When a gunman murdered 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, Australia’s political leaders united to implement some of the West’s toughest gun laws. Nearly three decades later, after 15 people were killed at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, consensus is more elusive.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s call for tighter gun controls is meeting resistance from ascendant right-wing populists and some mainstream conservatives, revealing a more polarised landscape that contrasts with Australia’s response to…
Rivals, rain and rising costs: Thailand’s tourism crown slips
As the windows rattled from distant explosions, British tourist Brian* sat sleepless in a dim hotel room in Thailand’s Trat province, waiting out a curfew he had not known existed.
With artillery ringing out from across the border with Cambodia, his dreams of reaching the island of Koh Kood seemed to dissolve into the darkness.
“The police said the road was closed and I’d have to find accommodation overnight,” Brian told This Week in Asia, offering only his first name. “I heard explosions all…
South Korea’s top court overhauls handling of martial law trials to regain public trust
More than a year after former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law, the country’s top court has announced changes to how politically explosive cases are handled, as public anger over delays and alleged bias continues to mount.
The Supreme Court said it would revamp procedures for high-stakes national security trials, including cases stemming from Yoon’s December 2024 martial law bid, in what it described as an effort to ensure swift and fair proceedings and…
Employment Rights Act: implementation for UK employers in 2026 and beyond
The Employment Rights Bill (ERB) is now the Employment Rights Act (ERA), and will introduce the biggest changes to employment law in England, Scotland and Wales in a generation.
Philippines to get up to US$3.5 billion defence aid to counter ‘serious threats’
Washington is set to deepen its defence support for the Philippines after approving billions of dollars for a loan and a grant to its Southeast Asian ally next year to counter what an American senator has called “serious threats” from China and its partners.
Philippine defence officials have welcomed the approval by the House and Senate in Washington as further evidence of the US commitment to their alliance, even as analysts caution that the bill under the US National Defence Authorisation Act…
Bondi Beach attack: Philippines rejects ‘outdated’ violent extremism portrayal
There is no evidence indicating that the two suspects involved in the Bondi Beach attack received any form of military training while in the Philippines, the Philippines’ National Security Adviser said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Eduardo Ano said that a mere visit to the country does not substantiate allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have permitted any meaningful or structured training.
The alleged father-and-son gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah…
Laos cleared to export fresh durians to China as Malaysia, Thailand face new rival
Laos has received approval to begin exporting fresh durians to China, becoming the latest Southeast Asian nation to vie for a slice of the vast Chinese market for the tropical fruit.
China’s General Administration of Customs said on its website that Laos was given clearance to begin exports from this past Friday as long as its shipments met phytosanitary standards.
Laos could emerge as a challenger in China’s increasingly crowded durian market, as it benefits from cheap labour, logistical…
UK to reverse ‘PACCAR’ ruling on litigation funding
The UK government has confirmed it will legislate to reverse a Supreme Court ruling concerned with third-party litigation funding in a move that is expected to increase the risk of mass claims being brought against big organisations.
Alleged Bondi Beach shooter to face charges as funerals begin for victims
A man accused of perpetrating Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades will be charged later on Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as the funerals of the Jewish victims of Sunday’s attack began.
The alleged father-and-son perpetrators opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising antisemitism and violent extremism.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene,…
Calls to halt Indonesia’s free meal drive after horror crash injures 21 children
Indonesia’s flagship programme to provide millions of schoolchildren with free nutritious meals is back in the spotlight after a delivery van linked to the initiative ploughed into a group of students in Jakarta last week, leaving 21 children and a teacher injured.
The accident on Thursday has raised fresh questions about safety and oversight in what critics call the “chaotic” roll-out of the signature initiative of President Prabowo Subianto, which has a 71 trillion rupiah (US$4.2 billion)…