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Tag: Australia

Chinese fishing vessels Spratly islands AFP

Vietnam, Philippines, Japan Protest Chinese Jet Landing in South China Sea

The governments of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan have all condemned China for landing a plane on an artificial island in the South China Sea, constructed in what is widely regarded as sovereign Vietnamese territory. China rejects international claims in the sea and has begun constructing military facilities in the Spratly Islands.

AP Photo

Australians Flee Bushfires as Homes Burn on Christmas Day

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Fire crews battled into the night on Friday after raging bushfires reduced at least 53 homes to ashes in a famous Australian beauty spot on Christmas Day, sending hundreds of residents fleeing for their lives. Water bombing

AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana

Indonesia: Terror Suspects May Have Used Islamic State Funds

Soon after Australia’s Attorney General expressed concerns about the Islamic State forming a “distant caliphate” in Indonesia — the world’s most heavily populated Muslim-majority country — it was reported that a group of terrorism suspects arrested over the weekend may have received funding from ISIS in Syria.

Sydney australia

Suspected French Extremist Caught Entering Australia

A suspected French extremist carrying cans of chemical mace was caught trying to enter Australia two days after the Paris terror attacks, officials revealed on Wednesday, with security screening of travellers from Europe tightened up. Attorney-General George Brandis said the

marijuana

Australian Anti-Marijuana Campaign Provokes Giggles

An anti-marijuana campaign in Australia featuring a human-sized lumbering stoned sloth acting foolishly has backfired and become the brunt of jokes on social media. Launched this week using the slogan “You’re worse on weed”, it attempts to warn teenagers of

anti-smoking

Tasmania Considers Banning Smoking For Under-25s

Not content with merely educating people as to the health risks associated with tobacco, anti-smoking campaigners and politicians in Australia are considering a ban on under-25s being able to smoke, and even a rolling blanket ban. The latest front in the

tobacco packaging

Australia Wins Court Challenge to Tobacco Plain Packaging

SYDNEY (Reuters) – A Singapore-based court has refused a challenge by Philip Morris to Australia’s landmark plain packaging legislation passed in 2011, which the tobacco giant had brought under a bi-lateral trade treaty with Hong Kong, the company said. The

sydney

Australia Teen Pleads Guilty To Terror Charge

A Melbourne teenager alleged to have bomb-making materials pleaded guilty on Monday to preparing for a terror act, reports said. The 17-year-old told the Children’s Court he was “guilty” of one charge of engaging in an act in preparation for,

William West/ AFP

Teenager On Australia Terror Plot Charge Denied Bail

A 15-year-old charged over a terror plot used coded text messages to try and avoid detection, an Australian court heard as he was denied bail on Friday over fears he could commit serious crimes. The teenager, who under Australian law

terror plot

Two Arrested In Australia Over Terror Plot

Two people, including a 15-year-old boy, were arrested on Thursday in Sydney over a terror plot targeting a government building, with authorities expressing alarm at the age of those being radicalised. The teenager and a 20-year-old man were seized at

tony abbott

Indonesia Slams Ex-Aussie PM Tony Abbott Over ‘Reform Islam’ Call

Regional neighbour Indonesia has criticised former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott over his call for Islam to reform, saying he is “unhelpful” and “divisive”. Indonesia’s ambassador, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, delivered his response to Mr Abbott’s critique by adding that violent extremism

Tony Abbott

Ex-Aussie PM Tony Abbott: ‘Islam Needs A Reformation’

Islam promotes a “culture” that “thinks you can kill in the name of God” and is in need of a reformation, according to former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. He also believes Western Civilisation should have more confidence in its innate