The World Today

In South America, leaders in Colombia are scrambling to salvage a long awaited peace deal, designed to end a 52-year-long civil war. Voters yesterday rejected the deal between the Colombian Government and rebels. Both groups say they are committed to peace, and will meet tomorrow to discuss a path forward. But that's likely to be difficult, with the people of Colombia already rejecting the idea. The United Nations says it remains hopeful peace can be achieved, and it's offered assistance to help with the next stage of negotiations.

The Federal Government says it will strengthen the penalties and rules that regulate a key financial benchmark, which governs the rate at which banks lend money to each other. The announcement coincides with the start of an annual parliamentary inquiry into the four big banks. Labor maintains that a Royal Commission is still required, but it will participate in the hearings.

The Northern Territory Government says it will trial a special court to handle domestic violence cases. But the head of a women's shelter in Alice Springs is calling on the Government to implement all the recommendations of a coroner's report into two recent deaths in Alice Springs, which described domestic violence as 'out of control' in Aboriginal communities in the NT.

In the aftermath of the storm in South Australia, parts of the south of the state went without all phone and internet services entirely, leaving many residents without a way to dial triple zero. Residents are now demanding improved telecommunications, particularly as the issue has already been raised recently after another extended failure of emergency phone coverage across the region due to blackouts.

A former insurgent involved in a string of bombings targeting western tourists on Thai beaches has spoken exclusively to the ABC. Thailand's southern beaches are a drawcard for Australian holidaymakers. But the region is also in the grip of a deadly insurgency that has claimed more than 6,500 lives.

Australia's competition watchdog says scammers are extorting money from migrants, by falsely claiming they'll be deported if they don't pay up. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has received 300 reports about the scam since March. The new Australians are reported to have lost more than $150,000

Using a lawyer is generally seen as an expensive service, so it may come as a surprise to hear more Australian lawyers want to work for free. The Law Society says lawyers want to help plug what they say is a huge gap in government funding. So, one charity is using a grant from the internet giant, Google to establish a service to match lawyers to needy clients around the country. But they warn it's not a solution to the additional hundreds of millions of dollars needed for legal aid.

Reporter Nick Grimm travels to Forbes in the electorate of Orange, where a by-election is being held next month. Some residents say council amalgamations and the New South Wales Government's decision to shut down the greyhound racing industry will affect how locals vote.

For thousands of young Indonesians it's a nation 4,000 kilometres to the north that is captivating their imagination. South Korea it seems has it all, and many things Indonesia lacks.

Despite numerous warnings of an over-heated housing market, the latest data show property prices continue to climb. In fact if anything price rises in the past nine months seem to have accelerated. But the prices rises are by no means uniform, with property prices in Perth and Darwin actually going backwards.