DFAT announces cap on international arrivals at Sydney Airport

5/7/2020

(See Translation in Arabic section)

Canberra - M E Times Int'l: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has warned that international flights to Sydney over the coming weeks will be subject to a cap on arrivals and flights could be cancelled.

It follows a ban announced earlier this week on international flights coming into Melbourne to ease hotel quarantine demands in Victoria.

DFAT's Smart Traveller guidance has warned of "pressure" on Sydney's quarantine facilities.

"If you're scheduled to fly into Sydney in the coming days and weeks, confirm your itinerary and onward travel plans with your airline," it said.

It came as NSW Health reported six new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8:00pm on Friday.

International flights from 15 different airlines have landed in Sydney since yesterday morning.

'Chinese President Xi is going back to the mold of Chairman Mao'

Sydney: The policies adopted by Australian politicians over the last 10 years have sent the nation into “the arms and dependency of China” according to former speaker of the house Bronwyn Bishop.

 “We have fallen for wanting to have cheap consumer goods which are the product of slave labour in China and in return, what we have done, is we are on the way to becoming the vassal state that China wants us to be,” she told Gary Hardgrave.

 “There is nothing about defence that China is doing in the South China Sea, it is aggression," Ms Bishop said.

“President Xi is going back to the mold of Chairman Mao”.

"He wants to see the United States dollar broken as the international currency, he wants to see it replaced with Chinese currency and he wants to be the greatest power in the world”.

Pressure mounts after Brett Sutton’s boss is removed

Melbourne: Pressure is mounting on Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton after he was warned about the failures in Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system more than a month before the first outbreak was detected.

Professor Sutton and other top public health officials were told in April about inadequate supply of masks and gloves, poor infection-control protocols, and breaches of physical-distancing guidelines by hotel staff, security and medical personnel, The Age reported.

Melissa Skilbeck, deputy secretary of Victoria’s Health Department, has subsequently been stripped of her responsibilities in the days after Premier Daniel Andrews announced a judicial inquiry into the quarantine program.

The failures have set off a chain of cases contributing to the lockdown of more than 300,000 Victorians across 10 Melbourne suburbs.

Prince Andrew 'evading' US authorities

A lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein's victims has told Sky News Prince Andrew is deliberately evading US authorities.

Sources close to the Duke of York's working group said he communicated twice with the Department of Justice and had no response.

More suburbs facing lockdowns across Victoria

Melbourne: Health experts are warning more Victorian suburbs could be placed into lockdown after 77 new cases of coronavirus were recorded yesterday.

The spike was the biggest daily increase in community transmission, prompting hospitals to prepare for more critical cases.

 More than 1000 police officers flooded Melbourne’s streets solely focused on enforcing coronavirus restrictions in 36 suburbs across 10 locked-down postcodes.

 Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said people should expect to be pulled over and asked about why they have left their homes.

Residents caught breaking lockdown restrictions face a fine of $1600.

Meanwhile, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton expressed concern about an increase in student-to-student transmission in the state, with fears schools may return to online learning when school holidays come to an end.

NSW Treasurer urges govt to adopt GST reform

Sydney: NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is continuing his push to convince the government to increase the GST as part of a broad reform package designed to kick-start the economy still reeling from COVID-19.

Mr Perrottet, along with former senior bureaucrat Jane Halton, and former deputy prime minister John Anderson, handed down an 100-page report on Wednesday outlining a broad swathe of reforms, including broadening the base of the GST and abolishing stamp duty.

Political editor Andrew Clennell said Mr Perrottet’s push has been overshadowed by the government’s $270 billion defence boost.

President Trump announces a 'historic surge in jobs' across the United States

President Trump has announced “historic numbers” concerning unemployment figures after the American economy gained 4.8 million jobs in June, exceeding forecasts and raising hopes for a sharper than anticipated recovery.

The United States jobless rate has been brought down to 11.1 per cent and new unemployment claims decreased slightly from May to June with $1.4 million claims recorded in the past month.

Mr Trump said jobs in hospitality, retail, education, health and manufacturing had experienced a marked increase in June.

 “Manufacturing looks like it is ready to really take off at a level it has never been before and a lot of that has to do with our trade policy," he said.

He pointed to “historic gains” in the African-American community with a record 404,000 jobs added in the past month amounting to 700,000 jobs created in the past two months.

“Parramatta is the centre of global Sydney and the engine room of NSW’s economy": Lord Mayor

Sydney: City of Parramatta Council Lord Mayor Cr Bob Dwyer says it is critical the State Government delivers on its promise to build a world-class Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta, following the announcement that the Ultimo Powerhouse will remain open.

“I’m pleased that the State Government has today confirmed it is still committed to delivering a world-class museum in Parramatta,” Cr Dwyer said.

“The decision to retain the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo should not compromise the investment we were promised for an iconic cultural institution in Western Sydney.

“Parramatta is the centre of global Sydney and the engine room of NSW’s economy. We deserve a world-class cultural institution that recognises and nurtures our region’s thriving arts sector, supports thousands of jobs, and drives visitors to our great City.

“I look forward to working with the State Government to ensure they deliver an iconic Powerhouse in Sydney’s Central River City that we can all be proud of.”

Vladimir Putin wins right to run for President until 2036

A majority of Russians have voted to approve amendments to the country's constitution which will allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036, despite protests in Moscow and St Petersburg.

 The Kremlin said nearly 78 per cent of voters backed the constitutional changes, allowing him to run for two more terms.

The results mean Mr Putin, who has effectively been in power for more than two decades, could remain president for another 16 years, until he is 83-years-old.

Australian and Indonesian couple marries via Zoom during coronavirus pandemic

Sydney: International travel restrictions and social distancing did not put a dampener on the wedding plans of a young couple from Australia and Indonesia, even while physically separated by thousands of kilometres.

Sydney man and ABC journalist, Max Walden, and Shaffira Gayatri, from Indonesia's city of Surabaya, have been planning their wedding since July last year before the pandemic threw their former plans into disarray.

What was initially planned as a traditional Javanese wedding with hundreds of guests, became a digital nuptial via Zoom.

"I was feeling a little bit unsettled about the idea of postponing the wedding. I told Max [June 20] was the right moment for us to get married," Shaffira said, adding that the date held a sentimental value to them.