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Australia assures speedy resolution of visa issues for Indian students

Last month, officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had taken up the issue of visa appointments for Indian students with a number of countries, including Australia….reports Asian Lite News

Australia has assured speedy resolution of visa issues for Indian students enrolled in universities and educational institutions in Australia.

The assurance was given on Thursday by Australia’s Minister of Education Jason Clare during a discussion with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who welcomed the step.

Last month, officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had taken up the issue of visa appointments for Indian students with a number of countries, including Australia. This followed complaints from many students about long delays in the visa-granting process.

Tweeting about the meeting, Pradhan wrote, “Had a wonderful discussion with my Australian counterpart H.E. Mr. Jason Clare. Congratulated him on the assumption of his portfolio under the new Labour Party govt. @JasonClareMP”

Additionally, Education Minister Pradhan also discussed how closer partnerships in the fields of higher education, schooling, and skill development may benefit both nations by providing the Indian workforce with the world-class skills that Australia is renowned for.

He also briefed Minister Clare about the new National Education Policy 2020 and its various facets. They also discussed GIFT City’s supportive environment for universities as well as the improved opportunities for internationalisation in education through a variety of modalities.

Deeper collaboration

Union Minister for Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday held a virtual meeting with his Australian counterpart Jason Clare to further strengthen collaboration between the countries in education and skill development sectors.

The minister called for deeper collaboration between the two countries in the areas of skill development. Australian minister gave assurance of providing support in ensuring world-class skilling of Indian workforce.

We also spoke about deeper collaborations in the skills, higher education and school education sector, and imparting world-class skilling, that Australia is known for, to the Indian workforce, Pradhan said after the meeting.

Pradhan said the collaboration would help create a positive synergy for both the countries. (ANI)

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Djokovic does not take any win for granted

After suffering a defeat against Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon final on Sunday, Nick Kyrgios hailed the 21-time Grand Slam champion and termed him ‘God.’…reports Asian Lite News

After his thrilling 7th Wimbledon title victory on Sunday, Novak Djokovic said that he does not take any win for granted, and ‘particularly not [at] Wimbledon.’

The Serbian claimed his seventh Wimbledon title and 21st Grand Slam overall by defeating Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in an exciting four-set final on Sunday at the Centre Court.

With this Djokovic also went past Roger Federer’s tally of 20 grand slam titles.

He reached his fourth consecutive title after defeating his Aussie counterpart 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3).

“Obviously over the moon with joy and happiness of experiencing this moment once again. I’ve said it many times, this tournament is extra special for me because it has been the first tournament that I’ve ever watched as a kid that got me to start playing tennis,” Djokovic said in a post-match press conference.

“I don’t take any wins for granted, and particularly not [at] Wimbledon. On the contrary, actually, every time feels a bit different, special in its own way. Of course, having family and close people in my life here to share this victory with them, it was beautiful,” he added.

After suffering a defeat against Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon final on Sunday, Nick Kyrgios hailed the 21-time Grand Slam champion and termed him ‘God.’

Djokovic went past Roger Federer’s tally of 20 grand slam titles, clinching his 21st grand slam title after defeating Kyrgios.

The Serbian reached his fourth consecutive title after defeating his Aussie counterpart by a margin of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3).

Nick Kyrgios: He’s a bit of God, I’m not gonna lie

“He’s a bit of God, I’m not gonna lie. I thought I played well. It’s been an amazing couple of weeks for me. Really happy with this result, probably the best of my career and hopefully maybe one day I’ll be here again, but I don’t know about that,” Kyrgios said in a post-match press conference.

The World No. 40 feels that Djokovic’s experience showed in the key moments, with the Serbian capturing his 21st Grand Slam title.

“I felt like he just has so much experience to draw to. He’s won the tournament four times in a row. When you win an event that much, when you’ve been in those situations, it’s unbelievable,” Kyrgios said.

“You can tell yourself you’ve been here before. The confidence and the belief in yourself, that only comes with achievement or something that he’s achieved like that many times. I can only imagine how confident he feels every day, especially at Wimbledon, walking around,” he added.

After taking the first set, Kyrgios was unable to push on and clinch his first Grand Slam title. However, the Australian was happy with his performance.

“I thought I handled myself well today. I came out there and I did what I had to do tactically to give myself a chance. I served amazing I thought today, and he was just able to put so many balls in play. I just came up short, and I’m happy with that,” Kyrgios said.

The Australian won the first set against Novak Djokovic Sunday before the Serbian turned the tables to seal his seventh crown at the Championships on Centre Court.

“My level is right there. I feel like you look at what Novak has done to some other opponents, it’s not a good feeling. But I’m right there,” Kyrgios said.

“I’m not behind the eight ball at all. I played a Slam final against one of the greatest of all time, and I was right there. [I will take] confidence. It was a hell of an occasion… I came out in the first set and I looked like I was the one who had played in a lot of finals. I thought I dealt with the pressure pretty well,” he added. (ANI)

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New Zealand PM in Sydney to boost trade ties

Wellington, Aug. 17, 2020 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attends a press conference held in the parliament building Beehive in Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 17, 2020. Jacinda Ardern confirmed on Monday that the general election will be held on Oct. 17, four weeks after Sept. 19 when the poll was originally scheduled for. (Xinhua/Guo Lei/IANS)

Usually held around every 18 months, the forum last took place in 2019 in Auckland before Covid-19…reports Asian Lite News

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday attended the Australia-New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) in Sydney to boost trade ties between the two countries.

“Building on our trans-Tasman trade and economic links is fundamental to ensuring New Zealanders’ economic security both now, and into the future,” Xinhua news agency quoted Ardern as saying in a statement.

Topics discussed on the form include reconnecting through travel and tourism; trans-Tasman innovation opportunities; labour shortages and the future of work, economic growth challenges post-Covid-19; and climate change collaboration.

Australia is New Zealand’s second-largest trading partner after China, with two-way trade accounting for over $13.6 billion in the year to December 2021, statistics show.

Usually held around every 18 months, the forum last took place in 2019 in Auckland before Covid-19.

Separate to the ANZLF, Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will hold their first formal Australia New Zealand Leaders Meeting on Friday in Sydney.

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UK govt overselling Australia trade deal, warns MPs

The accord was the first free trade deal to be signed since Britain’s formal departure from the European Union at the start of 2021…reports Asian Lite News

The UK is overselling its free trade deal struck with Australia in the wake of Brexit, British MPs have concluded in a report published Wednesday.

The cross-party International Trade Committee has warned the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson “against overselling the benefits of trade deals” in general after analysing the Australia agreement finalised in December 2021.

Its findings come as International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan was Wednesday to face questions from the committee regarding the deal struck with the former British colony.

“The government must level with the public — this trade deal will not have the transformative effects ministers would like to claim,” committee chair Angus Brendan MacNeil said in a statement.

The accord was the first free trade deal to be signed since Britain’s formal departure from the European Union at the start of 2021.

Britain has said the deal is expected to unlock annual bilateral trade worth £10.4 billion (US$12.4 billion).

“As the first wholly new trade deal since Brexit, this agreement sets a precedent for the future,” added MacNeil, an MP for the Scottish National Party seeking Scotland’s independence from the UK.

“It is vital that the government learns from this experience and negotiates harder next time around to maximise gains and minimise losses for all economic sectors and parts of the UK.”

The deal with Australia is seen as low hanging fruit amid more difficult free trade talks with the United States.

Regarding the Australia deal, the committee noted that “lifting almost all tariffs on agricultural imports is a significant change, and potentially sets an important precedent for deals with major food-exporting nations”.

But it added that tariff reductions on goods including Australian wines were “unlikely to make a noticeable difference at supermarket checkouts”.

MPs also expressed “disappointment that tariff-free Australian food will not be required to meet core UK food production standards, for example regarding pesticide use”.

But they welcomed assessment, albeit limited, of the deal’s environmental impact and the “inclusion of provisions on forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking”.

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Australian PM to visit France to mend ties

The development comes weeks after Albanese announced his new government had agreed to pay compensation for a cancelled submarine contract….reports Asian Lite News

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday confirmed he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in a bid to “reset” relations.

Albanese said that he has accepted Macron’s invitation to visit France, reports Xinhua news agency.

It comes weeks after Albanese announced his new government had agreed to pay French shipbuilder Naval Group around A$830 million ($573 million ) in compensation for a cancelled submarine contract.

The relationship between Australia and France deteriorated when former Prime Minister Scott Morrison scrapped the deal.

Australia instead signed a new defence pact with the US and the UK called Aukus, infuriating Macron who accused Morrison of lying to him, briefly recalling France’s Ambassador in protest.

Albanese, who defeated Morrison in the May 21 general election, said he expected a welcome in France.

“I’ve been invited by President Macron to meet with him in France and I’ll be doing that in a week’s time. We do need to reset, we’ve already had very constructive discussions,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV.

“What we can offer is a relationship between our respective leaders that won’t be leaked, in order to make an opportunistic headline in the newspaper. One of respect and honesty in the way that we deal with each other.

“We’ve already had very constructive discussions… Next week’s visit is a very concrete sign of the repair that’s been done already,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying.

Earlier this month, Australia announced a $584 million settlement with France’s Naval Group as compensation for scrapping the contract in favour of the Aukus deal.

ALSO READ: Australia donates $15 mn to World Food Programme for Sri Lanka

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Australia donates $15 mn to World Food Programme for Sri Lanka

The Australian funding will help WFP provide critical assistance to the most at-risk Sri Lankans, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and school children….reports Asian Lite News

A week after the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched a $60 million emergency food and nutrition assistance for three million of the most at-risk Sri Lankan nationals, Australia came forward with 22 million Australian dollar aid (equivalent to $15 million) on Wednesday.

The Australian funding will help WFP provide critical assistance to the most at-risk Sri Lankans, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and school children.

“To boost existing social safety net programmes, WFP is working to assist one million children through the national school meal programme, while one million people are participating in the Thriposha programme, which provides fortified food to mothers and children,” WFP said in a statement.

The WFP had on June 16 launched its $60 million emergency food and nutrition assistance for three million of the most at-risk Sri Lankans who are facing food insecurity in the face of a record high food inflation, skyrocketing fuel prices and widespread shortage of key commodities.

Monthly food vouchers are being distributed to pregnant women from some of the poorest neighbourhoods, delivered alongside antenatal care provided by the local government in Sri Lanka.

Welcoming the aid by Australia, WFP said, “At a time when millions of people are struggling to meet their most basic food needs, and while families’ coping capacities are being stretched to the limit, we can avert a worsening humanitarian crisis by stepping up our response now.”

John Aylieff, WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said that nearly five million people — or 22 per cent of the Sri Lankan population — are food insecure and in need of assistance.

Nutritious foods, such as vegetables, fruits and protein-rich products, are now out of the reach of many low-income families.

WFP’s recent surveys indicated that 86 per cent of the families are resorting to at least one coping mechanism, including eating less, eating less nutritious food and even skipping meals altogether.

ALSO READ: Australia supports Sri Lanka with $50 million development assistance

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Botham returns to Australia as UK Trade Envoy

Vicki Treadell, British High Commissioner to Australia said, “The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement was the first the UK negotiated ‘from scratch’ since leaving the EU…reports Asian Lite News

Botham will be meeting with a variety of key stakeholders across business and government and will be attending a wide range of events. His programme strongly focuses on tech, innovation and sport which also encompasses the Commonwealth Games. Throughout the duration of his visit he will be promoting the benefits of bilateral trade and investment between the UK and Australia, current and future opportunities.

UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Australia, Ian Botham said, “I am excited to be back on the ground in Australia and I am ready to dive into all things related to UK-Australia trade and investment. This is my second visit already this year and we are making great progress engaging with both business and government across all the sectors our UK teamwork within Australia. I have a very action-packed week ahead so we can continue making progress.”

Trade Envoys are unpaid and voluntary roles created by UK PM Boris Johnson to boost British business in key markets. The UK’s relationship with Australia is a top priority. This is evident from the signing of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement in December 2021.

Vicki Treadell, British High Commissioner to Australia said, “The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement was the first the UK negotiated ‘from scratch’ since leaving the EU. We are like minded countries. We share the same values, the same language and the same rule of law. Our bilateral trade and investment relationship has continued from strength to strength. This visit will only continue that momentum.”

Louise Cantillon, British Consul General and Deputy Trade Commissioner Asia Pacific (Australia & New Zealand) said, “With an already very successful trade and investment relationship there are growing opportunities for future business and partnerships between the UK and Australia. The UK offers Australian investors a robust and business friendly environment to reliably expand, trade and invest.” The UK is also leading the race to a net zero carbon economy which is seeing an even greater focus on developing sectors like green finance, clean tech, hydrogen, and sustainable infrastructure. With Sir Ian Botham’s visit we hope to engage with the local business community to explore these opportunities and celebrate our successes

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Scams hit Australia hard

In response to the stark increase of scams, the ACCC is set to introduce new rules to block spam text messages later this year, and is investigating a number of cryptocurrency scam operations….reports Asian Lite News

 A new report released on Monday by Australia’s peak competition regulator has revealed that Australians have lost more than double to scams in the first four months of 2022 than the previous year.

The report, based on data from Scamwatch run under the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), showed that Australians reported losing over A$205 million ($147 million) to scams between January 1 and May 1, 2022, a 166 per cent increase from the first four months of 2021, reports Xinhua news agency.

Overwhelmingly, the scams came in the form of investment scams, making up more than 75 per cent of all money lost.

“We are seeing more money lost to investment scams and so are urging all Australians not to trust investment opportunities that seem too good to be true,” said ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard.

Additionally, the majority of the scams were conducted via text message and involved cryptocurrency or fake cryptocurrency investments.

The ACCC urged people to be wary of sending cryptocurrencies to people they had only met online.

“Many consumers are unfamiliar with the complexities of cryptocurrency and this can make them more vulnerable to scams,” Rickard said.

In response to the stark increase of scams, the body is set to introduce new rules to block spam text messages later this year, and is investigating a number of cryptocurrency scam operations.

Earlier in the year, the ACCC instituted Federal Court proceedings against Facebook for publishing ads misusing Australian celebrities to peddle fraudulent crypto ads on the social media platform.

ALSO READ: Peter Dutton named Australia’s opposition leader

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Peter Dutton named Australia’s opposition leader

A hardline conservative, Dutton served as the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Defence under Morrison….reports Asian Lite News

 Hardline conservative Peter Dutton was on Monday elected as the new Australian opposition leader.

Dutton, 51, was officially elected unopposed to lead the centre right Liberal Party, replacing former Prime Minister Scott Morrison who resigned following defeat in the general election held on May 21, reports Xinhua news gency.

A hardline conservative, Dutton served as the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Defence under Morrison.

Prior to entering Parliament in 2001, he worked as a police officer in his home state of Queensland.

He became the leading candidate to replace Morrison after former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Morrison’s deputy and the most prominent candidate in the Liberals’ moderate faction, lost his seat in Parliament in the election.

Dutton said on Monday that Liberal policies under his leadership would be true to its values.

“Our policies will be squarely aimed at the forgotten Australians in the suburbs across Australia,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“I want our country to support aspiration and reward hard work, take proper care of those Australians who, short-term or long-term, can’t take care of themselves,” he said.

Sussan Ley, the former Minister for the Environment, was elected as Dutton’s deputy.

The duo inherit a party still reeling from the May 21 election.

The Coalition, which is made up of the Liberal Party and National Party, has been left with less than 60 seats out of 151 seats in the lower house of the parliament, down from 75 prior to the election.

It experienced a collapse in its vote in metropolitan areas, particularly among women, at the election, with many voters abandoning the party over its climate policies.

“We know that we didn’t receive the support of all women at the last election and my message to the women of Australia is we hear you,” Ley said on Monday.

“We’re listening, we’re talking and we are determined to earn back your trust and your faith.”

ALSO READ: Anthony Albanese sworn in as Australia PM

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Anthony Albanese sworn in as Australia PM

Anthony ALBO

Albanese claimed victory on Saturday night in the federal election, ending the coalition’s hold on power for nearly nine years…reports Asian Lite News

 Australia’s Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese was sworn in on Monday to become the country’s 31st Prime Minister.

Albanese claimed victory on Saturday night in the federal election, ending the coalition’s hold on power for nearly nine years.

He was sworn in by Governor-General David Hurley together with Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher, Xinhua news agency reported.

Marles was sworn in as Minister for Employment and Deputy Prime Minister, Wong as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Chalmers as the Treasurer and Gallagher as the Minister for Finance, Minister for Women and Attorney-General.

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