Australia’s Jetstar cancels some Bali flights as threat of volcanic ash revives
Australia‘s Jetstar will cancel nine of 15 planned flights out of the Indonesian holiday island of Bali, the budget airline said today, following a forecast that volcanic ash could hit…
Back to black? Australian industry prepares for possible summer power cuts
Some of Australia’s biggest power users, including mining giant BHP, are taking steps to curb the impact of any repeat of crippling blackouts that hit last summer, worried about a…
WhatsApp messages by Manus Island refugee win major journalism award
A podcast made from 5,000 WhatsApp messages sent on a smuggled smartphone by a refugee on the Australian-run Manus Island detention centre has won an award for excellence in journalism.…
First Australian state passes law permitting euthanasia
Victoria has become the first state in Australia to allow terminally ill patients to end their life as its legislature passed a euthanasia law that other states are expected to…
Australian doctors demand access to Manus Island asylum seekers
A group of senior Australian doctors have written an open letter to their government citing “great concern” for the physical and mental health of hundreds of asylum seekers cleared from…
Australia police arrest man accused of plotting NYE attack in Melbourne
Police in Australia have arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of planning to use an automatic rifle for a mass shooting on New Year’s Eve in downtown Melbourne. Victoria state police…
Draft bill ups pressure on Australia govt to probe banks
A rebel member of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s coalition government is circulating a draft bill to step up pressure for an official inquiry into the country’s scandal-hit banks. Although the…
Sydney to splurge A$2bn on stadium rebuilds
Sydney’s two main rectangular stadiums, the Olympic Stadium and Sydney Football Stadium, are to be demolished and rebuilt at a cost of around A$2 billion ($1.53 billion), the New South…
PNG police order protesting asylum seekers out of Australian-run camp
About fifty asylum seekers have departed an Australian-run detention camp in Papua New Guinea after police moved into the complex, confiscating food, water and personal belongings from the roughly 310…
Australia urges strong, sustained US engagement in Asia, warns on China
Australia has called on the United States to build a strong presence in Asia and bolster ties with “like-minded” partners while warning against China’s rising influence. A more insular United…
