ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Sun 13 Apr, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » Flooding, blackouts persist as Tropical Cyclone Ita moves south Power blackouts and flooding continue across much of north Queensland in the wake of Cyclone Ita, as the storm system moves south, dumping hundreds of milimetres of rain. The category one system, which made landfall on Friday night, is tracking south of Townsville and falls of 400 milimetres are expected in some parts of the coast this afternoon. Authorities say Ingham, north of Townsville, has so far escaped any structural damage despite major flooding, but the CBD of Halifax has been hit with heavy flooding. About 16,000 residents in north Queensland are still without power. Premier Campbell Newman has spent the day touring the affected areas of Cooktown and Hope Vale, where he inspected banana crops damaged in the storm. More » Japan intends to continue Antarctic whale hunt: Sea Shepherd Hockey flags changes to age pension eligibility age, indexation Quest to narrow MH370 search area continues Napthine commits to building Melbourne airport rail link Investigations continue into disappearance of 3yo Chloe Campbell Prince William hints at second Royal baby More Analysis » Revenue lobbyists should leave the GST alone Australia should get its excessive spending under control without resorting to the tempting but unwarranted consumption tax grabs we have recently seen in other countries. Politicians generally do not respect fiscal rules for too long, and a rise in the GST would disproportionately hurt the poor. That's why the current institutional arrangements for managing the GST should be preserved in the face of recent pressure from revenue lobbyists like Martin Parkinson and Ken Henry. More » Ten should adopt these ratings winners - seriously Coal is no cure for energy poverty Bullock: the straw that breaks the camel's back? We still don't know how to talk about China Who's afraid of anti-discrimination laws? Cultural patronage offers a tilt at immortality Fair trials at risk in age of social media Bob Carr's diary reveals a true satirist Democracy is about the people, not the parties Just In More Just In » Prince William hints at second Royal baby Prince William may have hinted a second baby is on the way, during the Royal tour of New Zealand, says the woman who made New Zealand's official gift to Prince George. More » Flooding, blackouts persist as Tropical Cyclone Ita moves south Napthine commits to building Melbourne airport rail link Quest to narrow MH370 search area continues Bomb team scours site of farmhouse explosion that injured Vic police officers Hockey flags changes to age pension eligibility age, indexation G20 nations not boosting growth, jobs enough: Hockey NT Chief Minister withdraws olive branch to rebel MLAs after by-election win Investigations continue into disappearance of 3yo Chloe Campbell Man shot in apparent road rage incident in Melbourne World More World » Iran plans legal action after US rejects visa for UN ambassador Iran insists it will not replace its new envoy to the United Nations in New York and has accused the United States of acting illegally by refusing a visa to the diplomat. More » Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes near Solomon Islands Gunmen seize police headquarters in eastern Ukraine Twin blasts kill election officials, police in India Attempted murder charge against Pakistani baby dropped Chinese investment rules for farmland won't change: Robb Business More Business » Coke shares drop as market loses its fizz Australian stocks have retreated from yesterday's near six-year high, posting losses across the board. The All Ordinaries Index dropped 1 per cent to close at 5,424 and the ASX 200 lost 52 points to 5,429. The sell-off was not as bad as feared after a much bigger slump on Wall Street, where investors sold down internet and social media stocks. Coca-Cola Amatil suffered its biggest drop in 23 years to close 14.5 per cent lower at $9.74 after cutting its profit forecasts. More » Analysts say US tech stock slump is a correction, not a crash Bank of Queensland announces profit jump and acquisition Abbott arrives in Shanghai for talks with Chinese president Holden's former workers finding job search tough Oakajee Port: Padbury Mining says finance secured Politics More Politics » Napthine commits to building Melbourne airport rail link Victoria's Premier Denis Napthine has pledged to build a rail link between Melbourne and the city's airport at Tullamarine. Speaking to delegates at the Liberal State Council, Dr Napthine said the Coalition's plans would be outlined in the upcoming Victorian budget. "Our airport rail link will provide high capacity, efficient service on a regular basis to Melbourne Airport," he said. "It is time that this rail link was built and it will be built by a Coalition Government here in Victoria." More » Tony Abbott meets Chinese president Xi Jinping Single-decker v double-decker trains: Barry O'Farrell's claim doubtful Obeids did not invest in AWH, Eddie Junior tells ICAC Macklin accuses Government of preparing to cut age pension Sport More Sport » Live: Swans v 'Roos, St Kilda v Adelaide, Fremantle v Essendon Follow all the AFL action as it happens in the Swans-North Melbourne, St Kilda -Adelaide and Fremantle-Essendon clashes. More » Live: Warriors v Bulldogs, Sea Eagles v Sharks Kangaroos surprise the Swans at a wet SCG Aussies struggle as Masters set for thrilling finish Wildcats win decider to clinch NBL crown Farah in doubt for Origin opener Science and Technology More Science and Technology » NSA, White House denies using Heartbleed bug to spy US intelligence agencies have denied a report that they exploited the Heartbleed bug in internet encryption to gather intelligence, saying they were not aware of the vulnerability before it was publicly exposed. More » CSIRO develops world's first fish-free prawn food US to test futuristic high-speed electromagnetic railgun Second study from UQ research pair retracted after misconduct probe Novartis removes top Japanese executives over drug trial scandal Environment More Environment » Japan intends to continue Antarctic whale hunt: Sea Shepherd Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd says Japan has filed court briefs in the United States indicating it intends to return to hunting whales in Antarctic waters next year. More » US denies visa to Iran's UN envoy Whaling around the world: How Japan's catch compares Court wants Alpha Coal project rejected or new conditions imposed WA Govt seeks to extend shark baiting program 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. 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