Today's Paper | Sydney Morning Herald

Friday June 29, 2012

Charged with acting wisely for the nation, 226 people fell back on megaphone rhetoric

PHILLIP COOREY Lying in his hospital bed in Adelaide listening to the debate in Canberra, the independent senator Nick Xenophon, was not the only person growing grouchy at the asylum seeker policy paralysis...

Impasse: politicians throw up their hands

PHILLIP COOREY JULIA GILLARD has charged three eminent Australians with trying to broker a solution on asylum seeker policy after the nation's 226 federal MPs and senators failed comprehensively.

Murdoch agrees to historic split of News Corp

CHRIS ZAPPONE RUPERT MURDOCH'S News Corp has confirmed plans to split into two separate companies, one holding its newspaper business and another its entertainment operations.

Coach who exposed cash-for-lift scandal dumped

PHIL LUTTON THE Olympic weightlifting coach Mike Keelan, who last month alleged one team member had threatened to throw a qualifying competition unless he was paid $5000, has been dumped just weeks before the...

Top award to Herald reporter

Phillip Coorey, The Sydney Morning Herald's chief political correspondent, has won the prestigious Paul Lyneham Award for Excellence in Press Gallery Journalism.

Overturned truck crushes driver at traffic lights

RACHEL OLDING A FATHER was crushed to death in a semi-trailer accident yesterday.

China ties at risk without real leaders, says expert

JOHN GARNAUT AUSTRALIA is drifting towards a potential crisis with China, its dominant economic partner, because it has failed to talk honestly and build channels of communication, one of the world's foremost...

Suspect owned land near beheaded victim

RORY CALLINAN A FORMER soldier suspected of beheading a reclusive NSW man owned land backing onto the victim's overgrown property.

Forget the jog slog and fit in a sprint for maximum weight loss results

NICKY PHILLIPS SPRINT training for 60 minutes a week burns the same amount of body fat in men as jogging for seven hours a week, Sydney scientists report.

Baby's death due to rash mother, says irate coroner

LISA DAVIES THE leading advocate of ''free birthing'' in Australia could be endangering the lives of mothers and infants by failing to disclose the death of her own child during a medically unassisted labour.

Ashby lawyer ordered to pay tax office $750,000 says deductions had been legitimate

LOUISE HALL The high-profile lawyer representing the staffer suing Peter Slipper and who ran the sexual harassment claims for publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk against retailer David Jones and Christina Rich against...

A poetic visionary who deserved her reputation

JASON STEGER ROSEMARY DOBSON, the Australian poet whose first book, In a Convex Mirror, was published in 1944 and whose new Collected poems came out only three months ago, died on Wednesday.

Media test not a knee-jerk reaction to Rinehart - Conroy

BIANCA HALL MEDIA owners will be forced to submit to a public interest test under a plan to be presented to the federal cabinet within weeks.

Lack of soul is no barrier

ELIZABETH FARRELLY SOMETIMES the architecture awards remind you of the glories of architecture. Other times, they merely record the vagaries and vexations of the jury system. This year's crop has a bit of both.

Winning school library doesn't do it by the book

LEESHA MCKENNY A PRIVATE school library where the walls double as whiteboards and the stairwell as a lecture space has won the celebrated Sir John Sulman Medal for public architecture.

MP warns of many boat deaths as House hibernates

MICHAEL GORDON, MICHAEL BACHELARD PARLIAMENT'S failure to end the impasse on asylum-seeker policy will embolden people smugglers and result in many more deaths, says the MP who led the push to come up with a plan.

Loss of life convinces some members to change their course

PHILLIP COOREY THE asylum seeker debate yesterday was punctuated by people once opposed to offshore processing explaining why a steady stream of deaths at sea had led them to change their minds.

Palmer sticks to his guns over lobbyists' roles in Liberal Party

LENORE TAYLOR THE bitter feud between Liberal Party life member Clive Palmer and senior Liberal figures will spill into the party's federal council meeting this weekend, with Mr Palmer saying his concerns about...

Carbon question comes as Swede relief from a tiring debate

JACQUELINE MALEY YOU know the world has gone nuts when a parliamentary question about Swedish carbon pricing comes as a relief.

Fee waiver makes dining out cheaper for restaurants and cafes

ESTHER HAN WHEN patrons of her Portuguese eatery kept pulling chairs and tables onto the public pathway, it didn't strike owner Gloria Belinha as unusual.

40% of gay couples Christian

DAN HARRISON FOUR in ten same-sex couples are Christians, according to a detailed snapshot of the nation's gay community based on the latest census data.

Reserve's rate cut had limited effect

The central bank's decision this month to cut the cash rate does not seem to have affected the housing market, an industry study shows.

Turnbull spent $26,000 on calls in six months

BIANCA HALL THE federal opposition communications spokesman, Malcolm Turnbull, spent $26,000 on phone calls and faxes in six months.

Call for strangler to get life sentence

LOUISE HALL THE Crown has called for Terry Mark Donai to be jailed for life for the murder of a couple whose deaths were wrongly attributed to a car crash.

State joins elite curriculum body

ANNA PATTY The NSW Department of Education has joined forces with some of the world's most elite institutions including Harvard and Stanford universities, the education board of Finland and the ministry of...

Russia backs change but won't force Assad to quit

FLAVIA KRAUSE-JACKSON AND INDIRA LAKSHMANAN NEW YORK: Russia has denied endorsing a United Nations plan for a political transition in Syria that included a call for the President, Bashar al-Assad, to give up power in favour of a national unity...

France, Germany more divided over euro crisis

BRUNO WATERFIELD BRUSSELS: The French President, Francois Hollande, says moves towards closer integration in the eurozone must be matched by a sharing of the fiscal burden ahead of a crucial EU summit that began last...

Fatwa follows Salman Rushdie into the realms of Iranian gamers

SAEED KAMALI DEHGHAN SALMAN RUSHDIE was the target of a notorious fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic of Iran, 23 years ago.

Religious groups reject ruling on circumcision

MATTHEW DAY JEWISH and Muslim groups in Germany have condemned a court ruling that deemed circumcision to be equivalent to grievous bodily harm.

Ancestors branched out diet

NEW YORK: Almost 2 million years after their last meals, two members of a prehuman species in southern Africa left traces in their teeth of what they had eaten then, as well as over a lifetime of...

Filibustering conservative's wish-list wreaks havoc

NICK O'MALLEY FROM the vantage point of Australia it could be hard to see the link between Washington DC, abortion, flood insurance and access to an increased flow of concealed handguns.

Health bill takes Obama down to wire

NICK O'MALLEY WASHINGTON: So, it all comes down to this.

Colorado city under siege as fire forces 36,000 to flee

COLORADO SPRINGS: A raging wildfire has destroyed dozens of houses and charred land on the edges of the United States Air Force Academy, forcing 36,000 people to evacuate, while thick smoke and...

Democrats defecting over gun row

RICHARD SERRANO WASHINGTON: Conservative US Democrats have begun to desert the Attorney-General, Eric Holder, on the eve of a historic contempt of Congress vote, as Republicans increased pressure by planning to take...

Dogs wipe out penguin colony

DEIDRE MUSSEN CHRISTCHURCH: Roaming dogs have annihilated a blue penguin colony that took years to build up at Cape Foulwind on New Zealand's west coast.

Ultimatum puts Pakistan's new PM under pressure

BEN DOHERTY PAKISTAN'S new Prime Minister may face the same fate as his predecessor after the Supreme Court gave Raja Pervez Ashraf two weeks to say whether he will reopen corruption cases against the country's...

PNG poll falls behind as security stretched

HAMISH MCDONALD MOUNT HAGEN: Elections are falling behind schedule across the densely populated highlands of Papua New Guinea as poor preparations cause angry scenes and security forces battle to keep ballot boxes...

Commission supports improved choice of default funds

CLANCY YEATES SUPERANNUATION THE Productivity Commission is calling for a shake-up in how super funds are selected for workers covered by industrial awards, in a bid to lift competition in a market worth at least $7 billion a...

No cost blowout, insists Santos

PETER KER RESOURCES INVESTORS have wiped half a billion dollars off the value of Santos, after changes to the spending schedule for the gas company's Gladstone LNG plant fuelled market fears on two aspects of the...

Metcash in middle of reinvention

ELIZABETH KNIGHT THE grocery wholesaler Metcash Ltd ticked all the wrong boxes yesterday. It delivered a full-year profit that was below expectations, it announced plans to buy a non-core business and it decided to...

After profit fall, Metcash goes shopping

JANE LEE RETAIL THE grocery wholesaler Metcash will raise $325 million in order to go shopping after revealing a disappointing full-year profit.

In the hot seat - well, not really

CBD SOME are still flying high at Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd.

Foreign labour insures against risk, says Roy Hill boss

RANIA SPOONER IRON ORE THE chief executive of Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill iron ore project has hit back at criticism of the company's enterprise migration agreement by calling the move a financial ''de-risking'' exercise.

Airport Link will 'miss forecasts'

SULLIVAN INVESTORS expect that BrisConnections' $5.6 billion Airport Link will ''miss by a long way'' ambitious traffic forecasts, despite it tempting motorists by extending the toll-free period for the...

The round eternal of the cashbook and journal

HAROLD MITCHELL I WAS completely bowled over this week by a request from the Mansfield Courier for an interview. We all know towns like Mansfield - salt of the earth Australia.

Watchdog rules ads unfit for television

ADS for bad driving and fast food have been banned by the advertising regulator.

Profit news: expect the expected

MALCOLM MAIDEN The glass half-empty view of the June 30 profit season that is about to begin is that our 200 biggest companies will report combined earnings below those posted five years ago, before the financial...

As one back door closes, another, apparently, opens

IAN MCILWRAITH INVESTORS struggling to prise $700,000 from the promoters of an ASX float that failed last year, have been somewhat surprised to discover essentially the same company this week trying to list through...

Hughes defects to Redbacks

ANDREW WU NSW believe they can no longer compete at the bargaining table after being rocked yesterday by Phillip Hughes's shock defection to South Australia.

Five reasons this series is worth staying up late for

CHRIS BARRETT Would victory against England in the next fortnight be a harbinger of success in next year's battle for intergalactic domination?

'Woeful' Stosur calls for calm

LINDA PEARCE LONDON: Australia's worst Wimbledon performance since 1939 and Samantha Stosur's latest ill-fated quest to improve her poor record at the grasscourt major ended simultaneously, and early, on the...

High-class girls await So You Think

JOHN HOLLOWAY Ten-time group 1-winning superstar So You Think has an unbelievable harem of broodmares awaiting his return to Australia in early September at Coolmore Stud, where he begins another chapter of his...

Rafter says ball is in Tomic's court

LINDA PEARCE Pat Rafter met Bernard Tomic yesterday, the Davis Cup captain and his struggling singles No.1 catching up for a quiet post-Wimbledon chat.

Hesjedal has rare double in his sights

RUPERT GUINNESS LIEGE: Ryder Hesjedal refuses to heed sceptics who believe that winning the Tour de France after claiming the Giro d'Italia five weeks ago is out of reach.

Ronaldo unsighted as Spain march on

JERE LONGMAN DONETSK, Ukraine: Spain have been criticised as boring and defensive at the European championships. But all that really counts is the score.

No mercy: Sydney approach derby intent on nullifying neighbours

SEBASTIAN HASSETT IF THEIR ladder position is any indication, Sydney could afford to cut the GWS Giants some slack before tomorrow night's second Sydney Derby at ANZ Stadium.

Goal-kicking yips a thing of the past for Swans

ANDREW WU BULLSEYE or bulldust? Could the use of a plastic target have put a halt to Sydney's goal-kicking yips and turned the once wasteful Swans into the dead-eye dicks of the AFL?

Tahs try new formula

GEORGINA ROBINSON AND JOSH RAKIC WARATAHS young gun Bernard Foley could be selected at five-eighth in the final two games of the season despite Berrick Barnes's man-of-the-match form for the Wallabies.

Duo cashed-up and in hunt for Waratahs

GREG GROWDEN Some Waratahs officials go on about how there is no interest in third-party deals with their team, and that private equity is not the flavour of the month.

Curly questions over Quade's Test future

PAUL CULLY It would not require Don Draper's smooth talents to conjure up a pitch for tonight's Rebels v Reds game.

Mitchell rushed into Cowboys squad

MICHAEL CHAMMAS COWBOYS mid-season signing Anthony Mitchell will join his new teammates on their flight to Auckland today, added to the squad for Sunday's game against the the Warriors.

Unsung heroes lead way for Sharks

JASON TAYLOR The Cronulla Sharks are sitting equal second on the NRL table after 16 rounds. Tonight, they play the Broncos in Brisbane.

Griffin says knock won't mean early end to season for Thaiday

GREG PRICHARD BRISBANE captain Sam Thaiday may need surgery at the end of the season to correct a shoulder problem, but the team's coach, Anthony Griffin, is confident he will make it that far without breaking...

Deja vu for axed Merrin as Blues bid to stop history repeating

MICHAEL CHAMMAS NSW coach Ricky Stuart has axed Trent Merrin from the Blues team for the series decider for the second consecutive year.

Club bosses call for Origin compo

MICHAEL CHAMMAS NRL chief executives have called for compensation from the ARL Commission to minimise the financial burden of State of Origin on the clubs.

Doctor's keyhole to success has Fifita ready to go

GLENN JACKSON DOWN on the sidelines during State of Origin II, NSW doctor Dave Givney was torn between two masters.

SBW still hasn't signed with Roosters - and there's no guarantee he will

BRAD WALTER Sonny Bill Williams is yet to sign with Sydney Roosters, and fans should not expect any official confirmation that he will be returning to the NRL for some time.

Form guide backs Stuart's blueprint for success

BRAD WALTER BEFORE this year's State of Origin series, Ricky Stuart challenged NSW players to make him pick them - and those who are in the Blues team for next Wednesday night's series decider have delivered on...

Force want Cheika, not Tahs exiles

GREG GROWDEN A SECRET plan involving several Waratahs coaches and team officials moving to Perth next season could be thwarted by Michael Cheika's anticipated appointment as Western Force head coach next year.

The obscure world of public interest

RICHARD ACKLAND This is getting decidedly whacky.

Hard figures back case to open gates

JESSICA IRVINE Australia's relative economic prosperity and low jobless rate have transformed us into a destination of choice for economic migrants and refugees alike.

My School data could point the way to Holy Grail of high-quality teaching

ALISON ROUT Thanks to the Gonski Report, improving the quality of our teachers is the focus of some attention. This is a good thing, because the research shows teacher quality is the single most important factor...

Family backs Malavio to step up

CRAIG YOUNG THE numbers in training may have more than halved for third-generation trainer Steve Englebrecht but the family commitment continues to grow.

Hot ticket

Everybody loves Ray Romano, but not as much as he loves his family.

Critics' choice

The Metro guide to the best of what's on in Sydney this week.

Amigos in high places

Natalia Ortiz, founder of the Spanish Film Festival, now in its 15th year, says this year has been the toughest yet.

In the form of his career, Munce closes in on Dittman's long-standing milestone

CRAIG YOUNG THE latest instalment in Chris Munce's roller-coaster ride is about breaking records. The grand-slam-winning jockey, who has had stints in Hong Kong and Sydney jails for little more than tipping, is...

Avdulla fancies his chances on Roi D'Jeu

In defeat, Brenton Avdulla's ride on the former Kiwi Roi D'Jeu in the Stayers Cup at Rosehill a fortnight ago was lauded from the stand.

Nolen fesses up, puts spotlight back on Nelly

PATRICK BARTLEY LUKE NOLEN faced a sizeable media conference at Mornington racecourse yesterday and said his ride on Black Caviar last Saturday at Royal Ascot was one of his worst.

Two idiots abroad

SACHA MOLITORISZ After years of poking fun at Aussies, Flight of the Conchords are coming over to apologise.

They come from a land down under

Flight of the Conchords are as Australian as Sam Neill. Here are some great musical comedy acts that are even more Australian.

The drum rebellion

PARIS POMPOR Jonathan Boulet wanted his new album to be bigger and louder.

The amazing spiderling

JENNY COONEY-CARRILLO A new chapter of the wall-crawler's story explores his early years.

I came, I saw, I constructed

ELISSA BLAKE History and hobbies collide in Sydney's latest slice of Lego architecture.

Gross encounters of the best kind

ELISSA BLAKE Children's performers the List Operators take silliness very seriously.

Mosh pit

As Lance Ferguson and band walked slowly onstage, lead vocalist Kylie Auldist shared a joke with the crowd.

The crasher

SACHA MOLITORISZ Black Caviar's win was inspiration enough to strip and sprint.

Timid politicians are focused only on their futures

Our Parliament's attempts to deal with the issue of asylum-seeker boats has degenerated into a theatre of the absurd, featuring tears, catatonia and florid psychosis (''Paralysis in Parliament'',...

Taking the honour out of mere murder

THE concept of honour is ancient and deep-rooted in human societies. Western countries like Australia, though, ought to have progressed beyond the point where ideas of personal honour affect the...

Creative space was milked for mastery

ADAM FULTON When Aaron Anderson was working on his screenprints made of burnt milk, other artists sharing their big warehouse feared he was setting the place alight.

Futurist predicted rise of the home computer

ANTHONY J. WIENER, 1930-2012Albert Einstein said he never thought about the future because it comes soon enough. Anthony J. Wiener thought about it deeply and influentially.

Akubra man kept the legend alive

STEPHEN KEIR, 1938-2012It occupied a special place as authentically Australian, but by the 1970s the male fashion for long hair had banished the Akubra to the rural backblocks.

Column 8

''Some years ago, the Herald ran a discussion regarding the direction people face in the shower,'' recalls Helen Gentle, of Wahroonga (The Great Nozzle Schemozzle, Column 8, Saturday).

It doesn't add up, so I am lost for words

BREAKING news: ''SBS has decided to rest Letters and Numbers and develop other programs so we can continue to offer new, great content to our audiences.''

A big day for ... bike flips

SCOTT ELLIS AND LEESHA MCKENNY DON'T try this at home, kids. Or at Luna Park, actually. At the famous venue where the motto is ''just for fun'' (as long as it adheres to strict OH&S;), they've hired some pros to show all how it's...

Pokie profits went up in SKY

MAX PRESNELL Racing's three codes in NSW had the opportunity to own a 50 per cent share of National Sky Channel for nil outlay, says Allan Windross, an authority on one of the state's most far-reaching decisions.