CANBERRA, Australia — An international law enforcement operation against organized criminal activity has resulted in mass arrests and struck what the Australian prime minister describes as a “heavy blow” against crime gangs. More than 100 organized crime members have been arrested in Australia as part of the operation, initiated after the United States’ FBI decrypted “Anom,” an online communications platform used by gang figures. The communications found on the platform included 21 murder plots, gun distribution, and mass drug trafficking, federal police say. The operation is three years in the making. Australian Federal Police claimed on June 8 that it had seized…
Author: zenger.news
CANBERRA, Australia — More than 38,000 air travelers entered Australia over a nine-month period with high-risk biosecurity material going undetected. The auditor-general on June 7 issued a scathing report card on the federal agriculture department’s handling of the biosecurity system. The report found in the first nine months of 2019/20 an estimated 38,200 air travelers entered Australia with undetected high-risk biosecurity material. “The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment‘s arrangements to respond to non-compliance with biosecurity requirements are largely inappropriate,” the report found. The outlook for the global economy has strengthened and global GDP is forecast to grow by 6 percent…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The island country of New Zealand’s health minister will confront hundreds of striking nurses on June 9 when the disgruntled workers march on Parliament. New Zealand’s nurses have turned down the latest pay offer from Jacinda Ardern’s government, leading to industrial action. The New Zealand Nurses Organization (NZNO) says it has rejected an offer to increase wages by 1.38 percent, equating to an actual wage cut. “It’s pretty outrageous,” Glenda Alexander, New Zealand Nurses Organization industrial officer, said. New Zealand’s nurses have turned down the latest pay offer from Jacinda Ardern’s government, leading to industrial action. (George Heard, Pool/AAP Image)“Our members…
CANBERRA, Australia — Businesses have been given the green light to offer rewards to people who have been vaccinated for Covid-19 in Australia. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved arrangements that will be in place until the end of 2022. Health professionals, businesses, and media outlets will be able to develop their own materials about TGA-approved Covid-19 vaccines. “They also permit the offer of a range of rewards to people who have been fully vaccinated under the government’s Covid-19 vaccination program,” the regulator said. While the national vaccine rollout has ticked over the five million marks, Therapeutic Goods Administration is assessing material from Pfizer about extending the…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s south-eastern state of Victoria’s Labor MPs has slammed the state opposition for inferring Premier Daniel Andrews covered up the circumstances in which he suffered a severe back injury. Andrews broke several ribs and suffered an acute compression fracture of the T7 vertebra after slipping at a holiday home on the Mornington Peninsula on March 9. The 48-year-old was released from the hospital on March 15 and had been recovering at home since. There have been various unfounded rumors circulating online since Andrews’ fall, including that the incident occurred at the home of businessman Lindsay Fox. Louise Staley, released a…
CANBERRA, Australia — Coalition senators have called for changes to be made to the government’s proposed environmental laws, facing a battle to pass Australian parliament. The laws will put in place single-touch environmental approvals for activities such as mining and farming, allowing the federal government to devolve decision-making to the states and territories through agreements. The government says the agreements will be “underpinned by national environmental standards, supported by strong assurance and oversight mechanisms,” including an Environment Assurance Commissioner. In a report released on June 8, the Senate’s environment committee — chaired by Liberal senator David Fawcett — recommended that before the bill…
EROMANGA, Australia — It’s been 14 years since Robyn and Stuart Mackenzie made an extraordinary find in the red dirt of their cattle station in outback Queensland, Australia. To the untrained eye, it would seem like nothing more than a collection of interesting rocks. But the Mackenzies knew better, and they now have scientific backing that what they stumbled across in 2006 is the largest species of dinosaur ever found in Australia. Meet Australotitan cooperensis or the southern titan. Queensland Museum paleontologist Scott Hocknull is excited about the future and believes the Eromanga area is only just beginning to reveal its prehistoric secrets.…
BRISBANE, Australia — A former Queensland evangelist church leader who raped and indecently assaulted choir girls have lost an appeal against his conviction. Shartiel Nibigira was sentenced to 11 years in jail after being found guilty on 21 charges. The father-of-eight committed the offenses at a house during choir practice, or while the girls were transported for practices or church events, the Brisbane District Court trial heard in 2019. A jury found Nibigira guilty of raping and indecently touching one girl at least eight times in 2011 and 2012 when she was aged between nine and 11. The court rejected Nibigira’s arguments that his victims’…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s senior Victorian government ministers are demanding an apology from the shadow treasurer for suggesting Premier Daniel Andrews covered up the circumstances in which he suffered a serious back injury. Andrews broke several ribs and suffered an acute compression fracture of the T7 vertebra after slipping on stairs at a holiday home on the Mornington Peninsula on March 9. The 48-year-old was released from the hospital on March 15 and has been recovering at home since. There have been various unfounded rumors circulating online since Andrews’ fall, including that the incident occurred at the home of businessman Lindsay…
CANBERRA, Australia — A former defense chief has blasted the approval of an AU$500 million ($387 million) redevelopment of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Retired admiral Chris Barrie has been a vocal opponent of the major project, fearing it will completely undermine the national institution. “I guess the game is over in terms of the fact it is going to happen, but I’m afraid it won’t be a memorial for very much longer,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio on June 8. “It might be a place of entertainment but in my view, it will not be the place of…