A man was lured to an Italian social club so he could be murdered in a "vengeance"
killing, a court has been told.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says a meeting with his international counterparts will give
him a first-hand account of the global recession and aid his preparations for the
May 12 budget.

Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens believes his side could face a tougher defensive
assignment against Newcastle this weekend than the one dished up by Melbourne on
Monday night.

A 26-year-old NSW man has become the second Australian to die while walking the
Kokoda Track in a week.

With the Australian economy threatening to fall further into the red, the government
is facing the toughest budget "in our lifetime to frame", Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
says.

Danny Green has a case of the nerves ahead of his first fight in almost 16 months,
but the former world champion has no regrets about coming out of retirement.

A father who kicked his defenceless three-year-old has been spared a jail term
because "subliminal forces" triggered the assault, a South Australian judge says.

A married man lured his pregnant girlfriend to an isolated spot and murdered her so
he could stay with his wife, a Sydney judge has been told.

NSW Transport Minister David Campbell has avoided a public flogging with CityRail
meeting all the criteria set out in its customer charter in its first three months.

More than 41 per cent of Queensland still remains drought declared, despite a season
dominated by floods and cyclones which affected many areas.