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Australia's Central Bank Governor Urges Fiscal Restraint

Australia's central bank governor Glenn Stevens Saturday urged politicians to work together to address the growing gap between fiscal spending and revenue, as the government battles to push through massive budget cuts.

In a rare newspaper interview, Stevens told The Australian "financial markets might not be so forgiving as they are now" if the country did not start to manage its budget "in a measured way".

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Australian Jihadist Supporter Arrested in Philippines

An Australian convert to Islam who used the Internet to urge people to join "jihad" in Iraq and Syria was arrested in the Philippines on Friday, local police said.

Robert Edward Cerantonio, 29, who also goes by the name Musa Cerantonio, was detained in the central Philippine city of Cebu and will be deported to Australia, said Superintendent Conrado Capa, the region's deputy police chief.

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'Bamboo Ceiling' Hampering Asians in Australia

A "bamboo ceiling" exists in Australia for Asians entering positions of power in business, education and politics, the country's race discrimination commissioner has suggested.

Tim Soutphommasane said that while Australia's cultural diversity was to be welcomed, equality of opportunity in the top echelons was lacking.

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Australia: Sri Lankan Migrant Mistreatment Claims 'Offensive'

Australia's immigration minister reacted angrily Wednesday to claims by Sri Lankan migrants that they were abused and mistreated by Australian officials while being forced to return home in a controversial mid-sea operation.

Scott Morrison also said he did not think the group of 41 Sri Lankans would suffer mistreatment back home as a result of attempting the trip to Australia.

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Australia Admits Sri Lankan Asylum-Seekers in Custody

Australian government lawyers said Tuesday 153 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers were in custody on the high seas and agreed to give three days' notice before handing any back to Colombo, as criticism mounted.

A late-night interim injunction Monday temporarily halted the transfer of the would-be refugees from the boat, whose very existence Canberra had previously refused to confirm.

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Australia, Japan to Sign Free Trade, Defense Deals

Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe met with his Australian counterpart on Tuesday to sign agreements bolstering defense and trade ties between the countries.

The defense deal, which involves the transfer of military equipment and technology, comes a week after Japan's government ushered in a new era for the country's defense force by reinterpreting its pacifist constitution to allow greater use of its military to defend allies.

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Japan's Abe Declares Peace Goals in Historic Australia Visit

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared Tuesday his determination to pursue peace in Asia, as he signaled closer defense ties with Australia and prepared to rubber-stamp an ambitious free-trade agreement.

Abe used an historic address to a joint sitting of Australia's parliament to say that Japan "is now determined to do more to enhance peace in the region and peace in the world".

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Court Halts Australia's Asylum-Seeker Plans

A High Court on Monday barred Australia from handing back a boat carrying 153 asylum-seekers to Sri Lanka, a day after Canberra returned another vessel to Colombo following a week of secrecy.

The interim injunction from a late-night sitting applies at least until a hearing resumes on Tuesday afternoon and was granted after lawyers argued the transfer was illegal.

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Trade, Closer Defense Ties top Australia-Japan Agenda

Closer defense cooperation is set to take center stage when Australia hosts Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week, while the two allies will also shore up a burgeoning trade relationship, analysts say.

It is the first bilateral visit by a Japanese prime minister since 2002 and comes just days after Abe declared his powerful military had the right to go into battle in defense of allies, a move welcomed by Canberra but condemned by China as expansionism.

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U.N. Voices 'Profound Concern' over Australia Boat Claims

The U.N. expressed "profound concern" Thursday over reports that Australia was screening Sri Lankan asylum-seekers at sea and handing them over to Colombo, as Prime Minister Tony Abbott denied breaking international law.

Concern has been mounting over the fate of two boats, one reportedly carrying 153 Tamil Sri Lankan asylum-seekers and another with 50 on board, intercepted in recent days by the Australian navy in Australian waters.

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