Australia had a government shutdown once. In the end, the queen fired everyone in Parliament. US should follow their foot steps

The United States' self-imposed federal government shutdown has a way of making people around the world shake their heads in bewilderment. As Georgetown professorErik Voeten wrote for The Washington Post's new Monkey Cage political science blog, "I cannot think of a single foreign analogy to what is happening in the U.S. today."

But there actually is one foreign precedent: Australia did this once. In 1975, the Australian government shut down because the legislature had failed to fund it, deadlocked by a budgetary squabble. It looked a lot like the U.S. shutdown of today, or the 17 previous U.S. shutdowns.

Australia's 1975 shutdown ended pretty differently, though, than they do here in America. Queen Elizabeth II's official representative in Australia, Governor General Sir John Kerr, simply dismissed the prime minister. He appointed a replacement, who immediately passed the spending bill to fund the government. Three hours later, Kerr dismissed the rest of Parliament. Then Australia held elections to restart from scratch. And they haven't had another shutdown since.

Here's how it happened. Australia, like the United States, has both a Senate and a House of Representatives. In 1975, the chambers were controlled by different parties. The House had passed an appropriations bill to fund the government, but the Senate refused to pass it because it believed that the government was spending too much money on unworthy programs during an economic downturn. The opposition party that controlled the Senate said it would not pass the spending bill unless the government met its somewhat outlandish demand. Does this all sound familiar so far? In the Australian case, though, the opposition's demand wasn't repeal of a health-care law -- they wanted early elections, which they believed would unseat the ruling party.

Prime Minister Gough Whitlam rejected the opposition's demands but couldn't bring the parties to a compromise, and the federal budget went unfunded. Then, on the morning of Nov. 11, Whitlam announced he would hold early elections not for the House but for half of the opposition-controlled Senate (typically, only one half of the Senate goes up for reelection at a time). Kerr, as the the official representative of the queen, who is technically still sovereign over Australia, summoned Whitlam to his office and fired him at 1:15 p.m.

Fifteen minutes later, Kerr appointed the leader of the opposition Liberal Party, Malcolm Fraser, as Whitlam's replacement. By 2 p.m., before most even realized what had happened, Fraser got his allies in the previously deadlocked Senate to push through the government spending bill. Then everything kind of fell into chaos. When the ruling Labor Party, in the House, learned about Whitlam's firing and Fraser's appointment, its members revolted with a no-confidence vote against Fraser. At 4:50 p.m., Kerr dissolved the rest of Parliament, essentially firing everyone, with a formal proclamation that ended with the words "God Save the Queen."

Did you know?: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Saving Face bags two Emmys

Academy Award-winning Pakistani documentary Saving Face has been awarded two Emmy Awards at the 34th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

This marks the second Emmy win for the film’s director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who previously received the accolade in the Current Affairs category for her documentary Children of the Taliban.

Saving Face won the awards for the Best Documentary and Outstanding Editing: Documentary and Long Form categories. The award distribution ceremony of the 34th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards was held on Tuesday, at Frederick P Rose Hall, in New York City.

The film’s Oscar-winning directors Obaid-Chinoy and Daniel Junge along with cameraman Asad Faruqi represented the Saving Face team at the event. Obaid-Chinoy shined at the event in an ensemble designed by Sania Maskatiya which she paired with a popinjay handbag by Saba Gill.

The documentary film was nominated for five catergories: Best Documentary, Outstanding Editing Documentary and Long Form, Outstanding Science and Technology Programming, Outstanding Cinematography Documentary and Long Form, Outstanding Research.

The event was attended by more than 1,000 television and news media industry executives, news and documentary producers and journalists.

Taking over: PTCL announces bid for acquiring Warid

Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL), a unit of United Arab Emirate’s Etisalat, has submitted a takeover bid for rival mobile operator Warid Telecom, according to a filing with the Karachi stock exchange

PTCL made the offer to acquire 100% of Warid on September 30 and it is valid for 30 days, the statement said, without giving the price offered or PTCL’s plans for the company.

Reuters reported in June that Warid had been put on the block in a sale likely to fetch up to $1 billion.

The sector has been ripe for consolidation as a troubled economy and stiff competition forced profit margins lower.

Buying Warid would make PTCL’s Pakistani mobile business subsidiary Ufone the country’s second-biggest mobile operator by subscriber base, although it is unlikely to be the only bidder.

In September, China Mobile’s subsidiary Zong said it was looking seriously at acquiring Warid, the fifth-biggest Pakistani mobile company. Warid was not immediately available for comment.

Vimpelcom’s subsidiary Mobilink was market leader with 36.7 million subscribers at the end of May, followed by Norwegian company Telenor’s 31.7 million, according to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), the industry regulator. China Mobile’s Zong had 20.2 million, ufone 23.9 million and Warid 12.5 million.

PTCL’s statement warned the bid for Warid was subject to regulatory approvals and could be complicated by a long-running dispute between Etisalat and Pakistan’s government.

Etisalat owned 90% of a consortium that paid $2.6 billion for a 26% stake in PTCL – Pakistan’s former monopoly landline operator – in 2006, giving the UAE firm a 23% holding.

But Etisalat still owes $800 million on the deal, which included transferring ownership of about 3,000 real estate properties to PTCL from the government.

Some of those properties remain in state hands and negotiations between the parties are thought to be ongoing.

Warid’s subscriber base has fallen by nearly a third from a 2008-9 peak of 17.9 million, while Zong is the fastest-growing operator, nearly doubling its customer base since 2010-11.

Pakistan is seen as an attractive market in the long term – only 70% of its 179 million people have a mobile subscription, while the country has yet to issue 3G licences.

An auction of the licences has been delayed since at least April 2012, but once awarded, 3G is expected to release pent-up demand for mobile data, boosting operators’ revenue.

“Buying Warid can be a good idea for China Mobile, especially when new customer acquisitions have become harder,” China Mobile said in September. “In the absence of organic growth, this is the only way to leapfrog established operators in terms of subscriber numbers .”

Financial Problems.. Investors Push For Microsoft Chairman to step down.

NEW YORK/ SEATTLE: Three of the top 20 investors in Microsoft Corp are lobbying the board to press for Bill Gates to step down as chairman of the software company he co-founded 38 years ago, according to people familiar with matter.

While Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has been under pressure for years to improve the company’s performance and share price, this appears to be the first time that major shareholders are taking aim at Gates, who remains one of the most respected and influential figures in technology.

There is no indication that Microsoft’s board would heed the wishes of the three investors, who collectively hold more than 5 percent of the company’s stock, according to the sources. They requested the identity of the investors be kept anonymous because the discussions were private.

Gates owns about 4.5 percent of the $277 billion company and is its largest individual shareholder.

The three investors are concerned that Gates’ role as chairman effectively blocks the adoption of new strategies and would limit the power of a new chief executive to make substantial changes. In particular, they point to Gates’ role on the special committee searching for Ballmer’s successor.

They are also worried that Gates – who spends most of his time on his philanthropic foundation – wields power out of proportion to his declining shareholding.

Gates, who owned 49 percent of Microsoft before it went public in 1986, sells about 80 million Microsoft shares a year under a pre-set plan, which if continued would leave him with no financial stake in the company by 2018.

He lowered his profile at Microsoft after he handed the CEO role to Ballmer in 2000, giving up his day-to-day work there in 2008 to focus on the $38 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In August, Ballmer said he would retire within 12 months, amid pressure from activist fund manager ValueAct Capital Management.

Microsoft is now looking for a new CEO, though its board has said Ballmer’s strategy will go forward. He has focused on making devices, such as the Surface tablet and Xbox gaming console, and turning key software into services provided over the Internet. Some investors say that a new chief should not be bound by that strategy.

News that some investors were pushing for Gates’ ouster as chairman provoked mixed reactions from other shareholders.

“This is long overdue,” said Todd Lowenstein, a portfolio manager at HighMark Capital Management, which owns Microsoft shares. “Replacing the old guard with some fresh eyes can provide the oxygen needed to properly evaluate their corporate strategy.”

Kim Caughey Forrest, senior analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group, suggested now was not the time for Microsoft to ditch Gates, and that he could even play a larger role.

“I’ve thought that the company has been missing a technology visionary,” she said. “Bill (Gates) would fit the bill.”

Microsoft is still one of the world’s most valuable technology companies, making a net profit of $22 billion last fiscal year. But its core Windows computing operating system, and to a lesser extent the Office software suite, are under pressure from the decline in personal computers as smartphones and tablets grow more popular.

Shares of Microsoft have been essentially static for a decade, and the company has lost ground to Apple Inc and Google Inc in the move toward mobile computing.

One of the sources said Gates was one of the technology industry’s greatest pioneers, but the investors felt he was more effective as chief executive than as chairman.

ASIF Pakistan da Nam Roshan kardita..

KARACHI: Pakistan whipped England 4-1 in their opening match at the IBSF World Team Snooker Championship in Carlow, Ireland on Tuesday.

The Pakistan team, comprising World Champion Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Sajjad dominated England. Though they lost the final frame, Pakistan ended the match with scores of 63-51, 100-0, 70-22, 106-12, 36-72.

Earlier World Amateur Champion Muhammad Asif got off to a winning start when he beat Poland’s Patryk Maslowski 4-1.

Asian 6-Reds Champion Asif was tied 1-1 after the first two frames. But he demonstrated strong potting and safety play to register an impressive 55-15, 0-53, 51-0, 65-0, 35-7 victory.

Cueists from 32-nations are taking part in the week-longevent.

Deserved to Be included In National Side

Del Bosque hints at Diego Costa call-up

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has fuelled speculation that Brazilian-born Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa will be called up for the world champions two remaining World Cup qualifiers.

Del Bosque will name his squad for the games against Belarus and Georgia on October 11 and 15 respectively on Friday with Spain needing just four points to guarantee their place in next year's finals.

Costa has started the season in fantastic form and his eighth league goal in just seven matches was enough to hand Atletico a memorable 1-0 win over arch city rivals Real Madrid on Saturday.

That goal brought him level with Lionel Messi as La Liga's top goalscorer this season with his return in front of goal meaning Diego Simeone's men have barely missed the departed Radamel Falcao.

And Del Bosque is also convinced that his volatile nature wouldn't be a liability heading into the World Cup.

'He is doing well enough to be called up and his character wouldn't be a problem. He gives me the impression that he is a good guy. He has great spirit,' Del Bosque told Spanish television station Cuatro.

Costa is eligible to play for La Roja on residency grounds having lived in Spain since 2007.

The 24-year-old made two appearances for his native country earlier this year in friendlies against Italy and Russia, but he can still represent Spain as he hasn't played in a competitive match at senior level.

'If we call him up we are almost obligated to take him to the World Cup, but we still don't know if we can call him up or not.

'On Friday there will be a squad announcement and we will take those that are suitable. It will be a sporting decision,' he added.

Centre-forward is the one position Spain have been found wanting in recent years with Del Bosque choosing to play Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas in a somewhat unusual role up front as the form and fitness of David Villa and Fernando Torres has waned.

However, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has criticised the potential move, claiming that the rules governing which countries a player may represent are outdated.

Four tonnes of radioactive water spilled in Fukushima

TOKYO: The operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said Tuesday workers had spilled four tonnes of radioactive water, likely contaminating the soil and possibly groundwater.

Workers were pumping rain water that was trapped in a concrete gutter into an empty 12-tonne tank that sat on open soil, said a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO).

“Work crew started operating the pump around 10:38 am. At 11:50 am, they found water was spilling from the manhole on top of the tank,” the spokesman said.

TEPCO has estimated roughly four tonnes of collected rain water might have escaped. The extent of contamination was unclear, the spokesman added, although it was not thought to be highly polluted.

“The water itself was rain water. But it was from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and could contain radioactive materials,” he said, adding: “The water seeped into the ground”.

TEPCO has long struggled to control waste water at the plant.

The company poured thousands of tonnes of water onto runaway reactors to keep them cool, and continues to douse them.

TEPCO has so far disclosed no clear plan for disposing of the huge amounts of stored polluted water, which is stored at hundreds of tanks at the plant.

Some tanks have leaked highly radioactive waste water, which might have washed to sea.