Production at Colombia's Cerrejon coal mine is due to decline significantly after 2030, according to Glencore.
Climate Change

BHP dumps Colombian coal mine in carbon exit drive

With $294m sale, project partner Glencore becomes sole owner of Cerrejon coal mine

1 July 2021
The University of Sydney campus: Human Rights Watch warns the Chinese government is encroaching on academic freedom in Australia.
International relations

China's long arm squeezes Australia academic freedom: rights group

Human Rights Watch says students face harassment, fear being reported to Beijing

30 June 2021
A Chinese submarine off Qingdao: An Australian research body has called off a project with the Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, amid security concerns.
International relations

China-Australia ties plumb new depths over subs, trade and coral

Cancellation of joint Antarctic research raises concerns about slippery slope

26 June 2021
Shlomi Bonet on his rural property with the two halves of the "mystery" tombstone. (All photos by Ian Neubauer) 
Tea Leaves

A broken old gravestone may tell a desperate tale

Mystery tombstone could suggest posthumous social shaming across the ages

23 June 2021
Sunset at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory in the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran, New South Wales. (Photo by Filippo Rivetti, courtesy of Destination NSW)
Life

Australia's first 'dark sky park' draws in stargazers

Astronomy in focus atop the Warrumbungle mountains

23 June 2021
Participating businesses will pursue projects for pumping carbon dioxide into the ground near where it is emitted and for liquefying CO2 so that it can be shipped to countries with plenty of room to store it. 
Climate Change

100-plus Asian companies share tech in carbon storage push

Public-private project to move CO2 via pipeline and sea to sequestration facilities

22 June 2021
Jacinda Ardern and Scott Morrison, pictured during the Australia-New Zealand Leaders Meeting in Queenstown on May 31: Prime Ministers of both countries gave a joint statement focusing on their unity of vision with a wider array of friends.
Opinion

Five Eyes must protect unrivaled intelligence-sharing network

Claims that the grouping is an Anglo-Saxon clique are fundamentally wrong

21 June 2021
Bottles of Australian wine are seen at a store in Beijing: Australia's diplomatic relations with China, its largest trading partner, have worsened since Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus. 
Trade

Australia takes wine dispute with China to WTO

Canberra opposes Beijing's imposition of anti-dumping duties

19 June 2021
New South Wales, home to the University of Sydney, would bring in up to 250 international students every two weeks under a recently announced pilot program. (Photo by Fumi Matsumoto)
Education

Foreign student crisis spurs Australian states to reopen doors

Schools in study-abroad hub lose jobs and vital tuition revenue amid lockdown

18 June 2021
Australia's latest mouse plague is wreaking social and economic havoc in New South Wales, the country's most populous state. (Photo courtesy of CSIRO)
Life

Australia's mouse plague highlights low-tech responses in high-tech era

Infestation brings despair to farmers but deadly chemical solution may be poisoned chalice

17 June 2021
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga meeting one on one in Cornwall, England on June 13. (Photo courtesy of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office)
Indo-Pacific

Middle powers Japan and Australia lift relationship to new heights

Quasi-allies seek to augment US relationship, but also hedge against abandonment

16 June 2021
The parody of da Vinci's "The Last Supper" mocks members of the Group of Seven along with partners Australia and India.
International relations

'Last G-7': China revels in parody mocking US and allies

Viral cartoon shows bald eagle with money printer as host in satirical Last Supper

16 June 2021
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and Akira Amari attend a meeting Tuesday of the Japan-Australia Diet Members League. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Politics

Abe and allies shape Indo-Pacific policy from shadow of parliament

Japan's 'three As,' including Deputy PM Aso and tax chief Amari, wield clout

12 June 2021
From right: Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Marise Payne meet virtually on Wednesday.
International relations

Taiwan features in Japan-Australia 2+2 statement

Partners tout defense cooperation, express concern over East and South China seas

10 June 2021
Escalators connect floors in Grand Central Terminal as part of the East Side Access, a train tunnel that will connect rail yards in Queens with Grand Central in New York. 
Belt and Road

Biden pushes Belt and Road rival 'Blue Dot' with Japan and Australia

Michelin star-like certification to cheer transparent and sustainable infrastructure

9 June 2021
Banpu has announced the purchase of the Manildra solar farm and another New South Wales site. (Photo courtesy of Banpu)
Energy

Thai coal major Banpu aims for 6-fold solar growth with Aussie deal

Group looks to diversify away from source of 80% of its revenue

9 June 2021
Michael Smith's new book, "The Last Correspondent: Dispatches from the Frontline of Xi's New China," is an important contribution to a divisive, and damaging, debate in Australia. (Nikkei Asia montage; source photo by William Hui)
Arts

Book review: Correspondent's account highlights mystery of explusion from Shanghai

Reporter's forced exit from the country raises key questions about deterioration of Sino-Australian ties

6 June 2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reviews the Brexit trade deal with the EU that he signed at number 10 Downing Street in London, on Dec. 30.
Trade

UK knocks on TPP door harder after EU exports fall 16%

Britain also nearing trade deals with India and Australia

4 June 2021
Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, left, and Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa: The former has refused to step aside after the latter narrowly won the island nation's election. (Source photos by Akira Kodaka and AP)
Politics

With dueling PMs, Samoa's democratic crisis drags on

Election winner Fiame gains legal and church support as incumbent refuses to quit

2 June 2021
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison poses with New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern before talks in Queenstown, New Zealand, on May 31.
International relations

Australia and New Zealand tout Indo-Pacific ties, reject 'coercion'

At summit, neighbors raise China human rights while sidestepping differences

31 May 2021
Scott Morrison's assertion that the aid package will secure a "boost to Australia's long-term fuel security by locking in the future" of its refining sector seems less plausible.
Opinion

Australia throws good money after bad propping up local oil refineries

Canberra should know by now that "fuel security" is a mirage

28 May 2021
Landbridge Group executive Vincent Lai warned the company will demand compensation if Australia cancels its lease over Darwin Port. 
International relations

Chinese owner of Australia's Darwin Port rejects security worry

Landbridge executive insists 99-year lease 'purely commercial'

26 May 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison: If Canberra follows allies in adopting Magnitsky-style sanctions, it could create yet another flashpoint in the countries' tense ties.
Asia Insight

Australia pressed to dispense 'bitter pill' Xinjiang sanctions

Morrison faces calls to match allies' Magnitsky laws but risks China backlash

25 May 2021
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa is expected to become Samoa's first female prime minister after winning an election and two Supreme Court rulings, but the incumbent is resisting the transition.
Politics

Samoa PM-elect locked out of parliament amid 'bloodless coup' fears

Two landmark Supreme Court rulings so far fail to dislodge incumbent

24 May 2021
Suncity Group is the biggest junket agency in Macao and runs its own casino resorts in Vietnam and Russia, with a third under construction in Manila.
Travel & Leisure

Macao gambling group retreats from Japan bid amid controversies

Suncity ties withdrawal to COVID impact and delays in licensing process

23 May 2021