Phil Mercer

Hostages run past a police officer (C) near Lindt Cafe, at Martin Place in central Sydney December 16, 2014. Australian security forces on Tuesday stormed the Sydney cafe where several hostages were being held at gunpoint.

An Iranian refugee and self-styled Muslim cleric is blamed for a hostage crisis in Sydney

Conflict

A Sheikh. A Muslim cleric. An Iranian refugee, A hostage taker, Who was Man Haron Monis – the man accused of the Sydney siege?

No secular music for funerals, says Australian Catholic Church

Arts, Culture & Media

Ex-Gitmo detainee’s one-man show

Arts, Culture & Media
The World

A Yacht Race in the Tasman Sea

Sports

A Cardboard Cathedral for Christchurch

Environment

Australia Calls for Media Probe into Phone-Hacking Scandal

Global Politics

Britain’s phone hacking scandal is reverberating in Australia, where Rupert Murdoch got his start.

The World

Australia to Impose Tax on Greenhouse Pollution

Environment

The political battle on climate change intensifies in Australia.

The World

In Australia, left & right slug it out over a planned carbon tax

Phil Mercer reports on the heated debate in Australia over a proposed carbon tax. The government says the tax would help fight greenhouse gas emissions, but some of Australia’s most powerful interests are against it.

The World

Ex-Guantanamo detainee opens one-man show in Australia

Arts, Culture & Media

Former Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib is starring in a new play about his three years in U.S. custody. The BBC’s Phil Mercer spoke to the cast at rehearsals and tells us about the play.

The World

New Year in Sydney; Munich and New York still preparing

Arts, Culture & Media

We sprint around the globe from east to west, beginning with a call from the future.