CDE News - World News

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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Heavy rain, flash flooding batter Australia’s east coast

Australia's east coast was smashed by heavy rains on Saturday, sparking dangerous flash flooding that forced the evacuation of multiple regions as the fast-moving waters unmoored houses, engulfed roads, stranded…

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Australian regulator to tighten criteria for banking licences

Australia's banking regulator said it will set stricter requirements for companies seeking banking licenses and increase scrutiny of new entrants in the market. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's (APRA) move…

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Australia relieved after EU drug regulator backs AstraZeneca vaccine

Australia on Friday welcomed the European drug regulator's decision to back the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after a safety investigation as authorities ramp up the country's immunisation drive next week. Germany,…

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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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Team New Zealand win America’s Cup 7-3

(Reuters) - Team New Zealand won the 36th America's Cup on Wednesday, beating Luna Rossa 7-3 in the best-of-13 series with victory in race 10 off the coast of Auckland.…

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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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New Zealand’s Ardern says world needs to talk about racism, two years after Christchurch attack

The world still needs to have conversations about racism and white supremacy, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, as the country marked two years since a white…

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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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New Zealand honours Christchurch shooting victims at anniversary service

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern joined hundreds of people in Christchurch on Saturday to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the country’s worst mass murder. Armed with high-capacity semi-automatic weapons,…

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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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