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.

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).

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 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.

Australia will hold a historic Indigenous rights referendum on October 14, the prime minister said Wednesday, setting up a defining moment for the nation's relationship with Aboriginal minorities.

"On that day, every Australian will have a once-in-a-generation chance to bring our country together," Anthony Albanese said as he announced the date for the compulsory and binding vote.

The U.N.'s cultural agency UNESCO welcomed on June 6 commitments from Australia to protect the Great Barrier Reef, with the government pledging 4.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion) to safeguard the natural wonder.

Australia's prime minister on Monday defended an obscure and longstanding protocol that bars the nation's parliament from sitting for 15 days following a British monarch's death.

Lawmakers will reconvene on Sept. 23 to debate a condolence motion for Queen Elizabeth II, the earliest date that the protocol allows, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday rejected calls for him to publicly demand the United States drop its prosecution of WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange.