Ricky Ponting has declared himself fit to play in the Boxing Day Ashes Test after surviving a nets session. Picture: Hamish Blair
Looking for holiday reading? Literary editor Stephen Romei rates the top 20 books of 2010 and gives his tips for 2011. GALLERY
Angie Mason traces Tasha's path at the SES Counter Disaster HQ in Cairns. Picture: Tom Lee LATEST WEATHER
Raina Savage swims with sea lions at Green Head, where a state sanctuary has improved marine health. Picture: Vanessa Hunter
Graeme Blundell reviews the best of Christmas television, including the ever-astringent Royles on their caravan holiday.
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Australia still the lucky country: PM
9:02AM JULIA GILLARD has asked Australians to remember today how "lucky" the nation still is and to never "forget" the sacrifices made by troops and their families.
Suicide bomber kills 40 in Pakistan
4:27PM AT least 40 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a World Food Program ration distribution point in northwestern Pakistan.
Cyclone Tasha puts north on flood alert
11:03AM FAR north Queensland is bracing for flash flooding after tropical cyclone Tasha crossed the coast between Cairns and Innisfail this morning.
Ponting fit to play, but not at slip
1:21PM RICKY Ponting has declared himself fit for the Boxing Day Test but he will not field from his regular position at second slip.
Victorian deaths take toll to 25
11:55AM THE national holiday road toll has risen to 25 with a second death in Victoria on Christmas Day.
Business with The Wall Street Journal
Tata Steel studies Riversdale options
2:37PM UPDATED Saurabh Chaturvedi and Ashutosh Joshi TATA Steel said today it is studying Rio Tinto's $3.9 billion bid for Riversdale Mining, as it reviews alternatives to the offer.
FTSE tops 6000 in Santa rally
10:07AM BRITISH stocks closed above 6000 for the first time in 30 months overnight in a Santa rally on a shortened Christmas Eve trading session.
Shares dragged lower by big miners
2:33PM David Rogers THE Australian sharemarket fell in abbreviated trading today as offshore markets drifted down in thin trading before year end.
National Affairs
No delay in island rescue: Navy chief
3:46PM THE Chief of Navy asserted today that HMAS Pirie mobilised as soon as it received the call for help last week from the stricken vessel off Christmas Island.
Denmark halts Australian waste shipments
10:38AM Joe Kelly THE Gillard government has branded as “unfortunate” Denmark's decision to cancel imports of hazardous chemical waste from Australia for disposal.
Rudd on Q&A: the forgotten signpost
2010-12-24
The political year 2010 was an extraordinary one, chockfull of signposts and events. Kevin Rudd’s February mea culpa on ABC’s Insiders where he…
Latest Blogs
Suicide bomber kills 40 in Pakistan
4:27PM AT least 40 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a World Food Program ration distribution point in northwestern Pakistan.
Ponting fit to play, but not at slip
1:21PM RICKY Ponting has declared himself fit for the Boxing Day Test but he will not field from his regular position at second slip.
Struggling Labor faces hot summer
Peter van Onselen, Contributing editor THE Gillard government ends the year fighting battles on a number of fronts.
Executive Lifestyle
Mad Men to McQueen: fashion review 2010
1:11PM Georgina Safe, fashion writer WHAT rocked the catwalks in 2010 and what was bundled into the back of the wardrobe? We look at the trends and newsmakers - and makes some predictions for 2011.
Would you like a puppy with that?
John Austin A LAKESIDE hotel in Canada offers its guests a special little waggy-tailed extra.
Retail internet threat comes of age
Blair Speedy MORE than 10 years after internet retailing was touted as the next big thing, traditional merchants are finally beginning to feel the pinch.
$1.2m for Hywood in six-month Fairfax deal
Staff reporter FAIRFAX Media will pay interim chief executive Greg Hywood $200,000 a month on a minimum six-month contract.
College girls woo sugar daddies
FACED with high fees and poor job prospects, Chinese students are, like their Western counterparts, taking to the streets - but not in quite the same way.
Rudd on Q&A: the forgotten signpost
The political year 2010 was an extraordinary one, full of signposts and events.
Labor can't afford another humiliation
AS the states chime in, Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan are facing tough questions on mining tax revenue.
Struggling Labor faces hot summer
THE Gillard government ends the year fighting battles on a number of fronts.
Face up to refugee reality
WE have chosen to take asylum-seekers, so let's attend to the job, rather than the sad political game.
The fight of his life
OBAMA had to find a tax compromise, says Noel Pearson.
Growing legend of the Little Master
FOR those who missed seeing Bradman play, it's a privilege to watch Tendulkar.
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Kev's the one
ACCORDING to a search of Strewth mentions during the past 12 months, Kevin Rudd is still the most newsworthy person in the nation.
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In-Depth sections
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