Australia News

Disaster declared in flood-hit Australia

AFP - Saturday, November 7

SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australian authorities declared a natural disaster along parts of the country's east coast as heavy floods cut the main road linking major cities, stranding thousands of people. More »

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Miracle Aussie baby beats rare condition in world first
AFP - Friday, November 6
MELBOURNE (AFP) - - A "miracle" Australian baby has become the first person cured of a rare and deadly brain-melting condition after doctors gambled on an experimental drug tested only on mice, they said on Thursday.
Two dead in Australia psychiatric unit stabbing: police
AFP - Thursday, November 5
MELBOURNE (AFP) - - Australian police laid murder charges against a 49-year-old male patient on Thursday over a stabbing rampage at a secure psychiatric hospital that left two people dead.
Australia, New Zealand in tit-for-tat Fiji expulsions
AFP - Wednesday, November 4
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australia and New Zealand announced tit-for-tat expulsions of Fiji's top envoys on Wednesday, exacerbating tensions with the military regime and deepening its isolation.
Australian pilots suspended over landing gear miss
AFP - Wednesday, November 4
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Two Australian pilots have been suspended for preparing to land a passenger plane without the correct landing gear, in what air safety investigators Wednesday labelled a "serious incident".
Australia, NZealand expel top Fiji envoys
AFP - Wednesday, November 4
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australia and New Zealand are expelling Fiji's top envoys in retaliation for the military regime's move to kick out their senior diplomats, officials said on Wednesday.
Australia ends search for boat survivors, 12 dead
AFP - Wednesday, November 4
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australia called off an air and sea search for survivors on Wednesday after a boat carrying unidentified Sri Lankans sank in remote seas far off its northwest, killing 12.
Australian PM warns Fiji 'coup culture' could spread
AFP - Wednesday, November 4
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Wednesday warned against the spread of a "coup culture" in the Pacific after Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama expelled Australian and New Zealand envoys.
`Grave fears' for those missing in boat disaster
AP - Tuesday, November 3
SYDNEY - Planes and ships searching a remote patch of the Indian Ocean found no signs Tuesday of additional survivors from the sinking of a suspected asylum-seeker boat.
Britain's Prince William to visit Australia, NZealand
AFP - Monday, November 2
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Britain's Prince William will embark on his first official tour of the Commonwealth in January, visiting Australia and New Zealand to "get to know" the people, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Monday.
Boat with 40 people sinks near remote Cocos Islands
Reuters - Monday, November 2
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A boat carrying around 40 people has sunk off the remote Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean, with possibly only 15 people rescued, Australian officials and local media said Monday.
Australian charged over Irish backpacker death
AFP - Saturday, October 31
SYDNEY (AFP) - - An Australian man was charged Saturday over the death of an Irish backpacker, police said, following an emotional plea by the victim's mother that he turn himself in.
Prince Edward sparks Australia adventure controversy
AFP - Saturday, October 31
SYDNEY (AFP) - - The youngest son of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward, sparked controversy Friday with claims that young people were drawn to his outdoor adventure scheme by the thrill of death.
China calls for new era with Australia after crisis
AFP - Friday, October 30
SYDNEY (AFP) - - China on Friday called for a sweeping new era in ties with Australia including a free-trade deal, marking a dramatic turnaround in relations which reached crisis-point this year.
2 Indonesians jailed 5 years for people smuggling
AP - Wednesday, October 28
DARWIN, Australia - Two Indonesians who crewed a boat that carried asylum seekers into Australian waters earlier this year were sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for people smuggling.
Jetstar engine fire forces evacuation in Australia
AFP - Wednesday, October 28
SYDNEY (AFP) - - More than 170 passengers were evacuated from an Australian Jetstar flight after an engine briefly caught fire after landing, the company said on Wednesday.
Australia to apologize those abused in state care
AP - Tuesday, October 27
CANBERRA, Australia - Australia's government will follow its historic apology to Aborigines last year for past injustices with a similar apology next month to children who suffered in state care during the last century, a cabinet minister said Tuesday.
PM to apologise to abused 'Forgotten Australians'
AFP - Tuesday, October 27
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will make a formal apology to hundreds of thousands of child-abuse victims known as the "Forgotten Australians" next month, officials said on Tuesday.
Economist: Fall in research hits farm productivity
AP - Tuesday, October 27
CANBERRA, Australia - A global fall in agricultural research spending _ other than in China _ is slowing growth in farm output and will lead to higher world food prices for the first time in five decades, an economist said Tuesday.
Rising seas 'threaten Australian homes'
AFP - Tuesday, October 27
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australia may have to force people to evacuate coastal areas as rising sea levels threaten thousands of homes, an official report has warned.