Morrison government announces an investment that will make Australia home for the world's largest radio telescope

15/4/2021

(See Translation in Arabic Section)

Canberra - M E Times Int'l: A new investment from the Morrison Government will make Australia home to the world’s largest radio telescope that will put the country at the cutting edge of science and technology research while creating hundreds of new jobs during the construction phase.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government’s $387 million investment to build the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope in Western Australia’s Murchison region would help astronomers learn more about our universe while creating more than 350 jobs during the 10-year construction phase and a further 230 ongoing positions over the 50-year life of the project.

 “This $387 million investment highlights that science and advanced manufacturing are at the heart of my government’s National Economic Recovery Plan from the COVID recession,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our investment in the construction and operations of the SKA will build our manufacturing capacity within the highly-skilled technology sector, and enable major scientific breakthroughs to be made right here in Western Australia.

“The SKA will help our scientists make more discoveries than we can imagine today. Whether it’s better understanding the origin and future of our stars and galaxies to how gravity works across the universe.

“The SKA means more jobs for Australia and it puts us in the driver’s seat for scientific discoveries.”

The $387 million Budget commitment includes $64.4 million to establish a specialist super-computing centre, to be based in Perth, to process the unprecedented amounts of data that will be generated by the SKA.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter said processing this data onshore would secure opportunities for Australian organisations and scientists to innovate at the cutting edge of computing and modern manufacturing.

“Modern manufacturing employs tradespeople, engineers and scientists, and is the core of an advanced economy,” Minister Porter said.

The SKA is an international collaboration between 16 member countries, including: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Global construction activities are expected to begin in the second half of this year, with work expected to begin in WA from early next year.

An Indigenous Land Use Agreement is currently under negotiation and it will focus on, among other things, protection of Indigenous heritage.

Pyne makes ‘alarming comments’ over possible war with China

Canberra: Former defence minister Christopher Pyne made some alarming comments overnight suggesting in five to 10 years there could be a war with China, according to Political Editor Andrew Clennell.

 “Not sure the current Defence Minister Peter Dutton will be too happy with those comments,” Mr Clennell said.

“I asked him directly this on Sunday Agenda a couple of weeks ago because of comments by a senior US officer of fears within six years of a China versus Taiwan conflict and he sought to really downplay it.”

Prince Philip worshipped by indigenous people in Vanuatu ...

The chiefs of remote Pacific villages that worshipped Prince Philip offered a message of comfort to Queen Elizabeth II, saying his soul would live on.

But the worshippers of Yakel Village on the Vanuatu island of Tanna said they did not yet know who would become their new spiritual leader.

For decades, inhabitants of two villages in the hinterland of the volcanic island of Tanna in Vanuatu – Yaohnanen and Yakel – venerated Prince Philip.

Village chief Albi said it was unclear how the religious movement would change following Prince Philip's death as his spirit was believed to be adrift and seeking a new home.

"The spirit of Prince Philip has left his body, but it lives on - it is too soon to say where it will reside," Mr Albi said.

Other elders argued that Prince Charles’ succession was guaranteed in 2018 when he was given the chiefly title Mal Menaringmanu during a visit to Port Vila.

Princes William and Harry release statements honouring their grandfather

London: Prince William and Prince Harry have both released statements expressing respect and gratitude for their grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Harry, who has returned to the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral, described his grandfather as the “master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right till the end”.

 “I know right now he would say to all of us, beer in hand, ‘oh do get on with it!’” he said. Prince Harry will be reunited with his family at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral on Saturday for the first time since he moved to America with his wife Meghan.

Prince William also released a statement saying, “I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life – both through good times and the hardest days”.

House prices are still rising and so are concerns about housing affordability

Sydney: REA Group's John Healy says while house prices continue to rise, so to, do questions around housing affordability, with fears house price rises could be as high as 20 per cent, if not more, over the course of the year.

"This week, some leading economists have said it's increasingly likely that the regulator, APRA, may need to intervene with macro-prudential controls to put some speed limits into the market," he said.

The Reserve Bank left interest rates on hold this week - as the market continues to boom - with the current price surge leading to increasing concerns around housing affordability.

"While interest rates remain low for some years yet, it may be the case that interest rate buffers on home loan applications are increased - meaning people's borrowing capacity is reduced," Mr Healy said.

NSW residents to remain vigilant as storm season draws to a close for another year

Sydney: While storm season has finished for another year, and the La Niña weather pattern passed, NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) is reminding communities to stay vigilant and prepared.

Minister for Emergency Services David Elliott reminded the community that although the storm season is over, the community cannot get complacent.

“The tragic impact of the recent severe weather event was felt right across the State, it’s a sobering reminder of the damages of storms and flooding,” he said.

“Although we mark the end of the storm season, we acknowledge that the work to support impacted communities continues, and we thank our frontline services, especially our volunteers, for their tireless efforts,” he said.

NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York said storms and heavy rain are not isolated to one part of the year, and with the ground already saturated, future severe weather has the potential to cause riverine and flash flooding.

NSW LABOR backs former miner Jeff Drayton for Upper Hunter by-election

Sydney: NSW Labor has endorsed local coal miner Jeff Drayton as their candidate to contest the Upper Hunter by-election on May 22.

Jeff has lived and worked in the Upper Hunter for his whole life. He was born in Denman and attended Muswellbrook High School where he met wife Susan.

Jeff worked in the coal industry for 20 years, beginning at BHP’s Mount Arthur Coal Mine then as a respected union representative for mine workers across the Hunter Valley and the Northern District of NSW.

 “I’m putting my name forward to represent Labor in the Upper Hunter because I want to stand up for working people in my community, to fight for secure and good jobs across the Upper Hunter, and to make sure that women and men - and the industries they work in – get the respect they deserve,” he said.

Local governments eyeing plan to charge up to $140 for hard rubbish collection

Sydney: Ratepayers could be slugged up to $140 for council clean-up, as local governments look to start recouping growing costs.

The Mount Barker and Adelaide Hills councils in South Australia are each looking into the option of charging per collection.

Mount Barker District Council doesn’t offer hard rubbish collection but is discussing introducing the service after residents voiced their desire for one.

The council’s preferred option to service the demand is to charge ratepayers up to $140 per collection. If approved, those deemed to be disadvantaged, including concession card holders – which makes up about 20 per cent of the council area – will have a subsidised fee of up to $110.

The Adelaide Hills Council also proposed to charge $43 per at-call collection, plus $23 per mattress collection. It currently allows ratepayers one free “at call” hard waste collection per financial year.

The move to charge for hard rubbish collections is under community consultation for both councils.

Family finds snake in bag of ALDI lettuce

Sydney: A horrified Sydney shopper had the fright of their life after finding a live snake in a bag of Aldi cos lettuce.

The Mosman woman claims her son found a “baby pale headed snake” in the packaged salad item, sharing two photos of the dangerous reptile slithering among the green leaves.

She explained her shocked son was forced to contact Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) which came and collected the misplaced snake.

Egyptian authorities demand $1b in compensation for Suez Canal block

Cairo: Egyptian authorities have seized the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal last month and demanded more than $1 billion in compensation.

The Japanese-owned Ever Given has been held in a lake separating the canal since it was dislodged on March 29.

The passage of more than 400 ships was delayed when the ship ran aground on March 23.

Biden Will Pull US Troops Out of Afghanistan by September 11

White House - All U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawn by September 11 — the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon — a senior administration official announced on Tuesday. 

President Joe Biden "made the determination and is announcing tomorrow that the best path forward to advance American interests is to end the war in Afghanistan after 20 years, so that we can address the global threat picture as it exists today, not as it was two decades ago," said the official.  

The president has been consistent in his view that there's not a military solution to Afghanistan, that we have been there for far too long," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, confirming Biden would make remarks Wednesday about the withdrawal plan. 

Biden's decision will keep 3,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 deadline that had been agreed to in a deal Washington negotiated last year with the Taliban when Donald Trump was president.   

"We've long known that military force would not solve Afghanistan's internal political challenges, would not end Afghanistan's internal conflict. And so we are ending our military operations while we focus our efforts on supporting diplomatically the ongoing peace process," said the senior U.S. official.