POLITICS & POLICY

Australia Backs Sri Lanka’s Record at Commonwealth Meet

Australia appeared sympathetic towards Sri Lanka, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott praising the Sri Lankan government’s effort to bring about reconciliation after the country’s three decade-long civil war against separatist Tamils. The Australian prime minister was speaking as he handed over the chairmanship of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to Sri Lanka.

Climate Change Action Day: Australians Protest Coalition's Carbon Tax Repeal (VIDEO)

Despite the rain, tens of thousands of Australians attended climate change rallies across the country to urge Prime Minister Tony Abbott to retain the carbon tax. The Australian Labour Party and Greens politicians, together with environmental groups and volunteer firefighters took turns to criticise the Coalition government at the Climate Action Day, one of the largest rallies in support of climate change action.

Australian Advertising Executive Shot Dead in Nairobi, House Raided

An Australian man was shot dead on Sunday, by suspected robbers, some of them in police uniform, in the upmarket Runda estate of Nairobi, Kenya. The man identified as Patrick John Richer, 39, was the creative director of an international advertising agency and had been working in Africa for about a decade. He along with his Kenyan wife, Lesili Richer had moved into the house only two months back.
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US-style Shutdown, ‘Massive Cuts’ Looms Over Australia, Warns Joe Hockey

Australia’s Treasurer Joe Hockey on Thursday warned of 'massive cuts' if Labor continues to blocks debt increase in the Senate. The present Aus$ 300 billion ceiling will be breached on Dec 12 and the Coalition minister warns a US-style shutdown is a distinct possibility if the opposition Labor does not agree to lift the nation’s debt ceiling to Aus$ 500 billon.

Google Search: Reunion Video Touches Emotions in India, Pakistan; Goes Viral [Watch VIDEO]

Google India's efforts to publicise the power of its search functionality has stuck an emotional chord among Indian and Pakistani YouTube viewers. The advertisement that narrates the story of two old friends separated in 1947 coming together, thanks for the powerful search and social connect options that Google provides, was first posted on Nov 13. The advertisement has since gone viral and grossed 986,248 views on last count, along with innumerable Facebook posts and tweets.

New Zealand Government Downplays TPP WikiLeaks Issue, US Congress Suggest Major Opposition

New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser is attempting to downplay the issues plaguing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks after WikiLeaks revealed a controversial chapter and an obstacle to get a U.S. deal passed by Congress without problems. The TPP leak highlighted the gulf growing between the U.S. and New Zealand including 11 other nations. Copyright, medicines and parallel importing were among the hotly debated issues.

Filipino Police Officer Elmer Soria Who Estimated Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) 10,000 Death Toll Fired from Post

Early news reports across the world, after Typhoon Haiyan 'Yolanda' struck the Philippines; put the estimated death toll at 10,000 with over 660,000 displaced. Considering the devastation caused by the typhoon, the figure seemed plausible. Now, it turns out that the actually death toll is far less, still bad enough and the official, who released the wild estimate of death toll has been sacked.

Security Council Allows Expansion Of African Union Force In Somalia

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously approved the extension of the African Union (AU) deployment of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until Oct. 31, 2014. The UNSC has requested the AU expand AMISOM's force strength from 17,731 to a maximum of 22,126 uniformed personnel.

China Plans to Create 'Independent and Impartial' Judiciary

Even as China works its way up as a market oriented economy, a widely held belief is that China’s judicial system is failing in its role as an independent and impartial arbitrator of the rule of law. With the judiciary playing an increasingly important role in driving a market economy, it is now being widely accepted in China that the judicial reforms; aimed at creating a fair, efficient and predictable dispute settlement and criminal justice system are a must.

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