Poi australia

SYDNEY: Australia has abandoned a goal to vaccinate nearly all of its 26 million people by the end of 2021 following advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine rather than AstraZeneca's shot. Australia, which had banked on the AstraZeneca vaccine for the majority of its shots, had no plans to set any new targets for completing its vaccination programme, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon (Apr 11). "While we would like to see these doses completed before the end of the year, it is not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved," Morrison said. Authorities in Canberra changed their recommendation on Pfizer-BioNTech shots for under-50s on Thursday, after European regulators reiterated the possibility of links between the AstraZeneca shot and reports of rare cases of blood clots. Australia, which raced to double its order of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week, had originally ... » Learn More about Australia abandons COVID-19 vaccination targets after new advice on AstraZeneca shots

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday he would remove exemptions for judges and politicians from sexual harassment laws, as his government tries to contain a backlash over allegations of sexual misconduct in politics. The change is part of a broad overhaul of the way Australia handles gender-related workplace complaints, designed to empower complainants and force bosses to be proactive in stamping out discrimination. It was among 55 recommendations in a report by the country's Sex Discrimination Commissioner early last year, all of which Morrison said he would now act on. Here are some of the report's key recommendations: * Changing the definition of "workplace participant" and "workplace" in gender discrimination law to mean all scenarios "including paid and unpaid workers, and those who are self-employed"; removing the "exemption of state public servants". * Conduct a survey every four years to monitor rates and trends in sexual ... » Learn More about Factbox: Australia vows to tackle sexual harassment at work after backlash

SINGAPORE - FairPrice's charity arm has donated $20,000 and 100 hampers to self-help group Yayasan Mendaki to help low-income families in the Muslim community with school-related fees and buying of groceries. The supermarket chain will also be providing refreshments at its stores for Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan from April 13 to May 12, and has expanded its range of halal-certified products by almost 1,500 items. At the FairPrice store at Woodlands Civic Centre on Monday (April 12), Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad, who is also Mendaki deputy chairman, said: "I'm thankful FairPrice has been a strong partner of Mendaki. I'm heartened about their donation as it will benefit many of our low-income students and their families, especially during Ramadan when we also want to ensure households get good nutrition." The hampers donated by FairPrice Foundation include daily necessities like rice, oil and noodles. The $20,000 will be used for ... » Learn More about FairPrice supporting low-income families during Ramadan, expands range of halal products

WELLINGTON: New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday (Apr 12) that people working at the borders must be vaccinated by the end of this month or risk being moved out of the role, after a third coronavirus case related to a frontline staff was reported. New Zealand has virtually eliminated the COVID-19 virus within its borders and there's been no community transmission for more 40 days. But it reported a positive COVID-19 in the community last week of a border worker who had missed two vaccine appointments. Two more cases linked to this individual has emerged since. "By the end of April, those not yet vaccinated will not be permitted to work in high-risk workplaces and will be moved to other roles," Ardern said at a news conference. READ: New Zealand suspends entry for travellers from India due to high COVID-19 cases READ: New Zealand-Australia travel bubble to start on Apr 19 She said about 86 per cent of border workers have been vaccinated. New ... » Learn More about Border workers must take COVID-19 vaccine after new cases emerge: New Zealand PM Ardern

GENEVA — Some 14.1 million doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine have been allocated to 47 countries and economies for delivery in the second quarter of this year, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance said on Monday. Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, and Ukraine are set to be among the main recipients of the Pfizer vaccine between April and June, according to Gavi, which co-leads the COVAX facility with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners. The COVAX program offers a lifeline to low-income countries, in particular allowing them to inoculate health workers and others at high risk, even if their governments have not managed to secure vaccines from the manufacturers. Australia, Britain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates are due to receive their first shots via COVAX with the Pfizer doses, which is “based on current knowledge of COVID-19 vaccine supply availability,” Gavi said in a statement. The program delivered nearly 38.4 million doses ... » Learn More about Philippines, Brazil, Mexico to get Pfizer shots from COVAX in Q2 – Gavi