08

Mar

New Zealand to buy enough Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for entire population

New Zealand will buy additional COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Pfizer Inc and Germany's BioNTech, which will be enough to vaccinate the whole country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.…

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07

Mar

New Zealand’s Auckland emerges from lockdown, Australia starts AstraZeneca vaccinations

Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, emerged on Sunday from a strict weeklong lockdown imposed after a community cluster of the more contagious British coronavirus variant. There were no new local…

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05

Mar

Following 3 major quakes off New Zealand, questions remain about how they might be linked

A sequence of three major offshore earthquakes, including a magnitude 8.1 quake near the Kermadec Islands, triggered tsunami warnings and evacuations along the east coast of New Zealand this morning. By early afternoon,…

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05

Mar

Australia asks European Commission to review Italy’s vaccine block

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia has asked the European Commission to review a decision by Italy to block a shipment of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, while stressing on Friday the missing doses…

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05

Mar

New Zealanders take to the hills as powerful quakes trigger tsunami waves

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Small tsunami waves triggered by a series of powerful earthquakes hit the east coast of New Zealand's North Island on Friday and authorities said thousands of residents…

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04

Mar

Update – Tsunami warning downgraded in New Zealand

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -  New Zealand downgraded its tsunami threat level, as the largest waves have now passed, the National Emergency Management agency said on Friday in its latest update. "All people who…

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03

Mar

Australia armed forces called in to support COVID-19 immunization drive

Australia will seek the support of the defence forces in its COVID-19 immunisation drive, authorities said on Wednesday, as it looks to ramp up a vaccination rollout programme that is…

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01

Mar

Australia home prices, job ads surge as recovery blitzes expectations

Australian home prices raced at the fastest clip in almost two decades in February and job advertisements skyrocketed, data showed on Monday, as the economy rapidly emerged from its once-in-a-generation…

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28

Feb

New Zealand’s Auckland starts second COVID-19 lockdown this month

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Exactly a year after New Zealand recorded its first coronavirus case, the biggest city of Auckland woke on Sunday to a second lockdown this month, as authorities…

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27

Feb

Australia moves closer to pre-pandemic life

Life across Australia inched toward pre-pandemic normal on Saturday, with New South Wales and South Australia states allowing some dancing and Victoria permitting larger crowds at sporting events. The three…

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27

Feb

New Zealand’s largest city Auckland back to lockdown after COVID-19 case

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that the country’s biggest city, Auckland, will be put into a seven-day lockdown from Sunday after a coronavirus community case of…

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26

Feb

Australia lifts ban on Boeing 737 MAX, among first in Asia-Pacific region

Australia's aviation regulator said on Friday it would lift a near two-year ban on flights to and from the country that use the Boeing Co 737 MAX planes, among the…

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26

Feb

Facebook switches news back on in Australia, signs content deals

Facebook Inc ended a one-week blackout of Australian news on its popular social media site on Friday and announced preliminary commercial agreements with three small local publishers. The moves reflected…

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26

Feb

Australia’s Victoria state to ease coronavirus restrictions

Australia’s Victoria state will start easing coronavirus restrictions from Friday night, after authorities deemed new locally acquired cases detected for the first time in a week in the state will…

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25

Feb

Australian parliament passes media reforms

Australia's parliament passed a law on Thursday to make Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc pay media companies for content on their platforms in reforms that countries such as Britain…

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25

Feb

Australia COVID-19 cases trend lower, Qantas pushes back international flights

Australia on Thursday continued its downward trend of COVID-19 cases, stoking hopes of a faster return to normal, while Qantas Airways pushed back international travel plans by four months as…

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24

Feb

Some Australian states ease curbs after weeks of no COVID cases

Two Australian states will loosen restrictions on dancing at indoor venues and ease other curbs from Friday after several weeks of no COVID-19 cases. In New South Wales (NSW), 30…

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23

Feb

Australia to ramp up vaccination drive as more doses arrive

SYDNEY, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Australia will ramp up its COVID-19 immunisation drive with more shots to be rolled out from next week, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Tuesday, after a second shipment of the…

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23

Feb

Facebook to restore Australian news pages after tweaks to media laws

Facebook will restore Australian news pages after Canberra offered amendments to a proposed law designed to force tech giants to pay for media content displayed on their platforms, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on…

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22

Feb

S&P raises New Zealand ratings on COVID success; kiwi dollar soars

Ratings firm S&P raised New Zealand's sovereign credit ratings by a notch on Monday, saying the economy was on a quicker recovery path from the COVID-19 pandemic, sending the local…

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22

Feb

Photo Story: 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake commemorated

People react during a memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand 22 February 2021. New Zealand marks the tenth anniversary of the…

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22

Feb

Quarantine-free travel resumes from New Zealand to Australia

Quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to Australia has resumed ahead of a downgraded alert level expected in Auckland today. Australia reopened the one-way travel bubble this morning following a cluster…

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22

Feb

Australia begins mass COVID-19 vaccination programme

Australia on Monday began its mass COVID-19 vaccine programme with frontline healthcare staff and senior citizens getting the first doses as the country looked set to report no local cases…

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21

Feb

Australia takes “massive step” toward normal

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, calling the start of the nation's vaccination programme a "massive step" that will enable it…

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20

Feb

New Zealand begins COVID-19 vaccinations programme, Australia starts Monday

Feb 20 (Reuters) - New Zealand started its official rollout of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, while Australia finalised plans to begin inoculations on Monday, a new phase in tackling…

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18

Feb

Facebook news goes dark in Australia as content spat escalates

Australians woke to empty news feeds on their Facebook Inc pages on Thursday after the social media giant blocked all media content in a surprise and dramatic escalation of a…

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16

Feb

Australian PM promises probe after rape allegation

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised on Tuesday to a woman who alleged she was raped in the country's parliament by an unnamed colleague, and promised a thorough investigation into…

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16

Feb

Tsunami not expected after 6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Vanuatu – PTWC

A tsunami was not expected after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The U.S. Geological Survey pegged…

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15

Feb

New Zealand in coronavirus lockdown as British variant cases reported

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A coronavirus outbreak that sent New Zealand's biggest city into a snap lockdown over the weekend involved the more transmissable UK variant, health officials confirmed on Monday,…

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15

Feb

COVID-19 vaccines touch down in Australia, New Zealand, inoculations to start

SYDNEY, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Australia and New Zealand have received their first COVID-19 vaccine deliveries and will begin rolling out inoculations in the coming week, while populous cities of…

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14

Feb

New Zealand reports three new COVID-19 local cases, imposes 3-day lockdown on Auckland

New Zealand Prime Minsiter Jacinda Ardern on Sunday announced a three-day lockdown in the country's biggest city Auckland, after three new local COVID-19 cases were reported. Ardern said the level…

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13

Feb

Djokovic battles through injury, Thiem rallies in five-set thrillers

Sydney (dpa) - World number one Novak Djokovic overcame injury and US Open champion Dominic Thiem rallied from two sets down as both advanced into the fourth round of the Australian Open in…

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12

Feb

Australia to introduce landmark Google, Facebook legislation to parliament next week

Australia will introduce landmark legislation to force Alphabet's Google and Facebook to pay publishers and broadcasters for content next week, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Friday. Australia is on course…

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12

Feb

Melbourne enters new lockdown

Australia’s second-most populous city will enter a five-day snap coronavirus lockdown, authorities said on Friday, barring spectators from the Australian Open tennis tournament. A fresh COVID-19 cluster linked to a…

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11

Feb

New COVID cluster in Australia’s Melbourne expands to 10 cases

Health authorities in Australia's Victoria state ramped up contact tracing and prepared for more mass testing of residents in Melbourne after a new COVID-19 cluster linked to a quarantine hotel…

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10

Feb

New Zealand, Australia on tsunami watch after strong South Pacific quake

WELLINGTON: A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the South Pacific region on Thursday, triggering tsunami warnings and calls for residents to avoid beaches and shore areas. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center…

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07

Feb

Australia reports no new local coronavirus cases ahead of Australian Open

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia reported no new local coronavirus cases for a third day on Sunday, as tennis players geared up for the first Grand Slam of the year in…

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04

Feb

U.S., Australia discuss China and Myanmar in first leaders call, White House says

CANBERRA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison discussed how they can work together to deal with China and a recent military coup…

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02

Feb

Australian fury as Rita Ora allowed in country before stranded Australians

The Australian opposition has reacted angrily to news that popular British star Rita Ora was allowed in the country before some 40,000 Australians who are currently stranded around the globe.…

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31

Jan

Perth in lockdown, ending Australia’s two-week run without COVID-19

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Australian city of Perth was ordered into lockdown on Sunday after a security guard working in hotel quarantine tested positive for COVID-19, ending the country’s longest…

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28

Jan

Photo Story: Mural depicting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as Captain Cook, Australia

A view of a mural depicting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as Captain Cook by artist Scott Marsh in Newtown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 26 January 2021. Australia Day…

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26

Jan

Photo Story: Temperatures to reach 40 degrees Celcius in parts of Sydney

A general view of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, 26 January 2021. Temperatures in parts of Sydney are set to hit 40 degrees Celcius on Australia Day, with respite unlikely…

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26

Jan

Photo Story: Invasion Day rally in Melbourne

People take part in an Invasion Day rally in Melbourne, Australia, on 26 January 2021. Australia Day marks the anniversary of the 1788 raising of the British flag at Sydney…

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26

Jan

China, NZ ink trade deal as Beijing calls for reduced global barriers

China and New Zealand signed a deal that upgrades their existing free trade pact on Tuesday, giving exports from the Pacific nation greater access to the world's second-largest economy. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern…

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25

Jan

Photo Story: Bushfire in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia

A view of a burnt roadside at an area off of Nicholls Road in Scott Creek where emergency services are trying to control a fire that originated in Cherry Gardens…

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25

Jan

New Zealand confirms first COVID-19 case in months, sparking Australia travel halt – Update

WELLINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - New Zealand on Monday confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in the community in months in a 56-year-old woman, but said close contacts of the…

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24

Jan

Australia has eye on vaccination drive even though coronavirus under control

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Australia recorded no new local coronavirus cases on Sunday, maintaining a recent run of success in keeping the virus at bay, but nevertheless is keen…

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22

Jan

Australia’s Victoria state records 16 days with no community COVID; nationwide no local cases for 5 days

Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria eased social gathering restrictions on Friday after recording 16 days without any new coronavirus infections in the community, doubling the number of people…

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22

Jan

Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Friday it would block its search engine in Australia if the government proceeds with a new code that would force it and Facebook Inc to…

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21

Jan

Australia records fourth day of zero coronavirus cases

Australia recorded a fourth day of zero coronavirus cases on Thursday, prompting the chief of the country's most populous state to call for a special travel "bubble" with Pacific island…

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18

Jan

Australia unlikely to fully reopen borders in 2021

Australia may not fully reopen its international borders this year even if most of the population is vaccinated against coronavirus, the head of its health department said on Monday as…

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14

Jan

Australian scientists suggest delaying AstraZeneca vaccine deployment

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Some Australian scientists have proposed delaying mass inoculation using AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine with a view to considering a different shot instead. Questions surrounding the vaccine in Australia,…

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12

Jan

New Zealand to ask international travellers for negative virus test before flying in

(Reuters) - New Zealand will ask international travelers from most countries to show negative COVID-19 test results before boarding flights to the country as new contagious variants of COVID-19 spread…

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11

Jan

Residents flee, find shelter as bushfire nears South Australian town

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Residents of a small town in South Australia state were warned to seek shelter on Monday as firefighters were called in to battle a fast-moving grassfire.  Locals…

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10

Jan

New Zealand central bank data system breached

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said on Sunday that it was responding with urgency to a breach of one of its data systems. A third-party file-sharing service used by…

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09

Jan

Australia on high alert after overseas travellers bring new COVID-19 strains

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's health officials said on Saturday they are on high alert after cases of highly transmissible new variants of the coronavirus, discovered in Britain and South Africa,…

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08

Jan

Australia to require negative COVID-19 results for international travellers

Australia will require all international travellers to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding flights to the country, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, as it tightened travel rules to…

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