Babble Wrap: Rudd’s Mortgage Lifeline

Rudd’s Mortgage Lifeline
Kevin Rudd will ease the pain of households hit by the global financial crisis by allowing people with mortgages of up to $500,000 to legally request changes to the terms of their credit contract. The Australian

Swine Flu: The World Must Work Together Against This Threat
It is said that a lie can be halfway around the world before the truth has even got its boots on. Something similar might be said of a mutated flu virus. An outbreak of swine flu in Mexico in the past fortnight has already reached New York and New Zealand. And the public health authorities are still desperately scrambling to get to grips with this new threat to human life. Independent

Easy As ABC3: Children Get An Early Christmas Present
A new children’s TV channel, to be called ABC3, will begin broadcasting before Christmas. SMH

Safety Issue Not To Be Toyed With
For two young Sydney girls, having a mobile phone is a question of safety. SMH

Are Kids Becoming Phone Addicts
There was a time when children’s telecommunications meant two cans connected with string or, for luckier kids, a set of walkie-talkies. SMH

Laptop ‘Magic’ Lures Young Back To School
Children from remote communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory are being introduced to the digital world with their very own laptops as part of an international program aimed at boosting school attendance. Australian IT

Pediatric Blueprint For Nation
The head of the $1.1 billion Queensland Children’s Hospital project believes the consolidation of acute pediatric services in Brisbane may provide a blueprint for similar reform across Australia. The Australian

Wife Fury At Mel Girl Tot Claim
Mel Gibson’s wife finally sued for divorce after hearing his Russian lover say she is pregnant. The Sun

‘Goody Effect’ Causes Huge Delay In Smear Test Results
Women are waiting for up to two months for cervical screening results in some parts of the UK after a “substantial” increase in demand for the test following Jade Goody’s public battle with the disease. Independent