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Australian federal member of Calare, Peter Andren died on Saturday after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He was aged 61. Mr Andren who had held the seat since being elected in 1996 had previously announced his intention to run for the senate after his electorate was changed for the 2007 federal election. After Mr Andren was diagnosed with cancer in July, he announced that he would be retiring from politics at the election. Mr Andren's 1996 campaign platform was based upon retaining services in regional Australia, particularly banking,

Kevin Rudd, Australia's Leader of the Opposition has promised a special home buyers' bank account with tax concessions if Labor is elected on November 24. Mr Rudd says AU$64,000 could be saved by a couple on the average wage over five years. The plan would cost the Government $600 million dollars. The Housing Industry Association has welcomed the announcement but says it would be a start and would "avoid a stampede of first home buyers into the market." Prime Minister John Howard is bracing himself for a possible Wednesday interest rate rise

Earlier today, the government of Chad set free three French journalists and four Spanish flight attendants, who had been held since October 25. Chadian authorities had been investigating the role of the seven and 14 other suspects with regard to an attempt to fly 103 African children to Europe for placement with host families. The release of the seven came as French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Chad to hold talks on the case with Chadian officials. The lawyer for the seven, Jean-Bernard Padare, told Reuters that the seven were free to

Hundreds of people were rounded up by security forces in Pakistan, one day after Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule, effectively martial law. Scores of opposition figures were among those detained. Javed Hashmi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) party, the party of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was arrested. "Musharraf's days are numbered. The time has come to end the political role of the army," he told reporters in Multan before being taken away by police. Nawaz Sharif said to an Indian news channel: "We have not

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake has struck in a place where earthquakes are rare, but sometimes large. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), at 3:35 p.m (eastern time) the 5.8 quake struck in Antarctica, 105 kilometers (65 miles) south, southeast of Casey Station or 2565 kilometers (1590 miles) north of the South Pole. The quake was reported at a depth of 7.5 k.m. (4.7 miles), but the USGS says it was "poorly constrained." Had any civilization existed on the frozen ice cap, the USGS says that damage could be "light to moderate."

In a comeback after two years of inactivity due to stress fractures and becoming a mother, world record holder Paula Radcliffe from the United Kingdom has won the New York City marathon today. After leading the women's race almost all the way, she managed to shake off Ethiopian Gete Wami, who challenged her in the last mile. Third finished winner of previous two New York City marathons Jelena Prokopcuka from Latvia. The men's race was also a duel, but Martin Lel from Kenya managed to repeat his victory over Abderrahim Goumri from Morocco from t

According to a University of Maine student government representative, the university may file a lawsuit against rock band My Chemical Romance due to a cancelled show. The band cited health concerns for drummer Bob Bryar in the cancellation notification on Thursday, but played a show on the proceeding Friday. The cancellation reason is considered an 'Act of God', and relieves both parties from any obligations. "Unless it is truly due to sickness or injury of the band, we intend to seek full damages for breach of contract. When they played Frid

Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt drew 0-0 today after Bayern Munich failed to score on any of their 38 shots. Bayern Munich kept taking shot after shot while Eintracht Frankfurt failed to record a shot in the 1st half. Bayern Munich continued in their dominance in possession, Corner kicks and shots. Bayern Munich next game is on Thursday in an away game against Bolton Wanderers in UEFA Cup action. Quotes Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: “It’s a shame we didn’t win today. We deserved to win, we had 38 shots to their five. If Toni had scored right a

Floods have affected over a million people in the Mexican State of Tabasco, mainly in the capital of the state, Villahermosa. This has escalated in the last days into becoming the state's worst catastrophe in its history. Eighty percent of the state's territory is underwater due to the Grijalva river flooding and heavy rains, which are expected to continue over the next few days. Mexican president Felipe Calderón defined the situation as critical and urged all Mexicans to give their support. Helicopters and boats are being used to move peopl

Pervez Musharraf has invoked emergency rule in Pakistan according to state television. Independent stations have gone off the air. Reports say that police have surrounded the Supreme Court of Pakistan, while the judges are still inside. The court is deciding whether Musharraf was eligible to run in last month's election, which he won. The Supreme Court has stated that Musharraf does not have the authority to declare the state of emergency, which includes a suspension of the Constitution. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently retu

Two scientists working at McGill University in Canada, reporting on their research and the research of other scientists, state in Scientific American that Vitamin D may have many uses in the human body besides building strong bones. According to the scientists, Luz E. Tavera-Mendoza and John H. White, Vitamin D intake may also be beneficial in the prevention of cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and fighting tuberculosis, influenza and inflammatory bowel disease. The researchers say that there is an emerging "widespread consensus" among exp

Baseball's Dodgers hire Joe Torre Joe Torre will be the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball franchise, according to a team announcement on Thursday. Torre had been manager of the New York Yankees since 1996. Grady Little had been the Dodgers manager until Tuesday when he resigned from the team with one year remaining on his three-year contract. Sources S&P CNX Nifty hits all-time high of 6,000 S&P CNX Nifty, the leading index for large companies on the National Stock Exchange of India, reached a historic high of 6000