Oceania

New Zealanders face mental health, economic challenges in pandemic recovery

New Zealanders are still reporting negative impacts on mental health and income from the coronavirus pandemic, despite living in one of the world's few countries to have largely returned to…

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Australia to spend $1.3 bln on childcare, enticing women back to work

Australia's government will increase childcare subsidies, officials said on Sunday, in a pre-budget announcement that pledges A$1.7 billion ($1.31 billion) to boost female participation in the workplace. The promised spending…

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Australia’s Victoria state commits to halving emissions by 2030

Australia's second-largest state of Victoria on Sunday committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50% by 2030, based on 2005 levels, and to power all government operations like…

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Australia’s Perth at risk of second snap-lockdown

Australia’s fourth-largest city faces prospects of its second snap lockdown in two weeks, officials said on Sunday, after a hotel quarantine security guard in Perth and two of his housemates…

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Jail or hefty fines for Australians travelling back from India

Australian citizens returning home from India could face up to five years in jail and fines after the government made the journey temporarily illegal. The health ministry said the ruling…

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Australia to halt direct passenger flights from India

Australia on Tuesday suspended direct flights from India to prevent more virulent coronavirus variants entering the country following a surge in positive COVID-19 cases in the world's second-most populous nation. India's coronavirus death…

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Parts of Western Australia in three-day virus lockdown, questions over hotel quarantine

More than 2 million people in the state of Western Australia on Saturday began their first full day of a snap three day lockdown after a coronavirus outbreak in a…

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Australia’s Perth city to enter three-day lockdown from midnight

Western Australia's capital of Perth and the neighbouring Peel region will enter a snap three-day lockdown from midnight on Friday after two people tested positive for COVID-19, the first cases…

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Australia shies from backing net zero by 2050 ahead of Biden climate summit

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stopped short of endorsing a 2050 target for net zero greenhouse gas emissions ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's climate summit this week. In a speech…

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New Zealand expects Australia ‘travel bubble’ to stay open despite new virus case

New Zealand authorities reported on Tuesday that a worker in Auckland airport has tested positive for COVID-19, but doubted whether the new case would warrant ordering a pause in quarantine-free…

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Australia looks to speed up COVID-19 vaccine rollout to over-50s

Australia plans to accelerate the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to people over 50 after advising under-50s not to get the AstraZeneca jab due to blood clot concerns, Prime Minister Scott…

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Families reunite as Australia-New Zealand ‘travel bubble’ begins

Hundreds of passengers from Australia began arriving in New Zealand airports on Monday after authorities reopened borders, a pandemic milestone that allows quarantine-free travel between the countries for the first…

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Australia, largely free of COVID-19, in no hurry to reopen borders

Australia is no hurry to reopen its international borders and risk the country's nearly coronavirus-free lifestyle, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Australia closed its borders to all non-citizens…

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Australia considers staggered reopening of borders

SYDNEY, April 16 (Reuters) - Australia will consider a staggered reopening of its international borders to allow residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel abroad first, Prime Minister…

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Qantas forecasts domestic capacity will soon leap beyond pre-pandemic levels

Qantas Airways Ltd said it expected domestic travel would top pre-pandemic levels next financial year as it raised its forecast for the current quarter on the back of strong demand…

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Australia to withdraw 80 remaining troops from Afghanistan, US final withdrawal to start on May 1

Australia will withdraw its remaining 80 military personnel in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, after the United States announced it would pull out from the country to…

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Qantas sees domestic business travel recovery 3 months behind leisure market

Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd has seen domestic leisure travel rebound to pre-pandemic levels, but demand in the corporate travel market is lagging about three months behind, its chief executive said.…

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Australia returns to “war footing” amid COVID-19 vaccine turmoil

Australia’s national cabinet will begin meeting twice a week from Monday, marking a return to a “war footing” in the country’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic amid turmoil in its…

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New Zealand to end livestock exports due to animal welfare concerns

New Zealand said on Wednesday it will stop the export of livestock by sea following a transition period of up to two years, citing animal welfare concerns for a decision…

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New Zealand introduces climate change law for financial firms in world first

New Zealand has become the first country to introduce a law that will require banks, insurers and investment managers to report the impacts of climate change on their business, minister for climate change James Shaw said on Tuesday.…

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Australia abandons COVID-19 vaccination targets after new advice on AstraZeneca shots

Australia has abandoned a goal to vaccinate nearly all of its 26 million population by the end of 2021 following advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer's…

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Cyclone off Western Australia forces people to evacuate

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Tropical cyclone Seroja strenthened off Western Australia on Sunday, with emergency services opening shelters in preparation for high winds and coastal flooding later in the evening. Officials…

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Western Australia braces for ‘worst case scenario’ as cyclone Seroja nears

Authorities in Western Australia were urging residents of its Mid West coast to find safe shelter or leave on Saturday as cyclone Seroja barrelled towards a coastal region that is…

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Australia doubles Pfizer vaccine order as AstraZeneca clotting worries upend rollout

Australia has doubled its order of the Pfizer Inc COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, as the country raced to overhaul its inoculation plan over concerns about…

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Australia’s most populous state suspends AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine

Australia's most populous state said on Friday it has temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine following updated advice from the federal government. New South Wales said inoculations using…

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Australia to scrap harassment exemption for judges and politicians

Australia will scrap exemptions for judges and politicians from sexual harassment laws, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, as his government struggles to contain a backlash over allegations of…

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Australia backs Pfizer virus vaccine over AstraZeneca for under-50s

CANBERRA/SYDNEY, April 8 (Reuters) - Australia said on Thursday it now recommends people under 50 should get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in preference to AstraZeneca's shot, a policy shift that it…

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‘We are all aviators’: Australian air force replaces term ‘airmen’

Australian air force personnel will now be known as aviators rather than airmen, the force said on Thursday, in an apparent acknowledgement of the increasing diversity of its members. “We…

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New Zealand suspends entry for travellers from India due to high COVID-19 cases

New Zealand on Thursday temporarily suspended entry for all travellers from India, including its own citizens, for about two weeks following a high number of positive coronavirus cases arriving from…

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Australia to continue AstraZeneca vaccine

Australia has no current plans to change the rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, after Europe's drug regulator found possible links between rare…

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Australia calls for release of 3.1 mln vaccine doses, if EU not blocking exports

Australia said on Wednesday it will ask the European Union to release more than 3 million doses of AstraZeneca PLC's COVID-19 vaccine, testing Brussels claim it is not blocking shipments,…

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Australia-NZ ‘travel bubble’ to begin April 19 in pandemic milestone

New Zealand and Australia will create a quarantine and COVID-testing free "travel bubble" from April 19, after effectively eradicating the virus by closing borders last year to stop more infections…

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New Zealand imprisons persons convicted of breaching coronavirus restrictions

More than 400 New Zealanders have been convicted of breaching coronavirus restrictions, with more than 80 among them even sentenced to prison terms. New Zealand has implemented stringent legislation to…

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Australia short of 3 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses in blow to vaccination drive

Australia on Tuesday said it had not yet received more than 3 million doses of previously promised AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses amid export curbs by the European Union, leaving a major hole in…

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Australia enjoys Easter with no new local coronavirus cases

Australians were celebrating Easter Sunday in a relatively unrestricted manner as the country reported no new locally acquired coronavirus cases. Queensland, the epicentre of a recent, small COVID-19 community outbreak,…

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Update – Australia to continue AstraZeneca vaccination despite blood clotting case

Australia will continue its inoculation programme with AstraZeneca PLC, health officials said on Saturday, after a blood clotting case raised concern about the safety of the vaccine. A 44-year-old man…

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Australia investigates possible link of blood clot case to AstraZeneca vaccine

Australia is investigating whether a blood clotting disorder case recorded on Friday is related to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said. Australian media reported…

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Australia marks quietest fire season in a decade

Australia’s most populous state has closed out its quietest fire season in a decade, its fire service said, as the coolest and wettest summer in years offered a reprieve from…

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Australia lifts Brisbane lockdown in time for Easter as COVID cases dwindle

Australia ended a lockdown of its third-biggest city Brisbane on Thursday, just in time for Easter holidays, as only one new locally transmitted COVID-19 case in Queensland state eased fears…

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Photo Story: RAAF Centenary commemoration in Canberra

World War II aircraft perform a fly past on Wednesday over Parliament House during the commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), in Canberra,…

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Australia’s Queensland eyes easing curbs as fewer new COVID-19 cases reported

Australia reported a drop-off in new cases of locally acquired COVID-19 in Queensland on Wednesday, fuelling optimism that a three-day snap lockdown in state capital Brisbane will be lifted ahead…

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Australian PM reshuffles cabinet after series of scandals

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reshuffled his Cabinet on Monday as he sought to repair his standing following a series of damaging allegations about the mistreatment of female lawmakers and staff.…

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Brisbane goes into a three-day COVID-19 lockdown after 7 new cases

Australian authorities announced a snap three-day COVID-19 lockdown in the northern city of Brisbane from Monday afternoon, as they attempt to stamp out an outbreak of the virulent UK variant…

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Australia’s Queensland state coronavirus cluster grows to three

Australia's Queensland state reported one new coronavirus case on Sunday linked to the highly contagious B117 UK mutant strain, but officials said a wider lockdown was not yet needed yet.…

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Australia’s Queensland state records one new coronavirus case

Australia's Queensland state reported one new coronavirus case on Saturday linked to the highly contagious B117 UK mutant strain but authorities say the situation is not yet alarming. The infected…

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New Zealand’s Catholic Church apologises to survivors of abuse

New Zealand’s Catholic Church formally apologised on Friday to the survivors of abuse within the church and said its systems and culture must change. Cardinal John Dew, who is the…

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New Zealand passes miscarriages bereavement leave law

New Zealand’s parliament has passed legislation giving mothers and their partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or still birth, becoming only the second country in the world…

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Australia prepares for flood recovery as wild weather eases

Australian authorities issued fresh flood evacuation orders for parts of the east coast on Wednesday, and warned that water levels would keep rising in some areas, even as Sydney woke…

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Australian PM reacts to reports of sex acts in parliament

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday acknowledged mounting dissatisfaction with his handling of a series of allegations about the mistreatment of women in politics, as he vowed to drive…

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Australian police find nothing criminal in Vatican fund transfers

Australian police said on Tuesday that they had found nothing criminal in the transfer of A$9.5 million ($7.3 million) from the Vatican to Australia between 2014 and 2020. Financial crime watchdog AUSTRAC…

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Thousands evacuated in Australia’s worst flooding in almost half a century

Australian authorities issued fresh flood warnings and evacuation orders on Tuesday as torrential rains again pummelled several parts of the country, sweeping away homes, roads and livestock in the worst…

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Israel, New Zealand approve sale of virus killing nasal spray

Israel and New Zealand have given interim approval for the sale of biotech firm SaNOtize Research and Development's Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) which could help prevent transmission of the…

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Photo Story – Heavy rain causes flooding in New South Wales

A boy slides down a muddy bank in pouring rain at King Edward Park in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, 21 March 2021. More rain is forecast for the New…

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Australia accelerates the pace of COVID-19 vaccination rollout

Australia on Monday begun accelerating the pace of COVID-19 inoculations after Canberra approved local manufacturing of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. Australia's Minister for Health Greg Hunt said about 1,000 general practitioners…

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New Zealand PM Ardern says to announce date for quarantine-free travel with Australia in two weeks

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce within two weeks a date for quarantine-free travel with Australia, she said on Monday, despite mounting pressure from business to open borders…

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Sydney facing worst flooding in 60 years

Australian authorities are planning to evacuate thousands more people on Monday from flood-affected suburbs in Sydney’s west, which is set for its worst flooding in 60 years with drenching rain…

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Parts of Sydney evacuated due to heavy rains

People in parts of Sydney’s northwest were ordered to flee their houses in the middle of the night as heavy rains continued to batter Australia’s east coast on Sunday with…

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