Victoria first Australia state to legalise euthanasia

MELBOURNE : An Australian state Wednesday became the first in the country tolegalise assisted dying, or euthanasia , with lawmakers voting to allow terminally ill patients the right to request a lethal drug to end their lives. The legislation, which takes effect from June 2019, was passed in Victoria after 100 hours of often fiery debate, […]

Australia urges strong, sustained US engagement in Asia

Sydney, November 23 : Australia called on Thursday on the United States to build a strong presence in Asia and bolster ties with “like-minded” partners while warning against China’s rising influence. A more insular United States would be detrimental to the liberal nature of the world’s “rules-based order”, the government said in a 115-page foreign […]

Australian police seize huge cocaine haul being smuggled in yacht

Sydney : A huge cocaine haul hidden in the hull of a yacht has been seized off the east coast of Australia, police said on Thursday. Some 700 kilos (1,543 pounds) of the drug with an estimated street value of USD 186 million were intercepted on Wednesday about 100 kilometres north of Sydney, they said. Three […]

Same-sex marriage may be law in Australia by early December

Melbourne : Australian lawmakers on Thursday vowed to push through laws legalising same-sex marriage by early December, after a national survey found the majority of Australians favoured the move. Both Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberal-National coalition government and the main opposition Labor Party said they were aiming to pass the law through parliament by December […]