Top Stories: Sydney, Dec 26 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) is coming up with a plan to discourage talented youngsters from joining the Indian Premier League (IPL) by increasing the value of contracts for the players. IANS Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:50:04 -0500Melbourne, Dec 26 : Lady Gaga has been branded slut by religious activists known for picketing the funerals of deceased soldiers and vocally opposing rights for gays and lesbians. ANI Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:20:07 -0500Melbourne, Dec 26 : Aussie rockers AC/DC may have to cancel a sold out concert in Austria over fears that their high-voltage rock and roll may have a dramatic impact on a colony of rare birds. ANI Sat, 26 Dec 2009 04:40:12 -0500Melbourne, Dec. 26 : Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif has said he was unfairly treated for testing positive to steroids. ANI Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:10:06 -0500Melbourne, Dec. 26 : Australian openers Shane Watson and Simon Katich fell agonisingly short of centuries, but their side was in a commanding position against Pakistan on the first day of the first Test of the series at the MCG here. ANI Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:10:05 -0500Melbourne, Dec 26 : Actress Gemma Arterton has urged women not to imitate her or her fellow Hollywood actresses and create an identity of their own. ANI Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:10:24 -0500Melbourne, Dec. 26 : Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting urged Pakistan to bring on a bouncer war as he declared himself an almost certain starter for his 13th Boxing Day Test. ANI Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:20:19 -0500Melbourne, Dec. 26 : Australia's star-studded domestic Twenty20 competition begins on Monday and big hitting West Indies captain Chris Gayle will lead the international charge. ANI Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:10:16 -0500PAKISTAN could hardly have made a worse start to the series. The tourists toiled away to little effect for four hours and it took an outburst of Keystone Kops cricket to bring them a wicket. Had Shane... WA Today Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:27:55 -0500Hong Kong - An Australian youth orchestra musician found dead in a Hong Kong hotel room died after taking a deadly cocktail of drugs, a news report said Sunday. Daniel Hall, 21, an oboe player with th... Earth Times Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:12:45 -0500Michael Hussey became the latest Australian batsman to fall victim to the "century curse", but not before he had propelled the hosts to an authoritative 4 for 394 over Pakistan in the first Test. No l... Cricinfo Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:12:06 -0500The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania is ready for the Sydney to Hobart fleet to arrive. Final preparations were made to Hobart's Constitution Dock yesterday, including moving out all the boats normally m... ABC News Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:08:06 -0500Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has urged Australians to know when "to declare" while drinking this summer. Speaking on the Melbourne Cricket Ground before play on the second day of the Boxing Day Test, Mr... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:56:33 -0500Men wielding machetes terrorised patrons in two separate hotels early on Sunday, with police investigating whether the same two men struck twice. About 12.30am (CDT), two men armed with machetes robb... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:56:31 -0500A woman is dead after being thrown from a car which lost control in northern West Australia, taking the state's holiday road toll to seven. The woman, whose age is yet to be confirmed, was one of fou... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:56:27 -0500Two suspected bikies have been charged with fire-arm offences after gun fire on the Gold Coast. Police said there were reports of a gun shot in the vicinity of Dapple Court, Burleigh Heads, on Saturd... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:56:25 -0500The big department stores had record sales on Boxing Day, with NSW customers expected to keep hunting for bargains over the holiday period. Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) chief exec... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:56:23 -0500More than 170mm of rain fell in parts of the NSW Hunter region within 24 hours but a severe flood risk initially forecast by meteorologists has eased. In the 24 hours up to 9am (AEDT) on Sunday, a we... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:56:21 -0500CONFUSED partygoers have been getting in the way of the paramedics who rush to emergencies on bicycles complete with sirens wailing and lights flashing. News.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:55:26 -0500The officers attended a home at Inverell about 5.45pm (AEDT)on Saturday after reports that a woman was injured by a broken window."Upon their arrival, the officers were met with a female who alle... News.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:55:24 -0500The Federal Government says it is in touch with US authorities to safeguard travel in Australia after a man tried to detonate an explosive on a flight to Detroit. The US Government has laid charges a... Yahoo!7 News Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:49:02 -0500The Kingston man who died after a recreational fishing trip around Bruny Island went wrong yesterday, was trapped in a cabin of a 5.3 metre runabout after it capsized, police revealed today.Two men bo... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:28:59 -0500WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye has revealed he could take part in a 'new Rumble in the Jungle' fight in Africa.The 29-year-old Briton secured his world title with a points victory over Niko... sportal.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:58:53 -0500Police have arrested a man over a stabbing in Sydney's inner city overnight. Officers say a 24-year-old man was stabbed in the chest, thigh and groin during an attack in Surry Hills around 1:30 am (A... ABC News Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:43:40 -0500A cyclist knocked down on the Gold Coast was not wearing a helmet when he rode into the path of a car, police say. The 24-year-old was critically injured when his bike collided with a station wagon a... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:29:59 -0500Shane Watson is fast becoming Australian cricket's version of the mullet haircut - big in the late 80s to mid-90s. On a drama-filled day one of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Watson was stranded sho... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:29:57 -0500A Tourism WA spokesman said the State tourism body had decided that the project, which one consultant believed could attract up to 90,000 tourists a year, was not economically viable. Plans to use sa... The West Australian Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:22:22 -0500ABC Radio reports this morning that the Department of Mines and Petroleum confirmed an "incident" yesterday. It is understood a 180 tonne dump truck ran over a stationary utility. The Department sai... The West Australian Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:22:15 -0500IT SEEMS Tony Abbott isn't ready to hang up the budgie smugglers just yet. If the Opposition Leader had his (hypothetical) way, Canberra would have a surf beach. Other than that, our town is just fine... The Canberra Times Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:58:23 -0500Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua has won the third and final wildcard for the Brisbane International by beating fellow Australian Olivia Rogowska. Former world number one Justine Henin and an... ABC News Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:16:08 -0500The theft of dangerous detonators on the NSW south coast has sparked a public-safety alert from police. Several tins of railway detonators were taken from the back of a utility parked in Third Avenue... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:04:14 -0500WILD Oats XI is facing one of the great challenges of her Sydney to Hobart reign as she battles to remain close to her main overseas rivals this morning. News.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:03:27 -0500Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo is leading the hunt for line honours victory in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race at around 6:30am AEDT on Sunday.But ICAP Leopard and four-time winner Wild Oats XI is stil... sportal.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:04:01 -0500The officers attended a home at Inverell about 5.45pm (AEDT)on Saturday after reports that a woman was injured by a broken window."Upon their arrival, the officers were met with a female who alle... News.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:37:28 -0500The man, 37, from Drouin in the state's east, was hit by a Hyundai Excel on Hoddle Street, between Bridge Road and Swan Street about 10.20pm on Saturday.He was taken to The Alfred hospital with life t... News.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:37:27 -0500Australia's recent century hoodoo continued on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG as openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson both fell just short of triple figures. Watso... Ananova Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:12:33 -0500Shrink SYDNEY - One of the great Sydney to Hobart battles of recent years was unfolding last night, with Australia's line honours favourite Wild Oats XI locked in a tremendous tussle with overseas riv... New Zealand Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:34:13 -0500NEW Year's Eve is expected to be the soberest on record, with councils across New South Wales banning alcohol from parks and harbourside beaches. News.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:22:35 -0500Australia's recent century hoodoo continued on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG as openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson both fell just short of triple figures. Watso... Ananova Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:58:38 -0500SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD boxing champion Jesse Crack, of Port Sorell, died in hospital yesterday from injuries sustained in a horror crash at Elizabeth Town on Tuesday afternoon. It is believed the 60-kilog... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:56:06 -0500MELBOURNE - Families are urged to use the holidays to practise fire escape plans with their children after a Melbourne boy died in a house fire. Fire crews were called to a house at Cranbourne in Melb... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:56:04 -0500UNIQUE is a term often employed when describing community arts organisation Big hART, but the group is trying its best to make sure it no longer applies. The North-West based non- profit group has bee... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:56:03 -0500BAGHDAD - Eighteen people, including six Shi'ite worshippers, have been killed in a spate of attacks across Iraq, despite ramped up security for Christmas Day and Shi'ite Ashura rituals. Also ... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:56:01 -0500LAUNCESTON retailers enjoyed a spike in sales yesterday, as shoppers hit the streets early in search of a Boxing Day bargain Thousands took advantage of heavily discounted merchandise and made up for ... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:56:00 -0500HIGHLIGHTS ? A record number of international acts. ? Relocation of the arts village to a more central location. ? A wide selection of catering vendors including Flip Burger, Byron Bay ... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:55:59 -0500With adoption in Australia becoming harder, CLAIRE VAN RYN visits Tasmania's largest family to find out how they adopted so many children. "LOVE stretches." Launceston woman Pat Howard and husband... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:55:58 -0500MELBOURNE - For all the near-misses and what-ifs, the Australian batsmen have asserted a strong early advantage over Pakistan. Shane Watson and Simon Katich should have scored centuries on day one of ... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:55:56 -0500THE axe may have hung over the Latrobe Carnival this year but the only ones in evidence yesterday were being expertly wielded by the woodchoppers. Appropriately enough, a construction company stepped ... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:55:55 -0500A VICTORIAN with a Maltese dad and Aboriginal mum and who only took up running three seasons ago to get fit for football yesterday won the 2009 men's Latrobe Gift. Gary Mongta, 25, one of Victoria... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:55:54 -0500JACKSON Law yesterday upheld the family tradition of winning Australia's richest wheelrace at the age of 16. Two years after Scott landed the $12,500 title, the younger sibling ensured it was retu... The Examiner Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:55:53 -0500FOLLOWING three months of international travel investigating opportunities for agriculture in carbon trading, Nuffield Scholar David Drage has come to the conclusion that it is all "hype and humbug".N... Stock Journal Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:08:30 -0500A SIGNIFICANT decline in the national sheep flock has got the Future Farm Industries CRC asking what liesahead for the Australian sheep industry and its implication for future research and development... Stock Journal Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:08:29 -0500IPL chief executive officer since July, James Fazzino has committed to a tough cost-cutting program as well as preparing for growth, writes Carrie LaFrenz.James Fazzino has just returned from Phosphat... Stock Journal Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:08:27 -0500CHILDREN as young as four who are too violent to teach will be sent to Queensland's first behaviour school for Prep students. The trial centre will open in January and comes as primary teachers compl... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:56:40 -0500Australia's recent century hoodoo continued on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG as openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson both fell just short of triple figures. Watso... Ananova Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:32:23 -0500There were runs aplenty but plenty of frustration even as Australia batted themselves into a commanding position after day one of the Boxing Day test against Pakistan yesterday. Openers Shane Watson ... New Zealand Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:46:46 -0500Australia's recent century hoodoo continued on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG as openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson both fell just short of triple figures. Watso... Ananova Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:10:58 -0500Sydney, Dec 26: Cricket Australia (CA) is coming up with a plan to discourage talented youngsters from joining the Indian Premier League (IPL) by increasing the value of contracts for the players. New Kerala Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:37:24 -0500S YDNEY — New Zealand maxi Alfa Romeo was leading the Sydney to Hobart race on Saturday, with just over one nautical mile separating the three leading yachts Nine hours into the race, Alfa Rome... Boston Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:09:18 -0500Australia's recent century hoodoo continued on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG as openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson both fell just short of triple figures. Watso... Ananova Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:47:39 -0500Australians spent A$8.5 billion buying gifts this Christmas, at least A$1 billion worth of these presents will either be left to gather dust in a cupboard, binned, regifted, exchanged or sold. World Bulletin Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:19:56 -0500THE number of commuters injured on trains, stations and in railway car parks has risen by more than two-thirds, figures show. But few of the accidents result in compensation claims, with just four cl... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:31 -0500DORA and Peter Panos joined the rush into the city yesterday but it was a mistake. The Drummoyne couple had no luck as they battled city crowds. Then they went to Broadway Shopping Centre and had spe... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:26 -0500FIRE has destroyed the Sydney home of a family on Christmas night.The residents, believed to be a woman in her 40s and her son, had to be evacuated from the house in Binomea Place, Pennant Hills, abou... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:20 -0500ASK drover Robert Groth if the Christmas rain has made a difference and he shrugs. ''You're going to need 200 millimetres or more - a real drenching,'' he said. ''But there's been bugger all around h... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:18 -0500NICOLE KIDMAN and Keith Urban have celebrated Christmas by taking daughter Sunday Rose to Mass in Sydney. Kidman, Urban and their daughter were dropped off at St Francis Xavier Church, Lavender Bay, ... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:15 -0500A PREGNANT woman who was struck by a van that mounted a footpath on the NSW Central Coast has lost her baby, authorities said yesterday. The 29-year-old woman was walking along Coachwood Road at Ouri... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:13 -0500ELECTRICITY, gas, water and public transport costs will all increase in 2010, while the average grocery shop will make a bigger dent in the family budget. And as the world emerges from the global fin... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:11 -0500AS THEY set off in the rain for a camping holiday at Barrington Tops, the Morgan family remained upbeat in the face of rising prices, particularly at the bowser. ''Not only with petrol prices going u... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:08 -0500Mystery...Sylvia Pajuczok failed to ring her family last Christmas. Her empty van was found on the Monaro Highway the next day. SYLVIA PAJUCZOK always called her children and grandchildren if she co... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:47:04 -0500(CNN) -- Australia were in command after the first day of the traditional Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG, but both their openers agonisingly missed out on centuries. CNN Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:28:40 -0500POLICE were rushing a Taser stun gun to a Central Coast home when officers gunned down a knife-wielding man in front of his family on Christmas Day. Ian Cowie, who had a mental illness, died in Gosfo... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:21:28 -0500Newcastle Jets' four-match winning streak came to a crashing end as a Jamie Harnwell-inspired Perth Glory romped to a 4-0 A-League triumph at ME Bank Stadium on Saturday. Harnwell, making just his th... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:21:25 -0500WHILE Perth has baked through the second hottest year on record and the warmest December in seven years, it will be a slightly cooler New Year's Day. perthnow Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:44 -0500TWO Romanians suspected of card skimming from ATMs in southeast Queensland appeared in court yesterday after a Christmas Eve arrest. The men, aged 56 and 41, were spotted acting suspiciously near an ... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:14 -0500THEY call it the bull shark superhighway. Hundreds of surfers paddle through it each week but only a few divers and lifesavers are aware of the shark congregation area off the northern wall of the Gol... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:13 -0500A MAN suspected of killing Goodna schoolgirl Leanne Holland is a police informant and convicted rapist. He is a sadistic, violent predator, who was once friends with the Holland family, lived near th... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:12 -0500IT'S hard to resist. At this time of year the temptation to write a list of resolutions is as strong as the one to sneak a spoonful of leftover trifle at 4am. What is it about our desire to start ove... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:09 -0500FOR the Rothnie family this time of year has become an even greater reason to be grateful. As yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the Boxing Day Tsunami that killed an estimated 226,000 people,... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:08 -0500Pictures: Entries in the Summer Fun competition Chris Graham was flying high at Lota on Brisbane's bayside when he saw the camera and seized the moment. So did Narelle, and it won the Summer Fun categ... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:06 -0500WITH its white sand beaches and aqua water, Moreton Island is a holiday paradise. But surf lifesavers, patrolling the island northeast of Brisbane for the first time, have discovered dramatic rips hav... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:05 -0500GRAHAM Stafford would welcome a retrial to finally clear his name and find the killer of schoolgirl Leanne Holland. Only then will his nightmare end after protesting his innocence for 18 years. Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:03 -0500THEY appear unlikely combinations, but for hundreds of businesses the mix and match of different interests is proving a lucrative strategy. While the car wash/cafe used to turn heads, today it takes ... Courier Mail Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:20:01 -0500Australia's recent century hoodoo continued on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG as openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson both fell just short of triple figures. Watso... Ananova Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:55:54 -0500AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the AMA welcomes reports that the Coalition will make health funding, including public hospital funding and governance, a key policy battleground at the... Medical News Today Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:23:27 -0500Medicare rebate claiming announced by the Government is a good case to introduce ongoing financial support to assist medical practices cover the administrative costs associated with electronic claimin... Medical News Today Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:23:19 -0500A knee strain sustained by international Jason Culina took a lot of gloss away from a rampant Gold Coast United's 5-1 trouncing of the Brisbane Roar in the M1 derby at Skilled Park on Saturday night. ... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:01:56 -0500A SPIKE in the number of assaults in prisons has prompted fears of a major incident in the state's overcrowded jails this summer. perthnow Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:01:24 -0500Burswood Swingers Club, where couples meet and swap partners for thrills, has been embroiled with Victoria Park Council in a two-year battle for survival.The council says the club has been operating i... perthnow Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:01:14 -0500Tourism Council of WA chief executive Graham Moss said tourists would undoubtedly be eager to see the biggest home in the country."When Rose and Lang had their house it was on a lot of itinerarie... perthnow Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:01:11 -0500The Tigers posted a much-needed 90-88 victory over Wollongong in Melbourne on Saturday night to keep their slim NBL play-offs hopes alive. Melbourne star Christ Anstey led from the front with 24 poin... ABC Sports Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:54:29 -0500Perth grounded the high-flying Newcastle Jets with an emphatic 4-0 thrashing at Members Equity Stadium on Saturday night. In a Boxing Day boilover, the Glory picked only up their second win in ten ma... ABC Sports Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:54:27 -0500Australia's recent century hoodoo continued on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG as openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson both fell just short of triple figures. Watso... Ananova Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:37:37 -0500Melbourne, Dec. 26 : Australia must not rest on the laurels that it has achieved in the recent series against the West Indies, but should be concerned about the possibility of Pakistan putting up a fi... New Kerala Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:05:36 -0500Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Sydney Airport and Taiwan terminals stepped up security on flights headed for the U.S. after yesterday’s suspected terrorist attack on a Detroit- bound transatlantic airli... Business Week Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:46:59 -0500Luck and circumstance conspired against Pakistan on day one of the Boxing Day cricket Test. Then their own mistakes - including one howler - ensured the young team have some ground to make up if they... Sydney Morning Herald Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:43:05 -0500RUMBLING Mayon volcano in the Philippines is showing signs of becoming clogged with lava and could erupt explosively, a government volcanologist said today. News.com.au Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:42:10 -0500 | 
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