Fate of Australian parliament rests in hands of 'haystack amigos’
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
After a tense night of vote-counting yielded no clear result, Australia was heading for a hung parliament with independents Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter, who hail from regional areas, becoming the unlikely kingmakers. Independents (L-R) Bob Katter, Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor While they all have links to the National Party, the minor party in Tony Abbott’s conservative coalition, the independents have said that past allegiances will not influence their negotiations. The most unpredictable member of the trio is Mr Katter, the MP for the vast seat of Kennedy in northern Queensland which covers more than 340,000sq miles. A...
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Gillard prepares to meet Quentin Bryce to set date for federal election (Australian election)
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
JULIA Gillard has arrived in Canberra and will meet Governor-General Quentin Bryce at 10.30am to set a date for a federal election. The PM's office has confirmed that the Prime Minister will hold a press conference at noon. August 21 or 28 are the anticipated dates for the election. Ms Gillard is then expected to travel to Brisbane, where Labor has to make up ground following the dumping of Kevin Rudd. Ms Gillard smiled, but said nothing to reporters outside her western Melbourne home, as she was driven away just after 7am (AEST). The media is already camped outside Government...
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Julia Gillard to call election within 24 hours - report (Australian election on the way)
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard is expected to call an election within 24 hours. The ABC reports that Labor sources have revealed Ms Gillard will visit Governor General Quentin Bryce in Canberra tomorrow morning to set the election for August 28. The election campaign will be six weeks long. The news comes as the Opposition accused Ms Gillard of trying "airbrush" the past by refusing to reveal whether she had reneged on a deal with Kevin Rudd. Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said today the Prime Minister should have been “honest” and “open” about what happened on the night before Mr Rudd...
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Obama on track for Australian visit (but he may have to cancel again)
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
PLANS are still being made for US President Barack Obama's Australian visit in a few weeks' time, despite concerns he may have to cancel again. Mr Obama is grappling with the US's worst ever environmental disaster, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Efforts to block the spill have failed and the White House says it might leak until August. Mr Obama is due to visit Canberra and Sydney in mid-June, but there is speculation he may feel the pressure to stay at home and deal with the crisis. He had to cancel a previous Australian visit, in March, to rally...
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Australian PM reacts to Robin Williams 'redneck' jibe
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
Few are laughing in Australia following Robin Williams' joke that its people are "basically English rednecks". His remarks, made on The Late Show with David Letterman, prompted Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to respond on a Sydney radio show. "I think Robin Williams should go and spend a little time in Alabama before he frames comments about people being particularly redneck," said Mr Rudd.
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
FEIZ MUHAMMAD: PRO-JIHAD IDEOLOGUE WITH INFLUENCE IN THE U.S.
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
Note: Photo included. SNIPPET: "Feiz Muhammad is an Australian citizen now residing in Malaysia. He has been labeled Australia's "most dangerous sheikh" due to the number of connections he has to known and suspected terrorists. Muhammad’s target audience is young Muslims who feel disaffected and disassociated from local Muslim communities, where mosque clerics show "a lack of interest toward the youth." His lectures frame the United States as the enemy of all Muslims, including those living in the United States and Americans living in other Western countries. He emphasizes that Muslims should regard Western culture as corrupt and immoral, and...
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Obama Shortening Australian Visit to Spend More Time in Indonesia
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
Allies? Who needs allies? From today’s Sydney Morning Herald (emphasis added): Barack Obama’s trip to Australia is going ahead but his 24-hour visit will be contained to Canberra. The US President will address Federal Parliament on March 26 after flying from Bali the day before and dining with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the Lodge. Mr Obama’s shortened itinerary – which allows him to spend more time in Indonesia – will include a meeting with Governor-General Quentin Bryce and a range of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Australia-US alliance. Mr Obama was forced to ditch his original...
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Aussie underwear has gone bananas
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Australian underwear company AussieBum has been monkeying around and the result is a range of men's underwear made with bananas. The new eco-friendly banana range of undies incorporates 27 percent banana fiber, 64 percent cotton and 9 percent lycra, AussieBum's Lloyd Jones said on Friday.
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Sudden disappearance of Deep River scientist mystifies colleagues
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
TORONTO - There are still no leads in the case of an eastern Ontario scientist who disappeared without a trace last month, leaving his colleagues mystified. Lachlan Cranswick hasn't been seen since Jan. 18, when he left work at the National Research Council's Canadian Neutron Beam Centre in Chalk River, northwest of Ottawa. His nearby Deep River house was reportedly left unlocked and his car was in the garage. His wallet, keys and passport have all been accounted for......
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
Williams goes back-to-back
Posted by admin / Under Australian Films Of 2001
Serena Williams has made it back-to-back Australian Open crowns after defeating Belgian comeback queen Justine Henin in the women’s singles final at Melbourne Park on Saturday night. Williams, the top seed, took her fifth Australian Open singles title with the 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory over former world No.1 Henin, who was playing her first major in 20 months after retiring in 2008. The victory is the 12th Grand Slam singles title of Williams’ career, and the American now equals compatriot Billie Jean King in sixth place on the all-time women’s Grand Slam singles title list.
Published on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 01:28:16 AM
"Hawaii is not a state of mind, but a state of grace."
by Paul Theroux
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