Australia is considering lifting travel bans on Fiji's interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama so he can attend a special Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting in Papua New Guinea.
Leaders from PIF's 16 member states, including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, will next week fly into PNG's capital Port Moresby to discuss the fate of Fiji's membership.
The easiest way for Bainimarama to arrive in Port Moresby is a flight via Brisbane, but Australia's current bans restrict the self-imposed leader from all travel in the country, including transfers.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Australia surrounded by SARS, bird flu 'ring of fire'
AUSTRALIA risks being caught unawares by outbreaks of SARS, bird flu and other diseases in what a study describes as a "ring of fire" of disease hotspots.
The study, conducted by Dr Peter Daszak of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine in New York, constructed an earthquake zone map to predict where new outbreaks of diseases such as foot-and-mouth, avian influenza and SARS are most likely to occur.
It found that Australia is effectively under siege from its northern Asian neighbours.
The risk map shows that Australia is surrounded to the north by countries that are some of the hottest of the hot-spots, Dr Daszak said.
The study, conducted by Dr Peter Daszak of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine in New York, constructed an earthquake zone map to predict where new outbreaks of diseases such as foot-and-mouth, avian influenza and SARS are most likely to occur.
It found that Australia is effectively under siege from its northern Asian neighbours.
The risk map shows that Australia is surrounded to the north by countries that are some of the hottest of the hot-spots, Dr Daszak said.
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