A custom-made electric guitar played by Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison has sold at a New York auction for $US408,000 ($419,100).

Israel Folau has been included in the preliminary Wallabies squad for the British and Irish Lions series, but Quade Cooper has missed out.

A man is in a serious but stable condition after being shot in the face in Ballarat.

Ambulance officers say the man was taken to a local hospital before being flown to Melbourne.

Police believe the shooting may have been accidental.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey has told the states and territories that the onus is on them to make the case for changes to the goods and services tax (GST).

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell this morning called for overhaul of the current tax system, which he says is failing.

The Coalition plans to hold a review of the tax system if it is elected, but Mr Hockey says it is not up to the federal government to drive GST change.

The Queensland Government says it could prosecute those responsible for the deaths of 46 cattle at a government research station in the state's north.

Rolf Harris has received standing ovations at his first performance since reports surfaced that he had been questioned over alleged sexual offences.

Harris made no direct reference to the allegations he is facing, but alluded to his situation several times during the show in Bristol in south-west England.

"You've got no idea what this means to have you turn up with such enthusiasm and such support," he told the audience.

Police have confirmed they have found the body of a man during their search for two paragliders missing in Victoria's south-west.

A shooting accident in South Australia has reignited calls for amateur hunting in New South Wales national parks to be abandoned.

Denmark's Emmelie de Forest has won the Eurovision Song Contest with a barefoot performance backed by flutes and drums.

Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle is confident the lure of a grand slam will ensure Bernard Tomic fronts up at the French Open.

Islamic fundamentalist politicians in Afghanistan have stopped a debate on whether to give parliamentary approval to a law protecting women against violence.

The New South Wales legal aid service has come under fire for its decision not to fund any compensation cases for institutional child sexual abuse.

Gunmen have abducted the father of Syria's deputy foreign minister, as Bashar al-Assad spoke out against attempts to topple him.

No bats have been found on a southern Queensland property where a horse died from lyssavirus.

South Korea's defence ministry says it is on high alert after North Korea fired three short-range missiles from its east coast.

David Beckham bade a tearful farewell as he made his final appearance for French champions PSG before retirement.

A senior female Pakistani politician has been shot dead outside her home in the city of Karachi.

Thousands of protesters have rallied in Rome against the policies of Italy's new coalition government.

A Facebook hate-page vilifying Tasmanian teachers has sparked fresh concerns about the way young people use social media.

A Saudi Arabian woman has scaled the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, in a first for the conservative Muslim kingdom where women's sports are severely restricted.

Hoarding, gambling and marijuana withdrawal are among the newly expanded disorders contained in a revision of a leading psychiatric manual.

The $25 million revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual happens only once in a generation and comes after nearly two decades of debate, deliberation and change in clinical practice.

A 58-year-old hiker who spent five days in bushland north-west of Sydney has been rescued by emergency services.

A search began on Saturday afternoon after another hiker found the man suffering injuries and raised the alarm.

He was found on Saturday evening and taken to Westmead Hospital.

North Korea has fired three short-range guided missiles into the sea off its east coast in an apparent test drill.

The launches are believed to be a response to the latest South Korean and US naval exercises in the region.

The operator of Melbourne's CityLink tollway has defended the road's safety record after an accident left a truck hanging off an overpass on Friday morning.

Victoria Police is investigating the suspicious death of a baby in Melbourne.

A quarter of the gay population in European Union countries say they have been attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years, according to a new survey.

Labor has launched a nationwide attack on the Coalition's plans for superannuation, warning millions of workers will be left worse off in retirement.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says the Coalition would delay an increase to the superannuation guarantee by two years.

But senior Labor figures say the system should be protected, and warn Australia will lose an advantage over its competitors if a boost to super is put off.

France has officially become the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage, with president Francois Hollande signing it into law following months of bitter political debate.

The legislation, which also legalises gay adoption, could see the first gay marriages celebrated as early as June.

A man is dead after a two-car smash involving a stolen vehicle south of Brisbane this morning.

Afghanistan expects to begin the first commercial oil production in its history in a little under two months.

A 40-kilogram space rock has slammed into the Moon at about 90,000 kilometres per hour, creating a bright flash of light as it exploded with a force of five tonnes of TNT, according to NASA.

An automated telescope captured the images of the March 17 explosion, the biggest seen since NASA began watching the Moon for meteoroid impacts about eight years ago.

David Warner is likely to face disciplinary action after apparently launching a scathing attack on two journalists on Twitter.

A review of the GreenEDGE cycling team has recommended it reinstates sacked sports director Matt White.

The Anglican Diocese of Grafton says it is developing a new approach to better support victims of abuse following the shock resignation of a local bishop.

A property in southern Queensland remains under quarantine after the first ever breakout of lyssavirus in horses.

A series of bombings in Iraq has killed at least 60 people and injured dozens more, amid growing sectarian violence.

The woman at the centre of a sex scandal involving former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has given testimony in a Milan court for the first time.

The outgoing head of the US tax office admits the actions of some staff in targeting Tea Party-aligned groups were "obnoxious" but says they were not politically motivated.

Argentina's former-military leader Jorge Rafael Videla has died of natural causes at the age of 87 while serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity.

The inquest into the death of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is in doubt after a British coroner ruled that he could not consider evidence on whether Russia ordered the killing.

A toddler who went missing yesterday near Taree on the New South Wales mid-north coast has been found safe and well.

Police say the two-year-old boy named Tyler was with his mother at an auto-mechanic business in Johns River when he disappeared around 10:30am yesterday.

A ground and air search failed to locate the boy and was suspended at nightfall, but volunteers who continued searching after dark found him in dense bushland early this morning.

Jewellery worth $1.3 million and reportedly due to be loaned to stars treading the red carpet at the Cannes film festival has been stolen in a pre-dawn heist.

The Federal Government says it expects more holes will be uncovered in the Opposition's costings as a dispute continues over $400 million worth of savings announced in Tony Abbott's budget reply.

Mr Abbott said $400 million would be saved by scrapping Labor's green loans scheme as part of $5 billion in total savings.

But Finance Minister Penny Wong says it is not a saving because the money is no longer in the budget.

The search for a toddler who went missing on the New South Wales mid-north coast will resume later this morning.

Two-year-old Tyler was with his mum at a business in Johns River, about 35 kilometres north-east of Taree, when he wandered away yesterday.

It was thought he ventured into nearby bushland, but a ground and air search failed to locate him.

Police divers will join the search team today.

Experts say Australian businesses need to take office romances more seriously.

The Victorian Government broke the Fair Work Act when it denied a contract to build a regional hospital, the Federal Court rules.

The local share market benefitted from the sharp slide in the dollar, with the All Ords ending the day on 5,160 and the ASX 200 on 5,181.

There are calls for greater transparency after ASIC accidentally blocked more than 1,000 websites.

Analysts say renewed confidence in the US recovery is combining with increasing worries about Australia's economic outlook to push the local currency down against the greenback.

British researchers say they have invented an improved technique for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) that involves thousands of time-lapse photos during the earliest stages of embryo development.

Police warn of escalating tensions between rival bikie gangs the Hells Angels and the Bandidos.

Police and Customs intercept a shipment of liquid meth smuggled in hairdressing products from China.

Biosecurity Queensland says a horse has tested positive to the bat-borne lyssavirus, in what is believed to be the first cross infection of its kind.

Police are searching for a man wanted for assaulting four primary school girls in Sydney's inner west.

An Anglican bishop on the New South Wales north coast has resigned over his handling of abuse claims at a children's home.

Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson says a federal funding promise for Brisbane's cross-river rail project is not genuine.

Outbound lanes on Melbourne's Citylink are open, but there are long delays after a dramatic crash this morning.

Some alternative Australian-developed wine varieties are finding their way into the glasses of local drinkers, but the biggest test for winemakers has been getting consumers to try them.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has rubbished reports suggesting players abuse the self-reporting rule as a means to avoid being issued a strike.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard joins her senior ministers in condemning the Opposition Leader's plan to delay increases in superannuation contributions.

A senior Catholic Church official refused to be questioned over an alleged child sex abuse cover-up, documents reveal.

The former Victorian Labor premier, Steve Bracks, has been appointed as Australia's next consul-general in New York.

Target's full-year earnings could fall by as much as 43 per cent because of weak sales, price discounting and restructuring costs.

Family members of a young Sydney woman who was raped and killed in 2011 are disappointed her killer did not get life in prison.

Tosha Thakkar came to Australia from India and was studying accounting when she was raped and strangled with a television antenna.

Her murderer, Daniel Stani-Reginald, was today sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Children and Families Minister Alison Anderson says she is travelling to remote Northern Territory communities to recruit more Aboriginal foster carers.

An Aboriginal council overseeing country on the border of Western Australia and the Northern Territory has started a camel mustering company to create employment opportunities for local people.

A former NSW Labor minister says he will be vindicated by the findings of a corruption inquiry into mining licences after his final day of evidence.

Convicted drug boss Tony Mokbel has lost a bid to quash his conviction for being the mastermind behind a large-scale drug ring.

A disgraced former New South Wales police officer who was jailed for giving false evidence to the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption has died.

A major aid agency says Australia's resources companies are not being open enough about how they gain the consent of Indigenous land owners at their overseas mining projects.

Lawyers question a plan to exclude some people from becoming teachers in South Australia.

Police descend on the tiny town of Wee Waa to oversee a 4,000-strong crowd for the launch of Daft Punk's latest album.

Local council CCTV cameras are switched back on after a privacy ruling challenged the use of the surveillance systems across NSW.

Tony Abbott has conducted a media blitz to sell his economic plan, denying Labor's claims that he is saving his harshest spending cuts until after the election and cannot be trusted.

In his budget reply speech last night, Mr Abbott outlined $5 billion worth of savings, including a delay to increases in the superannuation guarantee and cuts to some welfare supplements.

But he also promised to keep $4 billion worth of tax cuts and pension increases associated with the carbon pricing scheme, despite reaffirming the Coalition's promise to make scrapping the carbon tax its first priority in government.

A draft report suggests there will be more services to western Sydney but fewer trains stopping on the upper north shore under a new rail timetable.

The leaders of the United States and Turkey have met to discuss tactics to free Syria from the "tyranny" of Bashar al-Assad.

Two artists confess they worked under cover of darkness to put a portrait on a bridge, depicting late Port Augusta mayor Joy Baluch.

David Beckham will hang up his boots at the end of the season at the age of 38.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has ordered an urgent review of boxing licences, after Melbourne gangland identity Mick Gatto was given permission to organise fights in Victoria.

A federal budget decision on capping the sum people can claim for self-education expenses has come under fire.

Wearing unofficial medals at commemorative events, such as Anzac Day, might soon be outlawed.

Pope Francis has called on world leaders to reform the global financial system and put an end to the "cult of money".

The death of an unborn baby prompts Gladstone Hospital staff in central Qld to speak out over resourcing concerns.

A truck driver is fighting for his life after falling 15 metres from his cab in a dramatic bridge crash in Melbourne.

Take a look at the life and career of former England captain David Beckham:

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum is selling a limited number of copies of the artist's sketchbooks for the first time.

Cyclone Mahasen has hit the coast of Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of one million people and killing 14.

Four British members of the Lulzsec computer hacking group have been jailed for masterminding cyber attacks on major global institutions.

Two brothers who allegedly belong to gang have been charged with opening fire at a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans.

Australia's richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, says the Government has an unhealthy reliance on the resources sector and has been treating it like an ATM.

The science world has paid homage to Johnny Depp by giving his name to an extinct creepy-crawly with "scissor hand-like" claws reminiscent of one of the actor's best-known roles.

Australian paceman Shaun Tait is considering legal action after being incorrectly linked to spot-fixing in the IPL.

Soccer superstar David Beckham has announced his retirement, after a career laden with trophies and glamour that had a worldwide impact way beyond the football world.

A suicide car bomb targeted a foreign military convoy in Kabul on Thursday, killing 15 people including five Americans in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital for nearly a year.

Drug experts say magic mushrooms are making a comeback on the nation's party scene and warn that users face health risks and lengthy prison terms.

Two men have been arrested and one is facing deportation after allegedly ripping up the driveway of an elderly couple who refused their offers of work.

Delhi police have confirmed Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait is not involved in their investigation into spot-fixing in the IPL.

Sydney police say they have made a significant breakthrough in gang crime after arresting a 26-year-old man over the attempted murder of a woman in March.

The Queensland Government wants new laws introduced that allow a doctor's disciplinary record placed online for patients to see.

At least six people have been killed by a cyclone which is battering Bangladesh and appears to be on the way to neighbouring Myanmar.

The Australian share market closed down as a fall in the gold price weighed on mining stocks.

British musical star Julie Andrews is set to make her first visit to Australia after seven decades in show business.

The Supreme Court in Brisbane has been shown journal entries alleging controlling and abusive behaviour by former childcare tycoon Eddy Groves.

ABC reporter James Glenday takes a look at why Tony Abbott and the Coalition will wait to outline all its cuts, savings and policy costings.

At least six people are reportedly dead after the ceiling of a shoe factory collapsed in Cambodia.

A report into the death of a paramedic after an attempted rescue on a rock ledge finds safety issues in the NSW Ambulance Service.

Tony Abbott uses his budget reply to tell Australians the Coalition would defer the increase to compulsory superannuation and abolish boosted payments to the unemployed, students and parents.

New Zealand's supreme court has agreed to hear an appeal by internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, who is being sought by the United States for alleged copyright piracy.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has told Parliament that in inquiry into an incident in 2011 that led to the death of an Afghan boy and an Afghan man has found Australian troops acted lawfully.

The New Zealand government is moving to fast-track residential developments to deal with a growing crisis in housing affordability.

Vincent Fantauzzo has won this year's Archibald People's Choice Award for a portrait of his girlfriend Asher Keddie.

What could be a World War II era recipe for Coca-Cola's secret formula found a buyer Wednesday on eBay in the form of a 15-year-old who now has three days to come up with $15.19 million to pay for it.

The Government demands a Coalition MP be sacked for refusing to grant a Labor MP a pair to leave to care for her baby.

A man will spend at least 20 years behind bars after murdering his disabled girlfriend in Central West New South Wales.

Three players from the Rajasthan Royals IPL side have been suspended by the BCCI amid allegations of spot-fixing.

A Queensland researcher says actress Angelina Jolie is a great example of the potential benefits of genetic testing.

At least six people have been killed and about 100 injured after several tornadoes ripped through northern Texas, local media reports.

A sex crimes investigator tells an inquiry he did not want to examine claims of child sexual abuse because he needed more information.

Despite an ageing population and rising obesity rate, research has found a decline in the rate of strokes.

A news cameraman has been pushed over outside an Adelaide assault case hearing.

The entire Australian mainland has been excised from the migration zone in a bid to deter the arrival of asylum seekers.

The corruption inquiry into a mining licence issued over land owned by the Obeid family will be reopened. 

Former NSW minister Ian Macdonald tells a corruption inquiry he wanted to approve a mining licence before leaving Parliament as the probe into the Obeid family farm is reopened.

A family dog has dug up what appears to be a stick of dynamite in the backyard of their property, at Haven, near Horsham in western Victoria.

The Northern Territory crocodile industry has raked in more than $22 million dollars this financial year.

The Opposition asks the AFP to investigate allegations of impropriety involving the NSW Labor Party and MP Craig Thomson.

A man has failed in his bid to have his sentence for a fatal 2009 brawl between rival bikie gangs at Sydney Airport dismissed.

Players' use of illicit drugs in the AFL is worsening, with a 227 per cent increase in the rate of positive tests in 2012.

Former rugby league legend Glenn Lazarus will take top spot on the Palmer United Party's Queensland Senate ticket at this year's election.

Hobart's homeless could soon have access to their own storage lockers.

The so-called "Abenomics" stimulus program has met with early success, lifting Japan's GDP more than forecast.

Ex-NSW mining minister Ian Macdonald tells a corruption inquiry he did nothing wrong when he was wined and dined by people who wanted a mining licence.

It has been revealed that police were concerned about the terms of a settlement between an abuse victim and the Catholic Church.

A comprehensive assessment of climate change research finds an overwhelming scientific consensus that recent warming is human-induced.

A construction company owned by a local politician has demolished a 2,300-year-old Mayan temple in northern Belize to use the rubble as gravel for road repair work.

Barack Obama sacks the acting head of the US tax office after revelations officials targeted conservative groups for audits.

Researchers hope a world-first study using dogs could hold the key to a breakthrough in dementia treatment.

WADA says its new global doping code will reflect factors arising from investigations into the AFL and NRL.

The preferred design for James Packer's proposed billion-dollar casino and hotel at Sydney's Barangaroo precinct has been selected.

Police describe how two children watched as beach goers desperately tried to resuscitate their mother, whose body washed ashore south of Coral Bay.

Two men are charged after police use DNA evidence to put them at the scene of a failed bank robbery more than eight years ago.

A new colourless, pear-shaped diamond weighing 101.73 carats has sold for a record $23.8 million at a Christie's auction in Geneva.

Rainforests such as the Amazon are often the most well-known for absorbing carbon, but scientists are now uncovering the vital role coastal habitats play in carbon capture.

A political row has erupted over granting a Federal Labor MP leave from Parliament to go home to care for her sick daughter.

Russia has accused the United States of "crude and clumsy" spying on its territory after a suspected CIA agent was caught in Moscow seeking to recruit an agent while disguised in a blonde wig.

Police believe fugitive Graham Gene Potter, who skipped bail in 2010, may be living in the Riverina area.

A motorcyclist was hit by a car last night after stopping to help an injured koala is in a critical condition in a hospital on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Britain has warned oil companies will face the full force of the law if a European Commission's probe into pricing finds any wrongdoing.

British prime minister David Cameron suffered an embarrassing blow in parliament when one-third of his Conservative politicians voted against him in protest at his stance on Britain's membership of the European Union.

Australian Federal Police have refused to confirm or deny whether it paid an alleged people smuggling boss in return for information.

Great Gatsby star Leonardo DiCaprio opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival ahead of the European premiere of Baz Luhrmann's controversial 3D epic which kicked off the world's most prestigious film meet.

Scientists have made a long-awaited breakthrough in human cloning by using human skin cells to create early-stage embryos.

OJ Simpson has taken to the witness stand in a Las Vegas courtroom to seek a new trial in an armed-robbery case that sent him to prison five years ago.

A central Queensland woman has spoken about her baby's death after a hospital allegedly turned her away.

Bomb attacks have killed more than 30 people in Shiite areas of Baghdad and in northern Iraq, following weeks of violence by Sunni Islamist insurgents determined to spark sectarian confrontation.

The Ohio man accused of holding three young US women captive for around a decade in a house in Cleveland will plead not guilty to charges of rape and kidnapping.

Waiting for a green light at the intersection may be a thing of the past following successful trials of "talking car" technology.

Federal crossbench MP Craig Thomson has decided to quit the Labor party and recontest his New South Wales electorate as an independent.

The sun has unleashed four potent solar flares in just under 24 hours, marking the most intense activity yet this year.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is expected to use tonight's budget reply to explain how he would pay for tax cuts in a first-term Coalition government.

Charities say they are being overwhelmed with pleas for help from asylum seekers who are released from detention without enough to live on.

Australia's economic fortunes have become increasingly tied to China's, and over the past decade the strength of Asia's economic giant has delivered considerable benefits to Australia.

Guangzhou Evergrande posted a 2-1 triumph over Central Coast in their AFC Champions League last-16 tie at Gosford.

France entered a recession in the first quarter this year with gross domestic product contracting 0.2 per cent, after shrinking the same amount in the last quarter of 2012.

A defendant in the trial over a fatal gang-rape of a woman on a bus in Delhi last December has been badly bashed in prison.

Classified documents released by the ADF under a Freedom of Information request detail a series of complaints by detainees about inadequate medical services while being detained in Afghanistan.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has spent the day defending the Government's delivery of a $19 billion budget deficit, rather than the surplus promised last year.

Legislation to increase the Medicare levy to help fund DisabilityCare has passed the Lower House of Federal Parliament.

An abuse of power scandal is unfolding in Washington DC and it threatens to swamp the until now tarnish-free image of president Barack Obama.

Police in PNG have shot dead one of the men who broke out of a prison near the capital Port Moresby yesterday.

Police have discovered two bodies at separate houses in the Perth suburb of Girrawheen, the third and fourth suspicious deaths in the metro area in the last three days.

The federal budget has received a mixed response from welfare and community groups after delivering the promise of life-changing funding for Australians with disabilities but cutting back on family payments.

Three teenagers have been hit by a runaway bus at Dural in Sydney's north-west.

The share market has finished down after weaker metal prices weighed on mining stocks.

The Free Syrian Army has vowed to punish those committing atrocities, as anger mounts at a video showing a rebel filmed apparently cutting out and eating the organs of a soldier.

Former AFL footballer Liam Jurrah has been granted bail at a hearing in the Alice Springs Magistrates Court.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says he has discussed health, policing and business opportunities during a two-day trade trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The death toll from an accident at a mine in eastern Indonesia has risen to four.

An alleged people smuggler who is wanted to face charges in Australia says the Australian Federal Police (AFP) tricked him into infiltrating networks to work as an informant.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh and Myanmar have been ordered to evacuate as Cyclone Mahasen bears down on coastal areas.

Looking forward, but not far enough - that is the verdict of the 2013 budget from scientists.

Four Labor MPs have missed a vote in Federal Parliament, leaving the Government short and forcing it to negotiate with the Opposition over recasting the vote.

Queensland Water Police have found a body off the coast of Hervey Bay, near Fraser Island, this afternoon.

The WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy says additional taxes on the mining sector, contained in the federal budget, are "flogging" an industry that is supporting the Australia economy.

Economists and business groups say the budget is brave - not for the cuts to middle-class welfare, such as the baby bonus - but rather for the assumptions that underpin the return to surplus.

The Commonwealth Bank has announced another rise in profits despite modest credit demand and competition for deposits.

Australian of the Year Ita Buttrose has accused the Government of playing "Russian roulette" with people's minds, after ignoring dementia research in last night's federal budget.

A South African court has ordered Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to sell scores of paintings, sculptures and a room full of books to pay outstanding debts.

Australia's Council on Smoking and Health has attacked the Federal Government for failing to increase tobacco tax in the budget.

Former NSW mining minister Ian Macdonald has told a corruption inquiry it was his prerogative to grant a coal mine licence without tender.

Energy company BP has begun the formal application process in its planned oil search of the Great Australian Bight.

There are now at least 100 people affected by Canberra's worst food poisoning outbreak, with 15 people admitted to hospital after eating at a new restaurant.

Judith Durham, the singer of The Seekers, is in good spirits after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

The ex-wife of Eddy Groves has told a Brisbane court that she was beaten "black and blue" during her marriage to the former childcare tycoon.

The NSW government has hinted it is unlikely to allow terminally ill patients to use cannabis.

A teenage drunk driver whose friend died in a road crash in Adelaide has been given a suspended jail sentence due to his remorse since the death.

The former head of a police strike force made aware of crucial documents in Cardinal George Pell's office.

An Australian athlete is facing a two-year ban from ASADA for allegedly taking an illegal substance.

The National Retailers Association (NRA) says the Government has missed a "golden opportunity" to boost the budget by not lowering the GST threshold on foreign goods.

A Dutch reality TV show which plans to send volunteers on a one-way mission to Mars is raising ethical concerns.

Doctors are predicting an increase in the number of Australian women getting tests for breast cancer gene mutations, after Angelina Jolie's revelation she underwent a double mastectomy.

The Government has begun the hard sell for its election-year budget, defending its decision to axe the baby bonus and fending off Opposition criticism that the budget is "fundamentally dishonest".

An emotional Julia Gillard cried in Parliament this morning as she introduced Labor's flagship DisabilityCare legislation.

Boeing has resumed deliveries of its high-tech 787 Dreamliner jet, ending a period of nearly four months in which it was unable to provide new planes to customers because of safety concerns about the battery system.

James Glenday takes a look behind the scenes in the budget day lock-up.

Rural lobby group AgForce says Queensland farmers will not get much relief from new programs announced in last night's federal budget.

NSW Treasurer Mike Baird says the state will be worse off with cuts to GST revenue, health and a lack of commitment to infrastructure.

The dollar has tumbled one cent against the greenback in the wake of the federal budget announcement.

A number of major clothing retailers in Europe and the US have signed an agreement to improve conditions and ensure building safety for workers in Bangladesh in the wake of a fatal building collapse.

Powers given to Australia's intelligence agency to combat terrorism, including the power to detain suspects without charge, could be scaled back.

An Ombudsman's report says retraining a prisoner to a bed for 22 hours daily was inhumane.

A court was told the 11-year-old son of a Finks member was shot in the leg as part of a gang war.

Queensland Agriculture Minister John McVeigh says he holds no animal welfare concerns about Australian live cattle exports to Indonesia as he pushes for an increase in trade.

The Pentagon plans to place most of its nearly 800,000 civilian employees on unpaid leave for 11 days through September due to automatic budget cuts.

Wigan Athletic was relegated just days after its FA Cup final win after a 4-1 loss to an in-form Arsenal.

Britain's Conservative Party has responded to growing pressure within its ranks to prove it is serious about holding a referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union.

A Syrian rebel leader says he ate the heart of a government soldier as revenge for atrocities committed by the government.

Three people died, 21 were injured and four are feared trapped after a four-storey building under construction collapsed in north-eastern Rwanda.

The International Criminal Court has opened a preliminary probe into Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010.

A junior Australian Rules coach charged with child grooming has been granted bail.

Russia has ordered the expulsion of a US diplomat it alleges is a CIA agent who was caught with disguises and wads of cash as he tried to recruit a Russian spy.

The budget has received a cool reception from business groups, with most lamenting the lack of assistance for firms and tax changes that will hit large multinational companies.

A new social media campaign has been launched to counter messages of extremism within the Australian Somali community.

Four workers have been pulled alive from a tunnel which caved in at a mine in remote eastern Indonesia but police said around 30 were still trapped underground.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has welcomed a multi-million-dollar funding announcement from the Federal Government.

The Australian Federal Police have won the right to continue their legal bid to extradite alleged people smuggler Maythem Radhi.

Wayne Swan, I'm confused. Where does Labor stand?

Who were the big winners and who lost out in this year's federal budget?

The Federal Government has taken a swipe at so-called middle-class welfare by abolishing the baby bonus in a deficit budget that delivers almost no traditional election-year sweeteners.

A ground-breaking study has found Aboriginal Australians are three times more likely to suffer dementia than non-Indigenous Australians.

Hoddle Street mass murderer Julian Knight wants to take court action against Corrections Victoria after he was refused an electronic gaming console.

Papua New Guinea's most notorious criminal has again escaped from a prison near the capital Port Moresby.

Investors struggled for direction throughout today's trade with no key economic data out and little news from overseas overnight.

A $1,800 dinner is described as not lavish by businessman Craig Ransley during inquiry into the awarding of coal mine licence.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan is set to announce the scrapping of the baby bonus in tonight's budget, which will show deficits for the next two years.

Ten people who arrived on a suspected asylum seeker boat in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and went missing after running into bushland have reportedly been found.

Boats carrying up to 150 Rohingya Muslims fleeing a cyclone have capsized off Myanmar's coast, with many feared drowned.

There is more change in the Katter's Australian Party (KAP) organisation.

A rare whale skull removed from a southern Tasmanian beach at the weekend has been recovered from a nearby paddock.

The 100 kilogram skull from a Bryde's whale carcass was removed despite it being marked as museum property.

The museum says it will not pursue charges.

Dozens of students and their teachers may have been exposed to asbestos at an Adelaide school, four years ago.

Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has revealed she has undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her high risk of breast cancer.

Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer says an email asking for donations to his political party is a scam.

Minnesota has become the 12th US state, and the third in two weeks, to legalize same-sex marriage, marking another victory for marriage equality campaigners in the United States.

Police have arrested a man and taken him in for questioning over a body found floating off a beach near Mandurah, south of Perth.

The tiny NSW town of Wee Waa is getting ready to host Daft Punk's album launch on Friday, despite the record being available to stream already.

Authorities are investigating an incident in which four primary school students were found using a diabetic needle.

Indonesia has announced an increase in the live cattle export quota for Australia.

Tweeting spaceman Chris Hadfield returns to Earth with two other astronauts after a half-year mission onboard the ISS.

Abuse inquiry told important police documents regarding abuse allegations sat on the desk of a senior police officer for several months.

Fourteen people have been arrested in a series of raids across far north Queensland targeting drug trafficking by outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Officers seized dangerous drugs and a number of weapons, including a live military rocket.