Latest news with #AustralianDepartmentofForeignAffairsandTrade
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Australian man faces death penalty after Bali cocaine arrest
A 43-year-old Australian man is facing the death penalty in Indonesia, after allegedly trying to smuggle $1.2 million worth of cocaine into Bali disguised in chocolate packaging. Lamar Aaron Ahchee was arrested last week following a controlled delivery operation by Indonesian police and customs officials. Authorities allege he attempted to import 1.8 kilograms of cocaine into the country, hidden inside Lindt chocolate balls. The drugs were reportedly sent in two packages from the UK to Bali. According to Bali police, officers swooped in during the handover at a Canggu villa after receiving a tip-off from the public. Ahchee was allegedly paid 50 million Indonesian rupiah (NZ$5000) to collect and distribute the drugs. He now faces multiple charges under Indonesia's strict narcotics laws, including importing and distributing a Class 1 drug, which carries penalties ranging from life imprisonment to death by firing squad. ADVERTISEMENT Ahchee is believed to be originally from Cairns, Queensland, and had been working in hospitality and marketing in Bali prior to his arrest. Social media posts from earlier this year show him promoting the popular Brick Lane restaurant in Canggu, where he was the general manager until March. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to an Australian man detained in Bali. Indonesia maintains some of the harshest drug laws in the world. Travellers to the popular holiday island are regularly warned of the country's zero-tolerance stance, which has seen several foreigners handed death sentences in the past. His arrest comes five months after the last remaining members of the infamous Bali Nine drug smuggling ring were released from Indonesian prisons and repatriated to Australia.
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
World's 75 Poorest Countries Owe China $22 Billion This Year: Think Tank
The world's 75 poorest countries are set to make debt repayments of $22 billion to China this year, according to a 'Debt service flows to China from developing countries will total $35 billion in 2025 and are set to remain elevated for the rest of this decade,' the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, which receives funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in the report. 'The bulk of this debt service, some $22 billion, is owed by 75 of the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries.' The report comes as Peruvian Economy Minister Raul Perez Reyes met with China's ambassador to Lima, Song Yang, to discuss a new regional rail corridor that would terminate in the new port of Peru's Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a The Peruvian government said Fei Dongbin, head of the China National Railway Administration, and several other Chinese Communist Party (CCP) representatives were also present at the meeting. The proposed railway would connect Brazil to Chancay, on Peru's Pacific coast, creating a trade route that would avoid Chinese ships having to travel through the Panama Canal, or around the southern tip of South America. Related Stories 5/25/2025 5/23/2025 China has given huge loans for infrastructure projects in many parts of the world, under Chinese leader Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The program has underwritten the building of huge ports such as The Lowy Institute said, 'Now, and for the rest of this decade, China will be more debt collector than banker to the developing world.' The report said that Beijing has transitioned from capital provider to net financial drainer on developing country budgets as debt servicing costs on BRI projects from the 2010s now far outstrip new loan disbursements. In 54 of 120 developing countries from which there were available data, debt service payments to China exceeded the combined payments owed to the The Paris Club is owed a total of $616 billion by 102 countries. The report said China was prioritizing funding for neighbors such as Pakistan, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, and also countries that provided important raw materials, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Brazil, and Argentina. 'Beijing faces a dilemma: pushing too hard for repayment could damage bilateral ties and undermine its diplomatic goals. At the same time, China's lending arms, particularly its quasi-commercial institutions, face mounting pressure to recover outstanding debts,' the author of the report, research fellow Riley Duke, said. 'How China's shift to chief debt collector will impact its reputation as a development partner and its broader messaging around South-South cooperation remains to be seen.' He said highly indebted African states were often wary of rocking the boat and risking the loss of access to Chinese financing and trade. 'An increasingly transactional United States and distracted Europe have also likely fed a narrowed sense of their potential future economic pathways,' Duke added. The report pointed out that BRI loans often seemed to come with strings attached, especially when it came to adhering to the CCP's 'One China' policy. Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, and the Solomon Islands all received big loans within 18 months of dropping diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. With China increasingly reining in BRI loans, Peru might find it harder to secure funding for the CFBC, which Lima described as a 'megaproject that would redefine South American regional integration.' Reyes said, 'We are willing to co-finance our part of the tranche.' The CFBC would link Lima with the city of Pucallpa in the Peruvian interior, and then across the border to Cruzeiro do Sul in Brazil, and via Vilhena, to the major metropolises of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Laos methanol poisoning update on 'appalling' deaths as parents speak out
Australian teenagers, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, were killed in a suspected methanol poisoning in Laos alongside Brit Simone White, 28, and three other people The parents of two Australian teenagers who died from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos have described an update into the investigation as 'appalling'. Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, Brit lawyer Simone White, 28, Danes Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and American James Louis Hutson, 57, all died after consuming methanol. They were all staying at the Nana Backpackers hostel and are thought to have drunk free alcoholic drinks handed out which were laced with the substance. Now in an update it has been revealed charges have finally been brought - but have sparked fury with the parents. The families were told by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 13 people from Nana's Hostel and the Tiger distillery are accused of a violation of food and health security, unlawful business operations and elimination of evidence. Holly's mother told 60 Minutes the charges are 'pretty appalling, I'd say pretty insulting.' Bianca's furious mum added: 'I think we're pretty furious about it … Food and beverage. You know, that's like? What is that? We don't even know. 'We know there's no murder or manslaughter charges, which we feel there should be.' Earlier this year Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told parliament Laos authorities have refused the Australian Federal Police (AFP)'s offer to support the investigation into the deaths. He said: 'The AFP has made an offer to the authorities in Laos to provide their assistance in the investigation, and there is a whole lot of capability the AFP could bring. 'I have to report sadly to the house that at this point the Laos authorities have not taken up that invitation." The families of Ms Jones and Ms Bowles issued a heartbreaking statement following the announcement, and said they were "extremely disappointed" by the lack of updates. They said: "As the Laos government rejects any support from the AFP our confidence in accountability and justice for everyone affected remains unanswered." It is believed the tourists had all taken shots laced with methanol, which is sometimes used by disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol (alcohol), and can cause severe poisoning or death. Among the victims was Brit Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent. She was a lawyer with global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, whose work involved general commercial matters, and contentious and non-contentious intellectual property law issues, according to the firm's website. Her parents described her as a 'beautiful, kind and loving daughter', adding: 'Simone was one of a kind and had the most wonderful energy and spark for life. Simone has been taken from us too soon, she will be sorely missed by her brother, grandmother and entire family.'
Express Tribune
03-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Even Antarctica's penguins fall under Trump's tariff radar
Listen to article A group of remote, uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica, home to penguins, has been swept into US President Donald Trump's sweeping new trade tariffs, sparking confusion and mockery over the inclusion of territories with no population or recorded exports. Heard Island and McDonald Islands, a glacial-covered Australian external territory accessible only by a two-week boat journey from Perth, were named among the countries and territories subject to a 10% tariff on goods, according to a list published by the White House. The islands, which have no permanent residents and last received human visitors nearly a decade ago, were listed separately from Australia alongside other Australian external territories, including the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, and Norfolk Island. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded with irony on Thursday, saying: 'Nowhere on Earth is safe.' Norfolk Island, home to around 2,200 residents, received a harsher 29% tariff, despite limited trade with the United States. The island's administrator, George Plant, disputed official data suggesting it exported over US$650,000 worth of goods, including US$413,000 in leather footwear to the US in 2023. 'There are no known exports from Norfolk Island to the United States and no tariffs or known non-tariff trade barriers on goods coming to Norfolk Island,' Plant said. Export data for Heard and McDonald Islands was even more puzzling. The World Bank reported US$1.4 million in exports to the US in 2022, primarily 'machinery and electrical' goods, despite the islands having no buildings, no port infrastructure, and no permanent inhabitants. Trade experts and observers questioned the accuracy of the data and the rationale behind targeting such remote locations. Albanese said the inclusion of these territories 'exemplifies the randomness and reach of the tariff list.' The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Antarctic Division, and the White House have yet to comment.
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US offered to resettle Uyghurs that Thailand deported to China, sources say
Canada and the US offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs held in detention in Thailand over the past decade, sources have said, but Bangkok took no action for fear of upsetting China, where most of them were covertly deported last week. Thailand has defended the deportation, which came despite calls from United Nations human rights experts, saying that it acted in accordance with laws and human rights obligations. Human rights groups accuse China of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority numbering about 10 million in its north-western region of Xinjiang. Beijing denies any abuses. The Thai deputy prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Monday that no country made any concrete offer to resettle the 48 Uyghurs. 'We waited for more than 10 years, and I have spoken to many major countries, but no one told me for certain,' he told reporters. Phumtham was out of government from 2006 until mid-2023. The US offered to resettle the 48 Uyghurs, an official from the US state department said. 'The United States has worked with Thailand for years to avoid this situation, including by consistently and repeatedly offering to resettle the Uyghurs in other countries, including, at one point, the United States,' the US official said, asking not to be named. Canada also offered asylum to the detained Uyghurs, said four sources, including diplomats and people with direct knowledge. Two of these sources said another offer came from Australia. These proposals, which the sources said were not taken forward by Thailand over fears of a falling-out with China, have not been previously reported. All the sources declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. Thailand's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China's foreign ministry said that the repatriation was carried out in accordance with Chinese, Thai and international law. 'The repatriated were Chinese nationals who are illegal migrants,' it said. 'The legitimate rights of the relevant people are fully protected.' A spokesperson for Canada's immigration ministry said they would not comment on individual cases. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade referred to a statement by the foreign minister, Penny Wong, who said on Friday the country 'strongly disagrees' with Thailand's decision. Besides the 40 Uyghurs deported last week, five are currently in a Thai prison due to a continuing criminal case, according to local officials. Reuters could not immediately confirm the whereabouts of the other three people. Pisan Manawapat, a Thai ambassador to Canada and the US between 2013 and 2017 and a senator before he retired in 2024, said that at least three countries had approached Thailand with proposals to resettle the Uyghurs, but declined to name them. 'We didn't want to upset China,' Pisan said, without providing further details. 'So we did not make the decision at the political level to go through with this.' China is Thailand's biggest trade partner and the two countries have close business ties. Phumtham said Thailand made the decision to deport the group to China last week after reassurances from Beijing that Thai officials would be allow to monitor the Uyghurs' wellbeing in the country following their return. UN human rights experts had said the group would be at risk of torture, ill-treatment and 'irreparable harm' if returned to China, and their deportation has drawn widespread condemnation. Following the deportation, the UN's refugee agency said in a statement that it was repeatedly denied access to the group by Thai authorities. A source said the UN refugee agency's lack of access to the Uyghurs meant they could not be processed as asylum seekers, stalling their potential resettlement and leaving them stuck in detention.
