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Julia Gillard defeats Kevin Rudd

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Julia Gillard defeats Kevin Rudd

Julia Gillard with her supporters after the ballot.

Julia Gillard will remain Australia’s Prime Minister after defeating Kevin Rudd 71 votes to 31.

Gillard called a leadership ballot on Friday, after former prime minister Rudd announced he would challenge her for control of the Labor Party.

The ballot was held Parliament House this morning and Gillard triumphed, securing 40 votes more than Rudd.

The result was announced by Labor MP Chris Hayes at 11:20am this morning.

“Once the votes were read out, there was a certain amount of relief on the faces of members and senators,” Mr Hayes said. “The mood was reasonably tense.”

The defeat will be a huge blow to Rudd, who was ousted by Gillard in 2010. He is expected to go to the backbench, but will continue to represent his Brisbane seat of Griffith.

Your say: Would you prefer Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott as Prime Minister of Australia?

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Schapelle Corby’s terror: I thought I would die

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Schapelle Corby's terror: I thought I would die

With inmates running riot and Kerobokan’s buildings up in flames, Schapelle Corby’s hell-hole home just got more frightening.

H uddled in her overcrowded cell, smoke and flames lapping all around her, with live bullets ricocheting in the darkness, Schapelle Corby screamed out for help – but no-one was listening. Over three days, described by those inside the notorious Kerobokan prison in Bali as “living hell”, anarchy ruled as prisoners rioted over the shockingly overcrowded conditions, leaving inmates in fear for their lives, without electricity, water, food or protection.

“We were locked in our cells throughout the night. It felt like we were ducks in the middle of a pond surrounded by hunters,” says Renae Lawrence, one of the so called “Bali Nine” – the Australians convicted of attempting to smuggle more than 8kg of heroin into Australia from Bali in 2005, and paying for it with entences ranging from 15 years to death.

“The guards could not get to us to open our cells. We weren’t sure if we would be shot.” The other Australian “Bali Nine” inmates, all male, were housed in a maximum security tower located near the burning offices. No doubt saving their lives in the process, guards managed to move them to a safer area of the prison. As prisoners hung from the prison towers, throwing rocks and furniture into the street below, rioters set fire to the administrative offices of the jail, burning nearly everything inside, including documents, money and an armory containing firearms and ammunition.

Schapelle, already in a dangerously fragile emotional state, and the 130 other inmates in the female wing were helpless as they huddled in their cells, unable to get out or be reached, while chaos ruled. Terrified, they could only call to each other through the bars of their locked doors, not knowing if the flames would leap the low wall that separates them from the main prison. Schapelle’s brother-in-law (her sister Mercedes’ husband), Wayan, was seen pacing frantically outside the prison, desperate for a sign she was safe.

Read more about plus see exclusive pictures of Schapelle and the riots in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale Monday February 27, 2012.

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Mel B: I’ve got my Spice Girls body back!

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Mel B: I've got my Spice Girls body back!

The incredibly shrinking Scary Spice has reached her goal weight! She tells SEBASTIAN VAN DER ZWAN how losing 15kg has made her a better mother.

Slipping easily into a tiny sample-size dress designed by former bandmate Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown lets out a cheer. “Woohoo!” she grins. “I didn’t have to squeeze into it, there was no huffing and puffing, and I didn’t have to put on a gazillion pairs of Spanx underneath. I don’t even have to constantly suck my stomach in.”

Just six months since giving birth to her third daughter, Madison, having spent 20 weeks on Jenny Craig, Mel has lost a whopping 15kg to reach her goal weight of 60kg. But it’s not just that she’s got her pre-baby body back. In fact, with her minuscule waist and toned arms, she looks as fit and fabulous as she did in her days as the wildest member of the world’s most famous girl band.

If there were a Spice Girls reunion in the next few months, as Mel has hinted, she could be back on stage in those same old racy outfits. No mean feat considering she was just 21 when the group achieved global fame – and these days she’s a 36-year-old mum-of-three. “It’s crazy,” Mel agrees.

“I’m not so keen on the platform heels, hot pants and little bra tops these days. And I’ve got extra tattoos, different hair, a bigger diamond on my hand and I’m a bit more mature in the face. But otherwise, I’m still the same girl from 15 years ago. The six-pack is pack!”

Read more about Mel’s transformation plus see all of the before and after pictures in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday February 27, 2012.

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Oprah’s bizarre meltdown

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Oprah's bizarre meltdown

Her best friend has moved on and she is piling on weight again – now insiders fear the talk-show queen is cracking up.

Her lavish Hawaiian estate should be a source of endless joy and relaxation for Oprah Winfrey, but instead the TV icon has become paranoid that her idyllic retreat is haunted by evil demons.

Her bizarre fears are so bad that before Oprah, 58, would sleep in the $30 million house for the first time, she brought in local holy men to “cleanse” the property, then held a “spiritual blessing circle” with her closest girlfriends. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s estranged wife Maria Shriver flew out from California for the ceremony, but noticeably absent from the week-long, girls-only trip was Oprah’s oldest, and once closest, friend Gayle King.

Now another member of Oprah’s inner circle tells Woman’s Day that the billionaire chat-show queen has “lost the plot” and her girlfriends are truly worried about her mental state. She seems to be battling without the constant support of Gayle, 57, who recently walked away from Oprah’s struggling TV station, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), to host a morning show on CBS, a major rival channel.

An insider, who still works at OWN, explains, “Gayle warned Oprah she was making a lot of bad decisions, but Oprah wouldn’t listen. Her taunts about the network have got more and more cruel, and it’s driven a real wedge between them. They were bickering for months but now it’s out-and-out war and Gayle is determined that her CBS show will smash OWN in the ratings.” Heartbroken over the loss of the person closest to her, Oprah has fallen into a familiar “vicious cycle” of comfort eating – and is putting on weight at an alarming rate.

Read more about Oprah and Gayle’s feud in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday February 27, 2012.

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Kate Middleton’s mission to eat up!

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Kate Middleton's mission to eat up!

Kate at a recent charity event and with William on the pair's tour of Canada last year.

Royal biographer KATIE NICHOLL reveals why the duchess has put on three kilos.

She’s still super-svelte by anyone’s standards, but the Duchess of Cambridge has put on 3kg in the past couple of months after being warned by palace courtiers that she is too thin and risks setting a bad example to her millions of fans around the world.

Kate, 30, stepped out in Oxford last week sporting a slightly fuller, more shapely figure, which friends tell Woman’s Day is a result of relaxing her strict eating regime, and regular exercise sessions with her sister, Pippa Middleton, to help build up muscle.

“Kate got so thin that she started popping up on pro-anorexia websites and being hailed for being so skinny,” one friend explains. “That’s when her aides suddenly became concerned and a quiet word was had.

“Being a role model is very important to Kate and she is aware of her impact. She doesn’t want to put out a negative image, but it’s been hard, because she is naturally thin. She never regained those few pounds she dropped with all the stress of the royal wedding.” In recent months, Kate has put extra focus on her health, eating more carbohydrates, and ensuring each meal contains a portion of organic protein and lots of vegetables.

Read more including how Kate is spending her nights while Wills is away in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday February 27, 2012.

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Royal rivals: Princess Mary VS Princess Marie

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Royal rivals: Mary VS Marie

Denmark’s future queen has a “creepy” copycat sister-in-law.

When Denmark’s Princess Marie gave birth to her second child in late January this year, she hoped that, for once, she might push her famous sister-in-law, Crown Princess Mary, off that week’s magazine covers. But once again, it was not to be the case. Instead of Marie enjoying her much-wanted turn in the spotlight, Denmark’s magazine editors chose to run photos of Mary, 40, cuddling her cherubic one-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, rather than Marie and her baby daughter.

It was yet another blow for Marie, who is said to be desperate to steal Mary’s thunder as the most popular Danish royal, a desire which has not gone unnoticed within the palace itself. Ever since 2008, when Marie, 36, married Prince Joachim, 42, the French-born brunette has fashioned herself in Mary’s likeness to the point where Mary has reportedly told friends she finds the imitation “creepy”.

“I’ve heard that Marie’s copycat ways are causing a lot of friction within the palace,” one royal watcher says. “In the beginning, it was a bit of a joke, but no-one is laughing now. Marie is quite out of control, copying everything Mary wears and does. It’s all a bit sad, really.”

Fashion writers have also noticed how the similarities between the two princesses are growing by the day, with one going as far as calling Marie a “single white female”, in reference to the 1992 movie about a deranged woman who copies her flatmate’s image, with devastating results.

Read more and see more pictures of Princess Marie’s copycat behaviour in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday February 27, 2012.

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Girl’s day out: Kate bonds with Queen and Camilla

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The prospect of a day alone with the in-laws leaves most women in a cold sweat, but Kate Middleton didn’t seem to mind spending a day with her royal relations.

The Duchess of Cambridge went out for tea with her grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth and mother-in-law Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The royal trio visited London’s Fortnum and Mason department store to open its renovated restaurant, named the Diamond Jubilee Tea Station in honour of the queen’s 60 years on the throne.

The three ladies were in excellent spirits, laughing and chatting throughout their visit.

The women wore shades of blue and hemlines befitting their ages of 30, 64 and 85.

The queen, Camilla and Kate walk in order of their rank.

Kate wore a blue coat by Italian label M by Missoni.

Kate wore two daffodils on her lapel in honour of St Davids day.

The ladies took high tea with 150 lucky people.

The queen was the only one to wear a hat and gloves.

Kate told shop workers she ‘loved chocolate’.

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The best and worst dresses from the Academy Awards

The best and worst gowns from the 2012 Academy Awards red carpet.
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Oscars 2012 Red Carpet

If Meryl Streep thought dressing like an Oscar would help her win the best actress prize, it worked!

The actress was a vision in gold at the 84th Academy Awards, donning an artfully draped Lanvin gown that left her looking strikingly similar to the coveted trophies on offer.

Meryl took home the big prize for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady but dozens of other stars won praise for their fashion choices.

Here are the best and worst frocks from the 2012 Oscars.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford.

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace.

Meryl Streep in Lanvin.

Penelope Cruz in Giorgio Armani.

Glenn Close in Zac Posen.

Jane Seymour.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco.

Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture.

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa.

Rose Byrne in Vivienne Westwood.

Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji.

Tina Fey in Carolina Herrera.

George Clooney in Giorgio Armani and Stacy Keibler in Marchesa.

Natalie Portman in vintage Dior Haute Couture.

Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab.

Melissa McCarthy in Marina Rinaldi.

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen.

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad.

Colin Firth and Livia Giuggioli in Valentino.

Cameron Diaz in Gucci.

Berenice Bejo in Elie Saab.

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Gordon Wood acquitted of Byrne murder

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Gordon Wood acquitted of Byrne murder

Carolyn Byrne with Gordon Wood.

Gordon Wood, the man accused of pushing model Caroline Byrne off a cliff almost 20 years ago, has been acquitted of her murder.

Wood has spent more than three years in jail after a jury found he had killed Caroline, his girlfriend, by throwing her off Sydney’s notorious suicide spot, The Gap, in 1995.

Related: Wife beater wins bravery award

On Friday, a panel of judges from the NSW Supreme Court unanimously overturned the decision on appeal, saying they were not satisfied that suicide could be excluded. They acquitted Wood, and he will be released from prison.

“I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt,” Justice Peter McClellan said.

During the original hearing in 2008, the jury did not accept the defence’s claim that Ms Byrne had a history of depression and committed suicide, like her mother before her. Wood was sentenced to 13 years in jail.

However, Wood appealed the decision. During the appeal last year, the defence questioned nine aspects of the original trial, including expert evidence that Wood was strong enough to throw Caroline off the cliff.

That evidence was based on tests using a conscious and co-operative subject. Lawyers for Wood argued Caroline would have struggled.

Wood’s family was in tears of relief at the outcome. His sister, Jackie Schmidt, has spent the past three years going through thousands of documents to help his appeal.

True crime: The body in the boot killer breaks her silence

Caroline’s father Tony, who believes Wood killed his daughter and spent years fighting to bring the case to court, was ushered out of the courtroom by detectives.

Tony Byrne the victim’s father refused to comment as he left the Supreme Court building.

The Wood family were visibly moved by the verdict. Wood’s sister Jackie Schmidt, a long time campaigner for Wood’s freedom, told reporters they were expecting him to be released from Goulburn jail within the next few hours.

“We haven’t spoken to him yet, but he would be very relieved,” said Jackie. “It has been a long journey and there hasn’t been a lot of sleep over the last few days … relieved is an understatement.”

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Men are not dying out

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Men are not dying out

Single women worldwide can breathe a sigh of relief — it turns out men aren’t dying out after all.

Previous research suggested that men would become extinct within the next five million years.

But a new study of rhesus macaque monkeys — one of man’s most distant cousins — found that although the Y chromosome is shrinking, the rate of decay is not as steep as once thought.

Scientists had previously discovered that the male Y chromosome had shrunk from 1,400 genes 300 million years ago, to just 45 genes now.

Based on this rate of decay, they predicted the male chromosome, and thus all human men, would die out within the next five million years.

But the latest study has found that the ‘male extinction’ claims have been greatly exaggerated.

Researchers concede there was a rapid decrease in Y genes at first, but that this has now slowed dramatically.

The rhesus species has not lost any Y genes in the past 25 million years, while humans have lost just one. Furthermore, the human Y has been completely stable for the past six million years.

“The Y was in free fall early on and genes were lost at an incredibly rapid rate,” study leader Professor David Page from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“But then it levelled off — and it’s been doing just fine since.”

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