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The Young Australian of the Year is South Australian fashion designer Paul Vasileff. He grew up watching his grandmother sew, made his first dress at the age of 11 and started his own couture label at 17. The 26-year-old runs his business from Adelaide and says it's important to back Australian manufacturing.
Topics: awards-and-prizes, fashion, design, australia-day, sa, australia
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The US President Donald Trump has continued to act at break-neck speed announcing more executive orders, including construction of a wall on the border with Mexico. President Trump has signed another order targeting illegal immigrants who've committed crimes and forcing countries to accept the return of their citizens. Human rights group have denounced the new administration's agenda and fear it'll erode US leadership on human rights.
Topics: human, immigration, government-and-politics, law-crime-and-justice, united-states
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A little embarrassed, but humbled and proud - that's how many of the 958 people on this year's Australia Day honours list say they're feeling. They've been recognised for distinguished service to the country and their communities, and as well as familiar names, there are also lots of unsung heroes.
Topics: australia-day, australia
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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May has told the House of Commons the government will set out its Brexit plans in a formal White Paper, something that Downing Street had previously refused to do, after Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling that the parliament, not the government, has the authority to trigger Article 50 - the mechanism that kick-starts negotiations for any country leaving the EU. The concession is seen as a move to help ensure the bill passes quickly through the parliament in line with the government's plans to start the Brexit process by late March.
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, england, australia, united-kingdom
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Pioneering stem cell researcher Alan Mackay-Sim's been announced as the new Australian of the Year at a toned-down celebration in Parliament House in Canberra. Both a medical researcher and someone who's suffered a life-threatening illness, Professor Mackay-Sim called on politicians to adopt longer-term thinking about innovative research that could save the health system money in years to come.
Topics: medical-research, health, science-and-technology, research, australia-day, australia
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| UpdatedOn Wednesday's program: Australia's slide down a key global corruption index appears to have ended, with Transparency International ranking Australia 13th in its Corruption Perceptions Index, but the group's local arm warns that the pause may be temporary. New research could hold the key to predicting and preventing the spread of prostate cancer, and in Japan it's taken almost two decades, but today a Japanese man has been crowned a Grand Champion in the sport of sumo.
Topics: australia
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Roger Federer has defeated Mischa Zverev to advance to the semi-finals of the Australian Open. The win puts him within reach of his 18th grand slam title and his first since Wimbledon in 2012. Federer spent the latter half of last year on hiatus because of a knee injury, and his comeback has taken many by surprise - including Federer himself.
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The Treasurer, Scott Morrison, is promising an 'Australia First' trade policy as the government grapples with Donald Trump's decision to effectively kill off the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. For his part, the Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is foreshadowing a fight over penalty rates, as he also promises policies to promote Australian jobs.
Topics: government-and-politics, trade, work, parliament-house-2600
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Hundreds of electrical workers in Darwin have lost their jobs today at the Japanese-owned Inpex Ichthys gas project. Construction of the project's power plant has been held back by cost-blow outs and lengthy delays. Unions say the way today's redundancies have been handled is a disgrace.
Topics: industry, business-economics-and-finance, electronics, darwin-0800, australia, nt, japan
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Victoria Police is facing fresh questions about its pursuit policy following the leaking of an email advising officers that 'time is on your side' when intercepting vehicles. The force has already been criticised for not intercepting the stolen car before Friday's deadly Bourke Street crash. Meanwhile, 10-year-old victim of the crash Thalia Hakin has been farewelled at a funeral, while authorities begin planning a permanent city memorial.
Topics: road, disasters-and-accidents, law-crime-and-justice, police, melbourne-3000, vic
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| UpdatedIt's taken almost two decades, but today a Japanese man has been crowned a Grand Champion in the sport of sumo.
Topics: sport, arts-and-entertainment, other-sports, japan, mongolia
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| UpdatedA landmark case in the UK Supreme Court has raised questions about the Government's negotiating strategy to leave the European Union. The Court ruled that the British parliament has the right to trigger the Brexit process rather than the government alone.
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, england, united-kingdom, european-union
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| UpdatedIt claims hundreds of lives each year, but new research could hold the key to predicting and preventing the spread of prostate cancer. An international research team has found a new pathway which can potentially regulate the spread of the disease around the body. The discovery could lead to the a blood test which could predict patients with aggressive prostate cancer
Topics: prostate-cancer, diseases-and-disorders, science-and-technology, research, australia
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| UpdatedEconomists are warning lower income earners will face a further financial squeeze in 2017. Official figures show inflation or the general rise in the level of prices remains subdued, rising just 1.5 per cent over the year to December. While wages growth remains sluggish, the cost of basic household items, like fruit and vegetables, and petrol, are rising. Borrowers are also expected to face higher borrowing costs this year.
Topics: economic-trends, business-economics-and-finance, consumer-finance, australia
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| UpdatedA senior lawyer who alleges a cover up of intentional environmental non-compliance at gas giant, Origin Energy has launched a case that will test whistle-blower protections under the Corporations Act for the first time. Sally McDow alleges her life was shattered after a cover up at the highest level including by former Chief Executive, Grant King who now heads the Business Council of Australia. The whistle-blower has launched a broadened statement of claim in the Federal Court and Origin Energy has vowed to strongly defend itself.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, environment, environmental-impact, environmental-policy, australia
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| UpdatedThe New South Wales Government is being warned not to delay reforms aimed at combating abuse and exploitation of the elderly. The Government has handed down its response to a parliamentary inquiry on elder abuse. It says it's committed to protecting older people, but there's no firm commitment on two of the inquiry's key recommendations.
Topics: aged-care, community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, crime, australia
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| UpdatedAustralia's slide down a key global corruption index appears to have ended, with Transparency International ranking Australia 13th in its Corruption Perceptions Index, but the group's local arm warns that the pause may be temporary. The report measures perceptions of corruption in the public services of 176 countries, with Denmark and New Zealand performing the best. Somalia has performed the worst.
Topics: corruption, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, law-crime-and-justice, australia, denmark, new-zealand, somalia
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The Sydney Sixers cricket team has had more than one reason during the Big Bash tournament to clear the boundary rope. For every six the team hits, thousands of dollars are donated to charity. It's all part of the Batting For Change initiative which is drawing close to its funding goal.
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Australian films have received a record 13 Oscar nominations. For the first time, an Australian film, Tanna, has made the best foreign language film category. In another first, two Australian films, Hacksaw Ridge and Lion are contenders in the best picture race.
Topics: academy-awards-oscars, arts-and-entertainment, digital-multimedia, film-movies, awards-and-prizes, australia
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'Fake News' has beaten both 'Halal Snack Pack' and 'alt-right' to Word of the Year honours, according to Macquarie Dictionary. Each year the committee selects words from a range of categories, including fashion, business and sport, to compete for the title. The dictionary's editor says Fake News won in part because of its broad influence.
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| UpdatedBig miner, Rio Tinto, has agreed to sell its Hunter Valley coal mines in New South Wales to a Chinese provincial government backed company. Yancoal plans to buy the Rio Tinto mines for $3.2 billion. But the deal first needs the approval of the Foreign Investment Review Board. A deal involving a Chinese government company buying New South Wales electricity network, Ausgrid, was rejected last year by regulators.
Topics: mining-industry, business-economics-and-finance, mining-environmental-issues, coal, nsw, china
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| UpdatedWastewater analysis across Adelaide, shows ice use in the city has hit a record high, concerning the Government and support groups alike. Drug use data has found the number of doses per week of methamphetamine use, per thousand people, has tripled since 2012. Experts say a broader range of rehab services are desperately needed in South Australia, along with a national focus on harm reduction.
Topics: drug-use, environment, government-and-politics, water, adelaide-5000, sa
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| UpdatedNegotiators say peace talks in Kazakhstan have been successful. Russia, Iran and Turkey have agreed to support the shaky ceasefire that's been in place since late last month. Meeting in the Kazakh capital of Astana, the countries have announced that they'll create a monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance with the truce. But Syria's opposition delegation say they're not party to the agreement and have many reservations.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, government-and-politics, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic
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A senate inquiry has been told this morning that some workers on the cusp of retirement are being short-changed by rogue employers who are holding back some of the compulsory contribution. The inquiry was called after research released late last year showed around a third of Australians were missing some or all of the employer super entitlements. But the Australian Tax Office says the complaints about a super rip-off are overstated.
Topics: superannuation, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, tax, australia
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| UpdatedWe speak to Andrew Shearer, who was foreign policy advisor to prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott, about what US President Trump's foreign policy could mean for Australia and the world.
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, united-states