ABC radio news and current affairs afternoon program reporting on Australia and the world.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met with the Chinese Premier on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.

A class action has been launched against the Australian Defence Force, with accusations that women serving in its ranks were subjected to sexual violence and harassment.

The US has announced new sanctions targeting Russia's two largest oil companies, in a bid to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine.

After all the handshakes, back-slaps and gift exchanges in Washington DC, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on his way back to Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump has resulted in agreements on critical minerals and AUKUS.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has used a speech in Sydney to highlight the direction she hopes to take the embattled Liberal Party.

US President Donald Trump has chatted at length with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone, as he weighs whether to send long-range tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

Australia's unemployment rate has jumped to 4.5 per cent, its highest level in four years.

As Hamas re-exerts its authority over Gaza, US President Donald Trump vows America will take steps to disarm the organisation if it doesn't give up its weapons.

US President Donald Trump has declared that the peace deal between Hamas and Israel signals the dawn of a new Middle East...

Just over two years since they were kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7 terrorist attacks, the first members of the final group of Israeli hostages are being released.

The first phase of the Gaza peace deal appears to be on track after the IsraelI Cabinet approved its terms.

The US President Donald Trump has announced that after mediated negotiations in Egypt, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first stage of his peace plan.

Australian taxpayers will fund a $600 million rescue package so mining giant Glencore can keep its Mt Isa copper smelter running for the next three years.

Vigils have been held to mark the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel which killed more than 1200 people.

The ABC has discovered more Optus customers have been unable to contact triple zero on their mobiles outside last month's two well-publicised outages.

The deadline for Hamas to accept US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan is fast approaching and there are reports members of the militant group are not prepared to agree to its terms.

Australia's landmark defence treaty with Papua New Guinea has been approved by PNG's cabinet after a two week delay.

The Federal Government is denying its Home Guarantee Scheme will greatly increase property prices.

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed US President Donald Trump's proposed plan to end the war in Gaza and is urging both sides to agree to its terms.

The Federal Treasurer is talking up the government's economic management after the budget deficit for the last financial year came in about $18 billion lower than forecast.

In the United States, the former director of the FBI, James Comey, has been indicted by a grand jury on two charges of lying to Congress in 2020 about the investigation into Donald Trump's Russia links.

In his first speech the the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a pitch for Australia to once again win a temporary seat on Security Council.

The telecommunications company Optus has announced an independent review of last week's outage that is linked to the deaths of three people.

This year's session of the United Nations General Assembly is proving historic as more nations join countries like France and Australia in recognising Palestinian statehood.

Australia's historic move to formally recognise Palestine as a sovereign state has been met with fury from Israel.

Aid organisation Doctors Without Borders is urging the Australian government to punish Israel after a UN inquiry this week found it has the intention to commit genocide in Gaza.

The Federal Government has announced Australia will work to cut its emissions by 62 to 70 per cent by 2035, compared to 2005 levels.

The future of Hobart's planned AFL stadium is again in doubt, after the state's independent planning commission released a scathing report recommending it should not be built.

An inquiry by the United Nations Human Rights Council has found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

A comprehensive assessment of the risk climate change poses to Australia is warning us to expect more severe weather events in the decades ahead.

The Federal Environment Minister has given the go-ahead for Woodside's North West Shelf project to keep operating until at least 2070.

The U.S. President Donald Trump is vowing a crackdown on political violence in the wake of the assassination of his close ally, the powerful right wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

World leaders are condemning Israel's airstrikes on Qatar but Israel is defending the action saying it was targeting Hamas leaders.

The Victorian Government has introduced proposed legislation to the state parliament to establish the first treaty between an Australian jurisdiction and its Indigenous people.

Two years after she served her notorious Beef Wellington lunch in regional Victoria, the convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life in jail for her crimes.

Thousands of mourners have attended the Melbourne funeral of Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart who was shot dead in north-eastern Victoria last week.

The Federal Government has agreed to settle a class action brought by Robodebt victims for $475 million. If approved by the Federal Court, it will be the biggest class action payout in Australian history.

The former Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews has sparked a furore by attending a massive military parade in Beijing and lining up with the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea for a group photo.

The fallout from anti-immigration rallies around the country is continuing, with the Victorian Premier being forced to abandon a press conference after being abused by a neo-Nazi.

Victorian police are warning people not to harbour the alleged police killer Dezi Freeman and to report his whereabouts.

As the hunt for the alleged killer of two police officers continues in freezing conditions Victoria's north-east, the Chief Commissioner has confirmed the fugitive's wife and teenaged son have been interviewed and released.