
Gavin Butler
Senior Reporter
gavin.butler@vice.comGavin is an award-winning reporter covering drugs, crime and trafficking around the world, with a focus on Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The Developed World’s Biggest Climate Dinosaurs Have Been Voted Out
Young Australians, hit by worsening floods, droughts and fires, are celebrating as Scott Morrison's government of "climate laggards" have been shown the door.
Assisted Dying Is Now Legal in All Australian States
A ban is still in place in the country’s territories, however, with advocates calling for people there to have the “fundamental right to self-determination.”
Candyland: The Secret Life of a Tokyo Coke Baron
As the Yakuza lose influence, foreign criminals are seizing the reins of the Japanese drug market. One of them spent a year telling us how he does it.
Photos of North Korea’s COVID Outbreak, as Curated by North Korea
Carefully managed images portray a country that’s calm and in control, but experts say it's on the brink of a full-blown humanitarian disaster.
How North Korea Went from ‘Zero COVID’ to 1.2 Million Cases in 72 Hours
This time last week, North Korea was still claiming to be one of three COVID-free countries worldwide. Now it’s facing a public health catastrophe.
North Korea ‘Sending Out SOS’ as It Admits Unnamed Disease Has Spread to 350,000 People
Experts told VICE World News the outbreak is very likely COVID, with fears of “mass death” as the virus ravages the country’s unvaccinated and malnourished population.
North Korea Hasn’t Administered Any COVID Vaccines. It Just Reported Its First Outbreak.
Experts are worried the hermit kingdom could become the epicentre of new COVID variants, as Kim Jong Un orders the nation into lockdown.
Diver’s Body Washes Up in Port Next to $20M of Cocaine
The unidentified man, who was found unconscious by Australian officials at the world's biggest coal port, was wearing "specialised equipment."
Man Jailed After Confessing to Pushing Gay American Off a Cliff in ’88
The Australian, who was apparently raised in a homophobic family and later came out as gay himself, was given a maximum jail term of 12 years and seven months.
Navy Officer Held for Allegedly Forcing Recruits to Drink Semen With Fish Sauce
The incident, captured in a viral video, has shone a light on Thailand’s long-running issue of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse in its military.
A Winning Racehorse Tested Positive for Meth. Then Its Trainer Did Too.
Animal rights activists say the horse racing industry's troubled relationship with meth means “these kinds of cases crop up quite a few times.”
3 of the World’s Most Endangered Tigers Found Dead in Traps
They are the latest of more than half a dozen of the incredibly rare species to be killed in snares in Indonesia over the past 12 months.