Israelis fume over Netanyahu’s retraction of Hungary’s anti-Soros campaign criticism

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed his Hungarian counterpart as a “true pal of Israel” at the start of a controversial two-day go to that has sparked good sized outcry over Viktor Orbán‘s praise of Nazi collaborators.

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Putin attends Austrian foreign minster´s Karin Kneissl wedding

BERLIN — Russian President Vladimir Putin made a flying visit to Austria to attend the wedding of the country’s foreign minister Saturday before heading to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. 

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Future First Lady? See Melania Trump's nude photo shoot

There was a time when the Mile High Club was a stand-up organisation. The price of entry was a stolen moment in the cramped and hardly seductive surroundings of a 747 loo, and the penalties for being caught were harsh. Which is a shame when you consider the undeniable frission travelling at 30,000 feet adds to any assignation. Now airlines have wised-up, with Virgin Atlantic offering double beds to its Upper Class passengers. But if you're going to get that all-important upgrade, then you're going to have to join the jet set. And there are rules.

Enter high-spirited Donald Trump to show us how it's done. The billionaire New York property magnate, Reform Party presidential candidate and proud owner of this custom-fitted 727 (even the seat buckles are 18-carat gold) is an expert in the art of in-flight entertainment. And his personal hostess, 26-year-old Slovenian supermodel Melania Knauss, might just end up as the next First Lady. Flight of fancy? Not if The Donald has his way.

Heavyweight political commentators may scoff, but the delectable Miss Knauss is relishing the prospect of a future pressing the flesh on state occasions. "I will put all my effort into it, and I will support my man," she said recently.

"She's popular, she's brilliant, she's a wonderful woman," says Trump with uncharacteristic understatement. And who are we to disagree? Not only does she manage to keep a man fabled for his erections (the latest is the Trump World Tower on New York's First Avenue) on the right flight path, but she's also fluent in four languages. Very handy for those summit meetings.

Mayor of Sydney

Clover Moore (née Collins, 22 October 1945) is an Australian politician. She has been the Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney since 2004. She was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2012, representing the electorates of Bligh (1988–2007) and Sydney (2007–2012). Moore is the first popularly elected female Lord Mayor of Sydney.

Moore resigned as a state MP as a result of new state laws (labelled in the media as the "Get Clover" laws) preventing dual membership of state parliament and local councils. Following her re-election as mayor in the 2012 elections, she was forced to resign the state seat she held for 24 years before the first meeting of the new council. This resulted in a 2012 Sydney by-election on 27 October in which she endorsed independent candidate Alex Greenwich of the Australian Marriage Equality who won in a landslide victory.

Clover Moore is Lord Mayor of Sydney, currently serving her third term. She is the first popularly elected woman to lead the City of Sydney and previously served on the City and South Sydney councils.
From March 1988 Clover was continuously elected to represent the Bligh/Sydney electorate as an independent MP in the NSW Parliament. She was forced to resign on 21 September 2012 after a state law made it illegal for her to continue in both roles.
An opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald once said: "In her 20 years as MP, with more successful private member's bills than anyone in a century, Moore has done more to keep the bastards honest than Don Chipp ever did.”
Throughout her public life, Clover has championed progressive policies.
Small bars, freedom of information laws, whistleblower protection, disclosure of government contracts, boarding house protection, tenant's rights, strata title reform, making it illegal to incite hatred against members of the GLBT community and making same sex adoption legal are among her achievements.
When she held the balance of power alongside other independents in NSW she delivered a charter of reform, called the most radical state political reform agenda of any Westminster Parliament in the 20th century.
As Lord Mayor, Clover has led the development and implementation of the City's internationally renowned long term plan – Sustainable Sydney 2030. The plan includes ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Under her leadership, the City has developed a global reputation for delivering award winning facilities, protecting open space, promoting design excellence, delivering new transport options, championing sustainability and initiating progressive solutions to complex city social problems.
Clover is an arts graduate of Sydney University. She has 2 children, Sophie and Tom. She lives in inner-Sydney Redfern with husband Peter and staffy-kelpie cross Bessie.

When Turnbull announced soon after that she would not seek re-election, Lee appeared to have the position won. Then, on 24 February, Moore entered the race, labelling the council's sacking a "cynical grab for power" and sharply condemning the sacking of a democratically elected mayor, despite her ideological differences with Turnbull. By the following day, The Sydney Morning Herald was already predicting that she would present a serious challenge to Lee.

Despite a spirited challenge from Lee, who was supported by much of the business community which had concerns about Moore's anti-development stance, Moore won. She finished with more than double the vote of her nearest rival, Lee, and ABC election analyst Antony Green announced that she would "romp through" to win, only 90 minutes after counting began.

Though she had made a point of not directing voting preferences in her four election campaigns in the Legislative Assembly, Moore decided to support a team of independents for the council race. This turned out to be quite successful, with four of her team of six - John McInerney, Robyn Kemmis, Marcelle Hoff and Phillip Black - being elected to council.

At the local government elections held on 13 September 2008 Moore was re-elected as Lord Mayor of Sydney.

After introducing bike lanes through many parts of inner Sydney, Moore broke an ankle on Ride to Work Day in October 2010, while dismounting from her bike, necessitating that she attend some events in a wheelchair.




Sydney

Sydney, is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds the world's largest natural harbour, and sprawls towards the Blue Mountains to the west. Residents of Sydney are known as "Sydneysiders". Sydney is the second official seat and second official residence of the Governor-General of Australia and the Prime Minister of Australia.

The Sydney area has been inhabited by indigenous Australians since the Upper Paleolithic period. The first British settlers arrived in 1788 to found Sydney as a penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia. Since convict transportation ended in the mid-19th century, the city has transformed from a colonial outpost into a major global cultural and economic centre. The population of Sydney at the time of the 2011 census was 4.39 million, 1.5 million of which were born overseas, representing many different nationalities and making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. There are more than 250 different languages spoken in Sydney and about one-third of residents speak a language other than English at home.

Sydney has an advanced market economy with strengths in finance, manufacturing and tourism. Its gross regional product was $337 billion in 2013, the largest in Australia. There is a significant concentration of foreign banks and multinational corporations in Sydney and the city is promoted as Asia Pacific's leading financial hub. In addition to hosting events such as the 2000 Summer Olympics, millions of tourists come to Sydney each year to see the city's landmarks. Sydney is also a gateway to Australia for many international visitors. Its natural features include Sydney Harbour, the Royal National Park, Bondi Beach, and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Man-made attractions such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are also well known to international visitors.

Mayor of Melbourne

Robert Keith Bennett Doyle (born 20 May 1953) is an Australian politician and the 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne, elected on 30 November 2008. He was previously Member for Malvern in the Legislative Assembly of Victoria from 1992 to 2006 and Leader of the Victorian Opposition from 2002 to 2006, representing the Liberal Party of Australia.

Robert Doyle is a Principal at The Nous Group, a management consultancy business based in Melbourne and, since 2007, has been Chairman of Melbourne Health (The Royal Melbourne Hospital).

Robert is President of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Chairman of the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation and a Trustee of the Shrine of Remembrance. Robert is also an Ambassador for Odyssey House, a drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation facility, an Ambassador for SecondBite, a not-for profit organisation committed to making a positive difference by distributing fresh food to the disadvantaged and homeless, an ex-officio member of Cancer Council Victoria and an Ambassador for Field of Women, a charity raising awareness of breast cancer, an Ambassador for the White Ribbon Day Foundation, an international day for the elimination of violence against women, an Ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Honorary President of the Melbourne Region of the Scout Association and a board member of the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) Ltd.

In 2010 Robert was made a Fellow of Monash University.

Robert recently joined the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) as a committee member.
A Member of Victoria’s Parliament for 14 years, Robert was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party for four years. He has also been Shadow Minister for Health and, in government, Parliamentary Secretary for Health.

When Lord Mayor of Melbourne John So announced his decision not to contest for a third consecutive term in early October 2008, Doyle emerged as a contender for the Lord Mayoralty in November 2008. Doyle told the media that he "was a better than 50-50 chance of running". On 27 October Doyle announced his candidacy, saying he could leave partisan politics aside to work with the State Government if he became Lord Mayor. Doyle selected John So's deputy between 2001 and 2004, Susan Riley, as his running mate.

On 30 November 2008, Doyle was elected Lord Mayor, defeating Councillor Catherine Ng in a tightly contested election. Doyle also defeated former Melbourne Deputy Lord Mayor and Spotless heir-apparent, Peter McMullin and So's deputy between 2004 and 2008, Gary Singer.

Doyle's great-great-grandfather, Robert Bennett, previously served as Lord Mayor (then known as simply Mayor) from 1861 to 1862 and Bennett Lane in Melbourne CBD is named after him.

On 27 October 2012, Doyle was re-elected as Lord Mayor, with an increased majority, defeating high profile candidate, Gary Morgan and former Councillor and Lord Mayor Candidate, Catherine Ng. 

On 11 November 2015, Doyle announced that he will run again for the office of Lord Mayor in the elections to be held in October 2016. Stating that it was the "best job in the world".





Melbourne

Melbourne, is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia and Oceania. The name "Melbourne" refers to the area of urban agglomeration (as well as a census statistical division) spanning 9,900 km2 (3,800 sq mi) which comprises the broader metropolitan area, as well as being the common name for its city centre. The metropolis is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. Melbourne consists of 31 municipalities. It has a population of 4,529,500 as of 2015, and its inhabitants are called Melburnians.

Founded by free settlers from the British Crown colony of Van Diemen's Land on 30 August 1835, in what was then the colony of New South Wales, it was incorporated as a Crown settlement in 1837. It was named "Melbourne" by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Richard Bourke, in honour of the British Prime Minister of the day, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. It was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847, after which it became the capital of the newly founded colony of Victoria in 1851. During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it served as the nation's interim seat of government until 1927.

Melbourne rates highly in education, entertainment, health care, research and development, tourism and sport,[ making it the world's most liveable city—for the fifth year in a row in 2015, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. It is a leading financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region, and ranks among the top 30 cities in the world in the Global Financial Centres Index. Referred to as Australia's "cultural capital", it is the birthplace of Australian impressionism, Australian rules football, the Australian film and television industries, and Australian contemporary dance. It is recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature and a major centre for street art, music and theatre. It is home to many of Australia's largest and oldest cultural institutions such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building.

The main passenger airport serving the metropolis and the state is Melbourne Airport (also called Tullamarine Airport), which is the second busiest in Australia, and the Port of Melbourne is Australia's busiest seaport for containerised and general cargo. Melbourne has an extensive transport network. The main metropolitan train terminus is Flinders Street Station, and the main regional train and coach terminus is Southern Cross Station. Melbourne is also home to Australia's most extensive freeway network and has the world's largest urban tram network.

Mayor of Brisbane

Under my administration, Council is getting things done and delivering for you. We are focussed on easing traffic congestion through road improvements and better public transport. We're getting on with the job of flood recovery following the disaster of January 2011. We're working to build a stronger economy with a development plan that will double our City's GDP over the next twenty years and we're rolling out the most ambitious environmental agenda in our City's history.

You'll find information on each of these programs here on Council's website. Thank you for taking the time to visit and I look forward to working with you to make our city an even better place to live.

Graham Quirk is an Australian politician and the Lord Mayor of the City of Brisbane, succeeding former Lord Mayor Campbell Newman when Newman became the Premier of Queensland. Quirk has served as councillor for the ward of MacGregor in Brisbane. Quirk, formerly a member of the Liberal Party of Australia, is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP).

Quirk, an alumnus of St James College, entered Brisbane City Council when elected as Councillor for Rochedale Ward in 1985, aged 27. After three years he was appointed the city's Finance Chairman under Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson and was later appointed Works Chairman. He then served as Opposition Spokesman on Development and Planning, Opposition Spokesman on Finance and Opposition Spokesman on Transport and Traffic.

In 2008 the LNP gained a majority of councillors and Quirk took on the roles of Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee. Following Newman's departure from Lord Mayorship to enter state politics, Quirk was appointed the new Lord Mayor of Brisbane City.

On 28 April 2012, Quirk won a four-year term as Mayor in his own right at the Brisbane City Council elections.




Brisbane

Brisbane, is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of 2.3 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred on Brisbane, encompasses a population of more than 3.4 million. The Brisbane central business district stands on the original European settlement and is situated inside a bend of the Brisbane River, about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from its mouth at Moreton Bay. The metropolitan area extends in all directions along the floodplain of the Brisbane River Valley between Moreton Bay and the Great Dividing Range, sprawling across several of Australia's most populous local government areas (LGAs), most centrally the City of Brisbane, which is by far the most populous LGA in the nation. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite.

One of the oldest cities in Australia, Brisbane was founded upon the ancient homelands of the Indigenous Turrbal and Jagera peoples. Named after the Brisbane River on which it is located – which in turn was named after Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825 – the area was chosen as a place for secondary offenders from the Sydney Colony. A penal settlement was founded in 1824 at Redcliffe, 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of the central business district, but was soon abandoned and moved to North Quay in 1825, opening to free settlement in 1842. The city was marred by Aboriginal conflict between 1843 and 1855, and development was partly set back by the Great Fire of Brisbane, and the Great Brisbane Flood. Brisbane was chosen as the capital when Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859. During World War II, Brisbane played a central role in the Allied campaign and served as the South West Pacific headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur.

Today, Brisbane is well known for its distinct Queenslander architecture which forms much of the city's built heritage. It also receives attention for its damaging flood events, most notably in 1974 and 2011. The city is a popular tourist destination, serving as a gateway for visitors to the state of Queensland, particularly to the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, popular resort towns immediately south and north of Brisbane, respectively. Several large cultural, international and sporting events have been held at Brisbane, including the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo '88, the final Goodwill Games in 2001, and the 2014 G-20 summit.

Mayor of Perth

Lisa Scaffidi, (born 12 February 1960) is the first female lord mayor of Perth, Western Australia. Scaffidi won the seat in the October 2007 council elections following the retirement of her predecessor, Peter Nattrass, after a record twelve years in the position.

Lisa-M. Scaffidi Council is committed to our role in maintaining and developing each of its many faces so that it continues to be a city of which we can all be proud. Our vision is "that as the Capital of Western Australia, the City of Perth be widely acclaimed as a City of regional and international significance." The City's Strategic Plan provides detailed strategies and goals, which will facilitate the realisation of our vision and objectives. 

The Council aims to be an approachable and progressive Council, encouraging feedback from our electors/stakeholders on any matter of interest or concern. Our Councillor's contact details are provided for your convenience.

Scaffidi was educated at Churchlands Primary School and Methodist Ladies' College after which she graduated as a dental therapist from the WA Institute of Technology (now Curtin University). She served as an air hostess with TAA in 1980, worked in the hospitality industry in a marketing capacity and, in the 1990s, helped to promote export of semi-precious stones. She was the WA state director of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) for over ten years.
She served two terms as a councillor before successfully contesting the lord-mayoralty.

In October 2015, the Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia found that Mrs Scaffidi had "signally failed in her duties" as Lord Mayor by accepting and failing to declare a $31,000 travel package to the 2008 Beijing Olympics from BHP, and other gifts from private companies that have dealings with the City of Perth. The Commission's report found that Mrs Scaffidi had committed acts of "serious misconduct."





Perth

Perth, is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 2.02 million (as of 30 June 2014) living in Greater Perth. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth located on the Swan Coastal Plain, a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp, a low coastal escarpment. The first areas settled were on the Swan River, with the city's central business district and port (Fremantle) both located on its shores. The Perth Metropolitan Region includes 30 local government areas, which themselves consist of a large number of suburbs, extending from Two Rocks in the north to Rockingham in the south, and east inland to The Lakes.

Perth was originally founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of the Swan River Colony. It gained city status (currently vested in the smaller City of Perth) in 1856, and was promoted to the status of a Lord Mayorality in 1929. The city is named after Perth, Scotland, due to the influence of Sir George Murray, Member of Parliament for Perthshire and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The city's population increased substantially as a result of the Western Australian gold rushes in the late 19th century, largely as a result of emigration from the eastern colonies of Australia. During Australia's involvement in World War II, Fremantle served as a base for submarines operating in the Pacific Theatre, and a US Navy Catalina flying boat fleet was based at Matilda Bay. An influx of immigrants after the war, predominantly from Britain, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia, led to rapid population growth. This was followed by a surge in economic activity flowing from several mining booms in the late 20th and early 21st centuries that saw Perth become the regional headquarters for a number of large mining operations located around the state.

As part of Perth's role as the capital of Western Australia, the state's Parliament and Supreme Court are located within the city, as is Government House, the residence of the Governor of Western Australia. Perth became known worldwide as the "City of Light" when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth on Friendship 7 in 1962. The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998. Perth came 8th in the Economist Intelligence Unit's August 2015 list of the world's most liveable cities, and was classified by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network in 2010 as a world city.

Mayor of Adelaide

Martin Haese is the Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide in South Australia and he took over from Stephen Yarwood in 2014. Haese was the founder of the Youthworks fashion chain and general manager of the Rundle Mall Management Authority from 2010 to 2013.

Martin is a proud South Australian. As a city resident, business owner and educator, Martin is committed to serving the City of Adelaide’s residential, commercial and visitor communities.

At 27 years of age, Martin opened his first retail store in the City of Adelaide and over the next 12 years grew that business into a successful national enterprise with 220 employees. Martin went on to study an MBA and later became the General Manager of the Rundle Mall Management Authority.

Martin co-founded the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation in SA and has served on a number of boards including the South Australian Youth Arts Board, the Adelaide Convention Bureau, the Property Council’s Mainstreets Committee and Chairman the Bay to Birdwood. Martin was also the national Chair of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors in 2015.

Martin has also worked as a lecturer for MBA students where he has taught entrepreneurship in Adelaide and interstate. He has travelled widely and done business internationally.

Martin believes that technology will provide many of the solutions for today’s problems and opportunities. As Lord Mayor, Martin is focused on enhancing Adelaide’s reputation as a smart innovative city and being a ‘city where good things happen first’.

Martin’s immediate goal is for the City of Adelaide to become an even greater place to live, learn, work, play, visit and invest. The ultimate goal is to become the world’s most livable city. 

Contact Details

Phone: 8203 7252

Email: Lordmayor@adelaidecitycouncil.com



City of Adelaide

The City of Adelaide is a local government area in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia. It covers the original Adelaide city centre settlement, (also known as the city, the square mile and (inaccurately) the CBD), North Adelaide, and the Adelaide Park Lands which surround North Adelaide and the city centre.

Established in 1840, the organisation now known as the Adelaide City Council (ACC) is the oldest municipal authority in Australia. At its time of establishment, Adelaide's (and Australia's) first mayor, James Hurtle Fisher, was elected. From 1919 onwards, the municipality has had a Lord Mayor, the current being Martin Haese who replaced Stephen Yarwood in 2014.