Scott Morrison

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Wednesday his government signed a controversial security pact with China "with our eyes open" but refused to say when it may be published.

India and Australia have signed an interim free trade deal that cuts tariffs on billions of dollars of commerce as the two Quad partners bolster their economic ties.

Both signatories are members of the Quad alliance with the United States and Japan, which is seen as a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China.    

India and Australia have signed an interim free trade deal that cuts tariffs on billions of dollars of commerce as the two Quad partners bolster their economic ties.

Both signatories are members of the Quad alliance with the United States and Japan, which is seen as a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China.    

There were floods in some cities, and residents had to climb to the tops of their houses, local officials said.
Nine people have been killed since the storm began last Thursday, and rescue teams are searching for four more people whose disappearance was reported today, Reuters reported.

Australia will open its borders to all vaccinated tourists and business travelers from Feb. 21 in a further relaxation of pandemic restrictions announced Monday.

Australia imposed some of the world's toughest travel restrictions on its citizens and permanent residents in March 2020 to prevent them from bringing COVID-19 home.

Australia unveiled a billion-dollar package to protect the climate-ravaged Great Barrier Reef on Jan. 28, hoping to prevent the vast network of corals from being removed from UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Last week, workers' absences due to isolation and illness became so serious that the national government considered lowering the age limit for work permits, so that minors could be included in food supply chains, according to CNN.

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.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct. 31 said Australia's prime minister outright lied to him over a cancelled submarine deal, deepening an already fraught diplomatic crisis.

"I don't think. I know," Macron said when asked by Australian media if Scott Morrison was untruthful in their private dealings.

Pubs, restaurants and cafes are in a hurry to stock up before they open their doors.
Since early August, residents of Australia's second-largest city have been in isolation - their sixth lockdown during a pandemic - to quell an epidemic fueled by the highly contagious Delta strain.