Posted
| UpdatedPressure is growing on the G20 to deliver a communiqué that has tangible results for the global economy.
The meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors has begun in Sydney and ends on Sunday.
Already delegates have been urged to agree on a range of strategies, from boosting global growth to cracking down on multinationals that do not pay their fair share of tax.
Topics: globalisation---economy, business-economics-and-finance, sydney-2000, nsw, australia
Posted
| UpdatedThe Australian Federal Police has apologised to Channel Seven over a raid in relation to the network's bid for an interview with Schapelle Corby.
Topics: crime, information-and-communication, journalism, law-crime-and-justice, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, bali, indonesia, asia
Posted
| UpdatedAB de Villiers and JP Duminy looked to hit the accelerator early on day two of the second Test in Port Elizabeth.
Topics: cricket, sport, south-africa, australia
Posted
One hundred illegal ivory pieces estimated to be worth $80,000 have been seized in Sydney raids.
Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, animal-welfare, human-interest, animals, sydney-2000, nsw, australia
Posted
Australian stocks have ended the week on a high note, buoyed by gains for mining and retail stocks, although investors gave the thumbs down to several company profit announcements.
Topics: markets, business-economics-and-finance, currency, mining-industry, retail, australia
Posted
| UpdatedQantas denies rumours that it plans to reduce services and axe as many as 3,000 jobs next week.
Topics: air-transport, industry, australia
Posted
| UpdatedJournalist Peter Greste should be receiving more help from the Australian Government to gain his release from custody in Egypt, a leading Middle East expert says.
Topics: journalism, foreign-affairs, government-and-politics, world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, egypt, australia, qld
Posted
| UpdatedAustralian Electoral Commissioner Ed Killesteyn has resigned following a major bungle at the last election which will see a fresh Senate poll held in Western Australia.
Topics: elections, government-and-politics, australia, wa
Posted
| UpdatedThe body of 23-year-old asylum seeker Reza Berati will be flown home to Iran for burial, as an independent investigation into his death during riots on Manus Island begins.
Topics: immigration, community-and-society, federal-government, foreign-affairs, papua-new-guinea, australia, pacific, asia
Posted
| UpdatedThe Chief Justice of the High Court has written to the Prime Minister, warning him that any move to cut the court's funding would significantly affect its ability to carry out its work.
Topics: budget, government-and-politics, federal-government, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, judges-and-legal-profession, australia, canberra-2600, act
Posted
| UpdatedThe Federal Government is spending $4 billion on eight new surveillance planes described as "the world's most advanced maritime patrol aircraft".
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, navy, air-force, australia
Posted
| UpdatedA Perth man who tried to smuggle about seven kilograms of cannabis through Adelaide Airport in his suitcase has been jailed for more than three years.
Jody Franklin, 33, told the District Court he earned $3,000 for some tattoo work and was told that if he trafficked cannabis back to Perth with him, a further $5,000 would be cut from the price of a motorbike he was paying off.
Topics: courts-and-trials, drug-offences, crime, prisons-and-punishment, law-crime-and-justice, adelaide-5000, sa, wa, perth-6000, australia
Posted
| UpdatedAn eight-year-old girl has died after being hit by a falling tree branch at a primary school on Sydney's north-western outskirts.
Two more children and a teacher were also hurt when the large branch fell from a gum tree at Pitt Town Primary School just after the bell had rung for lunch.
The eight-year-old girl was pinned by the tree and went into cardiac arrest before paramedics arrived.
Police say the tree has been inspected and they are unsure why the branch came down in calm weather.
Topics: accidents---other, accidents, disasters-and-accidents, pitt-town-2756, nsw, australia
Posted
| UpdatedThe OECD warns that the world is facing an extended period of low economic growth without major reforms.
Topics: economic-trends, business-economics-and-finance, industrial-relations, australia
Posted
| UpdatedGlobal oil giant Shell has confirmed it is selling its service stations and Geelong refinery to Vitol for $2.9 billion.
Speculation around the deal had been circulating in the media for days, but it was confirmed this morning.
The deal includes 870 service stations, Shell's Australian refinery, as well as bulk fuels, bitumen, chemicals and part of its lubricants business.
However, Shell will retain ownership of its aviation fuel business and the lube oil blending and grease plants in Brisbane, which are to be converted into bulk distribution facilities.
Shell says most staff employed in the operations being sold should be kept on by the new owner.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, company-news, oil-and-gas, geelong-3220, vic, australia
Posted
| UpdatedThe competition watchdog's head has given an indication that his mind is open to a possible Myer-David Jones merger.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, company-news, retail, australia
Posted
| UpdatedA researcher is urging mental health services provided by video conferencing be covered by Medicare.
Topics: mental-health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, health, university-and-further-education, suicide, community-and-society, sa, adelaide-5000, mount-gambier-5290, port-augusta-5700, port-lincoln-5606, port-pirie-5540, renmark-5341, australia
Posted
| UpdatedNational Australia Bank says it has booked a 7 per cent rise in underlying profit for the first quarter of its financial year.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, banking, company-news, australia
Posted
| UpdatedLegislation to allow workers and employers to negotiate more flexible working conditions, so long as it does not leave staff worse off, will be introduced to Federal Parliament next week.
Topics: industrial-relations, business-economics-and-finance, federal-government, government-and-politics, australia
Posted
| UpdatedShark attack victim Sam Kellett will be remembered at a memorial service in Adelaide today, nearly a fortnight after he died off Yorke Peninsula.
Topics: death, shark, community-and-society, teachers, glenunga-5064, adelaide-5000, sa, edithburgh-5583, australia
Posted
| UpdatedThe consumer watchdog says it is preparing to take legal action against companies who use so-called "drip pricing" to boost prices.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) defines drip pricing as the "incremental disclosure of fees and charges over an online booking process".
Anyone who has booked an airline ticket recently would be familiar with the system, with charges added as the consumer moves through the various stages of securing a flight.
The ACCC is particularly concerned about the travel industry as well as event tickets.
Topics: consumer-protection, business-economics-and-finance, australia
Posted
| UpdatedA 27-year-old man has appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court charged with yesterday's theft of a car with a seven-month-old boy inside.
Andrew Ball from Belconnen is facing nine charges including abandoning a child.
He has been taken to the Canberra Hospital for a mental health assessment.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, belconnen-2617, act, australia, palmerston-2913
Posted
| UpdatedAustralian Peter Greste and two other Al Jazeera journalists will remain in jail after an Egyptian court refused them bail and adjourned their trial until March 5.
The journalists are accused of supporting the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood and broadcasting "misleading" news about the political situation in Egypt.
Greste, who has been in prison for almost two months, pleaded not guilty from the caged dock, as did his colleagues.
He called out in the courtroom to acknowledge the support he has received, saying it "has contributed enormously to our protection".
Asked if he had a message for his parents, Greste said: "Tell them I love them. Be strong. We're together as a team."
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, international-law, courts-and-trials, journalism, foreign-affairs, egypt, brisbane-4000, australia, qld
Posted
| UpdatedThe Federal Government is stressing that any changes it makes to Medicare would be to make it more sustainable.
Topics: health-policy, health, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
Posted
| UpdatedThe company building the National Broadband Network (NBN) is about to launch a trial of an alternative network in New South Wales and Victoria.
Topics: internet-technology, science-and-technology, government-and-politics, information-and-communication, woy-woy-2256, epping-3076, australia, vic, nsw