The World Today

Parliament returns tomorrow but already the Liberal Party is under attack from within its own ranks. It's believed the outspoken South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi will leave the Liberals this week and form his own splinter party. The move is a major blow to Malcolm Turnbull's leadership just before Parliament returns for 2017.

Fellow South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon says that if Cory Bernardi leaves the Liberal Party, that would be a major challenge for the Prime Minister. He told The World Today that despite big differences of opinion, he's be prepared to work with Senator Bernardi if he became an independent.

The US President, Donald Trump, has reacted angrily on social media after a Seattle judge blocked his administration's travel ban. Mr Trump has accused James Robart of putting the country in danger, insisting the judge is to blame if the country is attacked.

The legal battle over US President Donald Trump's travel and refugee ban will likely end up in the Supreme Court, according to the lawyer who served as US Attorney-General under George W Bush. Professor Alberto Gonzales says if some conditions were different, the case for supporting the executive order would be more solid, but he believes President Trump is trying to protect national security with the ban, and that he will abide by the court's decision.

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to review the Dodd Frank Act imposed after the global financial crisis. But critics warn any unwinding of tougher regulation on banks could encourage more risk and another crisis for the financial system. Wall Street bank stocks rallied on the prospect of looser regulation.

The US President Donald Trump has spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart over the weekend and promised to work with both Russia and Ukraine to restore peace in the region. The call came days after a sudden resurgence of fighting in the country's far east between government troops and Russian backed insurgents, destroying nearly 200 homes and killing at least 33 people in the town of Avdiivka.

The child sexual abuse Royal Commission has released what it believes to be a world first survey of child sexual abuse claims in the Catholic Church. It found that between 1950 and 2010, 7 per cent of Australia's Catholic priests had a claim of abuse made against them.

Economists are expressing alarm at Australia's growing level of wealth inequality. The latest private survey shows only the wealthiest Australians reported high levels of 'financial comfort' during 2016, while those of lower salaries said last year left them worse off. The experts say high levels of job insecurity, combined with growing under-employment, is hurting the majority of Australian households.

A report that aims to measure whether students are engaged in learning has found a widespread problem in Australian high schools. According to the Grattan Institute, the 40 per cent of students who are disengaged are falling one to two years behind their peers as a result. The report also found that teachers lack the skills to get them back on track.

Former French MP Jerome Riviere is confident far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen will win the up-coming French election. He has drawn parallels with US President Donald Trump, and says the French people see that Le Pen has their interests at heart.