LUGANVILLE: A powerful earthquake struck near Vanuatu’s northern islands on Monday evening, with the U.S. Geological Survey reviewing the event at magnitude 7.3 and placing its epicenter about 35 kilometers northeast of Luganville. The quake hit at 8:44 p.m. local

CANBERRA: Australia said its fuel supply remains stable despite outages at some service stations and sharply higher pump prices, with federal ministers and official stockholding data showing the country has about 38 days of petrol and around 30 days of

Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in February, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on March 19. The result represents an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared with the previous month, based on

WANNEROO: The City of Wanneroo has officially opened a new bird viewing structure and boardwalk at Lake Joondalup, creating a purpose-built bird-watching point on the eastern bank of the lake in Perth’s northern suburbs. The facility, located just north of

CANBERRA: A report by the Australia Institute said on Tuesday that between 215,835 and 253,670 firearm licences in New South Wales listed sport target shooting or recreational hunting as a qualifying reason for ownership, a figure far above the number

HOBART: Tasmania’s government said on Sunday it will compensate greyhound racing participants as it presses ahead with legislation to end the sport by June 30, 2029, adding a new fiscal element to the phaseout of one of the state’s three

COOLAMON: Rabbit damage in New South Wales’ Riverina is forcing some farmers to cut production and raise spending on control measures, as landholders and councils warn existing tools are struggling to keep pace with resurgent populations. Peter O’Brien, who farms

MELBOURNE: High-amylose wheat developed largely by CSIRO is moving further into Australia’s food supply, with white loaves and rolls made from the flour now sold through Woolworths supermarkets with in-store bakeries. The grain is being commercialised by Allied Pinnacle under

MELBOURNE: Australia’s energy regulator is telling consumers that the coming offer of free midday electricity is not an automatic bill cut for every household, and that savings will depend on whether people can move some of their electricity use into

CANBERRA: Lululemon Athletica Australia Pty Ltd has paid a A$702,900 penalty after Australia’s communications regulator found the retailer sent hundreds of thousands of commercial emails that did not include a way for recipients to unsubscribe. The Australian Communications and Media