ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Sun 06 Apr, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » Coalition hopeful of favourable Senate after PUP success in WA By political correspondent Emma Griffiths The Federal Government is hopeful of a more amenable Senate after yesterday's re-run election in Western Australia, which appears to have cemented Clive Palmer's control over crucial balance-of-power votes. With just under 70 per cent of the vote counted, the businessman's Palmer United Party (PUP) has so far picked up 12.5 per cent of the vote, putting candidate Dio Wang in line to enter the new Senate on July 1. The Greens have also secured one seat, returning Scott Ludlam to the Senate, with a swing towards the party of more than 6 per cent. The PUP and Greens' gains have come at the expense of the major parties, which have both suffered swings against them of around 5 per cent. More » Acoustic events provide 'encouraging lead' for MH370 black box Beef still an issue but Abbott hopeful FTA with Japan can be secured Wedding guests pelted with bricks as gatecrashers spark mass brawl Nationwide alert issued over 'person of interest' in Sophie Collombet murder Aussie Rules player suffers spinal injury in NSW country game Daniel Ricciardo qualifies third for Bahrain Grand Prix but slips back with grid penalty More Analysis » Putting the ADF succession plan under scrutiny The Australian Defence Force gets a gold star for its appointments today, but it can do better on retaining the skills of its leaders now and in the future. Where they're keen to continue to contribute, there's got to be a structured way that we can continue to harness the experience of women and men we've spent decades training and who have tirelessly served us. It's better to do that than give them a farewell dinner and lose them to the corporate world, academia or the golf course. More » Making heads or tails of Australia's economic strategy Early intervention saves money (just give it time) Sorry WA, the Senate revote won't change much Caving to insidious Chinese censorship It's time to get tough - for our kids' sake Why the coal industry is right to fear divestment Surely defamation is the real threat to free speech Our Rolls-Royce budget can handle a flat tyre People power the new economic driver Just In More Just In » Acoustic events provide 'encouraging lead' for MH370 black box Authorities say that a Chinese ship has twice detected a pulse signal with characteristics of an aircraft black box, while an Australian vessel is also investigating an "acoustic noise". More » Beef still an issue but Abbott hopeful FTA with Japan can be secured Coalition hopeful of favourable Senate after PUP success in WA Brawl breaks out after 50 youths gatecrash wedding $2b Queensland irrigation proposal triggers debate Nationwide alert issued over 'person of interest' in Sophie Collombet murder Aussie Rules player suffers spinal injury in NSW country game 7 million Afghans vote in landmark election Couple sentenced to death for 'blasphemous' text message in Pakistan Thailand's 'Red Shirts' rally to support PM Yingluck Shinawatra World More World » 7 million Afghans vote in landmark election More than half of 12 million eligible Afghans voted in an election that will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power to the country. More » Couple sentenced to death for 'blasphemous' text message in Pakistan Thailand's 'Red Shirts' rally to support PM Yingluck Shinawatra Tribal fighting in Egypt leaves 23 dead Thousands flee as fire razes Philippines slum Pakistani baby bailed on attempted murder charge Business More Business » Beef still an issue but Abbott hopeful FTA with Japan can be secured By North Asia correspondent Matthew Carney Prime Minister Tony Abbott says there are still matters that need to be resolved before a free trade agreement (FTA) can be signed off on with Japan. The Japanese say they are considering dropping the tax on Australian beef by half from 38.5 per cent to 19.25 per cent, but that may not be enough to close the deal. Mr Abbott told a press conference in Tokyo that the negotiations have been "difficult", but he is optimistic a deal will be reached. More » CFMEU alleges 457 visa workers exploited at Rinehart's Roy Hill US unemployment rate steady as economy gains 192,000 jobs Swedish retailer H&M opens first Australian store Former ASIC lawyer claims regulator too cosy with finance sector RBNZ says home loan limits appear to be slowing house prices Politics More Politics » Beef still an issue but Abbott hopeful FTA with Japan can be secured By North Asia correspondent Matthew Carney Prime Minister Tony Abbott says there are still matters that need to be resolved before a free trade agreement (FTA) can be signed off on with Japan. The Japanese say they are considering dropping the tax on Australian beef by half from 38.5 per cent to 19.25 per cent, but that may not be enough to close the deal. Mr Abbott told a press conference in Tokyo that the negotiations have been "difficult", but he is optimistic a deal will be reached. More » Coalition hopeful of favourable Senate after PUP success in WA 7 million Afghans vote in landmark election As it happened: WA Senate election results Landmark Afghan election begins under shadow of violence Sport More Sport » Live: Storm v Titans, Tigers v Sea Eagles Grandstand brings you live updates from the Storm-Titans, Tigers-Sea Eagles NRL matches. More » Live: GWS v Demons, Kangaroos v Port Adelaide, Essendon v Carlton GWS overcomes Demons in rain-hit clash Titans edge Storm in thriller McLaughlin claims pole for Winton Wright loses title to Moore in Margaret River final Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Second study from UQ research pair retracted after misconduct probe By Elise Worthington An international journal has retracted a study by two former University of Queensland researchers after statistical problems were found with the data. More » Novartis removes top Japanese executives over drug trial scandal MH370 search: 8 things you might not know about black boxes Researchers claim breakthrough in tackling HIV How a British satellite plotted MH370's route Environment More Environment » Japanese retailer to stop selling whale meat One of Japan's biggest online retailers has announced it will stop selling whale meat. More » Queensland Government under fire over land clearing permits Captive breeding program hopes to help weta's battle for survival Clive Palmer and Ross Garnaut debate carbon tax ahead of WA Senate election Bob Brown steps down as Sea Shepherd chairman 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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