Pope Francis has appealed for world peace in his first Easter message since being elected Pontiff. The new Pope led Easter Sunday celebrations in front of an estimated 250,000 people in St Peter's Square. He prayed for reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula and an end to the ongoing blood-shed in Syria. 

 

Dumped Labor minister Simon Crean has stepped up his attack on plans to tax superannuation earnings. The senior Labor MP says the proposal is to tantamount to taxing retirement savings, simply to fund the budget surplus. It comes after government crossbencher Craig Thompson called for a debate on superannuation tax breaks for the rich. 

 

The Australian government is considering imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea. The rogue nation declared it was in a state of war with South Korea and warned any provocation would lead to nuclear conflict. The United Nations has already banned the supply of weapons and nuclear materials to North Korea. 

 

And police are concerned about a teenager who went missing from her home northwest of Melbourne a week ago. Sixteen-year-old Sherridyn Rutland was last seen leaving her home in Brookfield on Sunday, March 24th.