Dec 16-31, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 11
INDIA NEWS
Majority of Australians want Covid booster vax: Poll Canberra, December 9 (IANS): More than 70 per cent of Australians say they want a coronavirus booster vaccine, a new survey published on December 9 revealed. Researchers from Australian National University (ANU) published the latest findings from their ongoing survey of more than 3,400 people during the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency. It found that 71.9 per cent of the respondents said they will get a booster vaccine when available. However, it did reveal portions of the population that are hesitant about boosters. "In our analysis we found males, younger Australians, those who live outside of advantaged areas, those who have not completed
Year 12, those who speak a language other than English, and those who have had their first dose vaccination relatively recently are all less willing to receive their 'third dose' of the Covid-19 vaccine," study coauthor Nicholas Biddle said in a statement.
Australians that they can get a booster without putting others at risk," Biddle said.
Booster vaccines are currently available to Australians aged 18 and over six months after their second shot.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who is fully vaccinated, has confirmed he has tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in the US for work on the government's social media regulation laws.
Till date, 93.1 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over had received one vaccine dose and 88.7 per cent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health. The most common reason for booster hesitancy given by respondents to the survey was thinking other people would need Covid-19 vaccines before them. "This reinforces the need to boost supply of Covid-19 vaccines to the region, not only because many countries in the Asia Pacific have very low vaccination rates, but also because it will reassure
Australia on December 9 reported more than 1,600 new locallyacquired coronavirus cases and 10 deaths as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic.
He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he decided to get tested after developing mild symptoms. "Obviously I am very frustrated. I'm going to be locked up in a room by myself for 10 days, but that's part of the process," Joyce said. "It's probably developing, I'm probably very much in the early stages - but I'm more worried about being in a room by myself to be honest."
Qantas gears up for soaring Christmas deliveries demand company's 212-year history, even eclipsing last December's record of 52 million parcels and more than 7.4 million kg of air freight.
Canberra, December 7 (IANS): Australian flag carrier Qantas announced on December 7 that it is boosting its fleet of freight planes to handle the boom in parcel deliveries this Christmas as well as the nation's ever-rising increase in online shopping. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced that a new widebodied Airbus A321 has been added to the freight fleet that operates on behalf of the nation's postal service, Australia Post, reports Xinhua news agency. The addition has been timed to help with what Australia Post expects will be the largest Christmas operation in the
Joyce also announced that two Airbus A330 passenger planes would be converted into freight carriers - one for the domestic market and one for international services - within the next two years to cope with the unprecedented demands of e-commerce. "The converted A330 will be able to carry about 50 tonnes of cargo each flight, more than double the capacity of other freighters operating for the national postal service," Joyce said. "Our freight business has boomed during the pandemic and while some of that is temporary, Covid-19 has accelerated the permanent expansion of e-commerce and online shopping in this country.
"It is predicted that much of this demand will continue beyond the recent surge as Australia catches up with other nations where online retail accounts for three times the volume we have here now," the CEO added. He said Qantas and Australia Post were responding quickly to shoppers' changing buying habits to guarantee they could "increase the amount of parcels that we can carry by air to ensure they arrive at people's homes as quickly as possible". Australia Post CEO Paul Graham said that e-commerce has grown by more than 76 per cent within the past two years. "Australia Post plays a critical role connecting Australian businesses and communities to each other and the rest of the world," Graham said. "This has never been more evident than through the pandemic."
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NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA
Extreme weather conditions prevail in Australia Canberra, December 9 (IANS): Extreme weather conditions are continuing to wreak havoc during Australia's early summer season with flooding in the nation's east and bushfires in the west.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecast further showers and a possible severe thunderstorm throughout southeast Queensland on December 9, including the state capital of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, adding to the previous day's downpours where up to 70 mm of rain was recorded, reports Xinhua news agency. The torrents caused Queensland's third flood-related death within a month after a Brisbane woman's car was swept from the road on December 8 afternoon. "Because of the rapidly rising water, and the speed at which the water was flowing, it took several hours to actually locate the vehicle," a police officer told the national broadcaster ABC. The neighbouring state of New South Wales (NSW) is also bracing for further turbulent conditions with forecasts of up to 200 mm of rain falling in the state's southeast. The BoM said the rain pattern was due to a low-pressure trough
moving east, meeting with a band of humid air. The eastern states' prolonged thundery conditions, exacerbated by the La Nina weather phenomenon, have already led to the wettest November since the BoM began its records in 1900. Meanwhile, on the other side of the nation, Western Australian (WA) firefighters and waterbombers have been battling bushfires in the state's southwest triggered by a record-breaking heatwave. Several campgrounds, wineries and tourist attractions were evacuated near Margaret River as a fierce blaze raged on December 8. It is only the second time in 90 years that the WA capital of Perth has sweltered through temperatures of above 30 degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days so early in summer.
Australian homelessness up during pandemic: Report
Canberra, December 7 (IANS): Australian homelessness has increased during the pandemic despite a drop during the first wave of infection.
Homelessness Australia on December 7 published an analysis of federal government data on the number of Australians requiring homelessness support, Xinhua news agency reported. It found that in May 2020, when the government doubled the JobSeeker welfare payment in response to widespread lockdowns, the number fell 5 per cent from 91,672 to 87,301. However, with JobSeeker payment now wound back to 620 Australian dollars ($437.1) a fortnight, a slight increase from 566 Australian dollars ($399) prior to the pandemic, the number of people claiming homelessness support in May 2021 increased to 93,726. Jenny Smith, chair of Homelessness Australia, called for a permanent JobSeeker increase to 966 Australian dollars ($681.1) a fortnight, equalling 69 Australian dollars ($48.6) a day. "The sector has been saying for years now that increasing income support would reduce homelessness, and now we have the evidence that proves it," she told Nine Entertainment newspapers. "The federal government knows what it needs to do. If it raises the rate of JobSeeker for good, then far fewer people would find
themselves without a home. "There's still an opportunity for that to happen because we will probably need more economic stimulus coming out of the pandemic." The federal government has ruled out a more significant increase, arguing that a rate too high could incentivize unemployment. A spokesperson for federal Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said a permanent increase to 1,115 Australian dollars would cost an additional 81 billion Australian dollars ($57.1 billion) over the next four years. "Our focus now is reopening the economy and supporting Australians into work because we know that for every person we get in a job, they are better off and the country is better off," they said.
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