ADB joined the governments of Tonga and Australia in an inauguration ceremony today to officially mark the completion of upgrading work of the Mataki’eua water supply system as part of the ADB-supported Nuku’alofa Urban...

Thanks to investment from Australia and ADB, a new clean water plant in Ebeye, in the north-west corner of the Marshall Islands, is changing lives.

It may have been a long wait to get back into the water, but for 77-year-old Sydneysider Carol Raleigh, her return to ocean swimming was the "antidote" to get through the coronavirus pandemic.

Some rocks in Tasmania, Australia, look out of place. Now an analysis suggests they were once part of the rocks that form the Grand Canyon in the US

Australia's most populous states held back from relaxing coronavirus restrictions on Saturday although other states began allowing small gatherings and were preparing to open restaurants and shops.

As recently as 110 years ago, Aboriginal Australians used dingoes to help hunt kangaroos even though the canines are feral and difficult to train

Australia will ease social distancing restrictions in a three-step process, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, as Canberra aims to remove most curbs by July and get nearly 1 million people back to work amid a decline in coronavirus cases.

Some 65,000 years ago, early humans washed up on the lost continent of Sahul, which contained Australia. Now clues hint it was no accident but rather the first great maritime expedition

Tom Hanks has sent a letter and a Corona brand typewriter to an Australian boy who wrote to him about being bullied over his name, Corona, Australian television networks reported on Thursday.

Australia will ease social distancing restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus in a three-step process, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, with the aim of removing all curbs by July. Lauren Anthony reports.

Australia recorded just 229 flu cases this April, compared with 18,705 last April, probably due to lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus

Objective

We aimed to assess adherence to the Australian national guideline (COPD-X) against audited practice, and to document the outcomes of patients hospitalised with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at discharge and 28 days after.

Methods

A prospective clinical audit of COPD hospital admission from five tertiary care hospitals in five states of Australia was conducted. Post-discharge follow-up was conducted via telephone to assess for readmission and health status.

Results

There were 207 admissions for acute exacerbation (171 patients; mean 70.2 years old; 50.3% males). Readmission rates at 28 days were 25.4%, with one (0.6%) death during admission and eight (6.1%) post-discharge within 28 days. Concordance to the COPD-X guidance was variable; 22.7% performed spirometry, 81.1% had blood gases collected when forced expiratory volume in 1 s was <1 L, 99.5% had chest radiography performed, 95.1% were prescribed systemic corticosteroids and 95% were prescribed antibiotic therapy. There were 89.1% given oxygen therapy and 92.6% when arterial oxygen tension was <80 mmHg; 65.6% were given ventilatory assistance when pH was <7.35. Only 32.4% were referred to pulmonary rehabilitation but 76.8% had general practitioner follow-up arranged.

Conclusion

When compared against clinical practice guidelines, we found important gaps in management of patients admitted with COPD throughout tertiary care centres in Australia. Strategies to improve guideline uptake are needed to optimise care.

Vượt qua hai đối thủ nặng ký là Sydney và Melbourne, thành phố Brisbane thuộc bang Queensland gây bất ngờ khi ghi nhận tăng trưởng giá nhà đạt mốc kỷ lục tại thời điểm thị trường bất động sản Australia nói chung đang trong tình trạng ảm đạm.

Thị trường bất động sản Canberra, Australia gần đây sôi động hơn trước do sự có mặt của các nhà đầu tư và người mua nhà theo đuổi chiến lược rentvesting – vừa thuê nhà ở, vừa đầu tư khi nhận thấy khả năng sinh lời ở hai thị trường trọng điểm truyền thống là Sydney và Melbourne đang giảm sút.

Đây là những sản phẩm BĐS đặc biệt được tung ra thị trường trong bối cảnh dịch bệnh diễn biến phức tạp, nhiều công ty, doanh nghiệp cho phép nhân viên làm việc tại nhà và tự cách ly để tránh rủi ro lây nhiễm bệnh cho nhau.

Five Australian hospitals are set to receive the experimental coronavirus drug, remdesivir. Sydney's St Vincent hospital has been confirmed as one location, according to a report from The Guardian. More »

Last year, Google turned the mid-range phone market on its head by introducing the ludicrously-priced and well-specced Pixel 3a. A few other brands have followed suit since then, but none have been quite as exciting as the new iPhone SE. Now it truly seems like flagship inclusions at lower price points are here to stay - and it's about damn time. The trend of $1,500 - $2,000 becoming the norm for new phones over the last few years has been bad for buyers. A new middle ground has been long overdue and we welcome it. But is the resurrected iPhone SE actually a good phone to buy in 2020? More »

Apple dropped its brand new 13-inch MacBook Pro overnight, which is exciting because the dreaded butterfly keyboard is now finally dead. For real. In its place you'll find the newer Magic Keyboard which has previously been added to the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. Today is a good day. If you're keen to get your paws on the new laptop, here's how much it will set you back in Australia. More »

Back in early March Apple announced that it would closing the majority of its physical stores worldwide. Roughly seven weeks later Australian Apple stores will be re-opening their doors around the country later this week. More »

Samsung just released the smaller version of its Galaxy Tab S6 tablet in Australia. Though it did appear in some online stores a little early, now it's official. Here's what its packing and how much it will cost in Australia. More »

Sennheiser has just released its second generation of its noise cancelling earbuds in Australia - the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2. Here's what we know about them and how much they cost. Spoiler alert - they ain't cheap. More »

The cast of Community is reuniting for a virtual table read to raise money for coronavirus relief. Almost all of main cast will be back for the online event, including Donald Glover who left the show in season 5. It will also include a Q&A where fans can submit questions via social media. This is how you can watch it live. More »

Researchers at a Sydney university have discovered how some female bees have managed to reproduce despite never doing the deed with another. More »

The rate of new coronavirus cases is dropping in Australia, largely due to strict travel restrictions, but complacency could cause the virus to get out of hand

Australia recorded just 229 flu cases this April, compared with 18,705 last April, probably due to lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus

… the opening round of the Davis Cup World Group on hard court … . Kyrgios led Australia to the Davis Cup semi-finals this year, while Zverev ….

Economic reconstruction is a chance to speed up decarbonisation, and the pandemic has shown a different kind of politics is possible

We’re already being swamped with ideas about “reforms” needed to recover from the pandemic crisis. But the word reform is like gift wrap – a handy cover for any offering, thought-through or otherwise.

Perhaps we should ditch the word entirely, and with it the forest of feelpinions about what governments “must” do to advance an author’s previously-held ideological positioning in the post-corona world.

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The Australian government on Monday set aside A$300 million ($191 million) to jumpstart hydrogen projects with the help of low-cost financing as the country aims to build the industry by 2030, the country's energy minister said on Monday.

BP Plc has won Australian government backing for a feasibility study into producing hydrogen using wind and solar power to split water and converting the hydrogen to ammonia in Western Australia.

Tournament favourites Australia advanced into the semi-finals of the men's hockey World Cup on Monday after they beat Pakistan 2-1 in a pulsating match to finish top of Pool B.

Up to 30 new marine species discovered on research expedition into underwater canyons

Coronavirus: the symptoms Follow our live updates here

A kangaroo was spotted hopping through the empty streets of Adelaide amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Virgin Australia has gone into voluntary administration after failing to secure a government bailout due to impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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.

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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
  
• How Australia’s Covidsafe compares to other countries’ contact tracing technology
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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”.

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