News in Australia

• Cats in good form for Pies, says Ottens
  

  Brad Ottens says the Cats have gained plenty from playing in the first two weeks of the finals series.

• Five Sydney children robbed by teens
  

  Police have arrested three teenagers after they allegedly robbed five children at knifepoint in Sydney's north-west.

• Wilkie threatens to block mine tax
  

  Independent Andrew Wilkie has threatened the Gillard government's mining tax, warning he will block it unless it is fundamentally redrawn.

• Crossing the great divide
  

  Rural Australia is crying out for help, and politicians may finally be listening, write Jessica Irvine, Nick O'Malley and David Humphries.

• Rice swam against new tide of zero tolerance
  

  Brands are rethinking their values in the aftermath of the David Jones sexual harassment scandal, writes Erik Jensen.

• 20 years of sexual harassment: DJs claims
  

  THE former David Jones chief executive Mark McInnes engaged in sexual misconduct when he worked at Black and Decker 20 years ago and had to be counselled up to 10 times for his ''inappropriate behaviour, language and approach towards women'', court documents allege.

• Big Tobacco hired public relations firm to lobby government
  

  IF YOUR bulldust detector is twitching over outraged retailers warning that plain packaging for cigarettes ''won't work, so why do it'', you are right on the money.

• Reviewers take up their forks to fight for a voice amid babble
  

  Expert critics have been deemed an endangered species but they still have a few critical words to say, writes Damien Murphy.

• Submarine plans could be scuttled
  

  THE new defence minister will come under pressure to scrap Australia's most expensive defence project - the plan to build 12 new submarines at a potential cost of $36 billion.

• Safety comes first when kids are let loose in MasterChef kitchen
  

  CARAMELISING is in but flambees are out. And no pumpkin carving.

• Gillard hands Rudd foreign affairs post
  

  KEVIN RUDD will be named foreign affairs minister when Julia Gillard announces her new ministry today, a day after the independent MP, Robert Oakeshott, spurned the offer of a cabinet position.

• Senate plan to cut corporate watchdog powers
  

  A SENATE inquiry report will call for the corporate watchdog to lose it power over the insolvency industry because the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has responded too slowly to complaints raised by high-profile corporate collapses such as ABC Learning, Opes Prime and Storm Financial.

• ASIC's powers under threat
  

  Australia's corporate watchdog ASIC is set to lose its powers to regulate the insolvency industry after a Senate inquiry raised concerns about its competency.

• Price of broken dreams
  

  When swimming pool cleaner John Nicoll realised he had lost his life's savings in a get-rich investment scheme gone wrong, thoughts of revenge consumed him.

• Fraser-Kirk claims McInnes not first DJs boss to harass
  

  David Jones had previously been embroiled in a sexual harassment case involving criminal conduct by one of its managers, claims the woman suing the department store.

• Jim Byrnes
  

  Big Jim Byrnes has been bankrupt, served time in prison, been banned by ASIC from running companies and had a notorious reputation as an associate of major criminals.

• Loggers' assault a 'rampage'
  

  Three forest workers have been convicted of a violent assault that marked a low point in Tasmania's old growth logging dispute.

• Huge locust plague looms
  

  Locusts have laid eggs over an area of Australia about the size of Spain, as farmers ready for a plague of record proportions.

• Court ruling backs union access to the workplace
  

  Unions have won a significant victory in their ability to recruit members and enter workplaces after a Federal Court ruling.

• Senator's son guilty
  

  The son of New South Wales Greens senator-elect Lee Rhiannon has been sentenced to periodic detention for dealing in cannabis.

• Qantas accused
  

  Qantas breached security protocols during a bomb scare at Sydney Airport two days ago, baggage handlers say.

• Toyota jobs to stay
  

  Up to 30,000 automotive jobs in Australia have been secured by Toyota's announcement yesterday of a new $300 million engine factory.

• Australia security link
  

  New Zealand's disgraced former chief defence scientist had access to some of Australia's high-level military technology.

• Epic search ended by stranger's email
  

  Ken Thompson created a little ritual as he pedalled through Europe searching for his lost boy.

• Asylum riot charges withdrawn
  

  Charges against two Tamil asylum seekers accused of rioting at the Christmas Island detention centre have been dropped.

• Dead soldier's final blessing: birth of his son
  

  FAMILY was the most important thing in Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney's short life.

• Police test for killer bullet
  

  NSW police are investigating the possibility that one of Constable Will Crews's colleagues may have accidentally killed him during the exchange of fire in a drug raid.

• Fears for Goulburn River levee
  

  Authorities are closely monitoring a levee on the Goulburn River which is feared could fail in the next few hours.

• Search for man overboard off Mackay
  

  A search is underway for a man believed to have fallen overboard from a boat off the north Queensland coast.

• Leaks reveal Big Tobacco's $5m blitz
  

  Leaked documents have revealed cigarette companies have funnelled over $5 million into a campaign against plain cigarette packaging.

• Short films make quick work of traditional catwalk shows
  

  VIDEO may yet kill the catwalk show with fashion films shaping up as the hot new accessory.

• Wojcinski hits winning note for Cats
  

  Two-time premiership defender Andrew Mackie might find it hard to get back into the Geelong side after all.

• Vatuvei accepts some blame for loss
  

  Big-hearted winger Manu Vatuvei accepted some of the blame for the Warriors 28-16 NRL qualifying final loss to the Gold Coast.

• Cats cruise against Dockers
  

  Geelong will meet Collingwood in an AFL preliminary final for the third time in four seasons after cruising to a 69-point semi-final win over Fremantle.

• Mariners down ten-man Heart
  

  Central Coast earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over a ten-man Melbourne Heart at Bluetongue Stadium on Friday night.

• Lacey fiancee has decade-long wait
  

  The fiancee of Jade Lacey will have to wait more than a decade to marry him after he received an added six-year sentence for torture and extortion.

• O'Farrell won't commit to ethics classes
  

  NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell says he won't commit to secular ethics classes in state schools if the Coalition wins the next state election

• Woman survives nail gun to the head
  

  A woman is recovering in hospital after she accidentally shot herself in the head with a nail gun.

• Pro-euthanasia ads pulled from TV
  

  An ad which calls for a government re-think on euthanasia cannot be shown on Australian television following a "last minute" backflip by a classification body.

• Man charged with sodomy in Qld
  

  A man will appear before a far north Queensland court charged with a number of offences against children.

• Spargo hopes Hooper relishes debut
  

  Paul Spargo, the last AFL player to make his debut in a final, hopes Western Bulldogs onballer Andrew Hooper backs himself.

• Junior gold miners 'provide M&A allure'
  

  Investors seeking exposure to gold should back Australia's junior gold miners, which will be takeover targets for larger producers, say analysts.

• Chameleon asks for trading resumption
  

  Chameleon Mining has asked for its shares to be returned to trade on the ASX on Monday after the receiver appointed by its litigation funder was retired.

• Mason questions Henry's coaching
  

  Departing North Queensland forward Willie Mason has questioned whether coach Neil Henry is the man to resurrect the ailing NRL club.

• Female snails grow penises on heads
  

  Female marine snails living off the Perth coast are growing male sex organs on their heads after exposure to the chemical TBT, according to local researchers.

• Stakes raised in social media gamble
  

  Three notable slip-ups on Facebook and Twitter this week have led to sackings and loss of sponsorship, showing there is no privacy in social media.

• Father terrified to be with own kids
  

  A WA father who handled his two-year-old nephew so roughly he died is now scared to be left alone with his own children, a judge says.

• NT taxi drivers, umpire, cops terrorised
  

  Recent outbreaks of mob violence in Alice Springs have cast a shadow over the entire community, the Northern Territory opposition says.

• Roosters' dominance a curse: Sheens
  

  West Tigers coach Tim Sheens has declared the Sydney Roosters' three wins over his side this year could make opposite number Brian Smith's job tougher.

• Rome readied for MacKillop celebrations
  

  Australia's representatives are on standby in Rome for the expected arrival of travelling Aussies for Mary MacKillop's canonisation.

• Barker to leave Hawks coaching staff
  

  John Barker is stepping down from his assistant coaching role at Hawthorn and has told the AFL club he's keen to pursue other opportunities.

• Brad Johnson spurring on Bulldogs: Cross
  

  Western Bulldogs midfielder Daniel Cross has no doubt the Western Bulldogs will find an extra edge for retiring skipper Brad Johnson.

• Man jailed for attack on boy
  

  A former boundary umpire has been jailed for at least a year for child sex offences after an attack on a boy dating back more than 30 years.

• Palmer denies corrupt dealings
  

  Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer says he had no corrupt dealings with WA Nationals leader Brendon Grylls over the dropping of an environmental bond.

• McCaw 'without peer' as captain: Deans
  

  With Richie McCaw about to break the record for most Test appearances as All Blacks captain, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says no-one compares.

• Passenger claims bomb in bag
  

  A man about to board a plane to Taiwan at Sydney Airport allegedly told staff he had a bomb in his luggage.

• NAPLAN tests not a competition: Crean
  

  The government doesn't want national numeracy and literacy tests to be seen as a competition between states, but that seems to be what's happened.

• Two more arrested over python theft
  

  Police have arrested two more in the wake of a pet shop burglary where a python and a lizard were stolen.

• Steffensen backed on Comm Games pullout
  

  Australia's world indoor long jump champion Fabrice Lapierre said he respected the decision of John Steffensen to pull out the Commonwealth Games.

• Kookaburras fear the worst at Comm Games
  

  Australia men's hockey coach Ric Charlesworth admits he is concerned about his side's chances at next month's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

• Panthers determined to bust Raiders myth
  

  Penrith are determined to bust the myth that Canberra have the biggest and most destructive forward pack in the NRL.

• Spotlight on NAB's next move over AXA
  

  AXA's French parent has yet to give up on NAB's bid, but analysts hope the bank will heed shareholders' message to stop its pursuit of the wealth manager.

• Charges dropped for two asylum seekers
  

  Charges against two Tamil asylum seekers who were accused of rioting at the Christmas Island detention centre have been dropped.

• Bonds close weaker after US sell-off
  

  The Australian debt market closed weaker after it was unable to claw back overnight losses from the release of firm US jobs data.

• Bonds close weaker after US sell-off
  

  The Australian debt market closed weaker after it was unable to claw back overnight losses from the release of firm US jobs data.

• Perth Glory wary of rested Gold Coast
  

  Glory coach Dave Mitchell says Gold Coast shouldn't be taken lightly despite their slow start to the A-League season.

• Hayne hoping Quade may move to NRL later
  

  Parramatta Eels flyer Jarryd Hayne thinks there is still a chance Wallabies key playmaker Quade Cooper could switch to the NRL.

• Sydney FC's Carle out for three weeks
  

  Sydney FC have had more injury trouble, with Nick Carle's toe injury worse than first thought and the playmaker sidelined.

• Bail report ordered for murder accused
  

  A court has ordered a report on whether a man charged with killing his wife in a house fire should be released on bail.

• Mining stocks drag market lower
  

  Falls to mining and energy stocks have led the Australian share market to close about half a per cent lower.

• Man charged over stabbing death
  

  Two men have been charged in relation to a group stabbing incident in an Aboriginal camp, in which one man sustained a fatal stab wound to his leg.

• Fresh sex claims levelled at ex-DJs boss
  

  The number of sexual harassment claims against Mark McInnes has climbed, with the former David Jones boss rejecting the 'intolerable' allegations.

• Perth man jailed for child porn
  

  A 31-year-old Perth man who lost his job as a schoolteacher after police found child pornography on his computer has been sent to jail.

• Locusts could harm area 'size of Spain'
  

  Farmers are bracing for huge swarms of locusts following a wet, warm winter which provided ideal conditions for the survival of eggs.

• Theo stands in old side's way
  

  Former Victory goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos will carry mixed emotions as he puts Brisbane Roar's A-League clean sheet to the test.

• Strong winds to hit Sydney
  

  Residents of Sydney and surrounding regions are being urged to stay indoors on Friday afternoon as wind gusts of up to 100km/h are expected.

• Walker quits Hockeyroos
  

  Tasmanian defender Kim Walker will retire from international hockey after the Hockeyroos' World Cup campaign.

• Raiders, Panthers sign rising stars
  

  Canberra have re-signed rising star Joel Thompson on the eve of their NRL qualifying final.

• Enviros back Gunns native forestry exit
  

  Environmentalists have welcomed a move from Gunns to stop logging native forests in Tasmania.

• NT bush students below standard
  

  A report has shown NT students, particularly those in schools outside Darwin, have the worst levels of literacy and numeracy in the country.

• $10bn 'not enough' for people to go bush
  

  It'll take more than $10 billion in government spending to attract people to the bush, economists say.

• Teenagers film rape of girl, police say
  

  Four teenage boys have been charged after a mobile phone camera was allegedly used to film the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Western Australia.

• Kiwi driver scores fastest V8 time
  

  Young New Zealander Shane Van Gisbergen has trumped the stars ahead of Sunday's Phillip Island V8 Supercar classic.

• Fairfax to charge for mobile content
  

  Fairfax Media will begin charging for some online news content within a matter of weeks when it launches its first subscription-based smartphone applications.

• Moment in sun for regional tourism
  

  The structure of the new Gillard government could be a boon to Australia's tourism industry, according to the peak body.

• Senate wonders if patience is waiting
  

  The Senate is still waiting for answers to more than 2000 questions first asked in May and June.

• Reds boss surprised by turnaround
  

  Adelaide United coach Rini Coolen says he's surprised by his side's stunning start to the A-League season.

• Titans too strong for Warriors
  

  The Gold Coast Titans have gone some way to easing their 2009 finals disappointment by slaying the New Zealand Warriors at Skilled Park on Friday night.

• Elsom predicting different encounter
  

  Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom is anticipating a much different encounter from his team's two previous outings when they play the All Blacks in Sydney.

• Moffatt eyes back-to-back world titles
  

  Australian Emma Moffatt aims to become only the fifth triathlete to successfully defend their Olympic-distance world title.

• Nats push for more prominence
  

  The Nationals are jostling for another spot on the opposition frontbench after increasing their parliamentary representation at the federal election.

• Lacey brothers get extra jail time
  

  Two Gold Coast brothers have been given six extra years in jail over the torture and shooting of a man.

• More work for SA students after tests
  

  The state government says more work needs to be done to raise the literacy and numeracy levels in South Australia following the latest round of testing.

• Thousands expected at ACT's Floriade
  

  Visitors in their thousands are expected to flock to this year's Floriade in Canberra - Australia's largest flower festival.

• Libs battling to stay relevant: Barnett
  

  Outgoing Tasmanian Liberal Senator Guy Barnett says the party is battling to stay relevant in the state after a 'dismal' result at the federal election.

• Media create lenience perception: court
  

  Selective media reporting of Victorian court cases has created a public misconception that sentences are too light, an appeal court has found.

• Who is this Koran burner? Muslims ask
  

  Sydney-based Muslim cleric Sheik Taj Al Hilaly has a message for the pastor at a tiny Florida church who has threatened to burn copies of the Koran.

• Eucalyptus tree disease fears spread
  

  A plant disease that threatens Australia's iconic eucalypts has spread, and authorities fear they have lost the battle to eradicate it.

• Man charged over rape in Townsville
  

  Police have charged a man over the rape of a 19-year-old woman in Townsville.

• Allied increases Simberi gold reserves
  

  Allied Gold Ltd has substantially increased the gold reserves at its Simberi project in Papua New Guinea.