Trump picks Lutnick to lead US commerce department
US president-elect Donald Trump has chosen cryptocurrency enthusiast Howard Lutnick as his nominee for commerce secretary.
International News
G20 leaders urged to move faster on climate targets
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has suggested countries bring forward their targets to reach climate neutrality by 2040 or 2045, instead of 2050.
Tycoon Lai denies lobbying US on China and Hong Kong
Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai has testified in his landmark national security trial, saying he never asked the US to intervene during the city's 2019 protests.
US embassy in Kyiv shuts due to Russian attack threat
The US has shut its Kyiv embassy following warnings of an air attack amid Moscow's anger over President Joe Biden allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia.
ICC issues arrest warrants for Israeli PM, Hamas figure
International Criminal Court judges have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas figure Mohammed Deif.
One Direction stars join mourners at Payne’s funeral
One Direction members have reunited alongside music mogul Simon Cowell as they attended the funeral of bandmate Liam Payne.
US shuts Kyiv embassy as Ukraine decries ‘fake’ threats
A Ukrainian spy agency has accused Russia of spreading fake threats of missiles as the US embassy in Kyiv said it shut because of warnings about an air attack.
Tensions flare in Georgia’s separatist Abkhazia region
Protesters and police have clashed in the Georgian separatist region of Abkhazia over a proposed pact that would allow Russians to buy apartments there.
Lag in response to tackle methane emissions, UN says
The UN says only about one per cent of the 1200 methane leak alerts issued to governments and companies have garnered a "substantive response".
Cholera blamed for beseiged Sudan town’s mystery deaths
Cholera is thought to be the cause of hundreds of deaths in a besieged town in Sudan's El Gezira state.
Iran will back Lebanon decision on Mideast ceasefire
Iran says it fully supports Lebanon and any decision it makes in ceasefire talks with Israel, adding it has no desire to "sabotage" a peace plan.
Zelenskiy says Scholz-Putin call opens ‘Pandora’s box’
Nearing 1000 days since the invasion, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says the call between German and Russian heads of state opened "Pandora's box".
Georgia’s Abkhazia protesters refuse to quit parliament
Protesters in Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia have refused to cede control of government buildings over plans to allowing Russians to buy property.
Russia pounds Ukraine’s power grid in ‘massive’ strike
Ukrainians fear more damage to their hobbled energy system as Russia's first big missile attack in months prompts Poland to scramble its air force.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill six, officials say
Six people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a village in Lebanon's Baalbek region, the health ministry says.
Trump joins Musk, Kid Rock in New York for UFC fight
Donald Trump has returned to the scene of a controversial campaign rally in New York to watch UFC 309 with Elon Musk, Kid Rock and Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Xi vows to work with Trump team at final Biden meeting
Xi Jinping says China's goal of a 'stable, healthy and sustainable' relationship with the US remains unchanged following the presidential election.
Eight killed in second mass attack in China in a week
Police say a former student who killed eight people in a stabbing spree at a vocational college in China was angry he did not get his graduation certificate.
World looks to G20 for breakthrough in climate talks
United Nations officials are urging G20 leaders to break the COP29 stalemate as wealthy nations ask more countries to help foot the climate bill.
Israeli strike on Beirut kills Hezbollah media head
Hezbollah has confirmed the death of its media spokesman Mohammad Afif in an Israeli strike on a building in Beirut.
Biden administration is escalating Ukraine war: Kremlin
The US has given Ukraine permission to use its long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia, prompting a stark warning from Moscow.
Russia launches deadly attack on city, Ukraine’s grid
A strike on a building in the Ukrainian city of Sumy has killed 11 people and wounded dozens, as Russia launched a "massive" drone and missile attack.
New Zealand treaty protests to climax in capital
Tens of thousands of New Zealanders are expected to march against reforms to the Treaty of Waitangi in Wellington.
G20 confronts a global order troubled by Trump’s return
Leaders arriving at the G20 summit must grapple with tensions over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and shifts in the global order with the return of Donald Trump.
Aust woman’s drug-smuggling trial begins in Japan
Perth grandmother Donna Nelson has told a Japanese court she didn't know she had drugs in her luggage as her smuggling trial began two years after her arrest.
Vanuatu president dissolves Pacific island’s parliament
Vanuatu President Nikenike Vurobaravu has reportedly signed an order to dissolve the Pacific country's parliament.
G20 spotlights Global South, bracing for Trump’s return
The G20 summit highlights a shifting global order as leaders of major economies try to shore up consensus before Donald Trump returns to the US presidency.
Zelenskiy visits embattled Ukrainian frontline town
The Ukrainian front-line city of Pokrovsk has been visited by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy amid Russian advances.
Lebanon and Hezbollah accept US ceasefire proposal
Diplomatic efforts to halt conflict between Israel and Hezbollah have progressed, with the Iran-backed armed group and Lebanon agreeing to a ceasefire proposal.
Emotion as family sees Donna Nelson at smuggling trial
Family members have laid eyes on Donna Nelson for the first time in years as the Australian woman appeared in a Japanese court to deny smuggling drugs.
Sri Lankan president’s coalition wins thumping majority
The coalition of Sri Lanka's new leftist president has won a big lead in parliamentary elections in an apparent solid mandate for his economic revival plans.