Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean computer hackers have stolen hundreds of classified military documents from South Korea including detailed wartime operational plans involving its US ally, a report said Tuesday. Rhee Cheol-Hee, a lawmaker for the ruling Democratic party, said the hackers had broken into the South’s military …
Read More »Sydney, Melbourne warned to prepare for 50-degree days
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Sydney and Melbourne could regularly face 50 degree Celsius (122F) days within 25 years even if Australia meets its Paris global warming targets, a new study warned Wednesday. Other areas across the country should also prepare for extreme heat, said the research led by the Australian …
Read More »Govt issues oil exploration license to Australians Armour Energy
Uganda Government issues Kanywataba petroleum exploration license to Armour Energy Limited Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda has handed over the petroleum exploration license in the Kanywataba block in the Albertine area to an Australian company – Armour Energy Limited. Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Energy offices in Kampala …
Read More »Australia expands cashless welfare card to tackle alcohol, drugs
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia will expand the roll-out of cashless welfare cards after a pilot scheme showed a sharp drop in problem alcohol, drug and gambling abuse, the country’s prime minister said Friday. The government introduced the debit card — touted as a world-first — last year to two …
Read More »Don’t report sex abuses revealed in confessional: Australia bishops
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Priests should not be forced to report child sexual abuse revealed in the confessional, top Australian Catholics said Tuesday, adding they would rather risk jail than break the sacramental seal. The comments follow a national inquiry set up by the government into institutional child sexual …
Read More »Climate change means more rain but less water in rural rivers: study
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Soaring temperatures driven by climate change are whipping up ever-more intense storms inundating cities with flash floods but leaving the countryside and crucial agricultural land parched, an Australian study has found. Researchers at Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) found that while hotter weather sparked …
Read More »Sheepish Aussie deputy PM drops Kiwi citizenship
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia’s “accidental Kiwi” deputy prime minister renounced his New Zealand citizenship Tuesday amid sheep jokes, Hollywood taunts and conspiracy theories about a left-wing plot to topple Canberra’s conservative government. Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce revealed his New Zealand connection on Monday, sparking calls for him to stand …
Read More »Australia PM brushes off leaked Trump phone transcript
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia’s prime minister Friday sought to downplay an unflattering account of a controversial refugee swap deal which emerged in a leaked transcript of a bad-tempered phone call with US President Donald Trump. The Washington Post published the full details Thursday of private calls between Trump and …
Read More »Australia foils ‘terror plot’ to bring down airplane
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia has foiled an Islamist-inspired terrorist plot to bring down an aircraft with an improvised explosive device, authorities said Sunday, after four people were arrested in raids across Sydney. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the plot appeared to be “elaborate” rather than planned by a …
Read More »Cardinal Pell back in Australia to face abuse charges
Embed from Getty Images Sydney, Australia | AFP | Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell arrived back in Australia on Monday ahead of a court appearance later this month over historical sex abuse charges. The 76-year-old, a top advisor to Pope Francis, touched down in Sydney and was met …
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