Page 5 - Australia

Medicinal cannabis sparks concern in Australia over psychosis, poisonings

More than 1,000 unapproved medicinal cannabis products are available in Australia. People often take these for conditions where we have no strong evidence they work

Australia approves world-first vaccine to save koalas from chlamydia

A regulator has approved a world-first vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia infections, which are causing infertility and death in the iconic native species that is listed as endangered in parts of Australia. The single-dose vaccine was developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland state after more than a decade of research led by professor of microbiology Peter Timms. The research showed the vaccine reduced the likelihood of koalas developing symptoms of chlamydia during breeding age and decreased mortality from the disease in wild populations by at least 65%. The recent approval by Australia's veterinary medicine regulator means the vaccine can now be used in wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics and in the field to protect the nation's most at-risk koalas, Timms said on Wednesday. We knew a single-dose vaccine with no need for a booster was the answer to reducing the rapid, devastating spread of this disease, which accounts for as much as half of koala .

Steve Waugh-backed Australia Essence launches nine luxury brands in India

Australia Essence debuts nine Australian luxury brands in India spanning wellness, lifestyle, food and beverages, betting on the rise of aspirational premium consumers

National Australia Bank cuts 410 jobs, expands roles in India, Vietnam

NAB changes come one day after rival ANZ Group said it would cut 3,500 jobs over the next year as new chief executive Nuno Matos aims to cut duplication and simplify the bank's structure

Australian PM demands apology from senator for anti-Indian migrant remark

Senator Jacinta Price claimed Indian migrants inflate living costs and vote Labor, drawing sharp criticism from PM Albanese and the Indian community

Anti-immigration protests in Australia: Indians power economy, not flood it

Attorney Jordan Tew says Indian migrants are "helping Australia thrive", not overwhelming its economy or services

Australia's anti-immigration group targets Indian migrants: What happened

Thousands marched in Australian cities under the 'March for Australia' banner; officials condemned the rallies as racist and neo-Nazi driven

Man arrested after ramming car into gates of Russian consulate in Sydney

Police said a 39-year-old man drove into the consulate gates after refusing to speak with officers, injuring a 24-year-old constable before being arrested

Australia faces far-right rallies as Indian diaspora continues to grow

Far-right rallies target Indian migration in Australia, as govt condemns racism and diaspora emerges as nation's fastest-growing community

Australian govt condemns campaigns against rising Indian migration

The Australian government has disapproved of the campaigns taking place across various cities against increasing migration of Indians, saying this "brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism" has no place in the country. March for Australia rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, among others, according to the group's website. The Anthony Albanese government stands against the events planned for the weekend, the Australian government said in a release on Thursday. All Australians, no matter their heritage, have the right to feel safe and welcome in our community, the statement said. Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs, was quoted as saying, There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion. Nothing could be less Australian. Minister for Multicultural Affairs Anne Aly said, Multiculturalism is an integral and valued part of our national identity.

India in talks with UAE for financial help to build 1 mn homes in Australia

India is in "deep negotiations" to create 1 million homes in Australia and has reached out to the UAE for financial help on the same, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has said. Goyal, who handles the Commerce and Industry portfolio, pegged this as a USD 500 billion opportunity. "I am in deep negotiation with my counterpart in Australia to create 1 million homes. 1 million homes. Anybody wants to do the maths? A million homes in Australia would be at least USD 500 billion opportunity," Goyal said while speaking here over the weekend. He did not elaborate on details of the project, like the location in Australia, the exact spending by Canberra on it, or India's role in the project. Goyal said New Delhi is proposing to allow Indian workers to go to Australia, get trained on the necessary skill sets required to build homes as per local standards and create the housing. According to some reports, there is a mismatch between demand and supply in Australia, which is blamed for the high home .

Australia expels Iranian ambassador over alleged antisemitic attacks

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Iran of directing at least two antisemitic attacks in Australia and said the country is expelling the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday. Albanese said that Australian intelligence services had connected Iran to attacks on a Sydney restaurant and a Melbourne mosque. There has been a steep rise in antisemitic events in the two cities since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023. ASIO has gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion. The Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks, Albanese told reporters, referring to the main domestic spy agency.

India, Australia conclude 11th round of talks for comprehensive trade pact

India and Australia on Saturday concluded another round of negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. The two countries have implemented an interim trade deal in December 2022, and are now in negotiations to widen its scope into a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. "The 11th Round of India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) negotiations was held in New Delhi from 18-23 August 2025, further advancing the shared objective of strengthening bilateral trade and economic partnership," the commerce ministry said. The negotiations covered a wide range of areas, including goods, services and mobility, digital trade, rules of origin, legal and institutional provisions, environment, labour, and gender, bringing greater understanding for convergence in the remaining provisions, it added. To maintain momentum and achieve convergence, both partners will continue the negotiations in virtual ...

Netanyahu accuses Australia of betrayal for recognising Palestinian State

Ties began taking a turn for the worse last week when Australia announced it would join France, the UK and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at next month's United Nations summit

Google fined $36 mn for anticompetitive deals with top Australian telcos

Google has agreed to pay a 55 million Australian dollar ($36 million) fine for signing anticompetitive deals with Australia's two largest telcos that banned the installation of competing search engines on some smartphones, the US tech giant and Australia's competition watchdog said. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a statement it had commenced proceedings in the Australian Federal Court on Monday against the Singapore-based Google Asia Pacific division. The court will decide whether the AU$50 million ($36 million) penalty is appropriate. Under the anticompetitive agreements, which were in place for 15 months until March 2021, Telstra and Optus only pre-installed Google Search on Android phones sold to customers. Other search engines were excluded. In return, the telcos received a share of the advertisement revenue Google generated from those customers. Google accepted that the agreements were likely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition,

Qantas fined $59 million for illegally sacking 1,800 staff during Covid

A judge on Monday fined Qantas Airways 90 million Australian dollars (USD 59 million) for illegally firing more than 1,800 ground staff at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The penalty is in addition to the AUD 120 million (USD 78 million) in compensation that Australia's biggest airline had already agreed to pay its former employees. Australian Federal Court Justice Michael Lee said the outsourcing of 1,820 baggage handler and cleaner jobs at Australian airports in late 2020 was the largest and most significant contravention of relevant Australian labour laws in their 120-year history. Qantas agreed in December last year to pay AUD 120 million (USD 78 million) in compensation to former staff after seven High Court judges unanimously rejected the Sydney-based airline's appeal against the judgment that outsourcing their jobs was illegal. The Transport Workers Union, which took the airline to court, had argued the airline should receive the largest fine available AUD 121,212,000 (

Australian lawyer apologises for AI-generated errors in murder case

A senior lawyer in Australia has apologised to a judge for filing submissions in a murder case that included fake quotes and non-existent case judgments generated by artificial intelligence. The blunder in the Supreme Court of Victoria state is another in a litany of mishaps AI has caused in justice systems around the world. Defence lawyer Rishi Nathwani, who holds the prestigious legal title of King's Counsel, took full responsibility for filing incorrect information in submissions in the case of a teenager charged with murder, according to court documents seen by The Associated Press on Friday. We are deeply sorry and embarrassed for what occurred, Nathwani told Justice James Elliott on Wednesday, on behalf of the defence team. The AI-generated errors caused a 24-hour delay in resolving a case that Elliott had hoped to conclude on Wednesday. Elliott ruled on Thursday that Nathwani's client, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, was not guilty of murder because of mental

India, Australia hold talks on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation

India and Australia on Tuesday held talks focusing on developments relating to nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and security of outer space. The discussions took place at a meeting of India-Australia bilateral dialogue on disarmament, non-proliferation and export control. "The two sides discussed developments in the areas of nuclear, chemical, biological disarmament and non-proliferation, outer space security-related matters, conventional weapons including AI in military domain and multilateral export control regimes," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. It said the dialogue facilitated enhanced mutual understanding and appreciation of national perspectives and global developments on non-proliferation and disarmament issues. The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) in the MEA. The Australian side was led by Vanessa Wood, Ambassador for Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation in the

Asia stocks mostly on the rise as tariff truce supports sentiment

Markets have held modest ranges in recent weeks, waiting to see whether the world's two largest economies can agree on a durable trade deal or if global supply chains will again be upended

Australia to recognise Palestinian state; joins France, Britain, Canada

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday, joining the leaders of France, Britain and Canada in signalling they would do so. His remarks followed weeks of urging from within his Cabinet and from many in Australia to recognise a Palestinian state and amid growing criticism from officials in his government over suffering in Gaza, which Albanese on Monday referred to as a humanitarian catastrophe. Australia's government has also criticised plans announced in recent days by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu for a sweeping new military offensive in Gaza. Albanese told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Monday that Australia's decision to recognise a Palestinian state will be formalised at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The acknowledgement was predicated on commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority, Albanese said. Those commitments included no role for Hamas in a Palestinian government, ...