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by Andrew LEESON WINDSOR, Australia (AFP) — Rescue teams raced emergency supplies to flood-hit Australians Wednesday, as trapped residents waited for still-swollen rivers to ebb, so the long, hard clean-up can begin. Eight million people in Australia’s most populous state New South Wales woke to brilliant blue skies for the first time in a week, as a torrential downpour that has been dubbed the “Big Wet” finally ceased. But across the vast flood zone thousands […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand is finalizing a long-awaited travel bubble with neighboring Australia and will reveal next month when trans-Tasman trips can resume, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday. Speaking almost exactly a year after New Zealand closed its borders as Covid-19 swept across the globe, Ardern acknowledged many Kiwis were impatient for quarantine-free travel to and from Australia. But she said the government would exercise the cautious approach that has seen […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) Torrential rain lashed Australia’s south east again Monday, worsening once-in-a-century flooding that has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and shuttered hundreds of schools. The days-long deluge has inundated coastal areas of New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, with parts of Sydney experiencing what officials predicted would be the biggest flood in decades. On Monday, eight million residents were told to avoid unnecessary travel and work from […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Thousands of people in Sydney’s outer suburbs were ordered to evacuate Sunday, as Australia’s east coast was hit by record rainfall and widespread flooding. Emergency services issued the evacuation orders for several low-lying areas in the city’s north-west, a day after authorities warned of potentially “life-threatening” flash floods in New South Wales state. People had already begun flocking to evacuation centers in towns north of Sydney as torrential rains on Saturday […]
by Andrew BEATTY SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s prime minister on Friday played down the impact of Italy’s landmark decision to block the export of 250,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses due to be delivered. Scott Morrison insisted the blocked shipment of the AstraZeneca jabs was understandable and would not affect Australia’s vaccine program. “This particular shipment was not one we’d counted on for the rollout, and so we will continue unabated,” Morrison said. Italy explained the […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s economy contracted 1.1 percent in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, but saw a remarkable recovery late in the year as outbreaks were brought under control and restrictions lifted. Official figures released Wednesday showed the economy grew 3.1 percent in the October-December quarter following a 3.4 percent increase in the previous quarter. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said it was the first time since records began 60 years ago […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Facebook on Friday restored access to news for its Australian users after reaching agreement with the government on a landmark law requiring it and other tech firms to pay for journalistic content. The Facebook pages of Australian news outlets were able to update from early Friday morning for the first time in a week, since the social media slapped a ban on news content being seen Down Under in a dispute […]
by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Facebook and Google will be forced to pay for Australian news under legislation passed Thursday that is being closely watched globally for precedents in the battle between Big Tech and media companies. The world-first law passed easily after the Australian government agreed to water down elements most fiercely opposed by the tech giants, in return for both agreeing to negotiate paid deals with local […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout began Sunday, with top officials among a small group receiving the first jabs a day before the vaccination programme starts in earnest. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was injected with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at a medical centre in Sydney’s northwest, in what the government said was an effort to boost public confidence in the vaccinations. Jane Malysiak, an aged care resident and WWII survivor in her 80s, […]
by Martin PARRY Agence France Presse MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Japan’s Naomi Osaka brutally halted Serena Williams’s latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title on Thursday, as Novak Djokovic wrote the final chapter of qualifier Aslan Karatsev’s fairy-tale run. Fans returned after a five-day coronavirus lockdown in time to see an emotional exit from Williams, Jennifer Brady’s win over Karolina Muchova and top-ranked Djokovic preserving his perfect semi-final record at Karatsev’s expense. Triple […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A mammoth effort by Australian firefighters saved homes from an out-of-control bushfire near Perth overnight, authorities said Thursday, but warned strong winds and rough terrain posed an ongoing challenge. At least 81 homes have been destroyed in the blaze at the Perth Hills, on the eastern fringes of Australia’s fourth-biggest city, with surveys of areas burned earlier this week adding another 10 to the tally Thursday. Western Australia state Premier Mark […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Two-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles and San Antonio Spurs’ Patty Mills were included Wednesday in Australia’s Tokyo Olympic squad as they target an elusive gold medal. They are among nine NBA players on the team, although new head coach Brian Goorjian also opted for some young blood as Australia look to challenge basketball powers United States, Serbia and Spain for the podium. […]
