Police in Laos have detained the owner of a backpackers hostel where two young Australians were staying before they fell violently ill from methanol poisoning.

An Australian teenager has died in a Thai hospital, more than a week after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos.

The Treasurer stood up in parliament today to update Australians on how the economy is tracking, ahead of next month's mid-year federal budget update.

A court in Hong Kong has sentenced an Australian man to jail for more than seven years, as it sentences 45 pro-democracy activists.

Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones is facing criminal charges for alleged indecent assault and sexual touching, involving eight alleged victims.

Independent MPs have accused the major parties of a "stitch up," after the Federal Government released details of a bill to reform political donations.

Australia's unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 per cent in October, defying predictions that it would increase.

Official figures show wages grew by 3.5 per cent in the three months to September.

Donald Trump is on the cusp of appointing Marco as the next US Secretary of State.

A Vietnam War hero, Private Richard Norden, has been posthumously awarded Australia's highest military honour - the Victoria Cross.

President-elect Donald Trump has named his campaign manager Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff.

Across the United States, celebrations and commiserations continue among voters, while Donald Trump and his allies prepare to take power.

Republican Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, picking up a greater share of the puplar vote than polls had indicated.

Voting has closed in the US presidential election, and the counting is underway, in the race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

The finish line is in sight in one of the closest United States presidential elections in modern history.

In the final days of the US presidential campaign, there's been an unexpected boost to Kamala Harris in polls in one crucial state.

More than 1,000 rescue workers have been deployed to the worst-hit areas of Spain, following catastrophic floods that have killed more than 150 people. 

The competition watchdog is taking Optus to court, alleging it engaged in unconscionable conduct, selling products and services to hundreds of vulnerable customers.

The annual inflation rate falling from 3.8 per cent in the June quarter to 2.8 per cent in the September quarter.

A wide ranging inquiry into the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic has found that the delays in the vaccine rollout cost lives and hurt the economy.

The Federal Opposition is intensifying its attacks on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, over his relationship with former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce.

Queenslanders will vote in a state election tomorrow. The Opposition is leading in the polls, but the gap is narrowing.

The Tasmanian Government will have to lease out two brand new ferries it's paying nearly $1 billion for, because it doesn't have a berth big enough to host them.

Samoa is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where climate change, ocean protection and the legacy of colonialism will be on the agenda.