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Near empty shelves in Melbourne after shoppers stockpiled goods ahead of the lockdown

Second lockdown in Melbourne after spike in virus cases

A heavy police clampdown affecting five million people is in place in Australia to contain a flare-up of coronavirus cases, with checkpoints set up around Melbourne to ensure people stay at home.

Coronavirus • 08 Jul 20

Police have confirmed they are still searching for a 30-year-old woman

Man accused of NZ police killing appears in court

A man charged with the murder of an unarmed policeman that shocked New Zealand made a brief court appearance in Auckland.

World • 20 Jun 20

Police are still searching for two suspects after the fatal shooting of an officer in Auckland

Unarmed NZ police officer shot dead in Auckland

An unarmed New Zealand police officer has been shot dead on an Auckland street, the force's first death in the line of duty for more than a decade.

World • 19 Jun 20

Qantas announced plans to triple domestic capacity to 15% of normal levels by the end of the month

Qantas halts most international flights until October

Qantas Airways said today it had cancelled most international flights until late October after the Australian government indicated its border closure because of the coronavirus was likely to extend to 2021.

Business • 18 Jun 20

Children at a playground in the city of Christchurch last week

Ardern dances for joy after NZ eliminates transmission

New Zealand has eliminated transmission of the coronavirus and will lift all containment measures except for border curbs.

Coronavirus • 08 Jun 20

Jacinda Ardern was being interviewed from the parliament's Beehive building when the earthquake hit

New Zealand PM unruffled as quake hits mid-interview

A moderate 5.6-magnitude earthquake rattled New Zealand's North Island but failed to crack Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's composure as she conducted a live television interview.

World • 25 May 20

Jacinda Ardern said she wanted to encourage 'nimble' and creative ideas for recovery

NZ eyes shorter working week for economic recovery

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has raised the prospect of Kiwis enjoying extra public holidays and a shorter working week to help kickstart the country's post-lockdown economy.

Coronavirus • 20 May 20

Australia and New Zealand have seen dramatic drops in the number of new Covid-19 cases

Covid-19: What is the Australia-NZ 'travel bubble'?

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, both the Australian and New Zealand governments have agreed to investigate a Trans-Tasman "travel bubble", but what exactly is it?

Coronavirus • 06 May 20

Long queues of cars snaked up to McDonald's outlets in Auckland and Wellington

Burgers & coffee on menu as New Zealand lifts lockdown

New Zealanders queued for burgers, chips and takeaway coffees after they were freed from a month-long lockdown, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has credited with eliminating domestic transmission of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus • 28 Apr 20

A deserted Southern Motorway in Christchurch, New Zealand

New Zealand seeing the benefits of strict lockdown

A University of Auckland academic says reduced numbers of community transmissions and the closing of borders are the reasons why New Zealand has achieved so much in stemming Covid-19.

Coronavirus • 25 Apr 20

People commute to work despite a state of emergency in Japan at Shinagawa station in Tokyo

Japan's PM expands virus state of emergency nationwide

New Zealand is expected to start easing a nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus next week, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has warned it would be far from a return to normal.

Coronavirus • 16 Apr 20

Jacinda Ardern said her personal salary would be cut for six months

New Zealand PM takes pay cut as virus hits economy

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she will take a 20% pay cut in a symbolic act of solidarity with people struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic.

World • 15 Apr 20

The military are monitoring the movements of citizens in Peru

Mixed travel news for Irish citizens stranded abroad

Irish citizens abroad are facing difficulties returning home amid a growing number of international flight cancellations and internal travel restrictions in the countries they are based, with good news for some and worrying development for others.

Coronavirus • 27 Mar 20

Tim Payne said he was 'incredibly sorry and incredibly embarrassed'

Footballer breaks quarantine in golf buggy joyride

Wellington Phoenix midfielder Tim Payne has tearfully apologised for breaking Covid-19 quarantine in Australia when he drunkenly drove a golf buggy along a Sydney street.

Coronavirus • 26 Mar 20

Tarrant admitted he was the lone gunman who murdered 51 Muslims during an unscheduled court hearing via video-link

New Zealand mosque gunman changes plea to guilty

The Australian accused of murdering 51 Muslim worshippers in last year's mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques has pleaded guilty to all charges in an unexpected reversal of his plea.

World • 26 Mar 20

The new law proposes that a woman should have access to abortion until 20 weeks of pregnancy, with advice from her doctor

New Zealand passes law to decriminalise abortion

New Zealand has passed a landmark bill that treats abortion as a health issue rather than a crime, a major reform in laws that have been unchanged for more than four decades.

World • 18 Mar 20

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the precaution was needed to protect its citizens

New Zealand tells overseas arrivals to self-isolate

International visitors to New Zealand must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Coronavirus • 14 Mar 20

The airline said each 'pod' would contain six beds for passengers to sleep in during long flights

Air New Zealand tests beds for economy passengers

Air New Zealand has announced a proposal to put beds in economy class, which it claimed could prove a "game changer" for passengers desperate to stretch out on long-haul flights.

World • 26 Feb 20

Grace Millane was murdered while travelling around New Zealand (Image: Lucie Blackman Trust)

Man given life sentence over backpacker's murder in NZ

A 28-year-old man has been jailed for at least 17 years for the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.

World • 21 Feb 20

Police found Stephanie Simpson's body following a search of the Pyke Creek area

Body of missing British hiker found in New Zealand

Police in New Zealand have found the body of a British hiker who went missing in the South Island after the area was hit by heavy rain and floods.

World • 14 Feb 20

Volcano on White Island erupted on 9 December last year

New Zealand volcano death toll rises to 21

The death toll from New Zealand's White Island volcano eruption has climbed to 21, with a further death in hospital more than a month after the tragedy, police said.

World • 29 Jan 20

Whales were shepherded out to deeper waters

Seven stranded whales refloated in New Zealand

Seven whales were successfully herded back to sea after they survived a mass stranding at a New Zealand beach, conservation officials said.

World • 04 Jan 20

Evacuees from Mallacoota, Victoria State, board the Royal Australian Navy MV Sycamore at sea

Renewed fire threat sparks exodus to Australian cities

Beleaguered Australian communities are braced for yet more catastrophic bushfire conditions tomorrow, as Australia's navy evacuated around 1,000 people from a southeastern town.

World • 03 Jan 20

Authorities have recovered the bodies of 16 of the 18 people killed in the 9 December eruption

New Zealand police suspend volcano body search

New Zealand police have called off the search for two people missing after the White Island volcanic eruption.

World • 24 Dec 19

The toll includes two people whose bodies have not been recovered from White Island

New Zealand volcano death toll rises to 19

The death toll from New Zealand's devastating White Island eruption has risen to 19, with police confirming another death in hospital.

World • 23 Dec 19

New Zealand