Australia

Australia virus epicentre state says new cases drop to 3-month low

The Australian state at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak on Sunday reported a sharp daily decline in new cases, raising the chances that it will be released from…

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Australia COVID-19 hotspot records fewest cases since June

The Australian state at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak on Saturday reported its lowest daily increase of infections in three months, putting it on course to relax a…

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Australia to ease border limits and allow more citizens home

Australia said on Friday it would increase the number of citizens allowed to return home each week to 6,000 as it manages to get new COVID-19 infections under control. Prime…

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Australia’s jobless rate slips, but youth face tough times

Australia's jobless rate unexpectedly slipped from a 22-year high in August as employment surged past expectations helped by part-time work, but the economic toll from the pandemic has hit young…

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Australia says daily COVID-19 cases fall to 3-month low

Australia on Thursday reported its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in nearly three months, as states said restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the virus will be…

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Australia’s COVID-19 hotspot on track for easing lockdown

Australia's Victoria state on Wednesday said the daily rise in infections in its coronavirus hot spot of Melbourne has eased further, putting it on course to relax an extended hard…

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Australia coronavirus deaths pass 800 but new daily infections fall

Deaths related to the novel coronavirus in Australia reached 803 on Saturday, but new daily infections in the country's largest hot spot continued to fall. Victoria state, the epicentre of…

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Virgin Australia to cull a third of its Boeing 737 fleet under new ownership

Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd said on Wednesday it is returning a third of its fleet of Boeing Co 737 planes to lessors and financiers as part of a turnaround plan…

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Australia says not worried about AstraZeneca’s suspension of COVID vaccine trials

AstraZeneca Plc's suspension of its COVID-19 vaccine trials after a participant's unexplained illness did not mean the vaccine had been scrapped and showed safety standards were being adhered to, Australia's…

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Australia evacuates journalists from China amid ‘national security’ probe

China correspondents for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Australian Financial Review (AFR) sought shelter in Australia's embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai as diplomats negotiated with Chinese officials to allow them…

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Australia expects to receive AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine within months

Australia expects to receive its first batches of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in January, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as the number of new daily infections in the…

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Australia’s COVID-19 epicentre Melbourne extends hard lockdown

Australia's coronavirus hot spot state of Victoria on Sunday extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne by two weeks to the end of September as infection rates have declined…

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Australian PM wants internal borders open by Christmas, protests at virus restrictions grow

Australia's prime minister pressed states on Friday to reopen their borders by December and ease restrictions, as businesses and locked down households vented their frustration over deepening revenue and job…

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Australia’s coronavirus death toll surges

An Australian state reported a record 59 deaths on Friday, the highest ever daily total for the country, including previously unrecorded fatalities in aged care homes over the past several…

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Australia’s COVID-19 hotspot reports triple digit new cases for first time in 4 days

Australia's Victoria state on Thursday reported a triple digit rise in new COVID-19 infections for the first time in four days, denting optimism that a second wave of cases has…

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Photo Story: Australia’s Navy ship built in Spain departs towards Australia

The first of two Supply-class auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR), designed and built by Spanish company Navantia for Australia's Navy, departs from Navantia's shipyard in Ferrol city, north-western Spain, towards Garden…

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Australian state of Victoria may ease restrictions

A second wave of infections in Australia’s coronavirus hot spot, the state of Victoria, eased further on Wednesday as authorities look to loosen lockdown restrictions that have shut large swathes…

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Australia slips into first recession in 30 years

Australia suffered its worst economic downturn on record last quarter as it battled the coronavirus crisis, while fresh outbreaks threaten to upend an already bumpy road to recovery and pile…

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Facebook threatens to block sharing of news if Australia moves ahead with controversial law

Facebook is using its platforms to target users in Australia telling them that they will not be able to share any local or international use should the country's Government go ahead…

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Australia’s Victoria states posts lowest COVID-19 case rise in two months

Australia’s Victoria state on Saturday reported its lowest rise in new coronavirus cases in almost two months, but authorities warned there would be no rush to lift social distancing restrictions.…

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Australia’s COVID-19 hotspot expects fewer than 100 cases a day by next week

Australia's second most populous state - the epicentre of the country's latest COVID-19 outbreak - said on Friday it expects to soon report just double digit daily rises in new…

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Photo Story: 4-year-old boy among people killed in violent storm in Melbourne

A fallen tree and power lines are seen on a damaged car along Kaola Street in Belgrave, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 August 2020. Fallen trees from wild winds have killed…

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Australia’s Victoria reports lowest rise in COVID-19 cases in nearly two months

Australia's second-most populous state of Victoria on Thursday reported 23 deaths from the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours and 113 new cases, its lowest daily rise in nearly…

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Australian coronavirus antibody therapy aims for trial in early 2021

Australian researchers hope to start human trials of a coronavirus antibody therapy in early 2021, while a large-scale trial of a vaccine could begin by the end of this year,…

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Coronavirus deaths rise in Australia’s Victoria state

Australia’s Victoria state on Wednesday recorded its second-most deadly day of the coronavirus pandemic with 24 deaths, although fewer new infections were detected at the half-way mark of a strict…

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New Zealand extends Auckland coronavirus lockdown, Australia case numbers slow

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday extended a coronavirus lockdown in the country's largest city until the end of the week and introduced mandatory mask wearing on public…

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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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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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Philippines bans poultry products from Australia over bird flu outbreak

The Philippines said on Wednesday it has temporarily banned the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from Australia after the presence of the highly pathogenic H7N7 avian…

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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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Cyprus restricting entrance to visitors from Spain, Malta and Australia

Malta, Spain and Australia will be moved to Group C from August 20, effectively restricting entry from those countries to Cypriots and residents, the health ministry announced on Monday. Japan…

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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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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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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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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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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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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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Photo Story: Australia’s new icebreaker on the move from Romanian shipyard

A handout photo made available by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) shows an aerial view of Australia's new icebreaker RSV Nuyina being towed in the Danube River as it leaves…

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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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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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