Tag: Australia

Indonesia returning hundreds of containers of waste to West

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia is sending back hundreds of containers of contaminated waste to the West after shipments supposedly containing plastic meant for recycling were found to hide hazardous substances, customs officials said. Among more than 2,000 containers checked by authorities at four ports from July to mid-September, nearly 550 contained hazardous material or non-plastic waste. More than 300 containers have already been repatriated, officials said. “Imported waste mixed with trash or hazardous […]

Continue Reading →

Cardinal Pell files High Court appeal against child sex conviction

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Disgraced Cardinal George Pell lodged an appeal against his child sex abuse convictions in Australia’s High Court on Tuesday, an official in Canberra said. It is the final avenue of appeal for the 78-year-old — who is serving a six-year sentence for sexually assaulting two choirboys in the 1990s — to get out of jail and clear his name. The former Vatican treasurer who once helped elect popes, last month […]

Continue Reading →

Australia urges ‘sovereignty’ as S. China Sea tensions rise

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Australia’s prime minister on Friday urged nations in Asia to stand up for their “independence and sovereignty”, with tensions high in the disputed South China Sea where Beijing is under fire for increasingly bullish behavior. Scott Morrison’s comments came after the United States slammed China for its “escalation” in the waterway, a key global shipping route where Beijing is accused of deploying warships, arming outposts and ramming fishing vessels. Morrison was […]

Continue Reading →

Disgraced Catholic Cardinal Pell of Australia loses child sex abuse appeal

  by Holly ROBERTSON Agence France Presse MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Disgraced Cardinal George Pell lost his appeal against child sex abuse convictions Wednesday, prompting relief from victims who fought to bring one of the Catholic Church’s most powerful men to justice. A former Vatican treasurer, Pell had been trying to overturn the verdicts and six-year sentence for sexually assaulting two 13-year-old choirboys at a Melbourne cathedral in the 1990s. The high-profile case pitted 78-year-old […]

Continue Reading →

Tears and shouting as Australia dilutes Pacific climate warning

  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A Pacific summit has descended into tears, recriminations and shouting between pro-coal Australia and low-lying island nations facing an existential threat from climate change. The annual Pacific Island Forum wrapped up in Tuvalu late Thursday with Australia and the group’s 17 other members sharply at odds, potentially undermining Canberra’s efforts to curb China’s growing influence in the region. “There were serious arguments and even shouting, crying, people, leaders were […]

Continue Reading →

Cardinal Pell appeal ruling to be announced August 21: court

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — The ruling in Australian Cardinal George Pell’s appeal against his conviction on historical child sex abuse charges will be handed down on August 21, court officials announced Thursday. Pell, 78, the former Vatican number three, was sentenced in March to six years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting two choirboys in the 1990s. A three-judge panel of Victoria state’s Supreme Court has been deliberating his case since hearing his appeal […]

Continue Reading →

Woman stabbed in central Sydney knife rampage

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A man stabbed a woman and attempted to stab several other people in central Sydney Tuesday before being pinned down by members of the public and detained by police, eyewitnesses and officials said. Images broadcast by Australian media showed the man jumping on the roof of a car brandishing a knife, appearing to shout “Allahu Akbar” and “shoot me”. Police said the woman was in a stable condition and there were […]

Continue Reading →

Australian coal use an ‘existential threat’ to islands: Fiji PM

  SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — Fiji on Monday challenged Australia to do more on climate change ahead of a regional summit of Pacific nations this week, warning Canberra’s  reliance on coal posed an “existential threat” to low-lying islands. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Australia should recognize the threat climate change poses to Pacific island nations. “I appeal to Australia to do everything possible to achieve a rapid transition from coal to energy sources that do […]

Continue Reading →

New Zealand cocaine haul believed drifted 2,100 km from Australia

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A multi-million dollar haul of cocaine washed up on a New Zealand beach this week is believed to have drifted more than 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) across the Tasman Sea from Australia, police said Friday. They linked the find of 20 packets of cocaine — with an estimated street value of NZ$3.0 million (US$2.0 million) — at Bethells Beach in West Auckland to packages dumped off the New South Wales […]

Continue Reading →

Australia calls on China to let Uighur mother and son leave

  by Holly Robertson  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s government on Wednesday called on China to allow an Australian child and his Uighur mother to leave the country, stepping up pressure on Beijing days after Canberra co-signed a letter denouncing its treatment of the Muslim minority. China has rounded up an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking minorities into re-education camps in the tightly-controlled region of Xinjiang in the country’s northwest. Canberra […]

Continue Reading →

Sixers star Simmons out of Aussie World Cup bid

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Ben Simmons, newly signed to a five-year, $170 million contract extension with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, confirmed Tuesday he won’t play for Australia at the World Cup. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Melbourne-born star said he wouldn’t make the trip to the FIBA championship that tips off in China on August 31. “I wanted to let everyone know that after consulting with my representation, I’ve made the difficult decision […]

Continue Reading →

Strong 6.6 quake hits off northwest Australia: USGS

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off northwest Australia Sunday, shaking buildings over a wide area but causing no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The shallow quake hit early Sunday afternoon 10 kilometres under the Indian Ocean 203 kilometres (126 miles) west of the West Australian beach resort of Broome, the US Geological Survey said. No tsunami alert was issued. Sergeant Neil Gordon of the Broome police department said the […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 41 42 43 44 45 … 79