Student allegedly jailed in China for six years after taking part in pro-democracy protests in Australia Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political repression

New from me: a Chinese student at University of Sydney went missing and allegedly has been sentenced to six years in China, for participating in protests in Australia, including solidarity protests for China’s ethnic minority groups:

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

As the world waits for the next salvo in the Strait, a #cartoon from guyvenables.bsky.social: everybody knows how this racket works now. Everybody knows…

Live: Trump extends ceasefire with Iran, Vance cancels Pakistan trip US President Donald Trump says he is extending the ceasefire with Iran. Follow live.

Trump says ceasefire extended until peace talks concluded.
Vance cancels trip to Pakistan for peace talks.
About time the word “shermozzle” was deployed in headlines.

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

Wow. Global crisis in supply of fossil fuels and zero mention of energy transition to electric buses and trucks in Hong Kong from its government - where literally across the border in Shenzhen they electrified their entire bus fleet in 2017? OK

In Article About Horrific Shooting That Killed Eight Children, Forbes Lets Readers Place Bets About Gun Control "Ghoulish."

Forbes is owned via Hong Kong...
"Underneath a chunk of text describing the Shreveport gunman... a ForbesPredict box appears. It implores readers to “make your prediction” on “gun policy,” asking whether they believe “Congress WILL pass new gun safety legislation...”
www.yahoo.com/news/article...

US firms dash to recover tariffs paid on Chinese imports as refund system starts Companies scramble on Monday to recover illegally collected tariffs from US government as thousands desperately rush to file claims.

So much winning: the illegal tariffs #Trump slapped the world with one year ago… need to be paid back -
“around US$165 billion in refunds claimed, owed to 330,000 US importers…”
Victory!
www.scmp.com/news/us/dipl...

10,000 US troops join Australians for Philippines training exercise Troops from the US, Philippines, Australia and Japan unite for the biggest military exercise in "real-world conditions" to ensure security in the Indo-Pacific region. But China has criticised the dril...

Another classic zero-context report of what amounts to a rehearsal for war with China:
- how many other exercises has there been?
- how many military agreements has Australia signed with the Philippines in the last 5 years?
- is this the best use of precious fuel?
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

It’s that moment in history where AI generated Lego propaganda videos from Iran and the BBC World Service podcast are telling the same story: everybody knows about the insider trading the Trump gang are engaged in.

Vote rigging at Wang Fuk Court went unchecked before deadly fire, inquiry hears Ex-committee member Jason Kong says proxy votes kept predecessors in power until controversial HK$336 million renovation led to their ousting.

The shocking revelations and omnishambles of corruption and mismanagement in Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster continue: nevermind the vote rigging and resident’s concerns and complaints denied, here’s a building report signed off by a dead man
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

Today’s #cartoon courtesy @deadder.bsky.social: he’s not the Messiah, he’s well and truly out of his depth in the Strait of Hormuz

a man in a white shirt with the name fred brandy written on it ALT: a man in a white shirt with the name fred brandy written on it

How is it cruise ships are getting through the Strait of Hormuz and no-one is calling for the greatest series reboot of all time? Think of the guest stars! www.usatoday.com/story/travel...

‘Like charcoal’: Wang Fuk Court residents sift through ashes for belongings Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk says first day of phased re-entry proceeded ‘in an orderly manner’ and describes process as ‘largely smooth’.

Four and a half months after the shocking tower fire disaster in Hong Kong, some 4,000 Wang Fuk Court residents allowed to visit their homes and sift through ashes for their belongings
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

a man in a red jacket is dancing with a woman in white shorts ALT: a man in a red jacket is dancing with a woman in white shorts

Are you kidding there’s a reboot Netflix series in this…

"Facebook pages are targeting Australians with fake reports of heated political spats. The accounts responsible are mostly based overseas and appear to post bogus content to drive engagement and make money."
- this needs a bit more investigation, I reckon. Which demographic are being targeted?

China’s armed police mull riot control without human contact at all The People’s Armed Police Force has shown how drones, uncrewed armoured vehicles and robot dogs could autonomously contain urban unrest.

China's new AI/robot crowd control: "...roadblocks are suddenly deployed, cutting off their advance. Key instigators in the crowd are swiftly identified & captured. Cut off from the internet & unable to broadcast their cause, the demonstrators eventually disperse..."" www.scmp.com/news/china/s...

Australian farmers relieved after Indonesia agrees to supply fertiliser The deal makes up 20 per cent of fertiliser needs for the planting season in Australia, a major supplier of food to Southeast Asia.

Given Hong Kong imports its food from... everywhere (including potatoes from Ballarat, mangoes from Darwin and avocados from Queensland) it's a good time for some #journalism on how the fertiliser shortage is affecting *every* food growing nation across Asia www.scmp.com/news/asia/au...

Hong Kong's new motto for paternity and maternity leave: "At least we're not as bad as the USA"...
Hong Kong's new motto for costs of education: "Number ONE, baby! Parents pay three times the global average!"
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

Harry Harrison draws a line between press release & reality: "Twenty Hong Kong couples have each received baby bonuses totalling HK$60,000 for having 3 children in about 2½ years"

HK mums: 14 weeks of paid maternity leave (80% of wages)
HK dads: 5 days of paid paternity leave (80% of wages)

Cartoon of Trump taking a golf shot into the Strait of Hormuz

Potshots from the tinpot tactician: @rowecartoon.bsky.social takes a #cartoon swing as #Trump and his clowns take a mulligan on talks with Iran... and play goes into the rough in the Strait of Hormuz

One week after threatening to destroy Iran's civilisation, after threatening war crimes of attacks on essential civilian infrastructure, journalists still happy to parrot the latest pro-wrestling hype lines from this dangerously unhinged man whose actions have unleashed global chaos and suffering.

Thoughts and prayers to those who caught the Sunday night flight out of Hong Kong Back to London after the rugby 7s - otherwise known as economy class on the "Vomit Comet"

Watching today's "open!/closed!" exchange over the Strait of Hormuz - and thinking this #podcast made 7 days ago is still as relevant: hear about the reality for captains, shipowners & the global insurance industry trying to navigate a new reality after Trump's end of the global rules based order

100 bombs in 10 minutes: Mapping Lebanon's 'Black Wednesday' The Israel Defense Forces labelled it Operation Eternal Darkness. Inside Lebanon, it's now called Black Wednesday. ABC NEWS Verify has geolocated the explosions across 10 minutes of chaos.

“ABC NEWS Verify has geolocated the sites that were hit in the 10 minutes of the IDF’s April 8 operation to map the intensity and scale of the bombardment.”

Data #journalism best covers the ethnic cleansing/mass killing - after more than 200 journalists murdered

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

Yeah… but they’re mexican? Toe-tappin’ beat reminiscent of King Parrot, Beanflipper… sure they’ll be a hit in Melbs!

At the intersection of oil crisis, church, state and conspiracy theory: @rowecartoon.bsky.social taps into the burning disquiet in Australia over the mad god-king in today’s #cartoon

Rise in mental illness cases among Hong Kong students ‘reflects growing openness’ Education chief Christine Choi says causes of mental illness are complex and reasons range from personal, family and academic pressures to social difficulties.

The last SCMP pandemic podcast ep we made had a doctor warning “if we don’t act now we’ll have some big problems in about 5 years”…

And here we are:
“the number of secondary school students suffering from mental illness had doubled over the past five academic years”

www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

Lack of fuel reserves forces Southeast Asian flight cuts amid Hormuz crisis Airlines are cutting flights, as dependence on Middle Eastern fuel hits operators from Pakistan to New Zealand.

Weird how American media shows such scant curiosity of how Trump's war on Iran is upending the world economy on this side of the planet.
“Japan has the largest strategic reserves in the world. I’m more worried about Southeast Asia. They have not prepared for this.”
www.scmp.com/economy/glob...

Not actually clear what you are advocating for what Trump should have done in 2019. What did you want him to do?

Voice actors fight to save their livelihoods and local cultures from Hollywood’s AI push Voice AI tools are quickly replacing voice-over and dubbing artists, raising concerns not only about jobs but also loss of cultural relevance in non-English-speaking nations.

“With new AI-generated voices, I will be out of a job even though I am the one providing the input... On top of that we will have a cultural pasteurization. We make foreign content sound Brazilian with our Brazilian idiosyncrasies; with AI, we lose that.” restofworld.org/2026/ai-voic...

Harry Harrison checks in on Hong Kong tourism HQ: how will the Iran War affect the supply of heavy drinking gweilos flying in for the Rugby 7s?