Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Scott Morrison said his conservative government had left Australia in a robust condition, even as voters on Saturday punished him for his handling of issues including climate change and the pandemic that helped return the centre-left opposition to power for the first time in almost a decade.
Morrison, 54, said he would step down as head of the Liberal party -- the senior member of the conservative coalition that had ruled since 2013 -- after conceding defeat to the Labor party and its leader Anthony Albanese.
A former tourism marketer before switching to politics, Morrison was labeled the "accidental prime minister" in 2018 when his government colleagues chose him to replace then-leader Malcolm Turnbull. Morrison sprung a major surprise by leading the coalition to victory in a 2019 election said to be unwinnable.
He has since been deeply criticized for dragging the chain on climate change and for not establishing a promised integrity and corruption watchdog overseeing national politicians.
He was also scorned for taking a vacation in Hawaii during Australia's major bushfire crisis in the summer of 2019-20, for his government's bungling of the country's COVID-19 vaccination program, and more lately, for being at the helm while South Pacific neighbors, the Solomon Islands, struck up a strategic partnership with China.
Morrison was also widely condemned for a perceived lack of empathy in relation to the treatment of women in Australian society, an issue that drew intense scrutiny through damaging revelations of sexual harassment scandals that rocked federal Parliament. Analysts pointed to this area as part of the reason for such a strong vote for the so-called teal independents in Saturday's election, the majority of whom were women.
Still Morrison, after congratulating Albanese, struck a proud and defiant tone in defending his and his government's record, focusing on the economy, his administration's work to stop refugees coming to the country by boats, and on bolstering the nation's defenses.
"We hand over this country as a government in a stronger position than when we inherited it when we came to government (in 2013)," Morrison told a gathering of Liberal supporters in Sydney late Saturday night.
"Unemployment today is at the lowest level in 48 years," he said, referencing a rate of 3.9%.
"Australians leaving school, leaving university, getting their trades, know they have the confidence of being out there and able to get a job and to be able to realize their aspirations, and that's what I wish for them, that's what I wish for this country," he said.
"We leave government, having secured our borders many years ago, and we leave government having restored our nation's defenses," he added, mentioning the recently created security alliance known as AUKUS that also includes the United States and the United Kingdom.
Morrison also praised his government's work on health issues, particularly mental health.
He said it had been a "privilege to lead this great party and lead this great nation" but that he, as leader, would "take responsibility for the wins and the losses".
"As a result I will be handing over the leadership at the next party room meeting, to ensure that the party can be taken forward under new leadership," he said.
"It's a night of disappointment,but it's also a time for coalition members and supporters all across the country to hold their heads high. We have been a strong government. We have been a good government. Australia is stronger as a result of our efforts over these last three terms."
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.