Home affairs department says 13,171 humanitarian places were given, well below target of 18,750, as applications drop across most visa categories
The home affairs department has reported a significant reduction in the number of visas being granted – including refugee visas, which have been reduced by almost a third – in large part due to the pandemic.
Despite the drop in visa numbers, the department still raised $2.2bn in revenue through applications.
Continue reading...Mayors will be able to impose 9pm curfews; Senior PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat in hospital; Switzerland to introduce more measures on Monday – follow live
Here’s a snapshot of the countries with the highest coronavirus cumulative cases on the African continent, via the WHO African Region dashboard.
Over 1.6 million confirmed #COVID19 cases on the African continent - with more than 1.3 million recoveries & 39,000 deaths cumulatively.
View country figures & more with the WHO African Region COVID-19 Dashboard: https://t.co/V0fkK8dYTg pic.twitter.com/MzKYRI4gyY
The Australian state of Victoria has reported four new coronavirus cases and one further death, taking the state’s toll 817 and the national figure to 905.
It comes as the state eases its Covid restrictions, including expanding Melbourne’s 5km travel radius to 25km.
Yesterday there were 4 new cases & sadly the loss of 1 life reported. Condolences to all those affected. Cases with unknown source & average in Regional are stable, Metro average decreased slightly. More info available later today. https://t.co/eTputEZdhs #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/hJpnTBpQ76
Continue reading...Melbourne to resume real estate auctions and reopen hairdressers and outdoor sporting facilities as state records two new cases
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Melbourne’s 5km travel radius will expand to 25km from midnight under eased restrictions announced by the state’s premier Daniel Andrews.
From 11.59pm on Sunday, residents of the city who have been under lockdown for more than 100 days will be able to travel up to 25km for either exercise or shopping.
Continue reading...Ticket holders are angry that organisers insist the Global Eclipse festival will go ahead in Argentina, despite the government there banning international tourists
Thousands of people from around the world partying for 10 days in the middle of the Argentinian wilderness sounds like an ambitious endeavour even before Covid-19. But a global pandemic has done little to sway organisers of the Global Eclipse –Patagonia Gathering, who are determined to charge ahead and refusing to refund ticket holders.
Despite Argentina nearing 1 million Covid-19 cases and authorities currently refusing to let international tourists into the country, the electronic dance music (EDM) trance festival is still scheduled for December 2020.
Continue reading...UK adviser suggests short ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown; Angela Merkel asks Germans to stay home; Poland and Malaysia report record rise in cases
Austria has joined the likes of the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Malaysia in reporting a record daily number of coronavirus infections. It said today there have been 1,747 coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours.
The daily count has this month repeatedly exceeded the peak of 1,050 reached in March during the first wave of infections.
The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, has said his brother has died after being admitted to intensive care with Covid-19.
Despite the efforts of all the staff @LivHospitals ICU my brother sadly died at 10.45 last night We want to thank the dedicated staff risking their lives for us.Thank you all for your messages of love and support Let’s stick together and support each other and win this battle❤️
10 mins ago my sister-in-law a Nursing Sister has told me my eldest brother her husband has got Covid-19 he is in the Royal @LivHospitals in the ICU in a very serious condition. Please watch the video, follow the rules & understand why we all need to fight the enemy #Covid https://t.co/pwlVALVuBF
Continue reading...Police allege Mark De Hesselle collected 139 boxes of the pulp and searched through them to remove the drug
A Sydney man is facing life in prison after federal police intercepted cocaine worth $248m concealed in frozen fruit products from Brazil.
AFP and Border Force officers seized 552kg of the drug hidden in pallets of banana pulp and branded with koala pictures in Sydney on Friday.
Continue reading...The former Wagga Wagga MP and the NSW premier have previously said it was 2015. This blog is now closed
And that is where I will leave you.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption’s investigation into whether Daryl Maguire improperly used his position as a politician for his own benefit concluded with admissions from the former Wagga Wagga MP on Friday.
To be clear, though, the transcript shows that later in the day Maguire seemed to walk that back a little, saying 2014 was “clearer in my mind”.
Robertson:
From your perspective the relationship was a close personal relationship on those two dates that you there identify. Do you agree?
I see that. But 14 was clearer in my mind – 14/15.
So is it right that at least from your perspective, you were in a close personal relationship with Ms Berejiklian in calendar year 2014, is that right?
I originally said 15 and I lean towards 15 still, or late 14. That was, that’s my recollection, somewhere there.
Continue reading...Berlin bar curfew suspended after court considers move ‘disproportionate’; Czech Republic records 9,721 new infections, Switzerland sees 3,105 cases
Bosnia’s new Covid-19 infections hit a record high for the third day in a row, with 621 cases on Friday, and authorities warned the healthcare system could collapse if the trend continues.
The country of around 3.3 million people has so far recorded 32,845 cases of the coronavirus with 980 deaths. Currently there are 7,262 active cases, or 1,512 more than a week ago.
“It’s not a word I’ve heard in a long, long time,” an elderly Paris resident said, leaving her apartment in mask and gloves for an early expedition to the shops. “A curfew. That’s for wartime, isn’t it? But in a way I suppose that’s what this is.”
Europe’s second wave took a dramatic turn for the worse this week, forcing governments across the continent to make tough choices as more than a dozen countries reported their highest ever number of new infections.
Related: 'On the brink of disaster': Europe's Covid fight takes a turn for the worse
Continue reading...Millions of users left unable to tweet or share stories for more than an hour
Twitter has suffered an outage in many countries across the world, leaving millions of users unable to post to its platform.
The entire social media site went down for a number of minutes and, although it was quickly brought back online, users were unable to tweet or retweet anything for more than an hour.
Continue reading...Scott Morrison, who is temporarily stuck in Queensland, expects overseas arrival numbers to rise within weeks
A national cabinet meeting due to discuss a plan to bring back thousands of additional Australians stranded overseas has been postponed, after the prime minister himself became stranded in Queensland with “technical problems” grounding his RAAF plane.
Scott Morrison, speaking in Cairns on Thursday, confirmed that more citizens stuck overseas due to Covid flight caps would soon be able to return home with increased repatriation flights and use of the Howard Springs quarantine facility near Darwin.
Continue reading...Police investigating damage to premier’s electorate office overnight, mass testing taking place in Shepparton amid cluster, and health authorities issue warning about south-west Sydney cluster. Follow live
The prime minister’s office has accidentally released its daily talking points to the media, again. This is allegedly an accident although it is a wonderful shortcut because sending the talking points gets reporters to report on the talking points, without the prime minister or others having to do any actual talking. True efficiency in government.
Three bits may be of particular interest to readers of this blog.
No one is saying it’s easy to get by without a job which is why the Morrison government is absolutely focused on helping unemployed Australians be work ready and creating jobs so working-age Australians have the opportunity to gain financial independence.
A wild deer has been spotted in Sydney. Again.
You may recall that last week two wild deer were spotted on the loose in Sydney’s inner suburbs, and police managed to capture one of them but not the other.
Citybound motorists are warned to take extra care after a deer was seen in the Pyrmont area about 5.30am. Police are seeking specialist assistance from the RSPCA. Anyone who sees the deer is urged not to approach it and call police.
Continue reading...Former Wagga MP questioned over corruption allegations including that he misused public office to broker property deals in western Sydney that would financially benefit him. Watch and follow the live stream
• Berejiklian faces questions about meeting with convicted criminals
• Maguire asked business associate to delete messages and emails
• Anne Davies: the Liberals have failed to learn from Labor’s mistakes
• Richard Ackland: NSW would be a more unsavoury place without Icac
We’re back and Robertson dives straight into grilling Maguire over an invoice sent to the Chinese delegation on a G8Way International letterhead which included a “fee for introduction”.
Robertson asks if the fee was raised with Maguire, who says he doesn’t remember.
I don’t recall seeing it ... I would have thought so.
We’re now taking a 15 minute recess adjournment.
Continue reading...La Niña’s possible influence on feeding considered as Western Australian surfer’s death takes 2020 toll to highest in 86 years
More Australians have been killed in unprovoked shark attacks this year than in any year since 1934.
But the total number of shark bites is in line with the annual average over the past decade. It is prompting experts to consider whether the La Niña weather event, associated with cooler sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific, may be affecting where sharks search for prey.
Continue reading...Russia sees 13,868 cases and 244 deaths in 24 hours; Netherlands to announce new measures Johnson & Johnson confirms pause in vaccine trial
More than 2 million people who shielded during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK have been given new advice on what to do depending on the Covid alert level in their area.
The government has said:
Related: UK government issues new guidance for coronavirus shielders
Germany must agree on nationwide rules to contain the spread of the coronavirus and prevent infections from getting out of control, the premier of Bavaria said on Tuesday.
Reuters reports:
Speaking ahead of a meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states on Wednesday, Markus Soeder said the next four weeks would be crucial for whether Germans could celebrate a relaxed Christmas.
“We must now set the course jointly, otherwise there is a danger that it could get out of control,” he told a news conference following a meeting of Bavaria’s cabinet.
Continue reading...Victoria’s premier weathers upset after his top public servant resigned and NSW premier holds on after Icac revelations. In Queensland, opposition leader Deb Frecklington faces questions over event with Peter Dutton. Follow live
The Queensland Liberal National Party has categorically denied claims it referred its own party leader, Deb Frecklington to the electoral commission over concerns about her fundraising events.
The ABC reported this morning that the party referred Frecklington to the Electoral Commission of Queensland over a series of events, one where Peter Dutton was a guest, involving property developers.
NSW Health have set up a pop-up testing clinic, and alerted to more venues, after two GPs in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba tested positive for Covid-19.
Both doctors worked at the A2Z Medical Clinic, and are linked to a patient who was previously diagnosed with Covid-19, who attended Lakemba Radiology.
Continue reading...Top US infectious diseases expert said on Sunday he had not agreed to be featured in Trump ad; Italy moves as daily infections reach highest levels since March
Below are updates of what’s happened in recent hours. I am now handing the blog over to my colleague Archie Bland, who will continue bringing you live updates. Thanks for following.
• Malaysia on Monday announced that it will impose some restrictions on movement in its capital city and in the neighbouring state of Selangor from Wednesday, as the country grapples with a fresh surge of coronavirus cases.
Italy is set to ban private parties and limit the numbers of guests at weddings and funerals among new restrictions aimed at curbing a surge in coronavirus infections, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters.
The decree, which could be issued as early as Monday, prohibits people from hosting more than 10 guests in their homes or in any other private premises.
It also states that no more than 10 guests will be allowed at weddings, and no more than 15 people can be present at funerals.
Italy on Friday topped 5,000 new Covid-19 cases in a single day for the first time since March. Daily infections remained above 5,000 on both Saturday and Sunday.
Deaths linked to Covid-19 are far fewer, normally below 30, compared with peaks above 900 per day around the end of March.
Under the draft decree, amateur contact sports involving more than 6 people, such as soccer, are to be suspended and more severe social distancing is to be imposed in some workplaces.
NSW premier is under pressure to resign after disclosing secret relationship with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire
The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has admitted she “stuffed up” in her personal life, but has stared down calls to resign following extraordinary revelations she had for years maintained a secret “close personal relationship” with the disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire.
In a press conference following her explosive appearance before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Monday, Berejiklian declared she had not considered resigning “because I haven’t done anything wrong”.
Continue reading...Victorian bar owner lodges legal challenge to the constitutionality of the state’s lockdown as fears in NSW grow over number of locally transmitted cases. Follow all the latest updates
Australian scientists have discovered that the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive for up to 28 days on surfaces such as the glass on mobile phones, stainless steel, vinyl and paper banknotes.
The virus survived longer on paper banknotes than on plastic banknotes and lasted longer on smooth surfaces rather than porous surfaces such as cotton.
Related: Virus that causes Covid-19 can survive up to 28 days on surfaces, scientists find
Today is the first day in more than two months that Victoria's statewide 14 day average has increased
Continue reading...Researchers find Sars-CoV-2 survives longer at lower temperatures and lasts 10 days longer than influenza on some surfaces
Australian scientists have found that the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive for up to 28 days on surfaces such as the glass on mobile phones, stainless steel, vinyl and paper banknotes.
The national science agency, the CSIRO, said the research undertaken at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong also found that Sars-CoV-2 survived longer at lower temperatures.
Continue reading...Modelling shows moving towards a net zero emissions economy would unlock financial prospects in sectors including renewables and manufacturing
Australia could unlock an investment boom of $63bn over the next five years if it aligns its climate policies with a target of net zero emissions by 2050, according to new economic modelling.
The analysis, by the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC), finds the investment opportunity created by an orderly transition to a net zero emissions economy would reach hundreds of billions of dollars by 2050 across sectors including renewable energy, manufacturing, carbon sequestration and transport.
Continue reading...