French Open champion Ash Barty warmed up for Wimbledon with a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win over Venus Williams to reach the semi-finals of the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham. Barty is now two wins away from becoming the first Australian woman to top the tennis rankings in more than 40 years as a title win in Birmingham will allow her …

US President Donald Trump says he is not looking for war with Iran but has warned that if a conflict did occur, it would result in “obliteration”. “I’m not looking for war, and if there is it’ll be obliteration like you’ve never seen before. But I’m not looking to do that,” Mr Trump told NBC News in an interview a …

A broad field of US Democratic presidential candidates have delivered their sales pitches to party leaders in Iowa, touting their ability to engage voters, defeat Donald Trump and deliver on longtime party goals such as universal healthcare. The 19 Democrats running for 2020 had five minutes each to sum up their case for the presidency. Most agreed on the problems, …

Rafael Nadal maintained his stranglehold on the French Open by beating Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem in four sets to lift a 12th men’s singles title. The Spaniard won for the third straight year at Roland Garros with a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 victory in a high-quality final. The 33-year-old is the first player to win 12 singles titles at …

Queen Elizabeth has paid personal tribute to veterans of the D-day invasion which helped bring World War II to an end. Rising from her seat not once, but twice, the 93-year-old Queen applauded not the 16 world leaders, the top military brass or dignitories but the frail ageing veterans, their coats heavy with medals. About 300 World War II veterans, …

A man abused by notorious paedophile Christian Brother Edward “Ted” Dowlan is suing George Pell, alleging the disgraced Cardinal did nothing to protect him. The man was a student at East Melbourne’s Cathedral College when he was abused by Dowlan, who was first jailed in the 1990s for abusing boys in the 1970s and 1980s. Taking civil action in the …

A former Australian military lawyer charged with leaking classified documents at the centre of police raids at the ABC on Wednesday says he is facing life imprisonment but maintains he was acting in the public interest. Due to appear in the ACT Supreme Court on June 13, David William McBride, 55, is charged over leaks to ABC journalists Dan Oakes, …

Australian Federal Police officers are raiding the ABC’s Sydney headquarters over a series of 2017 stories known as The Afghan Files. The stories, by ABC investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and were based off hundreds of pages of secret Defence documents leaked to the ABC. The …

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has been given the portfolios of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Government Services in Labor’s new-look shadow ministry. Mr Shorten’s replacement, Anthony Albanese, unveiled the frontbench shadow positions this afternoon. “[Mr Shorten] of course made such an impact on Australians with his work on the National Disability Insurance Scheme,” Mr Albanese said. “He will …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his ministry have been sworn in at Government House in Canberra. The Coalition politicians arrived with their partners and families for the formalities after winning the federal election against the odds. “Stand near your relevant husband,” Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove quipped as he finalised the formalities for Scott Morrison and Michael McCormack to be sworn …