This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. Cooperation between Australia and Sri Lanka is a key focus of this year’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE 2025) — Australia’s flagship regional engagement program aimed at strengthening defence, government, and community partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. The two countries share strong ties in maritime security, aviation, and training, working together to promote a safe and stable Indian Ocean region while tackling transnational crime and protecting crucial sea routes. In October 2024, Australia gifted a King Air 350 aircraft to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), enhancing its ability to conduct maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue missions. Since then, SLAF crews have flown over 400 hours and completed more than 100 missions, showcasing the aircraft’s value in safeguarding Sri Lanka’s coastline. Squadron Leader Glenn Canfield, who piloted the aircraft’s delivery from Australia to Sri Lanka, returned this year under IPE25 to conduct advanced training and lead a subject matter expert exchange at SLAF China Bay. “It’s a privilege to work alongside our Sri Lankan counterparts and share how the King Air supports maritime operations,” he said, highlighting that the collaboration goes beyond technical skills — it’s about building trust and long-term friendships. The initiative reflects the true spirit of Indo-Pacific Endeavour: combining technology, training, and teamwork to create lasting regional partnerships. For both nations, the King Air 350 has become more than just an aircraft — it’s a symbol of cooperation, reinforcing the shared goal of ensuring a secure and resilient Indo-Pacific. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Wild winds are sweeping across five states and territories, prompting severe weather warnings across much of south-east Australia. A strong low-pressure system from the Southern Ocean has pushed a cold front over Tasmania and into Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and the ACT. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued warnings for damaging to destructive winds across wide areas — including King Island, the Grampians, Snowy Mountains, and parts of Canberra. Residents are being urged to secure loose items, stay indoors, and avoid windows while the extreme conditions continue. Authorities also warn of possible power outages, fallen trees, and downed power lines. Wind gusts have already topped 150 km/h at Tasmania’s Maatsuyker Island, while Scotts Peak and Mt William in Victoria’s Grampians also recorded gusts above 120 km/h. Tasmania has faced heavy rainfall this week, with some areas nearing 100mm in seven days. However, the current system is only expected to bring scattered showers to Victoria, SA, and NSW. Emergency services are urging locals to stay alert and monitor official updates as the wild weather continues. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Qantas is on alert as hackers threaten to leak what they claim is nearly one billion customer records stolen from dozens of companies worldwide. The cybercriminal group, calling itself “Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters,” posted the threat on the dark web, claiming to have breached systems linked to major firms — including Qantas, Disney, Google, IKEA, Toyota, McDonald’s, Air France, and KLM. The hackers are attempting to extort cloud software giant Salesforce, which hosts data for many of these companies. Salesforce has confirmed it won’t pay or negotiate, insisting its platform was not directly compromised. Qantas said it’s aware of the situation and continues to support affected customers. The airline has a 24/7 assistance line and a court injunction in place to stop stolen data from being shared. The latest threat follows a July breach involving an offshore Qantas call centre, which exposed personal details of 5.7 million customers, including several politicians — though no credit card or passport data was taken. Cybersecurity experts say the hackers are known for spreading misinformation but have a record of releasing large amounts of data. They reportedly gained access by tricking employees at Salesforce-linked companies, rather than exploiting software flaws. Authorities continue to investigate, with the hackers threatening to release the stolen information if their demands aren’t met by October 10. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. මෙවර වසර ආරම්භයේදී දිගු කාලීන වාහන ආනයන තහනම ඉවත් කිරීමෙන් පසු ඇති වූ වාහන ආනයන වාර්තාමය වැඩිවීමෙන් අනතුරුව, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ වාහන වෙළඳපල දැන් මන්දගාමී වී තිබේ. ශ්‍රී ලංකා වාහන ආනයනකරුවන්ගේ සංගමය (VIASL) අනුව, ආනයන තහනම ඉවත් වූ තත්පරයකින් පසු වාහන මිලදී ගැනීමට උද්‍යෝගශීලී වූ පළමු පිරිස දැන් අඩුවී ඇති අතර, එමගින් ඉල්ලුම ද පැහැදිලිව පහළ යාමක් දක්නට ලැබේ. විකුණුම් වැඩි කිරීමට, සමහර ආනයනකරුවන් ප්‍රවර්ධන යෝජනා සහ විශේෂ සංචාර සංවිධානය කරමින් නව ගනුදෙනුකරුවන් ආකර්ෂණය කිරීමට උත්සාහ දරති. කෙසේ වෙතත්, විකුණනට නොගත් වාහන 90 දිනකට පසු ආනයනකරුවන්ට 3% දඩ ගාස්තුවක් ගෙවීමට සිදුවන අතර, එම පිරිවැය මිලදී ගන්නා පාර්ශවයට මාරු කළ නොහැක. 2025 මුල් භාගයේදී ආනයන තහනම ඉවත් කළ දා සිට, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වාහන ආනයනය සඳහා ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් බිලියන 1 කට වඩා වියදම් කර ඇත. 2024 දෙසැම්බර් සිට 2025 ජුනි දක්වා කාලය තුළ, මෝටර් රථ 14,000 ක් ඇතුළුව, වාහන 50,000 කට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයක් රේගුව හරහා  මුදාහැරී බව නිල දත්ත පෙන්වා දෙයි. 2025 අගෝස්තු මාසයේදී පමණක්, ආනයන වටිනාකම ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 249ක් වූ අතර, වසරේ පළමු මාස 8ක සමස්ත ආනයන වටිනාකම ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 918ක් දක්වා ඉහළ ගොස් ඇත. විදේශ සංචිත ආරක්ෂා කිරීම අරමුණු කරගත් වසර ගණනාවක සීමාවන්ගෙන් පසු, වාහන ලියාපදිංචිය දැන් නැවතත් ඉහළ යමින් පවතී. 2025 සැප්තැම්බර් වන විට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සමස්ත වාහන සංඛ්‍යාව 86.7 ලක්ෂක් තෙක් ඉහළ ගොස් ඇත. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. The University of Melbourne has retained its crown as Australia’s top university, climbing two spots to 37th in the world in the latest Times Higher Education rankings. The University of Sydney also impressed, jumping from 61st to 53rd globally. Rankings are based on factors like teaching quality, research strength, and international outlook. Melbourne earned a standout 99.8 score for industry impact, reflecting its strong ties with innovation and industry partnerships. Other notable Australian movers include: UTS (University of Technology Sydney): Up to 145th from 154th despite recent cost-cutting. Macquarie University: Up 12 places to 166th. University of Adelaide: Re-entered the list at 176th after being unranked last year. Meanwhile, University of Queensland and University of Western Australia both slipped slightly. Globally, Oxford University and MIT held the top two spots, while ETH Zurich remains the highest-ranked university outside the UK and US. Australia’s strong showing highlights its growing global reputation for education, research, and innovation. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Victorians can look forward to free public transport every weekend this summer as the state celebrates the opening of the $15.5 billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel. From early December until February 1, all trains, trams, and buses across Victoria will be free on Saturdays and Sundays. Commuters won’t need to tap on or off their myki cards, and anyone who does by mistake won’t be charged. Premier Jacinta Allan called it the “biggest free transport event in Victoria’s history,” thanking residents for their patience during the long construction period. The free travel period, dubbed “Summer Start,” coincides with major events like the Boxing Day Test and Australian Open, making it easier for locals and tourists to explore the state. The Metro Tunnel, featuring five new underground stations, is set to officially open in early December after eight years of development. Allan said the project will cut congestion and slash travel times, marking a major step forward for Melbourne’s growing transport network. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Gold is shining brighter than ever as global anxiety drives investors toward safe assets — and Australia is reaping the rewards. For the first time, gold prices have surged past US$4000 (A$6070) per ounce, jumping nearly 50% since January 2025. Experts predict gold will soon overtake gas as Australia’s second-largest resource export, bringing in about $60 billion this financial year, up from $47 billion last year. The boost comes as other major exports like liquefied natural gas (LNG) and iron ore face falling prices. LNG export earnings are expected to drop from $65 billion to $48 billion, while iron ore could fall by $3 billion this year and another $10 billion by 2027. Resources Minister Madeleine King said gold continues to “create wealth and jobs” for Australia, reinforcing its vital role in the nation’s economy. The rush toward gold reflects a world on edge — with trade tensions, a weakening US dollar, and global economic slowdowns driving demand for safe investments. Silver has also joined the rally, soaring 60% to around US$48 per ounce. Analysts say gold remains a popular “safe haven” in uncertain times, but they also warn that its price can be volatile. As the saying goes — not every glittering investment is risk-free. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. The Australian Department of Home Affairs has quietly updated its student visa evidence levels, which determine how much documentation students must provide when applying for a visa. These internal updates, shared via the PRISMS system, are part of Australia’s Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF) — a risk-based model used to streamline genuine student applications while tightening checks on higher-risk cases. Updated Country Evidence Levels Based on current industry information: Level 1 (Low Risk):   Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Level 2 (Moderate Risk):   India, Bhutan, Vietnam, China, Nepal Level 3 (High Risk):   Fiji, Philippines, Pakistan How the System Works Each education provider and country is assigned a risk level (1–3). The combination determines how much evidence students must show — such as financial proof, English proficiency, or academic background. Level 1 + Level 1:  Fast, low-documentation process. Level 1 + Level 3 or Level 3 + Level 1:  Moderate checks. Level 3 + Level 3:  Most stringent assessment. Students from lower-risk countries like Sri Lanka now enjoy a smoother, faster visa process. Those from higher-risk regions may need to submit extra documents to prove their financial capacity and study intentions. This evidence-level system helps Australia maintain the integrity of its international education sector while ensuring genuine students can continue to access study opportunities with less red tape. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Sri Lankan community informed with timely updates. 2025 ඔක්තෝබර් 15 සිට, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණෙන සියලු විදේශීය සංචාරකයින් තම විද්‍යුත් සංචාරක අවසරය (ETA) අත්සන් කිරීමට පෙර අන්තර්ජාලය ඔස්සේ අයදුම් කළ යුතුය. මේ අනුව, ගුවන් තොටුපළේ පැමිණීමේදී විද්‍යුත් සංචාරක අවසරය (ETA) ලබා ගැනීම තවදුරටත් හැකි නොවේ. ලොව පුරා ශ්‍රී ලංකා තානාපති කාර්යාල කිහිපයක් විසින් තහවුරු කරන ලද මෙම නව නීතිය - මේ වන විට ETA ගාස්තු නිවාරණය ලැබූ චීනය, ඉන්දියාව, රුසියාව, ඉන්දුනීසියාව, තායිලන්තය, මැලේසියාව සහ ජපානය වැනි රටවල්ද ඇතුළත් වේ. ETA යනු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට සංචාරය කරන බොහෝ සංචාරකයින් සඳහා අවශ්‍ය කෙටිකාලීන අන්තර්ජාල වීසා එකකි. අයදුම් කළ යුතු වෙබ් අඩවිය:   eta.gov.lk ගාස්තුව:  ඩොලර් 50 (ද්විත්ව ප්‍රවේශය) වලංගු කාලය:  නිකුත් වූ දිනය සිට මාස 6ක් පැමිණීමේ කාලය:  දින 30ක් (දේශීයව දිගු කළ හැක) ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ETA ගාස්තු නිවාරණ වැඩසටහන ඔස්ට්‍රේලියාව, එක්සත් රාජධානිය, එක්සත් ජනපදය, කැනඩා, ප්‍රංශය සහ UAE ඇතුළු රටවල් 33ක් වෙත පුළුල් කිරීමට සැලසුම් කරයි. එහෙත් මෙම වැඩසටහන තවම ක්‍රියාත්මක කර නැත. සංචාරක ව්‍යාපාරය අඛණ්ඩව ශක්තිමත් ලෙස වර්ධනය වන අතර, 2025 දී දැනටමත් මිලියන 1.7 ක සංචාරකයින් සංඛ්‍යාවක් වාර්තා වී ඇති අතර ඉන්දියාව ප්‍රමුඛතම මූලාශ්‍ර වෙළඳපොළ ලෙස පවතී. වසර අවසන් වන විට වාර්තාගත සංචාරක පැමිණීම් අපේක්ෂා කරන බව නිලධාරීහු පවසති. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Sri Lankans .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Extreme weather is hitting Australians hard. New research from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) shows insurers are paying an average of $4.5 billion annually in claims — three times more than 30 years ago. This year alone, three major events caused nearly $2 billion in losses: North Queensland floods: $289 million Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred: $1.43 billion NSW Mid North Coast and Hunter floods: $248 million Rising costs are linked to population growth in flood-prone areas and infrastructure not designed for climate change. Australia now ranks among the highest in the world for economic losses per person due to extreme weather. The report also highlights a worrying social impact: of 242,000 homes at highest flood risk, 186,000 lack insurance. Most are owned by low-to-average income households, leaving the most vulnerable with little protection. ICA CEO Andrew Hall warns that without more investment in resilient infrastructure, Australians will continue to bear a growing financial burden from extreme weather. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

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