Anthony Albanese

US President Joe Biden, in his final address to the UN General Assembly, emphasized the need for continued support for Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion, declaring that "Putin's war has failed at his core aim." Biden reiterated his commitment to helping Kyiv achieve a durable peace, while much of the conference centered on the tensions in West Asia.

This handout photo taken and released on Aug. 26, 2024 by the European Commission shows flags of the Pacific Islands Forum member nations outside the convention centre during the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Nuku'alofa.

Does Your Boss Message You on Weekends? Are you still receiving work emails after you’ve clocked out and returned home? Australian workers employed by medium and large companies can now legally ignore such intrusions into their personal lives, thanks to a new law that takes effect today, granting them the “right to disconnect.”

An alliance of leading Australians has demanded the government impose a total ban on gambling ads in a country that racks up some of the biggest losses per person in the world.

Gambling losses in Australia, with a population of just 27 million, are estimated at Aus$25 billion a year ($16 billion).

Julian Assange, co-founder of WikiLeaks, will plead guilty to espionage in the US, enabling his return to Australia and ending his imprisonment in Britain. Under the agreement, Assange, 52, will plead guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents. He is to be sentenced to 62 months in prison, which he has already served in a British prison.

China's relationship with Australia is "on the right track", Premier Li Qiang said in Canberra on Monday as the two trading partners moved on from a bitter economic dispute.

The highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Australia since 2017, Li held high-level talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following a welcome ceremony at Parliament House.

Australia unveiled plans Thursday to keep burning natural gas beyond 2050, saying its reliance on the fossil fuel would not derail a pledge to reach net zero emissions in the next 30 years.

Resources minister Madeleine King said gas "will remain an important source of energy" in Australia, outraging environmental groups who branded the Future Gas Strategy a "climate disaster".

A food aid organisation said an Israeli strike killed several of its workers in the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday, with the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reporting that four of them were foreigners.

"Today, World Central Kitchen lost several of its sisters and brothers in an Israeli army strike in Gaza," said the NGO's founder, chef Jose Andres.

Australia has told China of its "outrage" over a suspended death sentence handed to Chinese-Australian dissident writer Yang Jun, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday.

Yang was sentenced to death on Monday with a two-year suspended execution and had all of his property confiscated, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Microsoft announced yesterday a 5 billion Australian dollar ($3.2 billion) investment in Australia focused on cloud computing and artificial intelligence, saying it would boost the country's economy and cyber defences.