Thailand and Australia ease international border curbs spurred by COVID-19 pandemic

The eased border controls will offer a litmus test of the demand for Asian travel and tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. funding tapped for Pacific undersea cable after China rebuffed

The United States has taken great interest in several plans in recent years to lay optic fiber cables across the Pacific.

Asia Pacific Aug 20, 2021

Locked-up and fed-up: Australian voters put prime minister on notice

Australia's pandemic response is a mix of state and federal responsibility, but Morrison's government is taking much of the blame.

Asia Pacific Jun 24, 2021

Pacific island turns to Australia for undersea cable after spurning China

The United States and its Pacific allies have concerns that cables laid by China could compromise regional security.

National Aug 13, 2019

Judo gives Japan a soft-power boost in the Pacific

In a large church hall near the Samoan parliament, 175-kg judo practitioner Derek Sua is being thrown to the mat by his Japanese coach, a black-belt who is a third his size. Sua welcomes the training, usually difficult for athletes in Pacific Ocean islands to ...