Straitstimes.com header logo

Choose edition

Search

singapore

asia

world

opinion

life

business

sport

Visual

Podcasts

SPH Rewards

STClassifieds

Paid press releases

Advertise with us

FAQs

Contact us

 
author-image
author-image

Jonathan Pearlman

For The Straits Times

Jonathan is a journalist based in Sydney. He has covered stories on Australia and the Pacific for The Straits Times since 2011 and has also contributed stories from Africa, the Middle East and the US. He was previously Australia-Pacific correspondent for The Telegraph (London) and foreign affairs correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald. He studied at the University of New South Wales and Oxford University.

Email

Latest articles

Albanese comes away from Trump meeting with lots to show

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on Oct, 20, 2025.
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on Oct, 20, 2025.

Australia’s far-right on the march amid growing concerns about immigration

Protesters, watched by police, participate in the March for Australia rally in central Sydney on Oct 19, 2025. PHOTO: AFP
Protesters, watched by police, participate in the March for Australia rally in central Sydney on Oct 19, 2025. PHOTO: AFP

Australian telcos agree to ‘stress-test’ networks after Optus outage

Optus Chief Executive Officer Stephen Rue arrives at Parliament House in Canberra for a meeting with Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells on Oct 7, 2025. PHOTO: EPA
Optus Chief Executive Officer Stephen Rue arrives at Parliament House in Canberra for a meeting with Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells on Oct 7, 2025. PHOTO: EPA

Australia’s landmark defence treaty with PNG set to swing pendulum away from China

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape (R) and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese sign a mutual communique in Port Moresby on September 17, 2025. Australia and Papua New Guinea failed to sign a long-awaited mutual defence treaty as expected on September 17, as Canberra seeks to deepen ties with Pacific nations and counter Beijing's rising influence. (Photo by AFP)
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape (R) and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese sign a mutual communique in Port Moresby on September 17, 2025. Australia and Papua New Guinea failed to sign a long-awaited mutual defence treaty as expected on September 17, as Canberra seeks to deepen ties with Pacific nations and counter Beijing's rising influence. (Photo by AFP)

Australian PM says Optus ‘let down the nation’ as Singtel blames outage on human error

An initial investigation of the Sept 18 outage at Optus was "due to a people issue", SingTel's chief executive said on Sept 30. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
An initial investigation of the Sept 18 outage at Optus was "due to a people issue", SingTel's chief executive said on Sept 30. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Selfie and ‘warm chat’ with Trump a small win, but Albanese must cement alliance at next meeting

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump in a selfie at the United Nations in New York during their first ever face-to-face meeting. 

Credit: @albomp/Instagram
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump in a selfie at the United Nations in New York during their first ever face-to-face meeting. 

Credit: @albomp/Instagram

Optus outage in Australia sparks public fury and calls for telco sector overhaul

People pass by an Australian communications company Optus store in Melbourne on September 22, 2025. The Australian government said September 20 that telco firm Optus "let Australians down" after three people died during a network outage that prevented calls to emergency services. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
People pass by an Australian communications company Optus store in Melbourne on September 22, 2025. The Australian government said September 20 that telco firm Optus "let Australians down" after three people died during a network outage that prevented calls to emergency services. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Wrongfully jailed mum freed after 20 years speaks out, revives calls for justice reform in Australia

Ms Kathleen Folbigg was known as Australia’s worst female serial killer after she was jailed in 2003 for killing her four babies.
Ms Kathleen Folbigg was known as Australia’s worst female serial killer after she was jailed in 2003 for killing her four babies.

Australia is losing the immigration debate to political correctness

A demonstrator wearing a 'Make Australia Great Again' cap poses for a picture during the 'March for Australia' anti-immigration rally, in Sydney, Australia, August 31, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
A demonstrator wearing a 'Make Australia Great Again' cap poses for a picture during the 'March for Australia' anti-immigration rally, in Sydney, Australia, August 31, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams

US, China and other partners barred from Pacific Islands summit as regional tensions bite

The annual Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Suva on Aug 14. The US, China and Taiwan have been barred from an upcoming annual summit of Pacific island nations.
The annual Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Suva on Aug 14. The US, China and Taiwan have been barred from an upcoming annual summit of Pacific island nations.

E-paper

Newsletters

Podcasts

RSS Feed

About Us

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Need help? Reach us here.

Advertise with us

Download the app

Get unlimited access to exclusive stories and incisive insights from the ST newsroom
Subscribe Placeholder
MDDI (P) 048/10/2024. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2025 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.