ABC NewsMail - afternoon edition

Afternoon Edition. Sun 22 Aug 2010
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to ABC NewsMail. If you would like to change your preferences, please enter your email address and click 'Login' here.
Top Stories	More Top Stories >
Gillard courts support of crossbench MPs Julia Gillard has begun talks with the crossbench MPs, promising Australians she will negotiate in good faith to form a stable minority government. Labor post-mortem blames leaks for poll pain Labor is blaming its failure to win power in its own right on damaging leaks that hit Julia Gillard during the election campaign. Australian soldiers wounded by Afghan bomb Another two soldiers from Australia's 1st Mentoring Taskforce have been wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan. Asylum seeker boat stopped off Ashmore islands A customs boat has intercepted a boat carrying 25 people off the Ashmore islands. Anti-Labor backlash did not eventuate: Keneally New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally says the predicted anti-Labor backlash in western Sydney did not eventuate in yesterday's election.
The Drum	More from The Drum >
Politics abhors a vacuum So they did it. The Australian electorate slapped down the Gillard Government but refused to embrace the Coalition to the extent necessary to propel Tony Abbott into office. If nature abhors a vacuum, so does politics. As it became clear that neither side would win a clear majority, the real campaign for government began. The winner will be the side with the clearest head and the smartest strategy. Indecision 2010: independents reign supreme Australians are going to have to adjust to a new political paradigm. The voters have effectively removed the Labor Party from power while declaring that they are unconvinced Tony Abbott deserves to be Prime Minister. The real import of the 2010 election is that voters have smashed the smug two-party system and have handed power over to minor parties and independents. Navigating stormy electoral seas With every election the country dies, and is born again, a shiny new land to do with as we will. We all participate in the ritual. Miranda's Gunns melodrama is just a lie Miranda Devine - born with a silver typewriter at her fingertips - has long run the convenient fiction that she stands with the ordinary Australian against the elites. It is perfectly reasonable for Miranda to advise that a vote for the Greens will move us 'back to the Dark Ages'. But she will need better evidence to bolster her opinion than the testimony of embittered old men. How to vote in Election 2010 Unsure who to vote for this weekend? Here are a few positive reasons to vote for each of the major parties.
World	More World Stories >
Only nine whales survive mass stranding Rescuers say only nine of 63 whales that beached themselves in a northern New Zealand bay have survived. Australian soldiers wounded by Afghan bomb Another two soldiers from Australia's 1st Mentoring Taskforce have been wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan. One dead, hostages freed in Rio shoot-out Heavily armed criminals briefly took 35 people hostage at an upscale hotel in Brazil after a street battle with police that left one person dead and dramatised the security challenges for the host of the 2016 Olympic Games.
Science & Technology	More Science & Technology Stories >
Only nine whales survive mass stranding Rescuers say only nine of 63 whales that beached themselves in a northern New Zealand bay have survived. Heavy seas hamper efforts to refloat whales Rough seas in the remote north of New Zealand are hampering efforts to refloat 14 pilot whales after a pod of 58 became stranded. Failed science experiment puts boys in hospital Four boys and two teachers have been taken to hospital after a failed science experiment at a school in the northern Melbourne suburb of Preston.
Environment	More Environment Stories >
Iran fuels up nuclear power plant Iran has begun loading fuel into its first nuclear power plant, a potent symbol of its growing regional sway and its rejection of international sanctions designed to prevent it building a nuclear bomb. 13 stranded whales refloated Thirteen pilot whales that have survived a stranding in New Zealand's far north have been refloated in calm waters. SE Qld residents facing water price hikes: Opposition The State Opposition says south-east Queensland households will face rising water costs, despite promises bills would be cut.
To change your preferences, please enter your email address and click 'Login' here or to unsubscribe click here. © 2009 ABC | Privacy Policy This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.