POLICE trying to piece together events say there are no suspicious circumstances in Scott Lewis's death but friends say he was a 'timid person and no daredevil'.
FOOD prices are expected to soar within months without a downpour over drought-ravaged NSW as farmers across the state's parched outback are warned of more pain this year.
INSTANT messaging services on mobile phones are likely to carry more than twice the number of messages sent by text in 2014, according to global predictions by Deloitte.
As 50 billion instant messages are set to be dispatched, 21 billion text messages are expected to be sent - a rapid lift from 2012, when 11 instant messages were sent for every 10 texts, the firm said.
While instant messaging services - such as WhatsApp and Snapchat - may win the battle for volume this year, text messaging will be victorious in revenue terms, according to the technology report, which will be launched tomorrow.
Text messaging is expected to continue to generate significantly greater revenues until 2018, by which point global text message revenues are expected to have started falling.
Deloitte expects instant messaging services on mobile phones to continue to supersede text messages and all other forms of communication, including email and phone calls.
Despite the burgeoning volumes of messages carried over instant messaging services, text messages are expected to generate more than STG60 billion ($A110.64 billion) in 2014, equivalent to about 50 times the total revenues from all instant messaging services.
Deloitte predicts that the fastest-growing part of the smartphone market in developed countries will be among the over-55s.
About 47 per cent of this group will own smartphones by 2014, an increase from 40 per cent in May-June 2013.
The first text was sent on December 3, 1992, when Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old British engineer, used his computer to send the message "Merry Christmas" to an Orbitel 901 mobile phone.
Four people are unaccounted for and 46 homes have been destroyed by a bushfire in the Perth hills. Source: AAP
FOUR people feared victims of a bushfire that razed 49 homes in the Perth hills region have been found safe, while firefighters are still battling to control the blaze.
The one death attributed to the fire was that of a 62-year-old man in Hovea who collapsed on the roof of his house on Sunday while preparing for the disaster.
The fire, which tore through 650 hectares in the Shire of Mundaring on Sunday and also destroyed two sheds, was contained on Monday but firefighters were still battling to control it.
A watch and act alert remains for the eastern part of Parkerville, Stoneville and Mount Helena.
One resident tried to get back to their house on Monday afternoon and suffered burns to the hands and feet.
Noelene Michels, from Helena Valley, said she knew her house was close to the fire zone and that her son was still there, but she could not reach him due to roadblocks.
"We think it is ok, but we can't get through to check," she said.
Sally and Gary Elwood, from nearby Narla Way, already knew their home of 30 years was gone.
"I am a bit shocked, but until I physically see, it won't hit me fully, but I have seen it on Facebook so I know it is ours," Ms Elwood said.
"I know it is gone, but my glass is half full - the kids are fine, everyone is fine. We will just rebuild, at 48 - bloody hell."
Mundaring Shire president Helen Dullard said many residents were relieved to escape the flames.
"Visually, it was a very ugly fire. It was scary," she said.
People who lost their homes will be escorted to the ruins on Tuesday.
The fate of livestock and pets is unknown but residents are bracing for the worst, while some firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion and bee stings.
Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis believes a power pole on private property caused the fire.
He said the blaze could have been much worse and wiped out hundreds more homes.
"We pray this is the last fire we see like this, but there are no guarantees," he said.
"We deal with the lottery dealt out by Mother Nature."
Mr Francis admitted he was frustrated that the fire preparation message was not getting through.
The WA government will donate $1 million to the Lord Mayor's Distress Relief Fund to help victims.
It will also provide $3000 to those whose homes had been destroyed and $1000 for damaged houses.
Western Power says about 700 properties are without power - and will remain so for days - and more than 150 poles will need to be replaced.
"Poles and equipment are being delivered in preparation for the rebuild, which is not expected to be able to start before Wednesday," a spokeswoman said.
Insurers have declared the fire a catastrophic event.
Attorney-General George Brandis said the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment would also be provided to eligible residents.
People can claim a payment of $1000 for each adult and $400 for each child.
AFTER tallying a record number of plane orders and deliveries last year, Airbus is admittedly facing a high bar in 2014.
The European aerospace conglomerate said on Monday it delivered 626 planes last year, a company record but still 22 fewer than US rival Boeing Co.
The companies enjoyed a banner year as airlines gobbled up their offerings to renew or build their fleets, cut fuel costs and plan for continued growth in air travel.
Airbus' orders last year rose to 1169, nearly twice its expectations, leading some executives to caution against any precise predictions about how many they'll tally this year. The order backlog - jets it plans to deliver in coming years - sits at a record 5559.
"The market was extremely bullish ... more bullish than John or me would have thought, and probably Boeing," said Airbus' top executive Fabrice Bregier, meeting with journalists along with commercial director John Leahy.
Some of the biggest demand came from once-struggling US airlines as well as from emerging markets, particularly Asia.
"The real story for some of you is, where does it go from here?" said Leahy.
"The fact is, we cannot as an industry continue at this level. But what we are doing is we're continuing to increase production."
"The point is, we are in a growth industry," he added.
Losing out to Boeing in the delivery tally "doesn't matter to us at all," Leahy said.
"I think we're happy with what we've got. It's a duopoly, with a 50-50 split here. I don't really care if they have two more aeroplanes or we have two more."
A mortar attack has killed at least 19 people in the central Syrian city of Homs. Source: AAP
A MORTAR attack has killed at least 19 people in the central Syrian city of Homs.
The official SANA news agency said late on Sunday mortar rounds slammed into the pro-government Ghouta and Karm al-Shami neighbourhoods of Homs.
It blamed "terrorists" for the attack, employing the term the government uses to describe those trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
Syrian rebels often lob mortar rounds into pro-government neighbourhoods of cities and towns, while the president's forces indiscriminately strike rebel-held areas with artillery, air strikes and surface-to-surface missiles.
Syria's civil war has killed more than 120,000 since the crisis began in March 2011.
A MAN has been charged following the deaths of three people, including a pedestrian, hit by a car in Melbourne on Sunday night.
Nei Lima DaCosta, 29, of Richmond, has been charged with three counts of culpable driving, three of negligently causing serious injury and one of reckless conduct endangering life.
Police say a 45-year-old man was crossing Dandenong Road in Oakleigh with his wife when he was fatally hit by a white Kia hatchback about 11.40pm (AEDT). He died at the scene.
The hatchback then collided with a silver Ford sedan, killing husband and wife passengers and leaving the car's driver in critical condition.
DaCosta was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries following the crash.
Police questioned and charged him after he was released from hospital on Monday.
He has been remanded in custody and will appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
BEAM, the maker of Jim Beam and Marker's Mark alcohol brands, has agreed to be acquired by Japan's Suntory Holdings Ltd. for approximately $US13.62 billion ($A15.18 billion).
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AS the five-day heatwave in Australia's southern states enters its second day, it is expected to push health and emergency services to the limit.
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