Australia

Qantas asks executives to work as baggage handlers for three months

The firm's head of operations is looking for at least 100 volunteers to work at Sydney and Melbourne airports.

Tasks include loading and unloading bags as well as driving vehicles to move luggage around airports.

Like much of the global airline industry, Qantas is struggling to resume its services as borders reopen.

Brisbane man Sulieni Layt bestowed royal honour as Australia's first talking chief to the King of Tonga

In an Australian-first ceremony, Brisbane broadcaster and dual citizen Sulieni Layt has been appointed to speak for King Tupou VI.

Out of respect, Tongan royalty and nobles do not speak directly with citizens and vice versa. Instead, they speak through appointed representatives.

While there are dozens of speaking chiefs in the South Pacific island nation, Mr Layt is just the third non-Indigenous person to be given a role within the palace. The other two are from the United States.

Cooper starts as Rennie names Wallabies team for Pumas

In other notable selections by Wallabies coach Dave Rennie for the clash on Sunday (AEST), Quade Cooper takes over the No.10 jumper from Noah Lolesio and Tom Wright wins the vacant fullback spot ahead of Jordan Petaia, who will start on the wing.

Cooper missed the recent England series after injuring his calf during the warm-up for the first Test and his call-up provides a spicy sidebar after his international career was all but ended by Michael Cheika, now coach of the Pumas.

Actor breaks up knife fight in Australia

The actor, who has starred in Slumdog Millionaire, witnessed the fight in Adelaide on Monday (1 August).

A man and a woman were reportedly fighting in the street and in a convenience store when the man was stabbed in the chest.

Patel's spokesman said the star "acted on his natural instinct". The man who was stabbed is expected to survive.

"We can confirm that last night, in Adelaide, Dev Patel and his friends witnessed a violent altercation that was already in progress outside of a convenience store," representatives for Patel told BBC News.

Piece of SpaceX capsule crashes to Earth in field

But on closer inspection - and verification from experts - he learned it had fallen from space.

The Australian Space Agency (ASA) later said it came from a SpaceX capsule.

Experts described the discovery as "rare" and "exciting" - but said such events may become more common.

The object landed on 9 July in a large area of fields, but was not discovered by Mr Miners until several weeks later.

Two other pieces were later found nearby, and the ASA asked anyone who came across further items to contact a debris hotline set up by SpaceX.

Saudi women in Sydney: Sisters' bodies lay undiscovered for a month

Sisters Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead on 7 June in separate beds at home in the suburb of Canterbury.

Police, who were called to the property for a welfare check, said the women are believed to have died in early May.

But despite "extensive inquiries", they still do not know how or why.

The sisters moved to Australia from Saudi Arabia in 2017 and may have sought asylum, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Police refused to confirm this, saying they do not comment on residential status.

Historic pride jersey sparks player boycott in Australia

On Thursday, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles will become the first team in the competition ever to don a kit which promotes LGBT inclusivity in the sport.

But players weren't consulted and some object to the move on religious and cultural grounds.

The club apologised for its handling of the situation.

Coach Des Hasler said the club had made a "significant mistake" that had caused "confusion, discomfort and pain for many people, in particular those groups whose human rights we were in fact attempting to support".

Number of Australians who have had Covid-19 jumps in June survey

Researchers have conducted their second "serosurvey", testing blood donations for the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, to find the prevalence of infection had almost tripled since late February when it was estimated to be 17 per cent.

Kirby Institute senior research fellow Dr Dorothy Machalek said while the results revealed there was a "huge amount" of community transmission, it was not a surprise.

Australia opens its borders to unvaccinated travellers

More than two years after the pandemic began, the change marks the end of significant Covid-based restrictions on travel into Australia.

While Australian citizens were able to arrive unvaccinated, most foreign travellers needed to seek an exemption on limited grounds.

From 12.01am on Wednesday morning, those requirements were scrapped altogether, opening the international border in full to unvaccinated travellers.

     

Australia overcome England

Jordan Petaia, Folau Fainga'a and Pete Samu scored tries in the last quarter as Australia recorded their first win over England since knocking the co-hosts out of the 2015 World Cup.

Samu's try took Australia to a 30-14 lead but England debutants Henry Arundell and Jack van Poortvliet scored tries in the dying minutes to make the scoreline more respectable.

It was quite a turnaround for the Wallabies, who must have thought they were cursed after the first 34 minutes of the match.