It was meant to be time for an Eastern European woman. The world will instead end up with a man from the West Europe as the next United Nations chief.

More than 10,000 young Australian students have won government sponsorship to study in Asia in the last three years, but universities at home are cutting back on Asian studies courses.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have piled on outrage after Hillary Clinton condemned the weekend slaughter in Orlando and directly linked the oil-rich monarchies to the funding of terrorism.

China has launched a major charm offensive across the south Pacific to win diplomatic backing for its construction of artificial islands.

If diplomacy is about careful language, remember "alliance" is spelt differently from "allegiance".

French prosecutors say company awarded $50 billion contract for Australian submarines engaged in 'active bribery of foreign public officials' to secure a Malaysian deal that has since spun out into a sordid tale of bribery, blackmail and murder.

A court ruling on China's actions in the South China Sea could have profound consequences for the balance of power in the neighbourhood.

Deep breath, Australia. The Old Dart is our front door to Europe, and should Britain vote to "leave", the cost will be more than dollars.

Australia will formally back India to join the club of nuclear suppliers on Friday, finally laying to rest a bitter stoush over uranium exports.

Hillary Clinton has grasped what has long been the prickliest nettle in US diplomacy and directly linked Saudi Arabia to the funding of terrorism.

It's the dark side of China's stunning rise as a world economic powerhouse – a binge trade in rare and endangered animals for bogus traditional medicine and flashy displays of wealth.

Australia is a key part of a group of "weasel" countries opposed to banning the bomb.