Xi Jingping has responded to the outbreak with speed and alacrity. Local authorities, on the other hand, have been less than impressive.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

Palestinians and Israelis took to calling Trump's promised solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the "deal of the century". It looks different now.

Voters in regional Italy have responded "to the aggression of an extremist right that has shouted with the culture of hatred", the Rome victorious candidate said.

Tests of China's new upstream Jinghong dam on January 1 to 3 are expected to lead to a drop in the Mekong's water level by as much as one metre.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the actions as "a clear example of terrorism," and a top militia leader vowed retaliation against US forces in Iraq.

The former US vice-president has emphasised the need for a future Democratic president to work with Republicans, stressing the importance of consensus.

The verdict, which can be appealed, was the first connected to the killing of more than 200 pro-democracy protesters.

"So we have to do everything humanly possible to overcome this human challenge. It is still possible," the German Chancellor's New Year message will say.

A summary has been released of an inquiry held to examine the story behind a controversial image showing trainees saluting a teacher with a Nazi gesture.

With temperatures averaging six degrees warmer, Muscovites are sceptical about the use of fake snow to add authenticity to Orthodox Christmas celebrations.

The Palace will be rebuilt at a cost more than four times the value of building Parliament House in Canberra.

He Jiankui sparked an ethical crisis when he claimed to have edited the DNA of three human embryos. Now he has been fined and jailed by a Chinese court.

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg's father says their family has turned vegan and stopped flying on planes to save his daughter, not the planet.

The United States appears to be heading toward a full military withdrawal from Syria amid growing chaos, an unexpected deal and signs that Turkey's invasion could fuel a broader war.

Joko Widodo may have won a second term as president, but Indonesian democracy is in a parlous state.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

The Chinese state newspaper's editorial wrote approvingly of the Australian Prime Minister but criticised Peter Dutton, who it said "represents a clique of alt-right forces".

Nearly 8 million people were advised to evacuate during the deluge and 200,000 people were without power.

The Chinese President has drawn the attention of protesters in Hong Kong with his strong warning to separatists.

Gunmen dressed in soccer uniforms halted an express bus on a main highway in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state and kidnapped 31 people, most of them firefighters, authorities say.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by Fairfax picture editors.

An increase in sexually transmitted diseases the highest numbers reported in decades has been linked to the prevalence of online dating.

President Donald Trump is set to impose economic sanctions on Turkey as early as this week for its incursion into northern Syria, one of the few levers the United States still has over the NATO-ally.

Iranians, they're just like us: they too have watched Avengers: Endgame.