Super Rugby champion Queensland gave its hopes of a title defence another boost with a 34-20 bonus-point win over the Lions.

A man has been shot at a townhouse in Merrylands in Sydney's west.

A bomb has exploded in front of a school in the southern Italian town of Brindisi, killing one student and injuring at least six.

A privately-owned rocket aborts its launch toward the ISS at the last second, after a computer detected a possible problem with one of the rocket's engines.

Jay Schulz kicked seven goals as Port Adelaide staged a remarkable comeback from 32 points down against North Melbourne to win by two points at Football Park.

Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has left hospital and is now waiting at Beijing's international airport, but he is yet to be given a passport or a destination.The high-profile activist, who escaped house arrest last month, has previously said he feared for his and his family's safety.He has told the ABC he is waiting for a passport and he thinks he is going to be put on a flight to the United States.

Injuries to Ben Reid and Dane Swan put a dampener on Collingwood's 12-point victory over Geelong on Friday night.

Northern Territory Police have found four of the seven teenagers who escaped from the Alice Springs Juvenile Detention Centre last night.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is monitoring a bulk carrier that is drifting out of control toward the Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland.

Syrian regime forces have fired on protesters who took to the streets of Aleppo, wounding several people at the biggest rally seen in the country's second city since a revolt erupted last year, a watchdog said.

East Timor will tomorrow commemorate its 10th anniversary since independence from Indonesia, and the World Bank says there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Protesters have slammed Queen Elizabeth's guest list for her Diamond Jubilee lunch, which included Bahrain's King Hamad al Khalifa.

The West Australian Government plans to introduce a specialist court to deal with offenders suffering from mental illness.

Scott Pendlebury kicked four including the game-winner as Collingwood triumphed by two goals over 2011 grand final tormentor Geelong.

South Africa's ruling ANC party threatens legal action over a painting depicting South African president Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed.

Italy's proposal to levy a tax on cats and dogs is withdrawn in the face of a wave of popular anger.

Anna Funder's tale of anti-Nazi activists has taken out top honours at this year's Australian Book Industry Awards.

The coroner will investigate a fiery crash that killed an unlicensed teenage driver in Melbourne's north-east overnight.

US president Barack Obama and other G8 leaders meet for crisis talks in Washington as European and Australian markets suffer sharp losses.

The Federal Government is under renewed pressure from within its own ranks to demand all Australian cattle sent to Indonesia are stunned first before they are slaughtered.

Western Bulldogs shook off a slow start and powered to a predictable 38-point win over the winless Gold Coast Suns at Marrara Stadium in Darwin on Saturday night.

Serena Williams withdrew from the Rome Masters semi-final with China's Li Na due to back pain, but insists she will be fine for the French Open.

A suspected broken leg suffered by Cowboys forward Tariq Sims has overshadowed North Queenland's thrilling 30-28 win over Penrith in Townsville on Saturday night.

Quade Cooper made an encouraging return as Queensland's title defence got another boost with a 34-20 bonus-point win over the Lions.

Melbourne's awful season hit another low as Sydney demolished the Demons by 101 points at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday evening.

The Crusaders made amends for losing to the lowly Rebels last weekend by scoring nine tries to thrash the struggling Blues 59-12.

The Highlanders put home ground advantage to good use as they eked out a 16-11 win over South African table toppers the Bulls in Dunedin on Saturday.

Mawingo has won a controversial running of the Doomben Cup (2,000m) in Brisbane, giving trainer Anthony Freedman his maiden Group One victory.

Justin Hodges has urged Queensland coach Mal Meninga to "Coal Train" Dave Taylor loose on New South Wales on Wednesday night.

V8 Supercar championship front-runners Jamie Whincup and Will Davison tangled in a spectacular crash at Phillip Island on Saturday which dented both their title hopes.

Waikato-Bay of Plenty thumped Canterbury Tactix 65-42 in their trans-Tasman netball clash in Christchurch on Saturday afternoon.

Hawthorn consolidated its place in the top eight with a commanding 56-point win over Fremantle in Launceston.

Jay Schulz kicked seven goals as Port Adelaide staged a remarkable comeback from 32 points down against North Melbourne to win by two points at Football Park.

Injuries to Ben Reid and Dane Swan put a dampener on Collingwood's 12-point victory over Geelong on Friday night.

Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson says he will ignore the Crows' poor recent record in Melbourne when they clash with Carlton at Docklands.

American Jason Dufner birdied four of his last five holes to go a stroke clear of a congested leaderboard after the second round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all progressed to the semi-finals of the Rome Masters.

Mark Cavendish won his third bunch sprint of this year's Giro d'Italia before confirming he would continue into the mountains.

England captain Andrew Strauss ending an 18-month wait for a century with an unbeaten 121 against West Indies at Lord's.

Scott Pendlebury kicked four including the game-winner as Collingwood triumphed by two goals over 2011 grand final tormentor Geelong.