Peace envoy urges 'real' change in Syria

INTERNATIONAL peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has called for "real change" and a transitional government in Syria but the armed opposition has swiftly retorted that it cannot include President Bashar al-Assad or his top lieutenants. The envoy unveiled...

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US stocks slip as 'fiscal cliff' looms

US stocks have edged lower as the deadline for the White House and Republican lawmakers to reach a deal to avert the looming "fiscal cliff" crisis creeps closer. In the first five minutes of trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average...

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Egypt's Morsi to visit Germany

EGYPTIAN President Mohamed Morsi is to visit Germany on January 30, the official news agency MENA reported, quoting a presidential spokesman. Mr Morsi is to make the trip at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the spokesman, Yasser...

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Militants kill two police, 21 missing

GOVERNMENT officials say dozens of militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons attacked two tribal police posts in northwest Pakistan, killing two policemen. Twenty-one other policemen are missing and presumed kidnapped....

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Missing man found safe in Brisbane

A 71-YEAR-OLD man has been found safe and well after going missing in southeast Brisbane, police say. The man, who suffers from a medical condition, was last seen leaving a store in Stones Corner on Thursday afternoon.He was located safe and well...

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Pony back with circus after Xmas kidnap

A TINY pony is back at its Austrian circus home more than a week after apparently being kidnapped by a woman who wanted to give her sick daughter a Christmas surprise. Fridolin the pony, who is only about 60 centimetres tall, went missing from...

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Man charged over Qld bomb hoax

A 55-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with making a bomb hoax to a Burleigh Heads shopping centre. The Burleigh Heads man was charged following investigations into a telephone call received at a West Burleigh Road shopping centre on Thursday morning,...

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More readers turning to e-books

US readers are increasingly opting for digital books instead of ink-and-paper editions, according to a Pew Research Centre study. The share of US adults reading electronic books rose to 23 per cent in November from 16 per cent the same time...

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Three Palestinians dead from swine flu

THREE Palestinians in the West Bank have died in the past week from the H1N1 influenza strain known as swine flu, the Palestinian health ministry said. "There were three deaths in the past week, and more than 50 people sickened by the virus,"...

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The Queen goes 3D for Christmas

SHE made her acting debut at the London Olympics. Now the Queen is hitting the screen again - in 3D. Buckingham Palace says the monarch was "ready to embrace something new" for her annual Christmas broadcast in honour of her Diamond Jubilee...

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US weekly unemployment claims rise

THE number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week by 17,000, reversing four weeks of declines. The Labor Department reports that a seasonally adjusted 361,000 people sought unemployment aid during the week ended December...

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Huge blizzard threatens holiday travel

THE US Midwest's first major snowstorm of the winter caused "life-threatening conditions" and flight delays that could ripple into problems across the country as travelers gear up for the Christmas holiday. A regional energy company said the storm...

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France recognises brutal rule in Algeria

FRENCH President Francois Hollande acknowledged the "unjust" and "brutal" nature of France's occupation of Algeria for 132 years, but stopped short of apologising for the past as many Algerians have demanded. On the second day of his state visit...

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N Ireland police open Bloody Sunday probe

NORTHERN Ireland police say they have opened a criminal probe into the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, when British soldiers shot to death 13 unarmed Irish Catholic protesters. A police commander, Judith Gillespie, confirmed the move after meeting...

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Wall Street lower, looks past improved GDP

WALL Street stocks are mostly lower in early trade, as traders shrugged off an upward revision in US economic growth and focused on concerns about the "fiscal cliff". About 10 minutes into the session on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average...

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Central bank boss quits over fake degree

ECUADOR'S central bank president has resigned over revelations he used a bogus university degree to get into a graduate school and study business. Pedro Delgado acknowledged he never completed his economics studies at Ecuador's Catholic University...

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Overseas adoption process takes 4 years

PROSPECTIVE parents are waiting more than four and a half years for the completion of overseas adoptions, official figures show. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) says it took an average of 56 months for the processing of...

23.09 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weekly US jobless aid applications drop

THE number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits has fallen sharply for a fourth straight week, in a sign the US job market may be improving. The Labor Department says weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell 29,000 last week...

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Residents urged to photograph king tides

KING tides will begin their twice-a-year run up the NSW coast early on Friday morning - and residents are being asked to get out their cameras. The tides will begin in Eden about 8.30am (AEDT), reach Sydney at 9.33am and hit Newcastle by 9.39am....

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Central banks extend currency swaps

THE world's five top central banks have agreed to extend temporary currency swap arrangements by a year, the European Central Bank says. The swap facilities were one of a range of emergency measures used by central banks to prevent the financial...

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US stocks edge up in opening trade

US stocks have edged higher as investors digest a batch of mostly positive economic data on jobs, retail sales and inflation. In the first five minutes of Thursday trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.21 points (0.08 per cent) to...

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Syrian regime 'approaching collapse': NATO

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad's regime is approaching collapse and he should take steps to begin talks on a political transition, NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen says. "I think the regime in Damascus is approaching the regime of collapse ......

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Suicide bomb targets Afghan NATO airbase

A SUICIDE car bomber has attacked a NATO airbase in southern Afghanistan just hours after the US Defence Secretary left, killing two civilians, wounding 15 and injuring four foreign soldiers. There was no indication that the attack was connected...

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US producer prices fall in November

US producer prices have fallen for the second straight month in November, the Commerce Department reports, losing 0.8 per cent in a sign inflation pressures remain muted in the economy. The main pull downward was a 4.6 per cent drop in energy...

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China car sales on track for record: GM

US car giant General Motors (GM) says its full-year sales in China, the world's biggest auto market, will surpass last year's 2.55 million and set a new record. In the first 11 months, sales of GM and its ventures in China surged 10.4 per cent...

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Hugh Jackman still eyes 007 role

HUGH Jackman is ready to don a tux and sip a martini with the Aussie screen star joking that he is willing to wait for his chance to play famous fictitious British spy James Bond. Jackman, 44, said he was too busy playing Wolverine in the X-Men...

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HK leader warns of housing 'talent drain'

HONG Kong's leader says the Chinese city needs to boost its housing supply and create more living space or the "best and the brightest" talents of the next generation will go elsewhere. Property prices in Hong Kong, one of the world's most densely...

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PR guru arrested on 'child sex' claim

British publicist Max Clifford poses for photographers as he arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice to give evidence at the Leveson Inquiry. He has been arrested on child sex abuse allegations. Source: AFP MAX Clifford, one of the UK's most...

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Homeless man charged in NY subway death

US authorities have charged a homeless man in the death of a New York resident pushed in front of an oncoming subway train and killed as onlookers watched. Naeem Davis, 30, was arraigned on Wednesday night on a second-degree murder charge and...

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US stocks open flat

US stocks are mixed in early trade as markets continue in their generally sideways drift in a patient wait for a political deal in the fiscal cliff deficit talks. After 30 minutes of trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down...

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Bus driver finds, hands in $500,000

VIENNA'S transport authority says a city bus driver checking a bag left behind by a passenger had the surprise of his life - 390,000 euros ($488,000) in neatly stacked 500-euro bills. Transit authority spokeswoman Anna-Maria Reich says the driver...

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Tough Aussie's visa battle to stay in UK

AN Australian man recognised for his bravery after suffering knife wounds while protecting elderly women on a London bus has been refused the right to remain in the UK, a newspaper reports. Tim Smits, 33, from Melbourne, was stabbed and punched...

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Russia bans 'extremist' Pussy Riot videos

A RUSSIAN court has banned access on the internet to the videos of performances by the jailed feminist punk band Pussy Riot, ruling the films to be extremist. A Moscow court declared the videos, including the infamous Punk Prayer in the Cathedral...

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Concorde manslaughter conviction overturned

A FRENCH appeals court has overturned a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people, ruling Thursday that mistakes by the company's mechanics were not enough to make...

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US stocks open higher on growth estimate

US stocks have opened higher, chasing solid gains in markets in Asia and Europe, helped by an expected strong upward revision in the US economic growth estimate for the third quarter. All major sectors were higher, led by consumer goods and...

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US economy grew stronger 2.7% in 3Q

THE US economy grew at a 2.7 per cent pace in the third quarter, faster than previously estimated, the Commerce Department says in a report that nevertheless points to a weaker fourth quarter. Gross domestic product growth was revised upward from...

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CNN names Jeff Zucker as new chief

CNN has named former NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker as its new top executive. Mr Zucker is replacing Jim Walton, who announced he was leaving this past summer. Mr Zucker takes over a network that was the first in cable news but has lagged...

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Syria 'shuts off the internet'

TWO US-based internet-monitoring companies say Syria has shut off the Internet nationwide. Activists in Syria reached Thursday by satellite telephone confirmed the unprecedented blackout, which comes amid intense fighting in the capital, Damascus....

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S&P affirms China's credit rating

STANDARD & Poor's has affirmed China's sovereign credit rating, another sign that the world's second largest economy is rebounding as Beijing prepares to usher in new leaders. The ratings agency said China's "exceptional growth prospects"...

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Halloween stampede claims fifth victim

A FIFTH young woman has died from injuries sustained in a stampede during a Halloween dance party in Madrid arena. Spanish National Radio said 20-year-old Maria Teresa Alonso died in Madrid's Fundacion Jimenez Diaz hospital from brain injuries....

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Mining magnate Palmer resigns from LNP

Billionaire Clive Palmer says he isn't worried about being kicked out of the Liberal National Party. Source: AAP CLIVE Palmer says he has resigned from the Liberal National Party, despite receiving a letter that he said reinstated his membership...

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Smartphone users: watch for online tricks

ATTENTION smartphone shoppers: watch for cyber criminals using phony apps or messages in an effort to hijack your device or steal your data. Law enforcement and security experts say that as more people use their mobile devices in stores and on...

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Five charged with Sydney home invasions

FIVE men have been charged in relation to a number of home invasions and armed robberies across Sydney. Police say two of the men allegedly broke into a man's home at Haberfield, in Sydney's inner-west, at 5.30am (AEST) on Thursday. The duo...

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Man takes hostages, demands Japan PM quit

A MAN armed with a knife has taken five people hostage at a Japanese bank, police say, with local media reporting he was demanding Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's cabinet resign. About seven hours after the drama began on Thursday the man released...

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Aussies living longer 'disability free'

AUSTRALIANS are living longer and the extra years are coming "disability free", new figures from the federal government show. In the decade to 2009, life expectancy at birth jumped 3.4 years to 79.3 for men. Life expectancy for women rose 2.4...

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Dolphin dies during disputed flight

A dolphin being flown from the Philippines to Singapore has died in transit. Source: Supplied ONE of 25 dolphins being transferred to a Singapore oceanarium despite protests from activists has died during its flight to the city-state. ...

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Girl dies in schoolies balcony fall

HUNDREDS of people have been evacuated from a high-rise hotel on the Gold Coast where a teenage girl has fallen to her death. The girl, believed to be a schoolie, fell from the Chevron Renaissance tower in Surfers Paradise. Police will only...

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Kuwait bails tweeters after emir 'insults'

A KUWAITI court has freed three Twitter users on bail after detaining them for nine days for allegedly insulting the ruler of the oil-rich Gulf state, a rights activist says. A fourth tweeter however remained in detention as his case will be...

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Romney blames Obama win on 'gifts'

FORMER Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama won re-election last week because of the "gifts" he provided to blacks, Hispanics and young voters and his effort to paint Romney as anti-immigrant. "The president's...

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Procter & Gamble plans more job cuts

CONSUMER products giant Procter & Gamble says it plans to cut more jobs and increase share repurchases as it works on its turnaround plan to focus on its most profitable categories and countries. The maker of Tide detergent and Gillette...

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Vic Ford workers face the axe

VICTORIA'S Ford workers are facing the grim prospect of arriving at their workplace for the final time on Friday as the company sheds hundreds of local jobs. After a tense night, some 200 workers will arrive to be sacked from Ford's Broadmeadows...

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Charles and Camilla to visit Christchurch

PRINCE Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will spend the final day of their six-day tour of New Zealand in quake-ravaged Christchurch. The royals are in the country on the final leg of their Diamond Jubilee tour representing...

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Spain halts evictions of most vulnerable

SPAIN has announced a two-year halt to evictions of the most vulnerable home owners as a public outcry mounts over suicides linked to desperate people facing expulsion. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's right-leaning government says it has it agreed...

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44 killed in Congo fighting

FORTY-FOUR people have been killed in new fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels, ending a two-month ceasefire. Both sides have blamed the other for starting the fighting. "The M23 has attacked us around 5am this morning," Colonel...

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Eurozone slides back into recession

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. Source: AFP THE 17-country eurozone has fallen back into recession for the first time in three years as the fallout continues from the region's financial crisis....

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Star Wars, dominoes in Toy Hall of Fame

LUKE Skywalker and Princess Leia have outmuscled little green army men for a spot in the US National Toy Hall of Fame. Star Wars action figures have joined centuries-old dominoes in the class of 2012. The hall in Rochester, New York, announced...

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Officer challenges NSW premier for inquiry

A SENIOR police investigator has publicly challenged NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to launch a royal commission into child sex abuse by clergy, saying the premier is lucky his own children haven't become victims too. Detective Chief Inspector Peter...

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US trade gap shrinks in September

THE US trade deficit narrowed in September to $US41.5 billion ($A40 billion), down from a revised $US43.8 billion in August, on a surge in exports led by industrial supplies, government data shows. Exports of goods and services jumped 3.1 per...

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US stocks recover from post-vote plunge

US stocks have edged higher in opening trade, a day after greeting President Barack Obama's re-election with a massive plunge. In the first five minutes of trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added a bare 8.29 points, or 0.06...

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Interpol elects French woman as president

INTERPOL has elected a French police commissioner known for her drive against organised crime in Bordeaux and Corsica as its first female president at its general assembly in Rome. "Mireille Balestrazzi of France becomes the first woman to be...

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26 dead in Syria clashes near border

AT LEAST 16 Syrian soldiers and 10 rebels were killed on Thursday in heavy clashes in the northwestern town of Ras al-Ain near the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Ten rebels and 16 soldiers have been killed so far...

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Ambos on amber alert over staff numbers

PARAMEDICS across NSW will don yellow vests on Friday to draw attention to what they call dangerous and chronic under-staffing. The Health Services Union (HSU) claims the state's Ambulance Service is running with 770 fewer full-time positions...

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Royals kick off Sydney visit

AFTER mingling at the Melbourne Cup, enjoying an outback Queensland barbie and sampling South Australian wine, Charles and Camilla will begin the Sydney leg of their whirlwind Australian tour on Friday. After arriving at Kingsford Smith Airport...

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