A MAN was impaled on an aluminium fence for almost three hours today after slipping as he tried to scale a gate outside his Sydney home.

THE Government is preparing an injection of emergency cash into households before Christmas, with the warning from PM Kevin Rudd that "tough times have arrived".

AUTHORITIES slam teen Sydney girls for scrawling mobile numbers on their backs in a bid to pick up blokes at the beach, saying they are "asking for trouble".

A SYDNEY prostitute allegedly sexually assaulted by a US sailor on shore leave was left "black and blue" and feeling like she had been "chewed by a lawnmower".

AFTER a traumatic miscarriage in a hospital toilet a year ago, Jana Horska and husband Mark Dreyer finally have a reason to celebrate - baby Sarah Louise. Video.

AN autopsy on Australian backpacker Britt Lapthorne is "childish" and sheds no light on how she died, her stunned father said last night.

A HARD-CORE bloc of Coalition MPs are challenging Malcolm Turnbull's push for a federal merger of the Liberal and Nationals parties.

ACCUSED killer Kathleen Worrall is believed to suffer from a hormonal disorder that can lead to an imbalance in the production of adrenalin.

JEFF Fenech's much-hyped "Final Round" with legendary super featherweight Azumah Nelson may be over, but the bickering looks set to continue for a while yet.

WAYNE Carey could walk away from his US assault case with little more than a $500 fine. The fallen footy star has cut a deal with US prosecutors in Florida.