Australia plans to sign a military exchange deal with U.S. ally Japan so troops from both sides could pool their firepower if needed to counter China, which has become enmeshed in disputes with Australia over the past two weeks.Both sides said after a senior-level meeting November 17 they would sign a reciprocal access agreement next year. That deal would let forces from either side operate on the other’s turf, putting Australian troops closer to U.S. counterparts who are already stationed in Japan.The deal will help both sides bulk up in case of any conflict with China, a Cold War rival of the West that’s growing out its own military and economy.”When we develop defense ties and security ties with our neighbors and with our partners in the region, we are thinking very much about how we respond to an increasingly aggressive and assertive China that is not just content to try and spread influence but is actually attacking us in the context of political warfare and coercion,” said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra.Australia angered China in April by calling for a probe into the handling of COVID-19. Over the past month, China stranded more than 50 Australian coal ships near its ports, placed tariffs on a string of agricultural imports and sent out a social media image suggesting that Australian soldiers were killing Afghan children.Japan is a U.S. treaty ally of some 60 years and entrenched in a maritime sovereignty dispute with China. Australia, Japan, the United States and India belong separately to the Quad, a group that formed in 2007 for dialogue, information exchanges and military drills.On November 17 Tokyo and Canberra agreed to negotiate the Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its website. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was visiting Tokyo then to meet his counterpart Yoshihide Suga. Japan has no similar deals with any country besides the United States.The two leaders issued a joint statement that omitted China by name but condemned its activities in the South China Sea, where Beijing took the upper hand in a six-way sovereignty dispute after landfilling islets for military use through 2017.”The [leaders] had serious concerns about the recent negative developments and serious incidents in the South China Sea, including continuing militarization of disputed features, dangerous and coercive use of coast guard vessels and ‘maritime militia’, launches of ballistic missiles, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ resource exploitation activities,” the statement said.Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian slammed the statement as “a gross interference to China’s internal matters.”But Beijing cannot cast the Australia-Japan pact as explicitly anti-China, said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. “China would of course not like it, but China could not argue that it is targeting China,” Oh said. “Any two countries could sign this kind of thing. A third country could not say ‘it is targeting me.'”U.S. officials, conversely, will probably smile on the Australia-Japan deal because Washington wants its allies to help with pro-American causes in Asia, said Stephen Nagy, senior associate professor of politics and international studies at International Christian University in Tokyo.The U.S. government periodically sends navy ships to the South China Sea, upsetting Beijing, and offers weapons to Asian countries for their defense against China. Beijing maintains the world’s third strongest arms forces. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has taken on China as well over trade, technology access and consular issues.”The fact that Australian troops can come and base here and engage in more frequent and probably deeper bilateral training with Japan and of course with the United States, because the United States is already based here, this creates more interoperability,” Nagy said. “It creates a more cohesive bilateral and multilateral partnership to push back against China.”The reciprocal access agreement will mainly smooth drills and training between countries that already work together militarily, scholars say. Japanese already visit Australia for military training, for example a long-range howitzer firing exercise last year.The two sides can learn more from each other on amphibious operations and explore areas for joint development such as long-range strike capability, Davis said.”The significance of the RAA cannot be understated,” Morrison said in a statement in November on the prime minister’s website. “It will form a key plank of Australia’s and Japan’s response to an increasingly challenging security environment in our region amid more uncertain strategic circumstances.” 
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Thailand’s most famous — some would say infamous — rap group is back with a vengeance.Rap Against Dictatorship shot to fame in 2018 with its debut track, “What My Country’s Got,” a politically charged invective skewering the country’s then-military junta. The video has garnered 94 million views on YouTube.The musical group launched its latest track, “Reform,” on YouTube a few weeks ago amid new anti-government protests roiling the capital, Bangkok. Its video has already attracted more than 7 million views.  While taking on the same broad themes of state oppression, impunity and hypocrisy, the new song, like the protests themselves, takes aim at not just the government but the country’s once untouchable monarchy.MessageThailand’s youth have been taking to the capital’s streets by the thousands almost daily since July to demand the resignation of 2014 coup leader-turned-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and a new constitution stripped of the privileges it gifts the military.Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha waves as he attends an agreement signing ceremony for purchase of AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine at Government House, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bangkok, Nov. 27, 2020.Since August, though, the “mob,” as the protesters call themselves, has been turning its ire increasingly at a royal palace it accuses of working together with the military to keep Thailand’s conservative elite in power and in wealth. They want King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s assertive reign brought firmly in check by new rules that would keep him out of politics and open the ledger on a lavish lifestyle paid for with their taxes.The protesters are flouting strict criminal defamation laws meant to shield the royal family from rebuke and a constitution that demands reverence to break through generations-old taboos.”Reform” is their soundtrack.R.A.D., as the music group is known, plays often to the protest crowds and performed its new track live for the first time at the “Mob Fest” event on Nov. 14. Fans at their latest shows already know the lyrics by heart.Tattep “Ford” Ruangprapaikitseree is one of the protest movement’s lead organizers and addresses the crowds on many days.”We speak on the microphone…. They [R.A.D.] speak through the song. But [it’s] the same idea,” he told VOA.”In the movement we have the demands,” he said, “and this song is like the messenger … to deliver [the] message in the protest.”The music track “Reform” brims with scorn for Prayut and thinly veiled jabs at the monarchy with references to pawns and kings, royal decrees and feudal rule. It hints at the protest movement’s 10-point reform plan for the monarchy and makes repeated passes at how the government and royals are spending the people’s tax dollars.My generation”This song is telling about [how] Thai people want to reform the monarchy, want to have a better life,” said Skan “Skanbombomb” Aryurapong, who directed the video for “Reform.”FILE – An audience member, second from right, raps with members of Rap Against Dictatorship on stage in Bangkok, Oct. 27, 2018. The group has touched a nerve with an impassioned and now-viral music video lobbing fiery rhymes at the ruling junta.No lawsuits followed from the probe. This past August, though, police did arrest founding member Dechathorn “Hockhacker” Bamrungmuang over a protest he attended the month before and charged him with sedition before releasing him on bail.After a two-year hiatus, authorities have also started charging protesters again with royal defamation, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in jail. Skan and Pongsatorn said the group had a lawyer examine the lyrics to “Reform” for any potential legal traps. But the song is still raw and angry and vintage R.A.D.”We say what’s in people’s minds,” Pongsatorn said. “They want to say it but they don’t dare to say it because nowadays we still have something that pressures us, like a big wall that stops people from saying what they think, like government or laws.”R.A.D. wants to tear that wall down. Pongsatorn admits it may be too much to expect one song to change any minds, but he hopes it will kindle the conversations that could.”This can be a starter, because the song’s name is ‘Reform,'” he said, “and when people hear it, even [if] they are on [the] opposite side, they will have the idea of reform in their minds and later they will see other information and they can make judgments, they can make decisions later.” 
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Facebook and Google are becoming “zones without human rights” in Vietnam, Amnesty International warned Tuesday, accusing the tech giants of helping to censor peaceful opposition and political freedom in the country. Amnesty warned that although they were “once the great hope for the rise of freedom of expression in the country, social media platforms are rapidly becoming areas without human rights.” Information Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said last month that tech companies were complying with demands to remove “bad news, propaganda against the party and the state” at a faster rate than ever before, according to state media. FILE – Vietnam’s then-acting Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung attends the World Economic Forum on ASEAN at the Convention Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sept. 12, 2018.The same article states that this year Facebook complied with 95% of government requests and YouTube, 90%. A Facebook spokesperson told AFP that the platform is working hard to defend freedom of expression around the world.  “Over the past few months, we have experienced additional pressure from the Vietnamese government to limit more content, however we will do our best to ensure that our services remain accessible, so that people can continue to express themselves,” he clarified. Google and the Vietnamese authorities did not respond to AFP’s requests. Communist Vietnam has long imprisoned its dissidents but has been criticized in recent years for targeting users of Facebook, a social network popular with activists in the country where independent media is banned. The social network admitted earlier this year that it was blocking content deemed illegal by the authorities, while its latest transparency report reveals an increase in six months of nearly 1,000% of content censored by order of the government. Amnesty International said in a report published Tuesday that it had collected the testimonies of 11 activists whose publications were banned by Facebook in Vietnam this year. The human rights organization also said that three other people have suffered similar censorship of their content on YouTube, owned by Google. One of them, Nguyen Van Trang, who fled an arrest warrant in Vietnam for his involvement in a pro-democracy group, said that Facebook had since May restricted the visibility of all its publications about Communist Party boss Nguyen Phu Trong and senior member Tran Quoc Vuong. Trang also said that some of his posts on controversial issues such as the land dispute have been made inaccessible by YouTube in Vietnam. Obstruction of ‘the progress of a nation’ “I am angry,” he told AFP. “For activists, these platforms play an important role in influencing people on progressive values like democracy, human rights, civil society.” “The compromise of Facebook and Google is not only to block information, but also to hamper the progress of a nation, where the inhabitants do not have many opportunities to participate in political activities,” he added. Vietnam is now the country that generates the most revenue for Facebook and Google in Southeast Asia, according to industry experts. More than 53 million people use Facebook in Vietnam, more than half of the population. The platform is also an important marketing tool for the local economy. 
 
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The pachyderm dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” arrived in Cambodia Monday, following his rescue from a Pakistani zoo. After a seven-hour flight from Pakistan in a custom-built enclosure, Kaavan was welcomed to Cambodia by chanting Buddhist monks and sent on his way to a wildlife sanctuary. Kaavan the Asian elephant is released into his new home in the Kulen Prom Tep Wildlife Sanctuary in Oddar Meanchey Province on Nov. 30, 2020.During his flight, the elephant reportedly ate 200 kilograms of snacks and took a nap. “He behaves like a frequent flier. The flight was uneventful, which is all you can ask for when you transfer an elephant,” Amir Khalil, a veterinarian for the animal rescue group that accompanied Kaavan on the flight, according to AP. The vet works for the Vienna, Austria-based Four Paws animal rescue group, which organized the 36-year-old pachyderm’s rescue. FILE – Volunteers paint an image of Kaavan on a crate to transport him to Cambodia, at the Maragzar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, Nov. 27, 2020.One reason Kaavan may have been somewhat relaxed is that he was trained three times a day for three months on how to enter and exit his special travel crate, AP reported. Kaavan arrived in Pakistan in 1985 as a gift from Sri Lanka. He had been in the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad. In 2012, his partner, Saheli, died due to a leg infection. FILE – A Four Paws veterinarian is pictured with an elephant named Kaavan at the Maragzar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sept. 4, 2020.Campaigners say the heartbreaking image of Kaavan standing above the body of his partner shocked the world. Kaavan was held in chains for years in an insufficient enclosure and was forced to perform in front of visitors in the poorly managed zoo. An initial medical examination in September showed Kaavan’s nails had cracked and were overgrown due to improper care and an insufficient enclosure with flooring that damaged its feet. The elephant also developed a stereotypical behavior because of his loneliness, the cause of his shaking head back and forth for hours. Kaavan was also obese, according to AP, which said he ate 250 kilograms of sugar cane daily. He reportedly lost 450 kilograms before his trip to Cambodia. In addition to Four Paws, American singer Cher and her animal welfare group Free the Wild helped secure Kaavan’s release. Cher was in Pakistan Nov. 27 when she met with Prime Minister Imran Khan. “Cher has arrived and is so grateful for the help and support from the people of Pakistan to allow Kaavan to move to Cambodia and live out the rest of his life in peace and with dignity,” Free the Wild co-founder Mark Cowne said in an email to VOA.  Pop singer Cher gestures in front of the crate of Kaavan upon his arrival in Cambodia at Siem Reap International Airport in Siem Reap on Nov. 30, 2020.Kaavan will now be trucked to the animal sanctuary in northern Cambodia and should be out of his crate on Dec. 1. 
 
 
  
 
 
 
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An electric “aero-ambulance” that is estimated to be faster, safer and quieter than a helicopter has been developed by researchers in Australia.  The aero ambulance is called Vertiia. It is an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed to get patients to the hospital quicker and more safely.   It is set for commercial release in 2023, and developers say it will be the world’s most efficient aircraft of its type for passenger and “aeromedical transport.”   The transfer of patients in remote parts of Australia can be slow. Often, they must be driven to an airport by ambulance, transferred onto a plane, and then back into another ambulance for delivery to the hospital. Vertiia aims to take them from door to door. It is built to cruise at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour and travel 250 kilometers powered by electric batteries before needing to recharge. It is also designed to travel nonstop for more than 800 kilometers using hydrogen as an alternative fuel. The project is a collaboration between the University of Sydney, the startup company AMSL Aero and the charity CareFlight. Associate Professor Dries Verstraete is an aerospace engineer from the University of Sydney.   His team is working to increase the aircraft’s efficiency through its aerodynamic and structural design and reduce its operating costs.  “Aero ambulances work by taking off vertically and tilting the wing to horizontal, to tilt it back before they land,” he said. “The advantage of this concept is that they are flying efficiently like an aircraft, but they can still take off like a helicopter, and this allows us to reach more people in a shorter time and do that in a way that is safer than helicopters and also significantly quieter.” The project has received federal government funding of U.S. $2.2 million. Michael McCormack, Australia’s deputy prime minister, said it was “a revolution in aeromedical support.” Vertiia is currently flown by pilots, but researchers want to be able to fly it by computer in bad weather and other hazardous conditions.  
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Treasury Wine Estates Ltd said Monday it would redirect some wine intended for China and cut costs after Beijing imposed anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine, dealing a significant blow to the world’s largest listed winemaker. The company said it would relocate its Penfolds Bin and Icon luxury range of wines from China to other markets such as Australia, the United States and Europe. It added that future vintage intakes from 2021 would also be reduced. Over the weekend, China imposed temporary anti-dumping tariffs of 107.1% to 212.1% on wine imported from Australia, with Treasury Wine facing a rate of 169.3%, the highest of any of the named wine companies. Nearly a third of Treasury Wine’s earnings in fiscal 2020 came from China, where it enjoys strong demand for its higher-margin luxury wine. It said demand in China would be extremely limited because of the tariffs. “We are extremely disappointed to find our business, our partners’ businesses and the Australian wine industry in this position,” Tim Ford, chief executive officer, said. China began an anti-dumping probe in August of Australian wine imports as relations between Beijing and Canberra deteriorated. China accounts for near 40% of Australian wine exports. “There is no doubt this (tariffs) will have a significant impact on many across the industry, costing jobs and hurting regional communities and economies, which are the lifeblood of the wine sector,” Ford added. The tariffs are yet another blow to Treasury Wine this year, as global curbs on travel and social gatherings have hit sales hard, especially at its non-retail channels that include bars and restaurants. 
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Australia’s approaching summer is forecast to be wet with an increased risk of floods and tropical cyclones, according to the national Bureau of Meteorology’s climate outlook. It predicts conditions will be wetter and cooler than recent years but warns there is still a risk of bushfires for southern Australia.The nation is used to the extremes of nature. Last summer was scarred by some of the worst fires ever recorded in Australia. This year is expected to be wetter and cooler.The influence of La Niña, the periodic cooling of the ocean surface in parts of the Pacific, is expected to result in more rainfall across much of Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology’s climate outlook is predicting a greater number of tropical cyclones, and there is a good chance the annual monsoon will start early.“In contrast to last summer, wetter conditions are likely across much of the country,” said Andrew Watkins, manager of Climate Prediction Services at the Bureau of Meteorology. “This means the chance of widespread flooding is raised in eastern Australia. However, we will still see some heat waves and some fires at times. Abundant grass growth during spring has led to increased grass fire risk in parts of New South Wales. However, bushfires are always a risk in any summer.”The updated summer bushfire outlook from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Center has identified grassfires as the main danger this summer in eastern Australia.There is a warning that regions that suffered from intense bushfires last summer are also at risk of flash flooding, erosion and landslides if there is heavy rain.Summer in Australia starts officially Dec. 1, but extreme heat wave conditions are expected across much of southeastern and eastern parts of Australia in the coming days. Temperatures in South Australia have reached 47 degrees Celsius.In Queensland, a bushfire has closed Fraser Island, one of Australia’s most famous tourist destinations. Visitors and residents have been told they cannot leave the World Heritage-listed island north of Brisbane. The authorities in Queensland say conditions are expected to worsen over the next few days.Last year was Australia’s hottest and driest year on record.
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Islamic State-linked extremists killed four people in a remote Christian community on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, authorities said Saturday, with one victim beheaded and another burned to death.The group of sword-and-gun wielding attackers ambushed Lembantongoa village in Central Sulawesi province Friday morning, killing several residents and torching half a dozen homes, including one used for regular prayers and services, police said.No arrests had yet been made and the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.But authorities pointed the finger at the Sulawesi-based East Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), one of dozens of radical groups across the Southeast Asian archipelago that have pledged allegiance to IS.Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation, has long wrestled with Islamist militancy and terror attacks, while Central Sulawesi has seen intermittent violence between Christians and Muslims for decades.”We reached the conclusion that they (the attackers) were from MIT after showing pictures of its members to relatives of the victims” who witnessed the ambush, said Sigi Regency police chief Yoga Priyahutama.The makeshift church was empty at the time of the early morning attack by around eight militants, he added.”People were just in their homes when it happened,” Priyahutama said.Lembantongoa village head Rifai, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said one victim was beheaded and another was nearly decapitated.One of the other all-male victims was stabbed while a fourth was burned to death in his home, he added.”Some residents managed to escape, but the victims didn’t make it,” Rifai told AFP.Indonesia’s Christians have been targeted in the past, including in 2018 when IS-linked group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah staged a wave of suicide bombings by families — including young children — at churches in the country’s second-biggest city Surabaya, killing a dozen congregants.If confirmed to be the work of MIT, Friday’s killings would be its first significant attack since the organisation’s leader was killed four years ago by Indonesia’s elite anti-terror squad, according to Jakarta-based terrorism expert Sidney Jones.”Through the attack… they want to show that police efforts to arrest and kill members of the group did not have any effect on” them, she said.In 2018, MIT was believed to have sent radicals posing as humanitarian workers into Central Sulawesi’s quake-tsunami hit Palu city in a bid to recruit new members, Jones said.
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Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators flooded a Bangkok intersection late Friday, vowing to resist any attempts at a coup amid rumors of a coming military intervention to break a deadlock between the vibrant reform movement and a stubborn royalist government.Thailand has had 13 coups since a 1932 revolution established a constitutional monarchy, led by an army which refuses to leave the political stage – or allow full democracy to take root – and whose actions are endorsed by a palace which is at the pinnacle of power.The last coup, in 2014, was led by Prayuth Chan-O-Cha, the then army chief who transformed into a civilian premier after elections last year under rules heavily favoring the military-aligned party he leads.Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha waves as he attends an agreement signing ceremony for purchase of AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine at Government House, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bangkok, Nov. 27, 2020.But after six years in power Prayuth is on the ropes, his name denigrated nightly on the streets by protesters who are demanding his resignation, the drafting of a new constitution and – most significantly – reform of the monarchy.With the government refusing to cede ground and a rising threat of clashes between pro-democrats and pro-monarchists, experts say dangerous days lie ahead for Thailand.That has stirred speculation that Prayuth could soon be removed from power by the courts or an army faction called in to smother the protests with martial law.On Friday at the ‘rehearsal against the coup’ protest, rally-goers said they feared the only way for the establishment to mute their calls for palace reform was a coup.Protesters hold inflatable toys during a pro-democracy rally demanding the prime minister to resign and reforms on the monarchy, in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 27, 2020.”The government is ready to stage a coup, they’re waiting for the last straw,” said Banlue, aged 45, giving one name only like many of the wary protesters.The movement has been broadly peaceful, but dozens of people were injured in clashes earlier this month between young demonstrators and ‘yellow shirt’ loyalists to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who insist the monarchy must remain off-limits.”I’m only 17 and I’ve seen two coups already,” said protester Teeramet, as the normally busy intersection assumed a festival feel with music, food and political speeches – accompanied by inflatable rubber ducks, the latest fun protest emblem.“This is Thailand, the land of the wicked coup cycle,” he added.The new Thai army chief has a reputation as a royalist hardliner, feeding speculation he could lead a takeover to silence protests which now openly mock the king and flout a strict royal defamation law.Thailand Army Chief Gen. Narongpan Jittkaewtae speaks during press briefing at the Thai Army headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 6, 2020.Dismissing the speculation, Army Chief Narongphan Jitkaewtae told reporters to stop using the term “coup d’état.”“There is always a way out, we just need to see what it is,” he said.But in a country notorious for its sudden power plays at times of political crisis, few on the streets believe him.“Thailand’s coups are never about keeping peace and order. They are about how long can they (the army) hold onto power,” said Knot, 27, as protesters unfurled a vast banner depicting the faces of the 13 army chiefs who have staged coups in the last 10 decades.Royal defamationThe protesters’ calls for reform have become focused on King Vajiralongkorn, whom they accuse of being profligate with billions of dollars of public money. He is renowned for his lavish lifestyle, including ownership of a fleet of jets for travel to his overseas home in Germany.On Wednesday they massed at the Siam Commercial Bank to demand that the king return “the people’s wealth” from an institution in which the king is the largest shareholder, with a personal stake amounting to around $2.3 billion.Crucially, they accuse the palace of pulling the strings of government through the army and its political proxies and demand that the king’s powers be constrained by the constitution.King Vajiralongkorn, long known for his for aloofness and distance from his subjects, has tried to reclaim the initiative with near-nightly walkabouts among his adoring royalist supporters which have been broadcast on television.In a late October meet-and-greet, he spoke to a royalist who had confronted the protesters, saying, “Very brave, good job, thank you.” A video clip of the exchange went viral and was seen as an endorsement of the yellow shirts, who have been mobilizing in rival rallies.But the king has not addressed the demands of the pro-democracy movement directly.   Instead insults aimed at the monarchy have mounted as a young, social media-savvy generation rides roughshod over Thailand’s stiff social hierarchy, which they accuse of embedding inequality and forcing obedience rather than critical thinking.Thai ‘Bad Students’ Slam Government as ‘Dinosaurs’Youth protests continue as a kingdom bitterly divided by age, politics and attitudes toward its rulers lurches deeper into crisisGraffiti, banners and speeches flout the once-feared royal defamation law – known as ‘112’ – which provides for up to 15 years in jail for every charge of insulting, threatening or defaming the monarchy.At least a dozen protest leaders faced police action under 112 as the government this week used the law to try to quash the growing anti-monarchy sentiment. But it appeared to have a limited immediate effect.Activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, jailed in 2017 for two years and six months for lese majeste after sharing an unflattering article about the monarch over Facebook, said he had again been charged under the law.”I got 112’d for the second time under Rama X,” he posted defiantly on Facebook, referring to the king’s dynastic title without detailing the allegation against him. “Very brave, good job, thank you.” 
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China on Friday said it would impose anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine, the latest salvo in an increasingly terse standoff between the two that has worsened since Canberra called for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.
 
Beijing has on several occasions used the threat of diminished access to its vast domestic market as a stick to beat Australia and has suspended imports of some products including beef and timber.
 
In the latest blow, China’s commerce ministry announced wine importers will be forced to pay deposits of 107-212 percent of the value of their goods at customs, saying the move was in response to “substantive harm caused to the relevant domestic wine industry”.
 
But Australia’s trade minister Simon Birmingham on Friday blasted the punitive measure as “grossly unfair, unwarranted, unjustified”, and called the dumping accusation “erroneous in fact and in substance”.
 
At a news conference, Birmingham said there was a “perception” that China was engaging in a “deliberate strategy, piling on pressure in a number of different sectors”.  
 
Canberra would continue to raise with the World Trade Organization “our concerns about the number and cumulative effect of China’s trade sanctions against Australia”, he said.
 
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Friday defended the measures as a legitimate move to protect Chinese winemakers and consumers.
 
Zhao instead blamed Canberra for strained ties with Beijing, saying “Australia should do some deep introspection” and “reflect on whether they have respected China’s interests”.
 
China’s ministry of commerce said in August it would probe dumping — when a country sells goods in a country for less than it costs at home — throughout 2019, at the request of the Wine Industry Association of China.
 
Wine exports to China hit a record A$1.3 billion (US$900 million) last year, according to Australian government data, making it the biggest market by value for Australia.
 
Friday’s news sent shares in Treasury Wine Estates Limited — which owns the popular Penfolds brands — tumbling more than 11 percent before trade was halted.
 
China’s commerce ministry has complained Australian wines benefit from government subsidies that give them an advantage over Chinese products.
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The Australian state of Victoria has recorded no new coronavirus cases or deaths for 28 consecutive days. Health authorities say they have achieved what is widely considered to be the official benchmark for eliminating COVID-19 from the community.The last coronavirus patient in Victoria was discharged from a hospital Monday. There have been no reported cases or fatalities in Australia’s second-most populous state for a month.Infections, though, have been detected in other parts of the country. There are concerns the virus could escape into the community from quarantine hotels for citizens returning from overseas. They face a mandatory 14 days in guarded isolation on their return home, but breaches in security were blamed for a deadly second wave of infections in Victoria.But the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said Australia’s success in containing COVID-19 has been widely praised.“The outside world is not a safe place,” he said. “We see that the outside world beyond Australia’s borders has enormous numbers of cases and so we will, as a world, have to manage COVID-19 at least through 2021 and potentially beyond and that has implications for Australia. At the same time, Australia has done incredibly well. We have still had heartache; we have still had tragedy. But the world looks at Australia and overwhelmingly says, ‘We wish we were Australia.’”Authorities say there have been four critical parts to Australia’s coronavirus battle plan: closing its borders to foreign travelers back in March, mass testing, sophisticated contact tracing and strict lockdowns.There have also been high levels of compliance by Australians to social distancing and hygiene protocols.A second wave of infections prompted state authorities in Victoria to bring in some of the world’s toughest lockdown restrictions in July, which have been relaxed in recent weeks.Australia has recorded almost 28,000 coronavirus cases and 907 deaths since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
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A convicted terrorist has had his Australian citizenship canceled by authorities in Canberra.  Algerian-born Abdul Nacer Benbrika was jailed for 12 years in 2008 for his role in a plot to attack targets in the states of Victoria and New South Wales.  
Benbrika is the first person to be stripped of Australian citizenship while in the country.  Others who have had their citizenship canceled were overseas when the orders were made.  Authorities still consider Benbrika to be a threat to Australia.  He was arrested in 2005 along with 17 other suspects and charged with planning multiple attacks on Australian soil, including on a nuclear reactor in Sydney, a casino in Melbourne and a major sporting final.  He was found guilty of terrorism offenses and sent to prison for 15 years.   His sentence expired November 5 but he remains behind bars under an interim detention order. He is expected to be deported to Algeria, where he was born, and has 90 days to appeal the decision to cancel his citizenship. Opposition Labor senator Penny Wong says she supports the decision to deport the convicted extremist. “We did understand when we passed those laws through the Parliament that the cancellation of citizenship was a big step, but a necessary step in certain circumstances and Mr. Benbrika’s activities and his conviction are well-known to all of us, and that is why Labor supported the passage of that legislation,” she said. The deportation of convicted terrorists is not universally popular in Australia.  Spy chiefs fear that stripping them of citizenship might increase the global threat of extremism, by simply exporting dangerous individuals with radical views to other countries.  They have urged the Australian government to use its powers sparingly to avoid unintended consequences. Benbrika has lived in Australia since 1989.  While he remains in prison in Victoria, he has been granted an ex-citizen visa. 
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