Political correspondent Matthew Knott lived through a tumultuous time in US history.

Despite the best efforts of local authorities, the town’s giant straw goat has been destroyed 35 times in 55 years, usually by arson.

Putin’s Foreign Minister has demanded that the US and its allies halt all military activity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

“Ultimately you don’t make a deal with the devil, but if you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound,” says former Republican Party spokesman Douglas Heye.

Closing arguments are now set for Tuesday AEDT in the trial, in which Maxwell is accused of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse four teenage girls.

Fishermen in canoes have helped spot 500 pygmy blue whales over the past three months, but some are so emaciated their bones are showing.

Those who were two or more weeks past their second dose, or two or more weeks past their booster, were more likely to become ill with Omicron than Delta.

The pharmaceutical giant said it would now trial a three-dose regimen for children under five after early studies suggested that two doses wasn’t enough.

The UK government’s second Christmas party scandal emerged as Ministers said Boris Johnson was on his last chance.

From the introduction of a 'Covid Pass' in the U.K. to the Miss Universe competition in Israel, these are the best photos from around the world in the past week, as chosen by The Age's photo editors.

Theatres, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, museums and art galleries across the country would be closed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Denmark’s Prime Minister announced.

Police are searching for a man in his 50s to 60s who witnesses saw carrying a paper bag from which an unidentified liquid was dripping.

True mates recognise that there are differences between our legal systems, in the spirit of fairness, mutual understanding and respect.

The seat, in its various constituencies, has been held by the Tories for nearly two centuries. It was lost on Friday on a swing of 34 per cent.

“The officials and I have a tacit understanding,” he once said of his relationship with Beijing and its foreign policy.

The warrant authorises investigators to examine text messages, email correspondence, and other activity stored on the device.

Cimberly Espinosa testified at the sex abuse trial of Ghislaine Maxwell that she worked on a daily basis with Maxwell for six years and had only admiration for her.

The party that started when the Berlin Wall fell never really stopped. But the DJs who set the beat are now leading the fight to save raves from COVID oblivion.

The medical examiner’s report confirms some families’ worst fears, said a lawyer representing them.

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

A strange clotting problem prompted the US to temporarily halt the single-dose J&J shots last April while scientists investigated.

“You say goodbye to everybody and climb in,” Australian inventor Dr Philip Nitschke said.He wants to make the pod available next year in Switzerland.

As Biden arrived in Mayfield, Kentucky, he came to perhaps the most conservative place he has visited as president, the one where open hostility would be most apparent.

Both President Biden and former President Donald Trump delayed releases of JFK documents at the behest of the FBI, the CIA and other national security agencies.

Authorities reported 88,376 new confirmed cases in a day, almost 10,000 more than the previous record set a day earlier.

England’s chief medical officer says Omicron was spreading at a “phenomenal pace” and that “substantial numbers” of people will need hospital treatment in the coming weeks.

In a 2½-hour televised wide-raging interview, Macron said the Australian government behaved badly when it pulled out of the contract to buy the vessels from France.

In October last year, Kim Jong-un apologised. The millennial dictator had to find a way to connect with his starving people.

As a member of one of America’s most storied political dynasties, JFK’s daughter should bring gravitas and glamour to the role of US ambassador.

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

Vladimir Putin facing threats if his forces attack Ukraine, heard Xi Jinping propose they cooperate to “more effectively safeguard the security interests of both parties”.

The announcement of the Tasmania-born princess comes as Denmark reported its largest number of new COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic.

Speaking to foreign journalists in London on Thursday AEDT, Alok Sharma said Australia would have to meet the promises it made in November.

Some children, emboldened by the bishop’s preaching, spoke up with the power of revelation: “I always knew it, that my dad was Santa Claus,” one child announced.

The plot to kill Michael Kretschmer is the latest in a series of incidents that underscore the anger of some Germans over restrictions on the unvaccinated.

Infections are at a record high but the Prime Minister did not announce any new restrictions, saying he wanted to stick by his Christmas promise.

The federal charges included two counts alleging that Chauvin deprived Floyd of his rights by kneeling on his neck as he was handcuffed and not resisting, and then failing to provide medical care.

Robert F. Kennedy jnr has used his star power as a member of one of America’s most famous families to open doors, raise money and make his anti-vaccine group thrive.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorneys will likely focus on portraying her accusers as untrustworthy at her sex abuse trial.

A two-dose Pfizer vaccination appears to provide just 33 per cent protection against infection during South Africa’s current Omicron wave.

The Duke’s latest 11-page legal memorandum describes Virginia Giuffre’s civil claim against him as “ambiguous at best and unintelligible at worst”.

“He has to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand,” the president’s son texted. Three Fox News hosts also asked for Trump to tell rioters to go home.

In a country beset by war, and divided by rebels and by a Saudi-backed government “The joy was for all, even those who are fighting each other”.

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

Authors of a new report card on the state of the top of the world say it is “hugely surprising” to see things changing so fast.

Some 99 Conservatives opposed plans for the COVID passes, a much higher number of rebels than was expected.

Barry Sherman, who founded generic drugmaker Apotex, and his wife, Honey, were found dead in their Toronto mansion on December 15, 2017.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya vowed to continue her campaign against authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko after a court in the country jailed her husband for 18 years.

The World Meteorological Organisation said the temperature “more befitting the Mediterranean than the Arctic” was registered on June 20, 2020, during a heat wave that swept across Siberia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the delays in getting ambassadors to their posts were a ‘huge problem’ that was hampering efforts to tackle foreign policy challenges.