Oceania

New Zealand’s Ardern dismisses minister over inappropriate relationship claims

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern dismissed Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway on Wednesday over allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a former staffer. “The minister has shown a lack…

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Last Qantas 747 departs Sydney for Mojave retirement

Qantas Airways Ltd chief executive Alan Joyce signed the carrier's last Boeing Co 747 jet at Sydney airport on Wednesday, shortly before it was due to fly to the Mojave…

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Australia’s Victoria state reports record new cases of coronavirus

Australia's second most populous state of Victoria reported on Wednesday two new deaths from the coronavirus and logged a record daily increase of 484 new cases compared with 374 cases…

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Australian houses on the brink of collapse as wild seas batter the coast

Some beachfront homes on Australia's east coast have come closer to slipping into the sea after wild storms lashed the coastline, residents said on Friday. Residents of Wamberal, about 90…

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Australian researchers invent 20-minute coronavirus blood test in world first

The South China Morning Post is reporting that researchers in Australia have devised a test that can determine novel coronavirus infection in about 20 minutes. Using blood samples in what…

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Australia posts surge in new COVID-19 cases

Australia’s Victoria state on Friday reported a record daily increase in COVID-19 cases while neighbouring New South Wales said it was banning dancing, singing and mingling at weddings as authorities…

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Tsunami warning issued after 7.3 magnitude strikes off Wau in Papua New Guinea

A warning for "hazardous tsunami waves" was issued briefly for coastal regions within 300 kms (186.41 miles) of Wau in Papua New Guinea's northeast, after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck…

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Faced with COVID-19, highest number of Australians tap retirement funds since April

Australians asked to pull out more than A$5 billion ($3.5 billion) from their pension funds in the first week of July, the highest since the government granted early access to…

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Australian pub cluster adds to second-wave coronavirus fears

Australia's most populous state reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with a growing cluster at a pub used by freight drivers travelling the country adding to fears of…

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Australia’s Victoria state continues registering increases in infections

Australia’s Victoria state reported 273 new cases of the coronavirus and another COVID-19 death on Sunday, marking a week of triple-digit increases in infections, as state authorities battle fresh outbreaks…

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New imported case of coronavirus in New Zealand

One new case has been reported in New Zealand, a woman in her 20s who flew in from Rome, via Doha and Sydney, last week. The ministry of health said…

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Teenager killed in shark attack at NSW Australia

A 15-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a shark on the NSW mid north coast despite fellow surfers “bravely” trying to fend it off. News.Com.Au reports witnesses telling police…

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Sydney residents on high alert amid second-wave fears

Sydney is on high alert as large scale COVID-19 testing regimes place residents on standby for a potential second wave. A slew of Sydneysiders lined up in their cars in…

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Photo story – Policing in Melbourne

Police walk dogs belonging to residents of the Alfred Street public housing tower which remains under tight lockdown over to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,…

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Australia’s Victoria reports record daily number of coronavirus cases

Australia's second most populous state of Victoria said on Friday the number of its new coronavirus infections had hit a daily record. State Premier Daniel Andrews, who said 288 new…

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Australia considers slowing return of citizens amid virus spike

Australia’s national cabinet met on Friday to discuss slowing the number of citizens allowed to return to the country from overseas, as authorities grapple with a COVID-19 outbreak in the…

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Australia to release most from COVID-19 high-rise lockdown despite surge

Australia's second-most populous will relax restrictions on many of the 3,000 people locked down in nine public-housing towers despite surging numbers of COVID-19 cases, state premier Daniel Andrews said on…

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Australian PM suspends extradition treaty, extends visas for Hong Kong citizens

Australia said on Thursday it was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and announced measures to attract people and businesses from the Asian financial hub, after Beijing imposed…

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New Zealand police to patrol quarantine hotels after breakouts

Police officers will patrol New Zealand’s quarantine hotels around-the-clock after a number of people – including a man who tested positive for coronavirus – escaped the managed isolation facilities. In…

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Melbourne wakes to another lockdown as more state borders close

Australia's second most populous city began a six-week lockdown on Thursday following a spike in new coronavirus cases, as states around the country tightened internal borders to prevent a second…

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New Zealand to limit returning citizens as quarantine facilities fill up

New Zealand said on Tuesday its national airline will not take new bookings for three weeks as the country looks to limit the number of citizens returning home to reduce the burden on overflowing quarantine facilities. As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens…

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Melbourne re-introduces lockdown after coronavirus spikes up again

Australia's second most populous state of Victoria will reimpose stay-at-home restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne and one regional area of the state, Premier Daniel Andrews said, after a record daily rise in coronavirus…

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Increase in US interest in moving to New Zealand amid Covid-19

American interest in moving to New Zealand has spiked during the coronavirus crisis, with the number of people seeking information on how to emigrate climbing by 65% during May. New…

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Fiji records first new case of coronavirus in 78 days

Fiji has recorded its first new case of coronavirus in 78 days, after a 66-year-old man tested positive for the virus after returning to the country from India, according to…

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Qantas to operate three one-hour “farewell jumbo joy flights” for 747 jumbo jet

Qantas has announced a program of events to farewell its last remaining Boeing 747 and provide Australians the opportunity to say goodbye to the much loved “Queen of the Skies”…

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New Zealand reports one new Covid-19 case of man who arrived from London

One new Covid-19 case in managed isolation has been announced in New Zealand. It's now been 66 days since the last case of community transmission, when someone catches Covid-19 locally…

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Australia closes state border for first time in 100 years to halt coronavirus

The border between Australia’s two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Monday, following an outbreak of the coronavirus in…

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Thousands rally across Australia in Black Lives Matter protests

Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in cities across Australia, shouting slogans in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and aiming to raise awareness of the mistreatment of indigenous…

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Australia’s Victoria reports 108 new coronavirus cases, biggest jump in over 3 months

Australia's second most-populous state, Victoria, reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases since late March on Saturday, forcing the expansion of stay-at-home orders to more Melbourne suburbs and the complete…

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New Zealand Christchurch mosque shooter sentencing begins on Aug. 24

The sentencing hearing for an Australian man accused of killing 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand’s worst mass shooting has been set to begin on Aug. 24, the court said…

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Australia new virus cases fall

Australia reported a drop in new coronavirus cases on Friday, with a surge in the second most populated state Victoria appearing to have eased, although more than 10,000 people…

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No international flights for another year, says Qantas

Qantas has confirmed that it won’t fly internationally at all this year, in a major blow to all those hoping to reach Australia any time soon. The national flag carrier…

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Australia sets up suburban checkpoints to contain Melbourne virus hotspots

Australian police set up suburban checkpoints in new coronavirus hotspots in Melbourne on Thursday as authorities struggled to contain new outbreaks in the country's second-largest city, even as travel restrictions…

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New Zealand’s health minister resigns after coronavirus criticism

New Zealand’s embattled Health Minister resigned on Thursday after security slip-ups at quarantine facilities where the coronavirus was detected just days after officials declared it had been eliminated from the…

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New South Wales, Australia confirms 14 new cases – all returned travellers

The state of New South Wales in Australia on Wednesday announced 14 new coronavirus cases, but all are travellers currently in hotel quarantine, state health minister Brad Hazzard announced.…

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New Zealand reports second consecutive day of zero new cases

New Zealand has reported a second consecutive day of no new cases of Covid-19, according to health officials. There are 22 active cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand, all…

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Melbourne orders 36 suburbs locked down, flights to be diverted to other states

Authorities on Tuesday ordered the lockdown of 36 suburbs in Australia’s second biggest city Melbourne to stop a spike in coronavius cases, a dramatic departure from the relaxation of…

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Quarter of businesses in Pacific fear they will not survive Covid-19 pandemic

A quarter of businesses in the Pacific are not confident they will survive the coronavirus pandemic despite the region largely avoiding the pandemic health crises seen elsewhere, a survey of…

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Australia sees biggest daily rise in COVID-19 cases in 2 months

Australia's second most populous state said on Monday it is considering reimposing social distancing restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new coronavirus infections in more than…

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Australia’s Victoria state mandates coronavirus testing for travellers

Australia’s Victoria state will implement mandatory coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, the state’s premier said on Sunday. The country’s…

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New Zealand’s Covid-19 isolation facilities under ‘extreme stress’

A review of New Zealand’s managed isolation and quarantine facilities has found that the system is under “extreme stress” as more and more Kiwis return home. It came as four…

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Virgin Australia to fly again

U.S. private equity group Bain Capital said on Friday it has agreed with the administrator of Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd to buy Australia's second-biggest airline for an undisclosed sum, banking…

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Photo Story: Panic buying in Melbourne

Signage for product limits sits on an empty toilet paper shelf in a Woolworths Supermarket in Melbourne, Australia, 26 June 2020. People are panic buying more toilet paper as coronavirus…

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Australia on track to further ease coronavirus curbs, PM Morrison says

Australia will stick with plans to further ease coronavirus curbs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, despite a spike in infections in the second most populous state of Victoria.…

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New Zealand confirms one new case among quarantined travellers

New Zealand has reported one new case of Covid-19 today; like all of the country’s current active cases it was diagnosed during the routine testing of quarantined travellers. After reporting…

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Australia posts biggest one-day rise in coronavirus cases in two months

Australia's second most populous state deployed ambulances and mobile test centres in a coronavirus testing blitz as the country recorded the biggest daily rise in cases in two months. Victoria…

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More Covid-19 cases in New Zealand, all are imported cases

There are three new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand; all returning travellers who were diagnosed during routine testing of travelers. These are the latest in a slow trickle of…

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Qantas to cut 6,000 jobs

Qantas Airways Ltd said on Thursday it is axing at least 20% of its workforce and plans to raise up to A$1.9 billion ($1.30 billion) of equity as part of…

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Strong quake shakes New Zealand’s Milford Sound

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake rattled Milford Sound, in the tourist hotspot of Fiordland in New Zealand's South Island on Thursday, government seismic monitor Geonet said. Thousands of people in the…

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Australian musical theatre icon Michael Falzon has died at 48 after cancer battle

Australian musical theatre icon Michael Falzon has died at 48. The Rock of Ages frontman died on Tuesday night after a prolonged fight with a rare form of germ cell…

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Australia confirms first coronavirus death in a month

A person has died in the state of Victoria, Australia, in the first coronavirus-related death in more than a month. The man in his 80s died overnight. Australia’s total death…

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New Zealand records one new coronavirus case

New Zealand has recorded one new case of Covid-19, diagnosed in a traveller returning from abroad who remains in government-run isolation facilities. That means the country has reported 11 active…

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Australians reportedly re-stock essential items as coronavirus infections increase

Supermarkets in Australia have once again urged shoppers to buy only the real necessities as a recent spike in coronavirus infections has increased fears that social restrictions might be re-imposed.…

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New Zealand extends ban on cruise ship arrivals

New Zealand said on Monday it was extending a ban on cruise ships arriving in the country as it looks to safeguard borders as new cases emerge of people arriving…

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Deloitte Australia cuts 7% of its workforce due to COVID-19

The Australian unit of global accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd said on Monday it will shed 7% of its workforce, joining a host of high-profile companies to slash costs…

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New Zealand citizens returning home could be put in campervans for Covid-19 quarantine as cases increase

Citizens returning home to New Zealand could undergo two weeks of quarantine in campervans because hotels in Auckland were nearing capacity, the ministry of health has warned. The government was…

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Australia state of Victoria reintroduces lockdown provisions as cases reach two-month high

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has announced a return of coronavirus restrictions after the state recorded 25 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, the biggest increase in two months. The state…

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