Australia has tightened the rules on foreign purchases of agricultural land and has reduced the ownership screening threshold to A$15 million from A$252 million.

Tony Abbott has flagged shifting the balance between upholding individual rights and ensuring community protection following a report into the Sydney cafe siege.

Just over one month since its last downgrade of Moscow's credit rating, Moody's said Russia "is expected to experience a deep recession in 2015 and a contraction in 2016".

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras began the task of selling domestically a provisional deal with eurozone partners to extend bailout funds after securing a reprieve.

Electoral returns out next week will confirm that a National Party MP received $25,000 from a controversial businessman after Prime Minister John Key had a private dinner with him.

NZ troops are preparing to return to Iraq, a decade after Kiwi soldiers were last in the violence-wracked nation. On Monday the cabinet is expected to set the ground rules for the deployment.

The public could be wise to be sceptical or wary about politicians trying to manipulate them about the global fight against ISIS, writes Bryce Edwards.

Vint Cerf, one of the people who helped build the internet (and who's now been assimilated by Google of course), is warning about a digital Dark Age.

Japan's economy expanded less than economists estimated in the fourth quarter, underlining the difficulty in stoking growth while export gains are undermined.

More than 11 months into the crisis he unleashed, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in charge of the dynamic, seeking to confuse and divide the West as he apparently seeks to create a damaged....

Two men charged over an Isis-linked terror plot have not appeared in court, with prosecutors warning there are "clear security issues".

The conviction of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges has prompted widespread outrage.

Tony Abbott has admitted good government might have had "a bit of a holiday" amid the Liberal leadership turmoil, but insists it's now on track.

The Australian Prime Minister survived yesterday's leadership tilt, but can still expect to be grilled today by emboldened MPs.