Asia /
Australasia
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New Zealand
Pacific nations
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Climate change
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.
57 minutes ago
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Australia
Ariana Grande’s Singapore harasser kicked out of Lady Gaga show in Australia
10 Dec 2025 - 5:13PM
Australia
‘#seeyouwhenim16’: Australia’s social media ban for children takes effect
10 Dec 2025 - 3:58PM
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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.
9 Dec 2025 - 4:23AM
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.
8 Dec 2025 - 12:18PM
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.
6 Dec 2025 - 11:34AM
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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.
9 Dec 2025 - 4:22PM
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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.
5 Dec 2025 - 5:24PM
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’.
5 Dec 2025 - 1:00PM
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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.
4 Dec 2025 - 3:13AM
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’.
3 Dec 2025 - 3:46PM
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.
3 Dec 2025 - 10:52AM
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.
2 Dec 2025 - 12:50PM
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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.
1 Dec 2025 - 11:47AM
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.
26 Nov 2025 - 5:50PM
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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
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’.
26 Nov 2025 - 3:37PM
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.
26 Nov 2025 - 7:32AM
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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.
24 Nov 2025 - 6:14PM
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.
24 Nov 2025 - 5:27PM
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.
20 Nov 2025 - 8:54AM
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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’.
18 Nov 2025 - 2:49PM
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.
18 Nov 2025 - 12:02PM
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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
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.
18 Nov 2025 - 3:24AM
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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.
17 Nov 2025 - 11:45AM
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.
16 Nov 2025 - 11:51AM
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