Senior Australia ministers resign

2 February 2013 Last updated at 12:02 GMT Both Nicola Roxon and Chris Evans predicted the Labor Party would win a third term Two senior Australian ministers have announced surprise resignations, only days after Prime Minister Julia Gillard called early elections.

Chris Evans, the government leader in the Senate, and Attorney-General Nicola Roxon both said they were quitting politics for personal reasons.

Local media described the resignations as a severe blow for the Labor Party.

Ms Gillard said she would swear in a new cabinet on Monday before parliament sits for the first time this year.

She praised the contributions of Mr Evans and Ms Roxon and revealed she had known for a year that neither wanted to remain in politics.

"I've always had it in my mind that this was the time to announce new arrangements," she told a joint news conference with the departing ministers in the capital, Canberra.

"We will be able to present the Australian people with a rejuvenated team as we move into the parliamentary year of 2013."

'Very bad look'

Mr Evans said he planned to retire from the Senate once a replacement for his seat had been approved by his party, while Ms Roxon will sit on the backbenches of the House of Representatives until the general election.

Both praised Ms Gillard's leadership and predicted Labor would win a third term in government.

However, an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said the surprise departure of such senior ministers was "a very bad look". A commentator in the Australian said the reshuffle looked like a "messy overhaul that could have been done earlier".

Earlier this week, the prime minister surprised voters by announcing an early general election on 14 September. She said the move was designed to end political instability.

Opinion polls show the opposition Liberal-National coalition led by Tony Abbott well ahead of Labor, which formed a minority government after the last elections in 2010 with the support of independents and the Greens.

Inspecting damage caused by last week's floods in Queensland, Mr Abbott said: "It is going to be very important in the days and weeks ahead that there is a strong and stable government in Canberra and I regret to say that just at the moment that doesn't appear to be the case."

View the original article here

Australia ends East Timor mission

22 November 2012 Last updated at 05:18 GMT PM Xanana Gusmao thanked ISF troops for their support, saying the future looked bright Australia is ending its security mission in East Timor, six years after sending troops to restore stability.

The Australian-led International Stabilisation Force (ISF) was deployed in 2006 amid violence that forced thousands of people from their homes.

Some 460 Australian and New Zealand ISF troops currently remain in East Timor.

They ceased operations on Thursday and will be fully withdrawn by April 2013 after closing down bases and returning equipment.

East Timor had seen its economy grow and institutions strengthened, the Australian defence and foreign ministers said in a joint statement. Elections had been held this year and a new government formed.

"Timorese security services have risen to the challenge and served their nation well throughout these events," the statement said.

Engagement would continue through continued support for the local police force, the ministers added.

UN peacekeepers will also draw down their mission by the end of the year. Last month, they formally returned full policing duties to the country's national force.

Both the ISF and UN missions were brought in after the sacking of several hundred soldiers in March 2006 sparked violent clashes that threatened to push the country into civil unrest.

Several dozen people were killed and large numbers were displaced. Since then, stability has been restored and, earlier this year, general elections passed off peacefully.

At a ceremony in Dili late on Wednesday to mark the end of the ISF mission, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao thanked Australia and New Zealand for their help. "As a result we now look to the future with optimism and hope," he said.

East Timor gained independence in 2002 after three years of UN administration, which followed more than two decades of bloody guerrilla warfare during Indonesian rule.

View the original article here

Thousands enjoy Australia eclipse

14 November 2012 Last updated at 03:40 GMT Onlookers had a magnificent view of the Sun, completely obscured by the silhouette of the Moon.

Tens of thousands of tourists and astronomers gathered in northern Australia to glimpse a rare total solar eclipse.

The eclipse, which occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, plunged parts of Queensland into darkness for just over two minutes.

Estimates suggest the event, early on Wednesday, was viewed live by millions.

A partial eclipse was expected in other parts of the region, including New Zealand and eastern Indonesia.

The next total solar eclipse will not take place until March 2015.

Onlookers gathered at vantage points, in boats and on hot air balloons to witness the rare phenomenon.

There had been fears that cloudy weather would obscure the eclipse but the clouds parted just as it began, drawing cheers from the crowd as the full spectacle came into view.

Thousands of tourists gathered to catch the eclipse

"Immediately before, I was thinking, 'Are we gonna see this?' And we just had a fantastic display - it was just beautiful," said Terry Cuttle, from the Astronomical Association of Queensland.

"And right after it finished, the clouds came back again. It really adds to the drama of it."

"It's really cool. I've never seen anything like this before," one young spectator at Palm Cove said.

Temperatures dropped as the shadow of the Moon blocked the Sun, and animals reacted to the eclipse with confusion.

"Wow, insects and birds gone quiet," one tourist, Geoff Scott, tweeted.

Scientists were set to use footage from underwater cameras at the Great Barrier Reef to investigate creatures' reactions to the eclipse.

Australian tour operators welcomed the surge in holiday-makers, with reports of some hotels being booked up more than three years in advance.

State officials estimate that over 50,000 extra people visited Queensland to experience the phenomenon.

View the original article here