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From Australia - News in Brief

The Covid-19 crisis is worsening in India, but indications are that the increase in infections has now spread beyond its borders.

Repatriation flights from India to resume on May 15

At least 173 Australian children stuck in India without their parents

NSW records no new COVID-19 cases as hunt for ‘missing link’ continues

Berejiklian ‘pleased’ with how the NSW COVID response is going

Beijing suspends its economic dialogue with Canberra, but Australia remains open to dialogue

Newcastle airport development will boost employment and the local economy

NSC vows to bring home stranded Aussies in India

Petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled attracts more than

150,000 signatures

International student rooms in Victoria left empty

Labor steps in to protect NSW tenants

Australia to invest $1.2bn in digital future

Girl shoots three at US school: police




The Covid-19 crisis is worsening in India, but indications are that the increase in infections has now spread beyond its borders.

08/05/2021

(See Translation in Arabic Section)

Sydney- M E Times Int'l:  All eyes are fixed on India and its worsening COVID-19 crisis, but indications are the surge in coronavirus cases has now spread beyond its borders.

Neighbouring Nepal has reported a staggering 1200 per cent rise in COVID-19 infections since April, reported CNN.

Just a month ago daily cases were hovering around 300. The Himalayan republic is now confirming more than 9000 new cases per day; that is far above the previous peak of 6000 daily cases during a second spike in November.

There are fears the rate of infection may be outpacing that in India. Last weekend in Nepal, 44 per cent of all tests came back positive.

The virus is so rife, cases have been reported at the remote Everest base camp.

And just like in India, Nepal’s hospitals are bursting at the seams with sick patients while supplies of oxygen run low.

“What is happening in India right now is a horrifying preview of Nepal’s future if we cannot contain this latest COVID surge that is claiming more lives by the minute,” Nepal Red Cross chairman, Dr Netra Prasad Timsina told CNN.

How Nepal’s situation became so bad

Like India, Nepal’s government has been lambasted for allowing a series of religious festivals and other events to take place which, it’s thought, helped the virus spread.

The spike in cases has been compounded by a weak healthcare system with only 1600 intensive care beds.

Nepal’s treacherous geography also means many communities are inaccessible by road slowing down deliveries of vital medical supplies.

Ironically, the roll out of coronavirus vaccine has also been blamed for the surge. There have been claims of the virus being spread in long queues by people waiting for their jab.

The Kathmandu Post reported Mr Oil suggested gargling with guava leaves could help people rid themselves of the viruses. Drinking turmeric water was another suggestion.

Now he’s most keen on getting more vaccines into the country, at least to ensure those who have had their first dose of AstraZeneca can get their second and be protected.

“Like a war zone”

The Nepalese Government has now put in stricter border checks and closes some of the many crossings. But the virus is already within its borders.

On Thursday, 9070 new cases were confirmed. That is far below India’s 412,000 daily cases. But Nepal’s population is also far smaller with 29 million inhabitants compared to India’s 1.3 billion.

“We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe,” Alexander Matheou, the Asia Pacific director for the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told The Guardian.

Speaking to the Kathmandu Post, Dr Sher Bahadur Pun of the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital said patients were being cared for on the floor due to a lack of beds.

“It’s like we are in a war zone,” he said.

 At least 173 Australian children stuck in India without their parents amid  strict COVID repatriation flight rules - ABC News

Repatriation flights from India to resume on May 15

Canberra: Government chartered repatriation flights to the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs for Australians returning from India are due to resume on May 15.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases in the Howard Springs has fallen to 21, from more than 50 cases a week ago, and positive cases associated with previous facilitated flights from India are on track to reach zero by 14 May. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the flight pause had given the quarantine system space to operate safely and to protect Australians from the pandemic. 

“Closing our international borders and the use of quarantine for returning Australians has protected the health of all Australians,” he said.

New measures will be in place for all resuming flights from India, which will require passengers to return both a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and a negative Rapid Antigen test before boarding.

Commonwealth and Northern Territory health experts will assess the effectiveness of new pre-flight testing and isolation measures on infectivity rates in returning Australians on these May repatriation flights from India.

The current ban on direct commercial passenger flights between India and Australia will be reviewed shortly.

 Covid-19: Quarantine-free travel list revealed and face mask added to  medieval shrine - BBC News

At least 173 Australian children stuck in India without their parents

At least 173 Australian children are currently stuck in India without their parents as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the country.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided the figure to a Senate committee investigating the government's efforts to help stranded Australians return home from India.

Lynette Wood from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said officials knew of 173 children who were "outside of their family group – that is they are on their own – who are seeking to return to Australia."

The ABC has been told that most of those children are living with extended family members such as their grandparents or aunts and uncles.

Many had already been staying with their grandparents in India before the pandemic struck, wreaking havoc with travel plans and making it increasingly difficult for them to return to Australia to be with their parents.

The fact that unaccompanied children are not allowed to travel on Qantas repatriation flights back to Australia has also made it hard for many to come home.

 Coronavirus Australia live news: State of anxiety over spreading cases

NSW records no new COVID-19 cases as hunt for ‘missing link’ continues

Sydney: NSW had recorded no new locally acquired coronavirus cases as of Friday after 13,300 people came forward for testing on Thursday.

The NSW Government has reimposed a mandatory mask mandate on all indoor venues as well as restrictions on household gatherings across Sydney after the state recorded two cases of community transmission.

The restrictions, which will continue until Monday morning, also extend to Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.

“Until we know there aren’t more cases that are going to pop up it’s a very proportionate response,” said NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian of the latest restrictions.

So far, a husband and wife from Sydney are the only people to test positive, with all the man’s close contacts returning a negative result.

Authorities are concerned, however, there may be a missing link to how the man contracted the virus - with genomic sequencing matching his infection to a US returned traveler.

While other states have kept their borders open to NSW, anyone in Queensland who attended an affected venue in Sydney must enter hotel quarantine.

New Zealand has paused the trans-Tasman travel bubble with NSW for 48 hours.

 Coronavirus NSW: Gladys Berejiklian lashes panicky premiers border closures

Berejiklian ‘pleased’ with how the NSW COVID response is going

Sydney: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has told Sky News she is “pleased with how things are going” but remains concerned there is one or more persons with the virus in the community who has not been identified. 

The NSW government has reimposed a mandatory mask mandate on all indoor venues as well as restrictions on household gatherings across Greater Sydney after the state recorded two cases of community transmission.

Genomic sequencing showed the infection can be traced back to a returned traveller from the United States – with the leading theory suggesting the virus escaped when the patient was transferred from a quarantine hotel to a health hotel.

“Obviously what remains of concern for us is that there’s at least one, possibly more, people who’ve had the virus for several days who’ve been mixing in the community,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“We don’t know where they’ve been or what their occupation is, or what they do, or how many people they’ve been exposed to which is why we’re taking these very proportionate restrictions or responses over the next few days."

China's suspension of economic dialogue with Australia 'a necessary step'  to defend national interests: analysts - Global Times 

Beijing suspends its economic dialogue with Canberra, but Australia remains open to dialogue

Federal Trade Minister Dan Tehan has received bilateral support to keep the conversation flowing with China after that nation suspended its high-level economic dialogue with Australia.

Beijing has declared its decision was based on the attitude of the Australian government towards China-Australia cooperation.

Mr Tehan expressed his disappointment with the decision, saying “the Strategic Economic Dialogue … is an important forum for Australia and China to work through issues”.

“We remain open to holding the dialogue and engaging at the Ministerial level”.

This latest dilemma follows the Morrison government forcing Victoria to abandon its Belt and Road deal with China and the ongoing debate about the 99-year lease Chinese lease of Darwin Port.

Defence strategist Tyson Sara says China’s move comes after it ran out of exports to sanction. 

“They’re not really going to sanction the stuff they need, and we’ve seen record iron ore prices,” Mr Sara said. “They can sanction barley and wine, they can do some of the things that hurt us that don’t hurt them.

“I think they have run out of those economic levers for now … but taking this action is just another step in, I think, China isolating.”

 Jobs, housing, development: This is what Newcastle will look like over the  next decade | Daily Telegraph

Newcastle airport development will boost employment and the local economy

Sydney: The Newcastle Airport runway is to get a $66 million upgrade to enable new domestic and international travel destinations for Hunter and Central Coast residents and businesses. 

The upgrade would mean larger aircraft like Boeing 777s and Airbus 330s could land there, with twice daily international flights expected alongside more domestic flights.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the upgrade was a “game changer” that would “deliver hundreds of thousands of extra tourists to the region, spending money in local businesses, while exporters in the region will be able to access increased freight flights.”

Newcastle Airport estimates these improvements could create about 4400 full-time jobs, deliver an additional 850,000 visitors to the region and add $12.7 billion to the local economy over the next 20 years.

Construction is expected to start this year and be completed in 2023.

Bring them home: why we can't leave Australians stranded in India 

NSC vows to bring home stranded Aussies in India

Canberra: The National Security Committee (NSC) is understood to have signed off on a commitment to bring stranded Australians in India home once the flight ban is lifted.

The first flight will be launched after May 15 with repatriated Australians to be quarantined at the Howard Springs facility near Darwin.

About 200 people will be brought back per flight, however, reports have emerged the government will only charter one repatriation flight per week.

This means there will still be a considerable wait to return home for the 9000 Australians trapped on the ground in India.

Meanwhile, India is expected to be at the top of the meeting agenda when the National Cabinet reconvenes on Friday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the premiers are also expected to be updated on epidemiological information along with a progress report on the vaccine rollout.

Petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled attracts more than  150,000 signatures - ABC News - Hunter Valley Online News 

Petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled attracts more than 150,000 signatures

An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled has gained tens of thousands of signatures since being launched in Japan only days ago.

The rollout of the petition comes with Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas under a state of emergency with coronavirus infections rising — particularly new variants.

The state of emergency is to expire on May 11, but some reports in Japan say it is likely to be extended.

The postponed Olympics are to open in just under three months, on July 23.

The petition is addressed to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who has tentative plans to visit Japan later this month.

He is expected to meet the Olympic torch relay on May 17 in Hiroshima, and perhaps also travel to Tokyo where small anti-Olympic are protests being planned.

Although 70 to 80 per cent of Japanese citizens in polls say they want the Olympics cancelled or postponed, there is no indication this will happen.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto, and Bach have repeatedly said the games will go on as scheduled.

International student accommodations in Victoria left empty | Sky News  Australia 

International student rooms in Victoria left empty

Melbourne: More than 2,000 brand new student rooms are sitting empty in Melbourne’s CBD and there is no indication they will be used to quarantine international students.

The concept has been spearheaded by New South Wales but industry leaders say they are disappointed it is not being pursued in Victoria.

Australia’s largest student accommodation provider Scape was supposed to open its brand-new Carlton facility in February.

The company offered its rooms to the Victorian government last year to help quarantine international students or even returning Australians but the idea did not receive traction.

 The Victorian government instead wants to quarantine international students in an approved COVID hotel and the acting premier has asked the Commonwealth’s approval to bring students back under a weekly economic cohort.

 Julia Finn (@juliafinnMP) | Twitter

Labor steps in to protect NSW tenants

Sydney: NSW Labor has introduced a reform to protect tenants from unfair residential tenancy laws with a Bill to end the termination of tenancies without a reason.

Shadow Minister for Consumer Protection Julia Finn on Friday began the second reading of the Residential Tenancies Amendment (Reasons for Termination) Bill 2021 in the Legislative Assembly.

“There is a history of tenants being evicted without any reason in retaliation for asserting their rights, such as overdue repairs or maintenance,” Ms Finn said.

 “Changes to ‘no grounds’ evictions won’t leave landlords worse off, since the Bill includes specific grounds for termination such as the premises needing renovation or the landlord moving in themselves.

“The new grounds are in addition to existing ones such as the property being used for illegal purposes. It is clear the current laws in NSW are failing and an overhaul of residential tenancies law is needed.”

The startup sector responds to the Australian government's $1.2bn digital  economy plan - Startup Daily 

Australia to invest $1.2bn in digital future

Canberra: The Federal Government will invest almost $1.2 billion in Australia’s future with the Digital Economy Strategy, as part of this year’s Federal Budget.

The funding will target investment in emerging technologies, building digital skills, encouraging business investment and enhancing government service delivery.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said one of the biggest challenges and opportunities society faces is adapting to the digital transformation.

Strategy highlights include more $100m to support digital skills for Australians including a program for work-based digital cadetships; $124.1m million in Artificial Intelligence initiatives; a $200.1m overhaul of myGov, and $301.8m to enhance the My Health Record.

The package also aims to help small and medium businesses build their digital capacity through a $12.7 million expansion of the Digital Solutions - Australian Small Business Advisory Service.

The full Digital Economy Strategy will be released on Budget night.

 US girl shoots three at Idaho school

Girl shoots three at US school: police

A girl opened fire at a school in the northwestern US state of Idaho on Thursday, injuring three people before being disarmed by a teacher, police said.

The unnamed student at Rigby Middle School near Idaho Falls was in the sixth grade, meaning she would likely be aged 11 or 12.

Injuries suffered by two students and one staff member are not thought to be life-threatening, he said.

The shooting is being investigated by the FBI as well as local law enforcement.

President Joe Biden last month branded US gun violence an "epidemic" and an "international embarrassment"




 














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