Australia

New Zealand says close to a travel arrangement with Australia

New Zealand is close to allowing Australians to visit without quarantining on arrival, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister said on Thursday, a reciprocal right that would create a long-touted “Trans-tasman…

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News Corp inks Australia Facebook deal, signalling truce after blackout

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp reached a content-supply deal with Facebook Inc in Australia, the companies said on Tuesday, a step toward settling a dispute that saw the social media giant briefly shut…

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Thousands rally at Australia’s parliament to demand justice for sexual assault victims

Thousands of women gathered in major cities across Australia on Monday to take part in rallies calling for gender equality and justice for victims of sexual assault. The March 4…

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Singapore, Australia discussing possible air travel bubble

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore and Australia are discussing an air travel bubble that would allow travel between the two countries without the need for quarantine, looking to reopen borders that…

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Thousands to rally outside Australian parliament as pressure grows on PM

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters are expected to descend on Australia's capital on Monday when the country's parliament resumes as part of nationwide demonstrations, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister…

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Australia records first local COVID-19 case in two weeks

Australia on Saturday recorded first local COVID-19 case in more than two weeks after a doctor tested positive for the coronavirus, triggering restrictions in area hospitals. Queensland state Premier Annastacia…

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Australia and Canada to continue using AstraZeneca vaccine, say no evidence of blood clots

Australia said on Friday it will continue to roll-out AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine as there was no evidence of a link to blood clots, despite some European countries suspending its use.…

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Australia unveils $928 mln COVID-19 stimulus package for tourism industry

The Australian government unveiled a A$1.2 billion ($928 million) tourism support package on Thursday, aimed at boosting local travel while international routes remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The…

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Australia sees no concern with pace of COVID-19 vaccination drive

Australia’s pace of COVID-19 immunisation drive is not a cause for concern and the vaccination programme will be completed by the end of October, authorities said on Wednesday, as the…

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Qantas’ low-cost Jetstar back to 90% of pre-pandemic domestic capacity

Qantas Airways Ltd's budget arm Jetstar is flying 90% of its pre-pandemic domestic schedule in March amid a rebound in demand as state borders have reopened in Australia, Jetstar's chief…

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Australia to offer subsidised flights to support tourism

Australia will subsidise 800,000 domestic flights, help its two main airlines and offer cheap loans to small tourism operators as part of A$1.2 billion ($921 million) package to revive the…

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Spotlight on Australia’s vexed parliament on International Women’s Day

Australia launched a A$19 million campaign on International Women’s Day urging people to “unmute” or speak up when they witness disrespect against women, as its parliament is under scrutiny over…

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Australia says COVID-19 vaccinations likely to begin February

Australia is on course to begin administering the first COVID-19 vaccines in February, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, as the country moves to accelerate its inoculation programme as…

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Australia brings forward COVID-19 vaccine roll-out to early March

Australian health authorities are bringing forward the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines by two weeks to early March, even as recent outbreaks in the country's two largest cities appeared to stabilize.…

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Three Australian cities told to get COVID tests and isolate

Australia's most populous state New South Wales on Tuesday called on residents in three cities to be tested for COVID-19 and isolate, as concerns grew that a Sydney cluster may have spread to regional areas…

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