Sydney: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard won the support of a key independent MP on Thursday, leaving her just two seats from regaining power and within reach of ending a crippling political crisis.

Former Iraq war whistle-blower Andrew Wilkie said Gillard’s centre-left Labor party was best placed to deliver “stable” and “competent” government after the August 21 election returned the first hung parliament in 70 years.
“I have judged that it is the Australian Labor Party that best meets my criteria that the next government must be stable, must be competent and …

Canberra: A conservative political leader has rejected key demands from three independent lawmakers who are likely to decide which party forms Australia’s next government after indecisive elections.

Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott, who heads the conservative opposition coalition, said Thursday that he would not allow the Treasury Department to analyze what impact his election promises would have on the national budget.
Abbott told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio said that he had “no confidence in integrity of process” within Treasury. But he said the independents were welcome to see calculations by a private …

Canberra: Three independent MPs who will decide the shape of Australia’s minority government met on Tuesday to forge a united front, but ruled out any quick fix to a political impasse that has unsettled financial markets.

The trio said they could hold meetings with Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard and conservative rival Tony Abbott on Wednesday, but would not leap to any decisions.
“We don’t want to rush this process. We’ll try to get some sleep tonight. We are all reasonably weary,” Tony Windsor, one of the three rural-based lawmakers holding the …

Sydney: Voting ended Saturday in Australia’s tightest national election in decades, which could see conservative Tony Abbott end Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s short tenure in a stunning upset.

The country’s first woman leader, who seized power eight weeks ago by ousting predecessor Kevin Rudd in a Labor Party coup, was neck-and-neck in opinion polls with Abbott, who has run a trouble-free campaign.
“This is a big day for our country,” Liberal/National coalition leader Abbott said as he cast his vote after manning a beachside barbecue in Sydney. “It’s a day when we …

Berlin: Australia, New Zealand and Spain won their respective matches in Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament whereas Germany and Holland face upset defeat.

On third day of the event, New Zealand grabbed victory by 3-1.
In the late game, Germany lost its first ever match at Warsteiner HockeyPark after only converting one out of eight penalty corners, falling 3-2 to Spain.
After three matches, Australia tops table with 9 points.
Germany stands at second place with 6 points and Spain at third with 4 points.
- News Agencies

Headingley: Pakistan scrambled the 40 runs they required to beat Australia by three wickets in the second test at Headingley on Saturday to level the series at 1-1.

Pakistan, chasing 180, lost four wickets on a sunny fourth morning in what was expected to be a comfortable run chase but was eventually far from it as Australia went on the attack.
Umar Gul scored the winning run with drive through cover off Mitchell Johnson.
They made the runs with seven wickets down to register their first test victory over the Australians in 15 …