澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-04-30（在线收听）

There was widespread panic buying of cigarettes overnight ahead of a price rise. The Government raised taxes on cigarettes by 25 percent at midnight, adding more than two dollars to a pack of 30 cigarettes. The increase will raise an extra five billion dollars over four years, which the Government plans to put towards its health and hospitals overhaul.

Population growth and immigration are shaping up to be key election issues. The Federal Opposition has proposed setting target bands for population growth and a shake-up of skilled migration. But the Chamber of Commerce and Industry says the plan could impede economic growth.

A huge oil spill off the coast of the United States is expected to make landfall later today. It's estimated that 5,000 barrels of oil a day are gushing into the Gulf of Mexico after an oil rig exploded last week. The US government has designated the oil spill a disaster of "national significance".

The final UK election debate is underway. It's the last chance for the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to woo voters before next week's poll. The debate with Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg and the Conservatives' David Cameron is focused largely on the economy.

And Belgium's lower house of parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a ban on wearing the Islamic burqa in public. The vote paves the way for the first clampdown of its kind in Europe. French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants a similar ban in his country.