Greater Sydney residents able to have 10 visitors plus under-12s for next three days; air crew quarantine in the spotlight; Sydney test still undecided. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
Christmas may have been partially salvaged for Sydney’s coronavirus-hit northern beaches, but experts are calling on authorities to consider canning the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The Australian Medical Association president, Omar Khorshid,has welcomed NSW’s four-tier system for Christmas gatherings which begins on Thursday, describing it as a “cautious approach”.
Police say they are expecting long delays on the Tweed Heads-Coolangatta border. Yesterday, travellers waited up to 90 minutes on the NSW-Queensland border.
The traffic on the border between Coolangatta and the Tweed is building with more delays expected today. @R_DAlessandro9 #9News pic.twitter.com/QR5i60Okv1
The past 12 months has been a year of non-stop headlines – coronavirus aside. The Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, joins Anushka Asthana to reflect on the stories of 2020. There was the killing of George Floyd and the global anti-racism movement Black Lives Matter, and then the US election in which Americans voted president Donald Trump out of office. And the biggest story of all: the continuing climate crisis which, despite a pandemic-induced reduction in travel, resulted in only a 7% drop in global emissions
The 52-year-old killer was convicted in September of abducting and killing Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon in the 1990s
Claremont killer Bradley Robert Edwards will likely die behind bars after a West Australian judge sentenced him to life in prison with a non-parole period of 40 years.
Edwards, who terrorised Perth’s suburbs for almost a decade, showed no emotion in the supreme court on Wednesday after receiving his sentence, which was greeted with applause from the public gallery which included family members of his victims.
Sydney to keep 10-visitor rule but from 24-26 December children under 12 not counted; lockdown continues in half of northern beaches, but small Christmas gatherings allowed. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
NSW Covid hotspots – list of venues and case locations
Border restrictions: rules for NSW travellers
Covid restrictions and lockdown rules – state by state
Labor calls for Australia’s vaccine rollout to be accelerated
Follow the global liveblog
And in Queensland now, the state has registered one new positive case, acquired overseas and currently in hotel quarantine.
Coronavirus (#COVID19) case update 23/12.
New case acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
Detailed information about COVID-19 cases in Queensland can be found here: https://t.co/kapyXpSIAP pic.twitter.com/yC04lhUqZT
South Australia’s Parafield cluster has been declared “closed” by health authorities after the state marked four weeks since the last coronavirus case linked to the outbreak went into quarantine.
The cluster initially forced the state into a short lockdown, after health authorities linked positive cases to a cleaner and a security guard at the Peppers medi-hotel, as well as the Woodville Pizza Bar.
The hard work of every South Australian, getting tested, keeping washing your hand, following all instructions, and a big thank you to my team in CDCB for doing all the fantastic contact tracing and SAPOL for their ongoing work with enforcement during this pandemic.
City waits anxiously as NSW premier due to announce whether northern beaches can come out of lockdown; Labor calls for January vaccine rollout. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
Double-demerit points will come into force in NSW from midnight tonight, lasting until 3 January.
The extra demerits apply to speeding, seatbelt, mobile phone and motorcycle helmet offences, and police are targeting speeding as well as drink, drug, dangerous and distracted driving, AAP report.
Watch this recap of 2020 in video, prepared by my colleague Becca Leaver.
Investors and Labor criticise report amid warning that undermining class actions could damage Australia’s ability to attract investment
Investor groups and class action lawyers have denounced a Liberal-dominated parliamentary inquiry’s recommendation to permanently water down laws requiring listed companies to keep the market fully informed.
The Keep Corporations Honest group, an alliance of class action lawyers and litigation funders, said the inquiry’s recommendations were “an early Christmas present for corporate criminals”. One of Australia’s leading proxy advisers, Dean Paatsch of Ownership Matters, warned that undermining private lawsuits could damage the country’s ability to attract investment.
NSW premier due to announce what coronavirus restrictions will be in place on Christmas Day and whether northern beaches can come out of lockdown. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus today. It’s Naaman Zhou here with you.
Sydney residents will find out today whether they will spend Christmas under Covid restrictions. The NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has promised a decision today on whether restrictions, which are due to expire at midnight tonight, will go into Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and even potentially the new year.
Sydney accountant Vanda Gould, only last week sentenced to three years in prison, is suing tax commissioner Chris Jordan
Among Australia’s monied elites, it is one of the most eagerly awaited defamation cases for years, a showdown that involves a range of allegations, from offshore cash being used to buy multi-million-dollar houses to possible insider trading, money laundering and rorting of the legal system.
These are just some of the many extraordinary allegations that Australia’s tax commissioner, Chris Jordan, has made in defending himself against a suit brought by one of his most stalwart opponents, Sydney accountant Vanda Gould.
Latest updates: Anthony Fauci ‘extremely confident’ in vaccine; BioNTech’s CEO says tests being run on mutant strain; Ireland to tighten restrictions from Christmas Eve
US Congress passes $900bn Covid-19 aid bill
Covid cases recorded in Antarctica – reports
Taiwan confirms first local case in more than 250 days
Biden receives vaccine live on TV
The US government does not intend to impose screenings for passengers traveling from Britain after the emergence of a highly infectious new coronavirus variant there, Reuters reports citing people briefed on the decision.
A White House coronavirus task force discussed requiring negative pre-flight tests after a meeting on Monday, but the government has decided not to take any action for the time being, the people said.
Lorry drivers stranded at Manston airport in Kent have been sounding their horns in apparent protest at the delays and conditions.
Sound on! Hundreds of drivers stuck in giant lorry park that was once Manston Airport hoot their horns in frustration #LorryDrivers #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/46ZHP6Y62L
They are clearly unhappy. #LetThemOut #Manston pic.twitter.com/jK3USESq01
BioNTech’s CEO says tests being run on mutant strain; Ireland to tighten restrictions from Christmas Eve; US could require negative Covid-19 tests for passengers from Britain
US Congress passes $900bn Covid-19 aid bill
Covid cases recorded in Antarctica – reports
Taiwan confirms first local case in more than 250 days
Biden receives vaccine live on TV
Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, has told MPs that he believes at least 4,000 trucks could be impacted by the French travel ban, PA reports.
I don’t think the number of trucks in the queue or other areas is the relevant number,” he told the
We reckon about 4,000 on their way to Dover at various points. Anyone seeing this all happening in the run-up would have parked somewhere else, somewhere more congenial and in a better state. I think the number of trucks that needs to be clearer as this unwinds will be more than 4,000.
There are dozens of lorries there with product that is going off. There is a huge hit here to Scottish seafood.
The government was well aware of the power of the announcement it made on Saturday and Chris Whitty went out of his way to rightly scare people over the impact.
Anthony Fauci, the US’s top infectious disease expert, has confirmed that the US is considering testing UK travellers before they are allowed to enter the US.
But he dismissed an outright ban on travel from the UK as an “over reaction”. Asked by BBC News if the US planned to follow more than 40 countries in banning travellers from the UK, Fauci said:
At this point I am not recommending that, I think that might be a bit of an overreaction. However, I certainly respect the other countries in their decisions of what they’re going to do.
I think we should seriously consider the possibility of requiring pre-flight testing before people leave from the UK to the United States. That’s something that’s on the table that I believe needs to be seriously considered rather than an out-and-out now ban on all travel from the UK to the United States.
I want this to be a symbol for the people in the United States to encourage them about the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine, and to get them to be enthusiastic when their time comes to get vaccinated.
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