ABC NewsMail - afternoon edition

Afternoon Edition. Thu 19 Aug 2010
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Top Stories	More Top Stories >
'Psychic' croc predicts Gillard victory An enormous saltwater crocodile named Harry has picked Julia Gillard as the winner of the federal election in a snap poll in Darwin this afternoon. Gillard promises paid leave for new fathers Julia Gillard promised fathers two weeks of paid parental leave under a Labor government as she today urged voters to choose her over Tony Abbott this Saturday. Judge orders woman to remove face veil A Perth judge has ruled a Muslim woman must remove her face veil when she gives evidence in a fraud trial. Baby's body found in shoebox Police are investigating the discovery of the body of a newborn baby in Sydney's inner west this morning. Kurdish link in Melbourne anti-terror raids Members of the Kurdish Association of Victoria say they are baffled as to why their community clubhouse was raided by the Australian Federal Police.
The Drum	More from The Drum >
Don't be fooled, there are real differences If you've been following the media's coverage of this election, you'll be aware of the laments about how shallow and spin-driven it all is. Even those outside the media are chiming in and I've been guilty of this cynicism myself. But there are real differences between the policy platforms of the two major parties who can form a government after Saturday. Surplus of media = deficit of truth So why do politicians set themselves up for possible failure, by promising to meet very specific fiscal goals in a rapidly changing economic landscape? Surplus focus creates economic myopia It is a sad state of affairs when having a surplus becomes virtually the only marker of responsible economic management. Dick Smith's intolerable Australia We seem to have been transported back in time to when a certain demographic demonology ruled the developed world. The election through Latham's looking glass Allow me to do something a little unfashionable in the current circumstances and provide a modest defence of Mark Latham. Not for his boorish, attention-seeking behaviour. Not for his abundantly clear bitterness, or for the glee he evidently takes in launching scathing personal attacks on his former colleagues. Rather, I wish to assert that significant parts of what he has said and even advocated have been unremarkable or at least true.
World	More World Stories >
Police find bears guarding pot crop A pair of marijuana growers in western Canada appear to have been using bears to protect their illegal crop, but the well-fed animals proved to be a bit lax in their guard duties, police say. Two dead, 90 missing in China mudslides Devastating mudslides in south-west China have claimed their first two victims and left 90 others missing, as experts in other parts of the country warn of more disasters to come. 200m eggs recalled in US salmonella scare An egg producer in the United States has recalled more than 200 million chicken eggs apparently contaminated with salmonella bacteria after hundreds of reported cases of illness.
Science & Technology	More Science & Technology Stories >
Coalition to refocus science programs A Coalition government will provide new funding for international science initiatives and change the structure of the Office of Chief Scientist to a statutory authority if elected to government. 'Healthy bacon' patents raise questions Patent applications covering the enhancement of meat, including pork with omega-3 fatty acids, are stimulating debate over the ethics and legalities of claiming intellectual property over food. Rare whale birth in Derwent Wildlife authorities say the birth of a southern right whale in Hobart's River Derwent could be the first in 190 years.
Environment	More Environment Stories >
Govt quizzed over Gunns' logging exit Tasmania's Premier is refusing to rule out Forestry Tasmania taking over the woodchipping of the state's native forests when Gunns bows out. Protest over 'constant' cement dust Dozens of Cockburn residents have staged a protest outside parliament house over concerns about corrosive dust from a local cement factory. Tasmania to warm 3 degrees in 90 years Climate change scientists are predicting the average temperature in Tasmania will rise by three degrees by 2100.
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