Victoria Azarenka has beaten Maria Sharapova in the women's singles final at the Australian Open to claim the world number one spot.

Police say a woman, understood to be the wife of high-profile businessman Alan Bond, has been found dead at his home in Perth.

The 57-year-old woman's body was discovered at the house in Hawkstone Street just before midday on Saturday.

Police have refused to release further details but say the death is not suspicious.

Mr Bond was believed to be still in the house but had not yet responded to the general media.

Gale-force winds could lash the West Australian Pilbara coast tonight as a tropical cyclone continues to move towards shore.

Victoria Azarenka has beaten Maria Sharapova in the women's singles final at the Australian Open to claim the world number one spot.

Police say a woman, understood to be the wife of high-profile businessman Alan Bond, has been found dead at his home in Perth.

The 57-year-old woman's body was discovered at the house in Hawkstone Street just before midday on Saturday.

Police have refused to release further details but say the death is not suspicious.

Mr Bond was believed to be still in the house but had not yet responded to the general media.

Gale-force winds could lash the West Australian Pilbara coast tonight as a tropical cyclone continues to move towards shore.

As a new school year begins, more than 50,000 Australian children will be home-schooled and in most cases, their parents are doing it illegally.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirms one of her staff members passed on information about Tony Abbott's whereabouts to a union official who in turn reportedly alerted rowdy protesters on Australia Day.

There has been a downgrade in the amount of rain forecast to fall over western and south-east Queensland this weekend, easing fears of a repeat of record falls recorded in the past 24 hours.

Police say they have searched the London offices of Rupert Murdoch's News International and arrested four people, including a policeman, in an investigation into suspected payments to police officers for information.

Indonesia has revoked a gold mining exploration permit granted to an Australian miner following a series of violent protests against the project left two dead last month, reports said.

France will pull its forces out of Afghanistan a year earlier than planned, a week after the killing of four French servicemen by a renegade Afghan soldier.

England collapsed to a 72-run defeat in the second Test against Pakistan, after falling to 72 all out and giving up an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.