ABC NewsMail - Morning Edition

NewsMail Morning Edition Sat 18 Jan, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » 12 homes lost in SA bushfires, Grampians fire still out of control Bushfires are continuing to burn across south-eastern Australia after tearing through hundreds of thousands of hectares of land and destroying at least a dozen houses. In South Australia, 12 homes have been destroyed by fires in the Flinders Ranges, Murraylands and Southern Barossa Valley. The fire in the northern Grampians in western Victoria, where one woman died yesterday, intensified overnight after burning through around 46,000 hectares. The fire is sending a 12-kilometre plume of smoke in the air and is generating its own weather system. Some of the hundreds of people forced to flee have spent the night in relief centres. Emergency warnings remain in place for residents near Dadswells Bridge, St Helens Plains and Halls Gap in the Grampians. Weather conditions are easing across South Australia, but fires at Bangor in the Southern Flinders Rangers, Billiatt in the Murraylands and the Eden Valley in the Barossa Valley are still burning out of control. More » Email reveals Cabinet approved alcohol crackdown Faulkner provides Australia dramatic one-wicket ODI win Australian cleared of fraud in Dubai stopped at airport Samantha Stosur eliminated from Australian Open More Analysis » Tony Abbott's high-stakes expectations game While often portrayed in more simplistic terms, as promises kept or broken, the compact sealed between Australian voters and the government they have installed is more fundamentally about the expectations of what values and principles will be upheld. By confusing the two, political observers run the risk of misunderstanding which of the Abbott Government's "broken promises" will be ignored or forgiven and which could be politically toxic. So far Tony Abbott has been much more strategic than his predecessors, creating expectations in broad brush strokes that give him a lot more room to move, including the occasional backdown on promises and commitments. More » Letting go of the Lord's Prayer in Parliament The stragglers of international Test cricket Stop the boats: the answer to the wrong question The Marmalade Files: DFAT's cabinet of curiosities The great Australian air con Dethroning GDP as our measure of progress Hanging up their lab coats: Australia's new brain drain 2014 may be the year of deflation Home buyer beware: the illusion of affordability Just In More Just In » Obama unveils reforms to spy programs US president Barack Obama has unveiled a series of reforms to American spy programs in an effort to better respect privacy and civil liberties. More » 12 homes lost in SA bushfires, Grampians fire still out of control Toddler dies after being run over in driveway 13-year-old boy stabbed at party on Gold Coast Melbourne restaurant Stokehouse destroyed by fire Email reveals Cabinet approved alcohol crackdown Afghans and foreign nationals killed in Kabul suicide bombing Scholar arrested in China could face life in prison: Human Rights Watch Faulkner provides Australia dramatic one-wicket ODI win Stosur falls short against Ivanovic World More World » Obama unveils reforms to spy programs US president Barack Obama has unveiled a series of reforms to American spy programs in an effort to better respect privacy and civil liberties. More » Afghans and foreign nationals killed in Kabul suicide bombing Scholar arrested in China could face life in prison: Human Rights Watch Blast hits opposition protest march in Bangkok Political unrest causing serious damage to Thai economy Cyclone June tracking south towards New Caledonia Business More Business » Retail shares hammered after Super posts poor results By finance reporters Rebecca Hyam, Justine Parker and staff Retail stocks are dragging the market lower, with resources and energy stocks among the only sectors making reasonable gains. Retailers have been under intense selling pressure after Super Retail Group reported much weaker than expected first-half sales - Super shares were down around 16 per cent. The disappointing pre-Christmas sales result has traders worried about the performance of a range of other retailers. More » Political unrest causing serious damage to Thai economy iiNet rejects NBN agreement due to 'appalling delivery record' Fortescue safety in question after string of incidents Local shares lose momentum as market closes WCB welcomes Bega share sale to Saputo Politics More Politics » Obama unveils reforms to spy programs US president Barack Obama has unveiled a series of reforms to American spy programs in an effort to better respect privacy and civil liberties. More » Email reveals Cabinet approved alcohol crackdown Indonesia cautions Australia over territory violations Medicos unite to decry unlimited road speed trial Indonesia confirms investigation into asylum boat turn-backs Sport More Sport » Faulkner provides Australia dramatic one-wicket ODI win James Faulkner rescued Australia from certain defeat, smacking 69 off 47 balls to beat England by one wicket in Brisbane. More » Stosur falls short against Ivanovic Heart finally ends winless streak Dellacqua powers past Zheng to make fourth round Perth Glory holds 10-man Roar scoreless Thurston wins second Golden Boot Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Patient records targeted in ransomware cyber attacks By technology reporter Jake Sturmer and Alison McClymont Pharmacists have become the latest targets of sophisticated computer hacks known as ransomware attacks, which lock up PCs until victims pay up. More » Bitcoins catching on with Australian businesses, despite reservations Zoo deems bananas too unhealthy for monkeys Cheap genome sequencing available after Australian institute buys new machine Scientists 'e-tag' honey bees to track population decline Environment More Environment » Dangerous smog in Beijing as index hits top of scale China's capital has been shrouded in dangerous smog, cutting visibility down to a few hundred metres. More » Flying foxes drop dead in extreme heat Heatwaves in Australia more frequent, hotter and longer, report reveals 2014's hottest places in Australia so far West African lion close to extinction: study 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 © 2014 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters