Australia

Australia’s second-most populous state Victoria on Sunday reported two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, with the low number raising hopes that a hard lockdown in the state’s capital Melbourne will be eased on June 10. Two other new cases were reported on Sunday by an aged care home, but the …

Australian authorities in the southeastern state of Victoria have detected a “highly transmissible” variant of the deadly coronavirus, stoking concerns of a major spike in cases. Authorities in Victoria said on Friday that the Delta COVID-19 virus variant has for the first time been detected through genomic sequencing among infections …

Australia’s Victoria state on Wednesday extended a snap COVID-19 lockdown for a second week in Melbourne in a bid to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious virus strain first detected in India but will ease some restrictions in other regions. Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, was plunged into lockdown …

Floodwaters in New Zealand receded on Tuesday, leaving behind a big mess on many farms in the Canterbury region and damage to a major bridge. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters the top priority was getting transport links working again, although it was unclear how long it would take to …

Hundreds of people were evacuated overnight and many more face the risk of abandoning their homes in New Zealand’s Canterbury region as heavy rains raised water levels and caused widespread flooding. At least 300 homes in Canterbury were evacuated overnight as water levels rose in rivers across the region in …

New Zealand authorities declared a state of emergency in the province of Canterbury Sunday, as the region was pounded by heavy rain that could force thousands of people to abandon their homes. Acting Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi, who visited the hardest-hit southern parts of the area, said about 3,000 …

The leaders of Australia and New Zealand are holding their first face-to-face meeting since the coronavirus outbreak prompted both countries to close their borders. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrived in the tourist resort of Queenstown for an overnight visit on Sunday. He greeted his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern …

Australia’s second-most populous state of Victoria will enter a one-week COVID-19 lockdown forcing its near seven million residents to remain home except for essential business as authorities struggle to contain a highly infectious outbreak. “We’re dealing with a highly infectious strain of the virus, a variant of concern, which is …

Australia expects to receive 2 million doses a week of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine from October, Minister for Health Greg Hunt told the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) on Sunday. Australia has ordered 40 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which Canberra intends to use to inoculate its population under the age …

New Zealand on Thursday lifted welfare benefit rates and promised billions of dollars more towards addressing rising inequality in its annual budget, as it predicted smaller deficits and faster economic recovery from COVID-19. The budget for the 2021 fiscal year allocated funds towards housing, healthcare, education, and infrastructure, while also …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pointed to strong trade with China as evidence of a valuable relationship despite Chinese criticism, as Australia’s main opposition party accused him of using alarmist rhetoric for domestic gains. Bilateral ties have sunk to their lowest point in decades, and China has in recent …

Four people have been injured, three of whom are now in critical condition, after a stabbing attack at a New Zealand supermarket. The stabbing took place at a Countdown store in the city of Dunedin on the South Island. Bystanders tackled the attacker, who was then arrested. Prime Minister Jacinda …

Australia’s most populous state recorded no new COVID-19 infections for a third straight day on Sunday but extended raised social distancing and mask-wearing rules by a week as the authorities hunted for the source of a small outbreak. After a Sydney couple tested positive to the coronavirus last week, ending …

New Zealand will lift its partial suspension of a “travel bubble” with Australia from midnight on Sunday as fears of a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney eased. New Zealand had blocked travel to and from New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, on Thursday after a couple in Sydney with no …

Australia will lift a ban on its citizens returning from COVID-ravaged India next week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, as state officials reported that an outbreak in Sydney appeared to be contained. Morrison stood by his decision to impose a biosecurity order last month barring all travel …

The prime minister postponed the country’s general election on Monday by a month to Oct. 17 as the city of Auckland remains in lockdown due to a new outbreak of the coronavirus. Jacinda Ardern has been under pressure to put off the polls as political parties said it was impossible …

New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters called on Sunday for a delay to the planned September general election, given an abrupt reappearance of COVID-19 in the country, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to postpone the vote. Last week’s resurgence of the infections in Auckland – after the …

New Zealand reported 13 new community coronavirus cases on Thursday as the country tackles a fresh outbreak that ended an enviable run of more than 100 days without any locally transmitted infections. The new cluster, which now totals 17 cases, has prompted the country to put its most populous city …

New Zealand on Sunday marked 100 days without any newly reported cases of local transmission of the coronavirus, a major milestone as the pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — including neighboring Australia, where recent outbreaks have led to new lockdown measures in Melbourne and broader Victoria State. …

Australia’s second-biggest city 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, as authorities battle a second wave of coronavirus infections. Shops were shut and streets were deserted in the city of about …