Page 15 - Australia

Australian PM Albanese defends himself from free flight upgrades accusation

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said he had always acted in a transparent and appropriate way after a new book claimed that he had repeatedly requested free upgrades for personal flights on Qantas Airways. Albanese, who was transport minister in a previous government, was accused in a book released on Monday of developing an inappropriately close relationship with Alan Joyce, who was Qantas chief executive for 15 years until 2023. Qantas is Australia's largest airline and was state-owned until the 1990s. The Sydney-based airline is the country's flag carrier and must by law remain at least 51 per cent Australian owned. According to Qantas insiders, Albanese would liaise with Joyce directly about his personal travel, a published extract of the book said. The insiders were not named. Albanese said he had declared 22 free Qantas upgrades in a register of gifts to lawmakers valued at more than 300 Australian dollars (USD 197). He noted opposition lawmaker Paul ...

Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy picked for India's Test series against Australia

There is no Mohammed Shami in the squad while Kuldeep Yadav has been advised long term rehabilitation for his groin injury

Australia, New Zealand to unveil new occupation lists for foreign workers

These changes, set to take effect in late 2024, mark a shift from the joint classification used since 2006

King Charles III ends first Australian visit by British monarch in 13 years

King Charles III ends the first visit to Australia by a reigning British monarch in 13 years Tuesday with anti-monarchists hoping his journey is a step toward an Australian citizen becoming head of state. Controversy interrupted the visit on Monday when Indigenous independent senator Lidia Thorpe yelled at Charles during a reception that he was not her king and Australia was not his land. Esther Anatolitis, co-chair of the Australian Republic Movement, that campaigns for an Australian citizen to replace the British monarch as Australia's head of state, said while thousands turned out to see the king and Queen Camilla at their public engagements, the numbers were larger when his mother Queen Elizabeth II first visited Australia 70 years ago. An estimated 75% of Australia's population saw the queen in person during the first visit by a reigning British monarch in 1954. It's understandable that Australians would be welcoming the king and queen, we also welcome them, Anatolitis said. B

'Not my king': Indigenous Australian senator yells at visiting King Charles

An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the British royal visited Australia's parliament on Monday. Sen. Lidia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for the royal couple after shouting that British colonisers have taken Indigenous land and bones. You committed genocide against our people," she shouted. Give us what you stole from us our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty. No treaty was ever struck between between British colonisers and Australia's Indigenous peoples. Charles spoke quietly with Albanese while security officials stopped Thorpe from approaching. This is not your land. You are not my king, Thorpe yelled as she was ushered from the hall. Thorpe is renowned for high-profile protest action. When she was affirmed as a senator in 2022, she wasn't allowed to describe the then-monarch as the colonising Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She briefly blocked

King Charles III set to visit Australia, Samoa amidst battle with cancer

King Charles III, who is 75 and battling cancer, will travel halfway around the world to Samoa this month to take his seat as the head of the Commonwealth and highlight the existential threat that climate change poses for Pacific island nations. He will also return to Australia, a country that played a key role in Charles' adolescence giving him the chance to be an almost normal teenager during the six months he spent at Timbertop school outside Melbourne in the 1960s. The visit marks the first time since he assumed the throne that Charles will visit one of the 14 countries outside the United Kingdom where the monarch is head of state. The tour, from Friday to Oct. 26, is a watershed moment for Charles, who is slowly returning to public duties after a hiatus following his cancer diagnosis in early February. The decision to undertake such a long journey is seen as a reflection of his workaholic tendencies and his wish to put his stamp on the monarchy after waiting some seven decades

40,000 Indians vie for 1,000 spots in Australia's new work visa ballot

The Working Holiday Maker visa allows Indian nationals aged 18 to 30 to live, work, and travel in Australia for up to 12 months

India-Australia holds 2+2 secretary level consultations in New Delhi

According to Ministry of Defence the the talks were held to consolidate the ties between the two countries and also benefit the whole Indo-Pacific region

349 Australians evacuated from Lebanon, touch down in Sydney

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong shared an emotional image to X of a joyous family arriving in Sydney with celebratory balloons seen in the background

India to host four-nation Malabar naval exercise from Oct 8 to 18

India will host the four-nation Malabar naval exercise beginning Tuesday amid evolving security situation in the region. The navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan will carry out a series of complex naval drills during the 'sea phase' of the mega wargame. "Exercise Malabar 2024 is scheduled to take place from October 8 to 18, beginning with the Harbour Phase in Visakhapatnam, followed by the sea phase," the Indian Navy announced on Saturday. The Malabar exercise, which began in 1992 as a bilateral naval drill between the US and the Indian Navy, has evolved into a key multilateral event aimed at enhancing interoperability, fostering mutual understanding and addressing shared maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region. The exercise will feature the participation of various Indian naval platforms, including guided missile destroyers, multi-purpose frigates, submarines, fighter aircraft and helicopters. "The exercise will focus on a broad range of activities

XEC now in Australia. Here's what we know about this hybrid Covid variant

The latest variant to make headlines is called XEC. This omicron subvariant has been reported predominantly in the northern hemisphere, but it has now been detected in Australia too

Australia upholds $610,500 fine against Musk's X on child e-safety concerns

An Australian Court has upheld AUD 610,500 fine against Elon Musk's X for failing to address child abuse content amid crackdown on tech companies

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