Four police officers have died after being hit by a truck when they stopped to detain a speeding driver on an Australian motorway, officials said.

Memorial services will be held in Australia and New Zealand this week to mark Anzac Day.

Services around the world have been disrupted due to the coronavirus crisis

The trade association for the national potato industry in Belgium has urged the population to keep eating chips during lockdown to help support farmers.

An Australian couple has discovered a novel way to meet up with neighbours and enjoy the good weather, despite the coronavirus lockdown.

"He pushed one of the police officers on the ground and I think he was about to lunge at another one of the police with the knife, that's what it looked like to me.

The Queen has spoken to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to discuss how the country is fighting coronavirus.

Up to 15,000 pubs face permanent closure if they cannot reopen before October, an industry boss has warned.

The pandemic has devastated the job markets across the U.S. The April jobs report reveals the massive toll the crisis took on industries — from restaurants and retail to health care and automotive.

The health care sector has cut 1.4 million jobs in April. And as COVID-19 has consumed health care resources, other essential routine procedures — like screenings for strokes — have gone down.

LA LOCHE, Sask. - Amanda Black feels lucky that her symptoms have remained mild since she tested positive last week for COVID-19. She and her six-year-old son, Malachi, have runny noses and can't taste their food. "We seem to be OK so far," Black said in an online video from her home in La

"It is the collective wisdom of the marketplace that there is action and we will move with speed. That improves the confidence level of industry."

VCs are gearing up for a post-pandemic auto industryAutotech is trying to pandemic-proof its portfolio as it prepares to deploy $150 million in a funding round announced this week.

Amid quarantine, New Horizons provides an outlet for creativity and commerce.

Actor Kevin Spacey has broken his silence over sex assault allegations, comparing being shunned by the film industry to those who are out of work as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The 60-year-old American Beauty star has not appeared in a professional movie or series since accusations of abuse were made by several men. "I don't think it will come as a surprise for anyone to say that my world completely changed in the fall of 2017,” he said in comments made during an interview for the German business conference Bits & Pretzels podcast. “My job, many of my relationships, my standing in my own industry were all gone in just a matter of hours.” The former House of Cards lead, who was dropped by the show after allegations surfaced, has largely kept a low profile since the allegations were made. He was also removed from the film All the Money in the World, which had to be reshot with actor Christopher Plummer. Spacey has always denied the claims, several of which date back several decades. “While we may have found ourselves in similar situations, albeit for very different reasons and circumstances, I still believe that some of the emotional struggles are very much the same," he said. “And so I do have empathy for what it feels like to suddenly be told that you can't go back to work or that you might lose your job and that it's a situation that you have absolutely no control over.” At the end of the podcast interview, Spacey added: “I was so busy defining myself by what I did or what I was trying to do, that when it all stopped I had no idea what to do next. All I knew how to do was act, I was born to do it. “I don’t want to sugarcoat this devastating time that we’re in, I am hoping that I can encourage you to see an opportunity in all of this and turn this into a positive.”

- With its season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, one of Austria's most popular glacial ski resorts covered its glacier in protective fabric earlier than usual this year to help preserve it for a still uncertain reopening.

As Claire Danes puts Carrie Mathison to pasture, Jacob Stolworthy looks back at the series that justified its existence to the bitter end

First there was crowded Bondi, then the deserted beaches, cordoned off with police tape. If you look closely, a whole nation can be read on the sand

A country reveals itself in a crisis. Americans are buying a record number of guns, in the UK Boris Johnson was reluctant to implement a full lockdown because he baulked at the idea of closing the pubs. In Australia, it is our beaches that are the metaphorical hills that we are metaphorically dying on.

Yeah, we want to beat this virus, but we also want to get a swim in.

To mark 250 years since British explorers landed in Australia for the first time, authorities are planning to unveil new memorials at Captain James Cook's landing site in Botany Bay, while a replica Endeavour sailing vessel will circumnavigate Australia – when Covid-19 restrictions allow. But one Aboriginal elder, who grew up on the shores of Botany Bay and has spent years involved in the resurrection of his Indigenous Dharawal culture, explains why Aboriginal people will not be celebrating

• Paul Daley: Commemorating James Cook’s arrival, Australia should not omit his role in the suffering that followed

Exclusive: Documents show department has stopped recommending assessment of ‘key threatening processes’ affecting native wildlife

The federal government has stopped listing major threats to species under national environment laws, and plans to address listed threats are often years out of date or have not been done at all.

Environment department documents released under freedom of information laws show the government has stopped assessing what are known as “key threatening processes”, which are major threats to the survival of native wildlife.

Is it all moot because of the deadly virus infecting Australia and no I don’t mean the National party ahahaha

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A Derek Underwood-inspired England – assisted by the Oval’s resourceful spectators – beat the final-day flood, clock and Australian resistance to start my lifelong obsession with cricket

I was clearing out some old papers a while back when a small pink slip fell out. Even after 50 years I knew instantly what it was because it had been stuck to my bedroom wall when I was a teenager: indeed the old brown shadows of the tape were still there. It was the ticket for my first day’s Test cricket: the fifth Test against Australia at the Oval on 22 August 1968: Derek Underwood’s match and the game that started a lifelong obsession.

We joined my friend Matthew and his mother – two teenagers, what were we thinking of, taking our mothers? – and caught an early train from deepest Berkshire. London was a big, strange place where we rarely ventured and never as far south as SE11. We were square to the wicket and the players were so distant as to be indistinct, almost lost against the crowd.

The app will ask for your name (or pseudonym), age range, postcode and phone number. Scott Morrison says the Australian government’s covid safe tracking app won’t be mandatory to download and install, but its uptake numbers could play a part in easing Covid-19 restrictions

• Authorities admit app is not working properly on iPhones
  
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The Australian government has launched Covidsafe, an app that traces every person running the app who has been in contact with someone else using the app who has tested positive for coronavirus in the previous few weeks, in a bid to automate coronavirus contact tracing, and allow the easing of restrictions.

Here’s what we know about the app so far.

Is Australia flattening the curve? We bring together all the latest Covid-19 confirmed cases, maps, stats and graphs from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA, WA, Tasmania, ACT and NT to get a broad picture of the Australian outbreak and track the impact of government response.

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Due to the difference in reporting times between states, territories and the federal government, it can be difficult to get a current picture of how many confirmed cases of coronavirus there are in Australia.

Here, we’ve brought together all the figures in one place, along with comparisons with other countries.

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has detailed a gradual opening up of society with the timing the stages to be determined by the states

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• Coronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statistics

Scott Morrison and the chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, have laid out a three-step plan to reopen Australia after the coronavirus crisis. Morrison said he hoped step three could be achieved in July, but it would be up to each state and territory when they moved from one step to the next.

Below are some of the areas that will be opened up at each stage, according to the plan – and you can see the timeline for easing restrictions in each state here.

Each Saturday we add 15 (or so) new songs to a Spotify playlist to soundtrack your physical distancing amid coronavirus – and help artists you love get paid

We’ve published a bunch of articles about how the coronavirus crisis has impacted the Australian arts industry. But there are small things you can do. It’s an imperfect solution, but streaming Australian music can help.

Each week, in partnership with Sounds Australia, Guardian Australia will add some 15 new songs to a playlist for you to put on repeat.

They’ve faced drought, extreme heat and bushfires, and now they have to deal with a new paranoia courtesy of the pandemic

Australia’s bats are turning up in increasing numbers in city suburbs. But as they search for food, they’re bringing for some a newfound paranoia thanks to a global pandemic that likely sprang from one of their overseas relatives.

In Ingham in far north Queensland, an influx of more than 200,000 little red flying foxes in January was variously described as a “swarm”, a “tornado” and an “infestation”.

One study suggests one in three people from 16 to 64 have been victims of image-based abuse. But most will never step foot in a police station

When Laura* was 14, she was convinced that her boyfriend was the love of her life. So, when several girls messaged her to say he had sent them a video of her drunk and engaging in a sexual act, she told herself they were lying.

“I was just like, ‘Oh, you don’t know anything about our relationship. I don’t believe you,’” she says. “But after we broke up, he pretty much sent it to everyone that I knew.

Politicians have set a high bar for themselves – success on coronavirus has created community expectations that will be challenging to shift

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“Let’s not give everything back, let’s not throw away all the progress we’ve made by letting our frustration get the better of us.” This was Daniel Andrews on Friday afternoon, shortly after national cabinet resolved to gradually restart economic and social activity by July.

The Victorian premier wanted people to understand he’d be hastening slowly – the message being here in the Massachusetts of Australia, we decide how quickly we’ll remove coronavirus restrictions. We don’t apply an arbitrary national average.

Paul Kelly warns people over 70 and with existing diseases are at high risk from coronavirus as pandemic restrictions ease

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The deputy chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, is warning people to take care if visiting mums on Mother’s Day, as frictions emerge over the lockdown in Victoria.

In some states, authorities are allowing people to pay family visits on Sunday as coronavirus pandemic restrictions are eased, but Kelly has restated warnings that people over 70 and with existing chronic diseases are at high risk from coronavirus.

Because there's plenty more to see than just Bondi

Heinz release jigsaw with all pieces coloured in its signature red hue

A ban on sweat towels could be introduced under new guidelines from ukactive

Netflix is cutting down traffic to ease internet capacity as more people work from home. Here’s what it means for Australians’ streaming experience

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Netflix has agreed to reduce the data it uses to stream movies and TV shows across Australia as more and more people are working from home due to the coronavirus shutdown. But what will it mean for your viewing habits while you’re staying at home?

Related: Australian government asks Netflix and Stan to reduce data to avoid broadband overload

Related: As cinemas go dark, the film industry may go straight to Netflix

TV and news website audiences are sky-high but, with few ads or new shows, future looks fraught

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From TV channels running out of shows, to newspapers facing the threat of closure, the British media industry is facing a financial shock that will permanently reshape how we consume news and entertainment.

Media analysts and insiders warn the pandemic will have a long-lasting impact on the country’s cultural life, predicting that changes in consumer behaviour expected to take more than five years may have happened in five weeks, with many people unlikely to entirely return to their pre-lockdown habits.

The sector is wrestling with issues such as staging plays with social distancing, or running rollercoasters half full

The row between cinema chains and Universal Studios over the digital-only release of Trolls World Tour is one of may crises racking the entertainment industry during the coronavirus lockdown. The challenges range from working out how to stage live performances to managing social distancing in queues for rollercoasters. Here are some of the issues they face.

Pokemon GO (Free) from Niantic has been improving with letting people play the game in one place or at home. …

Continue reading "PokeCoin System Changes Are Coming to ‘Pokemon GO’ as Niantic Begins Testing in Australia"

The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented challenge for the music community, and has shed light on the sad realities faced by artists everyday. As Chair of Music Canada’s Advisory Council, I partnered with Music Canada and CONNECT Music Licensing to conduct an Artist Impact Survey. Developed in consultation with artist members of the Advisory […]

The post COVID-19 continues to hit the music industry’s most vulnerable: Music Canada survey appeared first on Music Canada.

There is something bizarre going down in Australian politics, and its name is Clive Palmer.

In 2013, this mining billionaire formed a political party he called the Palmer United Party (PUP). Some people paid attention, most tried to look the other way.

This is because Palmer isn't your regular politician

First, the billionaire mining magnate built Palmersaurus, a theme park on the Sunshine Coast filled with fake dinosaurs. Then he moved on to bigger things — with a plan to build the Titanic II. He is a large man with a booming laugh and a twinkle in his eye. Read more...

SYDNEY — Jacqui Lambie is an interesting character. On first sighting, one isn't really sure what to make of her

The tough-as-nails former Australian soldier and single mother of two boys won Tasmania's sixth and final Senate seat in last year's election as part of the Palmer United Party.

The Palmer party is headed up by eccentric mining billionaire Clive Palmer, but if you think he speaks his mind, you need to check out Lambie

From saying on live radio she wants a man who is "well hung" to telling anyone who supports Sharia law to “pack up their bags and get out of here,” Lambie is causing controversy across the country with her inappropriate outbursts. Read more...

MELBOURNE — Australia's politicians have sure made some memorable public appearances of late.

We've had Senator Jacqui Lambie make a case for a ban on the burqa by stumbling through an explanation of sharia law on live television, federal MP and resident dinosaur enthusiast Clive Palmer's diatribe on Chinese business relations and of course, Prime Minister Tony Abbott vowing to get all up in the face of President Putin

And what better way to archive the missteps of the nation's leaders than superimposing their faces into some of film and television's most iconic scenes?

On Monday, Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced he had removed the titles of "knights" and "dames" from the Order of Australia, a formal award system that honours those who provide a great service to Australia.

The two archaic titles were only brought back last year in a controversial move by former prime minister Tony Abbott. In a decision that made many question Abbott's leadership, the first knighthood was awarded to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh — a man who has only been to Australia a handful of times.

Taylor Swift is currently sending Australia into Tay Tay fever as she tours the country, and it seems the nation's politicians aren't immune.

Take Treasurer Scott Morrison. The minister was responding to media questions Monday regarding whether he had been offered the treasury job by current Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in February, months before the dumping of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott

We won't bore you with the details, but please note the part where the Liberal Party member told reporters to "shake it off" in regards to these events.

He's one of Australia's most outspoken politicians, but conservative South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi has decided to go radio silent on social media.

On Tuesday, Bernardi mysteriously deleted all his tweets but left his profile intact

It's unclear why Bernardi bid adieu to tweets of times gone by, but on Nov. 22, he made an epic Twitter fail. Bernardi mistakenly quoted a neo-Nazi on the social media platform: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise."

The quote — often attributed to Voltaire — is actually by American Holocaust-denier Kevin Strom, adapted from his essay titled "All America must know the terror that is upon us." Read more...

Selling a fridge would normally be a straightforward affair — money is exchanged, the other person gets the appliance.

For Emily Hastings and her husband Emmanuel it turned into a photo opportunity, when Australia's former prime minister Tony Abbott turned up to their Sydney home to buy their three-year-old Daewoo refrigerator

My husband with Tony Abbott the proud new owner of our 3 year old Daewoo fridge bought on gumtree for $300 #gumtree #tonyabbott

A photo posted by Emily Hastings (@emilyhastings_) on Dec 4, 2015 at 4:36pm PST Read more...

The Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has proposed legislation that would allow for convicted terrorists to be held indefinitely in prison if considered a threat.

The proposed changes to legislation would allow convicted terrorists to be detained in jails for an infinite amount of time, regardless of their sentence length. While Turnbull said the changes were about promoting and ensuring community safety in a time of heightened uncertainty, the proposal has been criticised on the basis of civil rights.

Australia has no Charter of Human Rights which would require the Parliament or the courts to consider whether counter-terrorism laws comply with human rights principles. Without this charter, the Australian Government can operate in a legal grey area. Read more...

Of $75 million in loans, state gets $2.5 million from "tapped out" baseball star.

NPD “restatement” shows consistent spending growth as digital sales dominate.