Australia & Pacifics

SYDNEY, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- A light plane crashed in the Australian state of Queensland on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of three people.

According to Queensland Police, at about 2:30 p.m. local time, emergency services were contacted by a member of the public about a crash having occurred near a mine site about 40 kilometers northwest of McKinlay, an outback town in the state's northwest.

A rescue helicopter located the wreckage from the air while the ground crew made their way to the site.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The host of a weekend family lunch at her Australian country home was charged with murdering three guests with poisonous mushrooms and attempting to murder a fourth who was left fighting for life, police said on Thursday.

Police arrested Erin Patterson, 49, earlier Thursday at her home in Leongatha in Victoria state where her former husband’s parents Gail and Don Patterson, both aged 70, Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband Ian Wilkinson, 68, were invited for lunch on July 29.

SYDNEY, Nov 1 (NNN-AAP) – Police in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) confirmed the death of a 10-year-old boy today, after he was trapped under an elevator at a school in Sydney.

At about 2:00 p.m. local time, emergency services were called to the school on Cleveland Street in Wahroonga, a suburb in Sydney’s north shore.

Upon arrival, officers found a 10-year-old boy trapped under a lift. Despite attempts to remove the boy, he died at the scene.

NSW Police Force said that a crime scene has been established and a recovery operation is continuing.

31 October 2023; MEMO: Australia has expressed concerns over increasing attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank by Jewish settlers, amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that “Australia is deeply concerned by reports of ongoing settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Such violence threatens to only inflame tensions and those responsible must be held accountable”.

SYDNEY, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The sons of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, jailed in Beijing for four years on espionage charges, have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asking for a "second miracle" ahead of his China visit, after the release of journalist Cheng Lei.

Albanese travels to China on Saturday, the first visit by an Australian leader since 2016 as the trading partners stabilise ties after a diplomatic dispute. He meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A trial of New Zealand tourism operators accused of safety breaches after 22 people died in a 2019 volcanic eruption ended Tuesday with the last remaining defendant found guilty on one count.

The three-month, judge-only trial against 13 groups already saw six plead guilty and six have charges against them dismissed. The charges were brought by regulators and carried fines as a maximum penalty.

CANBERRA, Oct 23 (NNN-AAP) – The peak body representing Australian farmers, has called for the federal government to walk away from a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU).

In a statement issued from its Canberra headquarters today, the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), said that, farmers feared being sold out by a bad deal with the EU.

CANBERRA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Indigenous Australian leaders have identified "deep-seated racism" as a factor in the defeat of the Indigenous Voice referendum.

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, three of the four powerful land councils in the Northern Territory (NT) described the victory of the "no" vote in the referendum on Oct. 14 as an attempt to "silence" Indigenous Australians.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will visit China in early November, making the announcement Sunday hours before he was to fly to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden.

Albanese also said China agreed late Saturday to review the crippling tariffs it levied on Australian wine that have effectively blocked trade with the winemakers’ biggest export market since 2020.

Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years when he travels to Beijing and Shanghai on Nov. 4-7.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Defeated New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Tuesday he will continue to lead his liberal Labour Party — for now, at least — despite its big election loss over the weekend.

“I’ve still got a bit of fight left in me,” Hipkins told reporters.

Hipkins made the comments after a meeting with his party’s caucus, during which there was no immediate move to oust him.