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Politics
Kevin Rudd tipped to resume as Australia’s Prime Minister
Labor is being swept with expectations that Julia Gillard will be replaced as Prime Minister before parliament rises for the election, with Kevin Rudd now seen as the party’s only hope of averting electoral disaster. Shocked by polling and amazed at the former prime minister’s reception in Geelong on Friday, some of Ms Gillard’s staunchest … Continue reading
Experts warn that China’s main motive in new deal is to prise Australia away from US
The “strategic partnership” announced this week between Australia and China is widely viewed within China and by experts internationally as a move in which Beijing hopes to start prising Canberra away from Washington on security matters. But this is a long-term strategy, which is easier for China’s new leaders, who anticipate a 10-year term ahead, … Continue reading
Australia’s Foreign Minister brands Margaret Thatcher racist
Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher made “unabashedly racist” comments during a conversation with Bob Carr, the Foreign Affairs Minister has told Lateline. Thatcher died on Monday morning (UK time) at the age of 87 and will be accorded a ceremonial funeral at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral next week. Senator Carr says he was “astonished” … Continue reading
Many Afghans held by Australian troops are falsely accused
More than half the almost 1900 Afghans detained by Australian forces in Oruzgan may have been innocents falsely accused by local enemies , according to the province’s chief of police, Matiullah Khan. They were named so their enemies could gain advantages in tribal, business or personal disputes. Asked about the numbers first put forward by … Continue reading
Aboriginal recognition bill passes lower house in Australia
Parliament has taken another stride toward reconciliation on the fifth anniversary of the national apology to the stolen generation, as campaigners urged MPs on both sides not to give up. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott put aside politics on Wednesday as the lower house passed legislation to create an Act of … Continue reading
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard predicts Kevin Rudd comeback
Former prime minister John Howard says Kevin Rudd – the man who beat him in 2007 – could make a move for the Labor Party leadership before the federal election. Mr Howard says Mr Rudd’s ousting as prime minister in 2010 by Julia Gillard was very unusual. “The extraordinary thing about the politics in the … Continue reading
Australian Liberals would give Kevin Rudd diplomatic post if they win government
Labor MP Kevin Rudd has talents and experience that could land him a diplomatic appointment under a coalition government, deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop says. Ms Bishop says if she were to become foreign minister, Mr Rudd would be considered for any role with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. “If Kevin wants to … Continue reading
Australia: Kevin Rudd reignites leadership speculation with barefoot bowls tournament
It is a rollback to the heady days of Kevin07. More than five years after Kevin Rudd filled television screens and Facebook pages from dusk until dawn in his campaign for The Lodge, the self-described “humble” backbencher is again reigniting leadership speculation with a blitz of mainstream and social media. As Julia Gillard jetted-off for … Continue reading
Australian Prime Minister urged to use Kevin Rudd in election campaign
Pressure is growing on Julia Gillard to exploit Kevin Rudd‘s popularity with the electorate and elevate his role in the election campaign, with four members of her cabinet now publicly declaring that the former prime minister is an asset for the party. Two of the Prime Minister’s key supporters, Victorian Right faction powerbrokers Stephen Conroy … Continue reading
Australian government compared to Nazis by Opposition frontbencher
Remarks comparing the federal government to the Nazi party are offensive and hurtful, new federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says. Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne on Sunday said the federal government was unravelling like Hitler‘s government in the movie Downfall. Mr Pyne said the resignation of two senior ministers and Prime Minister Julia Gillard‘s subsequent reshuffle showed … Continue reading
Senior Cabinet ministers resign from Australian government
The Gillard government’s turbulent start to the new parliamentary year continues with the shock resignation of two of Labor’s most senior Cabinet ministers, the Attorney-General Nicola Roxon and the government’s leader in the Senate, the Higher Education Minister, Chris Evans. Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a mid-level reshuffle of her Cabinet this morning announcing, among … Continue reading
Australian public to endure eight month election campaign
If day one of the election campaign is anything to go by, it’s going to be a long seven months until the September poll. As many commentators lamented yesterday, the announcement by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday has kick-started a campaign which is likely to be driven more by personality than policy. At least … Continue reading
Australian republic debate a distraction, says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott says Wayne Swan should concentrate on running the economy rather than raising “red herrings” like the republic debate. The Treasurer revived the republican debate in a Fairfax opinion piece today, saying a reflection on cricket’s 1930s Bodyline series should hasten the creation of an Australian republic. But the Opposition Leader – an ardent … Continue reading
Australian Prime Minister looks to East Asia, digital threat, in new security strategy
Julia Gillard has waved a final goodbye to the so-called “9/11 decade”, heralding a new age dominated by threats of cyber espionage and traditional great-power conflict. Like her centre-left contemporary Barack Obama, she is moving her party away from the preoccupations her predecessor – Middle Eastern conflicts, ballooning defence and intelligence budgets, an incessant focus … Continue reading
Australian Prime Minister’s speech to have China, cyber crime focus
Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, reportedly will seek to boost Labor’s defence credentials in a speech singling out China and cyber attacks as key security concerns. Ms Gillard will make the comments on Wednesday in her first important speech of the election year to the Australian National University’s National Security College in Canberra, The Australian newspaper … Continue reading
Julia Gillard ahead as Australia’s preferred Prime Minister
Julia Gillard has kept her lead over Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister in the first opinion poll of the year. The Essential poll, published on Monday, put Ms Gillard nine points ahead of the opposition leader who was rated preferred prime minister by 33 per cent of voters. The coalition’s two-party vote was down … Continue reading
Australia: Hundreds to go in Queensland police shake-up
The biggest overhaul of Queensland police since the infamous Fitzgerald inquiry will remove more than 100 senior officers and scrap regional offices in some areas of the state. Police Commissioner Ian Stewart, who was installed in the job last November, today announced the restructure of the service in a bid to cut bureaucracy and boost … Continue reading
Australian political leaders off and running
AS Australians yesterday put the final touches on their New Year‘s Eve celebrations, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott fired the first shots of the 2013 election campaign. In a sign of what is in store for voters this year, the leaders used their New Year messages to pitch their plans to the people. The Prime … Continue reading
July 29 1900 Italian American assassinates Italian king
On July 29th 1900, in Monza, Italy, King Umberto I was shot to death by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian-born anarchist who resided in America before returning to his homeland to murder the king. Crowned in 1878, King Umberto became increasingly authoritarian in the late 19th century. He enacted a program of suppression against the radical … Continue reading
July 16 2012 China Daily Mail Headlines
China’s Catastrophic Deleveraging Has Begun Posted by jackbassteam ⋅ July 16, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment 1. The frustrated and aggressive central bank If one wants to know how bad the health of China’s economy has gone, look no further than the PBOC‘s composure, which seems rather frustrated and aggressive as of late. On 5th July, … Continue reading
July 11 2012 China Daily Mail Headlines
China gives family in forced abortion case US$11,000 Posted by China Daily Mail ⋅ July 11, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment The family of a Shaanxi woman forced to undergo an abortion because she ran afoul of the mainland’s one-child policy has accepted a cash settlement from the government. Feng Jianmei’s husband, Deng Jiyuan, said on … Continue reading
July 10 2012 China Daily Mail Headlines (July 5-10)
China number two on Fortune 500 list Posted by China Daily Mail ⋅ July 10, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments Two years after eclipsing Japan as the world’s second-largest economy, China on Monday stole the number-two spot on the Fortune 500 list of the biggest global companies from its Asian rival. In its annual revenue rankings, Fortune … Continue reading
July 10 1985 Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
On July 10th 1985, in Auckland harbour in New Zealand, Greenpeace‘s Rainbow Warrior sank after French agents in diving gear planted a bomb on the hull of the vessel. One person, Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira, was killed. The Rainbow Warrior, the flagship of international conservation group Greenpeace, had been preparing for a protest voyage to … Continue reading
July 2 2012 China Daily Mail Headlines
Apple pays $60M to settle iPad case; Foxconn plans Brazil iPad factories Posted by China Daily Mail ⋅ July 2, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment Apple has paid $60 million to settle a dispute in China over ownership of the iPad name, a court announced Monday, removing a potential obstacle to sales of the popular tablet … Continue reading
July 1 1997 Hong Kong returned to China
On July 1st 1997, at midnight, Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese rule in a ceremony attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prince Charles of Wales, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. A few thousand Hong Kongers protested the turnover, which was otherwise celebratory and peaceful. In 1839, Britain … Continue reading
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