Scott Morrison

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.

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.

Australia will begin to reopen its borders next month, the country's prime minister said on Oct. 1, 18 months after citizens were banned from traveling overseas without permission.

Scott Morrison said vaccinated Australians would be able to return home and travel overseas "within weeks" as 80 percent vaccination targets are met.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sept. 19 rejected France's accusations Canberra lied about plans to cancel a contract to buy French submarines, saying he had raised concerns over the deal "some months ago".

Australians squirmed Thursday as US President Joe Biden thanked their prime minister for joining a major new defence alliance - but appeared to forget his name.

Instead of being feted by name for his role in the US-Britain-Australia agreement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was initially relegated to being "that fellow Down Under".

Australian authorities have been forced to introduce a lockdown in Sydney due to the new epidemic wave and reintroduce restrictive measures in other parts of the country.
Reuters report states that 18 out of a total of 25 million Australians, or 70 percent of the population, are under some form of anti-epidemic restrictions in almost all parts of Australia.

Teargas and bullets in the U.S. Capitol building. Outrage, confusion and condemnation from leaders across the world.

"What is happening is wrong," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement. "Democracy, the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully, should never be undone by a mob."

Australia's embattled Prime Minister defended his government's climate policy on Dec. 23, as authorities warned the wildfires crisis ravaging the country's most populous state could fester for months.

Around 200 wildfires were burning in four states, with New South Wales accounting for more than half of them, including 60 fires not contained.