World
Asia
Why are China’s youth pretending to be birds on social media?
In a quirky viral trend, young Chinese people are flocking online to impersonate birds and escape an uncertain future. One problem is that they can’t actually fly.
- by Yan Zhuang
Latest
World of photos, August 3, 2024
The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.
Kim Jong-un ‘training’ his young daughter to be his successor
Believed to be about 11 years old, Kim Ju-ae, was first revealed by her father in November 2022 and has since been mingling with top generals at major military events.
- by Nicola Smith
Wong says ‘rules are being bent, twisted and broken’ but avoids naming China as key actor
Australia US, India and Japan have called out Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea and cyber espionage but stopped short of naming China directly.
- by Lisa Visentin
Parts of Japan ‘likely to vanish’ as population shrinks
Japan’s population has recorded its biggest single-year decrease in history, falling by 861,000 people, as the government grapples with measures to reverse the trend.
- by Lisa Visentin
Kyrgyzstan president arrests niece’s fiancé after elaborate wedding proposal
The video went viral in Kyrgyzstan and infuriated Sadyr Japarov, who has made a show of admonishing politicians for wasting money since he seized power in a coup.
- by James Kilner
Australians left stranded after massive fire destroys Bali hotel complex
Images captured by tourists and locals show Villa Amasya, in the heart of Seminyak, fully engulfed by flames leaping into the sky.
- by Zach Hope, Karuni Rompies and Amilia Rosa
Updated
Aviation
At least 18 dead as plane skids off runway and catches fire in Nepal
Nepal has been criticised for its poor air safety record, with the deadliest incident occurring in 1992, when 167 people died when a plane crashed into a hillside.
- by Binaj Gurubacharya
Editorial
Child abuse
Ugly Australians are helping to drive Filipino online child sex trade
In a shameful claim to infamy, Australians are the third-biggest users of the Philippines online child sex trade.
- The Herald's View
Analysis
Protests
Police kill more than 100 students in protests over job handouts
The protests erupted out of Bangladeshi students’ anger at a quota system for government jobs that benefited certain groups.
- by Anupreeta Das
Vietnam’s most powerful leader dies leaving no obvious successor
Vietnam’s Communist Party’s Nguyen Phu Trong presided over his country’s transformation and reshaped its leadership with his “blazing furnace” anti-corruption campaign.
- by Sui-Lee Wee