US starts “extreme vetting” at Australia’s offshore detention centres
SYDNEY – US Homeland Security officials have begun “extreme vetting” interviews at Australia’s offshore detention centres, two sources at the camps told Reuters, as Washington honours a refugee swap US…
Turnbull praises Aust. magnate’s “game-changing” $400 million philanthropy
SYDNEY – Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest has made the country’s biggest philanthropic gift by a living individual, donating $400 million to causes covering health, education and fighting modern slavery.…
Olympics: Australia closer to sports lottery for funding athletes
MELBOURNE – Australia’s federal sports minister Greg Hunt has thrown his weight behind a push for a national lottery to boost funding for athletes and arrest the country’s slide down…
Propulsion problems put Australian warships out of action
SYDNEY – Australia is investigating if problems in the propulsion systems of two $1.5 billion warships built by manufacturers from Spain, Germany and Britain are the result of design flaws.…
Police investigate case of African girl held as ‘sex slave’ in Australia
KUALA LUMPUR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Australian police say they are investigating the case of a West African girl who said she had been held as a sex slave and repeatedly assaulted…
Maine Coon cat in Australia may be world’s longest
MELBOURNE – A Maine Coon cat named Omar may take the title of world’s longest domestic cat after Guinness World Records saw a picture of the feline on Instagram and…
Australian tax chief faces charges after son’s cars, guns and money fraud romp
One of Australia‘s top anti-fraud tax officials is facing charges after his son and eight friends were arrested in raids that netted cash, luxury cars, two small planes, guns and…
Australia police weigh abuse charges after investigating top Catholic
SYDNEY – Australian police say they are considering whether to lay charges following a child abuse investigation which involved the Vatican’s Australian-born treasurer, Cardinal George Pell. Pell, who before his Vatican appointment…
Asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea fear they will be put at risk by relocation
Papua New Guinea’s decision to relocate hundreds of men held in an Australian-run detention centre to a nearby town soon exposes them to violence and inadequate medical care, asylum seekers and…
Australia and Hong Kong begin free trade agreement talks
HONG KONG – Australia and Hong Kong began talks to secure a free trade agreement, Australia‘s trade minister Steven Ciobo said on Tuesday, that he said would focus on securing increased access for…
