Tag Archives: oceania

The president has repeatedly spoken of how much he deserved it, and raged in public and private at the country of Norway, which he believes is responsible for not giving it to him.

At the centre of his claim for the prize is the boast that he has ended eight wars in a year.

Reporters raise their hands as President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House.

But has he?

"The short answer is no. And in fact, the short answer is not even close," Monash University senior lecturer in international relations Ben Zala told nine.com.au.

"Two and a half, or, let's be generous and say three, are factually correct."

So what are the eight wars he's claimed to have ended, and what's the situation?

Israel and Hamas

This claim is at least partially true.

The United States did help to broker a ceasefire which has seen a reduction of violence in Gaza.

But the United Nations estimates that since the ceasefire was agreed upon, 300 people have been killed.

"That's hardly a war that's ended," Zala said.

"That kind of feels like the war is still going on, but that still doesn't take away the fact that the US chose to go out of its way to help to broker a ceasefire."

Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants carry a white body bag that is believed to be the remains of a deceased hostage, in the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi).

Armenia and Azerbaijan

The two former Soviet countries have been in a territorial dispute for decades which turned violent.

At the centre of the conflict is a province that Armenia considers part of its territory but is entirely within Azerbaijani borders.

But on August 8 last year, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a peace agreement in the White House.

"The US hosted a signing ceremony, but the peace had already been agreed almost six months earlier," Zala said.

"So I don't really think that one counts."

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo

These two countries in central Africa have been in an armed conflict for several years that has resulted in thousands of deaths.

The US did officially broker a peace agreement between the two countries last year.

But it's a fragile agreement, Zala said.

"The claim that he's ended the war – well, not really," he said.

"People are literally dying still."

AFC/M23 soldiers in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Cambodia and Thailand

This claim is the most solid of the eight.

Several dozen soldiers had been killed in the border dispute between the south-east Asian countries.

"It does seem like the president himself was the key actor there by getting on the phone, and effectively he threatened to end trade talks with both of them," Zala said.

"So it was a pretty smart use of US economic power."

But Zala noted the conflict was "probably edging towards a conclusion".

Cambodia and Thailand have been in an armed conflict for several months.

Israel and Iran

Israel and Iran have been in a cold war for years, which led to both sides exchanging missiles on June 13 last year.

But the claim that Trump ended a war between Israel and Iran is "absurd", Zala said.

"The US didn't broker a peace agreement because there is no peace agreement.

"Both sides just ran out of steam.

"And the US actually joined the war. The US bombed Iran."

India and Pakistan

Tensions have existed between the two countries for as long as both of them have existed.

But when a ceasefire was agreed to last year, Pakistan credited Trump, and India didn't.

"The talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.

India and Pakistan have been in dispute over Kashmir since Partition.

Trump's involvement seemed like an exaggeration from the White House, Australian National University's Wesley Widmaier said.

"What India and Pakistan do has much more to do with India and Pakistan than the US," he told nine.com.au.

"That is not to slight the US – it's just that they are major powers and reach their own conclusions."

Egypt and Ethiopia

The president's claim to have ended a war between Egypt and Ethiopia is a bizarre one.

These two African countries were not at war.

There were tensions between the two over an Ethiopian dam that inhibited water flow into the Nile.

"There was no war. Conflict hadn't broken out. And so to say that he's brought a war to an end is just sort of absurd," Zala said.

The Great Renaissance Dam is a point of tension between Ethiopia and Egypt.

Serbia and Kosovo

The same goes between these two Balkan nations.

Despite a long history of violence, Kosovo and Serbia have not been in an armed conflict.

"There have been tensions, but there hasn't been war," Zala said.

"Actually, the EU is a much, much more important player in that dispute than the US is."

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Heatwave to return this week for large parts of south-eastern Australia

2026-01-21 FreeNews

Parts of south-eastern Australia are set to swelter this weekend and into early next week.

Inland areas could experience the most extreme heat and temperatures could reach as high as 47 degrees in some locations, according to Weatherzone.

Large parts of inland South Australia, NSW, southern Queensland, northern Victoria and the far south-east corner of the Northern Territory will be impacted from tomorrow or Friday through to Tuesday next week.

Parts of south-eastern Australia are set to swelter as temperatures rise this weekend and into early next week. Weatherzone reports inland areas could experience the most extreme heat and temperatures could reach as high as 47 degrees in some locations.

Oodnadatta in South Australia's north east pastoral forecast district could see a maximum temperature of 47 degrees, while temperatures in Mildura in Victoria's north-west corner could reach a high of 46 degrees.

Bourke in the NSW upper western forecast district could experience temperatures up to 47 degrees and Birdsville in Queensland's Channel Country could see a six-day run of 44 to 45 degree days from tomorrow to Tuesday.

Alice Springs will see maximum temperatures of 42 and 43 degrees from Friday to Sunday.

Mildura is a regional city in Victoria.

Weatherzone meteorologist Yoska Hernandez said the heatwave was driven by a slow-moving weather pattern over southern Australia.

"With minimal change expected in the overall circulation, hot air continues to spread across south-eastern parts of the country, allowing the extreme heat to persist," Hernandez said.

As temperatures rise across Australia, meteorologists will also keep their eyes on a tropical system off the coast.

"At the same time, a tropical low in the eastern Indian Ocean is forecast to strengthen, with a possible tropical cyclone approaching the Kimberley coast late this week.

"This tropical system is influencing large-scale atmospheric circulation, helping sustain upper-level ridging and reinforcing the pattern that is keeping extreme heat entrenched across south-eastern Australia."

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‘Rare sight’ as night sky phenomenon spans right across Australia

2026-01-21 FreeNews

Australians witnessed a rare sight after an unusually widespread aurora australis took over the sky last night.

The phenomenon was seen from Tasmania to central Queensland and from Western Australia to NSW, which Swinburne University's astrophysicist Rebecca Davies said was quite rare.

"Usually, this is a phenomenon that you're lucky to see in the very southern tip of Victoria and Tasmania, because it is usually concentrated at the South Pole," she said.

The aurora australis on January 20 as captured by Byron Bay local Sarah Archibald.

"So for it to be that intense and that widespread is a sign that the sun is still in the maximum of its solar cycle, where we see higher frequency of these more intense events."

At a lighthouse in the northern NSW town of Byron Bay, Sarah Archibald captured the most vivid aurora australis she has ever seen about 9pm.

"I was super excited as it's such a rare sight in the Byron Shire and this far north," she said.

Further south in Dubbo, Peter Starr waited hours for the clouds to clear before he could witness the event from his observatory about 11.45pm.

"It was good to see that and see those perfectly blue streamers. I have only seen them once before this way, so that was good," he said.

Australians witnessed a rare sight after an unusually widespread aurora australis took over the skies last night.

Starr said the aurora's visibility was quite rare for his town, but he has seen six in the past 18 months.

Davies said this was due to the sun's extended active phase, which typically occurs every 11 years.

"That is something we're very much still trying to understand," she said.

"Early in 2025, late 2024 was meant to be the reported peak maximum. So the fact that we're even into early 2026 and still seeing really quite a lot of activity would say that it's more of an extended period."

During this active solar period, geomagnetic storms are more common.

Geomagnetic storms are caused by a solar flare that releases energy and charged particles that collide with the Earth's atmosphere and interact with the magnetic field.

That interaction can create the captivating display we know as aurora australis.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Australian Space Weather Forecasting System had issued an alert over a severe geomagnetic storm last night.

Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Anthony Marsh captured the aurora australis from Cape Schanck.

While the intensity of the storm is now over, solar flare activity is continuing and a lower-level storm has been observed today.

"We anticipate a steady stream of activity probably over the next night or so, but then again, we could see another more energetic eruption, dragging it out even further," Davies said.

"To see this kind of extended activity is also quite rare, because it wasn't just a single large burst, but we're seeing multiple bursts."

The Bureau of Meteorology said weaker lights could be viewed in southern parts of the country tonight.

"It is likely to be weaker than last night, meaning it won't be visible as far north as yesterday, but people in Victoria, Tasmania and southern Western Australia may still have a chance to capture the lights on the southern horizon," the bureau said.

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Call for cull after spate of shark attacks ‘misinformed’, expert says

2026-01-21 FreeNews

The surge in shark attacks along the NSW coast has renewed controversial calls to introduce shark culling measures, a suggestion that has sparked fierce opposition from marine experts.

While NSW Premier Chris Minns has ruled out culling sharks in Sydney after four shark attacks in just 48 hours, former prime minister Tony Abbott waded into the debate and denied the incidents were due to bad weather – despite scientists pointing to the impact of recent rainfall – and claiming the state should "reintroduce the shark fishery".

However, marine advocates are vocal opponents of the practice and argue there is no scientific evidence to prove culling works.

Marine scientist Vanessa Pirotta said shark attacks can be better avoided through improved water safety habits.

"I personally, as a marine scientist, do not support a cull," Pirotta told Today.

"What I do support is investment into scientific research to help us as Australians make informed decision-making."

Culling involves lethal control of sharks by deliberately killing them to reduce the population and mitigate the risk of shark attacks or bites in the water.

It is usually done using baited drumlines or nets.

Shark nets are installed at some beaches in NSW and Queensland.

Pirotta called for calm and advised against a knee-jerk reaction, and said the dangerous cocktail of bad weather and summertime swimming is the key reason for the spike in shark attacks.

She also rejected the suggestion that bull sharks – thought to be responsible for some of the incidents – are aggressive.

Vanessa Pirotta, Marine Biologist

"We need more education around this," she said.

"We've known for years, through research done by NSW Department of Primary Industries, that bull sharks are present in Sydney Harbour at this time of year.

"That to me as a scientist is not shocking, but we need to all be aware of this so that we can be more informed to make good decisions."

Other advocates have suggested non-lethal measures to protect swimmers from sharks on Australian beaches.

SharkSafe Barrier Australia Director Neill Laurenson told the Sydney Morning Herald that magnets can be safely used to stop sharks from entering shallow water.

The technology, which is attached to the seabed, uses magnets to interfere with the receptors on a shark's head.

"It creates an overwhelming sense for them, so they just don't go through it," Laurenson said.

"It's like sort of tear gas for sharks. It doesn't hurt them, it's just uncomfortable."

The magnets have been used in trials in South Africa, the Bahamas and on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

Bull sharks are known to be more aggressive than other species of shark.

The debate over shark attack prevention has gained steam as two people fight for their lives in hospital – including a 12-year-old boy – following multiple attacks in Sydney.

"It's a terrible situation, but it's also a time where we just need to just stop and take a breather to digest the information," Pirotta said.

"We all need to be informed, to think about this in the most appropriate way, and think about the word culling.

"That's just probably, in my opinion, a misinformed comment."

The ocean expert said better messaging around shark safety could help lower the rate of attacks.

"You're probably going to check the UV index before going to the beach. You'll check you go between the flags," Pirotta added.

"Perhaps we need to have some sort of environmental communication around [sharks] going forward."