Correspondent's Notebook

Political crisis in the world’s smallest nation

28 March 2008

Right now, one of the world’s smallest nation’s, Nauru, is in the grip of political crisis. For the past fortnight, the country’s politicians have been fighting for control of the country, and its parliament.

Campbell Cooney, Radio Australia’s Pacific Correspondent, reports it’s been a dirty little squabble.

Australian PM heads out on world tour

21 March 2008

Next week Australia’s prime minister Kevin Rudd leaves a trip to the United States, Europe and China.

Mr Rudd will be discussing Australia’s troop withdrawal from Iraq, but the lengthening commitment in Afghanistan.

And in Beijing, he’ll have to confront the Chinese crackdown in Tibet.

Ahead of the tour, Radio Australia’s Foreign Affairs correspondent, Graeme Dobell filed this report from Canberra.

Malaysia’s new political landscape

14 March 2008

It’s often said that a week is a long time in politics and that’s certainly been the case in Malaysia.Last Saturday Malaysians went to the polls in a general election and now there’s a new political landscape. In fact it’s the biggest change in Malaysian politics since independence, with the opposition PAS and other reformist parties winning control of five states.

Radio Australia’s Bill Bainbridge went to Malaysia for the election and he’s our correspondent today.

Australia’s concern in foreign ownership

7 March 2008

Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is to visit China for three days next month. Trade and investment issues will be high on the agenda when he meets with China’s top leaders, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.

Most recently it has been China’s investment in Australia that’s been making headlines.

Last month Kevin Rudd’s government announced strict new guidelines for investments in Australia owned by foreign governments. The move follows a flood of cash from state owned organisations in Asia and the Arab world flowing into Western banks and mining companies.

Karon Snowdon reports on the international response to the rise of Asia’s sovereign funds.