Hello ! tokyo

Ballet is wildly popular in Japan - adored for its passion and precision - but will audiences embrace a Nutcracker that's set in the Aussie suburbs? Amanda Hooton joins the Australian Ballet on tour.

Gillard's grip on power

Labor's strategy to hold on to power is quietly producing results, writes Lenore Taylor.

Nervous auction wait as buyers spread more thinly

NEARLY 750 properties might be going under the hammer in Sydney today, but for Kevin and Sharon McCall the only one that matters is on Elizabeth Street, Zetland.

Should nuclear energy power our future?

The effects of climate change demand lower greenhouse emissions but one alternative to fossil fuels continues to polarise debate. Four experts consider this contentious energy topic.

THIS WEEK IN TRAVELLER

Max Anderson visits Kalgoorlie to relieve his gold fever. "How do you get gold fever? You find your first nugget in the hot dirt. You pop it in your mouth and swish it round, it knocks against your enamel and stains your mouth red. Then you spit it into your hand and, oh god, it just dazzles."

Tiny islands face change that is hard to believe in

With climate negotiations about to resume, the future of low-lying Pacific nations is a matter of faith, writes Michael Green in Funafuti.