A group of Chinese navy vessels, including a formidable warship, sailing legally in the Tasman Sea have raised alarm in Australia and New Zealand because they were in unusually southern waters and on an undeclared mission. Australian officials said Thursday that they were closely monitoring the ships — a cruiser, a frigate and a supply…
Some Australians were in no mood to celebrate the country’s national day on Sunday because they had long seen it as a reminder of colonial oppression. A few protesters took that antipathy a step further — by vandalizing statues to British settlers and an English king. The damage done in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra was…
Jane Austen fans have a good reason to explore the southwest of England this year: It’s the 250th anniversary of her birth, and celebrations abound. Hampshire was both Austen’s birthplace and a source of inspiration; as a novelist, she was most prolific in this bucolic setting. Start out at Jane Austen’s House, her former cottage,…