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Debra Tice is pictured in 2017 holding a photo of her son Austin, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012. Photo: AFP The mother of Austin Tice, a US journalist captured over 12 years ago in Syria, says her family has information that he is still alive. "We have from a significant source that has been vetted all over our government: Austin Tice is alive," Debra Tice told journalists at the National Press Club on Friday, before going to the White House for a meeting. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Tice's family in the afternoon, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. "Jake Sullivan did have a meeting with Austin Tice's family this afternoon, and ... Jake Sullivan has regularly met with the families of wrongfully detained Americans," she said. "We'r...

By Tim Reid and Jason Lange, Reuters Photo: AFP World's richest man spent heavily to help Trump win Gave $20 million to a group that linked Trump to liberal icon Musk now heavily involved in Trump transition plans Elon Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars (US) to help Donald Trump win November's presidential election, according to new filings, underscoring the influence one of the world's wealthiest people had on this year's White House race. The billionaire owner of electric car maker Tesla and SpaceX gave US$259 million (NZ$444m) to groups supporting Trump's 2024 campaign, according to new Federal Election Commission filings released late on Thursday. The huge donations made Musk one of the biggest underwriters of a presidential campaign in US history, helping him t...

Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: AFP / LEO CORREA Australia's government defended its record on curbing antisemitism on Saturday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused it of anti-Israel policies, following an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue. Netanyahu accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labor government of encouraging crimes such as Friday's attack on the Adass Israel synagogue through policies including support of a recent UN motion backing a Palestinian state. "Unfortunately, this criminal act cannot be separated from the anti-Israel spirit blowing from the Labor government in Australia," Netanyahu posted on X. Murray Watt, Australia's minister for employment and workplace relations, responded that "the Albanese government has taken a range of stron...

By David Shepardson and Mike Scarcella for Reuters The US Justice Department says under Chinese ownership, TikTok poses a threat because of its access to vast personal data of Americans. Photo: 123rf A US federal appeals court has upheld a law requiring Chinese-based ByteDance to divest its popular short video app TikTok in the United States by early next year or face a ban. The decision on Friday, local time, is a major win for the Justice Department and opponents of the Chinese-owned app and a devastating blow to TikTok parent ByteDance. It significantly raises the prospects of an unprecedented ban in just six weeks on a social media app used by 170 million Americans. TikTok plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. In detailing their support of the law, the appeals court ...

By Issam Ahmed, AFP Brian Thompson was the CEO of the largest US health insurer, UnitedHealthcare. Photo: LinkedIn / Supplied Jokes, snark, and a striking absence of sympathy have dominated public sentiment since the murder of a US health insurance executive - exposing deep frustration and anger with the nation's medical system. Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was fatally shot in Manhattan on Wednesday, setting off a citywide manhunt. Within moments of the news breaking, the internet erupted - not with outrage, but with cheers over the death of the 50-year-old father of two. A Facebook post mourning his loss, shared by UnitedHealth Group, racked up more than 71,000 laugh emojis as of Friday - dwarfing other interactions, before the counter was disabled. "My thoughts and p...