Australian service marks third anniversary of MH370 tragedy

CANBERRA, Australia>> The Australian government minister in charge of the suspended seabed search for the Malaysia Airlines jet told victims’ families and friends at an anniversary church service today that he remained hopeful that Flight 370 would be found. Darren Chester, minister for infrastructure and transport, and Angus Houston, the former Australian defense chief who coordinated the early months of the search efforts, were among around 100 who attended the private ceremony at St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in the east city of Brisbane to mark the third anniversary of the mysterious tragedy.

No love lost for Bibi in Australia

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem last September. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Australia this week was supposed to be a positive, official trip to further cement Australia’s bipartisan support for Israel.

US should ‘brush up on’ South China Sea history: China

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said World War II-related agreements mandated that all Chinese territories taken by Japan had to be returned to China. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on a visit to Australia that war between China and the United States over the South China Sea would benefit no-one AFP/STR BEIJING: The United States needs to brush up on its history about the South China Sea, as World War II-related agreements mandated that all Chinese territories taken by Japan had to be returned to China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Australia.

Australian PM won’t comment on report of terse Trump call

In this May 8, 2016 file photo, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Turnbull said Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 that U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed during a weekend telephone conversation to keep an Obama administration promise to resettle an undisclosed number of mostly Muslim refugees held on the impoverished nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Trump to Australian PM: ‘This was the worst call by far’

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, right, speaks during a meeting on cyber security in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, right, speaks during a meeting on cyber security in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.

Bill Shorten throws support behind federal ICAC following Sussan Ley scandal

Federal Parliament is set to conduct its first comprehensive investigation into the case for a national anti-corruption watchdog after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten threw his support behind an inquiry. Mr Shorten said reform needed to go beyond the independent parliamentary expenses system proposed by Malcolm Turnbull to also include “an open and honest discussion” about whether Australia should have a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption .