Tag Archives: Australia

Australian Federal Court makes landmark ruling on gender identity likely to have global repercussions

transgender-woman-from-Australia-Roxanne-Tickle

Important Takeaways:

  • It’s a landmark ruling when it comes to gender identity, and at the very heart of the case was the ever more contentious question: what is a woman?
  • A transgender woman from Australia has won a discrimination case against a women-only social media app, after she was denied access on the basis of being male.
  • The Federal Court found that although Roxanne Tickle had not been directly discriminated against, she was a victim of indirect discrimination – which refers to when a decision disadvantages a person with a particular attribute – and ordered the app to pay her A$10,000 ($6,700; £5,100) plus costs.
  • In 2021, Tickle downloaded “Giggle for Girls”, an app marketed as an online refuge where women could share their experiences in a safe space, and where men were not allowed.
  • In order to gain access, she had to upload a selfie to prove she was a woman, which was assessed by gender recognition software designed to screen out men.
  • However, seven months later – after successfully joining the platform – her membership was revoked.
  • Giggle’s legal team argued throughout the case that sex is a biological concept.
  • But Justice Robert Bromwich said in his decision on Friday that case law has consistently found sex is “changeable and not necessarily binary”, ultimately dismissing Giggle’s argument.
  • Tickle said the ruling “shows that all women are protected from discrimination” and that she hoped the case would be “healing for trans and gender diverse people”.
  • The outcome of this case could set a legal precedent for the resolution of conflicts between gender identity rights and sex-based rights in other countries.
  • When it comes to interpreting international treaties, national courts often look at how other countries have done it.
  • Australia’s interpretation of the law in a case that got this level of media attention is likely to have global repercussions.
  • If over time a growing number of courts rule in favor of gender identity claims – it is more likely that other countries will follow suit.

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AstraZeneca COVID vaccine is being withdrawn worldwide after the pharmaceutical giant admits it causes a rare and dangerous side effect

Vaccine

Important Takeaways:

  • Covid vaccines may have contributed to a rise in excess deaths observed across the western world since the pandemic, including in Australia, scientists have suggested.
  • Vaccines are among a series of factors scientists are investigating as potential causes of excess deaths since the pandemic, including delayed medical treatment due to lockdowns, and the long-lasting damage done to many people by Covid itself.
  • They also suggested it was “likely” that containment measures such as lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, school and business closures, travel restrictions, curfews and quarantine had contributed to the rise in excess deaths, notably via delayed or interrupted medical treatments, but conceded this was hard to prove.
  • “Unfortunately, vaccines are rarely studied for their ‘non-specific effects’ (such as potentially causing) patients to become more susceptible to other diseases,” Coverse said.
  • “Our government agencies and officials claim that the current excess mortality statistics do not implicate the Covid-19 vaccines as an identifiable driver, yet no studies are being undertaken into such non-specific effects. We imagine that they simply do not want to even consider these types of studies as their reputations are very much tied with the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccine

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US, Australia, Philippines set for largest ever Drill amid China’s rhetoric against Taiwan President’s visit with McCarthy

McCarthy and Taiwan President

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • US-Philippines military exercise to be the largest ever amid rising tensions with China
  • Roughly 12,000 U.S. troops, 5,400 Philippine personnel and over 100 Australian military members are set to participate in the annual Balikatan Exercise between the countries, far surpassing the 9,000 that participated in the event last year, according to reporting from the Navy Times Wednesday.
  • The 17-day exercise, which is set to kick off on April 11, comes amid rising tensions with China in Asia, most recently after an announced deal struck between the Philippines and U.S. that gives the U.S. military access to four additional military installations in the country, a few of which will face the South China Sea.
  • Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said of the event, which was announced last month. “This is part of our effort to modernize our alliance, and these efforts are especially important as the People’s Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea.”
  • The announced plans also come after China vowed “strong and resolute measures” in response to a meeting between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California.
  • We will take resolute measures to punish the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and their actions, and resolutely safeguard our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement Thursday morning.
  • McCarthy and a group of bipartisan lawmakers met with Tsai Wednesday, with McCarthy vowing “unwavering” support for Taiwan.

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AUKUS deal gives Australia access to stealthy submarines as counterweight to China’s military buildup

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • China says U.S.-U.K.-Australia nuclear submarine deal puts allies on “path of error and danger”
  • China warned Tuesday that the U.S. and its nuclear allies Australia and the United Kingdom were heading down a “path of error and danger” after they unveiled a deal that will see Australia purchase nuclear-powered attack submarines. The submarine purchase is aimed at modernizing Australia’s fleet amid growing concern about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • The partnership between the three nations, announced in 2021, enabled Australia to access nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered vessels, as a counterweight to China’s military buildup.
  • China has argued that the AUKUS deal violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It contends that the transfer of nuclear weapons materials from a nuclear-weapon state to a non-nuclear-weapon state is a “blatant” violation of the spirit of the pact. Australian officials have pushed back against the criticism, arguing that they are working to acquire nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed, submarines.

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US Plans to send B-52s to Australia to counter China’s growing threat

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • US to put Nuclear-Capable B52s in Australia as Taiwan Invasion Fears Grow
  • The long-range heavy bombers will be provided as part of a $1 billion-plus upgrade of military assets across northern Australia.
  • Australian broadcaster’s current affairs program, Four Corners, revealed U.S. documents detailing an expansion plan at the Tindal air base, south of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory, which included a “squadron operations facility” in addition to a maintenance center and parking area for the B-52s.
  • The upgrade is viewed as a provocative response by Washington to growing tensions and fears around a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy claimed by Beijing.

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An act of aggression: Chinese ship spotted hugging coast of Australia

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Peter Dutton confirms Chinese spy ship is off the Australian coast as he labels PLA Navy’s movements ‘an aggressive act’
  • “Its intention of course is to collect intelligence right along the coastline, it has been in close proximity to military and intelligence installations on the west coast of Australia,” he told reporters on Friday.
  • Dutton said Australia has not “seen a ship from the People’s Liberation Army Navy come this far south” and said it has been on a “strange course,” causing authorities concern.
  • “But clearly its intention is to gather intelligence and we’re very conscious of that, that’s why we’ve had the P-8s in the air and the other surveillance techniques that we’ve been able to deploy.

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Troops head to Australia in anticipation of conflict with China

Revelations 6:3-4 “ when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Biden sending THOUSANDS of Marines to Australia in Anticipation of Conflict with China
  • 1,000 Marines have already arrived in the country
  • The Pentagon is to deploy over two thousand troops to Australia by September to join an established rotational force of 200
  • Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton warned Wednesday that Beijing may look to annex Taiwan while the eyes of the world are on the conflict in Ukraine.
  • China has signaled that it could use nuclear weapons in response to the AUKUS security pact between Australia, America and Britain, which sees the former receiving nuclear powered submarines in years to come.
  • China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded but saying “the US … creating and spreading false information”.

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Unprecedented Storm Hit Queensland Australia

Important Takeaways:

  • Australia flooding: Torrential rain in Brisbane kills eight people after river peaks and floods homes
  • Thousands of homes and businesses in Queensland are underwater and police say several people are still unaccounted for. “I think everyone would agree no one has seen this amount of rain in such a short period of time,” the state premier said.
  • 2,145 homes and 2,356 business submerged and a further 10,827 properties flooded above their floorboards.
  • Emergency services have rescued more than 130 people in the past 24 hours, according to officials, with searches still under way.
  • Around 15,000 people have been evacuated.

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Massive quake strikes near Australia

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

Important Takeaways:

  • Northern Australia rocked by magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Indonesia
  • The quake is believed to have been a magnitude-7.2 quake and hit north of East Timor at 5.25am AEDT
  • There is no tsunami threat to anywhere in Australia.
  • Northern Territory’s Chief Minister has reacted to the region’s early morning earthquake, saying it was the most dramatic he’s felt.

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Washington caps year of drills to deter China with ten-day military exercise

By Tim Kelly

USS CARL VINSON (Reuters) – The United States on Tuesday completed ten days of joint military drills in Asian waters with Japan and other allies as it ups the ante on deterring China from pursuing its territorial ambitions amid growing tension in the region over Taiwan.

The ANNUALEX drill included 35 warships and dozens of aircraft in the Philippine Sea off Japan’s southern coast. The U.S. and Japanese forces were led by the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson carrier, which was also joined by ships from Canada, Australia, and for the first time, Germany. On Tuesday, the Vinson was being shadowed by a Chinese navy ship.

“We try to deter aggression from some nations that are showing burgeoning strength that maybe we haven’t experienced before,” U.S. Seventh Fleet commander Vice Admiral Karl Thomas said at a briefing aboard the carrier.

The exercise was meant to “tell those nations that maybe today is not the day,” he said.

Thomas was accompanied by the commander of the exercise, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Admiral Hideki Yuasa. Home to the biggest concentration of American forces outside the United States, Tokyo is Washington’s key ally in the region.

Increasing pressure by China on Taiwan is causing concern in both Japan and the United States. Japan worries that key sea lanes supplying it will come under Beijing’s sway should it gain control of the island. That move would also threaten U.S. military bases in the region.

China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province, says its intentions in the region are peaceful.

The ten-day exercise caps a year of drills between the United States, Japan and other countries, including Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

London this year deployed its new $4.15 billion aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth to the region, culminating in a visit to Japan in September along with two destroyers, two frigates and a submarine.

To get there, it sailed through the contested South China Sea, of which China claims 90%. Also in September, Britain’s HMS Richmond passed through the Taiwan Strait separating the island from mainland China, prompting a rebuke from Beijing.

Tokyo, in its latest annual defense strategy paper, identifies China as its main national security threat and said it had a “sense of crisis” regarding Taiwan as Chinese military activity around the island intensifies.

The British carrier joined a Japanese carrier, along with the Vinson – which operates F-35 stealth jets – and the USS Ronald Reagan, for a rare four-carrier training exercise in the waters around Japan.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Bernadette Baum)