Mirabella quits frontbench
The Liberal MP for Indi Sophie Mirabella has resigned from the Opposition shadow ministry because she says she cannot support Labor’s emissions trading scheme.
Her resignation follows senior Liberal Tony Abbott’s decision to resign from the shadow ministry, sparking a new round of leadership speculation.
Ms Mirabella was the opposition's spokeswoman for early childhood education, childcare, status of women and youth.
She said her decision to resign wasn’t easy. [... News ltd]
Monsanto guilty in ‘false ad’ row
France’s highest court has ruled that US agrochemical giant Monsanto had not told the truth about the safety of its best-selling weed-killer, Roundup.
The court confirmed an earlier judgment that Monsanto had falsely advertised its herbicide as “biodegradable” and claimed it “left the soil clean”.
The company was fined €15,000 (£13,800; $22,400). It has yet to comment on the judgment.
Roundup is the world’s best-selling herbicide. [... BBC NEWS]
No Agenda: #150 – Global Warming Denialism
#150 – Global Warming Denialism
Adam and John discuss the news of the day from an International Perspective.
NA, via mevio.com
play mp3: 1hr:39m:45s – 45.8MB
Fatal – Rutherglen
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatality on the Murray Valley Hwy, five kilometres west of Rutherglen.
Polcie say at around 11am Sunday, an elderly woman was killed when her white Datsun van drifted off the road and collided with a tree.
The woman was the only occupant of the van.
Police attended the scene and will prepare a report for the coroner.
Fatal – Boorhaman
A single-vehicle accident in Boorhaman, near Wangaratta, has claimed the life of a 31-year-old woman Saturday afternoon.
Police say the woman was travelling south along the Federation Way road (aka: Wahgunyah-Wangaratta Road) when she appears to have lost control of the vehicle on a straight stretch and hit a large gum tree.
A passing motorist notified emergency services at 3:45pm, however the woman died at the scene.
It’s not known what caused the woman to veer off the road.
Weapons amnesty a success: Vic Police
Victoria Police have hailed October’s statewide Firearms and Weapons Amnesty a success, with more than 1200 weapons handed-in during the month-long operation.
The Amnesty gave people the opportunity to hand in any unwanted or illegal items without facing penalty.
Of the 1242 items handed into police there have been:
- 53 handguns
- 681 long arms
- 54 imitation firearms
- 384 edged weapons, including knives, swords, axes, bayonets and machetes
- 70 other weapons including cross bows, throwing stars and numchuckers
At Wodonga: 56 longarms, 1 handgun and 14 edged weapons were handed-in at the police station.
At Wangaratta: 22 longarms, 1 handgun, 5 imitation firearms and 7 edged weapons were handed-in at the police station.
Bogong Hydro Power Station officially opened
Victorian Premier John Brumby has officially opened the new $230 million Bogong Hydro Power Station.
Mr Brumby says the 7km water tunnel between McKay Creek Hydro Power Station and the 140 megawatt Bogong Hydro Power Station is one of the largest hard-rock tunnels constructed in the Southern Hemisphere in the last 40 years using tunnel boring equipment.
He says the project had taken several years to complete and provided a significant boost to the local economy, creating about 200 jobs during construction.
The Premier asserts the Bogong Hydro Power Station will deliver enough clean energy to power more than 120,000 homes.
No Agenda: #149 – Fools’ Gold
#149 – Fools’ Gold
Adam and John discuss the news of the day from an International Perspective.
NA, via mevio.com
play mp3: 1hr:34m:38s – 43.7MB
video: Bob Dylan – Must be Santa
bluetonguefilms posts:
Copyright recordings, music and lyrics reproduced by kind permission of Bob Dylan – for original, exclusive, Dylan performances, check-out the official channel at http://www.youtube.com/bobdylantv/
Please see http://www.bobdylan.com for news and info on donating to Feeding America, Crisis and the World Food Programme : thank you.
Music video for Bob Dylan’s song ‘Must Be Santa’ directed by Nash Edgerton.
The video features Bob Dylan & Santa Claus.
Attempted murder charges at Wangaratta
Detectives have charged 43-year-old Kerry Anne McNiven, of Wangaratta, with attempted murder after a man was set alight in the town Wednesday night.
The 50-year-old Wangaratta man remains in a critical condition in the Alfred Hospital with burns to 70 per cent of his body.
Police allege the woman was with the man near the Templeton Street boat ramp to the Ovens River when she allegedly poured some type of accelerant over his body and set it alight.
Two people walking in nearby parkland came to the man’s aid and pulled him into the water, extinguishing the flames.
Ms McNiven, of Wangaratta, has been remanded in custody to appear at the Wangaratta Magistrates Court later Thursday morning.
Fatal – Wangaratta
A 55-year-old Markwood woman has died after she lost control of her vehicle at Wangaratta.
Police believe the silver Mazda, travelling east along Glenrowan-Myrtleford Road, missed a bend at Henly Ridge and rolled at around midday Tuesday.
The 55-year-old woman was the only occupant of the vehicle and died at the scene.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
No Agenda: #148 – Adam Gets Kicked Out
#148 – Adam Gets Kicked Out
Adam and John discuss the news of the day from an International Perspective.
NA, via mevio.com
play mp3: 1hr:25m:58s – 39.5MB
Teenagers trapped in KFC at Benalla
Two 18-year-old girls eating at a Benalla fast food restaurant were trapped after a car came through the window.
Police say there were a number of diners inside the K-F-C when a car careered through the window around 12:30pm Sunday.
It’s believed the driver may have failed to negotiate a round-about at the intersection of Smythe Street and Bridge Street East and lost control of the vehicle.
The two young women were pinned between the car and a wall for more than an hour until emergency services freed the pair.
One has been taken to Wangaratta Hospital with serious injuries while the other is being airlifted to a Melbourne hospital.
The elderly male driver is assisting police with their inquiries.
Ned Kelly skull could be woman’s
The skull claimed to be that of legendary Australian bushranger Ned Kelly could well be a woman’s, former Pentridge Prison chaplain Father Peter Norden says.
Father Norden on Friday expressed doubts about the skull being Kelly’s, saying he had been advised previously it looks like a woman’s skull.
And while the Coroners Court of Victoria said on Friday any identification of the remains would be “difficult and complex”, Father Norden said forensic experts would be able to tell its gender “in five minutes”. [... AAP]
No Agenda: #147 – Podcast Award Nominees
#147 – Podcast Award Nominees
Adam and John discuss the news of the day from an International Perspective.
NA, via mevio.com
play mp3: 1hr:40m:41s – 46.3MB
Albury water restrictions eased
Water restrictions will be relaxed in Albury from Saturday (Nov 14, 2009) enabling residents to water gardens more frequently and for longer.
Hand-held hoses can now be used to water gardens and lawns on alternate days before 10.00am and after 5.00pm.Manual watering systems can also be used for four hours a day on alternate days.
Manual systems can operate from 6.00am until 8.00am and 6.00pm until 8.00pm. Automatic watering systems can operate on alternate days from midnight until 4.00am on alternate days. [... Albury Council]
Lavington Library Survey
AlburyCity is inviting community members to have their say on the future of Lavington Library.
Council says it wants to ensure that it makes a decision on the future of Lavington Library that meets the community’s needs, now and most importantly, in the future.
Council wants feedback on the range of options it is considering for a library in Lavington and the draft concept plans that have been proposed for a new library and AlburyCity Customer Service Centre.
At this stage, Council has made no decisions. It has given in-principle support to relocating Lavington Library to a new building that is being constructed on Griffith Road. Read Mayor’s message
Here’s how residents can have a say:
Missing Albury teenagers found… safe and well
Two 15-year-old boys, who went missing on Sunday while floating down the Murray River at Albury, have been located.
Police say about midday on Sunday, three local teenage boys entered the Murray River at Mungabareena Reserve and began to float down the river on truck tyre tubes.
Police say at about 4pm two boys became separated from their mate, who managed to get to shore near the Hume Freeway overpass between Albury and Wodonga. He alerted family members, who searched for the other boys along the accessible parts of the river, before alerting emergency services personnel about 7.45pm.
No Agenda: #146 – Fort Hood Terrorist
#146 – Fort Hood Terrorist
Adam and John discuss the news of the day from an International Perspective.
NA, via mevio.com
play mp3: 1hr:34m:14s – 43.8MB
Grenade find near Myrtleford
A family was forced to call in the army during some spring cleaning in Victoria’s north-east.
Two hand grenades were found during a clean-out of a shed on a property at Carboor, near Myrtleford.
Army specialists found one of the grenades was safe enough to take back to their base but the other had to be detonated on the farm.
It is believed the grenades belonged to a family member who died 50 years ago. [ABC]
