Author: Rod Mcguirk
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Thousands evacuate in worst Australian floods in a decade
BRISBANE, Australia • Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes by Tuesday and hundreds of thousands more were told to prepare to flee as parts of Australia’s southeast coast were inundated by the worst flooding in more than a decade. At least 10 people have died. New South Wales Premier Dominic…
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Firefighting plane crashes in Australia, killing 3 Americans
SYDNEY • Three American firefighting airplane crew members were killed Thursday when the C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker they were in crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the deaths in the state’s Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire season…
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Australia: Wildfire smoke stokes health fears in cities
CANBERRA, Australia • Fire alarms have been sounding in high-rise buildings across downtown Sydney and Melbourne as dense smoke from distant wildfires confuse electronic sensors. Modern government office blocks in the Australian capital Canberra have been closed because the air inside is too dangerous for civil servants to breathe. The sun has glowed an eerie…
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Most senior Catholic charged with child sex abuse convicted
MELBOURNE, Australia • The most senior Catholic cleric charged with child sex abuse has been convicted of molesting two choirboys moments after celebrating Mass, dealing a new blow to the Catholic hierarchy’s credibility after a year of global revelations of abuse and cover-up. Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ top financial adviser and the Vatican’s economy…
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Same-sex marriage legalized in Australia
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s Parliament voted Thursday to allow same-sex marriage across the nation, following a bitter debate settled by a much-criticized government survey of voters that strongly endorsed change. The public gallery in the House of Representatives erupted with applause when the bill passed. It changes the definition of marriage from solely between a…
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Australian Parliament allows same-sex marriages
Members of parliament, from left, Cathy McGowan, Adam Brandt and Andrew Wilkie celebrate the passing of the Marriage Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017. Gay marriage was endorsed by 62 percent of Australian voters who responded to a government-commissioned postal ballot by last month. (Mick…
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Scientists potentially narrow MH370 search area to 3 spots
A dead baby dolphin displayed by a member of Equinac in Mojacar, southern Spain. (Courtesy Equinac via AFP/Getty Images)
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Shark leaps into boat and lands on Australian fisherman
CANBERRA, Australia — A 73-year-old Australian fisherman said Monday that he caught a far bigger fish than he hoped for when a 2.7-meter (9-foot) great white shark leapt into his boat, knocking him off his feet. Terry Selwood was left with a badly bruised and bleeding right arm where the airborne shark struck him with…
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Pilot radioed in ‘Mayday’ call before Australian plane crash
DALLAS — A pilot repeatedly yelled out “Mayday” but did not say what the emergency was before his light plane crashed into the roof of an Australian shopping mall, killing himself and four American tourists, an accident investigator said Wednesday. Police blamed “catastrophic engine failure” when a twin-engine Beechcraft B200 Super King Air crashed into…
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Report: US close to accepting 100s of Australia’s refugees
CANBERRA, Australia — The United States and Australia were close to announcing a deal in which the United States would resettle hundreds of asylum seekers banished by Australia to Pacific island camps, a newspaper reported on Friday. The U.S. had agreed to accept up to 1,800 refugees held for up to three years at Australia’s…