December 21 isn't just four days before Christmas for many in Australia.

Papua New Guinea will gain its own team in Australia’s rugby league in a soft diplomacy deal linked to limiting Chinese influence in the South Pacific.

Lebanon said it is closing all land border crossings with Syria except for a main one that links Beirut with the Syrian capital Damascus.

Arsonists have extensively damaged a Melbourne synagogue in what Australia’s prime minister has condemned as an antisemitic attack on Australian values.

An Australian teenager and a British woman have died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos in what Australia’s prime minister said was every parent’s nightmare.

Australia’s states and territories have unanimously backed a world-first national plan to ban children younger than 16 from most forms of social media.

The Australian government announced on Thursday what it described as world-leading legislation that would set an age limit of 16 years for children to start using social media, and hold platforms responsible for ensuring compliance.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected accusations from Beijing that his country is “plagued by systemic racism and hate crimes” after an Australian diplomat led a group of Western nations in renewing concerns about human rights violations in China.

Australia and the United Kingdom have deepened ties by agreeing to collaborate on climate change and energy initiatives, aiming to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while also reaffirming their mutual commitment to develop nuclear submarines for both nations under the AUKUS treaty.

An Indigenous senator has intensified her criticism of King Charles III, again accusing the British monarch of complicity in the “genocide” against Australia’s First Peoples and declaring she will not be “shut down.”.

An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the British royal visited Australia’s parliament.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being criticized for buying a multimillion dollar waterfront home during a national housing crisis with federal elections only months away.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers will become the first government minister from Australia in that key economic role to visit China in seven years.

President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Australia, India and Japan next weekend in his Wilmington, Delaware, hometown, the White House announced, as he looks to burnish his legacy before leaving office in January.

Indonesia and Australia have finalized a new bilateral defense treaty that will enhance the neighboring nations’ ability to operate their militaries in each other’s territory.

New Zealand's prime minister is defending the removal of basic Māori phrases meaning “hello” and “New Zealand” from a lunar new year invitation to an Australian official.

The Australian government has named a special envoy to confront a rise in antisemitism across the country since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have breached security at Australia’s Parliament House to unfurl banners from the roof as a senator quit the government over its direction on the Gaza war.

Australia has appointed Sam Mostyn as only its second woman governor-general, a largely ceremonial role representing the British monarch as the nation’s head of state.

Australian leaders are cautiously welcoming an expected plea agreement that could set free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang says he has agreed with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to properly manage their nations’ differences as they emerge from a hostile era in which minister-to-minister contacts were banned and trade barriers cost Australian exporters up to $13 billion a year.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Australia has focused on positive aspects of the bilateral relationship including shared giant pandas and a rebounding wine trade after he urged both countries to shelve their differences.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged activists on both sides of the Israel-Palestinian debate to “turn the heat down” after the U.S. Consulate in Sydney was vandalized.

The mother of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico has delivered a moving tribute to her sons at a beach in San Diego.

Two Australians and an American were doing what they loved on the stunning, largely isolated stretch of Baja California’s Pacific coast.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has accused Australia of censorship after an Australian judge ruled that his social media platform X must block users worldwide from accessing video of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church.

An Australian judge has ruled that social media platform X must block every user in the world from accessing video of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church, extending the prohibition beyond users in Australia.

French construction worker Damien Guerot has spoken of his mixed emotions at being made an Australian permanent resident as reward for his heroism during a knife attack in a Sydney shopping mall that left six victims dead and a dozen wounded.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he will step down on May 15 after two decades at the helm and hand power to his deputy Lawrence Wong.

Singapore’s prime minister says Southeast Asian countries’ quest to reach agreement with China on a code of conduct in the contested South China Sea will take time, with difficult issues yet to be resolved despite recent efforts to accelerate the process.

An increasingly assertive China and a humanitarian crisis in Myanmar are likely to be high on the agenda when Southeast Asian leaders meet in Australia for a rare summit this week.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has told Australia’s Parliament that the strategic partnership between the two nations is more important than ever with the rule of law and peace in the region under threat from China.

Anthony Albanese has become first Australian prime minister to get engaged in office.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he hopes for an amicable end to the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after lawmakers pssing a motion calling for the Australian citizen to be allowed to return to his home country.

Australia and New Zealand leaders have agreed to seek closer defense ties as New Zealand considers sharing advanced military technologies with the United States and Britain through the so-called AUKUS partnership.

Australia says China has lifted import bans on three Australian meat suppliers in another sign of improving trade relations between the two countries.

The Australian government has signed a security pact with its nearest neighbor Papua New Guinea that strengthens Australia’s place as the preferred security partner in a region where China’s influence is growing.

Survivors of the harmful morning sickness drug thalidomide were in the public gallery when Australia’s Parliament made a national apology for what was described as one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history.

Australia's prime minister has criticized China for what he calls a “dangerous” encounter between Chinese and Australian warships but declined to say whether he raised the issue with President Xi Jinping.

Australia is offering the island nation of Tuvalu a lifeline to help residents escape the rising seas and increased storms that climate change is bringing.

South Pacific leaders are heading to the stunning island of Aitutaki to discuss climate change and other regional concerns.

The leaders of Australia and China have welcomed the improvement in relations between their two countries in the past year and emphasized the importance of engaging with each other despite differences on issues such as defense.

Seeking to generate excitement around a largely lackluster economy, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is pledging to continue deepening reforms, expand free trade zones and relax market access for foreign investment.

Anthony Albanese will soon become the first Australian prime minister in seven years to visit China in recognition of improving bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will raise the plight of a detained Australian democracy blogger with Chinese leaders during his visit to China.

The White House, Google Maps and Google Arts & Culture have launched a new virtual tour of the White House.

The White House has turned down the pizazz for Wednesday’s state dinner.

President Joe Biden has spoken out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese say they are working to deepen the alliance between their two countries during a state visit to Washington.

The White House has scrapped plans to have the B-52s perform at a state dinner for Australia’s prime minister.

A Sydney court has postponed an extradition hearing for a former U.S. military pilot accused of illegally training Chinese aviators until May as his lawyers attempt to further build their case.

Indigenous campaigners who wanted Australia to create an advisory body representing its most disadvantaged ethnic minority say its rejection in a constitutional referendum was a “shameful act.”.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will visit China in early November to meet President Xi Jinping.

The Australian government has decided against canceling a Chinese company’s 99-year lease on strategically important Darwin Port despite U.S. concerns that foreign control could be used to spy on its military.

Australians have resoundingly rejected a referendum proposal to create an advocacy committee to offer advice to Parliament on policies that affect Indigenous people — the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority.

Opposing campaigners have made their final pitches over changing the Australia’s constitution to acknowledge a place for Indigenous Australians on the eve of the nation’s first referendum in a generation.

A Chinese-born journalist has thanked the Australian government for her return to Australia “in one piece” after her three-year detention in China in an espionage case that strained bilateral ties.

Soccer officials in Australia and Indonesia have floated the idea of teaming up in a bid to rival Saudi Arabia for the hosting rights to the men’s World Cup in 2034.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says a Chinese Australian journalist who was jailed for three years in China on a murky espionage conviction has returned to Australia.

Australians appear likely to reject a proposal that would create an advocate for the Indigenous population in a referendum outcome that some see as a victory for racism.

Australia and China have started their first high-level dialogue in three years in a sign of a slight thaw to relations between countries that have clashed on human rights, COVID-19 and trade.

Australians will vote on Oct. 14 in a referendum that would enshrine in the nation’s constitution a mechanism for Indigenous people to advise Parliament on policies that effect their lives known as the Voice.

Australians will vote on Oct. 14 on a proposed law to create a so-called Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the nation’s first referendum in a generation.

Sweden has won another bronze medal at the Women’s World Cup with Fridolina Rolfo and Kosovare Asllani scoring in a 2-0 win over co-host Australia.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Friday that the Women’s World Cup has “broken even” after generating more than $570 million in revenue but again dismissed suggestions for equal prize money with the men’s World Cup.

President Joe Biden will welcome Australia's prime minister to the White House in October for the visit and state dinner that the U.S. promised when Biden had to scrap a stop in Australia earlier this year to focus on debt limit talks in Washington.

China is lifting a stifling 3-year-old tariff on Australian barley in a sign of an improving bilateral trade relationship since Australia’s government changed.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government is standing firm against the United States over the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The Australian government has welcomed a draft UNESCO decision to a lift a threat of downgrading the Great Barrier Reef to an endangered World Heritage site.

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the U.S. stands with countries fighting Chinese “bullying behavior” as he starts bilateral talks in Australia aimed at countering Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia’s center-left government has distanced itself from the postponement of Donald Trump Jr.’s speaking tour in Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticized Hong Kong authorities over their pursuit of two pro-democracy activists who live in Australia.

Australia’s highest court has dismissed Russia’s application for an injunction that would have halted the eviction of its embassy from a site in the capital, Canberra.

A suspected Russian diplomat is apparently squatting on the site of Moscow's proposed new embassy in Canberra that the Australian government has vetoed.

Australia’s Senate has voted for a referendum to be held this year on creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an advocacy body to give the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority more say on government policy.

Australia’s Parliament has passed legislation to prevent Russia from building its embassy near Parliament House on security grounds.

The driver of a bus has been charged after the vehicle carrying wedding guests rolled over on a foggy night in Australia’s wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25 in the nation’s most deadly road accident in almost 30 years.

Japan has joined the United States and Australia in signing an agreement on a $95 million undersea cable project that will connect East Micronesia island nations to improve networks in the Indo-Pacific region where China is increasingly expanding its influence.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has received one of the country’s highest honors for her leadership during a mass shooting and pandemic.

As tensions grow between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told a gathering of top defense officials that open channels of communication are critical to preserving peace.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has struck new agreements with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on migration and green hydrogen.

About 20,000 cheering fans have welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Sydney stadium during his second visit to Australia as India’s leader.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is working in the “most effective way possible” to secure the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Just 33% of American adults say they approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy and only 24% say national economic conditions are in good shape.

President Joe Biden tried to reassure world leaders meeting in Japan on Saturday that the U.S. would not default.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out a Quad summit taking place in Sydney without President Joe Biden.

President Joe Biden has an ambitious agenda when he sets off this week on an eight-day trip to the Indo-Pacific.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will declare his allegiance to King Charles III at the monarch’s coronation.

Australia's prime minister has expressed frustration at the United States’ continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Britain’s free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia will come into force by the end of this month.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be temporarily joining Harvard University later this year.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders have gathered at dawn services and veterans’ street marches across the two nations to commemorate their war dead on Anzac Day.

A government-commissioned report says Australia needs to spend more on defense and develop the ability to strike longer-range targets as China’s military buildup challenges regional security.

Australia has suspended a complaint to the World Trade Organization in a bid to reopen the Chinese market to Australian barley for the first time in three years.

After stepping down as New Zealand’s prime minister in January, Jacinda Ardern is starting an unpaid role combating online extremism.

The Australian government on Thursday released the wording of a referendum question that promises the nation’s Indigenous population a greater say on policies that affect their lives.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his family have spoken to by a police officer after letting their dog off the leash in London’s Hyde Park.

China says the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom are traveling “further down the wrong and dangerous path for their own geopolitical self-interest.”.

Australia’s defense minister says a deal to buy nuclear-powered attack submarines from the United States was necessary to counter the biggest conventional military buildup in the region since World War II.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to increase U.K. military funding by 5 billion pounds ($6 billion) over the next two years in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the challenge posed by China.