Steve Fossett’s hot air balloon near the coast of South Africa.

From the Archives,2002:Around the world in 13 days,in a balloon

Twenty years ago,Steve Fossett completed a historic around the world adventure in a hot air balloon,taking just 13 days to complete the extraordinary journey.

  • Kirsty Needham

Latest

What You Said

Infected coronavirus doctor has readers divided over who is at fault

Public criticism of a Melbourne GP who continued to work before he was diagnosed with coronavirus divided readers.

  • Kirsty Needham
What You Said

Brian Houston,Jacinda Ardern and Australian politics dominate online reader conversations

Debate swirled around the integrity of Prime Minister Scott Morrison,and readers threw their support behind New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

  • Kirsty Needham
Soldiers from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) march in formation during a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing,Tuesday,Oct. 1,2019. Trucks carrying weapons including a nuclear-armed missile designed to evade U.S. defenses rumbled through Beijing as the Communist Party celebrated its 70th anniversary in power with a parade Tuesday that showcased China's ambition as a rising global force. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

There's a bigger and more insidious threat to Hong Kong than the PLA

As protests roll into 2020,it becomes less likely the PLA will be deployed to the streets or that Hong Kong will see another Tiananmen.

  • Kirsty Needham
Kirsty Needham in Tiananmen Square as it emptied to become a carpark for delegates and media during the National Congress of the Communist Party.

The long arm of authoritarian China reached into my seven-year-old’s bedroom

For the first two years of my posting,Xi Jinping's control appeared absolute. Yet party leaders sensed before any Western onlookers that 2019 held danger.

  • Kirsty Needham
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to a trade deal.

US and China reach agreement on'phase one'trade deal

China and the United States have agreed to a "phase one" trade deal that would see US tariffs on Chinese goods removed in stages.

  • Kirsty Needham andMatthew Knott
Advertisement
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

International experts quit Hong Kong police brutality watchdog

The decision by Australian,Canadian and New Zealand experts to "formally stand aside from its role" is a further blow to the credibility of Carrie Lam's government.

  • Kirsty Needham
Young Uighurs study Chinese law at the Atushi Vocational Training Centre,Xinjiang.

Change coming for controversial re-education camps in China's Muslim-majority region

A top Chinese official says the camps would be repurposed to train farmers and herdsmen.

  • Kirsty Needham
Businessman Chau Chak Wing shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting of global leaders in Beijing.

Xi Jinping sends strong message with handshake for Australian political donor

The Chinese President has attended an event hosted by businessman Chau Chak Wing,while relations between Canberra and Beijing remain strained.

  • Kirsty Needham
Protests continue in Hong Kong despite a recent pro-democracy landslide in district council elections.

China announces retaliation for US action on Hong Kong

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has vowed five human rights groups "shall pay the price for what they have done".

  • Kirsty Needham