DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Australian state to pay $243 mln for withdrawing as 2026 Commonwealth Games host
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Australia's Victoria state will pay A$380 million ($243 million) to Commonwealth Games organisers, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Saturday, after it withdrew as 2026 event host citing a projected cost blowout. In a joint statement issued by Andrews on Saturday, the Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships, Commonwealth Games Australia and Victoria said they had "settled all their disputes regarding the cancellation of the multi-hub regional Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games". "The State of Victoria has agreed to pay the Commonwealth Games parties ... AUD $380 million," the statement said. "The parties also agreed that the multi-hub regional model was more expensive to host than the traditional models." ($1 = 1.5620 Australian dollars)Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, Andrews, Victoria, Sam McKeith, Sonali Paul Organizations: SYDNEY, Commonwealth Games, Victoria Premier, Victoria, Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships, Commonwealth Games Australia, Thomson Locations: Victoria, Alberta, Sydney

☆ Commonwealth Games hit a financial wall
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, July 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Anyone who signs up for a marathon soon hears about the metaphorical wall that exhausted runners often hit around three-quarters of the way through the race. Australia’s state of Victoria has just crashed into the financial equivalent, much earlier, in its preparations for hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Rio de Janeiro lost $2 billion hosting the 2016 Olympic Games, for instance. Andrews’ government, though, also wanted the Games to be hosted in several different cities – and added more sports, per the Commonwealth Games organising body. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Daniel Andrews, Andrews, Antony Currie, Robyn Mak, Thomas Shum Organizations: MELBOURNE, Reuters, Victoria, Games, Commonwealth Games, Twitter, Cathay, Thomson Locations: Australia’s, Victoria, Rio de Janeiro

☆ Commonwealth Games 2026 host Victoria, Australia pulls out over cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —The Australian state of Victoria has canceled plans to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the predicted cost of the international sporting event blew out three times original estimates, state authorities said Tuesday. That is all cost and no benefit.”The Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport event involving thousands of athletes representing 72 Commonwealth countries and territories, held every four years. In a statement Tuesday, the Commonwealth Games Federation said the decision was “hugely disappointing for the Commonwealth Sport Movement,” and suggested that Victorian authorities hadn’t previously raised cost concerns. John Sibley/Reuters/FILEThe Federation said decisions the state had made concerning sports and venues had “added considerable expense, often against the advice of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA).”The Federation said it was “taking advice on the options available” and remained committed to finding a solution so the Games could go ahead. Instead of hosting the Games, Victoria will build at least 1,300 affordable homes and the permanent sporting facilities it had promised in an effort to boost regional tourism and events, Andrews said.

Persons: Premier Daniel Andrews, “ I’ve, ”, Victoria, hadn’t, Vanessa Amorosi, John Sibley, “, Andrews Organizations: Australia CNN, Premier, Commonwealth, Games, Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Sport Movement, Government, Commonwealth Games Australia, Geelong Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Victoria, Melbourne, Birmingham, England, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland, Shepparton

☆ Australia bans TikTok on government devices over security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The logo of Chinese-owned video app TikTok is seen on a smartphone in front of an image of the Australian national flag in this illustration picture taken April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/IllustrationSYDNEY, April 4 (Reuters) - Australia banned TikTok on Tuesday from all federal government-owned devices over security concerns, becoming the latest U.S.-allied country to take action against the Chinese-owned video app. TikTok's Australia and New Zealand General Manager Lee Hunter said TikTok should not be singled out. "Things are going well, but of course, it'll take some time to turn this ship around," Trade Minister Don Farrell told Sky News, referring to prospects for improving trade relations. TikTok has said the administration of President Joe Biden demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential U.S. ban.

☆ More severe weather forecast for Australia's southeast amid flood crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Australia's weather forecaster predicted heavy rain for large swaths of country's flood-hit south and east on Sunday as a flood crisis continues in the two most populous states. The week-long emergency in New South Wales and Victoria comes as Australia endures a third straight La Nina weather event, bringing heavy rains. There were 122 flood warnings in place for New South Wales, Australia's most populous state. Around 750 people have been rescued across the state in the last 10 days, the Victoria State Emergency Service said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday 150 Australian Defence Force personnel were assisting in New South Wales and 350 troops in Victoria.

☆ Australian flood crisis: southeast states on emergency alert
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Emergency warnings remained in place on Saturday for parts of Australia's southeast as floods, sparked by days of heavy rain, impacted three states, with hundreds of people having to be rescued from floodwaters. Large parts of Australia's eastern states have been hit by severe flooding since early 2022, with the country now enduring a third consecutive La Nina weather event bringing heavy rains. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How said while heavy rain had cleared, flooding was still widespread. In the west of Melbourne city, a flood clean-up was underway after the Maribyrnong River burst its banks on Friday. Footage on social media showed Melbourne residents clearing water from homes and emergency services personnel on the scene.

Many rivers in Victoria, including the Maribyrnong in Melbourne's west and the Goulburn further north, reached major flood levels, prompting the nighttime evacuation of residents. "It's far from over, we'll see waters rise," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told the ABC. "We'll see more and more waters continuing to rise, more and more houses being inundated, more and more communities being closed off." Andrews said the state's purpose-built COVID-19 quarantine facility, closed last week after Australia scrapped isolation rules, could be reopened to shelter flood-impacted residents. Though heavy rains are expected to ease from late Friday, flooding could continue through the weekend, officials said.

SYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Thousands of people across Australia's southeast were asked to evacuate their homes on Friday, including some in a western suburb of Melbourne, after two days of incessant rains triggered flash flooding and fast-moving waters burst river banks. Upstream in Shepparton, rising flood waters are expected to surpass the 1974 peak by Tuesday and threaten over 4,000 properties. 1/5 A man wades through floodwaters amidst evacuation orders in the Maribyrnong suburb of Melbourne, Australia, October 14, 2022. Rains had eased by Friday afternoon but the weather bureau has warned of another potential wild weather system next week. Devastating floods have repeatedly struck Australia's east coast since early last year because of a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon, which brings more rain.

☆ Australians rush to grab sandbags as heavy rain slams southeast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Hundreds of homes in southeast Australia were without power on Thursday and residents filled sandbags as an intense weather system lashed the region, bringing warnings of more heavy rain, damaging winds and flash flooding. "There is a lot more to come," bureau forecaster Jonathan How warned on ABC television. Some dams have begun overflowing for the first time in decades, and flood-weary residents rushed to grab sandbags from emergency crews to protect properties. Utility Powercor reported 475 customers were without power across Victoria after wind gusts of 100 kph (62 mph) knocked down power lines and trees. In Tasmania, emergency services have issued evacuation warnings for some residents of two rural towns in the north, while police began closing several roads because of flooding.

Search resuls for: "Premier Daniel Andrews"

9 mentions found