America set to implement a program for Afghan refugees

The US State department will implement a refugee program for resettling Afghan refugees at risk from Taliban insurgents into American soil. 

The ‘Priority Two’ program will assist all Afghans who worked for US funded projects or for US based NGOs and media outlets. 

The United States said this program will help thousands ahead of the formal withdrawal later this month, while the Taliban fighting continues.

 

The EU has sent planes full of firefighters to Turkey

As Turkey battles its worst wildfires in over a decade, the European Union has come to its aid by sending three firefighter planes to battle the blazes. 

On Tuesday the fires had claimed eight lives and ravaged through Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean coastal resort regions.

More than four thousand Turkish firefighters have been deployed on the ground.

Telehealth making positive impact

After being resisted at official levels for a long time, Telehealth is now making major strides to better people’s lives, according to a survey conducted by Chronic Pain Australia.

Due to efforts to contain the spread of Covid last year, Telehealth services were implemented by the medical industries. Some respondents noted that having a simple phone call with a doctor relieved enormous stress from them trying to work out appointments in their busy schedules. 

Other patients living in distant regional areas have found Telehealth to be a massive boon for them.

New one-off payment to assist impacted businesses

After a one-off payment of five-thousand dollars was announced yesterday for businesses affected by lockdown, business leaders say the state government needs to do more. 

Chief Executive of the Queensland Tourism and Industry Council Daniel Gschwind says the government needs to review fees and charges they levy to businesses. He says these payments must be deferred or stopped, as costs keep mounting.

NZ now welcoming seasonal workers

New Zealand is bringing Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu into its travel bubble.

Seasonal workers in the horticulture and viticulture industries will be able to enter and work in New Zealand without undergoing a two-week quarantine.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that this move should help the agriculture sector which is currently experiencing labour shortages.

 

Nearly 400 saved in Mediterranean Sea

Around 396 migrants onboard a wooden vessel have been rescued overnight by German and French humanitarian vessels in the Mediterranian Sea.

Migrants onboard included a three-month-old baby, and after being discovered in cramped conditions in dangerous waters, sent out distress signals after onboard flooding began approximately sixty-eight kilometers of the North African coast.  The rescue by the Sea-Watch 3 and the German NGO ResQ Ship are currently seeking a safe port to disembark.