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People have gathered in cities around the world, including in Taipei, New York, London and Melbourne, to mark 33 years since China's Tiananmen Square crackdown. Among those attending June 4, 2022, events were immigrants from Hong Kong, where an annual candlelight vigil was banned for the third year in a row. The Hon…
Hong Kong was once the only place on Chinese soil where large-scale commemorations were held to mourn those killed in the June 4, 1989, crackdown on protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Since 1990, football pitches in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park were used as a venue for tens of thousands of people to gather for a…
At least 100 police officers patrolled Victoria Park on June 3, 2022, ahead of the June 4 anniversary that commemorates the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. They also cordoned off parts of the park, restricting public access until June 5. Earlier, a woman was taken away by police after carrying out a perfo…
Foreign ministers of 10 Pacific island nations have failed to endorse a proposed security cooperation deal with China after a meeting with Beijing’s top diplomat in Fiji. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi used a video link on May 30, 2022, for the meeting with his counterparts from Fiji as well as from Samoa, Tonga, …
Famous landmarks around the world were recreated at the Haeundae Sand Festival 2022 in Busan, South Korea. Including Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, the Sydney Opera House and many more, the festival has drawn thousands of visitors. The Haeundae Sand Festival is an environmentally friendly event as each …
Chinese and Russian jet bombers carried out joint flights near Japan on May 24, 2022, during meetings in Tokyo involving US President Joe Biden and the leaders of three major Asia-Pacific countries including Australia, India and Japan. Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said his government expressed “grave concer…
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US President Joe Biden met with Japan’s Emperor Naruhito on May 23, 2022, to outline an economic plan to counter China’s regional influence. The meeting launches Biden’s two-day visit to Japan, which includes discussions with the other Quad alliance nations, India and Australia. A roll-out of the Indo-Pacific Econom…
Anthony Albanese led his centre-left Labor Party to victory in Australia’s federal election on May 21, 2022. Their victory ends almost four years of government under incumbent Liberal-National coalition leader Scott Morrison, who oversaw a period during which the nation’s relations with China fell to what has been d…
The global spread of monkeypox outside Africa is causing alarm, but experts say it is not likely to infect people like the coronavirus epidemic has. First identified in monkeys, monkeypox typically spreads through close contact and largely occurs in west and central Africa. Monkeypox is usually a mild viral illness,…
Australian Liberal parliamentarian Fiona Martin has been accused of confusing two female Asian-Australian candidates after she suggested her opponent, Labor’s Sally Sitou, had lost preselection for candidacy in a Sydney suburb to Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally. During a heated clash on radio, Martin suggested …
Thanks to a mild summer, 2022 was a good vintage for Australian wine. But the ongoing trade dispute between Australia and China has led to millions of grapes being left to rot at vineyards across the country. The mainland Chinese market used to total more than AUS$1 billion (US$700 million) before China more than do…
Passengers on an early morning hot air balloon flight in Melbourne on April 20, 2022 had a lucky escape after a crash landing. All 13 people onboard, including the pilot, were uninjured.
China has confirmed that it signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands on April 19, 2022. China’s plans for such a pact with the Pacific Island nation have been closely watched by the United States and its allies Australia and New Zealand since they were announced in March. Washington has warned that the d…
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has revealed a raft of changes to the city’s Covid-19 pandemic control measures which will start from April, including a reduction in the length of quarantine for people arriving in the city, as well as lifting flight bans on travel from Australia, Canada, France, India, P…
A roadside kitchen near a Kyiv front line feeds more than 5,000 people a day. Victoria Yermakova started the kitchen with her husband after deciding to stay in their homeland and help as volunteers.
On March 9, 2022, the Australian government declared a national emergency in response to floods in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland. Tens of thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate. The flooding has killed 20 people and inundated thousands of homes and facilities since it began in late…
Thousands of people in Australia’s New South Wales and Queensland have been ordered to evacuate after serious flooding that has hit the eastern states since February 26, 2022. As of March 2, the death toll from the floods had risen to at least 12. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from flooded homes and thousands…
After a nearly two-year closure, Australia reopened its international borders to fully vaccinated visa holders on February 21, 2022. But unvaccinated travellers still need to apply for a travel exemption and must pay for their own hotel quarantine. Travellers were greeted with items representing Australia, such as k…
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Scuba diver Simon Nellist died in a shark attack in Little Bay, Sydney, on February 16, 2022, after suffering "catastrophic injuries”, according to police and ambulance services. It’s the first fatal shark attack in the city since 1963. Police said Little Bay has since been closed off. A day after the attack, severa…
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Hong Kong’s Fenwick Pier, which has welcomed foreign navy ships and sailors for decades, will be shut down on February 11, 2022. Owned by the non-profit Servicemen’s Guides Association (SGA), the city’s only American navy pier was built in 1970 on what was once the harbourfront in the Wan Chai district. After Britai…
Images are emerging depicting the aftermath of the massive volcanic eruption off the coast of Tonga on January 15, 2022, and the tsunami waves triggered by the event. The Tongan government’s first report since the eruption has confirmed three deaths as of January 18. The Pacific island nation had been largely cut of…
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Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic flew out of Australia bound for Dubai on January 16, 2022, following a unanimous court ruling rejecting his appeal against the cancellation of his visa, shattering the Serbian’s hopes of defending his title and a record 21st grand slam win at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic has lost his bid to remain in Australia on January 16, 2022, after the Federal Court upheld the government’s decision to cancel the tennis star’s visa.
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic had his visa revoked for a second time on January 14, 2022, just three days before he is due to compete in the Australian Open. Everyone at the tournament, including players and spectators, is required to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
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Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was seen training at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park, Australia on January 11, 2022. The previous day the world No 1 player was released from detention after a court overturned his visa cancellation. Djokovic’s visa to enter Australia was cancelled following questions over th…
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Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has been released from detention and his visa cancellation overturned by a Melbourne court on January 10, 2022. Djokovic was appealing against being barred from entering Australia because he did not get vaccinated. The tennis world No 1 claimed he was granted a medical exemption be…
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced a raft of fresh Covid-19 restrictions on January 5, 2022, as the city rushed to curb the spread of several Omicron variant clusters. The latest measures include reinstating a 6pm curfew on in-person dining, closing bars, clubs and karaoke establishments,…
Keepers at the Australian Reptile Park performed a dangerous nest raid in the alligator lagoon on December 27, 2021. Video showed the keepers jumping on an alligator before removing eggs from a nest to allow them to hatch safely. The reptile park welcomed 20 new male alligators in March 2021, making the year's annua…
Fireworks burst over Sydney, Dubai, Pyongyang, Bangkok, Goa, Taipei, Berlin, Madrid, Copenhagen and Moscow as the clock struck midnight and the world welcomed 2022 after another tumultuous and pandemic-ridden year capped by new restrictions and soaring case numbers.
A fire severely damaged the main entrance of Australia’s Old Parliament House in Canberra on December 30, 2021. Emergency services extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported. Police say the blaze was caused by protestors who have rallied at the heritage site for two weeks. An investigation is still under way.
More than 193kg (425lbs) of crystal methamphetamine were intercepted by Bangkok customs authorities on December 23, 2021. The drug haul, with an estimated street value of almost US$30 million, was hidden inside 15 Thai-made boxing punching bags. The shipment, which was bound for Australia, attracted attention from l…
David Shrimpton is a pastor with a pilot’s licence, who goes by the nickname “Padre Dave”. During the Christmas season, he flies to remote communities in the Australian outback to spread holiday cheer. From farmers, church-goers to non-believers and schoolchildren, Shrimpton is welcomed by the people he meets. Last …
As the US and European countries record hundreds of thousands of infections from the Omicron Covid-19 variant ahead of the holiday season, in the Asia-Pacific region, cases remain relatively low. Many countries have been taking varying approaches to battling the new Covid-19 variant. Data has shown that the AstraZen…
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Hong Kong prosecutors have lost an appeal against a magistrate’s decision in September 2020 clearing media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying of intimidating a reporter in 2017. Lai was accused of verbally threatening the reporter during a 2017 Victoria Park vigil commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown. On appeal, the…
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Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was sentenced to another 13 months behind bars on December 13, 2021, while his seven co-defendants received jail time ranging from 4½ to 14 months for their respective roles in a banned 2020 Tiananmen Square vigil. The 74-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Dai…
Canada and Britain have joined Australia in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing initiated by the US, in response to alleged human rights abuses in China. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on December 8, 2021, that his government was “deeply troubled” by the allegations. But South Ko…
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country is not concerned about China’s rising military capabilities. Putin made the remarks during an investment forum in Moscow on November 30, 2021. He also accused the Aukus military alliance, comprising the United State, Britain and Australia, of fuelling tensions toward…
Since the Omicron coronavirus variant was first identified in South Africa on November 24, 2021, the new strain is being detected in other places around the world. Hong Kong and Australia have reported three and two Omicron cases, respectively. The spread of the variant has prompted a number of Asian countries to ti…
Around 100 Australian police and soldiers arrived in the Solomon Islands on November 26, 2021, after days of rioting in the capital Honiara. An anti-government protest erupted on November 24, demanding that the Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, step down. But it quickly spiralled out of control, leaving three peopl…
