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Antonia Finnane

Professor of Chinese History, University of Melbourne
Antonia Finnane is a professor of history at the University of Melbourne with a research specialty in Chinese history. She was a student in China in the 1970s, and has since lived, worked, and undertaken research there for varying periods of time. Her books include Far From Where? Jewish Journeys from Shanghai to Australia (Melbourne University Press, 1999); Speaking of Yangzhou (Harvard University Asia Center, 2004) and Changing Clothes in China (Columbia University Press, 2008). Her current research research focuses on tailors and technology in China during the Mao years.

Why Taiwan's falling birth rate has become a national security issue

Dec 26, 2023 23:16 pm UTC| Economy

Christmas is coming to Taipei and the city is at least partially decked out for the season. In Muzha, on the citys outskirts, the Catholic church has set up a nativity scene. There is as yet no baby in the manger and the...

The 'Mao suit': how a military-style uniform changed the face of China – and clothed Australian prisoners during the Korean War

Jul 27, 2023 08:16 am UTC| Insights & Views

In the collection of the Australian War Memorial there is a photograph of four men in a North Korean prisoner of war camp, taken in the winter of 1952-3. Australian airman Ron Guthrie is in the group. He had been in...

Economy

Malaysia’s Q1 GDP Grows 4.4%, U.S. Exports Surge Amid Tariff Concerns

Malaysias economy expanded by 4.4% year-on-year in Q1 2025, according to official advance estimates released Friday. While slower than the 5% growth recorded in Q4 2024, the economy remained resilient amid global...

Japan’s Inflation Rises as U.S. Tariff Risks Weigh on BOJ Policy

Japans core inflation rose in March, driven by persistent food cost increases, complicating the Bank of Japans (BOJ) path toward further rate hikes amid growing concerns over U.S. trade tariffs. The core consumer price...

Gold Pulls Back from Record Highs After Fed's Hawkish Signals and Profit-Taking

Gold prices dipped on Thursday in Asian trading after briefly hitting another record high, as investors took profits and digested hawkish comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Spot gold fell 0.7% to...

Oil Prices Climb on Iran Sanctions, OPEC Output Cuts, and U.S. Inventory Data

Oil prices rose on Thursday amid growing concerns of supply tightening after the U.S. imposed new sanctions to restrict Iranian oil exports and several OPEC members pledged to cut output to address overproduction. Brent...

Dollar Set for Fourth Weekly Loss as Tariff Worries and Safe-Haven Demand Grow

The U.S. dollar is poised for its fourth straight weekly loss as investor concerns over tariffs and trade uncertainty drive a shift away from U.S. assets. Despite a slight rebound from a seven-month low against the yen,...

Politics

US and Ukraine Sign Memorandum to Boost Critical Mineral Partnership

Ukraine and the United States have signed a memorandum of intent to advance cooperation on mineral resource development, paving the way for a broader Economic Partnership Agreement. The deal, strongly backed by U.S....

Paris Talks Signal Stronger European Role in Ukraine Peace Efforts

Talks in Paris involving U.S. officials Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Ukraine, and Europes key powersFrance, Britain, and Germanymarked a significant step toward a more united European approach to Ukraines future. A...

LA28 Olympic Visa Concerns Eased After USOPC Meets Trump Officials

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) received strong reassurances from the White House regarding visa support for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, USOPC Chair Gene Sykes said on Thursday. This follows...

Senator Murkowski Warns of Trump Retaliation, Voices Concern Over GOP Policies

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska expressed deep concern this week over the fear of political retaliation from President Donald Trump, revealing it makes her anxious to speak out against his policies. Speaking at...

Trump May Abandon Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Without Swift Progress

U.S. President Donald Trump is prepared to withdraw from efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days unless tangible progress is made, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. Speaking in Paris...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

Nvidia Faces $5.5B Hit as U.S. Restricts H20 AI Chip Exports to China

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) announced it will incur $5.5 billion in charges after the U.S. government indefinitely restricted exports of its H20 AI chip to China, a critical market for its data center products. The H20 chip,...

Intel Restructures Leadership Under New CEO to Boost AI and Engineering Focus

Intels new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, has initiated a major leadership shakeup aimed at streamlining operations and reviving the chipmakers competitive edge. In a recent internal memo obtained by Reuters, Tan announced a flatter...

TSMC Q1 Profit Surges 60% on Booming AI Chip Demand

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, reported a 60% year-over-year surge in first-quarter net profit, driven by skyrocketing demand for chips powering artificial intelligence...

Tencent, Douyin Launch Domestic Sales Initiatives Amid U.S.-China Trade Tensions

Chinese tech giants Tencent and Douyin, TikToks sister app in China, have launched new initiatives to support local exporters affected by the intensifying U.S.-China trade war. These efforts aim to help export-reliant...

Stargate AI Megaproject Eyes UK Expansion Backed by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle

The $500 billion Stargate data center project, backed by OpenAI, SoftBank (TYO:9984), and Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), is exploring expansion opportunities in the UK as it seeks overseas sites for scaling artificial intelligence...