As China shows its muscle to Taiwan with live-fire exercises around the island, Adrian Moore in Taipei talks to locals and reports on life on the ground. Life is normal here, there are no air raid sirens, no noises, just city living.  People are brave on the surface but it is hard to discern whether […]

Australia’s population growth has slowed to close to zero in the year following the international border closure in March 2020, with more Australians leaving the country than have been able to return.  Overseas arrivals decreased by 81.4 percent in the year leading up to March 2021, compared to a 44.5 percent decrease in departures, ABS […]

Time is different in Lapland. If you’ve ever tried to get to a campsite in a hurry on a road filled with casually strolling reindeer, you know what I mean. There is no point hurrying. Luckily, we are travelling in summer, when the golden sunset stretches late into the night. Kilpisjärvi, an isolated village in […]

Based on a true story, Queen of Katwe is a classic and inspiring tale of overcoming extreme adversity to pursue and achieve dreams, against all odds and in the unlikeliest of circumstances. Set against a backdrop of an impoverished Uganda over the last five years, the film chronicles recent events as they unfolded. Directed by […]

Prominent sceptic and science writer Ben Goldacre will visit Australia in September for a debut speaking tour. Author of bestsellers Bad Science and Bad Pharma, Dr Goldacre will speak in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Suzi Jamil and Desh Amila of Think Inc said he had always been on their list of people to bring to […]

Making intelligence cool again is the aim of a company that brings internationally renowned intellectuals to Australia. Run by glamour couple Desh Amila, 34, and partner Suzi Jamil, 24, Think Inc is seeking to bring ideas to a younger audience. Mr Amila was inspired to create Think Inc in 2013 after going to an intellectual […]

Protesters have called on the Prime Minister to raise allegations of persecution, torture and organ harvesting with China at next week’s G20 summit. Members of Falun Gong called for government support at a public media conference in Brisbane’s King George Square on Wednesday. “Immediately end the brutal and senseless persecution of Falun Gong in China […]

In the slums around Vizhinjam Fishing Harbor in Kerala, India, poverty is everywhere. In one village children as young as 10 work on fishing boats instead of going to school. Just 2km away from Vizhinjam waves break cleanly on the shores of Kovalam Beach. It was here that Jelle Rigole, a 32-year-old Belgian, realised surfing […]

A personal trainer has gone the extra mile to raise money and awareness for orphans in Africa by hiking one of United Arab Emirates’ tallest mountains. Lee Harrison tackled the 12km road up Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain as part of a fundraising campaign that will see the Abu Dhabi-based Brit complete a series of […]

I learnt the literal meaning of the term ‘take the road less travelled’ about half-way through our 12km walk to our host family’s house in Sapa, Vietnam. The quaint town is 350km northwest of Hanoi and borders China. After a windy five-hour taxi ride, our queasy group was eager to jump out to get some […]

Educators in Abu Dhabi have welcomed reforms to assessment of senior students in the United Arab Emirates capital. The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) has updated its assessment process so that cycle 3 students no longer receive numeric marks. The year 10 and 11 students will now be assessed using special letters. They will be […]