Thursday March 1.

Bagpipe band louder than jet engine [08:43]
Health and safety inspectors have told members of a traditional Scottish band to wear ear protectors after discovering their drums and bagpipes made more noise than a jet engine.

WWF calls for protection of Antarctic ecosystem [08:33]
The conservation group WWF hopes to use the new International Polar Year to increase awareness of threats facing Antarctica.

Carpenter urged to oust backbencher over CCC evidence [08:00]
Pressure is mounting on Western Australian Premier Alan Carpenter to have another MP sacked from the Labor Party, following revelations at a corruption inquiry.

Whaling to continue within months, Japan says [01:55]
Japan says it will continue its Southern Ocean whaling programs in the future, possibly as soon as the end of next month.

States, union cautious about Labor's curriculum plan [00:26]
States and the Australian Education Union have had mixed reactions to the federal Opposition Leader's planned national school curriculum.

Aged care workers must take police check [00:19]
New workers entering the aged care industry must have a police check from today and later this year existing employees will follow suit.

Wednesday February 28.

Govt keeps nuclear reactor options open [20:01]
The Federal Government has refused to rule out taking some power from the states so nuclear reactors can be built.

Car bomb kills 10 near market in Baghdad [20:00]
A car bomb has killed 10 people and wounded 21 near a vegetable market in Baghdad, Iraqi police say, as insurgents kept up a campaign of bombings despite a new US-backed security crackdown.

Statistics show AWA workers ripped off, union says [19:12]
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) says official figures show a majority of workers on Australian Workplace Agreements are working longer hours for less pay than those on collective agreements.

Japan abandons Southern Ocean whaling season [19:09]
Japan has confirmed its whaling fleet will abandon this year's hunt in the Southern Ocean.

Williams pleads guilty to 3 underworld murders [18:40]
Criminal Carl Williams has appeared in the County Court to plead guilty to three of Melbourne's underworld murders.

Storms cause flash flooding in Sydney's south-west [18:02]
Fierce storms have hit Sydney's south-west this afternoon, causing flash flooding and injuries from lightning strikes.

Privacy laws may be toughened if smart card goes ahead [18:00]
The Human Services Minister Ian Campbell says he has an open mind about whether privacy laws should be toughened if the Government's new health and welfare card goes ahead.

Japan abandons whale-hunting season in Southern Ocean: reports [16:23]
Japan is set to abandon whale hunting in the Antarctic for this season after its main whaling ship was crippled by a fire two weeks ago, public broadcaster NHK has reported.