Oceania

Rare snowfall across southeast Australia

Parliament House is seen in front of snow-covered hills surrounding the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in Canberra, Australia, 23 August 2020. Antarctic air reaching Australia’s south east triggered snowfall down…

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Australia wrestles with coronavirus second-wave, 17 more dead

Australia recorded a further 17 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday but infections in the hard-hit state of Victoria, the site of all the latest deaths, are showing a downward trend,…

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New virus cases in Victoria, Australia, hit five-week low

Australia's virus hot spot state of Victoria recorded its lowest number of new infections in five weeks on Friday, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison prepared to build a framework for…

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New Zealand defers lockdown decision but says good progress made

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday deferred a decision on whether to ease a lockdown on the city of Auckland as 11 new coronavirus infections were reported, including…

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Coronavirus-hit Qantas reports £1bn annual loss

Qantas has reported an annual loss of almost A$2bn (£1bn) as it deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Australian flag carrier's boss says trading conditions are the…

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Australia’s second most populous state reports small daily rise in COVID-19 cases

Australia's second-most populous state of Victoria, the country's COVID-19 hot spot, on Thursday reported a small daily increase in new infections with 240 cases over the past 24 hours. The…

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New Zealand reports five new confirmed cases of coronavirus

New Zealand on Thursday reported five new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours compared with six a day earlier, as the Pacific nation battles a fresh outbreak…

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Parents who give youngsters “sips” of alcohol increase their risk of binge-drinking

Many parents encourage children to have small sips of alcohol at the dinner table in the belief it will help them drink sensibly in later life. But early exposure to…

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Vaccine likely to be mandatory in Australia

Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, said he wants it to be compulsory for people to have a Covid-19 vaccine once it is available. Australia had earlier revealed it has agreed…

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New Zealand ramps up military at border to beat coronavirus oubreak

New Zealand said it would increase the number of defence personnel at its quarantine facilities and border to beat any further spread of COVID-19, as it reported five new cases…

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‘Patently Wrong’ – New Zealand Ardern hits back at Trump

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hit back on Tuesday against U.S. President Donald Trump for saying her country is experiencing a “big surge” in COVID-19, calling the remarks “patently…

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NSW in Australia bans choirs and wind instruments in groups

As Australia suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic with 25 deaths being reported in the southern state of Victoria, 22 of which were in aged care homes, formals, dances,…

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Australia reports deadliest day of COVID-19 pandemic, new cases steady

Australia on Monday recorded its biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 deaths, though the state at the epicentre of the country’s outbreak said the number of new infections held steady. Victoria…

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Australian state premier apologises for cruise ship failures after COVID-19 spike

The leader of Australia's New South Wales state apologised on Monday for failing to stop people carrying the novel coronavirus from disembarking from a cruise ship in Sydney in March,…

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New Zealand’s Ardern postpones election as coronavirus flares up

New Zealand's prime minister postponed the country's general election on Monday by a month to Oct. 17 as the city of Auckland remains in lockdown due to a new outbreak…

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Australia commemorates end of WW2 with message of unity

In socially distanced ceremonies across Australia that echoed a message of unity, politicians, veterans and ordinary people commemorated on Saturday the 75th anniversary of the day that brought the end…

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New Zealand COVID-19 outbreak grows, Australia still struggles

New Zealand on Saturday reported seven new cases of the coronavirus as a lockdown in the country’s biggest city, Auckland, was extended on Friday in response to the country’s first…

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New Zealand’s Ardern extends lockdown to stamp out coronavirus outbreak

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern extended a lockdown in the country’s biggest city on Friday in response to the first national coronavirus outbreak in months, sticking with a “go…

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Australia posts lowest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases in more than 3 weeks

Australia posted its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in more than three weeks on Thursday, stoking hopes that a second wave of new infections gripping Victoria state is…

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New Zealand scrambles to trace cluster, reporting 14 new virus cases

New Zealand officials were scrambling to trace the source of an outbreak of the coronavirus, reporting 14 new cases on Thursday, as long queues of people formed to escape a…

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New Zealand considers freight as possible source of new coronavirus cluster

New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the country's biggest city plunged back into lockdown…

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Australia suffers deadliest day of coronavirus pandemic, cases rise

Australia recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday and the biggest daily rise in infections in three days, denting hopes that a second wave gripping the state…

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New Zealand delays election process as it plunges back into coronavirus lockdown

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday delayed a key step toward next month's general election, as the country was plunged back into lockdown after the discovery of the…

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First case of local transmission of coronavirus in 100 days prompts New Zealand PM to order lockdown

New Zealand has announced its first locally transmitted coronavirus infections in more than 100 days, leading the country's prime minister to immediately issue a stay-at-home lockdown order for the country's…

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Australian PM extends lead as country’s most preferred leader

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has extended his lead as the country’s most preferred leader, a poll showed on Monday, boosted by his government’s coronavirus wage subsidy scheme and efforts…

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Australia says COVID-19 outbreak shows signs of peaking

Australia recorded its biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 deaths on Monday although a slowdown in new cases gave hope that a second wave of new infections in the state of…

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New Zealand sees 101st day without community transmission

New Zealand has reported its 101st day in a row with no recorded community transmission of Covid-19 from an unknown source. All 21 active cases of the coronavirus have been…

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Australia borders to stay shut as COVID-19 daily deaths reach record

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said internal border closures were unlikely to lift before Christmas, as the country on Monday reported a record single day rise in COVID-19 deaths. There…

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Australia’s Victoria reports deadliest day of COVID-19 pandemic

Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, reported its deadliest day of the COVID-19 outbreak on Sunday, with 17 people dying, although new infections showed signs of easing. Victoria, at the centre…

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New Zealand hits 100 days without community transmission

New Zealand marked 100 days without a domestic transmission of the coronavirus on Sunday, but warned against complacency as countries like Vietnam and Australia which once had the virus under…

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Ardern launches her ‘CoVid-19 election’ campaign

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday launched her re-election campaign promising a “laser-like” focus on boosting jobs and economic growth hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The charismatic 40-year-old…

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Australia’s Victoria state reports 471 new coronavirus cases

Australia's second most populous state of Victoria said on Thursday eight people have died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, after reporting its deadliest day of the pandemic…

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Melbourne enters strict new coronavirus lockdown

Australia's second-biggest city of Melbourne began the first day of a six-week total lockdown on Thursday with the closure of most shops and businesses raising new fears of food shortages,…

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Virgin Australia to slash workforce

Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd plans to cut a third of its workforce as part of an overhaul to focus on being a domestic and short-haul international Boeing Co 737 operator…

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Photo Story: Missing sailors on Micronesia island saved by SOS message in the sand

A handout photo made available by the Australian Department of Defence shows an Australian Army ARH-90 Tiger Helicopter landing on Pikelot Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, where three…

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Australia’s Victoria reports deadliest day of coronavirus pandemic, Queensland shuts state border

Australia's second most populous state of Victoria on Wednesday reported its deadliest day of the coronavirus outbreak with 15 fatalities in the last 24 hours and a record daily rise…

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Australia to introduce pandemic leave disaster payment

Australia will introduce a pandemic leave payment for workers who have run out of sick leave but need to be quarantined because they have been directed to stay at home…

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Australian state of Victoria declares a state of disaster, orders large parts of economy to close

Australia's second most populous state will close retail shops, limit construction projects and curtail manufacturing around the city of Melbourne in order to slow the spread of coronavirus, the state…

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New Zealand reports two new cases of coronavirus

New Zealand has reported two new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, both diagnosed in travellers returning to the country who are quarantined in government-managed facilities. It has been 94 days…

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Victoria’s state Premier declares state of disaster, imposes curfew

A state of disaster was declared in Australia's Victoria on Sunday, with the local government implementing a night curfew as part of its harshest movement restrictions to date to contain the coronavirus.…

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Nearly 400 of Australia’s Covid cases in hospital

There are 399 people in Australian hospitals, including 50 people in intensive care units and 28 on ventilators, Australian authorities said. Australia’s deputy chief medical officer, Prof Michael Kidd, told…

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Australia’s Victoria flags strict new steps to control surging COVID-19 cases

Australia's Victoria state recorded its second-highest day of new COVID-19 infections on Friday as its premier rebuked residents for evading lockdown and flagged the prospect of more rigorous steps to…

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Polls show New Zealand’s Ardern on track to win Sept election

Support for New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern rose during July, a poll showed on Thursday, keeping her Labour party on track to win a general election in September. The…

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Australia reports record daily coronavirus cases, 13 deaths

Australia recorded its worst day in the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday as the country's second-most populous state reported more than 700 new infections and 13 deaths. The previous national record…

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Coronavirus Australia: Victoria reports record 532 new cases

The state of Victoria in Australia posted a daily record of 532 new coronavirus cases on Monday. The State's government warned that a lockdown in the city of Melbourne will continue if…

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New Zealand PM Ardern’s ratings sky high ahead of election

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s party raced ahead of rivals in the latest opinion poll, putting the charismatic 40-year-old leader on track for a comfortable victory in the elections…

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New Zealand reports zero new cases for third straight day

New Zealand has reported another day with no new cases of Covid-19 – the third day in a row. All of the country’s 21 active cases of the virus were…

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Australian state of Victoria records daily virus record, warns of lockdown extension

Australia's Victoria state on Monday reported the country's highest daily increase in coronavirus infections, prompting the authorities to warn a six-week lockdown may last longer if people continue to go…

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Weed-killer glyphosate found in New Zealand’s manuka honey

Traces of the controversial weed-killer glyphosate have been found in New Zealand honey, prompting concern for our high-value manuka industry. The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) found the…

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Australia police win halt to Black Lives Matter protest amid COVID-19

An Australian court on Sunday ordered a halt to a Black Lives Matter protest for this week, accepting police concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, but the organiser vowed to appeal.…

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86 days without any community transmission of coronavirus in New Zealand

There were also no new cases of the coronavirus according to the latest bulletin, and it has now been 86 days since any community transmission in New Zealand. There remain…

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Australia reports jump in daily new cases, record deaths

Australia's second-most populous state, Victoria, recorded 459 cases of the new coronavirus, the second-highest daily total and up from 357 cases the previous day, the state's leader said on Sunday.…

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Coronavirus in Australia leads to mental health emergency

In Australia mental health emergency has erupted in the months since Australia launched its unprecedented response to coronavirus, with anxiety and depression rates skyrocketing. News.Com.Au reports that assuming the current coronavirus…

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Carnival’s Princess Cruises to extend some voyage suspensions until December

Carnival Corp's Princess Cruises said it would extend the suspension of select voyages through Dec. 15 as it looks to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Princess Cruises also…

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Australia’s Tasmania opens travel bubble for COVID-free states

Australia's southern island state of Tasmania will next month begin accepting tourists from other areas of the country that have seen significant periods with no fresh cases of coronavirus, state…

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Australian state to send in the army to check on COVID-19 cases

Australia's Victoria state will send in the army to question people who have tested positive for COVID-19 as it battles to control an outbreak that claimed a record number of…

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Australia’s Victoria has highest daily death toll from coronavirus

Australia's second most populous state of Victoria said on Friday six people died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the highest daily toll since the pandemic began. Three…

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