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Firebrand who renamed Bombay dies

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 17 November 2012 | 20.47

BAL Thackeray, who has died aged 86, was a firebrand Indian politician whose right-wing Hindu party renamed Bombay and became synonymous with deadly ethnic violence.

His death on Saturday leaves the western state of Maharashtra and its capital - now known as Mumbai - without one of its most controversial figures, who more than once expressed his admiration for the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

Born on January 23, 1926 to a social activist father who played a key role in the movement to establish the Marathi-speaking state of Maharashtra, "The Tiger", as he was known, began life as a political cartoonist.

But he later became more involved in calling for greater rights for local Marathi-speaking people and protecting their culture and language from migrant workers.

Renaming Bombay as Mumbai in 1995, after a local deity, and city landmarks was seen as an attempt to rid the city of its British colonial past and emphasise its Marathi roots.

Thackeray had founded the Shiv Sena or Shiva's Army in 1966 in honour of the legendary 17th-century Marathi figure whose battles established a Hindu kingdom in a land then run by Muslims.

The party's ideology to protect and promote local "sons of the soil" evolved into a high-profile campaign against south Indian clerks and restaurateurs, Gujaratis, Muslims, north Indians and Bangladeshis who had come to the area for work.

A tightly-controlled network of Shiv Sena cells across the city often followed up threats and intimidation with violence.

Among the Sena's targets were shops selling Valentine's Day cards, cinemas showing a film with a lesbian theme, and Pakistani sportsmen and entertainers.

In 2010, activists forced some Mumbai cinemas to close in protest at "unpatriotic" comments by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan lamenting the absence of Pakistani cricketers from that year's Indian Premier League.

Most significantly, Thackeray stoked the fires of tension after Hindu militants destroyed a mosque in 1992 said to have been built on the site of a Hindu temple in the northern town of Ayodhya.

As reprisal attacks spread throughout India, he called on Hindus to "teach (Muslims) a lesson".

A subsequent judicial inquiry later pointed the finger at Thackeray, accusing him of directly inciting anti-Muslim violence that left more than 1000 people dead in India's financial and entertainment capital.

Thackeray was never brought to book by the authorities.

In 1994, the Shiv Sena came to power in Maharashtra in a coalition with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), buoyed by anti-Muslim sentiment and a wave of bomb blasts blamed on Islamist extremists.

One of its first acts was to rename the city in a move that was widely criticised at the time, though Mumbai has since become its globally accepted title.

Thackeray was never a legislator - indeed he once said he hated politics - but his hand was seen in many of the state government's decisions.

Some saw the measure of his power and influence in his invitation to Michael Jackson to play a concert in the city in 1996 - and donate the profits to a Shiv Sena youth charity.

The late US singer is said to have autographed a toilet he used in Thackeray's bungalow.

The party lost power at state level in 1999, but has retained a presence ever since, with a BJP-Shiv Sena coalition in February winning a fourth consecutive term over Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The ageing Thackeray's pronouncements continued to be watched with both interest and fear as power passed to his son Uddhav and his nephew Raj set up a new, rival party.

His fiery speeches - in later years through the Marathi-language newspaper Saamna (Confrontation) - ridiculed revered Indian political figures and showed "The Tiger" still had teeth.

He appeared by videolink to his followers in October during a Hindu festival, looking frail and describing his weakened state in what sounded like a farewell speech.

"People should keep their loyalty intact (towards Shiv Sena).... You took care of me, now take care of Uddhav and Aditya," he said, referring to his son and grandson.

Behind every pronouncement stood Thackeray's regionalist agenda or desire to protect traditional Indian values, but it stood increasingly at odds with India's fast-growing economy that was embracing globalisation.

He may have found support among those whose jobs were threatened, but for many the communalism he espoused looked out of touch with modern India.


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Uganda records rise in gorilla numbers

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 16 November 2012 | 20.47

THE population of Uganda's mountain gorillas has grown to 400, up from 302 in 2006, according to a census conducted last year.

This brings the total number of mountain gorillas in Africa to 880, giving hope to conservationists trying to save the critically endangered species.

Uganda is now home to nearly half of the world's mountain gorillas remaining in the wild, a source of confidence for a country that has come to depend heavily on the popular apes for substantial tourism revenue.

The rest of the surviving mountain gorillas - the species Gorilla beringei beringei - are in Congo and Rwanda.

"The increase in the population of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is testimony to the sound natural resource management policies that are being implemented in the protected areas," Uganda's Ministry of Tourism said in a statement on Friday.

"This result confirms beyond reasonable doubt that Uganda's conservation efforts are paying off."

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a network of forested jungle deep in the country's southwestern frontier, is recognised by UNESCO as a heritage site of world value.

A permit to track gorillas there costs at least $US500 ($A485) and the World Wildlife Fund estimates that each gorilla brings in up to $US1 million in revenue each year for the East African country.

The census shows a stunning recovery for a species that once faced a real threat of extinction.

Mountain gorillas in the wild still face threats ranging from habitat loss to poaching, especially in Congo, where lawlessness in the country's vast eastern territory has allowed illegal hunters to prosper.

Mountain gorillas are hunted for their meat in Congo, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Even a common cold can kill a mountain gorilla, as the species is particularly vulnerable to respiratory diseases usually associated with humans.

The conservation group Gorilla Doctors said the population growth was partly due to "extreme conservation" methods such as daily ranger monitoring in the forest.

Ugandan wildlife officials have been able to build successful partnerships with local communities in part by pouring some of the revenue into local projects, converting previously hostile groups into friendly advocates for the gorillas' survival.

"The mountain gorilla is the only non-human great ape that is actually growing in number," said Mike Cranfield of Gorilla Doctors.

"The growth of the mountain gorilla population can be attributed to the intensive conservation and collaboration between multiple conservation groups and government authorities."


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UN court frees Croatian 'hero' generals

THE UN Yugoslav war crimes court has acquitted Croatian ex-generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac of charges including war crimes during the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia and ordered them freed.

The appeals court "enters a verdict of acquittal" for Gotovina and Markac, judge Theodor Meron said on Friday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

The court's packed public gallery erupted in cheers and clapping as the acquittal was read, with many people bursting out in tears and hugging Markac's wife, Mirjana, who was at the hearing, as supporters outside uncorked champagne bottles.

Gotovina and Markac, considered heros in Croatia, were last year jailed for 24 and 18 years respectively for the murder of Croatian Serbs during their country's struggle for independence and the bloody and ethnically driven break-up of Yugoslavia.

But the court found that the initial convictions had been based on the false premise that any artillery that landed on Serb-inhabited towns and was more than 200 metres from a military target was an attack on civilians.

Judges also overturned the finding of "a joint criminal enterprise whose purpose was the permanent and forcible removal of Serb civilians from the Krajina region."

Gotovina, dressed in a light blue suit and dark blue tie, listened intently as judge Meron read the verdict, sometimes tapping his fingers on the table. As it became obvious he would be freed, he smiled and shook Markac's hand.

Outside the courthouse, supporters uncorked champagne while singing Croatian nationalist songs.

"It's a great day for us," said Zvonko Komsic, 53, as he hugged Markac's wife while taking a swig of champagne.

Candle-lit vigils were held the night before the ruling around Croatia, which will in July join the European Union, having fulfilled the condition of handing over war crimes suspects to the court based in The Hague.

People cheered and broke down in tears in Zagreb's central square, where thousands watched the generals acquitted in a live broadcast.

Hope had been riding high that the generals would be freed, with Gotovina supporter Edi Zelic saying he had champagne on ice in anticipation as he awaited the verdict outside the Hague courtroom.

Croatian Roman Catholic bishop Vlado Kosic had urged the faithful to "raise their voice against injustice regarding the generals and Croatia" and to pray "for a fair verdict".

Gotovina, and Markac, both 57, were convicted last year on nine counts including murder and inhumane acts committed against Serbs.

A third accused, Ivan Cermak, who was deputy Croatian defence minister at the time, was acquitted.

A former French Foreign Legionnaire, Gotovina was sentenced for war crimes his troops committed during "Operation Storm" he led in 1995, specifically the shelling of four towns in Croatia's self-proclaimed Serb area of Krajina in August of that year.

The lightning offensive led to the recapture of the Krajina region, crushing one of the last pockets of Serb nationalist resistance in an area where the community had roots going back centuries.

The prosecution said 324 Serb civilians and soldiers were killed and "close to 90,000 Serbs were forcibly displaced with the clear intention that they never return."

Serb victims' associations put the numbers at 1,200 civilians killed and 220,000 refugees.

Gotovina, the highest-ranking Croatian army officer tried by the court, and Markac - jailed for 18 years - appealed their sentences in May, with their lawyer disputing that Croatian artillery ever targeted civilians, something appeals judges agreed with.

Prosecutors had argued that Operation Storm was a "joint criminal enterprise", devised by the late Croatian president Franjo Tudjman and senior Croat military commanders to drive Serbs from the country.

Gotovina, seen by his supporters as the man who helped liberate Croatia in the chaotic aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, was arrested in a luxury hotel in the Spanish Canary Islands in December 2005 after almost four years on the run.


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China premier to visit Cambodia, Thailand

CHINESE Premier Wen Jiabao will take part in a Southeast Asian meeting in Cambodia from Sunday that will include President Barack Obama and regional leaders, which comes as China is locked in territorial disputes with its neighbours.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that Wen will visit Cambodia and Thailand from Sunday to Wednesday. Hong did not provide specific dates for each leg of Wen's visit.

Hong said Wen will attend the East Asian Summit and other meetings in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh organised by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-member bloc that China is not a part of but holds talks with.

Tensions have flared recently over territorial disputes in the region, including rival claims by China, the Philippines and Vietnam to South China Sea islands and waters that are believed to be rich in gas and oil and straddle busy shipping routes.

Two other ASEAN members - Brunei and Malaysia - also have been embroiled in South China Sea territorial rifts.

China has opposed any attempt to bring the disputes to international forums, including ASEAN, preferring to negotiate one-on-one with rival claimants. It has warned the United States, which has been reasserting its role as an Asia-Pacific power, to stay away from the sea disputes.

The United States, which has tens of thousands of forces based in the Asia-Pacific, views itself as a stabilising influence in the region, and its diplomacy on the South China Sea, where it says it holds no position on the competing sovereignty claims, has helped boost its standing in Southeast Asia.

But criticism of China risks straining ties with Beijing that the US also sees as crucial for regional stability.


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Petraeus arrives for hearing

EX-CIA director David Petraeus has arrived at the US Capitol for highly-anticipated, closed-door congressional hearings on the September 11 assault on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya.

The decorated general, making his first appearance since resigning last week in the wake of an extramarital affair with his biographer, entered a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee.

Mr Petraeus avoided the assembled press pack but an official confirmed that he had entered the hearing room. He is due to attend a closed-door Senate Intelligence Committee hearing later in the morning.

Lawmakers are expected to press him about intelligence operations in Libya and his agency's role in the incident, as well as security conditions at the US consulate and the nearby CIA annex in Benghazi during the attack which left four Americans dead, including ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Congressmen said Thursday that Mr Petraeus travelled to Tripoli after the attack and interviewed several people involved in the incident, and that they wanted to hear directly from the general about what he learned on his trip to Libya.


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India wants probe into woman's death

NEW Delhi has demanded a "transparent" probe into the death of an Indian women in Ireland after doctors there allegedly refused to terminate her pregnancy even though she was miscarrying.

New Delhi cranked up the pressure on Dublin over the October 28 death of Savita Halappanavar from septicaemia after local politicians expressed their concern and urged the government to act.

Foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said India's ambassador to Ireland would meet local authorities later on Friday.

"We expect that he will also seek reassurance from the Irish authorities that they will hold an independent, transparent enquiry into the matter," Akbaruddin said.

"He will request that the Irish authorities keep India informed of the progress and outcome of the enquiry," the spokesman said, adding that the envoy would also convey the "concern growing in India" over Halappanavar's death.

The 31-year-old dentist repeatedly asked staff at University Hospital in Galway, west Ireland, to terminate her pregnancy because she was miscarrying, her family said.

Doctors allegedly refused her demand, telling her that "this is a Catholic country". Abortion is illegal in Roman Catholic-dominated Ireland except when it is necessary to save the life of the mother.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny described her death as a "tragedy", while two separate investigations have been announced.

Indian Communist Party leader Brinda Karat said Halappanavar's condition should have been treated as a "medical emergency" as she joined calls for a tough line with Ireland over the incident.

"The fact that they didn't is a crime and the Irish authorities are responsible for committing a crime of a loss of a human life and I think the Indian government must step in here," she told reporters.

Ireland's abortion laws have been the subject of debate for years.

Under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, women in Ireland are legally entitled to an abortion when it is necessary to save the life of the mother. But legislation has never been passed to reflect this.


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Obama has mandate to protect needy: Swan

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 15 November 2012 | 20.47

TREASURER Wayne Swan believes re-elected US President Barack Obama has a clear mandate to solve the fiscal cliff problem in a way which protects the most vulnerable.

Mr Swan, who received mixed responses for a speech in September in which he described elements of the US Republican Party as 'cranks and crazies', will tell a union conference on Friday that the president's mandate should ensure the top two per cent of America's wealthiest pay their fair share.

"This is not just a political argument. It's also an economic argument," he will tell the National Union of Workers event in Sydney.

Financial markets are jittery over whether the fiscal cliff issue - automatic spending cuts and the unwinding of tax cuts at the turn of the year - will be resolved quickly.

The US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has warned that if the matter is not resolved it could tip the US economy into recession, with serious consequences for the global recovery, including Australia and the Asia region.

CBO director Doug Elmendorf, whom Mr Swan met on his recent trip to Washington, has calculated that extending most expiring tax cuts for everyone except for the most wealthy would boost US economic growth by around 1.25 per cent by the end of 2013.

Extending the same tax cuts to the top two per cent would add only 0.25 per cent to growth because the wealthy can afford to save the extra income.

"So it's not just an issue of fairness, it's simple maths," Mr Swan says in his prepared speech, obtained by AAP.

He says it is imperative that the US Congress work constructively with President Obama to avoid the worst of the fiscal cliff and agree on a credible plan for fiscal sustainability over the medium term.

"We've seen all too clearly in Europe the high price to be paid when governments delay the politically tough decisions in favour of the easier populist path," he says.

Mr Swan will also tell the conference that the new Chinese leadership will be under no illusions that substantial reform will be required if China is to continue its impressive growth performance in the years ahead.

He also believes the G20, a grouping that Australia will host in 2014, is the central forum to provide strong global leadership.

Australia will join the troika overseeing the group's activities from next month, along with Mexico, this year's G20 host, and Russia, the 2013 host.

"We will take this opportunity to ensure that lifting growth and delivering jobs is the G20's top priority," he said.


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Hundreds set to protest at Bacon opening

THE opening of the Art Gallery of NSW's Francis Bacon exhibition is expected to draw more than just art enthusiasts, with hundreds set to gather to protest government cuts.

TAFE student Penny Ryan said more than 300 students will join members of the Public Service Association (PSA) outside the AGNSW on Friday evening to greet Premier Barry O'Farrell as he walks up the steps of the gallery.

In a move Ms Ryan labelled as "hypocritical", Mr O'Farrell is expected to open the gallery's Sydney only show, Francis Bacon: Five Decades.

"It is utter hypocrisy for Barry O'Farrell to open the exhibition when he is decimating the future of art in this state," she told AAP on Thursday.

His government said earlier this year TAFE courses in areas of "low employment growth" would no longer be subsidised by the state.

As a result, some courses in fine arts, including sculpture, visual arts and ceramics, will cost students up to $12,500 a year to complete, Ms Ryan said.

"The vast majority of people who go to TAFE will not be able to foot that, particularly in rural areas," she told AAP on Thursday.

Ms Ryan said she was concerned about the long-term impact of the cuts on the state's cultural life.

"Francis Bacon, like all other artists, would recognise and would say that art is one per cent imagination and 99 per cent work," she said. "If you cut out training you cut out art."

Ms Ryan said PSA members would be joining the students outside the gallery to protest security guard positions, which are due to be made redundant next year.

The move by the gallery to invite Mr O'Farrell to open the exhibition has also provoked some ire online, with several people posting messages on AGNSW's Facebook page.

In one, students urged supporters to "bring home the Bacon to Barry", while others described Mr O'Farrell's opening the event variously as "horrifying", "disappointing in the extreme" and "a joke".

In a response posted by the gallery online earlier this month, AGNSW said: "The NSW government through Destination NSW has enabled the gallery to bring the work of such a significant artist to Australia. This is why the Premier is opening the exhibition."


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Wal-Mart's 3Q profit up 9 percent

WAL-MART Stores Inc. is reporting a 9 per cent increase in third-quarter net income as the world's largest retailer continues to bring back shoppers by re-emphasising it has the lowest prices.

The US-based company said on Thursday it earned $US3.63 billion ($A3.52 billion) or $1.08 per share in the quarter ended October 31. That compares with $US3.33 billion or 96 cents per share in the year-ago period.

Net sales excluding Sam's Club membership fees rose 3.4 per cent to $U113.2 million.

Analysts were expecting $1.07 per share on revenue of $US114 billion.

Wal-Mart says its revenue at stores opened at least a year rose 1.5 per cent, below Wall Street's estimate of 1.8 per cent.

Wal-Mart narrowed its full year earnings guidance and issued a fourth-quarter profit outlook that's below analysts' forecasts.


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Broken Hill to host NBN satellite station

BROKEN Hill in far western NSW will host a satellite ground station as part of the national broadband network (NBN) that will deliver fast broadband to Australians in isolated areas.

NBN Co, the builder of the government's $37.4 billion network, says the single-storey building with two 13.5 metre diameter satellite dishes will deliver NBN services to communities such as Menindee, Purnamoota, Yanco Glen and Kanbara.

Program director satellites Matt Dawson says Broken Hill is ideally placed to deliver better broadband services to the outback.

"It has the ideal climate and is close to reliable power and other infrastructure including the NBN's core fibre transit network - the main fibre network - the main fibre transmission lines linking towns and our exchanges," Mr Dawson said.

Broken Hill City Council mayor Wincen Cuy welcomes the plan.

"We're proud to play a central role in a nation building project that will help people in rural and remote Australia become better connected with one another and the wider world," Mr Cuy said.

The station, nine kilometres east of Broken Hill, is the ninth of 10 facilities across Australia announced to support NBN Co's long-term satellite service, which is due to operate from 2015.

Two satellites will be launched in 2015 to provide wholesale download speeds of up to 12 megabits a second (Mbps).

The interim satellite service delivers download speeds of up to six Mbps to more than 17,000 premises.

The city of Broken Hill will receive broadband services through the NBN's fibre optic cable network capable of delivering download speeds up to 100 Mbps and upload speeds up to 40 Mbps.


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Teen grabbed in Sydney kidnapping attempt

A 17-YEAR-OLD girl has been grabbed by a man who kissed her and tried to force her into a car in Sydney's southwest.

The teenager was walking in Punchbowl just before 3pm (AEST) on Thursday when a black Mitsubishi Magna pulled up alongside her, police said.

A man got out of the passenger side of the car, approached and kissed her.

Police said he then grabbed her from behind and attempted to lift her up and force her into the car.

The woman fought him off, the man eventually letting her go and getting back into the car, which sped off.

Police say the attacker is of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance, about 175cm tall, solid and has short brown hair. He was wearing a grey coloured singlet and white pants.

The driver of the car is described as Mediterranean or Middle Eastern looking, in his 20s and with a full beard.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/.


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Disability insurance scheme 'to blow out'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 14 November 2012 | 20.47

THE National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will become a monster program that will probably blow out by more than $7 billion annually when fully operational, a think tank says.

A Centre for Independent Studies report says the scheme will become "the new leviathan of the Australian welfare state".

It cites a secret review by the Australian Government Actuary (AGA) released under freedom of information that revealed the NDIS will provide disability care to 441,000 people at a cost of $22 billion a year or $50,000 per person when it is fully operational in 2018-19.

"However, these estimates also likely underestimate the cost of the scheme beyond," says the report, released on Thursday.

"The AGA's estimates do not include potential financial risks to the scheme ... the impact of scheduled increases in the pension age from 2017 to 2023."

The AGA's figures are substantially larger than the Productivity Commission's estimate that the scheme would cost about $15 billion a year and cover 411,000 people in 2019-19 when the scheme is fully operational, the report says.

It says the Productivity Commission's figures do not take into account wage increases in the community services sector, price inflation, or population growth from 2009-10 to 2018-19.

The report estimates the scheme is likely to support around 500,000 people at a cost of about $29.5 billion per year in 2023-24, which includes the administration costs of employing more than 8000 bureaucrats to run it.

Report author Andrew Baker said there was pressure to expand eligibility to the 600,000 people aged 65 and older with a severe or profound disability who would be excluded from the scheme.

Despite question marks about how it will be paid for, Mr Baker said it was a worthwhile program that would improve the lives of thousands.


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Small business pessimistic about economy

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 13 November 2012 | 20.47

SMALL businesses remain pessimistic about trading conditions, with concerns about the Chinese and European economies and the high Australian dollar hurting confidence.

The BankWest Business Challenges Survey, released on Wednesday, found 72.7 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) believed they faced more challenges compared to a year ago.

BankWest business chief executive Ian Corfield said that was an improvement compared to last year when 80.1 per cent believed conditions were more challenging compared with 2010.

"A big chunk of SME's think that conditions will be tougher over the next year compared to the last year, but what has changed since last year is that the proportion who think that has declined quite significantly," he told AAP.

"I guess what that is telling us is that there is some optimism creeping back in."

Mr Corfield said the survey showed the biggest concern for small business was the general economic environment, particularly China and Europe, and the high value of the Australian dollar.

He said attracting and maintaining customers and the high cost of utility prices were also major concerns.

The survey showed that 39.1 per cent of businesses felt growth opportunities in their sector were improving, up from 35.2 per cent last year.

Mr Corfield said one of the key drivers for growth was technological changes.

"A third of small businesses say that changes in technology are a key driver in business growth for them," he said.

"Quite often we talk about the impact of online sales on retailers but we ignore the general beneficial effects to a lot of other businesses across the economy."


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Primary education standards improving

THE COAG Reform Council is disappointed that there has been little improvement in education outcomes since 2008 but deputy chairman Greg Craven says there are enough positive results to suggest good things are happening.

The Council of Australian Governments' annual report on school education, released on Wednesday, says Year Three reading and Year Five numeracy improved in 2011 but overall there was little change in students' results from 2008.

It also said the Year 12 completion rate needs to improve faster than it did over the past decade to meet COAG's target of 90 per cent attainment in 2015.

However, school participation rates for 15 to 19-year-olds recently increased following a COAG agreement to lift the school leaving age to Year 10 and ensure young people are either earning or learning after that.

Professor Craven said a higher participation rate could increase Year 12 completions but there would be a three-year lag before any change was noticeable.

"The council probably had hoped for better news in this education report," he told reporters in Canberra.

However, he said it was a positive sign that improvements were happening at primary school level.

"We all know that the way to improve education is to improve it early, fast and effectively," he said.

"There is enough positive results in there to show that there are some good things happening."

Prof Craven said that for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, education offered a path out of entrenched and multigenerational disadvantage.

"These figures indicate that for many of those students, that path is still not clear," he said.

The report showed some encouraging improvements for indigenous students but attendance rates generally did not improve in most areas and actually declined for Year 10.

However, the gap between Year 12 completion rates for indigenous and non-indigenous students was narrowing.

Professor Craven said no one would pretend the need to boost indigenous performance and attendance was a short-term issue.

But he was confident that with more sophisticated data being gathered, governments would be able to come up with more targeted policy initiatives to try to turn things around.


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Xmas shopping by smart phones set to boom

ABOUT 40 per cent of Australians are expected to use their smart phones and tablets to shop over Christmas - more than double last year's figure.

Google Australia research has found that there is a 20 per cent increase in shopping related searches year on year and that 40 per cent of all shopping searches now come from smart phones or tablets.

"What we see is we're getting a growth of 20 per cent, year on year, for shopping related searches and mobile devices searches have more than doubled in the last 12 months," Google Australia leader for local and retail Ross McDonald said.

Mr McDonald said with the recent release of the iPhone5 and an increasing number of Australians buying iPads he expected the number of mobile searches to increase more rapidly this Christmas.

"We reckon there will be close to a million new devices turned on between now and Christmas when you think about the iPad launch and the new iPhone launch," he said.

"That means there will be more and more Australians using them to make decisions on what they're going to buy for Christmas.

"The last three years the highest number of searches we've had on mobiles have been in the week before Christmas and we estimate that in the week before Christmas this year we will get 50 per cent of our queries through mobile devices."

Mr McDonald said even people who were buying in store still did their research online and used their smart phones and devices to find relevant stores.

"On a big screen people do their product research, then they use a mobile to work out where they're going to go, when the store is open and what offers they have," he said.

He said while some retailers, especially smaller ones, may not be interested in selling online they should still have a mobile friendly website to advertise because that was where most shoppers looked for information about stores and products.

"What we measure is bounce rate and what we see is bounce rates are very, very high if the website is not optimised for a mobile screen," he said.

"If it's not accessible for a mobile, people will very quickly bounce off it and go and look up something else."


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Missing young people baffle COAG council

A GROUP of young Australians who are neither earning nor learning has the COAG Reform Council baffled.

The council's latest reports into skills and education found the proportion of 18 to 24 year-olds fully engaged in employment, education or training has dropped to 72.5 per cent in 2011.

Most of this was down to a fall in full-time employment.

But the council also found that nationally, there was no significant increase in the rates of young people who finished Year 12 or equivalent between 2008 and 2011.

The results were surprising given the genuine focus by all governments on education and training, council deputy chairman Greg Craven told reporters in Canberra.

"If young Australians are not earning or learning, that begs the question - what are they doing?" Professor Craven said.

"We need to focus very, very carefully on making sure that all Australians are equipped to participate and benefit from both the society and the economy."

It was not a disaster that the council was unable to track this group, but they did want to find out what the young people were doing and whether their needs were being met, Prof Craven said.

The reports also showed disadvantaged groups were still fighting disproportionately to overcome barriers to further education.

People from the most disadvantaged areas were the least likely to be studying for further qualifications, with only 55.1 per cent seeking higher skills compared to 76.5 per cent of those in the least disadvantaged regions.

Almost two in five indigenous people held post-school qualifications, compared with almost three in five non-indigenous people.

"That progress that we are making among disadvantaged groups is not fast and it is a worry that there are particular groups that are not benefiting in the same level as other Australians," Prof Craven said.

The report on skills also found the reduction in the number of people without any kind of higher-level qualification was happening too slowly to meet COAG's 2020 target.

The proportion of working Australians without at least a Certificate III dropped between 2008 and 2011, but the trend rate indicated there would still be one-third of Australians without such a qualification in 2020 - 10 points higher than the target level.

Prof Craven said the council was "very, very hopeful" a new national agreement signed in April would improve this result.

He said it was especially important people got more skills with the economy in transition and employers needing a pool of skilled workers to be able to take advantage of new opportunities.

"Against the background of the Asian century white paper that demand is only going to continue to grow so that it's absolutely imperative that we see the rates of skilled Australians rise to meet the challenge."

One highlight in the report was that Australia is well on track to meet COAG's target to double diploma and advanced diploma completions by 2020.


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Artificial pancreas hope for diabetes

Written By Unknown on Senin, 12 November 2012 | 20.47

AUSTRALIAN researchers believe they are one step closer to developing an artificial pancreas for people with diabetes.

A Sydney-based diabetes expert and a Queensland artificial intelligence specialist have tested the prototype of a software program that could replicate the role of a human pancreas.

If a clinical trial works as well as the prototype, it could be a breakthrough for the lives of those with type 1 diabetes who have to inject insulin daily, they say.

Jenny Gunton from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Nigel Greenwood of the University of Queensland say the device would work by measuring a patient's blood glucose levels and delivering the dose of insulin required - as a normally-functioning pancreas does.

"The ultimate aim for a 'mechanical cure' for type 1 diabetes would be to have a closed loop system - where you have an insulin pump which knows how much insulin to give at the right time," said Associate Professor Gunton.

"So you have glucose monitoring and insulin administration in the same machine, with very smart pump software keeping people's blood glucose normal."

In the project, funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, two virtual patients had data supplied from real people with diabetes. Their medical data, including blood glucose levels, was then simulated.

The software developed by Dr Greenwood, called Neuromathix, calculated suggested insulin dosages for the patients and their blood glucose was analysed over 55 simulated days.

The researchers found that target blood glucose levels were achieved over 90 per cent of the time - compared to the average person with diabetes who hits the target 60 per cent of the time.

"What we have just done couldn't have been done 10 years ago. We are dealing with a profoundly complex model involving many unknowns," said Dr Greenwood.

He hopes the software will reach the market in 2016 after a clinical study and trial.


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Aussie time-wasting at work costs $87b

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 11 November 2012 | 20.47

AUSTRALIANS are more productive in the workplace than what they were a year ago but time-wasting still costs organisations $87 billion a year, a new report claims.

The average amount of time wasted in the workplace has fallen by four per cent since October 2011, the Ernst & Young Australian Productivity Pulse report found.

That may not sound like much, but it's not a bad boost considering Australian workplaces have been operating in a declining productivity environment for about 10 years, Ernst & Young managing partner Neil Plumridge says.

"We're producing more from the same amount of hours worked than 12 months ago," Mr Plumridge said.

"An extra 15 minutes of productive time every day at work can mean a great deal for individuals as well as the organisations they work for."

Four out of five Australian workers surveyed took productivity very seriously and were making a real effort to work "smarter" to get more out of the day.

But bludgers, who make up just five per cent of the workforce, account for more than 20 per cent of time wasted across the day, the report found.

Unnecessary meetings, unimportant emails and the use of social media at work were the biggest time-killers, costing businesses big dollars in lost wages.

Tasmania was ranked the most productive state, and healthcare and social workers the most gung-ho employees.

NSW was the least productive state, with finance and insurance workers the least time-efficient.

West Australians, motivated by job security, clocked the longest hours, while their South Australian counterparts clocked the least.

The findings were based on a survey of more than 2100 employees across seven industries in both the public and private sectors.


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