Korea to Aim Missile at Australia, Obama Threatens Strong Response

• North Korea to test new rocket on April 15 [the 8th day of Pesach]
• Likely to have bigger payload, power
• US warns "aimed toward Australia"

A senior United States official says a long-range missile which North Korea plans to test next month will for the first time be aimed towards South-East Asia and Australia.

See: North Korea to aim missile test at Australia

SEOUL: North Korea will face a "strong response" if it launches a long-range rocket next month despite international calls to desist, a special adviser to US President Barack Obama said on Friday.

"If they go ahead anyway, we will want to work with our allies and partners for a strong response," Gary Samore, arms control coordinator at the National Security Council, told South Korea's Yonhap news agency in an interview.

The North's planned launch sometime between April 12 and 16 will be a key topic on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in Seoul next week.

See: US warns of 'strong response' if North Korea launches rocket

Mini Tornado Hits Townsville

PHOTO: Debris is strewn across Lillypilly Street in Townsville this morning. (Twitter) 

Houses collapsed and roofs were torn off buildings as a "mini-tornado" hit Townsville and heavy rain and strong winds caused chaos across north Queensland this morning.

The worst damage in Townsville is concentrated in an area of about one-kilometre radius, taking in parts of the suburbs of Vincent, Pimlico and Gulliver.

Story: ABC.net

Cyclone Lua hits Western Australia

• Cyclone Lua crosses WA coast as Category four
• Devastating wind gusts of up to 250km/hr
• "Every light fitting, the water had seeped in"

Read more: News.com

Australia East Coast: Rains, Floods and Evacuations

The Murrumbidgee River is rising and threatening to breech levy banks and flood the city. A view of North Wagga
showing houses under more than a metre of water. Picture: Brad Newman Source Daily Telegraph

The flood crisis gripping huge swaths of the eastern states was likely to last for weeks, emergency services warned yesterday as evacuations continued for thousands of residents and consumers were told to brace for fruit and vegetable price hikes.

Read more: Wave of Destruction Hits

Australia Floods: Thousands Homeless: Midda K'neged Midda ?

Last October, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd ''made a serious mistake and misjudgment about the Israeli-Palestinian dispute..... reducing Australia's potential to play a constructive role, harming the relationship with Israel and damaging the Gillard government'' when he criticized Israel's approval of 1100 new housing units in Gilo, an area of Jerusalem. [See Rudd Shouldn't Join Chorus Line of Israel Bashers]

Rudd's misjudgment has continued: Last week he resigned his post as Foreign Minister in an attempt to take back his former role as Prime Minister. He lost the vote 71 - 31 and is now relegated to the back bench.

So Kevin Rudd himself is now professionally homeless: he is neither Foreign Minister, nor is he Prime Minister. Quite an embarrassing state of affairs for him.

But unfortunately, it seems he is not the only one to suffer from his foot-in-mouth disease, and many thousands of Australians are also ''homeless'' as the flood waters rise around their properties.

The eastern side of Australia is currently experiencing its worst floods for 125 years. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, with the flood waters rising, and more rain predicted to fall.

We can only hope that Bob Carr, the new Australian Foreign Minister, does not follow in Kevin's footsteps.

Eastern Australia: Towns Evacuated

Many towns either under water or under threat.

Residents of four towns have been evacuated as floodwaters covering an area the size of France sweep across NSW.



The Warragamba Dam in western Sydney, the catchment that provides Sydney's drinking water, is quickly nearing capacity and expected to overflow.

Australia: A Land of Flooding Rains

Australia is living up to its description as a land of flooding rains, with parts of Victoria, the Northern Territory and almost three quarters of NSW affected by floods.

Read more: Brisbane Times

and News MSN

Australia: Queensland Floods could continue for weeks

RECORD-breaking floods have sparked a disaster declaration in Queensland's southwest, with the premier warning the region has entered dangerous new territory.

More at: News.com

Australia: Floods

The east coast of Australia is severely affected by flooding: the video  shows the areas currently being hit by heavy rain: [Queensland and New South Wales]

Floods force evacuations in NSW
Worst flood in decades as river levels climb
Queensland town braces for worst flood

NSW Residents Evacuating: ''The town will be cut in two''

Hundreds of residents in rained-out Northern NSW are on standby for evacuation as they face the threat of the biggest floods in 35 years.

Barwon MP Kevin Humphries said as of 9am today evacuation warnings had been issued to 463 properties around Moree, 60 on the Wingham Peninsula, 40 in Taree and 19 in Barraba.

"Throughout the region we have seen close to 160 millimetres of rain fall during the past two days to 6am this morning, with a lot more on the way today," Mr Humphries said in a statement today.

"Unfortunately predictions are that this is going to be bigger than the floods that devastated the region in the 1970s."

The SES had been helping hundreds of residents prepare for evacuation.

The town of Moree is predicted to be split in half by floodwaters later today, NSW SES Deputy Commissioner of Operations Steven Pearce tells AAP.

"We think this is going to be bigger than the floods that occurred in the 1970s," he said.

"The town will be cut in two."

Source: NEWS.com

Queensland Warning: Flood Deluge ''has just begun''

Australia: Dozens of people have been evacuated from their homes, hundreds of streets closed and Australia Day celebrations cancelled as drenching rain continues to fall across the state.

Conditions are expected to worsen with creeks already breaking their banks, sending floodwaters into homes and businesses...

Read more: News.com

Life's A Beach: Australia

Some winners in the Australia Day Council's photography competition. [Australia Day is celebrated on January 26]

Kookaburra Family by Ken Griffiths NSW

The Bay of Blue Fire by Cally Edmonds NSW

"Having explored the east coast of Tasmania, only a short time ago, The Bay of Fires was a definite highlight. We were expecting to see the bright red lichen rolling over the boulders, in its full glory; instead we were greeted with bad weather and occasional glimpses of light. Australia's unpredictable weather patterns had taken over, but it was a five-minute window of sunlight that allowed me to take this photograph, capturing the aquamarine waters slipping past the rocks, creating a magnificent contrast from the white sand. This photo, I believe, shows so much about not only Australia's hidden gems, like The Bay of Fires, but it also gives an insight in to just how much Australia can shine even on its bad days."

Beached by Robert Baillie NSW

"When I took this photo I thought it really showed the great Australian pride in our country and the laidback attitude of its people. On Australia Day this gentleman had covered his Tinny in Australian flags and had been parading along the water, for the crowd on the bank to enjoy. The outgoing tide must have left him beached but not to be fussed he had settled down for a quick nap. “She’ll be right mate, the tide will come up eventually!”

Full photo gallery can be found here

Elvis and the Lawnmower

It's summer holidays in Australia.... I'm not doing too much typing, so please forgive the lack of Torah posts lately... things will return to normal soon.

but in the meantime, here's a tale of a crocodile named Elvis and a lawnmower:

A huge saltwater crocodile has charged at two workers at a reptile park north of Sydney and stolen their lawnmower.

The five-metre croc, named Elvis, attacked the staff at the Australian Reptile Park at Gosford after they went into its enclosure about 9am (AEST) today.

The men used their lawnmowers as a barrier when the hulking beast lunged. They escaped unharmed.

The 50-year-old croc lost two teeth in the encounter and is now guarding one of the lawnmowers.

"Elvis is sitting at the bottom of the lagoon with the lawnmower next to him. He's guarding it," said park spokeswoman Libby Bain.

"Obviously we have to go in and retrieve the mower.

"It's not something we think he would eat but it's encroaching on his territory and he believes it is his."

Source: News.com

Beaches Closed

HUGE surf smashed the NSW coast yesterday, closing beaches up and down the state.

At Snapper Rocks, on the Queensland and NSW border, were dwarfed by 3m waves, generated by a storm in the Coral Sea. This picture was taken from the Queensland border looking back into NSW waters.

Source: Dwarfed by power of an angry sea

Violent Storms hit Melbourne

Australia: Storms pelted Victorians with hailstones as big as billiard balls during a wild Xmas Day barrage.

The damage bill could run into tens of millions of dollars after hundreds of cars were bombarded, windows in homes and businesses were smashed and roofing was torn away.

Read more: News.com

Photo Gallery

Australia: Cyclone threat upgraded

On December 24 1974, the Australian city of Darwin was wiped out by Cyclone Tracy , which killed 49 people and a further 22 who perished at sea.. 37 years later, the residents of Darwin anxiously await the arrival of Cyclone Grant.

Weather forecasters have upgraded the threat of a cyclone for Australia's northern coast on the weekend.

A Category Two cyclone strong enough to damage buildings and threaten lives is forecast to hit the Northern Territory coast on Boxing Day, but Darwin is likely to be spared a direct hit.

Read more: News.com

Lunar Eclipse December 10

There will be a total lunar eclipse in two days' time: and unfortunately a lunar eclipse is not a good sign for the Jews [bad news for the Aussies: as it will be visible in its entirety from all of Australia and New Zealand]

Click on the MOON label for more eclipse posts.

Also see: Rav Mutzafi: Don't Worry About the Eclipse

Perfect Double Rainbow

An amateur photographer was lucky enough to stumble across the arresting sight of a 'twin' rainbow reflected out of the sea. Phil Thompson, 57, took his photograph of the rare phenomenon from the jetty at the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.  Not only was the rainbow reflected in the sea, but it had a double seemingly emanating from the water at a different angle.

Source: Daily Mail

Barry learns the lingo

US President Barack Obama has entertained his Australian hosts by trying his hand at the local lingo at an official dinner.

Mr Obama told of speaking to American troops in Afghanistan who were mystified as to why their Australian counterparts were always talking about cheese.

It transpired the Aussies were just greeting them with "Cheers''.

"We may not always speak the same way or use the same words but I think it's pretty clear ... that we understand each other, we see the world in the same way,'' Mr Obama told the more than 600 dinner guests last night.

He told last night's parliamentary dinner hosted in his honour he'd had "a real chinwag'' with Julia Gillard.

"When Julia and I meet we listen to each other, we learn from each other. It's not just a lot of ear-bashing. That's a good one - ear-bashing. I can use that in Washington,'' Mr Obama said.

Read more: News.com

Vegemite, Crocodiles and The Obamas

Australia is preparing itself for President Obama's arrival tomorrow, where he will address Parliament in Canberra and then fly to Darwin.

When Barack Obama lands in Australia tomorrow he'll have a "quasi-vegetable by-product paste" shoved into his mouth and told to like it.....  Even if Mr Obama manages to dodge an unwelcome breakfast, he'll still have to contend with crocodiles.

The NT News reports that the President has been insured against crocodile attack for his visit to the Northern Territory.  TIO insurers issued him the standard policy - a cover note carrying a photograph of a salt-water crocodile with the promise to pay his family $50,000 in the event of a fatal attack. TIO usually charges $10 for this sort of service but it gave Mr Obama his cover for free (although the $50,000 payout still feels a bit low for a presidential death).

Read more: Obamas' Aussie Trip: Dodge Crocs, Dodge Vegemite