Top Stories: Sydney, Dec 16 (DPA) Oliver Zammit, scheduled to be best man at an Australian wedding next month, expects to hand over the rings in a Sydney church knowing that his son's heart is beating inside the bridegroom beside him, news reports said Wednesday. IANS Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:10:01 -0500Karachi, Dec 15 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Tuesday recalled former Indian Cricket League (ICL) rebel Mohammad Sami for the tour of Australia starting later this week. IANS Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:40:02 -0500Perth, Dec 15: West Indies skipper Chris Gayle has said that injury blow to the squad would not kill team's momentum ahead of the third Test against Australia starting at Perth on Wednesday. ANI Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:50:13 -0500Melbourne, Dec 15 : A billboard of topless women in denim jeans has topped the list of the most complained about advertisements for 2009. ANI Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:50:12 -0500Sydney, Dec 15: Former Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell has said that Cricket Australia (CA)'s plans to revamp domestic Twenty20 league is the way of the future. ANI Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:20:16 -0500Melbourne, December 15 : Kids playing in sand-covered playgrounds are safer than those playing on the wood fibre surfaces, suggests a Canadian study. ANI Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:50:08 -0500Melbourne, December 15 : Music fans in Australia are so hooked on to their iPods that they seem to be living, breathing and sleeping with the gadget, according to a study. ANI Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:50:07 -0500Brussels, Dec 15 (DPA) US Open semi-finalist Yanina Wickmayer and her Belgian compatriot Xavier Malisse will be aiming for possible Australian Open wild cards next month after a court overturned one-year bans for missing anti-doping tests. IANS Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:20:04 -0500Melbourne, December 15 : Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly set to star in Mel Gibson's directorial venture about Vikings. ANI Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:10:07 -0500Melbourne, Dec 15 : Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker won top honours at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Boston Society of Film Critics awards. ANI Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:50:06 -0500The average house price in Perth is finally back to boom-time levels, the Real Estate Institute of WA says. Its "preliminary research" of sales data for October and November has found that a... WA Today Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:39:51 -0500THE Reserve Bank has hinted at a possible interest rates pause in February, as minutes of its December meeting reveal that its latest decision to raise rates was touch-and-go. The official records of... WA Today Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:39:48 -0500Melbourne Adopting a fresh approach, an international panel expert report has indicated Australia could give India access to its uranium provided "equivalent disciplines" were applied to help meet dis... Express India Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:22:24 -0500Shane Watson continued to build his credentials at the top of the order as he and partner Simon Katich gave Australia another fantastic start after the first session of the third Test against West Ind... ABC Australia Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:15:59 -0500Tasmania's Housing Industry says low interest rates and first buyer grants have fuelled a rise in new home starts. Bureau of statistics figures show the number of housing starts in the state grew by ... ABC Australia Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:15:53 -0500Australia Post has launched legal action in the Federal Court in Melbourne against the union for postal workers over picket lines at Victorian mail centres. Mail centres at Dandenong, Melbourne Airpo... ABC News Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:15:52 -0500The ACT has missed out on an $8 million pool of federal funding for tourism. Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson has announced 70 projects across Australia that will share in the money. The ACT's Touri... ABC News Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:15:51 -0500A Canberra mother has pleaded guilty to failing to ensure her children were attending school. The woman, whose name has been suppressed, is the first person in the ACT to be charged with the offences... ABC News Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:15:50 -0500A Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) hearing into the alleged misuse of funds by a former Ministerial adviser has heard any criminal prosecution would likely be problematic. Simon Tutt was an advi... ABC News Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:15:49 -0500The NZ dollar gained against the Australian dollar today after Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) deputy governor Ric Battellino said the overall stance of Australian monetary policy was back in a normal... New Zealand Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:15:12 -0500PRICES were firm to slightly dearer at Mount Gambier store cattle sale on Friday.The yarding of 3070 locally bred cattle sold to good competition from the South East and Victorian graziers. Miller Wha... Stock Journal Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:14:20 -0500A LARGE crowd of buyers congregated at Kingston saleyards on Friday for the last of the South Australian off-shears sales for 2009. There was strong competition, with two pens of 1.5-year-old Merino e... Stock Journal Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:14:17 -0500The world's biggest fund managers are moving money into emerging market bonds, as they seek higher yields than the near zero interest rates of developed countries while trying to avoid volatility in o... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:43 -0500Victorian batsman Brad Hodge has played his last first-class match after a knee injury ruled him out of the Sheffield Shield clash against NSW in Newcastle starting on Friday. Hodge, who announced hi... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:40 -0500A crackdown on drunkenness and violence will continue in Victoria with new laws brought in today, including extra powers for police to strip search people for weapons. Police can also issue $234 on-t... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:38 -0500Medical services for Torres Strait island communities will receive a boost, with the Queensland government to spend $4.6 million on a helipad at Thursday Island. Premier Anna Bligh, who is touring th... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:34 -0500An HIV-positive Victorian man who knowingly infected a woman will spend at least two years and three months behind bars. Wepukhulu Zebtek, 44, from Ivanhoe in Melbourne, was sentenced in the West Aus... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:32 -0500Domestic tourism has taken a dive in Victoria, with visitors shunning the state at a rate higher than the national average. The latest tourism figures show domestic overnight tourists fell by 7.4 per... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:29 -0500The federal government will lift some of the foreign ownership restrictions on Qantas Airways Ltd. The government's National Aviation Policy White Paper, released on Wednesday, has called for the rem... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:27 -0500The West Indies were left ruing a dropped catch as Australia took the morning honours on day one of the third Test at the WACA Ground. Australia entered the lunch break strongly placed at 0-106, with... Sydney Morning Herald Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:24 -0500Wepukhulu Zebtek, 44, from Ivanhoe in Melbourne, was sentenced in the West Australian District Court today.He pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm in court in October, admitting to having sex with a... perthnow Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:03:47 -0500A MAN broke into a home in one of Brisbane's most exclusive suburbs and forced the female resident to perform sexual acts on him, a court has been told. News.com.au Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:03:41 -0500Wepukhulu Zebtek, 44, from Ivanhoe in Melbourne, was sentenced in the West Australian District Court today.He pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm in court in October, admitting to having sex with a... News.com.au Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:03:39 -0500Wepukhulu Zebtek, 44, from Ivanhoe in Melbourne, was sentenced in the West Australian District Court today.He pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm in court in October, admitting to having sex with a... News.com.au Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:03:37 -0500But she accepted there was "some degree" of remorse demonstrated by Evans' plea of guilty to one count of defensive homicide.Evans will become eligible for parole after five years' imprisonm... News.com.au Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:03:37 -0500Many areas were expecting the mercury to top 40C today ahead of a cool change later in the day.Adelaide was forecast to have a top of 39C before cooler weather tomorrow.The Bureau of Meteorology said ... News.com.au Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:03:35 -0500A COMPANY and a businessman have been hit with penalties totalling $6.5 million over a mobile phone dating scam, in a joint case that has now netted more than $22 million in fines. Scott Mark Moles a... Courier Mail Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:03:03 -0500A two-year international search for a new director of the WA Museum has come to an end with the appointment of British culture and heritage specialist Alec Coles.Announcing the appointment today, Cult... The West Australian Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:55:40 -0500Champion Australian racehorse Apache Cat has been retired. The Greg Eurell-trained gelding suffered a fractured bone in its leg when unplaced in last weekend's Hong Kong International Sprint. Apache... ABC Sports Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:54:25 -0500Golf great Jack Newton has urged Australia's top players to take advantage of Tiger Woods' absence from the game and claim the world number one ranking. Although he believes the game in this country ... ABC Sports Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:54:23 -0500A PERTH MAN has been handed a 20-year jail term for the murder of Ravenswood resident Nathan John Woolley on December 21 last year.Andrew John Semmens, 28, was found guilty of the crime in the Launces... The Examiner Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:31:53 -0500FIRE damage to the Burine High School has been put at more than $5 million and the school has been closed for the year.The general manager of Learning Services (North-West) Malcolm Wells said it was u... The Examiner Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:31:52 -0500YESTERDAY'S announcement by Senator Stephen Conroy that the Government will push forward with legislation of mandatory internet filtering came as no surprise. All the twists and turns in the process s... The Examiner Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:31:49 -0500"Growth in the economies of scale in the industry hasn't been reflected in fees in my view," Bowen told reporters. "Anything which reduces fees is something I would be very interested in pursuing," ... Morning Star Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:31:16 -0500(RTTNews) - A joint Australia-Japan report on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation recommends a 90 per cent reduction in world's nuclear stockpile by 2025, and asks the United States and Russia ... Quote.com Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:29:18 -0500Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz has proved his fitness and will play in the third Test against the West Indies at the WACA on Wednesday.Hauritz was in doubt on Tuesday after being struck on his ... sportal.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:01:55 -0500Taj Burrow has claimed the 2009 Billabong Pipe Masters, defeating fellow Finalist Kelly Slater in clean 1 - 1.5 metre waves at the Banzai Pipeline.The final event of the 2009 ASP World Tour season, th... sportal.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:01:52 -0500Allied Gold Limited ("Allied Gold") (TSX:ALG)(ASX:ALD)(AIM:AGLD) announced today that it has taken up 125,788,776 common shares ("ASG Shares") of Australian Solomons Gold Limited ("ASG") pursuant to i... Market Wire Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:57:46 -0500Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd Tuesday to make an "appropriate" response to anti-whaling activists' interference with Japan's annual hunt. La... Earth Times Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:51:01 -0500The Federal Government will today set out its plans for the next decade in Australia's $6.4 billion aviation industry. The aviation white paper will cover issues surrounding safety, security, airport... ABC Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:58 -0500Parents are paying for essential educational resources, including teaching positions, in many public primary and secondary schools, a survey by the Federation of Parents and Citizens groups across New... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:51 -0500Victorian communities are bracing for a day of searing temperatures and high fire danger today. If the top temperature in Melbourne reaches the forecast high of 39 degrees Celsius, it will be the hot... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:47 -0500Domestic tourist numbers have fallen despite tens of millions of dollars being spent promoting Queensland. Australia's national visitor survey for the year to the end of September shows total domesti... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:44 -0500Postal workers around the country will walk off the job this morning over an ongoing dispute with Australia Post. The strike is taking place in every state but South Australia, where workers have pos... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:44 -0500The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is urging parents to keep an eye on what their children are doing online after a Canberra man was charged with grooming a 12-year-old girl for sex. The 58 year old... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:39 -0500New Zealand international Craig Bradshaw has been cleared to play for the Gold Coast Blaze in tonight's National Basketball League game against Adelaide. The Blaze received the transfer papers from B... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:39 -0500ACT Disability Minister Joy Burch has been grilled over the treatment of disabled people who are stuck in hospital while the department tries to provide supported accommodation. The ACT Liberals have... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:38 -0500A new report says Kingston railway station should be replaced with a more modern facility. The new station would form part of a revamped Kingston-Eastlake precinct with residential and and commercial... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:45:37 -0500THEY'RE waiting for unwitting passengers stepping off the train and heading for the climate talks - the vegetarian mafia thinking they can solve the world's pollution problems by turning everyone off ... Stock Journal Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:44:13 -0500GRAINCORP’S patience with its merchandising arm appears to be running out, with the company announcing it will close eight of its GrainCorp Merchandise outlets.The eight stores to close are Goondiwi... Stock Journal Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:44:10 -0500THE increased new modern award rate for shearing and shed hand employees are again under pressure as National Farmers Federation is expected to reveal to Shearing Contractors Australia (SCAA) and Aust... Stock Journal Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:44:08 -0500A HUGE yarding of 25,000 sheep and a rain-impacted harvest kept interest high at the last Jamestown sheep sale for the year, on Thursday last week.While most of the sheep yarded were of average qualit... Stock Journal Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:44:07 -0500Delta Air Lines, which has a hub in Salt Lake City, has reached a partnership agreement with Virgin Blue that will increase Delta's access to flights in Australia. The pact, which involves flights fro... Salt Lake Tribune Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:42:18 -0500Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie has spent the past week in Perth trying to secure Australian investment for the embattled English Premier League club. Storrie, who travelled to Western Austr... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:34:11 -0500Catastrophic fire danger ratings have been declared in two areas of South Australia as a blast of hot weather sweeps the state. Many areas were expecting the mercury to top 40C on Wednesday ahead of ... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:34:09 -0500Adelaide midfielder Fabian Barbiero says he should be fit to play Wellington in Friday night's A-League clash at Hindmarsh Stadium. The Reds star secured the club a much-needed win over Brisbane last... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:34:01 -0500The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it will oppose the proposed acquisition of Breville Group Ltd by GUD Holdings Ltd. GUD Holdings supplies the Sunbeam and Emjoi ranges of small ... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:33:58 -0500The Kookaburras have drawn a tough group including third-ranked Spain and hosts India for next year's men's hockey World Cup. Australia, ranked second in the world, will also face world No.6 England ... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:33:55 -0500The company delivering the federal government's national broadband network has appointed former Service Stream Ltd chief executive Patrick Flannigan as its head of construction. NBN Co Ltd executive ... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:33:52 -0500A well-organised drug syndicate has been dismantled after Queensland police intercepted a truck carrying cannabis and raided eight houses. The truck was pulled over in the south Brisbane suburb of Sa... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:33:47 -0500The federal government has failed Sydney residents subjected to growing aircraft noise by delaying a decision on a second airport for the city, a lobby group says. An aviation white paper released on... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:33:44 -0500Newcastle NRL rugby league player Danny Wicks has been charged with supplying and possessing illegal drugs. Wicks was arrested on Wednesday morning and taken to Belmont police station, south of Newca... Sydney Morning Herald Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:33:43 -0500Gosnells boy Luke Lyson was in Princess Margaret Hospital for a week after suffering horrific abdominal injuries.The boy was partially disembowelled after he sat on an older-style skimmer box in the p... perthnow Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:55 -0500. A second man was also being questioned in relation to the same matter. Knights chief executive Steve Burraston said he was "flattened by the news" and Wicks had been stood down immediately... News.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:53 -0500Isabella replaced last year's most popular moniker - Lily - in the top 20 girls names, according to an online survey of thousands of new mothers by BabyCentre Australia. "It is very likely that t... News.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:50 -0500THE South Australian Country Fire Service has upgraded fire danger conditions to catastrophic on the Yorke Peninsula and Eastern Eyre Peninsula as the state braces for a perilous day. News.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:48 -0500But she accepted there was "some degree" of remorse demonstrated by Evans' plea of guilty to one count of defensive homicide.Evans will become eligible for parole after five years' imprisonm... News.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:41 -0500. A second man was also being questioned in relation to the same matter. Knights chief executive Steve Burraston said he was "flattened by the news" and Wicks had been stood down immediate... News.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:39 -0500THE West Australian coastal community of Kuri Bay is on red alert after Tropical Cyclone Laurence was upgraded to category five status. News.com.au Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:38 -0500A CENTRAL Queensland jail is in lockdown after a 30-year-old prisoner was allegedly bashed to death this morning. The man was being held in Capricornia Correctional Centre, north of Rockhampton, when... Courier Mail Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:13 -0500CONSTRUCTION giant Thiess has been charged over the death of 25-year-old Thomas Takarua, killed during the building of Brisbane's Eastern Busway project. Mr Takarua died on December 1 last year after... Courier Mail Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:12 -0500TROPICAL cyclone Laurence continues to intensify with destructive gusts reaching 260km/h as it moves closer to Western Australia's Kimberley coast. The Australian Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:32:07 -0500TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Australia's economy grew in the third quarter, but at a slower pace than in the second quarter and below market expectations, because of declines in private investment and net e... Market Watch Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:31:46 -0500The sometimes bizarre security measures that have incensed travellers, caused confusion and long delays at airports after the 911 terrorist attacks are to be swept aside as part of a wide ranging revi... The West Australian Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:25:36 -0500Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz has proved his fitness and will play in the third Test against the West Indies at the WACA on Wednesday.Hauritz was in doubt on Tuesday after being struck on his ... Sportal Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:02:51 -0500RIVERSIDE'S Tomas Steele was one of 696 students who got their year 12 results emailed through early yesterday. Checking his inbox put a smile on his face as his tertiary entrance rank of 99.2 sho... The Examiner Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:01:42 -0500A heavy smoke haze from two bushfires in Western Australia's south-west continues to blanket the Perth metropolitan area. Two bushfires have been burning for four days, with one near Harvey, about ... WA Today Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:29:02 -0500We've always suspected it, and now a survey seems to confirm it - it's hard to get a taxi when you want it in Perth. A poll of 200 chief executives from Australian tourism, transport, aviation and pr... WA Today Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:29:00 -0500Allied health workers in Tasmania have struck a pay deal with the State Government after long negotiations. Tasmania has 1100 allied health workers, including occupational therapists and counsellors.... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:05:02 -0500A coroner has declined to make any recommendations in the case of an intellectually-disabled woman who died after getting the wrong medication. Dulcie Penn, 83, died in July 2007 after being given me... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:05:02 -0500The Recreational Fishing Advisory Council wants the South Australian Government to start breeding murray cod in hatcheries to boost its numbers in the River Murray. A year-long ban on fishing for cod... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:05:01 -0500A former soldier from Sydney has been jailed for using the internet to groom someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex. Evan Lindsay, 41, from Newtown in Sydney's inner west pleaded guilty to... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:05:01 -0500A new renewable energy tax rebate has been announced and the South Australian Government hopes it will boost investment in the industry. From next July, investors will get payroll tax rebates of up t... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:04:59 -0500A HIV-positive man has been ordered to stand trial in the District Court in Adelaide on five charges of endangering life. John Choul Chan, 41, allegedly had unprotected sex with five women in suburba... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:04:56 -0500Snowy Mountains hydro electricity employees, worried about job cuts, say they are disappointed with the New South Wales Government's response to their protest in Sydney. Sixty Snowy Hydro workers yes... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:04:55 -0500A Brisbane businessman has been elected to head Queensland's peak business body. David Goodwin is the new president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland. He replaces Beatrice Booth fro... ABC News Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:04:54 -0500US AGRICULTURE Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced an agreement with US dairy producers to accelerate adoption of innovative manure-to-energy projects on American dairy farms. "This historic agreement... Stock Journal Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:03:28 -0500DESPITE the extraordinary stakes involved, the United Nations summit often plays out as a piece of theatre. As with any theatre, the cast can be crudely divided up into heroes, villains and those with... Stock Journal Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:03:26 -0500 | 
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