Australia

Australia's first female prime minister keeps her job, for now

Some analysts believe that sexism is at least partly to blame for the difficulties Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, has had to battle while in office.
Australia Prime Minister Gillard rescued amid rowdy aboriginal rights protests

Some 200 supporters of indigenous rights had surrounded a Canberra restaurant while Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott were inside, prompting the secret service to whisk them away.
Obama in Australia: US reasserts Pacific role with eye on rising China

President Obama in Australia today pledged to boost the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The significant strategic shift is popular with regional governments wary of China's rise.
Police investigate Australia 'collar bomb' suspect's links to teenage girl's family [VIDEO]

According to court documents, Australia 'collar bomb' suspect Paul Peters – arrested in Kentucky Monday – once worked for a company with links to the father of Madeleine Pulver.
Global News Blog
'Collar bomb' drama grips Australia: Girl is safe, but who was that masked man?

An Australian teen who said a home intruder strapped a live bomb to her in a suspected extortion attempt was freed after a 10-hour ordeal.
Asian-born Australians may soon outnumber European-born counterparts: study

The number of Asians in Australia has almost doubled in a decade, from 1.03 million in mid-2000 to 2.1 million in the middle of last year, according to government statistics.
Global News Blog
Strong earthquakes rock shaken New Zealand city - again

There were no reports of serious casualties this time earthquakes hit New Zealand, except the faith of some of us who hoped a little too hard that our scientific prophecies of doom might go the way of Harold Camping's predictions.
Why Australia just toughened its tough immigration stance

Riots at Australia’s immigration detention centers have pushed Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s government to take new measures on asylum-seekers. But critics say they don't target the fundamental reasons for the unrest.
Australia takes on the last frontier of cigarette packaging

Australia is proposing the most drastic government attempt yet to reduce smoking, requiring cigarette companies to package their brands in an unappealing drab olive wrapper.
US-sized Cyclone Yasi could cost Australia more than $2 billion

Cyclone Yasi flattened properties, overturned luxury yachts, and ripped up plantations. Australia's climate change adviser warns of more such storms to come.
Cyclone Yasi bears down on Australia's coast

Cyclone Yasi is due to hit north of Queensland's main waterlogged area, but emergency services are already stretched and the whole state is flood-weary.
Cyclone Yasi roars toward Australia’s waterlogged Queensland

Forecasters are cautiously optimistic that Yasi will not drop the majority of its rain on Queensland’s already hard hit areas. The state is still cleaning up from devastating floods.
After battling Australia floods, waterlogged citizens now fight insurers

Many whose homes and businesses were affected by the Australia floods are finding that the fine print in their insurance policies rules out coverage.
Australia's flood aftermath on par with New Orleans

In its worst flood since 1974, Australia's Brisbane focuses on speedy relief and a long recovery.
Australia floods pose a political test not all pass

While Prime Minister Gillard has been criticized for her response to the Australia floods, Queensland Premier Bligh has struck the right note of strength and emotion.
After the Australia flooding, talk of how to rebuild Queensland begins

For a country that only recently passed through a decade-long drought, talk of flooding management has long seemed a little out of place. Not anymore.
Australians rush to join flood rescue efforts

A nation-wide emergency response effort targeting the flooded northern state of Queensland is underway in Australia. Some 1,500 people have stepped up to volunteer to help in the past 24 hours.
What's causing the Australia flooding

The Australia flooding is partly a result of the La Niña weather pattern, which cools surface ocean temperatures and usually brings increased precipitation to eastern Australia.
Terrorism & Security
Australia braces for fresh wave of flooding in Brisbane

Brisbane prepares for fresh flooding and another town recovers from an 'inland tsunami,' as Australia waits for a reprieve from weeks of rain and flooding.
Australia flooding racks up a hefty bill

Economists have estimated the bill from the prolonged floods – the worst to hit Queensland for half a century – at $5.94 billion. But they say the real cost will be known only when the waters recede.
Global News Blog
In Australia, Aborigines and government face off over sacred spot

The government of the Australian state of Tasmania is moving ahead with plans to build a bridge – straight through land containing Aborigine artifacts.
Real winner of this year's 'Olympics of Debating'? Host nation, Botswana.

A team from Australia's Monash University won this year's World Universities Debate Championships on Monday night, but the tiny African nation of Botswana chalked up its own victory as host.
Australia flooding of 'biblical proportions' slashes coal, agriculture exports

Australia flood rescue and relief efforts are under way to deal with what officials have called a "disaster of biblical proportions."
Australia signals harder line on asylum seekers following Christmas Island tragedy

Refugee advocates fear Australia will get even tougher on asylum seekers following the Christmas Island shipwreck, which killed at least 30 refugees – many from Iran and Iraq.
Terrorism & Security
Christmas Island boat tragedy fuels debate over Australian policy on asylum seekers

Australia is struggling to balance humanitarian responsibilities to asylum seekers with national concerns about the economic impact of their migration.