Australia

A 5.1 magnitude quake has occurred off L’Esperance Rock in the Pacific Ocean near New Zealand, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The quake happened at 9:21 a.m. GMT, with an epicenter 91 kilometers (56.5 miles) east of L’Esperance Rock at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles), USGS …

New Zealand lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday that would legalize euthanasia, paving the way for the public to vote on the issue in a referendum next year. The bill, which enables terminally ill people to request a medically assisted death, was passed 69-51 in parliament, after several amendments and …

Thousands of people are in the path of deadly Australian bushfires that have produced clouds of smoke seen as far away as New Zealand. A seven-day state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales, where strong winds, high temperatures, and low humidity have prompted the Rural Fire Service …

The skies of New South Wales are glowing an eerie orange after reignited wildfires swept through parts of the state, killing two people, leveling scores of homes and destroying much of the local koala habitat. The revived brush fires – which have burned intermittently across eastern Australia for months– picked …

Hundreds of thousands of students, office workers, and other protesters took to the streets around the world on Friday to demand global leaders gathering for a U.N. climate summit take urgent action to avert an environmental catastrophe. The global climate strike kicked off in the Pacific islands – some of …

Australia is to formally investigate foreign interference in its universities amid rising concerns about Chinese influence on campuses. The push follows reports of students and staff “self-censoring” on sensitive political issues such as the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Universities had also increasingly been targeted by state-sponsored cyber attacks, the …

It’s been a summer of heatwaves in the Northern Hemisphere. But in Australia, a group of kangaroos is enjoying wintry conditions. Stephen Grenfell captured their joy as the troop leaped across open fields, undeterred by the cold, wet ground just north of Goulburn, in New South Wales. While the area …

A knife-wielding man stabbed a woman in Sydney, Australia and tried to attack “multiple people” before he was apprehended, police said. Video from the scene shows a distraught male as he jumps on the roof of a black car at an intersection. The vehicle then flees and the attacker jumps …

The remains of a super-sized parrot that stood more than half the height of an average human and roamed the earth 19 million years ago have been discovered in New Zealand. Judging by the size of the leg bones, the bird would have stood about 1m tall and weighed up …

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the United States has not requested to deploy intermediate-range missiles in his country, stressing that such a request will be met with rejection. “It’s not been asked to us, not being considered, not been put to us. I think I can rule a line …

Samsung is in trouble in Australia over ads that suggested its Galaxy smartphones could be used while swimming. The country’s competition regulator filed a lawsuit against Samsung, alleging that the ads were misleading. Samsung touted its devices as being water resistant up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes, and …

A New Zealand family has been forced to abandon its home after a bubbling mud crater appeared in the garden. Susan Gedye, who lives in the North Island town of Rotorua, woke up in the early hours of Tuesday morning thinking she was experiencing an earthquake. “I got woken up …

Papua New Guinea’s volatile Ulawun volcano — designated one of the world’s most hazardous — erupted Wednesday, spewing lava high in the air and sending residents fleeing. A pilot for Niugini Helicopters flying near the crater witnessed a column of lava spurting vertically into the equatorial sky, along with ash …

A beachside New Zealand suburb known for roaming chickens and yoga has become infested with hordes of unwelcome guests: large, writhing rats. The rodents — which have swarmed around shops and houses in the artsy west Auckland suburb of Titirangi — have made headlines in New Zealand recently, where local …

The main suspect in the Christchurch attacks in March has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Brenton Tarrant is charged with the murder of 51 people, 40 counts of attempted murder and one terrorism charge in New Zealand’s deadliest peacetime mass shooting. Appearing via video link from prison, the 28-year-old …

One of India’s richest men just got the green light to start building a new coal mine in Australia despite fierce opposition from climate change campaigners. The Adani Group, owned by billionaire Gautam Adani, said in a statement it would begin construction of the Carmichael mine in Queensland after receiving …

A gunman killed four people and wounded one in the Australian city of Darwin on Tuesday, authorities said, in one of the country’s most violent attacks in years. A suspect had been arrested, police said. “At this stage, we do not believe this is terrorism-related. This is one individual who …

Police in Australia has raided the headquarters of the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) over a report that used leaked information to reveal the killing of civilians in Afghanistan by Australian forces. The police raided and searched the public broadcaster’s offices in Sydney on Wednesday, specifically targeting three journalists involved in …

Bob Hawke, one of Australia’s longest-serving Prime Ministers and a champion of the trade union movement, has died peacefully at the age of 89. Known affectionately by his nickname, “Hawkie” was Australia’s prime minister between 1983 and 1991, winning four elections and becoming the country’s third longest-tenured leader. His policies …

Five global technology companies have pledged to limit terrorist material online. Facebook, Amazon, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft will develop shared tools to detect and remove terrorist or extremist content among other measures. The pledge was made at a Paris summit, which was called after the terror attack in Christchurch, New …