As Bashar al-Assad fled for Moscow, the doors of his notorious prison flew open. And one man, after six long years behind bars, made his way home, broken but alive.

Chinese coast guard ships used powerful water cannons and blocking manoeuvres against 20 Philippine fishing boats off a disputed South China Sea shoal, the Philippine coast guard said.

It is a daunting task: reimagining one of Australias most loved and important books not to mention the Peter Weir film adaptation on the opposite side of the world.

It is the first time the former prince and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, are known to have been invited into a palace since he lost his titles.

The 77-year-old said his treatment for cancer can be reduced in the new year as he discussed the disease in a televised address.

The King says his cancer treatment will be scaled back thanks to early intervention.

Japan is installing missile batteries and radar towers on an island 110 kilometres east of Taiwan, as it nervously watches Chinas ambitions in the Pacific.

Personnel at MA Services Group have repeatedly attempted to cover up its role in an ongoing operation involving a private security force sent to Nauru to guard exiled Australian immigration detainees.

Healthcare workers led by a team of Australian doctors are working on the front lines to eliminate cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific.

Mary Carole McDonnell spent years creating true-crime television series. Now shes become entangled in a criminal drama of her own.