Warren, who died on Monday, came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder after investigating the crash of the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the Comet, in 1953, the Department of Defence said in a statement.

He thought it would be helpful for airline accident investigators to have a recording of voices in the cockpit.

He designed and constructed a black box prototype in 1956, but it took several years before officials understood just how valuable the device could be and began installing them in commercial airlines worldwide.

Warren was born in 1925 in a remote part of north-east Australia. In 1934, his father was killed in a plane crash in Australia.

He became the principal research scientist at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation’s Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne from 1952 to 1983.

“Dr Warren’s flight data recorder has made an invaluable contribution to safety in world aviation,” the defence department said in a statement.

In 2002, Warren was awarded the Order of Australia – among the nation’s highest civilian honours – for his work.

Warren is survived by his wife Ruth, four children and seven grandchildren.

The find includes the wreck of a barge that carried injured and dead Australian and New Zealand soldiers from Anzac Cove during the World War I Gallipoli campaign in Turkey, The Dominion Post reported.

A sonar survey also found the wreck of British destroyer HMS Lewis, along with shrapnel from lead bullets fired by Turkish snipers at Anzac troops as they swam in the sea, the newspaper reported.

The survey covered the seabed adjacent to the beaches where Australian and New Zealand troops landed in the 1915 campaign.

Archaeological photographer Mark Spencer, who was part of the 12-person team, said the barge find was particularly significant.

U.S. President Barack Obama released a letter to his Group of 20 colleagues that zeroed in on prickly policy differences over China’s currency stance and debt-wary Europe’s rush to rein in bulging budget deficits.

World leaders gathering in Toronto next week are struggling to maintain the crisis-forged unity that has been credited with preventing another Great Depression. Now that the global economy is on the mend, divisions are beginning to show.

Cui Tiankai, a vice foreign minister who is China’s official in charge of preparing for the G20 summit, said the yuan was “China’s currency, so I don’t think it is an issue that should be discussed internationally.”

China has kept the yuan, also known as the renminbi, steady around 6.83 per dollar for almost two years to help its exporters ride out the global financial crisis. Many Western economists believe it is undervalued by as much as 40 percent.

Obama, under pressure from some lawmakers who accuse his administration of soft-pedalling on China, said free-floating currencies were “essential” to global economic activity, a thinly veiled reference to the yuan.

His administration has stopped short of accusing China of manipulating its currency to give it a trade advantage, something that some members of Congress have urged.

The Treasury Department delayed its regular currency report to Congress, which was due in April, angering some lawmakers who think the administration is dragging its feet.

DON’T PULL THE PLUG NOW

Obama also directed stern words at Europe. In a letter to G20 colleagues dated June 16, he said the highest priority at next week’s meeting must be to safeguard the recovery and not succumb too soon to demands that government debt shrink.

“We worked exceptionally hard to restore growth; we cannot let it falter or lose strength now,” he said.

The United States has urged Germany in particular not to pull the plug on government spending too soon for fear that doing so will derail the still-fragile economic recovery.

Berlin thinks shoring up public finances is an immediate priority, underscored by Greece’s debt troubles and growing worries that other small, heavily indebted European countries could face a similar fate.

Obama said it was critical that the timing and pace of the fiscal pullback “suit the needs of the global economy” and not just domestic demands.

The United States and China appeared to find some common ground on this issue. Zhu Guangyao, China’s vice finance minister, said countries with serious budget deficits should accelerate fiscal consolidation but in a manner that is “growth-friendly.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has used the same phrase in recent weeks to describe the U.S. position on debt.

Obama said countries should be prepared to respond quickly and forcefully to avert another slowdown if the recovery fades. That might not be well received at home, where Obama has faced resistance from Congress over adding to an already swollen government debt burden.

The fourth annual Global Peace Index (GPI), compiled by global think tank Institute for Economics and Peace, looked at the relationship between economic development, business and peace.

The report examines key areas of conflict, safety, security and military factors in 149 countries.

Their latest index, presented today, suggested the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past 12 months.

New Zealand took out the top spot because of its political stability, safety and harmonious relations with neighbouring countries like Australia, which came in at number 19 in the poll.

The “peace indicators” which the Kiwis outshone their trans-Tasman neighbours in were the number of conflicts fought, the likelihood of violent demonstrations, the level of security required per capita and a number of military factors.

The Kiwis were followed by Iceland and Japan in the poll, while Austria and Norway rounded out the top five.

The institute said small, stable and democratic countries consistently ranked highest and Western Europe was deemed the most peaceful region, with a majority of the area’s countries ranking in the top 20.

Iraq was named the country least at peace for the fourth year running.

The GPI was created by Australian international technology entrepreneur and philanthropist Steve Killelea.

The Australian investigation comes as more regulators and consumers watchdogs around the world are complaining that Google does not take people’s privacy seriously enough.

Google maintains that its users’ privacy is one of the company’s highest priorities.

The probe follows questions over whether Google employees taking photographs for the company’s Street View mapping service illegally collected private information from wireless networks.

Last month, Google acknowledged it had mistakenly collected fragments of data over public Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries while it was taking pictures of neighbourhoods for the Street View feature. Google said it discovered the problem after German regulators launched an inquiry into the matter.

Also last month Michigan Democrat John Conyers, the head of the House Judiciary Committee in the United States, sent letters to Google and Facebook urging them to co-operate with any government privacy inquiries. Mr Conyers asked Google to retain the data until any inquiries are complete.

“In light of concerns having been raised by the public, my department thought there were issues of substance that were raised that require police investigation,” Australia’s Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland told journalists in Melbourne.

The case was referred to the Australian Federal Police on Friday, he said. It will focus on whether the company breached the country’s telecommunications interceptions act, which prevents people accessing electronic communications other than for authorised purposes, he said.

“This was a mistake,” Google said in a statement. “We are talking to the appropriate authorities to answer any questions they have.”

Last month, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, addressing the Australian accusations, said Google was responsible for the “single greatest breach in the history of privacy.”

The international community should classify Afghan drugs as a threat to peace and security because they have become an important source of funds for the Taliban and other insurgent groups, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said in a speech.

Insurgents and international mafia groups are earning billions of dollars “from smuggling the drugs — which we call ‘white death’ — to Europe, Asia and America,” Ivanov told an Asia-Pacific security summit hosted by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies think tank.

Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world’s opium, the main ingredient of heroin, and is also the leading global supplier of hashish. According to the United Nations, the Taliban earn about $300 million a year from the opium trade.

“We are not happy with what the world community is doing in the anti-drug war” in Afghanistan, Ivanov said. He said the international community, especially “those who took responsibility for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan,” should make a strong commitment to fight the threat.

Russia is ready to “make several counter-drugs rings around Afghanistan to intercept drugs,” he said, without elaborating.

The United States says it carrying on a major war against drugs in Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, the commanding general in charge of U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, said recently that U.S. forces dealt a blow to the Taliban’s opium business by securing deals with poppy farmers to plant legal crops.

During the spring harvest, more than 17,300 acres (7,000 hectares) of poppies were swapped for legal crops around the farming community of Marjah, according to the Marine Corps.

Last year, opium seizures in Afghanistan soared 924 percent because of better cooperation between Afghan and international forces.

Ivanov said NATO forces must focus on Afghanistan’s social and economic development to give farmers of opium poppies a better alternative to drug production.

“If you burn down a poppy plantation, you need to invest in conventional agriculture,” Ivanov said. “A lot should be done to start very primitive social and economic life in Afghanistan.”

“If we don’t that, any military presence will be in vain.”

Ivanov said opium-based drugs such as heroin are flooding into Europe through Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan. No visas are required to travel from Tajikistan to Russia, which means the drugs can flow easily through the open border, he said.

Drugs also go out through the western border into Iran, but Iranian authorities are active in cracking down on drug caravans, he said.

“The most popular is the northern route. It’s rather easy to cross the Afghan-Tajik border. As soon as you cross the Afghan-Tajik border, it’s easy to move it to Moscow, to London, to Paris, to Berlin, to elsewhere,” he said.

During the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989, drug production was minimal because the invading forces aggressively eliminated poppy production, Ivanov said.

He added that Russia will continue to provide logistics and intelligence to the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan but won’t commit fighting forces.

“Never again will a Russian soldier enter Afghanistan,” he said. “It’s like asking the U.S. whether they will send troops to Vietnam. It’s totally impossible.”

Mr Obama spoke to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to inform them of the development, a White House official said.

“President Obama expressed his deep regret that he has to postpone his trip to Asia that was scheduled for later this month,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

“The President looked forward to rescheduling so that he can visit both countries soon.

“President Obama underscored his commitment to our close alliance with Australia and our deepening partnership with Indonesia.

“He plans to hold full bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Rudd and President Yudhoyono on the margins of the G-20 meeting in Canada.”

No immediate reason was offered.

But the timing came as the US is grappling with the worst oil spill in the nation’s history.

There is speculation Mr Obama may cancel to deal with the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says he doesn’t know if a postponement of the trip is being considered.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead on the foreign trip,” he said in the White House on Tuesday (local time).

Mr Gibbs was pressed on whether the furore over the clash between Israeli forces and an aid flotilla in the Middle East would affect the visit.

“I’m not aware of any change in the planning for what will be done on that trip as a result of this,” he replied.

Mr Obama is due to visit Indonesia before travelling on to Canberra around June 17. He is also expected to visit Sydney. No dates have been officially announced.

An annual snapshot of Australians’ views on the world shows we’ve got the warmest feelings towards New Zealand, and we love it more than ever before.

But Australians’ outlook on the world is not all rosy.

The Lowy Institute survey of 1000 people found respondents are increasingly worried about the might of China and about asylum seekers, while they’re less gung-ho about acting on climate change.

China is Australia’s biggest trading partner and its thirst for natural resources is central to the country’s prosperity.

The poll found Australians view China’s growth as good – but think China wants to dominate the region, see that as harmful to Australia’s interests, and want China’s might to be restrained.

Almost half think China will become a military threat to Australia in the medium term.

There’s been a jump in support for the US.

The increasing number of asylum seekers to reach Australia’s shores is also weighing on the minds of the public.

As the opposition toughens its stance on border protection, vowing to return to the Pacific Solution if elected, the poll shows almost 80 per cent of people are concerned about boat arrivals.

Those who were “very concerned” jumped to more than half of the total.

Australians are more cautious about acting on climate change. The number of those who want immediate, strong action has fallen from 68 per cent four years ago to 46 per cent today.

Almost three-quarters do want Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions to come down, even without a global climate deal. Australia does not currently have a scheme in place to reduce emissions.

But more people don’t want to pay anything extra on their electricity bill to reduce emissions.

The public gave the Rudd government a bare pass on foreign policy – 5.5 out of 10.

Labor scored well on managing the US alliance, but people were not happy with action on asylum seekers and whaling.

The survey was taken in March, before the government announced legal action against Japanese whaling.)

The poll showed the government is out of step with public opinion on three issues.

Labor wants to secure a seat on the UN Security Council for Australia, but only a third of respondents thought it was important.

Labor has pledged to boost foreign aid, but less than one in five people agreed. More people wanted aid cut than wanted it boosted.

And most people thought Australia should not be involved militarily in Afghanistan.

Documents will be submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague “early next week”, Australian officials said after repeatedly threatening proceedings in recent months.

“We want to see an end to whales being killed in the name of science in the Southern Ocean,” said Environment Protection Minister Peter Garrett.

“Today’s announcement of legal action shows the government is taking steps to bring a permanent end to whaling in the Southern Ocean.”

Japanese Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu called the announcement “very disappointing”, adding that Japan’s “research whaling” was approved under the rules of an international moratorium on commercial whaling.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the government had been unable to find a diplomatic solution to the problem, despite protracted bilateral talks and debate within the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

“The Australian government has not taken this decision lightly,” said Smith.

“But recent statements by whaling countries in the Commission have provided Australia with little cause for hope that our serious commitment to conservation of the world’s whales will be reflected in any potential IWC compromise agreement,” he added.

Smith denied the action would affect relations with Japan, one of Australia’s top two export markets, describing it as “a disagreement in one element of a relationship that is deep, broad and multi-dimensional”.

Australia, along with New Zealand, has consistently opposed Japan’s whaling which it carries out under a loophole in the 1986 international moratorium that allows “lethal research”.

Canberra hardened its rhetoric in recent months, warning Japan that diplomacy would “come to an end this year” as it lodged a bold plan to phase out the controversial hunts with the IWC.

Tokyo has defended the legality of its program and described as “extremely regrettable” Australia’s bid to abolish so-called “scientific whaling” and stop harpooning in the Southern Ocean within five years.

After months of wrangling, the IWC last month adopted a compromise proposal that would bring Japan, Iceland and Norway back under the control of the 88-nation global body and allow for limited catches.

Australia attacked the compromise, under which Japan’s Antarctic catch would go down to 410 whales next season — from about 500 this year — and then 205 in the 2015-2016 season.

Dramatic confrontations between militant anti-whalers and harpooners have stoked the tensions, with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society harassing Japan’s fleet on the high seas.

This week New Zealand activist Pete Bethune went on trial in Tokyo for boarding a whaling ship in retaliation for a collision that sunk Sea Shepherd’s high-tech Ady Gil powerboat in January.

Bethune, 45, was detained by the whalers and taken back to Japan, where he was formally arrested by the Japanese Coast Guard and charged with obstructing business, trespass, property destruction, weapons violations and assault.

He pleaded guilty to all but the assault charge, which relates to his firing a rancid butter stink-bomb during a February 11 clash with whalers. Bethune faces up to 15 years in prison and a verdict is expected in June.

Australian investigators probing the incident said they were unable to draw firm conclusions about who was at fault due, in part, to Japan’s refusal to cooperate with them.

Japan and New Zealand are yet to release the findings of their own inquiries into the clash.