NSW deaths push road toll to seven

THE nation's Easter road toll stands at seven following two fatal NSW collisions.

The latest death was that of a cyclist, killed instantly when struck by a car on Sydney's north shore on Saturday afternoon.

Police said the male driver of the Mercedes sedan was uninjured but had been taken to hospital for mandatory blood and urine testing.

Two-and-a-half hours earlier, a man was killed when his car and a truck collided in the state's north at Tyndale.

The deceased driver is yet to be identified, while the man behind the wheel of the truck and his passenger both suffered non life-threatening injuries and were taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash and witnesses are urged to come forward. A report will also be prepared for the Coroner.

The deaths follow tragedies in Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland over the holiday period.

Three of the fatalities were on WA roads and involved young men aged 17-20.

A Chinese tourist was killed in Tasmania and a Queensland woman died after being struck by a car.

The 67-year-old woman died on the way to hospital on Thursday after she was hit by a station wagon while crossing the road in Beaudesert, south of Brisbane.

On Thursday afternoon, a 17-year-old boy died after being thrown from a car which rolled several times on the Gnaraloo-Quobba Road near the West Australian town of Carnarvon.

The East Carnarvon boy was taken to Carnarvon Regional Hospital but was unable to be revived.

Hours later, a 20-year-old man was killed when his Ford Falcon ute hit a tree on Collie-Williams Road near Collie.

His passenger, a 22-year-old man from Bunbury, was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital after a passing motorist pulled him from the burning wreckage.

On Thursday night, a 19-year-old Bruce Rock man died after his car hit a large tree near Bruce Rock east of Perth.

Also on Thursday, a 32-year-old Chinese tourist died following a head-on collision on a Tasmanian highway.

The woman from China was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by her 30-year-old husband.

Their Volkswagen hatchback collided with the Hyundai delivery van on the Bass Highway, west of Port Latta.

The couple were taken to the North West Regional Hospital, where the woman died. The man has undergone multiple surgeries and is in a serious condition.

(EDS: The Easter road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 17 to 2359 April 21)

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Off-duty policeman over the limit

AN off-duty policeman has been caught drink driving in Victoria.

The officer encountered a random breath testing site on the Old Princes Highway, at Beaconsfield in Melbourne's south-east, just after 8pm (AEST) on Friday.

The Leading Senior Constable is alleged to have recorded a blood alcohol level of .077 per cent, which is mid-range offence.

The officer was issued a penalty notice for $433, which also carries a loss of license for six months.

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MH370 search at 'critical juncture'

An underwater drone is continuing its Indian Ocean search for the Malaysia Airlines plane wreck. Source: AAP

THE effort to find missing flight MH370 is at a "very critical juncture", Malaysia's transport minister says as authorities mull whether to reassess a challenging search of the Indian Ocean seabed that has so far found nothing.

"The search for today and tomorrow is at a very critical juncture. So I appeal for everybody around the world to pray and pray hard that we find something to work on," Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Saturday.

The jet is believed to have crashed in deep and remote waters far off Western Australia.

But with no results from the multi-national search operation for the Boeing 777, which vanished on March 8 carrying 239 people, Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday set a one-week deadline to locate the plane by mini-submarine.

The Australian-led search effort is relying on a single US Navy submersible sonar scanning device to scour an uncharted seabed at depths of around 4,500 metres or more.

Technical hitches, including the fact that the torpedo-shaped Bluefin-21 is operating at the extent of its depth limit, made for a slow start to the search.

Launched from an Australian naval vessel, the device has so far made six deep-sea scanning runs but has detected nothing.

"We have pursued every possible lead presented to us at this stage, and with every passing day the search has become more difficult," Hishammuddin, who is heading up the Malaysian government's response to MH370, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

As the search and rescue effort expected to be the costliest in aviation history wears on, authorities have indicated alternative methods may be needed, including possibly deeper-diving devices.

Hishammuddin said adjustments "may include widening the scope of the search and utilising other assets that could be relevant in the search operation", but he stressed the search would not be abandoned.

Earlier on Saturday Australian officials said experts were analysing data relayed by the underwater drone on its sixth mission and it had embarked on its seventh.

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Speeding man overtakes Vic police car

A YOUNG man in Australia on a student visa allegedly drove his hire car more than 150km/h on a Victorian highway in peak Easter holiday traffic.

Police say the Chinese man was observed overtaking a tourist bus and numerous cars, including an unmarked police car, at high speed on the Bass Highway on Friday afternoon.

He was intercepted by highway patrol officers just before 5pm (AEST) after driving in holiday traffic and in excess of the highway's 100km/h speed limit.

The 22-year-old allegedly told officers he was "running late to get to Phillip Island".

Police did not impound the vehicle as it was a hire car, however, the man is facing multiple charges including driving at a dangerous speed.

He will face court on a date to be set.

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Good Friday processions in Jerusalem

The crucifixion of Jesus is being remembered in prayers and processions throughout Jerusalem. Source: AAP

CHRISTIANS in the Holy Land are commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Good Friday prayers and processions through Jerusalem's Old City.

Thousands of Christian pilgrims filled the cobblestone alleyways of the Old City on Friday along the Via Dolorosa, Latin for the "Way of Suffering."

They are carrying wooden crosses and following the 14 stations ending at the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Tradition says the church was built on the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

The Easter holiday and Jewish Passover coincide this year.

According to the Gospels, Jesus ate his last supper - a Passover meal - hours before he was betrayed. Christians believe Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter Sunday.

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Kate delights kids during hospice visit

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited Bear Cottage as part of their visit to Sydney. Source: AAP

IT was the simple things that the Duchess of Cambridge did that made the difference. A personal greeting and chat, a smile, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star alongside small children facing the biggest fight.

There were no airs and graces, just a young mother bringing smiles to sick young children being cared for at Bear Cottage in Manly, one of only two children's hospices in Australia.

The palliative care of sick children is a cause close to Kate's heart, as she is the royal patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices in the UK and has visited similar centres in Malaysia and New Zealand.

While Kate toured the centre's playroom, quiet room and music therapy garden, meeting with children some of whom were wheelchair bound or confined to stretchers, Prince William met privately with families.

Wearing a cream lace Zimmermann dress, Kate sat on a wooden garden bench and played a drum, singing the nursery rhyme with the children taking part in music therapy.

During an informal afternoon tea attended by families and centre staff as well as NSW Premier Mike Baird and Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the duchess made her first speech of the visit.

"It really is wonderful to be here today - having the chance to meet you all and to see the incredible work of Bear Cottage," the duchess said.

"The haven that you have created here is inspirational, and there is so much that you can share with each other as you continue to support and nurture those in your care."

There was a special moment for 16-year-old Daniel Howarth, who suffers from a lung disease and had a Union Jack flag strapped to his wheelchair.

"Very nice to meet you, Daniel," Kate said.

His dad Adam, 44, said it was amazing for Daniel to meet the duchess.

"We explained to Kate that Daniel's got chronic lung disease and cerebral palsy and we've been coming here for 10 years after major surgery," said Mr Howarth, who was at the centre with his wife Deborah, 43, Daniel, and 10-year-old son Lachlan.

"Daniel likes sport, Chelsea, so she was asking us all about sport and telling us her husband supports Aston Villa, and we talked a little about the English Premier League. She's so natural, engaging and friendly."

Sophie Martyr, 16, wearing a red bandanna after undergoing cancer treatment, was still shaking after presenting the couple with an artwork painted by Bear Cottage kids.

"It was amazing, it was just unforgettable," Ms Martyr told AAP.

"He (William) asked me about how I'm going and how I'm feeling."

Bear Cottage nurse Philly Smith, 44, talked with the duke in the garden.

"I think he made the families feel very special," Ms Smith said.

"One of the children is a similar age to his so he talked about that."

The royals then left - 20 minutes late - but before getting in the royal motorcade, Kate thrilled the crowd by meeting a number of fans and receiving flowers and a toy footy.

On his way out, Mr Abbott said it was a "fabulous afternoon for Bear Cottage".

"These are magnificent people here. There are some very special and brave kids here," Mr Abbott told AAP.

"To get this visit from Prince William and the duchess is just extraordinary."

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Easter road toll stands at four lives lost

AUSTRALIA'S Easter road toll now stands at four after a tragic opening to the holiday long weekend in both Western Australia and Tasmania.

Young men aged 17 to 20 account for three of the deaths, all in WA, and the fourth fatal crash involved a Chinese woman who was on holiday in Tasmania.

All of the fatal crashes occurred on Thursday and authorities have not reported a road death on Good Friday.

On Thursday afternoon, a 17-year-old boy died after being thrown from a car which rolled several times on the Gnaraloo-Quobba Road near the WA town of Carnarvon.

Police said the East Carnarvon boy was a passenger in a Nissan Patrol when the driver lost control of the vehicle.

People who had been following the vehicle stopped and performed CPR on the boy until ambulance crews arrived. He was taken to Carnarvon Regional Hospital but was unable to be revived.

The 17-year-old male driver was treated for cuts and bruises.

Hours later, a 20-year-old man was killed when a Ford Falcon ute he was driving hit a tree on the Collie-Williams Road near Collie at about 3pm (WST).

His passenger, a 22-year-old man from Bunbury, was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital after a passing motorist pulled him from the burning wreckage.

On Thursday evening and again in WA, a 19-year-old Bruce Rock man died after his car hit a large tree on Narembeen Rd near Bruce Rock east of Perth.

In Tasmania, the 32-year-old Chinese woman was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by her 30-year-old husband, also a Chinese national.

Their Volkswagen hatchback was involved in a head-on collision with a Hyundai delivery van on the Bass Highway, west of Port Latta, on Thursday afternoon.

The couple were taken to the North West Regional Hospital, where the woman died. The man has undergone multiple surgeries and is in a serious condition.

A 31-year-old Burnie man who was driving the van suffered minor injuries but has been released.

(EDS: The Easter road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 17 to 2359 April 21)

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Call for sanctions against N. Korea

Michael Kirby, the head of a special UN inquiry, has urged the UN to slap sanctions on North Korea. Source: AAP

THE United Nations Security Council should slap targeted sanctions on North Korean officials responsible for grave human rights abuses, the head of a special UN inquiry says.

Michael Kirby told an informal meeting of the Security Council convened by Australia, France and the US that he also wanted the reclusive regime hauled before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution.

"More monitoring and engagement alone cannot suffice in the face of crimes that shock the conscience of humanity," said Kirby, a former Australian High Court justice. "Perpetrators must be held accountable, it is necessary to deter further crimes."

North Korea did not send a representative and the meeting was snubbed by China, Pyongyang's sole major ally, and Russia.

"A new generation of senior officials now surround the supreme leader Kim Jong-Un," Kirby said.

"They must be made to understand that they will themselves face personal accountability if they join in the commission of crimes against humanity or fail to prevent them where they could.

"The commission of inquiry therefore recommends to the Security Council the adoption of targeted sanctions against those individuals most responsible for crimes against humanity."

Kirby said the proposal to refer North Koreans to the ICC had found favour with most countries present, but UN diplomats said any move would likely face fierce opposition from China, the North's economic lifeline.

In March, the UN's top rights body also called on the Security Council to act against officials responsible for a litany of crimes against humanity in North Korea.

Kirby's commission of inquiry on North Korea released a hard-hitting report on the nuclear-armed totalitarian state in February that documented a range of gross human rights abuses, including extermination, enslavement and sexual violence.

North Korea refused to co-operate with the probe and said the evidence was "fabricated" by "forces hostile" to the country.

After the meeting, US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power praised council members for joining other countries for the first time to discuss the North's "tragic human rights situation in North Korea".

"We heard directly from the authors of a thorough, objective and credible UN report, and from victims of North Korean atrocities themselves," she said.

"These firsthand accounts - horrific stories of torture, rape, forced abortions and forced infanticide, extermination and murder - paint a chilling picture of the regime's systematic and remorseless repression of its citizens."

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Vic man in court over partner's murder

A man wanted over the fatal stabbing of his partner in a busy Melbourne street remains at large. Source: AAP

A MELBOURNE man allegedly murdered his partner after they'd been in court about a family violence order, a court has heard.

Craig McDermott, 38, is charged with murdering his de facto wife of 18 years, Fiona Joy Warzywoda, in a Sunshine shopping strip on Wednesday.

McDermott, of Sunshine North, briefly appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon.

Ms Warzywoda was in Sunshine Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning over a family violence order in place against McDermott.

The mother of four left her solicitor's office just three minutes before she was killed, police said on Wednesday.

She was stabbed multiple times in front of lunchtime shoppers in Sunshine's busy Hampshire Road shopping district.

Passers-by performed CPR but could not save the 33-year-old Melton West woman.

McDermott handed himself in to police on Thursday morning.

Prosecutor Tim Bourbon said police would speak to a number of eyewitnesses and examine a significant amount of CCTV footage.

"The incident occurred in a public place," he told the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

"The CCTV footage covers the lead-up to the incident."

The footage may also include Ms Warzywoda's death, he said.

Magistrate Peter Reardon agreed to allow the media to publish the fact that there was a family violence order, saying it was in the public interest to highlight cases of domestic violence.

"The victim, or the affected family member, had attended Sunshine Magistrates Court," he said.

"Subsequently she was murdered.

"In light of recent events ... in these circumstances it is in the public interest and just."

McDermott appeared in the dock with his left hand heavily bandaged.

He was remanded in custody for a committal mention on August 7.

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Numbers man Baird vows to transform NSW

MIKE Baird has vowed to restore trust in the government and transform NSW after his sudden rise to premier replacing Barry O'Farrell.

The former banker, who had served as treasurer in the O'Farrell government, was elected Liberal leader unopposed on Thursday.

The top job was vacated following Mr O'Farrell's resignation for giving misleading evidence to the corruption watchdog about a $3000 bottle of wine.

The party room elected Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian as deputy Liberal leader after ministers Pru Goward and Anthony Roberts pulled out of the running.

In his first media conference as incoming premier, Mr Baird said the community was "incredibly disappointed and shocked" by the events over the past 48 hours.

The committed Christian said he would be announcing a set of integrity measures in the coming days and weeks to restore trust.

"What is absolutely challenging for any government is when you lose the trust of the community," he told reporters, flanked by his wife and three children.

"My job, Gladys's job, the government's job, is to restore it," Mr Baird said.

He paid tribute to Mr O'Farrell, saying he was a man of integrity.

"We have made a great foundation," he said.

"But I don't want to just stabilise NSW - I want to transform it."

Mr Baird, who is a surf buddy with Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Sydney's northern beaches, said he looked forward to working with the federal leader.

"I have to say it's a pleasure to work alongside a prime minister such as Tony Abbott," Mr Baird said.

Mr Abbott said the new premier would make a fine leader.

"I have known Mike for many years and I know he will discharge his responsibilities with integrity and honour," the PM said.

Mr Baird, the son of former federal MP Bruce Baird, decided to run for premier following a family meeting on Wednesday night.

"We were all apprehensive about what it would mean and that it would be a tough few years ahead but we still said he should do it because we thought he would do a great job," Bruce Baird told Sky News.

But NSW opposition leader John Robertson said Mr Baird was an ideologue.

He said he must answer questions about the appointment of Nick Di Girolamo, who is at the centre of a corruption inquiry, to the board of State Water Corporation in mid-2012.

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Aust journalist faces 7 years in Thai jail

AN Australian journalist and a Thai reporter have faced court in Phuket on charges of defaming Thailand's navy in an online news report which alleged security forces were involved in people smuggling.

Alan Morison, 66, formerly of Melbourne, and local reporter Chutima Sidasathien, face prison terms of up to seven years as well as fines of 100,000 baht (A$3,300) if found guilty of criminal defamation and breaches of the Computer Crimes Act.

Prior to the hearing, Morison told AAP both he and his female colleague would refuse to pay bail as a matter of protest, even if it meant being jailed during the trial.

"We've said in principle that we won't pay bail as a matter of protest against the law, but it appears as though (their lawyers) are less happy with us going to jail so the bail is likely to be paid by others whether we want it to be paid or not," he said.

Morison is editor of the online English language news service Phuketwan which last July published a story which carried excerpts from a Reuters report alleging the Thai military was involved in trafficking refugees from Myanmar's ethnic Rohingya minority to Malaysia.

Outbreaks of ethnic conflict in Myanmar in recent years have led to thousands of Rohingya, who are largely denied citizenship in Myanmar, to flee the country.

But the boats often drift into Thai waters. The Reuters report alleged Thai naval forces and police cooperate with human traffickers to send Rohingya to primitive camps until families can pay a ransom.

Morison says the charges, filed by the navy, are a "set up" and part of efforts to shut down his website which has long reported on the trafficking of Rohingya.

Human rights organisations and the media have called for the charges to be dropped.

A spokesman from US-based Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, called the trial "unjustified".

The navy "should have debated these journalists publicly if they had concerns with the story rather than insisting on their prosecution under the draconian Computer Crimes Act and criminal libel statutes," Mr Adams said.

The Bangkok-based Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand said it shared the view of the UN Human Rights Commissioner "that such a prosecution serves only to stifle media freedom on an issue of profound importance to the rights of a persecuted people".

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Oil slick not linked to MH370: authorities

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will push on over the Easter long weekend. Source: AAP

AN oil slick in the southern Indian Ocean is not linked to a missing Malaysian Airlines jet, Australia's search agency says.

The slick was found in a focus search area on Sunday, further raising hopes that the global effort to find flight MH370 might have narrowed in on the patch of ocean where the airliner went down on March 8, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

But late on Thursday, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) ruled out any connection.

"Preliminary analysis of the sample collected ... has confirmed that it is not aircraft engine oil or hydraulic fluid."

Despite the news the search will continue throughout the Easter long weekend, with both aerial and underwater sweeps planned.

A Bluefin-21 underwater drone is scanning the Indian Ocean seabed, more than 2000 kilometres northwest of Perth, but is yet to find the wreckage.

The JACC also refuted US Navy claims from earlier in the week that the drone would take up to two months to sweep the search area.

In its latest statement, it revealed that the underwater search area has been "significantly narrowed" in recent days.

The drone has also been cleared to reach depths of more than 4.5 kilometres, with a small but acceptable level of risk.

"This expansion of the operating parameters allows the Bluefin-21 to search the sea floor within the predicted limits of the current search area."

But there has been criticism of the Bluefin-21 system, which has to surface to download information for analysis.

Richard Gillespie, who led the search for aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart's plane in the Pacific Ocean has told CNN that the Bluefin-21 "didn't work for us".

The US Navy has offered Australia the use of its Orion-towed search system, which can send back real-time data.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is confident the search is focused on the right area, based on acoustic signals detected by a pinger locator towed by an Australian Navy vessel.

He told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that the best leads would be exhausted in about a week.

"If we don't find wreckage, we stop, we regroup, we reconsider," he said.

Saturday will mark six weeks since the disappearance of flight MH370.

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Man who stole Sydney cab charged

IT'S hard to find a free cab on the weekend but one drunk Sydney man may have gone too far.

When a taxi driver stopped to break up an argument on a Bondi road in the early hours of Sunday morning, one of the men involved slid behind the wheel and took off.

He was tracked to a Randwick street by the cab's GPS unit, but when police tried to stop him, he sped away.

Police caught the 26-year-old a short time later and breath tested him.

He allegedly blew 0.189 and was charged with high-rang drink driving, taking a car without consent, resisting police and failing to stop.

Bail was granted and he's due before Waverley Local Court in May.

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Ita heading south as category one

Cyclone Ita will menace the Queensland coast for at least another day bringing torrential rain. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND - cyclone one day, sunshine the next.

Premier Campbell Newman is pleading with southerners not to cancel their Easter breaks, as the far north dries out and cleans up after Cyclone Ita.

"The sun, by the way, is shining again," he said.

"You're bound to have a great time."

On Sunday, the premier choppered into Hope Vale and Cooktown, which bore the brunt of Ita when it crossed the coast as a category four storm on Friday night.

He predicted it would take about eight to 12 weeks to "really crack the back of the recovery task".

"It's good that there is no loss of life but I can't stress enough (that) people have got to sit tight."

About 50 buildings were damaged in Cooktown and another five written off.

The town's water supply was critically low and it's hoped power can be restored to the water treatment plant by Sunday night.

In Hope Vale, the banana farm which sustains the local economy was razed.

While the sun was shining in the towns on Sunday as well as in Cairns, the danger is not over yet.

Cyclone Ita is expected to remain its category one status until late on Monday as it weaves on and off the coast south to central Queensland.

Up to 15,000 homes are without power and regional towns are flooding.

On Sunday evening, the popular tourist destinations of Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays were being lashed by 90km/h winds, and up to 400mm of rain could soak some areas.

Just north, Bowen copped 200mm in a short period of time, overloading the storm water system.

While there has been no reports of property damage as of yet, Mr Newman says the situation is worsening.

"There is an issue where the Don River is rising very fast and expected to peak at 9pm, and that may well cause flooding problems again," Mr Newman said.

On Monday morning, the premier will travel to Ingham where sugar cane crops have been flattened. The town is cut in two by a swollen creek and the Bruce Highway remain closed to its south.

Mayor Rodger Bow warned locals there was raw sewerage in the water and people risked disease if they ventured out.

"We had severe rain, about 300mm, and I don't know what kilometre an hour winds, but we have trees blown down," Cr Bow said.

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Motorcyclist killed in Victorian collision

A WOMAN is dead after her motorcycle and a ute collided in northeast Victoria.

Police said the collision happened on Happy Valley Road at Rosewhite on Sunday afternoon.

The motorcyclist died at the scene, while the ute's female driver suffered minor injuries.

The state's road toll stands at 77, six higher than the same time last year.

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Greens call for Vic clean energy fund

The Greens want the Victorian government to start a clean energy fund to make solar panels cheaper. Source: AAP

THE Greens want the Victorian government to establish a state-based clean energy fund to make solar panels more affordable.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne call for the creation of a Victorian Solar Fund to help homes and businesses deal with the upfront costs of solar panels.

Senator Milne said the fund would make money for the state and reduce power bills.

"Australia is a leader in solar science but is underinvested in solar power, depriving us of jobs that the community is calling out for," she said on Sunday.

"We can create the financial incentives to put solar panels on roofs, for no money down, delivering immediate savings on electricity bills."

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