Obama to pay homage to 'model alliance' in Australia

2010-03-15T14:16:32Z

<div><p>President Barack Obama will laud the US "model alliance" with Australia and cement common strategies on trade, the environment and security on a quick visit next week, officials said Monday.</p><p>Obama will address the Australian parliament, have meetings with close friend Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and hold ...

Australian says Aborigine recognition is tokenism

2010-03-15T03:00:08Z

<div id="subtitle">Australian opposition leader calls government's regular recognition of Aborigines 'tokenism'</div><div><p>A government routine of acknowledging Australia's indigenous people was criticized as mere political correctness Monday by the federal opposition leader, offending some Aborigines and sparking a political debate.</p><p>Since the government of

Tennessee church rushes to aid Haitian girls

2010-03-14T21:15:38Z

<div id="subtitle">'Our Girls': A Tennessee church reaches out to Haitian children after the quake</div><div><p>EDITOR'S NOTE — They were "our girls" — the children of a Haitian orphanage, taken to heart by a Tennessee church. But then an earthquake struck, and the congregation sprang to action. The second of two parts.</p><p>KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — "It has been a very long and deadly night for our friends and ...

Australia opens fresh probe into navy 'sex betting ring'

2010-03-11T20:15:54Z

<div><p>Australia opened a fresh probe into an alleged navy sex betting ring on Friday after an initial investigation was scrapped because of bias.</p><p>Opening submissions told of a "predatory culture" on HMAS Success, where sailors are accused of maintaining a list -- known as The Ledger -- that put dollar values on sexual conquests with female colleagues...

Aussie PM says Indonesia leader not offended by MP's 'nap'

2010-03-10T23:30:08Z

<div><p>Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Thursday insisted Indonesia's president was not offended after reports that an MP fell asleep during a landmark parliamentary address.</p><p>Rudd said he did not know whether opposition lawmaker Peter Slipper dozed off during Indonesia's president confirmed Wednesday that a suspected Bali bombing mastermind with a 10-million-dollar bounty on his head had been killed, as Australia lauded Jakarta's drive to fight extremists.</p><p>Presiden...

Indonesia, Australia pledge on people smuggling

2010-03-09T19:15:34Z

<div><p>Indonesia and Australia on Wednesday agreed to beef up efforts to combat people smuggling, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said, following a spike in asylum seekers reaching Australia.</p><p>The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in fighting "transnational crime, including peo...

Indonesian leader honoured by Australia on historic visit

2010-03-09T00:17:28Z

<div><p>Indonesia's president was handed Australia's highest civilian honour on Tuesday as he arrived for a historic visit expected to help bury tensions and fight people-smuggling and extremism.</p><p>President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was greeted by a 21-gun salute and a military band as he fl...

Indonesian president in Australia for historic address

2010-03-09T00:17:26Z

<div><p>Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrived in Australia on Tuesday for a three-day visit during which he will be given the rare honour of addressing the country's parliament.</p><p>Yudhoyono, who will also speak to business leaders in Sydney, was greeted by <...

Australia's PM pledges increased hospital funding

2010-03-02T23:15:09Z

<div id="subtitle">Australia's PM unveils health care overhaul that gives government more control over hospitals</div><div><p>Australia's prime minister proposed a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system Wednesday that would bring hospitals and primary care under government control and increase annual federal funding by 11 billion Australian dollars ($10 billion).</p><p>CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a US$45 billion funding takeover of the country's ailing health-care system on Wednesday, proposing to wrest it away from the states and cut hospital waiting lists.</p><p>The new health policy is aimed at salvaging flagging support fo...

Australian PM Rudd draws fire for mea culpa

2010-02-28T21:16:08Z

<div><p>Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was under fire Monday over startling comments in which he admitted that he had let down voters and needed to do better, as elections loom.</p><p>In the surprising mea culpa on national television, Rudd said being in power was harder than he had expected, and while the government was meeting most of the commitments made during the 2007 election, it had fallen short on others.&l...

Poll shows Australian government losing lead

2010-02-27T16:45:12Z

<div><p>SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Labor government has lost the lead it has held over the conservative opposition since coming to power in 2007, a poll published Sunday showed.</p><p>The Taverner poll, published in Sydney's Sun-Herald newspaper, showed Labor and the conservative coaliti...

Australia 'not satisfied' with Israel response on passports

2010-02-27T01:30:05Z

<div><p>Australia stepped up pressure on Israel Saturday over fake passports linked to the murder of a top Hamas commander, saying it was yet to receive a satisfactory explanation.</p><p>Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his centre-left government had an "absolutely hard line" on defending ...

Australia 'not satisfied' with Israel response

2010-02-27T01:15:43Z

Australia warns Japan over whaling

2010-02-26T00:16:58Z

<div><p>Australia Friday warned Japan that "diplomacy comes to an end this year" on whaling, after presenting a bold plan to phase out the controversial hunts in the Southern Ocean.</p><p>Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, repeating his threat to sue Japan, said time was running ...

Australia mulls Net ombudsman

2010-02-25T23:16:11Z

<div><p>Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Friday he would consider introducing an Internet ombudsman after Facebook tributes to two dead children were defaced with pornography.</p><p>Rudd said he would look into an idea put forward by Independent Senator Nick Xenophon to appoint an official who woul...

Australian PM demotes former rock star Garrett

2010-02-25T23:15:15Z

<div><p>CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd demoted his Environment Minister, former rock star Peter Garrett, on Friday as his government faces an election year slide in opinion polls over a bungled home insulation scheme.</p><p>G...

Australia PM to probe Guantanamo man torture claim

2010-02-25T19:16:22Z

<div><p>Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Friday he found it "very difficult to believe" Australian officials had been complicit in any torture of an ex-Guantanamo inmate but that he would investigate the claims.</p><p>Egyptian-born Mamdouh Habib on Thursday won the right to sue the government over interroga...

Australia summons Israeli ambassador over murder passports

2010-02-24T17:16:37Z

<div><p>Australia summoned the Israeli ambassador on Thursday to explain how three Australian passports were used by suspected Mossad assassins to murder a top Hamas commander in Dubai.</p><p>Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Austral...

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