Canberra, September 8 : Scientists have warned of a ‘toxic time bomb’ ticking away near one of the world’s largest copper mines in Papua New Guinea, which they say is a potential environmental disaster waiting to happen.

According to a report by ABC News, Melbourne-based river scientist Dr Ian Campbell is concerned about large areas downstream from Papua New Guinea’s Ok Tedi mine being affected by acid mine drainage.

Campbell said that sulfur-laden mine waste has built up in and around the Fly River, and if the river’s floodplains dry out, this could trigger a mass poisoning of animals and plants.

Sydney - Australia will not sell uranium to India despite voting with other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to end a 34-year embargo on nuclear trade with Delhi, officials said Monday.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took office in November pledged to withhold uranium sales so long as India remains outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). John Howard, his conservative predecessor, held that India's refusal to sign the NPT should not debar it from importing uranium from Australia, custodian of 40 per cent of the world's known reserves.

Sydney - Australian shares l

Washington - The US government seized control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Sunday, seeking to deflect the rising threat of mortgage defaults to the two companies that manage about half of the US home loan market.

US President George W Bush indicated the urgency of the situation, saying that the takeover would "prevent a disruption of our financial system."

The Federal Housing Financing Agency (FHFA) is taking over Fannie and Freddie under a so-called conservatorship and replacing their chief executives and eliminating their dividends.

Melbourne, Sept 7 : In a bid to support children dealing with the breakdown of their parents'' relationship, Australian government has decided to sanction a funding of
17 million dollars for the next three years.

The money will be used to expand and/or create 18 separate services to support children displaced and emotionally wounded by their parents'' divorce, said Attorney-General Robert McClelland.

Adding on to the proposed ones, there will be other services that are already part of the Supporting Children after Separation Program.

More services will be added depending upon the advice to the government and funding applications.

Sydney - The Australian Labor Party on Sunday looked certain to lose office in Western Australia after a state election upset that has rattled Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's federal government.

Labor had a monopoly on power at both the state and federal level before a big swing against it in Saturday's poll, the most likely outcome of which is for the Liberal and National parties to cobble together a unity state government that would see Labor's Alan Carpenter replaced by Liberal leader Colin Barnett.