The Diplomatic Envoy

Australia

March 20222022International NewsAsia

Australia Fully Reopens Borders after Two Years of COVID-19 Closure

 Australia has officially reopened its borders to all travelers for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Much of the country lifted restrictions on February 21, sparking an influx of flights into the country as individuals reunited and tourism resumed, Reuters reports. CNN adds that the last state to reopen, Western Australia, accepted its first flights on March 3, fully reopening the country’s borders and ending quarantine requirements for vaccinated individuals.

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December 2020International NewsAsia2020Middle East

Reports Reveal War Crimes Perpetrated by Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan

The Australian government released a report on November 19 documenting war crimes committed by Australian Defense Forces (ADF) in Afghanistan. The report was part of a four-year long inquiry, led by Major General Justice Paul Brereton of the Australian Army Reserve, that investigated reports of the extrajudicial killing of civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers between 2005 to 2016.

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November 2020Opinion2020

Will Australia- China Trade Tiff Turn into a Trade War?

Australia’s relationship with China, its largest trading partner, is increasingly strained as a result of a row over new Chinese trade restrictions. Relations between the two nations have been tense for years due to a series of policy disputes. When Australia supported an international inquiry into China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, their ties officially began to sour.

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September 2020International NewsAmericasAsia2020

Australian and American Journalists Expelled out of China in Diplomatic Standoff

In early September, Bill Birtles, an Australian foreign correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and China correspondent for ABC, was advised by Australian officials to leave China after the arrest and detention of another foreign journalist, reports The Guardian. Two days later, Beijing state security broke down his door at midnight to tell him that he was part of a national security investigation, was banned from leaving the country, and that he would be contacted the next afternoon to answer questions, reports BBC. 

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