 1973 before becoming Labor leader.

In 1976, he led Labor to government in a tight election, forming government after a 10-day wait, with the support of an independent.

Mr Wran and his government were involved in damaging scandals.

In 1983, he stepped aside while a royal commission examined allegations he'd tried to influence a magistrate over a misappropriation hearing against rugby league boss Kevin Humphreys. He was cleared.

Prisons minister Rex Jackson was jailed for selling early releases and chief magistrate Murray Farquhar was jailed for perverting the course of justice. Senior police were caught up in corruption scandals.

Mr Wran was fined $25,000 for contempt of court after declaring his belief in the innocence of his old friend Lionel Murphy, the High Court judge facing a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

After politics, Mr Wran had success in the business world, including running a merchant bank with Mr Turnbull.

Mr Wran was married twice, first to Marcia Oliver, whose son he adopted before they had two more children, and then to Ms Hickson, with whom he had two children.

He was put into care as dementia took hold two years ago.

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