The catchphrase "the Asian Century" was put forward by the Australian Government in a White Paper last year in which it promoted economic growth, sustainability and social prosperity.

Three priests and a former priest in Scotland have reported the most senior Catholic clergyman in Britain, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, to the Vatican over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

As an enormous crowd gathered outside Rome's San Giovanni basilica on Saturday, comedian Beppe Grillo had every reason to be jubilant.

Russia has been accused by Western diplomats of reneging on a pledge to stop supplying arms to the Syrian regime.

Joseph Stalin's son surrendered to the Germans during the Nazis' 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, new evidence found in Russian archives suggests.

Countless politicians have been caught indulging secret vices, but few can claim an addiction as eccentric as that of the former US Congressman Jesse Jackson jnr.

The conversation went something like this: "We, Fran, are a continent. You are an island."

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will not meet a West Papuan freedom fighter who was refused a public forum at Parliament.

Australia has considered using a naval vessel to shepherd a boat of asylum seekers across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, Prime Minister John Key revealed yesterday.

The announcement by the Government that it will take asylum seekers or refugees from Australia completely misses the boat on actually protecting refugees, writes Michael Timmins.

This weekend Prime Ministers John Key and Julia Gillard hold their annual pow-wow in Queenstown.

I have a real fear that the rivers of grog that wreaked such havoc among indigenous communities are starting to flow once again.

Confronted by public protest and fierce congressional questioning, CIA director-designate John Brennan strongly defended the Obama Administration.

As Prime Minister Julia Gillard struggles to regain momentum after a run of bad news, Labor appears to be again aiming to shoot itself in the foot.

Silvio Berlusconi has backed an amnesty for tax dodgers despite accusations that he was buying votes with his promises of €4 billion ($6.4 billion) in tax rebates just weeks ahead of elections.

The United States could launch pre-emptive cyber strikes against countries it suspects of threatening its interests with a digital attack.

South Korea's decision to allow the introduction of covered bonds will help to diversify the Asia-Pacific regional covered bond market.

Sylvester Stallone says no civilian should have access to the big guns his characters use in action movies.

Government frontbencher Peter Garrett says the prime minister's decision to name the 2013 election date puts the pressure on the opposition to deliver more than just slogans.