Stories Australia

Bush's mate Howard back in Washington

The upcoming inauguration has taken an Aussie turn. Barack Obama's displacement from Blair House was caused by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard who is to receive the US Medal of Freedom from his mate George W. Bush. U.S. bloggers were outraged apparently. Australian bloggers were just as vocal.

January 8, 2009

Breaking News: Bush Ducks Shoes

It was an incident that lasted a mere 12 seconds. But as soon as bloggers the world over watched Muntadar Al Zeidi throw not one, but both his shoes, at US President George W Bush in a Press conference held in Iraq today, reactions - several in 140 characters or less in the Twittersphere - spread faster than you could say ‘footwear’ … twice.

December 15, 2008

Obama: Fortune tellers – past and present

Foretelling political fortunes is risky at the best of times - almost as hard as economic predictions. Remember the warnings of oil at $200 a barrel before the end of the year? Kevin Rennie, from Australia, takes a closer look at predictions for the Obama administration.

November 22, 2008

Social Media and The Making of the President

How influential was the web in this year's presidential election? Many onlookers and supporters of Barack Obama claim the President-Elect's mastery of video, audio and blogs helped him win the vote. A few international bloggers debate the role social media played in Obama's victory.

November 9, 2008

Three economists and a hoyden

In Australia, where the general euphoria over Obama's election has worn off, this ensemble of (mostly) economic bloggers are beginning to ponder what issues the new administration will address. Also: What is a hoyden, anyway?

November 9, 2008

Fourth World Voices: We Can Too

African-American politician Barack Obama’s White House victory is seen as their own triumph by many in the world. But what does the marginalized and invisible world – the Fourth World – think of America’s first multicultural president? Indigenous peoples offer watchful hope for change; many adopt the spirit of “Yes we can.”

November 7, 2008

Australia welcomes Obama, well most

Australian bloggers found their voices after being glued to the media or live-blogging the election for most of Wednesday our time. Kevin Rennie zooms in on reactions from Down Under.

November 6, 2008

President-Elect Barack Obama: The blogosphere reacts

After a long election campaign and an equally taxing Election Day, the results are finally in: Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. After following this election for so long, the international blogosphere is now ready with its critique of the new President.

November 5, 2008