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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives has ramped up pressure on the United States and Britain to end the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by passing a motion calling for the Australian citizen to be allowed to return to his home country. Independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie moved the motion on Wednesday one week ahead of Britain’s High Court of Justice hearing Assange’s appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Leaders of both the government and the opposition have publicly stated that the United States’ pursuit of the 52-year-old had dragged on for too long. Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton on Thursday welcomed the lawmakers' vote, adding that his notorious sibling could potentially be extradited to the United States next week. Senior opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan said the motion did not reflect his party’s wish that the prosecution progress more quickly.

Persons: Julian Assange, Andrew Wilkie, Anthony Albanese, Assange, Gabriel Shipton, he’ll, ” Shipton, Wilkie, Albanese, Australia’s, Joe Biden, State Anthony Blinken, Dan Tehan, ” Tehan, Tehan, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Barack Obama Organizations: —, Independent, Australian, Ecuadorian Embassy, House, U.S, State, WikiLeaks, Army, Manning’s Locations: MELBOURNE, Australia, United States, Britain, Britain’s, Ecuadorian, London, Sweden

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Australia won the Cricket World Cup for a record-extending sixth time Sunday, ending India’s dominant run in its home tournament with a six-wicket victory in a low-scoring final on the back of Travis Head’s 137. A heavily pro-Indian crowd inside the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium was silenced as Head combined with Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out ) in a 192-run partnership to chase down the target of 241. Head was dismissed off what proved to be the next-to-last ball of the match, caught in the deep while attempting to hit a title-clinching boundary. In came Glenn Maxwell and he ran two off his first ball, securing a victory that prompted fireworks above the world’s largest cricket venue. Australia finished the tournament with a run of nine straight wins, after starting with back-to-back defeats to India and South Africa.

Persons: Travis Head’s, Narendra Modi, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist –, Rohit Sharma, ___ Organizations: — Australia, Cricket, Indians Locations: AHMEDABAD, India, Australia, South Africa

☆ Nepal bans TikTok because of ‘disruption’ to social harmony
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Sugam Pokharel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London/Hong Kong CNN —Nepal has decided to ban TikTok because the popular short video app was disrupting social structures in the South Asian nation, government officials say. “Considering how TikTok is disrupting our social harmony, and the impact it’s having on our family and social structures, the cabinet has decided to ban TikTok for the moment,” Rekha Sharma, Nepal’s minister of communication and information technology, told a press conference on Monday. Purushottam Khanal, chair of the Telecommunications Authority, has asked internet service providers to cut access to the app, the country’s state-run Nepal Television said in a Monday report. In February, the White House told federal agencies that they had 30 days to remove TikTok from all government-issued devices. Australia announced in April that the app would have to be removed from federal government devices.

Persons: ” Rekha Sharma, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, ”, Purushottam Khanal, TikTok Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Monday, CNN, Telecommunications Authority, Nepal, WorldLink Communications, Reuters, —, New Zealand, White House, Australia Locations: Hong Kong, Nepal, India, Bhaktapur, United States, — Australia, Britain, Canada, New

☆ Saudi Arabia set to host 2034 World Cup after Australia decides not to bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia looks set to be the host of the 2034 World Cup after the only other country to have shown an interest in hosting — Australia — made a last-minute decision not to bid. Some fans were also frustrated at the location, as the World Cup took place in the winter due to the Gulf region's soaring summer temperatures. The 2030 FIFA World Cup, meanwhile, will be hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with the three opening matches to be played in South America. Saudi Arabia is criticized for its well-documented human rights violations, abuses of women's rights and criminalization of homosexuality. Amnesty International reported that Saudi Arabia in 2022 oversaw the highest number of yearly executions in 30 years, with 196 people killed.

Persons: Australia —, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: Australia, Football Australia, Amnesty International, Saudi Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, South America, Saudi

☆ Australia, EU trade deal likely years away after talks fail
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Canberra — Australia has rejected European Union proposals for a free trade agreement, and a deal is now unlikely to be reached for several years, Australian government ministers said Monday. “I came to Osaka with the intention to finalize a free trade agreement,” Farrell said in a statement. “We just weren’t able to see the EU increase its offer for things like beef, sheep, dairy, sugar enough for us to think that this deal was in Australia’s national interest,” he told ABC Radio. The EU signed a trade deal with New Zealand last year that lowered tariffs for EU exports including clothing, chemicals and cars, and allowed more New Zealand beef, lamb, butter and cheese into the EU. “It’s disappointing the Europeans weren’t willing to put something commercially meaningful on the table,” National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke said in a statement.

Persons: Don Farrell, “, ” Farrell, ”, Murray Watt, —, Valdis Dombrovskis, Australia’s Watt, “ It’s, David Jochinke Organizations: Canberra, EU, Australian Trade, Australia, ABC Radio, New Zealand, National Farmers ’ Federation Locations: Australia, Europe, Osaka, New Zealand, Canada, South America, Zealand

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Australian Minjee Lee weathered a late rally by Alison Lee to eventually defeat the American on the first playoff hole and win the LPGA South Korea tournament on Sunday. “These last few holes, I was quite excited to play, and you know, we always want to be putting ourselves in that position, in the contending position, week-in, week-out and I was lucky enough to do it this week," Minjee Lee said. It was 27-year-old Minjee Lee's 10th tour title and second win in her last three starts after claiming the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati in July. Angel Yin (67) followed her breakthrough win at the LPGA Shanghai event last week with a fourth-place finish at 13-under 275. The South Korea tournament is the second of four in the LPGA Tour ’s Asian swing after opening in Shanghai last week.

Persons: Lee, Alison Lee, Minjee Lee, It’s, Sunday's, Jan Stephenson, Karrie Webb, America's Lee, ”, Lydia Ko, Angel Yin, Celine Boutier, Boutier, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Jeonguen Lee, Atthaya Thitikul, Jiyai Shin, Ashleigh Buhai, Lilia Vu, ___ Organizations: LPGA South Korea, Kroger, City Championship, ”, Zealander, LPGA Shanghai, Scottish, Evian Championship, South Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Seoul, Cincinnati, Australia, Korean, Shanghai, Malaysia, Japan

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will visit China in early November, making the announcement Sunday hours before he was to fly to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden. Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years when he travels to Beijing and Shanghai on Nov. 4-7. The visit will come near the 50th anniversary of Labor Party leader Gough Whitlam becoming the first Australian prime minister to visit the People's Republic of China in 1973. Albanese accepted an invitation weeks ago to visit China this year, but finding suitable dates had been challenging. It will be the ninth time Biden has met with Albanese as prime minister.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Albanese, “, ” Albanese, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Gough Whitlam, Biden, Cheng Lei, “ We’ll, ”, “ I’ve Organizations: Australian, House, U.S, China, Labor Party, World Trade Organization, Biden, Economic Cooperation, Darwin Port, Shandong Landbridge Group Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, China, United States, Beijing, Shanghai, United Kingdom, U.S, Britain, People's Republic of China, Washington, Asia, San Francisco, Tokyo, Japan, India, Darwin

The Lynas refinery in Malaysia, its first outside China producing minerals that are crucial to high-tech manufacturing, has been operating in central Pahang state since 2012. Lynas's operating license was extended by six months until Dec. 31. To again renew its license, Lynas must move its cracking and leaching processes — which produce the radioactive waste from Australian ore — out of Malaysia. Key variables include include the operating license conditions in Malaysia and the start-up and commissioning process in Kalgoorlie,” it said. It is one of Asia’s largest radioactive waste cleanup sites.

Persons: Lynas Organizations: Malaysian, Malaysia —, Japan’s Mitsubishi Group, — Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, China, Pahang, Kalgoorlie, Australia, ”, Perak

☆ Australians overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to give Indigenous people greater rights in a major setback for reconciliation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Australians voted "No" on a proposal to give Indigenous peoples greater rights in the country. The proposal was to create a body to advise parliament on Indigenous issues. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians resoundingly rejected on Saturday a referendum proposal to create an advocacy committee to offer advice to Parliament on policies that affect Indigenous people — the nation's most disadvantaged ethnic minority. Opponents said the Voice would divide Australians along racial lines without reducing Indigenous disadvantages.

Persons: —, resoundingly, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, " Albanese, Tanya Hosch, we're, Hosch, Peter Dutton accused Albanese, Dutton Organizations: Peoples of Australia, Service, Voice Locations: CANBERRA, Australia

You can use free Cricket World Cup live streams to watch Australia vs. India. Where to watch Australia vs. India Cricket World Cup live streams freeAustralia is one of the only countries with a free Cricket World Cup live stream, courtesy of streaming service 9Now (some will be on sister channel 9Gem; check full TV guide listings here). You won't find every scheduled Cricket World Cup match there, but you can be sure all the matches that Australia's playing will air, including Australia vs. India. Here's a complete list of free matches you can view at 9Now:Date Match October 8 Australia vs. India October 12 Australia vs. South Africa October 14 India vs. Pakistan October 16 Australia vs. Sri Lanka October 20 Australia vs. Pakistan October 21 England vs. South Africa October 22 India vs. New Zealand October 25 Australia vs. Netherlands October 28 Australia vs. New Zealand October 29 India vs. England November 4 Australia vs. England November 5 India vs. South Africa November 7 Australia vs. Afghanistan November 11 Australia vs. Bangladesh November 15 Semi-Final 1 November 16 Semi-Final 2 November 19 FinalNormally, 9Now requires you to be an Australian resident, but you can use a VPN to circumvent the block and sign up for a free account to access the streaming service. Watch Australia vs. India.

Persons: Here's, 9Now, ExpressVPN Organizations: ICC, Cricket, Australia, India Cricket, Sri, Zealand, England, ESPN Plus, Cricket World, Sky Sports Cricket Locations: Australia, 9Now, Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Netherlands, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Australian, United States, Zealand

Other participating countries include India (2-time winners), Pakistan (1), Sri Lanka (1), Afghanistan, New Zealand, South Africa, and Bangladesh. Here's a complete list of free matches you can view at 9Now:Date Match Oct. 5 England vs. New Zealand Oct. 8 Australia vs. India Oct. 12 Australia vs. South Africa Oct. 14 India vs. Pakistan Oct. 16 Australia vs. Sri Lanka Oct. 20 Australia vs. Pakistan Oct. 21 England vs. South Africa Oct. 22 India vs. New Zealand Oct. 25 Australia vs. Netherlands Oct. 28 Australia vs. New Zealand Oct. 29 India vs. England Nov. 4 Australia vs. England Nov. 5 India vs. South Africa Nov. 7 Australia vs. Afghanistan Nov. 11 Australia vs. Bangladesh Nov. 15 Semi-Final 1 Nov. 16 Semi-Final 2 Nov. 19 FinalNormally, 9Now requires you to be an Australian resident, but you can use a VPN to circumvent the block and sign up for a free account to access the streaming service. When: October 5 - November 19How to watch the Cricket World Cup in the UKSky Sports Cricket is your destination to watch Cricket World Cup games in the UK. How to watch Cricket World Cup in AustraliaYou have some nice options for watching Cricket World Cup games in Australia. How to watch the Cricket World Cup in USAESPN Plus will show all the Cricket World Cup matches for US viewers.

Persons: Here's, 9Now, ExpressVPN Organizations: ICC, Cricket, England, Australia, South, ESPN Plus, Cricket World, ESPN, Sky Sports Cricket, Sports, Australian, Foxtel, Kayo Sports, USA ESPN, Zealand Locations: England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, 9Now, Zealand, Africa, Netherlands, Australian, United States

☆ U.S. readout excludes India-Canada rift as Blinken meets India's top diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrive for a photo spray and brief remarks at the U.S. State Department September 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Washington on Thursday, but the U.S. readout did not mention the spiraling dispute between India and Canada. Trudeau went public with "credible allegations" on Sept. 18, accusing the Indian government of orchestrating the murder. The deepening rift between the two sides is concerning Canada's closest allies — Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. If allegations are true, this may well derail the U.S. courtship of India as a partner in a broader Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at countering China.

Persons: Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Antony Blinken, Drew Angerer, Justin Trudeau, Trudeau, Blinken, Trudeau's, Hardeep Singh Nijjar Organizations: Affairs, U.S . State, Getty, Canadian, U.S, Ottawa Locations: Washington ,, Washington, U.S, India, Canada, New Delhi, Canadian, Australia, United Kingdom, United States, China

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Australia and China opened their first high-level dialogue in three years Thursday in a sign of a slight thaw to relations between countries that have clashed on everything from human rights to COVID-19 origins to trade. Australia's current Foreign Minister Penny Wong has sought to stabilize the two countries' relationship since her party won elections last year. China's and Australia’s relations sank to low depths during the pandemic. In response, China effectively blocked out Australian barley in 2020 by imposing an 80.5% tariff, widely regarded in Australia as punishment. “We continue to advocate for positive progress on the cases of Australians detained in China,” Emerson said.

Persons: ”, Craig Emerson, Li Zhaoxing, Penny Wong, Anthony Albanese, China's Premier Li Qiang, “, Premier Li, ” Albanese, Xi Jinping, Cheng Lei, ” Emerson Organizations: —, Australian, U.S, Australia's, China's Premier, Association of Southeast, Nations, Huawei Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, — Australia, China, Beijing, U.S, Australia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Asia, asia

☆ Employees in Asia are spending the most time looking busy at work, says Slack report
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Workers in Asia are spending the most time on "performative work" — in other words, focusing on appearing busy more than doing real, productive work. Japan (63%), Singapore (63%) and India (57%) were ranked lowest for percentage of time spent on productive or "real work," Slack said. According to Laney, employees' focus on appearing busy is "likely influenced" by the way leaders are measuring productivity. For example, 44% of Singapore employees — the highest globally — say their productivity has been affected by spending "too much time" in meetings and emails. "There is an opportunity for companies to explore new and different ways of working, such as … adopting asynchronous ways of working rather than meetings, to facilitate more effective collaboration at work," Laney said.

Persons: Derek Laney, Slack, Laney, they're Organizations: Asia Pacific . Workers, Salesforce, Global, U.S, Derek Laney Technology, Employees Locations: Asia, India, Japan, Singapore, France, Kingdom, Australia, Germany, States, Korea, South Korea

☆ Australia's Canva expands A.I.-powered design business to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Melanie Perkins, co-founder & chief executive of Australian graphic design firm Canva, says the business is in a "uniquely strong position" as it expands to Europe. LONDON — Australian graphic design company Canva believes it is in a "uniquely strong position" to withstand industry headwinds as it embarks on a European expansion. The Sydney-based software company opened its new Europe headquarters in London last month as it competes with tech heavyweights Adobe and Microsoft to attract individual and enterprise users to its design suite. Canva, which offers both free and paid tools for designing websites, presentations and social content, had annualized revenues of $1.5 billion in the year to May. Of its 135 million global users, 16% are in Europe.

Persons: Melanie Perkins, Canva, Perkins, We've Organizations: LONDON, Adobe, Microsoft, CNBC, WPP, Unilever, Rolls Royce Locations: Europe, Sydney, London

Mr. Zelensky, American and British officials say, seems to sense that when he shows up in person, he can both break through American resistance to sending more powerful weapons and pressure nations like India and Brazil that have stayed on the sidelines. Even before he arrived, Mr. Zelensky had won a significant victory. Mr. Biden met with the other leaders of the so-called Quad — Australia, India and Japan — on Saturday night. Mr. Zelensky will also meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan on Sunday, the Kyodo News agency reported. The G7 leaders have already pledged at the summit to toughen punishments on Moscow and redouble efforts to choke off funding for its war.

☆ IEA says clean energy manufacturing set for substantial growth as world enters 'new industrial age'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The world's second largest economy is a major force in technologies crucial to the planned energy transition. "The related clean energy manufacturing jobs would more than double from 6 million today to nearly 14 million by 2030," the IEA said, "and further rapid industrial and employment growth is expected in the following decades as transitions progress." Its report highlighted "potentially risky levels of concentration in clean energy supply chains — both for the manufacturing of technologies and the materials on which they rely." China, it said, was dominating both the production and trade of "most clean energy technologies." "Meanwhile, a great deal of the mining for critical minerals is concentrated in a small number of countries," it added.

☆ Australian Parliament censures former prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday listed his achievements in government including standing up to a “bullying” China as he unsuccessfully argued against being censured by Parliament for secretly amassing multiple ministerial powers. A censure motion against Morrison, who remains an opposition lawmaker, has no effect other than to tarnish his political legacy. The censure motion said that by failing to inform his Cabinet, Parliament and the Australian people of his additional ministerial powers, Morrison had undermined responsible government and eroded public trust in Australia’s democracy. Morrison’s successor, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, this month held Australia’s first official bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since Morrison’s predecessor, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in 2016. In calling for Morrison’s censure, Albanese said the former prime minister had demonstrated hubris, arrogance and denial but no contrition.

☆ Australia argues against ‘endangered’ status for Great Barrier Reef
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s environment minister said Tuesday her government will lobby against UNESCO adding the Great Barrier Reef to a list of endangered World Heritage sites. The report, which recommended shifting the Great Barrier Reef to endangered status, followed a 10-day mission in March to the famed reef system off Australia’s northeast coast that was added to the World Heritage list in 1981. “We’ll very clearly make the point to UNESCO that there is no need to single the Great Barrier Reef out in this way” with an endangered listing, Plibersek told reporters. “If the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, then every coral reef in the world is in danger,” Plibersek said. The Great Barrier Reef accounts for around 10% of the world’s coral reef ecosystems.

☆ Australia has bulwark against China slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The country is Australia’s biggest trading partner, accounting for up to a third of its roughly A$475 billion ($303 billion) of annual exports. Its voracious demand over the past three decades helped Australia enjoy almost 30 years without a recession until the 2020 pandemic. As Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ first budget on Tuesday shows, though, Australia has some shock absorbers. If it doesn’t Australia won’t be able to escape the fallout entirely, but at least has some defences. Australia’s budget deficit for the financial year to June 30 2023 is expected to be A$36.9 billion ($23.3 billion).

☆ Australia drops recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has reversed a previous government’s recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the foreign minister said Tuesday, prompting consternation from Israel. The Cabinet also reaffirmed that Jerusalem’s status must be resolved in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it would summon the Australian ambassador over the issue. She described former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as out of step internationally. Only a handful of countries, including Kosovo and Guatemala, have joined the U.S. in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Spanish firm Genaq extracts water through the air with atmospheric generators. Since 2008, the company has been investing in researching, development, and industrialization of atmospheric water generators produced in Lucena. "In the air we breathe there is a certain degree of humidity which is actually water. From there, teams can dispense the water they just produced on-site for all sorts of situations — from emergencies and dwindling water supplies to a total water shortage. "In many cases, the water we're producing is no longer an extra or alternative water supply; it's the main source of water," says Inmaculada Armenteros.

☆ The world's largest trade deal could be signed in 2020 — and the US isn't in it
▼ + stars: | 2019-11-12 | by ( Yen Nee Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Manan Vatsyayana | AFP | Getty ImagesAfter more than six years of negotiations, more than a dozen countries in Asia Pacific are now aiming to sign what would be the world's largest trade agreement in 2020. All 16 countries started negotiating RCEP in 2013, when talks for another major trade pact — the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP — were underway. Given China's absence in the then U.S.-led TPP, which was slated to be the world's largest trade deal, many observers considered RCEP a way for Beijing to counter American influence in the region. The final text with details of the trade agreement will go through legal reviews before being signed and released. Deborah Elms, executive director at consultancy Asian Trade Centre, told Reuters that would help Asian producers to sell more of their products to the rest of the region.

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