Australia Bans Alcohol, Porn in Aboriginal Areas

Australia will ban alcohol and pornography in some Aboriginal areas in an attempt to tackle widespread child sex abuse. A report last week blamed booze and poverty for the high levels of abuse in Aboriginal communities throughout the Northern Territory. "Exceptional measures are required to deal with an exceptionally tragic situation," says PM John Howard.

The federal government will take direct control over the administration of Aboriginal communities, which have essentially governed themselves for the last decade, the BBC reports. The measures, which include new rules for government welfare payments, angered Aboriginal leaders. "It's another knee-jerk reaction from our government to a very serious issue," says an Aboriginal minister. (More Australia stories.)