Coal stokes Aussie bushfire rage

Australia could become a "renewable energy superpower," said incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He is due to be sworn in just a day before a Quad summit in Tokyo.

As experts gather at a UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world is facing an "ocean emergency". In Australia, the Great Barrier Reef recently suffered another mass bleaching event, just months after a UNESCO committee recommended the World Heritage Site be listed as "in danger". The country's new left-leaning Labor government has promised to tackle global warming, but the reef's future hangs in the balance as long as Australia remains one of the world's largest exporters of fossil fuels.

Several places were hit with about a month's rain over the weekend, causing dams to overflow and waterways to break their banks. Roughly 30,000 people have been told to either leave their homes or prepare to do so.

A five-yearly report by the Australian government said the country's flora and fauna was badly affected by bush fires, drought and global warming. It warned more species could head for extinction.

Australian former Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing calls to resign after news broke that he secretly appointed himself to five separate minister roles.

A leaked draft of a newly inked security deal between the Solomon Islands and China suggests China could deploy troops to the islands or even build a military base there. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called that a 'red line.'

Officials have set out what is being called an "ambitious" plan aimed at protecting Australia's unique plants and animals. The government wants to set aside 30% of land for conservation as part of the effort.

The status of Jerusalem should be resolved "as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people," Australia's foreign minister has said.

China's growing military strength has spurred Japan and Australia to step up security cooperation. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will also seek to shore up supplies of natural gas and coal on a two-day trip to Perth.

The new deal allows the two countries' armies to train together, along with the sharing of more sensitive intelligence. China's increasing influence in the region has spurred the need for greater cooperation.

Canberra will oppose plans to add the Great Barrier Reef to the endangered UNESCO World Heritage site list. The Great Barrier Reef has been considered a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981.

Former teacher Christopher Dawson was sentenced to 24 years in Australia for killing his wife Lynette Dawson in 1982 so that he could pursue an affair with his teenage student.