It marks one of the most significant easing of Australia’s border closure since it was introduced to prevent the spread of the virus in March 2020…reports Asian Lite News
Australia’s international borders will reopen to fully vaccinated tourists from February 21 after almost two years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday.
It marks one of the most significant easing of Australia’s border closure since it was introduced to prevent the spread of the virus in March 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.
However, arrivals could still face a mandatory quarantine period depending on the rules in the state or territory they arrive in.
“The national cabinet has decided today Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on February 21 of this year,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
“The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia.”
Travellers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be required to apply for a travel exemption to enter Australia.
Border restrictions were eased for international students and some visa holders in December last year, prompting calls from the tourism industry for travellers to be allowed in.
“I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that and over the next two weeks they’ll get the opportunity both for visitors to be coming and for them to be gearing up,” Morrison said.
Australia reported more than 20,000 new Covidd-19 infections and more than 40 deaths on Monday.
According to the Department of Health, there were 4,147 cases being treated in hospitals nationwide, including 286 in intensive care units.
Mohammed bin Rashid meets Australia’s Governor-General at Expo 2020
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today met with Australia’s Governor-General General David Hurley at Expo 2020 Dubai…reports Asian Lite News
During the meeting, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and David Hurley discussed ties between the UAE and Australia and ways of strengthening bilateral relations in the fields of culture, tourism, commerce and science.
Mohammed bin Rashid meets Australia’s Governor-General at Expo 2020 (WAM)
The meeting, attended by H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, also discussed regional and international issues of common interest. It also highlighted the keenness of the leadership of both countries to bolster bilateral relations and cooperation.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid praised Australia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai and its focus on innovation in various fields. His Highness underlined the importance of exploring new avenues of cooperation in priority sectors during the next phase.
Mohammed bin Rashid meets Australia’s Governor-General at Expo 2020 (WAM)
David Hurley expressed his pleasure to be visiting the UAE. He stressed that the two countries share a robust relationship, which he hopes to further deepen by expanding the scope of cooperation in various fields, especially tourism and sustainable technologies.
The Governor-General of Australia also praised the outstanding organisation of Expo 2020 Dubai and the city’s impressive ability to successfully host major events despite the exceptional circumstances the world is witnessing.
Mohammed bin Rashid meets Australia’s Governor-General at Expo 2020 (WAM)
The meeting was attended by Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council; H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group; H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; as well as ministers and top executives from the Government of Dubai. (WAM)
It is World No 1 Barty’s 15th title overall, fourth on home soil and second in a row following her Adelaide triumph in the first week of 2022…reports Asian Lite News
Adding another feather to her cap, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty outplayed Danielle Collins in the final to win the 2022 Australian Open women’s singles title, ending her country’s 44-year wait for a home Grand Slam champion, here on Saturday.
Top seed Barty overturned a 5-1 deficit in the second set to defeat No. 27 seed Collins 6-3, 7-6(2) in the final, becoming the first home champion at the tournament since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
The title is Barty’s third Grand Slam crown, and second out of the last three, following Roland Garros 2019 and Wimbledon 2021. The 25-year-old becomes the second active player to claim major titles on all three surfaces, alongside 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
Barty is also the eighth WTA player in the Open Era to win Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Appropriately, the only other woman to capture her first three majors at each of those was fellow Indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who presented Barty with the trophy afterward.
It is World No 1 Barty’s 15th title overall, fourth on home soil and second in a row following her Adelaide triumph in the first week of 2022. She has won 12 of her past 14 finals dating back to Miami 2019, with her only losses coming to Naomi Osaka at Beijing 2019 and Aryna Sabalenka at Madrid 2020.
Barty, who is now on an 11-match winning streak, is the first player to win the Australian Open without dropping a set since Serena Williams in 2017.
“First and foremost, I have to say congratulations to Danielle and your team. I know you’ll be fighting for many more of these in the future,” said Barty.
“To my team, wow. I said numerous times I’m so lucky to have so many people here that love and support me. We started right together from the start in the second part of my career. I love you guys to death, you’re the absolute best in the business.
“As an Aussie, the most important part of the tournament is being able to share it with so many people. This crowd is one of the most fun I’ve ever played in front of. You brought so much joy, you relaxed me and forced me to play my best tennis. This is just a dream come true for me and I am so proud to be an Aussie,” she added.
In the first set, Barty won 15 out of 16 first-serve points and faced only one breakpoint at 2-2, which she saved with a clinical one-two punch. Collins’ return had been lethal against Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, but the American was only able to put 11 out of 30 back in play against Barty in the first set.
Having saved that break-point, Barty pounced immediately in the next game, bringing up her first of the match by powering away from a forehand winner, and converting it as Collins double-faulted for the first time, a wtatennis.com report said.
An undaunted Collins mounted a strong response in the second set. Barty opened the door with a series of forehand errors, and Collins landed an emphatic overhead — accompanied by a trademark fiery exhortation — to break for 2-1. Barty’s edgy play continued as she threw in a pair of double faults two games later, and a ferocious Collins return sealed the 5-1 double break lead.
With a third set seemingly inevitable, Barty loosened up again. Her tight forehand errors were replaced by a series of precise winners off that wing to gain one of the breaks back, and from that point, the comeback was on. Collins, serving for the set for the second time at 5-3, reached 30-0, only to be denied by another trio of Barty forehands.
If there was any doubt that Barty’s nerveless first-set form had returned, it was exemplified as she took control of the ensuing tiebreak. Cool-headed point construction with a drop shot-forehand-smash combination put her up 4-0, and five points later she sealed her first championship point with a precise forehand pass.
Hamad Ali presents credentials to Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of Austria (Wam)
Hamad Ali Al Kaabi has presented a copy of his credentials to Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of Austria, as an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Austria…reports Asian Lite News
During the meeting that was held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Vienna, the Austrian official welcomed the UAE Ambassador and expressed his best wishes for success in performing his duties and strengthening the relations between the two friendly countries.
For his part, Al Kaabi expressed his pride in representing the UAE in Austria and his keenness to further promote bilateral relations across various sectors.
The meeting also touched upon prospects of fostering cooperation and further developing ties between the UAE and Austria across various fronts to serve the interests of their countries and peoples. (WAM)
Kia to continue long standing partnership with Australian Open as the Major Partner since 2002…reports Asian Lite News
Kia Corporation will support the Australian Open 2022 (AO22) – the prestigious tennis Grand Slam event of the Asia-Pacific region – with a series of marketing activities that highlight the company’s vision for and commitment to sustainable mobility.
As the Major Partner of AO22, Kia on January 13 held an official vehicle handover ceremony at the newly christened Kia Arena in Melbourne Park, attended by Kia and Tennis Australia executives, former Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal and wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott.
Kia presented a fleet of 130 vehicles to tournament officials comprised of the popular Sportage SUV, Carnival MPV and EV6 fully electric crossover. The vehicles will transport players, match officials and VIPs in comfort and safety around Melbourne Park during the Open from January 17-30.
“As the major partner of the Australian Open for over two decades, we look forward to deepening our engagement with millions of fans around the world, while cementing the status of the Australian Open as one of the world’s most exciting sporting events,” said Artur Martins, Head of Kia’s Global Brand and Customer Experience.
Kia Arena
“In line with our commitment to spurring innovation that is inspired by nature, we are pleased to work with Tennis Australia and fans to help preserve oceanic environments around the globe through our ‘Aces for Oceans’ campaign. With each ace served during the AO and fans’ online participation, Kia will assist those aspiring to reach their tennis dreams by donating tennis equipment made with recycled waste materials to the Australian Tennis Foundation,” he added.
A key development for AO22 is the inauguration of Kia Arena, a 5,000-seat capacity stadium that will host tournament matches. Kia Arena is the fourth-largest Australian Open stadium at Melbourne Park and was constructed ahead of the 2022 event. It will also be utilized as a venue for diverse cultural, sports and entertainment programs outside of the tournament schedule.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley praised the two-decade-long partnership between Kia and the AO.
CRAIG TILEY, AUSTRALIA OPEN TOURNAMENT, DIRECTOR: “The partnership between Kia and the Australian Open is one of the longest in Australian sport and we value and respect this unique relationship that has helped us grow the AO into the premium global sports and entertainment event that it is today. The Kia fleet, which includes the new all-electric vehicles for 2022, has become an iconic symbol of the AO, with the smartly branded AO Kia cars zipping around the city and keeping the AO on the move. It’s also a testament to our strong relationship that we are standing here beside Kia Arena, a year-round symbol of the friendship between Kia and the AO at Melbourne Park.”
Aside from these events and developments, Kia will operate an EV6 exhibition booth and diverse marketing activities featuring engaging digital contents. As the exclusive major partner of the Australian Open since 2002, Kia will continue to offer innovative brand-related experiences to customers around the world, leveraging the various synergies created from the Australian Open.
Alex Hawke used his discretionary powers on Friday to cancel the visa given to Djokovic, who has not declared his COVID-19 vaccination status…reports Asian Lite News
World No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic will not be able to defend his Australian Open crown this year after the Australian Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, annulled his visa on Friday afternoon.
The nine-time Australian Open champion, who has won consecutive titles at Melbourne Park since 2019, had initially been granted a medical exemption to compete in the tournament.
The 34-year-old Djokovic, winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, had earlier this week won the legal battle in his bid to remain in Australia, with a court ordering his immediate release from immigration detention. However, lawyers for the federal government had told the court that the country’s immigration minister was reserving the right to exercise his personal powers to again revoke Djokovic’s visa.
Hawke used his discretionary powers on Friday to cancel the visa given to Djokovic, who has not declared his COVID-19 vaccination status despite a groundswell of demand for him to take the jab in the interest of public safety and his own health.
In a statement issued on Friday, Hawke said, “Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. (File Photo: IANS)
“This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds. In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr Djokovic.
“The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Djokovic had sought medical exemption on the ground that he had tested COVID-positive recently (December 26), and so should be allowed to play in the opening Grand Slam of the year. Reports soon emerged that he had tested positive for the virus on December 18 and had given an interview to L’Equipe knowing well that he had COVID-19.
Djokovic, a strong opponent of COVID-19 vaccination, then issued a clarification on social media, saying, he wanted to address the “continuing misinformation” about his activities and attendance at events in December in the lead up to his positive PCR COVID test result.
“This is misinformation which needs to be corrected, particularly in the interest of alleviating broader concern in the community about my presence in Australia, and to address matters which are very hurtful and concerning to my family. I want to emphasise that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with the testing obligations.
Djokovic admitted he knew he was positive before his interview to L’Equipe on December 18 but did it because of commitment, apologising for the “error of judgement”.
“I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Equipe interview as I didn’t want to let the journalist down but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask exempt when my photograph was being taken… this was an error in judgment and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment.”
World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas has said recently that Djokovic has been “playing by his own rules” and has put his Grand Slam at risk, adding that the Australian Open defending champion has made vaccinated tennis players “look like fools”.
On Thursday, the Serbian was included in the draw and was scheduled to start his Australian Open campaign against world No. 78, compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. (File Photo: IANS)
After being held for several hours in the airport, during which he was placed in isolation in a police-guarded room, the Serb’s visa was cancelled in Australia….reports Asian Lite News
World No one tennis player Novak Djokovic will not be immediately deported from Australia, a government lawyer told a court hearing on Thursday as the tennis star remained in hotel quarantine.
Facing a legal challenge from the Serbian, state lawyer Christopher Tran on Thursday said Australia did not plan to deport him before Monday’s hearing in a Federal court.
Earlier in the day, the 20-time grand slam winner Djokovic was denied entry into Australia after his visa was cancelled by border force officials at Melbourne airport amid a storm of protest about a decision to grant him a medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination requirements to play in the Australian Open.
The tennis star was holed up in a quarantined hotel in Melbourne as his lawyers sought an urgent injunction to allow him to stay in the country after he was detained by officials at the border. Djokovic’s legal team also managed to secure an interim injunction preventing authorities from deporting the tennis star until at least Monday.
On Tuesday, the world No 1 announced he was travelling to Australia on an “exemption permission”, but after landing in Melbourne on Wednesday evening he was held in isolation after reportedly attempting to enter the country on a visa that does not permit medical exemptions for being unvaccinated against Covid-19.
After being held for several hours in the airport, during which he was placed in isolation in a police-guarded room, the Serb’s visa was cancelled in Australia.
The border officials said the 34-year-old had “failed to provide appropriate evidence” for entry after arriving from Dubai.
“The ABF can confirm that Mr Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled,” the Australian Border Force (ABF) said in a statement.
“Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia. The ABF can confirm Mr Djokovic had access to his phone,” it added.
Shortly after the announcement, Australian PM Scott Morrison re-iterated that nobody was above the country’s border rules.
“Mr Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled. Rules are rules, especially when it comes to borders. No one is above these rules,” Morrison said in a tweet.
“Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant,” he added.
The Serbian, who has never spoken publicly about his vaccination status, had previously said that he was unsure whether he would compete at the January 17-30 tournament in Melbourne due to concerns over Australia’s quarantine rules.
With his record nine titles, Djokovic is the most successful player in the history of the Australian Open. He is also in a three-way tie on 20 career Grand Slams titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal in the all-time list.
About four in 10 Australian businesses are experiencing significant impacts from the Covid-induced labour shortages, new research by one of the nation’s leading banks revealed on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News
The Business Insight Report, released by the National Australia Bank (NAB), was based on responses from about 1,600 businesses across a broad range of industries from mid-November to mid-December last year, reports Xinhua news agency.
NAB CEO Ross McEwan said bringing talent into Australia would be the key to alleviating the employment situation.
“Australian businesses are facing significant skilled and unskilled labour shortages. Almost every employer I talk to, from cafes, tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing, is saying ‘we can’t get workers’,” McEwan said.
“To get the economy really firing we will need to bring people into Australia and make sure, as a nation, we’re building a skilled workforce for the future,” he said.
The report said that 38 per cent of medium-sized businesses and 37 per cent of larger firms viewed labour shortages as being a “very significant issue”, compared with 31 per cent of small businesses.
Lacking trade workers (35 percent) and professionals (32 per cent) are the most common types of the labour shortage, according to about one in three Australian firms.
By state, Western Australia (WA) had the most pressing need for workers with 44 per cent of businesses saying labour shortages had made a very significant impact over the past three months.
At the other end of the scale, only 24 per cent of businesses in the island state of Tasmania reported such a problem.
WA also leads in expectations of labour shortages over the next 12 months (43 per cent), followed by New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory (all 39 per cent), South Australia and Northern Territory (36 per cent) and Tasmania (20 per cent).
McEwan said that data scientists, digital experts and technology skills were in high demand right across the economy in Australia.
“At NAB, we’re doing a lot of work to retrain and invest in our workforce and we now have more than 2,000 colleagues who are certified cloud-computing practitioners,” he added.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that he will cancel provisional plans to visit the US and Australia…reports Asian Lite News
Citing Covid-19 concerns, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that he will cancel provisional plans to visit the US and Australia for summit talks ahead of the beginning of a Parliament session here later this month.
He said that in the year ahead he had been hoping to enhance diplomatic talks with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, reports Xinhua news agency.
In addition, Kishida said he will not travel overseas before the regular Diet session, but will stay in Japan to oversee the government’s measures to tackle a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
Owing to the rise in Covid-19 cases in Japan, particularly the local transmission of the Omicron variant, the Prime Minister also said on Tuesday a decision as to whether to apply more stringent border controls would be decided next week.
The cases were detected by PCR nasal swabs, administered for free throughout medical clinics and testing centres throughout the state…reports Asian Lite News
Massive surges in Covid-19 infections in Australia, fuelled by the Omicron variant, are placing huge pressures on the healthcare system, which is struggling to keep up with unprecedented demands for testing.
On Wednesday, New South Wales (NSW), the most populated state and the epicenter for the nation’s current outbreaks, reported a record high of 35,054 new cases within the past 24 hours out of 108,844 tests.
Those cases were detected by PCR nasal swabs, administered for free throughout medical clinics and testing centres throughout the state, Xinhua news agency reported.
The besieged NSW facilities, like those in the neighbouring state of Victoria, have faltered throughout the nation’s summer holiday period, with long queues causing people to wait for up to several hours to get tested.
Some overstretched laboratories in both states have had to temporarily close this week due to factors such as staffing shortages and the high positive test rates slowing down the pathology process.
More than 70 drive-through testing sites across NSW are to stay closed until next Monday, according to the NSW Health’s website, while others are operating on limited hours.
Covid
The frenetic workload has also caused errors such as late last month when hundreds of infected people in NSW were initially wrongly told they had tested negative.
To ease such burdens, state and federal leaders are increasingly urging people to only get a PCR test if they have Covid symptoms or have been in close contact with an infected person.
The new message is for people to “take personal responsibility” by opting for rapid antigen tests (RATs) which can be done at home. The sudden reliance on these do-it-yourself kits, however, is causing its own challenges.
One of the main difficulties is that the RATs have become scarce, with many pharmacies selling out almost instantly. This, in turn, has led to reports of “price gouging” with retailers charging far in excess of the usual prices, which is about 15 to 20 Australian dollars (about 10 to $14.40) per test.
The fast-evolving situation is being investigated by the nation’s “consumer watchdog”, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
“We are seeking information from suppliers about their costs and the current pricing of rapid antigen tests,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said on Tuesday.
“We won’t be shy to name and shame suppliers and retailers we consider to be doing the wrong thing.”
Union groups have also been quick to note the impact on people who have already suffered economically during the pandemic.
The Health Services Union (HSU) said state and federal governments needed to provide people with free RAT kits.
HSU national president Gerard Hayes said on Wednesday that the governments had allowed Omicron to “rip through the community” without having an adequate plan for testing.
“Now our health system is currently overwhelmed and private testing clinics are temporarily closing due to the backlog of samples to be processed,” Hayes said.
“We cannot expect potentially Covid-positive patients to travel to multiple different shops to find RATs, and then ‘pay through the nose’ for them.”
Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said RATs would soon be widely available.
Perrottet said he hoped his government could reach a “financial agreement” with its federal counterparts to “ensure rapid tests are available to anyone right across the state who needs one.”
The issue of supply and funding of RATs was expected to be raised at a National Cabinet meeting due to be held later on Wednesday.
