https://www.scmp.com/rss/519504/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com William Yiu William Yiu Ten passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong was hit by severe turbulence on Saturday, with one traveller saying the impact felt like “free-falling from a drop tower” as everyone screamed and items flew through the air. The passenger told the South China Morning Post that the sudden dip in altitude lasted about two seconds and occurred two hours before the expected landing time, just as flight attendants were about to serve economy... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3354606/10-injured-severe-turbulence-cathay-pacific-flight-brisbane-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3354606/10-injured-severe-turbulence-cathay-pacific-flight-brisbane-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 04:18:30 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words For much of the past decade, Southeast Asia has been portrayed as a strategic prize in the intensifying rivalry between the US and China. Headlines often frame the region as a battleground for influence, as if Asean members are passive actors waiting to be pulled into rival... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3344717/asean-not-choosing-sides-strategically-maximising-space?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3344717/asean-not-choosing-sides-strategically-maximising-space?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 03:30:09 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words As an educator and commentator on language policy in Hong Kong, I read with interest the letter, “Native English speakers shouldn’t be required to take IELTS” (December 12). Some of its claims about IELTS and the Education Bureau’s requirements merit clarification in light of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3337760/new-benchmarks-hong-kong-language-teachers-underline-policy-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3337760/new-benchmarks-hong-kong-language-teachers-underline-policy-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 03:30:08 +0000 CNA CNA Johnson Wen – the man who grabbed singer-actress Ariana Grande at the Asia premiere of Wicked: For Good in Singapore and was subsequently jailed – was kicked out of Lady Gaga’s concert venue in Brisbane, Australia, on Tuesday. Videos taken by fans at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium show Wen, who also goes by Pyjama Man, being escorted out of the venue before the start of the concert. It is unclear if the 26-year-old Australian citizen had intended to disrupt Lady Gaga’s concert. Wen, however, has a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3335895/deported-singapore-ariana-grande-grabber-ejected-lady-gaga-concert-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3335895/deported-singapore-ariana-grande-grabber-ejected-lady-gaga-concert-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:46:31 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words A recent survey finding that more than half of Hong Kong children between the ages of six and 10 own a smartphone should spur a serious rethink on what’s best for our children’s development. Since the proliferation of mobile phone usage and the rise of social media, there has been... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3332739/help-our-children-step-out-virtual-playgrounds-real-ones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3332739/help-our-children-step-out-virtual-playgrounds-real-ones?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australia’s Fitzroy River is a step closer to hosting rowing and canoeing events at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics after passing technical testing, domestic media said on Tuesday. Known for crocodiles and strong tides, the waterway some 600 km (370 miles) north of Brisbane drew a mixed reception when it was proposed as an Olympic venue in March, because of concerns about its currents. However, Queensland state lawmaker Matt Canavan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the river had passed... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3329797/crocodiles-strong-tides-no-worries-australian-river-approved-2032-olympic-rowing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3329797/crocodiles-strong-tides-no-worries-australian-river-approved-2032-olympic-rowing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:00:08 +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 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification I refer to the This Week in Asia article, “As Asia modernises, squat toilets are being dethroned” (July 25). Although there are credible advantages to how the squat toilet reduces skin contact with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3320572/pitfalls-squat-toilets-major-and-minor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3320572/pitfalls-squat-toilets-major-and-minor?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 06:30:14 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Now that a ceasefire seems to be holding between Israel and Iran, it is time to focus on a ceasefire in Gaza. US President Donald Trump and Arab countries can play an energetic role in securing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3316635/wanted-ceasefire-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3316635/wanted-ceasefire-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:30:09 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Asia stands at a crossroads in the evolution of digital finance. As stablecoin adoption accelerates worldwide, the region’s unique strengths and demand for practical financial solutions position it... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3314884/how-asia-can-define-era-stablecoins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3314884/how-asia-can-define-era-stablecoins?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 03:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Waymo will expand into more areas of the San Francisco peninsula and parts of Silicon Valley, as the sole commercial robotaxi operator in the US seeks to scale up operations, the Alphabet unit said on Tuesday. The self-driving technology firm had received approval from California last month to expand operations, just as Tesla prepares to launch its paid robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. Starting Tuesday, Waymo is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service to new areas across the peninsula,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3314864/waymo-expands-robotaxi-services-more-parts-san-francisco-bay-area?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3314864/waymo-expands-robotaxi-services-more-parts-san-francisco-bay-area?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 04:15:06 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr recently called for the resignation of all cabinet secretaries after his party’s poor performance in the midterm election. What does this say about his... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3313341/not-much-substance-philippines-cabinet-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3313341/not-much-substance-philippines-cabinet-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jun 2025 03:30:07 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft The Australian state of Queensland is opening a trade and investment office in Shenzhen as it seeks to court businesses and rebuild ties in mainland China and Hong Kong, with its finance minister calling the city a “gateway” for trade. Queensland Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates, who is leading a trade mission to mainland China and Hong Kong, said her state was “open for business” as she pointed to opportunities for cooperation in infrastructure, healthcare and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3310493/australias-queensland-open-shenzhen-trade-office-hong-kong-gateway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3310493/australias-queensland-open-shenzhen-trade-office-hong-kong-gateway?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 May 2025 00:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Quantum computing start-up PsiQuantum is raising at least US$750 million at a US$6 billion pre-money valuation, according to two people familiar with the matter. BlackRock was leading the fundraising effort, which had not yet been completed, one of the people said. Unlike some quantum computing start-ups using exotic materials, PsiQuantum is aiming to modify traditional manufacturing techniques from the semiconductor industry. The company uses existing photonics technology – the same kind of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3303720/us-start-psiquantum-raising-us750-million-quantum-computing-race-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3303720/us-start-psiquantum-raising-us750-million-quantum-computing-race-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2025 03:15:09 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Hong Kong conglomerates Chow Tai Fook (CTF) – the parent company of New World Development – and Far East Consortium struck a deal to buy a stake in a Brisbane casino and resort complex from Australia’s Star Entertainment, planting a flag in the city that will host the 2032 Summer Olympics. A joint venture of Far East and Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of CTF, will pay A$53 million (US$33.4 million) for Star’s stakes in Queen’s Wharf Brisbane, according to... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3301541/hong-kongs-chow-tai-fook-far-east-consortium-bet-brisbane-casino-resort?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3301541/hong-kongs-chow-tai-fook-far-east-consortium-bet-brisbane-casino-resort?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:36:33 +0000 A judge jailed 14 members of a fringe Australian religious group on Wednesday over the “slow and painful” death of an eight-year-old diabetic girl who was denied life-saving insulin. The father and mother of Elizabeth Rose Struhs, as well as the leader and other members of the Saints sect, were convicted of manslaughter last month in the Queensland Supreme Court in Brisbane. The small, home-based church in the Queensland city of Toowoomba held a “core belief” in the healing power of God, leaving... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3300243/australia-jails-14-sect-members-over-slow-and-painful-death-girl-8?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3300243/australia-jails-14-sect-members-over-slow-and-painful-death-girl-8?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Feb 2025 10:39:11 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Yutong Bus, the world’s largest electric-bus maker, has unveiled a new technology platform that aims to boost driving ranges and cut operating costs, as it vies for a bigger slice of a growing market amid a decarbonisation push by public transport fleets worldwide. The company, based in Zhengzhou in China’s central Henan province, announced the Asia-Pacific launch of the platform on Tuesday at Australia’s biennial National Bus and Coach show in Brisbane, where it showcased four electric buses.... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3279100/chinas-yutong-worlds-top-electric-bus-maker-touts-new-technology-exports-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3279100/chinas-yutong-worlds-top-electric-bus-maker-touts-new-technology-exports-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Sep 2024 07:00:08 +0000 While tourism, resources and education usually dominate trade between Asia and Australia, a surprising new trade has been flourishing under the radar in recent years – the booming business of prefabricated “prefab” housing and building materials. Though the numbers may pale in comparison to the billions of dollars in two-way trade between the regions, Australian imports of prefab goods from Asia have been steadily climbing year over year. Chinese prefab exports dominate the market, followed by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3271180/prefab-paradise-how-china-made-homes-could-solve-australias-housing-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3271180/prefab-paradise-how-china-made-homes-could-solve-australias-housing-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jul 2024 01:30:18 +0000 American comedy-rock duo Tenacious D, formed by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, suspended the rest of its Australian tour after comments made by Gass over the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump. A video widely shared on social media from the concert in Sydney on Sunday showed Gass being presented with a birthday cake and Black urging him to make a wish. Gass then seemed to say “don’t miss Trump next time” before blowing out the candles. Trump was shot in the ear during a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270735/after-dont-miss-trump-next-time-quip-jack-blacks-band-cancels-australia-tour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270735/after-dont-miss-trump-next-time-quip-jack-blacks-band-cancels-australia-tour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jul 2024 03:28:25 +0000 Mel C and her new boyfriend Chris Dingwall are hard launching their relationship, after going public together at Glastonbury in late June, UK media reports. At the time, he was named a “mystery man” by various outlets since his identity wasn’t yet known. Then just days after debuting their romance to the world, the couple was spotted once again – this time cosying up at Wimbledon last Wednesday. Apparently, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other! Here’s what we know about Sporty Spice’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3270450/who-mel-cs-new-australian-model-boyfriend-chris-dingwall-sporty-spice-was-seen-getting-cosy-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3270450/who-mel-cs-new-australian-model-boyfriend-chris-dingwall-sporty-spice-was-seen-getting-cosy-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2024 21:00:09 +0000 Russia accused Australia of inciting “anti-Russian paranoia” for charging a Russian-born couple with espionage, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday to tell Moscow to “back off”. The married couple, who hold Australian citizenship, were arrested on charges of working to access material related to Australia’s national security, though no significant compromise was identified, the Australian Federal Police said on Friday. “There is widespread information about the arrest in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270334/australias-albanese-tells-russia-back-war-words-over-spy-couple-heats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270334/australias-albanese-tells-russia-back-war-words-over-spy-couple-heats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jul 2024 04:14:05 +0000 An Australian army private and her husband accused of spying for Russia were denied bail on Friday, on the first charges against suspected operatives under Australia’s sweeping espionage laws enacted in 2018. Kira Korolev, 40, and her husband Igor Korolev, 62, are Russia-born Australian citizens and hold Russian passports. They did not appear in person and were represented by lawyers in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on a charge each of preparing for an espionage offence. They did not enter... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270270/russia-born-australia-army-private-kira-korolev-and-husband-igor-accused-spying-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3270270/russia-born-australia-army-private-kira-korolev-and-husband-igor-accused-spying-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2024 10:09:04 +0000 Fuelled by a fearmongering immigration scare campaign, Australia’s looming federal election could become a referendum on stopping foreigners, experts warn. But the political rhetoric does not match reality, they say, and further migration cuts may jeopardise the economy. An intense debate on whether Australia – a popular immigration destination in the Asia-Pacific that’s been hit with rising living costs, rents and home prices – was letting too many people into the country, kicked off last month... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265841/australia-racist-intense-migration-debate-sets-tone-2025-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265841/australia-racist-intense-migration-debate-sets-tone-2025-election?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:13 +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 As Australian and New Zealand planes begin evacuating citizens from the embattled Pacific island of New Caledonia on Tuesday after a week of riots, France will continue to come under pressure over its refusal to decolonise the territory, analysts say. Violent protests broke out in the island territory northeast of Australia last week after Paris extended voting rights to French people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years or more, thus potentially diluting the indigenous Kanak people’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263541/new-caledonia-riots-inequalities-lack-indigenous-voice-expose-failures-french-democratic-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263541/new-caledonia-riots-inequalities-lack-indigenous-voice-expose-failures-french-democratic-system?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:10 +0000 Australian professional football was rocked on Friday by accusations that the captain of A-League club Macarthur FC paid two younger teammates up to AU$10,000 (HK$52,000) to deliberately receive yellow cards in a scheme set up by a South American gambling connection. The players identified were Macarthur team leader Ulises Davila and teammates Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis, who were arrested over their alleged involvement in the match-fixing scheme, which police said led to hundreds of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3263087/match-fixing-scandal-rocks-australian-football-macarthur-fc-captain-accused-paying-teammates-pick?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3263087/match-fixing-scandal-rocks-australian-football-macarthur-fc-captain-accused-paying-teammates-pick?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2024 09:04:43 +0000 Qantas Airways said on Tuesday it will suspend flights to Shanghai starting on July 28, citing low demand, nine months after Australia’s flag carrier resumed service from Sydney on hopes of a travel rebound following the pandemic. International flight numbers to and from China are about 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and have been slower to recover than in other markets because of fewer tourists and a domestic economic slowdown. “Since Covid, the demand for travel between Australia and China... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3262619/australias-qantas-pauses-half-full-sydney-shanghai-flights-9-months-after-pandemic-restart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3262619/australias-qantas-pauses-half-full-sydney-shanghai-flights-9-months-after-pandemic-restart?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 May 2024 07:36:53 +0000 In the four years that global IT consultancy Waterstons has allowed its 20 Sydney-based staff to work whenever and wherever they want, only one employee’s performance has suffered. The UK-based business, which has around 300 employees worldwide, first adopted “flexi-working” practices some 30 years ago – and also allows its employees to take as much annual leave as they need. “If you treat your people like adults, that’s how they will behave,” Waterstons’ Asia-Pacific Managing Director Charlie... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3262262/work-home-looks-here-stay-australia-new-zealand-its-not-everyone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3262262/work-home-looks-here-stay-australia-new-zealand-its-not-everyone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:47 +0000 An Australian MH-60R Seahawk helicopter was 8,535km from home and flew close to China’s northeastern coasts. So a Chinese warplane shot flares to warn it off. Suppose a Chinese military aircraft flew 8,535km to loiter off Australia’s northern coastlines, how would you think the Australian military, or for that matter, American military stationed in the vicinity, would respond? So far, the patriotic hand-wringing of the Australian media and political class has been over the top. It would have... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3262197/playing-defence-mini-me-us-will-cost-australia-dearly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3262197/playing-defence-mini-me-us-will-cost-australia-dearly?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 May 2024 13:00:16 +0000 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined demonstrations protesting against domestic violence after a spate of murders. At least 26 women have been killed this year, or one every four days, according to rights lobby group Destroy The Joint. That is on track to top last year’s 64 deaths, often perpetuated by their current or former partners. “Violence against women is an epidemic,” Albanese said in a post on X. “Governments need to do better and as a society we need to do better,” he... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3260707/australias-albanese-joins-protests-against-domestic-violence-epidemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3260707/australias-albanese-joins-protests-against-domestic-violence-epidemic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2024 13:15:08 +0000 Australian police said on Monday they are investigating why a 40-year-old man with mental illness appeared to target women as he roamed a Sydney shopping centre with a large knife, killing six people and injuring a dozen more. Videos shared on social media showed unshaven itinerant Joel Cauchi pursuing mostly female victims as he rampaged through the vast, crowded Westfield shopping complex in Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon. ‘Killing spree’: 6 die in Sydney mall stabbing, attacker killed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3259001/young-chinese-student-among-5-women-killed-knife-attack-sydney-shopping-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3259001/young-chinese-student-among-5-women-killed-knife-attack-sydney-shopping-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Apr 2024 03:01:31 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification A few years ago, a special commission exposed the misconduct of Australia’s financial institutions, including the Big Four banks. Qantas has been maligned by outraged fliers as being an uncaring... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3257980/hong-kongs-array-service-choices-puts-australia-shame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3257980/hong-kongs-array-service-choices-puts-australia-shame?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2024 06:30:09 +0000 Three decades ago, Malaysians, Singaporeans and Hongkongers dominated Australia’s international student cohorts, accounting for about half of the student population at the time. Now they are no longer among the majority, nor do they even feature in Australia’s top 10 source countries for international students, national statistics show. Instead, mainland Chinese, Indian and Nepali students top the rankings, followed by those from the Philippines, Vietnam and Colombia. Over the past decade, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3257259/working-australia-student-visas-nepali-filipino-numbers-surge-back-migration-loophole?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3257259/working-australia-student-visas-nepali-filipino-numbers-surge-back-migration-loophole?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2024 04:00:41 +0000 While many in the Sydney suburb of Kingsford were in the middle of enjoying their Saturday night out, Susan*, the owner of an eatery called Ben’s The Thai Takeaway, was packing up her empty restaurant at 8.30pm, half an hour before its official closing time. “Customers are saving money to pay rent,” she said, referring to a sharp rise in prices since the pandemic ended as housing supply dwindled. “Go and look on the main street [of Kingsford]. It used to be busy, but no one is out there now.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3256413/downturn-blues-hit-restaurants-australia-and-new-zealand-consumers-cut-spending-shops-close-early?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3256413/downturn-blues-hit-restaurants-australia-and-new-zealand-consumers-cut-spending-shops-close-early?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2024 04:00:30 +0000 Fierce resistance mounted by Australian unions against plans for a new submarine base shows the challenge facing the high-stakes defence project with the United States and Britain that aims to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific region. Plans for the base are part of Australia’s largest defence project since the second world war, the acquisition of a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines costing up to A$368 billion (US$240 billion). That fleet is the first major deal of the Aukus... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3256066/australia-anti-aukus-protesters-hit-out-belligerent-nuclear-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3256066/australia-anti-aukus-protesters-hit-out-belligerent-nuclear-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Mar 2024 07:01:00 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. I refer to “Australia to allow workers to ignore after-hours calls from bosses: ‘that time is yours’” (February 7). While industrial relations reforms are up in the air, people can take matters... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3254681/use-your-brain-why-no-law-can-protect-us-bringing-work-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3254681/use-your-brain-why-no-law-can-protect-us-bringing-work-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 03:30:14 +0000 BYD and other Chinese carmakers are bringing new electric car models in droves to Australia, a market where they haven’t faced trade barriers and sales have surged due to EV subsidies and tax benefits as well as high petrol prices. Since coming to power in 2022, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government has aggressively promoted EV adoption as part of the country’s plans to cut down on emissions – a change that came after a decade of weak climate action under conservative leaders. That’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3254340/no-spy-concerns-and-tariffs-byd-and-other-chinese-evs-race-ahead-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3254340/no-spy-concerns-and-tariffs-byd-and-other-chinese-evs-race-ahead-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Mar 2024 05:10:14 +0000 Scientists are warning of devastating coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia’s eastern state of Queensland. According to the local non-governmental organisation Climate Council, new underwater images show the full extent of the disaster. An area 1,100 kilometres long from Lizard Island to the Keppel Islands has already been affected, the Australian news agency AAP reported on Tuesday. According to experts, the trigger is a recent marine heatwave in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3254241/australias-great-barrier-reef-grave-danger-marine-heatwave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3254241/australias-great-barrier-reef-grave-danger-marine-heatwave?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2024 09:30:19 +0000 Chrishell Stause and her partner G Flip are quickly becoming the power couple to watch on red carpets, as the two lovebirds continue to turn heads at any event they show up at. They recently caught people’s attention at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, where Stause was nominated for reality TV star of the year. She wowed in a purple latex gown from Atsuko Kudo Couture, while her Aussie lover went for a grungy patchwork shirt and pants. View this post on... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3253005/who-chrishell-stauses-australian-musician-partner-g-flip-selling-sunset-star-and-about-you-singer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3253005/who-chrishell-stauses-australian-musician-partner-g-flip-selling-sunset-star-and-about-you-singer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2024 20:00:10 +0000 It seems American actress Kate Walsh has been fully embracing the Aussie lifestyle. The Grey’s Anatomy star, who swapped Hollywood for Down Under in 2020 after falling in love with an Australian farmer, was spotted looking chic in a US$1,650 Dries Van Noten bomber jacket and US$1,320 trousers as she walked through Melbourne Airport at the end of January, per Aussie media. Completing the look was what we’d consider an Emily in Paris-approved set of travel companions, including a Louis Vuitton... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3251600/who-kate-walshs-australian-farmer-fiance-andrew-nixon-emily-paris-star-was-spotted-rocking-chanel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3251600/who-kate-walshs-australian-farmer-fiance-andrew-nixon-emily-paris-star-was-spotted-rocking-chanel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Feb 2024 20:00:14 +0000 Australia has raised foreign buyer fees for residential property again, this time tripling application costs for the purchase of second-hand homes and doubling fees for homes left vacant. The Australian government passed the new rules on Wednesday to preserve the housing supply for local buyers and tenants. Industry insiders say the latest round of fee hikes is expected to “scare” off more foreign buyers, particularly those from China who had previously dominated the Australian market, and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3251303/foreign-property-buyers-china-asia-will-shun-australian-market-over-latest-fees-surge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3251303/foreign-property-buyers-china-asia-will-shun-australian-market-over-latest-fees-surge?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Feb 2024 04:30:13 +0000 More office landlords and flexible work space operators are likely to form partnerships that will do away with the traditional lease business that has been “catastrophic” for the industry, according to the founder of The Work Project, a Singapore-based co-working space provider backed by CapitaLand Development. TWP, which has one location in Hong Kong, has secured the backing of Dexus, an Australian real estate company that has an office portfolio of 17.2 million square feet there, and is aiming... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3250887/partnerships-between-landlords-flexible-office-providers-will-kill-traditional-lease-business-model?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3250887/partnerships-between-landlords-flexible-office-providers-will-kill-traditional-lease-business-model?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Feb 2024 01:30:16 +0000 In 2023, Taiwanese-Australian ceramicist Ruth Ju-shih Li unveiled her largest work yet: a ceramic sculpture of blooms of flowers 15 metres (49 feet) long and 3 metres wide. The work was the latest iteration of Still Life from a Distant Memory: a Winter Study Before Dawn, a piece she debuted three years earlier. Intricate flower arrangements were balanced on a series of platforms, some of which were connected by tendrils of clay that stretched like vines across the room in a gallery in Canberra,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3250290/why-these-ephemeral-clay-artworks-ceramicist-ruth-ju-shih-li-will-crumble-front-your-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3250290/why-these-ephemeral-clay-artworks-ceramicist-ruth-ju-shih-li-will-crumble-front-your-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Feb 2024 03:15:17 +0000 Wild weather has left at least 10 people dead in the eastern Australian states of Queensland and Victoria, officials said on Wednesday. Three men, aged 48, 59 and 69, were killed after a boat with 11 people on board capsized in rough weather in Moreton Bay off the south Queensland coast on Tuesday, police said. Ambulances took eight survivors to a hospital in stable conditions. The men were aboard the 39-foot pleasure craft on an annual fishing trip, The Courier Mail newspaper... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3246441/wild-weather-leaves-least-10-dead-eastern-australia-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3246441/wild-weather-leaves-least-10-dead-eastern-australia-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Dec 2023 21:00:33 +0000 What do Australian firefighters have in common with spicy noodles? Both involve heat – and this December, three of them flew to Hong Kong to celebrate the expansion of Tam Jai International, which owns noodle chains TamJai SamGor and TamJai Yunnan Mixian, into the Australian market and to help launch its new Hot Dish series. The three firefighters feature in this year’s Australian Firefighter Calendar, an annual publication that supports charities through the proceeds made from sales. What... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3244598/some-australias-hottest-firefighters-visit-hong-kong-calendar-pin-ups-promote-tamjai-noodle-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3244598/some-australias-hottest-firefighters-visit-hong-kong-calendar-pin-ups-promote-tamjai-noodle-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2023 04:45:11 +0000 Australia will impose a dramatic rise in fees on foreign buyers of existing homes who leave them empty, the government said Sunday as it tries to ease a rental crisis. The centre-left Labor government said it would introduce new legislation next year to help alleviate tight supply that has left many renters struggling to find somewhere to live. As supply dwindled, rental prices surged 7.6 per cent nationally in the year to September 30, the sharpest increase in 14 years, official statistics... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3244528/australia-triple-fees-foreigners-buying-existing-homes-penalise-them-if-they-leave-properties-empty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3244528/australia-triple-fees-foreigners-buying-existing-homes-penalise-them-if-they-leave-properties-empty?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2023 03:49:32 +0000 Hong Kong and mainland China-based buyers are snapping up residential units in Australia despite elevated interest rates and surging home prices Down Under, according to agents. Average home prices in some major Australian cities rose by about 1 per cent month on month in October, according to CoreLogic, a property data services provider in Australia and New Zealand. In some cities such as Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide prices are at a record-high, having increased by as much as 11 per cent over... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3242843/hong-kong-chinese-buyers-shrug-high-prices-and-interest-rates-pile-prime-australian-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3242843/hong-kong-chinese-buyers-shrug-high-prices-and-interest-rates-pile-prime-australian-property?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Nov 2023 01:30:19 +0000 A New Zealand woman travelling to Australia was fined for entering the country with a chicken sandwich, The New Zealand Herald reported on Tuesday. June Armstrong, 77, flew from Christchurch in the south island of New Zealand to Brisbane airport in northeastern Australia on May 2, per the report. She was fined NZ$3,300 (US$1,995) for bringing an uneaten sandwich into Australia. A border patrol staff later advised Armstrong to appeal the fine, per NZH. But when she tried appealing the fine, she... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3242655/new-zealand-granny-uses-pension-pay-us1995-fine-bringing-chicken-sandwich-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3242655/new-zealand-granny-uses-pension-pay-us1995-fine-bringing-chicken-sandwich-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Nov 2023 02:33:47 +0000 DP World Australia, one of the country’s largest ports operators, said on Monday operations had resumed at all its facilities after a cybersecurity incident forced it to suspend operations for three days. The breach had crippled operations at the company, which manages about 40 per cent of the goods that flow in and out of Australia, affecting its container terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia’s Fremantle. “Operations resumed at the company’s ports across Australia at... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3241280/australian-ports-make-good-progress-after-cyberattack-still-days-being-resolved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3241280/australian-ports-make-good-progress-after-cyberattack-still-days-being-resolved?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2023 02:10:07 +0000 DP World Australia said it made “significant progress” in re-establishing freight operations at its ports, after a cyberattack on Friday limited access to several facilities across the country. The company’s teams “are testing key systems crucial for the resumption of normal operations and regular freight movement”, DP World Australia said in a statement on Sunday. “A further update will be provided once this testing phase is complete.” Government agencies held crisis talks over the weekend in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3241231/cyberattack-australian-ports-sydney-melbourne-threaten-supply-chains-interruption-continue-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3241231/cyberattack-australian-ports-sydney-melbourne-threaten-supply-chains-interruption-continue-days?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Nov 2023 03:20:32 +0000