Latest Australia News
Papua New Guinea is granted a National Rugby League team starting in 2028
SYDNEY (AP) — A team from rugby league hotspot Papua New Guinea will enter the National Rugby League beginning in 2028 after officially being granted a license on Thursday. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape met in Sydney...
Papua New Guinea gains a team in Australian rugby league in diplomatic push aimed at curbing China
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea will gain its own team in Australia’s rugby league in a soft diplomacy deal announced Thursday linked to limiting Chinese influence in the South Pacific. The Australian government will spend 600 million Australian dollars ($380...
Australian police launch a special operation to investigate increased antisemitic attacks
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian federal police launched a special operation to investigate an increase in antisemitic threats and violence since the war between Israel and Hamas began last year. Jewish leaders say prejudice against their community has reached unprecedented...
US defense chief observes drills with Japan, Australia, says he's confident about greater capability
CAMP ASAKA, Japan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed confidence about enhanced military capabilities among the United States, Australia and Japan as he observed joint exercises Wednesday showcasing their closer cooperation as tensions grow in the region. Austin...
Vandals burn a car and spray graffiti in latest antisemitic attack in Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Vandals torched a car and sprayed graffiti with anti-Israel slogans including an apparently misspelled “Kill Israiel" on Wednesday in a Sydney suburb that is home to Australia's largest Jewish community. Officials condemned the attack as antisemitic. ...
Nauru gives Australia a veto right over a range of pacts with other nations including China
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia announced a multimillion-dollar agreement with Nauru on Monday that gives Australia a veto right over a range of pacts the tiny Pacific atoll might want to enter with third countries including China. Australia offered 140 million Australian...
US to host 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The 2026 Pan Pacific Championships featuring swimmers from the U.S., Australia, Canada and Japan will be held in Irvine, California, ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The meet, held every four years, rotates between the four countries. USA...
Australian synagogue fire declared terrorism in a decision that increases investigation resources
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian law enforcement authorities on Monday declared an arson attack on a synagogue last week a terrorist act in a decision that increases resources available to the investigation. Arson squad detectives have been investigating the blaze that...
Australian leader blames antisemitism for arson that extensively damaged a Melbourne synagogue
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Arsonists extensively damaged a Melbourne synagogue on Friday in what Australia’s prime minister condemned as an antisemitic attack on Australian values. The blaze in the Adass Israel Synagogue is an escalation in targeted attacks in Australia since...
Alternative healer gets 10 years in UK prison for death of woman at slap therapy workshop
LONDON (AP) — An alternative healer who advocated “slapping therapy” to treat a range of maladies was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for the death of a 71-year-old diabetic woman who stopped taking insulin during one of his workshops. Hongchi Xiao, 61, was convicted of...
