Articles by Renju Jose and Christine Chen

Powerful Tropical Cyclone Zelia Hits Australia’s Iron Ore Hub

Tropical Cyclone Zelia made landfall on Australia’s west coast on Friday, the weather bureau said, lashing the world’s largest iron ore hub with heavy rain and wind gusts up to 290 kph (180 mph). The eye of the storm crossed …

Musk Calls Australian Government ‘Fascists’ Over Misinformation Law

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, on Friday [Sept. 13] called Australia’s center-left government “fascists” over proposed legislation to slap fines on social media firms for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online. Australia’s Labor government on …

UK to Classify Data Centers as ‘Critical National Infrastructure’

Britain’s data centers will be classified “critical national infrastructure,” the government said on Thursday [Sept. 12], giving the servers and IT systems that underpin the country’s communications extra protection from cyberattacks. Britain said the move would reassure companies building data …

Australia Faces Increased Risk From Bushfires Ahead of El Niño Summer

Australia faces an increased risk of bushfires during the approaching summer, authorities warned on Thursday, with the El Niño weather pattern expected to generate hotter and drier conditions across large swathes of the country. Three years of incessant rain has …

Australia Regulator Tells Medibank to Set Aside $167M After Major Cyber Attack

Australia’s banking regulator told insurer Medibank on Tuesday it would have to set aside A$250 million ($167 million) in extra capital, citing weaknesses identified in its information security after a major hacking breach. Shares of the country’s biggest health insurer …

Australia’s Iron Ore Export Hub Braces for Powerful Cyclone Ilsa

Australia’s northwest region, home to the world’s largest iron ore export hub, braced on Thursday for the area’s most powerful tropical cyclone in a decade, as a major port closed and residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies. Cyclone …

Flash Floods Again Lash Southeast Australia, Forcing Evacuations

Thousands of people across Australia’s southeast were asked to evacuate their homes on Friday, including some in a western suburb of Melbourne, after two days of incessant rains triggered flash flooding and fast-moving waters burst river banks. Large parts of …

Update: Heavy Rains Ease Over Sydney but Floods Continue to Force Evacuations

A wild storm system has moved away from Sydney after pounding Australia’s largest city with four days of torrential rain, satellite images showed on Wednesday, although river waters stayed above danger levels, forcing more evacuations. The year’s third major flooding …

Update: Heavy Rains Deluge Australian Towns for 2nd Time in a Month

Heavy rains deluged Australia’s east coast on Wednesday, submerging entire towns, while thousands of people fled their homes for the second time within weeks after fast-moving flood waters burst river banks and broke over levees. Several towns in northern New …

Sydney Faces ‘Tough 24 Hours’ as Floods Force Evacuations

Flood warnings stretched across Australia’s east coast on Tuesday and tens of thousands of Sydney residents fled their homes as torrential rains again pummeled the country’s largest city, flooding several big suburbs. Australia’s eastern rivers were already near capacity following …