Woman hit by Flinders Street tram

Megan Levy 4:31pm A woman has been hit by a tram outside Flinders Street Station in Melbourne's CBD.

Chemical spill: factory workers evacuated

Megan Levy 3:35pm A chemical spill that has forced the evacuation of 200 workers from a factory strip in Melbourne’s outer north is not expected to be cleared until late this afternoon, firefighters say.

Let it rain: wet weather breaks Victoria's 13-year dry spell

Thomas Hunter 12:48pm If recent rain has left your front lawn a bit soggier than usual, there's a good reason for it - Victoria is having its wettest year in over a decade.

Callous thief targeting elderly women: police

11:32am Police are hunting a callous thief they say is targeting elderly women in Melbourne, shoving them to the ground before stealing their handbags.

Frenzied murderer refused appeal

11:33am A career criminal jailed for life for brutally murdering a man in a frenzied attack months after being released from prison for another murder has failed in a bid to appeal his conviction and sentence.

Residents of 'unsafe' building ordered out by 5pm

Megan Levy 2:57pm Residents in a new apartment block in Melbourne's south-east have been ordered to evacuate their homes by 5pm today, less than 24 hours after they were told the building was unsafe to occupy.

Top cop defends police guard at Chaouk rival's home

Thomas Hunter 10:54am One of Victoria's top cops has defended the decision to deploy police to protect the home of Chauok family rival Ahmed Haddara.

Gun-toting cyclist threatens taxi driver

Thomas Hunter 9:45am Police are on the hunt for a gun-toting man who threatened a taxi driver in Geelong early this morning.

Police arrest man, 71, in drug raids

Thomas Hunter 9:14am An elderly man allegedly in possession of drugs, cash and designer clothes is one of two men charged after overnight raids that netted more than a $1 million worth of contraband, say police.

Arrest over Balwyn body mystery

Thomas Hunter 6:46am Detectives have arrested a man over the discovery of a body in a residential unit in Balwyn North late on Sunday night, police say.

Paedophile among state's worst sex offenders

Adrian Lowe Two intellectually disabled girls abused by one of Victoria's worst sex offenders bore him children, a court has heard.

Family pleads for right to grieve

Reid Sexton and Paul Millar Family and friends yesterday mourned slain crime figure Machhour Chaouk, as a relative indicated the family was relaxing its war stance.

Heritage store to face call of time

Jason Dowling Heritage Victoria is about to rule on development plans for the Dimmeys department store in Richmond.

Police fear bikie gangs could join feud

John Silvester Police fear the violent feud between the Chaouks and another Lebanese family could escalate if national bikie gangs become involved.

Melbourne Uni 'world's 62nd best'

Sarah-Jane Collins Melbourne's University has jumped 13 places in the respected Jiao Tong ranking of the top 500 universities in the world.

Saving sense helps the dollars go round

Daniella Miletic Susanna Lobez describes herself as a frugalista, completely finished with the days of lavish spending she was once comfortable with.

College collapses spark fresh probe

Sushi Das Victoria's education regulation agency is under investigation over its ability to do its job properly following a spate of college collapses.

Jail over weapons shipment

Megan Levy A Chinese immigrant who imported the largest cache of illegal weapons in Australia's history has been jailed for at least eight months.

Accused has mental record

Steve Butcher The man charged with murdering two men at a Carlton poker machine venue last week is said to have previously been diagnosed with a serious mental illness.

Dredging firm fined for oil spill

The Dutch dredging company that completed the $721 million deepening of Port Phillip's shipping channels spilled 900 litres of hydraulic oil near Point Lonsdale in 2008.

Obituary

Lifelong film industry figure worked his way to the top

IAN Sands fell in love with the film industry in 1972, at the age of 18, on the day he joined the Melbourne office of 20th Century Fox. It was the beginning of a love affair with cinema that lasted until his death, aged 56, in The Alfred hospital following a heart transplant.

Any questions?

I'm off to uni next year - but which one?

12:00am Choosing the right course and the right university are big issues for a student. Marcia Devlin has an answer.

Opinion

Funding regime a waste of time

Morag Fraser 12:00am Australia's competitive tertiary funding regime distorts priorities, says Morag Fraser.

Lost in the campaign haze

Sarah-Jane Collins Universities have barely rated a mention in this poll. So much for the clever country.

News, events, trends and transitions

12:00am News, events, trends and transitions

Chaouk death: police warn against threats of revenge

Megan Levy 5:37pm Deputy Commissioner Sir Ken Jones has urged anyone seeking revenge over the murder of crime family figure Macchour Chaouk not to take the law into their own hands.