Australia
Chile volcano ash causes renewed air chaos in Australia
Australia's two major airports are facing up to 48 hours of disruption as the ash cloud from a Chilean volcano drifts across the south of the country. Qantas and Virgin have cancelled all flights into and out of Sydney and Melbourne. Adelaide airport...
Chile volcano disrupts flights in Western Australia
Flights into and out of Perth in Western Australia have been cancelled due to the volcanic eruption in Chile. Airlines Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar said the ash cloud was too low around Perth for aircraft to fly safely. Winds have carried particles 5...
Australia will send children to Malaysia in asylum deal
The authorities in Australia have announced plans to send unaccompanied children seeking asylum to Malaysia. They would be held in detention centres while their cases are processed. Australia's immigration minister, Chris Bowen, said it would send a...
Ozone hole has dried Australia, scientists find
The Antarctic ozone hole is about one-third to blame for Australia's recent series of droughts, scientists say. Writing in the journal Science, they conclude that the hole has shifted wind and rainfall patterns right across the Southern Hemisphere, even...
Three charged over Christmas Island shipwreck
Australia has charged three Indonesian men with people-smuggling offences, following the death of nearly 50 people in a shipwreck off Christmas Island. The three men were among up to 100 people on board the flimsy boat when it smashed into rocks on...
Australia floods: 'Inland sea' moves across Victoria
A giant inland sea of floodwater, 55 miles (90km) long, will spread across the Australian state of Victoria over the next 10 days, officials say. Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan said the floods would rank as one of the most costly natural disasters...
Australia floods: Tide warning for Brisbane
Residents in the Queensland city of Brisbane have been warned to expect more flooding, as waters continue to swamp towns in the state of Victoria. Officials say the unusually high tide expected in Brisbane on Friday could inundate low-lying areas and...
Australia floods: Victoria town residents told to flee
People in the south-eastern Australian town of Kerang have been told to leave their homes, as rising river levels threatened another community in the worst flood crisis in decades. More than 1,000 Kerang residents have moved to a nearby evacuation...
Australia floods split Victoria town of Horsham in two
Floodwaters in Australia's state of Victoria have split the town of Horsham in two, as the body of a young boy was found in another flood-hit town, Shepparton. Heavy rains which had laid waste to Queensland are causing an escalating emergency in Victoria...
Australia floods: Brisbane begins massive clean-up
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People in Brisbane have begun to clean up swathes of sludge and debris as floodwaters begin to recede from Australia's third largest city. At least 30,000 properties in the Queensland city have been swamped and many areas remain without power. Residents...
