Ducks return to memorial for Royal visit

THE Australian War Memorial has some special guests for the visit of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Overnight a family of ducks resumed residence in the Pool of Reflection which holds the eternal flame.

The mother, with her new ducklings, returns to the war memorial every year from Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin.

Memorial spokeswoman Marylou Pooley said staff looked forward to the duck family taking up residence.

"It is lovely to see new life in a commemorative area that represents so much sadness," she told reporters on Saturday.

"This year the timing of the ducklings' arrival is even more poignant."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Royal couple lay wreath at war memorial

THE Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have wound up their Australian tour with a visit to The Australian War Memorial.

There they laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the haunting sounds of a bugle.

Later the royal couple walked down the colonnade past the names of Australia's war dead, inspecting the section which lists those who died in Afghanistan.

The Roll of Honour is updated each Remembrance Day with the names of those killed in action during the year.

After signing the visitors' book, Prince Charles and the Duchess shook hands and chatted with members of the several hundred strong crowd gathered outside the memorial.

Earlier the pair arrived to calls of "Charles, Charles! I love you Charles!"

British expat Mark Rowan, 48, was proud to be amongst the crowd.

Mr Rowan moved to Australia five months ago and works for the Royal Australian Navy.

"In this day and age, especially with the republican side of things, you're never too sure but it's a good turnout," he told AAP.

Mr Rowan was joined by his eight-year-old daughter Bethany who was waving a Union Jack flag with a picture of Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince Charles and the Duchess were on their way to Canberra airport where they will board a plane for New Zealand.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Massive fire in Mackay shops under control

A MASSIVE fire that gutted four shopping outlets in north Queensland has been brought under control.

Emergency services received reports of a fire in a shopping centre on Greenfield Boulevard, Mackay, at 11.45am (AEST) on Saturday.

The Department of Community Safety (DCS) says at 3pm (AEST) the main fire, which destroyed most of the Toys R Us, Clark Rubber and Autobarn stores, had been put out and firefighters were hosing down remanent flames.

No one was injured.

A public safety order is still in place because of police concerns about toxic smoke from burning chemicals in some of the shops.

A nearby shop worker, who did not want to be named, said witnesses saw four teenagers being arrested in the carpark.

"They (the teenagers) were in our shop this morning, we hunted them out. They were being horrible in here," she told AAP.

"Officers have put those young people in a paddy wagon."

Police couldn't confirm whether any arrests had been made, but the DCS confirmed a fire investigator would be brought in to work out how the blaze started.

Drivers are being warned to expect long delays on the Bruce Highway, which is next to the shopping centre.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

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 on Thursday night, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will make their first stop at Garden Island in Sydney Harbour, where they will meet Australian Defence Force personnel and their families.

From there, Charles is to attend a Campaign for Wool event at Circular Quay, before heading to Bondi for an emergency services reception hosted by NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell.

The Prince will then attend a corporate social responsibility function put on by the National Rugby League and Community One, also at Bondi.

Meanwhile, Camilla will be appointed colonel-in-chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police at Government House.

In the early evening, the royal couple are due to cross the harbour by barge to the Sydney Opera House for a reception with NSW Governor Marie Bashir.

The royal couple's busy day will conclude with a reception at Kirribilli House with Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

Charles and Camilla will fly out of Sydney for Canberra on Saturday morning.

The royals are on a 13-day tour of the southern hemisphere and are in Australia for six days as part of the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations.

On the tour they have already met World War II veterans of the Kokoda Campaign in Papua New Guinea, sampled an "Aussie" barbecue in Longreach, Queensland, and attended the Melbourne Cup.

On Wednesday, they enjoyed South Australian wine and cheese in Adelaide, before flying to Tasmania for a five-hour stopover on Thursday.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sydney turns on weather for Royals

PRINCE Charles was caught in a thunderstorm at Bondi Beach and a military policeman fainted in the heat at a separate event attended by his wife Camilla, as weather extremes hit the royal visit.

Charles rolled his eyes in disappointment when the heavens opened, forcing him to cut short a meet-and-greet session with emergency services officers.

As hundreds of locals fled Sydney's most famous beach and thunder boomed, Charles was quickly escorted to shelter, waiting for the storm to pass before watching indigenous players in a rugby league match played on the sand.

He had arrived to screams of "Charlie, Charlie", British flags and a sign reading "Say G'day to Betty for me".

A barricade almost came down as excited locals shook hands and had photos taken with the prince amid a sea of smartphones.

"Look at all these fantastic telephones you've got - amazing," he told them.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell welcomed him, saying he would meet "some of the finest representatives of the emergency services that exist anywhere in the world - people who run toward a crisis when others are running away".

Soon it was Charles' turn to scamper, as the rain belted down.

A short time earlier, at Sydney's historic Victoria Barracks, a military policeman had fainted in the high heat and humidity at a parade where Charles' wife Camilla was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of Australia's military police.

But the Duchess of Cornwall was reviewing troops behind him at the time and would have been unaware of the incidental passing out parade.

The duchess, whose father was a British army officer, was regaled by a military band playing the convict song Bound For Botany Bay.

In the only speech of her first Australian visit, she admired the "dashing scarlet berets" of the military police and wondered if she might get to wear one. Her wish was soon granted when she was presented with a beret.

Praising their outstanding service to the nation in war and peace, at home and in dangerous places like Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor, she said: "It seems to me you are never off duty, rather like my husband."

The 65-year-old duchess said she "deeply regretted" leaving it so late to visit Australia, but now hoped to return often.

The royal couple kicked off their only full day in Sydney with a barge ride on the harbour ahead of a morning tea with Australian Defence Force personnel and their families.

The pair soaked up the sight of the sunny city as they travelled to Garden Island in a wooden ceremonial boat, the Admiral's Barge.

Camilla looked fresh in a knee-length cream dress, cream hat, sunglasses, tan shoes and pearls, while Charles wore a navy blue suit paired with a light blue shirt and a striped blue and white tie.

The prince wore his Australian merino wool suit to the Museum of Contemporary Art to meet five local designers in his role as an ambassador for the Campaign for Wool.

If he glanced up at a nearby P&O cruise ship moored in Circular Quay he would have seen a large banner declaring "Royal Suite Available".

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australian PM insists 'many' boats stopped

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard says the government's border protection policies are working, insisting co-operation with Indonesia has successfully disrupted "many" people-smuggling ventures.

Ms Gillard said the government would remain focused on targeting "high-value" people smugglers to stem the flow of boats.

"It is about continuing to focus on disruption activities, stopping people smugglers (and) particularly focusing on the high-value targets - the people who are the masterminds behind these ventures," Ms Gillard said in Bali on Friday.

Ms Gillard and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono discussed the people-smuggling issue during a meeting in the resort area of Nusa Dua in Bali on Friday.

"I believe when you look at the disruption statistics, for example, that our work with Indonesia has successfully disrupted many ventures from setting sail," she added.

But there have not been any recent arrests of people smugglers in Indonesia that could be considered high profile, while more than 800 people have arrived in Australia on 16 boats in the first nine days of November.

Most of the vessels originated from Indonesia, the main transit point for asylum seekers heading to Australia.

Ms Gillard said her government was "intensively engaged every day with Indonesia on combating people smuggling".

"We co-operate strongly with Indonesia at every level," she said.

"The president of Indonesia has said to me today that he wants to continue that strong co-operation. He wants to keep working with us on what is a shared challenge."

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison responded by labelling the prime minister's record on international negotiations on people smuggling as "disastrous".

"While Julia Gillard was talking, the 501st boat turned up on Labor's watch," he told AAP.

"From the East Timor farce to the Malaysia people swap debacle, this prime minister has failed the test."

"Our regional co-operation must focus single-mindedly on deterrence, rather than sending mixed messages that simply draw even more people into the region."

Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced on Friday that a group of 33 Sri Lankan single adult men had been returned home - the third involuntary removal in as many days.

Since August 13, a total of 219 Sri Lankans have been returned home.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ferguson wants state co-operation

ENERGY Minister Martin Ferguson says he's determined to work co-operatively with the states to reform the energy market, particularly on expanding the use of gas.

"I'm not going to pick a fight on this because this is too important," Mr Ferguson told reporters after launching the federal government's Energy White Paper in Melbourne on Thursday.

Gas, along with electricity reforms, will be high on the agenda at next month's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, Mr Ferguson said.

Unless the governments work together, win community support and attract gas investment, "we are all losers", he said.

"This is about supply and demand and potential impact on price," Mr Ferguson said.

Mr Ferguson, who's called for more privatisation in the energy sector, says Australia's energy sector remains a lucrative investment opportunity for overseas investors.

"The private sector sees Australia as a safe haven for investment," he said.

"We've got around $170 billion in LNG alone and about $270 billion across resources in energy."

The minister said his recent trip to an energy suppliers and users conference in Tokyo had affirmed his belief.

"There's still a lot of interest in Australia," he said.

Mr Ferguson also said while nuclear power was a proven form of clean energy, its high cost of production meant it would not be on the government's agenda any time soon.

"We've never had to think about nuclear, because how do you compete (with) opportunities for coal-fired power, and more recent opportunities for developing the gas industry and now the renewable sector," he said.

The minister released the federal government's energy white paper in Melbourne earlier on Thursday, calling it a roadmap for a transformation of the sector.

Mr Ferguson said competitive pricing, efficient resource allocation and innovation were key elements of Labor's commitments to open and transparent energy markets.

"This is what will drive Australia's economic and income growth, while ensuring we protect those who are most vulnerable in our society," he told a business lunch.

Among the white paper's recommendations are price signalling for peak demand and tools like smart meters to influence consumers' decisions about their power use.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cockatoo, contentious moth back from brink

A STOCKY white cockatoo that came very close to extinction and a controversial moth have been removed from Western Australia's threatened species list.

WA's Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) on Thursday said the Muir's corella had been taken off the list, which had been updated following recommendations by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee.

The species is confined to the extreme southwest of WA, concentrated around the Lake Muir region, and has been threatened by habitat loss, and shooting and poisoning as it is considered to be a crop pest.

Population numbers severely declined in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and had at one stage declined to about 100 birds.

Its recovery was a conservation success story, DEC's Gordon Wyre said.

"While Muir's corella can no longer be considered threatened, there remains a need for the department, in co-operation with landholders, to carefully manage the species and its impact on agricultural production across its southwestern distribution," he said.

"Conservation status reviews have also demonstrated that the gouldian finch and the graceful sun-moth are now adequately conserved in the wild, with the sun-moth being found to occur over a wider distribution and wider host plant range on the Swan Coastal Plain."

WA Premier Colin Barnett has previously told WA Mining Club and Urban Development Institute of Australia functions that the ubiquitous sun-moth had stymied more developments than any other species, suggesting the Biodiversity Act needed to be updated.

He joked that it was a particularly unfortunate creature, born blind, with no mouth and obviously no meals over its short life span of up to 10 days.

Overall, the number of threatened fauna species on the DEC list has increased from 233 to 240 species.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man in court on $20 million fraud charge

A MAN accused of stealing more than $20 million from one of Australia's largest construction and infrastructure companies has appeared in court.

Damian Victor O'Carrigan, 58, of Moggill in Brisbane's west, allegedly took the money from Leightons Contractors over a 12-year period beginning in May 2000.

He was employed in a finance role with the company at the time of the alleged offences.

O'Carrigan has been charged with one count of fraud and one count of fraudulently falsifying a document.

He applied for bail in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday, but the application was adjourned part-heard and will resume on Friday.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Smith talks security with Indian governor

DEFENCE Minister Stephen Smith has met the governor of India's fourth most populous state to discuss an expansion of Australia's security ties with the south Asian nation.

During the talks in Sydney on Wednesday, Mr Smith and West Bengal governor MK Narayanan, a former Indian government national security adviser, discussed Australia's bilateral relations with India and defence and security ties.

There was also talk about shared strategic and security interests, including maritime security, co-operation in the Indian Ocean and regional security.

Mr Smith said Australia and India were each committed to promoting regional and global security and shared a common commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

"We are jointly leading efforts to further develop the regional security architecture of the Indian Ocean, with a particular focus on maritime security," he said in a statement.

Last year, Mr Smith and Indian Defence Minister AK Antony agreed to boost co-operation on maritime security through multilateral maritime and other exercises.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Redundancies at Queensland's CMC

QUEENSLAND'S Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) says it has lost another 13 staff because of the state government's budget cuts.

The CMC had already announced that between July 1 and October 11 there were 44 separations, none of which were forced redundancies.

On Wednesday the CMC announced that 13 people had been made redundant.

CMC head Ross Martin told the budget estimates hearing in parliament last month that their budget had been reduced by less than one per cent, but it would lead to "losses of capacity".

He said the CMC had a "substantial" workload and there was queuing to deal with investigations.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Romney concedes race in phone call

MITT Romney has called Barack Obama to concede the 2012 US election, an Obama aide says.

Romney then addressed his supporters in Boston early on Wednesday.

"I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory," Romney confirmed.

The losing Republican nominee said Obama faced major challenges, adding: "I pray the president will be successful in guiding our nation."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Network Ten to sack journalists

NETWORK Ten is expected to begin sacking journalists after failing to obtain sufficient voluntary redundancies, a union says.

The cuts are part of a plan by Ten to chop 100 journalist, camera and producer positions, or about one-third of its national news staff, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) said on Tuesday.

The MEAA said it had been in talks with Ten about the cuts but decided to withdraw a Fair Work Australia application accusing the broadcaster of being secretive about the redundancies.

In a statement on Tuesday, the MEAA said Ten had failed to provide details including the likely final number of voluntary redundancies and the redundancy procedure.

Around 40 journalists are expected to be sacked, News Ltd reports.

On Friday, Ten confirmed it had fired 10 people in its Queensland newsroom.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pell asks priests to quit St Johns council

CARDINAL George Pell says he has lost confidence in the St Johns College council at the University of Sydney and has asked priest members to resign following continued bad behaviour by students.

He says he will be asking the NSW government to review governance arrangements at the Catholic college and the need to amend outdated laws covering the institution.

Reports of loutish behaviour at the 150-year-old college have continued despite an incident in March that resulted in a female student being hospitalised.

The college suspended 33 students over the incident, in which male residents surrounded a girl and encouraged her to drink a toxic concoction as part of an initiation process.

In a statement on Tuesday, Cardinal Pell said he no longer had confidence in the capacity of the college council to ensure reform, "despite their good will and the dedication of the chairman".

"I have therefore requested the priest fellows of the council to resign.

"I will also be contacting the New South Wales government to discuss a review of existing governance arrangements and the need to amend the nineteenth century Act of Parliament, which is no longer adequate" Cardinal Pell said.

It's understood the six priests on the council sent in their resignations on Tuesday.

Cardinal Pell's office said he had spoken to the university vice-chancellor and the college council chairman about the problems.

There have been ongoing reports of widespread vandalism at the college and first-year students being forced into initiation rituals involving toxic drinks.

Professor Roslyn Arnold, formerly one of the 18 fellows who governed the college through its council, on Monday called for police to be brought in to stamp out the bad behaviour.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

ACT airport hub still possible: NSW govt

THE NSW coalition government has accused the commonwealth of "political game-playing" over its attack on a decision to build homes near Canberra Airport.

NSW on Tuesday approved the rezoning of the Tralee Housing Development to allow 2000 new homes south of Queanbeyan in a $400 million venture.

But the federal Labor government says the development under the Canberra Airport flight path will stymie its use as a second airport for Sydney.

Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese says the move shows Premier Barry O'Farrell's plans for the Canberra hub to replace the need for a second Sydney airport were "farcical and completely contradictory".

But NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard disagrees, instead accusing the federal minister of being the one playing games.

"The only issue he's been particularly interested in was having a political mud-slinging fight today," Mr Hazzard said, adding that the move was supported by other ALP politicians such as local federal Labor MP Mike Kelly and NSW opposition planning spokesman Steve Whan.

Mr Hazzard said the development was "logical, sensible, and merit-based", striking a balance between allowing Canberra Airport to grow while delivering much-needed housing to the area.

The original proposal has been cut in size by 20 per cent. Houses will be required to have noise insulation installed and prospective buyers must be notified about the potential for aircraft noise.

But Canberra Airport manager Stephen Byron said he was stunned by the decision, especially after seven inquiries had recommended against the development.

Mr Byron said people at Jerrabomberra in Queanbeyan had been warned they were building near flight paths 14 years ago but to no avail.

"If you build houses under flight paths ... they complain," he told ABC radio.

"That's why Tralee cops it - it never used to - because the noise has been moved from Jerrabomberra because they complained about the noise and they're a highly effective lobby group."

Canberra Airport's expansion plans were now "very much in the air", he added.

Mr Albanese also refused to rule out court action over the issue, saying he had already appealed to the state government to review the decision.

The Australian Tourism Export Council said placing houses directly under the flight path constrained growth options for the airport.

"Building housing right under a known flight path, when there are alternative options available, seems short-sighted and completely disregards the economic benefits an airport - particularly an international airport - will bring to the local area," managing director Felicia Mariani said in a statement.

Passenger traffic at Canberra Airport is forecast to grow by 36 per cent in the next decade, with an average 97 flights a day over the Tralee area.

There was no curfew at Canberra Airport so residents under the flight path would be affected by aircraft noise around the clock, he said.

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher hoped the federal government would do what it could to avoid such an outcome or the alternative of noise-sharing across established Canberra suburbs.

"But I think from the ACT government's point of view, there is very little we can do," she told reporters in Canberra.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

$A slightly lower ahead of key events

THE Australian dollar is lower as markets wait to see whether the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will cut interest rates on Tuesday.

At 1700 AEDT on Monday, the currency was trading at 103.68 US cents, down from 103.85 cents on Friday.

It traded as low as 103.33 US cents on Monday morning amid expectations the RBA will cut the cash rate a quarter per cent to three per cent at its monthly board meeting on Tuesday.

But ANZ currency strategist Andrew Salter said the Australian dollar lifted following the release of official retail sales data for September.

"The retail sales data was slightly better than expected and I think that squeezed out a few people looking to short sell the currency," Mr Salter said.

Retail spending rose 0.5 per cent in September, seasonally adjusted, figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.

Mr Salter said futures markets were currently pricing in around a 50-50 likelihood of a rate cut on Tuesday.

He said the RBA meeting would be the primary driver of the Australian dollar on Tuesday, and the currency was likely to fall if the central bank decided to cut.

"It (the currency's movements) will be heavily dependent on the RBA meeting, but even if they were to cut, we don't see the sell-off in the currency being particularly long lasting."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cardboard cut-out fills royal void in Qld

THE Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have started the Australian leg of their 13-day Pacific tour after arriving in Longreach.

Prince Charles and Camilla touched down in the outback Queensland town on Monday afternoon.

At 4pm (AEST), the royal jet's doors were opened and the couple was greeted by dignitaries including Governor-General Quentin Bryce, Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott tones down carbon attack

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has toned down his attack on Labor's carbon tax. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has toned down his attack on Labor's carbon tax as another poll showed the government had made gains among voters four months since the impost began.

Before July 1, Mr Abbott said the carbon tax would have an "unimaginable" impact on prices, destroy businesses and wreck the economy.

Since then, he's pursued the government over power price rises and blamed the tax for hurting households by causing significant jumps in utility bills.

The government has countered this by arguing that carbon pricing has contributed less than 10 per cent to bills, while investment and jobs growth has continued, inflation has been contained and many Australians are receiving compensation for the impact of the policy.

Visiting a motorbike shop in Canberra on Monday, Mr Abbott said its power bill had risen by 50 per cent but he conceded that not all of the increase was down to the carbon tax.

"That is certainly not all the carbon tax, but the carbon tax is making a bad situation worse," Mr Abbott told reporters.

However, he maintained that the carbon tax - which would be scrapped under a coalition government - was "emblematic" of the government's failure to understand small business and households and introduced at the worst possible time.

Mr Abbott's comments came as leaked Treasury analysis showed three coalition tax policies would hit businesses to the tune of $4.57 billion in the first full year of a Liberal-National government and $17.2 billion over four years.

The policies include a 1.5 per cent levy on big companies to fund paid parental leave, axing the instant asset write-off and other tax breaks for small business funded by the carbon tax and the abolition of the business loss carry-back policy.

Mr Abbott said it was wrong of the government to misuse Treasury for political point-scoring and he stressed that he was committed to lower levels of tax for business.

"Taxes on business will be less under the coalition than under Labor because the carbon tax will be gone, the mining tax will be gone and there will be a modest company tax cut," he said.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson said there was nothing unusual about Treasury costing policies.

Greens leader Christine Milne said the analysis and the faltering of Mr Abbott's carbon tax "scare campaign" undermined the coalition's credibility.

Since late August, Labor's position in the opinion polls has improved to a point where the influential Newspoll survey now puts the government and opposition neck-and-neck.

A Galaxy poll, published on Monday by News Ltd, put the two-party preferred vote at 53 per cent for the coalition against 47 per cent for Labor - a three-point rise for Labor since June.

But it also found that prominent frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull was preferred as opposition leader by 60 per cent of voters compared with 29 per cent for Mr Abbott.

Mr Abbott attributed the result to Mr Turnbull making an impact in his communications portfolio.

"The fact that more and more people are realising the national broadband network is the wrong way to go about giving Australians faster and more affordable broadband is in large measure testimony to (Mr Turnbull's) effectiveness in prosecuting that case," Mr Abbott said.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man killed in Vic farming accident

A VICTORIAN farmer has died after the ute he was working in went over an embankment and into a quarry.

The 77-year-old Noorat man was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene near Terang in Victoria's west.

Investigators believe the man had been working in the ute at about 1pm on Sunday when it slipped over the embankment and fell into a quarry that backs onto the property.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

New poll shows Obama-Romney race tied

JUST 48 hours before election day, the race for the White House is tied, with both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney receiving 48 per cent support among likely votes, a new poll has found.

The latest ABC News/Washington Post survey also showed on Sunday that even independents, whose decision can push one of the candidates over the top, are now evenly divided: 46 per cent favour Obama and 46 per cent Romney.

Even the candidates' likability ratings, where the president used to lead by a wide margin, have practically evened out. Fifty-four per cent of likely voters now express a favourable opinion of Obama while 53 per cent do the same about Romney.

But the candidates, according to the poll, fare differently among various social and ethnic groups.

Obama, for example, leads among women by a margin of six per cent while Romney leads among men by seven per cent.

Whites favour Romney by a margin of 20 per cent, but Obama leads by a 59 per cent margin among non-whites.

As in the 2008 election, young adults favour Obama by a 25 per cent margin while seniors prefer Romney by 12 per cent.

And Romney practically owns evangelical white Protestants, leading by a 70 per cent among this group.

The survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Show goes on for injured Goodrem

SINGER Delta Goodrem has assured fans she will be fit enough to perform at her scheduled Melbourne concerts next week, despite suffering nasty burns to her legs in a bizarre accident last Friday.

Ms Goodrem was forced to abandon a concert at Sydney's State Theatre on Friday night, after succumbing to the injuries suffered when she spilt boiling water from a humidifier onto herself.

"Unfortunately the pain and effects from treating the burns got greater and greater as the night progressed and ultimately there came a point that I could not continue performing," Ms Goodrem said in a statement.

"I want everyone to know that I am recovering well and will be in fine form for my forthcoming Melbourne shows next week. Thank you again for your support and understanding."

Promoter Paul Dainty said patrons at the Sydney concert would be entitled to a 50 per cent refund.

"Delta showed incredible courage and dedication to her fans by soldiering on through the pain and dizziness to perform a brilliant first hour of her show to a full house at the Sydney State Theatre," Mr Dainty said.

"We are all just so proud of her trying to do the best for her fans and at least deliver half of her show under such difficult circumstances."

Ticketmaster will contact all patrons regarding the refund procedure.

Ms Goodrem is due to play at the Hamer Hall at the Melbourne Arts Centre on Wednesday, November 7 and Thursday, November 8.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More