Feb 18 In surprise move, Facebook blocks news access in Australia By Rod McGuirk, Associated Press In a surprise retaliatory move Thursday, Facebook blocked Australians from sharing news stories, escalating a fight with the government over whether powerful tech companies should have to pay news organizations for content. Continue reading
Jan 01 Australia changes word in national anthem to honor Indigenous people By Associated Press Prime Minister Scott Morrison on New Year's Eve announced that the second line of the anthem, Advance Australia Fair, has been changed from "For we are young and free" to "For we are one and free."… Continue reading
Nov 19 Watch 3:52 News Wrap: Central American search teams find more hurricane dead In our news wrap Thursday, Hurricane Iota’s death toll has passed 40 across Central America. Search teams continue to find bodies in landslides triggered by flooding. Entire communities in Honduras and Nicaragua were overwhelmed, with thousands left homeless. Also, a… Continue watching
Oct 28 Australia’s second-largest city ends 111-day virus lockdown By Associated Press The lockdown had been particularly tough on those in Melbourne because the rest of Australia beyond Victoria successfully contained second waves of infections without increasing restrictions. Continue reading
Sep 24 88 whales rescued from Australia’s worst mass beaching By Rod McGuirk, Associated Press Authorities have rescued 88 pilot whales and are attempting to free 20 others that survived Australia's worst mass stranding, as crews prepare to remove 380 decomposing carcasses from the shallows of Tasmania state. Continue reading
Sep 04 Watch 6:20 What universal health care means during a pandemic By William Brangham, Jason Kane Our series on universal health care, "The Best Health Care? America & the World," was filmed before the novel coronavirus pandemic exploded. How have the three countries we explored -- the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Australia -- responded to this… Continue watching
Sep 03 Watch 8:17 What the U.S. can learn from Australia’s hybrid health care system By William Brangham, Jason Kane The U.S. has the world's most expensive health care system, but it leaves roughly 30 million people uninsured. As policymakers consider making changes, some are looking to Australia as a model. That nation has achieved universal health coverage at a… Continue watching
Jul 17 Countries across the globe battle flare-ups of COVID-19 By Elaine Kurtenbach, Nomaan Merchant, Menelaos Hadjicostis, Associated Press Outbreaks in the world’s latest hot spots pushed the confirmed global case tally toward 14 million on Friday. Governments are frantically trying to prevent and put down fresh outbreaks and keep their economies running as the pandemic accelerates in some… Continue reading
Jul 15 Virus resurgence forces countries to reimpose restrictions By Costas Kantouris, Vanessa Gera, Rod McGuirk, Associated Press Countries around the world are reimposing lockdowns and implementing new health checks at their borders in an effort to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus before it spins even further out of control. Continue reading
Jul 06 Australia to shut state border as Melbourne infections surge By Associated Press The border between the states of New South Wales — home to Sydney — and Victoria — home to Melbourne — is due to be shut late Tuesday. Continue reading