Voting has concluded in Australia’s eastern states, including Sydney and Melbourne, in a general election marked by economic concerns and foreign policy anxieties. With two hours of voting still remaining in Western Australia, early indications point to a close race.
General election voting has closed in Australia's populous eastern states, including the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, with two more hours of voting left on Saturday in Western Australia in what has been a closely fought race.
Opinion polls showed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor Party with a narrow lead over the conservative opposition after a campaign dominated by concerns over the high cost of living and the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Labor had trailed in the polls as recently as February.
Polls closed at 6 p.m. (0800 GMT) in Australia's most populous eastern time zone, which also includes Brisbane and the capital, Canberra.
The state of South Australia and the Northern Territory will close at 0830 GMT, followed by Western Australia, home to the city of Perth, at 1000 GMT.
Results could start coming in for individual constituencies within a few hours after polls close, although it could take several more hours or even days for a final result, depending on how close the vote is.
Analysts say Albanese has run a solid campaign while opposition leader Peter Dutton has suffered from policy missteps and a perceived ideological closeness to Trump, which has become a top concern for voters.
The bounce in the centre-left Labor Party's fortunes mirrors those of Canada's Liberal Party, which returned to power this week in a come-from-behind victory after Trump's tariffs and remarks on Canadian sovereignty sparked a backlash from voters.
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Central Asia’s population could reach 96 million by 2040, according to the head of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), highlighting both the region’s economic potential and the growing strain on infrastructure, trade routes and long-term development models.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Against a backdrop of mounting environmental pressure across Central Asia, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has announced that the Regional Ecological Summit (RES) 2026 will take place from 22–24 April in Astana.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved new sanctions targeting Russian maritime operators, defence-linked companies and individuals connected to Moscow’s military and energy sectors, according to official decrees issued on Saturday.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on Monday it had received “credible reports” that at least 13 civilians were killed and seven others injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.
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The European Parliament on Monday (23 February) postponed a vote on the EU’s trade deal with the U.S. after President Donald Trump imposed a blanket 15% import duty.
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