Oceania

Australia mourns police officers, civilian killed in gunfight

SYDNEY, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Australia on Wednesday mourned two police officers and a civilian who were killed in a gunfight in a remote property in Queensland state, with landmarks…

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New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern’s popularity plunges to lowest level

Jacinda Ardern’s popularity has plunged to the lowest level since she entered government as New Zealanders grow increasingly concerned about crime. Tensions soared last week with the murder of a…

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Australia to cap prices of coal, gas to drive down energy bills

Gas, coal price caps around 50% below Q3 average prices Gas producers say price caps will backfire Power producers say unclear when bills will fall Coal producers seek more details…

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Australia lowers terror threat level for first time since 2014

SYDNEY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Australia lowered its terrorism threat level on Monday to "possible" from "probable" for the first time in eight years, citing a reduced risk of attacks…

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Australia house prices forecast to slump 16% from peak

By Vivek Mishra BENGALURU, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Australian housing prices that are on a steep decline will likely fall further next year, according to a Reuters poll of analysts…

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New Zealand court rules voting age of 18 is discriminatory

WELLINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand's highest court ruled on Monday that the country's current voting age of 18 was discriminatory, forcing parliament to discuss whether it should be…

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New Zealand defence minister visits Ukraine, reaffirms support

(Reuters) - New Zealand said on Sunday Defence Minister Peeni Henare has visited Kyiv to reaffirm the Pacific nation's support for Ukraine's resistance to Russia's invasion. "We discussed New Zealand's recent extension of the infantry…

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Australian PM says premature to discuss about any potential China trip

SYDNEY, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday said it was premature to discuss any potential trips to China, days after he met President Xi Jinping on the…

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Australia battles floods as frustration swells over relief, warnings

By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Flood-weary residents in Australia's southeast were urged to remain on high alert for major flooding through the weekend, authorities said on Friday,…

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Floods isolate Australian wheatbelt towns; Singapore joins rescue efforts

By Renju Jose and Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Hundreds of properties in Australia's southeast, scrubbed and cleaned two weeks ago after major flooding, were inundated again on…

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Australia economy set to slow amid downside risks -IMF

SYDNEY, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Australia should continue to tighten monetary and fiscal policy to contain inflation even as its economy is set to slow sharply next year amid a…

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Flash floods in Australia’s southeast cut off inland towns

SYDNEY, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Heavy rain triggered flash floods that cut off some inland towns in Australia's southeast on Monday, with fresh evacuation warnings issued for thousands of rural…

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Australia to consider banning paying of ransoms to cyber criminals

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil on Sunday said the government would consider making illegal the paying of ransoms to cyber hackers, following recent cyber…

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Australia’s Albanese speaks briefly with China’s Li, prompting talk of summit

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke briefly with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a regional summit in Cambodia, Australian media said on Sunday, sparking some…

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Tsunami warnings issued after 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Tonga region

Nov 11 (Reuters) - The government of Tonga issued a tsunami warning on Friday after an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck in the sea around 207 km (128 miles) from…

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Photo Story: Remembrance Day 2022 in Sydney

An Australian Defence Force (ADF) bugler plays 'The Last Post' as poppies are projected on to the Sydney Opera House sails during a Remembrance Day 2022 Dawn Service at Campbells…

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Tongan volcano eruption unleashed highest plume on record

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The powerful Jan. 15 underwater eruption of Tonga's Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in the South Pacific produced a plume that soared higher into Earth's atmosphere than any…

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Australia sees spike in cyber attacks from criminals and states

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Cyber attacks against Australia from criminals and state-sponsored groups jumped last financial year, with a government report released on Friday equating the assault to one attack every…

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Rescue efforts in full swing as Australia’s inland towns brace for flood peaks

SYDNEY, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Emergency crews in Australia's most populous state New South Wales were evacuating people and livestock and sandbagging towns on Saturday ahead of an expected peak…

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Residents told to evacuate as flood waters rise in regional Australia

SYDNEY, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Hundreds of residents in major regional towns across Australia's most populous state are being urged to leave homes as slow-moving floodwaters push downstream and the…

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Ransomware hackers hit Australian defence communications platform

SYDNEY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Hackers have targeted a communications platform used by Australian military personnel and defence staff with a ransomware attack, authorities said on Monday, as the country…

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U.S. plans to deploy B-52 bombers to Australia’s north

SYDNEY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The United States is planning to deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to an air base in northern Australia, a source familiar with the…

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Crypto industry disappointed as Australia looks to enshrine tax rules

SYDNEY, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The cryptocurrency industry said on Wednesday it was disappointed with Australia's decision to continue treating digital currencies as assets for tax purposes, and not as…

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Australia inflation races to 32-year high, sounds rates alarm

SYDNEY, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Australian inflation raced to a 32-year high last quarter as the cost of home building and gas surged, a shock result that stoked pressure for…

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Fitbit sued in Australia for misleading consumers on faulty devices

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator has begun court proceedings against Fitbit LLC for allegedly making false or misleading claims to consumers about their guarantee rights on faulty devices, it said…

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PHOTO STORY: Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney

Sculpture Shell Resonance by Capto Collaborative is exhibited along the Bondi to Tamarama Coastal walk as part of the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney, Australia. Via EPA-EFE/BIANCA DE…

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Australia’s east braces for more heavy rain, ‘life-threatening’ floods

SYDNEY, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Large swathes of Australia's southeast were under flood evacuation alerts on Saturday as the nation's weather forecaster warned major flooding could hit parts of New…

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‘Political fix’ needed for Wikileaks’ Assange – lawyer

SYDNEY, Oct 21 (Reuters) - A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said an "urgent political fix" is needed in his case because legal appeals against his extradition to the…

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After telco hack, Australia faces a wave of data breaches

SYDNEY, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A data breach at Australia's second-largest telco may have raised the country's profile as a hacking target, cybersecurity experts said on Thursday, as federal police…

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Australia to investigate reports pilots trained Chinese military

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Australia's defence minister said its military was investigating reports former pilots were accepting training roles in China, as Britain said it could take legal action…

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Flooded Australian towns ready levees, sandbags ahead of more rain

SYDNEY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Residents in flood-hit Australian towns ramped up efforts to build levees and sandbag homes on Wednesday ahead of more rain, although authorities said the expected…

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Australians take stock of flood damage amid warnings of more rain

SYDNEY, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Thousands of Australians on Monday returned to homes and businesses to assess flood damage even as evacuation warnings remained in inland regions of the southeast…

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Australia PM tours flood-hit Victoria state; evacuations, sandbagging underway

SYDNEY, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday toured flood-hit parts of Victoria state, including the city of Melbourne, as three southeastern states continued to grapple…

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Australia suffers weather emergency, Melbourne swamped as deluge hits 3 states

SYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Thousands of people across Australia's southeast were asked to evacuate their homes on Friday, including some in a western suburb of Melbourne, after two days…

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Heavy rains, flash floods threaten Australia’s southeast

SYDNEY, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Residents in Australia's southeast were warned on Wednesday to prepare for an intense weather system which could bring damaging winds and heavy rains over the…

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Heavy rain eases in Australia’s east, flood threats remain

SYDNEY, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Heavy rains eased across Australia's east on Monday, a slight relief for flood-weary residents but authorities warned another intense weather system could hit several inland…

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Singtel’s second unit faces cyber attack weeks after Optus data breach

Oct 10 (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications Ltd said on Monday its unit Dialog faced a cyber attack that potentially affected 1,000 current and former employees and fewer than 20 clients,…

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Heavy rains ease in Australia’s New South Wales, flood warnings remain

WELLINGTON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Rains eased in Australia's New South Wales on Sunday but authorities continued to warn people to be aware of rising flood waters, as days of rain in…

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More heavy rains forecast for flood-weary Australia’s east

SYDNEY, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Australia's two most populous states are preparing for heavy rains over the weekend as authorities on Friday urged residents in flood-prone regions to avoid unnecessary…

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Sydney records wettest year since 1858 as Australia braces for more floods

SYDNEY, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Sydney recorded its wettest year in 164 years as authorities braced for major floods in Australia's east on Thursday, with more heavy downpours expected to…

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Australian government slams Optus for cybersecurity breach

MELBOURNE, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The Australian government on Sunday levelled its harshest criticism yet against Optus, the second-biggest telecoms company, for a cybersecurity breach that affected the equivalent of…

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Australian police seek to protect 10,000 customers after Optus hack

SYDNEY, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Australian authorities said on Friday they have commenced an operation to protect the personal information of 10,000 people whose data may have been shared online…

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As Australia calls end to COVID emergency response, doctors warn of risk to public

SYDNEY, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Australia will end the mandatory five-day home quarantine for COVID-infected people on Oct. 14, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday, even as some doctors…

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Australian retail sales keep defying gravity with August jump

SYDNEY, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Australian retail sales boasted another strong month in August as shoppers spent on household goods and eating out, a sign consumers were proving resilient to…

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New Zealand bans export of live animals by sea

WELLINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - New Zealand on Wednesday banned the export of livestock by sea from April 2023, citing animal welfare concerns in a decision that will affect major…

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Pets left in limbo as Australian owners get cold feet

SYDNEY, (Reuters) - Australian animal shelters are overflowing, and the wait to return animals can be as long as eight months as pet owners return to work and face rising…

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Australia seeks stable ties with ‘great power’ China, minister says

SYDNEY, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Australia is aiming for a stable relationship with China despite differences, especially on trade, Australia's foreign minister said, as she called on Beijing to use…

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Cyber attack on Australia’s Optus puts addresses, passport info at risk

SYDNEY, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Optus, the Australian unit of telecoms firm Singapore Telecommunications , said it was investigating the possible unauthorised access of home addresses, passport numbers and phone…

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Photo Story: Over 200 whales found stranded in Tasmania, Australia

A handout photo made available by the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) on 21 September 2022 shows a mass stranding of whales near Macquarie Heads, on Tasmania's…

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Australia lowers budget deficit as higher coal prices support revenue

Robust commodity prices have helped narrow Australia's budget deficit for the last fiscal year by about A$50 billion ($34 billion), Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Tuesday, highlighting that most of the…

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Australia rules out ban on Russian tourists as part of sanctions

SYDNEY, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Australia will not ban Russian tourists from entering the country as part of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, Defence Minister Richard Marles…

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New Zealand economy rebounds in Q2 as tourists return

(Reuters) - New Zealand's economy rebounded sharply last quarter as a lifting of coronavirus restrictions and the return of tourists helped it dodge recession, though it may be a last…

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Australia fully employed as jobs bounces back in August

SYDNEY, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Australian employment bounced back in August after a surprise dip the month before and the jobless rate edged up just a tick from a 48-year…

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Australia braces for more pain from rain after La Nina confirmed

Much of Australia will face unusually heavy rains in coming months, the country's weather forecaster said on Tuesday, after confirming that a La Nina weather event is under way for…

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New Zealand may become a republic but not anytime soon, Ardern says

New Zealand will not actively take any measures to become a republic in the short-term after the death of Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, though she expects the Pacific nation…

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Deaths from Papua New Guinea earthquake rise to seven

SYDNEY, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The death toll from a "significant" earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea on Sunday has risen to seven, the Pacific island nation's police commissioner said,…

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Australian PM rules out referendum on republic… for now

Australia’s prime minister has ruled out holding a referendum on the country becoming a republic any time soon, saying now is the time to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth…

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