27/08/2025

WEDNESDAY | AUG 27, 2025

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Australia expels Iran ambassador

SYDNEY: Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador yesterday, accusing the country of being behind arson attacks in Melbourne and Sydney. It marks the first time Australia has expelled an ambassador since World War II. Intelligence services reached a “deeply disturbing conclusion” that Iran directed at least two antisemitic attacks, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Tehran was behind a fire attack on a cafe, the Lewis Continental Cafe, in Sydney’s Bondi suburb last October, o Canberra withdraws envoy from Tehran

YOON BACKER TO LEAD OPPOSITION PARTY SEOUL: A South Korean opposition party chose yesterday as its leader, Jang Dong-hyeok, a lawmaker who has openly advocated for former president Yoon Suk Yeol despite his ousting over a botched bid to declare martial law. The People’s Power Party (PPP) picked Jang, a two time lawmaker who spoke in defence of Yoon, even after calls for PPP to distance itself from Yoon, who is on trial for alleged insurrection. In June, the party suffered a big defeat in a snap presidential election that left it with little power to challenge new centre-left President Lee Jae Myung and his Democratic Party. Jang called for the party to unite to take on the Lee administration. – Reuters FIRE ENGULFS MARSHALL ISLANDS PARLIAMENT SYDNEY: Fire has destroyed the Marshall Islands parliament. The Fire Department said half of the parliament building, known as the Nitijela, had been burnt down in a fire. The Pacific archipelago, midway between Hawaii and Australia, has a population of around 42,000, with half living in the capital Majuro. Its major diplomatic relationships are a compact of free association with the United States, which provides economic assistance in return for military access, and diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. Taipei said it will provide assistance in a timely manner. – Reuters unacceptable. They put lives at risk. They terrified the community, and they tore at our social fabric,” he said. “Iran and its proxies, literally and figuratively, lit the matches and fanned the flames.” – AFP tragically killed in Porepunkah,” mayor Sarah Nicholas said. Local council’s facilities across the town including libraries, information centres and depots would remain closed until further notice, Nicholas said. Porepunkah Primary School principal Jill Gillies told ABC Radio Melbourne that the school was forced to lockdown, with around 90 students sheltering indoors from noon). ABC has since reported that the lockdown had been lifted. The local airfield also closed due to the emergency. – Reuters Australia, said Burgess, director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. The Revolutionary Guard, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, used a web of proxies to hide its involvement in the attacks, he said. Iran’s embassy in Australia and its diplomats were not involved, however, the spy chief said. The Australian intelligence service is still investigating possible Iranian involvement in a number of other attacks, Burgess said. “Iran’s actions are utterly

Though Australians have been advised not to travel through Iran since 2020, Wong said that Canberra’s ability to provide consular assistance was now “extremely limited”. “I do know that many Australians have family connections in Iran, but I urge any Australian who might be considering travelling to Iran, please do not do so,” she said. “Our message is, if you are an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so.” Australia’s spy chief Michael Burgess said a “painstaking” intelligence service investigation had uncovered links between the attacks and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The probe found that the Guard directed at least two and “likely” more attacks on Jewish interests in

country within seven days. Australia also withdrew its own ambassador to Iran and suspended the embassy’s operations in Tehran. The Australian diplomats were all “safe in a third country”, the prime minister said. Australia will also legislate to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, he said. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was the first time in the post-war period that Australia had expelled an ambassador. Australia would maintain diplomatic lines with Iran to advance the interests of Australians, Wong said. Australia has had an embassy in Tehran since 1968.

the prime minister told a news conference. It also directed an arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne last December, the prime minister said, citing the intelligence findings. No physical injuries were reported in the two attacks. “These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanese said. “They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community. It is totally unacceptable.” Australia declared Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi “persona non grata” and ordered him and three other officials to leave the

102-year-old Japanese climber sets Mt Fuji record

BR I E F S

TOKYO: A 102-year-old Japanese man with a serious heart condition has been certified as the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji – but still shrugged off the feat as nothing special. Kokichi Akuzawa, who was born in 1923, summited Japan’s highest peak after climbing a mountain on an almost weekly basis as part of his training. His achievement in early this month was recognised by Guinness World Records. “I am six years older than the last time I climbed,” Akuzawa said, referring to his hike up the 3,776m peak at the age of 96. “I have been there and seen the view many times, it wasn’t anything special,” he said. “I reached the summit last time too.” As well as an avid hiker, the retired livestock farmer from the central Gunma region volunteers at an elderly care centre and teaches painting. The preparation for the climb up Mount Fuji, which is also an active volcano, came after he tripped while walking up a mountain near his home in January and then fell ill with shingles and was hospitalised with heart failure. His physical condition worried his family, but Akuzawa was determined to climb, his daughter Yukiko, 75, said. “The recovery was so fast that his doctors could not believe it,” Yukiko said. To get back into shape, Akuzawa woke up early every morning and set off on an hour-long walk, and also hiked up a mountain almost every week. Akuzawa stretched his Mount Fuji climb over three days and spent two nights in huts, but the high altitude almost forced him to give up. He managed to force his way to the summit with the support of his travel companions including a granddaughter who is a nurse, Yukiko said. Asked if he wanted to climb Mount Fuji again, Akuzawa gave a firm “no”. – AFP

Victoria police on the trail of gunman SYDNEY: Australian police are hunting a gunman who shot dead two officers and wounded another yesterday as they tried to serve a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations to a man at a rural property in the state of Victoria. reported that police visited the property to serve a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations when two officers were shot dead and another wounded in an ambush attack. Australian Federal SKIRT’S NO BAR ... Amateur players tussling for the ball in a tournament during the Botas, Ruana and Sombrero cultural and sport festival in Jenesano, Boyaca department, Colombia last week. Eight female teams of residents and farmers from Jenesano, a rural village in the mountains of Colombia, take part every year in the football tournament called ‘Botas, Ruana y Sombrero’ (Boots, ruana and hat), in which they play wearing traditional clothing. – AFPPIC

Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said there were “grave concerns” for the police officers involved. “Just from the police blue family, the wider family across Australia and overseas, our thoughts and prayers are with Victoria police right now,” Kershaw said at a news conference. The town of Porepunkah is home to 1,000 residents and is located at the base of Australia’s alpine ranges. “Today has been a day of deep sorrow and shock for our community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the two police officers

The Age said heavily armed officers from the Special Operations Group were deployed to the scene and the gunman was now on the run with several family members, including children. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said police believe the shooter is a “sovereign citizen”. Sovereign citizens believe the government is illegitimate.

In a statement on social media, Victoria police said they were attending an active incident in the alpine town of Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of the city of Melbourne and asked people to avoid the area. Police have not released details of the incident. Local media outlet The Age