Australia’s COVID-19 lockdowns cover more than half the 25 million population
Sydney, AustraliaReuters More than half of Australia’s 25 million population is under lockdown after a third state imposed movement restrictions on Tuesday to contain the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant. Australia’s coronavirus case numbers and deaths are well below other developed nations, but the country’s use of lockdowns due to a sluggish […]
Australian court fines media $A1.1 million for breach of gag order in Cardinal Pell sex assault case
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters An Australian court on Friday ordered a dozen media firms to pay a total of $A1.1 million in fines for breaching a suppression order on reporting the conviction of former Vatican treasurer George Pell for child sexual assault. The 12 media outlets, mostly owned by Nine Entertainment Co and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, […]
Black-clad women rally in Australia to demand gender violence justice
Canberra/Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Tens of thousands of women gathered outside Australia’s parliament and across the country on Monday, calling for gender equality and justice for victims of sexual assault. The March 4 Justice rallies were spurred by a recent wave of allegations of sexual abuse, discrimination and misconduct in some of Australia’s highest political offices. […]
Australian Catholic Archbishop says proposed Victorian law targeting gay conversion practices “a dramatic over-reach”
The Catholic Archbishop of the Australian city of Melbourne has said a controversial proposed new law aimed at protecting vulnerable people from gay conversion practices looks like a “dramatic over-reach” by the State Government into people’s personal lives. Archbishop Peter Comensoli said in a statement on Wednesday that while a bill which protected people from […]
Australia’s Victoria declares disaster, sets curfew to curb COVID-19
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Australia’s second-most populous state of Victoria declared a state of disaster on Sunday and imposed a nightly curfew for the capital Melbourne as part of its harshest movement restrictions to date to contain a resurgent COVID-19. Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city already under a reimposed six-week stay-home order, has struggled to rein in the […]
Australia warns coronavirus outbreak will take weeks to tame
Sydney, AustraliaReuters A surge in COVID-19 cases in Australia’s second-biggest city could take weeks to subside despite a lockdown and orders to wear masks, Australia’s acting chief medical officer said on Monday as the country braces for a second wave of infection. Authorities in the state of Victoria, whose capital Melbourne is in partial lockdown […]
Australia’s Victoria requires masks for Melbourne hit by COVID-19
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters People in Melbourne must now wear masks when leaving their homes as Victoria, Australia’s second most-populous state, marked two weeks of triple-digit increases in new coronavirus infections on Sunday. Melbournians not wearing face coverings will be fined $A200, said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews. Police officers patrol the grounds outside a public housing tower, […]
Australia’s second largest city orders 36 suburbs locked down to stop virus spike
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Authorities on Tuesday ordered the lockdown of 36 suburbs in Australia’s second biggest city Melbourne in an attempt to stop a spike in coronavius cases, a dramatic departure from the relaxation of restrictions elsewhere in the country. From midnight on Wednesday the first suburb-specific stay-home order will be imposed on some 320,000 people, […]
Vienna holds off Melbourne to top EIU ranking of most liveable cities
Vienna, AustriaReuters Vienna has held off Melbourne to retain the top spot on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index for 2019, further strengthening its reputation as the world’s most pleasant city, while the ‘gilets jaunes’ protests hurt Paris’ score. The Austrian capital, which attracts tourists for its classical music scene and imperial history but […]
Tokyo named world’s safest city, Amsterdam tops Europe ranking
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Tokyo was named the world’s safest city on Thursday by the Economist Intelligence Unit, in an index ranking cities’ ability to handle everything from climate disasters to cyber attacks. Singapore took second place after Japan’s capital while another Japanese metropolis, Osaka, came third – the same top three as the two previous […]