Foreign relations
Australia takes rare step of blaming China for backing cyberattacks
It is the first time Australian agencies have taken the lead in attributing cyberattacks to hacking group APT40 and naming the Ministry of State Security as a sponsor of the operations.
- by David Crowe
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Penny Wong
Australian woman’s fury at DFAT over husband’s 1000 days in Iraqi jail
Desree Pether says “the living hell” of the three years since her husband was arrested is made worse by DFAT’s “quiet diplomacy” policies.
- by Olivia Ireland
Crackdown targets foreign agents harassing dissidents
Australians with Iranian, Chinese, Cambodian, Rwandan and Indian backgrounds have reported foreign agents harassing and assaulting them on local soil.
- by Paul Sakkal
Updated
NATO
Dutton tells MPs to ‘be ready’ for early election after PM scraps Washington visit
Anthony Albanese was expected to attend next week’s summit marking NATO’s 75th anniversary but Defence Minister Richard Marles will now travel to the US in his place.
- by Rob Harris, Angus Thompson and James Massola
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Don’t shut down families of Aussies in trouble overseas, high-profile former prisoners warn
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Cheng Lei and Sean Turnell have successfully lobbied for a Senate inquiry into how the government manages cases of citizens wrongfully held in government prisons or as hostages.
- by Olivia Ireland
Exclusive
Abducted in Japan
‘Heartbreaking’: Penny Wong condemns abduction of Australian children in Japan
Parents warn Tokyo’s two-year delay in implementing new laws could trigger a “dash to the finish line” to abduct more children.
- by Eryk Bagshaw and Natalie Clancy
Tony Abbott, John Howard earn Putin’s ire, hit with sanctions by Kremlin
Russia’s relations with Australia has deteriorated to unprecedented lows since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.
- by Rob Harris
It took ‘creative nous’: Rudd on behind-the-scenes efforts to secure Assange release
His comments came as the opposition accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of giving Assange, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, an overly warm welcome.
- by Matthew Knott
Assange’s defiant gesture on return as wife asks for time to recover
Stella Assange says her husband needs time to recover but also signalled the start of a campaign for a presidential pardon.
- by Matthew Knott, David Crowe and Paul Sakkal
‘Nothing to be ashamed of’: Lawyers defiant as Assange heads to Australia
The WikiLeaks founder’s conviction has put journalists around the world at risk of imprisonment for doing their jobs, Julian Assange’s lawyers have warned.
- by Matthew Knott and Lisa Visentin
Analysis
China relations
Has ‘pro-China’ Peter Dutton morphed from a hawk into a dove?
The big story of the Chinese premier’s visit was one that few have remarked upon: the opposition leader’s strikingly softer rhetoric on China.
- by Matthew Knott