Morning Buzz: Sydney news, traffic and weather for Thursday, December 8

It is set to be a cloudy day with tops of 29 degrees across the Sydney region.

BLACKTOWN: Traffic is affected in all directions on Bungaribee Road at Walters Road due to traffic lights flashing yellow. Motorists are urged to exercise caution in that area.

UPWARDS TREND: The Australian economy might have registered its biggest quarterly contraction since the dark days of the global financial crisis. But NSW, and especially Sydney, is bucking the downbeat trend.

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IN CRONULLA: More than 15 tonnes of sand have been used to put together a Santa sleigh sculpture in Cronulla.

PAKISTAN PLANE CRASH: At least 40 people died when a plane carrying 48 passengers crashed into a mountain in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, with witnesses at the site of the flaming wreckage saying there were unlikely to be any survivors.

DOORS SHUT: Coles Riverwood has shut its doors but the change could mean good things for Riverwood Plaza.

STOP WORK MEETING: Public school teachers from across NSW will stop working temporarily this morning. There will be minimal supervision for students when teachers take industrial action over pay and conditions.

PRESSURE ON GREEN ARMY: The Green Army program – established by former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2013 – now seems destined for the scrap heap after federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg hinted of the program’s demise on radio this week.

WORLD REACTS: Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says the world is reacting with resentment to the "manacles of political correctness" in events such as Brexit and the election of Donald Trump.

PLAN ABANDONED: The government faces accusations that it is forcing up electricity prices and reducing energy reliability after abandoning a plan to even consider a climate scheme that experts say could have tackled both.

COLLEGE BOOST: Al Faisal College has received $750,000 from the state government to improve the facilities of its Liverpool campus. As part of the Building Grants Assistance Scheme (BGAS) the money will help construct 10 new general learning areas.

BREAK AND ENTER: Police have appealed for public assistance after a break and enter at a bank in Bella Vista yesterday. 

PRAISE FOR RYAN: Former NRL star and host of The Footy Show Beau Ryan rushed to be at the bedside of a terminally ill fan on Tuesday night.

DECK RAISED: The raised deck height of the new Windsor Bridge has been welcomed by the Hawkesbury SES, who say it will give residents more time to prepare their travel in the event of a flood.

CYCLIST FINED: A Blackheath cyclist has been hit with a $750 fine for “reckless” riding and not wearing a helmet in the annual Blackheath rhododendron street parade.

DRUG SUPPLY BUST: A man and a woman have been charged with a total of 23 alleged drug offences following investigations into the ongoing supply of illicit drugs in western Sydney.

ILLEGAL PLAYGROUND: An illegal playground of large wooden ramps up to 20 metres long have been discovered in bushland between Woronora and Engadine apparently built for bike riders is being investigated by Sutherland Shire Council.

BARBA APPROACHED: Ben Barba could make a shock defection to Japanese rugby after cashed-up overseas clubs targeted the troubled Cronulla star about a code switch.

TOP SPORT: Check out a gallery of the best sporting action from across the Hawkesbury region from the weekend.

PLAYERS WELCOME: Eager Australian rules players are invited to a meet and greet with the senior Wollondilly Knights and the junior Redbacks clubs on Monday, December 12.