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 | Australia’s Albanese says Iran war goals met, asks what more is left to achieve Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the US-Israeli war on Iran appears to have achieved its key initial aims of curbing Tehran’s nuclear and missile capabilities – and questioned what further goals remain. “We did express support for the original objectives: preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon and degrading its capacity to endanger its neighbours,” Albanese said in a speech on Thursday at the National Press Club in Canberra. “And now those objectives have been... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia and Japan face jet fuel supply crunch as China cuts exports China’s exports of jet fuel have declined sharply in recent weeks amid the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving countries including Australia and Japan facing a supply crunch and scrambling to find alternative sellers. China is Asia-Pacific’s largest jet fuel and kerosene exporter, but shipments from the country fell nearly 40 per cent month on month in March to 204,000 barrels per day, figures from trade data provider Kpler showed. The cutback is likely to hit hardest in Australia and Japan, which... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Dog lost for a week in New Zealand bush found after strangers fund US$6,300 air search When a hiker fell from a 55-metre (180-foot) waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which could not be found. After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie Molly was flown to safety by a helicopter pilot who was determined to reunite pet and owner. A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found Jessica Johnston with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian police killer shot dead after 7-month manhunt Australian police said on Monday that they shot dead a fugitive gunman wanted for killing two officers, ending a seven-month manhunt for one of the country’s most-wanted criminals. Desmond Freeman fled into dense bushland in August last year after shooting and killing two police officers on a rural property in Victoria state. Hundreds of police have pursued Freeman through the region’s rugged terrain over the past seven months, pouring resources into one of Australia’s largest manhunts. Police... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia’s Karratha LNG plant closed after cyclone amid fuel shortages At least one of the world’s largest LNG plants remained closed on Sunday after a cyclone knocked out power to thousands of people in Western Australia. The outages were restricting already stretched fuel supplies caused by the war in the Middle East. Woodside Energy, which processes fuel from one of the world’s biggest offshore gas operations, said on Sunday that its Karratha plant remained offline. “We have commenced remobilising our workforce to some of our offshore facilities and inspections... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Man extradited from Singapore to New Zealand faces rape, home invasion charges A Chinese national accused of raping and strangling a woman during a violent home invasion appeared in a New Zealand court on Wednesday to face charges, seven months after he was extradited from Singapore. Zhang Xuesong reportedly fled to China following the alleged March 2024 Auckland break-in, complicating efforts to arrest him as no extradition treaty exists between the two countries. The 41-year-old subsequently visited Singapore, where he was returned to New Zealand last September. Zhang,... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian police officer’s ‘perverts’ remark against Indian driver sparks outrage Distrust in Australian police among Queensland’s Indian diaspora is set to deepen after an officer was caught on body camera hurling expletives at an Uber driver, leading the victim to sue the force in federal court. The officer said, “f*****g Indians, mate, they are a bunch of f*****g perverts” to a colleague in 2023, before they charged the man with committing an indecent act for allegedly masturbating in public, court records showed. A court later quashed the charges because two witnesses... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Iran says women’s football captain has withdrawn Australia asylum bid The captain of the Iranian women’s football team which played in the Asian Cup in Australia has withdrawn her bid for asylum, state media said on Sunday, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind. A former player and a Persian-language television channel based outside Iran said the players had been pressured to reverse their stance through threats against families back home. But Iranian authorities have in turn accused Australia of pressuring the players to stay. Captain... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia walks ‘very fine line’ with Gulf deployment amid Iran war Australia’s decision to send a surveillance aircraft and air-to-air missiles to the Gulf highlights the difficult position the country now faces: supporting US and regional partners while trying to avoid being drawn deeper into the widening conflict. Analysts said the government was “walking a very fine line” with the deployment, signalling support for partners under Iranian attack while stopping short of committing Australia to offensive operations. At the same time, they said Canberra was... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia to send missiles to UAE, deploy reconnaissance plane, but no troops Australia will deploy a military surveillance aircraft to the Middle East and send missiles to the United Arab Emirates but will not put troops on the ground in Iran, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday. Australia’s military support would help the Gulf countries defend themselves against unprovoked attacks from Iran, Albanese said, stressing Australia was “not a protagonist”. “Our involvement is purely defensive,” Albanese told reporters. “And it’s in defence of Australians who... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia grants asylum to 5 Iranian women footballers after anthem controversy Five players from Iran’s visiting women’s football team claimed asylum in Australia on Tuesday, seeking protection after they were branded “traitors” at home for refusing to sing the national anthem. Iranian players fell silent as the anthem played ahead of a tournament match in Australia last week, an act seen as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic Republic. US President Donald Trump was among those urging Australia to offer the players asylum, citing grave fears for their safety if they... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia complains to China after encounter between military helicopters Australia has raised concerns with China following an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter between two military helicopters, the defence department said on Friday. An Australian military helicopter was flying over international waters in the Yellow Sea when it was intercepted by a Chinese helicopter on Wednesday, a statement said. The Chinese helicopter matched the Australian aircraft’s altitude before “closing in to an unsafe distance”, increasing speed and then rolling towards it,... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Albanese says Australian troops were on board US submarine that sank Iranian ship Three Australian military personnel were on board an American submarine that sank an Iranian navy ship off Sri Lanka this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday. Speaking to Sky News, Albanese said: “I can confirm that there were three Australian personnel on board that vessel”. The personnel were on board the submarine as part of training arrangements under Aukus, a multidecade defence pact with Britain and the United States, Albanese said. “These are long-standing third country... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Asian airlines emerge on top as travellers fight for flights out of Middle East Asian carriers are among the best positioned airlines to weather the war in the Middle East as travellers scramble for flights – and pay premiums – to escape the conflict. Asian airlines have emerged as one of the go-to choices for people leaving the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Extensive airspace closures mean carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways have essentially ground to a halt, creating opportunities for rivals that can fly non-stop between Europe and... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia’s best-paid jobs are twice as likely to go to men as to women Men are almost twice as likely as women to be employed in the best-paid jobs in Australia, according to the country’s latest government gender gap report. Male employees account for 64 per cent of roles in the nation’s upper quartile of compensation, jobs that have a total average annual pay of A$221,320 (US$155,000), the Workplace Gender Equality Agency said in a report on Tuesday. Though female representation in the top category has increased slightly, women remain 1.4 times more likely than... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Tourism, once New Zealand’s top overseas earner, lags behind dairy post-pandemic New Zealand’s tourism industry still needs to do more if it is to regain its title as the nation’s biggest earner of overseas revenue. While foreign visitor spending gained 7 per cent to a record NZ$18.1 billion (US$11 billion) in the 12 months through March 2025, it still lags behind the dairy industry’s NZ$23.1 billion of exports in the same period, according to government data released on Tuesday in Wellington. Tourism overtook dairy as the nation’s top overseas earner in 2016 and remained... Source: © SCMP News |
 | El Nino may return in 2026, making the planet even hotter The warming El Nino weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights. There is a 50-60 per cent chance of El Nino developing during the July-September period and beyond, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The World Meteorological Organization will issue an update on El Nino on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know about El Nino and its cooler sister, La Nina. Why the name? El Nino and La Nina are two... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia mulls forcing app stores, search engines to axe unsafe AI services Australia’s internet regulator said it might push search engines and app stores to block artificial intelligence services that failed to verify user ages after a review found more than half had not made public any steps to comply by a deadline next week. The warning reflects one of the most aggressive efforts globally to rein in AI companies, which face a growing number of lawsuits for failing to stop – and even encouraging – self-harm or violence, while researchers caution that such platforms... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Wellington mayor takes dip to prove sea is safe after sewage leak in New Zealand The mayor of New Zealand’s capital city took an afternoon dip on Wednesday hoping to assuage public fears after a breakdown at a local waste water treatment plant pumped raw sewage into the ocean and sprayed faecal matter on coastal homes. Millions of litres of raw sewage have flowed into the waters off Wellington’s picturesque south coast beaches since the breakdown of the Moa Point facility on February 4. Sporting swimming trunks and a rash guard shirt, Mayor Andrew Little dived face first... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian OnlyFans model’s Bali bikini theft triggers death threats Australian OnlyFans model Gemma Doyle has faced a torrent of online abuse and death threats after being caught stealing a bikini from a boutique “for fun” while holidaying in Bali. Doyle, 26, apologised and admitted to shoplifting the garment from a boutique on the Indonesian resort island after CCTV footage of the incident circulated on social media. “I am aware of the stories going around and it’s true, I was on one and I was being a bit silly and I stole a swimsuit,” she said in a video... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian citizen in Syria with alleged Isis ties banned from returning home Canberra banned an Australian citizen with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State (Isis) group from returning home from a detention camp in Syria, the latest development in the case of fraught repatriation of families of Isis fighters. The woman was planning to join another 33 Australians – 10 women and 23 children – and fly on Monday from Damascus, Syria, to Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday. But the group was turned back by Syrian authorities to the Roj... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Japan to join US-Philippines military drills for first time: ‘knowing your friend’ Japan plans to deploy 300 elite ground soldiers to the Philippines for this year’s Salaknib military exercise, marking the first time the bilateral US-Philippine drills will include troops from additional partners. Officials and analysts say the move signals an operational shift away from simple bilateral engagements towards tight-knit “minilateral” security coordination among US allies, with a growing focus on remote island defence and contingencies in the Taiwan Strait and the South China... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian smuggler jailed record 8 years for mailing lizards in popcorn bags 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... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Sydney stabbing: man killed in ‘random’ attack on busy shopping street 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... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian police arrest man, recover stolen Egyptian artefacts after museum heist Australian police have recovered a trove of stolen Egyptian artefacts and charged a 52-year-old man with a nighttime smash and grab at a museum. The man was accused of breaking a window and making off with the priceless treasures in the early hours of Friday from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in the Queensland town of Caboolture. Police said they found all the stolen goods – except for a wooden cat sculpture believed to be around 2,600 years old and from the 26th dynasty of ancient... Source: © SCMP News |
 | ‘Absolutely terrifying’ New Zealand storm leaves 30,000 homes without power Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island on Monday, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancellations were still widespread after authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia unveils billions for new nuclear submarines under Aukus security pact Australia unveiled AU$3.9 billion (US$2.8 billion) in spending on Sunday as a “down payment” on a new facility to build nuclear submarines under the tripartite Aukus security pact with Britain and the United States. The Aukus pact aims to arm Australia with a fleet of cutting-edge submarines from the United States and would provide for cooperation in developing an array of warfare technologies. The submarines, the sale of which will begin in 2032, lie at the heart of Australia’s strategy of... Source: © SCMP News |
 | New Zealand catches flak for ‘secret’ US critical minerals talks New Zealand’s government has come under fire for keeping its talks with the United States over critical minerals under wraps, as opposition parties level accusations of secrecy amid mounting concern about environmental damage and foreign influence. Analysts say Wellington is reluctant to promote any formal agreement with Washington or invite public debate on the issue, even as both governments have confirmed that they are “exploring further opportunities” on critical minerals cooperation. In a... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Great Barrier Reef calling: Chinese tourists make Australia a Lunar New Year hotspot China’s travel industry is expecting a sharp increase in visitors to Australia during this month’s extended Lunar New Year holiday, as millions of tourists fan out across the world for a nine-day break. Industry insiders said the lure of wine, seafood, nature and flexible small-group itineraries was driving interest in the island country. Australia is projected to attract “the most travellers from China” during the break, with bookings likely to more than double over last year’s total, according... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia presses Israel’s Herzog for criminal charges over strike killing Zomi Frankcom Australia is demanding criminal charges over a 2024 Israeli air strike on an aid convoy in Gaza that killed seven people, including an Australian aid worker, the country’s prime minister said on Wednesday in a case that has drawn sweeping condemnation and strained relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he conveyed the request to visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a meeting earlier in the day. Australian Zomi Frankcom was one of four World Central... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia demands answers from Laos over methanol poisoning ‘injustice’ Australia has summoned the Laotian ambassador to protest against what a victim’s family described as an “absolute injustice” after 10 people linked to a deadly methanol poisoning case received suspended sentences and fines equivalent to US$130. The case stems from a fatal incident in the riverside town of Vang Vieng, a popular tourist destination in Laos, in November 2024. Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, died after drinking methanol-tainted alcohol at Nana... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Israeli President Herzog’s visit to Australia met with protests 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... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Why Australia is picking up tab for Philippine military upgrades Australia has emerged as an alternate defence partner to long-time US ally the Philippines amid mounting uncertainty over American commitment to security in the Indo-Pacific. Canberra’s evolving ties with Manila hinge on its own strategic interests that may now align more closely with the Southeast Asian country’s than even those of Washington, observers say. Australia has committed to building eight infrastructure projects this year at five military bases in Luzon. Canberra will lead the... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Why the new US-India trade agreement is a big deal For the India-China-US triangle, the new US-India trade deal, announced with Trumpian flourish on social media on Monday, has potentially significant economic, geopolitical and strategic implications. US President Donald Trump’s post, which came after a phone call with Narendra Modi, said the Indian prime minister had committed to “BUY AMERICAN”, including over US$500 billion of US products. It also said Modi had “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian drug lord Tony Mokbel walks free: ‘I don’t regret anything’ One of Australia’s most famous gangsters walked free on Friday after prosecutors said they would drop a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges. Sixty-year-old Tony Mokbel – a key figure in Melbourne’s years-long gangland war – was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate. But his case fell apart after it was revealed that his high-profile lawyer at the time, Nicola Gobbo, was feeding information to police while supposedly defending her... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia, Indonesia sign deal to extend security cooperation in ‘watershed moment’ Australia and Indonesia’s leaders signed a security deal on Friday, one of a series of agreements that Canberra has secured with neighbouring countries to reinforce ties and limit China’s influence in the region. At a signing ceremony, President Prabowo Subianto met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said before he travelled to Jakarta that the pact was a “watershed moment” in ties. It “represents a major extension of our security and defence cooperation and demonstrates that our relationship... Source: © SCMP News |
 | China ties make Darwin Port a bigger test for Australia than Panama port dispute: analysts Any decision by Australia to regain control of Darwin Port is likely to differ from Panama’s move to nullify a contract on its geostrategically vital canal, as fears of Chinese retaliation and a limited security consensus limit Canberra’s options, analysts said – though they warned the issue could still reopen strains in the bilateral relationship. Panama’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday against a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, ending its rights to operate two ports on the... Source: © SCMP News |
 | ‘Superhuman’ teen swims 4 hours to save family swept out to sea in Australia Rescuers praised a teenage boy’s “superhuman” survival instincts after he swam four hours through choppy waters off Australia to find help for his family. The 13-year-old boy swam 4km (2.5 miles) back to shore to raise the alarm after his mother and two younger siblings were swept out to sea while kayaking and paddleboarding near the Western Australian tourist town of Quindalup. Marine rescue volunteer Paul Bresland said the teenager’s four-hour swim saved his family, who were eventually found... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian woman dies after getting caught in Japan ski lift An Australian woman died after her backpack caught on a ski lift on a Japanese mountain and she became suspended mid-air, police said on Monday. The 22-year-old woman was preparing to get off the lift on Friday morning at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Hakuba Valley, a popular ski destination in the central region of Nagano. But a loose buckle from her backpack became caught in the lift chair, according to the lift operator, Tsugaike Gondola Lift. The woman, who had secured the rucksack with a... Source: © SCMP News |
 | How changing tastes in China are hitting Australia’s wine exports Subdued Chinese demand was a key contributor to a decline in Australia’s wine exports last year, according to the Australian government agency that promotes the industry. With consumer sentiment and evolving tastes reshaping the Chinese market, shipments to mainland China fell 17 per cent year on year to A$755 million (US$532.10 million) – the biggest single factor in an 8 per cent fall in Australia’s total wine exports last year – Wine Australia said in a report released on Wednesday. The weak... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Trump’s power politics is paving the way to a G2 world order with China At Davos, US President Donald Trump declared he had “always had a very good relationship with President Xi” Jinping, calling the Chinese leader “an incredible man”, “highly respected by everybody”. Trump also praised TikTok’s decision to transfer parts of its US business to a consortium of US investors, thanking Xi on social media. This broadly friendly rhetoric is likely to be a signal of Washington’s keen interest in finalising a trade deal with the world’s second-largest economy. Trump’s... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia swelters as temperatures near 50 degrees in record-breaking heatwave 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... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australian boy, 12, dies a week after shark attack in Sydney Harbour 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,”... Source: © SCMP News |
 | New Zealand landslide: human remains found as operations move from rescue to recovery New Zealand police have found human remains beneath mud and debris from a landslide that struck a campsite in the popular holiday spot of Mount Maunganui, and are now moving to recover more victims. Efforts to rescue at least six people buried alive at the park ended on Saturday. Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said it could take several days to locate all of the bodies, after a mountain of dirt and debris tumbled onto a campsite in Mount Maunganui on Thursday. Anderson said it was... Source: © SCMP News |
 | 3 killed in shooting in Australia, manhunt under way 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... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Several people feared buried in landslide-hit New Zealand campsite Rescuers in New Zealand searched on Thursday for several people missing, including children, following a landslide at a campsite as heavy rains caused widespread damage and left thousands without power. Homes were evacuated and roads closed as the heavy rain hit almost the entire eastern seaboard of the North Island. The landslide happened at 9.30am local time, sending rubble barrelling down on the campsite in Mount Maunganui, a popular tourist spot on the northern coast of New Zealand. One... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia deports Malaysian man caught with child sexual abuse material A 26-year-old Malaysian has been deported from Australia after border authorities found over 100 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his mobile phone. The man arrived in Sydney and was selected for a device examination by the Australian Border Force (ABF). “On his phone, officers allegedly found over 100 images of CSAM, including anime and AI-generated pictures,” the ABF said in a statement. “The man was detained for questioning then sent back to Malaysia. This also resulted in the... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia stiffens hate crime, gun laws after Bondi Jewish festival shooting 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,... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Boy, 12, ‘fighting for life’ after Sydney Harbour shark attack 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... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Australia faces record guns as Bondi massacre prompts reform 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... Source: © SCMP News |