Australia - Page 16

Australian lawmakers agreed Friday to proceed with world-first legislation that will make Alphabet’s Google and Facebook pay publishers for content.

Police used a water cannon against protesters in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyidaw on Sunday as protests against last week’s coup continued to grow. Minor injuries were reported before the crowed dispersed.

Australia on Thursday called on the United Nations to investigate reports revealing that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has instituted a system in which Uyghur and other ethnic minority women in the nation’s concentration camps are “systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured.”

Black Lives Matter activists are targeting statues and other memorials to Captain James Cook, the great British explorer who charted much of Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii, for removal. 

Facebook Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s call to Australian lawmakers for leniency over plans to regulate tech giants and force them to pay for news sourced from local media outlets has been roundly rejected by Canberra.

New Zealand’s left-wing Labour government has taken key ally Australia to task over its dealings with China, warning Canberra on Thursday it should “show respect” to Beijing.

Australia’s national broadcaster has come under fire for referring to the country’s national day as ‘Invasion Day’ in a headline.

Family members of jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong have sold their Hong Kong home and moved to Australia, the local newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported on Tuesday.

Tech giant Google is under fire after it revealed that it blocked some Australian news sites from search results as part of an “experiment.” Critics call it a “chilling illustration” of Google’s stranglehold over internet search.

An underwater drone recovered within Indonesian waters last month is of Chinese origin, defense analytics firm Janes confirmed Sunday.

An international outcry over tech censorship is underway, as political leaders from Mexico to Europe voice their alarm at the unchecked power of Big Tech, following the purge of President Donald Trump by the Big Tech Masters of the Universe

The foreign ministers of Australia, the United States, Great Britain and Canada on Sunday jointly expressed “serious concern” about last week’s arrest of 55 democracy activists and supporters in Hong Kong.

Australia’s international carrier QANTAS has again been named as the world’s safest airline, according to industry analysis released Monday.

British backpackers who took to a Sydney beach to party on Christmas Day were told Tuesday they face deportation if they repeat the act of defying coronavirus lockdown rules.

Partygoers heading out to celebrate New Year’s Eve in two of Australia’s most populous states have been told by government officials what’s good for them, being warned against any random acts of affection due to the risks posed by the coronavirus.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Wednesday reviewed Chinese customs data and found several major blockages of Australian imports over the past month, including 9,000 liters of Australian craft beer turned away at the port city of Xiamen and 8,000 kilograms of frozen beef denied entry to Shanghai. China and Australia are embroiled in a long-running trade and diplomatic feud.

Author, blogger, and Chinese-born Australian citizen Yang Hengjun, arrested by China in 2019 on murky allegations of espionage in January 2019 and held without trial ever since, sent a Christmas on Tuesday message to the family he isn’t allowed to see.

Residents in several cities across China’s southern Guangzhou province have reported power outages over the past few weeks, with some blaming the electricity cuts on Beijing’s recent ban on Australian coal imports.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was publicly honored Monday evening by U.S. President Donald Trump, receiving a prestigious decoration for “leadership in addressing global challenges.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to abandon demands for continued control over Britain’s lucrative fishing waters, or he will walk away from the negotiating table without a deal.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australian detectives suspect the deaths of an elderly couple in their Brisbane home is a “terrorism incident” perpetrated by a knife-wielding man who was shot dead by police, officials said on Friday.

Australia will formally request the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s mediation to resolve an ongoing trade dispute with China, Australia’s trade minister announced Wednesday.

China’s state-run Global Times railed against New Zealand for ostensibly “meddling” in China’s conflict with Australia, sarcastically rebuffing New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s offer to mediate in the trade and diplomatic dispute.

Australian Cardinal George Pell praised President Donald Trump Wednesday, highlighting his “splendid” Supreme Court appointments and participation in the March for Life.

The Australian on Sunday reported on a leaked database allegedly of nearly 2 million members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who have infiltrated major corporations and academic institutions around the world.

Australia accused China’s state-run Global Times of “inaccurate and inflammatory” coverage on Thursday after its editor-in-chief and the Australian ambassador to China met in Beijing, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that his government won’t rush approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine because he wants people to have confidence in the product.

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced Thursday that it will impose temporary anti-subsidy duties on Australian wine imports starting December 11.

An Australian university announced Thursday it is introducing the world’s first undergraduate degree in climate law, predicting a global surge in compensation demands, class actions, national grievances, transnational U.N. enforcement litigation and human rights calls due to “changes in weather patterns.”

A Joe Biden White House will be happy to intercede on Bejing’s behalf and silence criticism of the Chinese Communist Party by U.S. allies, a China state media outlet claimed Monday.

Japanese scientists have journeyed to the vast expanses of the Australian outback to retrieve a capsule containing the first sub-surface samples from an asteroid, ending a six-year journey of more than three billion miles.

Japan will join France, and the United States in a series of land and sea drills for the first time in May next year, offering a counterweight to increased Chinese military activity in the Indo-Pacific region, the Sankei newspaper said on Sunday.

China’s state-run Global Times on Thursday blamed “Western white” racism for Australians’ objection to the Chinese foreign ministry publishing a doctored image of an Australian soldier holding a knife to a child’s throat.

A Chinese developer has allegedly taken over Keswick, a small Australian island off the country’s northeast coast. After purchasing the islet on a 96-year lease in 2019, local residents said this week that the company, China Bloom, has essentially forced them off the island.

Chinese social media platform WeChat deleted a message posted by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday, accusing him of misleading the public with his words.

The deal between France and the United Kingdom will do little to stem the tides of illegal boat migrants unless the British government adopts an Australian ‘turn back the boats’ policy in the English Channel, said Brexit leader Nigel Farage.