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Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | An Australian economist detained by Myanmar’s junta has pleaded not guilty to breaching the colonial-era official secrets act, a source close to the case said on Friday. Sean Turnell was working as an adviser to Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi when he was detained shortly after the coup that ousted her government in February last year. On trial in a secretive junta court that journalists cannot access, he […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia enshrined deeper cuts to carbon emissions in new legislation Thursday, aiming to shed its decade-long reputation as a fossil-fuel-addicted climate laggard. Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament voted 89-55 in favor of a 43 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels, on the path to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. It is expected to go to the Senate for final approval in September. Heavily reliant […]
by David Williams Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s unique wildlife is being devastated by bushfires, drought, habitat loss and global warming, a government report said Tuesday, warning that more species were headed for extinction. The five-yearly State of the Environment report prompted calls for dramatic action to reverse the “poor and deteriorating” state of flora and fauna depicted by scientists on land and at sea. The damage is being hastened by a climate […]
BALI, Indonesia (AFP) — Australia will press China to end trade “blockages” Friday as the two nations seek to defrost icy relations with their first foreign ministers’ meeting since 2019. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she aimed to “stabilize” relations when she meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later in the day on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia. “We all know we have our differences. There are challenges […]
GALLE, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka’s team were hit by a Covid-19 outbreak on the eve of Friday’s second Test against Australia with Dhananjaya de Silva, Jeffrey Vandersay and Asitha Fernando all testing positive for the virus. “All three players were found to be positive during a Rapid Antigen Test conducted yesterday,” Sri Lanka Cricket said Thursday. The hosts are looking to bounce back after their crushing 10-wicket defeat inside three days in the […]
by Andrew Leeson Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Rain-swollen rivers spilled mud-brown waters across swathes of Sydney on Tuesday, swamping homes and roads while forcing thousands to flee. Emergency services have now instructed about 50,000 people to evacuate or to prepare to escape the rising waters in New South Wales, officials said. Emergency workers carried out 22 flood rescues in Sydney overnight, they said, with the support of 100 army troops deployed to the […]
Sri Lanka closed schools and halted all non-essential government services on Monday, beginning a two-week shutdown to conserve fast-depleting fuel reserves as the International Monetary Fund opened talks with Colombo on a possible bailout. The country of 22 million people is in the grip of its worst economic crisis after running out of dollars to finance even the most essential imports, including fuel. On Monday schools were shut and state offices worked with skeleton staff as […]
SYDNEY , Australia (AFP) — Australia raised the minimum wage by over five percent on Thursday, a slower-than-inflation increase as prices for basic goods soar. The Fair Work Commission set the new minimum rate at Aus$21.38 (US$14.75) an hour, a 5.2 percent increase. Inflation is forecast to hit seven percent by the end of the year, according to central bank governor Philip Lowe. Food, fuel and other costs have been pushed higher by Russia’s invasion […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Australia on Tuesday celebrated the antics of dancing goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne whose penalty shootout save against Peru saw them to a fifth straight World Cup finals. The 33-year-old clowned his way along the goal line as Peru’s players prepared to take their penalty kicks and his block of Alex Valera’s shot gave Australia a 5-4 win after the two sides had been deadlocked without a goal for 120 minutes. Australia coach […]
Australia and China’s defence ministers met for the first time in three years on Sunday, with the talks described as “an important first step” following a period of strained ties. “It was an opportunity to have a very frank and full exchange in which I raised a number of issues of concern to Australia,” Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said, confirming the meeting to journalists in Singapore. The meeting between Marles and Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s prime minister joked he would huddle with top officials Thursday to discuss the soaring cost of lettuce and local KFCs’ decision to replace the verdant leaf with a cabbage mix on their Zinger Burgers. Dubbing the fast-food chain’s decision “crazy”, center-left leader Anthony Albanese quipped the situation had become a national “crisis”. Lettuce prices have soared by as much as 300 percent in Australian cities thanks to recent flooding and […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia insisted Wednesday that its patrol plane was in international airspace when a Chinese warplane intercepted it and released a cloud of small aluminium strips, known as chaff. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded curtly when asked about a spat between Canberra and Beijing over the May 26 incident, which Australia’s government has described as “very dangerous”. “This incident occurred in international airspace. Full stop,” Albanese told a news conference. China’s […]
