Chuck Norris stumps for Netanyahu campaign

Israel's PM has made many promises in campaign. But now, with hours remaining before Israelis head to the polls, Bibi is bringing out the biggest gun of all: Chuck Norris.

Prince Harry to be sent to Australian army

Nick Miller 11:03 AM   Prince Harry will spend four weeks in April and May seconded to the Australian army, before quitting the military altogether, the royal family has announced.

Rand Paul woos tech crowd at SXSW

As his likely rivals spent the weekend shaking hands in New Hampshire, potential Republican candidate Rand Paul flew to Texas to court software developers.

Myanmar blames China bombing on 'ethnic group'

Kyaw Thu 2:23 PM   Myanmar's air force never entered Chinese territory and an "ethnic group" is responsible for a bomb that killed five farmers inside China, a government spokesman said.

London police investigated over claims it protected paedophile ring

Julian Drape 1:44 PM   Britain's Independent Police Complaints Commission is taking over an internal investigation that was being conducted by London police.

Thirty years of warming: the heat really is on

Peter Hannam 1:26 PM   Last month capped 30 years in which average monthly temperatures worldwide have been warmer than the average for the 20th century.

Giant kite drags boy to his death

12:17 PM   A five-year-old boy has died after becoming tangled in the ropes of a giant kite and being dragged into the air, before plummeting nearly 20 metres to the ground in Vietnam.

Islamic State hostage Foley gave up chance to flee

Colin Freeman 11:15 AM   James Foley, the US journalist kidnapped and beheaded by the so-called Islamic State in Syria, sacrificed a chance to escape because he didn't want abandon his colleague, a fellow hostage has revealed.

Jihad Jake's death used for propaganda value by Islamic State

Michael Bachelard 11:05 AM   Islamic State has begun to use the death of young Australian Jake Bilardi as propaganda, to shame boys from Muslim families into coming to fight in Syria and Iraq.

Vanuatu president begs world to help rebuild, blames climate change, after Cyclone Pam

Claudine Wery 11:05 AM   The official death toll rises to 28, with many more feared dead, as the country slowly picks up the pieces amid apocalyptic scenes.

He admitted killing his flatmate, then blamed his girlfriend

10:50 AM   Man admitted to killing flatmate, then tried to blame girlfriend.

Netanyahu rules out a Palestinian state on his watch

Batsheva Sobelman 9:50 AM   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an apparent election-eve bid to woo far-right voters has ruled out the establishment of a Palestinian state while he remains in office.

Jihadi John's mock executions: journalist recounts how 'he caressed my neck with the blade'

Lindsey Bever 9:40 AM   Mohammed Emwazi took the lead in mock executions, a rehearsal for death that leaves hostages wondering whether they will actually die. Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of beheadings.

Vladimir Putin makes first public appearance for 10 days

7:28 AM   President Vladimir Putin has appeared in public for the first time since March 5, quelling intense speculation about his health.

Republican presidential hopeful shocks little girl: 'The world is on fire'

Josephine Tovey 6:34 AM   While the catastrophic language Republicans use to describe Democratic president Barack Obama and his policies may no longer surprise the American public, it still has the power to shock very small children.

Egypt's bold plan to build new capital next to burgeoning Cairo

Ishaan Tharoor 6:07 AM   Over the weekend, Egypt unveiled plans to build a wholly new capital.

Pope Francis intervenes to remove priest accused of child sex abuse after receiving letter from alleged victim

Anthony Faiola 6:04 AM   Naples, Italy: Diego was the shy one in Father Silverio Mura’s class; a 13-year-old, olive-skinned and handsome, who spent his free time indoors watching cartoons. He walked to school alone in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, stopping first to pray to a statue of the Virgin Mary in the rose garden in front of his apartment building.

France to outlaw ads with anorexic models

5:37 AM   France's health minister says she supports plans to criminalise the use of advertising with anorexic models in France.

What is love? Scans of human mind take us step closer to eternal question

Camilla Turner 11:42 PM   It is one of life's most enduring mysteries. A question that music, poetry, myth and legend have, for thousands of years, tried to answer. However, we may now be a step closer to discovering what love is.

Putin puts Northern Fleet on alert for Arctic exercises

10:57 PM   President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet and paratrooper units to go on full alert as part of snap military exercises in the Arctic, according to state-run RIA news agency.

Cyclone Pam 'as frightening as the Blitz'

Natalie Bochenski 1:00 AM   90-year-old compares Vanuatu storm to German bombing of London.

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Daughter of Anwar Ibrahim arrested for sedition

10:04 PM   Nurul Izzah, 34, a member of Parliament and popular public figure, confirmed her arrest by phone while in custody.

Israel's election down to the wire

Ruth Pollard 8:15 PM   An increasingly desperate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is rallying right-wing voters with expansive promises.

Saddam Hussein's tomb destroyed in heavy clashes

7:58 PM   The tomb of Iraq's late dictator Saddam Hussein has been virtually levelled in heavy clashes between militants from the jihadist IS group and Iraqi forces in a fight for control of the city of Tikrit.

Phone-tapping rumours surround delay in executions

Jewel Topsfield 6:51 PM   Indonesian parliamentarians are publicly questioning the fact that 10 prisoners on death row have not yet been killed.