In four prominent cases in recent months, Chinese students at Australian universities have complained about teaching materials being incorrect or insulting to China. The incidents have gained increasing attention in both nations, especially in the media, and forced apologies or statements from the universities. In the most recent case, a lecturer upset Chinese international students […]

Hong Kong is now in its eighth week of street protests, which began with opposition to a controversial extradition bill but have spiralled into wider opposition to the government and Beijing. As the situation grows yet more tense, the impact is also being felt overseas, particularly among the hundreds of thousands of mainland Chinese and […]

BRISBANE, Australia — The Chinese nationalists disrupting pro-Hong Kong democracy rallies at the University of Queensland arrived 300 strong, with a speaker to blast China’s national anthem. They deferred to a leader in a pink shirt. And their tactics included violence. One video from the scene shows a student from Hong Kong being grabbed by […]

Australia will go to the polls on 18 May at a time when many Australians have big questions about their country and who leads it. Here’s a visual look at some key issues and themes which could shape the outcome. Who’s in charge? It’s only a mild overstatement to suggest that Australia has adopted a […]

The convictions of some of Australia’s most high-profile criminals have been cast into doubt after a lawyer was revealed to be a police informant. The defence barrister, who represented notorious organised crime figures, gave information to Victoria Police between 2005-2009, court documents show. The state government have announced a public inquiry to determine how many […]

Several inmates have been stabbed during a riot at an Australian juvenile detention centre. Police are negotiating with the inmates at the facility north of Sydney and hope the stand-off can be resolved without further injuries, police superintendent John Gralton said. The riot at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre in Karionge started at 8.30pm […]

The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email. This week’s issue is written by Isabella Kwai, a reporter with the Australia bureau. ______ The premise of “Go Back to Where You Came From,” an Australian reality show that debuted in 2011, is instantly intriguing: Six […]

Australian police say preliminary DNA testing has identified remains of a French backpacker who disappeared five months ago. Erwan Ferrieux, 21, went missing along with a British backpacker, Hugo Palmer, north of Sydney. Mr Palmer, 20, remains unaccounted for. Authorities believe the pair may have drowned while swimming at a beach. Bones recovered from the […]

Dozens of Christchurch gun owners have handed over their weapons in exchange for cash in the first of more than 250 planned buyback events. Police say they paid more than NZ$200,000 New Zealand (€119,000) to 68 gun owners in the first couple of hours of the Saturday event. Politicians in the country hastily introduced legislation […]

More than 60 birds have died after “falling from the sky” in a suspected case of poisoning in South Australia, rescuers say. The animals – two species of corella – were discovered near a sports ground in Adelaide on Tuesday and Wednesday. At least 57 of the birds were long-billed corellas, which is a protected […]