Tag Archives: Australia

Beijing has dismissed claims that it is going to set up a military base in the Solomon Islands Beijing has dismissed as “fake news” allegations made earlier by Canberra and Washington that China is intending to set up a military base in the Solomon Islands. At a press conference on …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government could lose the federal election to be held on May 21, according to polls on Monday, even as they showed him consolidating his position as the country’s preferred leader on the first day of campaigning. A Newspoll survey conducted for The Australian newspaper showed …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative coalition trails Labor in opinion polls after nine years in power. Australia will hold a general election on May 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says, triggering a campaign expected to be fought over cost-of-living pressures, climate change, and questions of trust and competence of the …

Heavy rain triggered evacuation orders in Sydney on Thursday, as swollen rivers threatened homes and flooded roads in the latest wild weather to lash Australia’s east. Residents in several suburbs of Sydney’s south and southwest were told to leave for safety as fast-flowing rivers rose. “We have seen exceptionally sharp, …

Scientists have discovered the first-ever “true” millipede with more than 1,000 legs 60 meters underground in a mining area in Western Australia, setting the record for the creature with the most legs known to humans. Announcing the discovery in the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports journal, the team of researchers revealed that …

Thousands walked out to protest against Covid vaccine mandates in cities across Australia after the regional authorities made inoculation compulsory for a wide range of employees. In Melbourne, protesters gathered outside the local parliament on Sunday, marching through the city center and bringing traffic to a halt. Among the slogans …

The Taliban have signed a deal with Australian company Cpharm that wants to set up a cannabis processing center in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesperson said on Twitter. A contract has been signed and the project will be up and running within days, Taliban Press Director Qari Saeed Khosty said. Afghanistan’s …

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck a sparsely populated area of Western Australia, 24 km (15 miles) from the small town of Marble Bar, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Saturday. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake had a magnitude of 5.9 and was at a depth of …

More than 1,000 people demonstrated on Saturday in Australia’s biggest cities of Sydney and Melbourne to protest against the government’s climate policies and the strategies it offered at a UN climate summit in Glasgow. Sydney’s first legal protest after a months-long COVID-19 lockdown saw about 1,000 people march in support …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attacked the credibility of French President Emmanuel Macron as a newspaper quoted a text message that suggested France anticipated “bad news” about a now-scuttled submarine deal. An Australian newspaper cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s explanation to Macron last week that the US leader thought …

French President Emmanuel Macron said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him over the cancellation of a submarine building contract in September and indicated more efforts were required to rebuild trust between the two allies. In Rome for the G20 summit, the two leaders were meeting for the first …

US President Joe Biden told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Friday that his country was “clumsy” in securing a submarine deal with Australia behind France’s back. “We have no better ally than France,” Biden said in the first meeting with Macron since the row erupted last month. “What happened was, …

Australia’s defense minister says French President Emmanuel Macron is playing to domestic political sensibilities by expressing sustained outrage in a recent submarine row with Canberra. Australia scrapped a $40-billion submarine deal with France in favor of a trilateral security partnership with the United States and Britain. France said it was …

The United Nations’ nuclear organization has sounded the alarm over Australia’s plan to obtain nuclear-powered submarines. Under a trilateral deal between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States dubbed AUKUS, Australia will be given nuclear-propulsion technology for submarines. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) set up a task force to …

New Zealand recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday as a Delta-variant outbreak that dashed the nation’s “Covid Zero” hopes showed no signs of easing. Health authorities announced 94 new virus cases, exceeding the previous daily record of 89 set in …

Melbourne, which has spent more time under COVID-19 lockdowns than any other city in the world, is set to lift its stay-at-home orders this week, officials said on Sunday. By Friday, when some curbs will be lifted, the Australian city of 5 million people will have been under six lockdowns …

China has called on Australia to abandon its “Cold War mentality” and re-evaluate its relationship with Beijing, following former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s visit to Chinese Taipei, during which he pledged that Canberra would support the self-ruled island against Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks …

France’s ambassador to Australia says Australian officials lied to his face and raised the risk of confrontation in Asia by crafting a secret submarine deal with the United States and Britain that undermined trust in democratic alliances. France is determined to protect its interests in the Indo-Pacific region, and to …

Australia’s delta outbreak appears to have levelled off, with more than half the country in extended lockdowns and vaccination rates starting to approach national targets, Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Monday. Hunt said 80 percent of Australians will have had their first COVID-19 jabs this week, while the overall …

Australia’s trade minister said on Friday talks with the European Union over a trade deal have been postponed, as a row over Canberra’s decision to cancel a $40 billion deal with France escalated. Australia last month cancelled a deal with France’s Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines …