New Delhi, Nov. 13: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday said in Melbourne that international students and travellers from India would soon be allowed to enter the country. “We’re looking forward to Indian students coming back to Australia…not too long now. We've recognised Indian-manufactured vaccines that will be facilitating the return of Indian students and Indian travellers to Australia,” said Morrison while speaking at the unveiling of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Melbourne's Rowville suburb on Friday. Canberra has already approved Covaxin and Covishield for travellers entering Australia. Morrison also pointed out that the government had expanded the definition of immediate family, which would benefit those who’ve been separated from their parents for some period of time. Education is a major foreign exchange earner for Australia and it is estimated that out of the over six lakh foreign students enrolled in universities there, one-fifth or well over one lakh students are from India. Besides, about four lakh tourists from India visit Australia every year. Morrison also praised the Indian diaspora for its commitment towards family and expressed admiration for PM Narendra Modi. “We first (PM Modi and Morrison) met here in Melbourne many years ago at the MCG when he came to Australia and I was fortunate enough. I was the Minister for Immigration at the time and I was seated next to him,” he recalled. “I wasn’t expecting because, you know, he's a rock star, but thankful to security that night, he and I had quite a nice and friendly chat. We’ve remained friends ever since,” he added.-Agencies

Washington, Sept. 8: China, Pakistan, Russia and Iran are trying to figure out what do they do now with the Taliban, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. Hours after the Taliban announced the details of its interim government, Biden told reporters that China had a "real problem" with the…

Toronto, Sept. 9: An Indo-Canadian lawmaker on Thursday condemned the murder of an Indian youth in Canada’s Nova Scotia province, saying hate, violence and racism have no place in the country and the fight to eradicate these menaces must continue. Prabhjot Singh Katri, 23, was found murdered at an apartment…

Washington, Sept. 10: The interim Taliban government does not reflect what the international community and the United States hoped to see, the Biden Administration said on Thursday. "We have spoken about our reaction to the initial caretaker government. You have heard us say that the lack of inclusivity, the track…

New Delhi, Sept. 11: In a high-level foreign and defence ministerial dialogue, India and Australia on Saturday set out an ambitious framework for defence with Afghanistan as a major subject of discussion. During the inaugural ‘two-plus-two’ talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and their…

Peshawar, Sept. 12: Ashraf Gulzar, an Afghan singer, mentioned the Taliban have banned all music programmes in Kabul which is a matter of concern for the individuals related to the music trade. The scheduled music occasions organized with Pakistani artists in Kabul, Jalalabad, and different large cities of Afghanistan have…

Geneva, Sept. 13: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have contradicted public promises on rights, including by ordering women to stay at home, blocking teenage girls from school and holding house-to-house searches for former foes, a United Nations official said on Monday. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Afghanistan was in…