Why Australia’s opposition is vying for votes on Chinese social media

With days left to the election, Australian opposition candidates have been wooing a crucial group that turned its back on the conservative Liberal-National coalition in the last election: Chinese Australian voters.

And they are trying to reach them on platforms that their…[Read more]

Coalition pledges mortgage interest rate relief, tax cut during campaign launch

The Coalition has kicked off its 2025 federal election campaign in Sydney with several major cost-of-living measures announced.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton today already unveiled his plan to deliver a once-off $1200 tax relief and used the campaign launch to a…[Read more]

Labor reveals $1k tax write-off without receipts for every worker, five per cent house deposits during campaign launch

A re-elected Labor government will push for an automatic $1000 tax deduction for every Australian taxpayer, Anthony Albanese announced today during his official campaign launch in Perth.
After the federal government pledged to g…[Read more]

Dai-ichi Life to take 15% stake in Australian insurer

Dai-ichi Life Holdings Inc will take a 15.1 percent stake in an Australian life insurer, aiming to expand its overseas reach to offset the shrinking domestic market constrained by Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population.

The Japanese life insurer said in a statement that it will…[Read more]

Innovation over tradition sending Dassai sake to the moon

If humans eventually colonize the moon, the early settlers might toast their success with a bottle of sake, realizing the dream of brewer Asahi Shuzo Co.

Yamaguchi-based Asahi Shuzo, known for its Dassai sake brand, in February took a leap forward, unveiling at an event in Tokyo a bottle…[Read more]

Emperor explores his symbolic role in trips to mourn war dead

As Emperor Naruhito travels across the country to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, he is expected to explore how best to pass down memories of the conflict and work for peace in his role as a “symbol” of the country now most of its people belong to…[Read more]

Verstappen wins Japanese GP to close championship gap on Norris

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen led from pole to checkered flag to win the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, his first victory of the 2025 season, with McLaren’s Lando Norris second.

The Dutch Red Bull driver crossed the finish line almost 1.5 seconds in front of Briton…[Read more]

Japan refuses to say if other nations may join fighter jet program

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani has refused to comment on the prospect of other countries joining Japan, Britain and Italy in their joint next-generation fighter jet development program in the future.

“We are not at the stage to talk about participation by third countries such as…[Read more]

Some ETC lanes on expressways in 7 prefectures closed after system failure

A system failure on Sunday morning caused the closure of ETC-only lanes at some toll gates on expressways in seven prefectures —Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu and Mie.

According to Nagoya-based Central Nippon Expressway, the ETC system failure o…[Read more]

Coalition abandons ‘end’ to work from home, walks back 41,000 job cuts

A Coalition demand for “all” public servants to return to the office has been abandoned, and the party has beat a major retreat on its promise to slash 41,000 Commonwealth jobs.

The Coalition has committed the about-face one week into the federal election campaign, after its…[Read more]

Four rescued from rubble after mine collapse in Sydney’s south

Four men have been buried under rubble hundreds of metres underground, at a mine near Picton on the outskirts of Sydney’s south-west.
Investigations are under way into what caused part of the roof to collapse.
The group became trapped about 3am deep below the surface of GM3’s Appin…[Read more]

Australia is in an extinction crisis – why isn’t it an issue at this election?

Most parliamentarians might be surprised to learn it, but Australians care about nature. Late last year, the not-for-profit Biodiversity Council commissioned a survey of 3,500 Australians – three times the size of the oft-cited Newspoll and representative of the entir…[Read more]

‘More will come to us now’: what does Le Pen verdict mean for far-right’s future?

Near a roast chicken stand at a rural market, Jocelyn Dessigny was giving out leaflets bearing a photograph of the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and the words “Save democracy!”

“It is a political attack,” he said of Le Pen’s criminal conviction this…[Read more]

Nationwide “Hands Off” anti-Trump protests gather thousands of people

Around 1,200 “Hands Off!” protests are planned across the U.S. on Saturday, reflecting growing opposition to President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser, Elon Musk, over their controversial policy changes. Protests are also organized globally. Bob Vallier, a spokesperson…[Read more]

Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk challenges detention in Boston court

A Tufts University student from Türkiye, who was arrested last week in Massachusetts by U.S. immigration officials after advocating for Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza, challenged her arrest and the rapid transfer out of Massachusetts as being unlawful, according to a rep…[Read more]

Over 100 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes hit school, homes

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 100 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including 27 or more sheltering at a school, the Palestinian medical authorities reported.

The bodies of 14 children and five women were recovered from the school in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza…[Read more]

Trump’s baseline tariff plays to Turkey’s advantage, vice president says

The relatively low 10% baseline tariff that the United States has applied to Turkey could favour Turkish exporters, Turkey’s vice president told broadcaster CNN Turk on Saturday.
Along with the baseline tariff that took effect on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump has…[Read more]

First German woman in space returns to Earth

Scientist Rabea Rogge landed back on the coast of California after four days of orbiting above the Earth. The mission included three other astronauts, all associates of billionaire Chun Wang.

Rabea Rogge, a 29-year-old robotics researcher from Berlin who became the first German woman in space,…[Read more]

Bosnian Serbs declare German official persona non grata

German Secretary of State for European Affairs Anna Lührmann was expelled from the Serb entity of Bosnia in retaliation for German sanctions against the Bosnian Serb leadership.

Bosnian Serb police on Friday expelled a top German foreign ministry official from Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia…[Read more]