After Israel, Japan to bar foreign visitors due to Omicron threat
Japan, the world’s third-biggest economy, will close its borders to all foreigners, while Australia’s plans to re-open to skilled migrants were also in doubt as...
Oceania
Omicron variant spreads with cases detected in UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia (Update 3)
The Omicron coronavirus variant kept spreading around the world on Sunday, with 13 cases found in the Netherlands and two each in Denmark and Australia...
Australian police take control of Solomon Islands capital
A night curfew will be re-imposed in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara after witnesses said Australian police began taking control of hotspots following three days of...
Australia’s NSW says unvaccinated 16 times more likely to die from Covid -19
Unvaccinated people are 16 times more likely to end up in intensive care units or die from Covid -19, Australia‘s New South Wales state said in...
Thousands protest in New Zealand against Covid-19 rules
New Zealand beefed up security measures at its parliament on Tuesday as thousands of people gathered to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and government lockdowns...
Sydney to further ease Covid curbs on Monday as vaccinations pick up
Australia’s largest city of Sydney will further ease social distancing curbs on Monday, a month after emerging from a coronavirus lockdown that lasted nearly 100...
N. Zealand’s daily cases cross 200 for first time
New Zealand’s 206 new daily community infections on Saturday carried it past the double-hundred mark for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, as the...
Australian man charged over girl taken from outback camp
Australian police charged a 36-year-old man on Thursday with abducting a four-year-old girl from an outback campsite 18 days before she was found safe in...
Missing Australian girl found in locked house
A 4-year-old girl who went missing from an Australian outback campsite more than two weeks ago has been returned safely to her parents after she...
French ambassador accuses Australia of deceit over submarine deal
France’s ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, said on Wednesday that Australia acted with deceit when it abruptly cancelled a multi-billion dollar deal with Paris to...
Australian PM lied to me says Macron over submarine deal
French President Emmanuel Macron said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him over the cancellation of a submarine building contract in September, and indicated...
Melbourne enjoys weekend of eased Covid curbs after long lockdown
Melbourne, Australia’s second-biggest city, began its first weekend out of the world’s longest string of Covid-19 lockdowns with spontaneous street parties, live music and packed...
UK and New Zealand strike free trade deal
Britain and New Zealand have reached agreement in principle on a free trade deal designed to reduce tariffs, improve services trade, and take London one...
Melbourne to ease world’s longest lockdowns as vaccinations rise
Melbourne, which has spent more time under COVID-19 lockdowns than any other city in the world, is set to lift its stay-at-home orders this week,...
England eases testing rules for passengers, Sydney to open to vaccinated travellers without quarantine
Fully vaccinated passengers arriving in England from low-risk countries from Oct. 24 will no longer have to take expensive COVID-19 tests, the British government said...
Sydney finally reopens but unvaccinated remain in lockdown
Unvaccinated to remain in lockdown until Dec 1 Sydney’s cafes, gyms and restaurants welcomed back fully vaccinated customers on Monday after nearly four months of...
Coronavirus: Australia reports 2,357 new Covid-19 cases as vaccination push continues
By Lidia Kelly and Stefica Nicol Bikes Australia reported 2,357 new cases of the Delta coronavirus variant on Saturday, as the push to vaccinate...
EU postpones trade talks with Australia amid submarine deal fallout
Australia‘s Minister for Trade Dan Tehan said on Friday talks with the European Union over a trade deal have been postponed, as a row over...
Melbourne braces for more anti-lockdown protests as daily cases hit pandemic high
Police in Melbourne prepared for a fourth day of anti-lockdown protests on Thursday and a vaccination hub in the city closed after protesters allegedly abused...
Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Melbourne, tremors rattle southeast Australia
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, one of the country’s biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in the country’s...