It's expensive, complex and dangerous. But it's one of the most important things we do
I saw that repeatedly during my time as The Age's world editor in 2019 and 2020, when readers came to us for information on the Hong Kong riots and the struggle between democracy and Chinese Communist Party rule on the islands. They came to us for our coverage of the war in Syria, they came to us to find out what would happen when Britain split from the EU, and they came to us when a mysterious virus out of Wuhan rampaged across Italy.
This is why The Age and its sister publications invest so much in a first-class world news team, regular foreign excursions and the assignment of four of our top journalists to permanent overseas postings.
On that note, I must thank Rob Harris for a stellar three years as your European correspondent. Few will ever write a piece with the poignancy and insight he seems to be able to summon at will. It has been a privilege to be able to bring you his inimitable reporting. Yesterday's story, which he wrote for you from a bomb shelter in Ukraine, is a great example of his powerful storytelling ability. We look forward to him returning home and resuming his work on everything from federal politics to the Melbourne Cup.
And we welcome his replacement, David Crowe, to the posting. I don't need to convince any of you of Crowe's journalistic calibre. One of the country's finest reporters, you will be as well served by his work from Europe as you were during his time as our chief political correspondent in Canberra.
Loading
In other parts of the world, Lisa Visentin in North Asia and Zach Hope in South-East Asia continue to impress. Hope's reporting on Myanmar in recent months has been excellent, and I highly recommend reading Visentin's colourful story from the Chinese border town of Manzhouli, which she likens to a Russian outpost.
Our foreign coverage is expensive, complicated and sometimes dangerous. Those facts are inescapable. Without your support and your subscription, it would be extremely difficult for us to maintain such comprehensive overseas coverage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese government sought legal advice on lawfulness of US strikes on Iran
Shadow Resource Minister Susan McDonald questions the Albanese government seeking legal advice to determine the lawfulness of the US's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 'Did they seek advice after the Hamas attack on Israel?' Ms McDonald told Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus. 'Did they seek advice after the Chinese warships circled Australia? 'This seems to me a government that's very willing to pick and choose its friends. 'The Albanese government's willing to try and second-guess and seek legal advice on its actions.'
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Seven killed in Ukraine, Putin to cut military spending
Russian missile attacks have killed at least seven people and wounded more than 20 in southern Ukraine, officials say. Five people were killed in the industrial city of Samar in Ukraine's southeast, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on the Telegram app. Officials gave no immediate details on damage in the city, where an attack on an unidentified infrastructure facility on Tuesday killed two people. In the port city of Odessa, Russian combat drones killed at least two people and wounded six overnight, military administrator Oleh Kiper said. One drone struck the upper floors of a 21-storey residential building, causing a fire. After extinguishing the blaze, rescuers discovered the bodies of a married couple in the rubble, Kiper reported. There were several explosions in the city and fires broke out in several districts, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said. Hundreds of kilometres to the south, in the Kherson region, authorities urged residents to prepare for extended periods without power after a Russian attack hit a key energy facility. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram that "Russians decided to plunge the region into darkness". In recent weeks Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities, particularly its capital Kyiv, more than three years into the war that followed its full-scale invasion. Separately, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia was looking to cut its military expenditure from next year, contrasting that with NATO's plan to ramp up defence spending over the next decade. NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to five per cent of gross domestic product in the next 10 years, citing what they called the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience. Putin told a press conference in Minsk the NATO spending would go on "purchases from the USA and on supporting their military-industrial complex", and this was NATO's business, not Russia's. "But now here is the most important thing. We are planning to reduce defence spending. For us, next year and the year after, over the next three-year period, we are planning for this," he said. Putin said there was no final agreement yet between the defence, finance and economy ministries, "but overall, everyone is thinking in this direction. And Europe is thinking about how to increase its spending, on the contrary. So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?" Putin's comments are likely to be greeted with extreme scepticism in the West, given that Russia has massively increased defence spending since the start of the Ukraine war. The conflict shows no sign of ending and has actually intensified in recent weeks, as negotiations have made no visible progress towards a ceasefire or a permanent settlement. Putin said Russia appreciated efforts by US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the war. "He recently stated that it turned out to be more difficult than it seemed from the outside. Well, that's true," Putin said. Trump said this week that he believed Putin wanted to find a way to settle the conflict, but Ukraine and many of its European allies believe the Kremlin leader has no real interest in a peace deal and is intent on capturing more territory. Putin said Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in constant contact, and Moscow was ready to return the bodies of 3000 more Ukrainian soldiers. Russia is seeing a sharp slowdown in economic growth as the budget comes under pressure from falling energy revenues and the central bank is trying to bring down inflation. with AP and DPA Russian missile attacks have killed at least seven people and wounded more than 20 in southern Ukraine, officials say. Five people were killed in the industrial city of Samar in Ukraine's southeast, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on the Telegram app. Officials gave no immediate details on damage in the city, where an attack on an unidentified infrastructure facility on Tuesday killed two people. In the port city of Odessa, Russian combat drones killed at least two people and wounded six overnight, military administrator Oleh Kiper said. One drone struck the upper floors of a 21-storey residential building, causing a fire. After extinguishing the blaze, rescuers discovered the bodies of a married couple in the rubble, Kiper reported. There were several explosions in the city and fires broke out in several districts, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said. Hundreds of kilometres to the south, in the Kherson region, authorities urged residents to prepare for extended periods without power after a Russian attack hit a key energy facility. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram that "Russians decided to plunge the region into darkness". In recent weeks Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities, particularly its capital Kyiv, more than three years into the war that followed its full-scale invasion. Separately, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia was looking to cut its military expenditure from next year, contrasting that with NATO's plan to ramp up defence spending over the next decade. NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to five per cent of gross domestic product in the next 10 years, citing what they called the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience. Putin told a press conference in Minsk the NATO spending would go on "purchases from the USA and on supporting their military-industrial complex", and this was NATO's business, not Russia's. "But now here is the most important thing. We are planning to reduce defence spending. For us, next year and the year after, over the next three-year period, we are planning for this," he said. Putin said there was no final agreement yet between the defence, finance and economy ministries, "but overall, everyone is thinking in this direction. And Europe is thinking about how to increase its spending, on the contrary. So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?" Putin's comments are likely to be greeted with extreme scepticism in the West, given that Russia has massively increased defence spending since the start of the Ukraine war. The conflict shows no sign of ending and has actually intensified in recent weeks, as negotiations have made no visible progress towards a ceasefire or a permanent settlement. Putin said Russia appreciated efforts by US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the war. "He recently stated that it turned out to be more difficult than it seemed from the outside. Well, that's true," Putin said. Trump said this week that he believed Putin wanted to find a way to settle the conflict, but Ukraine and many of its European allies believe the Kremlin leader has no real interest in a peace deal and is intent on capturing more territory. Putin said Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in constant contact, and Moscow was ready to return the bodies of 3000 more Ukrainian soldiers. Russia is seeing a sharp slowdown in economic growth as the budget comes under pressure from falling energy revenues and the central bank is trying to bring down inflation. with AP and DPA Russian missile attacks have killed at least seven people and wounded more than 20 in southern Ukraine, officials say. Five people were killed in the industrial city of Samar in Ukraine's southeast, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on the Telegram app. Officials gave no immediate details on damage in the city, where an attack on an unidentified infrastructure facility on Tuesday killed two people. In the port city of Odessa, Russian combat drones killed at least two people and wounded six overnight, military administrator Oleh Kiper said. One drone struck the upper floors of a 21-storey residential building, causing a fire. After extinguishing the blaze, rescuers discovered the bodies of a married couple in the rubble, Kiper reported. There were several explosions in the city and fires broke out in several districts, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said. Hundreds of kilometres to the south, in the Kherson region, authorities urged residents to prepare for extended periods without power after a Russian attack hit a key energy facility. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram that "Russians decided to plunge the region into darkness". In recent weeks Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities, particularly its capital Kyiv, more than three years into the war that followed its full-scale invasion. Separately, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia was looking to cut its military expenditure from next year, contrasting that with NATO's plan to ramp up defence spending over the next decade. NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to five per cent of gross domestic product in the next 10 years, citing what they called the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience. Putin told a press conference in Minsk the NATO spending would go on "purchases from the USA and on supporting their military-industrial complex", and this was NATO's business, not Russia's. "But now here is the most important thing. We are planning to reduce defence spending. For us, next year and the year after, over the next three-year period, we are planning for this," he said. Putin said there was no final agreement yet between the defence, finance and economy ministries, "but overall, everyone is thinking in this direction. And Europe is thinking about how to increase its spending, on the contrary. So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?" Putin's comments are likely to be greeted with extreme scepticism in the West, given that Russia has massively increased defence spending since the start of the Ukraine war. The conflict shows no sign of ending and has actually intensified in recent weeks, as negotiations have made no visible progress towards a ceasefire or a permanent settlement. Putin said Russia appreciated efforts by US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the war. "He recently stated that it turned out to be more difficult than it seemed from the outside. Well, that's true," Putin said. Trump said this week that he believed Putin wanted to find a way to settle the conflict, but Ukraine and many of its European allies believe the Kremlin leader has no real interest in a peace deal and is intent on capturing more territory. Putin said Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in constant contact, and Moscow was ready to return the bodies of 3000 more Ukrainian soldiers. Russia is seeing a sharp slowdown in economic growth as the budget comes under pressure from falling energy revenues and the central bank is trying to bring down inflation. with AP and DPA Russian missile attacks have killed at least seven people and wounded more than 20 in southern Ukraine, officials say. Five people were killed in the industrial city of Samar in Ukraine's southeast, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on the Telegram app. Officials gave no immediate details on damage in the city, where an attack on an unidentified infrastructure facility on Tuesday killed two people. In the port city of Odessa, Russian combat drones killed at least two people and wounded six overnight, military administrator Oleh Kiper said. One drone struck the upper floors of a 21-storey residential building, causing a fire. After extinguishing the blaze, rescuers discovered the bodies of a married couple in the rubble, Kiper reported. There were several explosions in the city and fires broke out in several districts, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said. Hundreds of kilometres to the south, in the Kherson region, authorities urged residents to prepare for extended periods without power after a Russian attack hit a key energy facility. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram that "Russians decided to plunge the region into darkness". In recent weeks Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities, particularly its capital Kyiv, more than three years into the war that followed its full-scale invasion. Separately, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia was looking to cut its military expenditure from next year, contrasting that with NATO's plan to ramp up defence spending over the next decade. NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to five per cent of gross domestic product in the next 10 years, citing what they called the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience. Putin told a press conference in Minsk the NATO spending would go on "purchases from the USA and on supporting their military-industrial complex", and this was NATO's business, not Russia's. "But now here is the most important thing. We are planning to reduce defence spending. For us, next year and the year after, over the next three-year period, we are planning for this," he said. Putin said there was no final agreement yet between the defence, finance and economy ministries, "but overall, everyone is thinking in this direction. And Europe is thinking about how to increase its spending, on the contrary. So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?" Putin's comments are likely to be greeted with extreme scepticism in the West, given that Russia has massively increased defence spending since the start of the Ukraine war. The conflict shows no sign of ending and has actually intensified in recent weeks, as negotiations have made no visible progress towards a ceasefire or a permanent settlement. Putin said Russia appreciated efforts by US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the war. "He recently stated that it turned out to be more difficult than it seemed from the outside. Well, that's true," Putin said. Trump said this week that he believed Putin wanted to find a way to settle the conflict, but Ukraine and many of its European allies believe the Kremlin leader has no real interest in a peace deal and is intent on capturing more territory. Putin said Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in constant contact, and Moscow was ready to return the bodies of 3000 more Ukrainian soldiers. Russia is seeing a sharp slowdown in economic growth as the budget comes under pressure from falling energy revenues and the central bank is trying to bring down inflation. with AP and DPA
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Budapest Pride to challenge Orban's ban in Hungary
A record number of people are expected to attend Saturday's Pride march in the Hungarian capital Budapest, defying a ban that marks an unprecedented regression of LGBTQ rights in the European Union. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling coalition amended laws and the constitution earlier this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds. While Orban has been emboldened by the anti-diversity offensive of US President Donald Trump, his own initiatives have drawn protests at home and condemnation from the EU and rights groups. The nationalist leader on Friday said that while police would not "break up" the 30th edition of the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". Despite the risk of a fine, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) near Budapest's city hall, an hour before the march begins. Ministers from several EU countries, and dozens of European lawmakers are expected to attend in defiance of the ban, reminiscent of that in Moscow in 2006 and Istanbul in 2015. "We're not just standing up for ourselves... If this law isn't overturned, eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures," Pride organiser Viktoria Radvanyi said. - Freshly installed cameras - Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three countries have also spoken up in support of the march. While parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($580). The latest legal changes empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part. Freshly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the planned route of the march. However, opposition Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee can face any reprisals as the march -- co-organised by the city hall this time -- is a municipal event and does not require police approval. "The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event," Karacsony said during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib. Far-right groups have announced multiple counterprotests along the planned route of the procession. Justice Minister Bence Tuzson this week sent a letter to EU embassies cautioning diplomats and staff against participating because of the police ban. Several EU countries have informed their citizens of the potential of fines through travel advisories. - 'Polarising society' - Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. Legal changes have effectively barred same-sex couples from adopting children, prevented transgender people from changing their name or gender in official documents, and a 2021 law forbade the "display and promotion" of homosexuality to under-18s. This March, lawmakers passed a bill targeting the annual Pride march, amending the 2021 law to prohibit any gathering violating its provisions. A month later, parliament also adopted a constitutional change to strengthen the legal foundations for the ban. "Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict," political analyst Daniel Mikecz told AFP. Orban was "polarising society", he added. Voter opinion polls suggest Orban's Fidesz party has been losing ground to the opposition. The first Pride march was held in 1970 in New York to mark the anniversary of the city's Stonewall riots in June 1969, which sparked the gay rights movement. ros/jza/jj/ach
