Wednesday, January 2

• Top Stories|
• Victoria News|
• National News|
• World News|
• Sports News|
• Entertainment|
• Health / Science|
• Business|
• Tech|
• Sunday Herald Sun

Fresh swim warnings after girl drowns

AN 11-year-old girl drowned at a Melbourne beach after confusion over who was supervising her, triggering new calls by authorities for parental vigilance.

Man critical after police shooting

A MAN in a critical condition after being shot by police at Tatura in Victoria's north was armed with a knife and menacing officers, police command says.

Roo exports rebound

AUSTRALIA can export kangaroo products to California after a controversial ban on the sale of goods made from the marsupial's leather was lifted.

Symonds leads Australian fightback

ANDREW SYMONDS and Brad Hogg have shared a record-breaking partnership to lift Australia from a shaky position after lunch to be seven for 376 at stumps on day one of the second Test against India.

Bulldozer driver dies clearing firebreak

A BULLDOZER driver has been crushed by his machine while clearing land for firebreaks as authorities plan an air attack to subdue a blaze in Victoria's east.

Three embassies evacuated

DOZENS of people were evacuated from the Israeli and US embassies and British High Commission in Canberra after suspicious packages were discovered.

Hicks in new year celebrations

DAVID Hicks's "safe house" has been discovered as he celebrated the new year. It is believed he watched New Year's Eve fireworks in a quiet street.

Payback on school fees

GOVERNMENT schools that have wrongly charged parents for voluntary fees will be forced to pay families back under a State Government crackdown.

Centro calls for expressions of interest

CENTRO Property Group says it has received expressions of interest to invest in its business and has called for further offers as part of a strategic review.

Scrappy New Year in St Kilda

ST KILDA beach was closed for three hours yesterday after thousands of New Year's Eve revellers left it covered in bottles and rubbish.

Up to 50 dead after mob torch church

A MOB set fire to a church in western Kenya today, killing up to 50 villagers sheltering inside as post-election violence swept the east African country.

Navy's $1.4b sinking feeling

AFTER a $1.4 billion "upgrade" the navy's frontline fighting ships cannot defend themselves and are not able to be sent into battle.

Home-made bomb blast injures teenager

A YOUTH was taken to hospital with severe injuries to his face and hand after a home-made bomb he was handling exploded just before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Social networkers cost bosses thousands

SNEAKING onto Facebook at work? You're not alone according to a new survey which shows users are costing their bosses $2700 each every year.

Infatuated woman 'run over by boyfriend'

A WOMAN who was allegedly run down and killed by her boyfriend was infatuated with him although they argued constantly, an ACT court heard today.

Tradition tops baby names

TRADITION has won out over weird and wacky in a list of Victoria's favourite baby names, with Jack and Olivia topping the popularity chart.

Dragun link to truck fire death

ONE of the three truck drivers killed in a WA bushfire at the weekend was the uncle of Network Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun, who took her own life in November.

Melbourne records hottest New Year's Day

MELBOURNE had its hottest New Year's Day on record yesterday, with the temperature climbing to 41.2 degrees Celsius.

New push on drink-drivers

THE Brumby Government has signalled a renewed crackdown on drink-drivers after the number killed on the roads while under the influence of alcohol spiked last year.

Ray of hope in mother's grief

FOR the third time Julie Cini will today say a devastating final farewell to someone close to her, hoping the tragedy that has gripped her life will finally end.

Off to sizzling start

MELBOURNE sweltered through the hottest New Year's Day yesterday, on the back of record-breaking New Year's Eve temperatures.

Revellers stay cool

POLICE have praised Victorians for behaving themselves on NYE, but it wasn't all good news. About 350,000 people welcomed 2008 at locations around the city.

Passion, chores are wedges for parents

LUST and laundry are among the most common parental "love killers", experts say.

Man sexually assaulted in car park

A 21-YEAR-OLD man was sexually assaulted in the early hours of New Year's Eve after he was offered a ride home at Phillip Island in Victoria's south.

Bulldozer driver dies clearing firebreak

A BULLDOZER driver has been crushed by his machine while clearing land for firebreaks as authorities plan an air attack to subdue a blaze in Victoria's east.

Payback on school fees

GOVERNMENT schools that have wrongly charged parents for voluntary fees will be forced to pay families back under a State Government crackdown.

Scrappy New Year in St Kilda

ST KILDA beach was closed for three hours yesterday after thousands of New Year's Eve revellers left it covered in bottles and rubbish.

Carlton star hurt in NYE attack

CARLTON young gun Jarrad Waite suffered cuts to the head when he was attacked with a beer bottle during New Year's Eve celebrations in Lorne.

Ray of hope in mother's grief

FOR the third time Julie Cini will today say a devastating final farewell to someone close to her, hoping the tragedy that has gripped her life will finally end.

Man critical after police shooting

A MAN in a critical condition after being shot by police at Tatura in Victoria's north was armed with a knife and menacing officers, police command says.

Sweaty crowds keep beat alive

THOUSANDS of music fans proved they had stamina yesterday when they danced to the beat at New Year's Day music festivals after a long, hot night.

Most popular baby names in Victoria

Top 20 names of 2007 registered in Victoria

Fears grow for hospital

ELDERLY Phillip Islanders are terrified their hospital will close.

Man dies in Lalor fire

A MAN trapped in his burning house died trying to flee through his deadlocked back door only hours into the new year.

Home-made bomb blast injures teenager

A YOUTH was taken to hospital with severe injuries to his face and hand after a home-made bomb he was handling exploded just before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Fresh swim warnings after girl drowns

AN 11-year-old girl drowned at a Melbourne beach after confusion over who was supervising her, triggering new calls by authorities for parental vigilance.

Pike to audit schools

VOLUNTARY fees collected by Victorian state schools will be audited following complaints from parents about requests for voluntary fees.

Tradition tops baby names

TRADITION has won out over weird and wacky in a list of Victoria's favourite baby names, with Jack and Olivia topping the popularity chart.

Revellers stay cool

POLICE have praised Victorians for behaving themselves on NYE, but it wasn't all good news. About 350,000 people welcomed 2008 at locations around the city.

Fireworks dismay at council-run event

A FAMILY of five were among disappointed revellers who couldn't see the New Year's Eve fireworks from a council-run event at the Royal Exhibition Building.

Dogs are driven crackers

FUN for some but a fright for others -- the fallout from New Year's Eve fireworks had taken its toll yesterday.

Man sexually assaulted in car park

A 21-YEAR-OLD man was sexually assaulted in the early hours of New Year's Eve after he was offered a ride home at Phillip Island in Victoria's south.

Off to sizzling start

MELBOURNE sweltered through the hottest New Year's Day yesterday, on the back of record-breaking New Year's Eve temperatures.

Gridlock after night of merry mayhem

COASTAL roads were gridlocked yesterday as thousands of New Year's Eve revellers returned to Melbourne.

Faulty shell no risk

ORGANISERS of Melbourne's New Year's Eve fireworks spectacular said an undetonated shell found in a city park yesterday posed no risk to the public.

New push on drink-drivers

THE Brumby Government has signalled a renewed crackdown on drink-drivers after the number killed on the roads while under the influence of alcohol spiked last year.

Sophie's choice was for New Year arrival

LITTLE Sophie Catherine Sleight was content to doze in her mum's arms as her family excitedly introduced her to the world yesterday.

Man in court over daughter's death, rape

A MAN charged over the rape and murder of his 10-year-old daughter had been suffering a mental illness, and had just released from psychiatric treatment.

Three embassies evacuated

DOZENS of people were evacuated from the Israeli and US embassies and British High Commission in Canberra after suspicious packages were discovered.

Social networkers cost bosses thousands

SNEAKING onto Facebook at work? You're not alone according to a new survey which shows users are costing their bosses $2700 each every year.

Hicks in new year celebrations

DAVID Hicks's "safe house" has been discovered as he celebrated the new year. It is believed he watched New Year's Eve fireworks in a quiet street.

Symonds leads Australian fightback

ANDREW SYMONDS and Brad Hogg have shared a record-breaking partnership to lift Australia from a shaky position after lunch to be seven for 376 at stumps on day one of the second Test against India.

Navy's $1.4b sinking feeling

AFTER a $1.4 billion "upgrade" the navy's frontline fighting ships cannot defend themselves and are not able to be sent into battle.

Citizenship test 'not practical'

AUSTRALIA'S citizenship test should be focused more on political and everyday life, not old cricket matches, says the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board.

Roo exports rebound

AUSTRALIA can export kangaroo products to California after a controversial ban on the sale of goods made from the marsupial's leather was lifted.

Dragun link to truck fire death

ONE of the three truck drivers killed in a WA bushfire at the weekend was the uncle of Network Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun, who took her own life in November.

Maddison the sum of all Evel

AUSTRALIA'S Robbie Maddison yesterday jumped 98m on a motorcycle, setting a world record with a feat the legendary Evel Knievel said could never be done.

School, health reform now law

THOUSANDS of children struggling at school will have access to government-funded extra tuition, but millions of people will be paying more for prescription drugs.

Man quizzed after girl, 10, is found dead

POLICE are questioning a man over the death of a 10-year-old girl on Bribie Island, north of Brisbane.

Man on 35 sex offence counts

A 46-year-old Queensland man has been charged with 35 sexual offences dating back as far as 2001.

Hicks house mystery is cracked

DAVID Hicks' "safe house" has been discovered.

GST rise ruled out

THE Rudd Government has ruled out taking the radical step of increasing the GST to relieve pressure on inflation.

D-day looms for Telstra

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stephen Conroy will decide within days whether to allow Telstra to pull the plug on its CDMA mobile phone network at the end of this month.

'Stupid' motorists still drinking and speeding

QUEENSLAND police say they have been shocked by dangerous driving behaviour in the first days of 2008, following the deaths of four people over the Christmas-New Year period.

Taxpayer-funded massages 'not appropriate'

USING taxpayers' money to pay for massages is not an appropriate way to reward public servants, Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen says.

Embassy evacuated over suspicious package

THE Israeli embassy in Canberra has been evacuated while police deal with a suspicious package inside.

Drivers told road safe, despite fire warning

TRUCK drivers and other road users wanting to get home would have pressed for the reopening of a West Australian road where three men died in a firestorm, fire authorities say.

Infatuated woman 'run over by boyfriend'

A WOMAN who was allegedly run down and killed by her boyfriend was infatuated with him although they argued constantly, an ACT court heard today.

Airport to continue 'inadequate' safety upgrade

SYDNEY Airport will go ahead with a runway safety upgrade, despite pilots' groups saying the plan is inadequate and needs a larger safety zone.

Bulldozer driver crushed and dies in rollover

A BULLDOZER driver has been crushed by his machine while clearing land for firebreaks in a national park in Victoria's east early today.

Public servants to lose massage perk

PUBLIC servants will be ordered to pay for their own massages after running-up a $200,000 taxpayer funded bill.

'Safe house' found for Hicks

DAVID Hicks's "safe house" has been discovered in the northwest suburbs of Adelaide, and it is believed he enjoyed watching NYE fireworks in a quiet street.

Tragedy hits newsreader Dragun's family again

ONE of three truck drivers killed when a firestorm engulfed their convoy west of Kalgoorlie on Sunday was the uncle of Channel Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun, who took her own life in November.

Frigates 'can't go to war' despite $1.4bn upgrade

• Electronics not working properly
• Senior officials admit to bungle
• Whistleblower refuses to be named

Long list of defence scandals

THE uproar over another Navy frigate upgrade debacle is just part of a long list of Defence projects that have gone bad.

Crackdown on public servants' massages

PUBLIC servants will be ordered to pay for their own massages after chalking up more than $200,000 in taxpayer-funded rub downs.

Briton on magical Mystery tour

A BRITISH adventurer, who failed to sail non-stop around the world in a futuristic catamaran in 2000, yesterday vowed to sail to Australia in a replica of a 11m lugger that made the trip 153 years ago.

Passion, chores are wedges for parents

LUST and laundry are among the most common parental "love killers", experts say.

Ozjet mid-air scares probed

TWO planes run by budget airline Ozjet have had mid-air safety scares just two days apart.

70,000 Kenyans forced to flee

TENS of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes amid brutal post-election violence in Kenya that has claimed at least 300 lives.

Strong quakes jolt Papua New Guinea

TWO strong quakes, a magnitude 6.2 followed by a magnitude 6.1 aftershock, struck Papua New Guinea today, on the eastern shore of the main island of New Guinea.

Big Apple's new year ball turns 100

AMERICA'S most well-known new year celebration - the dropping of a lighted ball at Times Square - welcomed the new year for about a million people.

Bhutto was about to expose rigging

THE day she was assassinated Benazir Bhutto had reportedly planned to reveal new evidence alleging Pakistan's intelligence agency was involved in rigging the nation's coming elections.

Hopefuls get down to the hard sell

JUST days from the first crucial Iowa vote, US presidential candidates are fine-tuning their final pitches to voters as the White House race remains a tight battle.

Presidential shooter freed

THE woman who made a bizarrely bungled bid to assassinate US president Gerald Ford 32 years ago was freed on parole yesterday.

Briton on magical Mystery tour

A BRITISH adventurer, who failed to sail non-stop around the world in a futuristic catamaran in 2000, yesterday vowed to sail to Australia in a replica of a 11m lugger that made the trip 153 years ago.

Killing spree spreads

DAYS of brutal unrest across Kenya over President Mwai Kibaki's re-election have left at least 250 people dead - some hacked to death in tribal violence and others shot by police.

Report leaves passengers up in the air

NASA grudgingly released some results yesterday from a $US11.3 million government air safety study it previously withheld from the public over concerns it would upset travellers and hurt airline profits.

UK grinds out coffee

CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen Cornwall is preparing what is believed to be the first cup of coffee made from beans grown in Britain.

Bad sleep, diabetes link

JUST three nights of bad sleep is enough to dramatically reduce the body's ability to process glucose and raise the risk of diabetes, a study has found.

Plug saves power

AN intelligent "big brother" plug is being developed to keep homes green.

Motorcycle jump into history

AN Australian motocross rider has broken the world motorcycle jumping record, soaring almost 100m in Las Vegas.

Comet busting time for NASA

NASA's comet-busting spacecraft is on its way to rendezvous with another comet in an extended mission that will also hunt for Earth-sized planets around a cluster of stars.

Up to 50 dead after mob torch church

A MOB set fire to a church in western Kenya today, killing up to 50 villagers sheltering inside as post-election violence swept the east African country.

Two US sailors on leave found dead in hotel room

TWO US Navy sailors were found dead today in their hotel room while on shore leave in the West African country of Ghana, the US Navy said.

Symonds leads Australian fightback

ANDREW SYMONDS and Brad Hogg shared in a record-breaking partnership to have Australia seven for 376 at stumps on day one of the second Test against India.

Ivan starts with a win

DEFENDING champion Ivan Ljubicic started his Qatar Open title defence with a 6-4 6-4 win against Stefan Koubek in Doha yesterday.

Nadal out of doubles

WORLD No. 2 Rafael Nadal and his doubles partner Bartolome Salva-Vidal were defeated in their opening match at the Chennai Open yesterday.

Golovin aiming higher

FOUR years after bursting on to the scene as a precocious teenager, France's Tatiana Golovin believes she is ready to make the quantum leap from talented youngster to top-10 player.

Juninho not paying his way

HE IS the highest-paid footballer in Australia, but Sydney FC is not receiving value for money from $1 million man Juninho.

Old Firm match delayed

TONIGHT'S Old Firm clash between Celtic and Rangers has been postponed as a mark of respect after the death of Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell.

Don't talk about the record

RECORDS are meant to be broken - not spoken.

Gallopin into the spring mix

DANNY O'Brien may need to look no further than yesterday's Bagot Handicap victor Gallopin to find his next Caulfield Cup winner.

Short road to top

SEBASTIAN Murphy is a young man going places.

Mates take a break

THERE have been few constants in Baden Cooke's cycling career, writes Mark Hayes ahead of today's Jayco Bay Cycling Classic.

O'Grady racing to regain form

STUART O'Grady has made a career of defying critics and doctors.

Victory look ahead with Ward

IF FIRST impressions are lasting impressions, Melbourne Victory and Nick Ward could be headed for a partnership beyond six months.

New-look Hewitt

LLEYTON Hewitt last night unveiled a subtly remodelled game and restored ferocity as the former world champion put into action Tony Roche's plans for a return to the top.

Todd's blast for Ace

TODD Woodbridge believes dumped Australian Open surface Rebound Ace has caused more injuries than any other playing surface.

Win the best reply for Gooch

CHRIS Guccione yesterday answered stinging criticism from John Newcombe in the best possible way, with a strong opening-round win at the Adelaide International.

Time up for Rebound

AS WE start a new year, it's time to end the Australian Open court debate once and for all.

Tour doubt grows

AUSTRALIA'S tour of Pakistan was on the brink of extinction last night after elections in the troubled country were postponed until the end of February.

SCG Test a dream come true

TWENTY years ago Phil Jaques and Brett Lee might have passed each other in their dads' cars on the drive from Wollongong to the Sydney Test.

Cup hopes dashed

AUSTRALIA looks out of contention for the Hopman Cup final after losing yesterday's tie against seventh seed India 2-1.

Vargas called up for Socceroos camp

DEFENDER Roddy Vargas was one of three Melbourne Victory players named by new Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek today for a camp for A-League players.

Jittery Dellacqua lets top seed off hook

AUSTRALIAN Casey Dellacqua last night admitted nerves derailed a season-opening victory over Nicole Vaidisova at the Australian Women's Hardcourts.

Indians on strict diet before Test

INDIA'S secret plan to end Australia's dominance has been exposed, with players ordered to follow a new fat-busting diet to snap their lethargic performances.

T-Mobile accused of mass doping

A LEADING anti-doping expert has accused all nine T-Mobile riders on the 2006 Tour de France of blood doping.

Long-term star

MELBOURNE Tigers have seen enough in five games to know they want import Sean Lampley for the next three NBL seasons.

The golden girl who slipped the net

SHE is the Olympic gold medallist who slipped through Australia's hands - and she's back to show us what we missed.

Kewell desperate to grab chance

HARRY Kewell is not even thinking about a new contract as he tries to reclaim a regular place in the Liverpool side.

King is young Cat's No.1 fan

A LOT has happened to Jason Davenport since Geelong's VFL grand final win.

Time to turn tables

RICKY Ponting yesterday admitted his decade-long nemesis Harbhajan Singh had his number, but the Australian captain has vowed to return fire at the SCG today.

Juveniles run hot as Hayes cools heels

AS DAVID Hayes headed to the snowfields of Canada via Hong Kong, his two-year-olds continued to fire at Flemington yesterday.

Another first for Oliver

CHAMPION jockey Damien Oliver won his first Perth Cup on favourite Cats Fun at Ascot last night in a race marred by a six-horse fall soon after the start.

Maddison the sum of all Evel

AUSTRALIA'S Robbie Maddison yesterday jumped 98m on a motorcycle, setting a world record with a feat the legendary Evel Knievel said could never be done.