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AUSTRALIA NEWS

Papua New Guinea demands end to Australia refugee contract

3:05 pm June 25, 2019

Port Moresby: Australia must end or completely rework a controversial multi-million dollar contract to manage refugees stuck in tropical island camps, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister demanded on Tuesday. “I will ask the Australian government to stop this contract forthwith,” James Marape told parliament, saying the arrangement should be “reviewed to the fullest, or we […]

Australian Islamic State orphans rescued from Syria camp

12:40 pm June 24, 2019

Sydney: Eight orphans of Australian Islamic State fighters have been spirited out of a camp in Syria, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday, in an apparent U-turn. The children and grandchildren of two notorious jihadis are now in the care of Australian officials, he said in a statement. The children are believed to be aged […]

Papua New Guinea set to end Australia refugee contract PORT

5:56 pm June 17, 2019

Moresby: Papua New Guinea will not renew a contract with an Australian company providing security at Pacific refugee camps, a senior minister has told AFP, in another setback for the deeply controversial policy. Singapore-registered Paladin Holdings provides security and other services at three “transition centres” for refugees being held on Papua New Guinea’s remote Manus […]

New Zealand tames virus; France, Spain reveal lockdown exits

New Zealand cancels tsunami alert after powerful quake

2:03 pm June 16, 2019

Wellington: A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake stuck near the remote Kermadec Islands northeast of New Zealand Sunday, briefly prompting a tsunami warning. After initially forecasting “a threat to beach, harbour, estuary and small boat activities”, New Zealand’s Civil Defence organisation gave the all-clear eight minutes later. The earthquake was given a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, but […]

NZ judge allows images of man charged in mosque shootings

1:24 pm June 6, 2019

Wellington: A New Zealand judge has ruled that media outlets can now show the face of the man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques. Previously, the courts ruled media could only publish images which pixelated the face of Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the 28-year-old Australian white supremacist accused of the March 15 mass shooting. But High Court Judge Cameron Mander on Thursday wrote […]