The World Today

It's been a sleepless night for many South Australian politicians and euthanasia campaigners, after the Parliament debated and eventually voted down a voluntary euthanasia bill in the early hours of this morning. The 15th attempt to legislate on the issue in the state raised passionate discussion on both sides, and got further than any other bill of its kind.

The Victorian Government is attempting to transfer juveniles to a maximum security jail, in response to a riot, but it's been hampered by the threat of a legal challenge to the move. Now Victoria's Governor has approved temporarily re-classified part of the maximum security Barwon prison as a youth detention facility.

Australia has been ranked fifth-last, in a long list of countries assessed in the latest Climate Change Performance Index. The best performers are France, Sweden and the UK - the worst, not far behind Australia, is Saudi Arabia.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard evidence of apparent attempts to undermine the current Anglican Bishop of Newcastle in NSW, Greg Thompson. Bishop Thompson has previously spoken publicly about the fact that he was abused by senior members of the clergy.

Australian cricket is in turmoil after yet another test thrashing, this time at the hands of South Africa. The defeat in Hobart - by an innings and 80 runs - marks Australia's fifth straight Test loss. The head of Cricket Australia, James Sutherland, says he's suffering no illusions about the problems facing the team. Former players say the team needs to adopt a no-nonsense back-to-basics approach similar to the way Australian cricket resurrected itself in the 1980s.

Australia is pledging to continue to fight alongside the US in all major conflicts in future, despite aggressive rhetoric emerging from the incoming Trump administration. Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne is declaring that a US-military build-up can only be a good thing for Australia's defence industries. But defence experts warn Mr Trump's military ambition may be thwarted by economic reality.

The latest official data show growth in Australian wages has hit a new all-time low. Seasonally adjusted, wages in the three months to September grew by just 0.4, the lowest on record. It's yet another complication for Australia's Reserve Bank that only yesterday revealed it's unsure about the state of the country's labour market.

The former federal Labor treasurer, now backbencher, Wayne Swan, says democracy is under threat from the massive increases in wealth and power for those at the very top of societies, including Australia. In an opinion piece, he says political parties should be on notice from Donald Trump's victory, and should pursue an agenda of inclusive prosperity.

At least five major hospitals came under attack within 48 hours in Syria. The air-strikes resumed on the rebel-held eastern district of Aleppo after the Syrian Government and Russian alliance had agreed to halt the bombardment to allow safe passage for civilians. Since March 2011, the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations has documented 485 separate attacks against medical facilities in Syria that have claimed the lives of 765 medical personnel.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have concluded American soldiers and intelligence officers likely committed war crimes in Afghanistan. In a preliminary report, they've found there's a 'reasonable basis' for 88 separate cases of torture, most in Afghanistan, but also at detention facilities in several European countries. America doesn't recognise the court's jurisdiction so it's unlikely anyone will face trial. But some believe the finding could still have major consequences for officials in the former US administration, right up to George W Bush.