https://www.scmp.com/rss/322243/feed Australasia's latest news, current affairs, politics and regional issues. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An autonomous OpenAI programme infiltrated an Australian government health website in June in an “unacceptable” breach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The artificial intelligence agent accessed public and non-public files of the health statistics service, he told reporters in New York on Wednesday. OpenAI did not raise the alarm with the Australian government until September, when it sent an email outlining the incident to a generic email address. “Today I spoke with the CEO of OpenAI,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3368577/australia-slams-unacceptable-openai-breach-government-health-portal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3368577/australia-slams-unacceptable-openai-breach-government-health-portal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:48:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A record number of New Zealanders turned out at the polls this month, not for national elections but to vote for their Bird of the Year – the critically endangered black robin. The diminutive native lives on the remote Chatham Islands, 800km (500 miles) off the South Island’s east coast. In 1980, only five of the birds remained, including a single breeding female. Now there are about 350. The black robin topped the pecking order ahead of the famed flightless parrot, the kakapo, and the native... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3368206/black-robin-rules-roost-new-zealands-bird-year-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3368206/black-robin-rules-roost-new-zealands-bird-year-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:07:33 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo In early July, China fired a test missile from a nuclear submarine into the South Pacific for the first time, a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Washington and Canberra were livid. The Pacific has long been the exclusive testing ground for such long-range missiles from the United States. How dare China! The reaction from Pacific island states was more measured. While leaders from Tuvalu, Palau and the Solomon Islands strongly criticised the test, the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3367734/pacific-island-states-are-trapped-cold-war-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3367734/pacific-island-states-are-trapped-cold-war-20?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A former Australian official’s use of a hypothetical “aggressive Indonesia” to make the case for Aukus at a public inquiry has been called “clumsy diplomacy” by analysts, who say the comments risk reviving old suspicions as Jakarta and Canberra try to strengthen security ties. Michael Pezzullo, a former deputy secretary of strategy in Australia’s defence department, made the remarks in testimony on September 2 to the Aukus Public Inquiry, an independent, crowdfunded review of the trilateral... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3368035/named-enemy-indonesias-uneasy-aukus-moment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3368035/named-enemy-indonesias-uneasy-aukus-moment?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Briton Johnny Gibbs has been in Australia for six months, surfing and working part-time – like countless other young people drawn to the country’s pristine beaches and laid-back way of life. He is one of thousands that venture Down Under on so-called “working holiday visas” – a chance to work, and play, in Australia for as long as three years. But the future for some backpackers is now in doubt, following the government’s announcement of plans to cut the number of visas issued – and detain... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3368084/australias-backpacker-visa-cuts-threaten-working-holiday-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3368084/australias-backpacker-visa-cuts-threaten-working-holiday-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 01:37:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An Australian accused of murdering a teenage girl in Thailand and abandoning her body in a suitcase pleaded not guilty in court on Friday, citing self-defence. Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested at a Bangkok airport in June as he prepared to take a flight back to Australia after the 17-year-old victim’s friend had reported her missing. The young woman’s body was found in a suitcase near a railway track in Pattaya, a seaside resort city south of the capital, Bangkok. Police said she died of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3368051/australian-man-pleads-not-guilty-murder-thai-teen-girl-found-suitcase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3368051/australian-man-pleads-not-guilty-murder-thai-teen-girl-found-suitcase?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:06:30 +0000 Bloomberg,Reuters Bloomberg,Reuters Australia’s major airlines have backed a proposal to close Sydney Airport’s control tower overnight to free up air traffic controllers, the latest step to address a persistent labour shortage that is disrupting flights and raising safety concerns. “It sounds like an opportunity we should absolutely explore,” said Stephen Beckett, chief executive officer of Airlines for Australia & New Zealand, the group that represents Qantas Airways, its low-cost carrier Jetstar, and Virgin Australia Holdings.... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3367928/australias-sydney-airport-staff-shortages-prompt-plan-close-tower-overnight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3367928/australias-sydney-airport-staff-shortages-prompt-plan-close-tower-overnight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 01:56:25 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Australia is set to introduce sweeping changes to its immigration policy by barring international students from bringing dependants, in a bid to ease housing pressures and fend off a growing political challenge from the far-right. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will announce the measures at the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday, outlining plans to trim net overseas migration from 300,000 to 225,000 by 2028. The issuance of temporary residence permits would also be reduced to curb... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3367748/australia-ban-student-dependants-labor-fends-far-right-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3367748/australia-ban-student-dependants-labor-fends-far-right-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:42:35 +0000 Rizwan Basir Rizwan Basir Every climate summit now runs on the same illusion: the next pledge will be the one that finally saves us. It will not. The money the rich world has promised the poor world is not coming at anything like the scale advertised, and pretending otherwise has become the main business of climate diplomacy. Barely nine weeks before the UN climate summit Cop31 opens in Antalya, Turkey, the honest task is not a bigger pledge. It is to make the finance that already exists reach the people drowning in the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3366917/cop31-forget-climate-pledges-countries-nepal-need-actual-cash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3366917/cop31-forget-climate-pledges-countries-nepal-need-actual-cash?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Dissent voiced in an ongoing inquiry into Australia’s most ambitious nuclear submarine pact has laid bare growing uncertainty over US commitment, amid questions about the clarity of Canberra’s explanation of the Aukus deal to citizens. Under the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, Canberra will get eight nuclear-powered submarines at an estimated cost of up to A$368 billion (US$266 billion). Three used Virginia-class nuclear submarines will... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3366900/australians-question-us-commitment-aukus-submarine-deal-crowdfunded-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3366900/australians-question-us-commitment-aukus-submarine-deal-crowdfunded-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:07:37 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk US President Donald Trump has condemned Australia’s recent moves to clamp down on social media – predominantly run by American tech companies – as “a form of extortion”, hinting at more threats to come. “President Trump has unequivocally warned trading partners against imposing digital services taxes, fines, and other forms of extortion on America’s leading technology sector,” White House economics spokesman Kush Desai said on Tuesday night, as reported by news.com.au. “The administration... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3366867/trump-slams-australias-social-media-crackdown-extortion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3366867/trump-slams-australias-social-media-crackdown-extortion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:16:42 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A grass-roots group associated with Australia’s ruling Labor Party has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government to break from “the American war machine” and pursue an independent defence policy for the future. Traditional security allies Canberra and Washington have deepened their military ties in recent years, including through troop deployments and the trilateral Aukus pact, which also involves the United Kingdom. ⁠Some American defence personnel are also stationed at a naval... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3366748/australian-group-calls-ties-us-war-machine-be-severed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3366748/australian-group-calls-ties-us-war-machine-be-severed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:26:57 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Australia is in the process of finalising a treaty with another Pacific island nation, with the national broadcaster reporting that Canberra has struck an “in-principle” agreement with the Solomon Islands. The two nations will work to sign the deal in the coming weeks, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, citing unidentified government officials. The news comes after Solomons Prime Minister Matthew Wale saw off a challenge to his leadership from within his cabinet, with the rival... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3366702/australia-nears-treaty-solomon-islands-bid-limit-chinas-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3366702/australia-nears-treaty-solomon-islands-bid-limit-chinas-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 01:59:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The suspected murderers of two Australian surfers and an American at a Mexican surfing hotspot went on trial Monday, two years after their killings in a suspected robbery. Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state. They had been camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked in April 2024. Their bodies... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3366691/alleged-killers-australian-us-surfers-go-trial-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3366691/alleged-killers-australian-us-surfers-go-trial-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2026 18:56:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australians could be given the option of opting out of powerful social media algorithms under new legislation cracking down on big tech, a minister said on Monday. The draft law requiring a “digital duty of care” is expected to be introduced to Australia’s parliament this week. It would require firms like Meta Platforms to give users the option of turning off algorithms that tailor recommendations to their personal taste. “A lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm, both for the enjoyment... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3366588/australians-could-opt-out-social-media-algorithms-under-proposed-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3366588/australians-could-opt-out-social-media-algorithms-under-proposed-law?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2026 04:28:20 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Helen Clark spent nine years running New Zealand and eight more running the United Nations’ development arm. Now, the former prime minister has a warning for the country she once led: do not let the scramble for Pacific security deals crowd out its much-vaunted independent foreign policy tradition. Speaking to This Week in Asia in Singapore on Tuesday, Clark argued that Wellington’s recent flurry of defence diplomacy – including a defence cooperation pact with Papua New Guinea, a joint security... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3366103/new-zealand-must-never-be-seen-proxy-former-pm-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3366103/new-zealand-must-never-be-seen-proxy-former-pm-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australian home prices fell for a fifth month in August in the biggest downturn since the pandemic, and there is further pain ahead as stubborn inflation puts upward pressure on interest rates. Figures from property consultant Cotality released on Tuesday showed national home prices fell 0.9 per cent in August from July, when they dropped 1.2 per cent. Sydney ‌and Melbourne again led the monthly decline with falls of 1.4 per cent and 1.1 per cent, leaving prices down about 7 per cent from their... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365916/australias-biggest-property-downturn-pandemic-threatens-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365916/australias-biggest-property-downturn-pandemic-threatens-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2026 03:18:52 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan plans to provide defence equipment and other supplies to the armed forces of at least 12 like-minded countries under its Official Security Assistance programme in the current financial year, up from eight countries the previous year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The military of Kenya, which sits on the western Indian Ocean, is expected to be a first-time recipient under the programme, with the Japanese government seeking to strengthen maritime security cooperation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365517/japan-double-security-aid-12-indo-pacific-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365517/japan-double-security-aid-12-indo-pacific-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2026 02:35:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian police said on Wednesday they were on the hunt for thieves who made off with hundreds of thousands of oysters. The molluscs have an estimated total value of A$350,000 (US$250,000) and were lifted from an oyster farm near the town of Taree, north of Sydney, New South Wales police said. Over 300 bags, containing 400,000 oysters, were stolen. Police are urging the public to come forward with any information they might have about the theft, which they said happened “earlier this year” but... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365302/shellfish-thieves-australia-make-400000-oysters-worth-us250000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365302/shellfish-thieves-australia-make-400000-oysters-worth-us250000?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:43:17 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Ooshies were not just fun to collect – the tiny plastic Disney figurines were powerful enough to move sales between Australia’s supermarket giants. Woolworths Group said on Wednesday that Australian food sales jumped 7.6 per cent in the first eight weeks of the 2027 financial year, with its Ooshies promotion contributing an estimated 1.5 to 2 percentage points of growth. That accelerated from 4.6 per cent sales growth in the 2026 financial year. Chief rival Coles Group felt the other side of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365260/australia-disneys-ooshies-send-woolworths-whooshing-ahead-coles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365260/australia-disneys-ooshies-send-woolworths-whooshing-ahead-coles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:11 +0000 Tan Poh Hwee Tan Poh Hwee A coalition may call itself a commitment. It still has to say what that commitment is. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to send a letter to dozens of countries, pressing them to choose sides in the US-China artificial intelligence race. Those that join Beijing’s proposed AI cooperation framework would be excluded from the US-led AI coalition. “To be part of everything is to be part of nothing,” the draft says. An American official summarised the message more bluntly: countries... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3364821/states-being-part-everything-doesnt-mean-being-part-nothing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3364821/states-being-part-everything-doesnt-mean-being-part-nothing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:30:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Music made by artificial intelligence will be banned from Australia’s top charts under new guidelines aimed at protecting “the human nature of artistry”, an industry body said on Tuesday. Under new rules in force from Friday, music must be “substantially human made” to be eligible for the charts, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) said. “Wholly AI-generated tracks will not be eligible for the ARIA Charts,” the group said. It said its charts would exclude songs that use AI “to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365121/australias-top-music-charts-ban-ai-songs-protect-human-artists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365121/australias-top-music-charts-ban-ai-songs-protect-human-artists?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2026 01:05:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters New ⁠Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday his party would introduce a bill in parliament that seeks to ban children under 16 from using social media, proposing fines of up to 10 per cent of a ‌platform’s global revenue for non-compliance. The bill would require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to verify users’ ages, including by using existing account information, facial technology and digital identity documents. “We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365022/new-zealand-plans-social-media-ban-under-16s-backed-big-fines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365022/new-zealand-plans-social-media-ban-under-16s-backed-big-fines?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:14:17 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Australia’s shortage of air traffic controllers is showing signs of nearing a breaking point after the country’s busiest airport recorded at least four near misses in the past month. Since late July, incidents at Sydney Airport included a passenger jet aborting its take-off because there was a plane in its path. In a separate close call, an aircraft that was taxiing had to slam on the brakes to avoid colliding with another jet. Short-staffed control towers have long been a problem globally, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365011/australia-see-spike-near-misses-amid-air-traffic-controller-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3365011/australia-see-spike-near-misses-amid-air-traffic-controller-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2026 03:20:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australia’s capital will join a gun buy-back ⁠as part of ⁠a response to a ⁠shooting spree that killed 15 at a Jewish festival in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday. Albanese’s centre-left government enacted laws in January for the gun buy-back, tighter checks for gun ‌licences and a crackdown on hate in the wake of the December 14 gun attack at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales. The state, Australia’s most populous, became the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364923/albanese-canberra-join-australias-gun-buy-back-program-after-bondi-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364923/albanese-canberra-join-australias-gun-buy-back-program-after-bondi-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:36:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian police charged a man with foreign interference on Friday for allegedly seeking to pass intelligence about Ukrainian military activities to Russia. The 27-year-old Russian-Australian citizen underwent “military-style” training in Russia and later joined the Ukrainian armed forces, Australian federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett told a news conference. Police allege he travelled to Russia for the training in October 2024, before returning to Australia, where he “maintained... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364856/australia-charges-dual-citizen-accused-spying-russia-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364856/australia-charges-dual-citizen-accused-spying-russia-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:23:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse New Zealand has passed hotly contested legislation to block lawsuits that seek to hold companies liable for climate change harm. The right-wing coalition government’s legal amendment cleared a final hurdle in parliament on Tuesday night by a margin of 67 votes to 53. The law aimed to prevent civil litigation overriding its climate policy and undermining business confidence, the government said. It was introduced in response to a lawsuit filed by indigenous Maori climate activist Michael Smith... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364503/new-zealand-passes-law-blocking-climate-action-against-companies-dark-day-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364503/new-zealand-passes-law-blocking-climate-action-against-companies-dark-day-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2026 02:41:30 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s securing of another term, despite a dispute with New Zealand over his government’s deals with China, suggests voters are more focused on the cost of living than geopolitical concerns, analysts have said. Brown’s Cook Islands Party is on track to win a fifth consecutive term in government after securing 18 seats – up from its previous 12 – in last week’s election, according to preliminary results. That gives the party a three-quarter supermajority in the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3364386/cook-islands-pm-re-elected-despite-row-over-china-ties-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3364386/cook-islands-pm-re-elected-despite-row-over-china-ties-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Aug 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Australia is slowing the issuance of new “working holiday” visas popular with backpackers as the government looks at policies to cut migration to the country. “They are still being processed, but they are being processed more slowly than they were previously,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Sunday. The visas allow people to come to Australia to work and travel for a set period of time, and are popular with European and Japanese citizens. Applications for people from 24 nations with an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364244/australia-slows-down-backpacker-visas-fresh-migration-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364244/australia-slows-down-backpacker-visas-fresh-migration-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2026 04:52:15 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Australia’s foreign minister attacked the policies of the far-right One Nation party, arguing that its call for a monoculture would damage social cohesion at home and relations with friends and allies abroad. “The call for a monoculture is a call for Australia to curtail our choices and cut off our connections,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a speech on Friday in Sydney. “At a time where external and internal forces are seeking to divide us, turning Australians against each other makes us... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364204/australian-foreign-minister-defends-multiculturalism-attacks-far-right?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3364204/australian-foreign-minister-defends-multiculturalism-attacks-far-right?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:53:59 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The cables that link Australia with the rest of the world lie mostly unseen, stretched across the seabed and threaded through some of the Indo-Pacific’s busiest and most contested waters. This vulnerability could also become a strategic advantage, a new report says, urging Australia to position itself as an “Indo-Pacific preferred cable hub” as threats to submarine cables raise economic and national security risks across the region. That view is echoed by regional analysts, who say Canberra... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3364041/australia-urged-lead-indo-pacific-cable-shield-hybrid-war-risks-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3364041/australia-urged-lead-indo-pacific-cable-shield-hybrid-war-risks-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An Australian jury on Thursday convicted a former Catholic bishop renowned for hosting alcohol-fuelled house parties of sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. The District Court of Western Australia jury convicted Christopher Saunders, 76, of 13 out of 19 charges of sexual abuse that allegedly occurred between 2008 and 2019 in his sprawling diocese on the country’s tropical northwest coast. Prosecutors alleged he lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house with free alcohol and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3363919/australian-jury-convicts-ex-catholic-bishop-sexually-abusing-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3363919/australian-jury-convicts-ex-catholic-bishop-sexually-abusing-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:35:53 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A visit by Vietnam’s top leader To Lam to Australia and New Zealand this week is expected to lead to stronger maritime security cooperation, especially in intelligence-sharing and joint patrols. The Vietnamese president is seeking to bolster partnerships and strengthen cooperation in science and technology, according to a government statement. During Lam’s six-day trip, which ends on Friday, he is expected to sign 12 to 16 agreements with Canberra – covering education, digital transformation,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3363664/vietnams-lam-eyes-trade-defence-boost-during-trip-australia-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3363664/vietnams-lam-eyes-trade-defence-boost-during-trip-australia-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sidestepped calls to apologise on Tuesday after a clip emerged of him engaging in crude banter about a gift from his Japanese counterpart. Albanese had already faced a backlash and apologised over comments made during an interview last month with the Bush Deep podcast in which he said he would “shag” singer Kylie Minogue. But separate comments during that interview in which he joked about a gift from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during her... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3363630/albanese-refuses-say-sorry-insulting-melon-joke-about-takaichi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3363630/albanese-refuses-say-sorry-insulting-melon-joke-about-takaichi?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Aug 2026 07:10:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Safety regulators launched an investigation on Sunday into a “near collision” between two passenger aircraft at Australia’s busiest airport that injured a crew member. The incident, which involved a Jetstar pilot being forced to apply sudden brakes to avoid crashing into a Qatar Airways jet on Sunday morning, disrupted operations at Sydney airport. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said a Jetstar Airbus A320 was taxiing for a flight to the Gold Coast on Sunday morning when its crew... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3363425/jetstar-plane-narrowly-avoids-crashing-qatar-airways-flight-sydney-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3363425/jetstar-plane-narrowly-avoids-crashing-qatar-airways-flight-sydney-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Aug 2026 04:51:54 +0000 Chelsea Yang Chelsea Yang While global markets watched closely for another joint move by Washington and Tokyo to prop up the Japanese yen this week, Australian dollar traders have been laser-focused on the actions of another economic power: China. Some analysts view the Australian currency as particularly sensitive to policy moves in Beijing. If China intervenes to boost domestic growth, that could also lift the Australian dollar, the theory goes. But in reality, the currency’s exposure to the world’s second-largest... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3363103/does-beijing-really-have-power-lift-australian-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3363103/does-beijing-really-have-power-lift-australian-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Aug 2026 01:00:11 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A US vow to fund a port in the Solomon Islands could offer clues to Washington’s intentions in a region that has reeled from American aid cuts, yet remains part of the tug of war between superpowers. Analysts say the latest bid reflects a desire to ensure Honiara partners with Western allies in sectors with security implications, while renewing the once “anaemic” relationship with the region as Chinese influence grows. According to observers, the current security tilt of the Pacific island... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3362924/solomon-port-plans-mark-us-reset-anaemic-pacific-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3362924/solomon-port-plans-mark-us-reset-anaemic-pacific-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:01:34 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow New Zealand’s defence diplomacy has shifted into overdrive this year, with Wellington sealing three major Pacific security agreements in less than four months. Since April, the country has signed a defence pact with Papua New Guinea, locked in a security declaration with the Cook Islands and floated the idea of joining a fledgling Australia-Fiji defence alliance. Analysts say the common thread is China and concerns about its expanding security and policing links in the Pacific. “Security... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3362563/new-zealand-seals-trio-pacific-defence-pacts-counter-chinas-reach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3362563/new-zealand-seals-trio-pacific-defence-pacts-counter-chinas-reach?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Aug 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Singtel, Singapore’s largest telecommunications company, confirmed on Thursday that it was in discussions with multiple parties over a potential stake sale ‌in its Australian telecoms unit Optus, but said there was no certainty the talks would result in a deal. Optus has been owned by ⁠Singtel since 2001. The company did not say which parties it is speaking with. In May, Singtel said it was ‌open ‌to bringing in an Australian minority partner ‌for Optus while reaffirming its commitment to ⁠the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3362320/singtel-weighs-optus-stake-sale-australian-watchdog-launches-court-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3362320/singtel-weighs-optus-stake-sale-australian-watchdog-launches-court-action?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jul 2026 01:22:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australia will consider building its first new oil refinery in more than 60 years, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday, as war in the Middle East ‌squeezes supplies from overseas and underscores the urgency to improve energy security. Albanese said the project will help build Australia’s resilience and sovereign capability on fuel, potentially helping shield the country from future supply shocks. If the project proves feasible, the new large-scale oil refinery will be built by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3362069/australia-weighs-first-refinery-60-years-middle-east-war-strains-fuel-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3362069/australia-weighs-first-refinery-60-years-middle-east-war-strains-fuel-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2026 03:40:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A popular far-right Australian politician failed on Monday to overturn a racial vilification finding that was handed down after she told a Muslim senator to go back to Pakistan. Senator Pauline Hanson has emerged as one of Australia’s most popular politicians, wooing voters with calls for strict immigration curbs, mass deportations of “illegal migrants” and enhanced free speech protections. Hanson took aim at Pakistan-born Australian lawmaker Mehreen Faruqi in 2022 over comments made in the wake... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361959/australias-far-right-pauline-hanson-loses-appeal-racism-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361959/australias-far-right-pauline-hanson-loses-appeal-racism-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jul 2026 06:17:15 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley Heatwaves come and go, and while this is happening with increasing frequency and intensity – as this year’s record-breaking temperatures show – they slip from attention once things cool off. What does not disappear is the lasting and costly damage they do to the basic infrastructure we rely on in our daily lives. Ultra-hot days and nights can result in the deaths of many people (those who cannot afford air conditioning especially) and they ignite forest infernos of terrifying intensity. Some of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3361626/who-pays-when-overheated-roads-melt-and-rails-buckle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3361626/who-pays-when-overheated-roads-melt-and-rails-buckle?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jul 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia said on Friday it would pump an additional US$3.2 billion into building the country’s nuclear-powered submarines, part of a controversial defence pact with the United States and Britain. Under the 2021 Aukus deal, Australia’s most expensive defence project, the country will receive three nuclear-powered submarines from the United States. Australia and Britain will then build a new class of submarine in the 2040s. But the deal has faced scrutiny over whether slow submarine production... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361665/australia-ramps-aukus-funding-us32-billion-nuclear-submarine-yard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361665/australia-ramps-aukus-funding-us32-billion-nuclear-submarine-yard?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jul 2026 02:19:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An Australian woman has given birth to identical quadruplet girls after a pregnancy doctors described as incredibly rare. Jenitar Sau Na’amoana, who is 34 years old and already had four children, delivered the babies last week at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Queensland state. “We are very excited to be able to care for this amazing little family, a big family now,” Dr Alexa Bendall, a maternal fetal medicine specialist who cared for Na’amoana, said in an interview released by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361413/1-15-million-woman-australia-gives-birth-identical-quadruplet-girls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361413/1-15-million-woman-australia-gives-birth-identical-quadruplet-girls?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:55:20 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Pacific island nations are facing a security challenge in responding to China’s recent missile launch near Tuvalu and keeping their vision of a region as an “ocean of peace”, as analysts say the diverse nature of their ties with Beijing is complicating efforts towards a united response. On July 6, China said one of its navy’s nuclear submarines launched a “strategic missile” carrying a dummy warhead towards “relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean”, describing the test as routine annual military... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3361347/chinas-missile-test-exposes-lack-unity-among-pacific-island-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3361347/chinas-missile-test-exposes-lack-unity-among-pacific-island-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jul 2026 02:00:16 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The Solomon Islands, widely considered China’s closest security partner in the South Pacific, will soon sign a deal allowing the US Coast Guard to patrol its waters with local police aboard, Prime Minister Matthew Wale announced on a trip to Washington to strengthen bilateral ties. While the South Pacific nation has deepened its ties with China over the past few years, particularly following the signing of a secret security pact in 2022, Wale’s visit underscored efforts to strengthen maritime... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3361396/china-security-partner-solomon-islands-sign-us-coast-guard-patrol-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3361396/china-security-partner-solomon-islands-sign-us-coast-guard-patrol-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:28:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Victims of transnational online scams in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand lost up to US$114.1 billion last year, a UN report said on Tuesday, with estimated losses at least tripling from 2023. Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia and Myanmar, has emerged as a regional hub for crime syndicates running fake romance and cryptocurrency investment schemes in which scammers – some willing, others trafficked – defraud internet users around the world, often from fortified... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3361294/asia-pacific-cyberscam-victims-lost-us114-billion-last-year-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3361294/asia-pacific-cyberscam-victims-lost-us114-billion-last-year-un?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:30:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A top lawmaker from Australia’s far-right One Nation party has grabbed headlines after exploding at a misbehaving dog as he was grilled on live TV. Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce was being interviewed on national broadcaster ABC on Monday night when he interrupted the one-on-one to shriek: “Sit down!” “Sorry, it’s the dog,” he told the journalist. The errant pooch then interrupted the proceedings again, with Joyce saying: “I do apologise for this dog, it’s just started to bail... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361272/australian-politician-barks-sit-down-dog-during-live-interview?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3361272/australian-politician-barks-sit-down-dog-during-live-interview?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jul 2026 01:02:32 +0000 Jianlu Bi Jianlu Bi On July 12, a coalition of 14 nations – the United States, Philippines, Australia, Canada, Britain, Japan, New Zealand, and seven European states including Germany, Italy and the Baltic nations – issued a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea ruling at The Hague in 2016. The document recycled familiar arguments, urging compliance with the ruling and framing it as a cornerstone of the rules-based international order. But beneath it lies a fundamental disconnect from... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3360419/14-nation-south-china-sea-statement-expansionist-overreach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3360419/14-nation-south-china-sea-statement-expansionist-overreach?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow New Zealand’s interest in joining a newly signed defence pact between Australia and Fiji may mark the start of a broader hard security alliance covering the South Pacific, but analysts warn smaller states’ concerns are likely to go unaddressed. The Ocean of Peace Alliance, signed by Australia and Fiji on July 6, binds Canberra and Suva to come to each other’s defence if attacked. Days later, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon welcomed the pact and signalled Wellington’s interest in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3360621/pacific-security-axis-grows-new-zealand-eyes-australia-fiji-defence-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3360621/pacific-security-axis-grows-new-zealand-eyes-australia-fiji-defence-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:32:01 +0000