Tasmania opens travel bubble for COVID-free states
MELBOURNE – 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…
Vietnam bans wildlife trade to curb risk of pandemics
HANOI – Vietnam‘s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a directive to ban the Southeast Asian country’s wildlife trade with immediate effect in order to reduce the risk of…
Victoria has highest daily death toll from coronavirus
MELBOURNE – Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria sayshave six people died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the highest daily toll since the pandemic began. Three…
Olympics: Tokyo 2020 must be simple and safe, says IOC’s Coates
SYDNEY – Senior Olympic official John Coates has reiterated that Tokyo must stage a simplified Summer Games next year with the health and safety of athletes the most important consideration…
NSW tightens restrictions as coronavirus clusters grow
MELBOURNE – Restrictions have been reintroduced in Australia‘s most populous state of New South Wales as authorities battle to control fresh coronavirus clusters that have emerged in Sydney over the…
Federal agents’ use of force at protests faces internal US government probes
WASHINGTON – Two US federal watchdogs have launched probes into the use of force by federal law enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., during recent protests against police…
Australia, facing ‘harsh reality’ of pandemic, braces for biggest postwar deficit
SYDNEY – Australia‘s budget is set to plunge into its biggest deficit since World War Two this year as the coronavirus crisis knocks the country into its first recession in…
Australia reports highest coronavirus deaths in 3 months, infections climb
SYDNEY – Australia has reported its highest daily number of coronavirus-related deaths in three months as new infections continued to climb in its second most populous state. Victoria state said it…
Masks for Melbourne as Australia’s coronavirus tally rises by record
MELBOURNE – Residents of Australia’s second most populous city, Melbourne, must wear masks when leaving home (from Wednesday 11.59pm) as the country posted a record rise in novel coronavirus cases…
Student files first climate change lawsuit against Australian govt
SYDNEY – A 23-year-old student has filed a lawsuit against Australia‘s government alleging it has failed to disclose climate change-related risks to investors in the country’s sovereign bonds, in the…
