Nine dead in Australia after thunderstorms
Updated: 4pm (AEDT)Sydney, AustraliaReuters Nine people were killed in Australia after severe thunderstorms battered the country’s east over the Christmas holidays, authorities said on Wednesday, with tens of thousands of properties still without power. Wild weather lashed the states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland on 25th and 26th December bringing large hailstones and […]
Australia swelters through “scorching” heat lifting bushfire risk
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia’s south-east on Sunday sweltered in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and led authorities to issue fire bans for large swathes of New South Wales state. The nation’s weather forecaster said temperatures would be up to 12 degrees Celsius above average in some areas, with Sydney, the capital of […]
Leader of Australia’s Victoria state, known for COVID lockdowns, to step down
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Daniel Andrews, the premier of Australia’s Victoria state who oversaw one of the longest pandemic lockdowns in the world, said on Tuesday he would resign after about nine years in office. Victoria’s State Premier, Daniel Andrews, speaks to the media, on 21st December, 2017. PICTURE: Reuters/Luis Ascui/File Pphoto Andrews’ surprise resignation comes just […]
Australia swelters in spring heat wave, temperatures set to break records
Sydney, AustraliaReuters A spring heat wave across large parts of Australia’s south-east, including Sydney, will intensify on Monday, the weather bureau said, with temperatures expected to peak up to 16 degrees Celsius above the September average. Australia is baking through a rising heat wave which has been building in the country’s outback interior over the […]
Australian state to pay $A380 million for withdrawing as 2026 Commonwealth Games host
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia’s Victoria state will pay A$380 million to Commonwealth Games organisers, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Saturday, after it withdrew as 2026 event host citing a projected cost blowout. Victoria in July pulled out of hosting the quadrennial multi-sport event, which was to have been held in four regional hubs, with Andrews […]
Alberta, Victoria withdrawals “devastating blow” for Commonwealth Games
Reuters The 2030 Commonwealth Games were tipped to be a glorious celebration of the competition’s centenary in Canada, the country which hosted the inaugural edition of the multi-sport quadrennial event a century ago. But the future of the Games was thrown into doubt on Thursday when the province of Alberta withdrew its support for a […]
Australian state of Victoria pulls out of hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games over costs concerns
Updated: 4:45pm (AEST)Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Australia’s state of Victoria will not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to projected cost overruns, placing the future of the quadrennial multi-sport gathering in doubt. Victoria state Premier Dan Andrews said the cost of the Games, which were to have been held in four regional hubs, could blow out to […]
Australians rescued from rooftops as torrential rain ravages rural towns
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Hundreds of residents in flood-ravaged Australia’s south-east were rescued by helicopter and boat after rivers rose rapidly on Tuesday, cutting off entire towns and inundating houses, highways, bridges and farms. Emergency crews deployed more than a dozen helicopters to rescue trapped people from rooftops in the worst-hit towns in New South Wales state, […]
Rescue efforts in full swing as Australia’s inland towns brace for flood peaks
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Emergency crews in Australia’s most populous state New South Wales were evacuating people and livestock and sandbagging towns on Saturday ahead of an expected peak in floodwaters, with one river forecast to hit a 70-year high water mark. Australia’s east is in the grip of the fourth major flood crisis this year due […]
Australia to spend $A800 million to move or flood-proof homes in inundated areas
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will spend $A800 million to repair, retrofit and buy back homes in the flood-prone north-west of the country’s largest state as the region recovers from its third inundation this year. Clean-up efforts are underway across Australia’s south-east as swollen rivers recede after the country’s third bout of flooding this year. The wettest […]