Australia to boost visa checks

Rudd says threats make aggressive counterterror move necessary

SYDNEY: Australia intends to impose tougher visa checks on people from countries considered a high terrorism risk as part of a $69 million Australian ($62 million) counterterrorism plan released yesterday.

The new visa requirements, which include mandatory collection of fingerprints and facial imaging data for visa applicants from 10 countries, would help keep terrorists from evading detection, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on releasing the government's counterterrorism "white paper" in Canberra.