DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Australian Authorities Say More Sydney Schools Tainted With Asbestos
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An asbestos contamination in Sydney widened on Sunday, with authorities saying the toxic material had been detected in more schools, as a weeks-long effort continued to remove it from mulch used in public places. In an update on the contamination on Sunday, the state's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said 34 city sites had now returned positive for bonded asbestos. New sites where asbestos had been confirmed were two schools in the city's west, the EPA said, lifting the number of schools confirmed as tainted to four. "There is ongoing testing at a further four schools," EPA head Tony Chappel said, adding that testing was also underway at a hospital and in part of the city's vast Royal National Park. (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

Persons: Tony Chappel, Sam McKeith, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: SYDNEY, Environmental Protection Authority, Royal, Asbestos Locations: Sydney, New South Wales

☆ Australia Authorities Say More Sydney Sites Tainted With Asbestos
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities on Saturday said asbestos had been discovered in more places in Sydney including housing estates as the New South Wales government continues a weeks-long scramble to remove the toxic material from mulch used in public spaces. Since then, in what is the biggest investigation by the state's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in decades, 32 city sites have returned positive results for bonded asbestos, the agency said in a statement on Saturday. The EPA said new sites where asbestos had been detected were a public school and park in the city's north, and two residential estates under construction in Sydney's south-west. The University of Sydney had also been identified as potentially tainted and would be tested this weekend, it said. The rate of positive results is around 10 percent," the EPA said.

Persons: Sam McKeith, Matthew Lewis Organizations: SYDNEY, New South, Environmental Protection Authority, EPA, University of Sydney, Authorities, Sydney Gay, Mardi Locations: Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney's

☆ Australia PM to Introduce Bill to Reshape Tax Cuts on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

"We'll release the actual legislation later today it will be introduced into the parliament on Tuesday," Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. He said he wanted the bill passed "during this existing session" of federal parliament, which resumes on Feb. 6. The new policy, recently announced, will see people earning up to A$135,000 ($88,763) fall into lower tax brackets from July 1. For some high-income earners tax breaks will nearly halve, with the savings redirected to those on low incomes. Albanese flagged last month that his centre-left government would soon legislate the changes but did not specify a timeline.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Labour Locations: Sydney

☆ Australia Sweats Through Heatwave, Bushfire Risk Rated 'Extreme'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia on Sunday sweltered through a heatwave as authorities warned of elevated bushfire risk in an already high-risk fire season during an El Nino weather pattern. The nation's weather forecaster had heatwave alerts in place for Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Western Australia, warning temperatures in some parts of the country could hit the low 40s Celsius (over 104 degrees Fahrenheit). The high in the west of Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, was forecast at 39 C (102 F), almost 10 degrees above the February mean, forecaster data showed. Hot and dry conditions combined with gusty winds prompted the forecaster to issue "extreme fire danger" warnings for parts of Victoria and South Australia states. Sunday's hot weather - the latest in a string of heatwaves to scorch Australia - comes after the country's east was hit last month by damaging floods.

Persons: El, Sam McKeith, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian Capital, El Nino Locations: Australia, El Nino, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Western Australia, Sydney, Victoria, South Australia, scorch Australia

☆ Australia PM Says Government 'Examining' Claims Against UN Palestinian Agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday his government was probing claims that some staff of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, after Australia paused funding to the aid agency last month. Australia is one of several countries to have halted funding for UNRWA, a critical source of support in Gaza, after Israeli claims of U.N. employees' complicity with Hamas. "We're examining it, along with other like-minded countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesLate last month, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency. The agency has opened an investigation into several employees and has severed ties with those people, it has said.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Sam McKeith Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Australia, UNRWA, Australian Broadcasting Corp, European Union Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Australia, Gaza, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Sydney

☆ Australia's New South Wales State Premier Condemns Neo-Nazi Rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The premier of Australia's New South Wales state condemned on Sunday a neo-Nazi rally in the state capital Sydney as "appalling", a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said neo-Nazism was on the rise in the country. "Police are meeting these obnoxious and appalling racists head-on in New South Wales streets," Premier Chris Minns told reporters in Sydney, describing the event as a "neo-Nazi demonstration". The prime minister said Australia had seen a rise in neo-Nazism, which was condemned "by all decent people". At the time, the centre-left Labor government said the laws sent a clear message there was no place in Australia for those who glorify the Holocaust or terrorist acts. (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Chris Minns, Albanese, Sam McKeith, Kim Coghill Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Nazi, Police, Labor Locations: Australia's New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Israel, Gaza

☆ Thousands Protest Australia Day Holiday With 'Invasion Day' Rallies
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Thousand's marked Australia's national day on Friday with "Invasion Day" rallies in support of the country's Indigenous community, many of whom oppose celebrating the day a British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788. Australia Day commemorates the day Britain established the state of New South Wales a penal colony, arriving in what is now the state capital Sydney with a "First Fleet" bringing colonists and convicts. Many people celebrate the holiday with barbecues and trips to the beach, and it is also a popular date for immigrants to receive their Australian citizenship. In Sydney, thousands of protesters, many waving Indigenous flags, gathered in the city centre at an "Invasion Day" rally before a march that closed nearby city streets. Two statues of colonial figures were vandalised in Melbourne earlier this week ahead of the contentious national holiday.

Persons: Browne, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Sydney Harbour, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Labor Party Locations: British, Sydney, Britain, New South Wales, Victoria's Melbourne, Canberra, Melbourne

☆ Australia Sweats in Heatwave Lifting Bushfire Risk, Amid El Nino
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia sweltered on Sunday in a heatwave, the nation's weather forecaster said, raising bushfire risk in an already high-risk fire season amid an El Nino weather pattern. Heatwave alerts at "extreme" level, the highest danger rating, were in place for a second day for parts of Western Australia and were extended to South Australia, while areas of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory were under "severe" warnings, the weather forecaster said. It cautioned that in Western Australia, the nation's largest state, the remote Pilbara and Gascoyne areas could hit high forties degrees Celsius (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday. On the east coast, parts of New South Wales' capital Sydney were forecast on Sunday to reach 40 C, almost 10 degrees above the average January maximum. The hot, dry conditions raised the risk of bushfires in some areas, the weather forecaster said, as Australia endures an El Nino weather event, typically associated with extreme phenomena such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.

Persons: Sam McKeith, Sandra Maler Organizations: SYDNEY Locations: Australia, El Nino, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland , New South Wales, Northern, Gascoyne, Perth, Paraburdoo, Jan, New South Wales, Sydney, Turkey

☆ Western Australia on 'Extreme' Heatwave Alert, Raising Bushfire Risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Parts of Western Australia on Saturday were set to swelter through an "extreme" heatwave, raising the risk of bushfires in the vast state, the nation's weather forecaster said. The Bureau of Meteorology on Saturday had an "extreme heatwave warning" in place for the remote Pilbara and Gascoyne areas of Australia's largest state, warning temperatures there could hit high forties degrees Celsius on the weekend. The hot weather lifts the risk of bushfires in an already high-risk fire season amid an El Nino weather event, which is typically associated with extreme events such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts. "Very hot and dry conditions combined with fresh southerly winds and a fresh to strong west to southwesterly sea breeze will lead to elevated fire dangers on Saturday," the weather forecaster said on its website, regarding part of the Pilbara. The warning comes after hundreds of firefighters earlier this month battled an out-of-control bushfire near Perth amid soaring temperatures, prompting evacuations.

Persons: Sam McKeith, Sandra Maler Organizations: SYDNEY, Western Australia, Meteorology Locations: Gascoyne, Australia's, Paraburdoo, Perth, El Nino, Turkey, Sydney

☆ Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Western Australia Wildfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters on Sunday battled an out-of-control bushfire near Western Australia's capital Perth, prompting authorities to urge residents in the fire's path to flee. A high-risk bushfire season is underway in Australia due to an El Nino weather event, associated with events such as cyclones, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires. A state Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson said 240 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was at emergency level, the highest threat rating. "If the way is clear, leave now for a safer place," the agency said on its website. The nation's weather forecaster on Sunday issued a warning for "extreme fire danger" in some parts of Western Australia state amid a heatwave alert in place since Saturday.

Persons: Australia's, Sam McKeith, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Sunday, of Fire, Emergency Services Locations: Western Australia's, Perth, Gingin, Chittering, Australia, El Nino, Western Australia, Turkey, Sydney

☆ Australia's Greens to investigate supermarket 'price gouging'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People walk past a Woolworths supermarket following the easing of restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, June 16, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Australia's Greens party said on Sunday it would lead a parliamentary inquiry into "price gouging" by major supermarkets as the country grapples with high costs of living. "It will also assess the rise in essential item prices, the validity of discounts offered, and the inflation of profits during economic hardship," added McKim, accusing supermarkets of "price gouging" during "Australia's cost of living crisis". "Construction costs, energy prices, the cost of logistics and packaging have all risen", the spokesperson said. A Woolworths spokesperson said the company was "working to deliver relief" on grocery bills.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Nick McKim, McKim, Competition Andrew Leigh, Leigh, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: Woolworths, REUTERS, Rights, Australia's Greens, Greens, Coles, Competition, Labor, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Australia climate change activists disrupt shipping at coal port
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 25 (Reuters) - A climate change protest off the coast of Australia's New South Wales State disrupted operations at the country's biggest coal export port on Saturday, the port operator said. The Port of Newcastle, some 170 km (105 miles) from the state capital Sydney, is the largest bulk shipping port on Australia's east coast and the nation's largest terminal for coal exports, according to the New South Wales government. Rising Tide spokesperson Zack Schofield said no coal shipments had entered or exited the port since 10 a.m. Saturday. State police said no arrests had been made in relation to the protest under way near the port on Saturday. Climate change is a divisive issue in Australia, the world's second-biggest exporter of thermal coal behind Indonesia, and the top exporter of coking coal, used to make steel.

Persons: Zack Schofield, Sam McKeith, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's New South Wales State, New South, Tide, State, Labor, Thomson Locations: Australia's New South Wales, Port, Newcastle, Sydney, Australia's, New South Wales, Australia, Indonesia

☆ Australia Welcomes Israel-Hamas Ceasefire as 'Important Progress'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday a truce in the Israel-Hamas war marked "important progress" in the conflict, as he welcomed the release of hostages by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Hamas fighters released 24 hostages on Friday during the first day of the war's first ceasefire after guns fell silent in the Gaza Strip for the first time in seven weeks. "Australia welcomes the release of hostages and the pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian access to Gaza," Albanese said on social media platform X. "Today’s developments represent important progress and Australia welcomes them." In Australia, the conflict has triggered protests from both Jewish and Palestinian groups, with thousands turning out for rallies in the country's largest cities.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, " Albanese, Sam McKeith, Daniel Wallis Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Palestinian, Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, Australia, Sydney

☆ Australia criticises China for 'unsafe, unprofessional' naval interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles attends a joint news conference with France's Foreign and Defence ministers at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Sarah Meyssonnier, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: Australia's, France's Foreign, Quai d'Orsay, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ Australia Criticises China for 'Unsafe, Unprofessional' Naval Interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. "While diving operations were underway a PLA-N destroyer (DDG-139) operating in the vicinity closed towards HMAS Toowoomba," Marles said in a statement, referring to a ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: SYDNEY, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S Locations: China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ Australia Foreign Minister Touts Tuvalu Security, Migration Pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations. Albanese has called the pact Australia's most significant agreement with a Pacific Island nation, giving "a guarantee that upon a request from Tuvalu for any military assistance based upon security issues, Australia will be there."

Persons: Penny Wong, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp Locations: Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ Police investigate 'cyber incident' at Australia ports operator
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The Australian Federal Police said on Sunday they were investigating a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports in several states. DP World Australia told Reuters on Saturday that operations at impacted ports were not yet restored. DP World Australia, part of Dubai's state-owned ports giant DP World, operates four container terminals in Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia's Fremantle. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said on Saturday that the government was coordinating a response to the "cyber incident". According to DP World, in the Asia Pacific region it employs more than 7,000 people and has ports and terminals in 18 locations.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, We've, we're, Darren Goldie, Goldie, Clare O'Neil, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Federal Police, Australia, DP, Reuters, Fremantle, Cyber, Twitter, Home Affairs, Thomson Locations: Dubai's, Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Western, Sydney , Melbourne, Asia

☆ Australia foreign minister touts Tuvalu security, migration pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations.

Persons: Penny Wong, Eduardo Munoz, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Australia's, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ Australia ports operator suffers 'cybersecurity incident', suspends operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The Australian government said on Saturday that it was coordinating a response to a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports in several states. A DP World Australia spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday that operations at impacted ports were not yet restored. Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator, appointed earlier this year in response to several major data breaches, was managing the official response to the incident, O'Neil said. DP World Australia, part of Dubai's state-owned ports giant DP World, operates four container terminals in Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia's Fremantle. According to DP World, in the Asia Pacific region it employs more than 7,000 people and has ports and terminals in 18 locations.

Persons: Clare O'Neil, O'Neil, Sam McKeith, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia, Home Affairs, Cyber Security, DP, Thomson Locations: Dubai's, Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Western, Fremantle, Asia

☆ Australia PM says China visit 'very positive' for bilateral relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday his much-anticipated visit to China to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang marks a "very positive step" in stabilising strained bilateral ties. Arriving on Saturday, Albanese will be the first Australian leader to visit China since 2016, part of an effort to patch up relations that had deteriorated over several years due to disputes over Chinese telecoms firm Huawei, espionage and COVID-19. "It is a result of the patient, calibrated and deliberate approach that we have to the relationship with China." Albanese's government has taken credit for stabilising ties with China since coming to office last year. China has lifted most trade blocks imposed in a 2020 diplomatic dispute that cost A$20 billion in commodity and food exports.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Albanese, Xi, Li, " Albanese, Yang Hengjun, Penny Wong, Sam McKeith Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Huawei, Foreign, Thomson Locations: China, Darwin, Australia's Northern Territory, Shanghai, Beijing, South China, Tokyo, Sydney

☆ Residents in rural Australia urged to evacuate as bushfires rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Authorities on Saturday urged thousands of people in Australia's Queensland state to evacuate as bushfires that have destroyed at least 30 homes continued to threaten rural towns. Australia faces a high-risk bushfire season after the onset of an El Nino weather event, associated with extreme events such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts. Australia's last two fire seasons have been quiet compared with the catastrophic 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of bushfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. "There's a concerted effort being made by all to throw what we can at these fires," Queensland Rural Fire Service Assistant Commissioner Peter Hollier told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The broadcaster reported more than 30 homes had been destroyed in the bushfires, sparked this week and fanned by hot, dry winds.

Persons: Tara, Peter Hollier, Hollier, Sam McKeith, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Brisbane, Queensland, Emergency Services, Queensland Rural Fire Service, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: Australia's Queensland, Queensland, Tara, Australia, El Nino, Turkey, Sydney

☆ Residents in Rural Australia Urged to Evacuate as Bushfires Rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Authorities on Saturday urged thousands of people in Australia's Queensland state to evacuate as bushfires that have destroyed at least 30 homes continued to threaten rural towns. Australia faces a high-risk bushfire season after the onset of an El Nino weather event, associated with extreme events such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts. Australia's last two fire seasons have been quiet compared with the catastrophic 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of bushfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. "There's a concerted effort being made by all to throw what we can at these fires," Queensland Rural Fire Service Assistant Commissioner Peter Hollier told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The broadcaster reported more than 30 homes had been destroyed in the bushfires, sparked this week and fanned by hot, dry winds.

Persons: Tara, Peter Hollier, Hollier, Sam McKeith, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Brisbane, Queensland, Emergency Services, Queensland Rural Fire Service, Australian Broadcasting Corp Locations: Australia's Queensland, Queensland, Tara, Australia, El Nino, Turkey, Sydney

☆ Australian Police Charge Man for Dumping Pythons in Sydney
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police said on Saturday they charged a man in a case involving two pythons on the loose after the snakes were dumped in a residential area of Sydney. The 2.5-metre (8.2-foot) pet pythons escaped after the man took them from a secure enclosure and dumped them in a box outside a residence on Oct. 21 in what police said in a statement was "a domestic related incident". The owner of the snakes – a 25-year-old woman – reported the snakes missing to police, who charged the man with damaging property. According to the Guardian Australia news site, Sydney residents have been searching city streets to try to rescue the pet pythons, named Mango and Bagel, allegedly dumped in anger by the man, who was the woman's ex-boyfriend. (Reporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: –, Sam McKeith, Sandra Maler Organizations: SYDNEY, Guardian Locations: Sydney, Guardian Australia

☆ Thousands in Australia join pro-Palestinian march over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Gaza as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, October 21 2023. AAP/Brent Lewin via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Thousands took part in a pro-Palestinian march in Australia's biggest city, Sydney, on Saturday, getting last-minute approval amid concerns after some protesters at an earlier rally had chanted anti-Jewish slogans. In Sydney, Australia's biggest city, around 15,000 people attended Saturday's march, organiser Palestine Action Group said, with demonstrators chanting "Palestine will never die" and waving Palestine flags. Police said no arrests had been made, and Palestine Action Group spokesperson Amal Naser said the march was peaceful. Pro-Palestine rallies were also scheduled on Saturday in state capitals Brisbane, Perth and Hobart, Palestine Action Group said, after thousands attended largely well behaved rallies around Australia last weekend.

Persons: Brent Lewin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amal Naser, Barbara O'Neill, James McGlone, Alex Ryvchin, Saturday's, Sam McKeith, James Redmayne, William Mallard Organizations: Hamas, AAP, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Palestine, Group, Police, Palestine Action, of Australian, Sydney Opera House, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Sydney, Australia, Australia's, Israeli, Palestine, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart

☆ Australia PM to visit China, reaches deal to resolve WTO wine dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Australia and China have agreed we will suspend the dispute on wine in the WTO pending the outcome of this review." The measures were part of a barrage of trade restrictions that China imposed after Australia called for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Most of the trade restrictions have been lifted since a change of government in Canberra last year. Aside from wine, China maintains barriers on imports of lobsters and meat from some abattoirs. In 2019, Australia shipped wine worth around $800 million to China, its trade data show.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Albanese, Xi, Premier Li, " Albanese, Sam McKeith, Peter Hobson, Chizu Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian, Australia's, Trade Organization, China, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Shanghai, Australia, Canberra

Search resuls for: "Sam McKeith"

25 mentions found