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Live breaking news: 70 Aussies barred from flying out of India

Dozens of Australians due to fly home today were told they cannot board their flight after a number of passengers tested positive for coronavirus.

Ben Graham and Phoebe Loomes
less than 2 min read
May 14, 2021 - 12:18PM
Controversial India travel ban to end at midnight

More than 70 people due to catch repatriation flights out of India have been told they cannot leave the country after dozens tested positive for coronavirus.

A total 40 people tested positive for COVID-19 before boarding the flight, and 30 more were classed as close contacts of those positive cases, the ABC reports.

It means a total of 70 people are no longer able catch the repatriation flight, which had a total of 150 seats booked.

The flight is the first to return from India in more than two weeks, after the government imposed a temporary ban on Australian citizens returning from the country earlier this month.

Read more on this and live updates on today's news in the blog below.

Updates

Death toll in Israel-Palestine conflict rises

Israel’s Defence Force said it had struck a “Hamas launch sites and observation posts in Gaza” on Friday.

The IDF said it had hit the sites with strikes fires from jets in a statement via Twitter.


Israel bombarded Gaza with artillery and air strikes overnight, after being hit with a new barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas-run enclave.

The conflict has continued to intensify since Monday, and the death toll has risen to 127, according to AFP.

The Israeli army said its overnight operation involved fighter jets and tanks hitting a Hamas tunnel network dug under civilian areas.

It said it “wasn’t feasible this time” to forewarn civilians as it did ahead of strikes on Gaza tower blocks earlier this week.

The conflict has killed 119 Palestinians, including 31 children, and wounded more than 830, Gaza’s health minister said.

An Israeli woman in her 80s died overnight from injuries sustained while seeking shelter from rocket fire.

It brings the Israeli death toll to eight, including a six-year-old boy.

–with AFP

China mouthpiece’s threat against Australia

–Jade Gailberger

Beijing has fired a warning shot at Australia, saying it should prepare to fend off Chinese missiles as tensions flare between the two nations.

The threat follows Scott Morrison saying it would be “foolish” not to appreciate the potential risk of military conflict with China over Taiwan.

Hu Xijin, editor of Chinese mouthpiece the Global Times, took to Twitter on Friday to begin the shocking intimidation.

“Preparing for war? Then build an antimissile system!” he tweeted.

“I believe once Australian troops come to Taiwan Strait to combat against the People’s Liberation Army, there is a high probability that Chinese missiles will fly toward military bases and key relevant facilities on Australian soil in retaliation.”

Hunt for man who ‘touched’ girls

Police are searching for a man who allegedly inappropriately touched two girls after approaching them for a game of tips.

A number of children were at a park at Balo St in Moree when they were approached by an unknown man, NSW Police said in a statement.

The man offered the group food and drinks and played a game of “tips” with the kids. Police allege the man then inappropriately touched two girls before chasing them south toward Adelaide St.

An adult then intervened, chasing the man on foot. He was last seen fleeing in a white flatbed truck, loaded at the time. The truck was last seen heading south on Frome St, towards the Newell Hwy.

Police have released an image of a man who may be able to assist with their inquiries.

Picture: NSW Police Force

He’s described as cacausian in appearance, in his 50s, with a slim build with an olive complexion and grey hair. He was wearing a cowboy hat, a white shirt, grey shorts and thongs.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage from the area is urged to contact the New England Police District, or Crime Stoppers.

Head of Aussie neo-Nazi group arrested

The head of an Australian neo-Nazi group has been arrested by police at his Melbourne home this afternoon.

Thomas Sewell, the leader of the far-right National Socialist Network, was arrested by Victorian Police from the Counter Terrorism Command at his home in Rowville, in Melbourne.

Picture: Supplied

A 28-year-old and a 22-year-old man were arrested.

The pair are being questioned over an alleged violent robbery, according to the report. No charges have been laid.

More than 900 vulnerable Australians in India

Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell said there are more than 900 vulnerable Australians in India with numbers rising in recent weeks.

He said a total 10,000 Australians in India currently registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Mr O’Farrell said the number of vulnerable Australians has been going up in recent weeks because of the pause on flights.

“So this has never been a static number. Equally, the 10,000 registered will not reflect the entirety of Australians in India, because there are many Australian methods that this crisis would have been living with their family and friends across India, that are not yet registered with DFAT.”

Mr O’Farrell said the repatriation flight would not fly at full capacity, because after going through newly implemented enhanced health screenings, 40 passengers had tested positive.

“Those checks are designed, like the pause, to prevent any additional strain on Australia's quarantine system,” he said.

“Obviously I am disappointed, as are those Australians who will not be on today's flight. My team across India has worked hard to assist them to get bookings on this flight, because they are vulnerable.

“But all passengers who were invited to book on today's flight were advised in advance of new safety checks, and they all agreed to go through those checks.”

40 test positive on flight out of India

More than 70 people due to catch repatriation flights out of India have been told they cannot leave the country after dozens tested positive for coronavirus.

Picture: Che Chorley

A total 40 people tested positive for COVID-19 before boarding the flight, and 30 more were classed as close contacts of those positive cases, the ABC reports.

It means a total of 70 people are no longer able catch the repatriation flight, which had a total of 150 seats booked.

The flight is the first to return from India in more than two weeks, after the government imposed a temporary ban on Australian citizens returning from the country earlier this month.

The government’s controversial travel ban on Australian citizens who had been in India 14 days before their arrival in Australia from coming to the country, is due to expire at midnight.

The passengers were due to arrive in Australia after that time, and were scheduled to quarantine at the Howard Springs facility in the Northern Territory.

Barry O’Farrell, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, said he was disappointed the 70 Australians were not able to catch the flight home.

Grim way PM spent his birthday

While most of us might like to spend our birthdays having dinner with the family or having a few beers with mates, the Prime Minister spent the night getting grilled by the opposition.

Scott Morrison turned 53 on Thursday, but birthdays don’t matter much in budget week.

For the occasion, the federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese served Mr Morrison his budget reply, saying the federal government’s budget told a “sorry tale of eight years of Liberal neglect”.

“Eight years of wasting opportunities – and running from responsibility,” Mr Albanese said.

Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Morrison shared a photo of himself holding a pistachio and raspberry cake given to him by his staffers.

“Sadly, I won’t get to see Jen and the girls today but it was nice to hear from them this morning and I’m looking forward to a small family celebration with them tomorrow night when I get back home to Sydney.

Have a good day everyone,” Mr Morrison wrote on Instagram.

Australia has avoided 30k Covid deaths: PM

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reiterated Australia’s response to the coronavirus pandemic saw us avoid 30,000 deaths.

Speaking at the Federal Budget Lunch address Mr Morrison said if Australia had seen a fatality rate similar to the average experienced by OECD countries, tens of thousands of Australians would have died.

Picture: ABC

“Right now, here in Australia, we are living like few countries are in the world today. The average fatality rate in the OECD countries, so I am talking about countries that have similar health systems, similar advanced economies, the average fatality rate in OECD countries is 1,314 per million," Mr Morrison said. "In Australia that figure is 35.7.
“Now, what that means is had Australia experienced the same rate of fatality from COVID as countries like us all around the world, there would have been more than 30,000 more fatalities here in this country.
“That is what together as Australians we have worked together to avoid whereas so many other countries and the world, they could not. It swept over them. It overwhelmed them. It wreaked great havoc and great devastation, but not here. Not here.”
Some 910 Australians have died from coronavirus, and Australia has reported just under 30,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

UN to meet over Israel-Palestine conflict

The UN Security Council will hold a meeting Sunday to address the soaring violence between Israel and the Palestinians, diplomats said Thursday.

The United States, which had blocked an originally scheduled Friday session and proposed a meeting early next week, agreed to move the virtual session — requested by Tunisia, Norway and China — to Sunday, the same sources said.

Picture: Mohammed Abed / AFP

The US said earlier Thursday it wanted to give time for diplomacy. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asked about the scrapping of Friday’s session, had said the US was not blocking a meeting but wanted to hold it later.

“We are open to and supportive of an open discussion at the United Nations,” Mr Blinken told reporters in Washington.

“I think we’re looking at early next week. This, I hope, will give some time for the diplomacy to have some effect,” he said, before the meeting was set for Sunday.

In Gaza, more than 100 people have been reported killed — including 27 children — and more than 580 people wounded as heavy bombardment has rocked the crowded coastal enclave and brought down entire tower blocks.

Inside Israel, seven people have been killed, including one six-year-old, after a rocket struck a family home.

–AFP

Inventor of Post-its Notes glue dies

The inventor of the adhesive used in Post-it Notes, Spencer Silver, has died.

Silver was 80 and died in his home on May 8, according to a family obituary published by stationary company 3M.

Silver discovered the specialised glue in 1968, which he realised allowed paper to be attached to surfaces, removed and reattached again without leaving a residue.


The inventor searched for a good use for the glue for years, and called it a “solution waiting for a problem to solve”.

In 1974 his colleague, Art Fry, suggested the glue could be used to attach bookmarks, and stop them falling from his hymn books in church.

The Press’n’Peel memo pad finally made it to market in 1977, but didn’t take off until 1980 when it was renamed “Post-it Note”.

It remains one of 3M’s top selling consumer products.

He is survived by Linda, his wife of 56 years, his daughter and two grandchildren.

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