"Possessing opinions is like possessing fish, assuming one has a fish pond. One has to go fishing and needs some luck - then one has one's own fish, one's own opinions. I am speaking of live opinions, of live fish. Others are satisfied if they own a cabinet of fossils - and in their heads, "convictions". - Friedrich Nietzsche
An academic who expects zero interest rates within two years and a 40 per cent drop in house prices has promised to walk from Canberra to the top of Australia's highest mountain if he's wrong.
University of Western Sydney associate professor of economics and finance STEVE KEEN made the bet with Macquarie Group interest rate strategist RORY ROBERTSON.
BRISBANE, Dec 31 AAP - Queensland police have caught a man with an alleged blood alcohol reading more than six times the legal limit.
A 28-year-old man from Peak Crossing was stopped overnight for a random breath test in the nearby town of Boonah, south-west of Brisbane, and allegedly blew .303 per cent.
SYDNEY, Dec 20 AAP - The drivers of a Porsche and two motorcycles have had their vehicles confiscated after reaching speeds of more than 220km/h in an alleged road race.
Police say the three men were racing along a 100km/h zone of the Pacific Highway on the far north NSW coast on Saturday about 10.40am (AEST).
MELBOURNE, Dec 15 AAP - Two young men accused of drag racing before a crash that killed a 15-year-old boy will stand trial.
Mitchell Cairnduff, of Wheelers Hill, died when a turbo-charged Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Jarrod Rooke hit a taxi at 120km/h, the Melbourne Magistrates Court heard.
MELBOURNE, Jan 6 AAP - A 78-year-old hoon caught speeding at 170km/h on a narrow country road on New Year's Day told police he was a skilled race driver.
Victorian Premier John Brumby, however, was not impressed with John Belfield's claims, labelling Australia's oldest hoon driver an "idiot", while police said he was toying with death.i
Heralding the arrival of a new publication from The Weird House, the first edition of House Harris, a news publication that should provide a window into current affairs in Australia with articles from the Australian Associated Press who should be credited and duly paid their royalties.
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Feature Story
Israeli halts Gaza offensive
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Todays Main Feature Story
Aussie author jailed for three years for Thai royal insult
By Jamie Duncan and Xavier La Canna
19 Jan 2009 8:04 PM
MELBOURNE, Jan 19 AAP/AP/AFP - An Australian writer who says he's endured "unspeakable suffering" in a Thai prison has been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to criminal charges of insulting the country's royal family.
But the family of Harry Nicolaides and his Australian lawyer hope a direct appeal for a pardon from the royal family may get the Melbourne-born author home.
Nicolaides, 41, appeared in court on Monday wearing a dark orange prison jumpsuit with his hands cuffed and his feet shackled.
He has been in custody since his arrest at a Thai airport as he was about to board a plane for Melbourne in August last year.
"He has written a book that slandered the king, the crown prince and Thailand and the monarchy," the judge told the court.
Get ready for sharpest economic deceleration ever seen
19 Jan 2009 12:01 AM
CANBERRA, Jan 19 AAP - A leading economic forecaster has warned its clients to batten down the hatches for the sharpest deceleration Australia's economy has ever experienced.
But Australia is in a better position than almost any other rich nation heading into recession, Access Economics says.
And not everyone - especially those who have no reason to fear losing their job - will be impacted adversely by the dramatic slowdown this year.
"Really big and bad news is headed our way," Access said in its Business Outlook for December 2008, released on Monday.
Regularly Updated News As It Arrives From The Editor
House Harris News
Israel to aid Gaza rebuilding only if Hamas not involved: Olmert
JERUSALEM, Jan 20 AFP - Israel will cooperate with reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip only if the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas does not lead the process, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday. More...
Qld: Esky survivors amaze rescuers
It's believed two men .. who apparently survived 25 days at sea an industrial esky after their boat sank .. could have collected the rainwater to survive. More...
ASIA: Thai lawyer upbeat on royal pardon for Aussie Nicolaides
A leading Thai human rights lawyer says there are grounds for optimism a royal pardon for Australian writer HARRY NICOLAIDES will be granted once the 30-day appeal process to the jail sentence is over. More...
NSW: Major crimes under inviestigation by Strike Force Tuno 2
Strike Force Tuno 2 was formed in October 2008 and comprises detectives from the Homicide, Gangs, Drugs, Property Crime, Fraud and Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squads. More...
NSW: Gruesome slaying leads to major police investigation
SYDNEY, Jan 20 AAP - The gruesome murder of a drug dealer has led to a major NSW police investigation into a string of other slayings and crimes in Sydney and on the Gold Coast. More...
NSW: Man assaulted, woman threatened with gun in separate carjackings
SYDNEY, Jan 20 AAP - A woman has been held up at gunpoint and a man assaulted in two separate carjackings in Sydney, police say. More...
NSW: Firefighters on alert ahead of soaring temperatures
SYDNEY, Jan 20 AAP - Firefighters are on alert ahead of soaring temperatures and strong winds forecast for south-western NSW later on Tuesday and for the rest of the week, with residents warned to have plans ready if bushfires break out. More...
FED: Police chase stolen car 250km from Wagga to Canberra
CANBERRA, Jan 20 AAP - Police have arrested a 26-year-old man in Canberra following a 250km high-speed car chase that started in south-western NSW. More...
Newcastle world's largest coal exporter, figures show
SYDNEY, Jan 20 AAP - Newcastle has out-traded Queensland's Hay Point to become the world's largest exporter of coal, the NSW government says. More...
Fed: Obama fever hits Australia
SYDNEY, Jan 20 AAP - Americans living in Australia and local fans of Barack Obama will mark the inauguration of the new US president in their own special way. More...
NSW: Men charged with conspiring to murder drug dealer
SYDNEY, Jan 20 AAP - Two men have been charged with conspiring to murder a convicted drug dealer who was dismembered after being abducted while on day release from jail. More...
Qantas retires final plane in B747-300 fleet
SYDNEY, Jan 20 AAP - As Australia's last Qantas B747-300 departs for a plane graveyard in the United States it will mark an end of an era for the airline. More...
Vic: Tyre magnate denies lying to protect money
MELBOURNE, Jan 20 AAP - Tyre king Bob Jane has denied exaggerating a fight with his estranged wife to protect his money. More...
Qld: Man charged over death of woman found on houseboat
BRISBANE, Jan 20 AAP - A 48-year-old man has been charged over the death of a woman found on a Gold Coast houseboat last Saturday. More...
EUR: Europe to suffer deep recession, surging unemployment: EU
BRUSSELS, Jan 19 AFP - The EU economy will shrink nearly two per cent this year as one of the worst recessions on record drives unemployment and government deficits to levels not seen for years, the European Commission forecast on Monday. More...
MID: Arabs: Israel ammo in Gaza had depleted uranium
VIENNA, Jan 19 AP - Arab nations accused Israel on Monday of blasting Gaza with ammunition containing depleted uranium and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate reports that traces of it had been found in victims of the shelling. More...
MID:Israel use of white phosphorus in Gaza 'undeniable': Amnesty
JERUSALEM, Jan 19 AFP - Israel's use during the Gaza offensive of white phosphorus - banned under international law for use near civilians - was "clear and undeniable," Amnesty International says. More...
US: Plane's recorders support hero pilot's account
NEW YORK, Jan 19 AP - The black box recorders recovered from the US Airways jetliner that splashed down in the Hudson River captured thumping sounds, the sudden loss of engine power and the pilot's calm emergency call. More...
NSW: Teen charged over fatal crash
The teenaged driver of a car which crashed in northern NSW killing one passenger and seriously injuring two others will appear in a Lismore court today charged with dangerous driving causing death. More...
NSW: Police part of parliament house security upgrade
Specially-trained police officers have taken over security at NSW's Parliament House as part of an ASIO-recommended upgrade of the Macquarie Street building. More...
US: Obama vows to renew America's promise
WASHINGTON, Jan 19 AFP - Barack Obama, in a tribute to civil rights hero Martin Luther King, says his inauguration as America's first black president will extend the work of "renewing the promise of this nation". More...
MELBOURNE, Jan 20 AAP - Police in Victoria's specialist surveillance unit fear their details may have fallen into criminal hands after the force lost highly confidential lists of associates that members supplied to the force. More...
MID: Israel and Hamas truce holds on Gaza Strip
GAZA CITY, Jan 19 AFP - A tenuous ceasefire held on Monday in Gaza, where Palestinians dug out from the rubble and Hamas put on a show of defiance vowing to fight on after the Jewish state's deadliest war on the strip. More...
QLD: Fishermen survive almost a month at sea floating in esky
BRISBANE, Jan 19 AAP - Two Burmese fishermen survived almost a month floating in a large esky after their small wooden boat sank in the Torres Strait two days before Christmas. More...
World at risk of 'damaging spiral' of de-globalisation: British
LONDON, Jan 19 AFP - The world is at risk of a "damaging spiral" of de-globalisation if countries do not co-ordinate their responses to the worldwide economic downturn, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday. More...
NSW: Behaviour management shapes academic success: study
SYDNEY, Jan 19 AAP - Academic progress in school children could be hindered by the changing discipline they experience as students, results of a new study show. More...
MID: Hamas says it lost only 48 fighters in Israel's war
GAZA CITY, Jan 19 AFP - Hamas's armed wing said on Monday it lost only 48 fighters during Israel's 22-day operation in Gaza and vowed to fight on unless the Jewish state withdrew its forces from the Palestinian enclave. More...
NSW: Teenager charged over fatal crash
SYDNEY, Jan 19 AAP - The 17-year-old driver of a car that crashed in northern NSW, killing one passenger and injuring himself and two others after allegedly evading a roadside breath test, has been charged by police. More...
Fed: Aussie author jailed for three years for Thai royal insult
MELBOURNE, Jan 19 AAP/AP/AFP - An Australian writer who says he's endured "unspeakable suffering" in a Thai prison has been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to criminal charges of insulting the country's royal family. More...
Vic: Australian author sentenced to jail over Thai royal =3D4
Speaking before the sentencing, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Nicolaides had continued to receive consular assistance from Australian officials. More...
Vic: Australian author sentenced to jail over Thai royal =3D3
The 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving monarch, is credited with being Thailand's unifying force during times of crisis, though he has no major official role in politics. More...
ASIA:Australian jailed for three years for insulting Thai royals
BANGKOK, Jan 19 AFP - An Australian writer was sentenced to three years in jail by a Thai court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to insulting Thailand's revered royal family in a novel, a judge said. More...
Vic: Australian author sentenced to jail over Thai royal insult
MELBOURNE, Jan 19 AAP/AP - An Australian writer who says he's endured "unspeakable suffering" in a Thai prison has been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to criminal charges of insulting the country's royal family. More...
ASIA: Australian jailed for three years for insulting Thai king
BANGKOK, Jan 19 AFP - A Thai court on Monday sentenced an Australian writer to three years in jail after finding him guilty of insulting Thailand's revered royal family in a novel, a judge said. More...
NSW: Fire ban across much of NSW ahead of soaring temperatures
SYDNEY, Jan 19 AAP - A total fire ban has been declared for much of NSW on Tuesday with temperatures expected to soar into the high 30s this week across most of the state. More...
Aust dollar closes firmer as shares rally
SYDNEY, Jan 19 AAP - The Australian dollar closed one per cent stronger as economic stimulus packages in the US and the UK gave a lift to high-yielding currencies. More...
Seeking writer to do opinion