Kiwis return home amid covid lockdown after earthquakes’ tsunami threat passes

 MARCH 5, 2021

(See Translation in Arabic Section)

Wellington - M E Times Int'l:  Thousands of people in New Zealand have returned to their homes and offices after a tsunami warning was downgraded.

A series of large earthquakes, off eastern North Island and later around the Kermadec Islands, led to an evacuation order for large areas of coastal North Island.

Though some surges and erratic water levels were reported, warnings of flooding and waves of up to three metres high were not borne out and the alert was downgraded at 1.30pm New Zealand time.

Some surges were also recorded at Norfolk Island (with 64cm-tall tsunami wave recorded) and the Pacific islands.

Civil defence minister Kiri Allan has said the government was right to err on the side of caution and has thanked authorities and the public for their swift, efficient response under pressure.

Some questions have been raised as to the initial alert system, with some people in high-risk areas receiving the civil-defence text message and others not.

A father allegedly killed his daughter in violent and horrific circumstances

Turkey: A father allegedly killed his daughter in violent and horrific circumstances after she refused to tell him where his ex-wife was.

Mustafa Ali Yilmaz, 69, allegedly crashed into his daughter’s car, dragged her out of the vehicle and shot her 20 times after she refused to tell him where her mother was, according to Turkish police.

His daughter, Gulnur Yilmaz, 28, a GP, refused to answer her father’s questions during the June 2019 incident in Balikesir in southern Turkey, and he then allegedly fatally shot her in the head.

Gulnur had been on a trip with two friends from Balikesir to Antalya as they prepared for an exam.

Her father had allegedly attached a GPS device to her car and followed her as she drove, before crashing into vehicle, causing it to leave the road.

He then dragged her from the vehicle and demanded to know where her mother was, according to police.

When she refused to tell him, he then allegedly shot her 20 times. Of the shots, 11 bullets hit her head.

Mr Yilmaz then fled the scene on foot but was captured by local police allegedly still with the gun in his possession.

Mr Yilmaz was divorced from the victim’s mother, Gulden Yilmaz, in January 2020.

In an earlier hearing at Balikesir Burhaniye High Criminal Court, Mr Yilmaz told the court he was mentally unstable.

The court then adjourned pending a psychological assessment of the defendant.

He faces life in prison if convicted of murdering his daughter.

Vaccine strategy on track as nation’s economy flourishes

Canberra: The National Cabinet met on Friday to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy.

Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the nation’s vaccine roll out was on track with 71,867 Australians as of yesterday having received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than $6 billion has been allocated to support the roll out with contracts for over 150 million vaccines.  

National Cabinet also discussed this week’s economic growth figures which showed that in the December quarter the economy grew 3.1 per cent. This means Australia’s economy outperforming all other advanced economies.

The Australian economy has now recovered 85 per cent of its COVID-induced fall, six months earlier and twice as fast as expected in the October Budget.

These results occurred at a time when emergency support was tapering off, with the private sector stepping up. In the December quarter, direct economic support from the Federal Government halved.

Italy's AstraZeneca export ban likely to have 'minimal' impact on Australia's rollout

Melbourne: Victorian Liberal MP Katie Allen says the disruption to the vaccine rollout caused by Italy’s decision to block a shipment of AstraZeneca doses to Australia is likely to be “minimum”.

Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the decision was made because Australia is not vulnerable, and AstraZeneca is not delivering enough supplies to Europe.

“It’s always hard to tell, 250,000 is a lot of vaccine, but that being said we have many different choices and options,” Ms Allen told Sky News.

“I would say the disruption is likely to be minimum when you look at the overall strategy and plan. “All of those sorts of different issues have been built into this plan, which is a very thorough plan, it’s got lots of different options in it.

“I think Australians should be very reassured that of course there’s going to be difficulties, we knew that there would be, this is a global pandemic.

 “We need to be secure in the knowledge that we have a prime minster and minister for health who are working very hard and making extremely good business decisions about what is a very difficult situation internationally."

Porter rape accusation stirs up controversy

Sydney: This week’s rape accusation against Attorney-General Christian Porter continues to generate a lot of attention with media commentator Andrew Bolt claiming the case against Mr Porter is “falling to bits”.

“This rape, we’re told, occurred in Sydney in January 1988,” Mr Bolt said.

“The material that Porter’s accuser wrote – and which friends sent to some journalists after she killed herself – recalls that just before she was raped that very night, she went dancing with Christian Porter at the Hard Rock Café”.

He notes, however, that the first Hard Rock Café in Sydney did not open until more than a year after the alleged attack.

Mr Bolt also said the alleged victim claimed Mr Porter brought her back to her accommodation at Sydney University… and she then vomited on her dress and subsequently took a bath.

Mr Bolt points out that at that time there were no baths at that college, only showers in some twin units, plus shower blocks for all the other bedrooms.

Adding to the mixed messages surrounding the alledged crime, Andrew Clennell of Sky News has said the alleged victim had told police last June that she did not wish to proceed with her complaint.

According to Mr Clennell, NSW Police, in a statement, said the woman cited personal and medical reasons for her decision not to continue with her complaint.

Meanwhile other commentators are saying the justice system has failed Mr Porter, his accuser and their families. Some are suggesting the best solution is to establish a quasi-judicial inquiry to consider the rape allegation.

Others, however, believe this would set a bad precedent and they instead suggest a coronial inquest into the death of Mr Porter’s accuser.

Some journalists have already erroneously suggested Mr Porter has been cleared of the crime. They base this on the fact that NSW Police say there is not enough admissible evidence to launch an investigation. The journalists’ assumption appears to be that the police stamp it “case closed” because the victim is no longer here to supply a testimony. That is simply wrong.

Former PM John Howard reflects on election victory 25 years ago

Sydney: Former prime minister John Howard was once derided so how did he, once dumped from the Liberal leadership, become Australia's second-longest-serving PM?

Twenty-five years since Mr Howard's 1996 election win, he spoke about his successes, failings, and the nation's future challenges.

Mr Howard was surprised by the extent of his 1996 victory and puts it down to nationalism.

As prime minister, he refused to deliver an apology to the Stolen Generations. "I had reasons for that. And I don't retract, it was a very vexed issue," he says.

Mr Howard also refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, predecessor to the current Paris Agreement.

On same-sex marriage, Mr Howard doesn't regret opposing marriage reform, and believes the 2017 plebiscite was imperfect.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. With US forces still in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Howard believes the intervention remains justified.

Philip Ruddock who was in Mr Howard's government, was the second longest serving MP in Australia history and the longest as Immigration Minister .

NSW Government must act on covid-induced rental arrears, says Finn

Sydney: NSW Labor is calling on the Berejiklian Government to act on rental arrears accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister for Better Regulation has flagged new legislation in the next fortnight to start a six-month transition from March 26, when the COVID-19 rental eviction moratorium and requirement for tenants and landlords to renegotiate rental payments will expire.

Shadow Minister for Consumer Protection Julia Finn said there was real fear about the end of the moratorium.

“With less than two weeks to go until the end of the COVID-19 rental eviction moratorium, renters and landlords need certainty. Renters fear being evicted and landlords need to be supported by government,” Ms Finn said.

“Throughout the moratorium unpaid rent has accrued, meaning someone who loses their job and struggles through the pandemic will be hit with a massive bill at the other side.

“The government had plenty of time to prepare … and apparently now plans to rush through new legislation at the last minute.”

Federal support initiatives 'coming home to roost' in 'good economic figures'

Canberra: Superannuation Minister Jane Hume has spruiked the Morrison government’s economic pandemic response – citing positive national accounts figures released this week as evidence of its success.

The nation’s economy increased by 3.1 per cent over the December quarter, surpassing economists’ projections of 2.3 per cent.

“It was a quarter where we saw federal government support … halve, economic support halve but at the same time we saw 320,000 new jobs created and over two million people begin to be graduated off JobKeeper,” she said.

“I think what we saw was those economic initiatives that we put in place to assist with recovery beginning to take hold and ... manifesting.

“I don’t think you’d want to be in any other country than Australia, we’re growing at a rate now that’s faster than all major advanced economies … this is a very positive sign I think for Australia”.

Booming markets stoking inflationary fears

Sydney: "Markets are booming" thanks to low-interest rates and the amount of stimulus being pumped into the economy, however, there are looming fears around inflation, says Business Editor Ross Greenwood.

"If the economies get too hot, then the central banks have to step in and raise interest rates. Here in Australia, the government is controlling interest rates out to three years. They've said for three years, you're going to have low rates," he said.

"You buy that because you can see it in the charts they're defending it. Every time it starts to try and go up, it comes back down. That's the Reserve Bank spending money, defending those interest rates.

"But on the other side of it, what you can see is the 10-year government bonds here and especially in the United States are rising and rising very quickly."

Australia's 10-year bond rates went from 0.72 per cent in October last year up to 1.7 per cent this morning.

Mr Greenwood said that would normally scare markets, which has occurred in the US with the Federal Reserve attempting to allay investor fears.

"It hasn't calmed the markets. If anything, it's made things worse. The Dow Jones at one stage was down 700 points, now down around one per cent - 346 points," he said.

"Our markets will be lower today - maybe not as dramatic as that - but this is the big thing at the moment. If long-term interest rates are going up, generally you'll find asset prices are going down."

Government releases roadmap for job growth

Canberra: The Federal Government is focussing on Australia’s mineral and resources sector to create more jobs with the release of a 10-year plan.

The Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing roadmap shows how businesses can capitalise on Australia’s access to resources, which will be needed in many new technologies.

 “Our $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative will help position Australia as a global leader in the resources sector and also in the manufacturing of the technology used, as well as turning the raw materials into value-added products,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the roadmap set out a 10-year vision to bolster Australia’s manufacturing capability in the resources sector.

 “Opportunities include turning critical minerals into high value products like batteries and solar cells, as well as equipment that makes mining more efficient and safer,” she said.