China names new foreign minister

China's parliament has nominated Wang Yi, a former ambassador to Japan, as foreign minister. Source: AAP

CHINA'S parliament has named a former ambassador to Japan, Wang Yi, as the new foreign minister.

Wang, currently in charge of Taiwan affairs, replaces Yang Jiechi, who has served since 2007.

Yang was nominated to the State Council, according to an announcement by the National People's Congress on Saturday.

The changes are part of a broad revamp of personnel as China concludes a once-a-decade leadership transition that saw Communist Party chief Xi Jinping elected president on Thursday.

The change at the top of the foreign ministry comes at a time of heightened tensions with Japan over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

Wang, 59, served as ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2007 and was also a diplomat in China's embassy in Tokyo from 1989 to 1994. He reportedly speaks Japanese.

He has been in charge of Taiwan affairs on the State Council since 2008.

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Extinct frog gets Lazarus treatment

AUSTRALIAN scientists are giving an extinct frog, famous for giving birth through its mouth, a second crack at life.

The scientists say they have successfully reactivated the DNA of the gastric-brooding frog (Rheobatrachus silus), and other long-gone animals could be next.

The native frog uniquely swallowed its eggs, brooded its young in its stomach and gave birth through its mouth but became extinct in 1983.

And the frogs might have been gone forever had Adelaide researcher Mike Tyler not thought to put samples on ice back in the 1970s.

The team behind the aptly named Project Lazarus want to bring the frog back to life and have taken the first step, using frog tissues stored in a conventional freezer for 40 years.

The work so far, which involves the insertion of the extinct frog's DNA into donor eggs from a distant cousin, the Great Barred Frog, has been described as world-leading.

"We are watching Lazarus arise from the dead, step by exciting step," said project leader Mike Archer, of the University of NSW.

"We've reactivated dead cells into living ones and revived the extinct frog's genome in the process.

"Now we have fresh cryo-preserved cells of the extinct frog to use in future cloning experiments."

Reproductive biologist Andrew French, who led the technical work with fellow scientist Jitong Guo, said breakthroughs in genome sequencing meant scientists could do much more with partially damaged DNA samples than previously.

That meant there was a serious possibility the long-extinct the Tasmanian Tiger, or thylacine, could make a comeback, he said.

"I think the technology is changing so quickly in terms of being able to understand the Tasmanian tiger genome, or using a technology that allows us to get a full picture of the genome," Dr French told AAP.

He said the Tasmanian Tiger in fact had a closer genetic relative in the diminutive Tasmanian devil, and that devils could one day play a role in bringing the thylacine back.

The Lazarus results are yet to be published, but were unveiled at a forum in the US on Friday (Saturday AEDT).

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Pope wants a 'poor Church for the poor'

POPE Francis says he wants "a poor Church for the poor".

He says he chose his papal name because St Francis of Assisi was "a man of poverty and a man of peace".

"How I would like a poor church for the poor," he said at a meeting with hundreds of journalists from around the world at he Vatican on Saturday.

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Man arrested over Vic brothers' deaths

A BENDIGO man has been arrested in connection to the shooting deaths of two brothers in country Victoria.

Douglas and John Streeter, both aged in their 60s, were found dead at their property at Natte Yallock, near Avoca, on Thursday night.

A 30-year-old man was on Saturday arrested at Avoca in connection with the deaths.

He was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with self-inflicted injuries.

Police said the man's injuries were not life-threatening, but he is expected to remain in hospital for at least another day.

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Obama renews call for efficient energy

US President Barack Obama has renewed his call for the development of new technologies to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and move American cars and trucks off petrol and diesel.

"The only way we're going to break this cycle of spiking gas (petrol) prices for good is to shift our cars and trucks off of oil for good," Obama said on Saturday in his weekly radio and internet address.

"That's why, in my State of the Union Address, I called on Congress to set up an Energy Security Trust to fund research into new technologies that will help us reach that goal."

On Friday, Obama visited the Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago, a research facility that is focusing on electric car engines and other ways of reducing US dependence on oil.

The president is proposing to take some of the oil and gas revenues from public lands and put it toward research on energy efficient engines, developing cheaper batteries and advancing biofuels and natural gas.

"Now, this idea isn't mine," Obama said. "It's actually built off a proposal put forward by a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals. So let's take their advice and free our families and our businesses from painful spikes in gas prices once and for all."

Obama last month called on Congress to do more to combat climate change and he plans to introduce further efficiency standards for cars and renew a push on the development of wind, solar and cleaner natural gas energy.

His proposed reforms face a tough ride in Congress, however, as Republicans have criticised government spending on green energy programs during Obama's first term, arguing that the outcomes did not justify the cost.

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Abbott vows to 'engage' with Aborigines

Tony Abbott says the state of indigenous Australians constitutes a "stain on our soul". Source: AAP

TONY Abbott says a coalition government would have a "new engagement" with indigenous affairs, including constitutional recognition of Aboriginal people as the first Australians.

Speaking in Sydney, Mr Abbott said indigenous affairs will be a priority and focus for a coalition government if it's elected to govern at September's federal election.

"I want a new engagement with Aboriginal people to be one of the hallmarks of an incoming coalition government - and this will start from day one," he told a Sydney Institute function.

Mr Abbott said in the first 12 months of taking office the coalition would seek bipartisan support to amend the constitution to acknowledge indigenous Australians.

"An acknowledgment of Aboriginal people as the first Australians would complete our constitution rather than change it," he told the audience, which included NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and indigenous leader Warren Mundine.

Mr Abbott said a constitutional amendment meant people would know that Aboriginal people "will never be regarded as just a historical footnote to modern Australia".

"Done well, such an amendment could be a unifying and liberating moment," he said.

He also said a coalition government would handle indigenous affairs within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

"This means that along with Nigel Scullion as minister, there will be, in effect, a prime minister for Aboriginal affairs," Mr Abbott said.

He committed to address "deep disadvantage" in indigenous Australia by visiting remote Aboriginal communities each year, as well as by getting doctors and teachers to take longer postings in communities.

A coalition government would also expand an indigenous job program to fund job-training trials developed by Andrew Forrest and Warren Mundine, he said.

Mr Abbott promised there were "better days to come" for indigenous affairs.

"Should the coalition win the election, Aboriginal people will be at the heart of a new government, in word and in deed," Mr Abbott said.

Earlier on Friday, Mr Abbott adopted the words of former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, saying the state of indigenous Australians constitutes a "stain on our soul".

"We certainly have to do it better in the future than we have done it in the past," he told ABC radio.

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Indonesia terror suspects shot dead

COUNTER-TERRORISM police in Indonesia have shot dead three suspected militants and seized 14 homemade bombs.

An elite police squad conducted several raids in the capital Jakarta and on its outskirts early on Friday after the suspected militants robbed a jewellery store last weekend, national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said.

"Three were shot dead and four more were arrested today," he said, adding the suspects were shot after resisting arrest in three separate raids.

The police squad also confiscated 14 homemade bombs, five homemade firearms, 34 munitions and one kilogram of gold, Amar said.

National detective police chief Sutarman told national television that those involved in Sunday's robbery were part of a terrorist network that police were "hunting down", but gave no further details.

"We managed to cut their funding from abroad... that's the reason they carried out the robbery," he said, adding one of the suspects killed was involved in a 2010 bank robbery on Sumatra island in which gunmen escaped with around 40,000 dollars.

Police have linked several robberies in recent years to the funding of militancy in Indonesia.

The anti-terror police unit, Detachment 88, has come under scrutiny recently, with allegations the unit employs a shoot-to-kill policy in raids, and tortures terror suspects.

Indonesia has been rocked by several deadly terror attacks over the last decade, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mainly Western tourists.

But a crackdown has weakened key militant groups and only low-impact attacks have been carried out in recent years by networks targeting law enforcement officers.

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More farmers to get flood relief

MORE farmers impacted by flooding in the north of NSW can now claim financial assistance thanks to a joint federal and state government initiative.

Flood relief funding is now available to primary producers in the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour for clean-up and recovery, a joint statement from NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Friday.

The assistance is designed to help with the economic impacts that the devastating floods had on local farms.

It's available for amounts of up to $15,000.

The subsidy will be available to Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour farmers who lost income as a direct result of the flooding in January and February, the statement says.

There are now 27 local government areas eligible for various types of assistance across NSW following flooding and severe weather.

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Pope to meet international cardinals

Pope Francis has warned in his first mass that the Catholic Church risks becoming a charity. Source: AAP

POPE Francis is getting set to address cardinals from around the world following his warning the church is at risk of becoming just another charitable organisation if it strays from its true mission.

The new head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics starts Friday with a speech in the ornate 16th-century Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.

Former cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Latin American and Jesuit Pope, has rejected papal fineries and called for a return to the Church's roots.

On Thursday, he warned that the troubled Catholic Church risks becoming little more than a charity with no spiritual foundations if it fails to undergo renewal.

At his first mass with the cardinals who elected him, the Argentinian said that the Church could "end up a compassionate NGO".

He warned the cardinals against "the worldliness of the Devil".

"Walking, building and confessing are not so easy. Sometimes there are tremors," said the Pope, who warned the cardinals against "the worldliness of the devil".

Bergoglio had begun his reign by demanding to be treated as an ordinary pilgrim, in a sign that simplicity of faith may lie at the heart of his papacy.

After laying a bouquet of flowers in homage to the Virgin Mary in a basilica, Francis walked out to greet the crowds and placed his hand on the belly of a pregnant woman.

He prayed at the altar of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order to which he belongs before returning to the priests' quarters where he stayed before the conclave and insisted on settling his own bill.

The election of the son of an Italian emigrant railway worker, who was considered a rank outsider, was met with widespread surprise and expressions of hope for change in a Church riven by scandal and internal conflict.

His elevation was also seen as recognition of the Church's power in Latin America, which now accounts for 40 per cent of the world's Catholics, while it is in decline in Europe.

Projecting an image as a simple man of the people, the Pope chose to name himself after St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century saint who shunned the riches of his family to devote himself to God and the poor.

The Vatican revealed that, for the ride back to the conclave lodgings after Wednesday's election, Francis shunned the papal limousine with the "Vatican City State One" number plates and instead boarded a minibus with the cardinals.

It was in keeping with his image as a man who as archbishop of Buenos Aires chose to live in a modest apartment rather than the official residence and took buses to work.

Francis, formerly archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, has already made his mark in Rome with his informal style.

Experts said they expected the new Pope to shake up the Vatican, where poisonous rivalries within the Curia - its governing body - plagued the papacy of Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI.

Benedict, 85, abruptly ended his eight-year papacy last month saying he lacked the strength to deal with the rigours of the job.

The Vatican confirmed that Francis had part of a lung removed as a boy, but insisted that he is in good health.

The new Pope is the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years and the first from the Society of Jesus order, or the Jesuits, known for their work in education and promotion of social justice.

He was only 36 when he was named to lead Argentina's Jesuits, a job he held for six years under the country's 1976-83 military dictatorship.

The future Pope and other Catholic clergy were lambasted by leftist critics for failing to act against Argentina's "Dirty War" during which 30,000 people died or disappeared.

Australia's most senior Catholic cleric spoke out Friday on the issue of Pope Francis's role under the junta, saying the controversy was based on "a smear and lie".

Sydney Archbishop George Pell, one of the men who took part in the conclave to elect the new Pope, told Australian radio that "those stories have been dismissed years and years ago."

More recently, the new pontiff's opposition to gay marriage and contraception has brought him into conflict with the Argentine government of President Cristina Kirchner.

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Media laws won't got to vote: Oakeshott

The federal government will drop its proposed media law changes, MP Rob Oakeshott predicts. Source: AAP

THE federal government will drop its proposed media law changes rather than force them to a doomed vote next week, key Independent MP Rob Oakeshott predicts.

But the NSW MP says that doesn't mean Labor should give up on improving media standards in the medium-term if it retains government at the September election.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy wants a package of six bills passed by both houses of parliament by next Thursday - the final sitting day before the May budget sessions.

However, independent MPs, the Greens and the coalition have complained the tight timetable means there's not enough to scrutinise the legislation, which was only released on Thursday.

Labor needs the support of crossbench MPs in the lower house and the Australian Greens in the Senate to pass the legislation, which includes a new public interest media advocate to oversee press standards and provide a check on big media mergers and acquisitions.

But Mr Oakeshott, who won't be voting for the package as it stands and is aware of the views of crossbench colleagues, says it's clear there's not enough support to get it through.

"Frankly, I would be very surprised if the government puts this to a vote and that's where it is looking," he told AAP on Friday.

"The process looks to be a dog's breakfast."

The Greens are believed to be split on the issue, with some wanting bills dealing with the ABC, SBS and a community broadcasting channel to be passed, while others want a Senate communications inquiry - due to produce a final reports in June - to run its full course.

Senator Conroy said the issues had been debated for many months following two independent reviews and it was "too early to make pronouncements about whether or not people are voting for the bill".

"The vote is next week, and there will obviously be a lot of discussions going on between now and then," Senator Conroy told ABC radio on Friday.

But Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said her party was concerned about the process and deadline, and accused Labor of bullying parliament into "either taking it or leaving it".

"We will come back to our position on the overall package after we've had a good look at our concerns ... and we've participated in that Senate inquiry process," she told reporters in Canberra.

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce told AAP the Greens would reveal themselves as "utter and unequivocal hypocrites" if they let the bills go through next week.

"The people of regional Australia need some input into what is going to happen," he said.

The Senate committee looking at the bills will take evidence from media companies, academics, peak industry bodies and the Australian Press Council in Canberra on Monday and Tuesday.

A separate joint select committee is looking at other possible media reforms, including the axing of the 75 per cent broadcasting audience reach rule, and will also take evidence in Canberra on Monday.

The reports of both inquires are due by June 17, but interim reports could be released on Wednesday.

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Honda recalls vehicles for braking issue

Honda is recalling vehicles for brakes that can suddenly kick in when the driver isn't braking. Source: AAP

HONDA is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles, including 1000 in Australia, for brakes that can suddenly kick in when the driver isn't braking.

No crashes have been reported related to the defect.

The affected vehicles were produced from March 2004 to June 2006.

The affected models include the Acura RL, Acura MDX, Pilot, Odyssey, Legend, StepWgn and Elysion.

The problem is caused by electronics and wiring in the vehicle-stability-assist system.

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Wild cyclonic weather to hit Lord Howe

A tropical cyclone is expected to cause extreme winds and surf on Lord Howe Island. Source: AAP

A TROPICAL cyclone is expected to pass close by Lord Howe Island on Friday morning, lashing the island with damaging winds and surf, the weather bureau says.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said on Thursday night that the category two cyclone was tracking south in the northern Tasman sea, and would pass to the east of the Pacific island on Friday morning.

On its website, BoM said the island off the NSW coast could expect "damaging surf, heavy swells and abnormally high tides" through the rest of Thursday and Friday.

This included wind gusts up to 150km/h until the early hours of Friday, it said.

BoM advised that the cyclone would weaken as it passed by the island.

It also said heavy rain caused by the cyclonic conditions would probably cause flash flooding overnight.

Residents and holidaymakers on Lord Howe Island were being warned to bunker down as the cyclone approaches.

Luke Hanson, the manager of the largest guest lodge on the island, said the conditions were "scary" as the cyclonic winds headed for the island.

"This cyclone's a direct hit, this will be the first time we've been whacked by a category two," Mr Hanson told AAP by phone.

"Everyone's a bit nervous, we've been getting all the guests settled, they've all had an early dinner and gone to bed, and they're just going to ride out the night.

"They don't come to Lord Howe Island in March thinking they're going to get hit by a cyclone."

He said residents had been strapping down outside furniture and sandbagging in preparation for the weather to worsen overnight.

Meanwhile, a high seas weather warning has been issued for Tropical Cyclone Tim, which is currently about 500km east northeast of Cairns.

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Man's body found near Broken Hill

THE body of an elderly man has been found near Broken Hill in outback NSW.

Police said two elderly men, aged 81 and 78, went missing on Wednesday near Broken Hill after leaving the isolated mining town in a four-wheel drive.

Police told AAP on Thursday night that a search for the men was launched on Thursday, and the vehicle was located on Thursday.

One of the elderly men was found deceased near the vehicle while the other man was found alive, they said.

The 4WD may have become bogged, police said.

The ABC reports that the men were on a prospecting trip in a remote part of the region.

It also reports that the man who was found alive has been taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.

In a statement, police said the 4WD was found in remote country known as Euriowie, about 70km north of Broken Hill, about 1.45pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

Police say a report will be prepared for the coroner.

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UK, France prepared to arm Syrian rebels

FRANCE and Britain are ready to arm rebels in Syria, even without full support from the European Union, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says.

UK government sources said on Thursday that no decision had been taken to seek the lifting of the EU arms embargo on Syria, but "all options" remain on the table.

Prime Minister David Cameron hinted earlier this week that Britain could decide to ignore the arms ban and supply weapons to rebels fighting Bashar Assad's regime, telling MPs that he hoped the EU would act together if it became necessary, but "it's not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way".

Cameron is visiting Brussels for a summit with other EU leaders, but Downing Street said Syria was not expected to feature on the agenda.

It is understood that Britain wants to see what impact is achieved by the recent move to supply "non-lethal" assistance - including armoured cars, body armour and secure communications equipment - before further decisions are taken.

Fabius on Thursday suggested London and Paris could ask for an EU meeting planned for May to be brought forward, possibly to the end of March.

Speaking to France Info radio, Fabius said Britain and France were asking the Europeans to lift the arms embargo "so that the resistance fighters have the possibility of defending themselves".

If unanimous EU support for lifting the measure is lacking, the French and British governments would decide to deliver weapons, Fabius said, adding that France "is a sovereign nation".

"We must move quickly," he said.

Responding to Fabius's remarks, a UK foreign office spokesman said: "Our objective is clear - an end to the violence and a political transition to a more democratic Syria through a political solution.

"As it stands, the political track has little chance of gathering momentum unless the regime feels compelled to come to the negotiating table. They need to feel that the balance on the ground has shifted against them.

"The foreign secretary has been clear he hasn't ruled out any options for the future."

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Govt lets down defence victims: taskforce

THE head of a taskforce investigating alleged abuses in the defence force says he's disillusioned with the federal government's failure to act on claims - and thinks victims may be too.

DLA Piper taskforce leader Gary Rumble told a Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade hearing on Thursday that he was disappointed none of the matters raised in a 2012 report had been acted on.

Law firm DLA Piper was commissioned to examine abuse allegations following the Skype scandal at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in 2011 and uncovered 775 plausible abuse allegations across every decade since the 1950s. The earliest related to events in 1951.

"I am deeply concerned that the government's lack of action and decision last year may have distressed individuals who were hoping for some response to their specific issue (and) worn down the willingness of those who told their stories ... to continue to be involved," Dr Rumble said.

He said he was worried the lack of action would encourage perpetrators and potential witnesses to think they could escape punishment.

Dr Rumble said the taskforce had been directed to write a second report for the Chief of the Defence Force and Service Chiefs but only the defence minister, Stephen Smith, had seen it.

Mr Smith wrote to him saying it would not have been appropriate for anyone other than him to see the report.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Smith told parliament new complaints to the taskforce's hotline had been building steadily since it opened last November.

At March 4, there had been 1041 complaints.

Just over 780 were made by personal phone call and in voicemail messages, while 260 were sent by email.

Taskforce chairman, retired judge Len Roberts-Smith, told Mr Smith there was no realistic prospect of its work being completed within the initial 12-month term, so the government has agreed to a six-month extension, with the taskforce now due to conclude its investigations by the end of May 2014.

As well, there will be an end-of-May 2013 deadline for new allegations to be made.

The taskforce is examining individual allegations, which if sufficiently substantiated could allow victims to claim up to $50,000 in compensation.

It is also considering whether a full royal commission is needed to address outstanding allegations at ADFA in the 1990s and allegations of sexual and other abuse of naval cadets at the former navy training centre, HMAS Leeuwin, which operated from 1960-84.

The taskforce said it appeared the abuse at Leeuwin occurred in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Much of the alleged bullying and violence appears to have been unreported," Mr Smith said.

Shadow Defence Minister David Johnston slammed the federal government's "snail pace" response and the way in which Mr Smith has handled the issue as if it were an "afterthought".

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Strong economy vital for NDIS: Abbott

Australia can only afford the NDIS with the coalition in power, Tony Abbott has told parliament. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION leader Tony Abbott says a strong economy is vital to delivering the National Disability Insurance Scheme and only the coalition can deliver both.

Joining the NDIS debate in parliament on Wednesday, Mr Abbott said a strong economy was the only guarantee the scheme would succeed.

"A rich country can afford a National Disability Insurance Scheme, a poor country cannot," he said.

"The party that you can best trust to deliver a National Disability Insurance Scheme is the party that you can most trust to deliver strong economic growth.

"Such a party is in fact the coalition," he said.

The opposition leader used his speech to renew his offer to work with the Gillard government in a bi-partisan parliamentary committee to oversee the scheme from introduction to completion.

Labor has not moved to legislate for such a committee but Mr Abbott said he would if elected.

The opposition leader called the NDIS bill one of the most complex pieces of policy ever put before the Australian parliament but said it was still a work in progress.

"It is a building site ... Is it to be a scheme such as Medicare, is it to be in effect Medicare for people with disabilities?" he said.

"Or is it to resemble more closely the workers' compensation schemes."

Earlier on Wednesday, Disability Reform minister Jenny Macklin told parliament the bill should pass both houses by the end of next week.

Debate on the NDIS has been adjourned.

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Ryan right man for development role: Fox

TRUCKING magnate Lindsay Fox has given a tick of approval to the Napthine government for creating the ministry of state development and putting Victorian deputy premier Peter Ryan at the head.

Mr Fox said infrastructure in Victoria is in a deplorable state and likened it to a man about to suffer a heart attack because his arteries are blocked.

"The new ministry is one of the best things I have heard from the state of Victoria for a long time," he told AAP.

Mr Fox said he worked with Mr Ryan in the period after the Black Saturday bushfires in February, 2009 and was impressed with his enthusiasm.

"He's a can-do man and if there is red tape to go through, then he'll go through it," he said.

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NDIS inquiry calls for age-limit rethink

THE merits of increasing the National Disability Insurance Scheme's 65-year age limit need to be explored, a parliamentary inquiry warns.

A seniors group is furious the federal government is retaining the cut-off, saying it will condemn many older people to a "cruel lottery".

The federal government pre-empted a Senate NDIS inquiry report by announcing on Wednesday several amendments to the draft NDIS laws, including letting people decide if they want to continue receiving care under the NDIS when they turn 65.

However, people who become disabled after they turn 65 will not be eligible to join the scheme and will enter the aged-care system instead.

The legislation is being debated in the lower house this week and should pass parliament next week.

The Productivity Commission recommended the cut-off to avoid duplication of services with the aged care system.

National Seniors Australia chief executive Michael O'Neill said it could condemn some to a cruel lottery.

People who get a severe disability at 64 could be covered for life.

"Acquire exactly the same disability at age 65 and you'll be shunted into the second-rate, user-pays aged care system," he told AAP.

The government's amendments also remove an onus on disabled people to seek compensation, so the NDIS agency can do so on their behalf.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says when it comes to the NDIS he is "Dr Yes".

"Always have been, always will be," he told parliament.

The government-controlled Senate Community Affairs committee released its report into the NDIS on Wednesday with 29 recommendations.

These include more research on the costs and benefits of varying the NDIS age eligibility criteria, funding for independent disability advocacy and a requirement that three NDIS board places go to people with disabilities.

The committee also recommended disabled prisoners get appropriate access to the NDIS.

The government should work with states and territories to ensure there is adequate disability support for people aged 65 and older whose disabilities are related to the ageing process, it said.

Coalition senators said in the report that legitimate questions about funding and due diligence should not be portrayed as a lack of commitment to the NDIS.

They flagged an amendment that would set up a non-partisan parliamentary NDIS oversight committee, a proposal the government has previously rejected.

Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert says the amendments don't go far enough.

"There's no guarantee the aged-care system has the capacity to support over-65s with a disability," she said.

Many survivors of polio were likely to miss out if the age limit stayed in place.

She also wants an additional launch site set up in rural or remote Aboriginal communities.

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Warning on Fitzgerald docs fruitless

TWO Queensland authorities were warned but failed to ban public access to confidential Fitzgerald inquiry documents which could have led to "mischief and danger" in the wrong hands, it's been revealed.

A public hearing is under way into how the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) publicly released 741 documents and shredded at least 4000 others from the landmark 1980s inquiry into police corruption.

Former head of Queensland police's Special Branch, Barry Krosch, says in November 2011 he was researching for post-graduate study at the State Archives in Brisbane, but realised the documents he wanted to view had a 65-year ban on them, imposed upon the inquiry's completion in 1989.

Three months later, he noticed the access ban period on the same documents was 20 years.

He asked State Archives if that was correct and questioned the change of access period.

He ordered the documents and received them at his home at Kingaroy on March 4, 2012.

Also in early 2012, he noticed 1988 surveillance logs from the Special Branch were publicly available and named targets of operations.

"So anyone who was a little bit computer savvy or familiar with the archives could have found the targets," he said.

He couldn't recall when the documents were removed from public access but believes it could have been as late as November 2012.

On May 24, 2012 he emailed Sidonie Wood, Official Solicitor to the CMC, to warn her of the release of the documents.

"I just hope that targets from that era don't realise the reports are there for them to inspect," he wrote in the email.

Following his warning, on July 18, 2012 he requested to see more documents at State Archives and was inadvertently given hundreds of pages of sensitive documents he didn't ask for.

He couldn't recall if they contained information about targets and informants but believed they should have been embargoed for 65 years.

"I just remember I sort of said to myself 'holy hell, I shouldn't be looking at this'," he said.

"I took it to the counter ... and said someone should have a good look.

"Sort it out.

"There is no question in my mind, if it fell off the back of a truck, a lot of mischief could be caused and danger."

Earlier on Wednesday, a transcript was made public of a closed meeting held last week between CMC chair Ross Martin and the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee (PCMC), which oversees the CMC and is running the public hearing.

In it, Mr Martin said he was deeply embarrassed by the errors.

He said the CMC became aware the documents could be publicly viewed in May 2012 and the issue was only corrected on September 19.

He said he regretted not informing the PCMC until last week.

"It did not occur to me to tell you about it because I thought the problem had been fixed and it was not a matter requiring referral," he said.

"In hindsight, I wish I had."

Mr Martin resigned last Friday for health reasons.

It is believed only 19 people had viewed the documents.

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Tunisia man dies after fire protest

A Tunisian cigarette vendor has died after setting himself alight in protest against unemployment. Source: AAP

A TUNISIAN cigarette vendor who set himself alight has died.

Adel Khadri, 27, died on Wednesday, said Imed Toiuibi, the director of the Ben Arous Burns Centre.

Officials said Khadri, from a poor family, had arrived in Tunis a few months ago to look for work.

Witnesses quoted him as shouting: "This is a young man who sells cigarettes because of unemployment," before setting himself on fire on the steps of the municipal theatre on Habib Bourguiba Avenue - epicentre of the uprising that toppled ex-dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali more than two years ago.

The revolution was sparked by the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in a drastic protest against police harassment.

Economic and social difficulties were the key factors that brought down the regime. Two years later, poverty still plagues the North African country.

Parliament was to meet on Wednesday to vote on a new government to pull the country out of its long-running political crisis.

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1.7 million apply for 1500 Indian jobs

INDIA'S largest state-run bank has received 1.7 million applications for 1500 entry-level clerk jobs - and has promised to examine all of them.

State Bank of India chairman Pratip Chaudhuri attributed the huge interest to good marketing and attractive employment terms, with the number of applications underlining the appeal of "jobs for life" in the Indian public sector.

For positions in Mumbai, the bank offered a starting package of 69,000 rupees ($A1,245) a month.

Job opportunities in the Indian private sector have fallen in the past 18 months as economic growth has dropped to its lowest level in a decade.

The government forecasts that India's once-booming economy will grow by five per cent in the financial year to March 31.

Last year, it grew by 6.2 per cent but even that rate is insufficient to create the jobs India needs for its fast-growing young population.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a former economist, believes the country needs at least eight per cent growth to create enough jobs.

Chaudhuri said all 1.7 million applicants - more than 1,100 per position available - would be assessed.

"We have conducted such examinations in the past by hiring schools across the country. This time, we may have to do two shifts," he told the newspaper.

Nine out of ten Indians are employed in the "informal" sector in jobs that offer no security, few perks and often illegal working conditions, government data shows.

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Court battle over Irwin reserve in Qld

CAPE York traditional owners are continuing their fight to overturn a decision by the Queensland government to declare part of the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve a nature refuge.

The Cape York Land Council wants a say in the management of the land.

The council alleges Environment Minister Andrew Powell failed to follow due process before making a decision in September to turn a 125,000 hectare area, near Weipa, into a protected reserve.

The council launched action in the Planning and Environment Court in Cairns last month and the case was mentioned in the same court on Monday.

The case is to be mentioned in Cairns on June 3.

The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, a part of the Wenlock River basin, was purchased by the federal government as a tribute to Steve Irwin following his death in 2006.

Resources company Cape Alumina Limited resumed planning a bauxite mine on the reserve in October last year after the state's co-ordinator general gave it significant project status.

The plans were shelved after the former Queensland government in 2010 declared the Wenlock River to be a wild river, placing stringent environmental regulations on the entire basin.

The current state government has promised to repeal the Cape York Wild Rivers declarations.

A Cape York Regional Planning Committee has been established to identify zones of economic development and environmental protection.

Some indigenous groups have said the Wild Rivers protections hold them back from economic development.

But the Wilderness Society fears it will lead to widespread environmental damage and weaken protection for some of the state's most beautiful rivers.

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Vic grassfire contained

A LARGE grassfire burning around the Cashmore area in Victoria's southwest is under control and no longer threatening houses.

Some residents were evacuated as the 145-hectare fire threatened homes but the CFA said shortly after 8pm (AEDT) on Wednesday it was under control and some roads had been reopened.

An emergency warning has been downgraded to a watch and act alert and residents are being allowed back to their properties.

About 130 firefighters and seven water bombers battled the blaze in temperatures that nudged 37 degrees.

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UK PM urges Argentina to respect vote

David Cameron has urged Argentina to respect the wishes of Falklands residents after referendum. Source: AAP

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has urged Argentina to respect the wishes of residents of the Falkland Islands after they voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to remain a British territory.

Before the result on Tuesday, Buenos Aires had dismissed the vote as meaningless in international law, saying it would not affect its claims on the South Atlantic archipelago.

But Cameron said the 98.8 per cent "yes" vote, on a turnout of 92 per cent, was "the clearest possible result there could be" and Argentina should respect that.

"They should take careful note of this result. The Falkland Islanders couldn't have spoken more clearly," he said in a statement.

"They want to remain British and that view should be respected by everybody, including by Argentina."

He added that he was personally "delighted" at the outcome.

"The Falkland Islands may be thousands of miles away but they are British through and through and that is how they want to stay. People should know we will always be there to defend them," he said.

"We believe in self-determination. The Falkland Islanders have spoken so clearly about their future and now other countries right across the world, I hope, will respect and revere this very, very clear result."

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Hong Kong, China stocks end lower

SHARES in Hong Kong and Shanghai have ended lower as early gains were wiped out by profit-taking and concerns over China's economy following disappointing data at the weekend.

Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 0.87 per cent, or 200.22 points, on Tuesday to end at 22,890.60 on turnover of HK$69.14 billion ($A8.72 billion).

Beijing said on Saturday that inflation hit a 10-month high of 3.2 per cent in February while growth in industrial output and retail sales slowed.

Inflation is a key issue for the ruling Communist Party as it raises the chances of popular discontent over climbing prices and the threat of social unrest. Investors are also worried the government will unveil more tightening measures to temper the rising cost of living.

The results, which follow a string of unimpressive data in recent months, have dampened recent optimism for the economy, which had shown signs of a resurgence at the tailend of 2012 after spending much of it enduring slowing growth.

Concerns over China offset a fifth straight record close for the Dow Jones index on Wall Street, which was boosted by better-than-expected jobs figures on Friday.

"Confidence in China's growth recovery has taken a setback after the latest economic data," Sun Hung Kai Financial wealth-management strategist Daniel So told Dow Jones Newswires.

"There is a lot of wait and see going on. Investors are eyeing blue-chip results for trading cues; waiting for the conclusion of the National People's Congress on (March 17) for some policy clarity."

Hong Kong railway operator MTR Corp fell 2.3 per cent to HK$31.95 after reporting 2012 underlying profit declined 6.6 per cent. China Cosco, the mainland's largest shipping company by fleet size, slumped 5.3 per cent to HK$4.08.

Oi Wah Pawnshop Credit surged 33.7 per cent to HK$1.31 on its trading debut. The firm's 100 million-share offering was oversubscribed more than 1,000 times.

Chinese shares fell 1.04 per cent. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 23.98 points to end at 2,286.61 on turnover of 100.6 billion yuan ($A15.84 billion).

Financial stocks led the declines. Industrial Bank dropped 2.83 per cent to 18.55 yuan while China Everbright Securities fell 1.42 per cent to 13.92 yuan.

China Life Insurance lost 1.68 per cent to 17.58 yuan, while wastewater treatment firm Beijing Capital dropped 1.85 per cent to 6.91 yuan and pollution control equipment maker Fujian Longking lost 1.70 per cent to 38.23 yuan.

Media firms were lower on profit-taking. Zhejiang Daily Media Group lost 4.45 per cent to 15.23 yuan.

China Animal Husbandry Industry lost 3.62 per cent to 14.65 yuan, while Inner Mongolia Jinyu fell 4.04 per cent to 18.76 yuan.

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Malawi ex-ministers arrested over 'coup'

MALAWI police have arrested at least two ex-ministers for an alleged coup plot aimed at preventing President Joyce Banda coming to power last year, sparking protests met with police tear gas.

"They are likely to be charged with treason," a senior police officer who did not want to identified told AFP on Monday.

The pair were named as Henry Mussa, then minister for local government and Kondwani Nankhumwa, a deputy minister of foreign affairs.

The arrest of the "coup plotters" sent shock waves through Malawi, fuelling opposition to Banda's government, which has been much fetted by the international community.

Malawi police fired teargas at around 500 people protesting the arrests outside police headquarters, but the protesters failed to disperse.

Another group of protesters, estimated in the thousands, gathered nearby, blocking the main highway to the capital with boulders and branches.

The plot is alleged to have taken place amid the chaos of president Bingu wa Mutharika's death in April.

Last week an inquest ruled that Mutharika died of a heart attack on the way to hospital after collapsing at State House.

But his death was not confirmed for two days and his body was flown to South Africa as would-be successors sought to buy time.

Six ministers, including Mussa, held a late-night news conference a day after Mutharika's death to insist he was still alive.

At the time Banda was the vice president who under the constitution was next in line to become the president.

But Mutharika had been grooming his brother Peter, who was foreign affairs minister, to succeed him.

On Monday an AFP correspondent saw Peter entering a police station in Blantyre, but it was unclear whether he has been charged with involvement in the coup.

Banda was eventually sworn in on April 7, after backroom dealings.

A month after coming to power Banda alleged the coup plot was "against this country and not me. It's a national issue."

AFP ev

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Archer legendary on committees: coalition

FORMER Tasmanian Liberal senator Brian Archer has been remembered as a legendary committee worker and huge supporter of the fishing industry and his beloved northwest coast.

The federal coalition has expressed condolences to the family of the long-serving senator who passed away on Sunday.

He served the people of Tasmania and in particular "his beloved North West coast" for 18 years, they said in a statement on Monday.

"His Committee work was tireless and legendary," they say.

"His areas of interest included those regularly overlooked by others.

"His interest in and support for the fishing industry was second to none."

Mr Archer ran a highly successful real estate business and was a farmer prior to being swept into the senate in the Liberal landslide" after the disastrous Whitlam experiment", the statement said.

He served in John Howard's opposition as spokesman for science and shadow special minister of state.

Mr Archer retired in 1994.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy, children and grandchildren.

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Halal food label withdrawn in Sri Lanka

ISLAMIC clerics have withdrawal a halal labelling system for food in Sri Lanka "in the interests of peace" after protests from Buddhist hardliners on the Indian Ocean island.

The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), Sri Lanka's main body of Islamic clergy, said on Monday the halal certificate issued by them would be used only for products that are exported to Islamic countries.

"We are giving up what is important to us. We are making a sacrifice in the interest of peace and harmony," ACJU president Mufti Rizwe said, adding they were keen to avoid any escalation of religious tensions.

Food manufacturers in Sri Lanka have long made all their products using halal methods and labelled them with the ACJU halal certificate.

They argued it is impractical and uneconomical to have two manufacturing processes for the same product.

The halal method of killing an animal requires its throat to be slit and the blood to be drained.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said that manufacturers agreed to drop the halal logo from all food with immediate effect.

Nationalist Buddhist monks and their supporters had launched a campaign last month to boycott halal-slaughtered meat, as well as other products that carry a halal certificate.

The monks argue Buddhists should not be forced to consume food that is prepared according to Islamic rites, saying it demonstrates the undue influence of Muslims in Sri Lanka.

President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is a Buddhist, had urged monks not to incite religious hatred.

Sri Lanka is 70 per cent Buddhist, while Muslims comprise less than 10 per cent of the population of 20 million.

The island suffered a bloody ethnic war between 1972 and 2009, pitting mostly Hindu ethnic Tamils against the Sinhalese Buddhist majority in violence that claimed at least 100,000 lives.

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Jets bomb Homs district in Syria

SYRIAN jets have bombed Baba Amr in Homs city in a bid to repulse a rebel attack on the strategic neighbourhood, a watchdog says, as Al-Qaeda claimed the killing of 48 Syrian soldiers on Iraqi territory.

On the diplomatic front, a top Syrian opposition official met Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday in a bid to reverse Moscow's refusal to back calls on President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

Rebels launched a surprise assault on Baba Amr at dawn on Sunday, hoping to take back the neighbourhood which they lost to Assad's forces a year ago.

The regime responded by waves of shelling, launching air strikes and sending reinforcements which had "completely sealed" the city of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that fighting flared throughout the night.

"The army will at all costs hunt down the rebels even if it destroys the neighbourhood," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

"The regime cannot allow them to stay ... because the neighbourhood of Baba Amr is known as an (anti-regime) symbol in the international media."

The Observatory said at least 175 people were killed across Syria on Sunday - 79 regime soldiers, 50 rebels and 46 civilians.

Regime troops seized Baba Amr from rebels just over a year ago after a bloody month-long siege that left the district in ruins and claimed hundreds of lives, including those of two foreign journalists.

Iraq meanwhile was set to be dragged into the deadly Syrian conflict despite its efforts not to be become entangled in the bloodletting across its borders.

On Monday, Al-Qaeda front group in Iraq claimed an attack on a convoy in the west of Iraq that killed 48 Syrian soldiers and nine Iraqi guards, in a statement posted on jihadist forums.

The soldiers, who were wounded and received treatment in Iraq, were being transported through the western province of Anbar on their way back to Syria when the attack took place on March 4, according to the Iraqi defence ministry.

But the ministry blamed the attack on a "terrorist group that infiltrated into Iraqi territory coming from Syria."

The statement on jihadist forums said that Islamic State of Iraq fighters were able to destroy a column of "the Safavid army with its associated vehicles" carrying "members of the Nusairi army and Syrian regime 'shabiha.'"

Safavid is a word implying Shi'ites are under Iranian control, while Nusairi is a derogatory term for Alawites, the sect to which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad belongs, and shabiha is a name used for Syrian pro-regime militia forces.

Baghdad has consistently avoided joining calls for the departure of Assad, saying it opposes arming either side and urging an end to the violence that has ravaged Syria for the past two years, leaving at least 70,000 people dead.

Baghdad is caught between conflicting pressures over Syria - its powerful eastern neighbour, Shi'ite Iran, backs Assad's regime, while the United States and many Arab states want Assad to bow to opposition demands and step down.

On the diplomatic front, Haytham Manna of the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change - an anti-Assad group tolerated by the regime as it opposes the armed conflict - said he thought the road to peace in Syria ran through Moscow.

"We have always said that a peaceful political solution goes through Moscow," Manna told Lavrov in opening remarks of their meeting in Moscow at the Russian foreign ministry.

"A military solution is still being enforced on the ground. But the predominant majority of Syrians are convinced that a political solution is desirable, that it will save us, and that it stands a real chance."

Russia has vetoed three UN resolutions sanctioning Assad for the violence and has said it viewed pressure on him to step down as undue foreign interference.

Lavrov gave no sign on Monday that Moscow was ready to ease its stance in regard to its traditional Arab ally two years into the conflict.

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ICAC probe to hurt federal Labor: Faulkner

A CORRUPTION inquiry involving two former NSW ministers will damage the Labor party at the federal election, senator John Faulkner believes.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has probed claims then mines minister Ian Macdonald rigged a 2008 tender process for a coal exploration licence in the state's upper Hunter.

It has also looked into how former Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid and his family stood to make up to $100 million from the deal.

Senator Faulkner told ABC's Four Corners program on Monday night Obeid at one time "was running the show" in the NSW Labor government.

"I've been a pretty senior figure really in the NSW branch of the Labor Party," Senator Faulkner told the program.

"I've never met him, never spoken to him and I've never heard him make a public speech, but regardless of all that, he ran the NSW Labor Party and ran Labor governments in NSW.

"Labor's standing in the state of NSW has been very, very significantly damaged by the revelations at ICAC," Senator Faulkner said.

"It would be very surprising if that didn't have an impact federally."

Former NSW premiers Bob Carr and Morris Iemma have also traded barbs over Obeid's influence within the party.

Senator Carr, now the foreign affairs minister, has accused Mr Iemma of a serious error by allowing Mr Obeid "special status" in his government.

"I'm sure that Morris Iemma, a very decent - decent and honest figure - would reflect that it was a cardinal mistake to allow Obeid that special status and privilege," Senator Carr told Four Corners.

But Mr Iemma says Mr Obeid had no special access under his premiership.

"He was a cabinet minister in Bob's government. He was a backbencher in my government," Mr Iemma told Fairfax Media.

Mr Iemma said, if anything, Mr Obeid's influence grew after Mr Carr removed him as minister for fisheries and mineral resources.

"I have a distinct recollection of Bob standing up in caucus and saying he wanted Obeid to focus on being a 'good caucus manager'," he said.

Senator Carr issued a statement on Sunday night saying he was "proud to have expelled Eddie Obeid from my cabinet".

"Everyone knows he had no access or influence with me or my office when I was premier," he said.

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Syria rebels stage surprise attack in Homs

March 15 marks two years since the brutal and bloody conflict in Syria began. Source: AAP

REBELS in Syria staged a surprise dawn attack against the key district of Baba Amr in the central city of Homs, a year after regime forces retook it after a deadly month-long siege.

The attack on Sunday came as Islamist insurgents in the oil-producing east of the war-ravaged country said they had established local religious committees to administer the area, including policing, the judiciary and emergency services.

The assault on a key hub of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime also comes two years after the outbreak of peaceful protest against his rule descended into armed conflict when the regime responded with a brutal crackdown.

"At dawn, the rebels launched a surprise attack on Baba Amr, which they have entered," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman, who was in contact with the rebels.

For more than a month in 2012, regime forces pounded Baba Amr relentlessly, seeking to oust insurgents holed up in Homs. Assad's troops eventually retook the district on March 1 last year after a bloody campaign.

Assad himself toured the battered neighbourhood last March 27, assuring residents who had stayed that it would be rebuilt and that normal life would resume in Baba Amr.

Hundreds of people, many of them civilians, were killed in the fighting that left much of the neighbourhood in ruins, according to rights groups.

As well as those killed in Baba Amr, dozens of bodies were found in neighbouring districts of Homs, and included those of people fleeing the fighting, according to the Observatory.

Two foreign journalists, American reporter Marie Colvin of The Sunday Times in Britain and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, were among those killed when a makeshift media centre in Baba Amr was shelled by Syrian forces.

In the east of the country, where large swathes of territory are now under rebel control, rebel groups including the jihadist Al-Nusra Front have set up a religious council to administer affairs, the Observatory said on Sunday.

"God commanded the Islamic battalions to form a religious council in the east to administer the affairs of the people and fill a security gap," the groups said in a statement distributed by the Britain-based watchdog.

The council will include several offices charged with functions including justice, policing and emergency services, it said.

Video footage showed an convoy draped with black flags bearing Islamic inscriptions in the Deir Ezzor area and rebels attaching a banner to a building in Mayadeen, on which is written "Religious Committee of the Eastern Region."

Rebels in the eastern provinces of Deir Ezzor, Hassaka and Raqa have made significant military gains as they battle Assad's forces.

The Al-Nusra Front, completely unknown before the rebellion, has been a rebel standard-bearer since mid-2012 when it became the spearhead of the insurgency ahead of the Free Syrian Army.

FSA fighters, composed mainly of army deserters, have said that despite being fewer in number, the Al-Nusra jihadists have better logistic and economic backing and receive financing "from abroad."

The Front has focused on strategic targets in the east such as oil wells, and also recruits and pays local fighters. It makes no secret of its aims to see Syria become an Islamist state.

Damascus accuses both Saudi Arabia and Qatar of financing Islamist groups battling the regime.

It labels all armed opposition "terrorists" financed from abroad in the insurgency which the United Nations says has killed more than 70,000 people since it erupted in March 2011.

Meanwhile in Manila on Sunday, the government hailed Saturday's release of 21 Filipino UN peacekeepers freed by Syrian rebels into Jordan after they were abducted on the Golan on Wednesday.

President Benigno Aquino "was very happy to receive the news," his spokeswoman said.

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New Vic premier denies axing schools plan

New Victorian Premier Denis Napthine wants to work with the federal government on school funding. Source: AAP

NEW Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has denied reports he plans to dump Ted Baillieu's school funding plan.

But he says he wants to work with the federal government to get the best outcome for Victorian students.

Former premier Ted Baillieu announced last month the state would go it alone on a school funding plan, which would deliver more than $400 million in extra funding to Victorian schools every year.

Dr Napthine said he had not ditched the Baillieu plan and was determined to work with the federal government to ensure no Victorian student or school was worse off.

"We want to work with the federal government to get the best outcome possible for Victorian students and Victorian schools," he told Fairfax radio on Sunday.

"We will have no child, no family and no school worse off under any agreement we sign."

The federal government wants the states to sign up to its education funding plan that would provide $1.6 billion to Victorian schools by 2019.

Opposition education spokesman James Merlino said Dr Napthine had sent out confusing messages about education funding.

"On the one hand he is saying 'yes, we do want to sit down and have an arrangement around the Gonski reforms', but on the other he is saying 'oh no, actually, I'm going to go back to the plan that Baillieu announced'," Mr Merlino said.

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Teenager charged with stabbing a man

A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a man during a domestic argument in a house at Albury.

Police say they received reports of an argument between a man and a woman on Sunday afternoon in the Albury suburb of Thurgoona.

When they arrived, police and paramedics found a 50-year-old man with a wound to his back.

A teenage boy was taken into custody and charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He has been refused bail and will face Albury Childrens Court on Monday.

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Dust storm shrouds Tokyo in haze

A HUGE dust storm has hit Tokyo, blanketing the city with brown dust that darkened the skies and rapidly transformed what had been a clear and sunny day.

Visibility in the capital deteriorated quickly as dry dust particles whirled through the air on Sunday.

Meteorologists said the phenomenon was caused by a sudden cold front, and was not linked with the suffocating pollution that hung over the Chinese capital Beijing last winter.

"A rapidly developing low pressure system in the north was moving down south. It was bringing a snow storm in the north, and strong winds in Tokyo and surrounding areas," said a meteorologist at the Japan Meteorological Agency.

"In the Kanto region (Tokyo and surrounding areas), the strong winds picked up dry dust particles from the ground, which lowered visibility," he said.

The phenomenon was expected to be temporary, and rain should strip the dust from the air, he said.

Japan and other regional countries have however voiced concern about the impact of airborne pollution drifting from their influential neighbour.

The toxic haze that periodically blankets parts of China has been blamed on emissions from coal burning in power stations but also on fumes from vehicles on the traffic-clogged streets of the world's largest auto market.

Media reports have said that environment ministers from Japan, China and South Korea will meet in May to discuss ways to combat air pollution.

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Cyclone Sandra intensifies, no Aust threat

Cyclone Sandra has intensified to a category three cyclone but poses no threat to Australia. Source: AAP

CYCLONE Sandra has intensified to a category three cyclone but poses no threat to Australia.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says Sandra is likely to reach a category four by early Monday but will be downgraded as it heads towards New Caledonia on Monday and Tuesday.

Senior BoM forecaster Brett Harrison said the cyclone would pass off the west coast of the archipelago.

"It's not likely to hit it directly but would just bring gail force winds and heavy rain," he told AAP.

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