Australia

February 28, 2025 11:36 AM

China will not apologise for military drills off Australia’s east, ambassador says

China's ambassador to Australia said on Friday his country had no reason to apologise for the military drills it conducted in international waters between Australia and New Zealand that forced at least 49 flights to change path. Both Australia and New Zealand have raised concerns with Beijing on the rare live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea last week, saying they did not receive adequate notice from China's navy. Ambassador Xiao Qian said China's navy conducted drills that complied with internat...

February 21, 2025 8:03 PM

Airlines warned as Chinese navy holds live-fire exercises off Australia

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised concerns with her Chinese counterpart on Friday over inadequate notice given by the Chinese navy of a rare live-fire exercise in international waters between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights. Airlines including Qantas, Emirates and Air New Zealand modified flight paths between Australia and New Zealand on Friday after China broadcast a message that its navy would hold live-fire exercises off Australia's New South Wal...

January 22, 2025 9:57 AM

Quad leaders reaffirm commitment to strengthen free and open Indo-Pacific

The United States, Australia, India and Japan recommitted to working together on Tuesday, after the first meeting of the "Quad" grouping's top diplomats since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. In a joint statement after the talks in Washington, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first day in the job, the foreign ministers of the Quad reiterated their shared commitment to fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific where "sovereignty and territorial integrity are u...

November 26, 2024 11:37 AM

Cricket-Stick or twist? Australia digests Perth mauling

After fixating obsessively over one spot in the batting order for the best part of the spring, Australia's media pundits and cricket fans have been handed a plethora of talking points by the abject defeat in the first test against India. India's 295-run victory was sealed inside four days at Perth Stadium on Monday, shattering Australian confidence that Pat Cummins's team could halt the long run of series losses at the hands of the game's financial superpower. If the humiliation of India being...

November 25, 2024 12:14 PM

Swimmer McKeon retires as Australia’s most successful Olympian

Australia's most decorated Olympian, Emma McKeon, announced her retirement from all forms of swimming on Monday (November 25), bringing an end to a glittering career in which she won 14 medals at three Olympics and 20 at world championships. The 30-year-old sprinter had signalled her retirement earlier this year at the Paris Olympics after winning a gold, silver and bronze in relays to help Australia to its most successful Summer Games. McKeon missed out on the London Olympics as a teenager bu...

November 17, 2024 1:37 PM

Australia, Japan, US reaffirm commitment to support India’s maritime surveillance in Indo-Pacific

Australia, Japan, and the United States on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to support India’s maritime surveillance efforts in the Indo-Pacific region while recognising the importance of closer collaboration in the field. Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, Japanese Defence Minister Nakatani Gen, and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin III convened the fourteenth Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting (TDMM) on Sunday in Darwin, Australia. “We commit ...

November 14, 2024 3:57 PM

Over half of Australian species decline following 2019-20 megafires: report

Over half of Australia’s animal and plant species experienced population declines following the 2019-20 megafires, according to new research. The study, published by Melbourne’s Deakin University in Nature, analyzed the impact of the Black Summer bushfires on 1,380 animal and plant species across Australia, as reported by Xinhua News Agency. Findings show that 55 percent of species experienced declines after the fires, either due to reduced overall abundance or occupying fewer sites. The ...

November 5, 2024 10:24 AM

Australia, India say US election result won’t impact Quad group

Australia and India's foreign ministers said on Tuesday they were confident the Quad group of the U.S., India, Australia and Japan would continue to cooperate in the Indo-Pacific region regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Canberra she had met Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State in the previous Trump Administration, ahead of the U.S. election and had "a very good discussion". "One of the priorities for ...