World
Asia
‘China played like a backbencher’: Xi’s self-serving push for peace in the Middle East
China is playing a calculated strategic game in the Middle East, positioning itself as a peace-brokering alternative to the US while having no real skin in the game, experts say.
- by Lisa Visentin
Latest
Parched Philippine dam reveals centuries-old town, luring tourists
The country, like others in South-East Asia, is sweltering through a heat wave.
- by Adrian Portugal and Peter Blaza
Wild first aid: Orangutan applies medicinal plant to treat facial wound
Animals have been known to eat certain plants to alleviate stomach discomfort, but scientists had never seen one apply a makeshift bandage to heal a wound before.
- by Christina Larson
New gold rush: Youngsters flock to viral ‘beans’ amid uncertainty
In a mini new gold rush, young people are jumping on a viral trend that taps into a desire for financial security.
- by Lisa Visentin
Dangerous heat kills dozens, closes schools, prompts four-day workweek
Several countries in South-East Asia are grappling with a heatwave that has turned into tragedy in Thailand and is forcing power plant closures elsewhere.
- by Neil Jerome Morales
Giant structure will block ‘world’s prettiest store’ photo after dangerous crowds
A 26-year-old tourist was hit by a car last week and is reported to be in a coma, as locals decry the swarms of tourists attempting to get the viral shot.
- by Julian Ryall
Suddenly, Chinese spies seem to be popping up all over Europe
Six people have been charged with spying for China in three separate cases in Britain and England, in a pushback that some say was overdue.
- by Andrew Higgins and Christopher F. Schuetze
It turns out, money does grow on trees in Nepal
The Japanese love their beautiful yen bills, with their elegant, understated designs printed on tough, off-white plant fibre.
- by Bhadra Sharma and Alex Travelli
‘Infiltrators’: Indian PM Narendra Modi accused of using hate speech against Muslims
Critics of the prime minister — an avowed Hindu nationalist — say India’s tradition of diversity and secularism has come under attack since his party won power a decade ago.
- by Krutika Pathi
Her investigations were not welcome in Modi’s India, so neither was she
Avani Dias, the ABC’s lead India correspondent, has returned to Australia after a campaign of intimidation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
- by Zach Hope
Indonesian court knocks back calls for presidential election re-run
The ruling has sparked street protests from backers of the failed presidential candidates, who had both claimed fraud.
- by Zach Hope