ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Wed 20 Nov, 2013 Top Stories More Top Stories » Indonesia downgrades ties with Australia, Abbott expresses regret again By Indonesia correspondent George Roberts, staff Indonesia's foreign minister says his country is already moving to downgrade its relationship with Australia in the wake of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spying revelations. Marty Natalegawa says Indonesia is "not only reviewing our cooperation with Australia - we are actually already implementing the downgrading of our bilateral relations with Australia." "We are not the party that is bringing this issue up. It is Australia that has brought the matter up," he added. Indonesia's top government ministers are now locked in a meeting with Mr Yudhoyono and the now-recalled ambassador to Australia, discussing the state of the relationship. Tony Abbott again expressed his regret over the spying reports today, calling Mr Yudhoyono "perhaps one of the very best friends that Australia has anywhere in the world." More » Early figures show NDIS cost blowout G4S staff accused of harassment on Manus Island Drunk P-plate driver Michael Sitarski jailed over crash which killed Jasmine Barker ABC head promises investigation after ABC salary leak Robot seals comfort dementia patients in nursing homes Rolling Stones to play revamped Adelaide Oval More Analysis » Was Paul Keating a great treasurer? By Richard Holden Paul Keating was once described as the "world's greatest treasurer" and last night's interview with Kerry O'Brien suggests he has not wavered in his own assessment of his legacy. But what makes a great treasurer? Good economic instincts are key, but so are political skills to implement the economic vision. It is tempting to judge Keating harshly for his anti-GST Hewson takedown, but what about the rest of his record? How does Paul Keating stack up? More » Negotiating our health at TPP talks The high price of the gas boom The spy scandal face-off A better way to work Flexibility and productivity don't go hand in hand Queensland party crackdown out of control Australia is the place of vanishing languages No winning moves in spy game Fighting false claims in the gas debate Just In More Just In » Fears for missing Perth trekker in Nepal There are fears for a Perth man who has not made contact with friends or family for nearly three weeks following a 10 day trek in Nepal. More » Is it cheaper for MPs to fly VIP jets, as Christopher Pyne claims? Two people critically injured after Sydney stabbings Early figures show NDIS cost blowout Australian victim of Bali attack to be flown home by CareFlight Drought triggers extra $7.5 million for NSW farmers Rolling Stones to play revamped Adelaide Oval Robot seals comfort dementia patients in nursing homes Indonesia downgrades ties with Australia, Abbott expresses regret again Rees stands aside from NSW shadow ministry over affair World More World » Fukushima water to be dumped in ocean: clean-up boss By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy The man in charge of the clean-up at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant says growing stores of contaminated water from the site will eventually have to be dumped into the sea. More » JP Morgan to pay record $US13 billion penalty Pilot error blamed for Russian plane crash that killed 50 One dead, dozens trapped as South African shopping mall collapses State of emergency after Cyclone Cleopatra kills 18 in Sardinia Russia grants bail to 9 foreign Greenpeace activists Business More Business » OECD significantly cuts global growth forecast By Elysse Morgan and Pat McGrath The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has significantly cut its forecast for growth among the world's wealthiest countries, warning serious global economic risks remain in the years ahead. The alliance of developed economies expects a global growth rate of 2.7 per cent this year, down from 3.1 per cent in its May forecast. It is the lowest annual growth forecast from the OECD since the depths of the global financial crisis. More » Myer wants review of GST threshold JP Morgan to pay record $US13 billion penalty Farmers worried GrainCorp takeover could cut infrastructure access 'Dictator' Clive Palmer accused of locking families out of holiday homes Politics More Politics » Early figures show NDIS cost blowout By political reporter Simon Cullen Initial figures show the cost of rolling out the multi-billion-dollar disability insurance scheme is about 30 per cent higher than expected, raising the prospect of a broader budget blowout. The national scheme has been launched at four sites, with preliminary figures showing each care package is costing an average of $46,000 - not the $35,000 the Government expected. The Government has also confirmed that it is taking longer than expected to complete each care plan, and the number of people registering their interest to take part is 50 per cent higher than expected. The details were confirmed by Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield at the National Press Club this lunchtime. "Confidence in the NDIS, I believe, is going to be built on transparency," he said. "I want the NDIS to be an open book." More » Rolling Stones to play revamped Adelaide Oval Indonesia downgrades ties with Australia, Abbott expresses regret again Defence spends up big to bring in US Marines 'Tech-savvy' mayor caught out by $20K data roaming bill Sport More Sport » Clarke coy over using spinner at Gabba Michael Clarke has remained coy over whether he will pick spinner Nathan Lyon for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane. More » Lucas Neill defends outburst at booing crowd Hopoate mentally stronger after two-year break Ronaldo hat-trick fires Portugal to World Cup Watson feeling confident with ball and bat Wallaby Kuridrani cops five-week ban Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Robot seals comfort dementia patients in nursing homes By Elise Worthington Dementia patients will be given a fluffy seal pup robot that has a calming effect in a new Australian trial. More » Common plastics chemical linked to pre-term births Cry Of The Tiger: Endangered animals dying in Indonesian zoo NASA launches MAVEN mission to Mars CSIRO job cuts: Greens MP Adam Bandt turns to spin Environment More Environment » Fukushima water to be dumped in ocean: clean-up boss By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy The man in charge of the clean-up at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant says growing stores of contaminated water from the site will eventually have to be dumped into the sea. More » Russia grants bail to 9 foreign Greenpeace activists Foreign Minister's stance on detained Greenpeace activist disappoints family Australian Greenpeace activist to remain in prison for further three months Ecologist fears fresh water harming Coorong 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. Manage your preferences | Unsubscribe | Contact Us   This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 © 2013 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters