LUISA COOLS
The Source’s round up of the top news stories this week.
- Australia’s Migration Act was revised
- India launched spacecraft to Mars
- American imprisoned in North Korea
- Teenage terror suspect shot dead
- US airstrikes to cut off money flow to ISIS
Australia removes UN Refugee Convention
The Migration Act is set to be revised under legislation today as Immigration Minister Scott Morrison removes references to the UN Refugee Convention.
Under the same legislation a new visa class for Asylum Seekers will be introduced alongside the reintroduction of the controversial Temporary Protection Visas which were abolished under the Rudd Government.
Children who are born in Australia to a transitory person can now be taken away to a regional processing country.
“The Australian parliament [and] the Australian people will define our obligations,” Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said in response to the removal of references to the UN Refugee Convention.
The piece of legislation has been labeled “shocking” by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young.
(For more information go to: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/09/25/asylum-law-changes-morrison-bring-back-tpvs-pup-support )
India launched first spacecraft to orbit Mars
It was one small step for man and one giant leap for India as the country’s Mars Orbiter Mission was successfully launched on Wednesday.
India has become one of the first nations to successfully launch a spacecraft into the planet’s orbit on the first attempt.
Before India, the only other nations successfully to do so were the United States of America, Europe and the Soviet Union.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “we have gone beyond the boundaries of human enterprise and human imagination.”
The United States congratulated India on the feat and wants to cooperate to gather data on the planet.
(For more information go to: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/23/world/asia/mars-india-orbiter/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 )
American began six-year hard labour prison sentence in North Korea
Matthew Miller was convicted of “hostile acts” towards North Korea and sentenced earlier this month with his six-year prison term beginning today.
He travelled to North Korea this year on a private tour and in an earlier interview said he was “prepared to violate the law of DPRK before coming here and deliberately committed his crime.”
The nature of the ‘crime’ he refers to is unknown.
Miller has reportedly written letters to US officials asking for assistance.
(For more information go to: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/24/world/asia/matthew-miller-prison/index.html?hpt=hp_c1)
Teenage terror suspect shot dead after stabbing police officers
18-year-old Abdul Numan Haider flew into a rage on Tuesday night while being interviewed regarding terror links and stabbed two Melbourne Police officers.
Haider had joined an Islamic Centre in Fringevale supposedly led by a radical preacher.
Authorities became concerned when Haider’s Facebook profile picture changed last week to a photo of him in a black balaclava and holding an extremist styled black flag.
Haider’s parents have not commented and have simply asked for the boy’s body to be returned for burial.
(For more information go to: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/09/25/04/10/terror-suspect-numan-haider-home-searched-before-shooting )
New US airstrikes aim to cut off money flow to ISIS
Oil refineries being used by the terror group branding themselves as the Islamic State were the targets of new airstrikes by the US military in Syria on Wednesday.
The Pentagon believes the group is using these mobile oil refineries to finance their operations.
The refineries are said to make up to $2 million USD a day from the oil they produce.
The US Government supposedly has more airstrikes planned to “degrade and destroy” ISIS, as President Obama declared in a speech recently.
This recent round of air strikes came just hours after Obama asked for a united action from global leaders to confront the ISIS threat.
(For more information go to: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/24/world/meast/us-airstrikes/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 )