Adelaide - South Australia

Canberra has begun preparing the way for higher interest rates, declaring that the present low rates can't stay forever.

Mourners at two open-coffin viewings found they were grieving for strangers after a funeral company mix-up.

Radio and television host Kyle Sandilands was contemplating a bleak future last night after being sacked as a judge on Australian Idol and with his radio show in ‘‘recess’’ indefinitely.

Melbourne City Council will make almost $1.4 million by selling lanes for a massive new shopping development.

Bayside Melbourne residents tell of waking to sounds like bomb blasts when a ferocious storm hit early yesterday.

A PRIEST used boys under his care for his own comfort and sexual gratification, a Hobart court was told yesterday.

TWO teenage victims of the Mildura hit-run accident have been remembered as a "loving daughter" and a "great mate".

THE woman killed, along with her partner and child when their Brisbane house was gutted by fire, has been named as disgraced lawyer-turned-drug-addict Theresa Marchetti.

THE spiritual leader of Australia's 300,000 Muslims yesterday accused John Howard of inflaming public hatred towards the Islamic community.

PART of a Sydney plastics warehouse has been extensively damaged by a blaze that broke out late last night.

HEALTH and education are by far the most important issues for voters, ahead of the economy, according to a new poll.

A REGISTERED club where women can work split shifts to fit in with caring responsibilities is among organisations officially dubbed "female friendly".

FEDERAL Labor leader Kim Beazley's refusal to intervene in Simon Crean's battle for preselection is creating division in the party, Labor frontbencher Martin Ferguson says.

A 98-year-old woman was raped on several occasions in a Victorian nursing home and other elderly residents were also sexually assaulted by the same male staff member, ABC TV reported tonight.

NSW Roads and Traffic Authority workers are among the most stressed and injured in the state, new figures show.

THE Cole inquiry into the AWB kickbacks scandal enters another turbulent week today with the Federal Opposition now demanding the Defence Department reveal what it knew about the matter.

PRIME Minister John Howard's handling of the war on terrorism and the hip-pocket nerve has helped him maintain strong approval ratings after 10 years at the top, a poll has found.

A GROUP of liberal Catholics has lodged a complaint with the Vatican about Cardinal George Pell's doctrinal teachings, saying they are inaccurate and misleading.

OPENLY gay independent MP Andrew Olexander has hit out at his former party, the Liberals, for questioning him over his sex life.

AUSTRALIA rugby union player Wendell Sailor has reportedly been involved in an incident at a South Africa nightclub while touring with the NSW Waratahs.