Australia & Pacifics

SYDNEY, Sept 24 (Reuters) - More than half of Australia's adult population were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday, authorities said, as they step up inoculations in hopes of easing restrictions while cases linger near daily record levels in Victoria.

Australia is grappling with a third wave of infections from the highly infectious Delta variant that has led to lockdowns in its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital, Canberra, affecting nearly half the country's 25 million people.

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan will visit India next week to explore sealing of an early harvest trade pact to be followed by a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) in line with the overall policy approach by the two sides to ramp up economic ties.

It will be the first ministerial visit from Australia after it joined a new security alliance with the UK and the US that triggered sharp reactions from France and raised apprehensions about its possible impact on the Quad.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A magnitude 5.8 earthquake caused damage in the city of Melbourne on Wednesday in an unusually powerful temblor for Australia.

The quake hit northeast of Australia’s second-most populous city near the town of Mansfield at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), Geoscience Australia said.

Media showed images of damage to brickwork in Chapel Street in the inner suburb of South Yarra.

Mansfield Mayor Mark Holcombe said he was not aware of any damage reports in the town.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s cancellation of a French submarine contract will complicate and delay negotiations on an Australian-European Union free trade deal, a European trade official said Tuesday.

Australia’s decision to end the 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) deal was “kind of an attack against European interests,” said Bernd Lange, a German lawmaker and the chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade.

“It is more complicated,” Lange told Australian Broadcasting Corp. of the negotiations following the French snub.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — French and Australian officials said Monday that France’s anger over a canceled submarine contract will not derail negotiations on an Australia-European Union free trade deal.

France withdrew its ambassadors to the United States and Australia after President Joe Biden revealed last week a new alliance including Australia and Britain that would deliver an Australian fleet of at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — France would have known Australia had “deep and grave concerns” that a submarine fleet the French were building would not meet Australian needs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday after the contract’s cancellation set off a diplomatic crisis.

France accused Australia of concealing its intentions to back out of the 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) contract for French majority state-owned Naval Group to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines.

MELBOURNE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Australia's police arrested 235 people in Melbourne and 32 in Sydney on Saturday at unsanctioned anti-lockdown rallies and several police officers were injured in clashes with protesters.

Victoria police said six officers required hospitalisation. Several officers were knocked to the ground and trampled, the police said and television footage showed.

MELBOURNE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Australia has made a "huge" diplomatic error by ditching a multi-billion-dollar order for French submarines in favour of an alternative deal with the United States and Britain, France's envoy to Canberra said on Saturday.

Australia announced on Thursday it would scrap the 2016 deal with France's Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines and instead build at least eight nuclear-powered ones with U.S. and British technology after striking a trilateral security partnership.

Canberra, Sep 18 (AP-PTI) Australia said Saturday it was noting with regret France's recall of its ambassador over the surprise cancellation of a submarine contract in favour of a US deal.

France recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the United States on Friday in an unprecedented show of anger over a deal among the United States, Australia and Britain to provide Australia with a fleet of at least eight nuclear-power submarines.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia said Saturday it was noting with regret France’s recall of its ambassador over the surprise cancellation of a submarine contract in favor of a U.S. deal.

France recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the United States on Friday in an unprecedented show of anger over a deal among the United States, Australia and Britain to provide Australia with a fleet of at least eight nuclear-power submarines.