Vatican's No. 3 man in the dock

Vatican finance chief George Pell is due in court today in Melbourne over sex abuse offences allegedly committed decades ago when he was a senior cleric in Australia.

Details of the charges have not been made public, although police said they involved "multiple complainants".

Pell, considered the third most powerful person in the Catholic Church, has maintained his innocence.

Conference on early childhood

With pre-schools in the limelight, given the Government's push to raise standards, early childhood teachers and other staff are attending a conference to share their experiences and take part in workshops.

The conference, Inspiring Leadership: Nurturing The Future, is organised by the Early Childhood Development Agency.

US job data for Sept out today

The US Labour Department will release its non-farm payrolls report today, which includes both public-and private-sector employment. Economists expect the employment figures to show 90,000 new US jobs for September, down from 156,000 in August. But a report by payrolls processor ADP showed private employers in the United States added 135,000 jobs last month, exceeding expectations despite the impact of hurricanes.