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NEWS ABOUT: Kevin Rudd

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Vegemite Nearly Causes Diplomatic Incident

Customs officials try to confiscate Aussie Kevin Rudd's jar

(Newser) - Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had to put his diplomatic powers to use this weekend … when US Customs officials tried to confiscate his Vegemite. What’s Vegemite, you ask? The Telegraph calls the popular Australian breakfast spread, made from yeast extract, a “mystery brown paste” and a cousin... More »

International Leaders Pledge $1B to Back Libyan Rebels

Gadhafi regime close to exit: officials

(Newser) - Countries that stepped into the Libyan conflict are promising $1 billion in support for the rebel cause. The pledge from nations including Italy, France, Turkey, and Australia is backed in large part by Libyan assets, notes the New York Times , but some legal considerations still stand between the money and... More »

Australia to US: You, Not Assange, to Blame for Leaks

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd puts the blame on the leakers

(Newser) - As Julian Assange spent the night in a British jail , his home country finally came to his defense. The WikiLeaks founder may have published classified documents, but he got them from somewhere. "Mr. Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorized release of 250,000 documents from the US... More »

Australia Gets First Female PM

Gillard takes charge after party dumps Rudd

(Newser) - Julia Gillard has become Australia's first prime minister after a revolt within the ruling Labor Party ousted Kevin Rudd. Rudd—who led the party to a landslide victory less than 3 years ago—got the heave-ho from lawmakers worried that his growing unpopularity would cause Labor to lose power in... More »

Williams' Digs at Aussies Spark Global Beefing

PM rips Alabama after 'English rednecks' jab; governor fires back

(Newser) - Robin Williams’ characterization of Australians as “English rednecks” has set up a domino effect of beefing, with Alabama’s governor the latest to get his licks in. The American comedian made the remark yesterday on Letterman, prompting Australian PM Kevin Rudd to say “Robin Williams should go and... More »

Aussies Under Permanent Terror Alert

Major threat comes from homegrown jihadists, warns Rudd

(Newser) - Australia is now under a permanently high threat of terrorist attack, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced yesterday. Rudd announced new counter terrorism measures including tougher visa checks and airport face scans on people from 10 countries considered to be high-risk, the BBC reports. The biggest danger, he warned, is from... More »

I Saw China Wreck the Copenhagen Talks

The West's getting the blame, but Beijing's the real villain here

(Newser) - Barack Obama is getting the blame for the limp Copenhagen deal, but Mark Lynas knows it was China that really scuttled it—because he watched it happen. Sitting in on the closed-door meetings, the Guardian writer “saw Obama fighting desperately to salvage a deal, and the Chinese delegate saying... More »

Aussies 'Sorry' for Abused Children

Children forced to migrate to Australia neglected, beaten

(Newser) - The Australian government has apologized—again—this time for abusing thousands of children forced to migrate to the nation. Some 500,000 "forgotten Australians" were abused or neglected in orphanages and children's work homes from 1930 to 1970. "We are sorry," Australian Prime Minister Devin Rudd told... More »

Aussies Stop 'Asylum Boat'

60 suspected asylum-seekers to be sent to Christmas Island detention center

(Newser) - The Australian navy stopped a vessel carrying 58 suspected asylum-seekers off the country's northwest coast today, the BBC reports. It was the fourth such boat stopped in the area in under a week. The passengers will be sent to a detention center on Christmas Island, 1,600 miles west of... More »

Aussies Sorry for 10K Kids Shipped for 'Slave Labor'

British children were abused, kept hungry in program lasting until 1960s

(Newser) - The Australian prime minister will apologize to generations of British migrants shipped to Australia as children and subjected to abuse, hunger, and slave labor. Between the 1920s and 1960s the UK sent about 10,000 children to provide Australia with "good white stock," but when they arrived they... More »

Australia Grieves for Sam the Koala

Rescued animal was symbol of strength after devastating wildfires

(Newser) - The koala bear that became a symbol of hope after Australia's devastating wildfires earlier this year died before surgery today, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reports. Sam was saved by a firefighter who found her moving through the scorched landscape on badly burnt paws, and her image was broadcast around the world.... More »

Aussie Aerial Shoot Could Cull 1M Camels

(Newser) - Australian officials are debating how to cull more than 1 million camels currently munching across the outback and irritating Aboriginals, the Independent reports. Some experts support an aerial shoot to save the desert ecosystem, but say it must be thorough; killing 80,000 would only match their birth rate. Estimated... More »

Britney, Ellen Alive but Hacked

Also: Is Megan Fox dating co-star?

(Newser) - Never fear: Britney Spears is alive. A post from her Twitter account claiming she had died is false, the AP reports, a result of the hacking of her Twitpic account.  Ellen DeGeneres’ account with Twitpic—a program not owned by Twitter—was also hacked. Elsewhere:
  • Rumors continue to fly
... More »

Aussie PM Refuses to Quit in Car Dealer Scandal

(Newser) - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is refusing to resign in the first major crisis of his 19 months in office, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Dubbed "Utegate"—after a popular SUV—the scandal centers on whether Rudd gave special treatment to a friend's car dealership. Critics say Rudd... More »

Aussies Mourn Fire Victims

Fires bared worst of nature, best of humanity, says prime minister

(Newser) - As bells tolled, mourners throughout Australia prayed at services today for the 209 people killed in wildfires and those still missing, CNN reports. “House is gone, friends are gone. This is total destruction,” said one resident. Rescue teams continue to search through the devastation as firefighters still battled... More »

Aussie Toll Hits 171; PM Cites 'Mass Murder'

Small town declared crime scene as devastation continues

(Newser) - The death toll from angry bushfires in Australia jumped to 171 today, reports Reuters, as the country's prime minister, fighting back tears, accused suspected arsonists of "mass murder." Up to 5,000 people have been left homeless; at one relief center, boards covered with Post-It notes beg for... More »

108 Dead in Aussie Fires

Blazes destroy entire towns, continue to burn

(Newser) - More than 100 people are confirmed dead in the wildfires that have savaged southeast Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Entire towns have been wiped out, leaving gutted buildings and scorched cars. "There might only be 15 or 20 houses left in Marysville," a resident said. "There's... More »

To Avoid Recession, Cheer Up: Aussie Pol

Finance minister pushes power of the positive

(Newser) - Australia's finance minister apparently didn't see what happened to Phil Gramm  last summer when he declared that the US economic slowdown was "mental" and called Americans a "nation of whiners."  The recession would disappear, said Ken Henry, if Australians would  just buck up, Australia’s News... More »

Aussie PM Gains Cachet From Thieving Ancestors

Preteen convict adorns Rudd's family tree

(Newser) - Australia’s history as a penal colony is no laughing matter, but some Aussies have come to appreciate, and even relish, their hardscrabble beginnings. Case in point: PM Kevin Rudd, whose family tree includes ancestors convicted of stealing sugar (in 1801) and underwear (in 1788). The release of some details... More »

Australia Spirits Away Torch Ahead of Relay

Protesters do their thing anyway

(Newser) - The Olympic torch arrived Down Under today, but was immediately whisked off to a secret location to avoid protesters, the AP reports. Tomorrow’s torch relay in Canberra will be open to the public—unlike those in Jakarta and New Delhi—but the route will be lined with yard-high fences... More »

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