Brett Kavanaugh has been sworn in as a US Supreme Court justice, just hours after the Senate backed President Donald Trump’s nominee 50 votes to 48. Even as Mr Kavanaugh took his oath of office in a quiet private ceremony, not long after the narrowest Senate confirmation in nearly 150 years, protesters chanted outside the court building across the street …

Turkish authorities have begun to investigate the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has not been seen since entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul four days ago. Police believe Khashoggi, who had been living in self-imposed exile in Washington, was killed inside the consulate, two Turkish sources said. “The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr …

What will it be this year? Vladimir Putin without a shirt astride a horse? The Russian leader posing for a selfie with two jubilant brides? Or Mr Putin cuddled up with a baby leopard? This year, Russians have been given a full range of choice in newly-published annual calendars featuring the Russian leader. Some were delighted, others remained sceptical. “It’s really …

This is no spoiler alert. I’d be a liar or a fool if I told you what will happen next in the soap opera that is Donald Trump’s attempt to nominate Brett Kavanaugh for the US Supreme Court. The US – and much of the world – sat gripped as Mr Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified before …

A player has never had as much impact on a grand final with so few touches. In fact, Cooper Cronk, Sydney Roosters star and big-money recruit, rarely touched the ball in his side’s 21-6 grand final win over Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night. Instead, Cronk – battling what was later revealed to be a broken scapula (shoulder) – …

US President Donald Trump has rallied around his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh following multiple allegations of sexual abuse against him. Despite facing a barrage of accusations dating back to the early 1980s, when Mr Kavanaugh was a teenager, Mr Trump has labelled the embattled nominee “a fine man with an unblemished past”. The US President said – a day after a second allegation emerged …

When Ed Robins noticed bruising and skin tears on his 92-year-old mother, he decided to install a small video camera in her room at Perth’s Morrison Lodge nursing home. The footage he captured over three weeks made for distressing viewing. Mrs Robins had recently broken her leg and had worsening dementia. Often, she would wake up and, forgetting she could …

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has revealed it has spent $800,000 on “project management” since receiving a $440 million grant in June, and expects to spend more than $7 million on administration this financial year. The foundation only had six full-time staff when it was given the funding by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. A Senate inquiry has been questioning …

US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his promise to stop what he sees as “unfair trade practices” on the part of China, but his updated tariff list includes some unexpected victims. Mr Trump initially placed a 25 per cent tariff on $US50 billion ($69.7 billion) of imports from China in August 2018, but has so far been unsatisfied …

Two people have died and two more remain in a critical condition in hospital after suspected overdoses at the Defqon.1 music festival in Sydney’s west yesterday. Police said a 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman died in Nepean Hospital after collapsing at the Defqon.1 festival in Penrith about 9:00pm. Emergency services at the event responded to multiple reports of suspected …