Latest Canberra Stories
DENPASAR, Indonesia -- An Indonesian court on Tuesday sentenced two young Australian men to die by firing squad for attempting to smuggle heroin from the resort island of Bali, verdicts that could strain ties with Canberra.The sentences matched what prosecutors had demanded for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the accused masterminds of a group of nine Australians arrested on Bali last April for trying to smuggle more than 8.2 kg (18 lb) of heroin to Australia.Activists from an Indonesian...
CANBERRA -- Cooler conditions and a little rain calmed deadly bushfires in the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday and allowed weary firefighters to make some headway in their battle, but authorities warned the crisis was not over.Firefighters managed to control one of the four most dangerous blazes -- three of which are less than 100 km (60 miles) from Melbourne, Australia's second-most-populous city -- but the rest are still burning out of control.Hundreds of people have evacuated...
By Michelle Nichols CANBERRA (Reuters) - Thunderstorms sweeping across the bushfire-ravaged Australian state of Victoria dampened some of the deadly fires with patchy rain, but lightning sparked a new blaze and threatens to wreak more havoc in the coming days. Hundreds of people have evacuated their homes as four large blazes burned out of control and stretched firefighting resources. Three of the fires are less than 100 km (62 miles) from Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne....
By Michelle Nichols CANBERRA (Reuters) - Thunderstorms sweeping across the bushfire-ravaged Australian state of Victoria dampened some of the deadly fires with patchy rain, but lightning sparked a new blaze and threatens to wreak more havoc in the coming days. Hundreds of people have evacuated their homes as four large blazes burned out of control and stretched firefighting resources. Three of the fires are less than 100 km (62 miles) from Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne....
CANBERRA -- Firefighters battling bushfires threatening numerous towns and communities in southern Australia on Thursday are now face a new risk -- severe thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 110 km (68 miles) per hour.Hundreds of people have fled their homes as high temperatures and strong winds fanned four dangerous blazes -- three less than 100 km (62 miles) from Australia's second most-populous city Melbourne -- causing them to jump containment lines.A massive blaze in the Grampians...
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Firefighters in three Australian states raced on Tuesday to control ferocious bushfires that have left three people dead, destroyed homes and killed tens of thousands of livestock before expected hot windy weather returns. Cooler conditions overnight allowed emergency services to make some headway in their battle against the blazes, but several massive bushfires in Victoria, Western Australia and the island state of Tasmania were still burning out of control....
By Michelle NicholsCANBERRA -- Six of the world's top polluters meet in Sydney this week to promote clean energy technology as a way to tackle climate change without sacrificing economic growth.The United States, Japan, China, India, Australia and South Korea will hold the first meeting of the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate -- a pact they say will complement, not rival, the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases.But unlike Kyoto, the six members will not be backing...
By Michelle Nichols and Jan Dahinten CANBERRA/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Australia will not punish Singapore over the planned execution of an Australian drug smuggler, Prime Minister John Howard said on Thursday ahead of protests around the country to oppose the December 2 hanging. Howard rejected calls by a prominent government politician for the hanging of Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, to be taken into account in the Canberra government's deliberations on whether to grant Singapore Airlines...
CANBERRA/JAKARTA (Reuters) - Australia indicated on Sunday it would consider joining a new regional anti-terrorism task force reportedly being set up by Indonesia, although a senior officer in Jakarta said cooperation was already strong. The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said Indonesia wanted to set up a regional counter-terrorism task force, and might put the proposal to police chiefs from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta this week. However, Brigadier...
Corrects fourth paragraph to read the 10-nation ASEAN grouping CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia indicated on Sunday that it would consider joining a new regional anti-terrorism task force reportedly being set up by Indonesia. Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told Australian television that Canberra would look at any move to increase cooperation. The Sunday Telegraph said Indonesia wanted to set up a regional counter-terrorism task force, and might put the proposal to police chiefs from...
