Buy now, pay later providers in Australia will face new regulations, including needing to hold a credit license, as part of the government’s moves to clamp down on the sector wsj.com/articles/austr…

The U.S. signed deals that will deepen security ties with Papua New Guinea, a success for Washington as it seeks to counter China’s influence in the region wsj.com/articles/u-s-c…

"You really want PNG on your side," the Lowy Institute's Maholopa Laveil tells Mike Cherney The Wall Street Journal as India's PM and the US Secretary of State visit #PNG for talks with Pacific Islands leaders. wsj.com/articles/u-s-c…

The U.S. and its closest allies said Chinese hackers are targeting critical infrastructure using a novel method that is difficult to detect wsj.com/articles/china…

A decorated Australian war veteran lost defamation lawsuits regarding allegations he murdered unarmed civilians during the Afghanistan war. Australia, one of the U.S.’s most important allies, has been struggling with the legacy of the conflict. wsj.com/articles/years… via The Wall Street Journal

As the U.S. stitches together alliances to counter adversaries such as China, its arms-control regime relies on many regulations from the Cold War wsj.com/articles/u-s-f… via The Wall Street Journal

Despite concerns about AI’s potential dangers, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was greeted like a rock star at most of his stops during a recent world tour—including in Australia. W/keachhagey wsj.com/articles/chatg… via The Wall Street Journal

Players on Norway’s women's soccer team were awakened Thursday morning in Auckland, NZ, by a helicopter hovering outside their hotel and a large number of emergency vehicles in the street. It was a shooting. wsj.com/articles/two-k… w/ Mike Cherney

I rode along with U.S. Marines in remote northern Australia to take a look at how they are training for potential confrontation with China. "We can’t do what we have done for so long," one officer said. wsj.com/articles/makes… via The Wall Street Journal

"A big issue now in Vanuatu is finding somewhere safe to live." Back-to-back cyclones that hit this Pacific island nation wiped out crops and destroyed homes. Did climate change play a role? wsj.com/science/enviro… via The Wall Street Journal

A referendum on giving indigenous Australians more say in their nation’s politics has become the latest flashpoint in global culture wars. Our take on an important vote coming up this weekend: wsj.com/world/oceania/… via The Wall Street Journal

Weak demand for milk among Chinese consumers is rippling through New Zealand, the world's largest dairy exporter and where many farmers expect to lose money this season. "I try not to think about it, to be honest," one farmer says. wsj.com/economy/consum… via The Wall Street Journal

China is narrowing one of the biggest gaps separating the U.S. and Chinese militaries as it makes advances in its submarine technology. Relevant reading as Australia prepares to buy its own nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S. Alastair Gale wsj.com/world/china/us… via The Wall Street Journal

Scientists are studying ways to prevent the grass and other plants that livestock eat from wilting under extreme heat and drought. At stake is the global food supply. wsj.com/science/enviro… via The Wall Street Journal

Firefighters and scientists are worried some wildfires are burning more at night, upending a key assumption about fire behavior. "Firefighter observations, anecdotal reports and improved data sets are helping us to uncover patterns at nighttime.” wsj.com/world/firefigh… via The Wall Street Journal

Scientists are using AI, genetic analysis and even a salmon farm to help save disappearing kelp forests in Tasmania, where the ocean is warming at a worrying rate. “It’s such an important species, it’s worth having a crack." wsj.com/science/enviro… via The Wall Street Journal

Delighted to swim with Stuart Condie and Mike Cherney at Brighton Le Sands in Australia to show solidarity with another WSJ colleague, Evan Gershkovich, who is wrongfully detained in Russia. #istandwithevan #iswimwithevan #journalismisnotacrime

Pizza. Sauerkraut. Vegemite. Australia is besieged with novelty versions of hot cross buns, an Easter favorite. But not everyone wants to mess with centuries of tradition. ‘Bloody awful.’ Latest A-hed: wsj.com/lifestyle/east… via The Wall Street Journal

“We didn’t think we were going to make it”: Inside the Singapore Airlines plane that was caught in one of the worst turbulence-related accidents ever. Great reporting by Stuart Condie @felizysolo Jon Emont wsj.com/world/asia/i-w… via The Wall Street Journal

Seven U.S. allies warned that a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group poses a threat to their networks, in an unusual coordinated move by Western governments directed at Beijing’s intelligence services. Mike Cherney wsj.com/politics/natio… wsj.com/politics/natio…