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by Martin PARRY Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A former Australian archbishop convicted of concealing abuse by a notorious paedophile priest in the 1970s was confronted by enraged victims outside a courthouse Tuesday after a judge spared him jail and ordered he serve his sentence at home. Philip Wilson became one of the highest-ranked church officials convicted of covering up child sex abuse when he was found guilty in May of concealing crimes […]
(Eagle News) — A magnitude 4.3 quake struck Norseman in Western Australia’s Goldfields Esperance region, 726 kilometers east of Perth midnight of August 9 (Australia time) Local news reports in Australia said this was not unusual since the same area also experienced a magnitude 4.7 quake two years ago. There is no tsunami threat to Australia said the country’s Bureau of Meteorology. The United States Geological Survey recorded the quake as having a magnitude […]
(Eagle News) — The Australian Government is implementing strategies to assist farmers, as a crippling drought — said to be the worst in the last 400 years — has taken over vast areas of pastoral heartlands affecting thousands of farmers who heavily rely on their farms to sustain their households. The Federal Government has announced that they will be providing cash payments of up to Aus$12,000 to assist farmers and drought stricken communities. The […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s population was due to hit 25 million on Tuesday, renewing debate about overcrowding and infrastructure pressures in major cities as the government explores ways to encourage migrants into regional areas. The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects that the population is growing by one person every 83 seconds and is due to reach the milestone figure at 1300 GMT. It will mark a doubling of the number of people since 1970 […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Vanuatu renewed a state of emergency on the volcano-hit island of Ambae Friday and ordered the compulsory evacuation of all residents. A series of eruptions at the Manaro volcano that began last September intensified this week, sending a 12 kilometer (7.5 mile) column of ash spewing into the atmosphere. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards department has described the volcano as a “danger to direct safety to life” and warned people […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP)–A Japanese tourist has died attempting to climb Australian tourist attraction Uluru, police said Wednesday, adding to the death toll on the world’s largest monolith. Emergency services responded to a call on Tuesday afternoon, but the 76-year-old was declared dead at the scene. “This person’s believed to be a Japanese national. At this stage, we don’t believe it’s anything suspicious,” Northern Territory police Superintendent Shaun Gill told reporters. At least 36 people have […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP)–Air New Zealand was Wednesday fined Aus$15 million (US$11 million) by an Australian court for its part in a global air cargo cartel involving major international airlines. The carrier was taken to court by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over allegations it had agreements with other airlines to fix the price of fuel and insurance surcharges on freight services to and from international airports from 2002 to 2007. “These illegal price-fixing agreements unfairly […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A powerful 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Vanuatu Friday, US seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning issued. The quake struck at a depth of 21 kilometers (13 miles) some 30 kilometers west of the Pacific nation’s capital Port Vila, the US Geological Survey said. USGS said there was low likelihood of casualties and damage although it added that recent earthquakes in the area had caused […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Qantas is poised to list Taiwan as part of China on its websites, sparking concern Tuesday from Australia’s foreign minister who said private firms must be able to conduct business “free from political pressure”. The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration sent a notice to 36 foreign airlines in April, asking them to comply with Beijing’s standards of referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as Chinese territories. Despite Taiwan’s having been governed […]
by Martin Parry © Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — The Commonwealth Bank Monday agreed to the largest civil penalty in Australian corporate history to settle claims it breached anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. The Aus$700 million (US$530 million) fine — which is subject to court approval — comes after mediation between the nation’s biggest lender and the country’s financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC. It follows the bank being taken to court last August for “serious […]
(Eagle News) – A Catholic archbishop in Australia decided to step down on Wednesday, May 23, after a New South Wales court found him guilty of covering up child sex abuse in the 1970s. This was announced by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) a day after the verdict of Magistrate Robert Stone of the Newcastle Local Court on Adelaide archbishop Philip Wilson, one of the highest-ranked church officials globally to be successfully prosecuted […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An Australian archbishop was Tuesday found guilty of covering up child sex abuse in the 1970s — one of the highest-ranked church officials globally to be successfully prosecuted for such offences. Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson was accused of concealing abuse by notorious pedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the New South Wales Hunter region by failing to report the allegations. His legal team reportedly made four attempts to have the case thrown […]
