Merz floats Plaza Accord redux to tame China’s trade practices

Trade tensions between the EU and China are deepening. On June 16, the EU’s trade chief, Maros Sefcovic, said the bloc’s unbalanced trade relationship with…

Hong Kong 47: Former Democratic Party chair released from prison after serving time over landmark national security case

Wu Chi-wai, an ex-lawmaker and former chair of the now-defunct Democratic Party, has been released from prison after serving almost four and a half years…

China’s currency stance could cost it lost decades

China may be facing a confusing short circuit in its economic and political calculations that could seriously harm the nation over the next few years.…

Rex misled market with big talk before $31.7m loss

Australia's corporate regulator has succeeded in a case against a cash-strapped carrier, which boasted it would deliver profits before turning in a large loss.

Hong Kong activist Jimmy Sham questioned for over 20 hours at Japan airport due to national security conviction

Jimmy Sham, one of the activists convicted in Hong Kong’s largest national security law, was held for over 20 hours of questioning at a Japan…

LIVE: Trump’s Reflecting Pool MESS to be drained AGAIN for repairs with same no-bid contractor

Shark-spotting drones are about reassurance – not full protection

NSW will soon have the world’s largest shark-spotting drone program. But spotting doesn’t necessarily translate to protection.

Chilling effect. A million health workers at risk if they criticise Israel

AHPRA has been hijacked by a lobby group agitating on behalf of a foreign country adopting a controversial definition of antisemitism.

Arizona Supreme Court upholds dark money law, allows free speech challenge to proceed

The Arizona Supreme Court on Monday dismissed most of the challenges to a voter-approved anti-dark-money law, but allowed one of the challenges from deep-pocketed conservative…

Pope Leo: human dignity in the AI age

This is the first part of a series. Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical offers theological and humanistic insights into the potential and risks of artificial…

In Photos: Northeast Thailand’s Rocket Festival

The annual bung bang fai festival calls on the god Phaya Thaen to bring rain at the start of the agricultural season.

Distance can no longer be NZ’s defence strategy. Could Japan be part of the answer?

As China projects power further into the Pacific, New Zealand can no longer treat distance as a substitute for defence strategy.

By 2050, many Sydney apartments built to today’s standards could be too hot for weeks at a time

Apartments built to today’s standards could be too hot for future comfort for about four weeks a year in Redfern and more than seven weeks…

Little hits in sports may be just as dangerous as concussions – and can lead to brain damage

The crisis of long-term brain damage in Australian contact sports may be deepening, and authorities must do more.

BFD LIVE: CULTURED EDITION

Fill up now: driver warning before fuel excise slashed

Families heading off on school holidays are being advised to fill up their cars now before the fuel excise is halved, bumping up prices at…

Aussie shares flat as gold falls to fresh 8-month low

The main stock exchange index was lower at noon, after gold stocks dropped sharply as the price of the metal fell to its lowest level…

School voucher special session deal is likely dead in the water

A plan by Republican lawmakers to call a special session of the Arizona Legislature to strike a deal with the state’s largest teachers union to…

Thousands of people in northern Lebanon celebrate Brazil’s victory over Japan

Australia was built on migration, but it’s long been a love-hate relationship

History shows immigration policy in Australia is full of yes-no contradictions: fear jostling with hope, exclusion with openness.