Hillsong Church founder acquitted of covering up father’s abuse of minor

Brian Houston, Hillsong founder and pastor arrives at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney, Australia, 17 August 2023. EFE-EPA/BIANCA DE MARCHI AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

Sydney, Australia, Aug 17 (EFE).- A Sydney court found Brian Houston, founder of the Hillsong Christian church, not guilty Thursday of accusations of covering up his father’s sexual abuse of a child, Australian state television channel ABC reported. Houston, who resigned from his position as senior pastor last year over these and two other allegations … Read more

Australia, China hold first formal defense meet since 2019

China's Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian addresses the Australia-China Relations Institute, at the University of Technology Sydney, in Sydney, Australia, 24 June 2022. EFE/EPA/FILE/DAN HIMBRECHTS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT[AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT]

Sydney, Australia, Mar 22 (EFE).- Defense officials from China and Australia met in Canberra on Wednesday, in what was the first official meeting between the two parties since 2019. The development comes at the height of Australia’s security alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom (AUKUS). The Chinese defense ministry said in a … Read more

Beijing accuses US of undermining global peace, condemns AUKUS submarine deal

(L-R) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hold a press conference at the Naval Base Point Miramar in San Diego, California, USA, 13 March 2023. EFE/EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

Washington/Beijing, Mar 14 (EFE).- China on Tuesday accused the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia of undermining global peace and stability, a day after the trio unveiled a plan to acquire and develop nuclear-powered submarines. The submarine deal is part of the AUKUS trilateral security pact, signed in September 2021 to counter Beijing’s growing … Read more

Quad foreign ministers denounce Indo-Pacific ‘tension,’ debate Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the media with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin(not pictured) at the State Department in Washington, DC, USA, 03 February 2023. EFE-EPA/WILL OLIVER/FILE

New Delhi, Mar 3 (EFE).- The Foreign Affairs chiefs of the Quad, the alliance made up of Japan, the United States, Australia and India, denounced Friday the attempts to “increase tension” in the East and South China seas, without directly naming Beijing, and “debated” their responses to the Ukraine war. “We firmly oppose any unilateral … Read more

Britain’s BAE Systems unveils first Australian-made military drone

British company BAE Systems presented its first unmanned vertical takeoff and landing vehicle made in Australia on Tuesday, a device capable of carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance and air strikes against "hostile targets" on the ground. EFE/ Bae Systems EDITORIAL USE ONLY/ONLY AVAILABLE TO ILLUSTRATE THE ACCOMPANYING NEWS (MANDATORY CREDIT)

Sydney, Australia, Feb 28 (EFE).- British company BAE Systems presented Tuesday its first unmanned vertical takeoff and landing vehicle manufactured in Australia, a device capable of carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance and air strikes against “targets hostiles” on land. The “SRINX,” as it has been called, can transport a payload of up to 160 kilograms, including … Read more

Controversial Australian Cardinal George Pell dies at 81

Sydney, Australia, Jan 11 (EFE).- Australian Cardinal George Pell, who in 2018 became the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted of child sex abuse before subsequently being acquitted of the charges, has died at the age of 81, church representatives in Australia announced on Wednesday. Pell, who was Vatican’s chief financial officer between 2014 and … Read more

Report slams former Australian PM secretly taking ministries during pandemic

Scott Morrison looking down in front of an open door

Sydney, Australia, Nov 25 (EFE).- Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison “fundamentally undermined” the principles of responsible government by secretly assuming five ministerial positions during the Covid-19 pandemic, an independent investigation concluded Friday. However, the report added that Morrison’s appointment of himself as health, finance, industry, interior and treasury minister between March 2020 and May … Read more