Australia is heading for a recession this year, with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) now predicting the economy will contract.

Up to 20 homes around the Victorian township of Boolarra have been lost in bushfires
that have razed more than 6,000 hectares in three days and are now threatening a

Queensland's Reds fought back from 26-14 down to match the Blues in the try count but not on the scoreboard, losing their trial match 26-24 on Friday night.

Women in East Timor are forced into potentially fatal abortions because they cannot legally terminate a pregnancy even for medical reasons, according to a Darwin researcher.

Australian aid agencies are concerned that the assistance getting through to people in Gaza is only a "trickle", not the flood that is required.

As he officially quit his upper house post on Friday, Australia's longest-serving justice minister urged the Rudd government to continue the fight against terrorism.

Four days of searing heat is taking a toll on South Australians with ambulance crews and the state's power supplies stretched to the limit.

Australians are turning their backs on credit, gripped by the fear of losing their job as the economic outlook becomes increasingly grim.

Victoria is on the brink of a power meltdown with the blistering heatwave draining electricity supplies.

Serena Williams and Dinara Safina will slug it out for grand slam spoils and the world No.1 ranking on Saturday night after sweeping into the Australian Open final.