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SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — More than 100 rarely seen fish species were hauled up from a deep and cold abyss off Australia during a scientific voyage, researchers said Wednesday, including a cousin of the “world’s ugliest animal” Mr Blobby. Scientists spent a month last year on a vessel off the country’s eastern seaboard surveying life lurking up to 4.8 kilometres (2.9 miles) below the surface, using nets, sonar and deep-sea cameras. Over 42,000 fish and […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Virtually all of Australia’s shellfish reefs have disappeared, making them the country’s most threatened ocean ecosystem, scientists said Thursday, calling for more investment to rescue the important marine habitats. While recent global focus has been on the destruction of coral reefs, a study led by the Nature Conservancy found that between 90 and 99 percent of shellfish reefs have vanished since British colonisation 230 years ago. The reefs, formed by millions […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A British warship will sail from Australia through the disputed South China Sea next month to assert freedom of navigation rights, a senior official said Tuesday in a move likely to irk Beijing. China claims nearly all of the resource-rich waterway and has been turning reefs and islets into islands and installing military facilities such as runways and equipment on them. British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said HMS Sutherland, an anti-submarine […]
Money to fund WFP program for schoolchildren, “vulnerable laborers, farmers” (Eagle News) — The Australian government has given more than P42 million in assistance to people affected by the Marawi crisis. With the P42.7 million (AUD1.1 million), the World Food Program will be able to provide six months of school meals for 50,000 pupils, a joint statement from the WFP and the Australian embassy said. Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorely said in the statement that the “emergency […]
MALÉ, Maldives (AFP) – Opposition leaders in the Maldives urged the international community Monday to pressure President Abdulla Yameen into obeying a court order to free political prisoners and “restore democracy” to the troubled honeymoon islands. Yameen’s regime has so far refused to release nine jailed dissidents and reinstate opposition lawmakers as ordered by the Maldives’ top court in a shock ruling last week that has deepened turmoil in the atoll nation. The Supreme Court on Sunday […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Roger Federer steps on court against new South Korean star Chung Hyeon Friday with the prospect of an Australian Open final against Marin Cilic at stake. The hugely experienced Swiss ace is an overwhelming favorite as he targets a 20th Grand Slam title, but the unseeded 21-year-old has already sent Novak Djokovic packing, proving anything can happen. Cilic is already through to his first ever decider at Melbourne Park after sweeping past Britain’s […]
by Robert Smith Agence France-Presse MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) – Kyle Edmund became only the fourth British man to reach the Australian Open semi-finals in the post-1968 Open Era with an impressive win over world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open on Tuesday. The unseeded Edmund, ranked 49, won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 2hr 49min on Rod Laver Arena and will face either 16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal or Marin Cilic for a place in […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Roger Federer has downplayed suffocating heat on court at the Australian Open, saying it was part of the game and players should be prepared. The Swiss great was commenting on furnace-like conditions at Melbourne Park on Thursday, which his rival Novak Djokovic described as “brutal,” complaining it was hard to breathe. More of same was expected Friday, with a peak of 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) forecast. Federer escaped the worst on Thursday, playing a […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A pair of Australian swimmers on Thursday became the first people to be rescued in the ocean by a drone when the aerial lifesaver dropped an safety device to distressed teens caught in rough seas. Australia is leading the use of the technology in surf lifesaving, with dozens of drones being trialled on beaches around the country. In what is believed to be a world-first drone surf rescue, two boys on […]
ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) — South Australia’s extreme heatwave conditions have forced Tour Down Under organizers to shorten Thursday’s third stage from Glenelg to Victor Harbor. With temperatures forecast to climb above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), race director Mike Turtur said the distance of the stage had been reduced by 26 kilometres, or two laps of the final circuit. “The safety and welfare of the riders, spectators and everyone involved with the race is always our primary concern,” Turtur said in a statement. “We […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia is calling on the world’s top scientific minds to help save the Great Barrier Reef, offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund research into protecting the world’s largest living structure. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed reef is reeling from significant coral bleaching due to warming sea temperatures linked to climate change. The 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) site is also under pressure from farming runoff, development and predatory crown-of-thorns starfish, with experts warning […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A wallaby startled motorists Tuesday when it hopped across Sydney’s Harbor Bridge, closely tailed by police. Drivers spotted the marsupial, which resembles a smaller version of a kangaroo, bouncing along at the northern end of the eight-lane bridge just before 5:00 am (1600 GMT). “Never seen anything like it. That’s Australia for you,” a caller to Sydney radio station 2GB, Dean, said. Another caller, Michelle, said she was worried a car […]
