Australia

Australia ramps up epidemic preparation as third man dies, first death from coronavirus in Latin America

A man in his 80s died in a Sydney hospital after testing positive to COVID-19, becoming the third coronavirus-related casualty in Australia, state health authorities said on Sunday. The total…

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Australian newspaper prints extra eight pages to be used as toilet paper to help readers tackle shortage

An Australian newspaper has printed an extra eight pages to be used as toilet paper after coronavirus fears prompted customers to bulk buy supplies, leaving some supermarket shelves bare. In…

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Baby diagnosed with coronavirus in Australia, California declares emergency after death

A baby in South Australia has been diagnosed with coronavirus after its mum first came down with the illness. SA Health announced the baby and another new case this afternoon,…

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Toilet paper makers reassures Australians and steps up production

Toilet paper manufacturers in Australia say the country will be spared from a shortage, even though panicking shoppers are buying extra supplies from big supermarket chains amid coronavirus outbreak fears.r…

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Australia warns it can’t stop the spread of coronavirus from overseas

Australia’s chief medical officer said on Monday it was no longer possible to completely prevent people with the coronavirus from entering the country, citing concerns about outbreaks in Japan and…

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Australian share market tumbles as investors fear coronavirus spread

The Australian share market has tumbled, with investors rattled by concerns about the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, and the selling could continue, with US futures sharply lower. Investors are…

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Police shoot man dead in Brisbane after tourist stabbed

Police have shot and killed a man in central Brisbane, after he broke the nose of a male tourist and stabbed him in the back. It is understood the attacker…

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Two dead as Sydney-Melbourne train derails

Two people have been killed after a Sydney to Melbourne express train derailed near the Victorian town of Wallan, officials say. Several other passengers were being treated for injuries, emergency…

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Brisbane car fire killings of mother and her three children leave Australia reeling amid calls for action on family violence

The deaths of a Brisbane mother and her three children have prompted an outpouring of anger, sadness and disbelief among family members, politicians, domestic violence advocates and the Australian community.…

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Photo Story: Car rams into Police Station in Australia

Ruined cars sit at the Reservoir Police Station following an incident in Melbourne, Australia, 20 February 2020 after a car rammed into the Reservoir Police Station. A man is in…

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Photo Story: Australia team trains ahead of SailGP in Sydney

Team Australia's F50 catamaran is lowered into the water for a training session ahead of round one of the SailGP in Sydney, Australia, 19 February 2020. The SailGP will take…

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Australia’s former PM says Malaysia believed pilot downed MH370 jet in murder-suicide

MH370 flight, which went missing in March 2014 with 239 people on board, was downed by the pilot in a murder-suicide plot. The Beijing bound Malaysia Airlines jet went missing on…

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Photo story: Fatal plane crash kills four people in Victoria, Australia

Emergency service personnel attend to the wreckage of a light aircraft on a property in Avenel, Victoria, Australia, 19 February 2020. Four people are dead after two planes, one of…

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Sydney hit by violent storm

Photos of the aftermath of a storm that hit North Bondi, Sydney, Australia, 19 February 2020. A man is dead, thousands of people are without power and transport services…

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Children among dead in Australia car fire

Four people, including three children, have died after a car was allegedly set alight in the Australian city of Brisbane, police said. The children, all under the age of 10,…

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17

Feb

Holden car brand closes across Australia and New Zealand

About 600 Holden employees will lose their jobs after parent company General Motors announced it would axe the iconic Australian car brand by the end of the year. GM said…

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Photo Story: Mounds of seaweed washed ashore in Sydney

A woman walks through a large pile of seaweed washed ashore on Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia. The sea wrack, as it is called when large quantities are washed ashore,…

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All New South Wales fires ‘contained’

All of the bushfires in New South Wales (NSW) are now considered contained, say fire officials in the Australian state. The NSW Rural Fire Service said it was "great news"…

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Australian animals at ‘imminent risk of extinction’ after bush fires

More than 100 animal species in Australia could be lost forever without urgent intervention as a result of the bush fire crisis, a new report shows. A panel of experts…

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Sydney hit by heaviest rainfall in 30 years

The Australian city of Sydney has been hit by its heaviest rain in 30 years, bringing flooding and travel chaos and forcing thousands from their homes. Some rural areas received…

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Heavy rain extinguishes third of fires in NSW, Australia

Torrential rain across the east coast of Australia has extinguished a third of the fires in the region - and could put more out, officials say. A wide band of…

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Australian PM reshuffles cabinet

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison reshuffled his cabinet on Thursday, replacing two senior ministers from junior coalition partner the National Party following their recent resignations. Morrison said Keith Pitt -…

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Australia suspends parliament to honour Black Summer’s bushfire victims

Australia suspended parliament on Tuesday to honour the victims of a national bushfire crisis that has killed 33 people, as more than 100 fires remained ablaze across the country's east…

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Dozens of koalas found dead on Australia logging plantation

Dozens of koalas have been found dead or injured at a timber plantation in the Australian state of Victoria, sparking an investigation by officials. Blue gum trees - an important…

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Australia to deny entry to foreign travellers arriving from China, new coronavirus case confirmed taking the total in Australia to 10

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne (L) and Prime Minister Scott Morrison speak to the media during a press conference at the Sydney CPO in Sydney, Australia, 01 February…

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State of emergency declared as bushfire threatens Australian capital

Australian officials declared a state of emergency for the capital city of Canberra and surrounding regions on Friday, as soaring temperatures and strong winds threatened to propel a large bushfire…

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Heatwave and high winds bring renewed wildfire threat in Australia

Large swathes of southeast Australia were bracing on Thursday for a days-long heatwave that threatens to stoke bushfires that have been burning for months. As firefighters and residents prepared for…

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Important breakthrough in Australia in fight against coronavirus

A team of scientists in Australia said on Wednesday they have successfully developed a lab-grown version of coronavirus, the first to be recreated outside of China, in a breakthrough that…

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Australia confirms fifth coronavirus case from last flight out of Wuhan

Australia confirmed on Monday its fifth case of a new coronavirus, with health officials saying the case involved a 21-year-old woman who was on the last flight out of the…

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Australia considering evacuation of its citizens from Wuhan

Australia Foreign Minister Marise Payne said diplomatic staff are working with Chinese authorities in an effort to get Australian citizens out of the Chinese city dubbed 'ground zero' in…

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Thousands rally across Australia for ‘Invasion Day’ protests

Thousands of people joined Invasion Day protests in cities across Australia Sunday to mark the beginning of British colonisation of the vast continent. January 26 is officially recognised as…

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Heavy rains dampen fires in Australia’s Queensland state, cause flooding

Australia’s bushfire-stricken state of Queensland saw heavy rainfalls on Sunday dampening some of the fires that have razed 2.5 million hectares (1.2 million acres) of land since September, but the…

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First Coronavirus case confirmed in Australia

One man in Victoria has been confirmed to have contracted the deadly coronavirus, and two men in NSW are likely victims as the outbreak spreads. China has confirmed 1,287 cases…

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Fatal crash for Australia air tanker fighting fires

An aircraft fighting bushfires in Australia lost contact with ground control after it crashed, officials said on Thursday, as soaring temperatures and strong winds fanned blazes in the country’s southeast…

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Study suggests platypus in Australia could soon be extinct

A study by the University of New South Wales released by on 20 January 2020 and published in the Biological Conservation journal suggests that platypus could be extinct, depending on…

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Photo Story: Aftermath of a hailstorm in Canberra

Photos of damaged cars are seen parked outside the Treasury Building after a hail storm hit Canberra, Australia, 20 January 2020. Melbourne and Canberra have been hit by heavy…

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Storms wreak havoc in Australia but bushfires ‘far from over’

Storms have brought heavy rain to fire-hit regions of eastern Australia - but authorities warn the nation's bushfire crisis is still "far from over". More than 80 blazes were still…

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Heavy rains hit some blaze-hit regions in Australia

Heavy rains and thunderstorms have lashed parts of Australia's east coast, dousing some of its fires but bringing a new threat of flooding to some areas. There have been downpours…

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Australia’s bushfire-stricken east welcomes drenching rain

Intense thunderstorms with heavy rains dampened bushfires on Australia’s east coast on Friday and brought relief to farmers battling years of drought, but the city of Melbourne braced for another…

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Australia faces wait until March for rains to douse bushfires

Australia will have to wait until March for rains heavy enough to bring sustained relief from dry weather that has fuelled deadly bushfires, the country's weather bureau has said. Over…

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Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of bushfires grows

Australia’s peak tourism body estimated the country’s bushfire crisis has so far cost the industry almost A$1 billion ($690 million) and called for urgent help from the government to lure…

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Australia kills 5,000 camels over environmental concerns

Helicopter shooters killed more than 5,000 wild camels in Australia, in a campaign aimed at eliminating the threat posed by these animals to the local population in the midst of…

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Australian wildfire smoke stokes health fears

Fire alarms have been sounding in high-rise buildings across downtown Sydney and Melbourne as dense smoke from distant wildfires confuse electronic sensors. Modern government office blocks in the Australian…

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Australian Government pledges $50m for wildlife impacted by bushfires as koalas may become endangered

The Australian Federal Environment Minister is concerned koalas could now be endangered in some areas as the Government establishes a $50 million emergency fund to address the devastating loss of…

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Disgraced Cardinal George Pell reportedly moved to new prison in Australia

Disgraced Cardinal George Pell has reportedly been moved from his central Melbourne prison to a high security facility in regional Victoria after a drone was flown over the jail. “Corrections…

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Experts warn some species in Australia will go extinct due to fires

Two wildfires have merged to form a massive inferno in south-eastern Australia, as experts warned some species are likely already to be extinct. The “megafire” engulfing nearly 1.5 million acres in New…

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Death toll rises as another firefighter killed in Australian wildfires

Another firefighter lost his life while battling the Australian wildfire crisis, taking the death toll to 27 people since September. Bill Slade, 60, was killed by a falling tree on…

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Wildfire crisis closes several embassies in Australia

The wildfires devastating parts of Australia have forced the closure of a number of embassies in the capital Canberra, where state authorities issued an alert that a return to hot…

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Photo story: The fire activity in Australia

A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing long, thin plumes of smoke from bushfires burning in Australia stretching across the Pacific Ocean, issued…

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Sydney Opera House lights up to support bushfire-affected communities, firefighters

Projections are seen on the sails of the Sydney Opera House in recognition of the communities affected by fires across rural and regional Australia, in Sydney, Australia, 11 January 2020.…

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Photo Story: The battle against the bushfires in south-eastern Australia

The NSW Rural Fire Service Large Air Tanker (LAT) drops fire retardant on the Morton Fire burning in bushland close to homes at Penrose in the NSW Southern Highlands, some…

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Photo Story: The fires ravaging Australia’s Kangaroo Island

Handout photos made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing burned land and thick smoke over Kangaroo Island, Australia, 09 January 20202 (issued 10 January 2020). According…

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Australians urged to flee as huge bushfires revive with fury

Australian authorities urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes on Friday and prepared military backup as soaring temperatures and erratic winds were expected to fan…

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New front in fight against Australian bushfires…fake news

Australia’s bushfire crisis has led to what appears to be a deliberate misinformation campaign started by climate-change deniers claiming arson is the primary cause of the ongoing fires, despite months…

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More than 1 billion animals killed by Australian wildfires

More than 1 billion animals are now thought to have been killed by the record-breaking wildfires in Australia, according to a prominent scientist whose new estimate is more than double…

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Photo Story: Australia’s Kangaroo island burn scars can be seen from space

A handout photo made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of a satellite image captured via NOAA-20, high resolution bands 4, 2, 1, showing roughly half of…

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Australia issues new evacuation alerts as monster bushfires regenerate

Australian authorities issued new warnings and evacuation notices across the country’s heavily populated southeast on Thursday as a return of hot weather fanned huge bushfires threatening several towns and communities.…

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