Abbott, Shorten to attend Mandela service

PM Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will attend a memorial service for Nelson Mandela. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will present a united Australian front to honour and farewell Nelson Mandela.

The pair will this week fly to Johannesburg to join world leaders past and present, mourning the former South African president who died at his home on Thursday (local time) aged 95.

A huge memorial service is planned for the nation's first black leader on Tuesday, with US President Barack Obama already confirming his attendance.

On Saturday Mr Shorten's office said the Labor leader had accepted an invitation from Mr Abbott to accompany the prime minister to South Africa. Both men will miss most of the final 2013 parliamentary sitting week.

It is unknown how long the men will be out of Australia.

"There is a long bipartisan history of Australian support for South Africa and the campaign to abolish apartheid," Mr Abbott said, announcing his intention to attend the service.

After facing criticism for not lowering flags at the news of Mr Mandela's death, Mr Abbott said Australian flags will be set at half mast on the day of the official memorial.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

First day of gay marriage in ACT

A WA Labor MP has married his male partner as ACT marriage laws came into effect at midnight. Source: AAP

THE bride wore white and so did her wife.

Corinna Peck and Stacey Cowen were among some 15 couples to tie the knot in Canberra on Saturday as Australia's first same-sex marriage law came into play.

But while the outfits were bright and newlywed smiles beamed across the nation's capital, a dark cloud was hanging over the future validity of the same-sex unions.

On Thursday the High Court will rule if the ACT's Marriage Equality Act, passed in October, is at odds with Commonwealth law and therefore invalid.

The threat didn't dampen the enthusiasm of groom Ivan Hinton who vowed to make partner Chris Teoh his "lawful wedded husband".

"There should never be any rule in this country that disrespects the commitment that two people like us wish to express to one another," Mr Hinton told reporters after his wedding.

Ceremonies kicked off at 12.01am (AEDT) with two couples rushing to become Australia's first legally-recognised "husbands".

Australian Marriage Equality director Rodney Croome attended Mr Hinton's marriage and afterwards highlighted the historic nature of Saturday's events.

"In years to come people will look back and think 'what an historic moment that was,' but also, 'why did it take us so long to recognise the wonderful ordinariness of the love, (the) commitment of same-sex relationships?'," Mr Croome said.

The Australian Christian Lobby has criticised the ACT law, claiming it damages the institution of marriage.

"We hear about equal love all the time but we don't hear about what it means for children," Lobby spokesman Lyle Shelton told Sky News.

"Same-sex marriage means same-sex parenting, that means necessarily taking a child from its biological mother or father and giving it to someone else."

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher defended the law and sent a message to critics: "the world will go on".

"This doesn't effect those people who don't agree with it. It doesn't change their life, it doesn't change their relationships. This is all about making sure everyone is treated equally before the law," she said.

Ms Gallagher insisted that the community response, including from religious groups, had been overwhelmingly supportive.

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young congratulated the newlywed couples and thanked them for being part of an important first step to change.

"This is how laws change, it is how communities evolve, it is how social change happens, when individuals put themselves forward," she said.

"I think it's time that politics put aside the views of others and allowed couples right across this country to have their love celebrated and accepted and recognised."

The ACT government said 47 couple have registered an intent to marry under the new law.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Choppers, 16 crews battle fire

Sinead Duncan took photographs of the fires from Buderim and closer to Kawana Way. "We're just trying to get out of Brightwater at the moment .... it's getting bad." Reader picture: Sinead Duncan Source: Supplied

FIRE crews are asking Sunshine Coast residents to avoid an out-of-control grass fire near Mountain Creek.

3.50pm: Sinead Duncan took photographs of the fires from Buderim and closer to Kawana Way.

"We're just trying to get out of Brightwater at the moment because we've been visiting friends," she said.

"The smoke is still thick and billowing, but thankfully the wind is keeping most of the smoke away from the houses."

The grass fire near Mountain Creek. Picture: QPS/Sara Matulich

GALLERY: Reader pictures of Sunshine Coast blaze

Jackie Clark said aerial support was trying to control the situation.

"It's getting bad," she said.

Resident Nadine Brooks took these pictures from her vantage point at nearby Grand Pde, Parrearra. Reader picture: Nadine Brooks

"Police, fire and ambulance have set up on Kawana Way."
 

GALLERY: Reader pictures of Sunshine Coast blaze

Resident Nadine Brooks took these pictures from her vantage point at nearby Grand Pde, Parrearra. Reader picture: Nadine Brooks

3.30pm:  Resident Nadine Brooks said there seemed to be two or three different blazes from her vantage point at nearby Grand Pde, Parrearra.

"It looks like they are moving north," she said.

"We are lucky the smoke is not coming (our) way."

3pm: TRAFFIC is heavy along the Sunshine Coast Motorway thanks to a large grass fire.

Motorists are reporting congestion from the Dixon Rd turnoff to Mountain Creek.

Kawana Way has been closed as 16 fire crews battle the blaze.

GALLERY: Reader pictures of Sunshine Coast blaze

1pm: The fire at Kawana Way, near Brightwater Estate, was first reported at 11.20am.

Helicopters are currently water bombing the fire between Brightwater Estate and the Chancellor Park area, and 16 fire crews are battling the blaze.

No property is under threat, but a large smoke haze has settled over Mountain Creek and neighbouring suburbs.

Residents have been advised to close windows and doors, with reports of ash the size of fingernails falling on the area.

Motorists using Kawana Way have been urged to drive to conditions.

GALLERY: Reader pictures of Sunshine Coast blaze

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Urban, Lorde receive Grammy nominations

Keith Urban has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Country Duo/Group. Source: AAP

VETERAN rapper Jay-Z topped nominees for the 2014 US Grammys with nine nods, while Taylor Swift and Daft Punk were among those in the running in major categories.

Australia's Keith Urban has been nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for his collaboration with Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift, called Highway Don't Care, while New Zealand teenager Lorde was nominated for four awards, mostly for her debut single Royals.

The 17-year-old schoolgirl, who performed live during the Los Angeles ceremony, is in the running for song of the year, record of the year, best pop solo performance and best pop vocal album for Pure Heroine.

In second place with seven nods apiece were California hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar and rapper Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, as well as Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams, while rapper Drake scored five.

The nominees in key categories were announced during an hour-long concert at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, including video-link performances by Swift from Australia and Katy Perry live from Canada.

In the coveted Album of the Year category, songstress Swift's Red will compete with French electro duo Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's The Heist, Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and Sara Bareilles' The Blessed Unrest.

Record of the Year candidates are Daft Punk and Williams' ubiquitous Get Lucky, Lorde's Royals, Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, Hawaiian crooner Bruno Mars' Locked Out Of Heaven and Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, made infamous by Miley Cyrus' twerking at the MTV Video Music Awards show.

Shortlisted for Song of the Year - for songwriters, as opposed to performers - were Just Give Me A Reason sung by Pink Featuring Nate Ruess; Locked Out Of Heaven sung by Bruno Mars; Roar sung by Katy Perry; Royals sung by Lorde, and Same Love sung by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis was also nominated for Best New Artist, up against James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran.

While big-hitters Jay-Z and Timberlake scored lots of nods, they were mostly in rap and pop/R&B categories respectively. Neither the rapper's heavily marketed Magna Carta ... Holy Grail, nor Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience made it onto the Best Album shortlist.

The 56th annual Grammys show - music's version of the Oscars - will be held on January 26 at the Staples Center.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Govt talks down Qantas aid as 1000 jobs go

Qantas will cut at least 1000 jobs after flagging a half year loss of up to $300 million. Source: AAP

THE federal government has talked down the prospects of coming to the direct aid of Qantas, after the airline announced the axing of 1000 jobs and flagged further cost cuts.

Qantas chief Alan Joyce has forecast a six-month loss of up to $300 million which he blamed on the strong Australian dollar, high fuel costs and Virgin Australia "distorting" the market.

Mr Joyce, who is facing calls from Labor and crossbench MPs for his sacking, said the company had done its best to cut costs and improve productivity.

His $3 million pay will be cut by at least 38 per cent this financial year, but he says he continues to have the backing of the board. "Government action will be key in enabling us to keep competing effectively on a level-playing field," he said on Thursday.

The Qantas chief is talking with the government about additional policy measures but is yet to make a formal proposal.

Qantas also wants to ensure its key domestic competitor Virgin Australia doesn't "have the benefits conferred by an Australian carrier designation" while having only 20 per cent Australian ownership.

Qantas has floated the idea of a Foreign Investment Review Board review of Virgin's use of foreign capital injections to "prolong anti-competitive action" in the Australian market.

Transport Minister Warren Truss said Qantas was a strong airline with a good future and its cuts were entirely appropriate as it restructured to be more competitive.

He appeared to rule out providing a loan or financial guarantee to Qantas.

"The government isn't a banker," he said.

As well, any change to the Qantas Sale Act - which keeps the airline in majority Australian hands - would be a waste of time and political energy because it would be opposed by Labor and the Greens.

The best thing the government could do was to improve the business environment, Mr Truss said.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said in the short-term the government needed to help Qantas staff who were about to lose their jobs in the lead-up to Christmas.

Labor wouldn't agree to scrapping Qantas' majority-Australian status, he said.

"We will work with the government as they investigate long-term solutions to some of the structural market challenges that Qantas faces," Mr Shorten said.

Virgin Australia chief John Borghetti said any government support given to Qantas should also be extended to his airline.

He returned fire on Qantas, calling for the government to investigate its "anti-competitive" strategy of maintaining a 65 per cent share of the domestic aviation market.

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said the government should act to save Qantas jobs.

Sparks flew in federal parliament when Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the former Labor government's carbon tax was behind Qantas' woes.

"I spoke to Alan Joyce an hour ago. The carbon tax has nothing to do with it. Stop politicising job losses. Shame on you," Mr Shorten shouted across the chamber.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon was joined by Labor senators Glenn Sterle and Alex Gallacher calling for Mr Joyce and the Qantas board to resign.

"What we've seen is an airline that has lurched from crisis to crisis, failed strategy one after another," Senator Xenophon said.

And Transport Workers Union national secretary Tony Sheldon blamed poor management for the job losses.

But industry analysts say Qantas is facing a series of complex industry problems that have not been caused by management.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ford to debut new-look Mustang globally

AMERICA'S first pony car - the Ford Mustang - is celebrating its 50th birthday with a new design and plans to go global.

Ford Motor Co was to reveal the 2015 Mustang on Thursday morning at events in Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Barcelona and its Michigan hometown. It goes on sale next later year in North America and will arrive later in Europe and Asia.

The US-made car is currently sold overseas, but this is the first time it has been engineered to meet various international safety and emissions standards.

A right-hand-drive version is being offered for the first time, for Australia and Britain, and Ford will market the car more heavily overseas.

Chief engineer Dave Pericak said that while the design meets international needs, it wasn't influenced by them.

"We did not design a global Mustang. We designed a Mustang and took it global," Pericak said.

The Mustang isn't anywhere near Ford's best-seller, but Ford says the Mustang has the highest name recognition and highest favourable opinion of any car in its line-up.

"It's an emotional connection to the rest of the brand," said Jacques Brent, group marketing manager for large cars and SUVs.

The Mustang's first full redesign since 2005 presented Ford with a tough task: update and freshen an icon without alienating its passionate fans.

More than nine million Mustangs have been sold since 1964, and the car has hundreds of fan clubs. Farrah Fawcett drove a white one in Charlie's Angels; Steve McQueen raced a dark green one through the streets of San Francisco in 1968's Bullitt.

The result is a new car with plenty of cues from the old. But the new car sits lower and wider, and the roof tapers dramatically in the front and back.

Ford isn't saying how much the new Mustang will cost, but the current one starts around $US23,000 ($A25,534). A convertible version will also be offered.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Antarctic airlift for Aussies on standby

FEDERAL authorities are waiting for better weather in Antarctica before they fly out to Hobart three Australians injured in a helicopter crash.

The chopper pilot and two passengers were injured on Sunday while returning from a mission to survey a penguin colony near the Amery Ice Shelf, about 278 kilometres from Australia's Davis Station.

They were rescued on Monday and have been receiving medical treatment at Davis Station.

The federal government's Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) on Thursday said it was working through plans to return the expeditioners to Hobart.

"Personnel and aircraft in Antarctica and Australia are on standby to begin transfer to Hobart, once a favourable weather window becomes available," the AAD said in a statement.

The AAD previously said all three were conscious and able to eat and drink, but two continued to be assessed for upper-body injuries.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the crash, and says it could take months to make findings.

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Fishing line causing havoc in Perth river

THERE are fears for one of the Swan River's beloved dolphins after he became entangled in thoughtlessly discarded fishing gear.

Fingers, who has been swimming up the waterway from Cockburn for the past 20 years, received life threatening injuries when his tail fluke became entangled in the gear and has not been seen since July.

The dolphin's fate was raised by Swan River Trust riverpark manager Chris Mather on Thursday as Perth's first ever fishing line disposal unit campaign was launched.

Three members of the river's small dolphin population had died as a result of injuries caused by fishing waste in the past five years, Mr Mather said.

"And many, many birds, swans and pelicans have also been tangled in fishing line, which has resulted in them being starved to death - that's unacceptable."

Fishing line left in the environment can take up to 600 years to decompose.

In response Recfishwest chief executive officer Andrew Rowland has urged the recreational fishing community to use 20 new purpose-built units being installed at Perth jetties, fishing platforms, traffic bridges and boat ramps.

These will allow the incineration of fishing line and hooks, and recycling of lead sinkers.

Apart from the disposal, all of the rubbish collected will be recorded, as part of a 12-month trial.

"Fishing line placed in bins can still find its way into the river through other means such as animals scavenging through bins and overflowing bins," Dr Rowland said.

"These specially designed fishing line units will eliminate this from happening."

The Swan River is one of the few waterways in the world where dolphins can be seen swimming right up to the edge of the city.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More