TEST spinner Graeme Swann has retired from cricket with immediate effect, adding further turmoil to a disastrous Ashes tour for England.
PR exec fired over 'racist' tweet
SHE'S supposed to be a PR expert, but Justine Sacco's 'outrageous, offensive' tweet has cost her her job and sparked outrage around the world.
Mum charged with teen son's murder
A MOTHER has been charged with murder after her teenage son was found dead inside their Gold Coast home.
Why do so many rockers die at 27?
IT'S the ultimate club you don't want to join - the 27 Club, made up rockers who died when they were just 27.
They said what? Twitter's epic fails of 2013
WHETHER it's attempting to capitalise from tragedy or mistaking humour for cultural insensitivity, these social media users have famously found themselves in hot water.
Saatchi 'used his own family to ruin Nigella'
THE Nigella Lawson scandal takes a new twist, with fresh claims that Charles Saatchi used his daughter and second wife to help discredit the TV chef.
How to get a surfer's body in just six steps
THE hottest Aussie bods aren't made in the gym. They're made on the beach. Here are the six exercises you need to master for a ripped surfer's physique.
Rebel Wilson's purse is 'totes real'
REBEL Wilson is the real deal, right down to her Alexander McQueen knuckleduster clutch - no matter what some guard at LAX might think.
The secret wine regions you've never heard of
THERE are little pockets of Australia where the wine is flowing and the guests are nowhere to be seen. These are the little gems with not a booze bus or annoying tourist in sight.
Incredible moments frozen in time
IT'S only once in a blue moon you get photo opportunities like these. Check out National Geographic's best of 2013 collection.
Topless protest falls flat in Brazil
PHOTOGRAPHERS outnumber protesters as a group take to Ipanema beach to make a statement about Brazilian laws which forbid women to go topless.
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Cigarette break saves man from bullet
This man never thought smoking would save his life, but if he hadn't left his couch to have a cigarette, he may have been shot dead.
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HOW much do you really know about the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein classic? Find out.
SINGER has surprised shoppers at a Walmart store in Massachusetts, cruising the aisles for toys and buying her own album.
COMEDIAN Rove McManus and his wife Tasma Walton are celebrating an early Christmas gift - the arrival of their first child.
THE publishers of In Touch and Life & Style have reached a settlement with Tom Cruise after he sued them over claims he had cut ties with his daughter.
A MONKEY in a snow suit, a scared boss and a terrible news anchor were among the nominees for this year's funniest video.
NOT only are the Kardashians' TV ratings sinking, but their faces are failing to sell supermarket weeklies.
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Grieving family faces Christmas in Oz
THE family of murdered South Korean man Min Tae Kim faces the grim prospect of spending Christmas in Brisbane, waiting to be allowed to take his remains home.
Bash victim wakes as man charged
MICHAEL McEwen has woken from an induced coma a week after being bashed at Bondi Beach. A man allegedly involved in the attack was today refused bail.
Aussie man accused over Silk Road
A US crackdown on the alleged underground drug dealing website Silk Road has led to the arrest of a Queensland man.
Teens charged over care home bashing
FIVE teenagers have been charged over a bashing and car theft at a residential care home in Melbourne's southeast.
Alleged bomber had 40L of petrol in car
A MAN who sparked a lockdown at NSW Parliament allegedly threatened to bomb the building by lighting 20 litres of petrol on the passenger seat of his car.
School shooting victim dies
AMERICA mourns yet another victim of gun violence as 17-year-old high school student Claire Davis dies eight days after being shot at point-blank range.
Man kills doc after 'botched vasectomy'
POLICE are trying to determine whether a botched vasectomy prompted a gunman to kill a doctor and critically wound another before killing himself.
24 killed in Iraqi military attack
VIOLENCE in Iraq has returned to levels not seen since 2008. In the most recent attack 24 members of the military were killed including a general.
Pope tells priests to stop gossiping
POPE Francis has told Church officials to act like professionals and avoid gossip and mediocrity.
'Mandela not trained by Mossad'
THE Nelson Mandela Foundation says it has no evidence that the anti-apartheid icon received training from Israel's Mossad agency in 1962.
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Stores open 100hrs for Xmas shoppers
SOME stores are ending the holiday shopping season the same way they began it - with round-the-clock, marathon shopping hours.
Zuckerberg cashes in $2.6b Facebook shares
FACEBOOK chief Mark Zuckerberg will sell a chunk of his stake in the company, cashing in some $2.6 billion, as part of a new share offering by the huge social network.
14 things every successful person has in common
DAN Schawbel spends his life talking to CEOs, celebs, authors and politicians. Over the years he has noticed there are common traits they all have. Now he's sharing them with you.
Where will property prices go in 2014?
RECORD low rates, foreigners swooping on bargains and naive home hunters - property was a hot commodity in 2013 and it's going to get hotter.
This US magnate made $37M a day
WARREN Buffett made $37 million a day, or $1.5 million an hour, to make him America's most profitable billionaire in 2013.
After 30 hours of work, Mita dropped dead
SHE worked ridiculous hours, using energy drinks to stay awake for a 30-hour shift. She tweeted about the shocking work demands. Then, she collapsed and died.
The 10 worst CEO screw-ups of 2013
WHICH CEOs made the most egregious errors in 2013? From obliterating their companies' value to making offensive statements that caused product boycotts, we've got them all here.
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How to beat the Christmas blues
WHATEVER the cause for your festive unhappiness, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Christmas rituals bond families
IT IS the traditions families adopt around this time of the year that children get so much out of, according to research and the experts.
Nurses make house calls down on farm
NURSES in rural America are getting their feet dirty as they head out into the countryside to treat farmers lacking health insurance.
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Nov 23 - Dec 21
Your Week Ahead - Love Focus: You feel as if you're trying to perform a daunting task or meet a set of contradictory demands. You're under pressure, you're cross about... Read more
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Good news! Kate Upton is single again
US MODEL Kate Upton has broken up with her boyfriend of six months. Although sources claim she and her ex were "more like friends-with-benefits."
The 10 worst films of 2013
HOW many bad movies were there this year? A lot. From Hangover Part III to Gangster Squad, here are the worst of the worst.
Harry Potter takes to the stage
HARRY Potter author JK Rowling is planning a stage show about the boy wizard's early years living with his cruel non-magical aunt and uncle.
Selena's bizarre cancellation excuse
US singer and actor Selena Gomez has cancelled her Australian tour. The reason? To 'spend some time on myself'.
This IS the funniest video of 2013
A MONKEY in a snow suit, a scared boss and a terrible news anchor were among the nominees for this year's funniest video.
Top 10 most outrageous stories of the year
THIS year has been huge ... and we've got the hugely outrageous stories to prove it. And the year isn't over ... yet ...
What it's really like flying Swiss business
UPGRADES. We all dream about them, some of us can even tell real-life stories about them. If you're one of the lucky ones to snag a business class seat an economy seat never feels the same ...
Tourist boat gets whalebombed
THESE stunning images reveal just how close a 50-tonne southern right whale and her calf got to a tourist vessel. Check it out!
Rare look at world's most remote locations
FASCINATING images have been released of the world's most untouched areas. Most don't allow tourists, including Hidden Valley where spacecraft are tested.
Hilarious mobile phone crashing at the airport
STUCK next to an annoying, loud mobile phone talker at the airport this holiday season? Greg Benson demonstrates how to get under their skin. This is gold.
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Swann retires mid-Ashes series
ENGLAND'S Test side has plunged into further disarray with spinner Graeme Swann's immediate retirement from all cricket.
Celebration costs Hull player $22k
HULL City midfielder Jake Liverpool was left counting the cost of his goal celebration after destroying a pitchside camera.
Buzz Awards: Best and worst of 2013
IT'S that time of the year when Phil Rothfield takes a look into the good, the bad and the ugly of sport in 2013.
Wild women's hockey brawl
VIDEO: USA and Canada's women's ice hockey teams have erupted into a brawl in a fiery prelude to the Winter Olympics.
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Space station fix delayed
NASA is delaying final repairs to the International Space Station after an astronaut's suit was compromised on a spacewalk.
New clues reveal ancient explorers
A WRECK in New Zealand has been dated to some 70 years before Captain Cook. It is just the latest find showing seafarers explored our great southern lands - but never returned.
Impostor to get $40k a year to go to Harvard
IT'S a pretty good offer, albeit with a slight catch. A man is offering to pay someone $40,000 to pose as him and complete his university degree at Harvard.
Star Wars uses the force of Tumblr
WORTH a Luke? Star Wars has just launched its official Tumblr page giving fans the chance to see movie goodies and lots of LOLs from R2-D2.
The biggest, curviest TVs taking over your home
DO NOT adjust your eyes, Samsung and LG have announced new super-sized televisions that will be the world's largest and curviest Ultra HD screens.
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From Around the Network
BEST FAILS AND CRASHES OF 2013
Mega-wrap of the dumbest stunts, crashes and fails we saw in 2013.
Save up to 80% on unique Christmas gift ideas! Local experiences, fine dining and much more!
Since 2007, Hyundai Goals for Grassroots has donated almost $400,000 to 154 local grassroots football clubs across Australia.
The Grinch guide to surviving a family Christmas
PUT your Grinchiness away this Christmas. Even if you hate the obligatory family gathering, it's possible to make it through with a smile on your face, writes Angela Mollard.