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Thousands flee homes as floods hit Australia
A woman has died in Australia and thousands have been forced to flee their homes after torrential rainfall has caused flooding in northern Queensland.
Authorities are warning that flood waters could rise up to second-storey level in a situation they described as dangerous and life-threatening.
More than 700mm (26in) of rain has fallen on parts of the North Queensland in the past 24 hours and there is concern that “record rainfalls” will continue into Monday, according to Queensland State Premier David Crisafulli.
Meteorologists say these could be the worst floods in the region in more than 60 years.
Crisafulli said conditions were unlike anything northern Queensland had experienced “for a long time”.
“It’s not just the intensity, but it’s also the longevity of it,” he told Australian broadcaster ABC.
Thousands of people living in the city of Townsville were told to leave their homes by midday on Sunday while authorities brought in 100,000 sandbags to block floodwater.
Parts of the road between Townsville and the tourist centre of Cairns have been cut off, hampering efforts to get rescue teams and sandbags to the area.
(BBC)
Authorities have also advised against “large gatherings in enclosed spaces” across the island – a popular tourist destination known for its whitewashed buildings and blue domed churches.
Tremors measuring up to 4.6 magnitude have been recorded over the last couple of days – with quakes of 4.3 and 3.9 magnitude reported nearby on Sunday morning.
Santorini is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc but the last major eruption was in 1950. Greek authorities have said that the recent movements are not related to volcanic activity and have started to subside.
The tremors recorded by geologists are considered minor or light, but authorities have recommended a number of preventative measures in addition to the school closure including to avoiding the ports of Ammoudi and Fira.
Big cruise ships often anchor near the Old Port of Fira, with passengers being brought to shore on smaller boats.
One of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600BC, formed the island as it stands today.
(BBC)
India’s spin bowlers continued to be as brilliant as they’ve been throughout the tournament to take them to their second consecutive ICC Under-19 T20 World Cup title.
On the back of the efforts of Aayushi Shukla, Gongadi Trisha, Vaishnavi Sharma and Parunika Sisodia – who took nine wickets between them – India restricted South Africa to 82. Trisha then starred with the bat as well, helping chase down a simple target in 11.1 overs to leave a heartbroken South African side in tears at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur.
Brief scores:
India Women Under 19s 84 for 1 in 11.2 overs (Gongadi Trisha 44*, Sanika Chalke 26*, Kayla Reyneke 1-14) beat South Africa Women Under 19s 82 all out in 20 overs (Karabo Meso 10. Mieke van Voorst 23,Fay Cowling 15; Gongadi Trisha 3-15, Parunika Sisodia 2-06,Aayushi Shukla 2-09, Shabnam Shakil 1-07) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has unveiled an annual budget focused on appealing to the country’s middle class and spurring economic growth by boosting agriculture and manufacturing.
Announcing the annual budget in parliament on Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said people earning up to 1.28 million Indian rupees ($14,800) per year will not have to pay any taxes, raising the threshold from 700,000 rupees.
The government also lowered tax rates for people earning above the new threshold, as the world’s fifth-largest economy aims to boost domestic demand amid uncertainty over the global economic outlook due to potential new tariff barriers.
“The new structure will reduce taxes on middle class and leave more money in their hands, boosting household consumption, savings and investment,” Sitharaman said.
The move will result in an annual 1 trillion Indian rupee ($11.6bn) hit to Treasury revenues, the Reuters news agency reported.
The world’s most populous country is expected to post its slowest growth in four years next year amid frail urban demand and weak private investment, while stubbornly high food inflation has dented disposable incomes, the agency said.
Measures to assist the poor, youth, farmers and women were also included in the budget for 2025-26, Sitharaman said.
Per capita income is about $2,700 for India’s population of 1.4 billion, with about one-third considered middle class.
The tax cut is “likely to spur consumer demand and savings by the middle class that has faced challenges from elevated inflation and lower income growth”, Sakshi Gupta, economist at HDFC Bank, told Reuters.
To balance the revenue lost, the government has budgeted a modest increase in capital spending this year, which will rise to 11.21 trillion rupees in 2025-26 compared with a lowered 10.18 trillion in the current year.
Modi, in his third term as the country’s prime minister, has faced pressure to appeal to the country’s middle class and generate more jobs to help sustain growth.
The government will also boost productivity across the agriculture sector by launching a nationwide program to push high-yielding crops, focusing on the cultivation of pulses and cotton production.
Sitharaman said the programme will target at least 17 million farmers and raise the limit for subsidised credit offered to them from $3,460 to $5,767.
The government also plans to formally register India’s gig workers and ease their access to healthcare. Sitharaman said the government will issue them identity cards and help them access welfare initiatives.
India’s gig economy could employ more than 23 million people by 2030, according to estimates by government think tank, NITI Aayog.
Sitharaman also announced a new fund for startups and said the government will provide more money to promote innovation in partnership with the private sector.
She also announced the Nuclear Energy Mission to drive India’s transition towards clean energy, with a goal of developing at least 100GW of nuclear power by 2047.
[Aljazeera]
Santorini to shut schools as tremors rattle island
Thousands flee homes as floods hit Australia
Trisha excels with bat and ball as India become back-to-back Under-19 champions
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