Australia & Pacifics

CANBERRA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of Australian children taking antidepressants has doubled in six years, according to the government statistics released on Saturday.

Data from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) revealed that the number of child antidepressant recipients in financial year 2017-18 was 101,174, up from 50,804 in 2011-12.

It marks the first time that the figure has breached 100,000 and highlights Australia's mental health crisis.

22 Feb 2019; AFP: China and Australia on Friday denied reports Australian coal was being blocked from entering the Asian country, with Canberra seeking to quell fears that worsening diplomatic tensions are damaging the nations' crucial trading relationship.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government announced plans on Monday for a new tax targeting online giants like Google and Facebook that earn plenty of money in the country but pay little tax.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there’s a gap that needs to be closed.

“Our current tax system is not fair in the way that it treats individual taxpayers and the way that it treats multinationals,” she said. “It’s not fair.”

18 Feb 2019; DW: A cyberattack this month targeted the Australian parliament's computer network. Prime Minister Scott Morrison reassured Australians that the country's electoral infrastructure was not affected by the hack.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday that a recent hack on political parties had likely been carried out by a foreign nation. The announcement followed a swift investigation by Australian security authorities. 

11 Feb 2019; DW: Representatives of France and Australia signed off on a record-breaking submarine deal in Canberra on Monday after nearly two years of frustrating talks.

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s leading cybersecurity agency is investigating a breach of the country’s federal parliamentary computing network amid speculation of hacking by a foreign nation.

Lawmakers and staff in the capital, Canberra, were made to change their passwords on the system after the overnight breach.

A joint statement from House of Representatives Speaker Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan says there’s no evidence that data had been accessed in the breach, but investigations are continuing.

08 Feb 2019; AFP: Hundreds of thousands of cattle weakened from a severe drought are feared to have died in record-breaking floods in northeastern Australia, authorities said Friday, as they stepped up efforts to feed surviving livestock.

Incessant rains over an almost two-week period have flooded swathes of Queensland state, with the full scale of the devastation on drought-hit cattle stations becoming clearer as floodwaters recede.

07 Feb 2019; DW: Australian airline Qantas Airways on Thursday announced it had formally canceled an order for eight Airbus A380 superjumbo jets.

"Following discussions with Airbus, Qantas has now formalized its decision not to take eight additional A380s that were ordered in 2006," a Qantas spokesperson said. "These aircraft have not been part of the airline's fleet and network plans for some time."

04 Feb 2019; AFP: Australia's military has been deployed to tackle devastating "once-in-a-century" floods that have inundated homes, schools and airports in the country's northeast, forcing hundreds to flee and bringing crocodiles onto the streets.

The Australian Defence Forces delivered 70,000 sandbags, deployed amphibious cargo vehicles and helped pluck flashlight-wielding residents from their rooftops Monday, as monsoon rains drenched the northern state of Queensland.

04 Feb 2019; DW: A major inquiry into scandals at Australia's banking and financial services firms has referred more than 20 cases to regulators for possible prosecution, and called for substantial changes in the sector.

The wide-ranging Royal Commission was called in late 2017 as public outrage mounted over allegations of dodgy financial advice, life insurance and mortgage fraud involving lenders, including the "big four" Australian banks.