Associated Press: About half of the white sand beaches along Australia’s northeast coast that were blackened by an oil spill have been cleared, an official said Sunday. Authorities declared a disaster zone along 37 miles (60 kilometers) of some of Australia’s most popular beaches in Queensland state after they were covered in heavy fuel oil that spilled from a cargo ship caught in rough seas Wednesday. Hundreds of workers toiled through the weekend to scoop up black, sludgy sand on Moreton and …