Australia
Australia passes landmark law requiring tech firms to pay for news
The new law paves the way for Google and Facebook to plough tens of millions of dollars into struggling local media companies, and could provide a model for...
-
Facebook to restore Australia news pages after deal on media law
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had angrily accused Facebook of making a decision to "unfriend" Australia.
-
Global tech firms in Australia launch anti-disinformation code
The measures are said to target paid and political advertising as well as content shared by users.
-
Australia administers first Covid-19 vaccines
Prime Minister Scott Morrison was injected with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at a medical centre in Sydney's northwest, in what the government said was an effort to boost public confidence in the vaccinations.
-
Facebook news blackout over media law sparks Australia backlash
From early Thursday, Australians were unable to post links to news articles or view the Facebook pages of local and international news outlets, while users logged in overseas could not view Australian news pages.
-
Snap lockdown quashes Melbourne outbreak, tennis fans poised to return
Snap restrictions were ordered last Friday after a small outbreak of the more infectious UK coronavirus variant prompted fears Australia's successful battle to contain the pandemic could be undone.
-
Australia parliament rape scandal prompts PM apology
Brittany Higgins alleged she was sexually assaulted by a male colleague in now-Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office in 2019.
-
Tech giants 'close' to deals with Australian media
Australia is poised to adopt legislation that would force digital companies to pay for news content, something that would create a global precedent and, according to Facebook and Google, wreck the way the internet works.
-
71 homes destroyed as Australia bushfire rages near locked-down Perth
The blaze has torn through large swathes of land in the Perth Hills and was moving towards more densely populated areas.
-
Australia offers to host Lions' South Africa tour
The eight-match tour is scheduled to run from 3 July to 7 August and features three Tests between the Lions and the world champion Springboks, on 24 July, 31 July and 7 August.
-
Australian winemaker hits her stride in heart of Burgundy
"There's nothing like making your own wine," Eyre says while inspecting a glass of Savigny-les-Beaune premier cru aux Vergelesses, one of a half-dozen of her recent reds.
-
Google 'experiment' blocks Australian news from local searches
Australia plans to force Google and Facebook to pay media organisations when their platforms host their content or face millions of dollars in fines, in one of the most aggressive moves globally to check the power of the US digital giants.
-
Labuschagne, Smith steer Australia to ominous lead over India
They came to the crease after Will Pucovski and David Warner fell early, pushing them to 103 for two at stumps and a strong position with the four-Test series locked at 1-1.
-
Pucovski, Labuschagne 50s put Australia on top in third Test
Marnus Labuschagne was not out 67 while Steve Smith reached double figures for the first time this series with an attacking unbeaten 31. Pucovski contributed 62 in an impressive maiden Test innings.
-
Thousands to get tested as Australia-India match named possible COVID-19 hotspot
A race is now on to trace and test an estimated 7,000-8,000 fans, and to find out if one of the highest-attended sporting events since the pandemic began was a super-spreading event.
-
Opera to return to Sydney after virus hiatus
Thanks to Australia's success in suppressing the virus, crowds inside venues have been permitted in the country's most populous city for months.
-
Australian anthem changed to recognise indigenous people
Australia is a country still reckoning with its colonial past and inequality facing its First Nations peoples, with indigenous children twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday, according to official statistics.
-
Sydney sees fewer COVID-19 cases amid record testing
Despite record testing, eight new coronavirus cases were confirmed Tuesday after 15 cases the previous day - raising hopes that the city's five million residents may yet be able to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.
-
Parts of Sydney locked down as Australia battles growing cluster
As a cluster of cases on the city's northern beaches grew to 38, residents were ordered to stay at home from late Saturday until midnight on Wednesday, other than for essential reasons.
