SYDNEY — A rare 1977 Holden Torana A9X, originally destined for the racetrack, has sold at auction for AU$775,000 ($5,87,667). The two-door hatchback was essentially one of just 33 produced by Holden and is considered one of Australia’s most sort-after and iconic muscle cars. Holden built the 33 A9X hatchback shells in 1977, enough to last the expected racing life for the model. They were double seam welded, all painted white, and sold exclusively to race teams. But Lloyds Auctions says there was considerable uproar from rival teams when word got out the shells were built with thinner gauge steel, making them…
Author: zenger.news
SYDNEY — Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is set to hand down the Intergenerational Report, a guide to how Australia will perform over the next 40 years and how that will impact the budget. Frydenberg will deliver the report to a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event in Melbourne on June 28. The five-yearly report will be the fifth in the series and was first introduced by former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello in 2002. It aims to manage the impact of an aging population in the future, and Frydenberg has already warned that smaller population growth due to the pandemic may…
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India — When life forced Anie Siva, then an 18-year-old woman, to sell lemonade and ice cream to tourists at Varkala, a town in the South Indian state of Kerala, she never thought she’d become a police inspector at the same place someday. “A true model of willpower and confidence,” Kerala Police tweeted, congratulating Siva for her success. “An 18-year-old girl who was left on the streets with her 6-month-old baby, after being abandoned by her husband and family has become Sub Inspector at Varkala police station.” Siva, now a 31-year-old, recently joined as a probationary sub-inspector at the Varkala police…
SYDNEY — United States Marines stationed in Australia’s north aren’t just in the Top End to train, says their commanding officer. The United States Marine Corps Colonel David Banning insists his troops are ready for action. The declaration comes as Defense Minister Peter Dutton hints that while maintaining peace is a “first priority”, the visiting Darwin-based force could soon swell amid growing Indo-Pacific tension. Dutton says there’s no sense pretending Australia could out-stock or defeat a large foreign enemy and the time may be right to look, along with the Americans, at “locating additional assets in our country”. Around 2200 US…
SYDNEY — Hundreds of aircraft passengers traveling along Australia’s east coast could have been exposed to Covid-19 after a flight attendant tested positive to the virus. Five Virgin Australia flights on June 25 and June 26 took passengers either to or from Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, and the Gold Coast. “All passengers on flights the crew member operated will be contacted by health authorities and advised on the correct protocol,” the airline said in a statement overnight, confirming the flight attendant is in isolation. New South Wales Health reported the five flights are of concern as the crew member may have been…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Victorian members of parliament will receive a 2.5 percent pay rise from July, raising questions of fairness in times of pandemic-induced financial hardship. The pay rise decision was made by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal, which released its annual “adjustment determination” for Member of Parliaments on June 25. The Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal is responsible for setting remuneration for Members of Parliament (MPs), local councilors and executives in the Victorian public sector. Pressed on the issue by reporters on June 26, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said he would donate his wage increase to charities in his electorate,…
SYDNEY — Australia’s vaccination rate will have to double to complete the program by the end of the year. The massive challenge comes after the Bondi outbreak has infected 65 people, prompting the New South Wales government to issue stay-at-home orders to residents of four Sydney council areas in the eastern suburbs. Other states have now imposed a variety of travel restrictions on New South Wales and Greater Sydney. Experts have criticized the speed of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and failures in the quarantine system which allowed an unvaccinated driver to pick up overseas arrivals in Sydney. A report by Capital…
SYDNEY — Australia’s resources and energy exports are expected to hit AU$334 billion ($253.62 billion) in the next financial year, a new study shows. The federal industry department’s Resources and Energy Quarterly report released on June 28 said commodity prices had gained momentum in the first half of 2021. Iron ore, liquefied natural gas, thermal coal, and base metals have reached multi-year highs. In 2020/21, Australia’s resources and energy exports are estimated to reach AU$310 billion ($235.40 billion), up more than six percent on the record set in 2019/20. This figure is forecast to rise to AU$334 billion ($253.62 billion) in 2021/22. Iron…
Fernando Ramírez, un médico egresado de la Universidad Veracruzana quien actualmente cursa la especialidad en anestesiología en un hospital público de la Ciudad de México, pasó de pagar una renta de $1,500 pesos en Xalapa, Veracruz, a una de $8,000 pesos, en la Ciudad de México, más los gastos fijos de luz, agua y gas, así como el gasto de alimentos. La pandemia vino a desequilibrarlo. “De por sí llegar de provincia es un poco difícil por los gastos, ahorita con el COVID-19 encima, se complica todo”, dijo Ramírez. Cuando muchos estudiantes decidieron emprender el camino hacia sus estudios lejos…
A Greek photographer with a passion for nature scenes has shared a number of his stunning images, which have garnered some 3,000 followers on Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic. With travel restrictions in force for more than a year, would-be visitors to Greece have had to make do with scouring images online. According to media reports, Greece had only 7.4 million visitors last year — compared with 34 million in 2019. The country officially reopened on May 14 to international visitors who have proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative COVID-19 PCR test. Amateur photographer Chriss Pavlou from Farsala…