Australia/Antarctica News

SYDNEY (AFP) - A German tourist was missing in Australia's harsh Kakadu wilderness, police said Saturday, expressing grave fears that he had been gone more than 24 hours without drinking water in intense heat. Full Story »

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFP) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived for a brief stopover in the US Pacific territory of Guam Friday to meet US troops and local Governor Felix Camacho. Full Story »

CANBERRA, Australia - Afghan militia fighters were secretly flown to Australia to train with its special forces in a contentious new strategy against the Taliban insurgency, Australia's defense chief confirmed Friday. Full Story »

DILI (AFP) - A jade elephant rears majestically in the corner as patrons tuck into their burgers and fries at one of only three US-style fast-food joints in East Timor, all of which are Chinese owned and operated. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia said Tuesday that July's release by WikiLeaks of thousands of classified documents had not had a major impact on its operations in Afghanistan, as it probed fresh leaks about the war in Iraq. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian man has been charged with assault after reportedly tattooing a 40-centimetre (16-inch) penis on his friend's back after an argument, police said Tuesday. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - A planned multi-billion dollar merger of the Sydney and Singapore stock exchanges faced a fierce political backlash Tuesday, as a senior Treasury official warned the deal also posed "regulatory issues". Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Workers who say they were assembling Apple computers and iPhones in southern China have spent months in hospital after being exposed to a harmful chemical, an Australian media report said Tuesday. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian activist who shocked viewers by hurling his shoes at former prime minister John Howard during a live TV show Tuesday said he was trying to strike a blow for victims of the Iraq war. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - A Muslim cleric who led an Australian terror cell which plotted to kill thousands Monday lost an appeal against his jail term, but a court found that some sentences given to his group were excessive. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian man who busted his dog out of "death row" and abandoned his family to go on the run with it was jailed for six weeks on Monday. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Lorraine Injie smiles as she remembers the rich patchwork of Aboriginal languages used during her childhood in Australia's remote Pilbara region. Full Story »

DILI (AFP) - East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has defended his decision to pardon rebels in the tiny nation following criticism by a UN envoy. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Mining giant Rio Tinto said it was focused on a massive ramp-up of its Australian iron ore operations Sunday, following the "disappointing" collapse of a lucrative tie-up with rival BHP Billiton Full Story »

HOBART, Tasmania - A truck carrying 250,000 Australian dollars ($246,000) worth of salmon has crashed in Tasmania, spilling 15 tons (14 metric tons) of fish into the street. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - BHP Billiton chairman Jac Nasser told shareholders Thursday that the mining giant would pull out of a hostile 40-billion-dollar bid for Canada's Potash Corp if it proves too expensive. Full Story »

DILI ROCK, East Timor (AFP) - He wanted to find a blue-ringed octopus. She was looking for a certain eel. Together the self-confessed "spoiled Americans" flew 30 hours to Asia's newest country, East Timor, and found neither. Full Story »

SYDNEY (AFP) - A senior Australian crime official has raised serious security concerns over popular smartphones such as Apple's iPhone, which he warned was particularly vulnerable to hacking and information theft. Full Story »