Fifty years ago, a junior Australian diplomat learned about Henry Kissinger’s covert mission to Beijing. What happened next had real consequences in Canberra.

Indonesia has entered the “worst case scenario” as the Delta strain wreaks havoc, recording more new COVID-19 cases than any country in the world.

A new book by Washington Post journalists claims General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made plans to block any possible Trump coup attempt.

Australia has already repeated its opposition to the bloc’s proposed carbon tariffs, which could be introduced as soon as 2023.

Former US president George Bush criticised the US withdrawal, saying he fears Afghan women will “suffer unspeakable harm”.

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The US space agency says the global flood tally could quadruple as the gravitational effects of the lunar cycle combine with climate change in the years ahead.

A vision at a lake helped monks discover the Dalai Lama, who turned 86 this month. Why will superpowers one day wrangle over his successor?

When you dig into the detail of the laws being proposed in various states, they’re often far less significant than the Democrats’ alarmist rhetoric suggests. 

Poland says the country’s laws trump those laid down by Brussels in row that opens door to quitting the European Union.

By voiding the emergency decree, the ruling opens the door to the cancellation of fines for breaching lockdown restrictions imposed during the period.

As vaccine hesitancy gave way to desperation, the south-east Asian nation renegotiated its deal with Pfizer and now it delivers more than 400,000 shots a day.

The Brazilian President has been hospitalised to identify the cause of chronic hiccups, the President’s office said, in the latest health scare for the far-right leader.

One Australian whose booking had been cancelled said “I understand Australia wants zero cases but those stranded will never get home at this rate.”

US prosecutors charged four Iranians with the elaborate plan to abduct a high-profile critic of the regime’s treatment of women from her Brooklyn home.

The admission that the footage of Sir Richard Branson was prerecorded is embarrassing for Virgin Galactic, which has a cross-promotional deal with Trek Bicycle Corp.

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

The case of a defrocked Catholic priest accused of systematic child abuse in East Timor has taken a dramatic twist.

Several hundred people who gathered in front of the Manchester mural took the knee in solidarity with the players abused online.

More than a thousand people have been arrested in the lawlessness that has raged since the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.

Under the regulations, gyms can remain open but the treadmills must run no higher than 5.9 km/h. And the music played at the gyms must be no faster than 120 beats per minute.

America now faces the “most significant test of democracy since the Civil War” , the US President said, and the world is watching.

Ransomware-seeking criminals and their victims are in some ways co-dependent so destroying their servers could also take down keys to their victims’ encrypted data.

The Penelakut Tribe says more than 160 undocumented and unmarked graves have been found on the site of the former Kuper Island Indian Industrial School.

The fire began when sparks from faulty wiring spread to an oxygen tank that then exploded in the COVID-19 ward of a hospital, an investigation showed.

The drastic move lays bare how Democrats are making America’s biggest red state their last stand against the GOP’s rush to enact new voting restrictions.

French President Emmanuel Macron people must prove they’re fully vaccinated, recently recovered from the virus or have taken a fresh negative virus test.

An alarmed Japanese Defence Ministry says the international community must pay urgent attention to the situation in the Taiwan Strait. 

Associates of the Haitian doctor now accused of being a key figure in the killing say the mission was supposed to “save Haiti from hell, with support from the US government”.

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

England’s defeat at the Euro 2020 final triggers a fresh reckoning over race relations in football.

The local tourists were visiting a historical look-out in the capital city of Jaipur when lightning struck a nearby watchtower.

Boris Johnson also urged the public not to partake in a “great jubilee” when social distancing rules are dropped in one week’s time.

The sporadic pro-Zuma protests that broke out when he handed himself over last week have escalated into looting and arson.

Despite an outpouring of humanitarian aid and political assistance after the Beirut port explosion, Lebanon’s economic crisis has only intensified.

Goldfish are an invasive species that can damage habitats, and their presence appears to be a growing problem in waterways across the US and around the world.

Engaging with China in a respectful manner should make it possible to not only co-exist with China harmoniously, but to interact with it productively.

7News Australia has also been caught up in the furore after posting a story on Facebook following the Euro 2020 final with the comment: “Three black players failed in the penalty shootout”.

The murder and uncertainty about who hatched the plot is the latest in a succession of blows to hit the struggling country, which has appealed for international help.

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

Super Mario 64 was the best-selling game on the Nintendo 64 and the first to feature the Mario character in 3D.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who also heads the Communist Party, later blamed the United States for the unrest in a nationally televised speech.

The case against the Texan has been brought by Attorney-General Ken Paxton, an ally of Donald Trump.

Early data from the company’s booster study suggests people’s antibody levels jump five- to 10-fold after a third dose.

There were 60,000 fans in London’s Wembley stadium and 20,000 in Wimbledon on Sunday, but none will be in the stands at Tokyo’s opening ceremony in a city with a fraction of the coronavirus cases.

British billionaire Richard Branson has succeeded in his attempt to complete the world’s first fully crewed private space flight, reaching an altitude of around 88 kilometres over the New Mexico desert

Although deaths and hospitalisations remain low across Europe, a new wave of infections is unnerving governments and creating rifts.

The Pacific Island nation is in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis with cases rising sharply, but the pro-vaccination message was dumped at the last minute due to resistance from some team members.

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

Japanese bureaucrats are fighting back against orders to do away with the fax machine, a long-obsolete technology that remains a cornerstone of every ministry department in the country.