Oceania

More than half of Australia’s 25 million people were under lockdown on Tuesday after a third state adopted movement curbs to rein in the highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus. ...

By Byron Kaye The Australian city of Sydney on Saturday ordered a shutdown of building sites, banned non-essential retail and threatened fines for employers who make staff come into the ...

The Australian state of Victoria was ordered into a five-day lockdown on Thursday following a spike in COVID-19 infections, joining Sydney as the country’s two main population hubs battle ...

Australian authorities extended a lockdown in Sydney on Wednesday by at least 14 days, after three weeks of initial restrictions failed to stamp out the biggest outbreak of COVID-19 this year ...

Australian authorities on Friday pleaded with Sydney residents to stay at home, warning a three-week lockdown may be extended as they struggle to control a COVID-19 outbreak, with the city ...

More than a thousand Japanese rescuers combed through crumbled houses and buried roads on Monday two days after landslides tore through a seaside city, fighting time and poor weather to ...

Australia will halve the number of arrivals from overseas as its coronavirus hotel quarantine system creaks under pressure from outbreaks of the highly transmissible Delta variant, Prime Minister Scott Morrison ...

Australian officials extended lockdown and social distancing measures to more of the country on Wednesday, with four major cities already under a hard lockdown in a race to contain an ...

Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), reported a slight rise in COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, while officials tightened curbs and pushed for vaccinations to contain flare-ups of ...

Australia‘s COVID-19 response committee is due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday as outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant across the country prompted a lockdown in Sydney ...

Sydney and some surrounding areas will enter a hard two-week COVID-19 lockdown on Saturday as authorities struggle to control a fast-spreading outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant that has ...

A climate change sceptic will be Australia’s new deputy prime minister after a leadership revolt in the coalition government’s minor party, making it harder for Prime Minister Scott ...

Police in South Australia urged drivers on Wednesday to step up efforts to protect their cars, as thieves target the catalytic converters that scrub exhaust emissions, amid a surge in ...

Australia’s Victoria state reported five new local COVID-19 cases on Saturday amid a strict lockdown, as people rushed to vaccination centres, causing long lines and technological glitches. The infections ...

Thousands of Australian students skipped school on Friday and gathered with climate activists to call on the government to stop funding the gas industry, taking aim at Prime Minister Scott ...

Australian residents and citizens who have been in India within 14 days of the date they plan to return home will be banned from entering Australia as of Monday and those ...

Australia on Friday reported its first fatality from blood clots in a recipient of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot, and its regulator said there was a likely link between the 48-year-old ...

Australia is investigating whether a blood clotting case recorded on Friday is related to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, a health official said, raising concern in a nation where most people ...

Australian authorities issued fresh flood warnings and evacuation orders on Tuesday as torrential rains again pummelled several parts of the country, sweeping away homes, roads and livestock in the worst ...

The Australian government unveiled a A$1.2 billion ($928 million) tourism support package on Thursday, aimed at boosting local travel while international routes remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The basket ...

A livestream camera at a New Zealand nature reserve has caught a Royal Albatross making an awkward landing, with the video of the faceplanting now propelling the bird to fame. ...

A powerful series of undersea quakes struck north-east of New Zealand on Friday, but tsunami waves that forced many people on the country’s North Island to flee to high ...

A severe 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the east of New Zealand’s North Island on Friday, prompting a tsunami warning, and authorities advised people in some coastal areas to move ...

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that the country’s biggest city, Auckland, will be put into a seven-day lockdown from Sunday after a coronavirus community ...