Australia
Dams needed to boost Australia's flood resilience: PM
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for more dams to be built to boost the country's flood resilience on Sunday, acknowledging the role of climate change in flooding that has hit Australia's northeast.
However, he said that instead of focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, more needed to be done to mitigate the impacts of future floods and fires.
At least 20 people have died and thousands of buildings have been destroyed in floods that began late in February when parts of Queensland and New South Wales received a year's worth of rain in a matter of days.
"Dealing with climate change isn't just about getting emissions down, it's about resilience and adaptation," he told Nine Network television.
"You want to deal with resilience on bushfires, you have to do fuel load management," he said. "You want to deal with floods, you have to build dams."
READ: Major floods swamp Australia's east coast, claiming 7 lives
The federal government has been criticized for failing to immediately deploy resources including the Australian Defense Force (ADF) to the flood zone.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday rejected federal assistance, saying it was offered too late and criticizing Morrison for funding only three of the 20 flood mitigation measures she has proposed since November 2020.
In response, Morrison said the federal government deployed resources as quickly as it could.
Australia beats Pakistan by 7 wickets at Women's World Cup
Six-time world champion Australia swept aside Pakistan by seven wickets Tuesday to remain unbeaten after two group-stage matches at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Pakistan scored 190-6 after being sent in to bat at Mount Maunganui and Australia surpassed that total in just under 35 overs.
Australia's run chase was set up by opener Alyssa Healy who made 72 from 79 balls.
Ellyse Perry (26 not out) and Beth Mooney (23 not out) were at the crease when the winning runs were struck.
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For Pakistan, captain Bismah Maroof finished 78 not out, falling one run short of the highest score by a Pakistan player in a Women's World Cup match. Maroof shared a 99-run partnership with Aliya Riaz, a fifth-wicket record for Pakistan in one-day internationals. Riaz made 57.
That simple synopsis of the match at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui doesn't come close to encapsulating its significance on International Women’s Day.
Australia has competed in every women’s World Cup since the first in 1973, winning in 1978, ‘82, ’88, ‘97, 2005 and ’13. It has produced some of the greatest players in the history of women’s cricket and entered the tournament as the favorite to win again.
Cricket Australia recently announced measures to boost the base salary for women players to $65,000 Australian dollars ($48,000) and women's cricket moves steadily toward pay parity with the men's game.
There was no formal women’s cricket in Pakistan until the 1990s when it began with the most tentative of footholds at the initiative of sisters Shaiza and Sharmeen Khan.
As late as 1997 the Pakistan women’s team was denied permission to play on religious grounds.
But he Pakistan Cricket Board established a so-called Women's Wing in 2005 and the women's national team has since participated in four World Cups. With limited resources it had won only two World Cup matches before the current tournament. Most of the current Pakistan team are at least semi professional and the team’s coaches and support staff are full-time
But the greatest measure of the progress women’s cricket has made on this IWD is that 29-year-old Mahroof played the innings while her daughter Fatimah, born in August, was in the pavilion. Maroof returned to international cricket six months after her daughter's birth.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board is sharing costs to allow Maroof “to travel with a support person of her choice to assist in caring for her infant child.”
Maroof’s mother cared for Fatimah while her mother was at the crease and in the field.
“Of course in this comeback it was very important for me to perform and it’s very special as my mother and daughter are here so I wanted to make it count,” Maroof said.
Pakistan played India in its opening match on the weekend and India’s star batter Smriti Mandhana described Maroof’s return to international cricket “inspiring.”
“Coming back post pregnancy in six months and playing international cricket is so inspiring,” Mandhana said on Instagram. “Mahroof is setting an example for sportswomen across the globe.”
Australia beats England on sad day at ICC Women's World Cup
In a match made solemn by tragic circumstances, an Australian team batting with two black armbands beat England by 12 runs Saturday in its opening match at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at Hamilton, New Zealand.
Australia scored 310-3 batting first and a magnificent century from 79 balls by England’s Nat Sciver kept England in the match until the final over. Sciver was 109 not out at the end of an outstanding England run chase.
England needed 36 from the last three overs, 26 from the last two and 16 from the final over but fell short, finishing 298-8. Jess Johansen who had given up 16 runs from her first two overs, mostly to Sciver, bowled the last over and held her nerve to clinch Australia’s win.
The Australian players awoke on match day to news of the death in Thailand at 52 of the legendary Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne. That came only 24 hours after the loss of another Australia great, wicketkeeper/batsman Rod Marsh, who died aged 74.
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A minute’s silence was observed before the match, players from both teams standing with their heads bowed before the Australian anthem rang over a silent stadium.
When Australia batted after losing the toss, it was almost with a sense of duty to make their own tribute to Warne and Marsh through their performance.
It was a performance of which Warne and Marsh, who both were inspirational mentors to young Australian players, would have been proud.
Opener Rachael Haynes made 130 from 131 balls and captain Meg Lanning 86 as Australia scored the highest total ever posted against England in a World Cup match. Haynes and Lanning put on 196 for Australia’s second wicket in the partnership on which the innings was founded.
“It was hard at the beginning, they bowled well early on,” Lanning said. “Rachael played really well to weather the early storm. Rachel’s innings was brilliant. She was in control, got through early, took good risks at the right time. It’s certainly one of her best innings.”
It was Haynes’ second century in one-day internationals and her highest score, eclipsing her 118 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane in 2019. Lanning posted her 18th one-day international half century and helped Haynes pace the Australian innings.
At Dunedin, Ayabonga Khaka took 4-32, including her 100th wicket in one-day internationals, as South Africa beat Bangladesh by 32 runs. South Africa made 207 batting first after losing the toss.
Opener Laura Wolvardt anchored the top of the order with 41 from 52 balls in challenging batting conditions. Bangladesh used its slow medium and spin bowlers to good effect on a slowish pitch at the University Oval, making strokeplay and placement difficult.
Captain Sane Luus batted 50 minutes for 25 before being run out when South Africa was 119-5 in the 34th over, needing to lift its run rate.
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Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon took on the role of accelerating the scoring and combined in a partnership of 71 for the sixth wicket which lifted South Africa to 190-6. Kapp made 42 from 45 balls and Tryon 39 from 40. South Africa was 203-9 when Kapp was out in the 49th over.
Bangladesh made a strong run at its winning target after Shamima Sultana (27) and Sharmin Akhter (34) shared a 69-run opening stand in 19.3 overs.
Captain Nigar Sultana made 29, Ritu Moni 27 and Bangladesh was still in with a chance at 170-7 with four overs left. But Khaka helped suppress the Bangladesh chase.
“We are proud of Ayabonga Khaka, she is our golden arm at the moment,” Luus said.
Imam’s 1st test century takes Pakistan to 245-1 vs Australia
Opener Imam-ul-Haq hit a memorable first test century on Friday and led Pakistan to a commanding 245-1 in its first home test against Australia in 24 years.
The left-hander closed out the opening day of the first test on 132 not out on a typically slow and grassless subcontinent wicket. Veteran Azhar Ali is also looking solid on 64 not out.
Read:Bangladesh announces squads for South Africa tour
Australia might have missed a trick by opting to go with its three frontline fast bowlers, who hardly troubled the batters with both the new and old ball. Australia even used its three part-time spinners — Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Steve Smith — without any reward.
Imam and Azhar denied Australia any hope of a breakthrough with the new ball in the 10 overs before stumps and stretched their second-wicket partnership to 140.
The lone Australian specialist spinner, Nathan Lyon (1-87), got the only success of the day for the visitors when he dismissed Abdullah Shafique for 44 just before lunch, but not before a 105-run opening wicket stand with Imam.
Azhar and Imam then frustrated Australia for the entire two sessions by piling up another century stand.
Imam, playing in his 12th test but first in 27 months, showed grit throughout the day against fast bowlers and spinners after captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat.
Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins hardly troubled Pakistan’s top order in their short spells as they bowled 45 overs between them.
Lyon earlier extracted brief turn off the wicket with the new ball but both openers dominated the spinner by using their feet and raised a century stand.
Lyon was ineffective until he claimed Shafique in the penultimate over before lunch. Shafique got beaten in the flight and tried to heave the offspinner over long off. He was brilliantly caught by a running Cummins.
Imam, who last played a test match against Australia at Adelaide in December 2019, survived a close call for lbw in Starc’s third over as the visitors went for an unsuccessful television review and the replays suggested the ball would have went over the stumps.
Imam raised his century in the last session when he drove Starc through the covers for his 13th boundary beside hitting two straight sixes against Lyon.
Shafique also had a close call but Head dropped a difficult chance at leg slip in Lyon’s second over, a ball after the spinner was smacked for a straight six.
Imam had earlier raised his half century by pulling Cummins to square leg boundary for a four and overtook his batting partner once Australia briefly applied the offspin of Head and Lyon.
Read:Liton, Nasum guide Bangladesh to easy win vs Afghanistan in first T20
It’s the first time Australia has played a test match in Pakistan since 1998 due to concerns over security from several attacks in Pakistan. It’s a three-match test series.
Australian players wore black armbands as a tribute to Australia’s former wicketkeeper great Rod Marsh, who died on Friday at age 74.
Bangladesh to enjoy DFQF market access to Australia in post-LDC period
Australia has officially assured continuation of duty- and-quota-free treatment to Bangladesh exports even after graduation from LDC in 2026, said the Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra on Tuesday.
The commitment came at the meeting of the first joint working group on trade and investment held Canberra recently.
Australia agreed to initiate a study on prospects of greater trade and investment flow for adding dynamism in economic ties.
Formed under the Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement (TIFA) between Australia and Bangladesh, the JWG at its first meeting had productive discussions on general trade issues, trade in goods and services, trade facilitation, promotion of investment, energy and defence collaboration among others.
Read: Dhaka calls for sharing technology, know-how of Covid-19 vaccine production
Major floods swamp Australia's east coast, claiming 7 lives
Parts of Australia’s third-most populous city Brisbane were under water Monday after heavy rain brought record flooding to some east coast areas and killed seven people.
The flooding in Brisbane and its surrounds is the worst since 2011 when the city of 2.6 million people was inundated by what was described as a once-in-a-century event.
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A 59-year-old man drowned in Brisbane’s north on Sunday afternoon after he tried to cross a flooded creek on foot and was pinned against a fence, Queensland state police said on Monday.
Queensland emergency services warned life-threatening flash flooding was occurring south of Brisbane in parts of Gold Coast city.
Residents were advised to shelter where they were unless it is unsafe to do so. Access to many areas was cut in multiple places, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said in an alert.
Emergency crews made more than 100 swift-water rescues after receiving 8,000 calls for help in Brisbane and its surrounds since midafternoon Sunday, officials said.
All seven flood deaths have been in Queensland state, of which Brisbane is the capital. A search continues for a solo sailor, aged in his 70s, who fell overboard from his vessel in the Brisbane River near the city center on Saturday.
Multiple emergency flood alerts were in place for Brisbane suburbs, where 2,145 homes and 2,356 businesses were submerged or would become so Monday as the waters rose. Another 10,827 properties will be partially flooded above the floorboards.
The waters were forecast to peak less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) below the 4.46 meter (14 foot, 3 inch) flood level reached in 2011, officials said.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the floods are “very different” to 2011 because the rain pummeled the region for five days. In 2011, the rain had stopped days before the Brisbane River peaked and authorities had warned for several days of flooding downstream.
Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said major roads had been cut. Train and ferry services across Brisbane have been halted, he said.
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“We’re going to have localized flooding in a lot of areas for a couple of days yet,” Bailey said.
South of the Queensland border, the New South Wales town of Lismore was bracing for its worst flooding on record.
Downtown Lismore was inundated on Monday after days of unrelenting rain and 15,000 people had been evacuated, officials said.
Ekushey observed in Canberra with participation of Bangladesh community, foreigners
The Shaheed Dibash and the International Mother Language Day was observed with due respect in Canberra with the wider participation of Bangladesh community and foreigners.
People representing government offices, ACT ministers, ambassadors, multilingual community groups and Bangladeshi diaspora assembled at dawn and spontaneously joined the "Probhat Fery" with flowers, festoons and banner singing the song of Ekushey “Amar bhaier rokte rangano ekushe February, ami ki bhulite pari”.
Read: Amar Ekushey, International Mother Language Day observed in Tokyo
Australian dignitaries, including the Australian Capital Territory Attorney General and Leader of the ACT Greens Shane Rattenbury, Minister for Health, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for Families and Community Rachel Stephen-Smith, ambassadors, including from India and Russia and other members of the diplomatic corps, First Assistant Secretary of North and South Asia Division of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Gary Cowan, and Bangladesh community members passionately attended the "Probhat Fery" at the cusp of dawn.
"Probhat Fery" was organised for the fourth consecutive year around Manuka Oval that ended at makeshift Shaheed Minar at Telopia Park.
After the walk, the ministers and other dignitaries paid their homage to the language heroes by placing floral wreaths at the altar of the Saheed Minar.
Bangladesh exchanges views on Indo-Pacific with Australia
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has met his Australian counterpart Marise Payne and exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of growing interest in the region.
They reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation for the shared prosperity and security of all in the region.
During the bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of "Munich Security Conference 2022" in Germany, the two foreign ministers also exchanged greetings on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Australia.
They recalled the exchange of goodwill messages between the prime ministers of the two countries to mark the occasion.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh and Australia have the scope to further enhance and diversify their trade and economic cooperation, especially with the signing of the Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement (TIFA) last year.
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He urged his Australian counterpart to jointly explore ways to increase the volume and content of bilateral trade.
Also, the two ministers discussed the possibility of organising a visit by a business delegation, focusing on pharmaceutical exports from Bangladesh.
Australia wins 4th Twenty20 match in a row over Sri Lanka
Player of the match Glenn Maxwell scored 48 runs from 39 balls to pace Australia to a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the home team’s fourth consecutive win in the five-match Twenty20 series.
Maxwell brought up the winning runs with a powerful pull shot that raced to the long MCG square boundary to seal the victory with 11 balls remaining.
Josh Inglis chipped in with 40 runs from 20 balls to help Australia reach 143 for four in reply to Sri Lanka’s 139 for eight. Inglis and Maxwell put on a match-winning 71-run stand for the fourth wicket.
After being sent in, opener Pathum Nissanka scored 46 from 40 balls for Sri Lanka. But once Nissanka departed in the 16th over, it started a collapse of 5-9 as Australia took control of the match.
READ: Pakistan head coach backs struggling captain Babar
Kane Richardson (2-44) and returning fast bowler Jhye Richardson (2-20) led the Australian bowlers.
Richardson came in for his first game for Australia since the second test of the Ashes against England in December, with fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood resting before the tour of Pakistan next month.
Australia is using the last two games to tinker with its lineup to prepare for its Twenty20 World Cup home defense in October. The final game of the series is Sunday, also at the MCG.
Australia won the first game against Sri Lanka by 20 runs and the second in a Super Over in Sydney on Sunday after the scores were level at the end of the regulation overs. Australia won the third game by six wickets on Tuesday in Canberra.
India, Australia, and Singapore to jointly address marine pollution
The Government of India, in partnership with the Government of Australia and the Government of Singapore, conducted an international workshop on combating marine pollution focusing on marine plastic debris on February 14-15, the Ministry of Earth Science informed on Tuesday.
The workshop, held virtually, bought together with the world's leading experts, scientists, government officials with policy expertise, and representatives from industry, innovation and informal sectors, Earth Science said in a press release. It aimed to discuss research interventions toward monitoring and assessing marine litter and plausible sustainable solutions to address the global marine plastic pollution issue, reports ANI.
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The workshop had four major sessions; the magnitude of the marine litter problem-monitoring program and research on plastic debris in the Indo Pacific Region; best practices and technologies; solutions to prevent plastic pollution; and polymers and plastics: technology and innovations and opportunities for regional collaboration to remediate or stop plastic pollution. The sessions involved panel discussions and interactive break out sessions to encourage discussion amongst participants from East Asia Summit countries.
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is the premier forum for discussions on important strategic issues in the Indo Pacific and a leading confidence building mechanism. Since its inception in 2005, the EAS has been advocating regional peace, security, closer regional cooperation and prosperity of the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean region. The EAS is uniquely placed to share expertise and lessons learned between regions and sub-regions faced with interlinked and similar challenges to develop sustainable transboundary solutions. EAS countries recognise the coastal and marine plastic pollution challenge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the agenda of promoting maritime cooperation in the wider Indo Pacific region at the 14th EAS held in Bangkok in November 2019. India, Singapore, and Australia are committed to implementing the EAS decisions. This workshop provided an impetus to EAS countries for exploring and informing each other about the challenges, questions, and solutions to marine litter - especially plastic research, use, design, disposal, recycling, and future collaborations for a plastic-free and healthy ocean for sustainable development through knowledge partners - the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai, an attached office of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), the Government of Singapore and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia. Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, delivered the keynote address at the workshop.
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He suggested considering the application of technological tools such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence and machine learning to map the distribution of marine plastics and developing models to understand the dynamics of plastics in the Indian ocean. He also emphasized that a well designed and tailor-made management strategy considering regional distinctiveness will significantly reduce plastics in the environment.