DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

SYDNEY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Residents in flood-hit Australian towns ramped up efforts to build levees and sandbag homes on Wednesday ahead of more rain, although authorities said the expected storms could be milder than last week's, bringing relief as recovery operations begin. Police said a 65-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in Victoria's north on Wednesday, taking the death toll to two. Residents in some areas, including the Victorian rural town of Echuca, are facing their second flooding in a week. In the nearby town of Moama, across the state border in southern New South Wales, defence force personnel teamed up with residents to sand-bag homes. "This is a very, very long event ... these floods will continue for a number of months," New South Wales deputy state emergency services commissioner Ken Murphy told ABC television.

Several thousand more in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales have been warned to prepare to leave their homes. "Our dams are full, our rivers are full, so we do expect this to be a difficult time. And even if the skies are blue... please be ready to leave, be ready to evacuate," New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said during a media briefing. More rain is expected from late Wednesday in some of the flood-hit region with a low-pressure system expected to dump up to 50 mm (2 inches) of rain. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia, Singapore sign 'green economy' pact
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong (left) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a meeting at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, October 18, 2022. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is in Australia on a 3-day official visit. Lukas Coch/Pool via REUTERSSYDNEY, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Australia and Singapore agreed on Tuesday on a "green economy" deal to boost cooperation on climate investment, financing and technology. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a news conference in Canberra that the agreement would start with initiatives such as developing a list of environmental goods and services that could be given preferential trade treatment. "A project like Sun Cable which has the potential to export clean energy to Singapore is the ultimate win-win," Albanese said.

☆ Australians take stock of flood damage amid warnings of more rain
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Thousands of Australians on Monday returned to homes and businesses to assess flood damage even as evacuation warnings remained in inland regions of the southeast and authorities warned of more rain ahead which could trigger renewed flooding. Major flood warnings are in place across many regions despite little rainfall over the weekend with many swollen rivers only expected to reach peak flood levels this week. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"There is further rain expected later this week, so it remains a very dangerous situation." The weather bureau forecast another wild weather system that could bring rains up to 50 mm (2 inches) across some flood-hit regions. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Many rivers in Victoria, including the Maribyrnong in Melbourne's west and the Goulburn further north, reached major flood levels, prompting the nighttime evacuation of residents. "It's far from over, we'll see waters rise," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told the ABC. "We'll see more and more waters continuing to rise, more and more houses being inundated, more and more communities being closed off." Andrews said the state's purpose-built COVID-19 quarantine facility, closed last week after Australia scrapped isolation rules, could be reopened to shelter flood-impacted residents. Though heavy rains are expected to ease from late Friday, flooding could continue through the weekend, officials said.

SYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Thousands of people across Australia's southeast were asked to evacuate their homes on Friday, including some in a western suburb of Melbourne, after two days of incessant rains triggered flash flooding and fast-moving waters burst river banks. Upstream in Shepparton, rising flood waters are expected to surpass the 1974 peak by Tuesday and threaten over 4,000 properties. 1/5 A man wades through floodwaters amidst evacuation orders in the Maribyrnong suburb of Melbourne, Australia, October 14, 2022. Rains had eased by Friday afternoon but the weather bureau has warned of another potential wild weather system next week. Devastating floods have repeatedly struck Australia's east coast since early last year because of a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon, which brings more rain.

☆ Australians rush to grab sandbags as heavy rain slams southeast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Hundreds of homes in southeast Australia were without power on Thursday and residents filled sandbags as an intense weather system lashed the region, bringing warnings of more heavy rain, damaging winds and flash flooding. "There is a lot more to come," bureau forecaster Jonathan How warned on ABC television. Some dams have begun overflowing for the first time in decades, and flood-weary residents rushed to grab sandbags from emergency crews to protect properties. Utility Powercor reported 475 customers were without power across Victoria after wind gusts of 100 kph (62 mph) knocked down power lines and trees. In Tasmania, emergency services have issued evacuation warnings for some residents of two rural towns in the north, while police began closing several roads because of flooding.

☆ Prayers and release of birds to mark 20 years since Bali bombing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Doves are released during a memorial service to mark the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians, at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia, October 12, 2022. People of about 20 other nationalities also died in the attacks on the island that is a popular holiday destination, especially for visitors from nearby Australia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA ceremony including peace prayers and the symbolic release of 20 birds will be among several events taking place on the predominantly Hindu island, including at a memorial erected in the area of the blasts. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke at a ceremony at Coogee Beach in Sydney, home to the Dolphins rugby team, which lost six members in the attacks. "Even when I realise I am not in Kuta traffic, I can shake in fear, break out in a cold sweat and feel really scared."

☆ Australia calls for immediate release of economist jailed by Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Australia rejects the court ruling in Myanmar against Australian Professor Sean Turnell and calls for his immediate release, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday. A closed court in military-ruled Myanmar on Thursday sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Turnell to three years in prison on charges of violating the official secrets act, a source familiar with the proceedings said. The source declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. read more"The Australian government has consistently rejected the charges against Professor Turnell during the more than 19 months he had been unjustly detained by the Myanmar military regime," she said, adding Australia will continue to advocate for his release and return to Australia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

2 mobile operator, said last week that data of up to 10 million customers including home addresses, drivers' licenses and passport numbers had been compromised in one of Australia's biggest data breaches. The Australian federal government has blamed Optus for the breach, flagged an overhaul of privacy rules and higher fines, and suggested the company had "effectively left the window open" for hackers to steal data. Minister For Cyber Security Clare O'Neil said she was "incredibly concerned ... about reports that personal information from the Optus data breach, including Medicare numbers, are now being offered for free and for ransom", referring to the government's health insurance scheme. Optus Chief Executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said the incident had generated "a lot of misinformation" and the company took data protection seriously. "The Optus data has been stolen, and we can't trust this person.

☆ Optus, Australian govt clash over cyber attack amid reports of hacker retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. Optus Chief Executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said there was lot of "misinformation out there". Rosmarin said Optus had briefed authorities after the government's initial review of the incident. Stolen data posted in an online forum has been deleted and hackers have apologised to Optus, the reports said. Australia's Council Of Financial Regulators, which includes the central bank, on Tuesday said its members have been working together in response to the cyber attack.

☆ Australia flags privacy overhaul after huge cyber attack on Optus
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at the Sydney Energy Forum in Sydney, Australia July 12, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAlbanese called the incident "a huge wake-up call" for the corporate sector, saying there were some state actors and criminal groups who wanted to access people's data. Optus said it would offer the most affected customers free credit monitoring and identity protection with credit agency Equifax Inc (EFX.N) for a year. The telco has now alerted all customers whose driving licences or passport numbers were stolen, it said in an emailed statement. ($1=A$1.5309)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Lewis Jackson, Renju Jose and Byron Kaye; Editing by Stephen Coates, Clarence Fernandez and Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia plans privacy rule changes after Optus cyber attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at the Sydney Energy Forum in Sydney, Australia July 12, 2022. Brook Mitchell/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoSYDNEY, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Australia plans changes to its privacy rules so that banks can be alerted faster following cyber attacks at companies, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, after hackers targeted Australia's second-largest telecommunications firm. The company said the attacker's IP address - the unique identifier of a computer - appeared to move between countries in Europe. Cybersecurity Minister Clare O'Neill said over the weekend more details about the changes would be announced by the government "in the coming days". ($1 = 1.5309 Australian dollars)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia seeks stable ties with 'great power' China, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during a news conference on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/SYDNEY, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Australia is aiming for a stable relationship with China despite differences in particular on trade, Australia's foreign minister said, as she called on China to use its influence as a great power to help end the war in Ukraine. "China is a great power ... We encourage China as a P5 member with a special responsibility to uphold the U.N. charter to use its influence to end the war," she said. Wong said in her talks with Wang Yi she had raised the issue of Australian journalist Cheng Lei and blogger Yang Hengjun, who have been detained in China and face espionage charges. Thursday's meeting with Wang Yi, the second in three months, comes as the recently elected Labor government looks to rebuild ties after a sharp deterioration during the term of the previous conservative government.

☆ Pets left in limbo as Australian owners get cold feet
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Loren ElliottSYDNEY, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Australian animal shelters are overflowing, and the wait to return animals can be as long as eight months as pet owners return to work and face rising costs. "The number of animals in the pounds and shelters that are just desperate to get out. The number of calls, emails, texts that we get here of people wanting to surrender their animals and it's just never-ending... "You have all these really nice ideas... and then in reality, it's so much pressure and hard work," she said. ($1 = 1.4883 Australian dollars)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Stefica Nicol Bikes; Writing by Lewis Jackson.

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A sugar-based alternative to vinyl could help to decarbonise the music industry, according to its developer. Acting CEO of Evolution Music Marc Carey said sonically and in terms of equalisation the music recorded on the bioplastic records is "absolutely spot on." 1/5 Marc Carey, CEO of Evolution Music, holds a bioplastic record made with a sugar-based alternative to vinyl, in London, Britain September 8, 2022. A richer sound, cover art and the ability to cradle a vinyl record in the hands contribute to the growing emotional appeal for LPs. "The music industry, the creative arts, should be at the forefront of innovation ... and typically, cultural change is what affects political and social change," Carey said.

Search resuls for: "Lewis J"

16 mentions found