Page 16 - Australia

China accuses Japan of 'smear attacks' in recent talks with Quad members

China has expressed strong dissatisfaction to Japan about what it called "smear attacks" against China at recent high-level meetings with the United States, India and Australia, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. A ministry statement said that Liu Jinsong, the director general of the Asian affairs department, conveyed solemn representations and serious concern at a meeting the previous day with Akira Yokochi, the deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy. Liu pointed out that Japan's smear attacks on China are self-contradictory to its statement of promoting the strategic and reciprocal relationship between the two countries, the statement said. Meeting in Tokyo on Sunday, Japan's foreign and defense ministers agreed to bolster military cooperation with the US at what are known as 2+2 talks with their American counterparts. A joint statement said China's foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others and that such behavi

Russia-N Korea defence deal 'risky for the world': Australian foreign min

Australia's foreign minister said on Tuesday the recent defence deal between North Korea and Russia was destabilising and risky for the world, after she visited the tense border village shared by North and South Korea on Tuesday. In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, deepening worries about the expanding ties between the countries. The US and its partners have steadfastly accused North Korea of supplying much-needed conventional arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. I also want to say something about the security pact between North Korea and Russia. And say again, this is destabilising. This is risky for the world and again we say Russia is behaving in ways which are not conducive to peace but are escalatory, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters following a visit to the southern side of the Korean

Blue Screen of Death: Global outage that led to Windows 10 crash explained

An outage of CrowdStrike has caused a global disruption for users of Microsoft Windows computers, affecting businesses and individuals across Australia, Japan, India and other countries

India set to advance Indo-Pacific agenda at Quad foreign ministers' meeting

The agenda is set to address China's expanding naval activities in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, alongside concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes

Australian visa: Longer grace period for migrant workers to find new jobs

Visa holders now have up to 180 days at a time, or a maximum of 365 days in total during the visa grant period, to secure new sponsorship

King Charles III to visit Australia, Samoa as he recovers from cancer

King Charles III is preparing to visit Australia and Samoa in October, an itinerary that will span 12 time zones and test the monarch's stamina as he recovers from cancer treatment. The trip, announced on Sunday by Buckingham Palace, marks a watershed moment for the 75-year-old king, who has been slowly returning to public duties after taking a break following his cancer diagnosis in early February. The decision to undertake such a long journey will be seen as a sign of Charles' recovery, even though the program in Australia will be limited. The visit to Australia will be a critical moment for the king as he tries to shore up support for the monarchy at home and abroad. The trip will mark the first time since he ascended the throne that Charles will visit one of the 14 countries outside the United Kingdom where the British monarch remains head of state, a link that is a source of pride for some but an unwelcome reminder of Britain's colonial dominance for others. While he will ...

Australia: Court denies bail to army private accused of spying for Russia

An Australian army private and her husband accused of spying for Russia were denied bail Friday on the first charges against suspected operatives under Australia's sweeping espionage laws enacted in 2018. Kira Korolev, 40, and her husband Igor Korolev, 62, are Russian-born Australian citizens and hold Russian passports. They did not appear in person and were represented by lawyers in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on a charge each of preparing for an espionage offense. They did not enter pleas and will appear next in a federal court on Sept. 20. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw had earlier told reporters the couple allegedly "worked together to access Australian Defense Force material that related to Australia's national security interests. We allege they sought that information with the intention of providing it to Russian authorities. Whether that information was handed over remains a key focus of our investigation." Kershaw said. While the couple are the fir

Paris 2024: Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi ready to run at her 3rd Olympics

Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi is preparing to compete at her third Olympics after being selected for the Paris Games from her training base in Australia. Yousofi, Afghanistan's flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Tokyo, has been living in Australia since 2022. The Australian Olympic Committee on Tuesday congratulated Yousofi on her selection for the women's 100-meter sprint. It's an honor to represent the girls of my homeland once again, she said in a statement released by the Australian committee. Girls and women who have been deprived of basic rights, including education, which is the most important one. I represent the stolen dreams and aspirations of these women. Those who don't have the authority to make decisions as free human beings they don't even have the permission to enter a park. She said she's deeply grateful to all those who have stood by me on this journey and made this possible ... who helped us for every step, for coming to Australia and joini

Australia: Pro-Palestinians breach Parliament's security; unfurl banners

Pro-Palestinian protesters breached security at Australia's Parliament House to unfurl banners from the roof on Thursday as a senator quit the government over its direction on the Gaza war. Tensions over Israel's war against Hamas dominated Parliament's final sitting day before a five-week break. The four protesters were arrested after draping the words war crimes" and genocide as well as the Palestinian rallying cry from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free for more than an hour over the building's facade known as the Great Verandah. Inside the building, Afghanistan-born Sen. Fatima Payman, the only Australian federal lawmaker ever to wear a hajib during sittings, announced she had quit the ruling Labour Party over her refusal to toe the party line on Gaza. My family did not flee from a war-torn country to come here as refugees for me to remain silent when I see atrocities inflicted on innocent people, Payman told reporters. Witnessing our government's indifference to the

5 countries with updated visa policies; here's how Indians will be impacted

Many countries recently updated their visa policies and requirements which will have a potential impact on Indians. Anyone planning for foreign trips needs to stay informed about the latest updates

Australia 'exploiting young people': How visa fee hike will impact Indians

Australia's visa fee hike decision poses a significant financial challenge for Indian students aspiring to study in Australia

TCS announces title partnership of Sydney Marathon, Australia's largest

Indian IT company sponsors 14 global running events that are attended by 600,000 runners

India, Australia aim to boost cooperation in critical minerals, processing

India and Australia are looking at ways to increase cooperation in critical minerals and their processing besides battery production, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on Monday. Both countries have signed an interim free trade agreement and are in negotiations to expand that into a comprehensive pact, he said. "We are looking at how we can integrate our (India and Australia) economies in terms of battery production, in terms of mineral production, in terms of mineral processing, in terms of vehicle production," the secretary said here at a conference on the roadmap for vehicle electrification. He also said that the government has taken a series of steps to promote domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs) and strengthened the ecosystem around that like boosting charging infrastructure. Speaking at the event, Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green OAM said they have huge mineral and energy resources that can support 'make in India'. Australia has strong ..

Australia hikes student visa fee by 125%: How Indians will be affected

This new fee places Australia significantly higher than its competitors, with the US charging approximately $185 (Rs 15,433) and Canada around C$150 (Rs 6,711) for student visas

Jason Day set to finally play Olympic golf for Australia at Paris Games

Jason Day will finally make it to an Olympics while a brother-and-sister combination are two of the other three golfers set to play for Australia at the Paris Games. Day was ranked world No. 1 in 2016 when he decided not to play at the Rio Olympics, saying he was concerned about going to Brazil with the Zika virus spreading while his wife was pregnant. He said earlier this year that he regretted not going. I had one of those spots, and at the time we were having kids, and then obviously there was that (Zika) scare, so I was kind of like a little bit freaked out about that," Day said at a PGA tournament in May. The Australian Olympic Committee said Friday that Min Woo Lee would join Day on the men's team while Minjee Lee and Hannah Green would form the women's team. The two Lees are brother and sister. Minjee Lee will become the first Australian golfer to compete at three Olympics, Green returns for her second Games while Min Woo Lee will join Day in making his Olympic debut. The f

David Warner passes baton to Fraser McGurk after announcing retirement

Warner took to Instagram, sharing a picture with Jake, writing to him, "All yours now champion"

Afghanistan's run to semifinals will inspire youth back home: Rashid Khan

Skipper Rashid Khan believes that Afghanistan's maiden T20 World Cup semifinal qualification, following spectacular wins over New Zealand and Australia along the way, is a momentous feat that will inspire the youth of the strife-torn nation. Afghanistan, who became a full ICC member only in 2017, scripted history by qualifying for their maiden T20 World Cup semifinal with a win over Bangladesh here. "I think the semi-final is going to be a massive, massive like inspiration for the youngsters back home in Afghanistan. That Afghanistan team get into the semis for the first time," Rashid said at the post match press conference. "And we have done it under 19 level, but this level we haven't done that. Even Super Eight was first time for us and then in semis," he added. Moments after the win, visuals of jubilant fans back home celebrating Afghanistan's historic achievement started doing the rounds on social media. With the feat, Afghanistan have showed how much they have progressed in

T20 WC: Warner makes low-key exit from int'l cricket as Afghans beat B'desh

Australia batting great David Warner's 15-year-long international career, dotted with glorious achievements and controversies in equal measure, has come to an anti-climactic end after Afghanistan beat Bangladesh, eliminating the former champions from the T20 World Cup at the Super Eight phase. Australia, the 2021 champions, finished at third place in the Super 8s Group 1 table with just two points -- from the win against Bangladesh. They had suffered a shocking loss to Afghanistan and a humbling defeat to India. The 37-year-old Warner, who made his international debut in January 2009 in a T20I match, thus made a low-key exit from international cricket with Australia's 24-run loss to India on June 24 at Gros Islet being his last match. There was no guard of honour or standing ovation, befitting one of Australia's all-time great batters. He made six runs off six balls in the match, edging Arshdeep Singh as Suryakumar Yadav took a low catch. He walked off the pitch with his head down,

Australian leaders cautiously welcome plea that could free Julian Assange

Australian leaders cautiously welcomed an expected plea agreement that could set free Julian Assange, who was pursued for years over WikiLeaks' publication of a trove of classified documents. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday there was nothing to be gained by keeping the Australian incarcerated. A plane thought to be carrying Assange landed Tuesday in Bangkok as he heads to the Northern Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Pacific midway between Australia and Japan, where he is expected to appear in a US federal court Wednesday local time. He is expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information, the US Justice Department said in a letter filed in court. Assange is expected to return to Australia if a judge accepts the plea agreement. Public support for Assange has grown in Australia during the seven years he has spent avoiding extradition to the United States by hiding i

Australia mulling to outlaw vape sales outside pharmacies from next week

Australia plans to outlaw the sale of vapes outside pharmacies from next week under some of the world's toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes, the health minister said on Monday. The government had reached a compromise with the minor Greens party to get the legislated restrictions through the Senate this week, Health Minister Mark Butler and the party said. Our world-leading laws will return vapes and e-cigarettes to what they were originally sold to the Australian community and to governments around the world as therapeutic products to help hardened smokers kick the habit, Butler said in a statement. From Monday next week, it will be unlawful to supply, manufacture, import or sell a vape outside a pharmacy in Australia, he said. The ban applies to all vapes regardless of whether they contain nicotine. There are currently no restrictions on what retail outlets can sell vapes. Many products do not disclose that they contain nicotine. The Greens had insisted on amendments t