Press secretary Jen Psaki conducts a briefing at the White House.
Junior Sa'u, who played for Melbourne and Newcastle in the NRL, will switch codes at the age of 34 after joining an American Major League Rugby club.Sa'u will move from Leigh in the UK Super League after becoming Washington Old Glory's first signing for the 2022 MLR season.
A woman has plunged up to 40 metres to her death while hiking a popular trail in the Blue Mountains.Emergency services were called about 2:15pm on Sunday and launched a rescue operation after eye witnesses reported seeing the woman fall up 30 to 40m while walking on the Mount Solitary track.
A search is continuing near Cairns for a missing spear fisherman who was separated from his fishing companion late on Saturday.Police on Sunday upped their search efforts to locate the 26-year-old who became separated from his 56-year-old companion after failing to return to their boat at Sudbury Reef around 4.
Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has donated ritual offerings to a Tokyo shrine viewed by Chinese and Koreans as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression, though he did not make a visit in person.Kishida on Sunday donated "masakaki" religious ornaments to mark Yasukuni Shrine's autumn festival.
LATEST COVID-19 DEVELOPMENTS:* A haircut and a parma and pot are finally back on the menu for fully vaccinated Victorians, with the state to end its sixth long-running lockdown five days earlier than planned.* The race to get vaccinated has cemented the state's early reopening from 11.
A Gold Coast man will face court accused of storming a rugby league field and assaulting a referee.Around 5pm on Saturday police were called to CBUS Stadium after reports of an assault by a spectator on an official.
An asylum seeker inside a Melbourne hotel being used as an "alternative place of detention" by the Australian Border Force says detainees are frustrated and scared after three of them tested positive for COVID-19.Mustafa Salah, 23, has spent the better part of eight years inside Australian detention facilities offshore and within its borders.
Incentivise has been all but ruled out of a WS Cox Plate start to ensure he has every chance to complete Australian racing's famous Cups double.In the wash-up from Incentivise's stunning Caulfield Cup win, trainer Peter Moody said his latest stable star would most likely be saved for the Melbourne Cup.
3 per cent are fully vaccinated.* Borders: Greater Sydney residents are not permitted to visit regional NSW unless for essential activity, and cannot freely enter any other Australian state or territory.
A group of 17 US missionaries including children have been kidnapped in Haiti, according to a voice message sent to various religious missions by an organisation with direct knowledge of the incident.The missionaries were on their way home from building an orphanage, according to a message from Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries.
Star winger Marika Koroibete will miss the Wallabies' entire northern hemisphere spring tour after opting to stay in Australia following the birth of his third child.Coach Dave Rennie said Koroibete needed precious family time before linking with Japan's Panasonic Wild Knights next season on a lucrative multi-year contract.
Perth Glory are considering bringing along a mental health professional for their long road stints this season, and coach Richard Garcia says having players' families along is a must.The issue of player welfare will be a big talking point during the A-League Men's season, especially for a club like Perth who are likely to spend significant stints on the road.
Jacinda Ardern's government has quietly staged a series of meetings this weekend with Maori groups as it seeks buy-in for New Zealand's fight against COVID-19.Many Maori leaders have felt sidelined by the government in New Zealand's COVID-19 response, which has disproportionately impacted Maori.
South Australians will soon have an easier way to show their vaccination status ahead of the state hitting its target to open its domestic borders.As of Sunday, more than 58 per cent of South Australians over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated, and more than 75 per cent have received their first dose.
A Soyuz space capsule carrying a cosmonaut and two Russian filmmakers has landed after a three-and-a-half hour trip from the International Space Station.The capsule, descending under a red-and-white striped parachute after entering Earth's atmosphere, landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on schedule on Sunday with Oleg Novitskiy, Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko aboard.
Rising star Josh Philippe has struck an unbeaten half-century to help Western Australia overcome a batting collapse in their Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania at the WACA Ground.The Warriors went to tea on day one at 5-140, with Philippe on 55 and D'Arcy Short on 15.
The focus will remain on the state of Australia's labour force market in a quieter week for economic data and after figures last week showed another steep drop in employment as a result of virus lockdowns in September.But Finance Minister Simon Birmingham is confident that jobs, and the economy more broadly, can recover quickly as states move out of lockdown.
A ton of defiance from captain Usman Khawaja has inspired a remarkable Queensland revival in their Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia.Khawaja's unbeaten 158 and Jimmy Peirson's rapid 89 not out steered the Bulls to 4-370 in their second innings at stumps on day three.
Former NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay has announced she will resign from state parliament, the latest in a string of MPs to quit in recent weeks.The member for Strathfield, who led the party for two years, on Sunday revealed her decision to quit - triggering a fifth by-election for the state - saying Sydney's COVID-19 lockdown had given her time to reflect and consider her future.
The Boston Red Sox have become the first team to hit two grand slams in a post-season MLB game, with J. Martinez and Rafael Devers connecting in the first two innings of a 9-5 win over the Houston Astros.
