Major Western powers said Tuesday they would expel Syria's diplomatic envoys in protest at the weekend massacre in the town of Houla, in which more than 100 people were killed.

The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain as well as Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Belgium announced decisions to expel ambassadors or top envoys.

Australia Tuesday expelled Syria's top diplomat over the "hideous and brutal" massacre at Houla of more than 100 people, with Foreign Minister Bob Carr saying he expected other countries to follow suit.

Syrian charge d'affaires Jawdat Ali was notified of the decision to expel him and one other diplomat a day after he was called in to meet with officials over the killings which sparked global condemnation.

Australia on Saturday hailed a surprise decision giving it a role in a radio telescope project aimed at revolutionizing astronomy, vowing to draw on its decades of experience in space science.

Australia and South Africa were named joint winners of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project following a meeting of the organization’s members in the Netherlands on Friday.

Australia plans to roll out the red carpet for wealthy businesspeople by establishing a visa category offering a pathway to residency if they invest at least Aus$5 million (US$4.9 million).

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said it was important to attract people prepared to make a significant investment in creating jobs and economic growth, and he expected keen interest from booming China.

Australian researchers tracking life on the Great Barrier Reef said Friday they have proven a long-debated theory that fish born in marine reserves boost overall ocean stocks by dispersing widely.

The team, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, used DNA testing to track the spread of baby coral trout and stripey snappers from their spawning on the reef's Keppel Island marine reserve, where fishing is illegal.

Australia moved to assure its meat export partners and domestic market Friday that its beef was safe after it was linked to an E-coli contamination scare in the United States.

Australia's agriculture department said it had recently been notified that local beef had been "implicated" in E-coli contamination of mincemeat in the United States.

Malaysia and Australia on Tuesday signed a free trade agreement (FTA) that will strip away tariffs and which Canberra hopes will help jump-start negotiations with China, South Korea and Japan.

The agreement inked in Kuala Lumpur will grant Malaysian exporters duty-free entry into the Australian market once the trade deal comes into force in January 2013.

Australia will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia this week which officials said Monday they hope will help fast-track ongoing talks with China, South Korea and Japan.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson is set to pen the deal in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, his office said, giving Australian companies unprecedented access to one of Southeast Asia's biggest economies.

Rangers who shot a saltwater crocodile that was terrorizing pets in northern Australia found a dog, a pair of shorts, a football and a nappy in its stomach, a report said Wednesday.

Police notified authorities recently that a crocodile had eaten at least one dog and was lunging at others along a beach near the community of Galiwinku.

Australia pledged Wednesday to contribute U.S. $300 million to Afghanistan in the years following the withdrawal of foreign troops to assist local forces with the transition.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Canberra would provide U.S. $100 million annually for three years from 2015 "as part of international efforts to help sustain and support Afghan National Security Forces beyond the transition".