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<p>Global warming may increase deaths and injuries due to flooding in Australia by as much as 240 percent by 2020, and cause a huge jump in the number of Pacific islanders whose homes could be washed away, a new report said.</p>

Australia's relations with United Nations human rights committees have plummeted to new lows because of government recalcitrance on international law, according to a new report. A study by the left-wing think-tank, the Australia Institute, said the government's hard line on asylum seekers during the 2001 Tampa standoff had seen relations with UN human rights committees reach unprecedented lows. The Pacific Solution to process asylum seekers offshore in Nauru and Papua New Guinea, and failings with indigenous affairs, were damaging Australia's international reputation, the report said. "The government has had a stunning public relations success in side-lining human rights by exploiting...

Prime Minister John Howard was a good friend and "a man of steel" and ties between the US and Australia were at an all time high, US President George W Bush said. After a 20-hour stay by Mr Howard and his wife Janette at the Bush ranch in central Texas, the president described the prime minister as a good friend, a source of advice and a good Texan. Referring to Mr Howard's steadfast support for the US-led war in Iraq, Mr Bush said Mr Howard had exhibited behaviour that proved he was not only "a man of steel, but a...

CANBERRA — Australia, keen to protect its commercial interest in one of its largest wheat markets, will send a team of agricultural experts to work with Iraqi officials and a senior US nominee to rebuild Iraq’s agriculture sector. The Australian team will be led by Trevor Flugge, the former high-profile chairman of Australia’s monopoly wheat exporter AWB Ltd, and advise on agriculture reforms and food security issues, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said this week. “Mr Flugge will make an early visit to the region to assess conditions on the ground and to identify immediate priorities for Australian assistance,” Downer said...

The Prime Minister's comments over the Iraq war have drawn a sharp rebuke from the United States Embassy, which last night described them as "regrettable". That is strong criticism in diplomatic language. The offending statements were Helen Clark's expressed view at the weekend that the war would not have happened had Democrat Al Gore been elected president. In a subsequent press conference about the comments, she said the war did not appear to be going to plan. Political opponents have accused her of being anti-American, of further jeopardising a free-trade deal, and of making inappropriate comments about President's Bush's unsuccessful...

AUSTRALIAN troops preparing for war in the Persian Gulf fear an anti-war backlash at home reminiscent of the divisive protests during the Vietnam war. Members of the 2000-strong force stationed in the Gulf have been following the peace protests in Australia and hope the community retains its support for the troops about to fight in a war against Iraq. Squadron Leader Melanie, 31, a Newcastle-based logistics officer who has served 13 years in the RAAF, hopes the "ugly" mood targeting soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war will not be repeated. "People obviously feel strongly on both sides," she said....

Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia has escaped what appeared to be a bizarre kidnap attempt on a busy London Street, Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported Friday.A man tried to bundle Imbruglia into the back of a black Range Rover as she left a charity event at the Nobu restaurant in West London late on Wednesday, the newspaper said in a front page story.A group of men described by the newspaper as minders rushed in and pulled Imbruglia from the back of the vehicle and the assailant drove off.The Daily Telegraph published a series of photos showing Imbruglia being hustled out of the...

The Australian Senate passed a non-confidence motion against Prime Minister John Howard today in connection with the deployment of Australian troops against Iraq.The motion is the first resolution of this type in Australian history.The opposition accuses Mr. Howard of sending Australian soldiers to war without consulting the nation, the Parliament, and without a sanction from the United Nations.At the same time the United States of American initiated the deployment of two dozen B-52 bombers and B-1 bombers to Guam in the anticipation of a possible military intervention in North Korea.Regular withdrawals of US Soldiers from South Korean bases have been...

Raids anger Indonesia By Barbie Dutter in Sydney (Filed: 01/11/2002) Vice-President Hamzah Haz of Indonesia warned Australia yesterday that an anti-terrorism offensive against Indonesian Muslims in Australian cities could damage relations between the two countries. He was referring to a series of raids aimed at flushing out sympathisers of the militant Muslim network Jemaah Islamiah. The Australian government staunchly rejected criticism of the sweep, in which heavily armed intelligence agents and police have stormed homes in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, seizing documents, computer equipment and mobile phones. The only arrests to date have been in connection with visa violations. Three...

Does anyone know of a reputable group collecting for the victims of the terrorist attack in Bali? I'd like to help, and I want to make sure my money goes to the right folks. Thanks.

A plaque commemorating Australians who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks will be unveiled in New York on the first anniversary of the catastrophe. American Society of Sydney secretary Shela Fite plans to present the black marble memorial to the Australian consulate and American Australian Association in September. The 15kg plaque will bare gold engraving which reads: "In memory of the Australian victims of September 11. Presented by the American Society of Sydney, Australia, September 11, 2002." Ms Fite hopes the plaque will be displayed alongside all the other tributes at ground zero or at the Australian consulate, although...

MIDI - DOWN UNDER Charlotte is a cute Aussie who's hot She was at the bar and doing shooters There is a man who is a real scumbag She caught him staring at her hooters Bill told her, "Yes, I'm known as the x-42 It's babes like you that I plunder My thing's small but I have a big desk That is the place that I'd like you under" She said, "I have heard all about you Oh, yes, you are known as the Sinkmaster You really had screwed up your country Historians will call you a real disaster"...