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Aus PM promises justice for Afghan war crimes

Morrison, who previously warned that the report contained “difficult and hard news” for Australians, said the allegations would be pursued until “justice is indeed served”…reports Asian Lite News

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has vowed that allegations of war crimes committed by his country’s soldiers in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016 will be taken “very seriously”.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) on Thursday released the findings of a landmark four-year inquiry that found “credible evidence” of the special forces soldiers’ murdering 39 prisoners, farmers and civilians during the war in Afghanistan, reports Xinhua news agency.

It recommended that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) open criminal investigations into 19 individuals for their roles in the incidents.

Morrison, who previously warned that the report contained “difficult and hard news” for Australians, said the allegations would be pursued until “justice is indeed served”.

“Where things don’t measure up to those standards as a country and indeed as a Defence Force, we look seriously at those issues, take them seriously and deal with them seriously to uphold those standards,” he told Sky News Australia.

“And that this report will be received and provided to the office of a special investigator to pursue any matters that must be pursued and can be pursued under our rule of law and that justice is indeed served.

“And these are the assurances that I have provided to the Afghan government, that this is the process that we will follow,” he added.

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who was Australia’s leader for about three of the years covered by the inquiry, said he was “disgusted” by the findings.

“It beggars belief that following the atrocities witnessed during the Iraq war at Abu Ghraib that such crimes could be repeated, and worse, by Australian forces in Afghanistan,” Rudd, who served as the prime minister between 2007 and 2010 and again in 2013, said in the statement.

“Those who are responsible for these crimes, and any efforts to conceal them, must be brought to justice.

“Behind every unlawful killing is a family grieving for someone they love. The families of those victims must be compensated for their unjust loss, the former leader added.

The report recommends that compensation be paid to the families of the Afghan victims before any criminal prosecutions and that the honors awarded to those implicated in the report be revoked.

The inquiry, which was conducted by New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Paul Brereton, heard testimonies from more than 400 witnesses.

One witness, former special forces medic Dusty Miller, said his decision to speak out was vindicated by the report.

“It’s all true. It happened. It’s factual. It’s what happened over there, it’s something that I witnessed on a number of occasions,” he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday.

“It’s been approximately eight years of knowing what certain individuals got up to over there and to hear the Chief of Defence Force publicly confirm those allegations. It’s complete vindication.”

Also read:Climate change: Experts ask Australian PM to take action

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Australia World News

Climate change: Experts ask Australian PM to take action

Chief Executive of the PHAA Terry Slevin said while the pandemic has received much attention in 2020, climate change is a greater threat to humanity….reports Asian Lite News

A coalition of health groups have written an open letter to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling for urgent action on climate change.

The letter from 29 groups including the Climate and Health Alliance (CHA), the Australian Epidemiological Association (AEA) and the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) warned that climate change is accelerating and posing an “existential threat to humanity”, Xinhua news agency reported

“To avoid further health and environmental disasters, governments must take heed of the science, listen to health experts and act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the natural environment,” it said.

Chief Executive of the PHAA Terry Slevin said while the pandemic has received much attention in 2020, climate change is a greater threat to humanity.

“Climate change is something which poses just as significant, if not a greater, challenge in terms of the impacts on human health, societies and economies,” he said.

“We are already witnessing the public health impacts of climate change through bushfires and smoke, through heatwaves, through communities devastated by drought.”

Morrison has repeatedly declared that he will not be pressured into adopting a 2050 net-zero emissions target.

The open letter came days after the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) published their sixth biennial State of the Climate report.

The landmark report found that Australia is already under the effects of climate change, with the country experiencing more extremely hot days in 2019 than triple the number in any of the years prior to 2000, leading to an increased threat from bushfires, droughts, floods and tropical cyclones.

Also read:Australian vaccine ready for clinical trials

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Australia World News

Melbourne cancels iconic New Year fireworks

Melbourne

The annual New Year Eve fireworks show in Melbourne has been cancelled and replaced with a two-day street food festival this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the City Council said on Monday.

The change has been made to avoid large-scale outdoor gathering as the fireworks show usually attracts about 400,000 people to the second largest Australian city which could become a public health threat during a pandemic, Xinhua news agency quoted the Council as saying in a statement.

Instead, dining precincts will be set up across the city of Melbourne, encouraging people to enjoy their New Year celebrations at more than 50 venues, some are located at the most popular eat streets such as Flinders Lane and Little Bourke Street.

The Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp said the New Year Street Feasts will support local hospitality businesses that had been hit hard during the pandemic lockdown.

Melbourne

“This has been an incredibly tough year and we want to mark its end by celebrating and supporting Melbourne’s wonderful cafes, bars and restaurants,” Capp said.

“We are tailoring a program to safely encourage more patrons into our incredible and deserving hospitality businesses that have struggled through lockdown restrictions.”

The cancellation came after Melbourne ended its Covid-19 lockdown which lasted for almost four months.

As of Monday, the Australian state of Victoria, where Melbourne is the capital, recorded its 17th consecutive day without any new case or virus-related deaths.

In a similar move last week, New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian had announced that Sydney’s New Year’s Eve firework display will be scaled down by several minutes and spectators will be banned from harbour-side vantage points in the wake of the pandemic.

Due to its time zone, Sydney usually hosts the first major New Year’s Eve celebrations of the globe, centering on the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, in a display which attracts thousands of people to the harbour and surrounding area.

Also Read: Australian vaccine ready for clinical trials

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-Top News Australia COVID-19

Australian vaccine ready for clinical trials

Phase 1 clinical trials had shown the vaccine to be safe and effective at eliciting an antibody response.said UQ vaccine project Co-leader Professor Paul Young ..reports Asian Lite News

A Covid-19 vaccine in development by Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ) was declared ready to progress to later-stage clinical trials ahead of schedule on Friday, following promising Phase 1 results.

Regulatory approval was being sought for the vaccine to progress to Phase 3 clinical trials before the end of the year, with a timeline for widespread distribution to occur in late 2021, reports Xinhua news agency.

Co-leader of the UQ vaccine project and leading Australian virologist, Professor Paul Young said that Phase 1 clinical trials had shown the vaccine to be safe and effective at eliciting an antibody response.

“Early data out of Phase 1 clinical trial says that the vaccine is safe and well-tolerated when given, there’s very little in the way of adverse events on injection of the vaccine,” Young said.

“And it also induces a strong immune response, particularly a neutralizing antibody response, that is equivalent to or in excess of what is seen in patients who have recovered from live virus infection.”

Additionally Young said that lower doses of the vaccine had proved equally effective at inducing the immune response, meaning the manufacturing of the vaccine will be more efficient in terms of dosage numbers.

The university was partnered with local biotech firm CSL, to undertake manufacturing of the vaccine, with the capacity to rapidly produce tens of millions of doses at the company’s Australian facilities.

“Our national goal is to ensure that all Australians who seek to be vaccinated, are vaccinated by the end of 2021,” said Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt.

Also read:Australia to reinitiate ‘trans-Tasman’ travel bubble plans

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Australia UAE News

UAE, Australia discuss cooperation relations

The Minister welcomed the Australian ambassador and discussed with her issues of common interest and means to enhance cooperation relations..reports Asian Lite News

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, received Ambassador of the Commonwealth of Australia to the UAE in his Palace Heidi Venamor on Monday

The Minister welcomed the Australian ambassador and discussed with her issues of common interest and means to enhance cooperation relations between the UAE and Australia in various fields.

Sheikh Nahyan said that the relations between the UAE and Australia are distinguished and are witnessing continuous development thanks to the support of their countries’ leaderships.

He commended the efforts made by the Australian ambassador in strengthening cooperation ties between the UAE and Australia in various fields and pushing them towards broader horizons in order to achieve development and prosperity.

For her part, Venamor reiterated her country’s keenness to further develop cooperation with the UAE in a way that serves the interests of the two friendly countries, praising the progress and development of the UAE in various fields.

Also read:‘Peace and coexistence are strategic goals for humanity’: UAE

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-Top News Australia UAE News

UAE, Australia discuss enhancing of bilateral ties

During the meeting, both sides presented their experiences in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic….reports Asian Lite News

The second edition of the political consultations committee between the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Australia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade began Tuesday, held remotely via video conferencing.

The Emirati delegation was led by Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs, while the Australian side was led by Tony Sheehan, Deputy Secretary of the International Security, Humanitarian and Consular Group of Australia.

During the meeting, both sides presented their experiences in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emirati side explained the UAE’s related humanitarian efforts and its support for affected countries while highlighting the importance of international cooperation and solidarity in countering the virus.

The two sides also discussed ways of enhancing bilateral ties and joint cooperation, as well as current regional and international developments and topics, which will help them convey their viewpoints to the international community.

Also read:UAEFA renews MoU with Japan for 3 years

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-Top News Australia Economy

Budget to keep more employed amid Covid-19 recession: Aus Treasurer

Josh Frydenberg. (Photo: Twitter/@JoshFrydenberg)

“Unemployment tends to go up the elevators and come down the stairs,”said Frydenberg…Reports Asian Lite News

Australia’s federal budget, scheduled to be unveiled on Tuesday, was aimed at keeping more citizens employed amid the coronavirus-induced recession, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Monday.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corportation (ABC), he said that the economic recovery could be long, slow and with persistently high unemployment, while indicating that there will be substantial government support until joblessness is “comfortably under 6 per cent”.

“Unemployment tends to go up the elevators and come down the stairs,” he told the ABC.

“In the 1980s (recession), it took six years to get unemployment back below 6 per cent from where they started.

“And in the 1990s, it took 10 years to get it below 6 per cent from where they started. We’re hoping to move faster than that, and that’s why in this budget, you’ll see more economic activity as a result of our initiatives, creating more jobs,” Frydenberg was quoted as saying.

Josh Frydenberg. (Photo: Twitter/@JoshFrydenberg)

Regarding Tuesday’s budget, which will see immense spending across all sectors of the economy, the Treasurer said: “The economy does need it. There are still major challenges ahead and the road is hard. But there is also cause for optimism and hope. We’ve seen the economy fighting back.

“In the last three months, 458,000 jobs have been created — 60 per cent of which have gone to women, 40 per cent to young people.

“So outside of Victoria, jobs are being created. And once you can suppress the virus, the restrictions can be eased and more people can get back to work.”

Also on Monday, the government unveiled a new initiative to provide a wage subsidy to encourage the creation of new apprenticeships and traineeships, the ABC reported.

This comes at a cost of A$1.2 billion, capped at 100,000 places, and is on top of an existing A$2.8 billion investment in training and apprenticeships that includes a 50 per cent wage subsidy for existing workers.

Frydenberg told the ABC that he hoped the new initiative will stimulate employment growth and create an extra 100,000 jobs over the next 12 months.

Also read:Australia to reinitiate ‘trans-Tasman’ travel bubble plans

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Australia World News

Australia to reinitiate ‘trans-Tasman’ travel bubble plans

Australian deputy prime minister Michael McCormack.

McCormack said that decision on when Australians may be able to visit New Zealand would be up to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern…Reports Asian Lite News

Australian deputy prime minister Michael McCormack.

New Zealanders will be allowed to enter Australia in the first opening of international borders by the two countries since travel restrictions were imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced on Friday.

“The establishment of a travel zone between Australia and New Zealand has been finalised,” the BBC reported citing the Australian Deputy Prime Minister as saying to the media.

“This is the first stage in what we hope to see as a trans-Tasman bubble between the two countries, stopping not just at that state and that territory,” he added.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, at first travel will be limited to New Zealanders.

McCormack further said that a decision on when Australians may be able to visit New Zealand would be up to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

  • 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)

Friday’s announcement came after Ardern had said on September 28 that an air bubble between her country and some Australian states was possible by the end of this year.

She had confirmed that work was underway for weeks on the prospect of forming a bubble, and the ability to move between parts of both countries that were not affected by the coronavirus pandemic, The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.

Plans for a travel bubble between the two countries have been in discussion for months, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said in a news report.

However, the talks were disrupted after a resurgence new cases in Melbourne and also a second wave of the virus in Auckland.

New Zealand has recorded 1,848 cases and 25 deaths, while Australia has registered 27,096 infections and 888 fatalities.

Also read:Australia Enters First Recession In 30 Years