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Australian citizens who fight in the Syrian civil war may be shut out of the country, after Immigration Minister Scott Morrison flagged a renewed push to prevent them returning home. Mr Morrison yesterday said an influx of rebel and pro-government militants from the Middle East could “disrupt the significant social cohesion we have in this … Continue reading
The Coalition government will set aside 500 places for Syrian refugees in response to an appeal from the United Nations Refugee agency for help accommodating the displaced Syrians. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison announced on Thursday that “a further 500” Syrian refugees will be settled in Australia in 2013-14. The places will come from within the … Continue reading
Julie Bishop, Australia’s new Foreign Minister, faces perhaps the most important first week on the job of any previous incumbent for a generation. Bishop will travel to New York to participate in United Nations Security Council deliberations seeking to resolve the terrible conflict in Syria, and in particular ensure that chemical weapons play no further … Continue reading
An Australian man is suspected of carrying out a suicide bombing attack in Syria on behalf of the proscribed terror group the al-Nusrah Front. Photos of the suspected bomber with his face blurred out have been circulating on social media websites as community members in Australia attempted to verify his identity. Some sites were reporting … Continue reading
Kevin Rudd has attacked Tony Abbott‘s character, questioning whether he has the temperament and judgment to handle international crises such as the human rights atrocities in Syria. After switching his campaign focus to diplomacy and national security, the Prime Minister last night used the unfolding events in Damascus to skewer the Opposition Leader over his … Continue reading
Kevin Rudd has likened the spiralling humanitarian tragedy in Syria to the notorious episodes of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda and warned history will judge today’s leaders harshly if they do not act. In his strongest remarks yet indicating possible support for an international intervention, Mr Rudd branded the civil war in the Middle Eastern … Continue reading
As president of the UN Security Council from September 1, Australia will lead the international debate on the worsening Syrian crisis amid growing pressure on Moscow and Beijing to bring the Assad regime into line. After the deaths of an estimated 1300 Syrians in what rebels have claimed was a sarin nerve-gas attack on the … Continue reading
The rising risk posed by Australians returning from the battlegrounds of Syria has forced NSW police to increase their operational intelligence-gathering and community engagement programs to counter the threat. The chief of the NSW Police Counter Terrorism Command, assistant commissioner Peter Dein, said yesterday authorities were disturbed about a “large number” of individuals suspected of … Continue reading
Powerful US senator John McCain has criticised the Gillard government for cutting the Australian defence budget. In an interview in his Washington Senate office, Mr McCain told The Weekend Australian that “it is not prudent” for Canberra to cut its defence budget so heavily. Last year the Gillard government cut defence spending by 10 per … Continue reading
Australian opposition party leader Tony Abbott has condemned Melbourne University for allowing gender segregation at on-campus Islamic events, branding the practice “a leap back into the dark ages.” “I just think it’s un-Australian what’s happened here and I can’t understand for a second why Melbourne University would tolerate it,” the Opposition Leader said. “I would … Continue reading
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr says the government is aware of reports that Australians fighting against the Syrian regime could be linking up with terrorist groups in the war-torn country. When asked if up to 200 Australians could be in Syria fighting against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, Senator Carr said the relevant government agencies were … Continue reading
The Al-Nusrah Front was little known before the Syria uprising but has since become a major part of the insurgency. The Australian government has placed a prominent Sunni Islamist group fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria on its terrorist blacklist. Foreign Minister Bob Carr has announced Australia will list the Al-Nusrah Front as … Continue reading
On October 6th 1973, hoping to win back territory lost to Israel during the third Arab-Israeli war, Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a coordinated attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Taking the Israeli Defence Forces by surprise, Egyptian troops swept deep into the Sinai Peninsula, while Syria struggled … Continue reading
Craig Hill Media and Consulting 