The grace and poise of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has comforted us all. Her courage and composure have captured world attention. Apparently, one male commentator quipped that we should be thanking her speech writer. But her eloquence, let alone her compassion, are not at someone’s artful direction. What we have seen is instinctive grief and empathy for her people. How …

An Australian is among those who have been arrested after 49 people were killed and dozens more injured in terrorist shooting attacks at two Christchurch mosques. At least one gunman with a semi-automatic weapon massacred worshippers gathered for Friday prayers in two locations: a mosque at Deans Avenue in central Christchurch and another mosque in the nearby suburb of Linwood. …

Australian coal producers have suffered another savage hit, with Chinese authorities placing an indefinite ban on imports ahead of a strict new regime of quotas. The Reuters news agency reported customs officers based at the key northern port of Dalian stopped Australian coal imports and would move to cap imports through their harbours at 12 million tonnes a year. The …

As Hakeem Al-Arabi’s teammates at Pascoe Vale Football Club in Melbourne prepare to start a new season, their star defender is about to mark two-and-a-half months in a Bangkok jail. The Bahraini refugee and Australian permanent resident was arrested in November last year, on an invalid Interpol red notice from the country he fled as he entered Thailand for his …

Princess Ubolratana Barnavadi has broken the long-standing tradition of Thai royalty staying out of politics by entering the election in an unprecedented move. A Thai princess will run for prime minister in March elections in an unprecedented entry by a royal into frontline politics, pitting her against the chief of the ruling junta and redrawing the nation’s political landscape. Princess …

The Japanese Government has confirmed it will restart commercial whaling in July, exiting the International Whaling Commission (IWC). It will stop its so-called scientific whaling in the Antarctic Ocean, and only fish in seas near Japan and the country’s exclusive economic zone. Japan has long been fed up with the deadlock at the IWC, with pro- and anti-whaling nations unable …

There are no reports of survivors from a Lion Air passenger plane that has crashed into the ocean off Indonesia, carrying almost 200 people. Flight JT610 – which had 188 people on board – lost contact 13 minutes after take-off, and witnesses reported seeing it nosedive into the sea. Debris, including life jackets and body parts, has been found floating …

China is reportedly in the process of creating an “artificial moon” that would be bright enough to replace the streetlights in the south-western city of Chengdu by 2020. The illuminated satellite is said to be eight times brighter than the real moon, according to state media People’s Daily, and forms part of the country’s growing ambitions in space. Chinese scientists …