Australia & Pacifics

CANBERRA, Nov 15 (NNN-XINHUA) – Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, lost ground as the nation’s preferred leader, a poll found.

The latest Newspoll, which was published last night, revealed that, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Anthony Albanese, has closed the gap to Morrison.

It found that 46 percent of respondents identified Morrison as their preferred PM, compared to 38 percent for Albanese.

It is the tightest gap between the two since Mar, 2020, and marks a major turnaround from Feb when Morrison led 61-26.

SYDNEY, Nov 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Residents in parts of Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) have been warned by local emergency services, to prepare to evacuate, as heavy rainfall has caused rising water levels.

Floods could displace more than 8,000 people in the rural town, Forbes, about 380 km west of Sydney, and located along the banks of the Lachlan River, which runs through central NSW.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicted that water levels could rise as high as 10.65 metres, slightly higher than the previous major flood event in the area in 2016.

MELBOURNE, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Several thousand people rallied in Melbourne against new vaccination mandates on Saturday, with a few comparing the state government to Nazis and calling for violence against politicians, local media said.

In Australia, where 83% of people aged 16 and above have been fully inoculated against the coronavirus, nationwide vaccinations are voluntary. But states and territories have mandated vaccinations for many occupations and barred the unvaccinated from activities such as dining out and concerts.

Nov 13 (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck a sparsely populated area of Western Australia, 24 km (15 miles) from the small town of Marble Bar, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Saturday.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake had a magnitude of 5.9, and was at a depth of 40 km (25 miles). The area has a very hot desert climate.

WELLINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) on Saturday launched the Putrajaya Vision 2040 implementation plan for future cooperation in the Asia-Pacific at the 28th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

APEC's new long-term blueprint aims for an "open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, for the prosperity of all our people and future generations."

The plan is APEC's most important deliverable for the year, and a core focus for New Zealand as the host. 

SYDNEY, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The "stiff competition" between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific does not have to turn into a new Cold War, U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said on Thursday, describing the United States as "doubling down" on its presence in the region.

Earlier on Thursday China's President Xi Jinping said the Asia Pacific region must not return to the tensions of the Cold War era, and warned against forming small circles on geopolitical grounds. 

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Thursday against letting tensions in the Asian-Pacific region cause a relapse into a Cold War mentality.

His remarks on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum came weeks after the U.S., Britain and Australia announced a new security alliance in the region which would see Australia build nuclear submarines. China has harshly criticized the deal.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that a police officer cannot use his law enforcement job as a defense against a charge of murdering an Indigenous man.

The seven High Court judges unanimously agreed that Constable Zachary Rolfe could not rely on a statute that states a police officer is not “civilly or criminally liable” for performing law enforcement work “in good faith.”

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Making coronavirus vaccines more accessible and reducing carbon emissions were two key pledges that Pacific Rim senior officials could agree to Wednesday.

But what went unstated were the deep tensions that run through the unlikely group of 21 nations and territories that include the U.S., China, Taiwan, Russia, and Australia. Those tensions have raised questions about who can join a Pacific trade deal and whether the U.S. will get to host a future round of meetings.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have a rare virtual encounter this week as they gather online with other Pacific Rim leaders to chart a path to recovery out of the crisis brought on by the pandemic.

New Zealand is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which culminates in a leader’s meeting on Saturday. Continued outbreaks of the coronavirus and related travel restrictions have confined the meeting to the virtual realm for a second straight year.