Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the country’s economy has recovered after the global crisis two years ago and that it will continue to grow. Speaking Thursday at the Future Jobs Forum in the capital Canberra, Ms. Gillard said the employment has grown five percent mainly due to expansion in mining and construction industries. She […]
Australian Men Set Out For Unassisted South Pole Trek
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 2:00 am (UTC-5)
Two Australian men flew from Sydney Monday on their way to Antarctica for an attempt at a record-breaking pole trek. Justin Jones, 28, and James Castrission, 29, plan to walk unassisted from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back, an achievement that has never been accomplished. Each man will pull a sled with […]
Plane Flies Into Ferris Wheel in Australia
Posted October 1st, 2011 at 12:50 am (UTC-5)
Australian authorities say a small plane crashed into a ferris wheel at a town fair on Saturday. The plane was left dangling from the ride with its pilot and passenger trapped inside until rescuers got to them. New South Wales police in the town of Taree, about 250 kilometers northeast of Sydney, said no one […]
Accused Serb War Criminal Loses Australia Extradition Fight
Posted September 30th, 2011 at 1:45 am (UTC-5)
Australia’s Federal Court has upheld a November 2010 ruling that a man with dual Serbian-Australian citizenship can be extradited to Croatia to face war crime charges. Friday’s ruling is a further setback to 56-year-old Dragan Vasiljkovic’s five-year court battle to remain in Australia. He has one month to appeal the decision. The former Serb military […]
Court Rules Australian Commentator Violated Racial Laws
Posted September 28th, 2011 at 4:10 am (UTC-5)
An Australian court says a newspaper columnist violated an anti-discrimination law when he suggested that fair-skinned Aborigines identified themselves as such for personal gain. The judge ruled Wednesday that fair-skinned Aborigines were likely “to have been offended, insulted, humiliated or intimidated” by two articles by Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt in 2009. Justice Mordy Bromberg […]
Australia’s Military Drops Ban on Women in Combat Roles
Posted September 27th, 2011 at 4:06 am (UTC-5)
Australia says it is lifting all restrictions on women in the military, making it possible for them to participate in front-line infantry units and special forces. Defense Minister Stephen Smith said Tuesday that women’s participation in military units will be based solely on their ability to pass specific physical tests. He said the change will […]
Australia’s Military Drops Ban on Women in Combat Roles
Posted September 27th, 2011 at 12:05 am (UTC-5)
Australia says it is lifting all restrictions on women in the military, making it possible for them to participate in front-line infantry units and special forces. Defense Minister Stephen Smith said Tuesday that women’s participation in military units will be based solely on their ability to pass specific physical tests. He said the change will […]
Australia Delays Vote on Malaysia Refugee Swap
Posted September 22nd, 2011 at 2:05 pm (UTC-5)
Australia’s parliament has delayed until next month a vote on changes to a controversial immigration law that would allow a proposed refugee swap with Malaysia to go forward. Parliament began debate on changes to the law Thursday, before adjourning to October 11. Prime Minister Julia Gillard proposes to send 800 undocumented asylum seekers to be […]
Australia Moves Toward Vote on Malaysia Refugee Swap
Posted September 22nd, 2011 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
Australia’s parliament is moving toward a vote as early as Thursday on changes to immigration law that would allow a proposed refugee swap with Malaysia to go forward. Analysts give the bill little chance of passage in the face of opposition from the right-wing Liberal Party and the left-wing Greens, whose support keeps Prime Minister […]
Mexican Navy Recovers Body of Missing Oil Worker
Posted September 16th, 2011 at 12:06 am (UTC-5)
The Mexican Navy has recovered the body of an Australian oil worker who disappeared during an oil rig evacuation last week, ahead of Tropical Storm Nate. Officials say the man’s body was found Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico. The victim was among 10 workers from U.S. based Geokinetics that abandoned a disabled oil rig. […]
