Australia close to FTA with China: Bishop

AFTER eight years of negotiations, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says she is hopeful of clinching a free trade agreement with China within months. Ms Bishop was in Beijing this week for high-level talks with Chinese officials including Vice-President...

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Motorcyclist dies after toy run event

A 58-YEAR-OLD man is dead and a teenage girl is in hospital after a motorcycle crash on the Brooker Highway in Hobart. Police say the motorcycle, which had earlier been involved in a toy run event, was travelling north when it crashed about...

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Blue Mountains families want repair action

SOME 70 Blue Mountains families who lost everything in the October bushfires are on track to have their blocks cleared, ready for rebuilding, just in time for Christmas. NSW Services Minister Andrew Constance on Thursday night fronted residents...

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Shark blamed for NSW surfer's injuries

A SURFER who showed up at a NSW mid-north coast hospital with cuts to his hand and leg has received a surprising diagnosis: shark attack. Police say the 26-year-old was in the water at Port Macquarie about 6.15pm (AEDT) on Thursday, when he...

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Manufacturing decline is limited: report

AUSTRALIA'S manufacturing sector has faced difficult economic conditions over the past decade but new research has pin-pointed a sharp downturn in overall productivity to just three key areas. A staff working paper by the Productivity Commission...

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Trade not aid key to Asian support: Abbott

TRADE, not aid, should be Australia's policy when it comes to assisting Asian neighbours, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, as the opposition called for an inquiry into his government's $4.5 billion aid program cuts. Speaking in Melbourne on Thursday...

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Boy dies in Queensland road accident

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy has died in hospital in north Queensland after his bike and a car collided. He was riding at the intersection of Hans Christian Street and Brownsey Court at Sarina on Thursday afternoon when the accident happened. He was...

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Asthma hampers play, sex and work: study

NEARLY a third of dads with uncontrolled asthma avoid running around with their kids, according to a study that shows the condition affects almost every aspect of adult life. It takes a toll on dating, sexual pleasure and people's careers, according...

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Amphetamines link to higher HIV risk

THE growing use of amphetamine-style stimulants across Southeast Asia has increased the risk that users will contract HIV or other blood-borne viruses, a report has found. Amphetamine-type stimulants are the second most used recreational drugs...

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Art project elicits the profound, profane

IT is public art made of private wishes. In a phenomenon spreading across the globe, over-sized blackboards, painted on buildings and freestanding displays, invite passers-by to complete the sentence: "Before I die I want to ..." Answers, some...

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'Little joy' in UK soldier killing: court

ONE of the two men accused of hacking to death a British soldier in broad daylight told police he had "little joy" in killing, the jury at his London trial has heard. Islamic extremists Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, are charged...

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Seven policemen killed in India blast

AT least seven policemen have been killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoist rebels in eastern India. The insurgents targeted a police vehicle that was on patrol in Bihar state's Aurangabad district, 130km south of the state capital Patna....

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Ford's US sales rose 7% in November

FORD'S US sales rose seven per cent in November, led by strong demand for the Fusion midsize car and F-Series pickups. Ford said Fusion sales jumped 51 per cent over last November to 22,839. F-Series pickup sales were up 16 per cent to 65,501....

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Sri Lankan military 'executed 17 in 2006'

SRI Lankan security forces executed 17 local workers in 2006 and the government has protected the killers, a French aid group says. Action Against Hunger said in a statement on Tuesday that it had compiled a report with information implicating...

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Economic growth staying solid

AUSTRALIA'S economic growth is expected to have picked up a little as the non-mining sectors of the economy start to recover. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will release national accounts data on Wednesday. Gross domestic product...

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US home prices rise just 0.2 per cent

A MEASURE of US home prices rose only modestly in October, adding to signs that prices have stabilised after big gains earlier this year. Real estate data provider CoreLogic said on Tuesday that prices increased 0.2 per cent in October from...

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US construction spending up 0.8 per cent

US developers boosted construction spending in October at the fastest pace in more than four years, propelled by a surge in government buildings. The increase suggests the 16-day partial government shutdown didn't slow public projects. The...

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Dow Chemical to separate about 40 plants

DOW Chemical is looking to separate about 40 manufacturing plants from its business as it continues to concentrate on moving away from cyclical commodity products. The company said on Monday it was considering joint ventures, spinoffs or sales....

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Saab back, first cars under new owners

FOR the first time in two-and-a-half years, a new Saab sedan has rolled off the production line in Trollhattan in southwest Sweden. National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the Hong Kong-based company that bought Saab out of bankruptcy in September...

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Bank of America to pay Freddie Mac $US400m

BANK of America will pay $US404 million ($A444 million) to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac to settle all remaining claims over home loans sold in the previous decade. The bank says the deal resolves claims on loans sold from 2000 through 2009, which...

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High Court to hear gay marriage challenge

A LEGAL challenge to the ACT's marriage equality laws will begin in the High Court on Tuesday. A full bench of the court, Australia's highest legal jurisdiction, will hear a challenge from The Commonwealth seeking to discredit the validity of...

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Second body removed from UK pub

THE body of a second victim has been removed from the Glasgow hotel which collapsed when a police helicopter crashed through its roof. At least eight people were killed when the helicopter crashed into the Clutha Vaults pub in Scotland's largest...

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Salvos snapshot shines light on homeless

THEY'VE been reaching out to the homeless for 130 years, but for the first time the Salvation Army is releasing data on the people they help. The Salvation Army on Monday released its first National Homeless Report, revealing how many people...

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Three Qld men in court for bashing murder

THREE young men will appear in a Sunshine Coast court on Monday charged with murder after allegedly killing a man in an early morning bashing. The 45-year-old victim sustained head injuries when he was attacked outside the Factory nightclub...

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Watkins bandmates unaware of abuse

THE ex-bandmates of paedophile rocker Ian Watkins insist they did not know about the abuse. The Lostprophets frontman has admitted a string of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby. Speaking for the first time since Watkins' last-minute...

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Government data found on old memory sticks

USED memory sticks being sold on the internet have been found to contain sensitive Australian government data, according to a new study. The research paper, to be presented at a cyber security conference in Perth, reveals how researchers discovered...

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