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US President Joe Biden Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB US President Joe Biden says he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of making false statements on a gun background check and illegally possessing a firearm and plead guilty to federal tax charges. "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," he said in a statement released by the White House. The White House had said repeatedly that Biden would not pardon or commute the sentences of his son, a recovering drug addict who became a target of Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump. Hunter Biden, son of US Preside...

Members of New Zealand's Samoan Community, including those now eligible for citizenship came to Parliament to watch the bill pass its third reading. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins The Samoa Citizenship Bill officially passed in Parliament and has been enacted into law, creating a pathway for Samoans born between 1924 and 1948 to reclaim what they lost. The bill, which passed unanimously on 20 November, seeks to redress the impact of the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982, which revoked the rights of many Samoans to New Zealand citizenship. While the passing of the bill has been hailed as "historic" and celebrated by many in the Samoan community, for others, its exclusion of descendants of those Samoans are to benefit from the law has ignited fierce debate. Under the new law, only those born...

By Esther Linder, ABC, with wires Anti-government fighters celebrate in a street in Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on November 30, 2024. Photo: ABDULAZIZ KETAZ Syria's civil war has ground on in the Middle Eastern country for 13 years, but the capture of a major city could signal a change in the devastating conflict. Sparked by protests across the Middle East that turned into the Arab Spring, the Assad regime has been fighting multiple rebel groups with the support of Russia and Iran since 2011. But now, a lightning offensive against government forces that began on Wednesday and focused on the city of Aleppo in north-west Syria has seen rebel forces take territory not ceded since 2016. What's changed in Syria and how could this affect its roughly 23.5 million ...

Vepaiamele is a young activist is taking on the defining challenge of our lifetime. Photo: Supplied / Conor Ashleigh/ Save the Children It is Vepaiamele's 16th birthday, but she is not having a party. Today she will be at the World Court. Vepaiamele is part of Vanuatu's delegation to The Hague - and will be representing the voice of young people in the Pacific. It is a landmark case, beginning five years ago with a group of law students studying in Vanuatu discussing how they could help bring about climate action. Now, for the first time, the 15 judges of the International Court of Justice have been requested to give an advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change. Between 2 and 13 December, the International Court of Justice will be holding public hearings...

Parts of Brisbane have been submerged by flash flooding, with more storms predicted for south-east Queensland. Bureau of Metereology (BOM) senior meteorologist Angus Hines said massive rainfall totals were recorded, with the heaviest falling inland from the Gold Coast. In a short burst of rapid rainfall on Sunday, 51 millimetres were recorded in Brisbane City over 30 minutes. In an hour, Rosalie saw 70mm and 77mm fell in Holland Park West. Coombabah on the Gold Coast had 77mm and Waterford in Logan recorded 57mm in the space of under four hours. Up to 265mm of rain hit Springbrook National Park and the wider Scenic Rim in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday. "Very, very wet there [and] caused some sharp river level rises including the Logan River, which shot straight into major flooding overnigh...