Australia

Australian Defence Force deployed to aid flood crisis response

CANBERRA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been deployed to aid in the response to catastrophic flooding in the country's second most populated state.

Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese on Sunday toured flood-affected areas in Victoria.

Hundreds of homes in the region have been impacted by floods following heavy rains, with waters expected to continue rising.

Evacuation Orders Issued As Riverine Flooding Hit Aussie State Of Victoria

SYDNEY, Oct 14 (NNN-AAP) – Residents of multiple communities, in the Australian state of Victoria, received evacuation warnings today, due to flood emergencies.

Currently, there are more than 90 warnings issued across the state, including over 10 evacuation orders. Residents in some regions along rivers or creeks, are warned to avoid the riverine flood and move to higher ground immediately.

16 Australian women being repatriated from northeast Syria will be detained immediately on arrival

11 October 2022; MEMO: Sixteen Australian women who will be repatriated from camps in northeast Syria will be detained immediately on arrival in Australia.

The women and 42 children, who will also return to Australia, are wives and children of former Islamic State members and have been kept in camps since March 2019.

According to the WSWS, some of the women will appear in court, others will be charged with terrorism-related offences.

Australia's Sydney sees wettest year on record

SYDNEY, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- With three months to spare, annual rainfall in Australia's Sydney already reached its highest level of 2,199.8 mm as of 3:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, since the Observatory Hill weather station began recording in 1858.

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), the city's previous record was set in 1950, when a total deluge of 2,194 mm poured down for the whole year.

Australian central bank lifts cash rate to 9-year high 2.6 per cent

Canberra, Oct 4 (AP) Australia's central bank on Tuesday boosted its benchmark interest rate for a sixth consecutive month to a nine-year high of 2.6 per cent.

The Reserve Bank of Australia's increase of a quarter percentage point to the cash rate was smaller than those at recent monthly meetings.

Australia reveals proposed anti-corruption watchdog

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s government released details Tuesday of a proposed corruption watchdog that was an important promise in its recent election campaign.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he would introduce legislation to create the National Anti-Corruption Commission to Parliament on Wednesday.

The center-left Labor Party promised that creating the watchdog would be a priority before it came to power at elections in May.

Australian Gov’t Announced 941 Million USD In Additional COVID Funding

CANBERRA, Sept 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Australian government, today, extended funding for coronavirus testing and protocols in high-risk settings.

Health and Aged Care Minister, Mark Butler, said, the federal government would spend an additional 1.4 billion Australian dollars (941 million U.S. dollars) over the next three months, on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in aged and disability care and hospitals.

Federal funding for coronavirus testing and protocols was due to end on Sept 30, but Butler said, the extension would ensure vulnerable Australians remain protected.

Australian PM defends ban on Parliament due to royal’s death

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister on Monday defended an obscure and longstanding protocol that bars the nation’s parliament from sitting for 15 days following a British monarch’s death.

Lawmakers will reconvene on Sept. 23 to debate a condolence motion for Queen Elizabeth II, the earliest date that the protocol allows, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

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