A court in China has handed lengthy prison terms to two young teens for murdering their classmate with a shovel, state media have reported.

Russia's President has apologised to Azerbaijan's leader for what the Kremlin called a "tragic incident" over Russia in which an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defences were fired against Ukrainian drones.

Elon Musk has vowed to go to "war" to defend a visa program for foreign tech workers amid a dispute between Donald Trump's longtime supporters and his recently acquired backers from the tech industry.

Cooler conditions are helping firefighters battle an out-of-control blaze in Victoria that has scorched an area roughly the size of Singapore.

Double tragedy has struck the Sydney to Hobart yacht race after two sailors were killed in separate incidents.

A passenger jet crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people.

Pope Francis has celebrated Christmas Eve Mass with thousands of people inside St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.