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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Australia

Australia PM calls election for May 3, amid inflation and housing challenges

The PM’s Labour Party is seeking a second term, but many expect the opposition conservative coalition to pick up seats.

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Australia

Australia to warn young travellers about methanol poisoning after Laos deaths

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Australia

Australian air force monitored Chinese navy’s live-fire drills: defence pilots

Pacific nations

Pacific nation’s Facebook blackout tied to content ‘control’ experiment

Meta’s Facebook and Messenger remained inaccessible to users in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, over 24 hours after mysteriously going offline.

PNG did not provide details of how the police tested “control systems” to regulate use of content on Facebook. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/dpa
PNG did not provide details of how the police tested “control systems” to regulate use of content on Facebook. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/dpa
Australia

US missiles give Australia ‘tenfold’ strike increase amid defence spending boost

Australia’s government described Himars as a ‘game changer’, as it teased a multibillion-dollar defence spending boost in Tuesday’s budget.

New Zealand

Ghostly guides invoke tragic tales of New Zealand’s parliament

Visitors who take part in the ‘spooky tours’ hear spine-chilling stories of mysterious deaths and late-night apparitions in Wellington.

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Australia

Australia’s two-party system faces its biggest challenge yet: young people

Angry and frustrated young Australians want to make mainstream politicians ‘feel their hurt’ in this year’s election, observers say.

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School students attend a climate rally in Melbourne. For the first time, baby boomers will be outnumbered by millennials and Gen Z voters at Australia’s next federal elections. Photo: AFP
School students attend a climate rally in Melbourne. For the first time, baby boomers will be outnumbered by millennials and Gen Z voters at Australia’s next federal elections. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Australian tourist killed as boat capsizes off Indonesia’s Bali

The boat was travelling to Nusa Penida, a popular island near Bali, on Friday morning when it was hit by a large wave.

New Zealand

Fin-tastic: world’s ugliest animal wins New Zealand’s fish of the year

The quirky deep-sea blobfish beat the orange roughy to claim the honour.

Australia

Openly gay Australian football player still faces online death threats

Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United, was 21 in 2021 when he decided to come out.

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Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United, was 21 in 2021 when he decided to come out. Photo: via AP
Pacific nations

Another tiny Pacific nation courts China for deep-sea mining riches

With a seabed rich in cobalt, nickel and copper, Kiribati is seeking new partners after a previous deal with a Canadian company fell through.

Kiritimati Island, which forms part of the Republic of Kiribati. Photo: Shutterstock
Kiritimati Island, which forms part of the Republic of Kiribati. Photo: Shutterstock
Pacific nations

Scientists think they’ve finally figured out how iguanas got to Fiji

Most modern-day iguanas live in the Americas – thousands of miles and one giant ocean away from the collection of remote Pacific islands.

Australia

Hot weather is bad for your heart, Australian study finds

‘When the weather is hot, our hearts must work harder to help us cool down,’ said Professor Peng Bi, one of the study’s authors.

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Donald Trump

New Zealand PM says trade wars will cause ‘serious headwinds’ to global economy

‘Geopolitical calculations are being totally upended,’ Christopher Luxon says, calling Indo-Pacific pacts key to weathering any instability.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Australia

Australian woman admits trying to sell human toes she found in dog vomit

Joanna Kinman was working at an animal shelter at the time. She faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

The woman working at an animal shelter in Victoria state when two dogs reportedly regurgitated the toes and other human remains in February 2024. Photo: Shutterstock
The woman working at an animal shelter in Victoria state when two dogs reportedly regurgitated the toes and other human remains in February 2024. Photo: Shutterstock
Australia

US influencer who snatched baby wombat in Australia apologises

Sam Jones, who sparked outrage with a video showing her running from the mother wombat with a joey in her hands, has left the country.

Australia

Australia boosts military firepower with anti-ship missiles after China drill

Soldiers will be armed with anti-ship missiles and advanced targeting radars to counter Beijing’s naval presence.

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Australia

‘It looked dreadful’: fury in Australia after US influencer hounds baby wombat

Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the visitor to ‘leave the baby wombat alone’ after a video of her harassing the marsupial went viral.

A baby wombat at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo in Australia. Photo: AFP
A baby wombat at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo in Australia. Photo: AFP
Australia

His heart will go on: Australian man survives for 105 days with titanium heart

The artificial heart uses magnetic levitation – the same technology used in high-speed trains – to pump blood around the body.

Australia

Trump dashed its hopes for tariff relief, but Australia says it won’t hit back

Australian PM Anthony Albanese called US tariffs ‘entirely unjustified’, but said imposing duties on US imports would only hurt consumers.

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Australia

Terrorism or trickery? Australia’s antisemitic crime wave may have been a hoax

Police say an explosives-filled caravan they found was part of a ‘criminal con job’, with those arrested motivated more by money than hate.

A man is arrested in Sydney on Monday following a months-long wave of antisemitic crimes in Australia. Photo: New South Wales Police via AP
Australia

‘Chaotic’ Trump gives China’s Xi global relations ‘advantage’: ex-Australian PM

Malcolm Turnbull said Trump’s erratic behaviour towards allies creates an opportunity for China’s Xi Jinping, who presents a more consistent and respectful alternative.

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US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan in June 2019. Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan in June 2019. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump

Fractures threaten Five Eyes’ future as Trump’s ‘America first’ era unfolds

With questions being raised about Canada’s continued membership, doubts cloud the integrity of the decades-old intelligence-sharing alliance.

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Australia

Cyclone approaching Australia east coast weakens to tropical system

Tropical Cyclone Alfred was expected to be the first cyclone to cross the east Australian coast near the Queensland state capital since 1974.

New Zealand

Beware China’s hold on Pacific, New Zealand spy chief warns

Security Intelligence Service head also has his eye on Cook Islands’ ties with Beijing.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown (left) in Harbin, China, on February 14. Photo: Xinhua
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