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☆ Opinion: A Sydney ‘copshop’ with a dark history. And the gay community reclaiming it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Nunn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Police arrest a protester during a gay rights demonstration, which would become known as the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, June 1978. A permanent place to learn and healThere’s never been a more crucial time to record and display the stories and history of my LGBTQI community. LGBTQ+ activists demonstrate in what would evolve into the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, 1978. Many arrested gay men were sent to Cooma — the world’s only known jail for gay men — also in New South Wales. My gay community finally gets to tell their own history in a venue that imprisoned and beat us for simply being ourselves.

Persons: Gary Nunn, Read, Gary Nunn Qtopia, Sydney’s, Anthony Albanese, “ ‘, ”, Darlo copshop, Steve Warren, Peter Murphy, Murphy, Qtopia, They’ve, videographers, There’s, —, David Polson, wasn’t, “, Cooma, David hasn’t, He’s Organizations: Sydney CNN, Darlinghurst Police, “ ‘ 78ers, ‘ 78ers, 78ers, Police, Sydney Gay, Mardi Gras, Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, Getty, Warren, Mardi, South Wales, Gay, NSW police, Goliath Locations: Sydney, Australia, Darlinghurst, San Francisco, London, South, Qtopia, New South Wales, Uganda, Malaysia, Guyana, Dominica, Nigeria, Pakistan

☆ Papua New Guinea: Dozens killed as tribal violence erupts in restive highlands
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Angus Watson | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —At least 49 bodies were found at the site of a gun battle between tribes in Papua New Guinea’s remote highlands, police told CNN Monday, in a gruesome escalation of hostilities in the country. Those killed were believed to be warring members of the Ambulin and Sikin tribes who were armed with “military style” automatic weapons, according to Enga Province Police Commander George Kakas. It is home to hundreds of tribes across the archipelago’s remote terrain where tribal feuds often stem from land and wealth disputes. Hostilities between the Ambulin and Sikin tribes began in 2021 over a piece of land and has since spiraled into a constant cycle of violence, Kakas said. Members of the Amublin tribe had “got wind of the Sikin staging an attack early in the morning, so they were waiting for them – setting up an ambush,” Kakas told CNN.

Persons: George Kakas, Kakas, ” Kakas, “, ”, ” Anthony Albanese, ” Albanese Organizations: CNN, Enga Province Police, Police, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio, Australia Locations: Papua, Enga Province, Lai, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Pacific, Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Anthony Albanese has become the first Australian prime minister to get engaged while in office, revealing Thursday that his partner accepted his marriage proposal on Valentine's Day. The first-term prime minister said he had planned both the date and place of the proposal and even helped design Haydon’s diamond ring. Albanese wants Australia to become a republic with an Australian head of state. “I’ll be there, throwing roses out in front of you, prime minister. Albanese is only the second prime minister to live with a common law partner at the Lodge.

Persons: — Anthony Albanese, Jodie Haydon, Albanese, ” Albanese, Australia's, “ We’ll, Haydon, “ It’s, ” Haydon, Peter Dutton, King Charles III, Dutton, ” Dutton, “, Julia Gillard Locations: MELBOURNE, Australia, Italian, British, Australian, Indonesia

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

☆ Australia PM Backs Parliament Motion Calling for Julian Assange's Release
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The motion, moved by independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie, was passed on Wednesday with 86 votes in favour and 42 against after it was supported by the Labor government. "(The motion) will send a powerful political signal to the British government and to the U.S. government," Wilkie told parliament ahead of the vote. Assange's supporters say he has been victimised because he exposed U.S. wrongdoing and potential crimes, including in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Washington says the release of the secret documents put lives in danger. Australia's Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Assange's extradition was raised in a meeting with his U.S. counterpart Merrick Garland in Washington last month.

Persons: Renju Jose SYDNEY, Anthony Albanese, Julian Assange, Andrew Wilkie, Wilkie, Assange, Albanese, Mark Dreyfus, Merrick Garland, Dreyfus, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed Organizations: Australia's, WikiLeaks, London's, Labor, ., Britain, Australian Broadcasting Corp, U.S Locations: Australia, United States, Australian, Britain, Afghanistan, Iraq, Washington, Sydney

☆ Australia to allow workers to ignore unreasonable after-hours calls and messages from bosses
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Australia will introduce laws giving workers the right to ignore unreasonable calls and messages from their bosses outside of work hours without penalty, with potential fines for employers that breach the rule. Similar laws giving employees a right to switch off their devices are already in place in France, Spain and other countries in the European Union. The provision stops employees from working unpaid overtime through a right to disconnect from unreasonable contact out of hours, Burke said. The bill also includes other provisions like a clearer pathway from temporary to permanent work and minimum standards for temporary workers and truck drivers. A deal had been reached between Labor, smaller parties and independents to support this bill, Greens leader Adam Bandt said on Twitter.

Persons: Tony Burke, Burke, isn’t, they’re, Anthony Albanese, Adam Bandt, ” Bandt, ’ Organizations: Reuters, European Union, Labor, ”, Greens, Twitter Locations: Australia, France, Spain

☆ Australia and China: Rebound in Ties Threatened by Death Sentence for Australian Writer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

China's then ambassador to Australia says that in response to the call, the Chinese public would boycott Australian wine, beef and tourism. Nov. 27, 2020 - China will impose temporary anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine, China announces. Jan. 3, 2023 - China allows three government-backed utilities and its top steelmaker to resume coal imports from Australia. Oct. 11, 2023 - China releases Australian journalist Cheng Lei after three years in a Beijing prison on national security charges. Oct. 22, 2023 - China agrees to review dumping tariffs of 218% on Australian wine, potentially clearing way for the resumption of imports.

Persons: Yang Hengjun, Anthony Albanese, China's, Cheng Lei, Albanese, Xi Jinping, Jan, Li, Kirsty Needham, Antoni Slodkowski, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, South China, Huawei Technologies Co, Australia's Labor Party Locations: Beijing, Canberra, China, South, Australia, Indonesia, Japan

☆ Lowitja O’Donohue, trailblazer for indigenous Australian rights, dead at 91
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Lowitja O’Donoghue, one of the most respected and influential Aboriginal activists in Australian history, has died at age 91. Other titles included Australian of the Year in 1984, Australian National Living Treasure in 1998 and many others. O'Donoghue won many accolades and titles for her fierce campaigning for the health and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Mark Baker/AFP/Getty ImagesIn 2010, the Lowitja Institute was established in her honor, to promote the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “Aunty Lowitja dedicated her entire lifetime of work to the rights, health, and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Persons: Lowitja, O’Donoghue, Pope John Paul II, O'Donoghue, Mark Baker, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, ”, Nana Organizations: CNN, Torres Strait, of, British Empire, Royal Adelaide Hospital, United Nations General, Getty, Lowitja, Aboriginal Locations: Adelaide, of Australia, British, Irish, Indulkana, South Australia, Australian, AFP, Australia

An Australian writer and businessman who has been detained in China since 2019 has been declared guilty of espionage and was given a death sentence with two years’ probation on Monday, in a blow to warming relations between Australia and China. If Mr. Yang does not commit any crimes in those probationary two years, the sentence can be commuted to life imprisonment, Penny Wong, the Australian foreign minister, said in a statement. She described the verdict as “harrowing.”The long detention of Mr. Yang — who is also known by his legal name, Yang Jun — has been one of the sources of tensions between Australia and China. Now the severe sentence may again weigh on relations, which had been improving after the election of a new, center-left Labor government in Australia in 2022. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, visited Beijing late last year and has pressed for Mr. Yang’s release.

Persons: Yang Hengjun, Yang, Penny Wong, Yang —, Yang Jun —, Anthony Albanese Organizations: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Labor Locations: Australian, China, Australia, Beijing

☆ Australia PM to Introduce Bill to Reshape Tax Cuts on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

"We'll release the actual legislation later today it will be introduced into the parliament on Tuesday," Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. He said he wanted the bill passed "during this existing session" of federal parliament, which resumes on Feb. 6. The new policy, recently announced, will see people earning up to A$135,000 ($88,763) fall into lower tax brackets from July 1. For some high-income earners tax breaks will nearly halve, with the savings redirected to those on low incomes. Albanese flagged last month that his centre-left government would soon legislate the changes but did not specify a timeline.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Labour Locations: Sydney

☆ Australia PM Says Government 'Examining' Claims Against UN Palestinian Agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday his government was probing claims that some staff of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, after Australia paused funding to the aid agency last month. Australia is one of several countries to have halted funding for UNRWA, a critical source of support in Gaza, after Israeli claims of U.N. employees' complicity with Hamas. "We're examining it, along with other like-minded countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesLate last month, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency. The agency has opened an investigation into several employees and has severed ties with those people, it has said.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Sam McKeith Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Australia, UNRWA, Australian Broadcasting Corp, European Union Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Australia, Gaza, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Sydney

☆ Australia's New South Wales State Premier Condemns Neo-Nazi Rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The premier of Australia's New South Wales state condemned on Sunday a neo-Nazi rally in the state capital Sydney as "appalling", a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said neo-Nazism was on the rise in the country. "Police are meeting these obnoxious and appalling racists head-on in New South Wales streets," Premier Chris Minns told reporters in Sydney, describing the event as a "neo-Nazi demonstration". The prime minister said Australia had seen a rise in neo-Nazism, which was condemned "by all decent people". At the time, the centre-left Labor government said the laws sent a clear message there was no place in Australia for those who glorify the Holocaust or terrorist acts. (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Chris Minns, Albanese, Sam McKeith, Kim Coghill Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Nazi, Police, Labor Locations: Australia's New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Israel, Gaza

SYDNEY (AP) — Thousands of Australians protested the anniversary of British colonization of their country with large crowds Friday urging for Australia Day to be moved and for a day of mourning on the holiday some call "Invasion Day." The holiday marks the arrival of 11 British ships carrying convicts at Port Jackson in present-day Sydney on Jan. 26, 1788. For many activists, the day marked the beginning of a sustained period of discrimination and expulsion of Indigenous people from their land without a treaty. Large crowds in Sydney chanted for the Australia Day date to be moved. The government had proposed the first constitutional change since 1977 as a step forward in Indigenous rights.

Persons: James Cook, resoundingly, Anthony Albanese Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia, Port Jackson, Sydney, Torres Strait Locations: Port, Sydney, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, Asia, asia

☆ Thousands Protest Australia Day Holiday With 'Invasion Day' Rallies
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Thousand's marked Australia's national day on Friday with "Invasion Day" rallies in support of the country's Indigenous community, many of whom oppose celebrating the day a British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788. Australia Day commemorates the day Britain established the state of New South Wales a penal colony, arriving in what is now the state capital Sydney with a "First Fleet" bringing colonists and convicts. Many people celebrate the holiday with barbecues and trips to the beach, and it is also a popular date for immigrants to receive their Australian citizenship. In Sydney, thousands of protesters, many waving Indigenous flags, gathered in the city centre at an "Invasion Day" rally before a march that closed nearby city streets. Two statues of colonial figures were vandalised in Melbourne earlier this week ahead of the contentious national holiday.

Persons: Browne, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Sydney Harbour, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Labor Party Locations: British, Sydney, Britain, New South Wales, Victoria's Melbourne, Canberra, Melbourne

☆ Australia's Labor Government Defends Shift in Personal Tax Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The government has reached a "different view" about the already-legislated tax cuts, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said, as the conservative opposition coalition criticised the government for breaking an election pledge of retaining the tax cuts. Chalmers said the tax policy shift would help build trust as it was designed to provide more cost-of-living relief for more people without stoking inflation. Under the new policy, people earning up to A$140,000 ($92,050) will enjoy lower taxes from July 1, Australian media reported. A 37% tax band would be retained for some high earners, with the savings redirected to those on low incomes. That has dented Albanese's ratings since his 2022 election win.

Persons: Renju Jose SYDNEY, Jim Chalmers, Chalmers, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, reneging, James Paterson, Renju Jose, Richard Chang Organizations: Labor, Channel, National Press, Labor Party, Home Affairs, Sky News Locations: Sydney

☆ Crown Prince Frederik to become King of Denmark as Queen Margrethe II abdicates
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —For many in Denmark, Queen Margrethe II is the only monarch they’ve ever known. But on Sunday, a new era will get underway when she hands over to her son, Crown Prince Frederik. This means that she will be able to perform duties as head of state when both King Frederik or Crown Prince Christian are not able, such as if they were overseas. King Frederik X will rule alongside his Australian-born and hugely popular wife, Queen Mary – which will undoubtedly delight her proud admirers back home. “The story of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is one Australians have followed closely and hold dear to their hearts,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Persons: Queen Margrethe II, they’ve, Crown Prince Frederik, King Charles III’s, of, Martin Sylvest Andersen, Frederik, Mary, Christian, Frederik VIII’s Palace, Margrethe, Kongens, Jørgen’s, King Frederik X, Queen Mary, King Frederik, Prince Christian, Frederik’s, Prince Joachim, Princess Benedikte, Mette Frederiksen, Frederik VIII, X, Christiansborg, Sixtus, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix, Trine Villemann, Jens Otto Krag, Margrethe II, ”, Birgitte Borup, Berlingske, “, Danes, King Eric III, Borup, Queen Mary –, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, Justin Tynan, King, Queen of, Anthony Albanese, Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary of, MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN, Isabella, Vincent, Josephine, Mary’s, she’s Organizations: CNN, Guard, Squadron, State, Danish Royal House, Danish, Getty, “, Danes, British Locations: Denmark, Danish, Europe, Christiansborg, Copenhagen, of Denmark, Greenland, Faroe, Amalienborg, Frederiksgade, d’Angleterre, Holmens, Holmen, AFP, Sydney, Hobart , Tasmania, Darling Harbour, Queen of Denmark, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Tasmania, Australia

☆ Australia walks a tight rope on trade with China as security concerns mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 6, 2023. While trade compulsions have forced the Asia-Pacific nation to reach out to China, security concerns over Beijing's South China Sea claims have prevented a reset in ties. Trade talksPart of Beijing's calculus is rooted in Australia economic dependence on China. According to the Australian government, China is its largest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of the country's total trade with the world. Australia is already closely watching potential flashpoints in the South China Sea, and in regard to Taiwan," Economist Intelligence Unit analysts said in a note.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Anthony Albanese, Ding Haitao, coronavirus, Darren Lim, Lee McLean, McLean, we've, Albanese, We've Organizations: Australian, of, People, Getty Images, Xinhua, Agency, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Australian National University, Labor, Australia, U.S ., China Hub . Trade, CNBC, Sky News Australia, Economist Intelligence, U.S Locations: Beijing, China, Xinhua, Australia, Asia, Pacific, Canberra, U.S, South China, Taiwan, The Hague, Philippines

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Survivors of the harmful morning sickness drug thalidomide were in the public gallery Wednesday when Australia’s Parliament made a national apology to them on the 62nd anniversary of the drug being withdrawn from sale in the country. “Today, on behalf of the people of Australia, our government and this Parliament offers a full unreserved and overdue apology to all thalidomide survivors, their families, loved ones, and carers,” Albanese said. The apology was recommended in 2019 by a Senate inquiry into the support that was available to aging thalidomide survivors. The government will fulfill another recommendation Thursday by opening a memorial in Canberra in recognition of thalidomide survivors and their families. Australia established a support program in 2020 that is providing lifelong assistance to 148 survivors, and Albanese said his government was reopening the program to survivors who had yet to register.

Persons: thalidomide, Anthony Albanese’s, “, ” Albanese, Trish Jackson, ” Jackson, Albanese, Jackson, “ It’s Organizations: —, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Diageo Scotland Ltd Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, Canberra, Zealand, British

SYDNEY, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Australia's top civil servant in its interior ministry was sacked on Monday after an inquiry found he breached impartiality rules. Michael Pezzullo, the powerful head of the department responsible for internal security, stepped aside in September while the investigation was conducted. It was not immediately possible to reach Pezzullo for comment. The inquiry followed a joint investigation by two Australian newspapers and a TV programme that alleged Pezzullo had intervened in politics to promote favoured politicians, attack opponents and push for media censorship. Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michael Pezzullo, Anthony Albanese, Pezzullo, Alasdair Pal, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian Public Service, Liberal Party, Thomson Locations: Sydney

☆ Australia PM Fires a Top Bureaucrat Over Influence Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Alasdair PalSYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's top civil servant in its interior ministry was sacked on Monday after an inquiry found he breached impartiality rules. Michael Pezzullo, the powerful head of the department responsible for internal security, stepped aside in September while the investigation was conducted. It was not immediately possible to reach Pezzullo for comment. The inquiry followed a joint investigation by two Australian newspapers and a TV programme that alleged Pezzullo had intervened in politics to promote favoured politicians, attack opponents and push for media censorship. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Persons: Alasdair Pal SYDNEY, Michael Pezzullo, Anthony Albanese, Pezzullo, Alasdair Pal, Lincoln Organizations: Australian Public Service, Liberal Party Locations: Sydney

☆ Philippines, Australia start sea, air patrols in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Earvin Perias/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The Philippines and Australia began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, days after Manila took similar steps with the U.S. as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Philippines is ramping up efforts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. The patrols will be carried out in the West Philippine Sea, said Philippine Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong, using Manila's term for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone. China has accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Anthony Albanese, Earvin, China's, Richard Marles, Marcos, Marles, Arsenio Andolong, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: Australia's, Rights, Australia, ., Philippine, Australian Defence Force, Armed Forces, Philippine Department of National Defense, South China, Toowoomba, Cooperative, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, South, China, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, South China, U.S, West Philippine, Philippine, United, Taiwan, West Philippine Sea

☆ Australia Welcomes Israel-Hamas Ceasefire as 'Important Progress'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday a truce in the Israel-Hamas war marked "important progress" in the conflict, as he welcomed the release of hostages by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Hamas fighters released 24 hostages on Friday during the first day of the war's first ceasefire after guns fell silent in the Gaza Strip for the first time in seven weeks. "Australia welcomes the release of hostages and the pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian access to Gaza," Albanese said on social media platform X. "Today’s developments represent important progress and Australia welcomes them." In Australia, the conflict has triggered protests from both Jewish and Palestinian groups, with thousands turning out for rallies in the country's largest cities.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, " Albanese, Sam McKeith, Daniel Wallis Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Palestinian, Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, Australia, Sydney

☆ Safety of Defence Personnel 'Utmost Priority', Australia Says After China Warship Incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The safety and wellbeing of Australian defence personnel is Canberra's "utmost priority" and Australia expects all countries to operate militaries in a safe and professional manner, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday. Wong's comments came a week after an incident involving a Chinese warship and an Australian navy vessel in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in which an Australian military diver was injured. HMAS Toowoomba - a long-range frigate - was conducting a diving operation on Nov. 14 to clear fishing nets from its propellers when the Chinese warship acted in a dangerous manner, Australia has said. India's relations with China have deteriorated since a 2020 border clash between their militaries in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed. Australia, she added, "will cooperate where we can, we will disagree where we must, and we will engage in our national interest".

Persons: Penny Wong, Wong's, Anthony Albanese's, Wong, Subrahmanyam, Richard Marles, YP Rajesh, Krishn Kaushik, Sharon Singleton Organizations: PLA Navy, Liberation Army Navy, PLA, Defence, Indian, YP Locations: DELHI, Australian, Japan's, New Delhi, Toowoomba, Australia, Beijing, Canberra, Ningbo, China, India

☆ Australia PM says Chinese navy incident that injured diver was 'dangerous'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a Chinese warship acted in a dangerous and unprofessional manner during an incident with an Australian navy vessel that injured a military diver, his first comments on the matter which he said had damaged ties. In an interview on Monday with Sky News Australia, Albanese said the incident caused injury to one person and shows the need for "communication guardrails" between militaries. "This was dangerous, it was unsafe and unprofessional from the Chinese warship," he said. A People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer closed towards HMAS Toowoomba, despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of a diving operation, and operated its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a safety risk, Marles previously said. The Chinese embassy in Australia did not respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Anthony Albanese, Loren Elliott, Richard Marles, Albanese, Xi, we've, Marles, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln Organizations: Australia's, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, HMAS, Defence, Sky News Australia, APEC, Liberation Army Navy, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Australian, HMAS Toowoomba, San Francisco, China, Australia

☆ Australian leader Albanese accuses Chinese navy of ‘dangerous’ conduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nectar Gan | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused the Chinese navy of “dangerous, unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after an incident in international waters near Japan, marking a potential friction point with Beijing weeks after he visited the Chinese capital to stabilize relations. Australian divers aboard the long-range frigate HMAS Toowoomba were trying to clear fishing nets from its propellers on November 14 when a Chinese destroyer approached, Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement Saturday. Despite being warned that a diving operation was underway, the Chinese destroyer operated its sonar in a manner that “posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers,” the statement said. In the Sky News interview, Albanese sidestepped a question on whether the incident will make bilateral relations “look shaky” now. And this is one of those times where we disagree with the action of China,” Albanese said.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles, Albanese, ” Albanese, Xi Jinping, “, ”, “ We’ve, Marles, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, ” Powell Organizations: CNN, Australian, Defense, Sky News, APEC, China’s Defense Ministry, Liberation Army Navy, PLA Navy, Military, United, “ Defense, National Security, Stanford University, US Air Force Locations: Japan, Beijing, Toowoomba, Chinese, China, San Fransisco, London, United Nations, Australia, East, South China, South, Canada, Australian

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