Page 10 - Australia

Australian PM Albanese gets Prez Trump to consider exemption on tariffs

Albanese, who must hold an election by May 17, has been under intense pressure from local lawmakers and executives to secure tariff exemptions for Australia's steel and aluminum exports to the US

Australia bans China's DeepSeek from government tech over security

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement that all DeepSeek products, applications and services would be removed from government systems on national security concerns

Australia's student visa surge defies clampdowns, sparks Oppn pushback

Australia's higher education accounts for the majority of student visas, with two-thirds or more going to university students

Australia immigration: Oppn eyes investor ban, 25% permanent migration cut

"Labour has opened the migration floodgates," said Australia's opposition parties

Jaishankar holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Japan, Australia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held meetings with his counterparts from Australia and Japan here during which they discussed bilateral issues and those pertaining to QUAD. An initiative of the Donald Trump administration in its first term, QUAD comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The outgoing Joe Biden administration elevated it to the leadership level. A QUAD ministerial is expected to be the first order of business in terms of international meetings of Marco Rubio once he is confirmed by the US Congress and sworn in as the Secretary of State, which is reflective of the importance given to this grouping by the second term of the Trump administration. "Delighted to meet FM @SenatorWong, a Quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world," Jaishankar posted on X after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. "Good to meet with FM Takeshi Iwaya of Japan. Reviewed the progress in our ...

Albanese demands Russia explain what happened to Australian prisoner of war

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday his government will take the "strongest action possible" if Russia has harmed an Australian who was taken prisoner while fighting for Ukraine. Video posted on social media in December showed Oscar Jenkins (32) dressed in military uniform with his hands bound being questioned and struck by a Russian interrogator. Australian authorities were seeking comment from Russia on reports that the Melbourne school teacher had been killed since he became a prisoner of war. Albanese said Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials were seeking "urgent clarification" of Jenkins' circumstances. "We call upon Russia to immediately confirm Oscar Jenkins' status. We remain gravely concerned," Albanese told reporters. "We will await the facts to come out. But if there has been any harm caused to Oscar Jenkins, that is absolutely reprehensible. And the Australian government will take the strongest action possible," Albane

Western Sydney University planning to open new campus in Greater Noida

Leading Australian University, Western Sydney University is set to open its campus in India, making it the third Australian university to have a campus in the country.In a post on X, Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green shared the announcement.He said, "Another Australian University is coming to India! Excited to see this announcement of @westernsydneyau planning to set up a campus in Greater Noida - this will be the third university campus in India & first in the state of #UttarPradesh."On its official website, Western Sydney University noted that it has been recognised as the world's best higher education institution in 2024 according to Times Higher Education Impact Rankings from 2,152 universities across 125 countries.Notably, the other two Australian universities in India are the University of Wollongong and Deakin which established campuses in the GIFT City, Gujarat.As per the official website of Deakin University, it was noted that it is the first ...

3 injured, 3 missing after seaplane crashes off Australian tourist island

Three people were seriously injured and another three were missing after a seaplane crashed off an Australian tourist island, officials said Wednesday. Only one of the seven people aboard the Cessna 208 Caravan was rescued without injury after the crash during takeoff from Rottnest Island on Tuesday afternoon, police said. The plane owned by Swan River Seaplanes was returning to its base in Perth, the Western Australia state capital 30 kilometres east of Rottnest Island, which is also known by its Indigenous name Wadjemup. Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the aviation crash investigator, said specialist investigators were being sent to the scene. As reported to the ATSB, during take-off the floatplane collided with the water, before coming to rest partially submerged, the bureau's chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a statement on Wednesday. Greg Quin, a tourist who was vacationing on Rottnest, said he saw the plane crash. We were watching the seaplane take off and just

Australia student visa: New rules tighten process for foreign applicants

From January 1 unless exempt, foreign student visa applicants must provide a CoE at the time of lodging their application

Quad members renew pledge towards working for free, stable Indo-Pacific

India and other Quad member nations on Tuesday renewed their firm commitment to work towards a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable and prosperous. The foreign ministers of the member nations of the grouping made the pledge in a joint statement commemorating the 20th anniversary of Quad cooperation. The foreign ministers said the Quad will work together in responding to the future needs of the Indo-Pacific, an assertion that came against the backdrop of China's increasing muscle-flexing in the region. India, the US, Australia and Japan came together 20 years ago to extend assistance in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The coalition is now known as Quad. "As four partners, we share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable and prosperous, underpinned by effective regional institutions," the joint statement said. The Quad foreign ministers also talked about the centrality of 10-nation grouping Association of Southeast

Australia student visa: Confirmation of Enrolment required from Jan 2025

The change ensures that both onshore and offshore applicants meet the same criteria for proof of intended study

India's exports to Australia up 64.4% in Nov: Commerce ministry data

India's exports to its trade agreement partner Australia rose 64.4 per cent year-on-year to USD 643.7 million in November on account of healthy growth in sectors such as textiles, chemicals and agricultural products, according to the commerce ministry data. However, the country's merchandise exports recorded a decline of 5.21 per cent year-on-year to USD 5.56 billion, the preliminary data showed. India and Australia implemented an interim trade pact -- Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) -- on December 29, 2022 and are now in negotiations to widen the scope of the pact. On the completion of two years of ECTA, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the agreement has brought with it increased market access for Indian exporters, expanded opportunities for MSMEs and farmers, and generated several employment avenues. It has also enabled growth in exports by 14 per cent in 2023-24; notable boost in IT/ITeS, business and travel services; and port-study work and work

Australia's new rules prioritise international student visa processing

The changes apply exclusively to offshore student visa applications for students currently outside Australia

Nathan McSweeney 'devastated' after being dropped from Australia squad

Rookie Australia opener Nathan McSweeney admitted feeling "devastated" after being dropped for the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India but vowed to work hard to reclaim his spot in the national team. McSweeney was on Friday dropped by the national selectors, who handed a maiden call-up to teenage sensation Sam Kontas. "Yeah, I mean devastated, I get the dream come true and then didn't quite work the way I wanted," McSweeney told Channel 7. "But it's all part of it, and I'll get my head down and get back in the nets and work really hard and hopefully be ready to go for the next opportunity." The 25-year-old, who made his Test debut in the series-opener in Perth, struggled at the top with scores of 10, 0, 39, 10 not out, 9, and 4 in his six innings. He was dismissed by Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah four times during the series. "It's the game we're in. If you don't take an opportunity and you're not performing as well as you want to, your position's never safe,"

'With my kids I need some ', Virat Kohli loses control at Melbourne airport

Virat Kohli was involved in a heated discussion with Australian media at the Melbourne Airport ahead of the boxing day test. He was unhappy with the cameraman filming his children

Australia announces $118 mn deal to enhance policing in Solomon Islands

Australia announced on Friday it will pay for more police in Solomon Islands and create a police training center in the South Pacific island nation's capital Honiara, where Chinese law enforcement instructors are already based under a bilateral security pact with Beijing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would spend 190 million Australian dollars (USD 118 million) over four years on funding and training new Royal Solomon Islands Police Force recruits with a package that would reduce any need for outside support. My government is proud to make a significant investment in the police force of the Solomon Islands to ensure that they can continue to take primary responsibility for security in the Solomons, Albanese told reporters in Australia's capital Canberra. Albanese and his Solomons counterpart Jeremiah Manele said in a joint statement on Friday the package would build an enduring security capability in the Solomons, thereby reducing its reliance on external partners .

Australia's net migration falls by 17%; Indians remain top immigrants

India remained one of the top five countries of birth for overseas migrants in 2023-24, alongside China, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand

Australian state mulling protest ban at worship sites to check antisemitism

An Australian state government on Tuesday proposed new restrictions on protesters in response to rising antisemitism, including a ban on demonstrations outside places of worship. Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan proposed the new laws after arsonists damaged a Melbourne synagogue this month and protestors kept fearful worshippers trapped inside a Sydney synagogue for three hours a week earlier. That's not peaceful protest. It's menacing behaviour, Allan said. Antisemitism is a cancer and we must leave no stone unturned to fight the evil of antisemitism, to fight the evil of this racism in all of its forms and also to continue to work to help heal our multicultural community, to help build on that social cohesion and continue to support our strong, united Victoria, she added. The new laws would protect the right of people to gather and pray free from fear, harassment and intimidation, her office said in a statement. The proposed laws, which will be voted on by the state legislature ea

Cambridge Analytica lawsuit: Meta settles with Australia's privacy watchdog

The breaches were first reported by the Guardian in early 2018, and Facebook received fines from regulators in the United States and the UK in 2019

Australia to tax digital platforms, search engines that don't pay for news

The Australian government said Thursday it will tax large digital platforms and search engines unless they agree to share revenue with Australian news media organisations. The tax would apply from January 1 to tech companies that earn more than 250 million Australian dollars ($160 million) a year in revenue from Australia, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said. They include Meta, Google, Alphabet and ByteDance. The tax would be offset through money paid to Australian media organizations. The size of the tax is not clear. "The real objective ... is not to raise revenue -- we hope not to raise any revenue. The real objective is to incentivise agreement-making between platforms and news media businesses in Australia, Jones told reporters. The move comes after Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced that it would not renew three-year deals to pay Australian news publishers for their content. A previous government ...