Melbourne, June 24
Julia Gillard today scripted history when she was sworn in as Australia's first woman Prime Minister after a tearful Kevin Rudd stepped down following a sudden revolt against him within the ruling Labour Party.

Fortynine-year-old Gillard was sworn in by Australia's first female Governor-General Quentin Bryce at the Government House in Canberra. Gillard had spearheaded the rebellion against 51-year-old Rudd, opposing his policies on health, education and climate change.

She said she had asked her colleagues to make a leadership change "because I believed that a good government was losing its way." Health and education services, and fair treatment at work were at risk at the next election, she said.

After taking over, Gillard said she was not a "political rookie" and promised to lead a strong and responsible government that would take control of Australia's future. Gillard had been deputy to former prime minister Rudd since their Labour Party swept to power in a landslide election victory in 2007.

Earlier, Gillard was elected as Labour leader unopposed at a ballot held this morning after Rudd stood aside with tears in his eyes.

Rudd acknowledged that the party's factional leaders had lost faith in him and did not contest the leadership, leaving Gillard to be elected unopposed.

Rudd had been rated high in opinion polls as one of the most popular Australian prime ministers of modern times until he made major policy changes, including a decision in April to shelve plans to make Australia's worst polluters pay for their carbon gas emissions.

Addressing a press conference, Gillard said she was "truly honoured" to become Prime Minister and lead Australia.

"Can I say Australians one and all, it's with the greatest, humility, resolve and enthusiasm that I sought the endorsement of my colleagues to be the Labour leader and to be the Prime Minister for this country," she said.

Gillard said Australia would go to the polls within months. "In the coming months, I will ask the Governor-General to call a general election so that the Australian people can exercise their birthright and choose their Prime Minister."

"I am utterly committed to the service of our people," she said, adding: "I believe we had, on a set of issues, not delivered the kind of stability and certainty and good management that Australians would seek."

"It is my intension as Prime Minister to lead a government that draws on the best efforts of my Cabinet and ministerial colleagues," she said, but denied she was beholden to Labour's factional bosses, pointing out that she was no political rookie and had been in Canberra since 1998.

Gillard said she was well aware she was the first woman to step into the top job. "First woman, maybe first redhead, we'll allow others to delve into the history and I'll allow you to contemplate which was more unlikely in the modern age," she said.

"I would defy anyone, anyone, to analyse my parliamentary career and to suggest that on any day I have done anything other than made up my own mind, in accordance with my own conscience, and my best views about what's in the interests of the nation," Gillard said.

The Welsh-born Gillard grew up in South Australia. There, she said, her parents taught her the value of hard work, respect and doing your bit for the community. “It is these values that will guide me as Australia's Prime Minister," she said, adding that she believed in a government that rewards those that work the hardest "not those that complain the loudest". — PTI

Megha Mann in Chongqing (China)
Indian delegates, who are on a 10-day visit to China, on Thursday danced with their Chinese counterparts during a banquet hosted by the Chongqing Municipal Youth Federation in Chongquing.

Deputy secretary of the Chongqing Committee of the Communist Party of China, Zhang Xuan, laid emphasis on growing warmth in the Sino-Indian relationship. “Neighbors are more dear to us than our relatives and India is our dear neighbor,” he said while drawing applause from the gathering.

Talking about the Hindi movies, he particularly reminisced about the movie “Caravan” of actor Jitendra. He said the Indian movies, showcasing martial arts from China, were widely viewed by the Chinese audience and were a huge hit.

Earlier, while interacting with the core committee members of the Indian delegation Zhang said China would soon hold an Indian movie festival. The festival would be organised in Beijing and Chongquing from June 5 to 14. This is being done keeping in view the increasing interest of the Chinese people in the Bollywood movies.

Minister of States for Sports and Youth Affairs, government of India, Pratik Patil, thanked the Chinese officials for their hospitality and extended cooperation in forging the Sino-Indian ties.

The delegation of Indian youths sang folk songs and presented dance forms like Kathak to Lavani of Maharashtra. Biswajeet, a disciple of Birju Maharaj, and Jayee Deshmukh, a Lavani dancer, presented different dance forms. Folk singers- Koel Pal Chaudhary and Haredra Singh Rao- sang folk and “Dama Dam Mast Kalandar” songs.

Lavani evoked great response from Chinese as well, who shedding all inhibitions danced to the hilt. The members of the All-China Youth Federation sang their national folk song for welcoming the Indian delegates.

Zhang Xuan, Pratik Patil, Indian diplomat, officials and delegate besides the Chinese youths enjoyed throughout the evening. The 88-member Indian delegation is visiting China as a part of Sino-Indian youth exchange programme. They had visited cities like Shanghai and Hefei earlier.

During their stay at Shanghai, the Indian delegates visited the Shanghai world expo. The delegates also visited famous Oriental TV Tower, Zhujiajiao town and the Shanghai Municipal History Museum.

At Hefei, the delegates were taken around the University of Science and Technology of China, new Binhu district, and the industrial park of the China’s leading company Royalstar. 

A Pakistani anti-terrorist court on Thursday sentenced five Americans, arrested on terror charges, to 10 years each in the jail.

These US citizens, between 19 and 25 years of age, were arrested in December 2009 from Sargodha where Pakistan has its biggest airbase. They were charged with arriving in Pakistan for carrying out terrorist acts and to later travel to Afghanistan for joining the al-Qaeda.

“The court found them guilty of criminal conspiracy and funding a terrorist group,” Rana Bakhtiar, deputy prosecutor general, representing the Punjab provincial government in the case, told reporters at Sargodha. He added that the prosecution had demanded life sentence. “We will appeal against the verdict and ask for 20-year jail term,” he added.

These Americans, who are of Egyptian, Eritrean, Pakistani and the Yemeni descents, have been identified as Umar Farooq, Waqar Hussain, Rami Zamzam, Ahmad Abdullah Mini and Amman Hassan Yammer. The court released another accused, Usman, earlier. The trial had begun under tight security in March. Today, the verdict was pronounced under heavy security cover. The judge found them guilty of two charges, but acquitted them of three other charges. Pakistani officials had complained of pressure from the Obama administration soon after their arrest.

Defence lawyer, Hassan Kachela, said he was shocked by the decision though he respected it. “This was not a case for a conviction,” he added while promising to appeal in the high court. 

Even as delegations of India and Pakistan today kick-started their much-awaited attempt to reduce the “trust deficit” between the two countries, it’s the future of Afghanistan that is weighing heavy on the minds of leaders in Islamabad.

With the media reports claiming that the US wants to “hand over” the control of war-ravaged Afghanistan to Delhi, the Indian delegation today assured Pakistan that there was no cause of worry.

In Pakistan, the mainstream English media through its editorials has been “warning” Pakistan leaders of Washington’s growing interest in the war- ravaged Afghanistan.

The Nation, a newspaper published from Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, in its front-page report on June 23 claimed that the US-led NATO forces were conducting secret, rather clandestine, meetings with Indian diplomats to find trainers for the Afghan National Army.

Pakistan will have no role once the US-led forces exit NATO in the future, the newspaper “forewarned” its readers. It went on to claim that US troops were engaging Indian trainers for the Afghan army and added that the UN assistance mission was also kept out of the meetings.

Rubbishing these claims, the Indian officials said a top-level Chinese delegation at a meeting with Afghan Premier, Hamid Karzai, in March this year offered to train the Afghan army. The Chinese presence would be uncomfortable for the US, they added.

To drive home the point that India is its key adversary and not Afghanistan or its gun-totting militia, the Pakistan army, in May this year, had launched a major war exercise. Around one lakh troops were engaged to show that it was ready to face any threat from the forces of “Falkland” - that is how India is referred to in Pakistani army war games.