Queensland

Australian children begin to return to school as virus curbs eased

Students of New South Wales, the most populous state, and the northern state of Queensland began going back to school on a limited basis to lessen the risk of spreading the illness, state leaders said.

Globe braces for long battle against virus as cases spread

Scientists race to find a treatment, crews scrub everything from money to buses, and quarantines are being enforced from a beachfront resort in the Atlantic to an uninhabited island in the Pacific as the world fights the spread of the coronavirus.

Heavy rain douses Australia's east coast bushfires

There are still 33 fires burning in Australia's New South Wales state, but they are all at the lowest warning level of "advice" and mostly in southeastern areas where the rains are headed.

Bats take over Australian town, outnumbering the town's population

A swarm of fruit bats has taking over a small town in Australia causing havoc for locals who are considered taking their children out of school.

Great Barrier Reef annual mass coral spawning begins

Local marine biologists say the annual event, off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, could be among the biggest in recent years.

Death toll in Australia bushfires rises to four

Hundreds of houses have been damaged or destroyed and more than one million hectares (2.5 million acres) of land burnt in the devastating bushfires in eastern Australia.

Australia's east coast faces 'catastrophic' bushfire threat

Authorities raise forecast for greater Sydney region to catastrophic fire danger for Tuesday, the first time the city has been rated at that level since new fire danger ratings were introduced in 2009.

'Uncharted territory' as bushfires rage across Australia's east

Around a hundred blazes pockmark New South Wales and Queensland countryside, with around 17 of them remaining dangerous and uncontained.

Australia offers drought ravaged farmers up to $688 million in cheap loans

There will be no interest payable over the first two years of the loan, the government said. Farmers across Australia's east coast have been battling drought conditions for more than three years.

Drought-hit Australian towns prepare for 'unimaginable' water crisis

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says the drought is being driven, in part, by warmer sea-surface temperatures impacting rainfall patterns. Air temperatures have also warmed over the past century, increasing the ferocity of droughts and fires.

Australia's ruling coalition elected to surprise third term

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in his victory speech dubs his surprised election win as a "miracle".

The far-right and Daesh look awfully alike after Christchurch terror attack

The parallels between Daesh and violent white ultranationalists should inspire everyone to be vigilant against a rising tide of far-right terrorism and the mainstream narratives that enable it.