Australia &amp; New Zealand
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John Fletcher, chief executive of Coles Myer Ltd., speaks at a news conference in Sydney about the company&#39;s full-year performance, fiscal 2005 targets and growth opportunities.
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A preferred buyer for the National Irish and Northern banks is expected to be announced by their parent this morning. National Australia Bank is due to make an announcement to the stock exchanges in Melbourne and London.
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This is a transcript from The World Today. The program is broadcast around Australia at 12:10pm on ABC Local Radio.
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PRIME Minister John Howard joined world leaders from across Asia and the Pacific today for the 12th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders&#39; meeting.
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TONY EASTLEY: While our biggest neighbour, Indonesia, battles with corruption, take heart Australia, it seems we are amongst the least corrupt nations in the world.
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WELLINGTON, N.Z.  - Australia has angered its neighbour New Zealand, with a plan to impose an 1,850-kilometre security zone around the Australian coastline.
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measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale - happened in the Pacific Ocean halfway between Australia and Antarctica. It occurred early Christmas Eve around 800km off the coast and could be felt throughout Tasmania.
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Australia is facing a federal election on October 9th with the two main parties having little to separate them in domestic and economic policy. Where the Liberal and Labor parties differ greatly is in foreign policy. The Liberal Party adheres to the "Great and Powerful Friends" doctrine while the Labor Party pursues the doctrine of "Asian Engagement".        Since the September 11th attacks on the United States, terrorism has been thrust to the fore as the dominant security issue facing western nations. Australia has not had a terrorist attack on its shores; but two attacks in Bali and Jakarta have occurred in Indonesia that can be construed as terrorist attacks against Australia. Consequently terrorism for Australia is a foreign policy issue. On this basis the competing foreign policies of the Liberal Party and Labor Party can be compared.
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Air passengers are set to pay for record oil prices as airlines move to increase ticket prices. Qantas said yesterday it would increase the fuel surcharge it includes in the cost of tickets and Air New Zealand is expected to follow.
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APPLE Computer has extended its online iTunes Music Store downloading service to nine more countries, but not Australia. The countries now able to download songs legally via the Apple system are Austria, Belgium
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AIR New Zealand faces being further squeezed on trans-Tasman fares as a result of the ban on its planned alliance with Qantas. Industry analysts last night dismissed claims that Air NZ and Qantas could still work together using informal ties.
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BUSINESS as usual in Adelaide. A double-century from Justin Langer allied to typically fruitful contributions from down the order ensured Australia tightened their grip on the second Test against New Zealand.
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An extremely powerful earthquake struck the ocean floor between Australia and Antarctica early Friday, causing buildings to shake hundreds of miles away on the island of Tasmania, authorities said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.
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New Zealand are out to 11/1 to win the second Test and level the series 1-1. Australia are 3/10 to win again, while the draw is 11/4.
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"The Complete Stories" (Pantheon Books, 528 pages, $27.50), by David Malouf: Australia is often a backpacker's destination of choice when otherwise lost. Its Ayers Rock and glittering Sydney are so far away and seasonally upside down that it must be the place to find a sense of purpose in the unsure time between adolescence and age.
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LONDON - A clinical second-half performance in the wet carried Australia to a 32-12 victory over a gallant but error-prone New Zealand side in their Tri-Nations test in London yesterday.
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[World News]: Wellington, Dec 16 : An Australian plan to boost coastal security with a vast surveillance net across the Tasman Sea has taken New Zealand by surprise.