Surfers moment of terror in Tahiti

They were a few moments of white-knuckle terror the likes of which most people would never take on willingly - but Dan Ryan had braced himself.The Margaret River local decided to paddle into the biggest, heaviest wave of his life at notorious Tahitian break Teahupoo but knew instantly it was all going horribly wrong."There were people getting towed into waves and when it came in, I just ...

Slowdown to slug WA Budget

WA faces a "bumpy" landing from the mining slowdown that could mean more unemployment, slower growth and the State Government forced to either cut spending or raise taxes, economists warn.Experts agree WA faces a slowdown but are divided on how serious it will be and how much a weaker Australian dollar and increased exports will cushion the effects of lower commodity prices and a lack ...

No ban but cops to cut overtime

Senior police have been told to rein in overtime, prompting concerns from the WA Police Union that frontline services will be affected.Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has told all areas to scrutinise overtime expenditure.In a statement, he said there was no ban on overtime but an "enhanced approval process" was implemented for future overtime consent."This should come as ...

Health fears over high fresh food price

The price of fruit and vegetables in Perth is rising faster than for snacks and confectionery, prompting warnings of a worsening nutrition crisis.Fruit prices rose 18.8 per cent and vegetables 10.7 per cent between September 2010 and March this year, while snack foods and sweets prices rose just 4 per cent, Perth's consumer price index revealed.The figures came as experts said food could ...

Ross River vaccine close

A vaccine against the debilitating Ross River virus could soon be a reality as an Australian trial reaches its third and final stage.Trials in Europe and Australia had shown good protective responses from a vaccine in development, David Smith from the University of WA school of pathology and laboratory medicine said."It's a new vaccine, so we assume that protection is long-lasting, but ...