habergiris.zamanaustralia.com

Author: Zaman Australia

  • ‘That’s what all politicians should do’: Former PM Malcolm Turnbull is praised for catching the train rather than using a chauffeur-driven car

    Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has been spotted catching the train in Sydney.

    A picture of Mr Turnbull sitting on a Sydney train on Saturday has attracted over 400 comments online, with many praising the man worth an estimated $200million for roughing it with the masses.

    Former prime ministers have a considerable list of benefits available to them including a Commonwealth car and an accompanying driver in their home state.

    ‘That’s what all politicians should do, not cash in their perks as kings,’ one person said.

    ‘Say what you like about him as PM, but I like that a man who’s worth $200million and has all the perks of an ex-PM including a chauffeured Com car still catches the metro,’ said another.

    ‘One of the things I like about the Turnbulls is that they want to get around using public transport or by foot,’ a commenter added.

    © Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited Mr Turnbull has been well known for his love and constant use of public transport and often posts his travels to TwitterA few commenters pointed out that he was incorrectly sitting on a disabled seat but several others quickly dismissed this.’Yeah look at all the disabled people lined up on that quiet train inconvenienced by Malcolm,’ a person replied sarcastically.The millionaire often chose public transport during his duties and famously took the train from Melbourne to Geelong while Bronwyn Bishop took the same trip by helicopter in the scandal known as ‘choppergate’.

    © Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited The millionaire once took the train from Melbourne to Geelong while Bronwyn Bishop took the same trip by helicopter in the scandal known as ‘choppergate’He continued to ride public transport even while severing as Prime Minister but had to be surrounded several Australian Federal Police Officers.

    Mr Turnbull has been well known for his love and constant use of public transport and often posts his travels to Twitter.

    One on occasion in 2015 he embarked on a Twitter recommendation thread where he posted some of his favourite routes and images of scenery he had experienced on the train. msn

  • Liverpool celebrate Champions League win with victory parade

    Liverpool’s players and club manager paraded through the city’s centre on Sunday after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to win their sixth Champions League trophy.

    Thousands of Liverpool fans lined the streets to greet the champions who paraded from Allerton Maze to the waterfront — a route of almost 16 kilometres.

    he team arrived at Liverpool Airport on Sunday afternoon and mounted buses that read “Champions of Europe” after celebrating Saturday’s win in Madrid through the early hours of the morning.

    Mo Salah scored a penalty for Liverpool in the first two minutes of the game after a handball from Sissoko. Divock Origi scored Liverpool’s second goal in the 87th minute.

    Liverpool aimed to outdo last year’s final, in which they were runners up, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid.

    With a new goalkeeper, Jurgen Klopp’s team came back strong. They had just one defeat all season in Premier League.

  • Fitch downgrades Turkey’s rating, cites sacking of central bank governor

    Ratings agency Fitch downgraded Turkey’s sovereign rating to “BB-“ on Friday, saying the dismissal of its central bank governor heightens doubts over the authorities’ tolerance for a period of sustained below-trend growth, Reuters reported.

    Governor Murat Çetinkaya was sacked on July 6 and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday he had dismissed him because Çetinkaya failed to follow instructions on interest rates and the bank had not properly fulfilled its role.

    Fitch, which lowered Turkey’s rating from “BB” with a negative outlook, said Çetinkaya’s removal also highlights a deterioration in institutional independence and economic policy coherence and credibility.

    It said the move “risks damaging already weak domestic confidence (evidenced by rising dollarisation), jeopardising the inflow of foreign capital needed to meet Turkey’s large external financing requirement and worsening economic outcomes.”

    Fitch said the dismissal also added to uncertainties over the prospects for structural reforms and management of the public sector finances.

  • NSW Parliamentary Iftar celebrates Australian diversity

    Affinity organised its major Ramadan Iftar Dinner at the NSW Parliament on 23 May 2019 attended by more than 300 prominent guests from diverse backgrounds and professions.

    The event co-hosted by parliamentarians, The Hon John Sidoti MP and Ms Sophie Costis MP marked the Affinity Intercultural Foundation’s 11th annual Friendship and Dialogue Ramadan Iftar Dinner at the historic parliament building.

    Former Socceroo and broadcaster and a staunch advocate for refugees and human rights, Craig Foster during his keynote address described how he spearheaded a campaign, creating a global movement and leading a coalition of organisations across sport and human rights to free the young soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi from Bangkok prison.

    With thunderous applause Hakeem al-Araibi came to the stage in order to thank Craig and all his Australian supporters for a successful campaign that resulted in his safe return back to his new homeland.

    Affinity’s annual ’Peace and Solidarity Award’ for 2019 was presented by Bill Dobbie, New Zealand Consul-General to Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, investigative reporter at the ABC and Lucy Carter, researcher at Four Corners, ABC for their work on the Four Corners episode titled, ‘Under the Radar’ following the Christchurch terror attacks on two mosques which claimed the lives of 51 innocent people with more than 50 injured.

    The invited guests at the Iftar included business people, members of the Parliament, members of the media (including ABC, SBS, Sydney Morning Herald, Walkley Foundation, Desi Australia, AMUST and Zaman), members from the Royal Australian Navy, NSW Police Force, United Nations Association of Australia, youth and education leaders, community and religious leaders, school principals, captains and students, government officials, former diplomats, academics as well as well as consul generals representing a number of countries.

    The formal program commenced with an introduction and a welcome by Kumi Taguchi, presenter and broadcaster on the ABC, who acted as MC for the evening.

    Welcome to Country was given by Walangari Karnatawarra, an Australian Aboriginal artist and Aboriginal elder from Alice Springs and now lives and works in Sydney.

    Pauline Wright, President, NSW Council for Civil Liberties

    Pauline Wright, President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties and an Affinity Advisory Board Member welcomed the guests.

    Bilal Kilic.

    Bilal Kilic from Amity College, in his melodious voice gave Adhan, the Arabic call to prayer for guests to break their fast. In mosques all around the world, the call to the evening prayer signals the end of the fast and the beginning of the Iftar dinner.

    Mr Abdul Raheem, Consul at the Sri Lanka Consulate in Sydney reflected upon the recent acts of terror in Sri Lanka which claimed more than 200 innocent lives. Dr Kathy Egea, Senior Lecturer at UTS, was invited to the stage to present a gift to Mr Abdul Raheem.

    Amity College Choir, Auburn.

    Soon after dinner, Walangari Karntawarra and Amity College Choir came together on the stage for a combined performance.

    Walangari performed a solo piece, followed by a performance from the Amity College Choir who sang, ‘Garrry Ninaname’, a traditional Aboriginal song & Touch the Sky, from Brave. The choir conductor for the evening was Emma Bolton, a music teacher at Amity College.

    The Hon John Sidoti and Ms Sophie Cotsis presented gifts to the Amity College Choir students and their teacher Emma Bolton.

    The Hon John Sidoti, Member for Drummoyne is the Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans, and a Member of the Liberal Party while Ms Sophie Cotsis, Member for Canterbury is Shadow Minister for Women, Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism , Shadow Minister for Ageing, Shadow Minister for Disability Services, and a Member of the Autralian Labor Party.

    Sophie Cotsis MP, State Labor Member for Canterbury..

    Both co-hosts of the Iftar addressed the guests and were presented with gifts by The Hon John Hatzistergos, Judge, District Court of NSW.

    The most popular and mover and shaker behind such successful events, Ahmet Polat, the Executive Director of Affinity Intercultural Foundation in his unique and hilarious style addressed all the guests present as his cousins appreciating all and thanking guests, sponsors, supporters and volunteers.

    Joe Gelonesi, Manager, Religion & Ethics ABC, presented a gift to Pauline Wright and Walangari.

    The audience were mesmerised by  Qur’an recitation by Ibrahim Karaisli from Amity College.

    The keynote speaker, Craig Foster finally took to the stage and in addition to talking about his efforts to free Hakeem al-Araibi, gave a moving address of hiis passion for advocacy towards vulnerable people, gender equality in sport as a driver of change, indigenous rights and social justice and always being a prominent advocate for the beautiful game and its social impact on Australia.

    A special gift, Jersey signed by international soccer legend Hakan Sukur (Shukur) was presented to Craig Foster by Ahmet Polat.

    Sukur (Shukur) spent most of his club career at Galatasaray, but also played for Torino, Inter Milan, Parma and the Blackburn Rovers. He represented Turkey a total of 112 times, scoring 51 goals, making him the nation’s top goalscorer and 19th in the world at the time of his retirement. One of the most prolific strikers of the modern era, he netted 383 goals throughout his club career as well as the fastest ever in a World Cup, in 2002.

    A special musical performance was staged by Ashiya Khan and Yasmin Hasan who participated in the International Festival of Language and Culture (IFLC), one of the largest and most prominent events for promoting world languages and cultures.

    Dr Geoff Lee (right) with Ashiya Khan, Yasmin Hasan and Nuran Okan.

    It was dedicated to cultivate and educate the youth and create a platform to share their cultural heritage with their peers around the world.

    Ashiya Khan sang “You’re the Voice” by the one of Australia’s most beloved solo artists, John Farnham while Yasmin Hasan sang “Get Along” by Guy Sebastian, first winner of the first Australian Idol in 2003.

    The Hon Dr Geoff Lee, Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education was invited to the stage to present gifts from Affinity to Ashiya, Yasmin and their music teacher Nuran Okan. Geoff stayed back on the stage to address the audience.

    Joseph La Posta, CEO, Multicultural NSW with The Hon John Sidoti.

    The Consul General of New Zealand in Sydney, Mr Bill Dobbie, honoured the guests with a moving address reflecting upon the recent tragedy in Christchurch and the coming together of the community afterwards.

    Prof Mary Sponberg, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Southern Cross University presented a gift to Mr Dobbie.

    The Hon  John Sidoti and Ms Sophie Cotsis handed sponsorship certificates to all of the sponsors, Suttons Homebush Honda, Multicultural NSW, University of Sydney, Settlement Services International (SSI), NAB and Notre Dame University.

    Hakeem Al- Araibi, Community & Human Rights Advocate at Football Victoria accepted the award on behalf of Football Victoria.

    Louisa Graham, Chief Executive of The Walkley Foundation.

    Afterwards, Principal Chaplain Collin Acton, Director General Chaplaincy from the Royal Australian Navy and Louisa Graham, Chief Executive of the Walkley Foundation gave reflections from the floor.

    Chin Tan, Race Discrimination Commissioner.

    The Vote of Thanks was given by Mr Chin Tan, Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission who was presented with a gift by Patricia Jenkings, President of the United Nations Association of Australia.

    Pauline Wright, President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, and Kumi Taguchi closed the formal proceedings with concluding remarks.

    Principal Chaplain Collin Acton, Director General Chaplaincy from the Royal Australian Navy.

    Ramadan is a month dedicated to self-discipline, spiritual renewal and togetherness. It is a time when Muslims recommit themselves to their faith, following days of discipline with nights of gratitude for the gifts that God bestows. Ramadan presents an opportunity for Muslims to bring their most positive values to the fore.

    John Sidoti and Hakeem.

    It’s a time of spiritual renewal and a reminder of one’s duty to our fellow human beings: to serve one another and lift up those less fortunate.  The Quran teaches that we should tread gently upon the earth and, when confronted by ignorance, reply “peace”.

    During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. By foregoing things that we take for granted, by taking care to be kind, respectful and just, we are more likely to live out our values.

  • Taleggio hummus

    his is best served at room temperature and will become thicker as it cools.

    200g chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water

    2 fresh bay leaves

    flaked salt

    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

    juice of 1/2 a lemon

    1/2 tsp ground cumin

    30g grated parmesan cheese

    80g taleggio cheese, rind removed and cut into small pieces

    crisps or corn chips, to serve

    In a large pot, add the drained chickpeas, bay leaves and plenty of cold water to cover. Bring to the boil, skim and reduce heat to a steady simmer. Cook until they have become very soft – 30 minutes to 11/2 hours – this will depend on the chickpeas. You may need to add more water.

    Drain, reserving liquid. While still hot, place chickpeas in a blender or food processor with a teaspoon of salt and blend until you have a very smooth puree. This will take several minutes and you will need to add a little of the reserved liquid as the chickpeas are quite dry.

    Once you have a very smooth consistency, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined. Season to taste and pour into a dipping bowl.

    Serve with crisps or corn chips.

  • Why we’re feeling poor: Prices for schools, health and other ‘needs’ up about 200% in 20 years

    Over the past 20 years a yawning gap has emerged between the cost of living and our sagging standard of living as the prices of many of the goods and services we ‘need’ have risen way in excess of the prices for our discretionary ‘wants’.

    It explains why many Australians feel poorer even though wages have risen over that period a little more than the official consumer price index which measures inflation.

    Fidelity International’s asset management specialist Anthony Doyle has tracked the price movements in ‘needs’ versus ‘wants’ since 2000, based on the sub-categories within the consumer price index.

    While the official CPI has gone up 57 per cent, the prices of, for example, secondary and tertiary education, healthcare, childcare, insurance, housing and most utilities have increased significantly more than the CPI.

    Even the cost of food has risen faster than the CPI over the past 20 years.

    Doyle says the compilation of a true cost-of-living index is just too difficult to do for statistical agencies because different people buy different things. He argues that we can get an understanding of the price pressures households face by looking at the underlying sub-categories of the CPI.

    “So we have this official CPI inflation measure which is the determinant of how the Reserve Bankacts on monetary policy – (in order to achieve) its  main goal of keeping within its 2-3 per cent inflation target.

    “But if you think about the real costs of life. The cost of some these components (of the CPI) have grown materially over the course of 20 years,” Doyle says.

    Since 2000, while the CPI has risen 57 per cent, the cost of hospital and medical services are up 195 per cent, preschool and primary education has increased almost 160 per cent while the cost of electricity has galloped ahead by 194 per cent.

    Against this wages have gone up 78 per cent over this period.

    Thus it is becoming increasingly difficult for many Australians to retain their standard of living or increase their savings.

    “These are 20-year long-term trends and I can’t see why it would reverse,” says Doyle, who also argues that the implications for Australian investors are significant.

    The RBA’s rationale is that this will stimulate businesses to invest, improve unemployment, increase consumer demand and raise prices.

    “With the RBA cutting interest rates to all-time lows, it is becoming increasingly difficult to generate returns that will keep in line with some of these components that are rising materially,” Dolye says.

    So there is now increasing pressure on households to invest in higher yielding investments.

    So many Australians and particularly older people that are living off investment income are being pushed, by necessity, into riskier higher yielding asset classes – particularly equities and property. theage-Elizabeth Knight

  • Teenage girl in ‘serious but stable’ condition after being pinned under bus in Parramatta

    A 16-year-old girl pinned under a bus for more than 90 minutes in Parramatta last night is in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital.

    The Sydney public transport bus mounted a footpath about 9:45pm last night and hit three teenage girls who were waiting at the bus stop at the intersection of Church and Argyle streets, outside the Parramatta train station.

    One of the girls was pinned beneath the front of the bus.

    Paramedics, police and firefighters worked frantically for one-and-a-half hours to free her.

    Rescues crews were seen huddling around the bus, its front windshield cracked, parallel against a wall.

    The bus was caught beneath an awning, meaning it was difficult for firefighters to elevate the bus and free the teenager.

    “On our arrival there was a female in her early teens that was trapped under the bus for a significant period of time,” NSW Ambulance Acting Inspector Joe Ibrahim said.

    “She was crushed by the bus and she remains in an extremely critical condition and has been transported to Westmead Hospital with pelvic injuries.

    “The rescue was extremely difficult … with the assistance of NSW Fire and Rescue and NSW Police Force we managed to get the bus off the female patient and had our medical teams put her to sleep.”

    Mr Ibrahim said the other two teenage girls, also 16, sustained minor injuries and were “thankfully, all quite stable”.

    The bus had about 20 passengers on board at the time of the collision and a 49-year-old female passenger was treated in hospital for an eye injury.

    Inspector Phil Sheedy from Fire and Rescue NSW said the confined space between the bus and the wall made the rescue “a very arduous task”.

    “Hopefully, she will pull through,” he said of the 16-year-old girl.

    NSW Police said a 62-year-old male bus driver was taken to the hospital for shock and mandatory blood tests as investigations continued.abc.net

  • Australians want Google, Facebook crackdown: Comms Minister Paul Fletcher

    Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has warned leaving Facebook and Google unregulated is not sustainable and says the public expects the government to take action on the US-based digital behemoths for privacy breaches and abuses of market power.

    The technology giants, which are used by the vast majority of the Australian public and generate billions of dollars in advertising revenue, should face the same regulations and restrictions as businesses that aren’t powered by the internet, Mr Fletcher told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in an interview this week.

    The comments come after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warned the social media and search behemoths to expect a strict response to tackle their market power as part of a world-first inquiry into the impact of the technology companies on traditional media outlets, advertising revenues and user privacy.

    The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission handed its final report to the government on June 30 after an 18 month investigation. It has not yet been publicly released or shared with the digital platforms.with theage

  • A new red line through Sydney’s rail map

     

    Confusion about which rail line is which has spurred transport planners to redesign Sydney’s rail map to make it easier for passengers to understand.

    Since a “T system” was introduced as part of an overhaul of the rail timetable in 2013, much of the misunderstanding when reading the map has been about the T1 line because it encompasses the Western, Northern and North Shore lines.

    In an attempt to make it easier for commuters and tourists alike, the T1 Northern Line will be renamed the T9 Northern Line from April 28. As well, it will drop yellow for a distinct red, and extend from Hornsby to Gordon via Epping, and Sydney’s central business district.

    The Metro North West line will also make its first appearance on Sydney’s rail map in its trademark aqua – the same colour its driverless, single-deck trains are painted in. The new $8 billion line from Rouse Hill in Sydney’s north-west to Chatswood is due to open in May.

    “Customer information will now be clearer and more concise,” it said. “This is not just a rebranding. It is about making customer journeys easier and improving their ability to plan their trip.”

    Diagrammatic maps have played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth flow of passengers on railways for decades. A map of Sydney’s rail network in the 1930s drew inspiration from the first diagrammatic map of the London Underground by Harry Beck.

    The Tube map has been repeatedly refined since and become one of – if not the – best known in the world. With SMH

  • Number of Australian properties resold at a loss climbs to six-year high

    Twelve per cent of Australian properties were resold at a loss — compared to what the sellers had paid for them — in the first three months of 2019.

    It was the highest level of loss-making sales in six years and another sign of weaker property market conditions, according to the latest “Pain and Gain” report by property analysts CoreLogic.

    This was also a marked increase from 10.5 per cent (in the December 2018 quarter), and 9 per cent (in the March 2018 quarter).

    “Australia had a total of $486.8 million in realised gross losses from resales over the March quarter, with highest share of losses nationally seen in Perth (24.8pc) and Sydney (19.9pc),” CoreLogic analyst Camer Kusher wrote in his report.

    On the flipside, $14.3 billion was the total gross profit earned by owners reselling their properties across the nation.

    In dollar terms, Australia’s most expensive cities, Sydney (24.3pc) and Melbourne (23.5pc), accounted for most of those profits due to their “higher cost of housing” and “strong growth in dwelling values prior to the recent downturn”.

    Investors were also more likely to resell their properties at a loss compared to owner-occupiers.

    In the first quarter, 10.5pc of properties owned by owner-occupiers sold at a loss, compared to 16.7pc for investment properties.

    “Clearly any property owner will aim to make a profit from the sale of their property,” Mr Kusher said.

    “In a falling market, owner-occupiers may be more prepared to sell at a loss if they are purchasing their next home at an equivalent or greater discount.

    “Conversely, investors, because of taxation rules, would seemingly be more prepared to incur a loss because they (unlike owner-occupiers) can offset those losses against future capital gains.”

    He also said that all capital cities experienced an increased number of loss-making resales over the March quarter, compared to the December 2018 quarter.

    Across the capitals, the share of properties resold at a loss varied significantly — Sydney (9pc), Melbourne (6.4pc), Brisbane (11.5pc), Adelaide (8.4pc), Hobart (2.1pc) and Canberra (10.2pc).

    Meanwhile, resale losses for Perth (32.8pc) and Darwin (45.5pc) were at record levels.

    CoreLogic said that apartments were much more likely to resell at a loss compared to houses.

    During the March quarter, the proportion of loss-making apartments (20.5pc) far exceeded the number of houses sold at a loss (9.5pc).

    The number of apartments selling at a loss increased rapidly compared to the December (17.9pc) and March 2018 quarters (14.6pc).

    House owners are also increasingly selling their property at a loss, but the uptick was at a much slower rate — compared to the December (8.3pc) and March 2018 (7.1pc) quarters.

    However, these figures were not as severe compared to regions that are still grappling with the end of the mining boom.

    The weakest property market in the March quarter was, by far, Darwin — 58.2pc of apartment vendors sold for a loss, compared to 40.8pc for house vendors.

    It was followed closely by losses in regional Western Australia (apartments: 47.4pc, houses: 37.3pc) and Perth (apartments: 49.2pc, houses: 28.8pc).

    Meanwhile, ACT (1.9pc), Hobart (2.1pc) and Melbourne (2.5pc) had the lowest proportion of houses selling for a loss.

    In regards to house sales, Hobart (2.1pc), regional Tasmania (7pc) and regional NSW (7.7pc) had the lowest proportion of loss-making sales.abc