Australian PM falls head over heels

AUSTRALIA: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has a history of losing shoes and another footwear fumble that saw her take an embarrassing tumble in India grabbed the headlines Thursday.

The nation's first female leader, who last week won international attention for a stinging speech about sexism and misogyny, had just laid a wreath at a Gandhi memorial in New Delhi Wednesday when she fell in front of the cameras.

She was walking towards reporters for a press conference when her high heel got stuck in soft grass and she landed flat on her face, but quickly got up and laughed it off.

"For men who get to wear flat shoes all day every day, if you wear a heel it can get embedded in soft grass and when you pull your foot out the shoes doesn't come," said the prime minister.

AFP