Australia & Pacifics

Melbourne, Sept 2 (AP/PTI) Australia's hot spot Victoria state on Wednesday extended its state of emergency for another six months as its weekly average of new coronavirus infections dipped.

The Victorian Parliament's upper chamber passed legislation by a 20-19 vote to extend the state of emergency, which enhances the government's powers to impose pandemic restrictions.

WELLINGTON, Sept 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The offender responsible for the Christchurch terror attacks on Mar 15, 2019, has been designated as a terrorist entity, New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said.

“Designating the offender is an important demonstration of New Zealand’s condemnation of terrorism and violent extremism in all forms,” Ardern said in a statement.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia does not know why Chinese authorities have detained Australian citizen and television anchor Cheng Lei, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Tuesday, adding to the mystery why the journalist has been taken into custody.

The Australian government confirmed on Monday evening that Cheng, a high-profile business anchor on Chinese state television, was detained two weeks ago.

SYDNEY, Aug 31 (Xinhua/APP): In the race to find a cure for COVID-19, Australian researchers have discovered that a compound originally designed to fight SARS can also stop COVID-19 growth in the laboratory.

Prof. David Komander, who co-leads a team from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, told Xinhua on Monday that their focus on a particular protein in the virus makes their research different from other drug repurposing around the world.

Melbourne, Aug 31 (AP) Australia recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic on Monday as the government urged hot spot Victoria state to announce its plans to lift a lockdown on the country's second-largest city.

Victoria's health department reported 41 deaths from COVID-19 and 73 new infections in the latest 24-hour period.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — The white supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the first time the maximum available sentence has been imposed.

Judge Cameron Mander said the crimes committed by 29-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant were so wicked that a lifetime in jail could not begin to atone for them. He said they had caused enormous loss and hurt and stemmed from a warped and malignant ideology.

KOKOPO, Papua New Guinea, Aug 26 (NNN-SPN) – An earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.0, jolted 135 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, at 19:08:53 GMT on Tuesday (last night), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicentre, with a depth of 24.81 km, was initially determined to be at 5.4937 degrees south latitude, and 151.8379 degrees east longitude.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Brenton Harrison Tarrant told a New Zealand judge Wednesday he will not speak in his defense at his sentencing hearing for the mass shooting of worshippers at two Christchurch mosques.

Tarrant had the opportunity to speak Thursday, the final day of a hearing which has seen 90 survivors and family members talk about the pain of the March 2019 attacks.

Earlier Wednesday, a woman speaking about her beloved father brought many people in the courtroom to tears.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — A man who was shot and wounded in the New Zealand mosque attacks had a simple message for the mass-murderer responsible: “You are the loser, and we are the winners.”

Mirwais Waziri was among the survivors and family members who spoke on the second day of a four-day sentencing hearing for white supremacist Brenton Harrison Tarrant, who killed 51 worshippers at two mosques during the March 2019 attacks.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — The poetic words of love from a daughter to her murdered father brought many people to tears in a New Zealand courtroom Wednesday during the sentencing hearing for the white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at two mosques.

Sara Qasem said she wonders if, in his last moments, her father was frightened or in pain, and wishes she could have been there to hold his hand. She told the gunman to remember her dad’s name, Abdelfattah Qasem.