They are businessmen born in mainland China, serve on top advisory committees to Beijing and profess patriotism for the motherland. Now, they are seeking to bring that ardour to Hong Kong, as the founders of the city's newest political party.

It was once a stop on the hippie trail and inspiration for the Lonely Planet guidebooks. So how did Afghanistan come to be defined by war and terrorism?

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

Once a hub for both Western and Indian tourists, Kashmir has been reeling for more than a year. First, India brought in security forces. Then the coronavirus struck.

The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of executive actions as Biden seeks to act swiftly to redirect the country in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency without waiting for Congress.

Thousands of Hondurans, many of them families with children, are travelling in a migrant caravan headed for the United States as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take power.

The far-right media personality posted a video that showed supporters of Trump taking selfies with officers in the Capitol, telling the officers and each other: "This is only the beginning."

Brazil reported over 1000 virus-related deaths for the fifth day in a row on Saturday as a humanitarian crisis hits.

The town was overwhelmed with international interest when the first phase of the project was announced.

The US said it had obtained new evidence that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick with the virus before the first identified case of the outbreak, but provided no data to back up its claims.

The government is building a number of COVID hospitals, saying the new strain is harder to contain.

Iran has been accelerating its breaches of the nuclear deal and earlier this month started pressing ahead with plans to enrich uranium to 20 per cent fissile strength.

The volcano's hot clouds came just days after an earthquake killed dozens on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island.

The man had shown unauthorised credentials at a checkpoint and was found to be carrying a handgun and 500 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won a decisive re-election victory on Saturday, elections officials said, but his main rival Bobi Wine alleged widespread fraud and said citizens should reject the result.

Sanitation worker Manish Kumar became the first person in India to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Saturday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched one of the world's largest immunisation campaigns to bring the pandemic under control.

It is in Australia's interests to act swiftly and be ready to engage meaningfully with the Biden Administration from day one.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party has elected Armin Laschet, the pragmatic governor of Germany’s most populous state, as its new leader

Bruce Springsteen, John Legend and Foo Fighters will perform remotely during the prime-time special after the ceremony.

"These men weren’t drunks who got rowdy — they were terrorists,” said Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who is likely to vote to convict Trump.

Thousands spent the night in the open fearing aftershocks and a possible tsunami.

Prosecutors alleged he was part of a plot to kidnap elected officials as Pelosi calls for criminal investigation of any congress member who aided the rioters.

Trump has requested a 21-gun salute at his red-carpet farewell on Inauguration Day but has no plans to pose for a photo with Biden.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte cycled to the King's palace to resign after a report exposed a welfare debt collection scandal: "We all must take responsibility".

Uganda's long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni is ahead in the polls but sent soldiers to surround the compound of his chief challenger, reggae star Bobi Wine.

The gun rights lobby plans to restructure in Texas, where it could avoid a New York lawsuit brought claiming senior leaders diverted millions for personal use.

"Those outlets that propagate lies to their audience have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will be with us for years," he said.

It took eight months to hit 1 million dead from COVID-19. It took less than four months after that to reach the next million.

The national cabinet's decision to slash international arrival caps has forced Emirates to axe all flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

At least 21 current or former members of the US military or law enforcement have been identified as being at or near the Capitol riot.

Anyone who celebrates the exit of Trump from the White House this week might consider the many rebirths of the greatest zombie in American history.

The President-elect has recruited a battle-tested team to tackle the Herculean tasks of rebuilding the economy, containing the pandemic while addressing the urgent issues of climate change and racial injustice.

Do Republicans want to risk creating a martyr figure in Trump, a divisive distraction on the sidelines? Or will they allow him to fizzle out quietly, nothing to rage against?

After nearly 16 years in office, the most powerful woman in the world is about to bow out of politics.

Several people were believed to be injured after the bus careened off a road and was left dangling from an overpass in the Bronx.

The charges were introduced in the civil war and have rarely been used since. The last man to be convicted of sedition plotted to blow up the World Trade Centre.

Videos showed residents fleeing to higher ground on motorcycles, and a child trapped under the rubble as people tried to remove debris with their bare hands.

Republicans were trying to gauge the dynamics of a vote to convict Trump, while the Democrats argued about how to do it without derailing Biden's agenda.

The North’s missiles on parade could be engineering mock-ups that would require further development before they are ready to be deployed.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

Many young voters believe the election is already rigged, but they braved their fears of violence on the day to cast votes for change.

"If we invest now boldly, smartly and with unwavering focus on American workers and families, we will strengthen our economy," Biden said.

Scholars say Trump's efforts to overturn his election defeat - and his response to COVID-19 - have cemented his place as America's worst president.

Cave art discovered in Indonesia has been dated as the oldest yet discovered, and could point the way to even older discoveries.

The fire struck at a time when officials in Bangladesh look for long-term solutions for the hundreds of thousands of people who fled Myanmar.

At an emergency security briefing, Vice-President Mike Pence said the "American people deserve a safe inauguration on January 20".

The measure is the toughest anywhere in the European Union's 27 nations.

Giuseppe Conte signalled he wants to take his fight for survival to parliament, after Matteo Renzi withdrew from the ruling coalition plunging the country into political chaos.

For several weeks, the Trump-associated lawyers were an almost-daily presence on Fox shows arguing the US President had been robbed of a second term.

Republican Congress members defending President Donald Trump made the comparison again before voting against his impeachment.