'Pariah of the Pacific' Has Ham-handed Grip on Fiji
Joel Brinkley

Bainimarama, the self-appointed prime minister of Fiji, is a South Pacific dictator. But he's not very good at it. The State Department says it has seen no reports of 'unlawful killings,' disappearances or political prisoners in Fiji. What kind of dictator is that? But he immediately earned the undying enmity of his largest neighbors, Australia and New Zealand

Paul Hogan free to leave for US
CROCODILE Dundee star reaches agreement with tax office to let him return home to the US.

Rudd twisted my arm, independent says
BOB Katter stays on the fence with a 20-point wishlist, saying Kevin Rudd tried to win him over.

Killer jailed for wife's 'truly awful' death
MURDERER Des Campbell sentenced to 24 years' jail for pushing his third wife off a cliff.

'Amateur porn' ads may not save retailer
RAUNCHY marketing hasn't been enough to keep American Apparel from the edge of bankruptcy.

Catfish has a killer hook for Facebook fans
NEW movie out in the US this month could do for Facebook "what Jaws did for swimming".

Man bashed for glaring at teen smokers
MAN bashed by gang of teens at railway station, after glaring at them for smoking on train.

Women given panic buttons as rapist freed
JUDGE rules sex offender an acceptable risk as authorities bolster security for neighbours.

Red rain from space may hold alien life
CELLS from India's red rain of 2001 multiply under extreme heat - and they don't contain DNA.

Father who took out MP recants
A FATHER who accused the health system of failing his "sick" son admits he was less than truthful. 

'Hero' miner has reason to dread rescue
"DEVOTED" wife of trapped miner horrified but determined after she runs into secret mistress at vigil.

Kazal family taking legal action
5:25 PM

Pollies listening at last, says Hawke
4:57 PM

Man admits seeking girls for sex on net
4:56 PM

AG appeals attacker sentence
4:55 PM

Bob and Blanche hawk their book
4:47 PM

Mother who killed baby twins sentenced
4:42 PM

Man jailed for parking officer attack
4:40 PM

Give dad a trendy gift, retailers
4:36 PM

Protesters celebrate boat arrival
4:02 PM

O'Farrell angered by internet scandal
4:01 PM

'Brazen' Sydney rapist gets 25 years
3:56 PM

Hogan given permission to leave country
3:54 PM

Airlines lose travel agent commissions battle
Six international airlines including Qantas have lost a last-ditch legal bid over years of underpayments to travel agents and will soon be facing multi-million-dollar payouts.

Shares subdued, Aristocrat falls on Wilkie's pokie plan
It was a cautious day's trade ahead of employment figures out in the US tonight, but the chance of increased poker machine regulation and various shareholder legal actions drove some stocks lower.

Clem7 bosses collect $1m in bonuses
Five executives of the company that operates Brisbane's Clem7 tunnel have received bonuses totalling more than $1 million despite the company posting a $1.67 billion loss last financial year.

Offender throws jug at judge
At least five corrective services officers have had to restrain a man on remand after he threw a water jug at a judge in an ACT court room.

Keneally shuffles Cabinet after McLeay resignation
New South Wales Treasurer Eric Roozendaal will take on Ports and Waterways and Illawarra as part of a parliamentary reshuffle following the resignation of former minister Paul McLeay.

Hogan free to leave Australia
Paul Hogan has reached an agreement with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) that will allow the actor to return to the United States.

Eruptions at Indonesian volcano intensify
An Indonesian volcano has spewed ash thousands of metres into the air in its most violent eruption since rumbling back to life earlier this week for the first time in 400 years.

Bendigo secures world-first wedding exhibit
The regional Victorian city of Bendigo will host a world premiere exhibition of wedding dresses from London's Victoria and Albert Museum in 2011.

Drug shootout with Mexican army kills 25
As many as 25 people were killed when Mexican soldiers clashed with suspected drug gang members in rural north-eastern Mexico, local media reported.

French Spiderman pleads not guilty
A French stuntman has denied putting lives at risk by scaling a Sydney building, saying his stunt was a protest at political inaction on climate change.

Man who bit parking ranger admits steroid use
A Sydney court has heard a man who attacked two parking rangers in six months has a history of steriod use and major depression.

Academic sacked over pressuring students for sex
Murdoch University in Western Australia has sacked an academic accused of trying to pressure female students into sex for higher marks while working at WA's Curtin University.

Caretaker member appointed to Ivanhoe
A Victorian Government Upper House MP has been assigned to watch over the Lower House electorate of Ivanhoe, which no longer has a member.

Man jailed for burning girlfriend with hot stew
A Darwin man found guilty of seriously harming his girlfriend by pouring boiling stew over her has been sentenced to seven years' jail.

O'Farrell will not name internet audit MP
New South Wales Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell has refused to name the Nationals MP among those implicated by a parliamentary internet audit.

High school teacher asks class to plan terror attack
An Australian high school teacher caused a stir this week after asking her class to plan a terror attack that would kill as many innocent people as possible.

No clear winner in Australia's cliff-hanger election
Australia's political future hung in the balance after no clear winner emerged in Saturday's cliff-hanger election and a final outcome remained days away.

Australian election bout enters final throes
Like a pair of exhausted boxers entering the twelfth round, clinging onto one another as they drunkenly trade jabs, the two contenders to be Australia's next prime minister have both been swinging, hoping for bruising blows, but neither has emerged as a clear winner yet.

PM says Australia should become republic
Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Tuesday she believes Australia should become a republic after Queen Elizabeth II dies.

Australia discusses plans for regional refugee center
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Thursday he had "productive talks" with Indonesia and East Timor about a regional detention center for refugees.

Why good jobs are going unfilled
We're getting to the point where even good news comes wrapped in bad news.

Australia ends Sri Lankan asylum seekers freeze
Australia's new prime minister is ending a three-month freeze on processing Sri Lankan asylum seekers.

'Doctor Death' convicted of manslaughter in Australia
After six and a half days of deliberation, an Australian jury convicted a surgeon dubbed "Doctor Death" in the deaths of three of his patients, Australia's national news agency said.

Australia plans to head to court over whaling dispute with Japan
Australia will take its case against Japan's whaling practices to international court early next week, Australian officials said Friday.

Australia moves to ban logos on cigarette packs
Australia could become the first country in the world to require cigarette packages to be stripped of logos and designs.

'Hooked for life' on math
When I was a child in Adelaide, Australia, I loved games with clear, unambiguous rules; puzzles that were tough but fair; and the clean, abstract, simplicity of numbers and symbols. So it is perhaps not surprising that I have been drawn to mathematics for as long as I can remember.

Cyclone makes landfall in Australia
A Category 3 cyclone made landfall in Australia early Sunday before weakening as it moved inland.

Names put to soldiers killed in Australia's bloodiest battle
Seventy-five Australian soldiers killed in the World War I battle of Fromelles have been identified, the first of about 250 whose remains were discovered at the site in France more than a year ago.

32 asylum seekers rescued off Australian coast
Australia rescued 32 people seeking asylum this week after spotting them floating on boats off the country's northwest coast.

An Australia tour that wasn't meant to be
First her flight is canceled. Then she misses another flight after her bus breaks down. Finally, Rebecca Canter decides to cancel her Australia tour. But her tour operator refuses her request for a refund. Can it do that?

UK apologizes over 'shameful' child migration program
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologized on behalf of the UK government Wednesday over a controversial child migration policy which saw thousands of children separated from their families and sent to Australia and other Commonwealth countries.

Australian child migrants: In their words
"Barbaric ... inexcusable ... unfettered." Those were the words Norman Johnston used to describe his harrowing time as a child migrant in Western Australia.

Jon Wertheim: Federer's resurgence, Hingis thoughts, more mail
Jon, I don't mean to pick on you because many writers made the same mistake, but I seem to remember you writing just before the 2008 U.S. Open that Fed might struggle to ever pass Sampras's mark and that his time at the top was over. Any regrets about that now? --Paul Collins, Halifax, Nova Scotia

India warns Australia over student attacks
India's foreign minister has cautioned his Australian counterpart that the relations between the two countries could be strained unless Australia tackles the continuing attacks on Indian students studying there.

India issues advisory for students in Australia
A weekend killing in Australia has prompted the Indian government to issue an advisory for its college students studying in that country.

Koalas in Australia dying from AIDS, habitat loss
On the operating table lies a sick koala. He's just been brought in by a driver who found the animal sitting in the middle of a busy road. Veterinarian Claude Lacasse determines the koala has not been hit by a car but she immediately detects one serious problem facing many of the marsupials: Chlamydia, a disease which can lead to a very slow and painful death for koalas living in the wild.

Giant iceberg heading toward Australia
A massive iceberg -- more than twice the size of New York's Manhattan island -- is drifting slowly toward Australia, scientists said Wednesday.

Kevin Rudd: Keeping Australia on the world stage
After nearly two years in office, Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, remains committed to keeping Australia at the forefront of global affairs.

Climate skeptic clinches Australia opposition leadership
Australia's main opposition Liberal party appointed a climate change skeptic as its leader on Tuesday in a move that all but kills plans by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to have an emissions trading scheme passed into law ahead of the Copenhagen climate change summit.

Australia issues 'catastrophic' fire warning
Authorities are asking residents in some some parts of south Australia to evacuate their homes as an impending heat wave prompted the nation to issue its first "catastrophic" brush fire warning.

Australia: Boat sinks with 39 on board
Eighteen people were rescued -- but as many as 21 others were missing -- after a boat sank late Sunday in remote seas off Australia's Cocos Islands, according to Australian Customs and Border Protection Service officials.

Five convicted in Australia of terror
Five men were convicted Friday in Sydney, Australia, of trying to commit terrorist acts in the country's longest-ever terror trial, court officials said.

Analysis: 'Blackface Jacksons' embarrassing to Australia
That Australia is once again defending itself against claims of racism is not surprising.

Rig spill causes oil slick off Australia
Crews worked Monday to disperse an oil slick that stretches 8 nautical miles through remote waters off the coast of northwestern Australia.

13 missing on Papua New Guinea flight
A plane carrying 13 people -- including nine passengers from Australia -- went missing on its way from Port Moresby to Kokoda in Papua New Guinea, the Australia Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Vanderbilt hoops team to embark on tour of Australia
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Vanderbilt Commodores are about to go down under for some preseason bonding and extra play time.

Polar blog: 'There's something afoot in the Arctic'
I'm writing this blog from Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland, where a cold katabatic wind is blowing off the ice onto the deck of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise.

Aborigines at 'higher risk' of swine flu
Australia's Aboriginal people are at greater risk from the H1N1 virus, the country's health minister has warned.

'Best job in the world' winner to be named
Sixteen people vying for what is being dubbed the "best job in the world" will on Wednesday learn who has won the post of caretaker for the tropical paradise of Hamilton island in Queensland, Australia.

Final interviews begin for island dream job
Sixteen applicants arrived in Hamilton Island on Sunday for the final interviews to pick a caretaker for the tropical paradise in Queensland, Australia.

Rudd: Human smugglers 'scum of the earth'
Australia's prime minister Friday slammed those engaged in human trafficking after an explosion aboard a boat carrying Afghan refugees killed three people and injured more than 40 others near Ashmore Reef, off Australia's northwest coast.

World Soccer: Future looks bright for Australia's long-suffering fans
In the same week in late February that the fourth season of Australia's A-League reached its climax with the showpiece Grand Final between the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United, Football Federation Australia moved offices. The common timing of the two events is not entirely coincidental nor insignificant.

Ship spills chemicals in waters off Australia
A container ship lost 30 containers of chemicals in heavy seas off eastern Australia on Wednesday morning, maritime officials said.

Mass stranding of whales, dolphins in Australia
Rescuers have saved more than 50 whales and five dolphins that stranded themselves on a beach in Tasmania, officials said Monday.

5 championship surf spots
For pro-surfers like nine-time world champion Kelly Slater, flying from continent to continent looking for the perfect wave seems like a freewheeling lifestyle, but for amateurs, it requires careful planning.

Australia fire death toll reaches 210
The death toll from bushfires in southeastern Australia has risen to 210, police in the state of Victoria said Tuesday.

Australia mourns victims of deadly wildfires
Church bells rang throughout Australia on Sunday as the country remembered the victims of this month's devastating fires -- and firefighters braced themselves for the possibility of more blazes.

Police question man over Australia wildfire
Police were questioning a man taken into custody Friday in connection with one of the many wildfires that have laid waste to parts of southeastern Australia. No other details were immediately available.

Winds continue to spread Australia's wildfires
Winds whipping across southeastern Australia's countryside continued to fan deadly brushfires Wednesday, spreading flames through rural towns and ravaging scores of homes.

Australian PM: Wildfire arson is mass murder
Investigators in Australia believe some of the deadly wildfires ravaging dry southeastern bushland may have been set, a conclusion prompting Australia's prime minister to call such acts "mass murder."

Fast, fickle, fatal: Face-to-face with wildfires
It was the speed that caught us off guard. And the noise. Like a roaring, out-of-control freight train.

Raging Australia bushfires kill at least 35
Deadly bushfires raged on in southeast Australia on Sunday despite cooler temperatures and scores of firefighters trying to control the flames.

Border cops claim bird-brain stuffed live pigeons in tights
Customs officials in Australia have cried fowl after searching a airline traveler -- and allegedly finding two live pigeons stuffed in his tights.

Two men found in cooler want to stay in Australia
Two men found floating in a giant cooler off the Australian coast say they want to stay in Australia and don't want to go home, immigration officials said Friday.

Blow-up doll sex suspect arrested in Australia
Police in Australia have arrested a man accused of breaking into an adult shop and having sex with blow-up dolls, it was reported Wednesday.

Australia denies another request to resettle Guantanamo detainees
Australia declined a request from the Bush administration to resettle detainees held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, the Australian Associated Press agency (AAP) reported Saturday.

Australia asked to resettle Guantanamo inmates
Australia is considering a request from the Bush administration to resettle detainees from Guantanamo Bay, though it is unlikely to accept, the prime minister's office said Friday.

'Australia' a 'mammoth task,' says film's designer
Famed for her opulent theatrical style in films like "Strictly Ballroom" and "Moulin Rouge!," production designer Catherine Martin is probably the last person you might expect to find in the remote Outback of Australia knocking up a film set.

Review: 'Australia' weighed down by artifice
When the subject of Australia is as ambitious as the character of an entire country, and the filmmaker is as effusive as Down Under's native son Baz Luhrmann, a ballsy Aussie cinematic razzle-Bazzle is to be expected. To be longed for, actually.

Safe sex ideas that raise eyebrows
Most people know that condoms prevent the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Australia Opens National Tsunami Warning Center
Australia became an integral link in a network of tsunami warning hubs across the Indian and Pacific oceans with the official opening of a national monitoring center Friday

Blue skies, blue days in rural Australia
It sounds like the ultimate advertisement jingle for a holiday: Blue skies, nothing but blue skies, all day long.

Australia to guarantee bank deposits
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Sunday that his government will guarantee all deposits in the country's banks and financial institutions for the next three years.

Australia: Outrage over sheep truck deaths
Australian animal protection activists repeated their calls Tuesday for an end to the long-distance transport of livestock after 400 sheep died in a wreck.

Natural born killers
Setting one species up to scare off or even kill another is nothing new.

The Political Rock Star Helps Another Odd Bird
Former Midnight Oil lead singer Peter Garrett, now Australia's environment minister, races to the rescue of the Southern Cassowary, a creature that does a fair job of protecting itself

Starbucks closing 61 stores in Australia
Starbucks is closing more than two-thirds of its stores in Australia, days after announcing that hundreds of its American coffee outlets are also being shuttered.

Pope Apologizes for Sex Abuse
Pope Benedict XVI used some of the strongest language yet in his apology for the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Roman Catholic clergy

The Pope Thinks Young in Australia
Forget Abba, Australia hails the octogenarian pontiff like a 21st century rock star, even though he has a very old-school sermon for everyone

Australia's Stolen Generation finds its voice
It may lack the prestige of Cannes, but this year's Sydney Film Festival was an equally glitzy and glamorous affair, attracting some Hollywood heavyweights.

Australia Starts Kangaroo Killing
Australian authorities have started the controversial killing of about 400 kangaroos on the outskirts of Australia's capital of Canberra, animal rights activists said Monday

Australia's Gun Laws: Little Effect
New research on tough firearms restrictions passed in Australia in 1996 suggests they have had little impact on gun violence

Ancient Tools Unearthed in Australia
Tools dating back at least 35,000 years have been unearthed in a rock shelter in Australia's remote northwest, making it one of the oldest archaeological finds in that part of the country, archaeologists said Monday

Full text of Australia's apology to Aborigines
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd introduced a motion in the Australian national parliament Tuesday, apologizing for past mistreatment of the country's Aboriginal population. Here is the full text of that apology:

E. Timor president survives shooting
East Timor's president Jose Ramos-Horta arrived in Australia on Monday on full life support after being shot twice in an assassination attempt in his country, a medical official said.

Australia Learns to Say "I'm Sorry"
The government finally apologizes to Aborigines forcibly taken from their families over the course of six decades. But don't ask for compensation

Cell phone call leads to quick rescue for trapped miners
Twenty-seven miners were rescued Monday less than five hours after a landslide trapped them deep below ground in a gold mine west of Melbourne, Australia, police said.

Scientists find clue in mystery of the vanishing bees
A virus found in healthy Australian honey bees may be playing a role in the collapse of honey bee colonies across the United States, researchers reported Thursday.

Australia outlines new citizenship test
People who want to become Australians will have to commit to broad values of "mateship" and may need to brush up on horse racing and political history under new citizenship tests outlined by the government on Sunday.

Coffee gets a color correction
It's not just a mood ring for your mocha. This coffee lid from Australia, which changes color with the temperature of your beverage, is also a hot seller.

Freed doctor leaves Australia
An Indian doctor flew home from Australia early Sunday after prosecutors dropped a charge linking him to recent failed terrorist bombings in Britain.

Freed doctor can leave Australia
A former suspect charged in connection with the foiled terrorist bomb attacks in Britain was free to leave Australia Saturday, a day after prosecutors dropped charges against the Indian-born doctor, according to Australia's Immigration Minister.

Australia detains man in terror probe
A doctor taken into custody Monday while trying to fly out of Australia was the eighth person detained as British investigators focused on several foreign-born doctors believed to have played a role in the attempted terror attacks in London and Glasgow over the weekend, Australian officials and sources said.

Indian doctor charged in UK terror attempts
A 27-year-old Indian national, detained in Australia, has been charged in connection with terrorism incidents in Britain last month, Australian authorities told CNN.

Tsunami warnings for Pacific after quake
Two large back-to-back earthquakes centered in the region of the Solomon Islands triggered a tsunami warning Sunday for a huge part of the Pacific including Australia and Indonesia.

Why foreign companies are buying our toll roads
Someone call Lou Dobbs: America's highways are are up for sale. States are auctioning off the rights to manage their roads - often to overseas firms. What's driving the trend?

CNN Future Summit forum
"Heaven or hell: will technology destroy humanity or turn us into superhumans?"

Row brews over Papua refugees
Australia's government is hoping to avoid escalating a diplomatic spat between Canberra and Jakarta over the granting of temporary visas to asylum seekers from the Indonesian province of Papua.

Australia cyclone 'like atom bomb'
The worst storm to hit Australia in decades has wreaked havoc to its northeastern coast, mowing down sugar and banana crops and leaving thousands of people homeless.

The Buzz About Medical Honey
Ancient Egyptians treated injuries with honey, and World War II doctors dressed wounds with it. Now honey is back on the medical scene, thanks to a startup called MediHoney.

Canberra passes abortion drug vote
Australia's lawmakers have voted Thursday to remove regulatory control of a controversial abortion drug away from the health minister.

Showdown looms over abortion pill
Australia's federal lawmakers have a rare chance to vote outside party lines this week and go with their conscience on what has become a fevered debate on abortion.

Winds of change stir energy market
Energy company AGL will spend Aust. $236 million ($177 million) to build Australia's largest wind farm.

Fires threaten to spoil the party
Soaring mercury, strong gusty winds and no rain in sight -- it's bushfire season in Australia, and if the early signs are any indication, it's going to be another long, hot struggle.

Climate group wants growth balance
A meeting in Sydney of six Asia-Pacific nations to address climate change issues has concluded with member countries seeking to balance continued economic growth with the need to cut greenhouse emissions.

Australia mulls Afghan troop plea
Australia will decide next week whether it will again send troops to Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Howard has said.

Apostles lose one of their own
It has taken just a few seconds for the sea to remake one of Australia's most distinctive coastal attractions, the Twelve Apostles.

Jakarta 'recalling Canberra envoy'
Indonesia's ambassador to Australia is being called back to Indonesia after completing barely half of his three year term, according to a report in Australia's Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Jakarta condemns terror threat
The Indonesian Government has vowed it will not be intimidated by threats following the discovery of a suspected biological agent mailed to the Indonesian embassy in Australia.

Australia to check detainee cases
The row over Australia's mandatory detention policy has heated up after revelations that more than 200 cases of possible wrongful detention are being examined.

Threat to missions in Cambodia
Australia has beefed up security at its embassy in the southeast Asian nation of Cambodia after receiving a terror threat linked to Canberra's role in the war on Iraq.

Australia warns on Jakarta travel
Australia has again advised its citizens to stay away from Indonesia after Jakarta police warned of possible suicide bombings in the Indonesian capital.

India accepted to East Asia summit
Australia's participation at a key regional trade, economic and security summit in Asia remains in doubt, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

Vietnam backs Canberra summit bid
Vietnam will back Australia's bid to be included in a key Asian forum to be held later this year despite Canberra's reluctance to sign a regional non-aggression pact, the Southeast Asian nation's leader told media Thursday.

Trade, region focus for Vietnam PM
Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai will arrive in Australia Thursday for a three-day visit to Canberra, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The Great Australian Debt Delusion
The “greater fool” theory is put to the test. Has Australia learned anything from America?

Australia--Risking Loss of Heritage
Political correctness is threatening the land Down Under with the loss of the heritage that built that nation.

Pope Ropes in Australian Anglicans
The Romanizing of traditional Christianity reaches Down Under.

Is Global Warming Causing Extreme Weather?
Extreme droughts in one nation, heavy snows in another. Is this a coincidence, or is something behind it?

Australia: Bushfires Wreaking Havoc, Again

Who's Sorry Now?
Appeasers and revisionists seek apologies for past history.

Drought Continues to Plague Australia's Breadbasket

Terror Touches Australia
In the second such incident within the past few years, a terrorist plot is unveiled in Australia.

The Year's Most Crucial Election
While politicians and pundits remain ignorant of its impact on world affairs, tensions build toward the most crucial national election of 2009.

Far-Right Landslide in Austria

New Trade Pact Furthers ASEAN Integration

Australia: The Other Natural Disaster

Why So Many Disasters?
Records continue to tumble annually as the Anglo-Saxon nations suffer from an unprecedented series of disasters. What’s the reason for this battering from a record-breaking series of catastrophes?

Australia: Fires, Floods and Fulfilled Prophecy!
The devastating fires and floods in Australia ought to be a wake-up call to the nation.

Australia--Reality Dawns
From budget surplus to impending deficit in just one year. That’s hardly an encouraging scenario for Australia’s current federal government.

Ex-PM Attacks Aussie Heritage
A former Australian prime minister attacked the watershed battle that put Australia on the map.

Drought Worsens in Australia's Murray-Darling

The Land Down Under Is Going Under
It doesn’t matter how many surfers there are in Australia—the coming surge of home foreclosures and bank failures will pulverize the economy. No one will be able to ride out this wave.

Aussie Bank to Bring America's Biggest Bankers to Their Knees?
With American banks already in trouble, an Australian bank made matters worse—by telling the truth!

Weather: God's Bullhorn to Mankind
Few people comprehend the centrality of the weather to human existence. Even fewer see a divine presence in our out-of-control skies.

Australia--Where to Now?

Australia and a Prophetic Warning
In a time of change, a vital message goes out to Australians.

Anzac Heroes
The heroic stand by the forces of Australia and New Zealand at Gallipoli has links that extend back to biblical times.

Australia--Meant to Be
In the ongoing argument as to whether Australia should cast off its moorings from mother England, one overarching truth is neglected.

Australia--Savages on the Fringe
Vicious, senseless youth crimes stain civilized society in the land Down Under.

Swan has 'no excuses' for finals series
5:21 PM

Penrith delighted at keeping Coote
4:22 PM

Roos tips Swans' trio to play
4:07 PM

Webber finally gets some praise
3:55 PM

Warriors to face plenty of emotion
3:47 PM

Travel won't worry us say Blues
3:44 PM

Yarran backs Blues attack
3:43 PM

Anasta surprised by 'paranoid' Tigers
3:34 PM

Bombers form coaching panel
3:13 PM

Another Danish princess making headlines
3:05 PM

MVP Jackson leads Storm past Mercury
2:50 PM

AFL announce week two fixture
2:48 PM

Commonwealth of Australia

Capital: Canberra / Largest city: Sydney

The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and a number of other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.

The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales, commencing on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth realm. The capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The population is 21 million, and is concentrated in the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia