POLICE are appealing for help to recover the remainder of dangerous explosives stolen from a home at Ipswich, west of Brisbane, five days ago.

VETERAN coach Laurie Lawrence has urged controversial swimmer Nick D'Arcy to put his studies before his career in the pool.

DEFENCE Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has praised members of the defence force for their commitment and sacrifice during a welcome home parade in Queensland.

TWO divers found after drifting for 19 hours in waters off the Whitsundays have thanked their rescuers.

TOURISM operators have defended Queensland's Whitsundays as a safe place to dive after two divers survived 19 hours drifting at sea.

THE dramatic side-effects of tobacco on a smoker's appearance is the latest weapon to stop young people smoking.

THE seemingly unstoppable Australian dollar surged yesterday to its highest level since the Hawke Government float - and analysts tip that parity with the US dollar may be just months away.

TOP real estate agents face legal action for quoting misleading low prices to prospective buyers, after months of inquiries by the Office of Fair Trading.

US shares tumbled overnight as a new rise in crude oil futures dampened sentiment and investors refrained from taking new positions ahead of a three-day holiday weekend.

AUSTRALIA'S booming resource sector is now kingpin of the share market, valued at more than the finance sector.

PETROL rises are killing off the beloved weekend road trip, crippling small businesses and tourism operations, and forcing many to reassess their lifestyles.

DESPITE all the gloom, oil prices are predicted to fall 30 per cent within 12 months, giving motorists much-needed relief.

VICTORIAN doctors want an 18 per cent pay rise over the next two years in the latest wage claim lodged with the State Government.

ALMOST all her life "Jess" has felt like a boy trapped in a girl's body. From the age of six, shopping trips usually ended in the boy's clothing section.

THE crisis engulfing the Victorian Liberal party has deepened, with allies of leader Ted Baillieu seeking to expel rogue bloggers from the party.

A SEARCH and rescue operation will resume tomorrow morning for a 49-year-old man from Melbourne's west who failed to return from a week-long camping trip.

A TEENAGER has been hospitalised after being stabbed in the buttocks during a brawl outside a train station in Melbourne's north.

A LARGE-scale search and rescue operation will resume today for a 49-year-old man from Melbourne's west who failed to return from a week-long camping trip.

A 25-YEAR-old inmate has escaped from a low-security prison north-west of Hobart, Tasmania Police say.

A MAN who beat up another man outside a Western Australia nightclub rolled his victim into the recovery position before fleeing.