1. US President Barack Obama is prepared to move forward with a military strike on Syria despite not having the support of the UK, according to US administration officials. While British PM David Cameron demonstrated support for the strike, the proposal did not pass through the British parliament.
This morning there are reports of the US trying to develop an alliance with France, in order to perform a limited military strike on Syria in the wake of chemical violence in the region, possibly by the tumultuous state’s government.
2. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake has hit the New Zealand’s South Island this morning. The epicentre of the quake hit 35km south of Oxford, near Christchurch. There have been no immediate reports of damage.
3. The Australian Defence Force is investigating an alleged incident in which a group of Australian troops in Afghanistan are accused of mutilating the body of an Afghan man. It is alleged that the troops chopped off the hands of the dead man, and took them back to the Australian base at Tarin Kowt.
4. A study has found that the Gillard Government oversaw the smallest increase in the cost of living over the past 25 years, despite introducing the Carbon Tax. While electricity and gas prices increased almost 14% during that time, the study from the University of Canberra’s National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling found that these items account for only 15% of household expenditure. The study also found the real incomes have risen 15% since Labor took office in 2007.
