Australia
Aus oppn increases polling lead ahead of May 21 election
According to the latest Newspoll, 39 per cent of voters now intend to vote for the Labor Party as their first preference, up from 38 per cent at the start of May, and 35 per cent for the governing Coalition, down from 36 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency.
Australia in midst of Covid reinfection wave: Report
Adrian Esterman, an infectious diseases expert from the University of South Australia, said reinfections were on the rise as natural immunity from the peak of Australia's Omicron wave in December 2021 and this January has started to wane, reports Xinhua news agency. Governments across Australia do not have systems in place to track reinfection rates, which Esterman said has left experts relying on data from overseas.
Can still win election despite trailing in polls: Australia PM
Morrison said that opinion polls that show his Coalition set for defeat in the election are not necessarily conclusive, with many voters yet to make up their mind, reports Xinhua news agency. According to the polls, the opposition Labor Party is likely to win up to 80 out of 151 seats in the lower house of Parliament -- the House of Representatives -- and form the government for the first time since 2013.
Australia facing medical workforce shortage
The Group of Eight (Go8), a coalition of elite research universities, published a policy paper, calling for the federal government to fund at least an additional 1,000 extra places for domestic medical students every year, reports Xinhua news agency. It warned that relying on recruiting internationally-trained doctors was unsustainable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic due to increased burn-out, putting Australia on a path to a medical workforce crisis.
Spike in postal votes could delay Australia poll results
The AECrevealed it has already received 1.54 million applications for postal votes with 18 days until polling day, up from 1.5 million total in the 2019 campaign, reports Xinhua news agency.
Australia's opposition party maintains lead ahead of May election
According to the latest Newspoll, which was published by The Australian newspaper on Monday, Labor leads the governing Coalition 53-47 on a two-party preferred basis, reports Xinhua news agency. It marks the 18th consecutive poll where Labor leads the government and the fourth in a row with a 6-point margin.
US, Britain, Australia to develop hypersonic missiles
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday after conducting a review of the trilateral defence cooperation, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: "Committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defense innovation."
Quad countries accept India’s stance on Russia-Ukraine crisis: Australia
“The Quad countries have accepted India's position. We understand that each country has a bilateral relationship and it is clear from the comments of the MEA and PM Modi himself that he has used his contacts to call for the end of the conflict and no country will be unhappy with that,” he told the reporters. India has recently purchased Russian crude oil at discount prices, a move which has come under severe criticism from the western press.
India, Australia leaders to hold virtual summit on March 21
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India and Australia virtual summit will be held on March 21 where Indian and Australian leaders will hold the summit. "This summit follows the historic first virtual summit which was held on June 4, 2020 when our bilateral relationship was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership," Bagchi said. He also said that during this forthcoming virtual summit the leaders will take stock of progress made on various initiates under the comprehensive strategic partnership.
Australia threatens China with sanctions for backing Russia
Asked whether any penalties were in store for China over its refusal to condemn the ongoing Russian assault, the Prime Minister said that Australia would join with allies in sanctioning the country, RT reported."We will move in lockstep with our partners and allies on these issues, and the United States has made some very clear statements about this and we support those statements," he said on Wednesday, calling on "the whole world" to "put an end to this terrible violence and aggression by Russia".
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