Category Archives: Australia news

Coronavirus live news: global death toll passes 20,000, as Spain overtakes China as second worst-hit country

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India locks down; Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus; Senate and White House reach stimulus deal

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael say they’ve “agreed the need form a strong, stable government” in Ireland as the number of confirmed cases in the country rises by 235 to 1,564. Ireland’s health department has also confirmed two more deaths, bringing the total number to nine.

The Irish general election earlier this year resulted in an almost tied result with Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael dominating. None won enough seats to form a government by itself and numerous rounds of talks between parties have failed to result in an agreement to form a coalition government. The statement reads:

Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael met this afternoon and had a productive meeting. They both agree the need to form a strong stable government that will help Ireland recover post Covid-19.

They are working to develop a programme for government that provides stability and majority support in the Dáil. They will meet again over the coming days and will both continue to reach out and engage with other parties.

Andy Burnham, a former UK health secretary and now the mayor of Greater Manchester in the north of England, says he is taking legal advice on whether firms forcing employees to work without adequate protection and not observing guidance to keep them two metres apart are breaking the law.

After a conference call with Greater Manchester MPs, he tweeted:

... I am taking legal advice about whether @gmpolice or other GM agencies can take enforcement action against companies which are exposing their employees in this way. If you would like to make a confidential report, please do so using: the.mayor@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk 2/2

Following government instructions to stay at home, the move to accommodate hundreds of homeless people in hotel rooms is a recognition of the vulnerability of many rough sleepers and homeless people in shared accommodation spaces, and their need for support and a safe place to stay at this difficult time.

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‘We can’t have queues for intensive care’, Andrews says as coronavirus lockdown increases – video

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Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has called on Victorians to take coronavirus lockdowns seriously to 'buy time' to treat patients. 'We've got queues at Centrelink offices, that's heartbreaking,' he said. 'We can not have people queuing for intensive care beds ... If you can stay home, you must stay home.'

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Coronavirus news: US could be next Covid-19 hotspot amid ‘large acceleration’ of cases, says WHO – live updates

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Deaths jump in Spain; France tightens lockdown; Afghanistan appeals for help amid new cases; South Africa prepares for lockdown. Follow the latest updates

Thailand’s leader said on Tuesday he would invoke sweeping emergency powers in the face of surging coronavirus infections, Reuters reports.

In a sign of toughening official action a man was arrested over allegations of creating panic on social media.

Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia were among Southeast Asian countries accused by New York-based Human Rights Watch of using the pandemic to crack down on criticism. Both countries reject the accusations and say their measures are needed to keep order and combat disinformation.

The UK’s supreme court has adapted to physical distancing by holding its first remote, live hearing on Tuesday morning, reports my colleague Owen Bowcott.

The building in Westminster is closed but the case is being conducted via video links and can be watched online. The judges are determined that justice should be transparent even in times of pandemic.

The first appeal using the technology is the case of Fowler v Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, dealing with the intricacies of the UK-South Africa Double Taxation Treaty.

Related: Coronavirus UK live news: calls for urgent help for self-employed as tighter lockdown could come in future

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Decades-old drug in two Australian trials related to Covid-19 but experts urge caution

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Health minister Greg Hunt has asked for an urgent briefing on hydroxychloroquine but it has been known to cause heart damage and toxicity

The health minister Greg Hunt has asked for an urgent briefing about the clinical trial of a decades-old drug in the prevention of Covid-19, as countries race to find a way to prevent serious cases and slow the spread.

But infectious disease experts have warned the drug, hydroxychloroquine, is far from proven as effective in treating Covid-19 and that it could take several months for results to be conclusive. In previous studies for other conditions, hydroxychloroquine has been shown to cause heart damage and toxicity.

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‘Fright of her life’: Gold Coast woman finds five-metre python on her doorstep

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Queensland snake catcher says 80kg albino Burmese python found in Oxenford is the largest he has come across in 27 years

As a seasoned snake catcher, Tony Harrison is used to the people the claiming there is a five-metre snake on their doorstep. But for the first time on Monday, the caller wasn’t exaggerating.

“This was the largest snake I have come across in 27 years,” Harrison said. “The poor old lady who opened the front door to see it there got the fright of her life”

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Coronavirus live news: global death toll passes 15,000 as WHO warns spread of virus is accelerating

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Edouard Philippe, the French prime minister, has said that country’s lockdown could last several more weeks, with new restrictions – including limits on daily exercise outside the home – now in place:

Any morning constitutional/jogging now has to be within 1km of home, 1 hour max, alone, and only once per day. https://t.co/3CvQzDtZpb

The International Olympic Committee is facing almost irresistible pressure to postpone the Tokyo Olympics this week rather than wait until its mid-April deadline – with a growing number of athletes, governments and national federations saying it is unfair to keep them in limbo during the coronavirus pandemic.

Veteran IOC member Dick Pound told USA Today that the Games would be postponed, likely to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

Related: Athletes across globe call for Olympic postponement as countries pull out

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Fossil hunters find evidence of 555m-year-old human relative

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Ikaria wariootia is half the size of a grain of rice and an early example of a bilateral organism

It might not show much of a family resemblance but fossil hunters say a newly discovered creature, that looks like a teardrop-shaped jellybean and is about half the size of a grain of rice, is an early relative of humans and a vast array of other animals.

The team discovered the fossils in rocks in the outback of South Australia that are thought to be at least 555m years old.

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‘Clear as mud’: schools ask for online learning help as coronavirus policy confusion persists

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Despite national cabinet process aiming for consistency, states and territories now have a patchwork of responses

New South Wales Catholic schools have asked for the government’s help to take teaching online, warning it could take months to roll out and result in a “digital divide” between schools.

The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW, Dallas McInerney, wrote to the NSW government on Tuesday seeking help, after the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, announced schools would stay open – although parents are encouraged to keep their children home where they can.

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Australia shuts down, in the fight against Covid-19 – in pictures

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Australia’s major cities, buildings and even beaches are either closed or deserted as the government steps up measures to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Prime minister Scott Morrison announced late on Sunday that from midday Monday venues such as bars, clubs, nightclubs, cinemas and gyms would be closed, and restaurants would be restricted to offering takeaway. Schools remain open but parents have the option to keep children at home, while Victoria is bringing forward school holidays from Tuesday

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Great Barrier Reef watchers anxiously await evidence of coral bleaching from aerial surveys

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Planes will this week cover areas in the southern half of the reef that escaped earlier bleaching but may have undergone high levels of heat stress

The full impact of coral bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef will become clearer this week as aerial surveys of hundreds of reefs are completed in the bottom two thirds of the world’s biggest reef system.

An aerial survey carried out last week over almost 500 individual reefs between the Torres Strait and Cairns revealed some severe bleaching of corals closer to shore, but almost none on outer reefs.

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Australia’s coronavirus rescue package is a step in the right direction – but we needed a leap | Stephen Koukoulas

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The measures taken in response to the coronavirus crisis will support growth, but they will be slow to come into effect and aren’t enough

• Follow our global coronavirus live blog
• What the $189bn economic rescue package means for you
• Why Australia is easing superannuation access for those worst-hit

The $66bn second stage of the government’s economic policy response to the coronavirus crisis is a genuine effort to underpin the economy as it lurches towards the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s great depression.

Unfortunately for those losing their jobs, their hours of work and their businesses, there is an unseemly delay before most of the measures reach the bank accounts of those in need.

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As Australia goes off the coronavirus cliff, the question is how hard will it land? | Katharine Murphy

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A significant spike in cases and state lockdowns are signals that life has changed. It’s all now on the health system

Anyone watching events on Sunday will know the coronavirus story is now moving so fast it is hard to keep on top of what’s happening.

So let’s keep this simple. Let’s be very clear what happened.

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Coronavirus live news: Angela Merkel in quarantine; Spain set to extend state of emergency

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German chancellor in self-isolation after her doctor tests positive for coronavirus; reports say 360 more people have died in Italy; first two cases in Gaza. Follow the latest updates

UK residents have been told that “essential travel” does not include visits to second homes, camp sites, caravan parks, whether for isolation purposes or holidays and that they should remain in their primary residence.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport updated its guidance to avoid non-essential travel in the UK, saying: “This guidance is for people planning to visit second homes or holiday premises during the coronavirus pandemic.

During the coronavirus pandemic, people should avoid travelling unless it is essential. This means you should avoid visiting holiday or second homes.

Find out more: https://t.co/3JrFy1IQwH
#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/EtUt5QcBzN

The Welsh government has warned that people will face a tough crackdown if they refuse to self-isolate and continue with non-essential travel during the outbreak.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said it is important members of the public follow the official advice to prevent further deaths.

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Australia is easing superannuation access for those worst-hit by coronavirus. But can we afford it?

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Tax-free withdrawals will be capped at $10,000 this financial year and will allow those struggling to pay rent, meet mortgage repayments and buy food

• What Australia’s $189bn coronavirus economic rescue package means for you
• Follow our Australia coronavirus live blog
• Follow our global coronavirus live blog

Australians who are laid off as a result of the coronavirus outbreak will be allowed to pull money out of their superannuation, Scott Morrison announced on Sunday.

Withdrawals will be capped at $10,000 this financial year, and a further $10,000 next financial year, and will be tax-free, the prime minister and his treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said.

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Bondi beach closed down after crowds defy ban on gatherings of more than 500 people

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Authorities say lifeguards will now be directed to close any beach where headcount reaches more than 500

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• See all our coronavirus coverage

Australian authorities closed Bondi beach and removed hundreds of people from other popular Sydney beaches on Saturday, citing the “irresponsible behaviour” of large crowds that had gathered in clear defiance of public health warnings.

Images of a packed Bondi on Friday – when temperatures in parts of Sydney exceeded 35C – were criticised internationally as governments in Australia announced stricter regulations to encourage social distancing and restrict the spread of the coronavirus.

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Coronavirus travel ban, stock market dive and Qantas cuts: Australia’s week in review – video

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In one week, Australia intensified its approach to tackling the coronavirus. The government announced travel bans and restrictions on social gatherings, while the reserve bank and government introduced new financial policy in the face of major economic disruptions

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Coronavirus: the week the world shut down

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Walls have been raised and societies quarantined as people enter a new reality

It should not have come as a surprise. Life had already been upended in China. Iran and Italy have been reeling for a month. And yet it still felt sudden, this week, when walls were raised across the world, entire societies were quarantined and billions of people realised they had crossed a dividing line: from life before coronavirus to after.

After weeks of governments prevaricating over whether to ban mass gatherings, close businesses or seal borders, restrictions came in a flurry. “We are at war,” announced the French president, Emmanuel Macron. But without adequate weapons to fight the virus, let alone enough hospital beds or ventilators, this was the week the world beat a tactical retreat.

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Coronavirus: thousands who left cruise ship in Sydney told to self-isolate after three people test positive

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Authorities fear that passengers from Ruby Princess might be unaware Covid-19 cases were onboard and be ‘wandering around’ city

About 2,700 passengers who disembarked a cruise ship in Sydney have been told to self-isolate after three people who were onboard tested positive for Covid-19.

Confirming the news on Friday, the NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, said the doctor onboard had conducted 13 tests on the Ruby Princess, which had completed a relatively short cruise around the Pacific to New Zealand.

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Coalition relaxes job-seeking obligations but refuses to suspend them during coronavirus crisis

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Jobseekers can now request appointments be carried out over the phone or online, while Centrelink debt recovery continues despite Covid-19

Welfare recipients will have their mutual obligations relaxed during the coronavirus crisis, but the government has stopped short of heeding calls from Labor, the Greens and social service groups to suspend them entirely.

Facing growing pressure to ease the burden amid a looming economic downturn and increasingly strict social-distancing guidelines, the employment minister, Michaelia Cash, said on Friday the government had adopted a range of measures aimed at making the system more flexible during the Covid-19 outbreak.

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Coronavirus live news: Italy death toll rises to 3,405, overtaking China

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US says vaccine is 12 months away, Hubei reports no new cases and cases in Peru rise 61% in single day

Competition laws will be temporarily relaxed to allow supermarkets to collaborate in feeding the UK.

Retailers will be able to pool staff, share data on stock levels, and share distribution depots and delivery vans as supermarkets face intense demand, the government confirmed.

Donald Trump sowed fresh confusion about the US government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic by claiming that a therapeutic drug will be available “almost immediately” – only to be contradicted by officials.

In a rambling performance at Thursday’s White House press conference, the president asserted that chloroquine, used to combat malaria, had been approved and would be made available by prescription.

They’re doing great with the vaccines but there’s still a long process, but the therapies are something we can move on much faster potentially. And the treatments that will be able to reduce the severity or duration of the symptoms – make people better.

Chloroquine, or hydroxychloroquine, this is a common malaria drug. It’s also a drug used for strong arthritis … It’s been around for a long time, so we know if things don’t go as planned it’s not going to kill anybody … It’s shown very, very encouraging early results, and we’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately.

Pres. Trump touts chloroquine, an old malaria drug, that doctors say may help treat novel coronavirus, claims it will be available "almost immediately."

Read more about chloroquine: https://t.co/cYt0fxdlfB pic.twitter.com/9oPsMSD3HV

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