Most in US poll disapprove of Obama

US President Barack Obama's second-term approval ratings continue to slide, with most US poll respondents now disapproving of his job performance, according to a Pew Research Centre survey.

Obama's slide parallels that of his predecessor, George W Bush, whose ratings also dropped steadily during his second term, although Obama's 41 per cent approval at this point - one year after his election - stands slightly higher than Bush's 36 per cent.

By contrast, presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan maintained a relatively high level of popularity in their fifth years in office.

The president's job approval numbers hit a high point in December and have slid steadily since, with 41 per cent of people now approving of his performance in office and 53 per cent disapproving, the survey shows.

He has lost ground across the board, including among fellow Democrats.

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

Fire destroys Kingsford electrical store

A PETROL station and a church were saved from a roaring inferno that destroyed a neighbouring shop in Sydney's east this morning. SEE IT IN PICTURES

Although his approval in his party still stands at a healthy 78 per cent, that represents a drop of 10 percentage points over the past year.

Among self-described independents, approval of Obama has dropped faster and further, with only 32 per cent saying they approve of his job performance, down from 53 per cent in December.

Amid the botched rollout of his signature health care law's website, only 37 per cent approve of his handling of the issue, while 59 percent disapprove. At the beginning of the year, the public divided evenly on how Obama was dealing with health care.

Thirty-one per cent approved of Obama's handling of the economy, which remains the most important topic in the minds of most Americans. Disapproval on that topic stands at 65 per cent.

The bright spot in his ratings comes on dealing with the threat of terrorism, where 51 percent approve and 44 per cent disapprove.

The survey was conducted by telephone from October 30 to November 6 among a national sample of 2003 adults, 18 years of age or older.

The margin of error of the total sample is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott promises respectful new parliament

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has promised a "respectful" new parliament when it assembles for the first time next week, promising the Labor years will soon fade like "a bad memory".

Addressing the West Australian Liberal branch at its annual conference on Saturday, Mr Abbott pledged a parliament that "discusses the issues, rather than abuses individuals".

The prime minister said the parliament wouldn't impugn the motives of opponents or trash their reputations.

If anyone tried to go over the top, new Speaker Bronwyn Bishop would sort them out.

"And I am confident that after just a few weeks of the new parliament - that parliament that diminished our policy and embarrassed our citizens over the last three years - will soon seem like just a bad memory," Mr Abbott said.

"Rob Oakeshott? Who is he?

"Tony Windsor? He was part of our system once but not anymore."

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

Fire destroys Kingsford electrical store

A PETROL station and a church were saved from a roaring inferno that destroyed a neighbouring shop in Sydney's east this morning. SEE IT IN PICTURES

He said the Liberals had already restored "due process" to government, including the 10-day rule for cabinet decisions.

"Now you might think that's just a paperwork rule but if you don't get these things right ... you end up getting important details wrong.

"I want to say that we have made a good start, that the adults are back in charge and that strong, stable, methodical and purposeful government is once more the rule in our national capital."

Mr Abbott devoted much of his address to the Liberal's media strategy, which contrasted with Labor's "endless interviews, all about glorifying politicians".

"I think all of you will have noticed that there is a new tone and a new style in Canberra.

"Yes, we will speak when we need to speak. But we won't speak for the sake of speaking and we won't bang on things for the purposes of a PR gesture."

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM's very busy running the country: Hockey

Treasurer Joe Hockey has been forced to defend the 'vanishing' public profile of Tony Abbott (pic). Source: AAP

TREASURER Joe Hockey has defended Prime Minister Tony Abbott's low profile since the September election, saying his boss is "flat out" running the country.

During a Melbourne radio interview on Thursday Mr Hockey was quizzed about Mr Abbott's latest public appearance, in which he farewelled two adventurers heading to Antarctica on a charity trek.

But the prime minister did not make himself available to answer questions from the media.

"Given the last few years, I don't think the success or failure of a prime minister should be based on the number of media appearances they make," the treasurer told ABC radio.

What is Mr Abbott actually doing, Mr Hockey was asked.

"Well, he's ringing up his treasurer every day. We've spent all day Monday in cabinet meetings ... I can tell you he's been flat out.

"As prime minister you've got to run the country with your cabinet and that's what we're all doing. We've got our heads down and we're going through all the challenges," Mr Hockey said.

Australian cities 'will be wiped out'

FIVE major cities will be wiped out and Australia will be inundated by an inland sea the size of Ireland if the polar ice caps melt, new modelling shows.

JFK was to visit Oz before his death

PRESIDENT John F Kennedy planned to visit Australia weeks before deciding to travel to Dallas, Texas where he was assassinated 50 years ago.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Anti-whaling activist testifies in US case

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has testified in a contempt of court hearing in Seattle. Source: AAP

PAUL Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has testified in a contempt of court hearing in Seattle.

The fugitive activist known for confronting Japanese whaling vessels off Antarctica took the witness stand in a US appeals court on Wednesday in hope of persuading a commissioner that neither he nor the organisation he founded violated an order requiring them to leave the whalers alone.

The white-goateed, 62-year-old described his history of environmental activism and accolades, and said he'd spent the past year at sea.

He fled Germany in 2012 after being arrested at the behest of the Costa Rican government, and Japan continues to seek his arrest related to his interference with a whaling vessel in 2010.

"Over the last year, there's been a lot of negotiation on different levels that allowed me to come ashore," he said.

Australian cities 'will be wiped out'

FIVE major cities will be wiped out and Australia will be inundated by an inland sea the size of Ireland if the polar ice caps melt, new modelling shows.

JFK was to visit Oz before his death

PRESIDENT John F Kennedy planned to visit Australia weeks before deciding to travel to Dallas, Texas where he was assassinated 50 years ago.

The case is part of a long-running fight between the protesters and Japan's whaling fleet, which kills up to 1000 whales a year, as allowed by the International Whaling Commission.

Japan is permitted to hunt the animals as long as they are killed for research and not commercial purposes, but whale meat not used for study is sold as food in Japan. Critics say that's the real reason for the hunts.

For several years, Sea Shepherd operated anti-whaling campaigns in the Southern Ocean. Activists aboard its vessels would hurl acid and smoke bombs at the whalers and drag ropes in the water to damage their propellers. They claim they have saved thousands of whales.

Last December, just before the whaling season was to begin, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Watson and anyone acting "in concert" with them to keep 500 yards (457.2 metres) away from the whaling vessels.

The Japanese whalers argue that the organisation violated that order 10 times early this year, with incidents that included the deliberate ramming of a fuel ship by a protest vessel. They asked the court to impose fines of $US100,000 ($A104,975) for each violation, though they suggested the court waive those fines as long as the protesters stop confronting their ships.

In response to the injunction, Sea Shepherd says it withdrew from any participation in the anti-whaling campaign and Watson stepped down from the organisation.

Instead, Watson and Sea Shepherd said, its cousin, Sea Shepherd of Australia Limited, took over - and that organisation insists it wasn't subject to the court's order.

The hearing in Seattle, which began last week, is aimed in part at determining whether the Australian organisation carried out the protest in concert with Sea Shepherd.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bushfire threat to WA community eases

RESIDENTS at a remote Aboriginal community in Western Australia are no longer being threatened by bushfire, after authorities managed to contain the blaze.

A watch and act warning had been issued for people in the Muludja community, 20 kilometres east of Fitzroy Crossing in the western Kimberley.

But about midday WST, emergency authorities said the fire burning alongside Margaret River towards the community was now being held within containment lines.

There is now no threat to lives or homes but there is a lot of smoke in the area.

The bushfire is now moving slowly in a southern direction, and is contained but not controlled.

Eighteen career and volunteer firefighters from six brigades have been working to establish and strengthen containment lines.

The firefighters are being supported by crew and appliances from Gogo and Fossil Downs Stations.

A helicopter from Gogo Station is also providing support from the air.

12.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indonesia just 'playing politics': expert

Indonesia is unlikely to make changes to its relationship with Australia over spying allegations. Source: AAP

INDONESIA is playing politics by implying the country's relationship with Australia has been damaged by spying allegations, a leading security academic says.

Australian National University Professor Michael Wesley says Indonesia has plenty to lose from a breakdown in diplomatic relations with its southern neighbour and news of an intelligence-gathering operation being run out of Australia's embassy in Jakarta is unlikely to impact ties.

"When they say they'll review collaboration with both Australia and the United States, there's not a lot the Indonesians can do," Prof Wesley told Sky News on Tuesday.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the spying revelations had a "potentially damaging impact" on diplomatic ties but Prof Wesley played down the threat.

"Marty Natalegawa is a very experienced, seasoned diplomat, he knows there's a new government in Canberra, there's an inexperienced prime minister and an inexperienced foreign minister and they're just softening us up," he said.

Reports that Australia has been conducting surveillance in Indonesia would have come as no surprise, Prof Wesley said, adding that all countries spy on each other.

"I would say that the Indonesian embassy is collecting intelligence here in Canberra," he said.

He said the Indonesian government's response to revelations of intelligence gathering was partly to appease a community outcry.

"Fifty per cent is about placating domestic critics and domestic outrage and another 50 per cent is playing diplomacy," Prof Wesley said.

Indonesia will join Germany and Brazil in co-sponsoring a resolution in the General Assembly of the United Nations to address allegations of US-led data snooping, revealed in leaked National Security Agency documents which implicated America and some European allies.

Professor Wesley said the Australian government had effectively managed the revelations.

"They've done exactly as they should do: neither confirm nor deny it, don't change your policy, and just wait for the storm to die down," he said.

Cyber activists have vented their fury with the group Anonymous Indonesia claiming to have defaced more than 170 Australian websites in protest at reports of Canberra's alleged spying activities.

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Apache ramps up presence in Canning Basin

ENERGY giant Apache is ramping up its presence in WA's Canning Basin, announcing a multi-million dollar deal with Buru Energy to explore one of the world's largest shale gas resources.

Under the deal Buru Energy will operate exploration permits in the Goldwyer Shale areas of the Canning Basin in WA's north west, with Apache Energy earning a 40 to 50 per cent interest in the permits.

Apache will pay Buru and Mitsubishi Corporation an option fee of around $7.2 million and up to 80 per cent of the costs of the 20,000 square kilometre survey being conducted over the Acacia permits.

Apache said it had entered into the farm-in agreement with Buru and Mitsubishi as part of its commitment to exploration and development in Australia.

"This is an early stage exploration agreement where we have agreed to examine opportunities for further development with the joint venture," the company said in a statement.

The remote onshore Canning Basin, stretching from the WA coast between Port Hedland and Broome to the state's eastern border, has received attention from other major oil and gas players such as Hess and PetroChina.

Mitsubishi has committed about $60 million for exploration with Buru Energy and ConocoPhillips plans to spend $120 million on seismic testing.

The 530,000-square-kilometre Canning Basin is estimated to hold about 229 trillion cubic feet of unconventional gas resources, but the area as extremely remote and little drilling has occurred to date.

At 1550 AEDT, Buru shares were three cents lower at $1.53.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA senate result formally declared

THE controversial results of Western Australia's senate recount have been formally declared ahead of a likely High Court challenge.

It was revealed on Saturday that Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam and the Australian Sports Party's Wayne Dropulich had secured senate spots, pushing out Labor Senator Louise Pratt and Palmer United Party (PUP) candidate Zhenya "Dio" Wang.

But the results couldn't be shakier, with the Australian Election Commission (AEC) left red-faced after it lost 1375 votes.

PUP leader Clive Palmer immediately said his party would challenge the result in the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns.

Moments later, Labor State Secretary Simon Mead tweeted: "The best lawyers in the Labor Party will be working to lodge an appeal in the Court of Disputed Returns".

Mr Ludlam and Mr Dropulich attended the declaration in Perth on Monday, but the three Liberal winners - Michaelia Cash, Linda Reynolds and David Johnston - and Labor's Joe Bullock, did not.

"I'm happy to have won a seat in the senate," Mr Dropulich said.

Mr Ludlam said it was appropriate the matter be resolved in the High Court.

"This count has not only been unusual, it's been unprecedented," he said.

He said several hundred votes were "out of place" in the initial count, where he lost out by 14 votes, so he felt vindicated in requesting the recount.

After a writ is handed to the WA governor, candidates and the AEC will then have 40 days to appeal to the court, which will decide whether a new senate election is held.

It's unclear whether any new poll would be restricted to the same parties and candidates that contested the September 7 federal election, or if the regular procedure for nominations would occur.

Senator Pratt said the High Court would have to give parties flexibility over which candidates ran - and in what order.

Last time, she was controversially bumped to Labor's number two spot on the senate ticket, behind Mr Bullock, a former union powerbroker.

Ms Pratt said the events of the past few weeks had shown the importance of the role of scrutineers.

She said she had no doubt that the bungle would provide an opportunity to improve the electoral process.

Mr Ludlam told AAP he was sure the controversy would lead to a higher level of vote scrutiny in future elections.

The AEC's Peter Kramer said he was horribly disappointed by the lost votes.

He said there was "nowhere that we haven't looked two or three times".

The investigation lead by former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty into the missing votes commences on Tuesday and will run for a fortnight.

The Wikileaks lead candidate in WA, Gerry Georgatos, said in a statement on Monday that party leader Julian Assange would head the ticket instead if a new election is held.

Mr Assange contested a Victorian senate spot for his Wikileaks Party in September and attracted almost 41,700 primary votes out of 3.5 million.

West Australians may be poll-weary following a state election in March, the federal election in September and last month's local council elections.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Retail spending continues to improve

Official figures show Australian retail spending rose 0.8 per cent in September. Source: AAP

RETAIL spending rose for the fifth month in a row in September, driven by strong department store sales and a bounce in consumer confidence.

The better than expected spending figures have the industry hopeful of the strongest Christmas period in several years.

Retail trade grew by 0.8 per cent in September to $22.15 billion, beating economists' expectations of a 0.4 per cent rise, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.

National Australia Bank senior economist David de Garis is hopeful consumers will continue to open their wallets rather than save.

"It's tentative at this stage, but there's some hope that consumer spending was more resilient in the second half of the September quarter on the back of higher consumer confidence overall, rising house prices and somewhat lower anxiety over unemployment expectations," he said.

"They've been indicating over recent quarters much less urgency to pay down the debt and mortgage as the wisest place to save.

"Perhaps the memories of the global financial crisis are fading somewhat."

JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said there has been a distinct improvement in consumer confidence.

"Department store sales have been the clear outperformer for the last couple of months, but that was after they essentially tanked in July, so we think it's coming back after a bit of a distortion at mid-year," he said.

However Mr Jarman is doubtful that retail spending will continue to rise.

"Income growth has been so weak, the hiring side of things has been so poor for so long, so we're a little bit sceptical about whether this can be sustained," he said.

"Income growth remains non-existent, and with the saving rate remaining high and credit growth low, households are lacking the fire power for a sustained surge in spending growth."

Stronger sales could stimulate hiring by retailers, but at the moment employers have very little pricing power and are operating under thin margins, Mr Jarman said.

"This is not the environment to hire or invest," he said.

Department store sales rose by 2.8 per cent in September, and the clothing and footwear category posted a 2.5 per cent sales rise.

Australian National Retailers Association chief executive Margy Osmond is expecting a bigger Christmas for retailer this year.

"We're hoping we're going to see something like a four per cent increase on spending from last Christmas," she said.

"That's the best we've seen in many years and it tells you people are feeling a bit more confident about spending an extra dollar."

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dozens helped on first day of abalone hunt

THE first day of the abalone fishing season in Western Australia has passed without tragedy - but only just.

WA's surf lifesaving authorities reported a busy morning on Sunday, with dozens of potentially disastrous incidents averted.

After posting a large number of volunteers at popular abalone fishing spots, lifesavers performed 106 "preventative actions" in the waters off WA, with no major incidents or injuries.

"We have had a busy morning keeping abalone fishermen safe," a SLSWA spokesman said.

For just five one-hour sessions on the first Sunday of the months from November to March, members of the public are allowed to fish for the marine delicacy.

Last season, two men died and another had his life saved during the recreational abalone season.

In November 2012, a 20-year-old Malaysian was swept out to sea in treacherous conditions while searching for the large edible sea snails north of Perth.

In late December, a Chinese man in his 40s drowned in the waters near Cape Leeuwin in the state's southwest.

And in January, the swift actions of a beach inspector saved a 50-year-old man hunting for abalone at Trigg Beach in Perth.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Turnbull in tussle over NBN contracts

Malcolm Turnbull has vowed to take marginal seats out of the equation during the NBN roll-out. Source: AAP

LABOR has seized on revelations the Coalition has booted 500,000 households off the National Broadband Network roll-out map.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull claims those affected are actually the victims of Labor's "lies and spin".

"(The Labor government) had a metric which said that construction had commenced at the point plans were called for," he told Network Ten on Sunday.

"This is the equivalent of saying you had started construction on a new house, from the moment you called your architect and asked her to do a sketch plan."

Deputy Labor Tanya Plibersek hit back accusing the Abbott government of a breaking an election promise not to rip up existing contracts.

"Instead of getting top quality, state-of-the-art national broadband network fibre to the premises, they will get instead the poor cousin," she told reporters in Sydney.

Mr Turnbull has also vowed to take marginal seats out of the equation during the roll-out of the NBN.

Mr Turnbull says a survey is underway to identify parts of Australia with the worst broadband.

"(Places) where the need for upgrade is greatest, they will be prioritised," Mr Turnbull said.

Another priority will be areas where demand for high-speed internet is greatest, such as business and industrial parks.

Asked if he would change the previous focus on marginal seats, Mr Turnbull said: "Yes".

"The NBN Co has to start being operated ... like a rational business that seeks to do its job as quickly and cost-effectively as possible," he said.

Mr Turnbull declined to comment on whether there had been legal claims lodged over asbestos scares at NBN construction sites.

Last week Prime Minister Tony Abbott ruled out overturning the ban on Chinese telecom giant Huawei tendering for work on the NBN.

Mr Turnbull said the decision was a question of "managing risk".

"Other companies and other countries have taken different judgments," he said.

He admitted that Huawei had in the past undercut the prices of western telco suppliers but stopped short of saying it would be cheaper to build the NBN with Huawei's involvement.

Mr Turnbull said Vodafone and Optus used Huawei equipment in their Australian networks and they would attest that it worked properly and was cheaper.

"These are things you've got to weigh up," he said.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More