Dozens of hostages were trapped inside a central Sydney cafe on Monday, with local television showing some being forced to hold up a black flag with white Arabic writing in the window, raising fears of an attack linked to Islamic militants.
The Australian government failed to protect asylum seekers in its custody during a deadly riot at an immigration detention center earlier this year, and as such was guilty of human rights abuses, said a Senate inquiry report released on Thursday.
France is ready to help China track down people suspected of corruption who may be on French soil, and does not rule out extraditing any it finds to Beijing, a justice ministry official said.
India is speeding up a navy modernization program and leaning on its neighbors to curb Chinese submarine activity in the Indian Ocean, as nations in the region become increasingly jittery over Beijing's growing undersea prowess.
