Australia

Sydney, Dec 4 (PTI) Players taking part in the upcoming Big Bash League will not have the mini bar at their disposal in hotel rooms with Cricket Australia aiming to minimise interaction between staff and cricketers to reduce the risk of any COVID-19 infections.

A "BBL Hub" will be created at the hotels for all stakeholders of the league to minimise exposure to the outside world during the league starting December 10.

SYDNEY, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Residents and visitors on Australia’s Fraser Island, have been told to prepare for the worst, as an out of control bushfire swept towards a major tourist resort today.

The fire burnt over 72,000 hectares or 42 percent of the island, off Queensland State’s east coast, since spreading from an illegal campfire, six weeks ago.

Today, the first day of summer in Australia brought hot and windy conditions, which fanned flames and made firefighters’ work, to contain the blaze, more difficult.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia’s prime minister said a fake image of an Australian soldier posted on a Chinese official’s Twitter account was “truly repugnant” and Canberra was demanding it be taken down, amid deteriorating relations between the two countries.

Scott Morrison called a media briefing to condemn the posting of the image, which depicted an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of an Afghan child, and said Canberra was seeking an apology from Beijing.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has told 13 special forces soldiers they face dismissal in relation to a report on alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan, the head of the country’s army said on Friday.

An independent report published last week in redacted form said there was evidence that 39 unarmed Afghan prisoners and civilians were killed by 19 Australian soldiers.

SYDNEY, Nov 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Residents in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) were warned today, to prepare for a weekend of unusually high temperatures with a “severe” chance of bushfires.

Maximum temperatures were forecast to be over 40 degrees Celsius in some places, with maximum temperatures 15 to 18 degrees hotter than the Nov average.

“This will increase the fire risk across the state with very high and severe fire danger likely on the weekend. Plan and prepare now,” the NSW Rural Fire Service said.

SYDNEY, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The Australian state of Victoria recorded its first day with zero active COVID-19 cases, in close to nine months today, marking the official end of a severe second wave.

Victoria’s cases peaked at over 700 per day in early Aug, however were brought under control by a state-wide lockdown which has since ended.

“We now have zero active case in our state. The one remaining active case has now been cleared of the virus and discharged from hospital,” Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, said in a press conference.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia’s top military official said on Sunday the country’s defence force must ‘own’ a recent report on soldiers committing crimes in Afghanistan and pledged changes to ensure that atrocities do not happen again.

The report, published on Thursday after an inquiry into the conduct of special forces personnel in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016, found that senior commandos forced junior soldiers to kill defenceless captives in order to “blood” them for combat..

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday that the findings of a report that the country’s special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan were “disturbing and distressing”.

The report, published on Thursday after an inquiry into the conduct of special forces personnel in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016, found that senior commandos forced junior soldiers to kill defenceless captives in order to “blood” the troops for combat.

CANBERRA, Nov 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A coalition of health groups wrote 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.”

Melbourne; 17 Nov 2020 (UMMN): The Humanism Project (THP) of Australia, a human rights and political advocacy organisation of the Indian diaspora based in Australia, has written to the Australian PM Scott Morrison expressing its disappointment at the visit by Australian High Commissioner to India, Barry O'Farrell to the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on 15 November 2020.