Australia: Labor senator Kimberley Kitching names billionaire Chau Chak Wing as ‘puppeteer’ in foreign interference plot

A federal senator has used parliamentary privilege to suggest a prominent Chinese-Australian political donor is the mysterious “puppeteer” behind a thwarted foreign interference plot to back political candidates in the next election. During a Senate estimates hearing, Labor senator Kimberley Kitching alleged the wealthy businessman behind the recent overseas conspiracy was property developer Chau Chak Wing.

Australia, UK join diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Games

UK PM says ministers will ‘effectively’ boycott Beijing Australia says athletes will attend but not govt officials Australian ties with China at low over COVID-19, trade U.S. bases action on China’s human rights ‘atrocities’ Japan considering diplomatic boycott – media Australia and Britain will join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter

Australia lists neo-Nazi group The Base and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations

Home affairs minister Karen Andrews updates terror list, making membership of either group a crime The Australian government will list the neo-Nazi group The Base as a terrorist organisation, together with the entirety of the Lebanese Shia political party and militant group Hezbollah. The home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, announced the plan to designate the two

France to work with India to promote ‘truly multilateral’ order

Foreign ministers of two countries agree to deepen strategic partnership as they discuss developments in the Indo-Pacific and Afghanistan. France’s foreign affairs minister has agreed with his Indian counterpart to work on a programme to promote “a truly multilateral international order”, the French foreign ministry said. Jean-Yves Le Drian and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also agreed during