Australia

RNZI reports the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) cancelled a severe weather warning for New South Wales, but flood warnings remained in place for many rivers around the state.

The wild weather prompted evacuation notices for Northern Lismore, Chipping Norton, Billinudgel, Ocean Shores, Golden Beach, New Brighton and Coffs Creek last night.

State officials said emergency services had received more than 8000 calls for help and carried out more than 250 flood rescues over 48 hours.

According to Voice Australia — a group helping Vietnamese asylum seekers — 42-year-old Nguyen Dinh Quy was sentenced to 24 months in jail and his 39-year-old wife Huynh Thi Kieu was jailed for 27 months for leaving Vietnam without official approval.

Their fellow accused Tran Thi Lua, 37, and 35-year-old Nguyen Minh Quyet were also convicted and jailed for 30 and 24 months respectively.

About WST$45.4 million of this funding relates to bilateral programmes while a further WST27.3 million will be provided through regional programmes including the Australia Pacific Technical College and other Australian Government Agencies such as the Australian Federal Police under the Samoa Australia Police Partnership.

The new budget was announced earlier in May, by the Australian Government and Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, Sue Langford said her country was proud to continue supporting Samoa’s development needs.

Acting High Commissioner Rosemary Mckay presented 300 desks and chairs valued at SAT$45,000 to the school during a ceremony recently.

She said Australia aligns its aid with priorities identified in Samoa's Strategy for Development such as education.

Julie Bishop says she will formally open the new emabssy in Jakarta and also visit the Eastern city of Makassar to open a consulate-general there.

She says Makassar, on Sulawesi Island, is a key commercial hub for Australians doing business in the east of Indonesia.

PACNEWS reports this was revealed by Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop after meetings with Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in Suva. 

That’s over and above those who came to Australia under the earlier seasonal worker pilot programme, said Minister for Trade and Investment, Senator Richard Colbeck.

“We are in the process of negotiating an updated seasonal worker programme MOU with participant countries and we will sign an updated MOU with the Solomon Islands, and we're very pleased to be doing that.

It gave US$6.5 million dollars last year and has just announced another US$359,000 dollars in additional support for the North Pacific.

The foreign minister Julie Bishop said the money will focus initially on the Marshall Islands where a state of emergency is in force.

The funding package will be a rapid release of pre-positioned stores and food items to assist people who remain in evacuation centres.

The supplies will give communities access to safe drinking water and basic hygiene for those who have lost houses and remain displaced.

Four people have been charged over the importation and manufacture of 720 litres of methamphetamine.

Authorities discovered the drugs in a shipment from Asia to Australia and found the remainder in storage units in Sydney.

The ice was allegedly hidden in stick-on 'water magic' push up bras, bottles of craft glue and painting sets.