PM
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PM - Full Program - 21/05/2013 19:24
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 21/05/2013 12:01
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 17/05/2013 19:45
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 16/05/2013 19:40
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 15/05/2013 19:55
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 14/05/2013 19:29
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 13/05/2013 19:43
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 10/05/2013 19:42
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 09/05/2013 20:04
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 08/05/2013 19:55
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 07/05/2013 19:55
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 06/05/2013 19:55
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 03/05/2013 19:53
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 21/05/2013 19:28
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 01/05/2013 19:28
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 30/04/2013 19:39
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 29/04/2013 19:30
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 26/04/2013 19:45
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 24/04/2013 19:38
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 23/04/2013 19:41
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 22/04/2013 19:41
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 19/04/2013 19:41
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 18/04/2013 19:35
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 17/04/2013 19:47
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 16/04/2013 19:47
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 15/04/2013 19:47
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 12/04/2013 19:43
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 11/04/2013 19:38
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 10/04/2013 19:39
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 09/04/2013 19:42
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 08/04/2013 19:35
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 05/04/2013 19:35
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 04/04/2013 19:35
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 03/04/2013 19:35
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 02/04/2013 19:35
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 28/03/2013 19:27
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 27/03/2013 20:18
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 26/03/2013 20:18
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 25/03/2013 20:18
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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PM - Full Program - 22/03/2013 19:29
PM covers a broad spectrum of issues relevant to all sections of Australia's geographically and culturally diverse community.
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Friday finance
Today's look at business and finance on the markets.
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News Corp defends paid online content
The newspaper industry is still one of Australia's big employers, but newspapers here and overseas are riven with fear about the future because of the speed at which readers are moving away from paper and towards online news. At News Corporation they've launched paid iPad Apps for tabloids this week, and all the news titles are expected to introduce paywalls next year. Richard Freudenstein, CEO of News Digital Media and The Australian, talks about newspapers in the digital world.
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Accused dealer pleads not guilty
The accused Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has entered a plea of not guilty. But many in Moscow hope his case never makes it to court. They're hoping the prospect of a life sentence will coax Bout into a plea deal that will keep potentially explosive revelations secret.
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Locals shocked by rape
The rape of a young Australian woman in Papua New Guinea has shocked the country's expatriate community. The woman and three friends were on a surf holiday when they were attacked near Madang on the country's north coast last week. But many locals fear Madang is no longer the sleepy seaside town it once was.
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Police hail drug seizures
Police and Customs officials are confident they've put a dent in the drug trade ahead of Schoolies Week after seizing 38 kilograms of illicit substances. Federal police say drug dealers time their smuggling activity to coincide with end of year holiday celebrations.
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33 missing after New Zealand mine explosion
As many as 33 miners are unaccounted for after an explosion in a coal mine on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. The explosion occurred at Pike River Coal's underground mine about 50 kilometres north-east of the town of Greymouth about 4:30pm local time.
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Spying scandal threatens to spread nationally
It's already derailed work on Victoria's desalination plant, now a spying scandal could threaten other Thiess construction projects nationwide. Thiess says it's determined to restore trust with the workforce, amid allegations Thiess hired a company which spied on workers. The unions say a meeting today achieved nothing.
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Telstra urges quick deal over national broadband network
Telstra executives have been forced to defend the company's dwindling share price at its annual general meeting in Melbourne. The company's biggest shareholder, the Future Fund, made a protest vote at the meeting.
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Lost decade of Aboriginal reconciliation
This year marks the 10th anniversary of when hundreds of thousands of Australians walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of reconciliation. But now the so-called father of reconciliation, Professor Patrick Dodson, says that the momentum has stalled.
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Psychiatrist urges overhaul of mental health services...
Dr Louise Newman, who heads an independent expert detention health group advising the Immigration Department, has called for a review of the mental health services in all detention centres. She says asylum seekers sewing their lips together is a symbol of feeling powerless and desperate.
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Asylum seekers sew lips shut
The Federal Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen says there are rising tensions at the Christmas Island detention centre because of the increase in rejection rates for asylum seekers. Ten Iraqi, Iranian and Kurdish men are refusing medical treatment after sewing their lips together.
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David Jones records $467 million sales revenue for first...
Business and finance on today's markets.
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Scientists capture antimatter
A group of scientists in Europe found a way to capture and hold onto antimatter atoms. They say that's a major achievement, because antimatter particles and matter particles annihilate each other when they come into contact.
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War medals returned
Ninety-four years after Private Fredrick Paxman fought and died in the Battle of the Somme, his family has been presented with his World War 1 service medals. His Grandson, Bill Paxman says receiving the medals is like bringing him home.
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Paramedics to cool injured brains in world first trial
From next month paramedics will be injecting some head injury patients with an experimental treatment that will cool the brain. Ambulance Victoria is running trials into the ice-cold saline injection to see if it can reduce the severity of a brain injury and potentially save thousands of people from debilitation and death.
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Accused murderer named by social media
The suppressed name of an accused killer has appeared on the social media website, Facebook, raising questions about natural justice. Users have abused the 18-year-old South Australian man who's been charged with murdering a family of three.
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Investors sue NAB
The National Australia Bank is being sued by 250 investors for its investment decisions during the global financial crisis. They accuse the bank of failing to keep the market properly informed about a $1.2 billion investment in complex mortgage bonds.
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RBA's Battelino goes into bat for the banks
The Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, Ric Battelino, has come out in defence of Australia's big four banks. He told a conference in Perth that banks were justified in putting up their lending rates beyond the cash rate, and that there was strong competition in the sector. His comments contradict politicians from both the major parties and the Greens.
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Government admits phoenixing needs to be tackled
The Federal Government has responded to an ABC investigation by conceding that more needs to be done to tackle the practice of phoenixing. It involves a company being wound up with debts only for another company to emerge debt free and doing the same things.
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Union seeks answers on workplace spying claims
The construction company, Thiess, has confirmed it engaged a strike breaking company to work on the construction of a deslination plant in Victoria. The construction union says the ripple effects will be felt at dozens of Thiess building sites around Australia.
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AMA says nation's only gained 11 new hospital beds
The Australian Medical Association says the most recent health data show only 11 new hospital beds were opened across Australia between 2008 and 2009. But the government says the AMA's report card blurs issues because it doesn't consider the COAG agreement reached in April this year.
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Opposition motion on NBN fails
The government continues to refuse to produce a business plan for the National Broadband Network. An Opposition motion in Parliament this afternoon which could have forced it to produce the business plan failed to get an absolute majority. But anger with the policy is growing.
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Debt crisis rattles global sharemarkets
Business and finance on today's markets.
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Fears that Ireland could spark the GFC Mark II
Stephen Long examines the potential fallout from Ireland's debt woes, and fears that it could cause a domino effect that topples the indebted sovereigns of Europe.
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Talks to save Ireland's financial system
Ireland says it's in talks on how to save its financial system as the nation faces a debt crisis. European finance ministers have met in Brussels to discuss how to salvage Ireland's debt laden banks.
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China to compete in global aviation
China has stepped up its bid to become a major player in the global commercial aviation market. The state owned manufacturer has received its first 100 orders for its the C-919 plane, which will compete with similar models from Airbus and Boeing.
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British author sentenced in Singapore for book on death...
A Singapore Judge has sentenced a 75-year-old British author to six weeks in jail for publishing a book that criticises the way the country applies the death penalty. The sentence was for contempt of court. Alan Shadrake, however, is defiant telling PM that he didn't back down or issue an abject apology, because what he wrote was true.
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Farmer declares he's not a saboteur
There's a new twist to the mystery surrounding sabotaged tomato crops in north Queensland, with a farmer calling a media conference today to declare his innocence. While his farm was raided by police, Rod Eatough says he's not the culprit, and his family has been traumatised by rumours and innuendo.
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Half of girls in Hobart homeless shelter wards of state
A homeless shelter in Hobart run by the welfare arm of the Catholic church is caring for many young women who are already under state care. The shelter manager, Andrea Witt says many wards of the state are homeless because of a lack of foster carers.
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Multi-party bill to ban gene patents
Politicians from all sides of politics are supporting a new bill to ban the patenting of genes and other natural proteins. The bill follows the controversial moves by the patent owner of two breast cancer genes to charge fees for tests and medical research.
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Bank boss hits back at critics, denies profiteering...
The CEO of the Commonwealth Bank, Ralph Norris, says much of the recent criticism of banks has been fact free. He's disputing a new analysis which is being used to accuse banks of profiteering.
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Xenophon: Labor burning off goodwill by delaying NBN...
Independent senator Nick Xenophon doesn't accept the Government's excuse for delaying the public release of the NBN business plan, warning Labor it is needlessly burning off goodwill and support for its NBN.
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Test for hung parliament
The Prime Minister is digging in over the National Broadband Network, but she's facing a furious cross bench as she refuses to release key documentation on the controversial Network.
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Reserve Bank explains rate rise
Business and finance with Sue Lannin.
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Calamity confronts the Celtic Tiger
The risk analyst Satyajit Das warns that if Ireland is forced to accept a bailout, it could cause a domino effect as the sovereign debt crisis spreads through the euro zone and topples global growth.
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BHP vows to continue acquisition attempts
'No pain, no gain.' That was the message from BHP Billiton's chairman at today's AGM in Perth. Jac Nasser was reflecting on the mining giant's failed bid for the Canadian company Potash.
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Film tells story of Valeria Plame Wilson
The film, Fair Game, with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, has told the story of Joseph Wilson and his wife Valerie Plame Wilson. It portrays the former CIA agent as one of the sceptics inside the organisation who cast doubt on the idea that aluminium tubes destined for Iraq were for a nuclear program.
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Education promises at Victorian Labor launch
The Labor Party made education the centrepiece of its Victorian election campaign launch today. If the Government wins a historic fourth term Premier John Brumby says year nine students will be taught life skills.
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Villawood protests continue after suicide
There's further unrest at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney's west, after the suicide of an Iraqi man
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Forest project threatens Indonesian tribes
Indigenous tribes in Kalimantan, Indonesia, are worried they will lose access to their forests and livelihoods due to an Australian-funded forest conservation project. The $120 million REDD project is funded by AusAID to help Indonesia cut greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.
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Aid groups pleased with spending review
Nongovernment organisations have welcomed the Federal Government's announcement of an independent review of Australia's $4.3 billion foreign aid program. The AidWatch group says that figure is inflated, but that it's hard to know by how much because the system is not transparent.
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Reports on Guantanamo Bay compensation
Several British media organisations including the BBC and the broadsheet newspapers are reporting that the UK Government is preparing to make a payout to around one dozen former Guantanamo Bay detainees. The British nationals took civil action against their government - accusing it of being complicit in their unlawful imprisonment and torture while in captivity.
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No vision, only slogans; Parliament taunts fly
For the second day in a row the Opposition's gone on the attack in Federal Parliament, accusing the Government of having no vision or agenda. Julia Gillard has in turn accused Tony Abbott of resorting to three-word slogans. The $43 billion broadband network, gay marriage and a price on carbon were the issues of the day
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Floundering US economy hits James Hardie
Business and finance on today's markets.
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'Trojan Horse' trade deal threatens to undermine...
Corporate America is trying to scupper the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and a raft of other Australian consumer protections under a new free-trade deal, according to a leading US lawyer and consumer advocate.
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Scientists discover HIV's success
Scientists have solved one of the great mysteries of the HIV/AIDS virus: Why it's so successful at breaking down the body's resistance. A paper published in the journal Nature today lays out the reasons why humans don't produce antibodies against the virus.
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Long wait for kidney transplants for Indigenous...
Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders with kidney disease have only a quarter the chance of getting a transplant as the rest of the population. Death rates from chronic kidney disease are 10 times higher for Indigenous Australians than for non-Indigenous Australians.
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Dept denies overcrowding behind asylum seekers' brawl
About 50 teenagers brawled at an immigration detention facility in Melbourne last night. A refugee advocate says the centre is overcrowded, but the Immigration Department says the facilities are adequate.
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Film-maker explains censorship in Burma
Two Australian film-makers, Hugh Piper and Helen Barrow, recently managed to spend a full month working inside the Burma before they were deported late last week. As much as anything, what they witnessed was a constant battle to get stories past the official censors and into the paper.
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Lacklustre growth in the tourism sector
Tourism is Australia's service industry export, but a new report says the sector has been underperfoming for most of the last decade, partly because of a strong dollar. The forecast for the next decade is more positive, because of growing interest from China.
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Aboriginal leader says Abbott's Wild River laws are...
Tony Abbott's Private Members' Bill to override Wild Rivers Laws have been strongly criticised by a prominent Aboriginal leader. Murrandoo Yanner says it's badly drafted and seriously flawed, while the Queensland Government and conservationist, Terri Irwin, say he should rethink his plans.
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Qantas flight turns back due to smoke in cockpit
Qantas has experienced it's fourth mid-air incident in two weeks. A flight to Buenos Aires turned back after an instrument panel started emitting smoke. A brand analyst says people will be starting to lose trust in the airline.
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Opposition launches attack on Government record
The Federal Opposition has used the opening of the year's final parliamentary session to launch an attack on the Government's record and vision. It's repeatedly questioned Julia Gillard over whether her government has found its way, since she took the prime ministership from Kevin Rudd in June.
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Friday finance
Today's business and finance on the markets.
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Aung San Suu Kyi handed release papers
In Burma, democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been handed her release papers from long years of house arrest in Rangoon. How long she'll be allowed to stay free is another question, but it's been confirmed that her imprisonment in an old house is now officially over.
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The story of a Japanese straggler
Japanese soldiers who refused to lay down their arms at the end of World War II were known as hold-outs or stragglers. Some fought on for decades, refusing to believe Japan had surrendered. One of the last to walk out of the jungle was Hiroo Onoda, who spent 30 years waging his own guerrilla war on the Philippines island of Lubang.
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Locusts blown into Melbourne
Melbournians were surprised to spot locusts in some of the city's fanciest suburbs today. Swarms of the insects have already been causing much bigger problems in country Victoria and New South Wales, where harvest is in full swing.
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Yuendumu exiles leave Adelaide
An exiled group of Aboriginal people are leaving Adelaide, almost two months after they fled the remote community of Yuendumu. They're the family of two men charged with murdering another man from the same community. Northern Territory mediators have intervened in the family feud but the gGvernment is not saying whether it's been resolved.
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Older patients more likely to die from surgery...
New research shows that one in five older patients will suffer a major complication from surgery and one in 20 will die. Experts say one factor is pre-existing conditions but that pre and post operative care needs to be improved.
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Merapi still active
Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano continues to spew ash and dust into the atmosphere almost three weeks after its latest eruption began last month. The cloud of ash has drifted as far as Western Australia.
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Cholera death toll rises in Haiti
The death toll from the cholera outbreak in Haiti is continuing to rise. Aid experts are still working hard to contain the outbreak, but they say they're stretched to the limit to deal with the crisis.
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UN special rapporteur says waterboarding is torture
Juan Mendez, the new United Nations special rapporteur on torture, disagrees with the former US president George W. Bush by saying waterboarding is torture. He's the first person in that position to have been tortured himself, with electric shock, by officers of the then Argentine junta in the mid 70s.
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Government defends decision to grant Congo MP a visa
The Federal Government has defended a decision to grant a visa to a Congolese government official who's being investigated for human rights abuses. Pierre Oba's visa application triggered a red flag at the Department of Immigration because of a legal case over the alleged massacre of refugees in the late 90s. But he was able to enter the country after the Department of Foreign Affairs intervened.
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G20 will agree on reforms: Gillard
The Prime Minister Julia Gillard says it appears the Group of 20 leaders' summit in South Korea will agree on major reforms to the global financial system, trade and currency imbalances. China had been resisting pressure to commit to a timeframe for removing controls on its currency, exposing it to the open market, but the Prime Minister says it appears an agreement is in the offing.
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NAB and Westpac lift rates
All the big four banks have now raised their rates above those of the Reserve Bank. The NAB and Westpac announced today that they were following the Commonwealth and the ANZ by hiking variable rates above the official 25 point increase.
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Strong mobile growth lifts Optus' half year profit
Business and finance on today's markets.
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Afghan politician says NATO should leave the country
A leading female Afghanistan politician says NATO's presence in Afghanistan is holidng back development and peace in the country. She believes the withdrawal of NATO troops will enable the country to get back on its feet even if it means having to deal with the Taliban in the short term.
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Former Tasmanian MP faces child sex charges
A well known former Tasmanian MP has had his application for a preliminary hearing into his trial for sex charges rejected. Terry Martin has been charged with having sex with a 12-year-old girl who was sold by her mother and a pimp called Gary Devine last year. The girl, who was a ward of the state at the time she was sold for sex was advertised in a local paper as being an 18-year-old woman.
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Top minds examine family violence law
Victims of domestic violence now have some top legal minds on their side. Two of Australia's biggest law reform groups have spent a year examining laws about domestic violence and recommended close to 200 changes.
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Skilled migrants will need better English and higher...
The Federal Government has changed the criteria for people wanting to move to Australia as independent skilled migrants. People will no longer get points for their occupation, and there will be greater emphasis on English language skills, work experience and high-level qualifications.
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Australians living longer than ever: ABS
Australian life expectancy has risen to 84 for women and 80 for men and the death rate has dropped to a record low. Demographers say it's a healthy, less-risky lifestyle and soon there will be thousands more celebrating their 100th birthdays.
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Student wins High Court battle with tax office
A High Court ruling today opened a can of worms for the Australian Tax Office. The ATO was pursuing a former teaching student who claimed $920 as self-education expenses incurred in gaining her youth allowance income. On appeal, the Court ruled in her favour. The decision could lead to thousands of students claming self-education expenses. It could cost the federal budget millions of dollars.
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Bikies celebrate High Court win
A High Court decision to strike out part of South Australia's tough anti-bikie laws has motorcycle clubs and civil libertarians rejoicing. Six out of seven High Court justices have ruled the section on control orders is constitutionally invalid. The finding could have implications for similar laws in other states.
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Gillard accuses Opposition of hypocrisy
The Prime Minister Julia Gillard has hit out at the Opposition for its suggestion that the High Court ruling will throw asylum seeker processing into chaos, accusing it of hypocrisy. The Prime Minister has also lashed out at what she called 'arrogant' banks like the ANZ and the Commonwealth.
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Advocates support court decision
Refugee advocates and those who work with asylum seekers have welcomed the High Court's decision. One lawyer says that the cases of many asylum seekers will now have to be carefully checked to see if the decisions were unfair or unlawful.
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High Court asylum ruling significant: Govt
The High Court's ruled two Sri Lankan Tamil men who'd had their claims for asylum rejected were denied "procedural fairness" under the Migration Act. Lawyers say the ruling has huge implications, and the government should abandon off-shore processing. The government says it's a significant ruling, but that it's full response will be released in a couple of weeks.
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Media companies bright spots on the market
Business and finance on today's markets.
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Pakistan's runaway wicketkeeper sparks calls for action...
The International Cricket Council is appealing to the Pakistani wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider to come out of hiding and contact them. The 24-year-old is seeking political asylum in the UK. But cricket players and commentators want ICC to take more action over match-fixing allegations.
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Iran political and economic stability fragile: expert
A year-and-half since protests alleged vote rigging in Iran's presidential elections and one expert belives the Iranian leaders control may be more fragile than it appears. Professor Ali Ansari of Scotland's St Andrew's University says economic and political trouble could cause major problems for the regime.
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14th NSW Labor MP won't contest March poll
The numbers keep stacking up against the New South Wales Labor Government. It's been doing disastrously in the opinion polls, and now the veteran MP Paul Gibson has announced that he would not contest the election in March.
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Labor was in trouble after 2007 victory: Lib chief
The man who led the Coalition's 2010 election campaign says Labor's slide in popularity started shortly after it won the 2007 election. Brian Loughnane says voters were disillusioned by the government's first budget in 2008. He says the leaks during the most recent campaign were catastrophic for Labor and Julia Gillard.
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Winning scientist calls for better national funding
Australian born scientist Jillian Banfield has just been awarded the Franklin Medal for trailblazers in science and the UNESCO award for women in science. She's now based in the US and says she wouldn't be able to conduct her research in Australia due to a lack of funding for science.
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No delay in death penalty negotiations: Minister
The Australian Government has dismissed suggestions of a hold up in negotiations with the United States over the deportation of the so called "honeymoon killer", Gabe Watson. The Immigration minister, Chris Bowen has told PM he's confident the US will deliver the assurance that Watson won't face the death penalty.
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Obama praises Indonesian development, religious tolerance
Speaking to Indonesian University students, the US President Barack Obama praised Indonesian development, saying the US wanted to increase trade with the populous nation. The speech was also clearly aimed at restoring US leadership in the Asia Pacific region and highlighting the difference between the US and China.
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ANZ second to raise rates as ASIC warns on exit fees
The ANZ has become the second of the big banks to raise mortgage rates by more than the recent increase by the Reserve Bank. The ANZ has also announced it will scrap mortgage exit fees, on the same day that ASIC released guidance for the banks on how it will monitor new legislation controlling the fees.
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Singapore Airlines changes the engines on three A380s
Singapore Airlines can't rule out the possibility it may have to ground its entire A380 fleet after it was forced to ground three superjumbos in Melbourne, Sydney and London. Singapore Airlines cleared its A380s two days earlier but engine manufacturer Rolls Royce recommended further detailed inspections of three engines after oil stains were found.
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Local market takes a cue from lacklustre Wall St
Business and finance with Alicia Barry.
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Scientists create mini big bang
A team of scientists have created a mini big bang by smashing together lead ions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, which sits astride the French-Swiss border. The collisions have created temperatures one million times hotter than the sun by exploding atoms into their building blocks known as quarks and gluons.
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Opera House crowd pays respects to Dame Joan
The late opera star Joan Sutherland has been farewelled at a ceremony in Sydney attended by some of her biggest admirers. The state memorial service remembered Dame Joan as an unforgettable performer - and one who tried to live a normal life off-stage.
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Understanding threats to the world's bees
Threats to the world's bee population have led to fears for the world's agriculture industries too. Colony collapse disorder is being blamed for the loss of millions of bees. Reese Halter is a conservation biologist and author of the book The Incomparable Honey Bee and the Economics of Pollination.
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Berlusconi faces challenge over scandal
In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi's government is on the verge of collapse as more MPs rally behind his rival, Gianfranco Fini. Mr Fini is challenging the prime minister to step down for the good of the country.
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India, Indonesia welcome Obama
The US president has had India's politicians swooning on a visit to the world's largest democracy. His three days in India is his longest visit to any single country since becoming president.
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Compensation for PNG mine pollution
The livelihoods of thousands of villagers have been destroyed after sediment from a gold mine was washed down a river in Papua New Guinea. The Hidden Valley mine is offering compensation to the affected landowners. The mine is half-owned by Melbourne-based Newcrest Mining.
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Thai-Burma border quiet after election violence
It's been a quiet day at the Thai-Burma after a day of violence that appears to be linked to Burma's elections. The ABC's correspondent says it appears that ethnic Karen rebels wanted to show their displeasure with the ruling junta's election process.
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US pilots propose body-scan boycott
The organisation representing airline pilots across the United States says its members should boycott full-body security scanners, citing health risks and privacy concerns. Pilots in Australia are considering whether to follow the US example.
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Latham, leaks to blame for ALP's near-loss
The man who ran Labor's campaign for the 2010 election says leaks and the emergence of former leader Mark Latham caused a lot of damage to the Government's re-election bid. He's given his verdict on why the party only just managed to cling to power after this year's poll.
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Mid-year budget review cause for envy: Swan
The Treasurer says the latest budget update shows a set of numbers to be envied - but the Opposition and some economists say it shows the Government isn't doing enough to cut spending. The mid-year economic update shows the Government is still headed for a surplus - but the Treasurer is being urged to do more to head off potential dangers.
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Monday finance
Today's business and finance on the markets.
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Tanner slams Greens for pushing Labor to the right
The former federal finance minister Lindsay Tanner has launched an attack on the idea of voting Green as a protest against Labor's centrism. He told a forum in Melbourne that a vote for the Greens and their left wing rhetoric delivered right wing results. He said the more seats, like his own, that Labor lost, the more Labor would change in the opposite direction.
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Liberal Party president rejects insolvency claims
The federal president of the Liberal Party has rejected claims by its honourary treasurer that the party is close to insolvency. Alan Stockdale says Michael Yabsley's comments are motived by a commercial dispute with the party rather than concerns about its fundraising strategy.
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Scientists create blood from skin
Canadian scientists say they can produce enough blood for a transfusion from a small patch of skin. Australian stem cell experts say it's a faster method that produces an exact genetic match and which could help leukaemia patients, cancer sufferers and people needing transfusions for surgery.
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Rudd's PLA meeting varies from the script
When Australian ministers travel overseas to meet their international counterparts, the stage-managed media events are normally staid affairs. But that wasn't the case when the Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd met Chinese officials today. An Australian public servant, Graham Fletcher, told ABC journalists they couldn't report on the meeting despite the approval of Chinese officials.
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Accusations of vote rigging in Burma poll
Early results are emerging after Burma's first election in 20 years amid claims of vote rigging and intimidation. It appears that some opposition and ethnic candidates will win seats in the so-called civilian government, but it will remain dominated by former military officers now in civilian clothing.
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Fallows on the media
The line between opinion and fact appears to be blurring in the American media. Rupert Murdoch's Fox News has been presenting as fact allegations that are provably false. The toxic media environment is infecting politics. Can it be redeemed? And what are the chances that president Obama can recover from his mid-term election losses? James Fallows is Professor of US Media at the US Studies Centre at Sydney University and national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly.
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Campaign for recognition of massacre victims
A campaign has begun for greater recognition for the descendants of those killed in the 1816 Appin Aboriginal Massacre south-west of Sydney. The site of the massacre, where at least 14 people were killed, is on Crown land and now the local state MP wants it returned to the local Aboriginal people.
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Mixed reaction to Indigenous referendum
Some Aboriginal leaders have welcomed the Federal Government's announcement, but others say it's a waste of time and money.
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Julia Gillard wants Indigenous people recognised in...
The Federal Government will establish an expert panel to build support for constitutional recognition of Australia's first peoples. The referendum will be held within the next three years.
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US and Aust to examine space tracking and increased...
US and Australian defence and foreign ministers have agreed to more talks on the US increasing its presence in the Asia Pacific region and possibly Australia. The two have also agreed to cooperate on monitoring space in the southern hemisphere, with the potential for radars and sensors on Australian soil.
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Friday finance
Today's business and finance on the markets.
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Coal seam powers new Qld plant
The burgeoning but controversial coal seam gas industry has taken another step forward today, with the opening of a new Queensland power plant fed by the gas. Environmentalists have welcomed further moves towards gas, but say concerns about extracting it from coal seams remain unresolved.
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Watson bemoans loss of language skills in public life
Just what does Don Watson, author and former speech writer to Paul Keating, think of the use of language by the present crop of political leaders?
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Japanese Chinese relations hit another low
Relations between Tokyo and Beijing are once again souring after television footage of a recent clash between the Japanese coast guard and a Chinese trawler was leaked on the internet. There are fears it could reignite the row and lead to the cancellation of a Japan - China summit arranged for this month.
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Residents of remote west Burma devastated by Cyclone Giri
Two weeks ago, Burma was hit by Cyclone Giri, which affected 400,000 people and left 150,000 homeless. It's had very little media coverage and it couldn't have come at a worse time. The rainy season has come to an end and the rice harvest is only weeks away, but the cyclone wiped out thousands of hectares of rice. Save the Children's country director says tarpaulins, food and water are desperately needed.
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Dissidents slam Burma's election
Burma will hold its first election in 20 years but almost everyone has branded it a sham. The election campaign though has triggered a new wave of underground dissidents who want to tell the world that the election will not lead to the change that the country needs.
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More mining for Woomera restricted zone
A vast restricted zone in South Australia would be opened up to more mining and foreign investment under a federal proposal. The 127,000 square kilometre Woomera Prohibited Area is used by the Defence Force and other countries to test weapons. A federal review recommends allowing more mining companies to share the land without compromising Australia's national security.
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Opposition calls to ditch carbon price
The Federal Opposition says the Government should follow the lead of US president Barack Obama and ditch its plans to put a price on carbon.
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The Guardian and The Web
After four months, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has released figures on its London Times and Sunday Times paywall. News announced with some fanfare that 100,000 people had paid for its Times and Sunday Times offering. But closer analysis showed that this was the figure for four months, and that in any case only about half those people had actually subscribed. Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger says the effect is that the Times now has a monthly online audience of 30,000-50,000 as opposed...
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Rising dollar will skew budget
The Federal Government says the booming dollar will have an impact on the budget bottom line. During a trip to China, the Treasurer Wayne Swan has revealed that the high dollar will hit tax revenues hard, with an expected shortfall in the revenue from the new mining tax.
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QF32 passengers on way home but other Qantas flights...
Qantas has apologised to at least 1,000 passengers who have been stranded while the airline keeps all its A380s grounded. Engineers from Qantas and Rolls Royce will examine every single engine after one blew out shortly after take-off in Singapore yesterday.
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Canadian govt blocks Potash takeover
Business and finance on today's markets.
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Ombudsman says government thwarting child death reviews
The NSW Ombudsman has questioned the state government's commitment to reviewing child deaths. Bruce Barbour says the government hasn't properly enacted recommendations made after an inquiry into the state's Child Protection services in 2007.
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Malaysia and Sharia law
Malaysia's constitutuon does guarantee the separation of mosque and state, but in recent years there have been increasing pressures to bring in Muslim Shariah law. What impact is that having on the countries religious minorities?
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Stroke researchers find new window for treatment
US researchers believe they've found a new window of opportunity in which to treat stroke victims. They say that blocking a key molecule three days after a stroke helps improve recovery. Their study published in the journal "Nature" is based on research with mice.
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Industry defends trawl carnage
A multi-million-dollar deep sea trawling operation has defended the industry, after a study found it wipes out 500-year-old coral. The research by the University of the Sunshine Coast published in the journal "Marine Ecology" found the ancient, giant coral on undersea mountains barely regenerates when left untouched.
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Environmental groups slam Snowy release as political spin
For the first time in 40 years, billions of litres of water have begun flowing down the Snowy River. Politicians were on hand to witness the release, among them Victorian Premier John Brumby and his water minister Tim Holding who are facing an election in three weeks. They say the release fulfills their 1999 election promise to return environmental flows to the Snowy. But the Snowy River Alliance and the Greens have slammed the announcement as pure political spin.
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Communities urged to take water concerns to the capital
Federal Opposition frontbenchers, including the leader Tony Abbott, have urged communities affected by proposed water cuts in the Murray-Darling Basin to go to Canberra to put their concerns directly to the Government.
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Labor now holds record for asylum seeker arrivals
The mantle of a record number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat has now shifted from the Coalition (in 2001) to Labor, with the interception, late yesterday, of two more boats. Tony Abbott says it's no accident 30 boats have arrived since the election.
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Federal Government and Opposition tussle over the banks
The Opposition says the Government is moving too slowly to rein in the banks and it will introduce a private members bill next month to give the ACCC more power.
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Alan Joyce describes engine failure as 'serious'
Qantas says it will suspend all A-380 flights until it investigates this incident and the airline's chief executive Alan Joyce has described the engine failure as "serious".
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Explosion forces Qantas emergency landing
A Qantas plane with an engine failure has made an emergency landing at Singapore's Changi airport. The A-380 had taken off from Singapore en route to Australia but was forced to turn back for an emergency landing after two loud explosions tore a hole through one of the plane's engines.
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Westpac announces a bumper $6.25 b profit
Business and finance on today's markets.
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Retailers calling on Fed Govt to apply GST to overseas...
Retail industry groups want the Federal Government to charge GST on internet shopping. The Australian Retailers Association says billions are being spent online on overseas products and it's hurting local businesses. The Federal Government says it's considering the suggestion and other ways to help the industry.
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CSIRO invents fast wireless for rural Australians
The CSIRO has designed a fast wireless system that uses analog TV channels to connect regional Australians to the internet. The new techology is designed to give fast internet access to those people who'll miss out on a fibre optic connection under the National Broadband Network.
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Relative slams Vic hospital's treatment of elderly man
A Sydney woman has made an official complaint to St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne over the treatment of her elderly stepfather last week. Lisa Lewellyn says the 79-year-old was left in blood and vomit stained clothing for two days after he was admitted to hospital with head injuries. The Victorian Opposition says the case exemplifies widespread problems within the state's public health system.
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Microchip helps blind to see
German scientists have given the gift of sight to three people via a microchip inserted under their retinas. The patients had all lost their vision as disease ravaged the photoreceptors on their retinas. It's hoped the device could one day be used to help people suffering from age-related macular degeneration. The results are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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Bowen unmoved by Abbott criticism of Inverbrackie
Immigration minister Chris Bowen says punitive detention is not the answer to the constant stream of asylum seeekrs coming to Australia by boat. And while Labor pledged to release all asylum seekers into the community if they passed initial health, identity and security checks, Mr Bowen says they'll have to stay in detention until their refugee status is determined.
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SA detention centre 'picture postcard'
Residents opposed to a planned immigration detention facility in the Adelaide Hills have greeted Tony Abbott with cheers and whistling. The Federal Opposition leader has inspected the defence housing estate at Inverbrackie, where up to 400 asylum seekers will be detained later this year. Mr Abbott says it's a beautiful, idyllic place that gives asylum seekers the red carpet treatment.
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Banks 'arrogant' says Treasurer
The Treasurer Wayne Swan warns 'arrogant' banks should not underestimate the Government's determination to rein them in.
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Californians reject legal dope: exit polls
In California, the state's laid-back reputation has been tested at the ballot box. Californians have been voting on whether to legalise possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. There are many opponents from school principals and police chiefs, all the way up to the US Attorney-General Eric Holder.
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Will the mid-term loss cripple Obama?
Just what impact will this loss have for President Obama and the Democrats?
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Democrats reeling from house loss
In the US mid-term elections, the Republicans, with a lot of help from Tea Party activists, have done pretty much as well as their best hopes - more than 55 seats gained in the lower house.
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Rate rise boosts Australian dollar
Business and finance with Rebecca Hyam.
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Greens against Gunns sale
The timber company Gunns wants to sell its woodchip mill at Triabunna to Forestry Tasmania. But the Greens are opposed and the issue could become a flashpoint as the delicate political negotiations to turn a forestry peace plan into reality begin.
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Grey nomads wandering further
Associate Professor Noel Scott from the University of Queensland says it's unlikely the ageing population will translate into a grey nomad tourism boom. He says the strong Australian dollar and cheap travel are luring older travellers overseas and those that are travelling locally aren't spending much money. But the tourism industry is backing the grey nomad market. They say regional tourism can rely on older travellers into the future.
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ABC film looks at Petrov affair
A film to screen on ABC TV on Thursday evening centres on the life of the ASIO chief Sir Charles Spry. I, Spry, as it's called, uses extensive access to documents that have become available in the last two years to show that the Petrov affair was a genuine intelligence coup, not just for this country, but for all the Western intelligence agencies.
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Bomb plot shows sophistication
The discovery of two parcel bombs on US-bound planes on the weekend has shown why Yemen is increasingly seen as the second front in the fight against Al Qaeda. But security experts aren't sure of the best way to tackle Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
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Warning on 'emotional reponse' to Sharia law
Dick Warburton, who heads the Federal Government's independent advisory body on tax laws, says Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has jumped the gun on Islamic banking. Responding to the Board of Taxation's discussion paper on the tax treatment of Sharia finance, Senator Bernardi says Australia's finance laws should not be changed to accommodate a system he regards as being incompatible with Western values.
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French-trained horse wins 150th Cup
The 150th Melbourne Cup has been won by an American-bred, French-trained six-year-old Americain, the winner of the Geelong Cup. It's the first time a French jockey has won the Cup. Punters hopes were dashed when the sentimental favourite So You Think was outpaced by the Australian-owned stayer.
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CBA defends rate rise decision
The Commonwealth Bank has justified its decision to lift interest rates over and above the Reserve's cash rate increase. The Head of retail banking with the CBA, Ross McEwan, says the cost of banking has increased forcing the bank's hand.
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Indonesia queries Australia's asylum plan
The Indonesian president has questioned whether the Federal Government's proposal to build a regional processing centre for asylum seekers is the most effective way to deal with people smuggling. Julia Gillard and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono discussed the proposal at bilateral talks in Jakarta today.
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Hockey says rise not justified
The shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, says the rate rises are the Government's responsibility. He told Alexandra Kirk, the Commonwealth Bank's decision couldn't be justified.
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Interest rates up, CBA goes further
The Reserve Bank has its eye on inflation pressures in the medium term as it increases interest rates. But its 25 basis point rise has been bettered by the Commonwealth Bank, which says funding pressures mean it has to increase the interest rate for home borrowers by nearly double that.
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Finance
Today's business and finance on the markets.
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Japan angry over Russian visit to islands
Japan is in a diplomatic tussle with Russia over a group of islands to its north. Moscow has controlled the Kuril Islands since Soviet troops seized them just after the end of World War Two. Today Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, visited the islands. His visit has angered the Japanese, who have summoned the Russian ambassador to express their unhappiness.
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Sherrins made in central Australia
Central Australian Indigenous communities are turning their passion for Aussie rules football into a new local industry. Today in Alice Springs the fourth generation football maker Syd Sherrin gave a masterclass in crafting handmade leather footballs. It's hoped the project will create 100 jobs in its first three years.
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New research: alcohol rates rise
A new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia shows that Australians have been getting the wrong story on alcohol consumption rates. Rising wine sales and higher alcohol contents show that really Australians are drinking more than ever before.
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Packer, Murdoch offered places on Ten's board
Fresh from buying a large stake in Channel Ten, James Packer and his friend and former OneTel business partner, Lachlan Murdoch, have been offered positions on the Channel Ten board. A position on the board would allow Mr Packer to make big changes to Channel Ten.
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Victorian election will be tight: Antony Green
The ABC's election analyst, Antony Green, says Labor will find it difficult to hold onto government in the Victorian election. But he says the election will be very tight because the Coalition probably won't be able to gain enough seats from Labor.
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Greens off to a flying start in Victoria election...
Victorian Labor and the Coalition are under pressure to declare any preference deals with the Greens in the lead up to the state election amid a surge in support for the party. The election campaign gets underway tomorrow and the most recent polls are predicting a narrow Labor victory.
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Indigenous Employment Covenant falls short of target
A new report estimates the Australian Employment Covenant has placed less than 3,000 Indigenous people into jobs, dramatically short of its original target of 50,000 jobs. A report from the Australian National University says they haven't been able to get firm statistics from the covenant and they don't know how many of the 2,800 are still employed.
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