Page 14 - Australia

Will stop linking to New Zealand news if proposed new law passed: Google

Caroline Rainsford, Google New Zealand Country Director said in a blog post that if the bill as it currently stands becomes law, Google would be forced to make changes to its products, investments

Australia to offer 1,000 work and holiday visas to Indians from Oct 1

Australia's Work and Holiday visa will operate under a ballot system

Australia to offer work visas to Indians from Oct 1 under trade pact

Australia will begin offering up to 1,000 work and holiday visas each year to Indian citizens from October 1, as part of its commitment under the India-Australia interim free trade agreement. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who concluded his three-day visit to Australia, said that this move will facilitate mobility and deepen people-to-people connect. The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) came into effect from December 2022. "During the visit, happy to learn that Work and Holiday visa, a key commitment under India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement will be operational from 1st October 2024 which will facilitate mobility and deepen people-to-people connect," Goyal said in a post on X on Thursday. Under the ECTA, Indian nationals aged 18-30 years can apply for a one-year visa to work, study, and travel across Australia. Australia would annually grant up to 1,000 multiple entry work and holiday visas for a temporary stay o

Rare 'doomsday fish' caught by fishermen off Tiwi Islands in Australia

A massive oarfish, which is seldom seen and often linked to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, was captured during a moonlight fishing session around Tiwi Islands, Australia

EAM meets Australian counterpart at UNGA 79; signs biodiversity agreement

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Senator Penny Wong caught up with each other on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.Taking to social media platform X, Jaishankar attributed Senator Wong as a "Quad partner"."Catching up with Quad partner FM Senator Penny Wong at UNGA79," he said.Prior to this, Jaishankar signed the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement at the United Nations Headquarters, taking a step towards ensuring that the oceans remain healthy and resilient."Signed the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement today the United Nations HQ. India is proud to join the BBNJ Agreement, an important step towards ensuring that our oceans remain healthy and resilient," he said in another post in X.Following this, he met with the Foreign Minister of Rawanda, Olivier JP Nduhungirehe and said that it was nice to meet him."Nice to meet the new FM Olivier JP Nduhungirehe of Rawanda," .

Work-life paradise: This country has the shortest work week at 24.7 hours

While some countries enjoy short work weeks, India grapples with long hours and work-life balance struggles

Australia's treasurer will visit China in sign that ties are mending

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will this week become the first Australian government minister in that key economic role to visit China in seven years, in the latest sign that strained bilateral relations are mending. Chalmers flies to Beijing on Thursday for a two-day visit. The last Australian treasurer to visit China was Scott Morrison in 2017. Morrison rose to become prime minister a year later and bilateral relations further soured under his rule until his conservative government was replaced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labour Party after the 2022 general election. Chalmers said Wednesday that the main purpose of his visit was to co-chair the Australia-China Strategic Economic Dialogue on Thursday with He Lifeng, chair of China's National Development and Reform Commission. Discussions will focus on growing trade and investment with China and opportunities for Australian and Chinese businesses to cooperate, government documents say. This is another really important

Australia tightens temporary work visa rules: Here are the key changes

The government aims to ensure that local workers are not disadvantaged and prevent visa misuse for longer-term roles

Australian university to start its courses at GIFT City from November

The University of Wollongong (UOW) will be one of the first Australian universities to start courses at GIFT City of Gujarat from November, it said on Tuesday. It will start post-graduate courses with intake of 50 students each in courses including Master of Computing (Data Analytics), Graduate Certificate in Computing, Master of Financial Technology, extended Master of Financial Technology, and Graduate Certificate in Financial Technology, said Executive Director, Global Student Recruitment, UOW, Kath McCollim. It has introduced "inaugural scholarship" offering financial benefits to students enrolling in Computing and Financial Technology programs, he said. UOW India has also partnered with IBM whereby students will gain access to IBM's Innovation Centre for Education (ICE). Gujarat International Finance Tec-City or GIFT City is a business district under development in Gandhinagar district.

Goyal seeks investment from Australian pension funds across various sectors

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday sought investments from Australian pension funds in sectors such as renewable energy, manufacturing, education, fintech, and agritech. The minister is in Australia to participate in the Joint Ministerial Commission of the two countries. He also held a meeting with Tania Constable, CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia, regarding ways to strengthen collaboration in the critical minerals sector between India and Australia. "Minister met senior representatives from the Australian pension funds. Discussions focused on the robust policies and reform agenda of the Government of India which have boosted investor confidence. Minister encouraged greater investments into the emerging sectors in the Indian market," the commerce ministry said in a statement. Critical minerals, such as cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel and rare earths, play a crucial role in the production of clean energy technologies, from wind turbines to electric ...

Australia sues grocery giants Woolworths, Coles over illusory discounts

The legal action marks a major move against the supermarket giants, which have faced scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators

Quad summits from 2021 virtual meeting to Wilmington in 2024: A timeline

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Philadelphia Saturday to begin his three-day US trip with the Quad Leaders' Summit being held in Wilmington, Delaware. The Quad Leaders' Summit this year was earlier supposed to be held in India, but US President Joe Biden was keen to hold the event in his hometown. This will be a farewell summit for both Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as they near the end of their terms in office -- January 20, 2025 for the US president and Oct 1 for Japanese prime minister. The fourth leader attending the meeting is Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Here's a look at previous summits. -- May 20, 2023 (Hiroshima, Japan) Format: In-person Attending leaders: PM Albanese, PM Modi, PM Kishida, and President Biden Notes: Australia was the host of the summit for the year, and was supposed to hold the summit in Sydney just after the G7 Hiroshima Summit. However, President Biden postponed his trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea at th

Australia to launch ballot system for Work and Holiday visa for Indians

The Work and Holiday visa is open to individuals aged 18 to 30, allowing them to travel and work in Australia

Social media age limits restricting children are too little too late

But research has shown that age limits for social media aren't the most effective way to protect teens from its potential harms

Elon Musk calls Australian govt 'fascists' over social media laws

The proposed legislation is the latest fight between Australia's government and global tech giants

Australia threatens fines for social media giants enabling misinformation

The bill is part of a wide-ranging regulatory crackdown by Australia, where leaders have complained that foreign-domiciled tech platforms are overriding the country's sovereignty

Britain's Rightmove rejects $7.3 bn takeover offer from Murdoch's REA Group

REA, which is 62 per cent owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp , did not cite any reason for the offer's rejection by Rightmove

Anti-war protesters clash with cops outside Australian weapons convention

Anti-war protesters clashed with police Wednesday outside a military arms convention in the Australian city of Melbourne. Protesters hurled bottles, rocks and horse manure, a police statement said. Protesters had also sprayed officers with liquid irritants, some of which had been identified as acid, police said. Police retaliated with pepper spray, flash distraction devices and by foam baton rounds. These rounds are designed to inflict pain without penetrating skin. At least 24 officers required medical treatment. Police had arrested 33 protesters for offenses including assault, arson and blocking roadways. Victoria Police is appalled at the behavior of some of the protesters, the statement said, referring to the Victoria state force. Around 1,800 police officers have been deployed to a Melbourne convention center where the Land Forces International Land Defense Exposition is taking place through Friday. Some of the convention attendees also were assaulted, police said. Witnesse

Australia to legislate minimum age for social media usage, says PM Albanese

Albanese said that it's about supporting parents and keeping kids safe

Australia's Domino's served with class action on 'misleading' Japan mkt

Echo Law on its website said the class action was in relation to a Domino's announcement made on Nov. 3, 2021