More storms expected in southeast

At least one home has been destroyed by a tornado that whipped through northern NSW.

A FEROCIOUS line of storms that barrelled through the southeast corner -- bringing rain and destructive gusts and damaging homes – continued to track towards the northeast overnight.

Forecasters said the storms had started to weaken by 10.30pm and were likely to reach the Sunshine Coast by 1am.

"They have weakened over the past hour but we are still seeing some intense bursts of rainfall and the odd significant wind gust," said Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Brett Harrison.

Early reports suggested one house was completely demolished and up to 30 other homes were reportedly damaged in the Rosewood and Pine Mountain area near Ipswich, although this could not be confirmed by emergency services.

"We have dodged three big storms lately, but we really copped it tonight,'' said Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale late on Saturday.

Storms roll over Brisbane, as seen from Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Pic: Adam Smith

"One has collapsed completely and 25 to 30 have got damage at various degrees.

"No-one has been injured so far as we know.''

On Saturday night, the heaviest falls were recorded at Junction View, south of Gatton, with up to 62mm of rain dumped in just over an hour.

Wind gusts of up to 92km/h were recorded at Amberley at the height of the storm.

Storms roll over Brisbane, as seen from Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Pic: Adam Smith

Golf ball-size hail was dropped near Inglewood, Ipswich and Warwick, but senior forecaster Brett Harrison said there had been no reports since 5.30pm Saturday.

Energex reported more than 5000 homes across the southeast were without power at around 10pm.

More showers and thunderstorms are expected to brew on Sunday, with the activity likely to be closer to the southeast coast.

Mr Harrison said November had certainly made up for a late start to the storm season.

Storms roll over Brisbane, as seen from Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Pic: Adam Smith

"This time of year is when we expect there to be a large number of severe thunderstorms," he said.

"The main trigger is the upper trough."

A severe thunderstorm warning had been issued at 10.58pm for damaging wind and heavy rainfall in the Sunshine Coast and Cherbourg Shire areas and for parts of the Gympie, Moreton Bay, Somerset, South Burnett and Toowoomba areas.

Damaging winds and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding were likely, the Bureau of Meteorology warned.

Storm clouds north of Moonie, Western Darling Downs, Saturday afternoon. Pic: Jeff Higgins. Higgins Storm Chasing

The warning came after several thunderstorms rolled across southern Queensland throughout Saturday.

Residents reported seeing hail stones, lightning strikes, strong winds and heavy rain across the area.

By 9.15pm, the State Emergency Services had received 47 requests for help through the Rosewood, Hatton Vale, Marburg, Amberley, Ipswich and Brisbane CBD areas.

A spokeswoman said the requests related to structural damage to homes, fallen trees and general storm and flood damage.

"There was significant roof damage to houses in Lower Mt Walker, near Laidley," she said.

A 92 km/h wind gust was recorded at Amberley Airport at 7.45pm, an 87 km/h wind gust was recorded at Gold Coast Seaway at 8.30pm and a 79 km/h wind gust was recorded at Inner Beacon (Moreton Bay) at 8:55pm.

Wild weather also battered northern NSW on Saturday, with a twister destroying at least one home.

Top of Bunya Mountains looking west out over the Darling Downs. Things are really brewing up out here today! Picture courtesy: Jeff Higgins / Higgins Storm Chasing

Bowen certainly has copped some rain!! Thankfully tide was out bit still water is still through some houses and cars. Picture: Tash Edwards

Bowen certainly has copped some rain!! Thankfully tide was out bit still water is still through some houses and cars. Picture: Tash Edwards

Bowen certainly has copped some rain!! Thankfully tide was out bit still water is still through some houses and cars. Picture: Tash Edwards

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US wind farm guilty of killing birds

American bird conservationists say wind farms are killing hundreds of thousands of birds each year. Source: AAP

A MAJOR US power company has pleaded guilty to killing eagles and other birds at two wind farms and agreed to pay $1 million as part of the first enforcement of laws protecting birds against wind energy facilities.

Until the settlement announced on Friday with Duke Energy and its renewable energy arm, no wind energy company had been prosecuted for a death of an eagle or other protected bird.

The company pleaded guilty to killing 14 eagles and 149 other birds at its Top of the World and Campbell Hill wind farms outside Casper, Wyoming.

The deaths, which included golden eagles, hawks, blackbirds, wrens and sparrows, occurred from 2009 to 2013.

"Wind energy is not green if it is killing hundreds of thousands of birds," said George Fenwick, president of the American Bird Conservancy, which supports properly sited wind farms.

Wind farms are clusters of turbines as tall as 30-storey buildings, with spinning rotors as wide as a passenger jet's wingspan.

The blades can reach speeds up to 270km/h at the tips, creating tornado-like vortexes.

Eagles are especially vulnerable because they don't look up as they scan the ground for food, failing to notice the blades until it's too late.

"No form of energy generation, or human activity for that matter, is completely free of impacts, and wind energy is no exception," the American Wind Energy Association said in a statement.

The case against Duke Energy and Duke Energy Renewables was the first prosecuted under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act against a wind energy company.

The Obama administration has used the law against oil companies and power companies for drowning and electrocuting birds.

Once a wind farm is built, there is little a company can do to stop the deaths.

As part of the agreement, Duke will continue to use field biologists to shut down turbines when eagles get too close.

It will install radar technology similar to what is used in Afghanistan to track missiles. And it will continue to report all bird deaths to the government.

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Seven die in horror two days on Vic roads

Six people, including a mother and daughter, have lost their lives on Victorian roads. Source: AAP

A MAN in an induced coma will wake up to learn his wife and daughter have been killed and his two sons hospitalised during a horror two days on Victorian roads that claimed seven lives.

The mother and child died after two vehicles crashed head-on on the Princes Highway at Rosedale just before 2.30pm (AEDT) on Friday.

The child died at the scene while the woman in her 40s was pronounced dead after paramedics tried to revive her at the roadside.

The man, in his 40s, was put into an induced coma after suffering injuries to his chest and hip, while his 11-year-old son was critically injured and his four-year-old son hospitalised with minor injuries.

The driver of the second vehicle, a man in his 20s, was taken to hospital with leg and pelvic injuries.

Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill said it had been an incredibly difficult day, with four women, one girl and a man losing their lives in a 12-hour period on Friday.

"You can't even imagine how that particular gentleman will wake up, recovering from injuries and then dealing with the emotional scar that has been caused as a consequence of this collision," Mr Hill said.

The deaths added to the grim toll on a day in which a 70-year-old woman died in a two-car collision in Carwarp, in the state's northwest, and an 18-year-old died after her vehicle crashed into a tree in Mount Evelyn.

About 10.30pm on Friday night a man and woman, both 81, died in a collision on the Western Freeway in Melton.

Three men from the second vehicle were taken to hospital.

On Saturday, a man in his 40s died after his car hit a tree at Cope Cope on the Sunraysia Highway, between St Arnaud and Donald in northwest Victoria.

A motorist came across the car about 5pm.

Mr Hill appealed to all drivers to think about their behaviour on the road.

"These are the days that stick with you forever," he said.

"I can't begin to imagine the feeling of loss those families and their communities must be facing right now."

The state road toll is now 210 compared to 251 at this time last year.

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Airstrikes in Syria kill 29: reports

TWO government airstrikes have killed at least 29 people in the north, Syrian activists say.

Warplanes targeted rebel positions in an opposition-held district of Aleppo city on Saturday, but the attack missed the target and slammed into a crowded vegetable market, killing 14 people, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.

In a separate airstrike on the town of al-Bab near Aleppo, 15 people were killed, it says.

Another activist group, the Aleppo Media Network, confirmed the airstrikes and posted a video of what it says was the aftermath of the al-Bab raid.

Plumes of smoke are seen rising from ground, strewn with twisted metal and chunks of broken-up concrete.

Men can be seen pulling a person, who appears dead, out of a car.

The videos appeared authentic and corresponded with The Associated Press' reporting of the airstrikes.

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Latvia mourns roof collapse victims

The death toll from a supermarket roof collapse in Latvia reached 49, with 30 people still trapped. Source: AAP

LATVIA is mourning its dead after rescuers spent a second night looking for survivors in the rubble of a Riga supermarket whose roof collapsed, killing at least 52.

The latest body was hauled out at dawn and hopes of finding anyone alive were dwindling nearly two days after the worst disaster since Latvia's 1991 independence.

The small Baltic state of two million began three days of official grieving over the Thursday tragedy as officials began probing the causes of Europe's third worst roof disaster in 30 years.

"The latest body was found this morning at 6am, bringing the total to 52, including two bodies that are still unidentified," said police spokesman Toms Sadovskis.

Rescuers continued to comb the mangled Maxima supermarket's wreckage of steel and concrete as morning mists rose after a second night of work in near-zero temperatures.

Riga mayor Nils Usakovs said on Friday five people were feared trapped inside but it was unclear how many were still believed to be missing on Saturday.

Forty people survived the catastrophe, according to rescue services.

A ring of thousands of glowing candles and heaps of flowers decked the perimeter crash barriers surrounding the disaster site, placed by a constant stream of shell-shocked members of the public.

Flags were being flown from houses across the country with a black sash attached - a traditional sign of mourning.

Just days after November 18 independence celebrations, the tragedy snuffed out an upbeat mood in Latvia, with 2014 set to mark its entry in the eurozone and showcase Riga as the European capital of culture.

Child Protection Inspectorate director Laila Rieksta-Riekstina told Latvian Radio on Saturday that "16 children lost one parent and one child has unfortunately lost both parents" in the tragedy.

The website of the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) paid tribute to three firefighters who were among the dead, describing them as "more like family members than colleagues".

Books of condolence have been opened at Latvian embassies abroad including Russia, Poland, the USA, Canada, Britain and Ireland while world leaders have also expressed sympathy.

A disaster fund set up for the victims has already collected 86,000 lats ($A176,755) from public donations, the Ziedot charity announced on Saturday morning, with central government and Riga city council both promising compensation to victims.

Part of the roof of the Maxima supermarket crashed down during peak shopping hours around 6pm on Thursday, in the Zolitude district of the Latvian capital, with a second collapse crushing to death rescuers who had already entered the building.

Latvia will also observe a moment of silence on Monday while police probe what caused the cave-in at the two-year old supermarket.

Speculation has centred on plans to build a rooftop garden and the possibility that building regulations may not have been followed in full.

A photograph published by Latvia's Diena daily on Friday showed an aerial view of the roof prior to the collapse, covered in soil, shrubbery, a children's playground and construction material.

Run by the Lithuanian-owned Maxima chain - Latvia's number two retailer after Rimi - the supermarket was built in 2011 and was named one of the country's top three architecture projects that year.

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Pakistani drone protesters block supplies

THOUSANDS of people protesting US drone strikes have blocked a road in northwest Pakistan used to truck NATO troop supplies and equipment in and out of Afghanistan.

The protest, which was led by Pakistani politician and cricket star Imran Khan, likely had more symbolic value than practical impact because there is normally little NATO supply traffic on the road on Saturdays.

The blocked route in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province leads to one of two border crossings used to send supplies overland from Pakistan to neighbouring Afghanistan.

Khan, whose Tehreek-e-Insaf party runs the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, called on federal officials to take a firmer stance to force the US to end drone attacks and block NATO supplies across the country.

"We will put pressure on America, and our protest will continue if drone attacks are not stopped," Khan told the protesters, who dispersed after his speech.

The US Embassy in Islamabad declined to comment on the protest. The US leads the coalition of NATO troops battling the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Drone strikes have been a growing source of friction between Islamabad and Washington.

Khan and other officials regularly denounce the attacks as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty, although the country's government is known to have supported some of the strikes in the past.

The tension has further complicated a relationship that Washington views as vital to fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban, as well as negotiate peace in Afghanistan.

The protest comes only two days after a rare US drone strike outside of Pakistan's remote tribal region killed five people, including at least three Afghan militants, at an Islamic seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The attack outraged Pakistani officials, as did one on November 1 that killed the former leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, a day before the Pakistani government said it was going to invite him to hold peace talks.

Khan pushed the Pakistani government block NATO supplies after the strike on Mehsud, but it has shown little interest in doing so.

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BoE minutes show unanimity on policy

BANK of England policy makers have voted unanimously to keep monetary policy unchanged, despite growing signs that Europe's third-largest economy is on the mend.

The minutes of the November 6-7 Monetary Policy Committee, published on Wednesday, showed that the nine-member panel thought the economic recovery was gathering pace.

It grew a quarterly rate of 0.8 per cent in the third quarter, however, they voiced "uncertainties over the durability of the recovery," particularly in regard to the economic outlook in Europe.

Given that backdrop, they voted to keep the Bank's key interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.5 per cent and not to increase the monetary stimulus.

So far STG375 billion ($A645.16 billion) has been pumped into the British economy in an attempt to keep market rates low and encourage lending.

"The UK economy remained vulnerable to disorderly adjustment in the euro area and in some emerging economies," the minutes said.

Though the 17-country eurozone has emerged from its longest-ever recession, growth is muted; in the third quarter of 2013, it grew by only 0.1 per cent from the previous three-month period.

Over the past few years, the debt crisis in the eurozone has been one of the main reasons, along with a government deficit-reduction program and high levels of private indebtedness, that's held back the economic recovery in Britain.

Despite the recent pick-up in growth, the British economy remains about 2.5 per cent smaller than the start of 2008, before it slipped into its deepest recession since World War II.

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Missing teen boy found in Sydney's west

A TEENAGE boy missing in Sydney's southwest since Tuesday night has been found.

Jayden McBeath, 15, went missing from outside his house on Twingleton Avenue in Ambarvale about 9pm (AEDT) Tuesday.

He didn't return home last night and there had been extensive searches in the area for him.

Police said the teenager returned home on Wednesday night.

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Tax office to shed 900 jobs

THE Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will shed 900 jobs over the coming nine months as it searches for budget savings, with most of the job cuts linked to government plans to abolish its controversial mining profits tax.

The ATO said said about half of the 900 jobs would be from natural attrition, and the remainder would be from voluntary redundancies from its 23,000 workers, saving about $50 million this financial year.

While the ATO said it could not say which areas would be affected, it said the abolition of the mining tax could lead to about 200 jobs cut from offices in Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.

"Our best view is that we need to move our allocations down by about $50 million between now and the end of the financial year," the ATO's Geoff Leeper told a Senate estimates hearing.

"Our objective in announcing what we've announced today was to take action which allows us to live within our budget for this financial year and to position us for the financial years that lie ahead."

The mining tax, known as the Minerals Resource Rent Tax, imposed a 30 per cent super profits tax on major iron ore and coal mine projects. Laws to abolish the tax passed through the House of Representatives on Wednesday, but faces a more difficult passage through the Senate.

The opposition and Greens have the numbers in the upper house to block the laws, which may force the government to wait until the new Senate sits from July 1, 2014.

Mr Leeper said that while the abolition of the MRRT accounted for about 200 jobs, the remainder of the cuts were due to budget efficiency restrictions imposed by the former Labor government.

Earlier this week, the government said it would review its plan to cut 12,000 public service jobs through natural attrition, due to job cuts already in train through the former government's efficiency dividends, where departments and agencies receive across the board funding cuts.

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Indon halts people smuggling cooperation

Indonesia's president says he is suspending cooperation with Australia on people smuggling. Source: AAP

INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he is suspending cooperation with Australia on people smuggling in the wake of recent spying revelations.

The president also said on Wednesday that he would continue to demand an official explanation from Australia about revelations that Australian spies targeted his mobile phone in 2009.

"I am still waiting," Dr Yudhoyono said on Wednesday.

The president said he would send a letter of demand to the Australian government, requesting an official apology and an explanation from Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Indonesia will also suspend all military cooperation with Australia, the president said.

Australia Defence Minister David Johnston's office said there was no official confirmation yet that Indonesia had halted defence cooperation activities.

"But it is certainly on the record that it has stopped," a spokesman said.

"We are just waiting on the details of how this is going to play out."

At a press conference at his presidential palace in Jakarta, Dr Yudhoyono likened the spying claims to cold war tactics.

It's difficult for me to understand why the (wire-tapping) was conducted," Dr Yudhoyono said.

"Now is not the era of the cold war."

Dr Yudhoyono said "coordinated military cooperation" including naval patrols would cease immediately.

"I have asked for that to be halted until everything is clear," he said.

Suspending cooperation on people smuggling will deal a big blow to Mr Abbott's asylum seeker policies.

"You are well aware that we are facing a joint problem of people smuggling that has been a problem for both Australia and Indonesia," Dr Yudhoyono said.

"Indonesia and Australia is not in the position of confronting each other or in enmity."

The president said he could not understand why Australia had chosen to spy on a "friend and not the enemy", adding that he viewed the conduct of the Australian government as an illegal action.

Dr Yudhoyono said he wanted a personal explanation, insisting comments directed at "Australia's domestic community" would not suffice.

"If Australia wants to maintain a good relationship with Indonesia in the future, there must be an official explanation," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said cooperation in the area of intelligence gathering and the sharing of information would also be halted.

"I have also asked to stop for a while joint training between Indonesian soldiers and Australians, whether army, navy or air force," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said he wanted to make it clear that cooperation on combating people smuggling would not go ahead until he received an explanation from Mr Abbott.

"It's impossible for us to continue when we're not sure that there's no tapping of Indonesian soldiers who are performing a duty for both countries," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said that for cooperation to resume, Indonesia would in the future need "some kind of protocol, code of conduct as well as guiding principles".

"I'm still hoping and I believe that Australia is also hoping, especially the hope of people from both countries, Indonesian people and Australian people, that we still can have a good relationship and cooperation after we overcome this problem."

"Australia, I know they respect Indonesia's sovereignty," he said.

"I hope we can finish this, we solve this and then we review, we make new sets of rules, new agreements and then we can take steps ahead to continue the good cooperation and relationship between the two countries."

Dr Yudhoyono said that for cooperation to resume, Indonesia would in the future need "some kind of protocol, code of conduct as well as guiding principles".

"I'm still hoping and I believe that Australia is also hoping, especially the hope of people from both countries, Indonesian people and Australian people, that we still can have a good relationship and cooperation after we overcome this problem."

"Australia, I know they respect Indonesia's sovereignty," he said.

"I hope we can finish this, we solve this and then we review, we make new sets of rules, new agreements and then we can take steps ahead to continue the good cooperation and relationship between the two countries."

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Missouri executes serial killer Franklin

JOSEPH Paul Franklin, a white supremacist who targeted blacks and Jews in a cross-country killing spree from 1977 to 1980, has been put to death in Missouri, the state's first execution in nearly three years.

Franklin, 63, was executed at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing Gerald Gordon in a sniper shooting at a suburban St Louis synagogue in 1977.

Franklin was convicted of seven other murders across the country and claimed responsibility for up to 20 overall, but the Missouri case was the only one that brought a death sentence.

Franklin also admitted to shooting and wounding civil rights leader Vernon Jordan and Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, who has been paralysed from the waist down since the attack in 1978.

Flynt had sued to stop Franklin's execution because he doesn't believe the death penalty is a deterrent.

Mike O'Connell, of the Missouri Department of Corrections, said Franklin was pronounced dead at 6.17am local time.

The execution was the first in Missouri using a single drug, pentobarbital.

Franklin's fate was sealed early on Wednesday when the US Supreme Court upheld a federal appeals court ruling that overturned two stays granted on Tuesday evening by district court judges in Missouri.

Franklin's lawyer had launched three separate appeals: One claiming his life should be spared because he is mentally ill; one claiming faulty jury instruction when he was given the death penalty; and one raising concern about Missouri's first-ever use of pentobarbital.

Franklin, a paranoid schizophrenic who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, was in his mid-20s in 1977 when he began drifting across America, robbing up to 16 banks to fund his travels.

He bombed a synagogue in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July that year.

No one was hurt, but the killings began soon after that, many of them sniper shootings.

Franklin had a particular dislike for interracial couples - several of his victims were black men and the white women with them.

He arrived in suburban St. Louis and picked out Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel synagogue from the phone book.

On October 8, 1977, a bar mitzvah ended and guests were in the parking lot when Franklin opened fire from a grassy area nearby, killing Gordon, 42.

The killings continued for three more years.

Franklin was finally caught after killing two young black men who were about to go jogging with two teenage white girls in Salt Lake City in August 1980.

Years later, in federal prison, he admitted to the St. Louis County killing and was sentenced to death in 1997.

Franklin, in the days leading up to the execution, said in several interviews that he was sorry for his crimes and was no longer a racist.

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Deere profit beats US estimates

DEERE & Co's fourth-quarter net income has risen 17 per cent as it raised prices for its farm and construction equipment.

But it is predicting a slowdown in the farm economy and smaller profits for next year.

Crop prices have been dipping after setting record highs, so farmers have less money in their pockets.

Deere says that will hurt demand next year. It predicts that equipment sales will fall three per cent next year, and its profits will also decline.

For the most recent quarter Deere earned $US806.8 million ($A857.9 million), or $US2.11 per share. That was up from $US687.6 million, or $US1.75 per share, a year earlier.

The results were well ahead of the $US1.90 per share profit expected by analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Equipment revenue fell Five per cent to $US8.62 billion, matching analyst estimates.

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Malta to ID buyers of its citizenship

THE Maltese government has rolled back one element of its controversial law to sell its citizenship for 650,000 ($A942,644), saying it will publish the names of people buying their way into European Union passports.

The government had argued that keeping the names secret would have brought in more money - the key goal of the initiative - because more people would have been attracted to buying a Maltese passport anonymously.

But the government withdraw the secrecy clause "after listening to the people," according to a statement late Sunday.

Opposition politicians and ordinary Maltese had argued that keeping the names secret could have exposed Malta to ill-intentioned citizenship-seekers, including possible terrorists.

Citizens of EU-member Malta can freely enter and reside in any of the other 27 EU member states.

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Singer in UK court on child sex charges

VETERAN folk and rock performer Roy Harper has appeared in a UK court charged with committing a series of child sex offences in the 1970s.

The singer-songwriter, who has performed with Pink Floyd and influenced rock band Led Zeppelin, was not required to enter a plea to any of the charges during a four-minute appearance at Hereford Magistrates' Court.

Harper, of Rossmore, near Clonakilty, County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, is accused of two counts of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged under 13.

The singer also faces three charges of indecent assault and four of gross indecency relating to the same alleged victim.

West Mercia Police announced last week that Harper had been charged with the offences, which are alleged to have occurred between 1975 and 1977 in the Herefordshire area.

Harper, dressed casually in a checked shirt and blue jeans, spoke only to give the clerk of the court his name and full address during today's hearing.

The 72-year-old declined to comment to reporters after his appearance before three magistrates, who granted unconditional bail and ordered him to appear before a judge at Worcester Crown Court on December 2.

The prolific performer has produced more than 30 albums during his career, and continues to tour.

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WA cop cleared after fatal crash

A WEST Australian policeman whose car struck another vehicle and killed the female driver has been found not guilty of dangerous driving causing her death.

Constable Gareth Hopley, 29, has been on trial in the Perth District Court for the past two weeks, charged over the death of Sharon Ann D'Ercole in April last year.

Ms D'Ercole, 50, died from multiple injuries, while her 16-year-old daughter, who was a passenger, has no memory of the accident.

A jury took an afternoon of deliberating before deciding to acquit the officer on Monday.

During the trial, Mr Hopley denied having "tunnel vision" while chasing a stolen car before crashing into Ms D'Ercole's vehicle, and testified that he believed she was slowing down for him when he hit her.

The officer's lights and sirens were activated at the time, the court heard.

Some evidence also indicated Ms D'Ercole was driving at about 25km/h in a 60km/h zone, while the police vehicle was travelling at up to 75km/h.

Const Hopley was emotional while giving evidence as he recounted seeing the injured woman at the crash scene.

He also told the court that his passenger was like a brother to him and he would do anything to keep him and the public safe.

"I never would have gone through that intersection if I didn't deem it safe to do so," Const Hopley said.

Ms D'Ercole's husband Ron said he was disappointed with the verdict.

"I'm all in favour of the justice system - democratic process and the jury system as it is," he told reporters outside court.

"I respect that, on the premise that he's innocent until proven guilty and beyond reasonable doubt, the decision - the way it went - went against us."

He said his wife had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

WA Police Union president George Tilbury called on Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan to ensure Const Hopley was returned to duty.

"He's been acquitted of the charge and there should be no barrier to him returning," Mr Tilbury said.

Const Hopley was being sought for comment.

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Indonesia recalls ambassador

Australian spies have reportedly tried to listen to the phone calls of Indonesia's president. Source: AAP

INDONESIA has recalled its ambassador to Australia and will review all information exchanges and cooperation amid growing anger in Jakarta over fresh spying allegations.

The Indonesian government on Monday demanded a full explanation following revelations Australian spies targeted the mobile phones of the country's president, his wife and other senior figures.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said his country's ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema would return to Jakarta immediately to discuss the matter.

Dr Natalegawa has also foreshadowed the possibility of further actions on the diplomatic front, which he described as applying the "principal of reciprocity so that we have corresponding level and nature of cooperation."

Asked if this meant Australian officials could be expelled, Dr Natalegawa said he would "not enter into who shall be leaving, who will not be leaving".

"It is - I want to make it absolutely clear - an unfriendly act unbecoming of relations between strategic partners," Dr Natalegawa said of the fresh claims of phone-tapping.

The comments came after more top secret documents relating to Australia's spying operations were leaked by fugitive US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The Defence Signals Directorate documents, obtained and published by the ABC and The Guardian, list 10 officials and their phone details - beginning with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and wife Ani.

Vice President Boediono and Indonesia's former vice president Jusuf Kalla were also targeted.

The papers suggest the president's mobile activity was tracked for 15 days and at least one eavesdropping attempt was made.

"This is not a clever thing to do. It's not a smart thing to do," Dr Natalegawa said.

"It violates every single decent and legal instrument I can think of; national in Indonesia, national in Australia, international as well."

Dr Natalegawa said the allegations, as well as others made recently that Australia's embassy in Jakarta was part of a US-led spy network in the region, were "having a very serious impact on bilateral relations".

"They should be able to say in a crystal clear, in the most clearest way possible, we are not in the business of tapping foreign leaders, or anyone," he said.

"I have not used the word reprisal, I have not used the word expel. What I have simply said is that we are reviewing the state of Indonesia-Australia cooperation in the exchange of information."

He suggested the Lombok Treaty would also be reviewed.

"I need quite desperately an explanation how a private conversation involving the president of the Republic of Indonesia, involving the first lady of the Republic of Indonesia, how they can even have a hint, even a hint of relevance impacting on the security of Australia," he said.

"The ball now is very much in Australia's court."

Dr Natalegawa said he would attempt to call Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Monday night.

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto earlier said Australia must give a public explanation and make a commitment that it would not monitor the phones again.

Australia's deputy ambassador to Indonesia David Engel was summoned to the Foreign Ministry earlier in the day. He said he had "a very good meeting" when he emerged 20 minutes after arriving.

The latest spying allegations have also prompted an angry response from other members of the Indonesian political elite.

Mahfudz Siddiq, head of the Indonesian parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee and a member of the ruling coalition, said the president should review all cooperation with Australia.

"It's clear that Australia is not a good neighbour, and even a threat," he said.

The committee's Deputy chairman, T.B. Hasanuddin, warned the allegations could lead to an explosion in anti-Australian sentiment.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to comment on the specific claims but defended Australia's intelligence activities.

"All governments know that every other government gathers information," he told parliament.

The prime minister said Australia uses all the resources at its disposal, including information, "to help our friends and our allies, not to harm them".

"My first duty is to protect Australia and to advance our national interest and I will never ever depart from that," he said.

"Consistent with that duty I will never say or do anything that might damage the strong relationship and the close cooperation that we have with Indonesia."

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek, who was in the Labor government under whom the alleged phone tapping occurred, was circumspect in her comments.

"Indonesia is a close neighbour, trading partner, and good friend. Our relationship is important for our region," Ms Plibersek said in a statement.

"Tony Abbott must work hard to reassure Indonesia of the Australian government's goodwill."

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Indonesia recalls Aust ambassador

INDONESIA'S ambassador in Canberra will immediately return to Jakarta following claims Australia had tapped the phone of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa announced on Monday afternoon the ambassador would be recalled.

"It's nothing less than an unfriendly act," Dr Natalegawa said of the spying claims.

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto earlier said he would demand Australia make a public explanation about the claims and make a commitment that it would not monitor the phones again.

Top secret documents from Australia's Defence Signals Directorate, leaked by fugitive US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden and published by the ABC and The Guardian, list 10 officials and their phone details - beginning with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and wife Ani.

Air Marshal Suyanto also said Indonesia would review the exchange of information with Australia and "all other cooperation".

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will be told the issue will have a negative impact on the countries' bilateral relationship.

Dr Natalegawa emphatically condemned Australia's alleged actions.

"It is, I want to make it absolutely clear, an unfriendly act unbecoming of relations between strategic partners," he said.

"It violates every single decent and legal instrument I can think of; national in Indonesia, national in Australia, international as well.

"It is nothing less than an unfriendly act which is already having a very serious impact on bilateral relations."

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Brooks a demanding editor: UK lawyer

REBEKAH Brooks was a demanding editor who wanted to "get stories into the newspaper", a lawyer has told her phone-hacking trial in Britain.

But Justin Walford, who worked as an in-house lawyer at the company that published The Sun and the News of the World (NotW), said he was never asked to give advice about phone hacking, and never felt under any financial pressure while checking stories for legal pitfalls.

Walford, deputy legal manager at News Group Newspapers, told the Old Bailey he was mainly responsible for legal checks on The Sun, but would stand in for legal manager Tom Crone in checking its now-defunct weekly sister title the NotW.

He told the court that lawyers would "libel read" both The Sun and the NotW before they were published, then make suggestions for possible changes.

Describing Brooks, Walford told jurors: "I think she was a very demanding editor. She wanted high standards. She was very demanding in my dealings with her."

He said she would often argue with legal queries rather than accepting them without discussion.

"She was passionate about the paper and what she wanted to get into the newspaper and we had many an argument about material going into the paper," he said.

"She is a strong personality, she has strong views and she expected hard work and everyone pulling in the same direction to get stories into the newspaper.

"It was not the case where a lawyer could just make a few legal marks and it would be quickly forgotten. She would want an explanation why those marks had been made."

Asked to describe Brooks' fellow defendant Andy Coulson, Walford said: "I think Andy Coulson was an editor who wanted to get stories into the paper.

"I didn't libel read the paper (the NotW) that many times when he was editor but he listened to advice."

He said Coulson would also argue over material to go in the paper, but would "take seriously" the legal advice he was given.

Brooks, 45; former NotW editor Andy Coulson, also 45; former NotW head of news Ian Edmondson, 44, and the tabloid's ex-managing editor Stuart Kuttner, 73 are on trial for conspiring with others to hack phones between October 3, 2000 and August 9, 2006.

Walford told the court on Monday: "Clearly editors want to get stories into the newspapers and, quite rightly, they will push the lawyer to agree the copy they want to put in."

But he said he never felt any financial pressure to allow material in.

"I try to give advice and if editors don't like it, it's up to them. It's their decision to publish, not the lawyer's.

"I have never felt under financial pressure or anything like that."

He said he could not remember being asked to give any advice on phone hacking, and had no cause to suspect that any story had been sourced in that way.

And he told the court he could not remember private investigator Glenn Mulcaire's name being mentioned until he was arrested alongside NotW royal editor Clive Goodman in 2006.

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