Ghana's anti-LGBTQ+ bill draws international condemnation after it is passed by parliament
A bill which criminalizes LGBTQ+ people in Ghana and their supporters has drawn international condemnation after it was passed by parliament, with the United Nations calling it โprofoundly disturbingโ and urging for it not to become law.
India's opposition lawmakers protest their suspension from Parliament by the government
Dozens of opposition lawmakers suspended from Parliament by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiโs government for obstructing proceedings have held a protest accusing the government of throttling democracy in the country.
Australia apologizes for thalidomide tragedy as some survivors listen in the Parliament gallery
Survivors of the harmful morning sickness drug thalidomide were in the public gallery when Australiaโs Parliament made a national apology for what was described as one of the darkest chapters in Australiaโs medical history.
80 people freed from Australian migrant centers since High Court outlawed indefinite detention
Australia's immigration minister says 80 people including convicted criminals who are considered dangerous have been released from Australian migrant detention centers since the High Court ruled last week that their indefinite detention wis unconstitutional.
India passes data protection legislation in Parliament. Critics fear privacy violation
Indian lawmakers have approved a data protection legislation that โseeks to better regulate big tech firms and penalize companies for data breachesโ as several groups expressed concern over citizensโ privacy rights.
Australia's Senate votes for holding referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament within 6 months
Australiaโs Senate has voted for a referendum to be held this year on creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an advocacy body to give the nationโs most disadvantaged ethnic minority more say on government policy.
Australia PM wants more women in politics after new scandal
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reacts while speaking during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Morrison said he was shocked and disgusted by the latest sex scandal to rock his government and vowed to do more to attract women into politics. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)CANBERRA โ Australiaโs prime minister said on Tuesday he was shocked and disgusted by the latest sex scandal to rock his government and vowed to do more to attract women into politics. โI was completely stunned, as I have been on more than one occasion over the course of this last month,โ Morrison added. โI want to see more women in this place,โ Morrison said, referring to Parliament House.
Australia gives COVID-19 shots to virus-hit Papua New Guinea
Morrison said Australian government is ramping up its COVID-19 vaccination support for Papua New Guinea in a bid to contain a concerning wave of infections in a near-neighbor. Marape warned this week that one in three or four people in Papua New Guinea could soon be infected. Morrison said Australia had asked the United States, Japan and India to consider what they could do as Quad partners to support Papua New Guinea. Several recent COVID-19 cases detected in the Australian state closest to Papua New Guinea, Queensland, originated across the border. AdThe first Australian-manufactured AstraZeneca is expected to roll out from next week, with 50 million doses to be produced in Australia in a year.
Mathias Cormann chosen as OECD head despite climate concerns
FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2017, file photo, Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann addresses reporters at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the OECD, said Monday it has appointed Australian former Finance Minister Mathias Cormann as its head - despite objections over his climate record. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk, File)PARIS โ The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said Monday that it has appointed a former Australian finance minister, Mathias Cormann, as its head. The appointment of Cormann as the OECD's new secretary general comes despite objections over his climate record. He became Australiaโs longest-serving finance minister, a job he held from 2013 to 2020.
Australians rally at Parliament to demand justice for women
Thousands of people with placards and banners rally demanding justice for women in Sydney, Monday, March 15, 2021, as the government reels from two separate allegations. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)CANBERRA โ Australians rallied in the capital and other cities Monday demanding justice for women and calling out misogyny and dangerous workplace cultures as the government reels from two rape allegations. Outside Parliament House in Canberra, the crowd of hundreds was mostly female and most wore black. They carried placards with slogans including โJustice for Womenโ and โMen, Own Your Guilt.โPrime Minister Scott Morrison refused organizersโ demand that he address the crowd, and organizers said they wouldnโt meet him behind closed doors. Reynolds has since apologized for describing Higgins to her staff as a โlying cowโ and said she was referring to Higgins' allegation of inadequate support, not the rape allegation.
Australian PM apologizes to ex-staffer alleging rape at work
AdโI think that resigning is the only thing I can personally do to say that I donโt think anyone else should go through what I went through,โ Higgins told Network Ten. Morrison said Reynolds should not have questioned Higgins about her accusation in the same office where Higgins alleged the rape took place. โThat should not have happened, and I do apologize,โ Morrison told reporters. Reynolds told the Senate she never gave Higgins a choice between her job and making a police complaint. The opposition questioned how Morrison could continue to have confidence in Reynolds since she hadnโt told him of the alleged rape.
Asia Today: Australia OKs Pfizer vaccine, to begin in Feb.
(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)SYDNEY โ Australiaโs medical regulator has approved use of its first coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for inoculations to begin next month. Residents and workers at aged-care facilities, frontline healthcare workers and quarantine workers are among the groups being prioritized for the first doses. Australia has an agreement for 10 million doses of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine and an option to buy more if supplies allow. Under a three-way agreement, it plans to buy 30 million doses from the Serum Institute of India in phases. โ Sri Lanka's government says it will start administering a coronavirus vaccine this week.
Google threatens to pull search engine in Australia
Google on Friday threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to make tech giants pay for news content. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)WELLINGTON โ Google on Friday threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to make tech giants pay for news content. โIf this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google search available in Australia,โ Silva told senators. Silva told senators about 95% of searches in the nation are done through Google. Facebook also opposes the rules and has threatened to remove news stories from its site in Australia.
Australia to seek WTO intervention in barley row with China
FILE- In this Oct. 16, 2019, file photo, Australia's Trade Minister Simon Birmingham addresses media outside the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Australia will ask the World Trade Organization to intervene in its dispute with China over barley and expects other nations to become involved in the case, Australian Trade Minister Birmingham said on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. China effectively ended imports of Australian barley in May by putting tariffs of more than 80% on the crop, accusing Australia of breaching WTO rules by subsidizing barley production and selling the grain in China at below production costs. Birmingham said Australia would formally ask the WTO to intervene on Wednesday. China is the Australian barley growersโ largest market.
New Zealand symbolically declares climate emergency
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moves a motion in the Parliament House in Wellington, New Zealand, to declare a climate emergency, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Joining more than 30 other countries around the world, New Zealand took the symbolic step of declaring a climate emergency. (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald via AP)WELLINGTON โ Joining more than 30 countries, New Zealand on Wednesday took the symbolic step of declaring a climate emergency. The declaration states that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity and promises a commitment to minimize global warming. It says climate change will have a devastating impact on New Zealand through flooding, wildfires, sea-level rise and water availability.
Longtime Parliament House resort to be demolished
ORLANDO, Fla. โ The recently shuttered Parliament House bar and resort are slated to be demolished, permit applications filled by the property owners with the city of Orlando show. The Iconic Orlando gay bar closed Monday after operating at its 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail location for 45 years. Club owners said they tried to secure financing to renovate the existing property but was unable to make a deal with the property owners. The property on OBT is valued at $2.6 million, according to Orange County Property Appraiser records. Parliament House owners say they are working to find a new home for the gay club and will reopen.
Sheriff: 3 charged in 'senseless, horrific murderโ of 21-year-old Volusia County man
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. โ Three people have been charged in connection with the death of a 21-year-old man found inside a burning vehicle in DeLand earlier this year, the Volusia County sheriff and state attorney announced. Three suspects have been charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm: Zachariah U. Sanders, 23, Fredryonna C. Grimes,18, and 17-year-old Cameron L. Lane. The 21-year-old was found dead inside a burning vehicle in the 900 block of Delaware Avenue. โWe prayed, we cried, and we prayed some more, and we got just what we asked for from the Lord: An indictment,โ Heath said. โSo now all weโre waiting for is a conviction, and we know God will do that for us as well.โ
Iconic Orlando gay bar Parliament House plans to close
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu)ORLANDO, Fla. โ Iconic Orlando gay bar Parliament House will close next week, but the owners say they have plans for the future. A statement from the Parliament House says they will never forget the memories made in the past 45 years. For over 45 years, The Parliament House has called Orange Blossom Trail our home. We have to announce that our home at... Posted by Parliament House Orlando on Wednesday, October 28, 2020โOur community showed up in thousands to celebrate marriage equality in the United States. And although our location may be changing, we hope you will follow us to our next destination here in Orlando.โThe Parliament House said updates about future plans will be shared.
Asia Today: Australia, New Zealand to partially open borders
(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)MANILA โ Australia and New Zealand on Friday announced a partial opening of their borders to travel between the neighboring countries. But New Zealand will continue to insist on travelers from Australia going into hotel quarantine for two weeks on arrival. Australian authorities have concluded that New Zealand posed a low risk of COVID-19 transmission to Australia, McCormack said. The South Australia state capital Adelaide would likely become the next city to allow quarantine-free travel from New Zealand, McCormack said. When New Zealand would allow quarantine-free travel from Australia was a question for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, he said.