Last Top Stories: Ironman competitor pulled unconscious from surf in Cairns event dies in hospital

Ironman competitor pulled unconscious from surf in Cairns event dies in hospital

A female competitor pulled unconscious from the water at the Ironman Cairns event in far north Queensland on the weekend has died in hospital. Erica Atkins was competing in the Ironman 70.3 event on Sunday when she was rescued about 20 metres from ... >> view original

LIC wants Vedanta to sweeten Cairn deal

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), a minority shareholder in Cairn India (9.06 per cent stake), has sought a better offer, including higher dividend on the redeemable preference shares that the metal producer plans to offer Cairn shareholders ... >> view original

Stroll down Granby's Cairns Street with our interactive tour

Take a stroll down Granby's Cairns Street, which has been nominated for Street of the Year. Our interactive panoramic tour shows the hustle and bustle of the street, which is part of a renovation project on Granby's four streets which will see 10 ... >> view original

Nate's journey: from paris with love

Through this call, made from Cairns to the Gold Coast in May last year, Queensland Origin's man of steel showed the compassion he won't hand any Blues players tonight. A lifelong friendship, one that helped keep the planets aligned for a 16-year-old ... >> view original

Syd, Melb home prices tipped to rise

Sydney and Melbourne home prices are tipped to keep rising, with experts saying the booming housing markets are either in or entering a "bubble". A major survey of property experts has found that more than half expect Sydney prices to continue rising for ... >> view original

Australians 'extremely vulnerable' to global shocks: PEP's Tim Sims

The property market is not even close to overboiling based on traditional financial measures, but Australian households and businesses are nevertheless "extremely vulnerable" to global interest rate rises and stock market fluctuations, says Pacific Equity ... >> view original

Australia and China sign landmark free trade deal

ELEANOR HALL: Australia and China are formally signing off on a landmark free trade deal today. But while the Trade Minister Andrew Robb is trumpeting that deal, he is also warning that the prospects for a multilateral Pacific trade agreement are looking ... >> view original

El Nino tipped to be El Nothing – except maybe for wheat

The forthcoming El Nino might have an effect on agricultural commodities but its impact on non-agricultural commodities like minerals will be minimal, according to Citi. El Nino is a weather pattern caused by warming water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of ... >> view original

Would you pay $150 per week to sleep here? Sydney aims to stamp out illegal ...

NSW police have released footage showing the cramped insides of a Sydney premises targeted in a hew housing crackdown. One house in the suburb of Ultimo had 58 beds spread across 19 illegally-constructed bedrooms. A bed in many of these houses ... >> view original

Woolworths needs re-wiring as Grant O'Brien shorts out

Grant O'Brien left school at 16 to start his working life as an apprentice electrician in Tasmania. The skills he gathered on the job in the early days helping to re-wire businesses – which included a grocery store in Ulverstone that later became part of the ... >> view original