Copyright (c) 2010 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. http://news.yahoo.com/i/2119 world Australia & Oceania en-us Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:48:59 GMT 5 142 18 http://news.yahoo.com/i/2119 http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gif http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiajapanwhaling afp/20100209/australiajapanwhaling AFP world Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:48:59 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiajapanwhaling"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265690824699-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=9iC01fpweXyHl86P1_2nEw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="The Sea Shepherd ship "Bob Barker" (L) collides with Japanese harpoon ship Yushin Maru No. 3 (R) in Antarctic waters. Anti-whaling activists said Tuesday they had exchanged water cannon fire with Japanese fishermen after ambushing them in Antarctic waters.(AFP/Sea Shepherd Conservation Society/Glenn Lockitch)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Anti-whaling activists said Tuesday they had exchanged water cannon fire with Japanese fishermen after ambushing them in Antarctic waters.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiajapanwhaling"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265690824699-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=9iC01fpweXyHl86P1_2nEw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="The Sea Shepherd ship "Bob Barker" (L) collides with Japanese harpoon ship Yushin Maru No. 3 (R) in Antarctic waters. Anti-whaling activists said Tuesday they had exchanged water cannon fire with Japanese fishermen after ambushing them in Antarctic waters.(AFP/Sea Shepherd Conservation Society/Glenn Lockitch)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100209/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_eating_a_rat ap/20100209/as_australia_eating_a_rat AP world Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:56:11 GMT AP - A British broadcaster has been convicted of animal cruelty after two reality show contestants skinned, cooked and ate a rat during filming in Australia. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/ts_afp/australiachinaresourcesminingcoalhongkong afp/20100209/australiachinaresourcesminingcoalhongkong AFP topstories Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:38:12 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/ts_afp/australiachinaresourcesminingcoalhongkong"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265703646076-4-0.jpg?x=130&y=84&q=85&sig=0EnMxWNFs_fuXQMzLWHAHw--" align="left" height="84" width="130" alt="A BHP Billiton-issued photo shows the Illawarra coal mine in New South Wales. Australian mining company Resourcehouse Tuesday admitted giving the wrong name for a Chinese firm involved in a 60-billion-US-dollar coal deal, but insisted the agreement was genuine.(AFP/BHP Billiton/File)" border="0" /></a>AFP - An Australian mining company Tuesday admitted giving the wrong name for a Chinese firm involved in a 60-billion-US-dollar coal deal, but insisted the agreement was genuine.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/ts_afp/australiachinaresourcesminingcoalhongkong"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265703646076-4-0.jpg?x=130&y=84&q=85&sig=0EnMxWNFs_fuXQMzLWHAHw--" align="left" height="84" width="130" alt="photo" title="A BHP Billiton-issued photo shows the Illawarra coal mine in New South Wales. Australian mining company Resourcehouse Tuesday admitted giving the wrong name for a Chinese firm involved in a 60-billion-US-dollar coal deal, but insisted the agreement was genuine.(AFP/BHP Billiton/File)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiaindiacrimeeducation afp/20100209/australiaindiacrimeeducation AFP world Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:05:45 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiaindiacrimeeducation"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265684805004-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=80&q=85&sig=qvHAkithBjcycupnPK86FA--" align="left" height="80" width="130" alt="Indian activists of National Akali Dal hold an image of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as they shout slogans against racial attacks on Indians in Australia during a protest in New Delhi on January 17. Australia's foreign minister told parliament some of the recent violence against Indian students had clearly been racially motivated and had "considerably damaged" the nation's reputation.(AFP/File/Prakash Singh)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australia's foreign minister Tuesday told parliament some of the recent violence against Indian students had clearly been racially motivated and had "considerably damaged" the nation's reputation.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiaindiacrimeeducation"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265684805004-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=80&q=85&sig=qvHAkithBjcycupnPK86FA--" align="left" height="80" width="130" alt="photo" title="Indian activists of National Akali Dal hold an image of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as they shout slogans against racial attacks on Indians in Australia during a protest in New Delhi on January 17. Australia's foreign minister told parliament some of the recent violence against Indian students had clearly been racially motivated and had "considerably damaged" the nation's reputation.(AFP/File/Prakash Singh)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiaindiachinaracism afp/20100209/australiaindiachinaracism AFP world Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:07:53 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiaindiachinaracism"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265684805004-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=80&q=85&sig=qvHAkithBjcycupnPK86FA--" align="left" height="80" width="130" alt="Indian activists of National Akali Dal hold an image of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as they shout slogans against racial attacks on Indians in Australia during a protest in New Delhi on January 17. Australia's foreign minister told parliament some of the recent violence against Indian students had clearly been racially motivated and had "considerably damaged" the nation's reputation.(AFP/File/Prakash Singh)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his Chinese son-in-law has worried him with stories about racism, but he believes Australia is a tolerant country despite recent violence against Asians.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/wl_asia_afp/australiaindiachinaracism"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100209/capt.photo_1265684805004-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=80&q=85&sig=qvHAkithBjcycupnPK86FA--" align="left" height="80" width="130" alt="photo" title="Indian activists of National Akali Dal hold an image of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as they shout slogans against racial attacks on Indians in Australia during a protest in New Delhi on January 17. Australia's foreign minister told parliament some of the recent violence against Indian students had clearly been racially motivated and had "considerably damaged" the nation's reputation.(AFP/File/Prakash Singh)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100208/wl_asia_afp/australiaitfacebookaccident afp/20100208/australiaitfacebookaccident AFP world Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:57:51 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100208/wl_asia_afp/australiaitfacebookaccident"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100208/capt.photo_1265619412351-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=70&q=85&sig=eSywiuG51zI1flk11VfDzw--" align="left" height="70" width="130" alt="The logo of social networking website 'Facebook' is displayed on a computer screen. Australian twins Angela and Maryanne Vourlis learned their teenage brother had died in a car crash from reading the website, after a police delay in informing the family, a newspaper has reported.(AFP/File/Leon Neal)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australian twins Angela and Maryanne Vourlis learned their teenage brother had died in a car crash from reading Facebook, after a police delay in informing the family, a newspaper reported Monday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100208/wl_asia_afp/australiaitfacebookaccident"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100208/capt.photo_1265619412351-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=70&q=85&sig=eSywiuG51zI1flk11VfDzw--" align="left" height="70" width="130" alt="photo" title="The logo of social networking website 'Facebook' is displayed on a computer screen. Australian twins Angela and Maryanne Vourlis learned their teenage brother had died in a car crash from reading the website, after a police delay in informing the family, a newspaper has reported.(AFP/File/Leon Neal)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100208/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_immigration ap/20100208/as_australia_immigration AP world Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:14:47 GMT AP - Australia tightened its migration rules Monday in favor of English speakers and professionals, saying the country has been attracting too many hairdressers and cooks and too few doctors and engineers. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100208/wl_asia_afp/australiapoliticsimmigrationeducationindia afp/20100208/australiapoliticsimmigrationeducationindia AFP world Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:05:37 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100208/wl_asia_afp/australiapoliticsimmigrationeducationindia"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100208/capt.photo_1265609084580-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=100&q=85&sig=tXSom02mKwEI331GBglu_A--" align="left" height="100" width="130" alt="People pass a sign for a Melbourne-based university in the Australian city. The country has axed 20,000 migrant applications in a major overhaul aimed at clamping down on foreign students gaining permanent residency through courses such as hairdressing and cookery.(AFP/File/William West)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australia on Monday axed 20,000 migrant applications in a major overhaul aimed at clamping down on foreign students gaining permanent residency through courses such as hairdressing and cookery.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100208/wl_asia_afp/australiapoliticsimmigrationeducationindia"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100208/capt.photo_1265609084580-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=100&q=85&sig=tXSom02mKwEI331GBglu_A--" align="left" height="100" width="130" alt="photo" title="People pass a sign for a Melbourne-based university in the Australian city. The country has axed 20,000 migrant applications in a major overhaul aimed at clamping down on foreign students gaining permanent residency through courses such as hairdressing and cookery.(AFP/File/William West)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100207/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfireanniversary afp/20100207/australiaweatherfireanniversary AFP world Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:53:49 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100207/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfireanniversary"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100207/capt.photo_1265523248367-1-0.jpg?x=91&y=130&q=85&sig=saRbR6OYBGB48Yt8sqPOqw--" align="left" height="130" width="91" alt="The tree of light, a candelabra with 150 candles representing each of the communities affected by Australia's Black Saturday bushfires. A remembrance service was held at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne on a national day of mourning to mark the first anniversary of the fires.(AFP/Paul Crock)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australians marked the first anniversary of devastating wildfires that killed 173 people, grieving for those who lost their lives and praying for the survivors in a national day of mourning Sunday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100207/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfireanniversary"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100207/capt.photo_1265523248367-1-0.jpg?x=91&y=130&q=85&sig=saRbR6OYBGB48Yt8sqPOqw--" align="left" height="130" width="91" alt="photo" title="The tree of light, a candelabra with 150 candles representing each of the communities affected by Australia's Black Saturday bushfires. A remembrance service was held at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne on a national day of mourning to mark the first anniversary of the fires.(AFP/Paul Crock)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100207/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_wildfires ap/20100207/as_australia_wildfires AP world Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:26:40 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100207/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_wildfires"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100207/capt.ec479522b4e04e35a784c850bf87a706.australia_wildfires_kin105.jpg?x=104&y=130&q=85&sig=hy98JV43D3n1I3Si8U5bCA--" align="left" height="130" width="104" alt="Residents from the town of Kinglake gather to thank firefighters during a one-year anniversary memorial in Kinglake, Australia Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. A remembrance service was held to honor the 173 people killed during the Feb 7, 2009 fires. (AP Photo/Paul Jones)" border="0" /></a>AP - Releasing butterflies to honor the dead, Australians marked the one-year anniversary of the country's worst-ever wildfires Sunday in big-city cathedrals and small towns still bearing burn scars.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100207/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_wildfires"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100207/capt.ec479522b4e04e35a784c850bf87a706.australia_wildfires_kin105.jpg?x=104&y=130&q=85&sig=hy98JV43D3n1I3Si8U5bCA--" align="left" height="130" width="104" alt="photo" title="Residents from the town of Kinglake gather to thank firefighters during a one-year anniversary memorial in Kinglake, Australia Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. A remembrance service was held to honor the 173 people killed during the Feb 7, 2009 fires. (AP Photo/Paul Jones)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100206/ts_afp/australiachinaresourcesminingcoal afp/20100206/australiachinaresourcesminingcoal AFP topstories Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:22:18 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100206/ts_afp/australiachinaresourcesminingcoal"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100206/capt.photo_1265429475503-4-0.jpg?x=130&y=92&q=85&sig=iEgb2YVen1aMW32x5aBDMg--" align="left" height="92" width="130" alt="This file photo shows an operational coal mine in Australia. Australian miner Resourcehouse said on Saturday it had signed a $60 bln coal deal with China, describing it as the country's "biggest-ever export contract."(AFP/File/Paul Crock)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australian miner Resourcehouse said Saturday it had signed a 60-billion-US-dollar coal deal with energy-hungry China, calling it the country's "biggest-ever export contract."</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100206/ts_afp/australiachinaresourcesminingcoal"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100206/capt.photo_1265429475503-4-0.jpg?x=130&y=92&q=85&sig=iEgb2YVen1aMW32x5aBDMg--" align="left" height="92" width="130" alt="photo" title="This file photo shows an operational coal mine in Australia. Australian miner Resourcehouse said on Saturday it had signed a $60 bln coal deal with China, describing it as the country's "biggest-ever export contract."(AFP/File/Paul Crock)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100205/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_attacks_on_indians ap/20100205/as_australia_attacks_on_indians AP world Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:10:51 GMT AP - A spate of violent attacks on Indians in Australia is straining bilateral relations and costing Australian universities lucrative foreign student revenue. There is sharp debate, however, about whether racism is at the root of the problem. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_asia_afp/australiatechnologyinternettwitterreligion afp/20100205/australiatechnologyinternettwitterreligion AFP world Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:04:11 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_asia_afp/australiatechnologyinternettwitterreligion"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265357011737-1-0.jpg?x=96&y=130&q=85&sig=yAjGnlabmg9cLCNzeSN_yQ--" align="left" height="130" width="96" alt="A bronze statue of Mary MacKillop. An Australian nun has taken to Twitter on behalf of saint-in-waiting MacKillop, bringing the late sister's messages of hope and forgiveness to a new audience a century after she died.(AFP/Pool/File/Reginato Anthony)" border="0" /></a>AFP - An Australian nun has taken to Twitter on behalf of saint-in-waiting Mary MacKillop, bringing the late sister's messages of hope and forgiveness to a new audience a century after she died.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_asia_afp/australiatechnologyinternettwitterreligion"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265357011737-1-0.jpg?x=96&y=130&q=85&sig=yAjGnlabmg9cLCNzeSN_yQ--" align="left" height="130" width="96" alt="photo" title="A bronze statue of Mary MacKillop. An Australian nun has taken to Twitter on behalf of saint-in-waiting MacKillop, bringing the late sister's messages of hope and forgiveness to a new audience a century after she died.(AFP/Pool/File/Reginato Anthony)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_sthasia_afp/australiaindiaeconomybank afp/20100205/australiaindiaeconomybank AFP world Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:57:44 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_sthasia_afp/australiaindiaeconomybank"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265352830187-1-0.jpg?x=91&y=130&q=85&sig=S7RhYmuwAsK06.4YgJWFqA--" align="left" height="130" width="91" alt="Conveyor belts carry coal from the mine to the Loy Yang B power station in the Latrobe Valley, 150km east of Melbourne, in August 2009. Australia's coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to India are set to climb as the South Asian nation's economy undergoes rapid growth, Australia's central bank said Friday.(AFP/File/Paul Crock)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australia's coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to India are set to climb as the South Asian nation's economy undergoes rapid growth, Australia's central bank said Friday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_sthasia_afp/australiaindiaeconomybank"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265352830187-1-0.jpg?x=91&y=130&q=85&sig=S7RhYmuwAsK06.4YgJWFqA--" align="left" height="130" width="91" alt="photo" title="Conveyor belts carry coal from the mine to the Loy Yang B power station in the Latrobe Valley, 150km east of Melbourne, in August 2009. Australia's coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to India are set to climb as the South Asian nation's economy undergoes rapid growth, Australia's central bank said Friday.(AFP/File/Paul Crock)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_afp/australiacrimeblast afp/20100205/australiacrimeblast AFP world Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:55:29 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_afp/australiacrimeblast"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265351964802-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=112&q=85&sig=N3jNvYm79orwQtuT.jRfiQ--" align="left" height="112" width="130" alt="An ABC court illustration shows a 45-year-old, known only as Bird, appearing in Darwin Magistrates Court on February 5, handcuffed and barefoot and wearing a mask of black netting over his eyes and head and light-coloured cloth around his mouth and neck. Bird is charged with nine counts of attempted murder after he allegedly firebombed the TIO Insurance and Banking office in Darwin on February 3.(AFP/ABC News/Ho/Elizabeth Howell)" border="0" /></a>AFP - The man accused of firebombing an Australian insurance office, injuring 19 people, appeared in court Friday charged with nine counts of attempted murder.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_afp/australiacrimeblast"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265351964802-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=112&q=85&sig=N3jNvYm79orwQtuT.jRfiQ--" align="left" height="112" width="130" alt="photo" title="An ABC court illustration shows a 45-year-old, known only as Bird, appearing in Darwin Magistrates Court on February 5, handcuffed and barefoot and wearing a mask of black netting over his eyes and head and light-coloured cloth around his mouth and neck. Bird is charged with nine counts of attempted murder after he allegedly firebombed the TIO Insurance and Banking office in Darwin on February 3.(AFP/ABC News/Ho/Elizabeth Howell)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_asia_afp/australiamusiccourtoffbeat afp/20100205/australiamusiccourtoffbeat AFP world Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:36:06 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_asia_afp/australiamusiccourtoffbeat"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265253684381-2-0.jpg?x=101&y=130&q=85&sig=9xK_1rpTeIcvb.VB4rBFtg--" align="left" height="130" width="101" alt="File photo of a Kookaburra sitting on a railing in the Hunter Valley, Australia. Australian band Men at Work were found guilty Thursday of plagiarising children's ditty "Kookaburra" in their 1980s hit "Down Under" after a court battle involving two of the nation's most iconic songs.(AFP/File/Greg Wood)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Men At Work singer Colin Hay on Friday hit out at a court case which found his iconic "Down Under" anthem plagiarised a well-known Girl Guides ditty, describing it as "opportunistic greed".</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_asia_afp/australiamusiccourtoffbeat"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100205/capt.photo_1265253684381-2-0.jpg?x=101&y=130&q=85&sig=9xK_1rpTeIcvb.VB4rBFtg--" align="left" height="130" width="101" alt="photo" title="File photo of a Kookaburra sitting on a railing in the Hunter Valley, Australia. Australian band Men at Work were found guilty Thursday of plagiarising children's ditty "Kookaburra" in their 1980s hit "Down Under" after a court battle involving two of the nation's most iconic songs.(AFP/File/Greg Wood)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100205/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand_cheetah_breakout ap/20100205/as_new_zealand_cheetah_breakout AP world Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:52:53 GMT AP - Three cheetahs swam a moat and crawled through a hole in a rusty fence to escape their enclosure and then briefly roamed inside a wildlife park in New Zealand. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfirespolitics afp/20100204/australiaweatherfirespolitics AFP world Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:19:01 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfirespolitics"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100204/capt.photo_1265267881847-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=71&q=85&sig=Gf4UZOiXJKLb79WFUEyrvw--" align="left" height="71" width="130" alt="New growth appears on trees behind the headstones of those lost during the Black Saturday bushfire, in Marysville on February 4, 2010. Special church services on February 7, 2010 will mark the first anniversary of the Black Saturday firestorm which thundered through 78 communities with the force of 1,500 Hiroshima atomic bombs, killing 173 people, 23 of whom were children.(AFP/William West)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd paid tribute Thursday to the "extraordinary courage" of survivors of the 'Black Saturday' wildfires ahead of the disaster's first anniversary.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfirespolitics"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100204/capt.photo_1265267881847-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=71&q=85&sig=Gf4UZOiXJKLb79WFUEyrvw--" align="left" height="71" width="130" alt="photo" title="New growth appears on trees behind the headstones of those lost during the Black Saturday bushfire, in Marysville on February 4, 2010. Special church services on February 7, 2010 will mark the first anniversary of the Black Saturday firestorm which thundered through 78 communities with the force of 1,500 Hiroshima atomic bombs, killing 173 people, 23 of whom were children.(AFP/William West)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfires afp/20100204/australiaweatherfires AFP world Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:23:25 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfires"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100204/capt.photo_1265264431418-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=80&q=85&sig=GgFUoGgsY8tg9FcNVCsPQw--" align="left" height="80" width="130" alt="Australian Country Fire Authority staff monitor a giant fire raging in the Bunyip State Park near Labertouche, west of Melbourne, on February 7, 2009. Survivors of the fires in 2009 report nightmares and flashbacks to harrowing moments of escape, watching as loved ones were engulfed in flames. The 'Black Saturday' fires thundered through 78 communities killing 173 people, including 23 children(AFP/File/William West)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Twelve months after devastating firestorms reduced his home to ashes, Eugene Howe contemplates the first anniversary of Australia's worst natural disaster with a mix of hope and dread.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_asia_afp/australiaweatherfires"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100204/capt.photo_1265264431418-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=80&q=85&sig=GgFUoGgsY8tg9FcNVCsPQw--" align="left" height="80" width="130" alt="photo" title="Australian Country Fire Authority staff monitor a giant fire raging in the Bunyip State Park near Labertouche, west of Melbourne, on February 7, 2009. Survivors of the fires in 2009 report nightmares and flashbacks to harrowing moments of escape, watching as loved ones were engulfed in flames. The 'Black Saturday' fires thundered through 78 communities killing 173 people, including 23 children(AFP/File/William West)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_mideast_afp/australiairannuclearpolitics afp/20100204/australiairannuclearpolitics AFP world Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:12:48 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_mideast_afp/australiairannuclearpolitics"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100204/capt.photo_1265252868751-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=hXHnVD3j9Ty1.mffrZe.5g--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="Australia has blocked three cargo shipments to Iran under laws aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Thursday. Defence Minister John Faulkner invoked the rarely used Weapons of Mass Destruction Act to block the shipments, Rudd said.(AFP/File/Greg Wood)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Australia has blocked three cargo shipments to Iran under laws aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Thursday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_mideast_afp/australiairannuclearpolitics"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100204/capt.photo_1265252868751-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=hXHnVD3j9Ty1.mffrZe.5g--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="Australia has blocked three cargo shipments to Iran under laws aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Thursday. Defence Minister John Faulkner invoked the rarely used Weapons of Mass Destruction Act to block the shipments, Rudd said.(AFP/File/Greg Wood)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP)