Rubio: face of the future or shifty opportunist?
Nick O'Malley 9:35 AM The Florida senator has presented himself as a Republican bright young hope but his background is of a party insider.
Top world stories
The orphanage saving child migrants
Helen Womack 2:22 PM Haseebullah Sarwari-Said would give anything to get through to his parents. Since fleeing the Taliban, his life has changed a lot. He tells his story publicly, in the hope they can hear him.
Happy Chinese New Year, You're still single?
In China, the Lunar New Year is a time of family reunion and celebration; vast distances are travelled so people can be home for the most important holiday on the calendar.
Elderly Australians caught up in bridge raid
Lindsay Murdoch 11:00 AM Suspecting illegal gambling, police would not accept card game was played for fun and points, club founder says.
China 'investigating' missing HK booksellers
Chinese police have confirmed for the first time that three of five Hong Kong booksellers who went missing were being investigated for 'illegal activities'.
Syria battle threatens new wave of refugees
Syria's army and its Russian and Iranian allies are closing in on rebel strongholds in the country's north in an advance that has already derailed peace talks and may also unleash a new wave of refugees into Europe.
Germany leads Syrian refugee aid effort
Nick Miller German chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged €2.3 billion ($3.6 billion) in aid for Syria, in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis and the resulted exodus of refugees.
Latest world news
Rubio: face of the future or shape-shifting opportunist?
The Florida senator has presented himself as a Republican bright young hope but his background is of a party insider.
Australian woman Jocelyn Elliott to be released by al-Qaeda in Burkina Faso
9:29 AM A militant group says it will release an Australian woman kidnapped in Burkina Faso in January.
Wife crashes her own funeral, surprising husband who had paid to have her killed
Sarah Kaplan 8:50 AM Noela Rukundo sat in a car outside her home, watching as the last few mourners filed out. They were leaving a funeral - her funeral.
Magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits southern Taiwan
8:41 AM A powerful earthquake struck southern Taiwan early on Saturday near the city of Tainan, triggering at least one partial building collapse and other damages but no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries.
Brazil finds Zika in saliva, urine; expert warns against kissing
Pedro Fonseca 7:50 AM Scientists identified the Zika virus in the saliva and urine of two infected patients, a top Brazilian biomedical research institution said on Friday, prompting its president to urge pregnant women not to kiss strangers just as local carnival celebrations begin.
Teen tourist banned for life after scaling pyramid
A teenage tourist who illegally scaled an ancient pyramid to take death-defying selfies has been banned from the country for life.
Woman to go on trial in Italy for being a bad housewife
Nick Squires 9:00 AM An Italian woman could face up to six years in jail after her husband accused her of not doing enough cooking and cleaning at home.
One dead as crane collapses on New York street
Kevin McCoy and Doug Stanglin 5:51 AM One person sitting in a parked car was killed and three people were injured Friday when a huge construction crane collapsed in lower Manhattan as workers tried to lower and secure it against rising winds, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
China calls for calm as US prepares to track North Korean rocket
Jack Kim and Tim Kelly 5:22 AM The United States has deployed missile defence systems that will work with the Japanese and South Korean militaries to track a rocket North Korea says it will launch in the next 18 days.
Julian Assange requests Australian government help after UN ruling
Nick Miller 4:20 AM WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called on Britain and Sweden to let leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London after a UN panel ruled he had been arbitrarily detained.
Why Norway gave its police guns. And then took them away again
Adam Taylor 3:14 AM After just over a year of arming its officers, Norway has orders its police to keep their firearms locked in their cars. Here's why.
Spectacular scenes as Japanese volcano erupts
Osamu Tsukimori and Kiyoshi Takenaka 2:48 AM A Japanese volcano about 50 kilometres from a nuclear plant erupted on Friday, shooting ash nearly two kilometres into the night sky and spewing fountains of lava.
Italian actor dies after hanging scene goes wrong
Justin Wm. Moyer 2:17 AM In the courtyard of Teatro Lux, a theatre in Pisa, the performance of an experimental production has ended in disaster.
The mystery of the dying whales: 29 sperm whales wash up on beaches
Sarah Young 1:39 AM A sixth sperm whale has died on a British beach, the latest of nearly 30 to have become stranded in shallow waters of the North Sea over the past month.
German raids over 'Islamic State attack'
Oliver Ellrodt and Caroline Copley 1:28 AM Two people suspected of links to Islamic State militants preparing an attack on Berlin have been arrested.
IKEA loses right to use its own name in Indonesia
1:02 AM Swedish furniture giant IKEA has lost the right to use its own brand name in Indonesia after a legal battle with a local company that claimed the trademark.
Australian man arrested in Bali for alleged fraud over land and villa purchase
An Australian man has been arrested in Bali for alleged fraud and embezzlement over the purchase of a land and villa development.
Britain and Sweden should compensate Julian Assange, UN panel says
The United Nations panel examining the case of Julian Assange has called for Sweden and Britain to compensate the Wikileaks founder after it found he had been "arbitrarily detained" by both countries.
Uproar as video reveals bastardisation in Myanmar's military
A video has gone viral on the internet that shows young Burmese soldiers being brutally punched and kicked by officers.
Zika virus: Brazil finds new evidence of link to birth defect
Dom Phillips and Nick Miroff 5:51 PM Brazilian government researchers say they have identified traces of Zika in 12 infants born with the microcephaly birth defect.
Spending the Chinese New Year holiday abroad
Philip Wen 5:43 PM Beijing: The journey home to spend the week-long Chinese New Year holiday with family is often a feat of logistics. But increasingly, those with the financial means are eschewing the annual travel rush altogether, choosing to spend the week-long holiday abroad.
One-on-one for first time, sparks fly between Clinton and Sanders
Michael Memoli 5:11 PM One on one in a debate for the first time, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders finally took the gloves off, with the former secretary of state accusing her rival of "innuendo" and "insinuation".
Alibi witness for murder convict Adnan Syed from 'Serial'
Donna Owens 4:04 PM The Baltimore man whose conviction for a 1999 murder was questioned by the popular podcast Serial was calm when he was told the victim was missing, a witness has testified in court.
