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.
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.
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.
Tourism Australia has claimed the national Twitter handle @Australia. Source: AAP
AUSTRALIA has finally reclaimed its national Twitter handle after a long battle with the private individual who registered the account years ago, but let it slip into dereliction.
After months of trying, Tourism Australia has adopted the much-coveted @Australia handle, in a move which should give the nation's social media profile a significant boost.
Dozens of governments around the world use their national Twitter handles - @GreatBritain or @SouthAfrica, for example - to promote their nations overseas and interact with millions of potential visitors.
But the @Australia handle was snapped up by a private individual early in Twitter's existence, and it sat dormant, with just one tweet sent from the account in its entire life.
The dormant account attracted about 6500 followers and Twitter users overseas often included @Australia in their tweets when referring to Australia - not knowing it was essentially a dud account.
It's not clear if the account was even registered to an Australian.
Tourism Australia, in the meantime, was forced to use the @SeeAustralia handle as its main consumer Twitter account.
It was popular, attracting tens of thousands of followers.
But experts agreed it had neither the reach nor marketing impact of @Australia.
"The advantages of having a country handle are pretty obvious," a Tourism Australia spokesman told AAP.
"@Sweden, @GreatBritain & @SouthAfrica are all managed by the country's tourism boards.
"We believe the added visibility will significantly help extend the reach on Tourism Australia's consumer Twitter account."
Tourism Australia had long coveted @Australia and made numerous attempts to contact the owner of the dormant account to negotiate a transfer.
The owner did not respond.
Twitter rules state any account inactive over a prolonged period will be removed - and it appears those rules have been invoked with the @Australia handle.
Twitter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Other social media users welcomed the reclamation of @Australia.
"I see that @Australia has been reclaimed by Australia. Thanks #Twitter - nice one," one Canberra-based user wrote.
In response, another user joked: "I bet it was those pesky Kiwis who had it."
Tanya Plibersek says relations may be improving between the Victorian and Commonwealth government. Source: AAP
MELBOURNE March 15 AAP - Victorians can expect less hazardous fires because of controlled burns, set to resume in light of improving weather conditions, the state government says.
As the recent heatwave that gripped Melbourne eases, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Parks Victoria will resume their fuel reduction program.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Ryan Smith said the state government was stepping up its efforts to protect Victorians from wild fire hazards.
"Planned burning is an important part of our work to reduce the threat of severe bushfires," he said.
DSE chief fire officer Alan Goodwin said the decision to restart planned burns had been made subject to suitable weather conditions.
"We know that seeing smoke when the weather is still warm, especially after experiencing bushfires like we've had, can cause concern for some people," he said.
"It's vital that we carry out these planned burns whenever the weather is right."
About 215,000 hectares of land is marked for burning.
Fuel reduction includes the controlled burning of grassland, branches and other materials that are highly flammable in extreme heat.
The Transport Workers Union of NSW says about 400 workers are owed $50,000 by Qantas. Source: AAP
A UNION says $50,000 in disability allowances owed by Qantas to 400 workers will be donated to a charity if the airline pays up.
The Transport Workers Union of NSW said on Friday the money was part of a disability allowance under the terms of their Workplace Agreement for exposure to construction work.
It says about 400 workers are owed the entitlement from the airline with amounts ranging from as little as $5 up to about $200 per person.
"This money has not been paid despite an agreement months ago that the airline would cough up the entitlements," the union's Sydney sub-branch secretary, Mick Pieri, said in a statement.
"The airline quibbled over the exact amounts owed to our members and argued that some members were entitled to very little, if anything at all.
"Rather than engage in a long legal battle over a few hundred dollars per person, our members decided that it would be better to donate the agreed combined total to charity."
A Qantas spokesman said the money would be paid straight to workers, who could then make their own decisions about where it should go.
"Qantas has made it clear that we will make these payments for the agreed amounts directly to our employees," he said.
"We have been awaiting confirmation from the Transport Workers Union on this before proceeding."
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.
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."
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".
BLACK smoke has billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, meaning Roman Catholic cardinals have not elected a pope in their second or third rounds of balloting.
Cardinals voted twice on Wednesday morning in Michelangelo's famed frescoed chapel.
The conclave was called after Pope Benedict XVI resigned last month.
