- Cambodia and Thailand sign a truce to end border clashes
- NT Police investigating a death in custody in Tennant Creek
- England celebrate their first Test victory on Australian soil in 15 years
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to halt weeks of fierce border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian countries.
The agreement, signed by the Thai Defence Minister and his Cambodian counterpart, has ended 20 days of fighting that has killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides.
The clashes were reignited in early December after a breakdown in a ceasefire that United States President Donald helped broker to halt a previous round of fighting in late July.
Thai Defence Ministry spokesman, Surasant Kongsiri, says the ceasefire will be monitored for three days - before displaced residents are allowed to return home.
"The ceasefire will be monitored and observed for 72 hours to confirm that it is real and continuous. Once the situation stabilises, civilians will be able to safely return to their homes, after which the 18 detained Cambodian soldiers would be released when the hostilities cease."
.
Russian strikes have plunged hundreds of thousands of homes in Ukraine into darkness as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in coming days.
Mr Zelenskyy said some 500 drones and 40 missiles pounded the capital Kyiv, and showed Russian President Vladimir Putin did not want to end the invasion.
An expanding domestic corruption scandal also continued to plague Mr Zelenskyy as he held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney before departing for Washington.
The Ukrainian leader has said the so-called 20-point peace plan proposed by the US is 90 per cent ready, but some of the most intractable questions remain.
"The key question is what security guarantees President Trump is prepared to give Ukraine. I understand that legally binding guarantees depend on both President Trump and Congress. We appreciate the teams' discussion and the fact that there is a shared vision. However, it will depend on the U.S. President: what he is ready to provide, when he is ready to provide it, and for how long. I would be truly grateful if his decision aligns with our wish.”
.
The Northern Territory Police Force is investigating a death in custody that occurred in a watch house in Tennant Creek on Saturday afternoon.
A 44-year-old female prisoner was found unconscious in her cell around 1pm and was transferred to hospital where she died shortly afterwards.
A crime scene has been established and the incident is being treated as a death in custody, with the cause of death yet to be determined.
.
Staying in the NT, a man has been arrested, after a Boxing Day stabbing in a remote Aboriginal community that left one man dead.
A 35-year-old man suffered serious chest injuries, after being stabbed at a residence in the community of Laramba in Central Australia, 200 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs.
Northern Territory Police says he died a short time later at the local medical clinic.
Police were called in from surrounding centres including Ti Tree, Yuendumu and Alice Springs, and a 39-year-old man was later arrested in Yuendumu, 140 kilometres west of the stabbing incident.
.
To sport now, and in the Sydney to Hobart, leader Master Lock Comanche held a narrow advantage of four nautical miles over major rival LawConnect on Saturday evening in the Bass Strait.
The retirement list grew on the second day of sailing, with one of the favourites for the handicap crown, URM Group, forced to pull the pin with hull damage around 4.30pm.
URM Group reported all crew were safe and the boat was making a six hour trip to the NSW south coast.
.
In cricket, England have ended an 18-Test winless streak in Australia, pulling off a day-two run chase to claim a chaotic fourth Ashes Test by four wickets at the MCG.
It is England's first Test victory on Australian soil in 15 years.
With hopes of regaining the Ashes already gone after defeats in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, this win in Melbourne salvages some pride for England and turns down the heat on coach Brendon McCullum.
It has become the second two-day Test of the summer in a massive financial blow to Cricket Australia, after the series opener in Perth also ended with three days to spare.
