Australia & Pacifics

CANBERRA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called on Australians joining Black Lives Matter protests not to "import" racial tensions from the United States.

Thousands of people have marched in Australian cities to protest Aboriginal deaths in custody and wider abuse of indigenous Australians, according to The Australian report, after the anti-racism protests in the United States.

Morrison on Thursday acknowledged Australians' right to protest but said that progress was being made.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has asked its embassy in the United States to register its concerns with authorities there about an apparent police assault on an Australian cameraman during a protest in Washington, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, thousands of Australians marched in Sydney to protest against the death of black American George Floyd in U.S. police custody, after days of demonstrations and clashes in the United States sparked by the killing.

CANBERRA/WASHINGTON, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — PM Scott Morrison has spoken to US President Donal Trump after an Australian TV crew was allegedly assaulted by police in Washington, reports say.

Morrison has also asked the Washington embassy to investigate the incident.

Channel 7’s US correspondent Amelia Brace and cameraman Tim Myers were attacked while covering Monday’s protest outside the White House.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — South American countries at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic are choosing to reopen even as case numbers rise, ignoring the example set by Europe in which nations waited for the worst to pass.

Meanwhile in the U.S., there are concerns that widespread protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man pinned at the neck by a white police officer, could cause new outbreaks in a nation where the virus has disproportionately affected racial minorities.

CANBERRA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Australia remains "on track" in the fight against COVID-19, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday.

Following a meeting of the National Cabinet, which is comprised of the prime minister and state and territory leaders, Morrison told reporters that Australia is in a better position than he hoped for when the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in January.

However, he warned that there was still a high risk of further outbreaks that could undo all of Australia's progress on preventing the spread of the virus.

SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus SE A320 jet that crashed into a crowded residential district of Karachi last week killing 97 people on board was insured for $19.7 million, an airline document showed.

Pakistan’s National Insurance Company Ltd was the insurer and Marsh was the reinsurance broker for PIA’s annual policy that runs until Dec. 29, the document on the airline’s website showed.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand on Friday had all but eradicated the coronavirus from its shores with just one person in the nation of 5 million known to be still infected, but developments elsewhere were generally grim, with India reporting another record increase in cases and Pakistan a record number of deaths.

In the U.S., the virus threw more than 2 million people out of work last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses, stoking fears the scourge is doing deep and potentially long-lasting damage to the world’s largest economy.

SYDNEY, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Australian clinical research organization Nucleus Network announced Tuesday the commencement of dosing the first human participants for the Phase 1 trial of a COVID-19 vaccine on behalf of U.S.-based biotechnology company Novavax.

Novavax is developing the SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Spike Protein Nanoparticle vaccine -- NVX-CoV2373.

SUVA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- More than 700 staff members of Fiji Airways, Fiji's national carrier, were terminated on Monday as a result of the implication of COVID-19.

According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) on Monday, around 775 staff members of Fiji Airways which include all cabin crew have been given termination letters by the company following a meeting on Monday.

In the letter, Fiji Airways said the severe effects of COVID-19 have resulted in the company taking this drastic step.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — One of New Zealand’s largest media organizations is being sold for a single dollar to its chief executive, the owners announced Monday.

The organization Stuff prints many of the nation’s daily newspapers and runs a popular news website of the same name. It employs about 900 staff, including 400 journalists.

Owned by Australia’s Nine Entertainment, Stuff faced financial challenges before the coronavirus pandemic struck and has since seen advertising revenues plunge.