Kevin Rudd

Public interest witness and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is now a “free man” after a court on Saipan Island today upheld his plea deal with the US justice system, ending a 14-year legal odyssey.

“You can walk out of this courtroom a free man,” Judge Ramona Manglona said after a brief session of the U.S. federal court on Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Activists and politicians have cautiously welcomed the unexpected declaration between the United States and China, which promises to boost climate cooperation. The EU and the UN described the move as encouraging, but Greenpeace said both sides needed to show more commitment.

The fourth Athens Democracy Forum is hosting leading personalities from the areas of politics, journalism, civil society and business this month for an in-depth discussion on the challenges of democracy.

The annual Athens Democracy Forum organized by the New York Times and Kathimerini gets under way in the Greek capital on Wednesday.

Titled "Solutions for a Changing World," the forum, which runs through Sunday, will address whether the western spirit of openness is being replaced by walls, among other topics.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared Australia would invoke the ANZUS security treaty for only the second time in its history in response to any attack by North Korea against the United States, The Sydney Morning Herald writes.

Australia will accept several dozen Central American refugees within the next few months, two sources familiar with the process told Reuters, the first transfers under a controversial refugee swap arrangement agreed with the United States.

Australian conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott was dramatically ousted Sept. 14 in a snap party vote forced by challenger Malcolm Turnbull, a millionaire former banker who will become the nation's new leader.