Australia

Australia Sevens rep Lancaster stars as Junior Wallabies beat Fiji

The barnstorming left winger produced the match-winning try with 12th minutes remaining with Australia behind 37-36.

A wide shift from outside their own 22 to the left put Lancaster down the edge, he rounded Fiji’s defence to score untouched under the posts before a final penalty goal put the game out of Fiji’s reach.

Australia were made to work for the result after Fiji hit back at opportune times just as the Junior Wallabies looked like running away with the game.

Russian embassy: Australia blocks new Canberra site over spying risk

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said intelligence agencies had given "very clear security advice" on the move.

Laws specifically drafted to halt construction were rapidly passed on Thursday after legal attempts to block the Canberra development failed.

The Kremlin said it was "yet another unfriendly action" which Russia would "take into account" in the future.

Australia was following the "Russophobic hysteria that is now going on in the countries of the collective West", said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Ten people killed in wedding bus crash in Australia

The passengers were returning from a wedding at a winery on Sunday night when their coach overturned on Wine County Drive near Greta in Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

Police say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The driver of the bus, a 58-year-old man, has been arrested.

NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said the guests were travelling to Singleton "presumably for their accommodation". The crash occurred around 23:30 local time.

Vanuatu says security deal with Australia to be ratified later this year

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said, during a visit by Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles, that a security treaty signed with Australia in December 2022 is still being examined.

Some Vanuatu politicians who favour ties with China have expressed concern over the deal.

Vanuatu's National Security Council was "going through the text" and it will next be considered by his government's Council of Ministers, Kalsakau said in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila.

"It will be presented for ratification before the end of this year in Parliament," he said.

MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo dies aged 46

Zonfrillo died in Melbourne on Sunday, MasterChef Australia confirmed on Monday afternoon.

"Network 10 and Endemol Shine Australia are deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of Jock Zonfrillo, a beloved member of the MasterChef family," a statement from the program said.

"Jock was known to Australians as a chef, best-selling author, philanthropist and MasterChef judge but he will be best remembered as a loving father, husband, brother and son."

Ni-Vanuatu workers are putting Pacific values into practice in regional Australia through community service

So after moving to Stawell in 2020, Junior Issachar made a conscious effort to get involved with his new community.

"Our passion is to be a blessing … and put a smile on someone's face," he said. 

ABC Pacific reports Issachar is one of a growing number of workers from Vanuatu who have moved to the small town in regional Victoria under the federal government's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

And when they are not working at the town's meatworks, they can often be found out in the community visiting the elderly and people living with disabilities.  

Australia to accelerate missile build-up as defence industry anxiously awaits review recommendations

The public version of the Albanese government's long-awaited Defence Strategic Review will confirm cuts to several projects such as new Army vehicles, while funding more immediate priorities that deliver "impactful projection" well beyond Australia.

An unclassified 110-page version of the "National Defence" document, prepared by former defence chief Angus Houston and former minister Stephen Smith, will be released on Monday, two months after being handed to the prime minister.

Princess Mary to make whirlwind trip back to Australia

The Danish royal family has released a statement on its official Instagram account confirming that Mary will visit Australia, Vanuatu and Fiji from April 23 to 28.

The visit is to “highlight the consequences of climate change in the Pacific region”, the English translation of the statement reads.

Princess Mary will spend time in Sydney on April 28, where she will participate in an event with Danish business representatives involved in “the green transition in Australia”.

She will also visit a number of projects related to construction and transport.

Melbourne overtakes Sydney as Australia's biggest city

Sydney has proudly held the title for more than 100 years.

But with populations rapidly growing on Melbourne's fringe, the city limits have been expanded to include the area of Melton.

The latest government figures, from June 2021, put Melbourne's population at 4,875,400 - 18,700 more than Sydney.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) defines a city's "significant urban area", by including all connecting suburbs with more than 10,000 people.

Air Vanuatu flights continue to be disrupted

The airline's one international plane has been out of action awaiting parts, which have been sourced via partners in Asia.

RNZ Pacific reports Air Vanuatu has offered full re-ticketing and refund policies, and is scheduling staff to work over Easter to further assist customers.

It has apologised for the disruptions.

 

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