SYDNEY: Sir Charles Court, the former Western Australian premier credited with developing his state’s iron ore industry, now crucial to the nation’s resources boom, has died, reports said Sunday. Sir Charles, who was 96, passed away overnight, the local media reported. Tributes poured in Sunday for the conservative politician who opened up the mining industry […]
Australia’s new leader vows better global ties
Incoming Labour prime minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaking former diplomat, has pledged closer Australian ties with overseas allies and unity at home after ending 11 years of conservative rule under John Howard. Rudd (50) presented himself as a new-generation leader by promising to pull about 500 front-line Australian troops out of Iraq and sign the […]
Uproar in Australia over Plan to Block Web Sites
SYDNEY, Australia — A proposed Internet filter dubbed the "Great Aussie Firewall" is promising to make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among democratic countries. Consumers, civil-rights activists, engineers, Internet providers and politicians from opposition parties are among the critics of a mandatory Internet filter that would block at least 1,300 Web sites prohibited […]
Australia Appoints First National Security Adviser
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appointed Australia’s first U.S.-style national security adviser on Thursday as part of a major revamp of counterterrorism and national safety strategies. But Rudd dropped previously announced plans to create a department of homeland security, saying that dragging several existing branches of government into one larger one would just add to red […]
Malawi’s Legal Battle over Uranium Mining Subsiding
Malawi’s Legal Battle over Uranium Mining Subsiding By Gregory Gondwe MZUZU, DEC 20 – Raging legal battle over uranium mining in Malawi is subsiding after civil society organisations that took the matter to court announced that they have settled the matter outside court amid bribery accusations. Six Non-Governmental Organisations that included the Citizens for […]
Pakistan Police Injures emergency rule protesters
Many lawyers were wounded yesterday in Pakistan when the police descended on them during protests outside courtrooms in some cities. Hundreds of the lawyers were arrested. It was the first major show of public anger over the state of emergency declared by the country’s President, Pervez Musharraf. The incident came amidst mounting international anger over […]