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Australia

Australia passes social media ban for children under 16

The law, expected to take effect in November 2025, sets some of the world’s toughest social media controls

5 hours ago

Japan

‘Shall I kill you?’: why Japan is mulling a social media ban for under-16s

5 hours agovideocam

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks cap second straight monthly decline

3 hours ago

Social media

Australia passes social media ban for children under 16

The law, expected to take effect in November 2025, sets some of the toughest social media controls in the world.

5 hours agovideocam

Australia plans to trial an age-verification system that may include biometrics or government identification to enforce the ban. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

Letters | A Trump administration of China hawks makes diplomacy vital

Readers discuss rising US-China tensions, Hong Kong’s push to help older adults keep up with technology, and air connections to mainland cities.

27 Nov 2024 - 11:30AM

Social media

Australia’s plan to ban children from social media proves popular and problematic

There is widespread backing for the law that would fine platforms for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

27 Nov 2024 - 11:06AM

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks stage largest rally in 5 weeks; hopes rise for new stimulus

Industrial profits at large Chinese companies dropped 10 per cent from a year earlier in October.

27 Nov 2024 - 4:45PM

ATP

Rublev ready for Hong Kong return after roller coaster year, wary of top-seed tag

Russian world No 8 and defending champion says he does not know if being No 1 will be a help or hindrance at next month’s ATP 250 event.

26 Nov 2024 - 8:00PM

Social media

Tech giants Meta, TikTok, Google slam Australia’s under-16 social media ban

The proposed law will hold social-media platforms responsible for policing the ban, under threat of fines of up to US$32.5 million.

26 Nov 2024 - 7:18PM

WTA (Women's Tennis Association)

Chinese No 1 Zheng to play at Australian Open without breakthrough coach Riba

The Spaniard, who guided her through her groundbreaking season this year, is having surgery, and will be covered by Argentine Dante Bottini.

26 Nov 2024 - 1:30PM

One of Bottini’s first jobs as Zheng Qinwen’s coach will be to help her record a win over her “nemesis”, world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks waver as investors assess Trump’s new China tariffs

Trump said he would impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods from China.

26 Nov 2024 - 4:46PM

Social media

Australia dumps plan for social media fines on misinformation

The proposal to fine internet companies came on the back of moves to ban children below a certain age from social media.

24 Nov 2024 - 12:55PM

Climate change

More than 150 arrested as Australia climate protest forces coal ship to abort arrival

Port operators said they expected to maintain normal operations if police were able to manage the demonstrators.

24 Nov 2024 - 1:53PM

Defence

‘War is messed up’: why young Australians don’t want to join the military

Observers blame a ‘culture of self-loathing’ for destroying the self-esteem of Australia’s youth and undermining faith in its institutions.

24 Nov 2024 - 10:00AM

Indonesia

Bali Nine drug smugglers in Indonesian prison to return to Australia

Two ringleaders of the group were executed in 2015, while one trafficker was released from prison and another died of cancer.

23 Nov 2024 - 3:45PMvideocam

Indonesia executed Australian drug smugglers Andrew Chan (left) and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Where are the nurses? Will higher pay lure non-locals to Hong Kong?

Worries persist despite rule change to open door to professionals trained elsewhere, as city set to be short of thousands of nurses by 2045.

23 Nov 2024 - 11:46AM

Antarctica

Penguin ‘Gus’ released at sea 20 days after waddling onto Australian beach

The bird – who soon loved seeing his reflection in a mirror – was found, very undernourished, on sand dunes 3,500km north of the Antarctic coast.

23 Nov 2024 - 1:23AMvideocam

Laos

Second Australian teen dies after suspected Laos poisoning, death toll now 6

Holly Bowles, 19, died hours after her friend Bianca Jones following a night out in Vang Vieng. Two Danes, an American and a Briton have also died.

22 Nov 2024 - 7:44PMvideocam

Holly Bowles, 19, from Australia, died hours after her friend Bianca Jones, following a night out in Laos. Two Danes, an American and a Briton have also died. Photo: Facebook/@HollyBowles

Elon Musk

Elon Musk slams Australia’s social media ban as ‘back door control’ of internet

Social media firms could be fined US$32 million if they fail to keep children under 16 off their platforms.

22 Nov 2024 - 4:48PM

Education in Hong Kong

Number of Hongkongers enrolled in US universities hits record low

According to US government-sponsored survey, country had 2,762 undergraduates from Hong Kong in last school year.

22 Nov 2024 - 11:09PM

Donald Trump

Editorial | Torch of international cooperation to burn despite Trump return

China’s President Xi Jinping along with leaders at the Apec and G20 summits make it clear multilateralism is still the way to go.

22 Nov 2024 - 2:23AM

Beijing is not US president-elect Donald Trump’s only target in a trade war – he also has threatened tariffs on the rest of the world. Photo: AFP

Laos

Australian tourist dies after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos

The poisoning incident in Vang Vieng has left Bianca Jones, two Danes and an American traveller dead.

21 Nov 2024 - 2:05PM

Bianca Jones died in a Thai hospital after consuming suspected methanol-laced alcohol while holidaying in Laos. Photo: Facebook/BiancaJones

Fame and celebrity

Meet Aussie actor Josh Heuston, who plays Constantine Corrino in Dune: Prophecy

Australian actor Josh Heuston’s life has changed at warp speed – here’s how he went from science student to international fashion model to Hollywood actor in just 9 years.

20 Nov 2024 - 7:00PM

Women and gender

Australia’s gender pay gap narrows as ‘change is happening’

But women employees on average still earn A$28,425 (US$18,590) less each year than their male colleagues.

20 Nov 2024 - 6:58PMvideocam

Ageing society

Australia pushes pension reform as it braces for 10% of population to retire

With 2.5 million Australians set to retire in the next decade, the government wants to reshape its US$2.5 trillion pension industry.

20 Nov 2024 - 12:30PM

Elderly people chat in a Sydney park. An estimated 2.5 million Australians will retire over the next decade. Photo: Shutterstock

Business of climate change

Lab-grown meat lands on Hong Kong plates via Australian start-up

The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental has introduced two dishes featuring Sydney-based Vow’s cultured Japanese quail.

20 Nov 2024 - 7:30AMvideocam

Vow, a Sydney food-tech start-up, debuted its cultured meat products at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong on November 19, 2024. Photo: Handout

Fashion

Australian designer Christopher Esber on dressing A-listers

He became the first Australian designer to win the Andam prize in June, chosen by a panel including Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault and Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello.

20 Nov 2024 - 6:00AM

Tourism

Hotels for digital nomads are on the rise. How is it to stay in one?

Hotels for remote workers are increasing, but do they make solo travel better? We stayed at Melbourne’s Lyf Collingwood to find out

20 Nov 2024 - 4:15AM

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Australia

The world's sixth largest country, Australia is a regional power in Asia that has a sometimes troubled relationship with its largest trading partner, China. Canberra began to pull away from Beijing in 2018 due to concerns over Chinese influence on Australian society and politics, as well as disputes over the South China Sea. The global Covid-19 pandemic that began in China in 2019 caused further tensions after Australia called for an independent investigation into the disease's origins.

Capital

Canberra

Head of State

King Charles III

Head of Government

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

last updated:

29 November, 2024