Latest Australia Headlines
All the headlines from our Australia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
El Nino May Develop by June; Australia Issues Alert on Tropical Pacific Ocean
Apr 14 2015 // An El Nino may develop by June, according to Australia’s state forecaster, which upgraded its outlook for the weather-altering pattern to Alert. Ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean continue to be...
Chances of El Nino More Likely After Tropical Cyclones: Australia Meteorologists
Mar 17 2015 // The chances of an El Nino weather pattern developing this year are increasing as tropical cyclones may lead to further warming of the Pacific Ocean, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said. Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam...
Rescue Teams Battle to Reach Outer Vanuatu Islands Devastated by Cyclone
Mar 17 2015 // Residents of the main town in the southern Vanuatu island of Tanna appear to have come through the worst of the cyclone that tore through the South Pacific nation with widespread devastation but not the heavy death toll...
Vanuatu Government Declares State of Emergency After ‘Monster’ Cyclone
Mar 16 2015 // Vanuatu’s government declared a nationwide state of emergency after Cyclone Pam tore through the South Pacific archipelago, leaving at least eight people dead and severing communications with more remote...
ACE Makes New Appointments for Its Casualty Business in Asia Pacific
Mar 13 2015 // ACE Group has appointed Shaun Oliver to the role of head of casualty (energy and construction), Asia Pacific. The creation of this new role reflects the rapid growth and ongoing demand within this portfolio of business,...
U.S. Dominates Climate Change Litigation
Mar 12 2015 // It’s almost counterintuitive if you think about it. There is far more litigation related to climate change in the U.S. compared with Europe, which is usually considered more progressive on the issue. For an example...
Forecasters Warn of New Australia Cyclone Formation; Marcia Claims
Mar 9 2015 // A low pressure system off northeastern Australia holds up to a 50 percent chance of intensifying to cyclone strength over the next two days and slamming into a region devastated two weeks ago by Cyclone Marcia, according...
Report on Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Says Locator Battery Expired
Mar 9 2015 // The Malaysia Airlines flight that went missing one year ago Sunday had an underwater locator beacon whose battery had expired in December 2012, according to an interim report on the incident. Flight 370 was also carrying...
JLT Australia Buys Recovre, a Provider of Workplace Health & Safety Services
Mar 3 2015 // JLT Australia, a subsidiary of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, announced it has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the shares of Recovre Group from Hawkesbridge Capital. Recovre is a leading national provider of workplace...
QBE Returns to Profit During 2014 as North American Unit Improves
Feb 24 2015 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd., Australia’s second-largest insurer by market value, climbed the most in four years in Sydney stock trading as an improving North American business and lower provisions helped it return to...
Australia Cyclone Causes Power Cuts, but Spares Miners, Farmers
Feb 23 2015 // Commodities producers were spared the full wrath of a powerful cyclone that smashed into the east coast of Australia packing winds up to 285 kph (175 mph), but thousands of coastal residents on Monday faced a third day...
Australian Tropical Cyclones Weaken After Destructive Winds Hit Coast
Feb 20 2015 // Two severe tropical cyclones that lashed Australia’s north and east coasts with destructive winds have been downgraded after hitting the mainland. No deaths or injuries have been reported in their wake. Cyclone...
Insurance Australia Shares Drop Most in Six Years After Profit Decline
Feb 18 2015 // Insurance Australia Group Ltd. shares slumped the most in six years after the company’s first-half profit declined and missed expectations. The insurer fell 7.5 percent to A$5.91 as of 1:00 p.m. in Sydney, the...
Lloyd’s Appoints Mackinnon as General Representative in Australia
Feb 3 2015 // Lloyd’s, the specialist insurance and reinsurance market, has appointed Christopher Mackinnon as its new general representative in Australia. Mackinnon starts in early February and brings with him more than 21...
QBE Selling U.S. Agency Businesses to Alliant for $300M
Jan 19 2015 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd. of Australia is selling its U.S. agency businesses to California-based Alliant Services Inc. for about $300 million and exiting the distribution business. The agencies being bought by Alliant...
How AirAsia Investigators Will Use Black Box to Crack Crash Mystery
Jan 14 2015 // Listening to a recording of ValuJet Flight 592’s last moments, investigator J.F. Joseph kept hearing sounds the pilots hadn’t talked about. “You could hear this noise clicking on and off like a pinball...
Australian Firefighters Containing Sprawling Wildfire
Jan 7 2015 // Firefighters in southern Australia were winning the battle on Tuesday to contain a sprawling wildfire raging on a 240-kilometer (150-mile) perimeter that has razed 38 homes and left two people in hospitals, officials...
Australian Wildfire Threat Eases as Cool Front Moves In
Jan 5 2015 // Cooler conditions on Sunday were helping hundreds of firefighters working to contain a massive wildfire that had forced thousands of people to flee their homes in southern Australia. A dozen homes have been destroyed by...
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Enters Singapore, Names Key Leaders
Dec 8 2014 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced that it has received its non-life insurance license in Singapore, and named Marc Breuil as regional president, Marcus Portbury as head of third party lines, and Peter...
Australia Raises El Nino Warning for Tropical Pacific
Nov 18 2014 // Australia raised an El Nino warning after the Pacific Ocean showed renewed signs of the pattern that can bring drought to parts of Asia and heavier-than-usual rain to South America. Climate models suggest current...
