Latest Australian and International News

US unveils new transgender passport rules
June 10, 2010 at 2:42 PM


THE US has introduced new, more flexible passport regulations for transgender people.
 

Women rally in Canberra for equal pay
June 10, 2010 at 2:12 PM


COMMUNITY sector workers rallying for equal pay donned plastic "lip whistles" and blew a group kiss to Julia Gillard.
 

Bash victim force-fed dog food
June 10, 2010 at 2:08 PM


A YOUNG woman tied a burns victim to a chair, splashed him with kerosene and force-fed him dog food, a court has heard.
 

WWF calls for insecticide ban
June 10, 2010 at 2:04 PM


FARM workers face serious health risks from a toxic insecticide widely used on food and other crops, the WWF says.
 

Man in coma after baseball bat attack
June 10, 2010 at 2:04 PM


A MAN is in a coma with a fractured skull after he was attacked on the NSW far north coast.
 

Retired Aussie tipped to win UK Big Brother
June 10, 2010 at 1:51 PM


A 24-year-old from Melbourne has been installed as the early favourite to win Britain's final Big Brother series.
 

Keith Urban wins CMT Music Award
June 10, 2010 at 1:44 PM


AUSTRALIAN country music star Keith Urban has picked up a gong at the CMT Music Awards.
 

20 people REALLY don't like airport noise
June 10, 2010 at 1:42 PM


MORE than half the 24,000 complaints made about aircraft noise nationally were made by 20 people.
 

Patrick Stewart in bizarre podium clash
June 10, 2010 at 1:29 PM


A PODIUM spat between a British comedian and distinguished actor Sir Patrick Stewart has created an internet storm.
 

Jobs data gives dollar a boost at midday
June 10, 2010 at 1:10 PM


THE dollar was higher at noon after a fall in the jobless rate indicated the economy is gaining momentum.
 

Deaf man jailed for raping deaf woman twice
June 10, 2010 at 12:09 PM


A DEAF rapist who targeted a vulnerable hearing-impaired woman has been jailed for two years.
 

Prison escapee took man hostage
June 10, 2010 at 12:06 PM


POLICE have recaptured a dangerous prison escapee who had taken a man hostage overnight.
 

Sydney fund sues Goldman Sachs
June 10, 2010 at 11:51 AM


BASIS Capital's Yield Alpha Fund (BYAFM) filed a securities fraud lawsuit against Goldman Sachs, alleging the US banking giant forced the fund into insolvency by misrepresenting the market about a collaterised debt obligation (CDO).
 

Charges against US polygamist dropped
June 10, 2010 at 11:43 AM


A JUDGE today dismissed all Arizona charges against polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.
 

Surprise fall in jobless rate in May
June 10, 2010 at 11:36 AM


THE unemployment rate was a seasonally adjusted 5.2 per cent in May, compared with an unrevised 5.4 per cent in April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said.
 

Mum sells breast milk to 'heal' men
June 10, 2010 at 11:25 AM


A YOUNG British mother has found a way to offload her excess breast milk - by selling it online.
 

Bright start for shares today
June 10, 2010 at 11:09 AM


THE share market has opened higher, with gains in the financial and materials sectors helping lift the market.
 

Premier apologises to Miss World Australia
June 10, 2010 at 11:08 AM


NEW South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally has apologised to a national beauty queen over her Kokoda trail remark.
 

BP shares sink on axed dividend fears
June 10, 2010 at 10:24 AM


BP shares have slumped with investors fearing political pressure over the oil spill could axe its prized dividends.
 

Man, 94, 'masturbating with vacuum'
June 10, 2010 at 10:23 AM


MAN, 94, held on molestation charges and a bizarre case of public sexual indecency involving a vacuum cleaner.
 

Woman driver eight times over limit
June 10, 2010 at 9:26 AM


A WOMAN allegedly caught driving while eight times over the legal alcohol limit has left police stunned.
 

Ricky Martin to star in Evita revival
June 10, 2010 at 9:18 AM


RICKY Martin will add some star power to the Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Evita.
 

Father 'had seven kids with his daughter'
June 10, 2010 at 9:11 AM


A MAN kept his daughter imprisoned for 12 years, raped her repeatedly and had seven children with her, police say.
 

Hundreds flee restaurant fire
June 10, 2010 at 9:03 AM


HUNDREDS evacuated this morning after a fire in the ground floor restaurant of a 14-storey apartment block.
 

Man holding one-year-old child hostage
June 10, 2010 at 8:57 AM


A MAN wanted for the attempted murder of a police officer was holding a child hostage today.
 

Small businesses worried about future
June 10, 2010 at 8:57 AM


CONFIDENCE has plunged among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their outlook for the coming financial year is poor, a survey shows.
 

Camera hitches 1770km ride on turtle's back
June 10, 2010 at 8:49 AM


A PHOTOGRAPHER was reunited with a camera he had lost in the Caribbean after a sea turtle swam all the way to Florida with it.
 

Second Life creator cuts 30pc of staff
June 10, 2010 at 8:48 AM


LINDEN Lab, creator of the online virtual world Second Life, said overnight it was laying off 30 per cent of its staff.
 

Man shot dead outside home, gunman loose
June 10, 2010 at 8:43 AM


A MURDER hunt was launched today after a man was gunned down outside his home in broad daylight.
 

US recovery on track but 'modest'
June 10, 2010 at 8:42 AM


THE US economy recovery remains tepid but on track, with the jobs market improving amid "modest" growth, the Federal Reserve says in its latest Beige Book report.
 

Snow falls ahead of ski season open
June 10, 2010 at 6:48 AM


SNOW is continuing to fall in the Victorian alps with the official opening of the ski season this Queen's Birthday long weekend.
 

US stocks close in red
June 10, 2010 at 6:30 AM


US stocks fell today in a late-session slide as optimism about the economic recovery gave way to a wave of selling amid growing concerns about the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
 

Fire leaves 200 residents out in the cold
June 10, 2010 at 6:28 AM


ALMOST 200 people spent 40 minutes in the wet and cold last night after they were evacuated from their 14 storey apartment block following a fire that broke out in a restaurant on the ground floor of the building.
 

Bowel cancer biggest killer in rural NSW
June 10, 2010 at 6:26 AM


BOWEL cancer is killing more people in rural NSW than anywhere else in the country, new data shows.
 

Gas leak keeps residents indoors
June 10, 2010 at 6:20 AM


MOTORISTS are being warned to expect delays in the inner-Sydney suburb of Kensington after burst gas lines and water pipes kept residents indoors overnight.
 

Blast kills 39 at wedding
June 10, 2010 at 6:18 AM


AT least 39 people have been killed and 73 wounded by an explosion at a wedding in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, a senior official in the provincial capital said.
 

Police pursuit ends in crash
June 10, 2010 at 5:45 AM


A CAR full of stolen goods collided with a police vehicle after a man and woman led police on a pursuit through Sydney's northern suburbs.
 

Court mulls rape victims' right to veil
June 10, 2010 at 5:38 AM


A CANADIAN court is weighing a rape victim's right to testify in court while wearing the Islamic veil, as defence lawyers argue two suspects had the right to face their accuser.
 

US sets BP 72-hour deadline over spill
June 10, 2010 at 5:11 AM


THE US has tightened pressure on BP, setting a 72-hour deadline for the battered British energy titan to present updated plans for battling the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
 

Free condoms rolled out for Cup revellers
June 10, 2010 at 3:54 AM


CAPE Town hoteliers will distribute 160,000 free condoms to urge World Cup guests to "play it safe" during  tournament.
 

UN adopts sanctions against Iran
June 10, 2010 at 3:08 AM


THE United Nations Security Council will adopt U.S.-draft sanctions against Iran its over nuclear program.
 

Wartime mass grave found in Bosnia
June 10, 2010 at 2:19 AM


TRUCK driver finds wartime mass grave in eastern Bosnia after dumping gravel at construction site.
 

Three men dead after truck hits tree
June 10, 2010 at 1:19 AM


THIRD dies in Melbourne hospital after truck crash killed two mates and left him fatally injured.
 

Three men dead after truck runs off road
June 10, 2010 at 1:19 AM


THIRD dies in Melbourne hospital after truck crash killed two mates and left him fatally injured.
 

US sets BP 72-hour deadline on Gulf spill
June 10, 2010 at 1:06 AM


US government gives British energy giant BP 72-hour deadline to produce updated plans to contain Gulf oil spill.
 

French ex-spy held over tell-all book
June 10, 2010 at 1:02 AM


FORMER senior spy accused of revealing French state secrets in memoir is questioned by police.
 

Premier's gibe insults Kokoda sacrifice
June 10, 2010 at 12:00 AM


LEADER joked that track where more than 600 Diggers died was so easy Miss Australia walked it.
 

80 per cent of teachers fail own subject
June 9, 2010 at 9:11 PM


HIGH school test results in Thailand have revealed a failure rate of more than 80 per cent in mathematics, biology and computer studies - among the teachers.
 

Digger's boy sends sad message
June 9, 2010 at 8:54 PM


YOUNG son of one of the diggers
killed in Afghanistan sends
message to memorial service.
 

Indonesia catches, loses 47 migrants
June 9, 2010 at 8:35 PM


GROUP of 47 illegal migrants caught on Indonesian island escaped when the officers left to buy credit for their mobile phones.
 

Stowaway hits Heathrow on sheik's jet
June 9, 2010 at 7:58 PM


AUSTRIAN police say a man hid himself next to the landing gear of a jet parked at Vienna's airport and survived a flight to London.
 

Three men charged over sex with boy, 14
June 9, 2010 at 7:54 PM


THREE men are facing dozens of sexual assault charges over repeated attacks on a 14-year-old boy in central New South Wales.
 

Soldier's son sends message to dad
June 9, 2010 at 7:52 PM


A MESSAGE from the young son of one of the diggers killed in Afghanistan has been read out at his father's memorial service.
 

Premier accused of 'attacking Kokoda'
June 9, 2010 at 7:47 PM


NSW premier under fire in parliament for an "attack on Kokoda" and "insulting Miss Australia".
 

Dozens hurt in labour unrest
June 9, 2010 at 6:56 PM


DOZENS of striking workers have been hurt in clashes with police in China as a fresh labour stoppage again halted Honda's production on Wednesday, in the latest unrest to rock the "workshop of the world''.
 

Facebook addicts 'can't relate'
June 9, 2010 at 6:33 PM


YOUTHS hooked on social networking sites are struggling to relate, a leading neuroscientist says.
 

Shares close flat as sectors compete
June 9, 2010 at 6:10 PM


THE Australian share market closed flat after buying in healthcare, consumer staples and Telstra shares outweighed falls among some bank and resources stocks.
 

Kevin Rudd cops abuse in mining state
June 9, 2010 at 5:52 PM


MINISTER Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan have been abused on Perth's main strip by mine workers returning from a fiery protest.
 

Man jailed for putting toddler in dryer
June 9, 2010 at 5:33 PM


A 29-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to 12 years' prison in Texas today after placing his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter in a hot clothes dryer.
 

iPad to attract tax perks
June 9, 2010 at 5:20 PM


PARENTS who haven't given in to nagging children to buy an iPad now have an excuse to snap one up - they can claim it on tax.
 

Politician gets life in jail for deaths
June 9, 2010 at 4:34 PM


A LOCAL politician was sentenced to life in prison in eastern China after ploughing his luxury sedan into a crowd, killing four people and injuring eight others.
 

Qld to get more for roads, rail
June 9, 2010 at 4:28 PM


THE Rudd Government will set up a $6 billion fund to channel more spending on roads and rail into the mining states.
 
 

Sixteen feared dead in ferry
June 9, 2010 at 4:16 PM


UP to 16 people, including 13 children, drowned when a packed river ferry capsized in northeastern Bangladesh, as rescuers searched for more bodies.
 

Queensland to get lion's share of spending
June 9, 2010 at 3:57 PM


THE Rudd Government will set up a $6 billion fund to channel more spending on roads and rail into the mining states.
 
 

Man charged over bashing murder
June 9, 2010 at 3:26 PM


A 38-YEAR-OLD Melbourne man has been charged with the bashing murder of a man by the side of a highway last year.
 

Person falls to death from escalator
June 9, 2010 at 3:19 PM


PART of a major shopping centre in Sydney's eastern suburbs has closed after a person fell to their death from a escalator.
 
 

Cautious welcome for Japan's new leaders
June 9, 2010 at 2:59 PM


JAPANESE media gave a guarded welcome today to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's new government.
 

'Soul mate' gone in just an hour
June 9, 2010 at 2:48 PM


YOUNG Aussie's family in shock 
over altitude sickness death an
hour after cheery call to family.
 

Glenn Wheatley guilty of drink driving
June 9, 2010 at 2:37 PM


A BOOZY interstate flight followed by three glasses of red wine over dinner has cost the celebrity music promoter his licence.