ABC News

PM braces for tough fight on inflation

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has admitted the fight to curb inflation will be tough but has defended his Government's measures to reverse it.

US swimmer Hardy fails doping test: reports

Jessica Hardy, an American who qualified to swim the 50-metres freestyle and 100 breaststroke at the Beijing Olympics, has tested positive for a banned substance, Swimming World magazine reported.

Man freed from bus crash wreck

Emergency crews have freed a man who was trapped for several hours in the wreckage of a bus and truck crash near Traralgon, in eastern Victoria.

Iemma refuses to sack ambulance chief

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma is in a stand-off with the state's paramedics, who are refusing to charge patients until he sacks their chief.

NZ church provides fuel for soul and car

A church in New Zealand has come up with a clever way to attract more worshippers - it is offering fuel vouchers to newcomers.

Abbott cautious on Indigenous constitutional recognition

The Federal Opposition says there needs to be a lot more discussion about the way Indigenous Australians should be recognised in the Constitution.

Beaconsfield miner 'dreaded inquest'

One of the survivors of the Beaconsfield goldmine rockfall two years ago, Todd Russell, says he had been dreading the inquiry into his colleague's death.

Police offered clues on mother of dead baby

Police have confirmed the dead baby found at a bus stop near Shepparton, in north-western Victoria, was a newborn boy.

War crimes prosecutors to oppose Karadzic defending himself

Prosecutors at The Hague's United Nations war crimes tribunal say they will oppose any move by former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to represent himself if his extradited to go before the tribunal on genocide charges.

Seventeen injured in Vic bus crash

Seventeen people have been injured, two of them critically, in a collision between a bus and truck in eastern Victoria.

Garuda crash pilot 'ready' to face charges

The Garuda pilot who crashed his plane at Yogyakarta airport last year has told an Indonesian court that he is deeply mourning the 21 people who died in the crash.

Parents ordered to change girl's Talula Does the Hula name

A New Zealand judge has ordered that the parents of an eight-year-old girl change her name, saying it is highly embarrassing and makes the child a target for ridicule.

Crowded House to headline Sydney's Homebake

Crowded House will headline this year's Homebake festival in Sydney.

Police investigating Carney 'cover up'

ACT police have confirmed they are looking into allegations made by former Canberra Raiders player Steve Irwin.

Man shocked to find baby in garbage bag

A post mortem examination is being conducted to determine the cause of death of an infant found dead in a shopping bag at a bus stop near Shepparton in north-west Victoria yesterday.

No charges to arise from Beaconsfield inquest

The inquest into the death of Beaconsfield miner Larry Knight heard the mine's owners have been informed no charges will be laid against the company arising from the inquest.

Constitutional change a hard slog, says Mundine

Indigenous leader and former ALP national president Warren Mundine is warning that getting recognition for Indigenous people in the Constitution will be a big task.

Aust well prepared to avoid recession: CBA chief

Commonwealth Bank chief executive Ralph Norris says Australia is in a better position than other developed countries to avoid a recession.

Lindstrom's murder plot sentence extended

Swedish model Charlotte Lindstrom's jail sentence for plotting the murder of two witnesses in a drug trial has been extended by at least another year.

Obama still leads McCain in presidential poll

Democrat Barack Obama has a six-point lead over Republican John McCain in the United States presidential race as a growing percentage of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to a new poll.

Wild seas hinder search for missing trawler crewman

Searchers are battling atrocious conditions in their quest to find a fisherman missing off the Sunshine Coast in south-east Queensland since last night.

Pharmacy Guild urges looser rules on repeat prescriptions

The Pharmacy Guild is recommending changes which would allow patients to buy repeat prescriptions from chemists for certain drugs for up to two years, without permission from their doctor.

Police gun stolen at shopping centre

Detectives are investigating how a gun was stolen from an unmarked police car at Westfield Parramatta shopping centre in western Sydney.

Govt 'motivated' to improve bush telecommunications

The head of an independent review team looking into telecommunications in the bush says he is confident the Federal Government will act to improve services.

Report ranks world's most expensive cities

Moscow is the world's priciest city for expatriate workers and is almost 1.5 times as expensive as New York, Shanghai, Amsterdam and Madrid, a report on relative living costs shows.

Evans faces tight race against the clock

Cadel Evans faces a tough battle to win the Tour de France, even though the Australian will be the favourite in Saturday night's decisive time trial, his Silence-Lotto team's sports director Marc Sergeant said.

Prosecutors inspect execution site for Bali bombers

Indonesian prosecutors have surveyed a site for the execution of three men convicted over the 2002 Bali bombings, in another indication that the execution could be nearing.

Springborg denies he doesn't want Brough as LNP president

Queensland Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg denies he is the reason Mal Brough has pulled out of the race for presidency of the planned new Liberal-National Party.

Former Qantas exec appeals for light sentence in price fix scam

The family of a former Qantas executive who has pleaded guilty to price fixing charges is appealing to a United States judge to give him a light jail sentence.

'Street racers' escape fiery smash

Two young men have been taken to hospital after an alleged street race in western Sydney ended in a fiery crash.