Ramdan breakfast banquet organized

Canberra, March 21(MCNA Newsdesk)

Recently, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Marion Derckx visited the Broome Historical Museum. The volunteer-run Broome Historical Society is committed to preserving and protecting Broome’s heritage and history, including the WWII air raid on Broome that also affected many Dutch people. Their collection is spread across three buildings, including the heritage award winning Sailmaker’s Shed.

One of the larger items in the collection, the Dornier Wright Cyclone Engine and Propellor was retrieved from the wrecks in the late 1970s. The engine, on display in the museum’s backyard, was degrading due to the salt conditions and the harsh climate.

A conservation treatment of five days has successfully stabilised the engine so that the Broome Historical Museum can continue sharing Dutch-Australian wartime cultural heritage well into the future.

Canberra, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Jordan Ambassador Ali Krishan hosted a breakfast banquet on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, in “House of Jordan” attended by a large number of members of the Jordanian community in Canberra, as well as officers of the Royal Jordanian Air Force and staff of the Jordanian embassy.

Youth centre opened in Lebanon’s Saida city

Beirut, March 23 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Recently, Australian Ambassador to Lebanon Andrew Barnes joined International Medical Corps and

Plan International Lebanon to open a Muslim Scout Association of Lebanon youth centre in Saida supported by Australia. The centre is a safe space for young people to build friendships, learn new skills and support their community. Ambassador Barnes enjoyed an excellent performance by the scout band.

Thailand Ambassador visits Tasmania, meets officials, Thai people

technology sector.

70th Anniversary of Thailand–Australia diplomatic relations

On 23 March 2023 Governor of Tasmania Barbara Baker AC hosted the reception Morning Tea to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of ThailandAustralia diplomatic relations at the Government House. The event was attended by Ambassador Arjaree, representatives of public and private sectors as well as Thai people in Tasmania.

Meetings with Thai people & students

Canberra, March 20 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Ambassador of Thailand to Australia Arjaree

Sriratanaban visited Tasmania from 20 -23 March 2023. The visit coincided with the 70th Anniversary of Thailand – Australia diplomatic relations, and comprised reception and meetings with Thai community in Hobart.

Visit to Tasmania

During the official visit to

Tasmania on 21 -23 March 2023, Ambassador Arjaree met high-level representatives of public and academic sectors in Tasmania, including Premier of Tasmania Jeremy Rockliff MP; Chief Justice of Tasmania Justice Alan Blow AO; President of Legislative Council Craig Farrell; Speaker of the House of Assembly Mark Shelton MP, and Lord Mayor of Hobart Councillor Anna Reynolds; Representative of Opposition Leader in

Tasmania Parliament Michelle O’Bryne as well as executives and representatives from Department of State Growth, Government Education Training International, Brand Tasmania and University of Tasmania. Governor of Tasmania Barbara Baker AC, and Emeritus Professor Don Chalmers AO also hosted the dinner in honour of the Ambassador at the Government House.

During the official visit, Ambassador Arjaree also met with a number of companies in Tasmania such as Huon Aquaculture, Tassal and Dutch Mill in the agriculture sector and GeoNeon in the digital

Prior to the official visit, on 20 March 2023, Ambassador Arjaree visited Sanggharangsee Temple to pay respect to the Thai monks and met with members of the Thai community in Hobart. She also met with Thai Government scholarship students who are pursuing post-graduate studies in geology, biological science and Antartic studies at the University of Tasmania.

Indonesian restaurant fundraising open till April 22

People-to-people ties between ASEAN & Australia discussed

Canberra, March 24 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The ASEAN Committee in Canberra had a fruitful exchange of ideas and great discussion with Shadow Minister on Foreign Affairs Senator Simon Birmingham on 23 April 2023.

The two sides discussed various ways to further enhance political, economy and people-to-people cooperation between ASEAN and Australia.

PNP chief meets Ambassador Ma Hellen, officials of Embassy

Canberra, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

For all WNI, Indonesian diaspora in Australia, Open

Call Indonesian Restaurant Fundraising (IndoStar) has officially opened.

IndoStar can be the answer to the problem for Indonesian restaurant entrepreneurs who are experiencing difficulty in accessing financing to establish / open restaurant branches abroad.

IndoStar has a series of activities among them such as

1. Open Call

2. Curation

3. Incubation

4. Pitch Deck Submission

5. Demoday

6. Negotiation Business/ Business Fundraising

IndoStar Open Call is open from 10 March - 22 April 2023.

Australia-UK FTA close to becoming reality

London, March 22 (MCNA Newsdesk)

The Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill is now awaiting Royal assent after the UK Parliament approved it recently. Once the Royal assent is received, it will take the Australia-UK FTA one step closer to implementation.. For over 100 years Australia House in UK has supported Australia’s best food and wine producers.

Australian exporters were hosted in London recently for the IFE - International Food & Drink Event.

Trade is instrumental to the Australia-UK relationship. It has a long history and a bright future.

Canberra, April 5 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Officials from the Philippine National Police (PNP) led by PNP Chief PGen Rodolfo Azurin Jr. met Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma Hellen De La Vega, and officers of the Philippine Embassy and the Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attaché in Canberra, April 4. The delegation, also composed of the Director for Investigation and Detective Management

PMGen Eliseo Cruz, Director for Logistics PMGen Rolando

Olay, Director for Information and Communication Technology PMGen Valeriano De Leon, Director for Plans PMGen Richard Banac and Director for Personnel and Records and Management PMGen Robert Rodriguez, will be visiting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) and the facilities of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra and Brisbane as part of the cooperation of the two countries in strengthening law enforcement and addressing transnational crimes.

Ambassador De La Vega emphasized the importance of the ongoing strong police cooperation between the Philippines and Australia. The Ambassador exchanged views with the delegation on pursuing initiatives and capacity-building efforts with Australia towards strengthening resilience against the evolving nature of transnational criminal activities across the region, especially those related to cyber security, terrorism and online child exploitation and abuse.

New Zealand household saving holds up despite higher cost of living quarter, but well above the pre-Covid levels, according to figures released by the statistics department on Thursday. households during the December 2022 quarter, it said.

Stats NZ said household net disposable income increased by 1.8 per cent to NZ$57.4 billion in the December 2022 quarter, while household spending increased by 1.7 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.

Australian oppn rules out support for Indigenous Voice proposal

Wellington, April 6 (IANS) New Zealand household saving was NZ$2.1 billion ($1.32 billion) in the December 2022 quarter, the same level as in the September

The increase in household spending largely reflected price increases, as there was little change in the volume of goods and services consumed by

“The total disposable income of New Zealand households increased at a slightly higher pace than the rise in living costs,” Stats NZ national accounts institutional sectors senior manager Paul Pascoe said. Household net worth, the value of all assets owned by households less the value of all its liabilities, fell NZ$10.3 billion in the December 2022 quarter, statistics show.

New Zealand updates over 3 decades old aviation law

fit for purpose in the new era.

The Civil Aviation Bill, which was passed on Thursday, repeals and replaces the Civil Aviation Act 1990 and the Airport Authorities Act 1966 with a single modern law that strengthens the country’s aviation security rules to keep New Zealanders safe, reports Xinhua news agency.

Canberra, April 5 (IANS) calling for a legislated local voice mechanism.

Australia’s opposition party on Wednesday announced it will not support the government’s proposal to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Wellington, March 30 (IANS) The New Zealand government has replaced its 33-year-old aviation law to ban operating aircraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as well as regulate the use of drones, so as to ensure the country’s civil aviation rules are

“A lot has changed in the aviation sector over the last 33 years and the government recognizes that the laws that govern this important industry need to reflect and be able to respond to the current times,” said Associate Transport Minister Kiri Allan.

The bill brings in greater control and creates a zero-tolerance approach around the use of drugs and alcohol, including random drug testing, Allan said, adding operating aircraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be deadly.

“New technology like cheap and easy-to-operate drones are creating new opportunities, but they can also create problems when used around airports, as this could lead to potential safety issues,” she said, adding this bill gives police new powers to take down drones if they are being flown in a dangerous manner.

The Civil Aviation Bill also provides a framework to allow New Zealand to meet its international aviation emissions obligations.

Over 75% of New Zealand’s indigenous species at risk of extinction

country’s statistics department said on Thursday.

“Loss of many of our indigenous species is a real possibility,” said Michele Lloyd, senior manager of Environmental and Agricultural Statistics at Stats NZ.

Peter Dutton, the leader of the Liberal Party, said after a special meeting on Wednesday that an overwhelming majority of the federal party had decided to oppose it, reports Xinhua news agency.

It is expected that Australians will head to the polls in the second half of 2023 to vote on proposed changes to the constitution that would formally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country’s founding document and establish the Indigenous Voice.

If successful, the voice would advise the federal parliament on issues relating to Indigenous people.

He said that a handful of Liberal members could campaign in favour of a yes vote in the referendum but that he would actively join the “no” campaign. The announcement is a blow to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a strong proponent of the voice, who had called for unity in favour of the referendum.

For a referendum to be successful, a simple majority of all voters in addition to a majority in at least four out of six states must vote in favoru.

Wellington, March 30 (IANS)

More than 75 per cent of indigenous reptile, bird, bat, and freshwater fish species groups in New Zealand are threatened with extinction or are at risk of becoming threatened, the

About 94 per cent of New Zealand’s reptile species, 82 per cent of bird species, 80 per cent of bat species, 76 per cent of freshwater fish species, and 46 per cent of vascular plant species are either facing extinction or are at risk of being threatened with extinction, Xinhua news agency quoted Lloyd as saying.

The report also shows that 39 of 47 freshwater and marine species are threatened with extinction, or at risk of becoming threatened, she added.

The indicator “Extinction threat to indigenous species” reports on the extinction threat for groupings of indigenous, resident, and living species in New Zealand, as assessed by expert panels under the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS).

New law protects New Zealanders’ digital identities

identities.

The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Bill ensures the digital system is trusted whether it’s opening a bank account, sharing medical history, conducting business online, or applying for government services, said Minister for Digital Economy and Communications

Wellington, March 30 (IANS)

A new law was passed in New Zealand its third and final reading on Thursday to make it easier for New Zealanders to safely prove their digital

Ginny Andersen.

“We know New Zealanders want control over their identity information and how it’s used by the companies and services they share it with. This framework