World News

By Timour Azhari and Tuvan Gumrukcu, Reuters Syrian Christians attend Mass at a church in in the village of Maalula north of the capital Damascus, Photo: AFP / Fidel Itani Syrian Christians attended regular Sunday services for the first time since the dramatic overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad a week ago, in an early test of assurances by the new Islamist rulers that the rights of minorities will be protected. As the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept to power last week, it sought to reassure Syria's minority groups that their way of life would not be at risk. Before Assad fell, historic religious minority groups, including Christians, worshipped freely and some remain jittery at the prospect of an Islamist government. Streets in the heavily Christian Damascus neigh...

Four people in critical condition were in Lautoka Hospital (shown), due to the seriousness of their conditions. (File photo). Photo: Supplied/Fiji MOH An American tourist and two foreign residents of Fiji are among a group of seven who fell ill after drinking cocktails at a resort. Four Australians remain critically ill in hospital with suspected alcohol poisoning. The ABC reported one of the Australians, a 56-year-old woman, was under constant surveillance in hospital while a 19-year-old was experiencing serious medical episodes. Two other Australian women, aged 49 and 18, were understood to be in critical condition but not as seriously ill. RNZ has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade about whether any New Zealanders have been involved. Fiji journalist Mereoni Mili said...

Authorities are warning of high fire danger in Victoria (file photo of Ballarat fire in February). Photo: Supplied/ Ballarat Fire Brigade CFA A heatwave is expected to send temperatures soaring across the state today, as fire crews gear up for a challenging day of fire danger. Some parts of the state are set to record their hottest day in years and have been issued extreme fire danger warnings. Melbourne is forecast to hit a top of 41 degrees Celsius - the city's hottest day this year and the hottest December day since 2019. Mildura in the north-west is expected to reach 46 degC, while 45 degC is forecast for Shepparton and Swan Hill. On Sunday afternoon, state authorities including from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) held a press conference, declar...

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN Vice President Kamala Harris pauses while speaking on stage as she concedes the election, at Howard University on 6 November 2024, in Washington, DC. Photo: Getty Images / Andrew Harnik Top aides and people close to Kamala Harris have divided over whether she should head home to run for California governor in 2026 - and it all comes down to whether they believe she could win the Democratic nomination for president in an expected competitive primary in 2028. Some believe a repeat run, after quickly improving her reputation and raising more than $1 billion over her surprise 100-day race, should be hers for the taking. Others worry that in a longer campaign, against some of the other major Democratic contenders who already sat out 2024 in deference first to J...

By Amanda Musa, CNN Mangione arrives at his extradition hearing. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Content warning: This story discusses mental health and suicide. A list of helplines is available at the bottom of this page. A family man from Wisconsin. A spirited artist from Hawaii. An Ivy League graduate from Maryland. At face value, Ryan Borgwardt, Hannah Kobayashi and Luigi Mangione lead distinct lives and come from disparate backgrounds. Yet, they all took unexpected paths, disappearing from their jobs, routines, friends and family. Hundreds of thousands of adults are reported missing each year in the United States, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Some run away intentionally, according to former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. "As ...

A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of oil products split apart during a heavy storm, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said. The vessels were in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, when they issued distress signals. Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety violations after at least one person was killed when the 136-metre Volgoneft 212 tanker, with 15 people on board, split in half with its bow sinking. Footage on state media showed waves washing over its deck. The Russian-flagged vessel, built in 1969, was damaged and had run aground, officials said. Unverified video posted on Telegram showed s...

By Ethan Rix, ABC Australian police are investigating what they described as "offensive graffiti" that appeared on each side of a railway underpass on Hector Street, in the western Sydney suburb of Sefton. Photo: ABC News - Thorsten Joses The premier of New South Wales has condemned Islamophobic graffiti seen in western Sydney. Australian police are investigating what they have described as "offensive graffiti" - found under a bridge in the suburb of Sefton, after they received reports on Sunday morning. Images published by The Guardian show the words "F**K ISLAM", tagged on each side of a railway underpass on Hector Street. In another image, the words "CANCEL ISLAM" can be seen partially covered with white paint on an advertising sign. In a statement provided to the ABC, Premier Chr...

By Ben Leahy of Blair Campbell's wife Tina Liu Campbell said at the time of his death that he was "the best husband and daddy we could've ever asked for". Photo: Supplied / NZME Taranaki couple Debbie and Carlyle "Buzz" Campbell's phone rang in the middle of the night in October 2022. It was their son Blair's wife Tina calling from the UK - but she could barely talk because Blair had died. "It was unbelievable" to get the call all parents dread Buzz said. "It felt like your heart was being ripped out." His 35-year-old landscaper son had been electrocuted while pruning a garden hedge, just south of Manchester in the UK. He had sliced into a wire running from an electrical substation. Airlifted to hospital, he died shortly after, leaving behind a young daughter and so...

By Michel Rose, Reuters New French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks to media in Paris on 14 December, 2024. Photo: AFP/ Stephane de Sakutin Francois Bayrou, 73, named prime minister of France, to replace Michel Barnier A veteran centrist, he is a consensus seeker Analysts expect little progress on reducing deficit Analysis - When veteran centrist Francois Bayrou, France's new prime minister, was education minister in the 1990s, his plan to increase subsidies for private schools led to nationwide protests. He quickly caved in and would stay in the post for four more years. Three decades later he will face a different force in the shape of a fractured and fractious parliament where one of his earliest tasks - as President Emmanuel Macron's fourth prime minister of the year - ...

By Fiji reporter Lice Movono, ABC Two of the seven who fell ill have been transferred from Sigatoka Hospital, to Lautoka Hospital (shown), due to the seriousness of their conditions. (File photo). Photo: Supplied/Fiji MOH Local health officials say guests staying at Warwick Resort on Fiji's Coral Coast fell ill after consuming a cocktail prepared at the resort on Saturday night. It is understood four of the seven affected tourists are Australian. What's next?: Fijian police and health inspectors are investigating the incident. A number of Australian tourists are in critical condition in hospital in Fiji after what authorities say is a suspected case of alcohol poisoning. Local health officials say seven guests staying at the Warwick Resort on Fiji's Coral Coast fell ill after consu...