Scott morrison

SYDNEY - Sydney will end its Covid-19 quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers from Nov 1, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Friday (Oct 15), foreshadowing the full return of overseas travel after more than 19 months. Australia closed its international borders in March 2020 in response to the pandemic, allowing entry almost exclusively to only citizens and permanent residents who are required to undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense. "We want people back, we are leading the nation out of the pandemic ... we are opening Sydney and New South Wales to the world," Perrottet told reporters in Sydney, the state capital. The federal government's reopening plans unveiled in July proposed abolishing caps on returning vaccinated Australians and a gradual reopening of international travel with safe countries once full vaccination rates reach 80 per cent. The office of Prime Minister Scott Morrison was not immediately available ... » Learn More about Sydney to end Covid-19 quarantine for international travellers

SYDNEY - Sydney will end its Covid-19 quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers from Nov 1, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Friday (Oct 15), foreshadowing the full return of overseas travel after more than 19 months. Australia closed its international borders in March 2020 in response to the pandemic, allowing entry almost exclusively to only citizens and permanent residents who are required to undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense. "We want people back, we are leading the nation out of the pandemic .. we are opening Sydney and New South Wales to the world," Mr Perrottet told reporters in Sydney, the state capital. The federal government’s reopening plans unveiled in July proposed abolishing caps on returning vaccinated Australians and a gradual reopening of international travel with safe countries once full vaccination rates reach 80 per cent. The office of Prime Minister Scott Morrison was not immediately available ... » Learn More about Australia’s Sydney to end Covid-19 quarantine for international travellers

Australia's prime minister lambasted social media on Thursday, October 7, as "a coward's palace," saying platforms should be treated as publishers when defamatory comments by unidentified people are posted, pouring fuel on a raging debate over the country's libel laws. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's comments suggest he would favor making companies like Facebook liable for defamation with regards to some content posted by third parties, a position that could further cement Australia's outlier status on the subject. The country's highest court ruled last month that publishers can be held liable for public comments on online forums, a judgement that has pitted Facebook and news organizations against each other and spread alarm among all sectors that engage with the public via social media. That in turn has lent new urgency to an ongoing review of Australia's defamation laws, with the federal attorney general this week writing to state counterparts stressing the ... » Learn More about Australian PM slams social media amid defamation law controversy

U.S.President Joe Biden stands next to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as they meet at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Britain, June 13, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO Several prominent figures, including the heads of the two most populated countries in the world, are in doubt to attend the Oct. 31-Nov. 12 U.N. COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in person. Here is the latest on the status of delegates: Out or still to confirm -The leader of the world’s most populous country, China’s Xi Jinping, will reportedly not be there in person, given that he has not left China since the COVID-19 pandemic began. He is likely to make an appearance by video. -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is yet to decide whether he will attend, a foreign ministry source told Reuters. Between them, India and China make up a third of the world’s population. -Pope Francis is not now expected to attend. A Vatican source said there was a possibility that the pope would address the conference by video or that Cardinal ... » Learn More about COP26 in Glasgow: Who is going and who is not?

FILE PHOTO: Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne, Australia, January 14, 2018. Tennis balls are pictured in front of the Australian Open logo before the tennis tournament. REUTERS/Thomas Peter MELBOURNE—Australia’s Victoria state will not do special deals with unvaccinated athletes to allow them to compete at major events, an official said on Tuesday, putting Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open title defense and bid for the Grand Slam record in doubt. World number one Djokovic, level on 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, declined to reveal his vaccination status again this week and said he was unsure if he would defend his Australian Open crown as authorities work out COVID-19 restrictions for the tournament. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said he opposed special arrangements to let unvaccinated athletes compete in the state, which is scheduled to host the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in January. “On the question of vaccination, no,” he told a media ... » Learn More about No special deals to allow unvaccinated players at Australian Open

SYDNEY - Millions in Melbourne are readying to come out of the world's longest Covid-19 lockdown on Thursday (Oct 21) night after Victoria state hit a key vaccination target, with pubs, restaurants and cafes racing to reopen their doors to fully vaccinated customers. Melbourne's residents have been enduring their sixth pandemic lockdown since early August to quell an outbreak fuelled by the Delta strain. The authorities ramped up the state's immunisation drive before easing curbs, even as daily cases continue to hover near record levels. By Friday, the city of five million would have spent a cumulative 262 days, or nearly nine months, under stay-home orders since March last year - the world's longest, exceeding a 234-day lockdown in Buenos Aires, according to Australian media. Officials had promised to lift lockdowns once double-dose vaccinations for people aged above 16 exceeded 70 per cent in Victoria. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday confirmed reaching that ... » Learn More about Melbourne readies to exit world’s longest Covid-19 lockdowns

David Malaspina, owner of Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, hoses down the front of his establishment ahead of the expected lifting of coronavirus restrictions MELBOURNE - Melbourne reopened Friday after enduring one of the world's most prolonged series of lockdowns, with relieved residents of Australia's second-biggest city heading to bars, restaurants and for desperately needed hair cuts. The city's five million people have spent more than 260 days under lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic. But now that 70 percent of eligible people in Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state are fully vaccinated, restrictions that began on August 5 have been lifted. "I am feeling a little bit bleary-eyed but full of joy today," Melbourne's Lord Mayor Sally Capp said after a late night joining the celebrations. "Like many people, I did not want to waste a moment last night. It was fantastic to hear horns honking and people yelling. I was giving it a fair go as well. Just so excited," she ... » Learn More about Melbourne toasts end of long Covid lockdown

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on his Facebook post on Oct. 22 that he was "delighted to hear that Australia will be allowing entry to visa holders from Singapore". Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had earlier announced at a press conference on Friday morning that both countries are in the final stages of concluding the details of this pilot travel arrangement. New travel arrangement to be established "within the week" The new travel arrangement between the countries could be established "within the next week or so", Morrison said. "We are in the final stages of concluding an arrangement with the Singapore government", Morrison said. Morrison shared that he met PM Lee in Singapore a few months ago, where Australia could set up a new arrangement "which will see our borders open more quickly to Singapore". In PM Lee's FB post, he said that he had encouraged Morrison to do so ... » Learn More about PM Lee: ‘Delighted’ Australia will allow entry to visa holders from S’pore in pilot travel arrangement

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg On Friday (Oct. 22), Singapore Airlines (SIA) said in a press release that it will bring its flagship Airbus A380 back to Sydney from Dec. 1, 2021, increasing capacity to the Sydney market ahead of the Christmas holiday period. This comes after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that a new travel arrangement between Singapore and Australia could be established "within next week or so". SIA’s A380s include six Suites, 78 Business Class, 44 Premium Economy Class and 343 Economy Class seats. Flight schedules These are the flight schedules from Dec. 1, according to SIA: The A380 will operate daily from Singapore to Sydney. Flight SQ231 will depart Changi Airport at 12:45am local time, and arrive in Sydney at 11:50am local time. The return flight, SQ222, will depart Sydney at 4:10pm, and arrive at Changi Airport at 9:20pm. The A380's schedule for SQ231 and SQ222 will be ... » Learn More about SIA to resume S’pore-Sydney Airbus A380 flights from Dec. 1, 2021

Sonali Paul and Melanie Burton (Reuters) Melbourne, Australia   ● Fri, October 22, 2021 2021-10-22 10:55 0 71949b105dab7949db8f33c5d382beed 2 Asia and Pacific Australia,COVID-19,restriction,lockdown,vaccination Free Melbourne residents flocked to the city's pubs, restaurants and hair salons in the early hours of Friday after the world's most locked-down city emerged from its latest spate of restrictions designed to combat the spread of COVID-19. Australia's second-largest city has so far endured 262 days, or nearly nine months, of restrictions during six separate lockdowns since March 2020, representing the longest cumulative lockdown for any city in the world. Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, last year went through 234 straight days of lockdown. In Melbourne, people were seen cheering and clapping from their balconies, while cars honked horns continuously at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday when lockdown restrictions in place since early August ended. Many ... » Learn More about Melbourne reopens as world’s most locked-down city eases restrictions