Australia/Antarctica News

Wellington - New Zealand's second-largest city will get a makeover under a plan designed to move residents and raze homes in areas hardest hit by recent earthquakes. Full Story »

CANBERRA, Australia - Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Australia's plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by 2014 is unchanged by President Barack Obama's plan to withdraw 10,000 U.S. troops by the end of the year. Full Story »

PEKA PEKA BEACH, New Zealand - There will be no free ride back to Antarctica for a young penguin who defied the odds by swimming all the way to New Zealand. The trip could spread infections, authorities say, and there's no way to transport the animal this time of year. Full Story »

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian chef has received a chilly reception for charging diners for treated tap water and ditching boutique bottled water, which he termed wasteful, for an eco-friendly option. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Qantas said on Wednesday it had reached a $100 million settlement with engine maker Rolls-Royce over a mid-air blast that forced the grounding of the Australian flag carrier's entire A380 fleet. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - The University of Sydney was celebrating Wednesday after a Picasso painting it was given sold for more than US$20 million at a London auction, with the funds to be used for scientific research. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian police are considering using fingerprints to identify people wearing face-covering veils, after a judge said he could not be sure a burqa-clad woman was who she told police she was. Full Story »

SYDNEY - Australia's flagship carrier Qantas said Wednesday it has reached a 95 million Australian dollars ($100 million) settlement with Rolls Royce over last year's mid-air disintegration of a superjumbo engine, which temporarily forced the grounding of its entire fleet of A380s. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke has been admitted to hospital for pneumonia but was recovering, the hospital said Wednesday. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - More than 1,000 people have made allegations of sexual and other abuse against the Australian Defence Force, lawyers assessing the complaints for the government said Tuesday. Full Story »

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australian beer giant Foster's on Tuesday rejected an initial Aus$9.51 billion (US$10 billion) takeover bid from SABMiller, but the global brewer said it would still pursue the group. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Aborigines account for one quarter of Australia's prisoners despite making up just 2.5 percent of the population, a report found Tuesday, describing the figures as a "national tragedy". Full Story »

CANBERRA, Australia - Australia's attorney general on Tuesday condemned as unacceptable the burgeoning number of young Aboriginal prisoners that a parliamentary report branded a "national crisis." Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - A rogue Afghan soldier suspected of killing an Australian lance corporal has been shot dead during a US-led special forces operation, Defence Minister Stephen Smith said Monday. Full Story »

CANBERRA (AFP) - Australians may be asked to vote on whether or not they support a carbon tax to combat climate change after opposition leader Tony Abbott Monday called for a plebiscite on the issue. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd on Monday called off a so-called "assassination" party to mark the one-year anniversary of his ousting as prime minister by Julia Gillard. Full Story »

BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) - Two people were injured and their boat suffered extensive damage after it collided with a humpback whale off the Brisbane coast, marine rescue officials said on Monday. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia's ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd has again batted away suggestions he wants to retake the leadership, as his successor Julia Gillard flails in opinion polls a year after taking power. Full Story »