Sinking boats dampen Sydney festivities

MORE than 100 New Year's Eve revellers have been helped from two sinking boats in Sydney Harbour. Police say 100 party-goers were rescued from a yacht near Garden Island about 8pm (AEDT) when the vessel began taking on water. The police boat...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cabinet papers reveal challenges of 86/87

IT began with the "banana republic" and ended with the doomed "Joh for Canberra" push. The years 1986 and 1987 were an era of change in Australian politics. The then-Labor federal government led by Bob Hawke was grappling with the breakdown of...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Keating used bananas to soften up public

IT was a softening-up campaign aimed at preparing Australians for tough times ahead. Then-Treasurer Paul Keating took to the airwaves to warn the nation that it risked becoming a "banana republic" if it didn't lift its game. From today's perspective...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic fireworks attract about 500,000

MORE than 500,000 partygoers have enjoyed a spectacular fireworks show in central Melbourne to celebrate the New Year. On a mild and pleasant evening, Melbourne's skyline was lit up from 22 locations across the city. The 7.5-tonne fireworks...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Crocs CEO leaving ahead of investment

THE company that makes Crocs shoes is getting a $US200 million ($A226.3 million) bailout from a private equity fund, and its CEO is retiring. Crocs shares peaked in 2007 as buyers snapped up the clogs known for being comfortable but ugly. But...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Drive-by shooting and bomb in Iraq kill 6

A DRIVE-BY shooting and a bomb in Iraq have killed at least six people. Police say gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on Sunday at a check point run by anti-al-Qaeda, pro-government Sunni militiamen in Baghdad's western suburb of Abu Ghraib,...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Polish composer Wojciech Kilar dies

WOJCIECH Kilar, a Polish pianist and composer of classical music and scores for many films, including Roman Polanski's Oscar-winning The Pianist and Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, has died. He was 81. The composer died Sunday...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

French court upholds high income tax

FRENCH President Francois Hollande has finally got his super tax on high incomes with the country's highest court upholding the law's latest version. Hollande originally promised a 75 per cent tax on income over 1 million euros ($A1.55 million)....

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Death toll in Beirut blast rises to 7

LEBANON'S state news agency says a 19-year-old man wounded in the car bombing in central Beirut has died, raising the death toll in the attack to seven. The National News Agency says Mohammed Shaar died on Saturday from massive wounds sustained...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

China one-child policy change approved

Chinese state media says the National People's Congress has approved to change its one-child policy. Source: AAP CHINA'S top legislature has sanctioned the ruling Communist Party's decision to allow couples to have a second child if one parent...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Port Hedland evacuates due to cyclone

A cyclone warning has been issued for coastal areas along Western Australia's northern coast. Source: AAP SHIPS are being moved from a major port in Western Australia ahead of a developing tropical cyclone expected to hit on Saturday night....

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Refugee group calls for ambassador asylum

Scott Morrison says a request for asylum by Zimbabwe's ambassador will be judged on its merits. Source: AAP A REFUGEE advocacy group has called for the Australian government to grant asylum to the Zimbabwean ambassador to Australia. But...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Five die in Beirut bombing

A POWERFUL bombing has rocked a central business district of central Beirut setting cars ablaze and killing five people, including a senior aide to former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, officials said. The National News Agency said Mohammed...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

German teenager dies in Tasmania crash

A GERMAN teenager has been killed in a single-vehicle accident in a remote part of Tasmania. The 18-year-old woman's body was found in a vehicle that rolled on a dirt road in the Leven Canyon area. Her 20-year-old companion is being treated...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canoeist missing at NSW dam

A MAN remains missing after falling out of a capsizing canoe and failing to surface at a dam in the NSW Southern Tablelands. Police said the 21-year-old was one of three young men thrown into the water when the canoe tipped over on the Pejar...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weekly US jobless claims drop 42,000

THE number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped by 42,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 338,000, the biggest drop since November 2012. But economists say the figures from late November and December are warped by seasonal...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Donors needed to get over blood hurdle

PEOPLE are being urged to roll up their sleeves to help Australians get over one of the last hurdles of 2013. In the lead-up to the New Year's Day holiday, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service needs to ensure it has a constant supply of platelets,...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ambush in Central African Republic

SIX Chadian peacekeepers have been killed and 15 wounded after being ambushed in the Central African Republic's chaotic capital, the spokesman for an African Union peacekeeping force says. Eloi Yao told The Associated Press by telephone on Thursday...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

A very merry Christmas for Aussie shops

THE Christmas clock is ticking, and the tills have been ringing. Last-minute shoppers have helped push Australian retailers towards what's tipped to be their biggest Christmas since the global financial crisis hit. Australian National Retailers...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two young boys taken from Qld home

TWO young boys taken from a home south of Brisbane by a man in a silver sedan may be at risk, say police, who are seeking urgent public assistance to find them. The boys, aged three and four, were taken from a residence in Errol Street, Loganlea,...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Remember those doing it tough at Xmas: PM

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has paid tribute to Australians spending Christmas away from their families in the service of others. In his first Christmas message in the top job, Mr Abbott urged Australians to live up to their good nature and lend...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Remember those facing tough times: Oppn

FEDERAL Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has called on Australians to remember those facing an uncertain future this Christmas. Mr Shorten said he was also thinking of emergency services workers and defence personnel. "We'll be thinking of those...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Archbishop questions asylum seeker policy

THE federal government's treatment of asylum seekers suggests there would be "no room at the inn" for Mary and Joseph in a modern day Australia, Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide Jeffrey Driver says. In a Christmas message, Archbishop Driver says...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Church leaders reflect on Christmas

CHURCH leaders have used their annual Christmas messages to attack the "selfie" culture, call for the faithful to cheer up, and condemn politicians' response to the plight of asylum seekers. The nation's most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell,...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Amphetamine abuse growing: report

AMPHETAMINES have surged ahead of alcohol as the main substance addicted Australians seek treatment for, a report from a rehabilitation centre has found. Odyssey House released its latest annual report on Monday. It found addiction to amphetamines...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Astronauts begin urgent space repairs

ASTRONAUTS have stepped out on the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks at the International Space Station. The two Americans on the crew floated outside on Saturday morning. They will disconnect an ammonia pump that contains a bad...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sisters cleared of fraud in UK Lawson case

TWO former personal assistants to Charles Saatchi and his ex-wife Nigella Lawson have been cleared of fraud. The jury at Isleworth Crown Court, west London, found Italian sisters Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo not guilty of a single count of...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nigerian church bomber gets life in jail

A NIGERIAN court has sentenced the convicted participant of a 2011 Christmas Day bombing of a Catholic church to life in prison. At least 44 people died in the explosion. The Federal High Court found Kabiru Sokoto guilty of terrorism and murder....

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two men found guilty of UK soldier murder

TWO British Muslim fanatics have been found guilty of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. Converts Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, were convicted at the Old Bailey after running Fusilier Rigby down in a car and then hacking him...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hockey announces financial inquiry panel

THE outgoing chief of AMP and former boss of CSL have been appointed by the federal government to a panel inquiring into Australia's financial system. Treasurer Joe Hockey announced on Friday the four-member panel to assist inquiry chair David...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Xenophon wants new data-interception laws

FEDERAL independent Nick Xenophon wants changes to Australian telecommunications interception laws following calls for a narrowing of National Security Agency (NSA) powers. A review board, set up by President Barack Obama in the wake of Edward...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spending rises for 15th consecutive month

SPENDING by consumers, businesses and government rose 0.5 per cent in trend terms in November, the 15th consecutive month of growth. The latest Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator showed annual spending growth was returning to pre-global...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia passes bill to drop crew's charges

RUSSIAN lawmakers have unanimously approved a Kremlin-backed amnesty bill that will lead to charges being dropped against 30 Greenpeace crew members, as well as freeing two jailed members of the punk band Pussy Riot. Russia's Duma lower house...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two stabbed in Sydney

TWO men are in hospital after being stabbed in what police believe are related incidents in Sydney's southwest. Emergency services were called to Meredith Street in Bankstown at 9pm on Tuesday following reports of a stabbing. A man, aged in...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

China zookeeper killed by tiger

A KEEPER at Shanghai's zoo has been mauled to death by a rare South China tiger after entering its enclosure, officials and colleagues say. In brief statements on their Twitter-like microblogs, the zoo and Municipal Landscaping Administration...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family reunions recommended in WA prisons

A prison inspector says male and female inmates of the same family should be able to mix in prison. Source: AAP WESTERN Australia's prison inspector has recommended male and female inmates from the same family be allowed to visit each other...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

New Down Syndrome test "reduces risks"

A study has revealed that a new non-invasive test for Down Syndrome would increase detection rates. Source: AAP A NEW, non-invasive test for Down Syndrome in unborn babies could significantly increase detection rates if it was available to...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stott Despoja to visit Nauru

Ex-Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja will become Australia's ambassador for women and girls. Source: AAP SHE was critical of offshore processing of asylum seekers but now Australia's new ambassador for women and girls, Natasha Stott...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

David Campbell to swing on NYE in Perth

Entertainer David Campbell will perform swing favourites at Crown Perth on New Year's Eve. Source: AAP CROONER, cabaret star, television host, actor, musical theatre performer - David Campbell has it covered. The entertainer will perform...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW woman dies in single vehicle crash

A 45-YEAR-OLD woman has been killed in Sydney's west when the car she was driving crashed at Hassall Grove. Police say the woman was driving along Luxford Road about 12.50am (AEDT) on Sunday when her car hit the gutter, before crashing through the...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

NAB's business satisfaction rating falls

AUSTRALIA'S biggest business lender National Australia Bank has fallen further behind its big four rivals in business customer satisfaction. NAB had an average satisfaction rating of 6.9 out of ten in November, well behind Commonwealth Bank...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Extreme fire danger in WA prompts bans

FIRE alerts ranging from severe to extreme for much of Western Australia have prompted total fire bans in many areas, including parts of the Goldfields-Midlands region. With temperatures set to soar again on Monday, the Department of Fire and...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Santa marathon attracts six thousand

AROUND 6000 people dressed as Santa Claus and his elves have run a "mini-marathon" through the streets of Madrid to promote festive cheer as the country tries to emerge from a two-year recession. While grown-ups dressed in red costumes with...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Severe fire danger for Perth prompts ban

THE heatwave gripping much of Western Australia has prompted bushfire warnings for much of the state and a total fire ban in Perth. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has issued severe fire danger advices for Sunday for the...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tas motorcycle crash kills two

Santa baby, don't cry IT was as if the North Pole's blustery chill had swept through Highpoint Shopping Centre as children froze in the presence of their red-coated Christmas idol. Lingerie girls take centre field A BEVY of beautiful...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ferry runs aground in Baltic Sea

A FINNISH ferry operator says one of its Sweden-bound vessels is stuck on rocks in the Baltic Sea but none of the nearly 2000 passengers are injured or in any danger. Viking Line says the M/S Amorella hit the rocks after a power failure on the...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Berlin prosecutors investigate Nazi guard

A FORMER Nazi concentration camp guard living in Berlin is being investigated on suspicion of murder after authorities received a tip from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, prosecutors said. The 87-year-old, identified only as Horst P., is alleged...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chinese economy faces 'downward pressure'

CHINESE leaders have warned that the world's second-largest economy faces "downward pressure" and called for boldness in carrying out promised reforms aimed at reviving slowing growth. In a report issued after an annual planning meeting on Friday,...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Buddhist relics stolen in Cambodia

CAMBODIAN officials say a golden urn containing what are considered to be remnants of Buddha's body has been stolen from its shrine near the capital. Government spokesman Ek Tha said on Friday the relics have enormous religious and cultural...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Parliament keeps eye on post office talks

A PARLIAMENTARY committee will "keep a watching brief" on Australia Post's discussions with struggling Licensed Post Office (LPO) owners, with many fighting for survival. In its interim report, the Senate inquiry noted there were "numerous issues"...

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Navy suspends three over Ballarat claims

Three sailors have been suspended over allegations of unacceptable behaviour on HMAS Ballarat. Source: AAP THREE sailors have been suspended from duties and could face prosecution for unacceptable behaviour aboard HMAS Ballarat. Defence...

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

UN maintains Liberia sanctions

THE United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to maintain an arms embargo on Liberia, a travel ban on named individuals, and an asset freeze against former Liberian president Charles Taylor, his key allies and associated companies. But...

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fire kills 16 at fruit market in China

AT least 16 people died and five were injured after a fire broke out at a wholesale fruit market in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, reports said. The fire started early on Wednesday and spread over about 1,000 square metres of the Rongjian...

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Surf race teen drowned but not knocked out

An autopsy on the body of surf life saving competitor Matthew Barclay shows he died from drowning. Source: AAP AN autopsy conducted on teen surf life saving competitor Matthew Barclay shows he died from drowning, with no sign he was knocked...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

NRMA customers stuck after power outage

ABOUT 200 people are stuck in their cars waiting for assistance after the NRMA's telephone and dispatch system was brought down in a power outage. Long delays are expected for those needing help with their cars after power failed at the insurance...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boat race pest wins appeal to stay in UK

Australian boat race protester Trenton Oldfield has won an appeal to stay in the UK. Source: AAP BOAT race protester Trenton Oldfield has secured a victory over the British government that wanted to deport him while simultaneously declaring...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Young locked out of property market: oppn

YOUNG people in NSW will struggle to buy property with state government cuts to the first home buyers grants effectively locking them out of the market, the state opposition says. Monthly loan figures for October, from the Australian Bureau of...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alcohol sends 30,000 Vics to hospital

NEARLY 30,000 Victorians were hospitalised in a 12-month period due to the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, new data shows. Men make up the majority of those hospitalised, but there has been a big jump in the number of women ending...

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Comedy Bamboozled wins Tropfest

AFTER winning a prize in the DSLR category at the last Tropfest, Australian filmmaker Matt Hardie can now add Tropfest 22 winner to his name. Hardie has taken home the top prize with his comedic short film Bamboozled. The event on Sunday night...

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Motorcyclist dies after toy run event

A 58-YEAR-OLD man is dead and a teenage girl is in hospital after a motorcycle crash on the Brooker Highway in Hobart. Police say the motorcycle, which had earlier been involved in a toy run event, was travelling north when it crashed about...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shark blamed for NSW surfer's injuries

A SURFER who showed up at a NSW mid-north coast hospital with cuts to his hand and leg has received a surprising diagnosis: shark attack. Police say the 26-year-old was in the water at Port Macquarie about 6.15pm (AEDT) on Thursday, when he...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Manufacturing decline is limited: report

AUSTRALIA'S manufacturing sector has faced difficult economic conditions over the past decade but new research has pin-pointed a sharp downturn in overall productivity to just three key areas. A staff working paper by the Productivity Commission...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Trade not aid key to Asian support: Abbott

TRADE, not aid, should be Australia's policy when it comes to assisting Asian neighbours, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, as the opposition called for an inquiry into his government's $4.5 billion aid program cuts. Speaking in Melbourne on Thursday...

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More