Tanya Plibersek moved by suffering at Middle East refugee camps

DAVID WROE The woman used to run a hair salon in Damascus. Now, like millions of Syrians, she is homeless, bereaved and seeking sanctuary in a neighbouring country.

Welfare review targets jobless, disabled

Jonathan Swan, Dan Harrison The Abbott government will exclude the age pension and family tax benefits from its review of the welfare system, with Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews indicating he will target unemployment benefits and disability pensions.

CWU makes push for Australia Post to set up banking services

GARETH HUTCHENS Australia Post should not be privatised: it should start providing its own banking and insurance services instead, according to the postal workers union.

Drinking water: Extreme weather events threaten quality, says report

PETER HANNAM Australia's drinking water is highly vulnerable to weather extremes, and utilities need to act to limit the risks, a new study of Australian and US water suppliers shows.

Antarctic field trip a factor in ship becoming trapped in sea ice on Christmas Eve

Colin Cosier, Nicky Phillips A four-hour delay on a passenger field trip in Antarctica may have contributed to the Akademik Shokalskiy becoming trapped in sea ice on Christmas Eve.

Canberra accused of unprecedented and improper conduct

TOM ALLARD East Timor has launched an assault on Australia's global reputation, and raised some ''novel'' points of international law, as it pressed the International Court of Justice to order the return of documents seized during raids by ASIO on the offices of the country's lawyer last month.

Nauru blasted for deporting magistrate

Michael Gordon, Judith Ireland, Daniel Flitton Nauru's justification for sacking and deporting its resident magistrate of three years has been branded ''ridiculous, false and defamatory'' by the tiny country's exiled chief justice and as outrageous by the man himself.

Naval breach: Australia could gain from increased Indonesian patrolling

DAVID WROE Defence experts are playing down tensions over Australia's accidental breaches of Indonesia's waters and say Jakarta's vow to boost its southern sea patrols could even work in Australia's favour.

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Tony Abbott goes on world stage at Davos

JAMES MASSOLA Prime Minister Tony Abbott will rub shoulders with about 40 multinational chief executives and captains of industry in a dinner in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday morning, Australian time.

Tennis ratings suffer a bashing from cricket

MICHAEL CHAMMAS Australian cricket's bumper summer as well as the Big Bash's switch to free-to-air television has seen Australian Open television ratings drop from last year.

ASIO raids: Australia accuses East Timor of 'frankly, offensive' remarks

TOM ALLARD 6:49am Australia tells the Hague that East Timor's 'inflammatory' submissions to the court have 'impugned the integrity of the attorney-general of Australia'.

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