Page 24 - Australia

Tropical cyclone Jasper weakens while still lashing northeastern Australia

The first tropical cyclone to hit Australia in the current season weakened to a low pressure system but continued to lash the northeast coast Thursday with flooding rain and left almost 40,000 homes and businesses without power. Cyclone Jasper crossed the Queensland state coast late Wednesday as a category 2 storm on a five-tier scale that whipped the sparsely populated region with winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph). The cyclone crossed near the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal, 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the city of Cairns, though many of its 300 residents evacuated before Jasper struck. Katrina Hewitt, who operates tourist accommodation at Wujal Wujal and did not evacuate, said the community was largely unscathed except for damaged trees. It looks amazing. No flooding, no breakages of buildings, Hewitt said. It was a big waiting game. We just didn't know what was going to happen, she said. Hewitt expected Wujal Wujal would be isolated for days by fallen trees blocking .

Australia has 'anxieties' over Canada, US charges of Indian links

Against the backdrop of the US' allegations of an Indian link to a failed assassination plot and Canada's charges relating to the killing of a Sikh separatist, Australia on Wednesday said it has "anxieties" over the matters but asserted that New Delhi and Canberra are capable of managing "differences" and "sensitive" issues. Australian High Commissioner Philip Green said the two sides discuss these issues "sensitively and carefully behind closed doors". At an interactive session, hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute, the newly-appointed envoy said Australia's engagement with India on these issues is less as a "Five-Eyes" partner and more as a friend of India. The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence-sharing alliance comprising Australia, the US, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. "Australia's engagement with India on this issue is less as a Five-Eyes partner and more as a friend of India and a country that is respectful of India with which we have a mature relationship," Green .

Cyclone Jasper expected to intensify before it crosses Australian coast

Powerful winds began uprooting trees on the northeast Australian coast on Wednesday as Tropical Cyclone Jasper gathered strength while approaching the area. Jasper is forecast to intensify from a category 1 to category 2 storm on a 5-tier scale before it becomes the first cyclone of the current season to cross the Australian coast late on Wednesday, Queensland state Deputy Premier Steven Miles said. The cyclone is expected to cross the Queensland coast somewhere along a sparsely populated 200-kilometer (124-mile) stretch from the city of Cairns north to Hope Vale, an Aboriginal community of 1,000. Jasper is expected to lash the coast with winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph) as it crosses from the Coral Sea. This is a serious event and it has been some time since this part of the coast has seen a cyclone of this intensity, Miles told reporters in the state capital Brisbane. More than 90 people had left their homes for evacuation centres by Wednesday, Police Deputy Commissioner Shane ...

Australia tightens visa norms for international students, skilled workers

New measures to reduce intakes include higher scores on English proficiency tests and increased scrutiny on second visa applications to form extended stays

Australia's new migration policy unlikely to have adverse impact on Indians

Australia is undertaking futuristic reforms to its existing migration system with a greater scrutiny of antecedents of applicants but it will not have an adverse impact on the flow of Indian students and professionals into the country, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. In its new migration strategy, the Australian government outlined a vision with a policy roadmap containing several key "actions" and over 25 new policy commitments and areas for future reform. The people cited above said the new migration strategy will include greater scrutiny of English language proficiency. This migration strategy was unveiled on Monday following extensive consultation with key stakeholders with an aim to fix the existing immigration system. The broad aim of the overall strategy is to cut the annual immigration intake to around 2,50,000 in line with the number maintained during the pre-Covid time. According to reports, over 5,00,000 people came to Australia this year. The people ci

Australia plans to halve migrant intake, impose tougher tests for students

Australia on Monday said it would slash the annual migrant intake from a record high of 510,000 by 50 per cent within two years by imposing tougher tests on overseas students and turning away workers with low skills. The move could affect Indian students who are planning to go to Australia for higher studies. The Indian-born group recorded the largest increase in population in the country since 2012, according to a recent report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The new migration strategy will demand students pass a stronger English-language test and will require them to prove they are genuine students before they enter the country while making it harder for them to stay if they do not find jobs that help fix the nation's skills shortages, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Australia's net migration will be halved within two years in a dramatic move to slash the annual intake from a record high of 510,000 by imposing tougher tests on overseas students and turning away workers

Australian govt to announce its strategy for slowing immigration next week

"The new strategy we'll announce will bring immigration back to sustainable levels," he told reporters Saturday in Sydney

Italy road and airport operator Mundys explores India, Australia expansion

It has just acquired Autovia del Camino in northern Spain and won a tender to operate four new toll roads in Puerto Rico with a $2.85 billion bid

Australia unlikely to host 2026 Commonwealth Games as Gold Coast withdraws

Australia is unlikely to be able to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games and sports officials have called on the international federation to consider bids from other countries. Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips made the comments Monday after Gold Coast confirmed it had scrapped its plans to pick up the games after Victoria state withdrew as host in July. Phillips said while Australia hasn't entirely given up on hosting, the Commonwealth Games Federation should seriously consider other offers. We have indicated to (the CGF)... they would have our support in doing that, Phillips told the Australian Associated Press. It's our preference to host here and we will keep going while we think we have got options to explore. But if they have a better option, then they should seriously consider it. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate announced Sunday that the city had scrapped its bid to host the Games after failing to secure support from state or federal governments. Gold Coast,

Indian cricket team register most wins in T20I format after beating Aus

India won the fourth game by 20 runs, restricting Australia to 154/7 in a chase of 175 runs. They not only won the five-match series 3-1 but also registered their 136th win in the format

US Navy, UK, Oz to test AI to help crews track Chinese subs in the Pacific

The three powers said they would deploy advanced artificial intelligence algorithms on multiple systems

Indian, Australian High Commission to UK co-host Indo-Pacific conference

The unique collaboration brought together leading experts from Australia, India, and the United Kingdom to address threats to regional security and enhance strategic stability

China warns Australia over naval operations in the South China Sea

A visiting Chinese official on Tuesday warned Australia to act with "great prudence" in deploying warships in the South China Sea after a recent confrontation between the two navies. Liu Jianchao, the Chinese Communist Party's international minister, gave the warning while speaking at a Sydney university during a trip that paves the way for President Xi Jinping's Australian visit, expected to take place next year. Bilateral relations had been improving recently, but took a downturn when Australia accused the Chinese destroyer CNS Ningbo of injuring Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in Japanese waters on November 14. Australia said China disregarded a safety warning to keep away from the Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba. Liu reiterated China's position that the encounter happened outside Japanese territorial waters and that the Chinese warship caused no harm. We do urge the Australian government and also the military to act with great prudence in this area, Liu said at the .

Australia commits another $168 mn to monitor migrants freed from detention

The Australian government on Monday committed an additional 255 million Australian dollars (USD 168 million) in funding for police and other law enforcement officials to monitor 141 migrants freed when a court ruled their indefinite detention was unconstitutional. The new funding over two years reflects an increase in the workload of law enforcement officials due to government concerns of a heightened community risk posed by those released following a landmark High Court decision on November 8. That ruling said the government could no longer detain indefinitely foreigners who had been refused Australian visas, but could not be deported to their homelands and no third country would accept them. The migrants released due to the High Court ruling were mostly people with criminal records. The group also include people who failed visa character tests on other grounds and some who were challenging visas refusals through the courts. They include refugees and stateless people. Home Affairs

Indian-origin student in coma after being assaulted in Australia: Report

An Indian-origin student in Australia is in a medically induced coma after he was assaulted and a suspect has been taken into custody and charged with criminal assault, according to a media report. The student, who has not been identified, is in his 20s. He is pursuing a master's degree at the University of Tasmania. The incident took place on November 5 at a precinct in Tasmania and the victim had extra jural bleeding' that caused his brain to shift, Sydney-based Special Broadcasting Service reported. According to reports, his right lung collapsed and he had to undergo brain surgery, a procedure lasting several hours. Benjamin Dodge Collings, a 25-year-old resident of Lenah Valley, was taken into custody by police shortly after the event and charged with criminal code assault, an offence carrying a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison. Collings was granted a magistrate bail and is scheduled to return to court on December 4 to respond to the charges, including assault, providing

Dozens evacuate, 10 homes destroyed by wildfire burning on edge of Perth

Dozens of residents have been evacuated and at least 10 homes destroyed by a wildfire burning out of control on the northern fringe of the west coast city of Perth during heat wave spring conditions, authorities said Thursday. There were no deaths reported, but several firefighters had sustained minor injuries including smoke inhalation, Western Australia state Department of Fires and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said. The fire began Wednesday afternoon in a pine tree plantation on Perth's northeast edge and was fanned overnight by 60-kilometre-an-hour winds, incident controller Clinton Kuchel said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The temperature in Perth was forecast to peak at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday which is extraordinarily hot for the Southern Hemisphere spring and winds remained strong. Perth is experiencing heat wave conditions. So overlay that on top of the fire and you can imagine the conditions that our ...

Indian Army contingent departs for Australia for joint military exercise

Joint military exercise, AUSTRAHIND-23, will be conducted from November 22 to December 6, 2023

EAM meets Australian counterpart for Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue

The two leaders will hold discussions on advancing the strategic partnership between the two countries

Australia's Mitchell Marsh rests feet on World Cup trophy, faces backlash

After winning the India vs Australia match, Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was seen celebrating. However, the picture did not go down well with netizens

India vs Australia CWC 2023 final: 10 reasons why India lost the match

Here are the 10 reasons why the Indian cricket team may have lost the final match against Australia on Sunday