The New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency said people should get out of the water, off beaches and away from harbours, rivers and estuaries in areas from Ahipara to Bay of islands, Great Barrier Island and from Matata to Tolaga Bay.

#BREAKING 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes off coasts of Vanuatu, New Caledonia: USGS pic.twitter.com/ga5VVmnGla

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 10, 2021

“We expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore,” the agency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said there was a tsunami threat to offshore Australian islands and territories.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the 7.7 magnitude quake’s epicentre was 417 km (258 miles) east of Tadine, New Caledonia, and was at a depth of 10 km (6.2miles).

The quake, which was upgraded from an earlier magnitude of7.2, followed at least three other tremors in the region with magnitudes ranging from 5.7 to 6.1 in a span of just over an hour.

The US Tsunami Warning System said a tsunami watch was in effect for American Samoa and that there was potential for tsunamis in other regions including Vanuatu, Fiji and NewZealand.

Waves reaching up to a level of 1 metre (3.3 feet) above the normal tide level are possible for some coasts of Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand, it added.

The post NZ, Australia on Tsunami alert after 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Pacific appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar went all guns blazing in the final session to help India chase down the mammoth 326-run target set by Australia. Wicketkeeper-batsmen Rishabh Pant kept the momentum going for India after Pujara’s dismissal and held his nerve to get the visitors across the line. With the win at Brisbane, the Indian team now finds themselves within visible distance of reaching the World Test Championships finals scheduled to be held at Lords, England.

Pant showed why he is one of the most dangerous batsmen, never leaving the focus and keeping the pressure on Australia who needed nothing less than a win to stop India from retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Pant smashed 89 not out, stitching a crucial 61-run stand with Cheteshwar Pujara. Washington Sundar, on debut, played a blinder hitting 22 before Pant gave the finishing touches.

In the absence of Virat Kohli and their first-choice bowling attack, India has pulled off what will be remembered as one of their greatest game in Test history.

It was the young guns, who led the show. Mohammed Siraj, playing his 3rd Test, picked up a 5-wicket haul. Washington Sundar, on debut, hit a fifty and came up with an all-round performance. Shardul Thakur picked up 7 wickets and hit a first-innings fifty as India cut down Australia’s lead to 33 after being 186 for 6. T Natarajan picked up 3 crucial first-innings wicket as youngsters stepped up in the absence of the old guards.

“It means a lot to us. I don’t know how to describe this, but our boys showed a lot of character and determination after the Adelaide Test. I’m really proud if each individual. The conversation between Pujara and me was that he would bat normal, and I would take it on. Credit to Pujara, the way he handled the pressure was magnificent. Rishabh and Washington were very good at the end. Taking 20 wickets was the key, so we opted for 5 bowlers. Sundar brought the balance in place of Jadeja. The intention was clear to play five bowlers. Siraj played two Tests, Saini just one, so it was inexperienced but the character shown by the bowlers and everyone else was incredible”, Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane said in the post-match presentation.

After the historic win at Gabba, PM Modi tweeted, “We are all overjoyed at the success of the Indian Cricket Team in Australia. Their remarkable energy and passion was visible throughout. So was their stellar intent, remarkable grit and determination. Congratulations to the team! Best wishes for your future endeavours.”

We are all overjoyed at the success of the Indian Cricket Team in Australia. Their remarkable energy and passion was visible throughout. So was their stellar intent, remarkable grit and determination. Congratulations to the team! Best wishes for your future endeavours.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 19, 2021

Dubbing India’s Gabba win as the greatest ever, Google CEO Sundar Pichai also congratulated Team India.

The post Heroic win for India against mighty Aussie, retains Border-Gavaskar Trophy appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years to ask leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to seize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous,” the statement said.

Boris Johnson was planning to visit India to Republic Day parade. He was the supposed to be the chief guest in R-Day parade. However the plan was cancelled because of the serious coronavirus situation in the UK.

Terming India as ‘pharmacy of the world’, the UK praised the efforts regarding the production of coronavirus vaccine and said, “India already supplies more than 50 per cent of the world’s vaccines, and the UK and India have worked closely together throughout the pandemic.”

Apart from India, Australia and South Korea,too, have been invited to attend G7 summit. The meet is scheduled to be held in Cornwall from June 11 to 14, 2021.

Announcing plans to hold the G7 Summit in June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wanted to use Britain’s presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the COVID-19 crisis in a pro-free trade and sustainable way.

“Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced,” he said in a statement. “It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future.”

The summit in June will address shared challenges, from beating coronavirus and tackling climate change, to ensuring that people everywhere can benefit from open trade, technological change and scientific discovery.

G7 is a grouping of leading economies — the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the USA and the EU.

Last year’s G7 meeting, due to be hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, was cancelled due to the pandemic.The leaders of Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Italy, Japan, the European Union and Canada have not met in person since the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, France.

The post UK invites PM Modi to G7, Boris Johnson plans to visit India appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

The two countries earned top grades for their robust disclosure regimes across six categories including fees, transparency of fund holdings and issues such as conflicts of interest. The report covering 26 markets across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa singled out Australia as a notable laggard.

“The US has consistently led the pack in this area, while India has gradually added global best practices to its disclosure framework,” Christina West, director of manager research services at Morningstar and co-author of the study, said in a statement. “India has also set a high standard with monthly required portfolio holdings disclosure.”

Morningstar applied a grading scale of top, above average, average, below average, and bottom to evaluate 26 markets based on six disclosure criteria: easy to understand prospectuses, fees, portfolio holdings, portfolio manager and compensation disclosures, and for the first time ESG(Environmental, Social and Governance) and stewardship, and sales disclosures.

Belgium, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Switzerland were ranked below average, while Canada, Korea, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Thailand were ranked above average.

Among the countries, Australia ranks at the bottom. According to the report Australia doesn’t follow the practice of regulated portfolio holdings disclosure, despite being a sophisticated market. The nation has also yet to adapt to increasing investor expectations around ESG and stewardship disclosures, it said.

Most fund managers in Australia publish their top 10 holdings on their websites, but it’s difficult to get the entire portfolio breakdown, said Grant Kennaway, director of manager research for Australia at Morningstar and one of the report’s co-authors. In India, fund managers publish full portfolio allocations and what percentage is invested in them, he said.

The post These two countries are the most investor-friendly markets in the world appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Kohli won the toss and elected to field. Opener Matthew Wade scored 80 runs from 53 balls, to help his side post a target of 187 runs. Australia finished at 186 for five after 20 overs, with Glenn Maxwell (54) also scoring a half-century.

Sundar was the top bowler for India, notching two wickets. Meanwhile, T Natarajan and Shardul Thakur also registered a dismissal each.

India had a shaky start to their chase, losing KL Rahul early. Virat Kohli attempted to anchor India’s chase, scoring 85 runs from 61 balls, but didn’t receive much support from the other Indian batsmen.

In the end, the visitors could only muster 174 for seven in 20 overs. Mitchell Swepson took three wickets for Australia, while Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa registered a dismissal each, respectively.

The win also puts an end to India’s winning streak in the shortest format of the game. Virat Kohli and his side have won the T20I series, 2-1. This series will be followed by a four-match Test series, which begins on December 17.

The post Australia beat India by 12 runs in the third T20 appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

The consideration of easing travel curbs comes as Morrison said Australia has gone three days without any locally transmitted cases of covid-19.

In March, Australia shut it borders to all non-citizens and permanent residents. In October, Canberra allowed New Zealand residents to enter. Internal travel is limited although those restrictions are scheduled to be removed by the end of the year.

However, United States and Europe are barred from entry as the coronavirus cases surges in these countries. But Australia may allow people from low-risk countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and even provinces in China. China was one of the first countries from which Australia restricted entry.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the government is looking at alternative arrangements to channel visitors through appropriate quarantine arrangements for low-risk countries.

Reviving tourism would be much-needed boost to Australia’s economy, which shrank seven percent in the three months that ended in June.

According to Australia’s government data, tourism in 2019 accounted for 3.1 percent of country’s gross domestic product , contributing almost A $61 billion( $44.4 billion) to the economy .

Unemployment rose up to 6.9 percent in September, official data showed.

Morrison said Australia would extend higher unemployment benefits until the end of March, though at a reduced rate.

Currently unemployed receive A$815 every two weeks, but this will fall to A$715 at the end of December.

The post Australia plans to open borders to Asia appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

The Malabar exercise this year is especially significant with the participation of Australia, thus covering all member of the Quad, an informal group of the four largest democracies in the Indo-Pacific region.

This is also the first military-level engagement among all the four member countries , primarily focusing on checking China’s increasing military muscle-flexing.

US Navy ship USS John S McCain (Guided-missile destroyer), Australian Navy Ship HMAS Ballarat (long- range frigate) and Japan Maritime Self Defence Ship ( JMSDF) Ship JS Onami (destroyer) are participating along with Navy units.

Malabar exercise is a multilateral naval exercise that includes simulated war games and combat manoeuvres. It started in 1992 between the Indian and US navies. Japan joined in 2015.
This year, the exercise will be held in two phases, the first from November 3 to 6 off the coast near Vishakapatnam and the second from November 17 to 20 in the Arabian Sea.

According to the Defence Ministry, the exercise this year has been planned on a ‘non-contact- at sea’ format in view of the covid-19 pandemic. This means there will be no contact among military personnel of the four countries.

China is rattled by participation of four leading global powers in the annual exercise. It said that the drill should be conducive to regional peace. They worry that the annual war game is an attempt to contain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The exercise comes at a time when the ties of all the four participating countries with China are under strain. Especially India is locked in the worst border deadlock with China in decades.

US and Australia’s relations with China have deteriorated recently over a range of issues including the Covid-19 pandemic and economic sanctions.

Japan meanwhile has a dispute with China over ownership of islands in the East China Sea.

The post Malabar naval exercise rattles China appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

The unprecedented warning came after the Australian government said digital giants should compensate media houses for using their stories.

“Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram,” said Facebook’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Will Easton, in a blog post.

He also added that the proposed law required the company to choose between “either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits.”

“No business can operate that way,” he said.

Australia is planning to enforce some of the strictest limitations on the powers of digital giants like Facebook and Google, which would require the companies to pay for the content they use from local news outlets. The aim is to bring in more transparency into how the platforms use their algorithms to rank content.

In a separate open letter, Google said that the proposed law was a threat to individual privacy and could impact the way Australians use the company’s platforms in terms of free services.

However, local media organizations and nonprofits have expressed their support for the government’s move as they believe that regulators need to reign in the tech giants’ total domination of the online market place before it’s too late.

The post Facebook may block news being shared on its platform from Australia appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the two companies will have to negotiate with traditional media on remuneration in good faith. If no agreement is reached, then arbitrators will be appointed to make a binding decision and will be penalised up to A$10 million ($7 million)
for breaching the code.

The draft code is under consultation until Aug 28 and will apply only to Google and Facebook at present, but could be extended to other digital companies in the future.

From a long time, the traditional media companies have been complaining that their content is being exploited by digital platforms without due compensation. This sudden move by the Australian government has garnered huge support from the Journalism world. They are being closely watched by other countries too and could move things along.

“There is a fundamental bargaining power imbalance between news media businesses and the major digital platforms,” Rod Sims, the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission which drafted the code, said in a statement.

“We wanted a model that would address this bargaining power imbalance and result in fair payment for content, which avoided unproductive and drawn-out negotiations, and wouldn’t reduce the availability of Australian news on Google and Facebook.”

The post Tech Giants to pay for Australian News appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

The post COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne to take weeks to tame appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison further announced that Australia also offered to provide five-year visas for about 10,000 Hong Kong residents in the country. They can later apply for permanent residents as well. It is not clear how many residents will get the extensions.

Britain, too, has allowed Hong Kong residents to live and work in the UK for five years. Meanwhile, Canada has suspected its extradition agreement with Hong Kong and is looking at other options including migration.

Australia had already formally notified Hong Kong and advised the Chinese authorities of the decision.

The post Australia suspends Hong Kong extradition agreement appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

According to various media reports, Pompeo told a leading US news channel that “it’s something we’re looking at.”

The move comes amidst tensions between China and the US on a range of issues. The top US diplomat has led Trump administration officials in criticising Beijing for a lack of transparency and disinformation campaign on the coronavirus since it emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

US experts had called for the ban on Tik Tok citing the handling of user data and threats posing to national security. Tik Tok owned by the Chinese company Bytedance, has been trying to solve the issues by disassociation with their origin country. Australia also has been vocal about the need to ban Chinese social media apps.

India had banned Tik Tok along with 58 other Chinese apps after the border clash between India and China at Galwan Valley.

The post After India, US to ban Chinese apps appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Australia’s sudden jump in COVID-19 cases has stoked fears among the people. So far, the country has reported around 7,830 cases and 104 deaths.

Therefore, in view of the gravity of the situation, authorities in Australia has decided to lock down more than 300,000 people in suburbs to control the risk of coronavirus cases.

The residents will be confined to home except for grocery shopping, health appointments, work or care-giving, and exercise.

The restrictions will be accompanied by a testing blitz with authorities hoping to curb its spread .

The measures come as curbs ease across the rest of the state of Victoria, with restaurants, gyms and cinemas reopening in recent weeks.

Victoria recorded 73 new cases for the day. State premier Daniel Andrews warned that the return of broader restrictions across city remained a possibility.

The post Australia locks down 3,00,000 people in Melbourne suburbs appeared first on The Gulf Indians.