THE man accused of killing British backpacker Peter Falconio laughed in the dock as a detective denied contaminating evidence.

The handcuffs allegedly used to tie up the girlfriend of a British backpacker during an attack in the Australian Outback were put in the same room as property belonging to the accused, a court heard today.

A parachutist died today after leaping into a canyon south of Sydney, police said.

The girlfriend of a British backpacker believed murdered in the Australian Outback underwent hypnotherapy to try to dredge up more evidence for police hunting the killer, a policewoman told a court today.

A BUS carrying mostly teenagers crashed into a truck in icy conditions in southern Finland early yesterday, killing 24 and injuring 15 in one of the worst accidents in the country’s history.

A bus carrying mostly teenagers crashed into a truck in icy conditions in southern Finland early today, killing 24 and injuring 15 in one of the worst accidents in the country’s history, officials said.

Two elderly Australian fishermen survived a terrifying ordeal in a crocodile-infested swamp after their boat capsized, police said today.

An Australian mother was in hospital today with her two sons after their car crashed while her five-year-old boy was allegedly steering.

The bodies of a British couple killed when their rental car plummeted down a ravine in New Zealand could have lain undiscovered for days, police said today.