"He's one dumb knighthood away from oblivion." Pundits from both sides of Australian politics say Tony Abbott's days are numbered after yesterday's spill attempt.

What drives Putin is a grab-bag of emotional motives. His man in Kiev got overthrown, and he doesn't like to lose face, writes Gwynne Dyer.

Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, was guilty of a bad case of wishful thinking when he declared the Liberal leadership issue "behind us" after surviving a party ballot yesterday.

The Australian MP who unsuccessfully tried to remove Tony Abbott as leader doesn't believe he has made any enemies in the party.

Sydney cafe siege survivors and families gathered solemnly as Australia's parliament honoured the victims.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott remains the leader of the Liberal party after a secret ballot on a motion to spill the leadership.

Diplomats have warned Europe could descend into war if the West does not stand up to Russia over the Ukraine conflict.

It was a day of bluster and speeches, but also paralysis over how to end the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine.

Tony Abbott has moved to stare down backbench dissidents, warning their spill motion will fail and he'll take that as an endorsement of his leadership.

Labour leader Andrew Little has proposed looking at giving Maori greater self-governance, possibly including the ability to make some of their own laws.

Tony Abbott is well on his way to being a political feather duster after his speech to the Canberra Press Club bombed, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Tony Abbott came to power promising Australians "mature" and "stable" government. Just 17 months on, a possible leadership ballot next week could see him toppled by Malcolm Turnbull.

The fight over conservative Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's leadership broke out into the open today, with a member of his party triggering a potential challenge next week.

A senior Australian politician says he "can't rule out" the possibility there'll be a leadership spill on Tuesday aimed at ousting Tony Abbott.

The Isis group's release of a video showing its fighters burning alive a captured Jordanian pilot sparked street protests calling for vengeance and threatened to draw Jordan's usually low-key monarch towards ever more direct confrontation with radical Isl

The Republican Party was on the defensive yesterday after two of its leading presidential hopefuls indicated that they had sympathy for parents unwilling to vaccinate their children against infectious diseases, even in the midst of a dangerous outbreak of

Disturbing images appear to show a man charged with having a homosexual affair being stoned to death after he survived being thrown off a building.

The widow of poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko has told the public inquiry into his death that her husband accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of being a paedophile.

In a speech to the National Press Club billed as "make-or-break", the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott offered policy retreats, sweeteners and promises to consult more.

The family of freed Australian journalist Peter Greste won't say when he'll be home, saying their top priority is protecting his mental health after 400 days in jail in Egypt.

Jordan yesterday renewed its offer to swap a convicted terrorist for the return of its air force pilot held captive by Isis.

It would've paid new mothers their full salary for six months, but now Tony Abbott has had to pull his signature paid parental leave scheme off the table.