Federal Parliament is set to conduct its first comprehensive investigation into the case for a national anti-corruption watchdog after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten threw his support behind an inquiry. Mr Shorten said reform needed to go beyond the independent parliamentary expenses system proposed by Malcolm Turnbull to also include “an open and honest discussion” about whether Australia should have a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption .
Month: January 2017
‘The super-rich and the rest of us’: 2 richest Canadians have wealth equal to 11 million poorest
A man holds up a protest sign as he marches with thousands of people through the streets participating in the Occupy Vancouver protest on Oct.15, 2011. A new report called ‘An Economy for the 99%’ paints a stark picture of wealth inequality in Canada and around the world.
Australia’s Marsh out of Pakistan ODIs with shoulder injury
Australia’s fast bowling all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the remainder of the one-day international series against Pakistan with a shoulder injury, the country’s cricket board said on Sunday. Marsh has had problems with his right shoulder, which has restricted his bowling ability, and he pulled up sore after Australia’s six-wicket loss against Pakistan in Sunday’s second one-day international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Milan’s Brera protects artworks after humidity system fails
A Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 photo from files showing the entrance of the Brera Art Gallery, in Milan, Italy.
68% of Israelis Support Two-State Solution: J Street Poll
That’s according to a poll conducted by the dovish pro Israel lobby J Street, which found that 68% of Israelis favor an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, reported by Haaretz . Pundits have been sounding the death knell for the two state solution for years.
Diego Maradona hopeful of future Napoli role-Image1
Former Napoli star Diego Maradona is in talks to work with the Serie A side, where he is still idolized nearly 27 years after leaving the club. Maradona, who is in Naples for a theatrical event on Monday celebrating the club’s first title win, met with Napoli President Aurelio de Laurentiis on Saturday night.
Pro-Tibet protesters detained as China’s Xi arrives in Bern
People protest for a free Tibet and against the arrival of China’s President Xi Jinping in Bern, Switzerland, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. People protest for a free Tibet and against the arrival of China’s President Xi Jinping in Bern, Switzerland, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.
Brekkie Blog | Monday, January 16, 2017
A westerly stream over Tasmania will tend northwesterly today as a high centre becomes established to the northeast of the state. A cold front will slowly cross Tasmania during Tuesday, followed by a southwesterly stream.
Canada wins skeleton gold and bronze-Image1
Calgary’s Elisabeth Vathje and Ottawa’s Mirela Rahneva won gold and bronze respectively on Sunday at a skeleton World Cup event in Winterberg, Germany. Vathje slid to a golden time of 58.02, while Rahneva clocked-in at 58.14 for the bronze in the weather-shortened one-run race.
Freak storm brings ‘twister’ to Queensland
A FREAK storm caused flash flooding, mass blackouts, and a rare weather phenomenon resembling a twister in Queensland’s most populated areas on Sunday night. Massive thunderstorms moved across Brisbane and into Ipswich yesterday, where flash flooding was caused by 80mm of rain falling in an hour.
New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball to fight for Palmerston North seat again
New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball plans to have another crack at the Palmerston North seat in this year’s election. The one-term MP made it to Parliament ranked 10th on the party list, joining National’s Jono Naylor and Labour’s Iain Lees-Galloway to make up a three-strong contingent from the city electorate.
Algeria surprised at African Cup, Ivory Coast now cautious
Two days, two surprise results at the African Cup of Nations as Algeria was held to a 2-2 draw by Zimbabwe on Sunday despite a double from Riyad Mahrez. Not only was Algeria held, it needed Mahrez’s long-range shot in the 82nd minute, which slipped past Zimbabwe goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva.
Palestinian Envoy warns Trump govt: Don’t move embassy
The chief Palestinian representative to France said moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv would violate international law and adds that he does not think Donald Trump’s new administration will make such a decision. Salman Elherfi told The Associated Press that a Mideast peace conference Sunday in Paris sent a “very clear” message calling on everyone not to make any changes that would affect a final solution for the region, especially regarding the status of Jerusalem.
Kremlin counts days to Trump’s inauguration, blasts Obama
In this Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 file photo Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Russian prosecutors in Moscow, Russia. Careful not to hurt chances for a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations, President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have deferred questions about their plans for future contacts with Trump and any agenda for those talks until he takes office on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
Austria’s far right struggles to win over Jews with charm offensive
Six decades after it was founded by former Nazis, Austria’s Freedom Party is courting Jewish voters, hoping that its anti-Muslim message will resonate with the tiny community and help it overcome lingering accusations of anti-Semitism. Jewish leaders are dismissive but the party, but like others on the European far right, it appears to have its image among the wider electorate in mind as it stages the charm offensive.
Water deal reached between Israel and Palestinians
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activity in the Territories signed an agreement with the Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Civil Affairs on Sunday to renew the activity of the Joint Water Committee. The Israeli, Maj.
Three big burdens on the Turkish police
I was talking to a ranking official about the escape of Abdulgadir Masharipov, the Tajik-origin Uzbek citizen who is wanted for killing 39 people on Jan. 1 in Istanbul’s Reina nightclub on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant , or DEASH in Arabic. “We have problems,” the official said with obvious embarrassment.
Economy, terror and Kurdish votes
It was Nationalist Movement Party chair Devlet Bahceli who first ignited the early election debates. He said if the constitutional offers are not processed in the parliament, if the parliament is blocked then they will “take it to the nation” to decide.
The engineer mindset in politics
Prime Minister Binali YA ldA rA m is an engineer, a ship building engineer from the prestigious Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. He defines himself as a “sailor.”
Death toll rises to 27 in latest Brazil prison riot
Twenty-seven inmates have died in eruptions of violence in two northern Brazilian prisons, officials said Sunday as they quelled the latest in a string of prison disturbances across the country in which more than 100 people have died within two weeks. State security officials said fighting between rival gangs broke out Saturday at the adjacent Alcacuz and Rogerio Coutinho lockups near the city of Natal in the Rio Grande do Norte state.
The Latest: Envoys urge Israel, Palestinians to back peace
More than 70 countries have called on Israel and the Palestinians to restate their commitment to a peace settlement and to refrain from unilateral actions. The closing statement at a Mideast peace conference in Paris on Sunday was meant to send a powerful message to Israel and the incoming Trump administration to keep hopes alive for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
What Bill English learned from lost flag vote
Bill English tries some rugby diplomacy with British Prime Minister Theresa May, who holds an All Black jersey while he displays a Lions one. Photo / Supplied Prime Minister Bill English has revealed he voted for the flag change, but says John Key’s failed referendum on this issue showed the perils of politicians rather than people trying to drive change.
Arbab Khizer Hayat, Pakistan’s Hulk, stops a moving tractor with his hands
Ever since Marvel comics introduced Hulk in the early 1960s, fans have been amazed by his valour and not so much by his rage. And ever since the charismatic comic character made its way to the movies, fans were awed by his gallant portrayal.
India wins while Piers Morgan was watching La La Land, now tweeple…
When it comes to the social media space and cricket, the first name that usually comes to mind is that of former India player and current commentator Virender Sehwag , who has made quite a name for himself as a celebrity troll. Funnily enough, the first name that comes to mind soon after – should we indulge in a game of word association – is that of British journalist Piers Morgan.
Twin tons help Ind beat Eng by 3 wickets, lead series 1-0
Skipper Virat Kohli and local boy Kedar Jadhav scored blistering ton each to guide India to a sensational three-wicket win over England in the first ODI against England in Pune on Sunday. Chasing 351, India were four down with just 63 runs on board, before Kohli and Jadhav put up a solid 200-run partnership to rescue India’s sinking ship.
Pope Francis, Abbas call for direct talks with Israel during meeting at Vatican
Pope Francis and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for renewed direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority during a meeting at the Vatican. Abbas warned against moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, telling reporters: “If this is the decision, to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem, it will not help peace and we hope it doesn’t happen.”
Myanmar Muslims hope UN envoya s visit will bring change
Muslim villagers in western Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state said Sunday that they hope positive change will result from a U.N. envoy’s visit to the region, where soldiers are accused of widespread abuses against minority Muslims, including murder, rape and the burning of thousands of homes. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Yanghee Lee concluded a three-day visit Sunday to probe the situation in northern Rakhine, where an army crackdown has driven an estimated 65,000 Muslim ethnic Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh in the past three months.
Britain’s Prince Charles co-authors a book on climate change
Penguin Books says Prince Charles has co-authored a book on climate change together with an environmentalist and a Cambridge scientist. The Prince of Wales, long a critic of man-made climate change, wrote the book “Climate Change” with Tony Juniper, a former Friends of the Earth director, and Emily Shuckburgh, a Cambridge University climate scientist.
Poland: US escalates Russia tensions with troop deployment
“Polish leaders are holding a welcome ceremony for the biggest deployment of US troops to Europe in decades. The ceremony on Saturday in the western Polish town of Zagan comes 23 years after the last Soviet troops left the country.
Fake lawyer who practiced and won cases at Supreme Court
A man who never had legal training, Peter Adogun, has practiced law in Ilorin for 10 years and won cases in the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The police in Kwara State arraigned Mr. Adogun before an Ilorin magistrate’s court for certificate and identity theft in the state capital.
One of the most famous political writings of all time was…
The term “Machiavellian” isn’t a compliment. That’s largely thanks to Niccol Machiavelli’s famous 16th century political treatise “The Prince.”
Explosive memos suggest that a Trump-Russia tit-for-tat was at…
An unverified dossier provided to US intelligence officials alleges that President-elect Donald Trump “agreed to sideline” the issue of Russian intervention in Ukraine during his campaign after Russia promised to feed the emails it stole from prominent Democrats’ inboxes to WikiLeaks. The dossier was part of an opposition-research project conducted by a former British spy , Christopher Steele, at the behest of anti-Trump Republicans and, later, Democrats.
Iraqi Forces Retake Mosul University From ISIS, Military Spokesman Says
Iraqi forces have made a crucial step in the bloody quest to retake Mosul from the Islamic State, according to a spokesman for the country’s military. Iraqi Brig.
Redcar tidal surge leaves sand dunes ‘unstable’
Redcar RNLI said the dunes at Coatham in Redcar had “taken a battering” and rescuing people in sinking sand could be “very, very difficult”. “Once people have become trapped in sand it is a very, very difficult situation to be rescued from,” he said.
Cricket: Kohli, Jadhav centuries help India beat England
PUNE, India: Skipper Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav hit blistering centuries to help India chase down 350 and beat England by three wickets in the first one-day international in Pune on Sunday . Kohli , who was leading the limited overs side for the first time, and Jadhav put on 200 runs for the fifth wicket as India achieved the target with 11 balls to spare.
Veteran Singaporean journalist Seah Chiang Nee dies
Former newspaper editor Seah Chiang Nee during an interview with an AFP journalist at his home in Singapore, October 7, 2005. SINGAPORE: Veteran Singaporean journalist Seah Chiang Nee died on Sunday morning , at the Singapore General Hospital.
More talk on Mideast peace
Sending a forceful message to Israel and the incoming Trump administration, more than 70 world diplomats gathered in Paris on Sunday to say they want peace in the Mideast – and that establishing a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve it. French President Francois Hollande said he was sounding an “alert” that peace talks should be revived for “the security of Israel, security of all the region” before violent extremists and Israeli settlements destroy any hope of a two-state solution.
Alpine Skiing: Vonn 13th on return from injury
American speed queen Lindsey Vonn finished 13th on her return from injury as Austrian Christine Scheyer claimed a shock maiden victory in Sunday’s World Cup downhill on home snow at Altenmarkt-Zauchense. Lindsey Vonn of the US reacts after her run during the World Cup downhill race at Altenmarkt-Zauchense, Austria.
Kohli, Jadhav centuries guide India to three-wicket win chasing 351
India 356-7 beat England 350-7 by three wickets First One-Day International in Pune Scorecard Virat Kohli and Kedav Jadhav scored blistering centuries as India completed a massive chase of 351 against England with three wickets in hand in the first One-Day International in Pune. The duo shared a 200-run stand between them after India were in deep trouble at 63 for four at one stage.
Facebook Germany says it will start tackling fake news in weeks
Facebook said on Sunday it would update its social media platforms in Germany within weeks to reduce the dissemination of fake news. A picture shows the Facebook logo on a beach chair at the Facebook office in Berlin, Germany, August 29, 2016.