BEN Cousins' dream of returning to AFL football appears to be over after Richmond said it would be "highly unlikely" to draft him.
UPDATE 4.20pm: MARK "Chopper" Read says a man "swinging a tomahawk" tried to attack him today over an alleged prison grudge.
SCHAPELLE Corby is finding it difficult to cope as she prepares to spend her fifth Christmas in jail, her sister Mercedes says.
A BAGGY green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman in his final Test for Australia has been passed in without a single bid at an auction in Melbourne.
A GROUP of protesters has staged a sit-in at Kevin Rudd's electorate office over what they describe as "weak" emissions targets.
A MOTORIST who attacked a man for tailgating has been jailed as a warning against road rage.
CHANNEL Seven has moved swiftly to deny claims that Jessica Rowe has been sacked, saying the presenter will remain at the network under a freelance agreement.
TELSTRA failed to comply with requirements for the national broadband network bidding process, the Federal Government says.
A MAN who allegedly took pictures of young children playing at Sydney's Darling Harbour has pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges.
VICTORIAN builders are reporting that clients are pulling out of new home projects as the global credit squeeze bites, a survey shows.
DIE-HARD Richmond supporters reacted angrily to their club's announcement that they are "highly unlikely" to draft Ben Cousins
COMMUTERS are facing more peak-hour disruptions this afternoon after a man was struck by a train.
RICHMOND'S Ben Cousins bid has hit a hurdle, with the AFL refusing a request to placing Graham Polak on the rookie list.
TRAIN users and the Opposition say blaming rain for more than 20 cancelled peak-hour trains does nothing for Connex's poor reputation.
TWO South African women allegedly caught arriving in Melbourne with more than 170 pellets of heroin in their stomachs have appeared in court.
POLICE have released footage of a man they are hunting after a weekend armed robbery at an Oakleigh TAB.
PENSIONERS and low-income earners will be the best off under the carbon emissions trading scheme.
UPDATE 1.03pm: MARK "Chopper" Read has been arrested after an altercation allegedly sparked by a youth approaching him with an axe.
POLICE have arrested two men in Collingwood this morning after a violent street fight in which an axe and a metal bar were allegedly used.
A CAR parts manufacturer and its managing director have been fined $200,000 after a worker died while doing maintenance on a machine.
AUSTRALIANS will share $11.5b compensation to offset higher prices for electricity and other goods when the Rudd Carbon Scheme begins.
AS the AFL Commission gathers to discuss Richmond's Graham Polak request, Ron Barassi has given the move a thumbs-up.
THE top 10 locations where Victoria Police have impounded vehicles this year:
NOTORIOUS former criminal Mark "Chopper" Read says he knew Tyler Cassidy from a pub where the teenage shooting victim worked.
POLICE have impounded 3000 cars this year under the state's hoon laws and revealed the hoon capital of Victoria.
ELEVEN public schools will be built in Melbourne's key growth areas under a $255m partnership with the Brumby Government.
LONG delays for ambulance services are putting lives at risk, the Victorian ambulance union says.
DON Bradman's 1948 baggy green cap goes under the hammer in Melbourne tonight with expectations it could fetch more than $600,000.
UPDATED 9.03am: COMMUTER woes are continuing into a second week with widespread train cancellations across the network.
TWO South African women will appear in a Melbourne court today charged with importing heroin.
CONTROVERSIAL surgeon Thomas Kossmann is facing yet another investigation into alleged billing rorts while serving at The Alfred hospital.
THE sick little children who convinced the State Government to fix a cardiac crisis are now looking forward to Christmas with a new lease on life.
A BRAINIAC club of 31 has scooped today's VCE results, achieving the highest possible score of 99.95.
THE anxious wait is over today for VCE students, but not all will achieve the ENTER they wanted.
PREMIER John Brumby yesterday rejected renewed calls for Taser stun guns to be introduced in Victoria.
REVEALED: VICTORIA'S frontline police are being assaulted at a rate of almost 50 a week, with paramedics also suffering regular attacks.
McGuire could make his TV hosting comeback early in 2009. He is being considered for a news-magazine show at Channel 9.
AN Australian climber who watched his brother fall to his death on New Zealand's highest mountain thought he would also perish on the peak.
GIRLS rule overall in the study stakes but boys are still the brains' trust.
MORE than 20 Victorian state schools - mainly primary - will share a $10 million Christmas bonus for much needed building maintenance.
MEET E-Gate, Melbourne's new inner-city suburb. The huge chunk of land on central Melbourne's northwestern fringe is earmarked for one of the city's biggest projects of the next decade.
THE best and brightest from last year's VCE are still stunned by their perfect performance.
A MOTORIST who attacked a man for tailgating has been jailed as a warning against road rage.
VICTORIAN builders are reporting that clients are pulling out of new home projects as the global credit squeeze bites, a survey shows.
TWO South African women allegedly caught arriving in Melbourne with more than 170 pellets of heroin in their stomachs have appeared in court.
A CAR parts manufacturer and its managing director have been fined $200,000 after a worker died while doing maintenance on a machine.
POLICE have released footage of a man they are hunting after a weekend armed robbery at an Oakleigh TAB.
A BRAINIAC club of 31 has scooped today's VCE results, achieving the highest possible score of 99.95.
LONG delays for ambulance services are putting lives at risk, the Victorian ambulance union says.
TWO South African women will appear in a Melbourne court today charged with importing heroin.
A HUGE chunk of land on central Melbourne's northwestern fringe is earmarked for one of the city's biggest projects of the next decade.
A HIGH-SPEED speed car chase starting in Footscray ended at Crown Casino last night. A helicopter and four police cars chased the driver.
MELBOURNE'S water storages rose almost 0.2 per cent thanks to our heavy weekend rain.
EIGHTY drink-drivers a day have been removed from the road in the biggest police crackdown of its type in Victoria.
DIE-HARD Richmond supporters reacted angrily to their club's announcement that they are "highly unlikely" to draft Ben Cousins
BEN Cousins' dream of returning to AFL football appears to be over after Richmond said it would be "highly unlikely" to draft him.
COMMUTERS are facing more peak-hour disruptions this afternoon after a man was struck by a train.
TRAIN users and the Opposition say blaming rain for more than 20 cancelled peak-hour trains does nothing for Connex's poor reputation.
POLICE have arrested two men in Collingwood this morning after a violent street fight in which an axe and a metal bar were allegedly used.
NOTORIOUS former criminal Mark "Chopper" Read says he knew Tyler Cassidy from a pub where the teenage shooting victim worked.
POLICE have impounded 3000 cars this year under the state's hoon laws and revealed the hoon capital of Victoria.
ELEVEN public schools will be built in Melbourne's key growth areas under a $255m partnership with the Brumby Government.
UPDATED 9.03am: COMMUTER woes are continuing into a second week with widespread train cancellations across the network.
CONTROVERSIAL surgeon Thomas Kossmann is facing yet another investigation into alleged billing rorts while serving at The Alfred hospital.
THE best and brightest from last year's VCE are still stunned by their perfect performance.
THE competition for Christmas shopping dollars starts in earnest this week with doors thrown open for late-night trading.
REVEALED: VICTORIA'S frontline police are being assaulted at a rate of almost 50 a week, with paramedics also suffering regular attacks.
MELBOURNE'S last big auction day of 2008 ended with a mad scramble from buyers and sellers hoping to get contracts signed before Christmas.
GIRLS rule overall in the study stakes but boys are still the brains' trust.
THE sick little children who convinced the State Government to fix a cardiac crisis are now looking forward to Christmas with a new lease on life.
POLICE are looking for a sixth person over a brutal assault in a Sunshine shop, which has left a man in a coma.
A HOUSE fire in Narre Warren has claimed the fire of a mother of three, who was home alone at the time of the blaze.
PREMIER John Brumby yesterday rejected renewed calls for Taser stun guns to be introduced in Victoria.
A POLICE blitz on parole breakers has already netted five of the nine featured in the Herald Sun.
THE anxious wait is over today for VCE students, but not all will achieve the ENTER they wanted.
WIGGLES-mania wowed Melbourne on the weekend. Pre-schoolers and their parents packed Rod Laver Arena for the skivvy-clad supergroup's six shows.
MORE than 20 Victorian state schools - mainly primary - will share a $10 million Christmas bonus for much needed building maintenance.
THE first stages of the Geelong Ring Road are open, giving motorists a new 15km link, which bypasses the city centre.
A GROUP of protesters has staged a sit-in at Kevin Rudd's electorate office over what they describe as "weak" emissions targets.
A BAGGY green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman has been passed in without a single bid at an auction in Melbourne.
A MAN who allegedly took pictures of young children playing at Sydney's Darling Harbour has pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges.
A MAN has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a Sydney homeowner he wrongly accused of ignoring water restrictions.
TONY Abbott has advised Peter Costello to get involved in the main game of politics or get out altogether.
BULLYING is rife in Australian primary schools, new research shows, but community leaders believe it's up to adults to set a better example.
MEN are scared to talk openly about fatherhood for fear of being called a whinger.
AN Australian climber who watched his brother fall to his death on New Zealand's highest mountain thought he would also perish on the treacherous peak.
AN investigation by consumer group Choice has found that shade structures in childcare centres potentially compromise children's safety.
SCHAPELLE Corby is finding it difficult to cope as she prepares to spend her fifth Christmas in an Indonesian jail, her sister Mercedes says.
BUSINESSES will remain apprehensive about emissions trading while the global financial "firestorm" continues, Australia's largest business group says.
CONSERVATION group Greenpeace has accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of betraying Australians on climate change.
PENSIONERS and low-income earners will be the best off under the carbon emissions trading scheme.
AUSTRALIANS will share $11.5b compensation to offset higher prices for electricity and other goods when the Rudd Carbon Scheme begins.
A LUXURY hotel in Dubai is to create the first refrigerated beach so guests can walk comfortably across the sand on scorching days.
THE Rudd Government will spend $1.4 billion helping businesses and community organisations go green.
MOURNERS have paid tribute to the life and work of internationally-acclaimed Australian poet Dorothy Porter after her death from breast cancer.
A DOCTOR whose parents held her captive for four months has been freed by a court to return to her home in Britain.
NINE police officers were killed and 31 wounded when a suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives at their checkpoint west of Baghdad today, as attacks resumed after a period of calm.
ATHENS police were out in force today ahead of a rash of protests and court appearances relating to the police shooting of a teenager police, and as Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis flew to Cyprus.
TWO Britons who were spared jail after being convicted for having sex on a Dubai beach are now in police custody awaiting deportation, a local newspaper reported.
AT least 23 people were killed and 31 others reported missing after a ferry capsized in the northern Philippines, the coast guard said today
An Indonesian prosecutor has demanded that four Australians each be jailed for three years for violating immigration laws in Papua.
THE US will stand by war-torn Afghanistan despite a transition of power in the White House, George W. Bush said today.
THAI Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was elected today as the nation's third prime minister in four months, triggering protests from supporters of the old Government who tried to block Parliament.
BANKS across Europe are scrambling to uncover losses suffered at the hands of New York broker Bernard Madoff.
AT least 28 people are dead and 22 others missing after a ferry capsized in the northern Philippines.
A WORKER laid off just before Christmas came back and allegedly shot dead his former boss at the office party.
BARACK Obama's chief of staff is under pressure over reported contacts with Illinois's corruption-tainted governor, who faces impeachment proceedings this week.
AN Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes and an insult at US President George W. Bush as he shook hands with the Iraqi Prime Minister in Baghdad.
OUTGOING US President George W. Bush said during a surprise farewell visit to Baghdad overnight that the war in Iraq is "not over" but on its way to being won.
George W. Bush was left ducking for cover at a press conference during his farewell tour of Iraq.
AN Egyptian bus crowded with passengers, many of them students, veered off the road into a canal south of Cairo overnight, killing at least 55 passengers, officials and survivors said.
AN Egyptian bus crowded with passengers, many of them students, veered off the road into a canal south of Cairo overnight, killing at least 55 passengers, officials and survivors said.
AT least 100 people were arrested at opposition protests in two major Russian cities organised by Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, police say.
US President George W Bush has arrived in Iraq today, making a farewell visit to a country he orderd invaded in 2003, according to the White House.
ALASKAN Governor Sarah Palin's home church has been attacked by arsonists, with the damage bill estimated to be $1.5 million.
THE gunman captured in last month's Mumbai attacks told police he had originally only intended to seize hostages and call the media to make demands.
BRITAIN'S Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday expressed his disgust that the Taliban had used a boy, 13, in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed three British troops.
GREECE yesterday braced for a second week of protests over the death of a teenager by a police bullet.
MADONNA and Guy Ritchie are to call a Christmas truce for the sake of their children, with the entire family to stay under one roof in the English countryside.
DOZENS of Christmas shoppers were burned by bottles of acid hurled from a high-rise building on to one of the city's busiest streets.
A COUPLE who did not attend their own wedding have been given the green light to stay in Britain.
A MAN who has eaten a Christmas lunch every day since 1994 is planning a festive funeral with his coffin pulled by reindeer.
UGANDA'S President thinks Africans must work harder to develop "super weapons" so Africa is no longer dominated by the developed world.
THE sole gunman captured in last month's Mumbai attacks originally intended to seize hostages and outline demands in calls to the media.
A MOTHER has been accused of selling newborn twin boys for $22,500 to pay for liposuction.
KSENIYA Sukhinova from Russia was crowned Miss World after beating 108 beauties in an African extravaganza in South Africa.
SACHIN Tendulkar kept India afloat with an unbeaten 65 as the first Test against England headed for a thrilling finish here on Monday.
BARELY 24 hours after swimming star Stephanie Rice pulled the plug on her Queensland titles campaign, Nick D'Arcy was also notably absent.
A BAGGY green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman in his final Test for Australia has been passed in without a single bid at an auction in Melbourne.
AUSTRALIAN batsman Matthew Hayden has identified South Africa's Morne Morkel as the biggest threat to the home side in the first Test.
SACHIN Tendulkar continued India's fight to record a history-defying win after England dealt two quick blows in the first Test.
THE New Zealand-West Indies first Test has ended in a draw after showers forced play to be abandoned on final day without a ball being bowled.
AUSTRALIAN star junior Bernard Tomic has lost a hard-fought opening match in the Australian Open wildcard playoffs in Melbourne.
COACH Ross Lyon has been rewarded for lifting St Kilda to the preliminary final this year with a one-year contract extension.
JUVENTUS kept their Serie A title hopes alive and dealt a potentially fatal blow to AC Milan's with a thrilling 4-2 victory in Turin today.
SOUTH Africa's Richard Sterne captured his fourth European Tour title with a one-stroke win in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.
SIX more world records were set at the European short-course championships in Croatia today, bringing the total to 16 at the four-day event.
DON Bradman's 1948 baggy green cap goes under the hammer in Melbourne tonight with expectations it could fetch more than $600,000.
WOMEN'S golf great Annika Sorenstam ended her glorious career today with a birdie on the final hole of the Dubai Ladies Masters.
NICOLAS Anelka scored his 14th goal of the season to save Chelsea from an embarrassing home defeat by West Ham United today.
VIRENDER Sehwag smashed a quickfire 83 off 68 balls as India made a spirited start in their chase of a history-defying target in the first Test against England.
TIM Cahill was forced to be Everton's sole striker yesterday and played the role of hero perfectly with a last-minute winner against Manchester City.
AUSTRALIA is plotting to disrupt Duncan Fletcher's plans by destroying the confidence of a spinner he has designated as South Africa's surprise weapon this summer.
CHAMPION pacer Blacks A Fake is a definite starter in Saturday night's Victoria Cup at Moonee Valley.
TRAINER Lee Freedman is plotting a careful course to the Magic Millions, the juvenile race that has eluded him for years.
NASH Rawiller, suspended for the 10th time this year - and second time in four days - at Rosehill on Saturday, has made an early New Year's resolution.
NATHAN Herbert was only a baby when Brian Goorjian's first job as an NBL assistant coach took him to a Geelong Supercats team that included Craig Herbert.
IT'S the advice rarely heeded by the AFL's next batch of wannabe stars: not being drafted is not the end of the world.
BEIJING Olympian Erin Densham found yesterday's rain-soaked Gatorade event at Elwood - her first race in more than three months - a shock to the system.
AMIEL Cavalier's fear of being overpowered by stronger mountain bike riders was dispelled yesterday when he won the third national series downhill race at You Yangs.
EACH day this week Herald Sun sports writer Jon Anderson will count down his top 50 sports stars of 2008. Tell us what you think of 50-41.
BRIAN Goorjian does it again. The miracle worker helped orchestrate one of the great comebacks of the NBL on Saturday when the South Dragons beat Melbourne Tigers.
AUSTRALIA'S already tattered tennis reputation hangs on big-serving Chris Guccione's performances next month.
OFF field, Port Adelaide is losing money and cannot draw flies to its matches. On field, it is flying, according to new fitness guru Cam Falloon.
AUSTRALIA'S latest bid for international racing success failed at Sha Tin yesterday, undone by a powerful Aussie combination.
THE late South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje was so obsessed about beating Australia it hurt.
MELBOURNE Tigers' bid for back-to-back championships has suffered a blow from a second derby loss and doubts they can finish in the top two.
LIKE it or not, the modern game of cricket demands that a wicketkeeper must be able to bat.
WITH a spot in the top five beckoning, the Dandenong Rangers and Bendigo Spirit might have lost their chance to make the WNBL playoffs.
IT'S D-Day for Ben Cousins. Either the AFL Commission opens the way for Cousins to resume his career as a Richmond footballer, or it will have failed a test of courage.
SWIMMING glamour girl Stephanie Rice has pulled out of the Queensland titles after placing fourth in the women's 200 metres freestyle final in Brisbane.
FOR the sixth and hopefully last time this summer, Victorian leg-spinner Bryce McGain will be a restless spectator.
MATTHEW Hayden will go into the first Test against South Africa with a target on his head after Dale Steyn vowed to bring him down.
SOME call it the "wounded seagull", others think it's a karate move and a few have likened it to Jonny Wilkinson - doing a chicken dance.
A DISTRAUGHT Stuart Clark last night faced the harsh reality that his Test career may be over after it was revealed he requires elbow surgery.
IN THE end, any potential celebrations for Geoff Ogilvy came to a halt at the party hole. Or the hole formerly known as the 17th.
SOUTH African Tim Clark gave his country a spray, ate a meat pie and then went on to Royal Sydney and won himself the 2008 Australian Open.
CHRIS Lang hopes the $200 fine he copped for flourishing his whip in the closing stages of Saturday night's Australian Trotting Grand Prix could be an investment.
IF YOU see the words "This student has been awarded the Victorian Certificate of Education" on your Statement of Results when you open the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) envelope, well done.
What is the ENTER? THE Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) is an overall measure of how well you have performed in your VCE studies.
THE ENTER is based on up to six VCE results. They do not all have to be from the one year.
TAC adjusts the Study Scores for each study to take account of how strong the students were in the study, to ensure the strength of competition in each study is taken into consideration.
THIS year more than 42,500 students who completed their secondary education have applied for tertiary courses.
FOR whatever reason, there are many stories surrounding scaling and the scaling of VCE studies.
THE Change-of-Preference (COP) period is a great opportunity to revisit your preference list, review course choices and make changes, says
THOUGH the wait to find out the ENTER is over for almost 44,000 VCE students, the time to decide whether or not to change and finalise course preferences begins.
IT IS important you use the selection data in the VTAC tables, starting on the next page, as a guide only. The data is based on last year's selection standard.
You can search for more archived news stories on our Newstext service. This service may incure a fee.
You can buy copies of photographs taken by Herald Sun.
CHANNEL Seven has moved swiftly to deny claims that Jessica Rowe has been sacked, saying the presenter will remain at the network under a freelance agreement.
LEGENDARY rocker Neil Young wants to answer your questions. Find out everything you want to know about the artists' artist by putting your questions here.
KYLIE Minogue returned to the Australian stage in style last night in Sydney, returning to form with a posse of dancing robots and variety of costumes.
EDDIE McGuire could make his big TV comeback early in 2009, with the former host of The Footy Show being tipped for an early-evening news-magazine show on Channel 9.
NICOLE Kidman will do anything to promote her film Australia, even being persuaded to pick up a didgeridoo and try to play it on television in Germany.
HUGH Jackman is confirmed to be hosting next year's Oscars ceremony, taking over from the Daily Show's Jon Stewart at the film industry's biggest night.
WITH every glistening droplet of sweat that trickles down your face and falls to the ground, your body is losing nutrients, salt and most importantly water.
TELSTRA failed to comply with requirements for the national broadband network bidding process, the Federal Government says.
QANTAS is among 13 airlines at the centre of court action in New Zealand for allegedly forming a cartel in the cargo market.
MANCHESTER Unity members voted today to merge with Australia's third-largest private health insurer, HCF.
AUSTRALIA'S commodity export earnings have been weakened by the global financial crisis, according to the latest forecast.
THE Australian share market closed firmly in the black today, driven higher by stronger resource stocks.
VICTORIAN builders are reporting that clients are pulling out of new home projects as the global credit squeeze bites, a survey shows.
NEW York broker Bernard Madoff's alleged giant pyramid scheme duped some of the world's smartest investors.
COAL mine methane generators fear emissions schemes will force them to close unless their operations get government approval today.
Australian stock market is expected to open higher today, after markets in the United States lifted on Friday.
RETAILERS face at least six more months of slow sales before consumers cautiously loosen their purse strings, according to Access Economics.
OPEC is this week set to announce plans to slash output to lift crude prices weighed down by a recession-fuelled slide in energy demand.