World News

News from around the planet

TV colleague witnessed abuse: court

A former colleague of television identity Gavan Disney has testified that he watched him fondle and abuse a junior colleague.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

UN chief to lobby Myanmar for Suu Kyi's release (AP)

AP - The U.N. secretary-general said ahead of his trip Friday to Myanmar that he plans to lobby the military-ruled country's top leader directly for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Read more [Yahoo World News]

Services industry shows signs of life

The cash handouts from the Federal Government appear to have helped Australia's services industry, with activity expanding for the first time in more than a year.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

FBI notes: Saddam Hussein sought familiar refuge (AP)

AP - After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein stayed in Baghdad until he saw "the city was about to fall." Months later, he was caught hiding at the same farm where he had fled in 1959 after taking part in an attempt to kill the country's prime minister.

Read more [Yahoo World News]

French: Air France plane hit the sea belly first (AP)

AP - Air France Flight 447 slammed into the Atlantic Ocean, intact and belly first, at such a high speed that the 228 people aboard probably had no time to even inflate their life jackets, French investigators said Thursday in their first report into the June 1 accident.

Read more [Yahoo World News]

Lauterstein breaks 100m swimming record

In a dream build-up for the world championships, Olympic medallist Andrew Lauterstein has broken both the Australian and Commonwealth 100m butterfly record.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

New plan aims to stop foreign student attacks

Student groups are concerned about a new plan by state and federal governments to tackle violence against international students.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Local market follows Wall St slump

Australian shares have followed Wall Street's weak lead from overnight and are down more than 1.5 per cent in early trade.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Agriculture lucks out in carbon laws: Flannery

Climate change expert Tim Flannery say agriculture will not benefit from the Federal Government's carbon legislation unless more carbon offsets are permitted.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Beattie didn't know of any Nuttall business deals, court told

The former Queensland Premier Petter Beattie has given evidence at the trial of former government minister Gordon Nuttall.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Ioane wins Reds Players' player award

Dynamic centre Digby Ioane has been awarded the Queensland Reds players' player award in recognition of his standout performance during the Super 14 season.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

Bus drivers ask for personal trainers

Overweight bus drivers are asking the New South Wales Government to pay for personal trainers and Weight Watchers programs.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Rights bill 'wouldn't change judge role'

The power of judges won't change significantly under a bill of rights, a former federal justice minister says.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

Gunns takes stake in Forest Enterprises

Woodchipper Gunns Ltd has acquired a 17.9 per cent stake in Forest Enterprises Australia Ltd at ten cents per share.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

Turnbull: bad polls won't defeat Coalition

Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says the Coalition can win the next election, despite the latest bad opinion polls.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

House gutted for $600,000 cannabis crop

A vacant suburban Sydney home was cleared to make way for a hydroponic operation in which some 300 cannabis plants were being grown, police say.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

Saying 'sorry' not enough: Brough

Mal Brough has criticised both sides of politics over the latest report on Indigenous living conditions.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Scraping by

Cash crisis leaves Ukrainian hospitals relying on charity
Read more [BBC Europe]

Peru bus collision kills 23 near Lake Titicaca (AP)

AP - Two buses crashed head-on Thursday on a mountain road near Lake Titicaca in Peru, killing at least 23 people and injuring 50 more, police said.
Read more [Yahoo World News]

Steve Waugh joins SCG Trust

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has been appointed to the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

Investors lighten Rio's debt load

Rio Tinto says it has completed one of the world's biggest rights issues now Australian shareholders have taken up almost 95 per cent of their entitlements to new shares.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Calma wants new approach to Indigenous issues

A new report shows the Federal Government needs to change its approach to Indigenous issues, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, says.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Complaint against Worth officially withdrawn

A criminal complaint against Richard Worth has been formally withdrawn. The unnamed Korean businesswoman has dropped her complaint against the former National MP. In a written statement, Wellington police say at no time did...
Read more [New Zealand Herald]

Wide gaps between NSW schools

Govt reveals schools with similar student demographics have big differences in their results.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

Grog key to Indigenous problems: Macklin

The Federal Government says there will be a renewed focus on reducing alcohol abuse to improve Indigenous living conditions.
Read more [ABC News Australia]

BHP offloads Yabulu nickel factory

BHP Billiton Ltd will sell its Yabulu nickel refinery in Queensland for an undisclosed sum and will book $US675 million ($A853.5m) in writedowns on the sale.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

Cut cable affects Chch Airport flights

Flights at Christchurch Airport have been disrupted after a communications cable was cut during development work. The incident, which happened at 8.35am, has affected check-in facilities and electronic flight information. Jetstar...
Read more [New Zealand Herald]

Green Power Takes Root in the Chinese Desert

Using carrots and sticks, Beijing is steering an immense push toward wind and solar power, while the U.S. is just starting.
Read more [International Herald Tribune]

Gillard defends Rudd's Rove appearances

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended her boss from accusations he's more happy to appear on shows like Rove than front serious TV programs.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

U.S. Job Losses Rise and Unemployment Reaches 9.5%

The pace of job losses quickened last month with the American economy shedding 467,000 jobs, as unemployment rose to its highest level in 26 years.
Read more [International Herald Tribune]

Russian forces besiege 'gunmen'

Security forces in the Russian North Caucasus city of Nalchik besiege a flat after coming under fire, Russian media report.
Read more [BBC Europe]

Services sector expands in May

Rising confidence among consumers helped lift activity in the services sector to expand for the first time in 15 months, a survey says.
Read more [The Age: Australia National]

French: Air France plane hit the sea belly first (AP)

Read more [Yahoo World News]

FBI notes: Saddam Hussein sought familiar refuge (AP)

Read more [Yahoo World News]

Marines suffer first casualties in Afghan campaign (AP)

AP - U.S. Marines suffered their first casualties of a massive new military campaign Thursday as they engaged in sporadic gunbattles along 55 miles of Taliban-controlled heartland in southern Afghanistan.