Australia and Oceania

World’s largest captive crocodile Cassius dies in Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters) – A 5.48 metre (18 ft) Australian crocodile that held the world record as the largest crocodile in captivity has died, a wildlife sanctuary said on Saturday. He was thought to be more than 110 years old. Cassius, weighing in at more than one ton, had been in declining health since Oct. 15, Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat said on Facebook. “He was very old and believed to be living beyond the years of […]

US missile agency scales back Guam defence plans

By Gerry Doyle SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A proposed multibillion-dollar missile defence system for Guam has been reduced to 16 sites on the island from the original 22, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said in a draft environmental impact statement on Friday. The project is designed to create “360 degree” protection for the U.S. Pacific territory from missile and air attacks of all kinds, the agency said. Plans include integrating Raytheon’s SM-6, SM-3 Block IIA, Lockheed […]

Australia plans social media ban for children

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia said on Tuesday it planned to introduce legislation this year to ban children from using social media platforms, citing the risks it could pose to physical and mental health. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his centre-left government would begin an age verification trial over the next few months. “I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts. We want […]

Thousands of Australians without power as heavy rain, damaging winds lash Tasmania

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of people in Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania were without power on Sunday after a cold front brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings. “Around 30,000 customers are without power across the state this morning,” Tasnetworks, a state-owned power company, said on Facebook on Sunday. The nation’s weather forecaster said on its website that a cold front over Tasmania, population around 570,000 people, was moving away, “although […]

Pacific leaders remove Taiwan from communique after China complaint

By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Pacific Islands Forum has removed references to Taiwan from a communique issued on Friday after the region’s annual leaders meeting, after complaints by China’s envoy. The bloc of 18 nations includes three members with diplomatic ties to Taiwan, and 15 members who recognise China, a major infrastructure lender to Pacific Islands countries where Beijing is seeking to increase its security presence. A communique released on Friday on the […]

Australia police say 4 people injured in Sydney stabbing attack

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian police said on Sunday that four people including a police officer were injured in a mass stabbing in Sydney, the latest in a series of stabbing attacks in the city this year. Police said in a statement on Sunday morning that four people were “injured following a crash and suspected stabbing a short time ago”. “There is definitely an incident in Engadine,” a police spokesperson said, referring to a suburb in […]

Australia signs $1.4 billion deal to upgrade navy submarines

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia said on Saturday it had signed a A$2.2 billion ($1.4 billion) four-year contract with state-owned submarine builder ASC to upgrade the navy’s Collins class submarines. The “sustainment contract” is part of a government pledge to keep the diesel-electric powered Collins-class fleet “a potent strike and deterrence capability”, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said in a statement. The contract will be “directly ensuring job security for more than 1,100 highly skilled workers”, […]

Massive global IT outage hits airlines, banks, media

By Joseph BOYLE PARIS, July 19, 2024 (AFP) – Airlines, banks, TV channels and other business across the globe were scrambling to deal with one of the biggest IT crashes in recent years on Friday, apparently caused by an update to an antivirus program. Major US air airlines initially grounded all flights over a communication issue — though American Airlines later said it had reinstated its flights. Airports across the world said check-in systems were […]

Sacked hotel worker arrested over killings of two Australians, Filipina

MANILA, July 17, 2024 (AFP) – A disgruntled former hotel employee has been arrested over the killings of two Australians and a Filipina in the Philipines, a government official and police said Wednesday. The bodies of a man and two women were found in a hotel room in Tagaytay city, south of Manila, on July 10, with their hands and feet bound and packaging tape over their mouths. The suspect was identified from CCTV footage […]

UN says world population to peak at 10.3 billion in the 2080s

NEW YORK (AFP) – Earth’s population will peak in the mid-2080s at around 10.3 billion people, then drop slightly to a level much lower than anticipated a decade ago, the United Nations said. The current population of 8.2 billion people will rise to that maximum over the next 60 years, then dip to 10.2 billion by the end of the century, says a report released Thursday entitled “World Population Prospects 2024.” It said the size […]

Australia pushes Solomons to rely on Pacific nations for security

SYDNEY, June 26, 2024 (AFP) – Australia urged Solomon Islands to rely on fellow Pacific nations for security assistance Wednesday during a visit by China-friendly Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele. The Solomons leader was visiting Australia as part of a three-nation tour that will also take him to China and Japan. It is Manele’s first official international trip since he replaced enthusiastic Beijing supporter Manasseh Sogavare as prime minister in May. Sogavare switched diplomatic recognition from […]

WikiLeaks founder Assange freed in US plea deal

By Andrew McKirdy and Harumi Ozawa SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands, June 26, 2024 (AFP) – A US judge freed Julian Assange on Wednesday in a plea deal that ended years of legal drama for the WikiLeaks founder, long wanted by Washington for revealing military secrets. “With this pronouncement, it appears that you will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man,” said the judge in a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, […]