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Australasia

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China-Australia relations
New Zealand
Pacific nations
the Asian angle
Climate change
Unicef warned that Australia’s social media ban might encourage children to visit less regulated parts of the internet. Photo: dpa
Australia

‘I’m still here’: Australian teens dodge world-first social media ban

‘You can’t in one day switch off over a million accounts across the board. But it is happening,’ Anthony Albanese says.

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Australia

Ariana Grande’s Singapore harasser kicked out of Lady Gaga show in Australia

Australia

‘#seeyouwhenim16’: Australia’s social media ban for children takes effect

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United States

Rubio and Hegseth discuss Indo-Pacific security with Australian counterparts

At the talks, Rubio hailed cooperation between the US and Canberra on critical minerals, defence production and troop deployments.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the State Department in Washington on Monday. Photo: Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the State Department in Washington on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Australia

Australian bushfires destroy homes in 2 states as firefighter killed

More than 50 bushfires are burning across New South Wales as a massive blaze is contained in Tasmania.

Australia

Australian TikTokker gives widowed US cashier, 88, gift of retirement

Ed Bambas took a cashier job at 82 to cope with grief and bills after his wife’s death, but a stranger’s kindness has changed everything.

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Australia

TikTok will block under-16s in Australia to comply with ‘upsetting’ new law

Australia’s world-first legislation banning under-16s from social media platforms and websites comes into effect on December 10.

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TikTok will comply with an under-16 ban in Australia on social media use. Photo: Shutterstock
TikTok will comply with an under-16 ban in Australia on social media use. Photo: Shutterstock
New Zealand

Swallowed Faberge pendant exits suspect after 6-day wait

The US$19,000 diamond pendant inspired by the film James Bond film Octopussy was recovered naturally by New Zealand police.

Australia

Aukus deal to move ‘full steam ahead’ after surviving Trump review

The Pentagon said the five-month evaluation ‘identified opportunities to put Aukus on the strongest possible footing’.

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India

Trump’s second term ‘harmful’ for Quad nations, poll finds

Respondents in Australia, Japan, India view Trump 2.0 negatively, as US helpfulness in Asia declines amid China concerns; Aukus support varies.

Donald Trump speaks during a press conference after being found guilty over hush-money charges in New York City in May 2024. Photo: AFP
New Zealand

Call of duty: New Zealand police wait for evidence after Faberge pendant theft

The 32-year-old man is accused of eating an ornate Faberge octopus pendant inspired by the James Bond film ‘Octopussy’.

A Faberge x 007 Special Edition Octopussy egg surprise locket. Photo: Faberge
A Faberge x 007 Special Edition Octopussy egg surprise locket. Photo: Faberge
Australia

Fight’s over: YouTube becomes last major platform to accept Australia’s age rule

Despite agreeing to comply, YouTube maintains that it is still ‘fundamentally different’ from other social media services.

Pacific nations

How sanctioned Russian oil flows freely via a tiny Pacific island nation

Some 20 tankers registered in the microstate allegedly smuggled Russian and Iranian fuel between 2024 and 2025 amid lax oversight.

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Australia

Australian sex crimes squad arrests 4 over ‘satanic’ child abuse material

Electronic devices with thousands of videos showing abuse of children aged between five and 12, as well as bestiality, were seized in Sydney.

The Sydney skyline is seen from a suburb. Four men have been arrested in the city for possessing “satanic” child abuse material. Photo: Reuters
Australia

Australia’s under-16 social media ban faces high court challenge

Critics say the world-first law, effective next month, infringes on political communication rights. Australia lacks an express free speech right.

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A 14-year-old boy browses social media on his phone. Starting December 10, Australia will mandate that social media platforms remove users under 16. Photo: AFP
A 14-year-old boy browses social media on his phone. Starting December 10, Australia will mandate that social media platforms remove users under 16. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Singapore tells TikTok, Meta to block accounts of man fanning racial tension

Singapore said Zulfikar ‘repeatedly continued to stir up discontent within the local Malay/Muslim community against the Chinese community’.

New Zealand

Korean mother sentenced to life in prison for New Zealand’s ‘suitcase murders’

Lee Hak-yung killed her son Minu Jo and daughter Yuna Jo, aged six and eight, with an overdose of prescription medication.

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Australia

Australian senator slammed as ‘racist’ for wearing burka in parliament

Far-right politician Pauline Hanson has long campaigned against Islamic clothing during her parliamentary career.

Pauline Hanson (center) wears a burka into the senate chamber on Monday. Photo: dpa
Pauline Hanson (center) wears a burka into the senate chamber on Monday. Photo: dpa
Australia

Snapchat makes Australian teens verify age as social media ban looms

From December 10, social media platforms in Australia must remove users aged below 16 or face fines, in one of the strictest bans globally.

Australia

‘We can’t have it all’: Turkey to host UN climate summit as Australia budges

Canberra will lead the conference’s negotiations among governments as its neighbour Papua New Guinea slammed the summit process as useless.

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Australia

Murderer slathers Australian state with lawsuit over Vegemite ban in prison

Andre McKechnie argued that he had a right to eat the spread because it was ‘his culture as an Australian’.

An Australian inmate said a Vegemite ban inside Victoria’s prisons violated his human rights. Photo: AP
Australia

Australian poll reveals rising concerns over US influence, trade tactics

According to the poll, 57 per cent of Australians believe Washington would force Canberra to pick sides in its rivalry with Beijing.

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US President Donald Trump (left) with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House in Washington DC last month. Photo: Xinhua
US President Donald Trump (left) with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House in Washington DC last month. Photo: Xinhua
China-EU relations

EU’s investment bank to work with Australia on critical raw materials

The move aims to cut reliance on China, which most G7 and EU countries depend on for materials from rare earth magnets to battery metals.

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Australia

Asbestos in play sand forces over 70 school closures in Australia, New Zealand

While respiratory asbestos fibres are unlikely to be released unless the sand is crushed, the risk is still there, Australian watchdog says.

International Property

Australia draws mainland China, Hong Kong homebuyers amid stable policies, economy

Australia’s luxury property segment is expected to see increased interest from affluent investors looking for cost-efficient safe havens.

Australia ranked as the second most popular global destination for Chinese homebuyers, behind Thailand, in the first half of 2025. Photo: Getty Images
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