Australia

“I’m very happy with that and I’m very excited. Thank you Australia for giving our people the opportunity to participate in the programme and learn new skills and bring back to Nauru, President Waqa said.

Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull signed an agreement with President Waqa and the leaders of Kiribati and Tuvalu on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Samoa last Friday.

Centre Jesse Kriel and hooker Malcolm Marx crossed for the Springboks, who dominated the breakdown and set piece but were unable to convert late pressure into a score that would have given them a sixth successive win.

Livewire centre Kurtley Beale and hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau scored tries for the Wallabies, who showed plenty of attacking endeavour but remain winless in the competition after back-to-back losses to the All Blacks.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull signed the deal at the Pacific Islands Forum in Samoa today.

The broadcaster, SBS, reported the announcement expands the current farming-based seasonal worker scheme to include industries like tourism and aged care.

Mr Turnbull said the plan would help the development of both Pacific Island states and regional Australian towns struggling to recruit workers.

Australia has also promised to fund new aerial surveillance missions over the Pacific to detect and disrupt illegal fishing.

In the 'Footy Kids in Cars' clip on the Matty Johns Show children were asked what the funniest name in the NRL was before making them pronounce Pacific Island players' names.

The video also aired on Sky TV in New Zealand.

NRL manager of wellbeing and education, Nigel Vagana confirmed he and Frank Puletua, NRL head of Pacific strategy, would complain to the NRL and Fox Sports Australia.

Invited to this year's event as a wild card along with fellow FIBA Oceania representatives New Zealand, the Boomers eased through the group stage with a perfect record before ousting China and their trans-Tasman neighbours in the knockouts.

And they had few problems against Iran - who also boasted a perfect 5-0 record coming into the final - at the Nouhad Nawfal Stadium.

Months later, the saga continues to provoke a much wider discussion, writes Kathy Marks in Sydney.

She is, by her own definition, "the perfect package for outrage" - a young, brown-skinned, feminist Muslim with outspoken opinions and the self-confidence to articulate them.

Even so, Yassmin Abdel-Magied could hardly have anticipated the ferocity, or the relentlessness, of the attacks which have rained on her in recent months. They have come from internet trolls, tabloid newspapers and even the Australian prime minister, culminating in the 26-year-old leaving the country.

Fox Sports handed out that unwanted accolade to Stephen Kearney's side on the back of their latest loss to NRL cellar-dwellars the Newcastle Knights.

Fox produced a scathing assessment of the Kiwi franchise.

"Forget Newcastle and forget the Wests Tigers. They might be anchoring the NRL table but they're not the biggest disappointment in rugby league this year. That honour goes to the New Zealand Warriors," their story began before they flung a stiff-arm at the Mt Smart outfit.

Hosts Ireland won a nail-biting Women's Rugby World Cup Pool C opener against battling Australia in Dublin.

Larissa Muldoon's converted first-half try, against a Mahalia Murphy score, had Ireland 7-5 ahead at the interval.

Shannon Parry's touchdown edged the Wallaroos in front but replacements Ciara Griffin and Sophie Spence crossed to put Ireland on the road to victory.

The 2014 semi-finalists survived a late scare after prop Hilisha Samoa's try was converted by Ashleigh Hewson.

The province was struck by a magnitude 7.8 quake that damaged about 35 houses including the police barracks and hospital.

At the time Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop assured the government of Solomon Islands that Australia is ready to provide any support once requested.

Last night Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells confirmed the Australian government’s support.

The academy's assessment, prompted by last year's decision by CSIRO to axe as many as 100 of 140 climate scientists, identified 77 extra research positions that should be created in the next four years.
 
Australia now has about 419 climate researchers, or less than 1 per cent of the 50,000 in public science. The additional tally includes 15 staff announced by the Turnbull government last year for the CSIRO after a public outcry forced the agency's chief executive Larry Marshall to reverse most of the planned cuts.