ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Thu 18 Apr, 2013 Top Stories More Top Stories » Live: Mass casualties feared in Texas blast More than 100 people have been injured and an unknown number killed by a massive fertiliser plant explosion which ripped through a small Texan town. Local officials have not confirmed a death toll but say scores were injured when the blast in the town of West levelled some buildings and set fire to others. A five-block area of the town has been levelled and there are fears people are trapped or dead inside around 70 collapsed buildings. Much of the centre of town has been evacuated as the fire is still smouldering at the plant, sending a toxic plume across the area. Follow the developments on our blog. More » Acrobat jailed over deliberate HIV infection Abbott confirms commitment to paid parental leave levy Fairfax wins fight to keep sources confidential FBI, police tight-lipped on Boston investigation Gun control snub a day of shame: Obama Radio station apologises over shock jock's outbursts SA backs disability scheme rollout SBS pulls marathon bombing movie More Analysis » There's little hope of the budget saving Labor Labor's backbench has for the past two weeks looked like a ministry in exile, and the frontbench looks like a shadow ministry in waiting. Those leading figures who aren't writing accounts of how they should govern next time around are busy with budget preparations. But there is little hope of any turnaround from that. Any deficit will be bad news for Labor and a very simple headline to write. Labor made so much of returning to the black it is now hoist with its own petard. More » Twitter becomes the unlikely school of politics Refugees stuck in a Kafkaesque nightmare What separates a death in Iraq from one in Boston? Miners must look at themselves to boost productivity Thatcher's death is Cameron's chance to win back the right A visit to Europe puts things in perspective Thank security agencies whenever there isn't an attack Unless you're wealthy, you're not going to like flat taxes Reddit, the Boston Marathon and terror in a social media world Just In More Just In » Fairfax wins fight to keep sources confidential The Victorian Court of Appeal has ruled two Fairfax journalists will not be ordered to reveal their sources. More » Acrobat jailed over deliberate HIV infection SBS pulls marathon bombing movie Radio station apologises over shock jock's outbursts Chinese property price surge fuels rate rise fears Abbott confirms commitment to paid parental leave levy Message in a bottle washes up after 28 years Fortescue production rises, expansion on track Inquiry told of 'reptilian smile' over mine project Thomson's lawyers call for delay in civil case World More World » Chinese property price surge fuels rate rise fears By online business reporter Michael Janda Analysts say a surge in Chinese home prices are a cause for concern, but the government has made moves to take some heat out of the market. More » Message in a bottle washes up after 28 years Live: Mass casualties feared in Texas blast Auditor warns China debt crisis could dwarf GFC US sending troops to Jordan as Assad issues warning Star Wars actor Richard LeParmentier dies Business More Business » Auditor warns China debt crisis could dwarf GFC By business editor Peter Ryan and staff There are warnings that China could face a financial crisis bigger than the United States or Europe unless it gets its debt under control. More » Chinese property price surge fuels rate rise fears Shares slide as global growth worries dominate Fortescue production rises, expansion on track Wesfarmers sales post solid rise BoQ increases half-year profit Politics More Politics » Abbott confirms commitment to paid parental leave levy By chief political correspondent Emma Griffiths Tony Abbott has confirmed the Coalition's commitment to an enlarged paid parental leave scheme funded by a levy on big business. More » SA backs disability scheme rollout Gillard offers states sweetener to close the gap Carbon offset companies face uncertain future Britain farewells divisive leader Margaret Thatcher Sport More Sport » Kangaroos wary of Johnson threat Australia fear Shaun Johnson could take up the role of 'magic man' left vacant by the injury to Benji Marshall when they take on New Zealand in the Anzac Test in Canberra. More » Mariners can handle grand final pressure: Arnold Marco Rojas leaving Victory for Europe Moody gets into the swing of life without Caviar Daw picked to be AFL's first Sudanese player Digby Ioane to return against the Brumbies Science and Technology More Science and Technology » CSIRO looks set to cut 200 jobs By Will Ockenden More than 200 staff at the CSIRO look set to lose their jobs as the organisation makes drastic cuts to its budget. More » Iron Age warriors point to glories of Gaul IT pricing inquiry fails to impress Coalition expects Telstra to hand over copper network Links found between lead exposure and violent crime Environment More Environment » Carbon offset companies face uncertain future By Simon Frazer The fall in Europe's carbon price further dents the confidence of carbon offset companies in Australia. More » Mass dolphin deaths under investigation Antarctic ice melting 10 times faster than 600 years ago Howes slams Woodside for 'sacrificing jobs for profits' Environmentalists welcome scrapping of LNG project About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. 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