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SYDNEY, Australia - Peter Garrett _ the towering, baldheaded former singer of the disbanded Australian rock group Midnight Oil _ continued his long, strange tour from pop star to politician Thursday when he was named Australia's environment minister. ADVERTISEMENT With his wild dancing and strident voice, Garrett was one of Australia's most recognizable singers until his band broke up in 2002, after belting out politically charged hits for more than 25 years. Garrett founded Midnight Oil when he was a law student in 1973, but the semi-punk rock group did not achieve global fame until its 1987 track "Beds are...

Garrett slips up on joint training agreement Gerard McManus 10jul04 PETER Garrett has set himself on a collision course with his leader, Mark Latham, after criticising the joint training agreement with the US. Mr Garrett's anti-US policy blunder came as Prime Minister John Howard accused Mr Latham of being super-sensitive over the Bush Administration's comments on Australia's involvement in Iraq. Mr Garrett, who ditched his opposition to US bases in Australia when he joined the Labor Party, said yesterday a joint training facility should not be "unilaterally announced" by the United States. The proposal needed to have a full and...