https://www.scmp.com/rss/519502/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alice Li Alice Li A gigantic but highly flexible Chinese tunnel boring machine is helping to carve out Sydney’s second major highway artery deep beneath the harbour, as China, dubbed an “infrastructure maniac”, exports more of its advanced technologies and sophisticated machinery. The machine is currently operating in the Australian economic hub for the construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel project, a 6.5km (4 miles) tunnel featuring three lanes in each direction, which is expected to be completed in 2028,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354864/boring-china-how-chinese-firms-are-creating-new-breed-tunnelling-machine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354864/boring-china-how-chinese-firms-are-creating-new-breed-tunnelling-machine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 23:00:05 +0000 dpa dpa Two marine rescue volunteers died after their boat capsized while attempting to help a yacht in distress off the east coast of Australia, according to New South Wales police. On Monday evening, a member of the public reported that a yacht appeared to be struggling at a breakwall in Ballina in northern New South Wales, police said. A vessel of volunteer service Marine Rescue NSW with six crew on board was responding to the call when “their vessel capsized while crossing the Ballina Bar in heavy... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3352433/2-marine-rescue-volunteers-die-after-boat-capsizes-australias-new-south-wales-coast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3352433/2-marine-rescue-volunteers-die-after-boat-capsizes-australias-new-south-wales-coast?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 02:29:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said on Tuesday. The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said. A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months. Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343823/australian-smuggler-jailed-record-8-years-mailing-lizards-popcorn-bags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343823/australian-smuggler-jailed-record-8-years-mailing-lizards-popcorn-bags?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:53:29 +0000 dpa dpa A man was killed and two other people critically injured on Tuesday in a stabbing attack in Australia’s financial capital, police said. Emergency services were called to a suburb in Sydney’s west at about 10am after reports that a man had stabbed multiple people before fleeing on foot, New South Wales Police said in a statement. The stabbing took place along a busy shopping strip. Paramedics treated three people for serious injuries, including a man aged in his thirties or forties who died at... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343792/sydney-stabbing-man-killed-random-attack-busy-shopping-street?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343792/sydney-stabbing-man-killed-random-attack-busy-shopping-street?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 04:05:47 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thousands gathered across Australia on Monday to protest the arrival of Israeli ‍President Isaac Herzog, who is on a multi-city trip aimed at expressing solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community following a deadly mass shooting last year. Herzog is visiting Australia this week following an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting at a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach ⁠that killed 15. The visit has attracted the ire of some... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3342906/israeli-president-herzogs-visit-australia-met-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3342906/israeli-president-herzogs-visit-australia-met-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 07:47:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Parts of Australia sweltered in record temperatures of close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday as the country sweated through a prolonged heatwave. The rural towns of Hopetoun and Walpeup in Victoria state registered preliminary highs of 48.9 degrees, which if confirmed overnight would top records set on the day in 2009 when 173 people were killed in the state’s devastating Black Saturday bushfires. No casualties were reported from Tuesday’s heatwave, but Victoria... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3341450/australia-swelters-temperatures-near-50-degrees-record-breaking-heatwave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3341450/australia-swelters-temperatures-near-50-degrees-record-breaking-heatwave?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:06:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters An Australian boy had died in hospital after being bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour, his family said on Saturday after a series of shark attacks along the country’s east coast. Nico Antic, 12, was attacked on Sunday as he and friends were jumping off rocks in Vaucluse, around 9km (5.5 miles) from Sydney’s central business district. He was pulled from the water by friends and taken to hospital with severe injuries to both legs. “We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3341094/australian-boy-12-dies-week-after-shark-attack-sydney-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3341094/australian-boy-12-dies-week-after-shark-attack-sydney-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 06:00:37 +0000 Associated Press,Reuters Associated Press,Reuters A gunman was at large after a shooting in a town in Australia’s New South Wales state on Thursday left three people dead and another wounded, police said. Emergency services were called to two locations at Lake Cargelligo, a town of around 1,500 people, after 4pm. Two couples, a man and woman, had been shot in each location within minutes, Police Assistant Commissioner Andy Holland said. Both women and a man died. Another man was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition, he said. Police... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340823/3-killed-shooting-australia-manhunt-under-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340823/3-killed-shooting-australia-manhunt-under-way?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:16:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia passed tougher hate crime and gun laws on Tuesday, weeks after gunmen targeting a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach killed 15 people. Lawmakers in both houses of parliament voted in favour of the legislation in response to the December 14 shooting at Sydney’s most famous beach. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly attacked a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in the nation’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades. The shooting has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340599/australia-stiffens-hate-crime-gun-laws-after-bondi-jewish-festival-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340599/australia-stiffens-hate-crime-gun-laws-after-bondi-jewish-festival-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:35:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A 12-year-old boy was fighting for his life in hospital after being mauled by a large shark in Sydney Harbour, police in Australia said on Monday. The boy had been jumping off rocks with friends late on Sunday afternoon at Shark Beach in Vaucluse, around 9km (5.5 miles) from the central business district, when he was attacked by the shark. He ‍was pulled from the water by friends and emergency services with ‍severe injuries to both legs, and remains in a critical condition. “It was a horrendous... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340356/boy-12-fighting-life-after-sydney-harbour-shark-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340356/boy-12-fighting-life-after-sydney-harbour-shark-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 23:43:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters The number of firearms in Australia reached an all-time high of more than 4 ‌million in 2025, the centre-left government reported on Sunday, ‍a day after saying it would introduce a gun reform bill in parliament in response to the Bondi massacre. There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with ⁠1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place, the government said, citing Department of Home Affairs data. The Labour government on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340336/australia-faces-record-guns-bondi-massacre-prompts-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340336/australia-faces-record-guns-bondi-massacre-prompts-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:01:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of a horrific mass shooting. South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks. Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338342/australia-sees-defiant-start-2026-after-mass-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338342/australia-sees-defiant-start-2026-after-mass-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 15:03:31 +0000 dpa dpa Australian authorities on Tuesday said there would be an increased police presence in Sydney on New Year’s Eve, less than three weeks after 15 people were killed in the Bondi terror attack. More than 2,500 officers will be on high-visibility patrols in Sydney on Wednesday, New South Wales (NSW) Police said in a statement. NSW Premier Chris Minns said Wednesday would see the “largest deployment of police for a New Year’s Eve celebration ever”. The measures are in place to help people feel safe,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338222/increased-police-presence-sydney-new-years-eve-following-bondi-terror-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338222/increased-police-presence-sydney-new-years-eve-following-bondi-terror-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 23:00:14 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu In October, six artists were appointed to director positions at six of Australia’s oldest and most prestigious cultural institutions. This diverse group, aged 18 to 28, are nothing like the older, whiter and wealthier demographic that traditionally dominates the boards. Among the six artists – appointed from 400 candidates – were two of Asian heritage: 26-year-old Chinese-Australian street dancer Dylan Goh, who joined the board of the Sydney Opera House as a director, and 25-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3337830/6-young-artists-are-helping-reshape-australias-iconic-cultural-institutions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3337830/6-young-artists-are-helping-reshape-australias-iconic-cultural-institutions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 09:15:07 +0000 dpa dpa A police officer injured in the Bondi terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia has woken from a medically induced coma, his family said. New South Wales (NSW) police constable Scott Dyson, 25, was one of two officers wounded when investigators allege Naveed Akram and his father Sajid opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 people at Sydney’s Archer Park on December 14. The attack killed 15 people and injured dozens more. Accused gunman Naveed Akram, 24, faces 15 murder charges and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337526/australian-policeman-injured-bondi-terror-attack-wakes-coma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337526/australian-policeman-injured-bondi-terror-attack-wakes-coma?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 11:31:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by an angry crowd gathered at the famous Bondi Beach on Sunday to honour the victims of a gun attack ‍a week earlier that targeted a seaside Jewish Hanukkah festival event. The nation marked a day of reflection on Sunday to honour the 15 people killed and the dozens wounded in the attack by two gunmen. With security tight and flags at half-staff on government buildings, a minute of silence was held at 6.47pm local time, the time the attack... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337255/australian-pm-albanese-booed-bondi-beach-attack-victims-honoured?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337255/australian-pm-albanese-booed-bondi-beach-attack-victims-honoured?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 22:10:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse One of the two alleged Bondi Beach shooters visited a gun store during their stay in the Philippines, police said on Saturday as they attempted to retrace the pair’s movements. An Australian counterterrorism team is investigating whether Sajid Akram and his son Naveed met with Islamist extremists during a nearly month-long visit to the southern island of Mindanao before the mass shooting that killed 15 people in Sydney six days ago. The staff of Davao City’s GV Hotel said this week that the two... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337179/bondi-shooter-sajid-akram-visited-philippine-gun-shop-attack-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337179/bondi-shooter-sajid-akram-visited-philippine-gun-shop-attack-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 10:15:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters When a gunman murdered 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, Australia’s political leaders united to implement some of the West’s toughest gun laws. Nearly three decades later, after 15 people were killed at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, consensus is more elusive. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s call for tighter gun controls is meeting resistance from ascendant right-wing populists and some mainstream conservatives, revealing a more polarised landscape that contrasts with Australia’s response to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337147/australias-albanese-faces-fierce-battle-over-gun-laws-after-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337147/australias-albanese-faces-fierce-battle-over-gun-laws-after-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 01:10:21 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Extremist movements in the Philippines have come under scrutiny since it was revealed that two suspected terrorists had visited the country weeks before they killed 15 people in Australia, but observers argue that such threats have waned and officials should avoid “overreach” in linking the case. Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, had allegedly opened fire on people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday. The older man was killed while Naveed was in critical... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337025/philippines-being-unfairly-targeted-australias-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337025/philippines-being-unfairly-targeted-australias-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 06:48:02 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Like many Australians strolling at Bondi Beach on long, warm summer evenings, Ahmed al Ahmed just wanted a cup of coffee with a friend. Around him, a bloody massacre erupted as two gunmen targeted Jews during Hanukkah festivities at a park close to the shore. Soon al Ahmed was creeping, bent over, between two parked cars, before barrelling directly towards one of the unsuspecting shooters. In footage that has been viewed millions of times around the world, the 44-year-old father can be seen... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336807/bondi-beach-shooting-millions-raised-hero-australia-who-stopped-gunman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336807/bondi-beach-shooting-millions-raised-hero-australia-who-stopped-gunman?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:38:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters A man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach was charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism, police said on Wednesday. The alleged father-and-son perpetrators killed 15 people on Sunday in an attack that shook Australia and intensified fears of rising antisemitism and violent extremism. Funerals of the Jewish victims of the attack began on Wednesday amid anger over how the gunmen – one of whom was briefly investigated for links to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336691/alleged-bondi-beach-shooter-face-charges-funerals-begin-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336691/alleged-bondi-beach-shooter-face-charges-funerals-begin-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 01:09:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Standing in the rain outside a suburban Sydney railway station, seventeen-year-old Naveed Akram stares into the camera and urges those watching to spread the word of Islam. “Spread the message that Allah is one wherever you can … whether it be raining, hailing or clear sky,” he said. Another since-deleted video posted in 2019 by Street Dawah Movement, a Sydney-based Islamic community group, shows him urging two young boys to pray more frequently. Authorities are now trying to piece together what... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336613/alleged-bondi-beach-shooters-radicalisation-shocks-australia-he-was-nice-person?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336613/alleged-bondi-beach-shooters-radicalisation-shocks-australia-he-was-nice-person?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 08:09:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A bystander who rushed towards and disarmed one of the Bondi Beach attackers has won praise from leaders around the world. Extraordinary footage of the civilian’s actions began circulating on social media on Sunday, shortly after two men, later identified as a father and son, started shooting into a crowd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah. The massacre has left at least 16 people dead in the worst terrorist attack in Australia’s history. Officials have described the shooting on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336417/bondi-shooting-bystander-who-tackled-gunman-hailed-genuine-hero?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336417/bondi-shooting-bystander-who-tackled-gunman-hailed-genuine-hero?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:50:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters An Australian firefighter was killed overnight after he was struck by a tree while trying to control a bushfire that had destroyed homes and burnt large swathes of bushland north of Sydney, authorities said on Monday. Emergency crews rushed to bushland near the rural town of Bulahdelah, 200km (124 miles) north of Sydney, after reports that a tree had fallen on a man. The 59-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and died at the scene, officials said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3335553/australian-summer-bushfires-destroy-homes-2-states-firefighter-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3335553/australian-summer-bushfires-destroy-homes-2-states-firefighter-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 04:18:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian police said on Monday they had charged four men in Sydney in relation to “satanic” child sex abuse material circulating online. Detectives were investigating an “international satanic child abuse material ring”, when they identified the suspects in Sydney, New South Wales state police said. The men are accused of possessing, distributing, and facilitating child abuse material through a website that was administered internationally. Police arrested the four on Thursday, including a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3334710/australian-police-crack-down-satanic-child-abuse-material-ring-4-men-charged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3334710/australian-police-crack-down-satanic-child-abuse-material-ring-4-men-charged?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 03:47:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian households will be able to access three hours a day of free solar power under an energy-saving programme that the government unveiled on Tuesday and will begin next year. “We want to see the benefits of renewable energy flow to all,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen told national broadcaster ABC. In a statement, he said that the Solar Sharer scheme will be rolled out from next year in some jurisdictions, including New South Wales and South Australia, before a possible expansion. “It’s not... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3331507/australia-offers-free-solar-power-households-green-energy-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3331507/australia-offers-free-solar-power-households-green-energy-push?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 10:46:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian was gunned down in a “brazen” shooting while on an early evening walk in Sydney, police said, months after surviving an attempt on his life. The 33-year-old was shot dead in a “targeted” attack in Riverstone, a suburb in Sydney’s northwest, on Wednesday evening, New South Wales Police said. A short time after the shooting, two cars were found on fire in different locations, a hallmark of recent organised crime hits that have rattled the city. “It’s very brazen... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3328324/ex-ufc-fighter-suman-mokhtarian-gunned-down-while-out-walk-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3328324/ex-ufc-fighter-suman-mokhtarian-gunned-down-while-out-walk-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 06:00:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A 60-year-old man was in custody in Australia on Monday after police said he shot up to 50 bullets into a busy Sydney street, wounding more than a dozen people. Police were called on Sunday evening to the city’s Inner West, where the alleged gunman was firing from his property randomly at passing cars and police. A large contingent of police swarmed the area and locked down the street, before entering the property above a business and arresting the man. They seized a rifle from the scene. Office... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327942/20-wounded-australia-gunman-fires-100-bullets-sydney-street?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327942/20-wounded-australia-gunman-fires-100-bullets-sydney-street?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:38:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australian police charged a man on Monday after a car was driven into the gates of the Russian consulate in Sydney. New South Wales police said in a statement that officers responded shortly after 8am to reports of an unauthorised vehicle parked in the driveway of an address on Fullerton Street that corresponded with the location of the Russian consulate. Officers attempted to speak to the driver before he “drove his vehicle into the gates of the property”, police said. A 39-year-old man was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3323851/man-arrested-australia-after-crashing-car-russian-consulate-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3323851/man-arrested-australia-after-crashing-car-russian-consulate-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 01:31:04 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China has urged authorities in Australia to “severely punish” those responsible for an attack on a Chinese student in the southern state of Tasmania last week. Tasmanian police said on Friday that two 14-year-old girls had been charged over a serious assault on a 33-year-old man at a Hobart shopping precinct on Tuesday afternoon. The man was being treated for head injuries in Royal Hobart Hospital and was in a stable condition. Earlier in the week, four male youths from southern Tasmania – two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321361/china-calls-tough-penalties-over-attack-student-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321361/china-calls-tough-penalties-over-attack-student-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australia’s state of New South Wales has offered compensation of A$2 million (US$1.31 million) to a woman wrongfully jailed for two decades over the deaths of her four young children, but her lawyer dismissed the figure as “unfair and unjust”. Kathleen Folbigg, 58, was convicted in 2003 of murdering three of her children, and of manslaughter in the death of the fourth. She was later pardoned, freed and had her convictions quashed in 2023, after an independent inquiry found new scientific... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3321121/australian-state-offers-us13-million-compensate-wrongly-jailed-woman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3321121/australian-state-offers-us13-million-compensate-wrongly-jailed-woman?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 11:20:41 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma A Chinese woman remains missing after being swept away by floodwaters in southeastern Australia. China’s Consulate General in Sydney had confirmed the news, while urging local authorities to “make every effort” to save her, Chinese state media reported on Sunday. The 26-year-old was one of two Chinese women caught up in floods in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales (NSW) state on Saturday evening. The other woman, 27, was rescued, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3320603/chinese-woman-26-missing-after-being-swept-away-raging-floods-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3320603/chinese-woman-26-missing-after-being-swept-away-raging-floods-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 13:31:23 +0000 Reuters Reuters Tens of thousands of demonstrators braved pouring rain to march across Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge on Sunday, calling for peace and aid deliveries in the war-torn Gaza Strip, where a humanitarian crisis has been worsening. Nearly two years into a war that Palestinian authorities say has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, governments and humanitarian organisations say a shortage of food is leading to widespread starvation. Some of those attending the march, called by its organisers the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3320593/tens-thousands-march-palestine-sydney-harbour-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3320593/tens-thousands-march-palestine-sydney-harbour-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 09:47:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An Australian man has died from an “extremely rare” rabies-like infection transmitted by a bat bite, health officials said on Thursday. The man in his 50s was bitten by a bat carrying Australian bat lyssavirus several months ago, the health service in New South Wales said. “We express our sincere condolences to the man’s family and friends for their tragic loss,” NSW Health said in a statement. “While it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316780/australian-man-dies-after-contracting-extremely-rare-virus-bat-bite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316780/australian-man-dies-after-contracting-extremely-rare-virus-bat-bite?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:01:41 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Australians in New South Wales are facing yet another extreme weather challenge even as thousands are still reeling from days of storms and unprecedented flooding. Massive dust clouds blanketed parts of the state, including the capital of Sydney, on Tuesday, creating conditions which experts warn are hazardous to health. Authorities warned of “extremely poor” air quality in some suburbs, with PM10 particle levels exceeding 600 – far above the “good” threshold of 40, according to environmental... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3311987/new-south-wales-battered-hazardous-dust-storm-wake-record-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3311987/new-south-wales-battered-hazardous-dust-storm-wake-record-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2025 09:54:37 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast have left four people dead and one missing, officials said on Friday as rain eased over the disaster area. Some 50,000 people have been isolated by flooding along the coast of New South Wales state north of Sydney after days of heavy rain. The low-pressure weather system that brought the deluge had moved further south to Sydney and its surrounding areas on Friday. Four bodies have been retrieved from floodwaters in New South Wales since Wednesday.... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3311595/australias-record-floods-east-coast-leave-4-dead-1-missing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3311595/australias-record-floods-east-coast-leave-4-dead-1-missing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 May 2025 10:32:33 +0000 US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Vietnamese products are expected to deal a heavy blow to the country’s economy, creating a possible opening for China ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi. Vietnam is facing 46 per cent tariffs, making it – along with China – one of the countries worst hit by the levies Trump imposed on allies and rivals alike. Some observers have predicted that the move would fuel doubts about US reliability and even nudge Vietnam closer towards China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305261/could-trump-tariffs-open-window-opportunity-china-improve-ties-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305261/could-trump-tariffs-open-window-opportunity-china-improve-ties-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Apr 2025 22:00:14 +0000 A leading university in Australia has required applicants to submit official reports as additional proof for mainland Chinese academic qualifications amid a surge in fake documents, after a Hong Kong institution recently cracked down on the trend. A spokesman for the University of New South Wales (UNSW) told the Post that it introduced the measure this year after discovering some applicants had submitted bogus papers, adding it upheld very strict admission standards. “As application volumes have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3275766/australian-university-takes-hong-kong-institutions-lead-tightens-mainland-admission-checks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3275766/australian-university-takes-hong-kong-institutions-lead-tightens-mainland-admission-checks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Aug 2024 01:00:24 +0000 The government of Australia’s most populous state ordered all public employees to work from their offices by default beginning on Tuesday and urged stricter limits on remote work, after news outlets provoked a fraught debate about work-from-home habits established during the pandemic. Chris Minns, the New South Wales premier, said in a notice to agencies on Monday that jobs could be made flexible by means other than remote working, such as part-time positions and role sharing, and that “building... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3273420/australias-new-south-wales-orders-public-servants-stop-remote-work-embraced-during-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3273420/australias-new-south-wales-orders-public-servants-stop-remote-work-embraced-during-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:19:08 +0000 Australian field hockey player and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Matt Dawson faced a tough decision ahead of the Paris Olympics. The 30-year-old suffered a nasty injury to the ring finger of his right hand during a practice match mere weeks before the games. His doctors gave him two options: either undergo a lengthy reconstructive surgery with an uncertain outcome and miss the Olympics, or amputate the affected part of his finger to ensure he could compete in the Games. The two-time Olympian... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271996/meet-olympian-matt-dawson-who-got-finger-amputation-be-paris-2024-games-aussie-field-hockey-player?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271996/meet-olympian-matt-dawson-who-got-finger-amputation-be-paris-2024-games-aussie-field-hockey-player?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jul 2024 21:00:18 +0000 In many countries, the affordability of housing is at the top of the political agenda. While views differ on whether supply-side factors are more important than demand-side ones, there is broad agreement that zoning and planning laws which restrict supply make housing more expensive. While this is a boon for homeowners, it imposes a huge burden on renters and those struggling to get on the property ladder. The failure to build enough homes was a big issue in the recent parliamentary election... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3270447/why-japan-envy-australias-desperate-housing-planners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3270447/why-japan-envy-australias-desperate-housing-planners?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2024 07:30:08 +0000 Britain’s King Charles is preparing to visit Australia and Samoa in October, an itinerary that will span 12 time zones and test the monarch’s stamina as he recovers from cancer treatment. The trip, announced on Sunday by Buckingham Palace, marks a watershed moment for the 75-year-old king, who has been slowly returning to public duties after taking a break following his cancer diagnosis in early February. The decision to undertake such a long journey will be seen as a sign of Charles’ recovery,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270432/king-charles-visit-australia-and-samoa-first-overseas-tour-cancer-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270432/king-charles-visit-australia-and-samoa-first-overseas-tour-cancer-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2024 22:53:33 +0000 Eric Ng,Yujie Xue Eric Ng,Yujie Xue In the third of a four-part series on green hydrogen, Eric Ng and Yujie Xue look into Chinese and global start-ups that are working on creating the infrastructure and technology to take the low-carbon fuel mainstream. On a site three times the size of Hong Kong, a US$10 billion project mooted in Australia has raised hopes of tackling greenhouse gas emissions with green hydrogen. Located 400km north of Alice Springs in central Australia, phase one of the proposed Green Springs project, targeted... https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3267494/green-hydrogen-australias-breakout-moment-amid-us127-billion-boom-down-under?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3267494/green-hydrogen-australias-breakout-moment-amid-us127-billion-boom-down-under?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2024 02:00:15 +0000 Rebecca Li, 24, who hails from China’s Shandong Province, is one of an estimated 8.2 million foreign-born residents of Australia who wield significant influence on the country’s high-flying property market. But that dynamic is beginning to shift as agents warn that Canberra’s withdrawal of a golden visa scheme and plans to cap its migrant and foreign student intake are likely to impact home sales, particularly in the high-end segment. The timing could not be worse for property owners, especially... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3266656/australias-tighter-immigration-policy-poses-risk-luxury-home-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3266656/australias-tighter-immigration-policy-poses-risk-luxury-home-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jun 2024 02:00:15 +0000 My mum could tell a great story by adding things that may or may not have happened. Dad was a stickler for details and precision, as you’d probably expect from a military pilot. That combination possibly helped me in terms of trying to be a storyteller who could keep people interested while also adhering to the facts. My dad was a pilot for the Royal Australian Air Force. He was sent on secondment to Sheppard Air Force Base, in Wichita Falls, in Texas, to train United States pilots. It was there... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3265636/journalist-and-true-crime-podcaster-pursues-justice-australian-women-murder-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3265636/journalist-and-true-crime-podcaster-pursues-justice-australian-women-murder-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jun 2024 23:15:09 +0000 Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles was confident Australia had a legal right to be in the Yellow Sea, where it had an aerial confrontation with China last month, but said the incident did not detract from “peace” between the two nations. Speaking to This Week in Asia at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, Marles also met his Chinese counterpart, new defence chief Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the dialogue on the same day, using the meeting to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265010/shangri-la-dialogue-australia-says-peace-china-remains-despite-yellow-sea-military-skirmish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265010/shangri-la-dialogue-australia-says-peace-china-remains-despite-yellow-sea-military-skirmish?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jun 2024 09:59:57 +0000 Scientists have found evidence of what they called an ‘Age of Monotremes’ some 100 million years ago in Australia, according to research published on Monday. Research by a team of Australian scientists described six species of monotremes, including three new ones, all living in the same area of New South Wales. The three newly described species are from opalised jaws found in the Lightning Ridge opal fields on the Queensland-New South Wales border dating back to the Cenomanian Age of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264205/marsupials-australia-was-land-furry-egg-layers-scientists-find?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264205/marsupials-australia-was-land-furry-egg-layers-scientists-find?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2024 03:31:53 +0000 An ex-US Marine pilot accused of illegally training China’s military is “eligible” for surrender to the United States, an Australian magistrate ruled on Friday. Daniel Edmund Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the request of the US government, which accuses him of breaking arms control laws. It alleges he illegally trained Chinese military pilots between 2010 and 2012, after he left the military. Magistrate Daniel Reiss ordered the 55-year-old Duggan to remain in prison. He has... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264005/ex-us-marine-accused-training-chinese-military-pilots-eligible-extradition-australian-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264005/ex-us-marine-accused-training-chinese-military-pilots-eligible-extradition-australian-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 10:24:44 +0000 Just a few years ago, Australia could not get enough of China. Today, even Australia’s research efforts with China have plummeted to record lows. The problem was so chronic that earlier this month, 60 academics penned a letter to Australia’s main funding research agency, the Australian Research Council, saying the production of core China research in Australia is in crisis. They cite the Australian Academy of Humanities, whose report last year flagged little support for China-related research at... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3263833/china-australia-ties-fray-should-canberra-keep-its-friends-close-its-enemies-closer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3263833/china-australia-ties-fray-should-canberra-keep-its-friends-close-its-enemies-closer?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 02:00:10 +0000 Sarah Murdoch – the glamorous daughter-in-law of media mogul Rupert Murdoch – was recently back in the spotlight after it was reported that her brother Shaun O’Hare had unexpectedly died at the age of 58, according to British media. O’Hare worked as executive director of energy and telecommunications company Eutility, which he founded in 1999, and leaves behind two children. The businessman reportedly died in March, with his adult daughter Ashleigh sharing the sad news via several posts on... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3263313/meet-lachlan-murdochs-glamorous-model-wife-sarah-murdoch-shes-worked-brands-chanel-valentino?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3263313/meet-lachlan-murdochs-glamorous-model-wife-sarah-murdoch-shes-worked-brands-chanel-valentino?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 22:00:24 +0000