AOUN Welcomes President of Banks Association: Budget 2020 will be Issued Within Constitutional Timeline
16 Jul 2019
Lebanon - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, congratulated the President of the Association of Banks, Salim Sfeir, and members of the Board of Directors of the Association for the trust they received in the last elections.
He wished that "the new Board of Directors will achieve the aspirations of members of the Association", underlining the necessity of cooperation between banks and State institutions concerned with financial, economic and banking affairs, so as to support financial and monetary stability in the country.
The President stressed the need to fortify the economy, "especially after the adoption of the general budget of 2019," promising that the budget of the year 2020 will be issued within the constitutional timeline, and will be balanced and reformative.
"We will successfully overcome the current crisis in cooperation between all the concerned parties, especially those who place the higher interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese above all other considerations," Aoun said.
Sfeir started the meeting by thanking the President of the Republic for his interest in the banking and economic affairs of the country, briefing his host on the banking reality and the need for the Association's participation in the preparation of the 2020 budget, given its role in the economic cycle in Lebanon.
First Deputy PM and Defense Minister receives Kuwaiti students
Youth is the true wealth of the nation -- Kuwait's Defense Min.
16/07/2019
KUWAIT-- Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah stressed on Tuesday that Kuwait's real wealth lies in the youth, who have responsibility to build a nation where everyone enjoys education and welfare opportunities.
This came in a statement by Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah in a press release issued by the Ministry of Defense after receiving number of Kuwaiti students studying at the universities of the state of Colorado.
Sheikh Nasser called on students to complete their educational journey to be active in Kuwait's progress and renaissance.
He urged the students to be dedicated to their scientific achievements and to invest the opportunities granted to them by joining these prestigious universities and benefiting from the available expertise.
He explained that the students will reap great benefits of their scholarship to study abroad in building a future homeland; to be in line with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's "2035 vision".
During the meeting, Sheikh Nasser exchanged cordial conversations with the students and reviewed their educational process, activities and their social initiatives.
Visitors to SA spend record $7.2b in year
July 17, 2019
Visitors to South Australia spent a record $7.2 billion over a year, a national survey shows.
The results for the year ended March 2019, found the majority of visitors came from Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria.
They spent $6.2 billion in SA, while international travellers contributed $1 billion.
SA Tourism Commission chief Rodney Harrex credited the state's 'Tell us Where' and 'Rewards Wonder' campaigns for the strong result.
"These numbers are fantastic especially given the fierce competition for the tourism dollar, but we are not resting on our laurels," he said.
EMIRATI Official Says Oil TAnker Mt Riah ‘Not Owned by The UAE’
16 Jul 2019
Abu Dhabi - A UAE official said today that the oil tanker MT RIAH is not owned by the UAE.
He explained in a statement, "The tanker in question is neither owned nor operated by the UAE.
"It does not carry Emirati personnel, and did not emit a distress call.
"We are monitoring the situation with our international partners," he concluded.
It is claimed that the Panama-flagged tanker disappeared while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea to Visit Australia
16 July 2019
I am pleased to announce that the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, the Honourable James Marape MP, will visit Australia from 21 to 26 July as a Guest of Government.
Reflecting the closeness of our partnership, Prime Minister Marape will be the first Guest-of-Government visitor to Australia since the federal election. The bond between Australia and Papua New Guinea is unique and enduring, based on the personal, professional and historical ties between our peoples.
The people of Papua New Guinea are part of our Pacific family - our wantok, our vuvale, our whanau.
This important visit will provide an opportunity for Australia and PNG to enhance this partnership through deeper economic and security cooperation, as well as strengthened links between our communities.
Prime Minister Marape will be accompanied by Mrs Rachael Marape and several ministers.
Govt to spend $600m fixing Vic's flammable cladding
16/07/2019
The Victorian government will fork out hundreds of millions of dollars to fix 500 risky high-rise buildings riddled with combustion-prone cladding, like London's Grenfell Tower. State Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Tuesday his government will commit $300 million to the task over the next five years, and he’s asking the federal government to match the contribution. The Commonwealth is yet to agree to the request. If it doesn’t, the Andrews government will raise the funds through a building licence levy. Since December 2017, more than 2,200 buildings have been inspected by the government. Experts estimate the total cost of fixing the problem in Victoria would reach billions of dollars.
Govt ‘more than happy’ to keep reviewing deeming rates
15/07/2019
The government has opened the door to further changes to the deeming rate after announcing the first cut since 2015, which has received criticism for not going far enough. Social Services Minister Anne Ruston has told Sky News ‘I’m more than happy to keep it constantly under review’. Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers responded, saying ‘they’ve kept things under review now for years, and pensioners have been dudded that whole time’. On Sunday, the government announced the deeming rate on the first $51,800 of a single pensioner's financial assets, and the first $86,200 of a couple’s, will be cut from 1.75 per cent to 1 per cent. For financial balances above those amounts, the rate has been cut from 3.25 per cent to 3 per cent. Payments will begin from the end of September but will be backdated to July 1.
Religious freedom law: gay groups cautious
July 16, 2019
Gay rights advocates are in favour of proposed new religious anti-discrimination laws, so long as they don't end up sanctioning new forms of harassment.
More than 50 LGBTIQ+ advocates, organisations and allies have signed a joint statement calling on federal parliament to pass laws that strengthen protections for people facing discrimination either because of their religious beliefs or lack of them.
But they opposed any draft legislation that would give religious groups a 'licence" discriminate.
"We caution the Australian parliament against laws that would give some people within society a 'sword' to use their beliefs to harm others by cutting through existing anti-discrimination protections," they said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
Auction clearances ticks up on low volume
July 15, 2019
The housing market showed signs of bouncing back in the June quarter, with the highest auction clearance rate in a year for Australia's capital cities, but auction volume was down significantly.
There were 18,104 auctions and 55.5 per cent resulted in sales in the three months to June 30, CoreLogic said on Monday.
In the same time last year, there were 25,824 homes taken to auction, 57.8 per cent successfully.
"The improved trend in auction market results provides further evidence that housing conditions are stabilising, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, where a trend towards higher clearance rates has been most pronounced," CoreLogic analyst Cameron Kusher said.
Sydney plan to be Australia movie capital
July 15, 2019
The NSW Premier was surrounded by Storm Troopers but the state wasn't under attack - with Gladys Berejiklian instead claiming victory in the battle to become Australia's "movies capital".
Disney-owned visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, founded by Star Wars mastermind George Lucas, has chosen Sydney as the location for its latest studio, the government announced on Monday.
The company, which is responsible for the visual effects of films like Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Avengers films, will create more than 500 local jobs when it opens the Australian base.
"This isn't just about the 500 jobs but it means Sydney submits itself as really the movies capital of Australia," Ms Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
