From Russia, with love: a violinist's real-life spy story

Viktoria Mullova's escape from the KGB made headlines. Two decades later she is famous for her musicianship, writes Garry Maddox.

What New Year Will Bring

NSW LEGISLATION CHANGES ? Payroll tax down 6 per cent to 5.75 per cent ? Train travel ticket prices up 7.5 per cent over four years ? Land tax up 0.4 per cent to 2 per cent (for holdings above $2.25 million) ? Document fees up from 150 per cent to 400 per cent (eg: mortgage lodging and will execution)

Ferry Good Idea For Some City Commuters

A PEAK-HOUR ferry service from Portarlington to the city is potentially viable and would reduce travel times for commuters, a study commissioned by the State Government has found.

Surgery Gives Kayla A New Lease On Life

KAYLA Sterchow's road to recovery has taken almost 10 years to travel, with some nightmarish turns along the way.

Rees In Reverse: Bus Pass Backflip

NSW Premier Nathan Rees has backflipped on a decision to scrap the free school travel scheme, admitting after a backlash from families that he got it wrong.

Maternity Care Hit By Shortages

URGENT action is required to prevent women enduring "roadside births" as they travel hundreds of kilometres to dwindling maternity services in regional and rural Australia, the Federal Government has been told.

Little Difference For Most Melburnians

TWO-AND-A-HALF years ago, the government issued Meeting Our Transport Challenges, its long-term vision for Melbourne's transport system. That document is now in tatters, replaced by the new transport plan. While some communities will welcome new and improved train services, and CBD commuters will see a little relief from overcrowding, for most car-dependent Melburnians who live in bus-only suburbs and rarely travel into the CBD, this plan will make little difference.

How To... Fly With A Toddler

Unless you have the funds (and conscience) to pop your nipper in economy while you travel first class, flying long distances with a child whose body clock and attention span are being thrown into disarray can be an ordeal for parents.

Mighty Travel Schedules From Little Acorns Grow

THE Prime Minister has spent more than $600,000 on travel in his first six months. Now there is nothing wrong with travel - prime ministers have to go overseas to talk to each other, and travel costs money. But in this greenhouse-aware age, should he not be offsetting all that carbon he and his vast entourage are emitting? If Bob Hawke could promise 1 billion trees, could not Kevin747 follow suit? Perhaps not a billion - Mr Rudd is very busy, and we can't expect that, but the Prime Minister could ...

Protesters Caught In A Noose

POLICE built a massive cordon last night around anti-Government protesters occupying Thailand's main airport, raising fears of an imminent confrontation in a stand-off that has disrupted the country's economy and the travel industry worldwide.

Empty Seats Push Qantas To Slash Profit Forecast

A BIG slump in international travel has forced Qantas to slash its profit forecast by almost 65 per cent compared with last year's record result and make further cuts to its capacity.

Travel Fee Start Date Unclear

THE Rees Government has yet to finalise how parents will pay new fees for children to travel to school on public transport, or when the charge will begin.

How To Organise A Stress-free Overseas Wedding

A last-minute arrangement can be stressful. To avoid this, plan ahead and provide guests with as much notice as possible. Bride to Be magazine acting editor Jacqueline Mooney says 12 months is ideal "so (guests) have time to make travel arrangements and book time off work".

Bush Travel Grounded As Airlines Take Flight

IT'S just over 100 years since the first black opal was found at Lightning Ridge, prompting a mad rush to open up the frontier in northern NSW.

Passengers, Your Plane Is Late ... Again

A QUARTER of all domestic flights were either delayed or cancelled this year, plunging the reliability of local air travel to a record low.

Worst Year On Record

RELIABILITY of domestic air travel has hit an all-time low, with a quarter of all Australian flights delayed or cancelled so far this year.

Webcam Will Help Boaties

WITH summer just weeks away, Hunter boaties are gearing up to hit the water and a newly installed webcam is designed to ensure they travel safely at Swansea.

Pride Ready To Mark Warwick Farm Shift With Winning Run

THE early morning travel from Randwick to Warwick Farm and back again is over for trainer Joseph Pride.

Terror On Train Ruins Teen's Job Ambitions

AN Illawarra teenager has told a court how his career prospects have been shattered after an ordeal early this year which left him petrified to travel by train.

Trujillo Pay To Raise Hackles

THE pay deal for Telstra's boss, Sol Trujillo - including perks such as travel and home-security services - is set to grab shareholder attention next week.