Australia's big banks are still determining their possible indirect exposures to
Bernard Madoff's $US50 billion ($A75.82 billion) `Ponzi' scheme in the United
States.

Former childcare tycoon Eddy Groves has reportedly married his partner, Viryan
Collins-Rubie.
A Brisbane television station has shown footage from a helicopter of a wedding

The evidence of a mysterious Moscow melee had disappeared, as had the shoulder
problem that forced Marat Safin out of this week's Kooyong Classic.

Heath Ledger's final performance in The Dark Knight has earned him a nomination for
the prestigious British Academy film awards.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's hectic travel schedule kicks off again in late January.
Mr Rudd, dubbed Kevin 747 by the opposition, will visit India, Papua New Guinea and

Scorching temperatures across NSW have kept emergency crews busy as residents
swelter in the heat and fire threatens homes.

Coles owner Wesfarmers Ltd has warned it may slash dividends after flagging asset writedowns and greater provisions for some investments.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has paid tribute to the sometimes controversial Victorian Liberal Senator Judith Troeth who has decided to retire from the Senate when her term ends in mid-2011.<

Whether defence spending will be slashed by $3 billion a year won't be known until the release of a white paper in two months' time, the government says.

Fiji is bracing for another day of heavy rain and widespread flooding as a tropical storm continues to hammer the swamped west and north coasts.