POLITICS & POLICY

"There's AU$4.2 trillion of members' money under management in superannuation," Mary Delahunty, chief executive of ASFA, said. "That makes Australia one of the top investors in the world." Within the next five to seven years, Australia is expected to surpass the U.K. and Canada, making it the second-largest pool of capital globally.

Val Kilmer, one of the biggest Hollywood actors of the 1990s who shot to fame playing Iceman in the original "Top Gun", has died aged 65 after a career of memorable hits and on-set bust ups.

Israel has been gripped by allegations linking aides of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to financing from Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders and helped broker the release of hostages from Gaza.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of military operations in Hamas-run Gaza, saying the army would seize "large areas" of the Palestinian territory.

El Salvador's pugilistic president has become a key partner for US President Donald Trump's in-your-face campaign to deport migrants, with both men hoping to reap the political benefits.

Rescuers on Wednesday pulled a man alive from the rubble five days after Myanmar's devastating earthquake, as calls grew for the junta to allow more aid in and halt attacks on rebels.

Donald Trump's second presidency was dealt a spinning blow by voters in Wisconsin Tuesday as they elected a liberal judge to the state's Supreme Court, despite his powerful advisor Elon Musk pouring millions into the race to sway the polls.

The conviction of French far right leader Marine Le Pen and immediate ban on standing for political office has stunned her movement, sparked impassioned reactions abroad and added further uncertainty to the 2027 presidential race.

"The idea that we would weaken biosecurity laws is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. In order to defend the exports that total less than 5% of Australia's exports, you undermine our biosecurity system," Albanese told reporters in Adelaide.

As the sirens wailed outside the ruins of Mandalay's Sky Villa condominium and Myanmar began a minute's silence for its more than 2,000 earthquake dead, Shwe Sin thought of her missing child.

An Israeli strike Tuesday killed three people, Lebanon said, as a source close to Hezbollah said one of the group's officials was targeted in the second such strike on south Beirut during a fragile four-month ceasefire.

Kenya's President William Ruto sparked protests recently after donating some $150,000 to a Nairobi church just months after saying such hand-outs fuelled corruption.

China on Tuesday sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for drills Beijing said were aimed at practising a blockade of the self-ruled island.

Myanmar will hold a minute of silence on Tuesday in tribute to victims of a catastrophic earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people, buckling roads and flattening buildings as far away as Bangkok.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen fought Tuesday to keep alive her dream of winning the French presidency after a court handed her a five-year ban on running for office.

A senior Hamas official urged supporters worldwide on Monday to take up weapons and fight plans to displace Gaza's people, as Israel issued a sweeping evacuation order in the territory's south, stepping up its renewed offensive.

President Donald Trump said Sunday the tariffs he plans to impose in the coming days would include "all countries", not just those with the largest trade imbalances with the United States.

President Donald Trump said Sunday he was confident of reaching a deal on TikTok ahead of the April 5 deadline for its Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the popular short video app or see it banned in the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu picked former navy commander Eli Sharvit to head the domestic security agency, his office said Monday, despite the supreme court freezing the incumbent's dismissal.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged dozens of countries to collaborate to dismantle migrant smuggling gangs "once and for all" when he opened an immigration crime summit on Monday.

Hopes faded Monday of finding more survivors in the rubble of Mandalay, where some residents spent a third night sleeping in the open after a massive earthquake killed more than 1,700 people in Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand.

The world's richest man took to the stage in the US state of Wisconsin on Sunday in a bid to swing the local supreme court to the right, with the help of two $1 million checks for voters.

For almost two years, Emad Mouawad had been repeatedly shuttled from one Sudanese paramilitary-run detention centre to another, terrified each day would be his last.

A French court on Monday will rule in the trial of far-right leader Marine Le Pen over an alleged fake jobs scam at the EU parliament, a verdict which could ruin her chances of standing in the next presidential elections in two years.

US President Donald Trump lashed out Sunday at the leaders of both warring parties in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, expressing frustration as efforts to kick-start ceasefire talks remain deadlocked.

Rescuers braved aftershocks to scour the devastated city of Mandalay for survivors on Monday, after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday offered to let Hamas leaders leave Gaza but demanded the group abandon its arms, as his country kept up its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.

A bitter boardroom row at an African charity Prince Harry founded and then quit escalated Sunday after its chairperson accused the prince of "bullying" and being involved in a "cover up".

Turkey's opposition on Sunday worked to keep up the momentum of the protest movement triggered by the arrest of Istanbul's mayor after a giant weekend rally, with a Swedish reporter the latest detained in a government crackdown.