China rejects dialogue with Dalai Lama

China rejects dialogue with Dalai Lama	20.03.2008

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03/20/2008		Suicide blast kills five at army camp
A SUICIDE car bomber has attacked a Pakistan army base in a troubled tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killing at least five soldiers and wounding a dozen others

03/20/2008		Dalai Lama meets exiled protesters
THE Dalai Lama met leaders of exiled Tibetan protest groups at his base in northern India today as many activists criticise what they say is the spiritual leader`s soft stance on China

03/20/2008		Olympic torch destined for Tibet
THE torch relay for the 2008 Olympics will go to Tibet as planned despite the unrest in the Himalayan region, a senior Beijing organiser says

03/20/2008		Party crackdown in Goa after murder
POLICE in India`s resort state of Goa, where a British teenager was murdered last month, have begun shutting down beach parties and bars at midnight

Today`s Top Picks

Rudd under the pump as fuel heads for $1.70

Oil shock sends prices soaring

PETROL prices could climb clear of $1.60 today after oil hit record highs overnight - but it could be worse.

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Latest Comments:

If someone can tell me how to get my son and his wheel chair on a bicycle i would appreciate it and his little brother, if not shut up, i need my car for him to get to hospital and special school so he can learn to live a useful life . Sometimes people what's good for some is not always good for others. And don't say go on public transport it takes 5 hours a day to feed my son , let alone trying to go from one place to another on public transport.Isn't there someone in this government that can run the economy, someone anyone?????
Posted by: Renee of Brisbane 9:06pm today

You think you are paying throught the nose for fuel, I pay over $3.00 a liter so wait to you get up into that price then you can complain. Go out onstrike against the oil companies, strike against the government taxes on fuelmaybe then something around the world will be done.Its all idiot Bushes fault he is burying the american economy and all we other lands follow after.Viking
Posted by: Vicki Soderberg 9:03pm today

Hmm, 5c per litre equates to 2.50 off 81.50 for 50 litres. Wow, that's sure to cost Labour the next election! Funny, but I don't see any young hoons putting less pressure on the pedal. They must be rich!
Posted by: Gary Thorpe of Perth 8:54pm today

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Fuel forecast to hit $1.70 a litre soon
Motorists "wondering what the Government will do"
FuelWatch "will do nothing to help"

PETROL prices have been forecast to soon hit $1.70 a litre, putting further pressure on the Federal Government to act.

The weekly price cycle in capital cities today saw the unleaded price come off record highs of more than $1.62 per litre yesterday, but an analyst predicted the reprieve will only be brief.

"The expectation is for further rises in petrol prices," CommSec equities economist Savanth Sebastian told AAP.

"On the high side of the cycle, within the next fortnight... if the oil price remains sustained at these levels, prices get up to $1.70 a litre."

Opposition finance spokesman Peter Dutton savaged the Government for not doing anything to cut the price.

"Australian motorists are still wondering what the Government will do to give them some relief at the bowser, as the cost to fill up the family Commodore nudges close to $100."

Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson reiterated the Coalition`s promise to cut the petrol excise by five cents if elected at the next election.

"It is very important that Mr Rudd understands it is time to take action and simply watching the price of petrol is not going to bring it down," Dr Nelson said.

"Every day from now until the next election, every Australian... needs to know that petrol will be five cents a litre cheaper under the Coalition."

A spokesman for Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen said there was no change to the timing of the December introduction of FuelWatch - a scheme that will force petrol stations to list fixed prices 24 hours in advance.

Former Shell regional marketing manager turned petrol consultant Kevin Hughes said FuelWatch would do nothing to help motorists.

"There is no evidence at all to support that it`s a terrific scheme or gives advantage," Mr Hughes said.

"That`s a major issue which will come back to bite them (the Government) because people will suddenly discover (FuelWatch does not work)."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Government had done "as much as we physically can" to help.
He said tax cuts announced in the Budget earlier this month would help motorists cope with the record prices.

"If you put all those measures together, depending on the family, depending on the number of kids, depending on where they fit in the overall scheme of things, we have done as much as we physically can to provide additional help to the family budget, recognising that the cost of everything is still going through the roof," Mr Rudd said.

A Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia/Bankwest Home Finance Index showed petrol and food prices were hurting people more than interest rates hikes.

Interest rates (three out of five) were ranked lower than both food and fuel (3.5 out of five).

Households were feeling the financial pinch regardless of whether they had a mortgage, association chief executive Phil Naylor said.

"Although many Australians are feeling stressed about their finances, only 8.5 per cent of borrowers said that their levels of stress have increased as a result of the recent rate hikes," he said in a statement.

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Today`s Top Picks

Oil shock sends prices soaring

PETROL prices could climb clear of $1.60 today after oil hit record highs overnight - but it could be worse.