World
Oceania
Tonga eruption was biggest explosion ever recorded, dwarfing nuclear blasts
New research shows that the eruption at Tonga was a far bigger explosion than any in the 20th century.
- by Chris Hyde
Latest
Opinion
China
Footy diplomacy v China’s Pacific expansion: why Australia must back PNG’s bid for an NRL team
Australia may not be able to match China’s influence through infrastructure investment or granting loans, but we can build deep bonds with PNG through its shared passion for a game: rugby league.
- by Stephen Brancatisano
US can seize Russian oligarch’s $436m superyacht: Fiji court
It’s not clear which Russian billionaire ultimately owns the luxury vessel, which sports a helipad, live lobster tank and a grand piano.
- by Kirsty Needham
Opinion
Solomon Islands
China’s deal with the Solomons is an act of colonisation
China has wrong-footed Australia with its Solomon Islands pact. Regardless of who wins the federal election, a rapid strategic assessment will be needed to adjust our national security priorities.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
National security
Island well known to Australia offers one counter to China’s Solomon Islands move
What do you do if the tendril of a poisonous vine threatens to overrun your backyard? You chop it off.
- by Peter Hartcher
‘Pretty confident’: Rocket Labs to catch a falling rocket with a helicopter
The Long Beach, California-based company is trying to slash the cost of spaceflight by reusing its rockets, a trend pioneered by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
- by Joey Roulette
US tries to seize the superyacht Amadea in Fiji. But which oligarch owns it?
A Fiji court will decide next week which oligarch who owns this 106-metre yacht with its lobster tank and helipad - and if they’re under sanctions.
- by Nick Perry
Opinion
Australia votes
Pacific must hear our voices, but we must listen to theirs
Expanded ABC services in our region, as proposed by Labor, is a great idea. But greater Pacific media collaboration must be a dialogue in which Australia talks “with” not “to” our Pacific neighbours.
- by Jemima Garrett
‘Prince charming’ Tinder swindlers targeted women for years
Those behind a Tinder swindle scam who conned a NZ woman out of half a million dollars appear to have been targeting women around the world using the same methods.
- by Sam Sherwood
How a ‘prince charming’ Tinder swindler conned a woman out of $500,000
Like many modern day romance stories, it began by swiping right on Tinder. What followed has left one woman hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket by a man she believed was the love of her life.
- by Sam Sherwood
Opinion
China relations
China’s plans for the Pacific do not stop with Solomons
The former ambassador to Papua New Guinea warns that other island nations in the Pacific are being courted by Beijing right now.
- by Ian Kemish