TONY ABBOTT

Friday’s assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in one of the world’s safest countries has stunned leaders and drawn condemnation.

In at least one sense, Scott Morrison is the most successful Australian prime minister in years.

India and Australia’s trade ministers say a shared security partnership with the United States and Japan has helped them strike a trade deal that Australia hopes will reduce its dependence on exports to China.

A spate of Chinese military flights off southwestern Taiwan in recent days has prompted alarm from the island, which Beijing claims as its own, and is increasing tensions in a region already on edge.

A former Australian prime minister has accused China of being a bully and expressed enthusiastic support for Taiwan while visiting the democratically ruled island.

A group of French senators visiting Taiwan as part of a regular parliamentary exchange met with President Tsai Ing-wen during a trip that comes in a particularly tense moment between Taiwan and China.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says France would have known Australia had “deep and grave concerns” that a submarine fleet the French were building would not meet Australia's needs.

A man has been arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter while drunk following a car crash on Sunday near Los Angeles. The crash resulted in the deaths of a pregnant woman and her unborn child.

An Australian special envoy says a free trade agreement between his nation and India would signal the “democratic world’s tilt away from China."

Australian special envoy and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said a free trade agreement between his nation and India would signal the “democratic world’s tilt away from China.” Abbott visited New Delhi last week as Australia’s special trade envoy for India as the Australian government gives priority to sealing a bilateral trade deal. In an opinion piece likely to anger Beijing that that was published in The Australian newspaper on Monday, Abbott said the “answer to almost every question about China is India.”

LONDON Prominent equality and environmental activists, including Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen, have urged the British government to drop plans to make former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott a U.K. trade adviser. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government faced growing criticism Friday over reports it will appoint Abbott, who led a conservative Australian government between 2013 and 2015, to the U.K.s Board of Trade. Opponents cite Abbott's opposition to same-sex marriage, persistent allegations of sexism and statements downplaying the impact of climate change. In power, his government repealed a carbon tax paid by polluting Australian industries. Abbott has been in London in recent days and said he has spoken to the government about a roleThe U.K. is seeking to boost trade with countries around the world in the wake of its departure from the European Union.

Australian PM says Flight 370 search will now focus on ocean floor Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday that the chance of finding floating debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner has become highly unlikely. He said that a new phase of the search will focus on a far larger area of the Indian Ocean floor.