Australia - Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community

Shantaram: Man of Peace

Graeme — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:41:38 +0000

I am revisiting this book. I was describing it to a friend yesterday and I felt compelled to share here the first three paragraphs of the book (essentially - the first page). I was hooked after the first page. It’s a beautiful effort and...

Pope faces lack of faith in Australia: survey

Vikas — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:39:32 +0000

Australia is one of the least religious nations in the western world, research showed Friday, as the country prepares to host Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic World Youth Day celebrations this...

BHP, China's Baosteel agree iron ore price hike

AP — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:40:57 +0000

BHP Billiton Ltd. said Friday that China’s Baosteel, negotiating on behalf of the Chinese steel industry, agreed to price hikes of up to 96.5 percent for iron ore supplies this year following protracted...

Australia's Origin Energy rejects BG's $13B bid

AP — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:04:09 +0000

Origin Energy Ltd., Australia’s second largest power retailer, rejected a $13 billion takeover bid Friday from British natural gas producer BG Group.

Redefining the standard kilogram: Scientists attempt to create an ideal sphere

Siddhesh — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:39:56 +0000

The geometrical definition for a perfect sphere is the set of all those points in a three-dimensional plane that are at exactly equal distance from a particular point. An ideal sphere has a base of exactly one point, which is nearly impossible to...

Last of the `Baby Ballerinas' dies

AP — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:58:34 +0000

Irina Baronova, world renowned in the 1930s as part of a trio of Russian-born dancers dubbed the “Baby Ballerinas,” has died at her home in Australia, the Australian Ballet said. She was...

Westfield OKs London retail development

AP — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:52:33 +0000

Australia’s Westfield Group Ltd. said Wednesday it has reached agreements with British government and Olympic agencies to start building a 1.5 billion pound ($3 billion) shopping mall in east...

Australians making odd choices for funeral songs

AP — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:27:11 +0000

Hymns are being replaced at funerals in one Australian city by popular rock classics like Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” a cemetery manager said...

Microsoft announces Australian Xbox 360 price cut

Taylor Flatt — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:07:01 +0000

According to this IGN report, Microsoft has confirmed and Xbox 360 price cut in Australia. The Arcade has dropped from AU$399 to AU$349; the Xbox 360 Pro (20GB hard drive and headset) is now AU$499 (previously AU$579); and the Elite (120GB hard...

Heath Ledger's hometown to name theater after him

AP — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:45:50 +0000

The Australian hometown of the late actor Heath Ledger named a theater in his honor Tuesday for his commitment to acting.