Just In

• — Pomersbach bailed after denying charges

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 06:07)

  Cricketer Luke Pomersbach granted interim bail after being arrested for allegedly molesting a woman and beating up her fiance in New Delhi.

• — Government under pressure to demand cattle stunning

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 05:40)

  The Federal Government is under renewed pressure from within its own ranks to demand all Australian cattle sent to Indonesia are stunned first before they are slaughtered.

• — Pies get revenge in grand final rematch

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 05:39)

  Scott Pendlebury kicked four including the game-winner as Collingwood triumphed by two goals over 2011 grand final tormentor Geelong.

• — Former prisoner goes public to condemn funding cut

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 04:26)

  Questions are being raised about the Queensland Government's decision not to renew funding to a charity that helps female prisoners break the cycle of crime and poverty.

• — Union says BHP workers will strike next week

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 02:16)

  The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) says workers at BHP Billiton's coking coal mines in Queensland's Bowen Basin will strike again from next Thursday.

• — Veteran woodchopper fails to make the cut

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 01:23)

  Champion veteran woodchopper Vic Summers has finished second in the double saw competition at the Gympie show.

• — Five child porn charges dropped against MP

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 00:28)

  Prosecutors have dropped five charges against a South Australian MP accused of child pornography offences.

  The MP was facing a total of 12 charges and has pleaded not guilty to the remaining seven.

• — Medical compensation claims on the rise

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 00:14)

  New figures show the number of medical compensation claims in Australia has increased, with most relating to post-operative complications or failed procedures.

• — Media shut out of 'missing' girls hearing

     (Friday, 18 May 2012 00:04)

  The Family Court in Brisbane has excluded the media from its proceedings over an international custody dispute involving four Italian-Australian girls.

• — Shares dive as spooked investors run for cover

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 23:52)

  The Australian share market has hit a six-month low, wiping $32 billion off the All Ordinaries Index, as investors headed for the exits amid fears about ongoing instability in the eurozone.

• — Pomersbach arrested in Delhi

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 23:40)

  Indian police have arrested Australian cricketer Luke Pomersbach for allegedly molesting a woman and assaulting her fiance in a New Delhi hotel.

• — European funding markets frozen: ANZ chief

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 23:30)

  ANZ Bank chief executive Mike Smith says European wholesale funding markets for banks have effectively frozen as financial markets panic amid ongoing instability in the eurozone.

• — Drug may help melanoma patients live longer

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 23:01)

  Australian research has found that an experimental cancer drug could prolong survival for sufferers of advanced melanoma.

• — Vietnam bus crash kills 34, injures dozens

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 22:36)

  A passenger has bus plunged into a river in Vietnam's central highlands, killing 34 people and injuring at least 25 others.

• — NZ's runaway millionaire found guilty

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 22:07)

  A New Zealand jury has found one of the so-called accidental millionaires guilty of 30 charges of fraud and money laundering.

• — Ex-reality star jailed for attempted murder

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 21:57)

  A former political staffer and reality television show contestant has been jailed for up to 16 years for attempted murder in New South Wales.

• — Coolen prepares to tackle Reds in court

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 20:46)

  Former Adelaide United coach Rini Coolen has launched legal proceedings against the club after he was dumped as senior coach late last year.

  Coolen filed paperwork with the court this week and has requested an urgent hearing.

• — CSIRO cleared of link with forestry lobby group

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 20:44)

  An investigation by the Commonwealth Ombudsman has cleared the CSIRO of its links with a forestry lobby group, but has warned its reputation could suffer.

• — Qantas 'pocketing $100m' in excess card fees

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 20:14)

  Consumer advocacy group Choice says Qantas is charging $100 million in excess credit card fees every year under the guise of covering processing costs.

• — City dwellers fare better than country cousins

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 20:07)

  A report has found people who live in the city fare better in terms of health, education, employment and wealth than their rural counterparts.

• — People smugglers sent home over age concern

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 19:38)

  Three Indonesians convicted of people smuggling have been released from Albany Prison in Western Australia due to concerns about their age.

• — Tensions over Queen's regal jubilee lunch

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 19:25)

  A glittering lunch to be held to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth has been marred by protests that the guest list includes "blood-stained despots".

• — $34 billion Inpex project given kick-off from top

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 19:19)

  Prime Minister Julia Gillard has turned the first sod at the Inpex liquefied natural gas plant site at Blaydin Point on Darwin Harbour.

• — US eases Burma sanctions

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 19:15)

  The United States is suspending sanctions barring American investment in Burma in response to political reforms.

• — Pair injured in light plane crash

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 18:27)

  Two men have been injured in a light plane crash in the central west of New South Wales.

• — Shares set for six-month low amid euro woes

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 18:27)

  The local share market is on track for its lowest close since November, as worries about the stability of Greece and Spain spark a sell off.

• — Police search gang after stabbing in Cottesloe

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 18:08)

  Police in Perth are searching for a gang of four people they say are responsible for several burglaries and a stabbing in Cottesloe.

• — NSW teachers vote to escalate industrial action

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 18:03)

  NSW teachers have held a stop-work meeting, voting to ramp up industrial action unless the state government reviews its education reforms.

• — NSW golfer shoots a 55

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 18:02)

  A 26-year-old man from Lismore in New South Wales has provisionally set a new world record for the lowest score in a round of golf.

• — Some Retravision stores having cash flow problems

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 17:47)

  The owners of Victorian Retravision stores will meet this morning to discuss cash-flow problems in the Retravision group.

• — Tasmania to ban battery hen farming

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 17:39)

  Tasmania is to become the first Australian state to ban battery hen farming and will fast-track the phasing out of pigs in sow stalls.

• — Court hears of Slipper's distress over sex claims

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 17:34)

  The Federal Court has heard Speaker Peter Slipper is deeply distressed over sexual allegations made by former adviser James Ashby.

  Justice Stephen Rares has started hearing the civil case that political adviser James Ashby lodged against Mr Slipper and the Commonwealth.

  Mr...

• — ACCC to probe online price deals

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 17:24)

  The competition regulator will investigate clothing importers who are making deals with international online stores to inflate prices for their Australian customers.

• — What is the Brisbane Sovereign Embassy?

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 17:09)

  The removal of an Aboriginal tent embassy from Brisbane's Musgrave Park on Wednesday was met with defiance, anger, tears and frustration.

• — Syria opposition chief to resign amid infighting

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 17:02)

  The head of the main Syrian opposition body says he is ready to quit, following mounting criticism of his leadership.

• — HMAS Ballarat sails into China for joint exercise

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 16:48)

  An Australian frigate is preparing for joint exercises with the Chinese navy, just days after Foreign Minister Bob Carr received the blowtorch from Beijing over increased Australia-US military ties.

• — World shares extend losses as Europe weighs

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 16:43)

  Concern about the health of Spain's banks and the prospect of Greece exiting the eurozone weighed on global financial markets overnight.

• — Holden to export rebadged Commodores

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 16:41)

  Carmaker Holden will resume sales of the Commodore to North America under the Chevrolet badge.

• — Iran threatens to sue Google over 'nameless map'

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 15:44)

  Iran is threatening to sue Google for removing the name of the body of water to the country's south from its online map.

• — Minorities overtake whites in US births

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 15:39)

  For the first time in the United States, the number of non-white babies being born outnumbers the number of white babies.

• — Quiz: How well do you know Facebook?

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 15:36)

  As Facebook prepares to offer stock on the US share market, test how much you know about the world's most popular social media platform.

• — Government releases Indonesian abattoir report

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 15:36)

  An investigation into animal cruelty in Indonesian abattoirs has recommended action be taken against two Australian exporters.

• — Greece readies for polls as euro crisis hits Spain

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 15:12)

  The euro crisis spread to Spain overnight as Greece swore in an interim government and British prime minister David Cameron called for decisive action on the uncertainty.

• — Family threatened in armed home invasion

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 14:57)

  A family has been threatened with machetes, hammers and iron bars in a home invasion in Sydney's west, in what police believe may have been a case of mistaken identity.

• — Facebook shares priced at $US38

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 14:49)

  Facebook has announced a price of $US38 per share for its record-setting initial public offering, giving the leading social network a market value of $104 billion.

• — AFP seize $20m worth of drugs imported by post

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 14:44)

  The AFP and Customs officers have seized 120 kilograms of illegal drugs being imported by post.

  Twenty five people have been arrested and three people have been charged.

• — NSW teachers go on strike

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 13:57)

  New South Wales public school teachers have stopped work for two hours this morning over State Government moves to give schools greater control of budgets and staffing.

• — Disco queen Donna Summer dies

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 12:59)

  Disco queen Donna Summer, whose pulsing anthems like Love to Love You Baby became the soundtrack of the 70s, has died of cancer at the age of 63.

• — Stoner announces shock decision to quit

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 12:30)

  Casey Stoner has shocked the motorcycle racing world by announcing he is retiring because he has "lost the passion" to continue.

• — Cameron hands eurozone tough ultimatum

     (Thursday, 17 May 2012 08:46)

  British PM David Cameron says eurozone leaders need to back the group's weaker economies or kick them out altogether.