NSW students' paid trip to Anzac service

ONE hundred NSW school students will be among lucky ballot winners at next year's Anzac Day centenary service at Gallipoli.

The NSW government will put up $1 million to enable the students and chaperones to take part in the anniversary dawn service in 2015.

The service at Anzac Cove marks 100 years since the fateful Gallipoli landing on April 25, 1915.

Public and independent school students in Year 10, 11 and 12 next year will be able to apply for the school tour.

"The experience won't end when they return home," Premier Mike Baird said.

"Students will share their experiences and be leaders in honouring the Anzac legacy within their school and local community as the future guardians of our proud military heritage."

Australians hoping to attend the 2015 service had to enter a ticket ballot.

Following consultations between Turkey, Australia and New Zealand, attendance at the centenary service was capped at 10,500 with 8000 for Australians.

Of those allocated to Australia, 400 double passes were for sons and daughters of Gallipoli veterans, 400 were for school students and 400 double passes were for current defence personnel.

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Pakistan airstrike kills 37

PAKISTAN Air Force jets have hit suspected Taliban hideouts in the north-western tribal region, killing at least 37 people and injuring 18.

The insurgents were attacked in Khyber, which borders Afghanistan, on intelligence that rebels involved in recent bombings were present, a military official said on Thursday, on the condition of anonymity.

The casualties could not be verified through independent sources because the area is remote and too dangerous for the media.

It was the first airstrike since a 40-day ceasefire with the Taliban ended April 10.

Violence has broken out again after the Taliban refused to extend the truce.

A policeman known for opposing the Taliban was the target of a suicide bombing Thursday that killed him and at least two civilians in the restive southern port city of Karachi, police officer Farooq Awan said.

"About two kilograms of explosives were used by the bomber," Awan said.

Another police officer said three people were injured in the attack.

No one took responsibility for the bombing, which came a day after government and Taliban representatives met in Islamabad to revive the stalled peace process.

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India election marred by rebel threats

INDIANS have cast their ballots on the biggest day of voting in the country's general election, streaming into polling stations even in areas where leftist rebels threatened violence.

Nationwide voting began on April 7 and runs through to May 12, with results for the 543-seat lower house of Parliament to be announced four days later.

Among the 13 key states voting on Thursday was Chhattisgarh, now the centre of a four-decade Maoist insurgency that has affected more than a dozen of India's 28 states.

With roadside bombings, jungle ambushes and hit-and-run raids, the rebels aim for nothing short of sparking a full-blown peasant revolt as they accuse the government and corporations of plundering resources and stomping on the rights of the poor.

But authorities say that amid the bloodshed, there are signs that the rebels have waning support - including lines of voters shuffling into polling booths in rebel strongholds.

"I want a good life for my baby, security and peace," said Neha Ransure, a 25-year-old woman who was voting in the Chhattisgarh town of Rajnandgaon.

"The rebels are bad. They kill our soldiers. I don't go outside of town. It is too dangerous."

Rebels always threaten to disrupt Indian elections, and this year is no different.

While Rajnandgaon was peaceful on Thursday, rebels set off a bomb near a group of polling officials and security forces in the neighbouring district of Kanker but no one was hurt, police said.

Another blast injured three paramilitary soldiers and a driver in the state of Jharkhand, where they also blew up railway lines.

More than 4800 people, including about 2850 civilians, have been killed nationwide since 2008 in what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called India's biggest internal security threat.

Despite the rebel calls for an election boycott, voter turnout was 59 per cent last week in the rebel's unruly heartland of Bastar.

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Royals to visit Easter Show

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will join thousands of Australians at the Royal Easter show, though it's not known if they'll have a chance to taste a Dagwood dog.

William and Kate are scheduled to meet students and teachers on Friday before viewing exhibits and a crafts exhibition at the show.

The pair will then view sheep shearing and wool handling, meet the 2013 Wool4Skool program winner - who designed a dress for the Duchess of Cambridge - and sign the visitor book.

They will then trade the show bags and rides for a visit to Manly's Bear Cottage palliative care hospice in the afternoon, where they will meet young patients, families, volunteers and staff.

Sydneysiders will be able to catch a glimpse of the royals when they visit Manly beach and view Surf Lifesaving activities on the sand.

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Pakistan army assists polio vaccinators

THE Pakistani army is to assist in providing security to polio vaccinators in the country, after a series of deadly attacks against those involved in campaigns against the crippling disease.

Representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), military, as well as civilian and tribal officials met at the military headquarters in Rawalpindi near Islamabad to discuss security and access to affected areas during anti-polio campaigns.

Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, the army spokesman, said the army had been asked to assist the civil government in making this campaign a success.

Bajwa said Pakistan may face an international travel ban because of the prevalence of the polio virus.

Last month, rebels killed at least 12 policemen guarding polio workers in two separate attacks in the restive north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Islamist militants have targeted vaccination teams in the past.

Insurgents accuse health workers of acting as spies for Western nations, and claim the polio vaccine is intended to make Muslim children sterile.

Following widespread vaccination campaigns since the 1950s, polio is now endemic only in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

The contagious, crippling disease mainly affects children aged younger than five.

It cannot be cured, but it can be prevented with vaccination.

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Aust journalist faces 7 years in Thai jail

AN Australian journalist accused of defaming the Royal Thai Navy remains defiant, saying the case against him risks Thailand's reputation as a democracy.

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.

Both were released on bail on Thursday from holding cells at a Phuket court.

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.

The Reuters report alleged Thai naval forces and police cooperate with people smugglers to hold Rohingya in camps while ransoms are demanded from their families.

Speaking to AAP soon after his release on bail, Morison said the Thai navy was acting as if its reputation "is much more important than Thailand's reputation as a democracy".

But he also lashed out at Reuters, saying that like the navy, the news agency was putting its reputation "above the principles of media freedom".

"We still have Reuters not really coming out and saying 'this is our paragraph and we'll fight to the death to make sure that everybody who publishes it has the right to (do) so."

Morison believes the charges, filed by the navy, are a "set up" and part of efforts to shut down his website.

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".

The next hearing date is set for May 26.

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Hybrid engines help Toyota gas cars

TOYOTA has developed an efficient gasoline engine using technology fine-tuned with gas-electric hybrids, in which the Japanese carmaker is an industry leader.

Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday the engine will be rolled out in 14 models this year and next year.

The technology is common in hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion, which switch back and forth between an electric motor and a gas engine for better mileage, but it is relatively rare in vehicles with gas engines alone.

Japanese rivals Mazda Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co have developed similar engines.

Toyota said the new engine will deliver 10 per cent better fuel efficiency than comparable current engines.

It uses an old-style engine type called the Atkinson cycle, which reduces heat through greater thermal efficiency.

Toyota also used other features such as better combustion and reduced friction to boost efficiency.

The new engine will come in 1.0 litre and 1.3 litre versions, but will be expanded to other types, and variations of it will also be used in future hybrid models, according to Toyota.

"They show the future direction of Toyota engine development," said Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons.

Toyota has been worried about the reliability of the oil supply for decades and has focused on green cars, especially hybrids.

The maker of the Lexus luxury model and Camry sedan has sold more than 6 million hybrid vehicles around the world, more than any other manufacturer, since the Prius was introduced in late 1997.

Hybrids are popular but remain a niche market, and competition has been intensifying from efficient gas engines.

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PM to push for freer trade in China speech

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott will wrap up the formal side of his North Asia visit with a dinner at China's ceremonious Great Hall of the People with President Xi Jinping.

Mr Abbott's visit to Shanghai on Friday will coincide with Australia Week in China, an inaugural trade fair being spearheaded by the largest business delegation ever sent abroad from Australia.

The prime minister will address the expected 1500 guests at the Shanghai showcase lunch, promoting the benefits of freer trade and greater investment with Australia's largest trading partner.

Nearly all state premiers and chief ministers, plus a delegation of Australia's leading corporate CEOs, are expected to attend.

The prime minister has spent a week in North Asia shoring up free trade deals and after finalising agreements with Japan and South Korea hopes to make significant progress with China.

Mr Abbott will then head to Beijing for bilateral talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping, before capping off the formalities of his visit to the region with dinner at the Great Hall of the People.

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UK slams Malaysian Air over 2012 incident

BRITAIN'S air accidents investigator has criticised Malaysian Airlines for its lack of proper oversight in preserving flight recordings during an incident at London's Heathrow Airport in 2012.

A Boeing 747 bound for Kuala Lumpur, carrying 340 passengers, had to return to Heathrow soon after takeoff because of engine and electrical failure on August 17, 2012.

The pilots flew the plane manually and returned to the airport safely.

In a report issued on Thursday, Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said all the audio information relating to the incident was lost because the cockpit voice recorder ran on long after the landing.

The body said the airline's "procedures for the preservation of flight recordings were not sufficiently robust".

The Heathrow incident was not related to Flight MH370, which went missing last month.

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Will's fighting talk in race against Kate

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are due to face off, putting their sailing skills to the test on competing America's Cup yachts.

Prince William and Kate will compete in opposing boats on Auckland Harbour on Friday, in an event free of the pomp and formality typically associated with the monarchy.

William told Prime Minister John Key at Government House on Thursday night he expected the race to be "a bit of healthy competition" - although he said he'd already been telling everyone he would win it.

The yachts will be manned by Emirates Team New Zealand crews, and the race is expected to last two hours.

Afterwards, the royal couple will take a spin in an amphibious car before jetting back to Wellington.

The royal trip has been marred by weather thus far, and Friday is no different, with fog and showers being forecast.

But MetService duty forecaster David Miller said the weather wouldn't be too bad.

"It'll be an improvement on what they've had in Wellington for the past few days."

Royal visit media manager Allen Walley said he couldn't comment on contingency plans, and a decision would be made on Friday.

But before all the high-adrenalin excitement, the duke and duchess will be greeted off the plane at Whenuapai military air base by Auckland Mayor Len Brown.

They'll then meet Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel and their families.

Little Prince George will again miss out on the action - he'll stay in the capital with his Spanish nanny, Maria Borrallo.

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