Australia

Australia to spend $813M to address Indigenous disadvantage

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s government on Thursday pledged 1.1 billion Australian dollars ($813 million) to address Indigenous disadvantage, including compensation to thousands of mixed-race children who were taken from their families over decades.

The AU$378.6 million ($279.7 million) to be used to compensate the so-called Stolen Generations by 2026 is the most expensive component of the package aimed at boosting Indigenous living standards in Australia.

New Zealand's PM Ardern apologises for 1970s immigration raids on Pacific community

MELBOURNE, Aug 1 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued a sombre state apology on Sunday to the Pacific community for racially targeted immigration raids in the 1970s that resulted in deportations and prosecutions.

The "Dawn Raids", which often occurred early in the morning, took place from 1974 to 1976 when New Zealand's economy was in a downturn and the government clamped down on immigrant workers from the Pacific who overstayed their work visas.

Australia's east coast battles rising COVID-19 cases

MELBOURNE, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Australia's east coast states of New South Wales and Queensland faced an escalating battle against the COVID-19 Delta variant on Sunday, with millions under strict lockdown and authorities urging more testing and vaccinations to rein in the outbreaks.

Sydney and its surroundings, under a stay-at-home order for five weeks already, reported 239 new locally acquired cases of the highly infectious Delta strain, matching the record daily number in the current outbreak that was reported on Thursday.

Australia: COVID-19 cases surge in Sydney as police cordon deters protest

MELBOURNE, July 31 (Reuters) - Sydney's coronavirus cases continued to surge on Saturday as police cordoned off the city's central district, preventing a planned anti-lockdown protest from taking place.

There were 210 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 reported in Sydney and vicinities that are under a weeks-long strict lockdown while battling an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. Saturday's numbers bring the outbreak to 3,190 cases.

Aussie PM Reveals COVID-19 Vaccine Targets For Roadmap Out Of Pandemic

CANBERRA, Jul 30 (NNN-XINHUA) – Australian leaders have reached an agreement on vaccination targets required for the country’s pathway out of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the most populous state, New South Wales (NSW) reported 170 new local cases.

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced tonight that, the National Cabinet, which is composed of the prime minister and state and territory leaders, “agreed in principle” to a roadmap that will see Australia eventually treat COVID-19 like any other infectious disease.

Samoa's new prime minister seeks to install cabinet on Tuesday

MELBOURNE, July 24 (Reuters) - Samoa's first female prime minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, said on Saturday her government would formally take office next week, a day after the country's Court of Appeal affirmed her government was legal.

In her first comments to the media following the court's decision, Mataafa said parliament would meet at the earliest opportunity next week to pass a temporary budget to keep the government running, giving her and her cabinet time to review the country's financial and economic circumstances.

Australia: Thousands protest lockdown in Sydney, several arrested

SYDNEY (AP) — Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities on Saturday to protest lockdown restrictions amid another surge in cases, and police made several arrests after crowds broke through barriers and threw plastic bottles and plants.

The unmasked participants marched from Sydney’s Victoria Park to Town Hall in the central business district, carrying signs calling for “freedom” and “the truth.”

Australian state declares emergency over Indian delta variant

Sydney, Jul 23 (AP-PTI) An Australian state government on Friday declared an emergency due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney.

The New South Wales state government reported one fatality and 136 new infections in the latest 24-hour period, the biggest daily tally of new cases since the outbreak began in mid June.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian called on the federal government to provide more vaccines for the worst-effected suburbs in Sydney's west and south.

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