Guardian Australia’s Ben Smee joint winner of Queensland journalist of the year award

People can still be kind 👍 - great dispatch and pics from Helen Davidson www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

🚨 🚨 🚨 HIRING! 🚨 🚨 🚨 Do you love international news? Can you work quickly and accurately under time pressure? Are you nice? Can you work out multiple time zones without getting a headache? Then this could be the job for you! workforus.theguardian.com/jobs/854/

A man who has spent 25 years on Alabama’s death row is eligible to be retried for the 1988 murder of a deputy sheriff, a federal appeals court ruled this week, because prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by intentionally rejecting Black potential jurors.

We are hiring! workforus.theguardian.com/jobs/719

It's rainy and miserable in Sydney but hark the sun is coming out - 🚨🚨SHINY NEW JOB ALERT 🚨🚨 Come and work on the @guardian international desk! www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/42...

Re-arm, reassure and spend big: how the Asia Pacific is responding to a new era under Trump www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

"In any previous era, Hegseth and Waltz would be expected to resign immediately. But whether or not they will resign or be dismissed by a dysfunctional president, equally hostile to the notion he should be held accountable, is an open question." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Just three days ago, Trump's defense secretary claimed "we looked like fools" under Biden. "Not anymore,” Hegseth crowed.

Statement from the director of the Voice of America (who has been placed on administrative leave).

"Zelenskyy remains the most popular politician in Ukraine. Trump’s recent attacks on him have boosted his ratings, which are at 44 % according to the British pollster Survation this week. Poroshenko receives 10% support, with Tymoshenko on 5.4%." www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

"The abuse administered to Zelenskyy two days after Starmer’s visit – although a diplomatic disaster best avoided – was merely a confirmation that Trump will let nothing and no one stand in the way of his strategic aim of restoring relations with Vladimir Putin." www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Taiwan holds its breath as Trump turns on Ukraine and upends US foreign policy. The mood in Taipei is one of wariness as the new US president takes a blowtorch to diplomatic norms and assurances www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

Nailed it www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

A devastating line: "If European Commission photocopiers could win wars, Moscow would long ago have surrendered." www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

'[Japan's strategy energy plan] dropped a reference to “reducing reliance” on nuclear energy that had appeared in the three previous plans, and instead called for a “maximisation” of nuclear power.' Japan's nuclear future, 14 yrs after Fukushima, by Justin McCurry www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

"On the death of Doctor Li Wenliang of Wuhan Central Hospital, only CCTV television reports and news app content may be republished."

An extraordinary piece that describes an extraordinary moment www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Narissara's son, aged 9, was brimming with excitement as he watched footage of Thai hostages being released from Gaza. Then he noticed his mother crying. “He asked: ‘what’s going on, Mom?’” Narissara says. “He realised his dad was not one of those released.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

"Myanmar's military, which seized power in a coup in 2021, has now lost control of swathes of the country. And as the conflict enters its fifth year, it is on the brink of further losses" www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Proud to share a story that’s been almost six months in the making, the first in a new series from @australia.theguardian.com exploring the ways our criminal justice system fails victim-survivors of sexual violence and often retraumatises them in the process: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Jim Acosta: “One final message – don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear." www.theguardian.com/media/2025/j...

We asked DeepSeek’s AI questions about topics historically censored by the great firewall. Here’s how its responses compared to the free versions of ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini chatbot. From @donnadlu.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

"As dawn broke, the anti-Yoon camp’s mood turned almost festive: singing, dancing and broadcasting live scenes from multiple angles as the operation to arrest South Korea’s impeached president began in earnest." Amazing scenes as told by @koryodynasty.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

I'm currently outside Yoon's residence. Here's the latest: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Rebecca Ratcliffe visited Aceh where 160,000 people died in the Boxing Day tsunami 20 years ago. There, she found stories of tragedy, but also love and new beginnings www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I've found evidence that plastic surgery clinics in Korea silence negative patient experiences through confidentiality agreements, offering refunds in exchange for deleting reviews and promising never to speak about their complications. www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12...

Although the term neijuan has been around for decades, it went viral in China in 2020. A student from an elite school was filmed riding his bicycle with his laptop open on the handlebars. Soon he was crowned as “Tsinghua’s involuted king”, and a meme was born. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

@heldavidson.bsky.social travelled to Kupang in Indonesia to chart the journey of Chinese migrants hoping to reach Australia. This is her fascinating report: www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

My latest for the Guardian on ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon's resignation today, following his decision to support impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

South Korea ruling party leader steps down after backing impeachment of President Yoon

1/ Breaking: President Yoon Suk Yeol has just addressed the nation. He said his martial law declaration was "a constitutional decision and act of governance" (헌법적 결단이자 통치행위) - not subject to legal judgement, comparing it to presidential pardons or diplomatic actions.

North Korea decries ‘dictatorship’ in South in wake of martial law attempt

North Korea has broken its silence over the political turmoil in South Korea, with state media describing, without any apparent hint of irony, how its president had unleashed a “dictatorship on the people”. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

Latest piece from Seoul with martial law crisis recap: www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

Russian defence minister Belousov arrives in North Korea for high-level military talks, reports Russian state agency TASS. Greeted by DPRK defence minister No Kwang Chol with full military honours in Pyongyang. Bilateral meetings with military and political leadership scheduled.

However badly your day might be going, there's always a chance it's worse somewhere else www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

Please read this www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

America gets a lot of its imported cars from Mexico and Canada

We've heard a lot about the 4B movement in the wake of the election - but inside South Korea, where the movement originated, the picture is complex www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

Yang Hengjun will not appeal suspended death sentence in China, family says

Brilliant if sad dispatch from @Guardian SE Asia correspondent Rebecca Ratcliffe for our Lost to the Climate Crisis series - History fades as rising sea levels slowly destroy Thailand’s temple murals www.theguardian.com/environment/...

V pleased to launch a new series, called Lost to the Climate Crisis, looking at the culture, heritage and customs lost to the climate emergency. Here, @justinmccurry looks at the effect on Japan's haiku poets, whose work relies on dependable seasons www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Just another stroll for @koryodynasty - with added minefields. ‘More to this place than barbed wire’: South Korea reimagines its DMZ as a path towards peace www.theguardian.com/world/2023/n...

Heartbreaking piece from @koryodynasty.bsky.social - ‘Our children were treated like criminals’: Parents seek justice a year after deadly Seoul crowd crush www.theguardian.com/world/2023/o...

Not only do link posts now look IDENTICAL to image posts, there can now be zero connection between a post text and a link. Every single time someone shares a link, they will now have to ALSO share the headline if they hope for that link to make any sense whatsoever to other users buff.ly/3rAXoQ5

Today's column