ABC NewsMail - afternoon edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Tue 07 Feb, 2012 Top Stories More Top Stories » Reserve Bank leaves rates on hold The Reserve Bank has left interest rates unchanged to keep the official cash rate at 4.25 per cent, defying most economists' expectations. More » Locals begin clean-up in flood-ravaged Mitchell Slipper sets rules of engagement as hostilities resume A tale of one man: Dickens turns 200 St George levee holds as river creeps higher Teen's triple murder guilty pleas questioned Dozens killed as Syrian forces hammer rebel city Flooded NSW towns face weeks of isolation Queen Elizabeth marks 60-year reign US officer breaks ranks on Afghanistan More Analysis » Our banks: too big to fail, too few to be competitive By Bouris and Joye Policymaking round Australia's banking system has been predicated on a flawed and risky paradigm: the trade-off between "competition" and "financial stability", which ends-up favouring a more concentrated industry. As a result, Australia's prosperity relies on four colossal banks worth around $50 billion each. They control 80-90 per cent of all financial transactions Australia can build both a more stable and competitive financial system. All it requires is real leadership. More » Two term president Obama might just be Protecting our children: positive discipline, not smacking Politics without policy: the age of unbelief Media failure Labor, not the media, responsible for party woes Bosses yearn for a paradise lost The unintended consequence of the Assange trial The Ancien Régime of Foreign Affairs and Trade After the fact: adventures in new journalism Just In More Just In » Taxi driver says reputation destroyed after trial A taxi driver Prabhjit Gill, who was acquitted but watched as another driver raped a passenger, says he has been unfairly treated after his licence was stripped. More » Pool of blood found in school cubby house Slipper sets rules of engagement as hostilities resume Man facing extradition on drug ring allegations Reserve Bank leaves rates on hold Qld flood plain management approach 'ad hoc' Share market shrugs off Greek debt limbo Manager testifies about Wivenhoe release strategy Detention centre 'should be shut immediately' Minogue calls police over Twitter threats World More World » Dozens killed as Syrian forces hammer rebel city Middle East correspondent Anne Barker and wires There is growing panic in the Syrian city of Homs as government troops step up their assault against rebel-held areas. More » Queen Elizabeth marks 60-year reign 43 dead after Philippines earthquake Abbas to lead Palestinian unity government Norway gunman demands release, medal Business More Business » Reserve Bank leaves rates on hold The Reserve Bank has left interest rates unchanged to keep the official cash rate at 4.25 per cent, defying most economists' expectations. More » NAB posts profit, vows lowest interest rate Swan seizes on Robb surplus comments Share market shrugs off Greek debt limbo RBA must be answerable to public: Katter World markets dip on Greek deal delays Politics More Politics » Slipper sets rules of engagement as hostilities resume The new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Peter Slipper, has taken the chair for the new parliamentary year and spelled out his plans for using his casting vote and maintaining order in the chamber. More » Swan seizes on Robb surplus comments Locals begin clean-up in flood-ravaged Mitchell Gillard says election winnable with hard work Amnesty visits Australian detention centres Sport More Sport » Contador suspended, stripped of Tour title Spanish rider Alberto Contador has been stripped of one of his three Tour de France titles after being banned for two years for failing a dope test during the 2010 race. More » Djokovic pips Cadel to top Laureus award India still 'world class' insists Mathews Didak sidelined by adductor injury Suarez return fails to inspire Liverpool Ricciardo starts real F1 career with Toro Rosso Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Lovelorn Jurassic cricket chirps again The call of a Jurassic-era cricket was simple, pure and capable of travelling long distances in the night, said scientists who reconstructed the creature's love song from a 165 million-year-old fossil. More » Elephants could prevent bushfires: expert Facebook update to unearth old posts Gingrich promises to shoot for the Moon Biggest solar storm since 2005 pummels Earth Environment More Environment » Toolangi logging threatens rare possum, court told By court reporter Sarah Farnsworth A civil trial is underway in the Victorian Supreme Court as environmentalists try to save an endangered species of possum. More » Critically endangered parrot on brink of extinction Concerns over cost-cutting at new ABC HQ US Navy plans 'Great Green' biofuels fleet Bowser backflip: NSW regular petrol ban ditched About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. Manage your preferences | Unsubscribe | Contact Us   This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 © 2011 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters