Despite Beijing's increasingly hostile trade war, Australia sold a lot more goods to China (particularly iron ore) in December. The Australian share market begins its shortened trading week, ahead of Australia Day, with small gains.

With unprecedented support from global governments, the stock market has boomed, driving up billionaire's wealth even while the real economy has faced the deepest recession in a century and the poor have gotten poorer.

Three people are charged in connection with an alleged million-dollar gold theft in Western Australia's Goldfields, in which police say more than 8,000 tonnes of gold-bearing ore was stolen.

The Indonesian Government is reportedly looking to Mexico as an alternate source of live cattle, after Australian cattle hit record prices and Jakarta meat sellers go on strike.

At a virtual World Economic Forum, Mr Xi urges nations to remove all barriers to trade while working together on coronavirus vaccine research and distribution.