Page 22 - Australia

US, Japan, Oz and Philippines to stage military drills in S China Sea

The United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines will hold their first joint naval exercises, including anti-submarine warfare training, in a show of force Sunday in the South China Sea where Beijing's aggressive actions to assert its territorial claims have caused alarm. The four treaty allies and security partners are holding the exercises to safeguard the rule of law that is the foundation for a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region and uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, they said in a joint statement issued by their defence chiefs Saturday. China was not mentioned by name in the statement, but the four countries reaffirmed their stance that a 2016 international arbitration ruling, which invalidated China's expansive claims on historical grounds, was final and legally binding. China has refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the ruling and continues to defy it. The Philippines brought its disputes with China to international arbitration in 2013 aft

Australia should prepare for 'megadroughts' lasting 20 years, shows study

The study showed that megadroughts of 20 years or more were a natural feature of the Australian hydroclimate

Global life expectancy up 6.2 years between 1990-2021, shows Lancet report

In India, the life expectancy has increased by eight years in the past three decades

Australia outraged by death of aid worker in Israeli airstrike, says PM

The strike killed citizens of Australia, Britain and Poland as well as Palestinians and a dual citizen of the US and Canada

China can be a democracy, says former Australian PM Scott Morrison

Morrison, who led Australia from 2018 to 2022, said the Chinese people care just as much about freedom as we do but sadly in mainland China they don't have the opportunity for it

China lifts tariffs on Australian wine, ends three years of punitive levies

Ties have improved significantly since last year, leading China to steadily lifting trade hurdles on Australian goods, including barley and coal

What Australia's 'No Further Stay' in visa policy means for Indians

The 'No Further Stay' condition, often abbreviated as NFS, prohibits visa holders from applying for any other visa within Australia

Australia registers over 6% growth in Indian tourists arrivals in Jan

Australia witnessed over 6 per cent on-year growth in Indian tourists arrivals in January this year, with 26,200 Indians travelling to the country, Tourism Australia said on Tuesday. Moreover, India has also significantly improved its ranking to be the fifth largest inbound market for Tourism Australia in 2024, from seventh in 2019. "In January we did extremely well with 26,200 Indians travelling to Australia, compared to 24,700 during the same month in 2019, a growth of 6.07 per cent. "If we calculate from February 2023 till January 2024, the total number of Indians visiting Australia has crossed the 4,00,000 arrivals milestone to reach 4,02,200," Tourism Australia Country Manager - India and Gulf - Nishant Kashikar told PTI. This growth in footfalls is mainly due to Tourism Australia's joint endeavours with its airlines, key distribution partners, and over 5,000 Aussie Specialist Agents in India to drive consideration and conversions, he said. "The number of airlines connecting

Higher IELTS, new test for Indians: Australia tightens student visa rules

Securing a place to study in Australia is becoming increasingly challenging. Here's what prospective Indian students need to know

Shares in Australia, HK edges higher, while Japan, China stocks decline

Treasuries were mostly steady following a rally on Friday that wiped seven basis points from the 10-year yield. Australian and New Zealand bond yields ticked lower Monday

Singapore's Indian-origin ex-minister faces charges for alleged corruption

Singapore's Indian-origin former Transport Minister S Iswaran on Monday was slapped with eight fresh charges in the alleged case of corruption taking the total charges that he now faces to 35. Iswaran, 61, pleaded not guilty to the new charges. The development comes barely a week after he returned to Singapore from a court-approved trip to Australia, which was extended due to his illness. The eight new charges are under Section 165 of the Penal Code and include allegations that he obtained valuable things, including bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle from a man called Lum Kok Seng, reported Channel News Asia. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a separate statement on Monday that the items have a total value of SGD 18,956.94 (USD14,080). The transactions occurred when Iswaran's official function as then-Transport Minister dealt with the business Lum had with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) through his company Lum Chang Building ...

Overseas Friends of BJP launches 'Modi for 2024' campaign in Australia

The campaign is aimed at drumming up overseas support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) going into the Lok Sabha elections in the country

NMDC exploring lithium assets, conducting negotiations in Africa, Australia

Additionally, NMDC is seeking lithium blocks from the Indian government on a nomination basis

$3 bn deal with UK gets Oz closer to having nuclear-powered submarines

Australia is set to provide 4.6 billion Australian dollars (USD 3 billion) to British industry to support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and ensure its new fleet arrives on time, the two countries said Friday. The announcement came a day after the two countries signed a defense and security pact to better meet challenges such as China's increased activity in the South China Sea and South Pacific. UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps said the submarine program was expensive but necessary. Nuclear-powered submarines are not cheap, but we live in a much more dangerous world where we are seeing a much more assertive region with China, a much more dangerous world all around with what's happening in the Middle East and Europe, Shapps told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Countries need to invest in making sure that adversaries see we are serious about our security, defending freedom of navigation, for example. The 10-year deal announced at an annual ministers' gather

Australia, UK sign defence, security treaty to meet contemporary challenges

Australia and the United Kingdom signed a new defence and security cooperation agreement with the defence ministers of both countries saying it was required to meet 'contemporary challenges' to maintain a global rules-based order. The treaty was signed by Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and his UK counterpart Grant Shapps following annual bilateral ministerial defence talks at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, as part of the Australia-UK Ministerial (AUKMIN) meeting, which was first held in 2006. Australia's relationship with the UK is dynamic and enduring, Marles said in a written statement on Thursday. From the UK's leadership of support for Ukraine and efforts to address the Houthi threat, to increasing contributions in the Pacific and the Indo-Pacific, we continue to work closely together to support a global rules-based order. As the world becomes more complex and uncertain, we must modernize our most important partnerships," the statement said. Refreshing th

Decision to cancel 2026 CWG in Australia based on overstated cost estimates

An inquiry into the Australian state of Victoria's decision to cancel its planned hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games said it cost the state 589 million Australian dollars ($385 million) and the price estimate that resulted in it being shelved was overstated and not transparent. Victoria's Auditor-General's Office on Wednesday said agencies failed to work together to give frank, full and timely advice to the government before it decided to host the games. The total cost of the games to Victorians is over $589 million, the office said in a report. This waste would have been avoided." In 2022 the Labor government led by then-Premier Daniel Andrews agreed to host the 2026 Games in regional cities in Victoria at an expected cost of about A$2.6 billion ($1.7 billion). But it pulled out in July 2023 after saying the figure had blown out to A$6.9 billion ($4.5 billion), and instead had to compensate the Commonwealth Games Federation for breaking the contract. Craig Phillips, CEO of ...

Sun Pharma gets approval to sell acne treatment cream Winlevi in Australia

Collaboration with Cosmo enables rights for cream in several countries, says company

Sun Pharma gets regulatory nod in Australia for acne treatment cream

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on Tuesday said the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration has granted regulatory approval for Winlevi cream indicated for the topical treatment of acne. The approval is for Winlevi (clascoterone cream 1 per cent), which is indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in patients 12 years of age and older, the company said in a statement. Sun Pharma received the exclusive right to develop and commercialise Winlevi in the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, and Russia from Cosmo, it added. "Winlevi is an exciting addition to our expanding dermatology portfolio of innovative medicines in Australia. Winlevi's novel mechanism of action will be a welcome addition to the physician's toolkit while treating acne," Hellen de Kloet, Business Head, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Sun Pharma, said. The company said Winlevi will be available in Australia this June. "This is another achievement in the mission of Cosmo and

Google, Meta face tough questions in Australia over cyber extremism threats

Australia's online safety regulator has put social media giants on notice, requiring them to explain what they are doing to protect people from violent extremists and terrorists. The country's eSafety regulator announced Tuesday that it had issued legal notices to Google, Meta, X, WhatsApp, Telegram and Reddit requiring each company to report on steps they are taking to protect Australian users of their platforms from extremist material online. Accessing violent and extremist content on social media has been blamed for the radicalisation of the perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, which killed 51 people, and also a gunman who murdered 10 black Americans at Buffalo in New York in 2022. Both shooters also live-streamed parts of their attacks online. According to Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant the risk of terrorism and online radicalisation remains high both in Australia and internationally. "The tech companies that provide these services have a .

Uber pays $178 mn to end legal fight with Australian taxi drivers

Global rideshare giant Uber will pay 272 million Australian dollars (USD 178 million) to settle a long-running dispute with Australian taxi and hire car drivers who lost out when the company entered the Australian market. A class action against Uber had been expected to go to trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday, but Maurice Blackburn Lawyers representing 8,000 taxi and hire car drivers said the case will be dropped because Uber agreed to the financial settlement. Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer Michael Donelly said that drivers and car owners suffered financial losses due to Uber's aggressive entry into the market in 2012 and that the company consistently attempted to avoid compensating them. "On the courtroom steps and after years of refusing to do the right thing by those we say they harmed, Uber has blinked, and thousands of everyday Australians joined together to stare down a global giant," he said. An Uber statement described the complaints of the taxi indust