National News
Australian Greenpeace activist Colin Russell headed home
8:33am The Australian activist detained in Russia for three months is on his way back to Australia after being given an exit visa.
Champion of Aussie-culturalism
RICK FENELEY It took until adulthood for this MP to be proud of his Italian heritage, writes Rick Feneley.
Greatest threat to health of humanity just decades away
Julie-Anne Davies Infectious diseases experts are warning Australians could be living in a post-antibiotic world within a few decades unless urgent and co-ordinated action is taken to tackle escalating levels of antibiotic-resistant disease.
Australia accused of playing dirty in battle with East Timor over oil and gas reserves
TOM ALLARD Spies undercover as aid workers …. Spies raiding spies … The Timor Sea's rich gas and oil deposits are at the heart of the latest espionage saga.
Strong sales show books are still favoured as gifts
Jason Steger Booksellers will not have been surprised by the boost in sales before Christmas; they would have been expecting it. Indeed, banking on it.
Australia's spying on East Timor was hypocritical, says Kirsty Sword-Gusmao
TOM ALLARD For Kirsty Sword-Gusmao, the news that Australia had spied on her adopted homeland under the cover of an aid program cut especially deep.
Peter Cosgrove may succeed Quentin Bryce as Governor-General
LOUISE HALL General Peter Cosgrove found himself at the centre of national attention once again this week - a place he unashamedly admits he quite enjoys.
Scott Morrison seeks asylum from media's questioning on boat arrivals
Dan Harrison, Gareth Hutchens Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has stopped holding weekly news conferences on asylum seeker boat arrivals, instead issuing a written statement with no opportunity for journalists to ask questions.
Zimbabwe's Ambassador Jacqueline Zwambila asks Australia for asylum
PHILLIP THOMSON Zimbabwe's ambassador to Australia has lashed out at the regime of President Robert Mugabe and is seeking a protection visa that will allow her to stay in Australia.
From baristas to barristers: would you like a lawsuit with your coffee?
Michaela Whitbourn Grumpy customers who give their barista a mouthful about a lousy cup of coffee beware - delivering a serve to the employee could soon land you in court.
Patients put pressure on public system with no frills private health cover
RACHEL BROWNE Hundreds of thousands of Australians are switching to no-frills private health insurance to save money, putting further strain on public hospital waiting lists.
Zimbabwe ambassador makes a bid to stay
Phillip Thomson Zimbabwe's ambassador to Australia has lashed out at the regime of President Robert Mugabe and wants a protection visa so she can stay here.
Call to videotape teachers at work
Benjamin Preiss 1:01am Teachers should be filmed in the classroom so they can review and improve their performance, a member of the expert Gonski panel says.
Fair Work Commission to start hearing anti-bullying complaints next month
CLAY LUCAS Bullying complaints could swamp the Fair Work Commission when it begins hearing cases next month because the Gillard government did not put in adequate methods to filter out dubious or unsuitable claims, a leading workplace academic says.
General Cosgrove front runner for governor-general role
Dan Harrison, Louise Hall, Marcus Strom Former defence chief Peter Cosgrove has long been a front runner for the role of Australia's next governor-general, and those who know him say he is a ''unifying figure'' who has remained ''controversy free''.
Australia to send two aircraft to South Sudan
DAN HARRISON Australia will deploy two military aircraft to South Sudan for United Nations efforts to restore peace to the world's youngest nation.
Cronulla festival tunes in to a Shire less televised
ESTHER HAN Proud of his suburb but sick of battling TV stereotypes, a Cronulla restaurateur has launched a three-day music festival to help rebuild the Sutherland Shire's reputation.
Public service sheds disabled employees at 'shameful' rate
BEN WESTCOTT The public service is losing three times as many people with disabilities as it is hiring, with numbers hitting a 20-year low.
Schapelle Corby's sentence cut by two months
Indonesia has cut Schapelle Corby's sentence by two months as part of an annual Christmas remission program.
Australian journalist lodges appeal over Thai defamation
An Australian journalist, increasingly anxious over law suits brought against his Thai-based website by the Royal Thai Navy, has lodged an appeal with a provincial governor to try to persuade the navy to drop the charges.
Peace plea after father dies in South Sudan
Nino Bucci A Melbourne man whose father and two other relatives were killed in the South Sudan conflict has urged his community to unite in condemning the bloodshed.
Australian editor Alan Morison facing five years in Thai jail
Alana Schetzer An Australian journalist could face up to five years in jail after he was charged on Christmas Eve with bringing the reputation of Thailand's navy into disrepute.
Why IVF parents are choosing girls over boys
AMY CORDEROY Parents are increasingly asking to choose the sex of their children in an attempt to lower their baby's risk of diseases ranging from cancer to autism, IVF doctors say.
WorkSafe pays law firms bonuses to minimise victims' payouts
Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker Victoria's work safety authority is paying lawyers millions of dollars in confidential bonuses to minimise payouts in compensation cases brought by alleged victims of workplace accidents.
