The Middle East, so often in the news for its problems, has, during the past year, pioneered a major historic breakthrough likely to have enduring effects, in the form of the Abraham Accords.

As Russians go to the polls for one of the least free elections in years, how does their nation’s political system (and Putin’s empire) work?

Security forces have killed Indonesia’s most wanted militant who had ties with an Islamic State group.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to call an early election that few people wanted. The move has turned into a political miscalculation that could either seriously weaken his leadership, or cost him his political career.

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

The face of the US fight against COVID-19 says he believes that the proper regime for an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer’s, is that the two original doses should be followed several months later by a third shot.

Marijuana advocates in Italy have gathered enough signatures to trigger a referendum on liberalising the use of the drug. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s national unity government, however, is divided over the issue.

The all- civilian crew aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX capsule have safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coastline, completing a three-day flight orbiting the Earth.

Britain’s crowded beaches in June 2020 did not drive a surge in COVID cases, but experts say travelling to the beach in crammed cars and buses is high risk.

The US plans to speed up its efforts to expel Haitian migrants on flights to their Caribbean homeland, officials said on Saturday.

Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers set up a ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice” in the building that once housed the Women’s Affairs Ministry, escorting out World Bank staffers on Saturday as part of the forced m...

Malaysia’s new Prime Minister has joined Indonesia in raising alarm bells about the military build-up in the region after speaking with Scott Morrison.

The company Colossal aims to have something similar to a woolly mammoth calf within the next six years.

Shortly after condemning Australia, the US and the UK for forming AUKUS, China applied to join the trans-pacific trade deal established to isolate Beijing.

The unprecedented move follows the Morrison government’s decision to tear up a $90 billion submarine contract.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be looking at the US-France feud with pleasure and amazement. 

A California jury found Durst guilty of murdering his best friend Susan Berman in 2000, the first homicide conviction for a man suspected of killing three people in three states over the past 39 years.

In Brexit’s wake, Boris Johnson will allow traders to revert to selling by the inch, the pound or the pint.

The powerful federal agency’s advisory panel is doubtful about the value of mass boosters, rather than those targeted at groups with higher risks.

The high-profile drone strike killed up to 10 Afghan civilians - including seven children - rather than an Islamic State extremist as initially announced.

A new report shows the world is on a “catastrophic pathway” toward a hotter future unless governments make more ambitious pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the head of the UN says.

The base of the colossal General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park has been wrapped in a fire-resistant blanket to protect it against intense flames.

Australia and the US have declared an intention to deepen ties with the island as tension heightens with China and a top official has a proposal for where they could start.

The French expressed their outrage at America by cancelling a soiree at their Washington embassy to celebrate 240 years of friendship between the nations.

From the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center to the first SpaceX private crewed mission to space, these are the best photos from around the world in the past week, as chosen by The Age's photo editors.

The Facebook and Instagram accounts spread content linked to the so-called Querdenken movement includes vaccine and mask opponents, conspiracy theorists and some far-right extremists.

The journalist cops plenty for challenging Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime – and what’s alarming is the scale of the online campaign against her.

The measures are the first by a major European economy requiring proof of immunity for all categories of workers.

They are on the move again, embarking on a dangerous journey to the US with people smugglers managing the trip, say border authorities and refugee groups.

Australia’s plan to arm itself with a fleet of nuclear-propelled submarines to combat the rising threat of China has been met with alarm by Indonesia.

Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, was married to the 95-year-old British monarch for more than seven decades.

The American author discusses the legacy of losing her father so young, Donald Trump’s reaction to her book, and why she hasn’t yet lost faith in America.

After relaying a story of a dubious vaccine reaction on Twitter, the rap star has waded into a war of words on vaccines, the White House, healthcare, race, and free speech.

Republicans are wrestling with how to balance their scepticism of immigration with broad public support for providing refuge to Afghans allies of the US.

At AUSMIN meetings in Washington, the Defence Minister raised the possibility of new US military bases in Australia, as well as increased troop rotations.

The key defendant in the trial acknowledged his role for the first time in the co-ordinated killings at sites across Paris in 2015, including at the Bataclan concert hall.

The News Corp and Fox News boss said the outspoken British journalist was “the broadcaster every channel wants but is too afraid to hire”.

The previously unknown work by Vincent van Gogh is a study for one of his best-known drawings, “Worn Out”.

Hospitals, care homes and health centres began suspending thousands of unvaccinated workers as countries around Europe weigh up how far to go to combat the pandemic. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the new alliance with the US and UK “aggravates the arms race and hurts the international non-proliferation efforts”.

The landmark citizen lawsuit against Joko Widodo and other government leaders sought a court order for more to be done to curb air pollution in Jakarta.

The judges also included in the scope of the ‘war on drugs’ probe killings carried out in Davao, President Rodrigo Duterte’s home town.

New Zealand was a member of the ANZUS treaty alliance with the US until the 1980s when Wellington declined to accept US nuclear-powered vessels in its waters.

It is the first time in 60 years of human spaceflight that no professional astronaut is aboard an orbit-bound rocket.

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

Overnight, Paris has gone from viewing Australia as a friend and ally to a nation which can’t be trusted.

Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual US-Australian citizen.

A country that takes inordinate pride in “punching above its weight” on the global stage is doing so again. That comes with risks as well as rewards.

The missiles flew 800 km (497 miles) before striking a target in the sea off North Korea’s east coast, KCNA said. 

In an essay written for their cover story, celebrity chef Jose Andres says “they don’t just opine. They run towards the struggle”.