NewsAustralian Associated PressTwo dead after shooting at Mercedes plant in Germany
A suspect has been detained after a shooting at a Mercedes-Benz plant in southwestern Germany left two people dead, adding to pressure on Germany to tighten its already-strict gun laws.The suspect was identified as a 53-year-old man.
NewsAustralian Associated PressIsrael kills Gaza commander as militants launch rockets
Israeli air strikes have killed the head of Islamic Jihad's rocket force in Gaza, part of an operation that has killed 25 people including women and children and been met with hundreds of rockets fired from the enclave.Egypt was set to host senior Islamic Jihad official Mohammad al-Hindi in Cairo later on Thursday, part of mediation efforts to end the fighting, two Islamic Jihad officials and a foreign diplomat told Reuters.
NewsAustralian Associated PressUS debt stand-off overshadows G7 finance leaders' meet
A standoff in Washington over raising the US debt ceiling has overshadowed a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) finance leaders, heightening US recession fears as central banks seek a soft landing for the global economy.President Joe Biden piled pressure on Republican representatives on Wednesday to move quickly to raise the limit on the government's permitted borrowing from the current $US31.
NewsAustralian Associated PressNew Zealand PM to attend US-Pacific summit in PNG
New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will attend the United States-Pacific Summit in Papua New Guinea.US President Joe Biden will meet the leaders of 18 Pacific countries and territories invited to participate in the summit, including Hipkins, on May 21.
NewsAustralian Associated PressMagnitude 5.4 earthquake shakes Tokyo and surrounds
An earthquake has shaken Japan's capital Tokyo and surrounding areas, injuring several people and causing minor damage.4 magnitude and its epicentre was in Chiba prefecture, southeast of Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
NewsAustralian Associated PressNew Zealand republicans unimpressed by PM Hipkins
The head of New Zealand's republic push believes Chris Hipkins may rue his decision to rule out a shift during his tenure as prime minister.Mr Hipkins, who succeeded Jacinda Ardern in January, indicated support for becoming a republic prior to taking the top job.
PoliticsAustralian Associated PressTrump jokes about sex assault verdict at CNN town hall
An unrepentant Donald Trump has held firm to past grievances at the first televised town hall of the 2024 US presidential election, making clear from the moment he took the stage that he has little intention of mounting a more disciplined campaign for his third White House bid.In a contentious 70-minute broadcast on CNN on Wednesday, Trump drew laughter from a New Hampshire audience when he mocked writer E.
NewsAustralian Associated PressNZ finds $4 billion savings but no tax cuts in budget
The New Zealand government has "reprioritised" $4 billion after a search for savings that will be unveiled in next week's budget.Finance Minister Grant Robertson has also revealed there is no room for tax cuts in the May 18 budget, which comes less than five months before the election.
NewsAustralian Associated PressKenya court denies bail for suspected death cult leader
A Kenyan court has denied bail for cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who authorities say ordered followers to starve their children and themselves to death, and extended his detention by 30 days.The death toll climbed to 145 from 133 announced on Tuesday, and hundreds of people are still missing.
CelebrityAustralian Associated PressMirror apologises to Prince Harry over unlawful action
The publisher of a British tabloid has apologised to Prince Harry for unlawfully seeking information about him, at the start of a lawsuit the royal is bringing over alleged "industrial-scale" phone-hacking in which he is due to give evidence.Harry, 38, and 100 celebrities including actors, sports stars, singers and TV personalities, are suing publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), accusing its titles of habitually accessing private information by widespread phone-hacking, deception and other i
NewsAustralian Associated PressEgypt starts mediation bid to end Israel-Gaza clashes
Egypt has begun mediating an end to two days of cross-border fighting in Gaza in which Israel's air force hit Islamic Jihad targets and Palestinian militants in the enclave launched salvoes of rockets across the border as far as Tel Aviv.The second round of cross-border fire in a week came after Israel launched strikes on Tuesday against three Islamic Jihad commanders it said had planned attacks against Israelis, following months of escalating violence.
NewsAustralian Associated PressFive killed in gun attack near Tunisia island synagogue
The death toll from a synagogue gun attack on the Tunisian island of Djerba during an annual Jewish pilgrimage has risen to five, Tunisia's TAP news agency says.Two Jewish pilgrims and three Tunisian police guards were shot dead during the firing spree at the Ghriba synagogue on Tuesday.
NewsAustralian Associated PressPakistan arrests Imran Khan party leaders, deploys army
Pakistani authorities have taken senior leaders of former prime minister Imran Khan's party into custody as the government called out the army to help end widespread and deadly protests sparked by Khan's arrest.At least three party leaders have been arrested so far - one outside the Supreme Court late on Wednesday and another, a foreign minister in Khan's cabinet, early on Thursday.
NewsAustralian Associated PressZelenskiy says more time needed before counteroffensive
Ukraine is holding fire until more Western armoured vehicles arrive before it starts its long-awaited counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says."We still need a bit more time," Zelenskiy said in an interview with European broadcasters released on Thursday, according to Britain's BBC.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBlast near Syrian capital Damascus kills one: reports
An explosion close to a police station near the Syrian capital has killed one officer and wounded four others, state media reportThe reports, citing the Interior Ministry, did not provide further details on the explosion in the town of Barzeh, just north of Damascus.Initial reports only mentioned five injured officers.
PoliticsAustralian Associated PressUS congressman George Santos pleads not guilty to fraud
US congressman George Santos has vowed to fight charges of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds in the latest hit to the newly elected Republican, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume."It's a witch hunt," Santos said on Wednesday shortly after appearing in court in Central Islip, New York, to face the federal charges, echoing a claim often voiced by former president Donald Trump.
NewsAustralian Associated PressPaper apologises to Harry as phone hacking trial opens
The publisher of a British tabloid has apologised to Prince Harry for unlawfully seeking information about him at the start of a lawsuit the royal is bringing over alleged phone-hacking in which he is due to give evidence.Harry, 38, and some 100 celebrities including actors, sports stars, singers and TV personalities, are suing publisher Mirror Group Newspapers, accusing its titles of habitually accessing private information by widespread phone-hacking, deception and other illicit means between
NewsAustralian Associated PressIsrael strikes Gaza as rocket sirens sound in Tel Aviv
Israel's air force has hit Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza for a second day and Palestinian militants in the enclave have begun launching rockets across the border, setting off sirens and sending residents to shelter as far away as Tel Aviv.The military said it was trying to hit rocket sites pre-emptively as blasts rocked different points including what witnesses described as a training camp in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and an open area in the south.
CelebrityAustralian Associated PressPrince Harry's phone hacking lawsuit heads to trial
Prince Harry's legal battle against the British press faces its biggest test yet and threatens to do something he said his family long feared - put a royal on the witness stand to discuss embarrassing revelations.The first of the Duke of Sussex's three phone hacking lawsuits goes to trial on Wednesday.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBrit pleads guilty to Twitter hack on Kardashian, Musk
A British man known as PlugwalkJoe has pleaded guilty to one of the biggest hacks in social media history after accessing more than 100 Twitter accounts including those of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk.Joseph James O'Connor, also known as PlugwalkJoe, pleaded guilty in New York on Tuesday to his role in the July 2020 hacking in addition to cyberstalking and multiple other schemes.
TechnologyAustralian Associated PressTwitter to soon allow calls, encrypted messaging: Musk
Twitter Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk has revealed details about new features including adding calls and encrypted messaging coming to the platform.Last year, Musk flagged plans for "Twitter 2.
NewsAustralian Associated PressNational rules out Maori Party in key NZ election move
New Zealand's opposition National party has ruled out governing with the Maori Party after the October election, saying Labour will create a "coalition of chaos" if it does so.Opposition leader Chris Luxon made the categorical statement on Wednesday, after months flirting with the idea.
NewsAustralian Associated PressUS congressman George Santos facing criminal charges
US federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against George Santos, the embattled Republican congressman who has admitted to lying about his resume but defied calls to step down, CNN reports.Santos is expected to appear as soon as Wednesday in federal court in New York's Eastern District, where charges have been filed under seal, CNN reported on Tuesday.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBattles shake Sudan capital as power struggle escalates
Fighting in Sudan's capital has escalated with fierce clashes and air strikes, witnesses say, as delegations of rival military factions continue talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at securing a ceasefire and humanitarian relief.Residents reported ground battles in several neighbourhoods of Khartoum between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as heavy gunfire in the north of Omdurman and the east of Bahri, two adjacent cities separated from Khartoum by the River Nile.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBody discovered after New Zealand student lost in caves
A body has been recovered from Abbey Caves, where a New Zealand high school student went missing in heavy storms.Search and rescue teams found the body late on Tuesday night, after responding to a distress call about 10.