Tamil family's deportation from Australia halted mid-air - BBC News

Australian activists have managed to halt the midnight deportation of a Tamil asylum-seeker family as they were being flown out of the country.

An injunction, granted mid-air, paused the removal of Nadesalingam, Priya, and their two daughters to Sri Lanka.

The family's case has provoked national outcry since March last year, when authorities forcibly removed them from their home in Queensland.

Australia defended their expulsion on Friday, saying they were not refugees.

"They're not owed protection by our country," Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told local media outlets.

He said the family's asylum claim had been comprehensively assessed and rejected by immigration authorities. Successive legal appeals in recent times for the parents and eldest child have also failed.

The parents of the family, Nadesalingam and Priya, met and married in Australia after fleeing Sri Lanka's civil war. Two-year-old Tharunicaa and her four-year-old sister, Kopika, were both born in Australia.

Supporters say they risk persecution if they are returned to Sri Lanka due to their past political links.

The family worked and lived in the small country town of Biloela for three years, before they were forcibly removed to detention centres last March. The dawn raid, carried out by a dozen officers, prompted a huge response from the community. A petition for their return has attracted more than 120,000 signatures.

• Tamil family 'given 10 minutes to pack'

In a dramatic development on Friday, a federal court extended an injunction that stops the government from deporting the youngest child before next Wednesday.

It is unclear whether the government will allow that reprieve to include the rest of the family, who have only been publicly identified by their first names.

"Given the circumstances, it would be a pretty inhumane thing to do to separate the family at this point," lawyer Carina Ford told reporters.

How was their deportation stopped mid-air?

Protesters rushed to Melbourne Airport on Thursday night, upon learning the family would be deported within hours.

Their plane took off at about 23:00 local time (12:00 GMT), but lawyers succeeded, during the flight, in securing a last-minute order preventing Dharuniga's deportation.

That injunction, ordered over the phone by a judge, forced the plane to land over 3,000 km (1,850 miles) away in Darwin, Australia's northernmost major city, at about 03:00 local time on Friday. Footage posted online shows the family being escorted from the plane by guards.

• Deportation laws strain Australia-New Zealand relationship
• Aboriginal man fights possible deportation from Australia

Their friend Angela Fredericks told the BBC the family had "suffered a huge emotional toll and are very distressed".

She said the girls had cried during the flight, and Priya had not been allowed to sit with her children.

On Friday many Australians, including lawmakers, expressed anger online over the family's treatment and called for the government to show compassion.

Skip Twitter post by @sarahinthesen8

I urge the Prime Minister to intervene to offer compassion and grace to the Tamil family. He can save them from being deported.
The two children must be so scared. It does no harm to allow them stay so they can get on with school and being young healthy kids. #hometobilo

— Sarah Hanson-Young💚 (@sarahinthesen8) August 29, 2019

End of Twitter post by @sarahinthesen8

Opposition lawmakers urged Immigration Minister David Coleman to exercise discretion and allow the family to stay.

Critics have compared the situation to a controversy last year, where a minister personally intervened to stop the deportation of a French au pair.

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2019-08-30 05:38:58Z
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Australia snubs Huawei, finishes undersea cables for Pacific Islands - INSIDER

• Australia has completed the laying of undersea cables for its high-speed internet project in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, a snub to China's Huawei which had previously competed for the deal.
• Australia agreed to pay for the majority of the $92.5 million project in 2018 after China's Huawei expressed interest in the arrangement.
• According to WA Today, the project spans 4,700 kilometers (2,920 miles) and is linked to Sydney's Tamarama Beach using cables which feature optic fibers thinner than human hair.
• Concerns have been raised in the past that Huawei technology could be used by China to spy on the West, an allegation that the company has repeatedly denied.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Australia has completed the laying of undersea cables for its high-speed internet project in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, a snub to Chinese tech giant Huawei, which had previously competed for the deal.

Australia on Wednesday laid the final piece of cable as part of its $A137 million ($92.5 million) infrastructure effort, known as the Coral Sea Cable, which links Sydney to its island neighbors.

Australia agreed to front most of the cost of the construction project in 2018, shutting out a competing offer by Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. According to WA Today, the project spans 4,700 kilometers (2,920 miles) and is linked to Sydney's Tamarama Beach using cables which feature optic fibers thinner than human hair.

The paper added that less than 11% of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands residents have internet access, making the project important to their future social and economic development.

Walter Diamana, Acting High Commissioner for Solomon Islands, said the project would "secure hope and bring a predictable future for our people," WA Today reported.

Read more: This incredible map shows the undersea cables that keep the internet alive — and security services are worried Russia could cut them

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne told reporters Wednesday that the project was key to fortifying Australia's connection to the Pacific as China has begun expanding its efforts in the region. She said the goal was to have the cables in operation by December.

Several countries have voiced concern that Huawei technology could be used by China for spying

A man holding his phone walks past a Huawei shop in Beijing, China December 12, 2018.

REUTERS/Jason Lee

The US has long voiced concerns that Huawei's technology — along with that of its fellow Chinese telecom company ZTE — could pose a security risk, fearing that the company's technology could act as a backdoor for the Chinese government to spy on the West.

The US banned federal agencies and their contractors from using equipment or services provided by Huawei, which prompted harsh blowback from the Chinese tech giant.

In recent months, Australia has banned Huawei and ZTE from supplying tech for their networks, citing major security risks.

Read more: The EU is ignoring US calls to boycott Huawei in its 5G roll-out despite security concerns

New Zealand has also turned down a proposal for one of its major telecom carriers to use Huawei gear in its planned 5G mobile network, but the country has not ruled out using the tech giant in future internet network upgrades if security risks are addressed.

Huawei's CEO pushed back on concerns about its 5G network in March, saying: "Cyber security and user privacy protection are at the absolute top of our agenda. We are confident that the companies that choose to work with Huawei will be the most competitive in the 5G era."

"The easiest way to bring down a fortress is to attack it from within. And the easiest way to reinforce it is from outside."

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2019-08-28 09:07:40Z
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Raft of Pumice Drifts Across The Pacific As Seen From Space - Space Ref

Captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on 21 August 2019, this image features a huge raft of pumice rock drifting in the Pacific Ocean. The pumice is believed to have come from an underwater volcano near Tonga, which erupted on 7 August.

The volcanic debris is full of holes and gas that make the rock light enough to float up to the sea surface. Covering a total area of around 150 sq km, this massive gathering of floating rocks has turned the ocean surface from its usual twinkling blue to a dull grey that almost looks like land.

The raft is drifting towards Australia, and while it may be causing some problems for sailors, it could bring benefits to the Great Barrier Reef. There are millions of pieces of rock and each is a potential vehicle that offers a ride to small marine organisms such as algae, snails, barnacles and corals. If the raft eventually reaches Australia, the hope is that these hitch-hiking organisms could help replenish the Great Barrier Reef, which has been damaged by rising seawater temperatures.

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2019-08-27 18:38:00Z
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Walker, Turner lead US over Australia 102-86 - The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — With his team playing on a raised basketball court in a stadium normally used for soccer and cricket, U.S. coach Gregg Popovich said he felt like he was on a movie set.

“I kept looking behind me because I knew I was going to fall off the stage,” he said.

But once the game started, Popovich thought it all seemed normal. And if it had been a movie, Popovich surely would have liked the ending.

Kemba Walker scored 23 points, Myles Turner added 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the U.S. topped Australia 102-86 on Thursday before a crowd of 51,218 — billed as the largest crowd ever to watch a basketball game in Australia.

“We have guys that are just starting to play with each other,” said U.S. guard Donovan Mitchell, who had 13 points. “We got off to a little bit of a rough start in the first half, but the third quarter, we really picked it up defensively.”

Patty Mills and Chris Goulding scored 19 points each for Australia, which stayed with the Americans for about 2½ quarters before seeing chances slip away at Marvel Stadium — transformed into a make-shift basketball arena for two games against the Americans, tune-ups for both sides before the World Cup starts next week in China.

“It was an awesome opportunity,” Mills said. “I think basketball in this country has been waiting for something like this.”

After Australia briefly took the lead at 45-44 early in the second half, the Americans scored 13 unanswered points, including three straight 3-pointers by Turner, Harrison Barnes and Mitchell, to go up 57-45.

Walker was one the keys for the second-half resurgence for the Americans, scoring 21 of his 23 points after halftime.

“I’m one of the leaders of this team, so it’s important for me to set that tone,” the Celtics guard said.

The roof of Marvel Stadium was closed and the court was placed in the middle of the field surrounded by hundreds of white chairs, more than 20 rows deep, for fans who paid for floor seating.

Despite the huge crowd, Australian media reported that some fans were issued refunds because they bought tickets based on promotional materials depicting Stephen Curry and LeBron James — who were part of the U.S. player pool when the deal was struck last year to play these games. Neither Curry nor James is on the U.S. roster for the World Cup.

Australia was also without its biggest star, Ben Simmons, who has opted not to play in the World Cup. Still, the Boomers starting lineup included four NBA players: Mills, Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova.

And the Aussies gave their crowd some thrills — like a run just before halftime that cut the U.S. lead to 44-43 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Goulding and six straight points by Mills.

The win was the 78th in a row in major international exhibitions and competition for the U.S. national team, a streak that started with the bronze medal game of the 2006 world championships. It encompasses gold-medal runs at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the FIBA Americas tournament in 2007.

TIP-INS

USA: Mitchell wrote “End Gun Violence” on his shoes before the game to remember the victims of the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings ... Boston’s Marcus Smart, who is still working his way back from a calf injury that popped up about two weeks ago during training camp in Las Vegas, did not play. ... It was the first meeting between the national teams since the Americans won 98-88 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics on their way to a gold medal.

Australia: Actor Russell Crowe, who spends most of his time living in Australia, was part of the massive crowd. ... In a sight that NBA fans are used to, Dellavedova dived on the floor for loose balls three times in the game’s first three minutes — including on the opening tap. ... Mills gave Popovich, his longtime coach in San Antonio, a massive hug courtside just before the game started.

INJURY SCARE

Jayson Tatum got knocked over by a defender in the third quarter and tumbled backward somewhat awkwardly — the back of his head falling into Walker’s knee. Tatum was shaken up briefly but remained in the game.

UP NEXT

The teams meet again in Melbourne on Saturday.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Team USA scored 13 unanswered points, not 12.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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2019-08-22 12:16:56Z
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Australian tourist randomly shot dead in New Zealand - New York Post

An Australian tourist was randomly gunned down inside a camper van where he and his fiancée were staying in a New Zealand surfing town early Friday, according to new reports.

Sean McKinnon, 33, and his Canadian sweetheart, Bianca Buckley, 32, were parked on a beach in the town of Raglan around 3:20 a.m. when a man thumped on the window, The Australian reported.

He demanded the keys to the van before firing his gun at McKinnon, according to the report.

Buckley got away and called the cops — but the suspect drove away with the gravely wounded McKinnon still in the van, The Independent reported.

The van was discovered around 8 a.m., about 46 miles away in the village of Gordonton — with McKinnon’s lifeless body inside, according to the report.

It wasn’t clear whether the tourist died of the initial shooting, or was attacked again after the gunman took off with the van, according to the report.

“This is a tragic incident,” Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said, according to The Independent. “I want to reassure the public that we are working hard to identify and locate the offender. It is our absolute priority.”

One lone male is being sought in connection with the “random attack,” Pitkethley said, according to The Australian.

“We are supporting the female victim, who is understandably very shocked and distressed, providing her with the support and welfare she needs,” he said.

McKinnon was raised in the small town of Nirranda, near Warrnambool in southwest Victoria, according to the report.

His distraught family called him a “gentle sort of soul with a good sense of humor.”

“He was devastatingly handsome and a caring, sensitive young man, even as a boy,” McKinnon’s older sister Emmeline told the Herald Sun. “He would ­always tell you he loved you and would give you a hug.”

Buckley had been living in Auckland, New Zealand, working as a midwife and volunteering as a yoga teacher, according to The Australian.

She had been planning a surfing trip that took place last weekend at Whangamata, on the opposite side of New Zealand’s North Island from the crime scene.

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2019-08-16 16:59:00Z
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In pictures: Australian Geographic's photo prize winners - BBC News

Stunning images of nature and wildlife across Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and some Pacific islands are recognised each year in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition. Here are some of this year's winners.

All photographs subject to copyright as marked.

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2019-08-16 06:53:49Z
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'Jurassic world' discovered under Australia - Fox News

A so-called "Jurassic world" has been discovered, consisting of approximately 100 ancient volcanoes, buried deep inside central Australia.

The research, published in Gondwana Research, details the findings of ancient volcanoes that were active between 180 million and 160 million years ago under the Cooper-Eromanga Basin. Now one of the country's largest oil and gas regions, it was once home to an area filled with hot ash and lava flying high into the air, surrounded by rivers that eventually evolved into lakes and coal-swamps.

"While the majority of Earth's volcanic activity occurs at the boundaries of tectonic plates, or under the Earth's oceans, this ancient Jurassic world developed deep within the interior of the Australian continent," said the study's co-author, Simon Holford, in a statement.

STUNNING VOLCANIC 'LOST WORLD' DISCOVERED DEEP IN THE OCEAN

"Its discovery raises the prospect that more undiscovered volcanic worlds reside beneath the poorly explored surface of Australia," Holford added.

The ancient volcanoes, which are well preserved, were discovered under hundreds of feet of rock using advanced subsurface imaging techniques, which are similar to CT scans.

In an interview with IFLScience, Holford said that the discovery of the volcanoes was not anticipated due to the heavy presence of oil exploration and production in the area. The team has termed the province the Warnie Volcanic Province (WVP), "after the Warnie East 1 exploration well, drilled in 1985," according to the study's abstract.

LIFE FOUND THRIVING DEEP UNDER OCEAN FLOOR

It's unlikely there will be much paleontological benefit to discovering the ancient volcanoes, as the drilling rigs used to dig through volcanic rock only make small holes, so the chances of hitting a fossil are minuscule.

However, the discovery of WVP does raise "the possibility of other, yet unidentified, volcanic provinces worldwide," the study notes.

In October, scientists discovered another volcanic "lost world" off the coast of Tasmania, while mapping the seafloor 249 miles east of the country.

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2019-08-14 12:29:08Z
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