Friends and teachers of the daughter of an expelled Syrian diplomat are trying to bring her back to Australia to complete her education, after she was thrown out of the country last night.

The 17-year-old has spent the past four years at Canberra schools and was just months from completing her year 12 certificate and International Baccalaureate.

Humanitarian charity Oxfam has launched a new campaign to call for the regulation of the sale of ammunition around the world.

The Pope has broken his silence on the Vatican leaks scandal, expressing his anger at the way some parts of the media are covering the story.

Pope Benedict XVI said "exaggerated" and "gratuitous" reports were painting a false image of the Holy See.

A series of leaks has revealed allegations of corruption, mismanagement and internal conflicts.

The Pope's butler has been charged with illegally obtaining private papal documents and memos.

Paolo Gabriele, who lives with his wife and children in a Vatican flat, where a stash of confidential documents was allegedly discovered, has pledged "full co-operation" with the investigation.

Christine Lagarde, the IMF boss who caused international outrage after she suggested in an interview with the Guardian on Friday that beleaguered Greeks might do well to pay their taxes, pays no taxes, it has emerged.

The Thomson affair is a spectacle that damages our democracy.

Talkback radio suggests we are growing tired. We might have had our fill of the hunt for a while. We're weakening and becoming vaguely compassionate. Time to draw breath.

Imagine this scenario.

You are the leader of an opposition party in a thriving medium-sized democracy.

The party's doing swell in the polls. So swell, it's tipped to romp it in at the next election to the sound of a few brass bands playing.

You've got a formidable work ethic, a Rhodes scholarship and three photogenic daughters.

You're also great at sport and not afraid to demonstrate this prowess to your country's sports loving populace.

There's just one issue.