Australia and Oceania
Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Papua New Guinea
SYDNEY, Oct 7, 2023 (AFP) – A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck northeastern Papua New Guinea on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage. The strong quake had a depth of 53 kilometres (33 miles) and hit at around 7:30 pm (0830 GMT) with the epicentre about 56 kilometres southeast of the coastal town of Madang, the USGS said. An aftershock of equal magnitude hit off the coast of Madang […]
Floods threaten 130 homes in eastern Australia, just 48 hours after bushfires
SYDNEY, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – Emergency services warned people to flee floods threatening more than 130 homes in eastern Australia Thursday — in a region swept by bushfires just 48 hours earlier. Heavy rains had swollen the McAllister River in the eastern state of Victoria, threatening rural homes, said David Baker, deputy chief of the state’s emergency service. “We estimate up to around 130 properties may be impacted by this event, hence why we […]
Early start to Australia’s bushfire season sparks ‘horror’ warning
SYDNEY, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – Warm winds fanned multiple blazes on Wednesday in an unusually early start to Australia’s annual fire season, prompting a state leader to warn of a “horror” summer of bushfires ahead. Firefighters said they had been fighting 18 out-of-control bushfires in the morning in the eastern state of New South Wales, some in the Bega Valley region of the state’s southeastern coast. At least three homes were lost in the […]
N. Zealand PM contracts Covid during election campaign
WELLINGTON, Oct 1, 2023 (AFP) – New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Sunday that he had contracted Covid-19, testing positive at a key point in his flailing campaign for re-election. Hipkins said on his official social media feed that he would need to isolate for up to five days — less than two weeks before his country’s general election. The leader of the centre-left Labour Party said he started to experience cold symptoms […]
Armed suspect who caused Oahu Army base lockdown captured in another island
HONOLULU (Eagle News) – Paul A. Smith was captured at Molokai Island’s airport on the evening of Thursday, September 28, after being on the run for allegedly assaulting a U.S. Army Soldier and triggering a lockdown of Schofield Barracks in Central Oahu for nearly three hours. The incident began at around 2:30pm when the military ordered a complete lockdown of Schofield Barracks and the adjacent Wheeler Army Airfield, thus preventing anyone from entering or exiting […]
Pres. Biden recognizes two Pacific nations in move to counter China
WASHINGTON, Sept 25, 2023 (AFP) – President Joe Biden said the United States officially recognized the Pacific nations of Cook Islands and Niue Monday, as he hosted regional leaders in a bid to wrest influence from China. The announcement came at the start of a summit with the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum, where US officials said the president was announcing a more assertive American stance in the region. Biden said in statements that Washington recognized […]
EAGLE NEWS INTERNATIONAL – SEPT. 23, 2023
UN General Assembly chief warns: ‘World’s breadbaskets’ are sinking
While small island states are the most vulnerable to rising sea levels, the impact is much wider, warned the President of the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Addressing a special summit meeting, Dennis Francis – a veteran diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago – said he was determined to make sure the issue gets the attention it deserves during his presidency. With the climate crisis unfolding rapidly, the need for more inclusive and innovative approaches to […]
Australia’s firefighters face worst season in years
SYDNEY, Sept 22, 2023 (AFP) – Volunteer firefighters are scorching Australia’s forest undergrowth, reducing fuel for what is expected to be the fiercest fire season since the monster “Black Summer” blazes. Deadly wildfires have devastated forests in Canada, Greece, Hawaii and elsewhere around the world this year but unlike many other countries, Australia heavily relies on a 190,000-strong volunteer cohort to battle the flames. Their courage was on display during the “Black Summer” fires of […]
Floods force evacuations on New Zealand’s South Island
WELLINGTON, Sept 22, 2023 (AFP) – New Zealand emergency officials have ordered about 100 people to evacuate in the tourist hub of Queenstown after heavy rain triggered floods across the South Island, officials said Friday. A cloudburst overnight dumped a month’s worth of rain on Queenstown in its wettest 24-period for more than two decades, meteorologists said. Flooding and debris washed through parts of central Queenstown as some residents had to flee their homes, officials […]
Rupert Murdoch hands leadership of media empire to son Lachlan
NEW YORK, Sept 21, 2023 (AFP) – Rupert Murdoch will step down as chairman of his media empire, a conservative behemoth that helped shape politics around the world, and hand control to his son Lachlan, Fox Corp. and News Corp. announced Thursday. The Australian-born 92-year-old, who built a global entertainment and news juggernaut that shaped events from Brexit to the rise of Donald Trump, will shift into an emeritus status at both companies in mid-November, […]
