Australia & Oceania

"Climate sceptic mining billionaire's bid for control of Fairfax Media threatens its journalists' editorial independence."

"The rising tide laps at the feet of local children and fishermen and submerges all but the tops of the mangrove trees of Tiwoho village in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province. At one degree of latitude north of the equator, the climate here is about the same all year round: hot, wet and perfect for the forests of salt-tolerant trees that grow along sheltered coastlines.

"Koalas are expected to be listed as a threatened species across parts of Australia from Monday, and some environment groups claim the government has excluded the marsupial from protection in certain areas due to mining interests."

Most Australiams read a newspaper owned by conservative tycoon Rupert Murdoch. New research by a journalism professor indicates that those readers are not getting a balanced or diverse view of climate change.

"Nautilus Minerals of Australia has a license from Papua New Guinea to mine a site the size of 21 football fields for its rich deposits. The minerals are found there in very high concentrations, because a natural hot spring on the seafloor has been laying them down for thousands of years."

"The president of the Maldives resigned yesterday in what one aide described as a coup d'etat."

'Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the passing of her government's carbon tax is a major milestone in Australia's efforts to cut carbon pollution.'

"Salvage crews have resumed pumping fuel from a stricken cargo ship listing badly on a reef off the northern coast of New Zealand."

"Australia's carbon tax is set to become law after the lower house of Parliament passed the government's historic but controversial set of bills to establish the world's most broadly based carbon pricing scheme."

"TAURANGA, New Zealand -- Rough weather has jostled a cargo ship stuck off New Zealand's coast and worsened its oil leak fivefold to make it the country's worst-ever maritime environmental disaster, the government said Tuesday."