January 7, 2013 IN TUSCALOOSA, Alabama, they call young Australian Jesse Williams ''the Monster'', and they love him.

January 7, 2013 THEY are the faces expected to dominate local television screens throughout the next 12 months: some unknowns, some well-knowns and a handful of respected Australian actors returning for a second tilt at glory on the small screen.

January 7, 2013 Much has changed since Noel Tovey was convicted of having gay sex more than 60 years ago. The prison he was sent to has closed. The law that made sexual activity between men a crime no longer exists. But Tovey believes that his criminal record remains in the Victoria Police database, and that he is still smeared with a 'buggery' conviction he has no way of removing.

January 7, 2013 Vital public infrastructure in Victoria including hospitals, schools and police stations is under increased threat of damage as climate change intensifies.

January 6, 2013 Australia's most vulnerable people are at increased risk of injury and death because community organisations have failed to plan for extreme weather events, the country's peak social services group has warned.

January 6, 2013 Australia's most vulnerable people are at greater risk of injury and death because community organisations cannot cope with extremes of weather , says the country's peak social services group.

January 6, 2013 A huge sea rescue operation was launched for thousands of people sheltering on beaches, in boats and at the Port Arthur historic site, as the Tasman Peninsula fires destroyed homes and cut off the only road out.

January 6, 2013 A MAN who scammed investors with a fake magnetic engine and is now spruiking another impossible invention has been hit with a $300,000 bill for legal costs after being sued for misleading and deceptive conduct.

January 6, 2013 FOREIGN interns as young as 15 have been given access to protected Australian embassy databases containing sensitive information, including documents with the private details of Australian citizens.

January 6, 2013 Universities are expecting a surge in the number of farming students this year after a long dry spell marked by declining enrolments nationally and closures of agriculture courses.