Australia and Oceania

Tsunami warning as powerful 7.5 quake strikes off New Caledonia

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A shallow and powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific islands of New Caledonia Wednesday, US seismologists said, triggering a tsunami warning for the area. “Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, “hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter.” New Zealand authorities issued a similar warning after the quake, which struck just 10 kilometers beneath the surface. USGS […]

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Thousands evacuated as Australian bushfires rage

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Thousands of people were being evacuated from their homes in northeast Australia late Wednesday, as bushfires raged across Queensland state amid a scorching heatwave. Some 8,000 people were told to leave the town of Gracemere, south of the central coast area of Rockhampton, as a fast-moving blaze threatened homes. The Bureau of Meteorology declared a “catastrophic” fire danger — the highest possible risk rating — in some central areas, while firefighters […]

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Huge quake edges New Zealand islands closer together

  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A destructive earthquake that struck New Zealand two years ago has left its two main islands edging towards each other, and one city sinking, according to scientists. But the margins are minimal with the gap between the North and South islands narrowing a mere 35 centimetres (13 and a half inches), while Nelson at the top of the South Island has sunk by up to 20 millimetres. The magnitude […]

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Iglesia Ni Cristo in American Samoa holds free clothing drive

By Alfred Acenas in Hawaii with Arriane Suan in American Samoa Eagle News Service HONOLULU, Hawaii (Eagle News Service) – A year after the very first Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) Aid for Humanity project in American Samoa, Church members in the island territory held a free clothing drive in the island territory’s capital in Pago Pago. The free clothing drive was held at the INC’s place of worship in the capital on Oct. 28. […]

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Strong undersea quake off Fiji, but no tsunami

SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fiji Monday, the United States Geological Survey said, but it was too deep to cause any damage. It was centered 534 kilometers (331 miles) deep and 283 kilometers east of the capital Suva where residents said they did not notice any shaking. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat from the tremor which occurred at 9:25 am (2025 GMT […]

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Pence says US to partner in Papua New Guinea military base

  PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — The United States said Saturday it will join forces with Australia in the development of a new naval base in Papua New Guinea, a project seen as a move to curb China’s influence in the Pacific. Australia, which has long-standing military ties with the US, has already announced plans to redevelop PNG’s Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island. China’s desire to build a military facility on Fiji’s […]

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Pence vows tariffs to remain until ‘China changes its ways’

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Vice President Mike Pence warned Saturday that US sanctions and pressure on China would remain in place until Beijing reforms its trade practices. “We’ve put tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods and that number could more than double,” he told CEOs from around the region. “We hope for better, but the United States will not change course until China changes its ways.” © Agence France-Presse

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China’s Xi: No one wins from ‘cold war, hot war, trade war’

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that no one wins from military, political or trade confrontation, amid fears that rivalry between Beijing and the US could escalate. “History has shown that confrontation — whether in form of cold war, hot war or trade war — will produce no winners,” Xi told a business conference ahead of an APEC summit expected to be dominated by a tussle for influence […]

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China’s Xi at APEC: protectionism ‘doomed to failure’

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Protectionist actions are short-sighted and doomed to fail, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday ahead of an APEC summit at which US-China trade tensions are likely to take centre stage. “Attempts to erect barriers and cut close economic ties work against the laws of economics and the trends of history. This is a short-sighted approach and it is doomed to failure,” Xi told business leaders on the sidelines of […]

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US, China rivalry to dominate APEC summit

by Andrew BEATTY / Richard CARTER Agence France Presse PORT MORESBY, Ppaua New Guinea (AFP) — Asian Pacific leaders fly into the unlikely venue of Port Moresby Saturday for a summit developing into a tug-of-war for regional influence between an assertive China and an increasingly withdrawn United States. Donald Trump is skipping the two-day APEC meeting, sending Vice President Mike Pence in his place, who is leaving after one day and staying in Australia rather […]

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Woman charged over Australia strawberry needle scare

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A woman has been charged after a “complex” investigation into an Australian strawberry scare where needles were found stuck into the fruit, police said Sunday, in a crisis that sparked nationwide panic. Queensland state authorities offered a large reward and the national government raised jail terms for such crimes after sewing needles were found in plastic boxes of the fruit sold in supermarkets in September. Since the first case came […]

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One dead in stabbing rampage in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — One person was killed and two others were injured in a rush hour stabbing rampage in downtown Melbourne Friday, that saw police shoot a knife-wielding suspect near a burning vehicle. Police said officers “initially responded to a report of a car on fire” in the city center at 4:20 pm local time, but discovered at the scene that members of the public had been stabbed. Media showed video footage of police […]

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