Author: admin_fijitimes
Multicultural and multifaith community groups will be supported to host grassroots festivals and events with Multicultural NSW’s Stronger Together Grants Program now open. This funding is in addition to $500,000 the NSW Government has already invested in almost 80 cultural events and festivals this year. Eligible organisations can apply for grants of between $5,000 and $20,000 to help organise festivities that celebrate and embrace our state’s vibrant cultural diversity. Every year hundreds of grassroots not-for-profit organisations across NSW use the Festival and Event grants to celebrate their cultural heritage and share food, music and entertainment with the community. Multicultural NSW…
Suva, Sept 18 (IANS) Fiji and Japan signed an exchange of notes on Wednesday for a second stand-by disaster loan financing of around 72.0 million Fijian dollars (around 32.4 million US dollars), which will assist in any future needs for disaster recovery and rehabilitation. According to Fijian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad, the loan facility comes with a 40-year term, including a 10-year grace period, and carries an interest rate of 0.4 per cent per annum. He said the financing can be accessed once a ‘Declaration of Natural Disaster’ is declared by the cabinet on the…
Canberra, Sep 17 (IANS) Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached a deal on a free trade agreement. Don Farrell, Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism, on Tuesday announced that negotiations on the Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have concluded, Xinhua news agency reported. He said at a press conference in Canberra that the deal would eliminate tariffs on more than 99 per cent of Australian products entering the UAE. “This is the first trade agreement with the Middle East,” Farrell said. “The UAE is not only our largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East, but…
Federal Member for Parramatta, Dr Andrew Charlton Hosts Domestic Violence Roundtable with NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin to Close Gaps in Services Parramatta, 13 September 2024 – Today, Dr. Andrew Charlton MP, Federal Member for Parramatta, alongside New South Wales Women’s Safety Commissioner, Hannah Tonkin, hosted a critical roundtable at Cumberland Women’s Health Centre to address domestic violence in Western Sydney. The event brought together grassroots service providers and leaders from all levels of government, alongside essential local services, to address the gaps in support systems for the thousands of domestic violence victims in Western Sydney. Dr. Charlton said: “The…
Canberra, Sep 13 (IANS) The Australian government has announced plans to issue fines worth millions of dollars to companies that fail to protect customers from scams. On Friday, Stephen Jones, the assistant treasurer, released details of the government’s proposed new laws that would force banks, telecommunications companies and technology giants to do more to protect customers under mandatory sector-specific codes. The codes will create new obligations for designated sectors to combat scammers and protect Australians, Xinhua news agency reported. Companies in those sectors that fail to meet their obligations will face fines worth up to $33.6 million. Under the laws,…
Canberra, Sep 12 (IANS) The act of doxxing by releasing someone’s personal information without consent will be made a criminal offence in Australia under new government privacy laws. Mark Dreyfus, Australia’s Attorney-General, on Thursday, introduced legislation to Parliament that would make doxxing illegal and entitle victims of serious invasions of privacy to seek compensation through the court system, Xinhua news agency reported. Under the laws, anyone found guilty of the malicious release of personal data online — a practice known as doxxing — will face jail time. The legislation imposes a maximum penalty of six years in jail for publishing…
Suva (Fiji), Sep 9 (IANS) Fiji’s Health Ministry announced that it has struggled with the ongoing exodus of healthcare workers and was working to address the issue. Minister for Health Atonio Lalabalavu said that while new personnel have been brought on board, this has not been enough to fully address the staffing shortage, local media reported on Monday. Lalabalavu also revealed that some hospitals were operating at near-minimal capacity, reports Xinhua, quoting Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Fiji has been experiencing a considerable wave of emigration over the past two years, with 40,000 more Fijians departing from the country than returning. The…
New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS) A novel artificial intelligence application has the potential to transform the way hair is studied by scientists and pave way for the creation of hair-only medical diagnostics, a study showed on Thursday. The hair quantification procedure is streamlined and expedited by the AI model, enabling a microscope to scan slides and gather pictures of hundreds of hairs at once. Scientists at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine conducted and produced the application’s research, which was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. It can gather a large amount of high-resolution data in a matter…
Canberra, Sep 6 (IANS) Australian authorities have issued a warning over a rise in the number of children being coerced into producing sexual and violent content online. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Friday cautioned parents and guardians over an online trend emerging in Australia involving young victims who are being coerced over the internet to produce extreme content, Xinhua news agency reported. The AFP said that sadistic sextortion is a growing type of internet crime where online communities target children as young as 12 and pressure them to self-produce an image or video of an explicit sexual or violent…
New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) India has overtaken the US to become the world’s second-biggest 5G handset market for the first time, behind China, a report has mentioned. Global 5G handset shipments grew 20 per cent (year-on-year) in the first half of 2024, according to the Counterpoint Research. Apple led the 5G handset shipments, accounting for more than 25 per cent share. Apple led the 5G handset shipments globally, accounting for more than 25 per cent share, driven by strong shipments of the iPhone 15 series and 14 series. 5G handset shipments have been growing steadily and with the increased…