Australian court to rule on refugees by weekend

A court decision on the fate of a boatload of refugees refused entry to Australia by Prime Minister John Howard will be made by the end of the week, a judge said today.

Civil rights lawyers have argued at the Federal Court in Melbourne that the 433 refugees, plucked by the crew of a Norwegian cargo ship from a sinking Indonesian ferry on August 27, should be allowed into Australia to have their asylum applications processed.