Tag Archives: Australia

BBC reports: Two Australian states have declared a state of emergency as bushfires bring a “catastrophic” threat to heavily populated areas of the nation’s east. At least three people are dead and thousands have been displaced by three days of dangerous weather conditions in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. But officials say the worst danger will come on Tuesday …

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: Sydney has won the right to host the international WorldPride event in 2023 after defeating Montreal and Houston in a vote in Athens on Sunday. Members of the worldwide InterPride network voted for Sydney to host the event in 2023, which will coincide with the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham …

CNN reports: Australian airline Qantas has completed the longest non-stop commercial passenger flight, researching the potential impacts of ultra-long haul flights on pilots, crew and passengers. With 49 people on board, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight completed the 10,066-mile journey from New York to Sydney in 19 hours and 16 minutes. Cameras were mounted in the cockpit to record pilot …

The New York Times reports: President Trump pushed the Australian prime minister during a recent telephone call to help Attorney General William P. Barr gather information for a Justice Department inquiry that Mr. Trump hopes will discredit the Mueller investigation, according to two American officials with knowledge of the call. The White House restricted access to the call’s transcript to …

Reuters Australia reports: Australia on Thursday proposed legislation to protect people who express their religious faith outside of the workplace, a few months after Rugby Union international Israel Folau was sacked for posting on social media that hell awaited “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers”. Attorney-General Christian Porter said the proposal would allow Australians to express their religious beliefs away from the workplace …

ABC News reports: The government agency that manages Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has downgraded its outlook for the corals’ condition from “poor” to “very poor” due to warming oceans. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s condition report, which is updated every five years, is the latest bad news for the 345,400 square kilometer (133,360 square miles) colorful coral network …

From the office of Australian PM Scott Morrison: Websites hosting harmful and extreme content from terrorists will be blocked by the Morrison Government in the latest measure to keep Australians safe online. The Government has accepted the recommendation of the Taskforce to Combat Terrorist and Extreme Violent Material Online to establish a clear and unambiguous content blocking framework for crisis …

Hemant Mehta reports at The Friendly Atheist: Israel Folau is eager to sue Rugby Australia for terminating his contract after he said gay people would burn in hell, and despite being fairly wealthy himself, he launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $3 million. The company soon shut the page down saying they don’t allow fundraisers that “tolerate the promotion of …

The BBC reports: A controversial fundraising page set up by sacked Australian rugby player Israel Folau has been shut down for promoting the exclusion of LGBT people, website GoFundMe says. Folau had his contract with Rugby Australia (RA) terminated in May after he said that “hell awaits” gay people. He asked for public donations to help him with a legal …

CNN International reports: Israel Folau, who was sacked by Rugby Australia following a homophobic social media post, is crowdfunding A$3 million (US$2.1 million) to pursue a legal battle against the governing body. Folau, a devout Christian who has been capped 73 times by his country, was found guilty of a code of conduct breach and stripped of his contract last …

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration considered imposing tariffs on imports from Australia last week, but decided against the move amid fierce opposition from military officials and the State Department, according to several people familiar with the discussions. Some of President Trump’s top trade advisers had urged the tariffs as a response to a surge of Australian aluminum …

Radio New Zealand reports: The Australian teenager who smashed an egg onto the head of Fraser Anning says he has donated more than $100,000 [$70K USD] to the survivors of the Christchurch terrorist attack. Will Connolly, whose act gained him the nickname Egg Boy on social media, said the money was raised through crowdfunding to cover his legal fees after …

The Independent reports: The anti-immigration politician egged by a teenage boy earlier this year has lost his seat in the Australian parliament following the country’s federal election. Fraser Anning, who sparked outrage when he said Muslim immigration was to blame for the New Zealand mosque shootings, has been defeated in his bid to return to the Senate. His party – …

After he was ousted as Australian prime minister in 2015, Tony Abbott took his anti-LGBT campaign on the road, blasting same-sex marriage in a paid 2016 appearance before the US hate group Alliance Defending Freedom. And now he’s lost his seat in Parliament: Tony Abbott has conceded defeat in Warringah to independent Zali Steggall, revealing he feared his political career …

The Guardian reports: Israel Folau’s rugby career appears over after an independent panel backed Rugby Australia’s intention to rip up his four-year, $4m contract following the player’s controversial social media posts which said hell awaits “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers” and others. The three-member panel, comprising John West QC, Kate Eastman SC and John Boultbee AM, announced on Friday that it had …

The Guardian reports: Israel Folau has been dropped by Asics in response to homophobic social media posts he published last month. The sportswear company is a personal sponsor for Folau as well as the Wallabies and has acted after the 30-year-old was found to have committed a high-level breach of Rugby Australia’s code of conduct. “Asics is dedicated to sport …

Agence France-Presse reports: Wallabies fullback Israel Folau on Wednesday formally challenged Rugby Australia’s decision to sack him over anti-gay social media posts, thrusting the sport into further turmoil ahead of the World Cup. The latest showdown with the devoutly religious 30-year-old — who last year was embroiled in a similar row — came after he posted on his Instagram account …

Australia’s SBS News reports: Rugby Australia and NSW Rugby Union will terminate star player Israel Folau’s contract, following his “disrespectful” social media posts about homosexuals. On Wednesday night, Folau took to Instagram to post an image with a warning that “those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent” alongside an image telling “homosexuals” to …

SBS News reports: A petition to ban Royal Brunei Airlines from landing in Australia has gathered steam as Virgin Australian cancelled staff travel on the airline following the country’s introduction of harsh Sharia law that includes the death penalty for gay sex. The petition, directed to the Minister and Shadow Minister for Transport, calls on the government to “commit to …

CBS News reports: An Australian senator was censured by his colleagues on Wednesday for seeking to blame the victims of last month’s mosque shootings and vilify Muslims. Sen. Fraser Anning was the target of widespread condemnation for blaming the attack in New Zealand on immigration policies. He faced more criticism later for physically striking a teenager who cracked a raw …