Why does China have Taiwan in its sights? What does Taiwan want? And how would the US – and Australia – be likely to respond if there was an attack?

For a fortnight, an overpowering stench — likened to rotten eggs, corpses and faeces — has been wafting from a channel that spills into Los Angeles Harbour.

Britain’s counter-terrorism police believe David Amess was not targeted by his alleged terrorist killer but picked at random as part of a plot to murder any MP.

Papua New Guinea is experiencing a challenging COVID outbreak and steps need to be taken to combat vaccine misinformation in the country.

The nation that once boasted about its handling of the pandemic compared to the West is facing a crisis due to “unacceptably low” vaccination rates.

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

The series of gripping detective novels starring strong female protagonists were said to be written by a mother of three children. Now the real authors are accused of being “scammers”.

Test of nuclear-capable glide vehicle that circled the globe took American intelligence by surprise.

The US government has been urged to forcibly free the group or negotiate their release without paying a ransom.

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to two journalists highlights the importance of free speech and how it is under threat.

After six years of Rodrigo Duterte, no less than the future of the country is at stake in the upcoming presidential election, says the new Nobel peace prize winner.

Bill Clinton has been released from a California hospital after treatment in the intensive care unit.

The volcano has so far destroyed more than 1800 buildings – mostly homes – and lava now covers more than 750 hectares of the island.

Authorities say they are treating the killing as terrorism, potentially motivated by Islamist extremism.

British migrants could help plug a feared worker shortage as the Australian economy bounces back from the pandemic.

A crime boss and his gang are part of an unusual social reintegration project that has helped a family-run rum company go from bankruptcy to exporting an award-winning vintage.

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

The Australian-American is the daughter of actress Greta Scacchi and actor/producer Vincent D’Onofrio.

The accused royal has formulated a defence after seeing the long-sealed confidential agreement between Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein.

When Harry Harding landed in Beijing for a holiday a decade ago he did not have enough clothes to get through winter. Now he is one of the few Australians working for Chinese state media.

Eric M. Smith, who was 13 when he killed a four-year-old boy with a rock in western New York, has been granted parole, according to corrections officials.

South-east Asian countries will invite a non-political representative from Myanmar to a regional summit this month, delivering an unprecedented snub to the military leader who led a coup against an elected civilian government in February.

NASA launched a first-of-its kind mission on Saturday to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, two large clusters of space rocks that scientists believe are remnants of primordial material that formed the solar system’s outer planets.

High on the foothills of Helan Mountain two of Australia’s biggest winemakers went looking for a way around China’s blockade.

Conservative Party MP Sir David Amess was stabbed multiple times at his constituency surgery in the English town of Leigh-on-Sea. The incident is being treated as terrorism.

Restrictions on non-US citizens were first imposed on air travellers from China in January 2020 without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.

Already battling Ebola, the Democratic Republic of Congo now confronts widespread vaccine hesitancy as its COVID toll mounts, sparking fears of new mutations.

It was the second such emergency on the station since July, when an unexpected firing of thrusters on a new Russian module briefly inverted the outpost.

“We’re all thinking about President Clinton today,” US President Joe Biden said. “He’s always been the comeback kid.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered police forces to review security arrangements for MPs with immediate effect, her spokesman said.

Fortress Australia is finally crumbling and the insularity that this pandemic has exposed will hopefully be replaced by joyous scenes of families reunited.

The veteran MP’s murder has prompted a flood of tributes and triggered reflection on the importance of politicians to democracy. 

Singapore Airlines is selling more than 32,000 new tickets on flights between Singapore and Sydney before Christmas following the NSW Government’s decision to drop quarantine.

Suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque packed with worshippers attending Friday prayers in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 47 people and wounding 70, a Taliban official said.

NSW’s plans to quash quarantine for fully vaccinated arrivals has delighted Australians stuck overseas - but some worry about their reception in other states.

Monica Juma wants to reset the Commonwealth as part of her bid to oust Baroness Patricia Scotland from the London-based job.

Gallery: The best photos from around the world

Audio reveals the 95-year-old monarch sharing her unguarded views about the COP26 climate summit: “they talk, but they don’t do.”

The only plane sighted lately is a retired Boeing 737 a Russian developer has perched on a clifftop as a draw for the tourists who haven’t arrived.

Former US President Bill Clinton was hospitalised on Tuesday in California with a suspected blood infection, CNN has reported.

Norwegian media reported a court granted a restraining order for the suspect to keep him away from his parents for six months after threatening to kill one of them.

“I can’t tell you how terrified I am to bring down this hammer,” joked Sotheby’s auctioneer Oliver Barker after 10 minutes of bidding.  

The Iran-backed Hezbollah accuses a Christian party of attacking its supporters, who were gathering to demand the removal of the judge investigating last year’s port blast.

A combination of Brexit and COVID-19 has sparked an exodus of east European workers, leaving some 120,000 pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

BHP shareholders have offered a resounding endorsement of the Australian mining giant’s climate transition strategy.

Around 300 more people fled their homes early on Thursday as flows of molten rock pouring from the Cumbre Vieja volcano threatened to engulf another area on the Spanish island of La Palma.

Dozens of people living in a 13-storey residential building in Taipei have died after an “extremely fierce” fire ripped through the floors, local authorities said.

The Philippine Foreign Secretary has backed in Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines deal, and also called for it to become part of ASEAN.

Five people died and two are in intensive care, including an officer who was off duty and inside a shop where an attack took place, police say.

Dr Duane Mitchell sat next to Mark by chance. After three hours of conversation, Mark decided he was ready to get vaccinated - with Dr Mitchell by his side.