It was a cool summer night when James Brown’s own saxophonist Maceo Parker funked up Perth City of Westren Australia, and when it comes to funk time, Mr. Maceo Parker is the man of the hour.

The 7th of February 2013 was the eve of the Perth Festival, and Parker was a perfect match for a night that special. The Perth Festival is the oldest annual international multi-arts festival in the southern hemisphere and offers some of the world’s best theatre, music, film, visual arts, street arts, literature and free community events, For more than 50 years, the three-week long festival that kicks off in February of each year, has been a host for the world’s greatest artists.

At the festival eve, Parker lined up with an “all groove” band, that featured keys, lead guitar, bass guitar, trombone and drums. It was a whole lot of jazz being played but Parker’s jazz is not just any jazz; and definitely not the jazz that would make you want to take five. It was that kind of  jazz that had the audience grooving to each single beat and note for two hours, non stop.

Maceo Parker goes way back to when funk and its father James Brown were teaching the world a thing or two about “the groove.” It was around 1964 when Parker and his drummer brother joined Brown’s band until 1970.

By 2013, the now 69-year-old Parker continues to delight fans in live concerts by not just play his alto saxophone, but singing too. Some see James Brown in Parker when he sings, especially when he gives a Brown’s “HEY!” and a “COME ON!” .

Instrumentally speaking, Parker and his band were playing right and tight whether it was a group song or an instrumental solo. It was an impressive performance where each musician had at least one solo and complimented each other.

And so begins the Perth International Arts Festival 2013, with a special evening by Maceo Parker.

Information about the festival and its events can be found on the festival’s website.

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Supporters held solidarity vigils in support of the imprisoned private Bradley Manning and the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, outside the U.S and Ecuador embassy in London on Monday, 16th July 2012. Organized by Veterans for peace in UK, rally started from Bond Street at 3pm and ended at Knightsbridge in front of Ecuadoran embassy at 4:30pm. From Australia to Germany to USA, these rallies have become sufficiently well organized and have given the Manning and Assange movement some momentum.

The message to the American government was clear and reinforced in blunt precision as protesters gathered outside the U.S embassy in Bond street to observe the silent vigil for Manning.

Former American soldier, 24 year old Bradley Manning appeared in US court in Ft. Meade, Maryland this week. Manning was arrested in Baghdad on 29th May 2010, for providing whistle blowing website Wikileaks with classified secret documents on US government. For the past two years, human rights organizations have been highlighting the plight of Manning in U.S. cells. UN Torture Chief Juan Mendez’s investigating report for UN special rapporteur on torture states that “I believe Bradley Manning was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in the excessive and prolonged isolation he was put in during the eight months he was in Quantico.”

According to Manning’s Defense Lawyer David Coombs ‘aiding the enemy’ charge is stricter against US soldiers than it would be against terrorists. According to Coombs: “It defies all logic to think that a terrorist would fare better in an American court for aiding the enemy than a US soldier would.”

The peaceful protesters made their way across to Knightsbridge to the Ecuadorian Embassy, encouraging others to join in.

Born in Queensland, Australia, Assange has been at the centre of media firestorm for past several months now. Since last year, London has become a central hub for Assange campaigns and this movement has grown into an unstoppable force. Assange faces threat of extradition to the U.S. on the charges of espionage for publishing 250,000 classified diplomatic documents. After losing an appeal for asylum in UK Supreme Court, Assange has sought political asylum in an Ecuadoran embassy in London. Other problems also persist for Assange, Swedish authorities want him in Swedish court over sexual molestation and rape charges.

In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald the head of the US Senate’s intelligence oversight committee, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein said, “I believe that Julian Assange has knowingly obtained and disseminated classified information which could cause injury to the United States … He has caused serious harm to US national security and should be prosecuted accordingly.”

Former SAS soldier Ben Griffin spoke exclusively to The Toonari Post about 16th July rally outside the Ecuadoran embassy.

Toonari Post (TP): What is the political and social message of today’s rally?

Ben Griffin (BG): So today, private Bradley Manning who is accused of leaking, and the information to wikileaks that reveals war crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, today he is facing a pre motion hearing in the United States and every time that Manning has been taken before the court, we have held a silent vigil outside the U.S. embassy and in the meantime Julliane Assange has sought the asylum in the Ecuadoran embassy and we have been holding a daily vigil outside this embassy in support of the Ecuadorian people in the hope that they will grant him asylum and so today we combined the two things to have our silent vigil outside the embassy and a protest down here to also support Julliane Assange.

TP: Please tell us more about Veteran for Peace’s role in the mobilization process and the composition of today’s protest?

BG: well what we have here is a group of people who are all concerned about Bradley Manning and Julliane Assange and we have all come from different organizations. There are many other organizations represented here and it just so happens that on this specific occasion I have taken the lead through veterans for peace in organizing this but as i say we have Italian friends of Bradley manning, we have got the London Catholic worker, and we have got UK friends of wikileaks, so there is lots of other organization, so it just happens that veterans for peace just took the lead on this occasion, but it is a multi organization event.

TP: What message of support do you have for supporters and activists of Manning and Assange across the world?

BG: Right, I mean it is important that, even in the case of Manning its important, even though, he is being held in the United States, and we all can do small things in our country to get the awareness of his issue out in the public domain. So whether you are in London, in Australia, in Russia, in Africa, we can all go out on the streets, in solidarity for Manning on the days he’s in court in America. And as far as Assange is concerned, we could do similar things, we may not be able to go out on streets, there may not be something happening in your areas, but you can either go on internet, and spread information on internet, and so what we are looking for is people to do what they can, you may not be able to go out on streets, but you can do something on the internet.

TP: What is the current update on Assange?

BG: So Julianne Assange is still in the Ecuador embassy. He is still putting his application forward for asylum. He faces very serious threats to his life in the United States, there are numerous American politicians who are calling for his assassination, and execution, this process could take a long time and here is no rush and the Assange has got to put his case forward and Ecuadoran government has to decide whether it’s a case for asylum or not. In the meantime, we all will continue to come here and support Assange and Ecuadoran people.

Toonari post would like to thank Ben Griffin and Steve from Veterans for Peace for their cooperation.

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Melbourne, Australia and San Francisco, U.S.A. — Australia set a new world record on June 30, 2012 of 21 years of continued economic growth – an achievement unmatched by any other developed country in recent times. While the global economic crisis endured, Australia’s trade with Asia, mining industry, and business supportive government drove positive growth for the country in 2012.

Each of the first three quarters of the 2011/2012 Australian financial year reported positive economic growth of 1.0 percent, 1.0 percent and 0.9 percent respectively according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Exact growth for the fourth quarter will be reported by September, but it is forecasted by HSBC to continue the positive growth pattern.

“The Australian economy has proven itself to be dynamic and robust over the past 20 years,” said PricewaterhouseCoopers Economics and Policy leader Jeremy Thorpe. “Australia’s economic strength is envied across the world. Thanks to a resilient natural resources sector, the Australian economy is well positioned for future growth.”

While natural resources attracted investors to Australia from around the world, specific regions have benefited from a focus on high-tech sectors and reinvestment in local economies. Despite making up just 3 percent of Australia’s land mass, the state of Victoria – where the city of Melbourne is located – is responsible for almost a quarter (24 percent) of Australia’s economy and has AAA credit ratings from Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s. Victoria’s economy is larger than that of Singapore or Hong Kong.

A combination of household consumption, private business investment and Victoria’s exports has driven growth. Despite the high Australian dollar, Victorian goods exports grew by 4.6 percent in the last quarter and more than nine per cent over the year.

The most recent release of Australia’s National Accounts showed that final demand within the state of Victoria had increased by 1.8 percent over the March quarter and 2.7 percent over the year. Victoria’s growth over the last quarter was the strongest of all states with exception of Western Australia which is the beneficiary of the mining boom.

Melbourne is the center of the $1.4 trillion Australian pension industry as well as headquarters of the country’s leading sovereign wealth funds and half of Australia’s leading banks. It is one of the world’s foremost biotechnology hubs and home to more research universities than any other city of its size.

Its expertise in information communications technology has drawn major investment from Microsoft, IBM and Computershare, and the network operations center for the ambitious National Broadband Network. Studies show that companies conducting R&D in Melbourne bear 88 percent less tax burden than in the United States.

“Victoria has always hosted a diverse and smart economy,” said Michael Kapel, Commissioner to the Americas for the Government of Victoria, Australia. “The government of Victoria continues to offer innovative ways to encourage growth, including recent incentives such as the R&D tax credit, which makes Melbourne one of the most attractive locations in the world for R&D. We are inviting US companies to follow the likes of Microsoft and IBM to come to Melbourne and be part of one of the world’s most reliable and dynamic economies.”

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Journalists at Fairfax Media have gone on a 36-hour strike over job outsourcing to New Zealand. Fairfax Media is the second largest publishing company in Australia, and is accused of making “easy instead of smart” decisions about cost-cutting.

This strike affects journalist staff in both print and online sections of several papers including The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review, The Sunday Age, The Sun Herald, Newcastle Herald, and Wollongong’s Ilawarra Mercury.

The strike began at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening with staff walking out after hundreds of journalists met with media union officials from the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) that same day.

The cost-cutting, outsourcing plan is causing fear in the journalists for their job safety and will result in 66 jobs lost due to the relocation of the editorial staff.

Rallies were held May 31 in Australia by the striking journalists and the MEAA. Louise Connor, MEAA Victorian secretary, stood outside Fairfax’s Melbourne offices on Thursday with around 100 journalists.

“Our grave concern is that this company makes the easy decisions to cut costs instead of making the smart decisions to move this company into the new era,” Ms. Connor told reporters.

“This is a very dangerous step for Fairfax to be taking. There has been no experience in Australia of companies making the decision to offshore such a central part of the newspaper and this can only destroy the vital nexus between the newsroom and the community. Sub-editors are journalists and the heart of the newsroom.

They should always be embedded in the community to enable the newspaper to tell the local story accurately.” said Chris Warren, MEAA federal secretary. The MEAA said the outsourcing is just Fairfax’s way to finding cheap cuts in journalism.

The striking journalists risk the chance of being fined. To them, it is definitely worth it.

“We don’t think we’ll be fined. We understand the risk that we took in walking out, but there’s frustration at the decision to outsource jobs,” said Ben Schneiders, a journalist at The Age.

Fairfax Media management has expressed disappointment at the journalists’ strike action, but says the changes will put the company in a better position to take advantage of the numerous opportunities in digital media.

Senior staff and sub-editors from the involved newspapers are going to negotiate with Fairfax management over the next few days to find an alternative solution, the MEAA says.

The strike is due to end Friday morning.

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Poverty is one of the world’s biggest unsolved issues. Even though the United States is the wealthiest country in the world, it’s  masses still live in poverty every single day. According to the non-profit organization ‘Bread for the World,’ “more than one in five children live in households that struggle to put food on the table, and most Americans (51.4 percent) will live in poverty at some point before age 65.” Of that percentage, a huge chunk comes from broken homes, including single and teenage mothers. This chunk is being blamed for the poor social mobility in the U.S.

According to a survey in the book “From Parents to Children,” written by a group of scholars, “children born into poor homes in America — where single-parent and teen-parent homes are more common (than in other parts of the world)– tended to remain poor throughout their life, while Australian and Canadian children born into similar families were more successful in advancing themselves.”

One of the scholars who wrote the book, Ottawa University’s Miles Corak, a poverty and education expert, said, “the tie between the educational attainment of children and the educational attainment of their parents is much tighter in the UK and U.S. than not just Australia and Canada, but also the vast majority of comparable rich countries.”

Children in the United States that are born into poverty are considered less developed than children entering elementary school in Australia and Canada. By the time these children enter high school, the gap of development continues to widen. Additionally, according to NewsCore, students born into poverty are much less likely to further their education after high school than impoverished students in other industrialized nations.

In hopes of improving the lives of those born into poverty in the United States, there are several things that the public can do to contribute to the lives of those that are most affected. Educational Charity Sutton Trust, which works to address such inequalities, said, “if we can understand the reasons for the much higher levels of social mobility in nations such as Canada and Australia … then the hope is that we can develop policies that will improve the life prospects.”

‘Bread for the World’ outlines several solutions to end poverty and to change the current statistics of poverty in America. Better jobs with higher wages need to be created for adults to support their families, and work support programs need to expand for families to have access to affordable health care and child care.

Strengthening tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which help working families, and child nutrition programs—school lunches and breakfasts, summer feeding programs, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program—are critical to ending childhood hunger. When children receive the nutrition they need, they are more likely to move out of poverty as adults.

Image Courtesy of  Gerry Boughan / Shutterstock.com

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Facebook has launched its latest tool where users can share that they are an organ donor, in the hope that it will help save more lives on a daily basis. Facebook users have to go to their timelines, where under ‘Life Event’ they will see a health and wellness section and then you can click to become an organ donor and share your story about when, where or why you decided to become a donor.

More than 114,000 people in the United States are awaiting organ donations, 79 people daily receive a transplant while 18 die, according to Organdonor.gov. In the UK, National Service Health Service (NHS) pointed out that there are over 10,000 people on the waiting list for an organ, while an average of three people a day die waiting for a transplant.

The new Facebook feature is working in the United States, UK, and Australia but it is expected to expand in other parts of the world. The US previously averaged about 506 new registrations per day, but since Facebook introduced the tool on April 30 more than 24,000 people have registered to donate their organs, according to Donate Life America.

Facebook added the organ donation feature to raise awareness to the issue after CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, took a personal interest in it, partly because of his friendship with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Jobs’s liver transplant extended his life several years.

The move will raise awareness about the critical shortage of organs for people in need of life-saving transplants. It may also create social pressure to inspire Facebook friends to consider registration.

This solidary initiative is seen by many skeptics like another way to obtain personal information concerning our health. Once we become an organ donor our privacy is stripped away, no matter how good Facebook´s intentions, sharing our data with the social network entails releasing information to an unknown companies without our consent. In an indirect way behind our altruistic behavior many big firms will make a killing exchanging information.

This donor program might bring about many successful and happy stories about saving lives, but in the end you are also an information donor, giving away your personal information to a company that can make profit off of it. Medical insurance companies will use our personal medical information to determine our eligibility for insurance coverage for their own protection, allowing health businesses to capitalize on insurance payments for the healthy, whereas others with bad medical history will be overcharged.

Another concern about organ donation is that medical information on Facebook is not protected by U.S. laws. According to the state´s Uniform Anatomical Gift Law, being an organ donor on Facebook is just as good being on the state´s organ donation registry.

Organ donation has never been “private” as it is openly displayed upon a public identification card. The choice of being an organ donor is personal and has to be respected. With the new Facebook feature, this choice becomes a public identity marker, something to be socially shared, commented upon, and potentially, conspicuously absent.

The advocacy group Donate Life American found that many people decline to became an organ donor for diverse reasons: citizens fear that they are not healthy enough or they are too old to donate their organs; others are concerned that doctors will not try their best to save them if they are known to be an organ donor; some people believe there is a black market where organs or tissues are sold; and some citizens question whether or not a person can recover from brain death.

Organ donation, as displayed through Facebook, is at once a deeply personal decision about death and the body, and a public display of generosity, fear, and/or general health. Whether you think that Facebook has made a strong move in a positive direction, or has once again taken sharing too far, the organ donation feature on Facebook embodies the categorical fusion that represents a connected era.

Image Courtesy of  withGod / Shutterstock.com

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Delta Goodrem has sold millions of records since her debut album ‘Innocent Eyes’ was released to critical and commercial acclaim almost ten years ago. She followed that up with two further studio albums, 2004′s ‘Mistaken Identity’ and 2007′s ‘Delta’, and is at last now set to release her long-awaited fourth studio album, titled ‘Way Back Home’.

The first single from ‘Way Back Home’ is called ‘Sitting on Top of the World’ and premiered on radio earlier this month. It is written by Goodrem, who writes or co-writes almost all of her songs, and preaches a positive outlook on life as well as encouraging others to feel the same.

This positivity marks a return to form for the 27-year old Australian singer, who hasn’t released a new album in five years as she focused on touring, trying to crack the U.S. market, and enduring high-profile breakups with musicians Brian McFadden and Joe Jonas.

However, 2012 has been a very successful one for Goodrem so far. She has joined the judging panel on Australia’s version of the music talent show ‘The Voice’, she just had a waxwork of herself unveiled at Sydney’s Madame Tussauds, and now has a new album ready for her fans.

Confirmed as being titled ‘Way Back Home’ by Goodrem on her official Facebook page, the album will be released in August and has been said to include songs titled, ’Toward the Shore’, ‘Without You’, ‘Way Back Home’, ‘Desperate’, ‘Goodbye to You’ and ‘Beautiful Tragedy’. A deluxe edition has also been announced, while there are rumours of a duet between Goodrem and fellow ‘The Voice’ panelist Keith Urban on the album.

On the set of her music video for ‘Sitting on Top of the World’, Goodrem revealed that she has already started making plans for her next tour, the follow-up to 2009′s ‘Believe Again Tour’. Dates and venues have yet to be announced, however fans can expect Goodrem to continue making appearances in smaller venues like she did on her last tour because of her preference for intimate settings where she can interact with people more closely.

Always one to go full-force into the promotional circuit, Goodrem has several instore appearances coming up over the next week, with appearances scheduled in Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Most importantly, though, is her performance at this Sunday’s Logie Awards where she will perform ‘Sitting on Top of the World’ live for the first time. Goodrem previously performed a medley of her hits at the Logies in 2003, where she also won the Silver Logie for Most Popular New Talent for her breakout role as Nina Tucker in Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours’.

As for the chart performance of ‘Way Back Home’ and ‘Sitting on Top of the World’, there will be a lot of industry on scrutiny on Goodrem to see whether she can maintain her running streak of number one albums and number one lead singles, a feat she has maintained since her ‘Innocent Eyes’ debut.

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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The U.S., Japan and Australia are expected to escape recession over the next 12 months, with the U.S. economy now expected to expand by 2.9 percent over the period, according to the Spring Outlook report from Mellon Capital Management Corporation, part of BNY Mellon Asset Management.

Excluding the U.S., Japan and Australia, most developed countries are expected to experience a mild recession over the next year, with European countries at the highest risk, the report said.

“The U.S. economy is continuing to strengthen and we now put the probability of anemic U.S. growth at less than five percent,” said Lex Huberts, president of Mellon Capital. ”This is a significant improvement from September, when the probability was closer to 20 percent that the U.S. economy would grow at less than two percent over the next year.”

Mellon Capital generates its own proprietary measure of leading economic indicators (LEI), with an LEI level of slightly less than 100 indicating, in Mellon Capital’s view, a significant probability of a mild economic contraction.  All major developed countries except the U.S., Japan and Australia currently have readings below 100.  Southern peripheral countries in Europe have the lowest LEI, but France, Great Britain and Germany also appear weak, all below 99, signaling the likelihood of at least a mild recession, according to the report.

“Looking at our forward estimates of economic fundamentals, we are cautiously optimistic on stocks given the signs of economic recovery in the U.S., positive steps toward resolving the euro area debt crisis and the general stabilization of earnings forecasts in Europe,” said Huberts.  “However, tensions with Iran are a concern.”

The report also notes that Mellon Capital is moderately positive on commodities, favors emerging markets equities and favors the Australian dollar and Canadian dollar among developed market currencies at this time.

Gabriela Parcella, chief executive officer of Mellon Capital, said, “We are seeing growing interest in our global asset allocation and alternatives strategies as institutions increasingly recognize the opportunities for investing in the current economic environment.”

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Professional surfers from all over the world will be descending upon Manly Beach, known as one of Sydney’s most beautiful beaches which boasts miles of tree-lined soft white sand and the perfect surf, to participate in the inaugural Australian Open of Surfing Event, taking place February 11-19, 2012.

More than 100,000 surfers, tourists, and Sydney-siders are expected to flood the beach to attend the free 9-day event, which also includes an exciting world-class Skate Bowl featuring the world’s best skateboarders and live concerts featuring some of Australia’s top musicians.

“The Inaugural Australian Open of Surfing will reinforce Manly Beach and Sydney’s reputation as a top surfing destination, not just for pro-surfers, but for any traveler interested in a vibrant coastal lifestyle and all the activities that go along with that,” said Sandra Chipchase, Chief Executive Officer at Destination New South Wales.

“Manly Beach is a destination gem in Sydney, and this event will help to showcase all that it has to offer young travelers – not only an unbelievable surf location, but the hub of live music, surf lifestyle, great restaurants, shopping, museums, and art.”

Destination New South Wales, along with event sponsors Hurley and Billabong, are partnering to bring the event to Manly Beach.  While the surf competition will take center stage, the other activities have been designed to attract beach lovers, surfing enthusiasts, and youth travelers alike.

A unique wooden bowl structure, dubbed the “Beach Bowl,” has been constructed especially for the skateboarding competition, which will feature three divisions – Juniors, Pro, and Pro Masters – showcasing more than 80 competitors. The total prize winnings being awarded to skateboarders top $50,000 and promises to draw notable athletes from around the world.

Large scale music performances from Australian bands and artists will also hit the stage throughout the event, drawing music lovers out to the sand for some music in the famous Australian summer sun.

“I grew up surfing New South Wales’ beaches, and to me, there is no better surf destination in the world,” said Sally Fitzgibbons, winner of the ASP Women’s World Title at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, CA in July 2011 and New South Wales native.

“New South Wales is full of incredible surf spots, and Manly Beach is one of the best in the world. I’m so excited that the surf community is recognizing the amazing surfing Australia and Manly Beach have to offer by hosting this world renowned event there.”

Along with the featured athletic events, attendees will also have the opportunity to partake in unique Manly Beach activities and Australian surf culture. The area offers extensive opportunities for waterfront dining, exciting nightlife, contemporary fashion boutiques, museums, and adventure activities.

Adventure and sports enthusiasts can partake in some of Manly’s  offerings such as beach volleyball, kayaking, paddle boarding, surf lessons, or even whale-watching while the more retail-oriented traveler can stroll through the stores, arcades, and boardwalks discovering Australian handmade jewelry, clothes, shoes, and artworks.

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In its new Travel Trends 2012 report, flight comparison site Skyscanner has revealed that Australia and New Zealand are seeing a resurgence of interest from the British travelling public. Skyscanner, which has over 15 million users a month, analysed its vast data on user flight searches to produce the report on global travel trends.

Both countries have long had close ties with the UK with strong tourist traffic going in both directions, but the report reveals that interest has increased during 2011. Flight searches to New Zealand were up by 35.4% (making it the fourth biggest rising destination in Skyscanner’s report) and flight searches to Australia were up 24.9%, making it the 20th biggest rising destination.

Travel to New Zealand was boosted significantly by the Rugby World Cup which took place during autumn 2011. The total number of visitors arriving for the rugby has now been confirmed at 133,200 against a forecast of just 95,000 for July through to the end of October.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler hailed it as a fantastic result. He said: “We promoted the New Zealand message hard around the tournament and so expected to see this sort of growth from traditional rugby-loving nations like Australia (up 17,200 people, 21.2%), South Africa (up 4,900 people, 417.4%) the UK (up 2,800).”

This increase in interest is expected to have a knock-on effect for tourist visits to New Zealand in 2012. When Germany hosted the football 2006 World Cup, tourism bosses reported an increase in travel to the country for the following 24 months.

Australia’s boost in interest is thought to be partly attributed to innovative advertising campaigns with partner airlines targeting the UK market. In 2010, Tourism Australia partnered with Emirates, while in February this year, an GBP800,000 advertising campaign with Singapore Airlines had both TV and online slots to boost visitor numbers in the wake of flooding in Queensland and wildfires in Perth.

In autumn 2011, Tourism Australia also worked with ITV on a major broadcast campaign with UK breakfast show Daybreak. The promotion, in partnership with Qantas, saw 50 winners and their companions head to Australia, with their holiday adventures featured on the television programme from November 7-11, generating excellent publicity for the country. Tourism Australia also sponsored Paul Merton’s Adventures, a UK Channel 5 travel programme running for six weeks from October 19.

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In its new Travel Trends 2012 report, flight comparison site Skyscanner has revealed the increasing interest in Asia by British tourists, accompanied by a reciprocal increase in visitors to the UK from a number of Asian nations.

Skyscanner, which has over 15 million users a month and recently opened an office in Singapore, analysed its vast data on user flight searches to produce the report on global travel trends.

Despite flooding and civil unrest during 2011, Thailand remains immensely popular with British tourists; Bangkok was the most popular Asian destination for Brits, with the Thai capital climbing the ranks one position to eighth place compared to 2010, and the country as a whole rising one place to 13.

Of the 20 global destinations that Skyscanner identified as seeing the biggest growth in interest from UK visitors, eight of them were in Asia, with Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan topping the charts. Bangladesh and Pakistan have a long history with Britain which is home to many with Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage. For Indonesia, it’s Bali that is the big pull for travellers, with the island accounting for more than a third of all the country’s incoming tourists.

2011 also saw the 40thanniversary of Bangladeshi independence, which helped raise its profile and may have encouraged some of Britain’s 500,000 people of Bangladeshi origin to visit the country.

The Philippines and Vietnam continue to emerge as tourist destinations for British travellers, and the increased demand for Vietnam saw Vietnam Airlines launch its first direct flight from London Gatwick to Ho Chi Minh City in December, a move that will reduce travel time by up to seven hours and further increase Vietnam’s popularity in the UK.

Top 20 countries showing greatest rise in interest from UK tourists year on year

1. Estonia (+89.8%)

2. Iraq (+75.4%)

3. Cape Verde (+50.9%)

4. Bangladesh (+36.4%)

5. New Zealand (+35.4%)

6. Indonesia (+33.4%)

7. Tanzania (+32.9%)

8. Croatia (+32.7%)

9. Pakistan (+31.7%)

10. Russia (+31.6%)

11. Philippines (+31.2%)

12. Uganda (+30.5%)

13. Vietnam (+29.1%)

14. Thailand (+28.9%)

15. Ukraine (+28.8%)

16. United Arab Emirates (+28.6%)

17. Singapore (+28.3%)

18. Cambodia (+28.1%)

19. Colombia (+24.9%)

20. Australia (+23.3%)

Asians coming to the UK

Asia has seen increasing popularity from British tourists, but this popularity is reciprocated with many Asian nations now seeing an increase in travel to the UK. Indeed, of the countries seeing the biggest increase in travel to the UK, Asian countries feature as four of the top ten.

Pakistan and Indonesia are seeing the greatest rise with an increase of 93.2% in flight searches year on year, followed by Japan (+80.8%), and Singapore (+79.2%).

1. Russia (+103%)

2. Kuwait (+93.3%)

3. Pakistan (+93.2%)

3. Indonesia (+93.2%)

5. Tunisia (+92.8%)

6. Australia (+85.9%)

7. Ukraine (+81.3%)

8. Japan (+80.8%)

9. Singapore (+79.2%)

10. New Zealand (+79.1%)

While Japan is the eight biggest riser in searches to UK overall, it is the Japanese who are showing the most interest in London when it hosts the Olympics in the summer, with a 300% rise in flight searches to London during the games period. The Japanese are a keen sporting nation having hosted the summer games once and the winter games twice, and are amongst the top fifteen medal winners.

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The Sunburnt Calf BK, located in Prospect Heights, is the newest addition to the group of Australian inspired restaurants in New York City. With its unique perspective on joining the tastes of the nation down under with the exotic flavors of South East Asia, The Sunburnt Calf BK is a trendy yet down to earth place in a relaxed neighborhood.

Only opened for about two months, this Brooklyn restaurant is the perfect spot to try creatively presented and well thought out dishes, with flavors from a world away. Almost immediately upon arrival to the restaurant, the friendly staff offers complimentary shots of their signature Moo Juice.

The Sunburnt Moo Juice contains a passionfruit infused tequila mixed with orange and strawberries. The sweet combination of the fruits mask the usual punch of the tequila well, making for a refreshing way to start off the dinner. The restaurant offers over a half dozen appetizer selections, all of which take South East Asian inspired ingredients, served with an Australian flare.

It is their signature “Australiasian” approach to food that makes The Sunburnt Calf BK’s menu stand out amongst others. The shrimp toast is a savory small plate that contains bites of crispy toast, covered with a layer of mouth watering shrimp. Accompanied with the shrimp toast is an orange plum sauce that gives a sweetness to the dish.

Another must have from the small plate section of the menu is the steam buns with red-braised pork belly. The succulent pork belly is served with sprouts and a dressing, inside a soft steam bun. The light and airy bun is well complimented with a mouthful of packed ingredients.

The long bean dish is a generously sized appetizer that is served with a watercress salad, along with toasted coconut, peanuts, and kaffir. The long beans have a nice bite to them, and the addition of the shaved coconut is a surprising touch that takes this dish to another level.

One of the highlights on The Sunburnt Calf BK’s menu is the Wrap & Roll. Diners have the choice of two meats, which can be crispy Thai chicken, roast duck, red cooking braised pork belly, or curry short ribs. Miniature round roti is served on the side, along with a variety of smaller dishes that can be combined in a wrap.

There is a mildly spicy sauce, Vietnamese guacamole, cucumbers with onions and cauliflower, and herbs including parsley and basil. The Wrap & Roll is a fun and interactive dining option, as people can choose what flavor combinations to pair together.

As a side dish, the sauteed baby bak choy is a perfect choice, in which the classic Asian vegetable is showcased to perfection. Garnished with garlic and a tiny but heat packed chili pepper, the baby bak choy so flavorful you’ll forget you’re eating vegetables.

There are plenty of meat and poultry options on the menu, as well as fresh seafood plates that continue to bring the flavors of Australia and Asia to Brooklyn. The barramundi dish, an Australian fish, is fried in a tumeric beer batter and served atop vermicelli noodles. It is sprinkled with dill and a Vietnamese sauce which equally blends the Australian and South East Asian flavors in one bowl.

The outer layer of the fried fish is crunchy, while the inside reveals a delicately soft white, fresh fish. The unique flavor of dill gives the fish and vermicelli noodles a nice extra component. Seafood options continue with large prawns steamed in beer. Served in a broth that is infused with garlic and lemongrass, these prawns are soft and have just the right amount of spice to give the dish an extra kick.

Capping of the dinner with a couple of The Sunburnt Calf BK’s desserts is a smart choice, as the restaurant packs a lot of sweetness into their desserts. A Thai tea cupcake with cream cheese frosting has just the right amount of frosting to balance the cake, which is moist and flavorful. A creamy flan with diced pineapple and chocolate sauce is another stellar option for dessert lovers.

The richness of the flan pairs well with the crunchy yet juicy texture of the pineapple, while the chocolate sauce gives the plate an extra hit of sugar.

The cocktails available at The Sunburnt Calf BK are masterfully designed with creative combinations. The Lemongrass Rickey, which has Sombra Mezcal mixed with fresh lemon juice, lemongrass agave, pepper bitters, and club soda, is a refreshing drink that has a layer of subtle peppery flavor.

The Zu Moscow Mule contains Zu Bison Grass Vodka, fresh lime juice, Bundaberg Australian Ginger beer, and lychee puree. The infusion of Australian and Asian cultures can be perfectly seen in this drink, with its Australian ginger beer and Asian lychee puree. For a stronger drink option, the 5-Spice St. Clair, is a cocktail made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, 5-spice agave, and orange and angostura bitters.

More potent than the other drinks, the 5- Spice St. Clair is one not to be missed. Aside from the delectable array of food, the staff and owner at The Sunburnt Calf BK is extremely friendly and helpful when choosing items from the menu. They will happily explain the ingredients of the dishes as well as how they are prepared, and are greatly attentive throughout the whole dining experience.

Local diners in the restaurant easily give high reviews for The Sunburnt Calf BK. “The knowledgeable staff make for a real appetizing experience,” said Christine Youssef, a Brooklyn native. “The ambiance of the restaurant is warm, I like how it is a chic place but it’s also family friendly. The Asian and Australian inspired food is delicious, I’m going to be stuffed for days.”

The restaurant currently serves dinner every evening as well as brunch on the weekends. A crowd favorite is their endless brunch option at $20-$25. Included is one choice of a brunch item, along with all you can drink moomosas, moo Mary’s, Fosters, screwdrivers, and greyhounds. In the next upcoming weeks, The Sunburnt Calf BK will begin to serve breakfast and lunch.

The Sunburnt Calf BK is located at 611 Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. For more information on making a reservation, check out www.moolifegroup.com or call 347-915-1000.

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Often considered to be the crown jewel of Australia, Sydney is a world class destination with magnificent sights to be seen. Situated along the internationally famous Sydney Harbour, the pristine location of the city gives locals and visitors ample opportunity to experience what coastal living is all about, while still having a buzzing city lifestyle.

The combination of a cosmopolitan atmosphere along with the Aussie laid back attitude is exactly what Sydney is about. Whether checking out the legendary Sydney Opera House, catching some sun on Bondi Beach, or feeding some native kangaroos at the zoo, Sydney is a fantastic destination in the land down under.

Sydney’s most iconic landmark is the Sydney Opera House. Located directly on the Sydney Harbour, the opera house is a breathtaking architectural wonder that draws millions of visitors each year. Danish architect Jorn Utzon created the Opera House, which opened in 1973. By 2007, the Sydney Opera House had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visiting the Sydney Opera House is a must while traveling to Sydney. Bask in its grandeur on its steps or admire its structure while riding a ferry. Visitors can also choose to take a guided tour throughout the inside of the Opera House, getting access to backstage areas while learning the history of the building.

For the ultimate viewing of the Sydney Opera House, people can attend one of its 40 shows a week, enjoying a live performance in a world famous masterpiece.

As a cosmopolitan city, Sydney is remarkably an easy one to get around by foot. Circular Quay, a main hub for ferries and other mass transportation, is located just steps away from the Sydney Opera House. Circular Quay gives way to a panoramic view of Sydney Harbour, with ferry boats and sailboats dotting the water and the extraordinary Sydney Harbour Bridge in the near distance.

A walk across the bridge gives way to stunning views of the harbor and skyline down below. Just a short walk from Circular Quay onto George Street is the Queen Victoria Building, a large shopping area full of retail stores and dining options. With historical significance, the Queen Victoria Building, known by locals as the QVB, was created in 1898 and has had many purposes throughout its existence.

It once housed a city library as well as the Sydney City Council, but now stands today as a prominent shopping center in the heart of the city. Just moments away from the QVB is Darling Harbour, a family friendly destination full of entertainment. Darling Harbour is the site for many of Sydney’s festivals and outdoor special events.

Attractions include an array of restaurants and shops, as well as movie theaters, museums, the Sydney Aquarium, and the Sydney Wildlife World. Nightlife in Darling Harbour is popular, with dozens of bars available there is something for everyone’s taste.

Darling Harbour hosts annual events, including celebrations for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Australia Day. Occurring in January, Australia Day is specifically for Australians to celebrate their culture and country with full day outdoor festivities.

A visit to Sydney wouldn’t be complete without a trip to one of its world famous local beaches. One of the most famous beaches in the region is Bondi Beach, just four miles from central Sydney. Bondi Beach is a hub for sun lovers and water sports enthusiasts. The soft sand is a great place to catch some golden rays of sun and play beach volleyball.

This beach is a favorable location for surfers who want to ride waves as well. Founded in 1907, the Bondi Surf Bather’s Life Saving Club is legendary to be the first club in the world designated to perform lifesaving duties on the beach. Easily accessible from the heart of Sydney, Bondi Beach is a place not to be missed.

The laid back attitude of Sydney and its residents has made the thriving city an exciting yet relaxing international destination. Australia’s largest city is full of exciting shopping, dining, and cultural attractions, as well as natural beauty from the harbor and nearby beaches.

Experiencing the diverse activities and culture of Sydney is the perfect way to spend some time in the land down under.

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Have you ever lost a luggage during a travel?

Last year the total cipher for lost luggage enclosed 30 million items. A leading Australian insurance, named Travel Insurance Direct reported that these losses have increased since previous years.

Ian Jackson General Manager at Travel Insurance Direct explained that almost 30 million bags were misguided or mishandled throughout 2010, a 17 percent augment from the previous year.

He continued by saying:

“Unfortunately for travelers, growing traffic levels at airports worldwide have combined with extraordinary weather events to increase the chances of your luggage going missing,”

The company explained that the primary reasons of mishandling luggage were the troubles with flights, caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption and unexpected storms across North America & Europe. A total of 300,000 flights were cancelled throughout the year.

In a statement, Mr. Jackson tried to explain the efforts made, he added: “Until recently, airports had been making excellent improvements in their baggage handling processes and technology, but luggage loss is now on the increase again”.

“Fortunately, the majority of mishandled bags were reunited with their owners within 48 hours but there will still more than a million items lost last year and never seen again.”

“Unfortunately there’s nothing a traveler can do about flight disruptions, but there are still several simple measures travelers can take to reduce the chances and impact of lost luggage,” The most important thing of all is to ensure all luggage is properly labeled and never travel without adequate travel insurance.” , Mr. Jackson added.

The largest sector for the company is the lost, damaged and stolen luggage. On their website, Travel Insurance team listed at 10 lost luggage tips to ensure your luggage travels as safely as possible when en route to your next destination.

Now its time to think twice before fliying without a luggage insurance, in fact these days just by actually getting your luggage is a matter of luck!

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Catholic hospitals in Australia recently apologized for forced adoptions that took place in Australia decades ago.

Thousands of children were taken away from their unmarried mothers and were given to other married couples. The practice of adopting out newborns to other families was common from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Martin Laverty, the Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Health Australia has apologized for the forced adoptions that took place in Australia’s Catholic hospitals in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

The apology was calculated to “speed up the federal government into action,” said Laverty, as he apologized for the forced adoptions. He continued to say that there is a need to create a national program in order to help all the mothers and children who were harmed by forced adoptions.

In a report by CatholicCulture.org, Laverty also said, “we now know that there were many hospitals across Australia.”According to calculations, more than 150,000 Australian babies were separated from their mothers.Laverty expressed his sadness and referred to this period as a “shameful and regretful time” in Australia’s healthcare history.

“It’s with a deep sense of regret, a deep sense of sorrow that practices of the past have caused ongoing pain, suffering and grief to these women, these brave women in Newcastle but also women around Australia,” he said.

The apology comes in the wake of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation investigation into claims of abuse and trauma in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Due to the importance of the issue, Laverty made a written submission for a national inquiry into what role the federal government had in such adoption policies. The chief executive officer said that the federal government should establish a national program funded by state governments, which have primary responsibility for Australia’s adoption laws.

The program should help to establish “a fund for remedying established wrongs” in addition to help all the families reunite by finding the medical records.

In the words of a psychiatrist who has been treating some of the women affected told the program, it seems as though this had happened in a “totalitarian country somewhere hundreds of years ago.” But these forced adoptions happened only 30 to 40 years ago and will stigmatize Australia’s history.

There are many testimonies from mothers who lost their children from the 1950s to 1970s. The unease and the pain are so strong for all victims and the trauma won’t be easily healed.

Sixteen-year old, Juliette Clough, lost her baby boy shortly after his birth in a Catholic-run hospital in Newcastle in 1970. She still remembers her ankles being strapped to the bed and being gassed.

She said, “they just snatched away the baby” according to an Australian Associated Press report in the Sydney Morning Herald. She wasn’t allowed to see him, hug him or touch him.

“It was just like a piece of my soul had died, and it’s still dead,” Clough said.

She thinks about her son constantly. He would be 42 years old now and she wonders what his life is like, whether he has children and a family and if she has grandchildren. Clough has made a statement for a Senate inquiry into forced adoptions.

The enquiry, officially titled the “Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices”, was set up late last year and was due to report at the end of June 2011 but, because of “the large volume of evidence and the complexity of issues”, this has now been extended until 21 November 2011. The Community Affairs References Committee said in the meantime they will “continue to welcome evidence from new submitters”.

As Laverty said, he and his organization learned about the women’s experiences for first time this June. In a submission to the committee of inquiry he said they were “genuinely sorry” for the “pain that arises from practices of the past.”

Clough, although she has married and given birth again says that the traumatic experience marked her in a strong way. The memories from her first baby taken from her have prevented her bonding properly with her other children.

She suffers from depression and she finds it very difficult to be the mother she wanted to be. There are many more stories like Clough’s. It will take time until everything will be in the public eye.

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A recent investigation by Animals Australia witnessed Indonesian slaughterhouses savagely killing Australian cattle. Australians are demanding a ban on cattle exports to Indonesia after an investigation revealed brutal treatment that included animals being flogged and kicked while others were left bleeding to death in some cases.

Australia has shipped more than 6.5 million head of cattle to Indonesia for slaughter over the last 20 years.

Experts estimate 40% of beef eaten in Indonesia comes from Australian cattle.

The meat is cut and sold after slaughter to the native Indonesians who always buy their meat fresh since most have poor refrigertation or none at all. Australian cattle is one Indonesian’s primary food source and is important to them.

The call to ban came after an investigation by an Australian animal rights group which followed the cattle from the docks to 11 abattoirs in Indonesia.

Animals Australia filmed inside the 11 abattoirs, including at night, with the help of Indonesian workers at the slaughterhouses to catch on tape proof of the brutality.

A spokesperson from the animal rights group Glenys Oogjes said, “Our primary goal was to have a look and see what we were reading in industry reports and to find out if it was as bad as it sounded.”

“Our goal was to expose to the Australian community what’s happening to our livestock in Indonesia, and to stop our animals from being treated badly and to halt the trade to Indonesia.”

The footage, broadcasted on Australian television, also showed cattle being wiped and taking minutes to die after their necks were slashed according to the rights group.

That sparked angry calls to the Agriculture Department and tens of thousands of signatures on an online petition. Opposition parties, farmers, animal rights groups and outraged citizens have all demanded a ban on Indonesian cattle exports.

The Australian Veterinary Association joined for a suspension of trade to Indonesia until humane slaughter practices are established.

The videos of the abuse has been posted all over the internet and more specifically youtube. One video clip in particular shows how the cattle is raised at the top of line farms in Australia hoping they will receive the same treatment when they reach their final destination in Indonesia.

The video continues after to show how some cows are humanly killed by being “stunned” in the slaughterhouses. After that process they are sent to slaughter; but the majority of the cattle do that receive that treatment. Most are abused and tortured before death.

Iswantoro, Indonesia’s director of Animal Farming, told the BBC’s Indonesian service he would look into the claims caught on camera.

“If there is a video showing abattoirs that are not fulfilling our standards, it is our responsibility to look into it,” he said.

But he insisted that the country was committed to producing meat that was safe, secure, healthy and “halal.”

According to Muslim tradition, animals must be killed by having their throats cut instantly and all the blood must be allowed to drain out.

But that does not fit in with the allegations or what was recorded on camera.

In closing to one of the documented footage, the reporter said in a poignant voice, “It is sometimes said that in years to come we will look back in horror at the way we treated animals as we do now as the human slave trade.”

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Officials in Canberra have announced a probe into the high number of suicide and self-harm incidents recorded among asylum seekers in Australian detention centers. According to Allan Asher, the country’s chief Ombudsman, official data indicates that there is currently a problem and that the figures have been on the rise. More than 1,100 actual or threatened self-harm incidents were registered in the past year, reported the BBC.

“I was myself on Christmas Island [home to one of the most strife-hit centers] at the end of June and there were 30 incidents in that week, and then across Australia in the first week of July, 50 incidents,” Mr. Asher told ACB television on Thursday.

The UN has criticized the Australian policy of mandatory detention of all asylum seekers while their applications are being processed. Mr. Asher has noted the impact of the policy too, stating that he was ‘alarmed’ by the impact of long-term detention.

“We think there is something seriously wrong that needs to be looked at.” In recent years, the policy has been softened to allow more women and children into the community but the move has left detention centers with a large population of males who are now separated from their families.

According to figures from the Australian Department of Immigration, there were a total of 6,535 irregular maritime arrivals (IMAs) in 2010. As of late April 2011, 4,552 IMAs were detained on the mainland while 1,748 were held solely on Christmas Island.

Louise Newman, chair of the Detention Health Advisory Group told The Straits Times, a Singapore-based newspaper, that there have been five suicides in detention since September 2010 and added that a one young man tried to hang himself every night somewhere in the system.

According to ABC television, the problem is so widespread on Christmas Island that staff are required to carry a knife at all times so they can cut down detainees who attempt to hang themselves.

Mr. Asher has launched an inquiry which will examine the root causes of the unfortunate development and figure out what practical steps can be taken to identify and manage those at risk of self-harm. His report is due by the end of this year, according to the BBC.

A.S. Zain / Shutterstock.com

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We’ve seen her rocking the screen on Gossip Girl, but Little J is not so little anymore. Today it’s her birthday and she’s turning  eighteen.

She wrote a message to her fans on Twitter today by saying: “ Thanks for all the birthday wishes from around the world…18…big news on the way.”

Now that she has reached a legal age, we just wander what plans she has on mind.

Her reputation does not fit in the category of keeping a low profile, since she is not a girl that wants to keep it quiet.  Few weeks ago when she was giving a concert at Razzmatazz club in Barcelona, she heated up the stage when a female fan went on stage and began to grind with her.

The upcoming plans include her band The Pretty Reckless which will head up to Chicago next week to heat it up, and then will go to the other side of the world Japan and Australia to keep performing in more music festivals.

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Last night, Quito welcomed the Spanish Singer Enrique Iglesias, who started his tour “Euphoria”.

The concert began Yesterday 30^th of June, at 20:00 P.M local time, in the Capital of Ecuador, Quito at the Rumiñahui Coliseum.

The Romanian DJ Edward Maya, winner of a Billboard opened the concert. Spicing up the atmosphere with some electronic dance music.

Enrique entered the stage and his words of wisdom for his audience were: “Quito…Tonight I’m fuc%&$ you”.

The singer performed an amazing show, accompanied with incredible music, dances and even some kisses. He sang the new songs from his recent album Euphoria. Which is the number 9th album that he recorded. The album was released on July 5th of 2010, and it features many artists such as:  Akon, Usher, Juan Luis Guerra, Pitbull, Nicole Scherzinger, Wisin and Yandel and Ludacris.

He brought on stage a lucky girl from the audience. But the things begin to turn a bit hot when he started singing to her the song, “Hero”. To heat things a little bit, and give the audience something to talk about. He begin to sing to the girl in a sensually manner, and kissed her on the mouth.

There have been already previous concerts, where he has already kissed a fan. But every time he makes sure his shows keep rising the degrees and makes things CALIENTES!

The tickets cost $35  (General) $75 (V.I.P) and $130 (Blackbox)

The tour will keep going until the end of October.

The upcoming concerts throughout South and Central America are:

• La Paz, Bolivia: July 2, 2011
• Santa Cruz, Bolivia, July 5, 2011
• 3.Caracas, Venezuela, July 7, 2011
• 4.Tegucigalpa, Honduras, July 9, 2011

Then the Artist will head up to Australia:

• 5. July 23, Sydney Aus
• 6. July 25 Brisbane, Aus
• 7. July 27 Melbourne, Aus
• 8. July 28, Melbourne, Victoria, Aus

And to end things up he will head to U.S.A, where in most of the concerts Pitbull will be the special guest.

• Starting September 22nd in Boston
• September 23, Philadelphia, pa
• September 24, Newark, NJ
• September 27, Washington, DC
• September 29 Toronto
• September 30 Detroit
• October 1 Chicago
• October 3 Kansas City
• October 6, Los Angeles
• October 7, San Jose
• October 8, Las Vegas
• October 12, Houston
• October 13, San Antonio
• October 15 El Paso
• October 16 Laredo
• October 18, Dallas
• October 20 Atlanta
• October 21 Orlando

The last day of the tour, will be the 22nd of October in Miami Florida.

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The New South Wales Labor party in Australia has been the second to fall to the Liberals, with Premier Kristina Kineally suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Barry O’Farrell. Mr O’Farrell is the new Coalition premier – the Coalition made up of the Liberal party, and more country and rural based National party.

Unlike other countries the Liberal party of Australia is the more conservative political party, while the National party is the main political party in rural and regional areas of Australia.

Mr O’Farrell’s victory is the second blow dealt to the Labor party, with Victorian Labor Premier John Brumby being ousted at the end of last year by Coalition candidate Ted Bailieau.

The Labor party in NSW has been in power since 1995 but it’s popularity has been slowly declining since the retirement of long-serving Premier Bob Carr who held the post for a decade, longer then any other Premier.

After Bob Carr’s retirement the party was led to victory  over the Coalition by Morris Iemma, in 2007. In 2008 Iemma stepped down as Premier after losing in party support and in the wake of a number of resignations in his government.

He was replaced by Nathan Rees, who was Premier from September 2008 to December 2009. During his brief tenure as Premier he re-shuffled the cabinet on four occasions, resulting in numerous portfolio changes for a variety of ministers.

As the result of this and other decisions Mr Rees lost the critical support of several in-party Labor factions, including behind-the-scenes heavyweight Joe Tripodi who he sacked as Finance Minister.

Mr. Rees was replaced by Kristina Kineally who led the Labor party so unsuccessfully to the recent election.

Of Australia’s six states and two territories, three are now run by the Liberal Party, including two with some of the countries largest populations, Victoria and New South Wales, with a Labor Prime Minister presiding.

Historically Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland have had larger political sway because these three states hold a large proportion of the Australian population. With two of those three under Liberal rule the political landscape of Australia looks set to become extremely politically interesting.

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The Australian Federal government is implementing changes to Medicare, Australia’s publicly funded universal healthcare system.

The government change includes the founding of Medicare Locals, which will be run independent of the government with links to community medical organisations.

The Australian Medical Assocatiotion (AMA) has voted to oppose the establishment of Medicare Locals and called on the government to provide greater consultation with the medical profession.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said the government needs to involve and recognize general practitioners (GPs) in the delivery of health care.

“The AMA cannot support primary care reforms that do not explain how they would benefit patients or communities, and which do not guarantee they would maintain and support the leadership role of GPs in primary care.”

The Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) have come forward is support of Medicare Locals, but have stressed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interests are included in the planning process.

Chairperson of the QAIHC, Ms Sheryl Lawton, has called for a partnership between the QLD General Practitioners and the Aboriginal and Islander health sector.

“QAIHC believes that the new Medicare Locals can make a significant dent in the current inefficiencies in the health system but their effectiveness in supporting efforts to close the health gap between Indigenous and other Australians will be determined by how much Aboriginal and Islander health experts have in setting them up and in developing their role,” Ms Lawton said.

The Medicare Locals will begin operating in mid-2011, and the remaining being introduced by mid-2012.

Medicare Locals will be given funding to specifically target gaps in the health care service for those in aged care.

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A woman from Melbourne, Australia is recovering in hospital after her car plunged off the edge of the sixth floor of a car park in the city’s CBD.

 Police have still not determined how the safety barrier failed to stop the woman going over the edge.

The woman is in a stable condition in hospital, suffering a cut to the head.

The ABC reports Ambulance crews on the scene as saying the car had managed to drop to the ground and wedge between two buildings, which made it difficult to get access to the driver.

Investigations are continuing.

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Australia’s newest Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, is also our first female Prime Minister. In addition to that monumental first, she is also the first to be in a de fact relationship, rather then married, and the first to be an open atheist.

This has led to some criticism of her lifestyle choice, with conservative members of the opposition and her own party, making derogatory comments about her childless state.

The latest to have jumped on the bandwagon of insulting Ms Gillard’s personal choices in Mark Latham. Mr Latham was a contender to be Australia’s Prime Minister in 2004 for the Labor party, which Ms Gillard represents.

He grew increasingly unpopular with the Australian people as he continued in his term as opposition leader, and is the subject of an infamous photo of his extremely aggressive handshake with then-Prime Minister John Howard.

Since being dumped by the Labor party Mr Latham has been part of a series of stunts to remain in the public consciousness, he ran a brief report for Australia’s 60 Minutes, released a tell-all biography and has been making his opinion known on a variety of topics.

When being interviewed on ABC radio Mr Latham said Ms Gillard has less love and empathy as a result of not having children.

“To choose a career ahead of the opportunity of having children? I think having children is the great loving experience of any lifetime and by definition, you haven’t got as much love in your life if you make that particular choice,” he said.

“I’m not the only one saying that. And I’ve also had some experience where around small children she was wooden. ”Empathy around small children is a pretty good test of what sort of person you are in life.”

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Changes to transportation systems can often come with controversy. Myki is Australia’s new transport card similar to the Oyster card in London, and the future of the new card looks uncertain.

The Myki system was proposed under the previous Labor government led by John Brumby, and came under multiple attacks from Ted Bailieu when he was opposition leader.

Now Ted Baillieau is premier of Victoria and has called for an audit of the Myki project, with the future of the smart card looking extremely uncertain.

Myki has been rolled out across all trams and trains across Melbourne, allowing customers to use the ‘touch on, touch off’ system at most public transportation points.

John Brumby had faced extreme criticism for the repeated delay to the full roll-out of Myki. With the new audit of the system, the full shift from paper Metcards to the plastic Myki looks set to be delayed again.

Myki would allow customers to top up online, with amounts that suited them, and having a guarantee that the prices would not be higher then when using a metcard.

Unlike other transport cards overseas the Myki is not available for purchase at most stations, to buy the smart card a customer has to go to the ticketing booth at stations or order the card online.

The card includes requirements of proof of ID, to allow the card to have the money transferred should become lost or stolen.

The Myki system has cost the government more then $1.35 billion, going over the budget given to the card.

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The upcoming election in New South Wales (NSW) Australia is set to be a memorable one, with many of the polls predicting a Liberal government will be in power for the first time in decades.

Current Labor Premier Kristina Kinneally has been campaigning in a series of interviews, advertisements and public policy announcements.

Opposition Liberal leader Barry O’Farrell has recently received positive publicity from two high profile charities in NSW with an announcement that a Coalition government would begin policies to bring children out of care homes.

Ms Jane Woodruff CEO of UnitingCare Burnside said that the removal of children from their homes can often be highly traumatic.

“We welcome an approach that aims to work closely with families to reduce
the number of children in care.

“It is important, however, that policy changes do not provide any obstacles to
removing those children in need of care and protection. Any child that needs
to be removed from their home should be – that is not negotiable,” Ms
Woodruff said.

The Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies (ACWA) also expressed its strong support for the proposed policy changes.

ACWA CEO Andrew McCallum said that reducing the number of children in care should be a priority for the government.

“Reform in this area is long overdue.

“Increasing the non-government sector’s role in service delivery, combined with a significant investment in prevention and early intervention services, will go a long way to  breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect in our community and ensuring that removing a child from their family remains a solution of last resort.”

The election will be decided in NSW at the end of March.

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In February this year Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that her government would begin to put into place a tax on carbon.

This caused controversy in the media and in the court of public opinion, as during her 2010 election campaign Ms Gillard stated on air that there would be tax on carbon if she and the Labor party were elected.

The new tax will be placed on large businesses that are polluting with the most carbon, but Ms Gillard acknowledged on ABC television show Q&A that there would be some cost of living increases as a trickle down from the tax on business.

During the launch of the carbon tax she made clear that price impacts would be felt, particularly in areas which generate a lot of carbon, encouraging them to lower emissions.

“Now as a Labor Government, when we price carbon we will ensure that the carbon price is fair, that it is a fair system.

“Every cent raised from pricing carbon will go to assisting households, helping businesses manage the transition and funding climate change climate change programs, and the Government will always support those who are in need of assistance with cost of living pressures,” Ms Gillard said.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott called for a revolution after Ms Gillard announced the tax.

He and others critical of the scheme have drawn attention to Ms Gillard’s statements before the election saying unequivocally there would be no carbon tax.

In various media interviews Ms Gillard has come under extreme pressure for her new proposal.

Quote from Alan Jones radio program on 2UE in Sydney:

HOST: … they (the electorate) wouldn’t be as angry as they are today were it not for the fact that you said there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead. You said I rule out a carbon tax and Wayne Swan, your deputy, I just want to, so that you understand, Wayne Swan said this, your deputy:

Wayne Swan on Audio Clip: No, it’s not possible that we’re bringing in a carbon tax. That is a hysterically inaccurate claim being made by the Coalition.

The Coalition in Opposition have also been hugely vocal in their disapproval of the carbon tax proposed by Ms Gillard.

Senator Eric Abetz, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate said that a carbon tax will destroy jobs as well as increasing the cost of living and crippling Australia’s trade.

“The Australian people have every right to feel betrayed and outraged by Labor’s shameful deceit,” Senator Abetz said.

“Not only did Julia Gillard deceive the Australian public, it’s clear that in announcing her back flip under pressure from Labor’s Green Alliance partners, the Prime Minister didn’t seek approval from her own Labor colleagues.”

The Opposition have also said the carbon tax is another sign of the power of the Green party in the Labor government.

The 2010 election that placed Julia Gillard and Labor in power did not give Ms Gillard a large enough majority from the voters to have outright power in the Senate.

Ms Gillard formed a minority government with the Green party and several Independents.

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The Medical Journal of Australia has published an article revealing anxiety and depressive disorders are the leading cause of disability in young Australians.

The researchers analysed data from 170 different diseases and injuries for the article.

Anxiety and depression was found to be the highest cause of disability, with 17 percent among 20-24 year old males and 27 percent in 20-24 year old females.

“Our study, using one of the largest most comprehensive data sets available on the health of Australians, provides compelling evidence of the scale of disability caused by mental disorders in young people,” said Ms Rebecca Mathews, lead research and senior research assistant with the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research.

“ADHD and Autism together cause as much disability as anxiety and depression in young men, but are less common in young women who are more affected by eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.”

Professor Louisa Degenhardt said the study’s findings confirmed that the change into puberty can often be difficult for young people.

“We know the major contributors to disability in young Australians are a mixture of mental disorders and some particular physical disorders such as asthma and migraine,” said Ms Degenhardt.

The government has launched a new line of inquiry into mental barriers to employment, which covers a variety of mental health issues.

The move has been widely supported by charitable organisations that work with people suffering from mental illnesses.

Professor Degenhardt said that this report looking at young people in particular should help focus the attention towards helping cover the transition from using child health care services to adult health care services.

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Tear gas has been used against detainees of the asylum seeker detention centre on Christmas Island, off the coast of Australia.

According to information released in February by the Department of Immigration there are 1829 people being held in the Christmas Island detention centre. All are male.

The majority of the asylum seekers being held in detention throughout Australia are from Afghanistan and have been held in detention from between 6 months and 1 year.

A spokesmen for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship said the mood among those who remain in the centre is generally calm.

“There have been no reported injuries to staff or detainees although one person received medical treatment on-site for a pre-existing condition,” the spokesman said.

“Consideration is being given to what additional resources should be made available for the further management of facilities in the current climate.”

Amnesty International has expressed concern over the incident and issued a reminder that the organisation has been concerned about deteriorating conditions on Christmas Island after a visit there in October last year.

Amnesty says that it had concerns about the time the Department of Immigration takes to process claims, as well as the lack of adequate medical and mental health services available to those in detention. Amnesty International has repeated called for government to end mandatory detention in offshore and remote areas.

The Department for Immigration and Citizenship lists several keys to immigration detention, including that mandatory detention is essential to its current and future strategies for controlling Australia’s borders. .

The Department has also assured that a full investigation will be undertaken into the events at Christmas Island that led to authorities using tear gas.

“We view this sort of protest activity very seriously,” the spokesman said. “Such actions will not influence the outcome of people’s cases and we will be undertaking further discussions with those involved as to the acceptable way to raise any issues they may have.”

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