OFFBEAT MAIL

He might be struggling at home, but President Obama is rock-star popular Down Under. A nationally representative opinion poll conducted by the Sydney-based think-tank the Lowy Institute for International Policy has found Australians prefer Barack Obama to Mitt Romney to become the next President of the United States by more than an 8 to 1 ratio (80% compared with 9%). The President's numbers are even better than four years ago when Australians preferred Obama to his then-rival Sen. John McCain by around a 4 to 1 ratio (73% compared with 16%). The Lowy Institute's Executive Director Dr Michael Wesley said "the results suggest the alliance is about as rock-solid as you could get. For President Obama, I guess it's too bad Australians can't vote in US elections." But it's not only the President who is doing well in Australia: US Marines are just as popular. When asked about the new US military base that has recently been established in Australia's tr...

Politics has again ruled its ugly head on the just concluded Philippine elections by threatening journalists who were assigned to cover the local election in Mindanao, with bodily harm. The threats were coursed through the text messages sent to the journalists' cellphones. But one of them was not lucky enough to evade the bullet that felled his life. Dodie Nunez, who did some freelancing work for the Cavite-based tabloid "Katapat", was on his way home from work on May 21 when the mini-bus he was riding was ambushed by at least three unidentified armed men on a motorbike, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and local media reported. According to media reports the victim was shot dead, along with another passenger, who was wounded during the incident. The Canada-based International Freedom of Expression (IFEX) has condemned the killing and threats against the Filipino journalists. The tabloid "Katapat" is owned by Archie Gadang, who run for provincial gover...