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Tony Abbott leaves door open on aged pension changes
Free-trade deal with Japan not a certainty, says Tony Abbott
MH370: possible black box 'pings' spur on search for missing airliner
How the Ukraine crisis is affecting Russians in Moscow-on-Thames
Gold Coast raids on nightclubs and homes net millions in drugs and cash
Abbott claims vindication on carbon tax from Senate vote in Western Australia
Church of England suspends Midlands vicar as it looks into role in Rwanda genocide
Middle East: does either side have the will to strive for peace?
Football-mad president plays on while Burundi fears the return of civil war
Obama congratulates Afghanistan on election turnout
Tony Abbott's negotiating skills will be put to the test under new Senate
Rahul Gandhi faces poll disaster as India is set for historic vote
Voters punish major parties in Western Australian Senate election rerun
Mormon leader reiterates church's opposition to same-sex marriage
Chinese ship detects 'ping' but time is running out for Malaysia flight MH370
National Civil Rights Museum reopens in Memphis after $27.5m renovation
Israel negotiator: US should change its role in Middle East peace talks
Mourners in Washington state gather to remember mudslide victims
Secret 'Cuban Twitter' program poses challenge for bloggers and exiles
Afghanistan presidential election hit by unexpected problem too many voters
MH370: Chinese patrol ship detects ping near suspected location of plane
Obama: GOP budget would make life harder for middle-class Americans
Afghanistan presidential election - in pictures
Mafia boss Domenico Rancadore in custody after rearrest in London

Tony Abbott leaves door open on aged pension changes

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:55 PM PDT

PM declines to rule out changes such as raising pension age, instead telling pensioners he will get rid of the carbon tax

Tony Abbott has left the door open to making changes to the aged pension after reports the Commission of Audit recommended it be indexed differently.

The prime minister refused to rule out changes when directly asked, instead saying he could reassure pensioners he would get rid of the carbon tax.

Free-trade deal with Japan not a certainty, says Tony Abbott

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:29 PM PDT

Agreement hits a snag on agriculture but the prime minister is still hopeful of striking a deal

Tony Abbott has cast doubt on whether or not he will secure a free-trade agreement with Japan on his Asian visit because negotiations have apparently stalled on the issue of agriculture.

The prime minister arrived in Japan on Saturday. On Sunday, Abbott said that while he was optimistic about an agreement being reached, he was unsure that would happen during his week-long trade visit to Asia.

MH370: possible black box 'pings' spur on search for missing airliner

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:16 PM PDT

Australia announces one of its vessels picked up an underwater signal, adding to two detections by Chinese ship

Australian and Chinese vessels have both picked up acoustic "pings" that could be from the black box of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, search officials have announced.

The hunt for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 continued as Australian authorities responded to reports that a Chinese patrol ship had detected ultrasonic pings matching the frequency put out by the beacon on a flight recorder. Angus Houston, the Australian retired air chief marshal in charge of the search, announced on Sunday that underwater detection gear towed behind an Australian navy ship, the Ocean Shield, had also detected a sound.

How the Ukraine crisis is affecting Russians in Moscow-on-Thames

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:00 PM PDT

There are now 150,000 Russian expats living in London and the crisis in Crimea is forcing them to take sides between east and west. Viv Groskop asks the residents of Moscow-on-Thames what the Motherland means to them

"There are two sides to this story. And they are both right," Galina Pentecost sighs. "People like clean-cut, easy-to-follow narratives. This isn't one." Born and raised in Yakutsk, in the remote east of Russia, she takes a pragmatic view of the Ukrainian situation. I see the Russian side. And I understand their position in thinking Crimea belongs to them. But I also see the Ukrainian side.

Pentecost has lived in southwest London for 12 years and has Russian, British and Canadian passports. "I do feel Russian, especially now," she says. A recent graduate of the London Business School's Executive MBA programme, she is chief financial officer for an internet start-up. "Having lived outside Russia for so long, I don't feel entangled in all the patriotism. But I'm careful about what I say and who I talk to, because I know how sensitive it is."

Gold Coast raids on nightclubs and homes net millions in drugs and cash

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:45 PM PDT

Police target bikies and nightclubs in Surfers Paradise after an 18-month investigation into drug-trafficking

Prominent figures in the Gold Coast's nightclub industry have been arrested in a drug sting that also targeted outlaw bikie associates, Queensland police have announced.

Two Surfers Paradise clubs were raided on Friday night and a number of homes on the Gold Coast, in Sydney and at Airlie Beach were searched in the past three days, after a 19-month-long investigation involving about 100 police officers into drug trafficking. Police allege that members of the Bandidos, Finks, Mongols, Rebels, Highway 61 and Lone Wolf bikie gangs were involved.

Abbott claims vindication on carbon tax from Senate vote in Western Australia

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:56 PM PDT

Government still determined to abolish carbon and mining taxes despite swing from Liberals and wins for Greens and Palmer

Tony Abbott has not interpreted the swing against the government in Western Australia as a message from the electorate on the carbon tax, saying the Coalition is as determined as ever to scrap it.

Abbott said the 5.6% swing in the Senate election rerun was typical and one of voters main expectations was that the government would get rid of the carbon and mining taxes.

Church of England suspends Midlands vicar as it looks into role in Rwanda genocide

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:05 PM PDT

Former archbishop of Rwanda says he warned Anglican church that clergy backgrounds had not been fully checked

A former Anglican archbishop of Rwanda has challenged a claim by the Church of England that he endorsed the appointment of a priest in Worcestershire who is under investigation over accusations that he was complicit in the 1994 genocide.

As Rwanda prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the genocide tomorrow, the church said that Bishop Jonathan Ruhumuliza has been suspended while it looks into "disturbing" accusations, brought to its attention by the Observer in February, that he was a propagandist for the regime responsible for the murder of 800,000 Tutsis and was implicated in killings.

Middle East: does either side have the will to strive for peace?

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:05 PM PDT

The US diplomatic push has turned into mission impossible as Netanyahu's determination to hang on to power at all cost, combined with serious splits in the Palestinian camp, threaten to wreck the peace process by the end of the month

A year before his appointment by President Barack Obama as special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Martin Indyk gave an interview, on a balcony at the historic King David hotel in Jerusalem, with the influential Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea.

It was the spring of 2012, and peace talks were in the middle of a three-year hiatus. Indyk's assessment then for the prospects of a deal between Israelis and Palestinians was bleak.

Football-mad president plays on while Burundi fears the return of civil war

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 04:05 PM PDT

In the poorest country in the world, President Pierre Nkurunziza is intent, say opponents, on hanging on to power and his private stadium

It's about midday as four ragged-trousered labourers, hoes on their shoulders, climb a hill in Burundi and spot a foreigner with a camera. "You can't take pictures of that," they warn him, pointing at what looks like a castle rising out of the trees at the crest of the hill. It belongs to the president, they explain. "You'll get in trouble."

The president in question is Pierre Nkurunziza, Burundi's leader since a peace deal ended a 12-year civil war which more people would have heard of had it not coincided with the genocide 20 years ago this month in neighbouring Rwanda.

Obama congratulates Afghanistan on election turnout

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:45 PM PDT

According to preliminary estimates, about 58% of eligible voters turned out for presidential vote

President Barack Obama congratulated the millions of people in Afghanistan who voted in the country's presidential election on Saturday, calling the event a milestone in their drive to take full responsibility for their country.

Turnout was 7 million out of 12 million eligible voters, or about 58%, according to preliminary estimates in what will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power in a country plagued by conflict.

Tony Abbott's negotiating skills will be put to the test under new Senate

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:25 PM PDT

The success of the Coalition's legislative agenda now depends on their ability to shepherd bills through the Senate via deals with a diverse group of crossbenchers

After years in opposition alleging Labor did grubby political deals to win support in the parliament, Tony Abbott is going to have to find new negotiating skills to get his own legislative agenda through an unwieldy and unpredictable senate after July.

Under one possible outcome in the WA Senate rerun (Labor winning the final seat) if Labor and the Greens oppose a bill, Abbott is going to need the Senate votes of the Palmer United party bloc and also three votes from a diverse group of four Independent Nick Xenophon, the DLPs John Madigan, Family Firsts Bob Day and the Liberal Democratic partys David Leyonhjelm. Labor and the Greens would need only two of the crossbench to join with them to win the 38 votes needed to block a bill.

Rahul Gandhi faces poll disaster as India is set for historic vote

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 01:14 PM PDT

Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi given scent of outright victory by opinion polls on eve of India's general election

Two polls released hours before voting starts in India's general election show the Hindu nationalist opposition set for a huge victory with the ruling Congress party facing a debacle.

The two main contenders in the increasingly bitter battle to lead the world's biggest democracy intensified their campaigning and their personal duel before the first of 815million eligible voters head to the polls on Monday.

Voters punish major parties in Western Australian Senate election rerun

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:54 PM PDT

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam and Palmer United party's Dio Wang both set to secure spots, along with two Liberals and one Labor candidate, and final Senate seat still to be determined

The Greens and the Palmer United Party are each set to win a Senate seat as voters punished the major parties in a rerun Western Australian ballot that will determine the makeup of the upper house and its decisions on the Abbott governments legislative agenda.

The result means the Coalition will be forced to get the votes of the PUP Senate bloc, as well as either two or three other crossbench senators, for every bill opposed by Labor and the Greens.

Mormon leader reiterates church's opposition to same-sex marriage

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:37 PM PDT

Neil L Andersen said during the church's biannual conference that though others had redefined marriage, 'the Lord has not'

A Mormon leader on Saturday reiterated the church's opposition to gay marriage.

Neil L Andersen, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve, said during the church's biannual general conference in Salt Lake City: "While many governments and well-meaning individuals have redefined marriage, the Lord has not.

Chinese ship detects 'ping' but time is running out for Malaysia flight MH370

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:22 PM PDT

Pulse signal matches that of aircraft's black box recorder but batteries are about to expire

The news that a Chinese ship has picked up a pulse signal whose frequency matches that of an aircraft's black box recorder raises hopes that the mystery of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 may be resolved in the near future.

With the batteries on the device expected to expire as early as Monday experts had warned that they were running out of time in their battle to use the plane's electronics to trace the flight.

National Civil Rights Museum reopens in Memphis after $27.5m renovation

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 11:53 AM PDT

Museum reopened day after 46th anniversary of MLK death
New interactive exhibits on offer for 200,000 annual visitors

The National Civil Rights Museum, housed in the converted motel where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, reopened on Saturday after a $27.5m renovation, offering new interactive exhibits chronicling the civil rights movement.

The museum reopened one day after the 46th anniversary of King's death. On 4 April 1968, the civil rights leader was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in downtown Memphis.

Israel negotiator: US should change its role in Middle East peace talks

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:42 AM PDT

Tzipi Livni called on US to allow for more direct talks between Israel and Palestine as current talks veered towards collapse

The US should change its role in the Middle East peace process, allowing for more direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Israel's chief negotiator said on Saturday.

The US-brokered peace talks veered toward collapse this week, prompting a warning from secretary of state John Kerry on Friday that Washington was evaluating whether it was worth continuing its role in the negotiations.

Mourners in Washington state gather to remember mudslide victims

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 10:16 AM PDT

Prayer service honouring 30 confirmed dead is first of a series of memorial events, as the search continues for more victims

Mourners were set to gather on Saturday to remember two women killed in last month's Washington state mudslide, in the first of a series of memorial events for the more than two dozen dead, even as the search continues for more victims.

On Friday night, Governor Jay Inslee was among several hundred people who gathered for an interdenominational prayer service honouring the victims, families and rescuers affected by the mudslide.

Secret 'Cuban Twitter' program poses challenge for bloggers and exiles

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:56 AM PDT

Finding that program funded by USAid could be damaging to groups working to increase access to technology, say analysts

The revelation that a US government-funded program set up a cellphone-based social network in Cuba is likely to pose new challenges for independent bloggers and exile groups that work to increase access to technology.

Yoani Sanchez, the island's most prominent dissident, began her activism with a blog and now has nearly 600,000 followers on Twitter. She also is on the verge of starting a digital news project.

Afghanistan presidential election hit by unexpected problem too many voters

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:31 AM PDT

Country braced for fraud and Taliban violence but failed to anticipate Afghans flocking to elect Hamid Karzai's successor

In anxious preparation for a historic presidential election, Afghanistan fortified its cities against attack, primed observers to detect fraud ... then was blind-sided by a problem no one had even dared to imagine unprecedented voter enthusiasm.

Defying Taliban threats and the more mundane challenge of rainy weather, Afghans flocked to the polls in such high numbers that ballots were running out in some places by midday. Soon, more than a third of provinces were reporting shortfalls, and as the scale of the problem emerged election organisers scrambled to respond.

MH370: Chinese patrol ship detects ping near suspected location of plane

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 09:11 AM PDT

Haixun 01 records signal with same frequency as black box pulse as search continues for missing Malaysian Airlines flight

A Chinese patrol ship has detected an ultrasonic pulse close to where the missing Malaysia Airlines plane is believed to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, state media announced late on Saturday.

Australian search authorities said such a signal would be "consistent" with a black box but both they and China's state news agency, Xinhua, stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking the "ping" to flight MH370 as the search entered its fifth week. Xinhua, which has a reporter on board the vessel, said the pulse had been detected by the patrol ship Haixun's black box detector at around 25 degrees south and 101 degrees east, within the 84,000-sq-mile search zone.

Obama: GOP budget would make life harder for middle-class Americans

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 08:10 AM PDT

Remarks made in weekly presidential address amid discouraging recent poll results showing Republican gains

President Barack Obama on Saturday used his weekly presidential address to criticise the Republican budget proposal released this week by Congressman Paul Ryan, saying it would shrink opportunity and make life harder for middle-class Americans. There was discouraging news for Obama and congressional Democrats, however, in the release of an Associated Press-GfK poll that showed Republican gains since January.

The AP-GfK poll, which was carried out in March, eight months ahead of this year's midterm elections, showed 37% of respondents saying they would prefer Republicans to be in control of Congress, to 36% in favour of Democrat control. The previous such poll, carried out in January, gave Democrats a 37% to 32% lead.

Afghanistan presidential election - in pictures

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 07:43 AM PDT

Afghans defy threats of violence by the Taliban and take to their local polling stations to vote in the presidential elections Continue reading...

Mafia boss Domenico Rancadore in custody after rearrest in London

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 07:22 AM PDT

New European arrest warrant issued for convicted mob leader a month after he won legal fight against extradition to Italy

The convicted mafia boss Domenico Rancadore has been remanded in custody after appearing in court over his connections to the crime syndicate following his rearrest.

Officers from the Metropolitan police's extradition unit detained the 65-year-old in Uxbridge, west London, on Friday after they received a new European arrest warrant request from Italy.