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☆ Every year, ‘Invasion Day’ forces Australia to confront some painful truths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Victoria’s state government called time on Melbourne’s Australia Day parade after two years of Covid cancellations, and Kmart, a normal go-to for party supplies, announced it wouldn’t be stocking traditional Australia Day merchandise – clothing, plates, napkins and other memorabilia draped in the Australian flag. Cooper is among a growing band of Indigenous allies who now refer to Australia Day as Invasion Day or Survival Day, after learning more about the nation’s history from those who suffered. Every year, Australia Day – or Invasion Day – forces a difficult conversation about those left behind, and what role everyone can play in finding a way forward. And it really is for many.”The Australia Day Live 2023 concert at Sydney Opera House on January 26, 2023. In the far western Queensland town of Boulia, Beck Britton had been worried that her attempts to throw an Australia Day party could fall flat.

Persons: Fred Leone, ” Leone, ”, Leone, Hilary Whiteman, Union Jack, Kate Darian, Smith, “ It’s, Christine Cooper, she’s, “, Cooper, ” Cooper, Cooper’s, they’re, ” Darian, Karlie Brand, Don Arnold, WireImage, Tracey Hanshaw, Aunties, Beck Britton, Britton, there’s, Jan Norton, wasn’t, Anthony Albanese, ” Albanese, Lidia Thorpe, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Darian, Justice Aunties, “ We’ve Organizations: Australia CNN, CNN, Union, University of Tasmania, Kmart, Facebook, University of Newcastle, It’s, Nations, Invasion, Australia, First Nations, National, Day Council, Sydney Opera House, ”, Torres Strait Islander, Australian, Aboriginal, Torres Strait, ” Greens, Voice, Commonwealth, Heart Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Musgrave Park, Sydney Cove, Sydney, Musgrave, Brisbane’s, Newcastle, New South Wales, Queensland, Boulia, Britton’s, Melbourne, “

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The premium of high-grade thermal coal over coking coal in Asia is shrinking as China's re-opening and ending of a ban on imports from Australia powers a rally for coking coal, a key steelmaking ingredient. Newcastle thermal coal futures have traded above coking coal contracts since June 1 last year - something that had not occurred previously in the history of the two contracts. At the same time, coking coal prices weakened as steel production outside China softened while the global economy simultaneously tried to deal with an energy crisis and the accompanying surge in inflation. Thermal coal vs coking coal pricesAUSTRALIA EXPORTSIt's worth noting that the end of Beijing's unofficial ban on coal imports from Australia has yet to show up in any meaningful way in China's imports, although there are signs that coking coal flows will resume. This raises the possibility that coking coal prices will continue to rally, while thermal coal prices may soften as the northern winter ends.

☆ 'Toadzilla': Australian park rangers discover record-breaking cane toad
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Aina Is A Freelance Reporter With Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

In the wild rainforest of Australia’s north, park rangers have stumbled upon a predator so large they felt they had no choice but to dub it “Toadzilla.”The giant cane toad was discovered Thursday by rangers who were conducting track work in Conway National Park in the state of Queensland. A snake slithering across the track beside the Conway Circuit serendipitously forced the team to stop their vehicle, Ranger Kylee Gray recounted, leading her to step out, look down and gasp when she spotted the toad. “I reached down and grabbed the cane toad and couldn’t believe how big and heavy it was,” Gray said in a statement from Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science. “We believe it’s a female due to the size, and female cane toads do grow bigger than males,” Gray added in the statement. Though not this big, usually.

[1/3] Cane toad dubbed "Toadzilla" and believed by Australian park rangers to be the world's biggest toad is held by Queensland Department of Environment and Science Ranger Kylee Gray, in Conway National Park, Queensland, Australia January 12, 2023. Queensland Department Of Environment and Science/Handout via REUTERSSYDNEY, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Australian park rangers believe they have stumbled upon a record-breaking giant toad deep in a rainforest. Dubbed "Toadzilla", the cane toad, an invasive species that poses a threat to Australia's ecosystem, was spotted by "shocked" park ranger Kylee Gray during a patrol in Conway National Park in Queensland state on Jan. 12. Gray’s colleague, senior park ranger Barry Nolan, told Reuters the animal was euthanised due to its “ecological impact” — the usual fate for the toads across Australia. “A female cane toad like potentially Toadzilla would lay up to 35,000 eggs.

☆ BHP says China is set to be a stabilizing force for commodities demand this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The world's largest listed miner said iron ore production from mines it operates Western Australia on was 74.3 million tons for the three months ended December, up 1% from 73.9 million tons a year earlier and beating a consensus of 71.9 million tons. "China's pro-growth policies, including in the property sector, and an easing of Covid-19 restrictions are expected to support progressive improvement from the difficult economic conditions of the first half," BHP said. BHP joined peer Rio Tinto to expect that China's measures to support its property sector will underpin solid demand for their steel-making products. China is set to be a stabilizing force for commodities demand this year as developed nations face economic headwinds, BHP said on Thursday as it posted higher quarterly iron ore shipments that beat expectations. The mining giant reaffirmed its fiscal 2023 forecast for Western Australian iron ore output at between 278 million tons and 290 million tons.

☆ Moving species emerges as last resort as climate warms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Moving species to save them — once considered taboo — is quickly gaining traction as climate change upends habitats. Concerns persist that the novel practice could cause unintended harm the same way invasive plants and animals have wreaked havoc on native species. “Climate change is causing a greater need for this — for taking a species outside its known historical range.”A pending change to the U.S. “In the future, some species’ ranges may shift due to climate change, or their current habitats might become unsuitable due to invasive species encroachment,” Armstrong said in an email. Humanity has been moving species around for centuries, often inadvertently and sometimes causing great harm.

☆ Two British citizens among dead in mid-air helicopter collision near Australian theme park
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Two travellers from the United Kingdom were among four people killed in a mid-air helicopter collision near an Australian theme park that authorities say could have been much worse. Queensland state police say two helicopters collided about 300 meters in the air on Monday afternoon as one was landing and another taking off near Sea World on Australia's Gold Coast. The helicopter that was taking off crashed, killing four of the seven aboard, including 40-year-old pilot Ashley Jenkinson and two visitors from the United Kingdom. Sea World Helicopters, which operated the aircraft involved in the crash, is independent of Sea World owner Village Roadshow Theme Parks and is closed until further notice, according to a statement on its website. Sea World was open on Tuesday.

☆ Time travel is theoretically possible, calculations show. But that doesn't mean you could change the past.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Susie Neilson | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Time travel is possible based on the laws of physics, according to researchers. Put simply: It's theoretically possible to go back in time, but you couldn't change history. Thomas Peter/ReutersThe grandfather paradoxPhysicists have considered time travel to be theoretically possible since Albert Einstein came up with his theory of relativity. The most famous example is known as the grandfather paradox: Say a time-traveler goes back to the past and kills a younger version of his or her grandfather. Applied to the grandfather paradox, then, this would mean that something would always get in the way of your attempt to kill your grandfather.

☆ East-West battleground will shift from fossil fuels to metals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MILAN, Dec 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The global trade war will shift from fossil fuels to metals and raw materials. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlighted the risk of relying on autocratic states for energy. Europe needs to cumulatively spend $5.3 trillion on clean energy projects by 2050. That requires a sixfold increase in the global production of copper, lithium, graphite, nickel and some rare earths by 2040, International Energy Agency estimates show. It refines 58% of lithium produced globally, 65% of cobalt and over one-third of nickel and copper.

☆ East-West battleground will shift to metals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MILAN, Dec 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The global trade war will shift from fossil fuels to metals and raw materials. Europe needs to cumulatively spend $5.3 trillion on clean energy projects by 2050. That requires a sixfold increase in the global production of copper, lithium, graphite, nickel and some rare earths by 2040, International Energy Agency estimates show. It refines 58% of lithium produced globally, 65% of cobalt and over one-third of nickel and copper. That’s why Western nations’ best option is ultimately to recycle metals from used appliances.

☆ Strep A is surging in the UK and has already killed at least 19 children. Here's why it's taken so long to make a vaccine against this deadly pathogen.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Strep A is surging in the UK and has killed at least 19 kids, the UK Health Security Agency said. A vaccine would be better, but research groups have hit roadblocks during its development. Researchers have been trying to make a strep-A vaccine for decadesIf it's caught in time, strep A can be treated with antibiotics. There is no vaccine commercially available, but several research groups are working on developing one. A GSK spokesperson confirmed to Insider that it's also in the early stages of developing a strep-A vaccine but that it had not started human testing.

☆ Australia's parliament approves gas price cap, $1 bln energy relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sonali Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Australia's parliament on Thursday passed legislation setting a price cap on natural gas for one year and providing A$1.5 billion ($1.03 billion) in relief for households and small businesses hit by soaring energy costs due to Russia's war in Ukraine. The price cap will apply to new wholesale gas sales by east coast producers. The law also clears the way for the government to regulate gas sales when producers and buyers fail to agree on a contract price. The price cap met with fierce opposition from the gas industry but was supported by manufacturers and the Australian Workers' Union. Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's private firm Squadron Energy, building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, urged the government to require Queensland gas producers to make LNG available for the domestic market at "reasonable prices".

☆ Australian police investigate extremist views of cop killers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Australian police are investigating the extremist views of three people who shot and killed two officers and a neighbor at a rural property before they were killed hours later by police in a gunfight. “It’s very difficult at the moment for us to reason with what has happened, there are no obvious reasons,” Carroll told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Four officers arrived at the property in the town of Wieambilla, in Queensland state, to investigate reports of a missing person. “We know that this news has fallen hard on a close-knit and caring Queensland community. The killers have been identified as former school principal Nathaniel Train, 47, his brother Gareth, 46, and sister-in-law Stacey, 45.

☆ Analysis: Protecting 30% of the planet to save nature is not as simple as it sounds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

More than 110 countries have come out in support of the 30-by-30 goal, including Canada, the United States and France. But as is often the case with science-based policy, the details matter to whether a 30% global conservation goal can truly save the world's imperiled species and places. "They would like to be able to leave Montreal and say we're going to protect 30% of the planet. "If we do things the right way, we protect most biodiversity by being smart — by protecting the areas that matter." Were such countries to protect only 30% of their territories, that could actually result in a significant loss of nature.

The centre-left federal government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has played its cards, announcing on Dec. 9 plans to legislate a year-long price cap for wholesale natural gas and thermal coal in the country's populous eastern states. Australia vies with Qatar and the United States for the title of the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is the second-biggest shipper of thermal coal after Indonesia. Australia still generates about 50% of its electricity from thermal coal, although this share is shrinking rapidly as the country installs renewables such as solar, wind and battery storage. The ruling Labor Party's plans call for a price cap of A$12 ($8.15) per gigajoule (GJ) for gas and A$125 a tonne for thermal coal, with the government saying it will support any coal miner whose costs exceed the price cap. The gas industry probably would have been better served by asking some more relevant questions, such as whether a price cap is the best method of delivering relief to consumers.

Forrest said in a statement Squadron had acquired CWP Renewables but did not disclose the price. And the more we create and deploy new renewable energy, the cheaper it becomes for every Australian and the world," Forrest told Reuters after the announcement. With CWP Renewables, Squadron would have the scale it needs to meet demand from large commercial and industrial customers for reliable green energy in eastern Australia, he said. Willoughby said CWP aimed to give the go-ahead by March 2023 to build a 400 MW wind farm, which would cost more than A$1 billion. There are literally trillions of dollars of capital looking for green energy projects," he said.

SYDNEY/MELBOURNE, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's private firm Squadron Energy has acquired CWP Renewables in Australia for more than A$4 billion ($2.7 billion), three people familiar with the deal said on Wednesday. Forrest said in a statement Squadron had acquired CWP Renewables, owner of 1.1 gigawatts of wind farms and a development pipeline of 1.3 GW of wind and solar farms in Australia, but did not disclose the price. CWP was sold by Swiss-based investor Partners Group (PGHN.S), which said it built the Australian business up after first investing in the Sapphire Wind Farm in the state of New South Wales in 2016. Other companies that had looked at CWP included Spain's Iberdrola (IBE.MC), Tilt Renewables, partly owned by AGL Energy (AGL.AX), and Origin Energy (ORG.AX), all aiming to expand in renewable energy as Australia speeds up its transition away from coal-fired power. With CWP Renewables, Squadron would have the scale it needs in eastern Australia to meet demand from large commercial and industrial customers for reliable green energy, Forrest said.

☆ Plesiosaur: Fossil hunters in Australia discover 100 million-year-old skeleton
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The discovery of a giant 100 million-year-old marine reptile’s skeleton in Australia has been hailed by researchers as a breakthrough that may provide vital clues about prehistoric life. The skull of the 100 million-year-old plesiosaur found in Queensland, Australia. Queensland MuseumIt’s the latest big discovery about prehistory to have been made in Australia in recent years. In June last year, scientists confirmed that the 2007 discovery of a fossilized skeleton in Queensland was the country’s largest dinosaur. Two months later, scientists discovered that there once was a species of flying “dragon” that soared over Australia 105 million years ago.

[1/2] Police officers stand guard near the barricades during a protest rally by the supporters of the proposed Vizhinjam port project in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 30, 2022. An Adani Group official who declined to be identified said construction would restart on Thursday. The port has strategic importance for both India and Adani, an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man. The Adani Group says the port complies with all laws and has cited studies that show it is not linked to shoreline erosion, which the Kerala government says is due to natural causes. Adani has previously faced protests in Australia, where environmental activists protested against his Carmichael coal mine project in the northeastern state of Queensland.

☆ Australian contractor Clough's collapse leaves more than $8 bln of projects in limbo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Sonali Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It said the goal is to source "immediate interim funding to be able to continue work on as many projects as possible as quickly as possible". Clough is also handling construction of the A$768 million ($515 million) Waitsia Stage 2 gas project, owned by a unit of Japan's Mitsui & Co (8031.T) and Australia's Beach Energy (BPT.AX). The Waitsia Stage 2 project was due to start producing gas for export through the North West Shelf liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in late 2023. "Given that an administrator has only just been appointed for Clough, it would be premature to speculate on the precise impacts for the Waitsia Gas Project Stage 2," Mitsui E&P Australia said in a statement. TransGrid said it would continue to work with Clough's partner Elecnor to deliver the A$2.3 billion project.

"We have denied permission to the rally by the Hindu United Front. The port is of strategic importance to both India and billionaire Gautam Adani, Asia's wealthiest man and the world's third-richest. Critics say Adani, who comes from the same state as Modi, has benefited from the policies of the federal government. Earlier, Hindu United Front member C Babu told Reuters they would go ahead with the rally. The Adani Group has said in court filings that the protests have caused "immense loss" and "considerable delay".

☆ Cameron Smith lifted aloft in pub as he celebrates home victory by watching TV replay
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Jump into the crowd, watch back the replay, have a triumphant drink; there are many ways for an athlete to celebrate a big win. If you’re Cameron Smith, you can do all three at the same time. Cam Smith celebrating his #AUSPGA win in a pub with the replay on the TV is tremendous areas! “I think two cans of beer can fit in there,” Smith told reporters at St. Andrews. Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images“I can’t believe she did it,” Smith told reporters.

☆ Australian regulator begins civil lawsuit against Star Entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 30 (Reuters) - Star Entertainment Group (SGR.AX) said Australia's financial crimes regulator has begun a civil lawsuit against it over allegations of failure to comply with disclosure norms in relation to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) will commence civil penalty proceedings against two of Star's units, The Star Pty and The Star Entertainment Queensland Ltd, the casino operator said on Wednesday. Star, however, said AUSTRAC did not specify the damages it was seeking from the said lawsuit. Star's shares have dropped 28.8% in a year marked with investigations and scrutiny of its operations over its alleged failure to prevent money laundering and criminal activity. Reporting by Tejaswi Marthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia argues against ‘endangered’ status for Great Barrier Reef
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s environment minister said Tuesday her government will lobby against UNESCO adding the Great Barrier Reef to a list of endangered World Heritage sites. The report, which recommended shifting the Great Barrier Reef to endangered status, followed a 10-day mission in March to the famed reef system off Australia’s northeast coast that was added to the World Heritage list in 1981. “We’ll very clearly make the point to UNESCO that there is no need to single the Great Barrier Reef out in this way” with an endangered listing, Plibersek told reporters. “If the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, then every coral reef in the world is in danger,” Plibersek said. The Great Barrier Reef accounts for around 10% of the world’s coral reef ecosystems.

☆ Police in India's Kerala step up security after clashes over Adani port
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jose Devasia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Police officers are deployed as fishermen protest near the entrance of the proposed Vizhinjam Port in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Munsif VengattilKOCHI, India Nov 29 (Reuters) - Police in southern India on Tuesday ramped up security around Vizhinjam port being built by billionaire Gautam Adani's group after scores of people were injured during clashes with protesters from a fishing community over the weekend. Kerala state police were sending reinforcements to the Vizhinjam area to prevent further violence, he added. The Adani Group says the port complies with all laws and cited studies that show it is not linked to shoreline erosion. Five years ago, Australian environmental activists had launched a "Stop Adani" movement to protest his Carmichael coal mine project in Queensland state.

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