ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Sun 09 Mar, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » Australians on missing flight to Beijing named as oil slick spotted at sea The six Australian passengers among 239 people on board a Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur have been named. The airline released a passenger list naming Australians Robert and Catherine Lawton, Rodney and Mary Burrows and Gu Naijun and Li Yuan. Two of the couples are from Queensland and one couple is from New South Wales. There are reports Perth-based New Zealand man Paul Weeks was also on the flight. Flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic controllers at 2:40am local time on Saturday, just over two hours into what should have been a six-hour journey. A full-scale international search and rescue operation is underway to find the aircraft with attention zoning in on waters between southern Vietnam and Malaysia. Vietnam says its rescue planes have spotted two large oil slicks, and a column of smoke off its coastline, but it is not clear if they are connected to the missing plane. More » Paramedics given power to send patients to GPs World leaders warn of 'new measures' against Russia over Ukraine crisis Driver's leg amputated after police pursuit Cyclones to bring heavy rain to north Queensland Iraqi women protest against proposed child marriage law Australian flag-bearer Cameron Rahles-Rahbula is out of all Paralympic events due to injuries More Analysis » Hardly the wages blowout of an inflexible market Joe Hockey and Eric Abetz must be delighted with the current structure of the industrial relations system and the degree of flexibility in labour market conditions. If the labour market were rigid, inflexible or the industrial relations system were in need of a major overhaul, wages growth would not have slowed to a record low in the wake of the upward trend in the unemployment rate. This suggests the hidden agenda of reform to the labour market slowly but surely being unfurled by the Coalition government is not really about macroeconomic management. More » Long road to recovery for bruised politics Putin's show of power pays off Don't get even, ladies - get mad Why we don't need a reboot of the forest wars Advisers should ditch percentage fees Keeping the peace with a bat and ball ABC circumcision reports were culturally insensitive In defence of sober reporting on a sensitive topic Railing against a 'left' that no longer exists Just In More Just In » Household objects better than school play equipment: study Milk crates, buckets and other household items are better at getting kids active and promoting their creativity than traditional school playground equipment, an Australian study has found. More » Toddler dies after driveway accident Paralympic flag-bearer out of all events at Sochi Driver's leg amputated after police pursuit Cross-media ownership rules due for review: Turnbull Paramedics given power to send patients to GPs Cyclones to bring heavy rain to north Queensland Firefighters hope to control Hazelwood mine fire by Monday Ali beats Pearson to win world indoor 60m hurdles Sculpture at Sawmillers opens on Sydney foreshore World More World » World leaders warn of 'new measures' against Russia over Ukraine crisis The presidents of the United States and France have warned of "new measures" if Russia refuses to withdraw its forces from the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. In a phone call, Barack Obama and Francois Hollande insisted on the "need for Russia to withdraw forces and to allow the deployment of international observers". Mr Obama also sought to reassure nervous Baltic leaders about US support for their security and consulted other European allies about the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, US secretary of state John Kerry warned Russia that any steps to annex Ukraine's Crimea region would close the door to diplomacy. Mr Kerry's latest telephone call with his Russian counterpart, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, came as the standoff between occupying Russian forces and besieged Ukrainian troops intensified in Crimea. More » Chelsea surge clear after Spurs drubbing Iraqi women protest against proposed child marriage law Sri Lanka warns against UN war crimes inquiries Air quality in most of China's major cities fails to meet standards China to 'defend every inch' of territory: foreign minister Business More Business » Rinehart takes aim at Australia's 'entitlement mentality' By Michael Janda Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart has attacked Australia's "entitlement mentality" and called on the nation's leaders to emulate former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. In a feature article for the current edition of Australian Resources and Investment, Mrs Rinehart wrote Australia is facing a future of government debt due largely to its $130 billion annual welfare bill. "This 'age of entitlement' and its consequences is creating problems for all of us, our children and our grandchildren. Strong leadership will be the key," she said. Mrs Rinehart's example of strong leadership is the late Thatcher, known as the Iron Lady. More » Stevens says big step up in household debt would be 'asking for trouble' Mining sector drags construction activity lower Widespread gains lifts share market higher Boart Longyear at crisis point as income barely covers debt payments Workplace law review to scrutinise pay, penalties and conditions: report Politics More Politics » World leaders warn of 'new measures' against Russia over Ukraine crisis The presidents of the United States and France have warned of "new measures" if Russia refuses to withdraw its forces from the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. In a phone call, Barack Obama and Francois Hollande insisted on the "need for Russia to withdraw forces and to allow the deployment of international observers". Mr Obama also sought to reassure nervous Baltic leaders about US support for their security and consulted other European allies about the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, US secretary of state John Kerry warned Russia that any steps to annex Ukraine's Crimea region would close the door to diplomacy. Mr Kerry's latest telephone call with his Russian counterpart, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, came as the standoff between occupying Russian forces and besieged Ukrainian troops intensified in Crimea. More » Air quality in most of China's major cities fails to meet standards Russia warns it could halt foreign arms checks over 'unfounded threats' Liberal MP tells party to embrace mandatory female quotas China's annual congress quiet on deadly mass stabbing at train station Sport More Sport » Live: Dragons v Tigers, Eels v Warriors Grandstand brings you live updates from the Dragons-Tigers and Eels-Warriors NRL matches. More » Live: Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar v Adelaide United Sydney FC and Abbas to lodge racism complaint to FFA Ali beats Pearson to win world indoor 60m hurdles Paralympic flag-bearer out of all events at Sochi Wenger hails rejuvenated FA Cup star Giroud Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Tropical fruit tourism 'thriving in NSW' By Megan Woodward A family in northern NSW has successfully combined farming and tourism at their productive tropical fruit farm for decades. More » Asteroid to make close pass by Earth Uncrackable phones stymie police efforts to prevent underworld crime Scientists revive 30,000-year-old virus From driving a bus to funding high-risk cancer research: Col's story Environment More Environment » Air quality in most of China's major cities fails to meet standards Air quality was below national standards in almost all of China's major cities last year, a top environment official says. More » Fact file: How does the Renewable Energy Target affect your power bill? Doubt cast on Government's climate change plan Doubt cast on Government's climate change plan LNP backbencher 'deeply uncomfortable' with WA shark culls 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 © 2014 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters