Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during the Quad leaders' summit in Tokyo on May 24.
International relations

Australia's Albanese grabs torch on climate change in Quad debut

New PM calls issue 'main' Pacific challenge, striking different tone from Morrison

24 May 2022
Penny Wong smiles as she introduces Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese ahead of his election victory speech early Sunday in Sydney.
Indo-Pacific

Who is Penny Wong, Australia's new foreign minister?

Born in Malaysia, the openly gay lawmaker is likely to be tested by Beijing

24 May 2022
Fumio Kishida, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden and Narendra Modi speak to each other after meeting at Kantei Palace in Tokyo on May 24: Drawing India into anything approaching an alliance to contain China will never work. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Opinion

Shared unease over China helps the Quad come of age

Possible future members include South Korea and the U.K.

24 May 2022
"Teal" independent candidate Zoe Daniel celebrates her election win on Saturday in Melbourne.
Australia election

How Australian women helped Labor win 'gender quake' election

Hoping for more integrity, climate action, voters backed female 'teal' candidates

23 May 2022
Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese during the second leaders' debate of the 2022 federal election campaign at the Nine studio in Sydney on May 8.
Australia election

Who is Anthony Albanese, Australia's new prime minister?

Raised by a single mom, 59-year-old is set to make diplomatic debut in Tokyo on Tuesday

23 May 2022
The new Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has pledged tax relief for more than 9 million Australians with incomes above a certain threshold. (Source photos by Reuters)
Markets

Australian market calm as Anthony Albanese becomes prime minister

Labor's economic policies 'not radically different' but clear win soothes nerves

23 May 2022
Australian Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese, center, shakes hands with a voter outside a polling station during Saturday's election.
Australia election

Australia's allies congratulate Albanese with all eyes on China

Early signs hint at Beijing's hopes for better ties after Morrison's election loss

22 May 2022
Anthony Albanese, leader of Australia's Labor Party, addresses supporters in Sydney after winning the federal election.
Australia election

Labor wins Australia election to end 9 years of conservative rule

Anthony Albanese is set to become nation's next prime minister

21 May 2022
Voters cast their ballots on the morning of the federal election at a Bondi Beach polling station in Sydney on Saturday.
Australia election

Australians cast ballots in vote to pick new prime minister

Labor has a lead in opinion polls, but the conservative coalition is closing gap

21 May 2022
An electron microscopic image shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virus particles as well as crescents and spherical particles of immature virions, obtained from a clinical human skin sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. 
Society

WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases cross 100 in Europe

Cause still unclear for rare outbreak of viral disease outside Africa

21 May 2022
"Teal independent" candidate for Zoe Daniel speaks to supporters in April.
Australia election

Australia's Labor, 'teal independents' tap female voter frustration

Harassment scandals, ugly statistics offer opening against ruling coalition

20 May 2022
Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of the software group Atlassian, has committed 1.5 billion Australian dollars ($1.05 billion) to climate projects. (Source photos by Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Software billionaire takes on Australia's biggest carbon emitter

Mike Cannon-Brookes uses election-style tactics in bid to halt AGL's coal power demerger

20 May 2022
An East Timor flag is displayed on independence day.
International relations

China looms large in East Timor 20 years after independence

By strengthening commercial ties, Beijing raises presence in western Pacific

20 May 2022
Labor leader Anthony Albanese, left, and Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison are both seeking to assure voters that they can manage difficult relations with China. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images)
Australia election

China on the ballot in Australia as Solomons pact upends debate

Labor shares Liberals' hawkish tone but looks set to pursue more regional diplomacy

19 May 2022
A woman pumps gas in Sydney on March 29. Rising gasoline prices are contributing to a crisis in the cost of living in Australia.
Australia election

Soaring cost of living hangs over Australian election

The winner of Saturday's poll will have to tackle accelerating inflation

18 May 2022
Scott Morrison waves during the campaign launch in Brisbane on May 15: Morrison made a late bid for momentum.
Opinion

Australia's election is a contest about character and competence

Six-week campaign has been uninspiring and at times unedifying

18 May 2022
Kansai International Airport in Osaka. The government will develop guidelines for businesses based on the results of the project involving visitors from four countries. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Coronavirus

Japan to test accepting tourists from Singapore, Thailand and more

U.S., Australia included in trial letting in small groups ahead of easing in June

17 May 2022
One challenge for countries like Australia is that Pacific states do not view relationships "as a choice or a swap," but rather additions to existing cooperation, said Lowy Institute research fellow Mihai Sora.
Asia Insight

Paradise lost? China, the Solomons and the battle for the Pacific

Security pact tests old benefactors like Australia amid vaccine diplomacy rush

17 May 2022
Australia's next prime minister will be either incumbent Scott Morrison, left, or Labor leader Anthony Albanese. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Australia election

Economy key to Australian election: 5 things to know

National security vis-a-vis China also a big challenge for next government

16 May 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden is set to visit South Korea and Japan this week as he looks to shore up Washington's alliances in Asia.
Your Week in Asia

Biden's Asia trip, Australia election, APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

15 May 2022
Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the media at Parliament House on April 10: The threat the teal independents pose to the government's reelection chances is real.
Opinion

Rise of teal independents upsets Australian political orthodoxy

New breed of candidates have galvanized middle-class voters

9 May 2022
Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese speaks during the party's election campaign launch in Perth on May 1 ahead of the federal election on May 21.
International relations

Australian opposition blames PM Morrison for Solomons 'failure'

Containing Chinese influence in Pacific becomes key issue in upcoming election

4 May 2022
Qantas is betting on demand for nonstop flights to London and New York on the long-range Airbus A350-1000. (Photo courtesy of Qantas)
Transportation

Australia's Qantas orders Airbus jets for ultra long-haul flights

Airline plans service from Sydney to London and New York by end of 2025

2 May 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden speaking in September 2021 about a national security initiative, joined virtually by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
2 May 2022
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to a crowd of children in Bathurst, Australia, during their royal tour in February 1954. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Australia's republican quandary: how to pick a president

Voters are in no rush to dump the British monarchy, despite demographic change

27 April 2022