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The federal government has thrown a financial lifeline to struggling Australians with a massive stimulus program to stop the economy from collapsing. The 130-billion dollar "Jobkeeper" Program will see businesses receive a fortnightly wage subsidy of 15-hundred dollars per employee. It's the central plank in the government's strategy to cushion the economy from the huge dislocation wrought by the coronavirus. The prime minister expects up to six million workers will access the payment over the next six months.
Tough restrictions on movement and public gatherings came into force at midnight. States and territories are responsible for policing the new rules, designed to slow the spread of coronavirus. They limit public gatherings to only two people, aside from members of your immediate household. Playgrounds and outdoor gym equipment are now off limits. Police have been given strong powers to issue on the spot fines for breaches, with penalties of up to 16-hundred dollars in Victoria and one thousand dollars in New South Wales.
A Vincent van Gogh painting has been stolen in a smash-and-grab raid on a Dutch museum. Thieves broke into a museum east of Amsterdam and took the priceless 136-year-old artwork "Spring Garden".
The Tokyo Olympics have been rescheduled to open on the 23rd of July next year, after being postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
