Family News Home

David John Moon, a second-tier senior officer in the Immigration Department’s Sydney office, was paid in business class holidays by an associate, George Ling, to grant 110 approvals for illegal Chinese immigrants.
Between 1996 to 2000, Ling spent about $119,000 on overseas trips for Moon, including travel for his family to New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, [...]

Spain and its archipelagos of the Canary Islands and the Balearics are among the best destinations in Europe for accommodation for cheap family holidays, according to research.
TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community, polled 2,400 of its members about cheap family holidays and the results suggested that eight out of the top ten accommodation options are [...]

In June, schools across the country will have the opportunity to take part in the first Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, aimed at raising awareness and exploring the history, culture and languages of these communities. But the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) hopes that the themed lessons will have an additional impact.According [...]

LONDON–As a Toronto-area family stands vigil at a British hospital awaiting word on the fate of their critically injured daughter, they issued a warning last night to all Canadian travellers on the life-or-death price of tragedy abroad.Michelle Senayah, 23, who suffered a fractured skull, swelling and bleeding of the brain last Thursday in a scooter [...]

Female suicide bomber kills at least 10 at stationA suicide bomber blew herself up getting off a train at Colombo’s main railway station yesterday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 92 more, said officials. “The target appears to be civilians,” said a military spokesman, Udaya Nanayakkara, blaming the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. Earlier, a [...]

The severity of the situation - and official anxiety that it might lead to unrest - was underlined by an unusual apology from the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao. Addressing thousands of passengers stuck at a station in southern China on Tuesday, he said: “I apologise to you all. We are currently trying our best to [...]

Yesterday the China Meteorological Administration issued a red alert, the highest of its five ratings, warning central and eastern China to expect severe snow and icestorms.Yang Guiming, chief forecaster, said extreme weather could continue to affect the central, southern and north-west regions for up to a week.It has already wreaked havoc on a transport system [...]

If it sounds like an exciting lifestyle, that’s because it is. “It’s great,” says Ava, “we love it. One day you wake up in one place, another day you’re somewhere else - Newcastle or Hull one day, down by the beach or on an army base the next. You get to see all sorts. Kids [...]

Through the trapdoorIn her exploration of the origin of the Sweeney Todd story (”On a knife edge”, January 19), Louise Welsh doesn’t mention the 17th-century innkeeper, Jarman, of the Ostrich Inn in Colnbrook, Berkshire. Colnbrook was on the main London to Bath road and, by the 16th century, there were 10 coaching inns here including [...]

Trouble was, as Laurence Bergreen points out in this enthralling revivification of the man, the Venetian merchant’s memoirs did feature shameless embellishments and untruths. But he was no liar, just a bombastic braggart, dictating his recollections to a man who could spin a tale, Rustichello of Pisa, a prolific writer of popular Arthurian romances. The [...]