Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has been ordered to pay back part of the money spent on a family trip covered by taxpayers, as Canberra's travel expenses come under increased scrutiny.

Canberra

Federal politicians in Australia, including Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and Health Minister Mark Butler, are facing scrutiny over the use of taxpayer funds for travel expenses. The Independent Watchdog found part of Rowland's family trip expenses outside guidelines, while Butler is questioned for charging taxpayers for family travel to a sporting event. 

In addition, the federal government has announced new laws to ban price gouging by major supermarkets starting July next year, with penalties of up to $10 million for breaches. From January, fuel and grocery retailers will be required to accept cash for transactions under $500, with small businesses exempt from the rule.

Pressure builds on MPs for taxpayer-funded travel

card, the federal opposition piling the pressure on Annika Wells, the coalition mailing this message to voters in her Brisbane electorate, thanking taxpayers for generously funding airfares, dinner, drinks and a ski holiday. I understand that there is very substantial community concern about these arrangements. Tonight, new revelations in the parliamentary expenses saga, advice from the Independent Watchdog into Attorney-General Michelle Rowland's week-long family trip to Perth in July 2023, found a portion of the family reunion travel expenses were outside the guidelines. A trip that cost taxpayers more than $21,000. When does she plan to pay it back? How much does she have to pay back? What exactly has she breached here? There are so many unanswered questions. Why have a ministerial code if you're not expecting your most senior ministers to be adhering to it? No, I do not think Michelle Rowland needs to resign. I think Michelle has done exactly what she should do. Queensland Liberal MP Philip Thompson has also paid back travel expenses for flights to Cairns to visit family. They were also within the guidelines. Calls for wider reform when it comes to perks for politicians is growing louder tonight with Health Minister Mark Butler the latest MP to be scrutinised over his use of travel entitlements. Including charging taxpayers nearly $2,000 to fly a family member to and from a Matildas game in Brisbane in August 2023. Posting this photo with Annika Wells and the Prime Minister. Mark Butler is not the Minister for Sport. He is not required to attend these events. He chose to attend these events. I think the Australian people deserve to get clarity on this and it's it's been overused, it's been abused and I think it's time for a rethink. Matthew Garstunen, 10 News. Coles and Woolworths are being put on notice by the federal government with price gouging to be banned from July next year. The rules mean the retail giants can't charge prices that are excessive when compared to the cost of the supply plus a reasonable margin. If the new laws are breached, supermarkets can face fines of up to $10 million. Coles is warning the changes will push up prices. We know that people are under pressure. We want to make sure and we will make sure that the supermarkets are not price gouging their customers. From January 1, fuel and grocery retailers will also be required to accept cash for any transaction under $500 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Small businesses that make less than $10 million a year are exempt.

Belarus has freed more than 120 political prisoners in a major thaw in relations with the United States. The releases came in return for Washington lifting sanctions on potash, a key source of revenue for Belarus.

Minsk

Belarus releases 123 prisoners as U.S. lifts sanctions

Washington was still under a state of emergency on Saturday after torrential rains swamped communities. Plus, snow and dangerous cold are falling on some in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Nicole Valdes has more from Washington state.

Deming

Washington under state emergency as rains ease

China's plans for a massive new embassy in the British capital were delayed until January. Construction plans have proven controversial, with some raising espionage concerns. Ramy Inocencio has more from London.

London

Controversial Chinese embassy construction in London delayed

A United Airlines jetliner lost one of its engines during liftoff from Washington's Dulles Airport bound for Tokyo.

Tokyo

United Airlines flight loses engine during liftoff, sparks brush fire

At least two people have been killed, and eight others were critically wounded in a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday. The gunman remains at large. Logan Hall reports.

Providence

Gunman at large after deadly Brown University shooting

At least two people have been shot and killed at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, according to the city's mayor, Brett Smiley. He also said eight people are in critical, but stable condition. The shooter remains at large.

Rhode Island

Brown University shooting in U.S leaves two dead, eight injured

Thailand says there is no ceasefire with Cambodia, and its military will continue fighting until it faces no further threat. That's despite the US president's earlier announcement that both sides had agreed to stop their attacks. Villages along the border are largely empty, except for a handful of volunteer security guards.

Phnom Penh

Fighting continues along Thai-Cambodia border

U.S President Donald Trump has threatened potential land strikes on Venezuela to target an illegal narcotics trade. Trump says the drugs are arriving on U.S shores and that President Nicolas Maduro is behind it. Maduro has denied the claim.

Caracas

Washington considers Venezuela land assault

King Charles III, who shared his cancer diagnosis with the world in February 2024, announced Friday that he would be scaling back his treatment after his doctors have seen success. The monarch also pushed for people to get early screenings, saying, "Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives."

King Charles to reduce cancer treatments

Belarus has freed more than 100 political prisoners, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, in exchange for sanction relief on Belarusian potash, a U.S. statement said on Saturday.

Belarus releases political prisoners as U.S. lifts some sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited troops fending off Russian advances near the embattled city of Kupiansk that Moscow claimed to have captured last month, which Kyiv denies.

Kup'yans'k

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy visits troops as Ukraine claims gained ground near key city

In an audacious move, the EU has decided to indefinitely immobilize the Russian sovereign assets, pushing back against external pressure to release the funds before Moscow agrees to pay war reparations to Ukraine.

Brussels

EU locking in Russian assets for good

U.S. House Democrats released new images from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that feature U.S. President Donald Trump and other high-profile people previously linked to Epstein.

Washington

House Democrats release more Epstein estate photos

For the first time, Amnesty International has accused Hamas and its allies of committing crimes against humanity, following an investigation into the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel. The organization found that 1,221 people were killed and said the mass killing of civilians amounted to extermination.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Amnesty accuses Hamas of 'crimes against humanity' for Oct. 7 attack

The “Architects of AI” were named Time's person of the year Thursday, with the magazine citing 2025 as when the potential of artificial intelligence “roared into view” with no turning back.

Rise of AI

Time magazine names 'Architects of AI' as person of the year for 2025

Message board website Reddit filed a lawsuit on Friday (December 12) asking Australia's High Court to overturn the country's social media ban for people under 16 as well as its inclusion in it, calling the law an infringement of free political expression.

Council of the City of Sydney

Reddit sues to overturn Australian social media ban

As tensions rise with Venezuela, U.S. President Donald Trump said land operations could start "pretty soon." Sources tell CBS News the administration is also planning more tanker seizures.

Trump says Venezuela land operations could begin 'pretty soon'

One day after capturing an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, the U.S. has sanctioned three of Nicolas Maduro's nephews, along with six other oil tankers.

Trump ramps up pressure on Maduro with new sanctions

The EU has decided to keep the assets of the Russian Central Bank immobilised for the foreseeable future. The ban, which is based on a provision for economic emergencies, pushes back against external attempts to release the €210 billion in assets before Ukraine is compensated.

Moscow

EU triggers emergency clause to indefinitely immobilise Russian assets

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she planned to take her award back to Venezuela, but declined to say when she would return to her home country after leaving in great secrecy to receive the honor.

Nobel peace laureate Machado vows to take award home to Venezuela

Japanese authorities are assessing damage after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, followed by multiple aftershocks. In response, officials have issued a warning about the possibility of a megaquake, defined as a magnitude 8.0 or higher event.

Japan alerts citizens about possible megaquake

A Maryland judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from ICE custody. Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador and was later detained for potential deportation to another country.

Judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia's immediate release from ICE custody

About 500,000 people are fleeing renewed clashes on the Thailand-Cambodia border. Over a dozen were killed as fighting shatters a US-Malaysia-brokered peace deal amid a decades-old temple land dispute.

Samraong

Half a million flee as Thailand-Cambodia border clashes escalate

The U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, ratcheting up tensions with Caracas.

Trump confirms seizing of Venezuelan oil tanker

The U.S. House has approved a bill to end all Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, sparking cautious optimism in Damascus as the measure moves closer to becoming law.

U.S. House votes to lift Caesar Act sanctions on Syria

Myanmar's military bombs a hospital in western Rakhine state, at least 31 people are killed and dozens injured.

Rakhine

Air strike in Myanmar killed at least 31 people, dozens injured

The U.S. military seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the ship had been used to violate sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Iran.

U.S. seizes oil tanker off Venezuela coast

The daughter of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother's behalf in Oslo, Norway. Machado, who lives in hiding in Venezuela, is set to make an address on Thursday.

Oslo

Venezuela's Machado awarded Nobel Peace Prize in absentia

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is commenting on potential elections in Ukraine under certain conditions. Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst joins CBS News with more on the war against Russia.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy prepared to hold elections after Trump questions motive

A renewed outbreak of fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has derailed a US-brokered peace agreement, with cross-border shelling and air raids forcing more than half a million civilians to flee their homes.

Breakdown