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[ad_1] SYDNEY: Australia is considering moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Tuesday, following the lead of US President Donald Trump. Morrison called a press conference to say he was "open-minded" to proposals to formally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move his nation's embassy to the holy city, a sharp break with the policy of successive Australian governments for decades. "We're committed to a two-state solution, but frankly it hasn't been going that well, not a lot of progress has been made, and you don't keep doing the same thing and expect different results," Morrison said. He described proposals to recognise Jerusalem and move Australia's embassy as "sensible" and "persuasive" and would be considered by the government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had discussed the possible embassy move with Morri...

[ad_1] SEOUL: The two Koreas and the US-led United Nations Command began talks Tuesday on demilitarising a section of the heavily fortified border dividing the peninsula, as a diplomatic thaw gathers pace. "The first meeting between the South, North and the UNC on disarming the Joint Security Area (JSA) will take place at 10am today at Panmunjom," Seoul 's defence ministry said in a message sent to reporters. The JSA, also known as the truce village of Panmunjom, is the only spot along the tense, 250-kilometre (155-mile) frontier where troops from the two countries stand face to face. It was a designated neutral zone until the "axe murder incident" in 1976, when North Korean soldiers attacked a work party trying to chop down a tree inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), leaving two US army officers dead. South and North Korea — which are technically still at war — agreed to take measures to ease military tensions on their border at a meeting in Pyongyang last mo...

[ad_1] Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hang on, what ARE the US 'mid-terms'? On 6 November, American voters get to decide the direction of their country once more in the mid-term elections. There are local races, and 36 states will choose their governors. But the key races are for members of both houses of Congress, that help push through laws in the US. Produced by Roland Hughes and Paul Sargeant [ad_2]

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The US moved its embassy to Jerusalem in May Australia will consider recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving its embassy there from Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says. If acted upon, the move would follow a recent policy shift by the US that has drawn criticism internationally. Mr Morrison said Australia remained committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Political opponents said Mr Morrison's comments were a "deceitful" ploy for votes ahead of a crucial by-election. The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contested issues between Israel and the Palestinians. US President Donald Trump drew international criticism last year when he reversed decades of American foreign policy by recognising the an...

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP Image caption Kenyans have been praying for the country to overcome its many challenges In our series of letters from African journalists, Kenyan Joseph Warungu looks at the new strategy by the country's anti-corruption body to use the Bible to deter theft of public funds. You know you are in deep trouble when nothing else can save you except prayer. That's where Kenya is at the moment. The country is sinking into deep debt, much of it the result of widespread mismanagement of public funds. Corruption is eating us up alive, with new scandals emerging day after day. And nothing is sacred, not even the water we need for life. Problem 'getting worse' In parts of the capital, Nairobi, criminal cartels with alleged connections to some powerful people at the Nairobi county govern...

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption It's home to glaciers, national parks and vineyards, but there's also a darker side to New Zealand It's a mountainous wonderland decorated with ancient glaciers, breathtaking national parks and sumptuous vineyards, but behind its glossy image New Zealand is failing many of its children. Rates of disadvantage have stayed stubbornly high and they are a stain that Jacinda Ardern, who became New Zealand's youngest female prime minister a year ago, is determined to cleanse. She has promised to halve child poverty over the next 10 years, insisting that her South Pacific nation should "aspire to be the best place in the world to be a child". It's a monumental task, but advocacy groups have been encouraged by what they've seen in the first...