Australia

Some Australian residents of the city of Newcastle, 163 km (101 miles) north of Sydney, have called for a large ammonium nitrate plant, stockpiling up to four times the amount reportedly detonated in Lebanon, to be relocated. Lebanese authorities have blamed a huge stockpile of the highly explosive material stored …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said there was no evidence that Chinese-owned TikTok had abused the data of its hundreds of millions of users. “We have had a good look at this, and there is no evidence for us to suggest…that there is any misuse of any people’s data,” …

China said on Monday it will suspend its extradition agreement with New Zealand in response to Wellington suspending its existing extradition treaty with Hong Kong. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced the decision at a daily briefing.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a state of disaster has been declared from 6pm on Sunday in addition to the state of emergency. Andrews announced 671 new cases of Covid-19 and seven deaths along with the new stage four restrictions. Metropolitan Melbourne has been put under a curfew from …

A new report into a deadly incursion by New Zealand’s forces in Afghanistan says the military misled senior leaders, government ministers and the public over the civilian casualties ten years ago. The government conducted an inquiry into a raid, dubbed “Operation Burnham” that was carried out by the New Zealand …

The Australian government plans to set up a military fuel reserve in the port city of Darwin with funding provided by the United States, an apparent move to boost military cooperation with Washington amid rising tensions with China. The Chief Minister of Australia’s Northern Territory, of which Darwin is the …

Australia recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday with 14 deaths and more than 700 new infections mainly in Victoria state, where the government ordered all residents to wear face-coverings outside. The toll takes the country’s total fatalities from the novel coronavirus to 190, more than half …

Australian police on Tuesday said they arrested six people and ordered about 50 others to disperse after they gathered in Sydney to go ahead with a Black Lives Matter protest, despite an official ban because of the coronavirus pandemic. The march had been called to highlight the deaths of Aboriginal …

The party of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended its lead in New Zealand’s latest opinion poll, putting the charismatic 40-year-old leader on track for a comfortable victory in the elections in September. A Newshub-Reid Research Poll released late on Sunday showed the popularity of Ardern’s Labour Party rose to …

Australia has joined the US in rejecting China’s territorial and maritime claims over a disputed group of islands in the South China Sea, ratcheting up already simmering tensions between Beijing and Canberra. In a formal declaration to the United Nations, Australia said there was “no legal basis” to several disputed …

Five more Victorians have died from coronavirus, as the premier appealed to young people to take the threat seriously if they want to “be able to go and have a beer”. Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed 403 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the state’s third-worst tally. The five deaths are also …

New Zealand police perform haka for a fallen colleague The event to honour Matthew Hunt, who was killed while on duty in Massey, was held at the Eden Park stadium.

Australia said on Thursday it was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to a new security law imposed there and announced measures to attract businesses from the Asian financial hub, provoking an angry response from Beijing. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the law introduced last week in …

Australia’s second-most populous city began a six-week lockdown on Thursday following a spike in new coronavirus cases, as states around the country tightened internal borders to prevent a second wave sweeping the country. Australia has avoided the high casualty numbers of other countries to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed …

Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in cities across Australia, shouting slogans in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and aiming to raise awareness of the mistreatment of indigenous people. Rallies in the cities of Brisbane, Darwin and Perth drew a smaller turnout than a month ago, however, amid …

Australia is sending 1,000 army personnel to Victoria amid a surge in virus cases in the south-eastern state. This comes after Victoria has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases in recent days, with 33 infections reported overnight. Melbourne, the state capital, has been the only source of community transmissions in …

Australia’s government and institutions are being targeted by ongoing sophisticated state-based cyber hacks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says. Mr. Morrison said the cyber-attacks were widespread, covering “all levels of government” as well as essential services and businesses. He declined to identify a specific state actor and said no major personal …

An unarmed police officer was killed and another was seriously injured after being shot during a routine traffic stop in New Zealand on Friday, the authorities have said. The incident took place in Auckland, the country’s largest city, on Friday morning after the officers tried to stop a vehicle of …

Australia has been targeted in a “sophisticated state-based” cyberattack, the country’s prime minister has said. Scott Morrison did not name the country responsible, and he said he made the threat public to “raise awareness.” He said: “This activity is targeting Australian organisations across a range of sectors, including all levels …

A significant earthquake has struck New Zealand, registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 Friday morning local time. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor struck 684 kilometers northeast of Opotiki, New Zealand, at a depth of 10 kilometers. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) stated on Twitter …