Australasia
Camels replace horses as Sydney races suffer
Published: 13 October 2007
With Australia in the grip of equine flu and horseracing banned as a precaution in Sydney, tracks are losing money and punters are getting restless. Last night, however, race fans were given a different kind of spectacle as half a dozen camels cantered around the city's premier harness track.
'Choking boofheads' feel the heat
Published: 08 October 2007
The mood was grim on both sides of the Tasman Sea yesterday as Australia and New Zealand struggled to come to terms with their respective eliminations from the World Cup.
The lucky devils: Safe haven for an island icon
Published: 03 October 2007
Bondi's hedonists could win heritage status for Sydney beach
Published: 02 October 2007
Swimmers, sunbathers, surfers, joggers and attention-seekers treat it as their backyard. Now Australia's most famous stretch of sand, Bondi Beach, could receive the accolade of being listed as a heritage site. The Sydney beach and its environs, including an art deco changing pavilion, is one of 30 sites recommended for inclusion on the country's National Heritage List.
How 'bush tucker' became flavour of the month for foodies
Published: 29 September 2007
Australian MP's memorial shelved after abuse claims
Published: 27 September 2007
Bob Collins was the first Australian cabinet minister from the Northern Territory. He campaigned for decades to improve the plight of Aborigines. He was married to an Aboriginal woman himself. But Mr Collins had a dark secret: he sexually abused young boys, allegedly.
Abandoned toddler: police find woman's body
Published: 19 September 2007
Police searching for the mother of a three-year-old girl whose father allegedly abandoned her at a train station in Australia at the weekend found a woman's body locked in the boot of a car at the family's home in New Zealand today.
Mystery of Pumpkin, aged 3, abandoned in railway station
Published: 19 September 2007
Police in three countries are searching for the parents of a three-year-old girl abandoned at a Melbourne railway station, and say they are "gravely concerned" for her mother's safety. Qian Xun Xue was found at Southern Cross station last weekend, alone and distressed. Australian police, initially unable to establish the girl's identity, called her Pumpkin after the brand of clothes (Pumpkin Patch) she was wearing.
Howard under pressure after poll setback
Published: 18 September 2007
John Howard, the embattled Australian Prime Minister, was under intense pressure to consider his future last night as opinion polls predicted a crushing defeat for his conservative coalition in the forthcoming election. Mr Howard is the country's second-longest-serving premier, with four election victories under his belt over the past 11 years. But the polls and the public mood indicate that Australians have had enough of him.
Sumatra 'has a lucky escape' from tsunami after earthquake kills 10
Published: 14 September 2007
Indonesia's Sumatra island was hit by a series of aftershocks on Thursday after a powerful earthquake toppled hundreds of buildings, killing at least 10 people and burying many others.
Comedians lead protests at Sydney Apec meeting
Published: 08 September 2007
A team from a satirical television show has made a laughing-stock of the huge security operation surrounding this week's Apec meeting – by driving a fake motorcade with a Canadian flag through two police checkpoints and brandishing "insecurity" passes.
Australians say goodbye to the backyard
Published: 06 September 2007
The backyard, an icon of Australian suburbia, is under threat – and it has taken a Pom to point it out. Tony Hall, a former British town planner who is now a Queensland academic, warned that sprawling single-storey homes had become the norm in Australia, swallowing up the outside space once proudly occupied by the backyard.
Bush running out of friends over Iraq
Published: 06 September 2007
President George Bush faced another bleak day over Iraq yesterday as news of the deaths of eight US soldiers followed the publishing of a damning independent report into the progress of Iraq's security forces. The only bright spot for the increasingly isolated Mr Bush came on arrival in Sydney where the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, offered his staunch backing for a continued presence in Iraq.
Outback race to beat horse flu
Published: 03 September 2007
The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, yesterday bowed to pressure for an inquiry into the source of an equine flu outbreak that is spreading across two states and has forced the widespread cancellation of horse racing.
Australian rugby legend took drugs 'to cope with fame'
Published: 01 September 2007
The fans were the last to know, it seems. One of Australian rugby league's all-time greats, Andrew Johns, has admitted taking drugs for most of his distinguished 14-year career – and everyone knew about it, including his team-mates, his club and, possibly, the game's authorities.
Equine flu wipes out racing at Sydney's premier track
Published: 31 August 2007
Eight thoroughbred racehorses were diagnosed with equine flu in Sydney yesterday, forcing an unprecedented cancellation of the multimillion-dollar spring racing carnival at tracks across New South Wales. All 700 horses stabled at Randwick racecourse, the state headquarters of the industry, are likely to contract the highly contagious flu. The racecourse has been declared a quarantine zone for at least the next two months.
Outrage over portrait of Bin Laden as Jesus Christ
Published: 31 August 2007
Two entries in an Australian religious art competition – one depicting the Virgin Mary wearing a burqa, the other showing Osama bin Laden in a Christ-like pose – were defended by their creators yesterday.
Equine flu halts race for first time in 126 years
Published: 29 August 2007
The Birdsville Races, an iconic Outback event staged on a dusty Queensland track for the past 126 years, has been cancelled for the first time in peacetime because of an outbreak of equine flu which has paralysed Australia's racing industry.
The Big Question: Are Australian voters finally about to turn away from John Howard?
Published: 28 August 2007
Why are we asking this now?
Australia puts migrants to the 'mateship' test
Published: 27 August 2007
Migrants hoping to become Australian citizens will soon have to take a test examining their knowledge of the country's history and institutions, and endorse national values including "mateship".
Alcohol outlawed at Uluru in sex abuse crackdown
Published: 25 August 2007
For tourists visiting Australia's Red Centre, a favourite pursuit is sipping a cold beer while watching the sun set over Uluru, the giant monolith formerly known as Ayers Rock. From next month, though, they will be breaking the law.
Timber mill threatens birthplace of green politics
Published: 24 August 2007
Residents of Tasmania, the Australian state regarded as the birthplace of the global environmental movement, are bitterly divided about plans to build a massive timber-pulping mill in one of the island's most scenic areas.
Howard attacked for links to secret Christian sect the Brethren
Published: 23 August 2007
They describe themselves as "a Christian fellowship based on the Holy Scriptures", but others call them a sect, and they have meddled in elections in New Zealand and Australia.
Terror case doctor wins court challenge over visa
Published: 21 August 2007
An Australian court today overturned the government's decision to cancel the work visa of an Indian doctor accused - and later cleared - of links to the failed June terrorist attacks on London and Scotland.
Howard accused of strip club smear against rival
Published: 21 August 2007
The Australian opposition leader, Kevin Rudd, whose squeaky-clean image has been dented by revelations that he visited a lap-dancing club in New York, indicated yesterday that the conservative government may have leaked the episode in an attempt to smear him.
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