Australia

Chris Hipkins, who played a leading role in New Zealand’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, emerged Saturday as the successor to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Hipkins is the only candidate nominated to lead the Labour Party following Ardern’s shock resignation earlier this week. “I’m humbled and honored to be the …

Military helicopters airlifted hundreds of people from communities cut off by “once in a century” floods in Australia’s northwest, official leading relief efforts said on Sunday, noting water covered some places “as far as the eye could see.” The crisis in the Kimberley — a sparsely populated area in Western …

The Pentagon wants a new hub for B-52s amid tensions with China The US military has devised a plan which would see nuclear-capable B-52 strategic bombers deployed in Australia on long-term rotational missions, and turn the country’s Northern Territory into a crucial military hub in Washington’s standoff with Beijing. That’s …

Medibank Private Ltd, Australia’s biggest health insurer, said on Wednesday a cyber hack had compromised the data of all of its nearly 4 million customers, as it warned of a A$25 million to A$35 million ($16 million to $22.3 million) hit to first-half earnings. It said on Wednesday that all …

Australian conservationists have launched a legal bid to block a massive gas project, saying it would harm the Great Barrier Reef by warming the planet. Claiming gas giant Woodside Energy’s Scarborough project would generate 1.37 billion tonnes of greenhouse emissions and likely harm the World Heritage-listed reef, the Australian Conservation …

While the global sea level is expected to rise 50cm by 2100, for large parts of New Zealand, it could be 1 metre because the land is sinking too. The projections, labelled “a bit terrifying” by one expert, are the result of an extensive five-year, government-funded research programme – NZ …

A senior minister has questioned the timing of Beijing’s security pact with the Solomon Islands Australia’s home affairs minister has accused China of attempting to interfere in an election set for next month, saying a recent security deal with a nearby Pacific nation suggested nefarious motives. In comments to a …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government could lose the federal election to be held on May 21, according to polls on Monday, even as they showed him consolidating his position as the country’s preferred leader on the first day of campaigning. A Newspoll survey conducted for The Australian newspaper showed …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative coalition trails Labor in opinion polls after nine years in power. Australia will hold a general election on May 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says, triggering a campaign expected to be fought over cost-of-living pressures, climate change, and questions of trust and competence of the …

Heavy rain triggered evacuation orders in Sydney on Thursday, as swollen rivers threatened homes and flooded roads in the latest wild weather to lash Australia’s east. Residents in several suburbs of Sydney’s south and southwest were told to leave for safety as fast-flowing rivers rose. “We have seen exceptionally sharp, …

At least four people have been killed and two are still missing in the wake of torrential downpours that unleashed decades-high floods in eastern Australia. Authorities in the eastern state of Queensland said on Saturday that two people have been killed overnight, bringing the death toll from the severe flooding …

Protests against New Zealand government’s COVID-19 regulations in capital Wellington have entered a second week amid growing frustration among local residents. Inspired by Canada’s so-called ‘Freedom Convoy’ anti-vaccine protests, protesters in Wellington parked cars, vans, and buses in a bid to occupy parliament grounds, despite warnings of heavy rain due to Cyclone Dovi, causing …

Thousands walked out to protest against Covid vaccine mandates in cities across Australia after the regional authorities made inoculation compulsory for a wide range of employees. In Melbourne, protesters gathered outside the local parliament on Sunday, marching through the city center and bringing traffic to a halt. Among the slogans …

New Zealand plans to ban young people from ever buying cigarettes in their lifetime in one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on the tobacco industry, arguing that other efforts to extinguish smoking were taking too long. People aged 14 and under in 2027 will never be allowed to purchase cigarettes …

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck a sparsely populated area of Western Australia, 24 km (15 miles) from the small town of Marble Bar, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Saturday. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake had a magnitude of 5.9 and was at a depth of …

Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on Friday vowed to address economic recovery in the region by shoring up supply chains, tackling labor issues, and continuing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also pledged to work together to address climate and environmental challenges, they said in a …

More than 1,000 people demonstrated on Saturday in Australia’s biggest cities of Sydney and Melbourne to protest against the government’s climate policies and the strategies it offered at a UN climate summit in Glasgow. Sydney’s first legal protest after a months-long COVID-19 lockdown saw about 1,000 people march in support …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attacked the credibility of French President Emmanuel Macron as a newspaper quoted a text message that suggested France anticipated “bad news” about a now-scuttled submarine deal. An Australian newspaper cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s explanation to Macron last week that the US leader thought …

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 more efforts were required to rebuild trust between the two allies. In Rome for the G20 summit, the two leaders were meeting for the first …