And we're up and running for 2008, Chinese Year of the Rat. Apparently the rat brings with it charm, intelligence, creativity, honesty and compassion... much like our mate Patrick at Media Monitors who has delivered us the top stories for January 2008.
Queensland floods – Continuous rain throughout January across most of Queensland led to widespread flooding, with the central Queensland towns of Emerald and Charleville particularly hard hit, with large parts of Far North Queensland also under water. Flood damage has been estimated at over $1billion and emergency relief has been approved by the Federal Government.
Inflation and Interest rates – Despite the US Federal Reserve dropping their interest rates by a massive 1.25% in January, higher than expected inflation figures in Australia led to most business commentators predicting yet another rate rise here in Australia, prompting claims that hundreds of thousands of people may not be able to meet their mortgage repayments.
CDMA turn-off delayed – Telstra found the new Federal Government just as tough as the previous one this month, as they forced the company to delay the turn-off of the CDMA mobile network for three months, seeking a number of assurances on customer support and network coverage.
Japanese whaling – Early in January, the continuing battle between anti-whaling protesters and the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean dominated international news, with two protestors being held captive aboard one whaler for several days, threatening to ignite a diplomatic row.
Heath Ledger – The 28 year old Australian actor, best known for his award-winning role in Brokeback Mountain was found dead in his New York apartment on the 21st of January. The cause of death remains unclear, but media speculation has been continuous, while tributes from the acting community poured in.
Tracking the media, monitoring the message
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