Australia & Pacifics

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia is removing the British monarchy from its bank notes.

The nation’s central bank said Thursday its new $5 bill would feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The $5 bill was Australia’s only remaining bank note to still feature an image of the monarch.

SUVA, Feb 1 (NNN-XINHUA) – A submarine volcano erupted today, in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, which is in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

According to Radio New Zealand today, the active underwater volcano, which is six km east of Vanuatu’s Epi island, started to erupt this morning, shooting plumes of ash into the sky.

SYDNEY. Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the Western Australia state (WA) confirmed that the tiny silver capsule, which contained the radioactive substance Caesium-137, was found and safely controlled at about 11:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

"We successfully retrieved the radioactive capsule after searching hundreds of kilometers in the outback and the metro area over the last six days. The capsule was located just south of Newman on the Great Northern Highway. It was two meters from the side of the road," said Darren Klemm, Fire and Emergency Services commissioner.

WELLINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Flood-ravaged Auckland is forecast to receive further heavy rain in the coming days, authorities in New Zealand's largest city said on Monday, as insurers counted the costs of what looks likely to be the country's most expensive weather event ever.

Four people lost their lives in flash floods and landslides that hit Auckland over the last three days amid record downpours. A state of emergency remains in place in Auckland. A state of emergency in the Waitomo region south of Auckland was lifted.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Authorities said Saturday that three people had died and at least one was missing after record levels of rainfall pounded New Zealand’s largest city, causing widespread disruption.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins flew to Auckland on a military plane after a state of emergency was declared in the region.

“Our priority is to ensure that Aucklanders are safe, that they’re housed and that they have access to the essential services that they need,” Hipkins said.

CANBERRA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Record level of energy from renewable sources has driven demand for electricity from Australia's grid to an all-time low.

The Australian Energy Market Operator on Wednesday released its report on electricity use for the final quarter of 2022, revealing average wholesale power prices fell more than 50 percent from the September quarter.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Chris Hipkins was sworn in Wednesday as New Zealand’s 41st prime minister, following the unexpected resignation last week of Jacinda Ardern.

Hipkins, 44, has promised a back-to-basics approach focusing on the economy and what he described as the “pandemic of inflation.”

He will have less than nine months before contesting a tough general election, with opinion polls indicating his Labour Party is trailing its conservative opposition.

SYDNEY, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Australia will limit the sale of alcohol and consider wider bans to control spiralling alcohol-fuelled violence in a central region, in the run-up to a referendum on Indigenous recognition that is shining a light on deep social divisions.

The new rules in the town of Alice Springs, 2,000 km northwest of Sydney, and the surrounding region, mean that the sale of takeaway alcohol will be restricted on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and sales will be reduced on other days.

A fifth of the citizens of Alice Springs are Indigenous.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Jacinda Ardern made her final public appearance as New Zealand’s prime minister Tuesday, saying the thing she would miss most was the people, because they had been the “joy of the job.”

Ardern, who has been a global icon of the left, shocked the nation Thursday when she said she was resigning as leader after more than five years because she had nothing left in the tank. Labour Party lawmakers voted unanimously Sunday for Chris Hipkins to take over as prime minister, and he will be sworn in Wednesday.

CANBERRA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- More than 17,000 weapons were surrendered in the first year of Australia's permanent national firearms amnesty.

The federal government on Saturday released the first annual report on the amnesty program, which allows Australians to hand in unregistered, illegal or unwanted weapons without facing punishment, revealing 17,543 weapons were surrendered in the first 12 months.

The permanent amnesty was set up in mid-2021 following temporary programs in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 and again in 2017.