MELBOURNE (Reuters) – John Coates, the International Olympic Committee’s point man for the Tokyo Games, faces mandatory self-isolation when he returns to Australia from Europe this week as part of border controls to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Australi... More »
(Reuters) – Nike Inc, Lululemon Athletica Inc and Under Armour Inc on Sunday said they would close stores in the United States and other markets, joining a growing list of major retailers moving to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. The virus, which beg... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Formula One drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were racing on Sunday but, with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix canceled due to the coronavirus, it was against invisible opponents on virtual racetracks. The world of esports came... More »
HARARE (Reuters) – When Dominic Benhura started creating traditional Zimbabwean stone sculptures as a teenager four decades ago, he never imagined that art would bring him fame or fortune. Born to a peasant family in 1968 in Murewa, 90 kilometers northeast of ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s chief medical officer said on Monday it was no longer possible to completely prevent people with the coronavirus from entering the country, citing concerns about outbreaks in Japan and South Korea. Australia, one of the first cou... More »
TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar was on the back foot on Monday as growing expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts to cushion the impact of the coronavirus stemmed some safety flows into the greenback. After U.S. shares were routed in recent days, Federa... More »
(Reuters) – The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) said on Monday it has postponed its final qualification tournament for the Tokyo Olympics to June because of the coronavirus epidemic. The six-team event, originally scheduled for April 1-5 in Taiwan... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian health officials said on Monday that a woman and a male doctor have contracted coronavirus – becoming the first cases of community transmissions in the country. New South Wales state Minister for Health Brad Hazzard said a 31-year... More »
SINGAPORE/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares regained a measure of calm on Monday as markets bounced after a searing sell-off last week and as investors pinned hopes on a likely coordinated global monetary response to help soften the economic blow of the coronavi... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Global shares and oil slid on Monday while safe-haven gold surged as the spread of the coronavirus outside China darkened the outlook for world growth with infections and deaths rising in South Korea, Italy and the Middle East. The large spi... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Hundreds of people including Roger Waters, co-founder of the Pink Floyd rock group, and designer Vivienne Westwood, marched through central London on Saturday demanding that jailed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange be released. A London court... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will evacuate more than 200 of its citizens onboard a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship being held under quarantine in the Japanese port of Yokohama, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday. Morrison said the passengers will de... More »
(Reuters) – Fifteen years after his first victory at Riviera, Adam Scott won the Genesis Open in Los Angeles on Sunday, and this time his victory is official. The Australian, a former Masters champion, overcame an early double-bogey to shoot one-under-par 70 a... More »
(Reuters) – Adam Scott was guilty of a major golfing faux pas in the final round of the Genesis Open on Sunday after thumping his drive through the group ahead, almost hitting another player. The Australian’s tee shot at the dogleg par-four 15th landed in the ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry said that 27 foreigners in the country have been confirmed infected with the new coronavirus as of Monday morning, and two had died. An American died on Feb. 6 and a Japanese died on Feb. 8, ministry spokesman Geng ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares fell on Monday as the death toll from a coronavirus outbreak exceeded the SARS epidemic of two decades ago, though Chinese shares gained as authorities lifted some work and travel restrictions, helping businesses to resume opera... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asian currencies lifted a little on Monday amid hints that the spread of the coronavirus could be slowing down and as some big businesses resumed work in China after the Lunar New Year break. Workers began trickling back to offices and fa... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian antitrust investigator who helped bring criminal cartel charges against Citigroup Inc (C.N) and Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) denied acting with “impropriety” when presented with communications between the regulator and informant... More »
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – With residents and courts ringing the alarm about depleted water supplies in Chile’s Atacama salt flat, the world’s top lithium miner Albemarle (ALB.N) quietly filed a proposal in December for a network to monitor flows beneath the parched... More »
(Reuters) – Australia’s Boral Ltd (BLD.AX) said on Monday delays to building projects due to bushfires will likely cause a plunge in its second-half results, while revealing an investigation had found inflated earnings at its North American window-making busin... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The LPGA Tour, the elite women’s professional golf circuit, said on Monday it was cancelling tournaments in Thailand and Singapore later this month due to the coronavirus outbreak. More than 40,000 people have been infected by the flu-li... More »
(Reuters) – Former world number one amateur Nick Taylor bent but did not break, surviving an error-strewn stretch and whipping winds to win the Pebble Beach Pro-Am by four strokes in California on Sunday. Taylor set up victory with a chip-in birdie at the 15th... More »
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The economic and diplomatic costs of China’s coronavirus epidemic mounted on Monday with investors knocking $400 billion off the value of stocks and the government accusing the United States of over-reacting to the outbreak and whi... More »
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese stock and commodity markets fell heavily on Monday as the death toll from a coronavirus epidemic in China rose to 361 and investors retreated into safe-haven assets in the first trading session after an extended Lunar New Y... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison will on Tuesday front parliament for the first time in three months as he seeks to repair his standing with voters angry by his response to the country’s bushfire crisis and a scandal over sports fun... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Australian actress Margot Robbie hinted that her new female-led action film “Birds of Prey” could be the first in a series of movies as she reprised the role of comic antihero Harley Quinn in what she has called a passion project. Robbie, 29... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A team of scientists in Australia said on Wednesday they have successfully developed a lab-grown version of the new coronavirus, the first to be recreated outside of China, in a breakthrough that could help quicken the creation of a vacci... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, said on Monday that he was prepared to face his daughter in court and that she and her husband Prince Harry had hurt Queen Elizabeth by abruptly stepping back from royal dutie... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Former champion Stan Wawrinka battled past Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in five sets to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-2 2-6 4-6 7-6(2) 6-2 victory on Monday. Medvedev came into the contest having won both their ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Simona Halep had to be at her counter-punching best to fight off another determined second-set comeback bid from Elise Mertens on Monday as the Romanian world number three advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Halep, a be... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Highlights of the eighth day at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, on Monday (times AEDT- GMT+11): 1633 MUGURUZA MARCHES INTO LAST EIGHT Unseeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza continued her charge toward a third... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Coaches have welcomed the WTA Tour’s decision to allow them to help players from the stands this season after the issue became a hot-button topic in the wake of the 2018 U.S. Open final when Serena Williams was controversially penalized. ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Roger Federer continues his quest for a 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Tuesday but for his journeyman opponent Tennys Sandgren their quarter-final meeting is the latest chapter in a story of survival in professional tenni... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic led the tennis world in mourning for “mentor” Kobe Bryant on Monday after Melbourne Park awoke to the news that the NBA great had died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter and seven others.... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Shares tumbled on Monday as investors grew increasingly anxious about the economic impact of China’s spreading virus outbreak, with demand spiking for safe-haven assets such as the Japanese yen and Treasury notes. Japan’s Nikkei average .N225... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Garbine Muguruza powered into the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-3 demolition of ninth-seed Kiki Bertens in just 68 minutes on Monday. Muguruza, a former French Open and Wimbledon champion, was unseeded at Melbourne Park and ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The yuan fell in offshore trade on Monday to its lowest level in three weeks as the death toll in China from the spread of a new coronavirus mounted, raising worries authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak and sparking a bout of ri... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have identified Earth’s oldest-known impact crater, and in doing so may have solved a mystery about how our planet emerged from one of its most dire periods. Researchers have determined that the 45-mile-wide (70-km-wide) Yarra... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Injured All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea has been ordered to curb his use of the social media platform TikTok as he recovers from knee surgery. Savea, who injured his knee in the Rugby World Cup semi-final against England, had surger... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia on Monday boosted emergency funding for small businesses hit by bushfires that have ravaged the country for months, as the mounting costs of the disaster cast doubt on the government’s ability to deliver a promised budget surplus. ... More »
KANGAROO VALLEY (Reuters) – Hard-hit businesses in Australia’s blaze-ravaged Kangaroo Valley are calling for tourists to return now that the wildfires are under control, and fear firms and jobs will be lost unless the all-clear message is heard. The tourism in... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Roger Federer showed no sign of rust despite a lack of match practice ahead of the Australian Open as he launched his bid for a record-extending 21st Grand Slam title by hammering Steve Johnson 6-3 6-2 6-2 in the first round on Monday. Pl... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Coco Gauff shone on her Australian Open debut on Monday as she knocked Venus Williams out of the first round in a repeat of her stunning victory over the seven-times Grand Slam champion in the Wimbledon opener last year. The 15-year-old A... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Dan Evans, urged to “miss a few meals” earlier this month by Britain captain Tim Henman, patted his stomach after completing a brave five-set comeback win over American Mackenzie McDonald to reach the second round of the Australian Open o... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Serena Williams put aside her concerns about the air quality at Melbourne Park as she breezed into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday to remain on course for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title. Buoyed by securing her f... More »
(Reuters) – The bushfire smoke that hampered the buildup to the Australian Open highlights the need for Tennis Australia to be doing much more to combat climate change, the country’s national environmental lobby group said. The Australian Open, the season open... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Canadian young gun Denis Shapovalov raged at the chair umpire before succumbing to nerves as he crashed out of the Australian Open first round 6-3 6-7(7) 6-1 7-6(3) to unseeded Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. Shapovalov, seeded 13th and widel... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Defending champion Naomi Osaka fired back at a social media user who jeered her arrival on court before her 6-2 6-4 victory over Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova in the Australian Open first round on Monday. The 22-year-old from Japan next... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A meteorite that crashed into rural southeastern Australia in a fireball in 1969 contained the oldest material ever found on Earth, stardust that predated the formation of our solar system by billions of years, scientists said on Monday.... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The length of time Serena Williams held her arms aloft after clinching her first WTA title in almost three years spoke volumes on Sunday as the American prepares for the latest tilt at a 24th Grand Slam title in Melbourne next week. The ... More »
(This Jan. 11 story corrects spelling of Anisimova in headline and first paragraph) WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Serena Williams showed no signs of sentiment as she clinically dispatched teenager Amanda Anisimova 6-1 6-1 in just 45 minutes on Saturday to advance to ... More »
(Reuters) – The ATP will donate $500,000 to the WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund as part of the bushfire relief efforts, the governing body of men’s tennis said on Sunday. The donation from players was announced by Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic inspired Serbia to victory in the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Sydney after defeating his long-term Spanish rival Rafael Nadal in singles on Sunday before playing a pivotal role in the deciding doubles match. With the final... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Untested doubles pairing Alex De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios sealed a nail-biting 3-6 6-3 18-16 victory for Australia in the deciding match of their quarter-final clash with Great Britain at the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Sydney on Thursday... More »
(Reuters) – Australian insurer Suncorp Group (SUN.AX) said on Thursday it has received since September 2,600 bushfire-related claims worth up to A$345 million ($237.05 million), of which nearly a third was recorded in the first few days of the month. Suncorp o... More »
MERIMBULA, Australia/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian authorities urged another mass evacuation across the heavily populated southeast on Thursday as a return of hot weather fanned huge bushfires threatening several towns and communities. Victoria state Premier D... More »
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Allegations in Australian media about China’s efforts to interfere in Taiwan’s elections roiled the island on Thursday, after new reporting said a self-professed Chinese spy described a smear campaign against Taiwan’s ruling party. Taiwan is... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asian stocks had their best session in weeks on Thursday, as the United States and Iran backed away from the brink of conflict in the Middle East and investors reversed their flight to safety. U.S. President Donald Trump responded to an I... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Parents normally tell their teenagers to watch their language, but Coco Gauff turned the tables on her father on Thursday during her second round clash with Laura Siegemund at the Auckland Classic. The 15-year-old Gauff had taken the fir... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Top seed Serena Williams was made to work hard against fellow American Christina McHale before she prevailed 3-6 6-2 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals of the Auckland Classic on Thursday. The 23-times Grand Slam champion looked a comp... More »
(Reuters) – American qualifier Jennifer Brady claimed the first top 10 win of her career with an upset 6-4 7-6(4) straight sets victory over world number one Ash Barty on Thursday to advance to the Brisbane International quarter-finals. With the tournament mov... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s rampaging bushfires continue to affect top-level sporting events with a women’s soccer match scheduled for Newcastle on Friday postponed because of the poor air quality and expected soaring temperatures. Hundreds of fires have sc... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – China’s Hengyi Petrochemical Co Ltd is operating its new 160,000 barrels per day refinery in Brunei at near full capacity after trial production began in July, two company officials told Reuters. The plant in Palau Muara Besar is one of f... More »
YANDERRA, Australia (Reuters) – It was oppressively hot, above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and the wind was picking up. Bushfires were devastating nearby towns and now threatened Yanderra, a small village with just over 600 people located south of Sydney. Dia... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian markets idled near 18-month highs on Monday as trading volumes weakened ahead of the Christmas holiday break, with investors taking profit on gains made earlier this month. In early European trades, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures... More »
(Reuters) – A man has successfully cooked a pork roast in a car on a scorching hot day in Australia. Stu Pengelly placed the slab of pork in a baking tin on the car seat of his red Datsun Sunny in Perth, Western Australia, for around 10 hours. “It worked a tre... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Budget airline Jetstar is cutting domestic capacity by around 10% in January and weighing the sale of three Boeing 787-8 jets to counter industrial action by its pilots that the Australian carrier expects will cost it up to A$25 million ($17... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) plans to have more experienced pilots on board the world’s longest non-stop flights than on its current long-haul flights for the first 18 months as it evaluates fatigue, said sources with knowledge of the matter.... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Asian shares hit their highest in nearly eight months on Monday after the United States and China agreed on a preliminary trade deal, with Australian shares leading the way on expectations of more easing of monetary policy there. European ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – United States captain Tiger Woods led from the front as the Americans dominated the Sunday singles to overhaul the Internationals at Royal Melbourne 16-14 and claim an eighth successive Presidents Cup. Woods clinched a record 27th win in ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Two-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka has appointed Belgian Wim Fissette as coach, Kyodo news agency on Sunday quoted the Japanese player’s management as saying, as she gears up to defend her Australian Open title. Osaka has been without a c... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Patrick Reed had dug himself a hole before arriving at the Presidents Cup, his two-stroke penalty for flinging some sand away with his wedge in a waste bunker stoking controversy and putting a big target on his back at Royal Melbourne. By... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – A cave painting found on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi, depicting human-like figures hunting animals, appears to be the earliest known pictorial record of story-telling, according to a study by a team of Australian and Indonesian researche... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian stocks edged up on Monday, catching some of Wall Street’s momentum after surprisingly strong U.S. jobs data, although regional gains were capped by concerns about China’s economic slowdown due to the prolonged Sino-U.S. trade war. Japa... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Volunteers in the New Zealand city of Rotorua are preparing two dozen white-lined coffins to be transported to Samoa at the end of the week as the measles-ravaged Pacific island nation languishes under a growing death toll that has now hit 7... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Louis Oosthuizen said his late charge at the Australian Open has given him a big boost of confidence heading into this week’s Presidents Cup clash against Tiger Woods’s United States team at Royal Melbourne. The 2010 British Open champion ca... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The United States’ economic outperformance will wane, the dollar will probably weaken and growth next year can be expected from emerging markets, UBS Asset Management said on Monday, the latest money manager to turn bullish on the sector.... More »
WELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – The small Pacific island nation of Samoa has closed schools and is restricting travel ahead of the Christmas holiday season as the death toll from a measles outbreak tops 50, in the latest flare-up of a global epidemic of the viru... More »
(Reuters) – Team by team analysis of Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix (listed in championship order): – MERCEDES (Lewis Hamilton 1, Valtteri Bottas 4) Hamilton’s 11th win of the season, fifth in Abu Dhabi and 84th of his career. He start... More »
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Formula One fans gave Nico Hulkenberg a ‘Driver of the Day’ send-off on Sunday as the Renault driver bowed out with a 12th-place finish in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. By the 32-year-old’s own admission it was an unspectacular ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The number of suspected cases of measles on the Pacific island of Samoa has more than doubled over the past week to 3,530 and deaths related to the outbreak rose to 48 from 20 a week ago, the country’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday. S... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s domestic spy agency is investigating whether China tried to install an agent in federal parliament in what Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday called “deeply disturbing” allegations. The Australian Security Intelligence Or... More »
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s ruling party denounced China as an “enemy of democracy” on Monday following fresh claims of Chinese interference in the island’s politics ahead of presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 11. The allegat... More »
(Reuters) – Australia has agreed to relax restrictions imposed on the travel of horses from Hong Kong, ending a two-year stand-off between the two countries, the South China Morning Post reported on Monday. The movement of horses between the jurisdictions was ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares staged a cautious rally on Monday as investors dared to hope for some progress in the endless Sino-U.S. trade dispute, while the outperformance of recent U.S. economic data gave the dollar a leg up on its peers. MSCI’s broadest ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – World shares were close to a record high on Monday, after Beijing surprised markets by trimming a key interest rate for the first time since 2015. In the latest show of support for its economy, China’s central bank cut rates on seven-day rev... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s flagship airline, Qantas, said on Monday it stood ready to offer legal assistance to a member of its flight crew named in a racism accusation by Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am on social media. The U.S. singer had taken a fli... More »
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Max Verstappen won a thrilling Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday after the Ferraris collided and Mercedes’ six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was demoted from third to seventh. In a race of safety cars and surpr... More »
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Team by team analysis of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, penultimate race of the 21-round Formula One season (listed in championship order): – MERCEDES (Lewis Hamilton 7, Valtteri Bottas retired) Hamilton finished third on track but collec... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A pigeon has been pinching poppies from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Australia’s national war memorial in Canberra and using them to build a colorful nest in the lead-up to Remembrance Day commemorations. The pigeon has created the ... More »
NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG/LONDON (Reuters) – As jihadists wreaked ever more havoc in the last two years, mining firms in Burkina Faso rolled out extra security measures, from barracks for government troops protecting them to safe rooms for workers behind barbed wir... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Asian countries held conclusive talks on what could be the world’s biggest trade pact and there will be an announcement of success at a summit in Bangkok, despite doubts raised by India, the Thai hosts said on Monday. But questions still hu... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Asian shares surged on Monday, with a broad regional gauge hitting more than 14-week highs, as growing optimism over U.S.-China trade talks and upbeat U.S. job data boosted global investors’ appetite for riskier assets. MSCI’s broadest ind... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – India is going to continue talks on an Asia-wide trade deal that is being discussed at a summit of regional leaders in Bangkok and which Thailand has said will be signed next year, Australia’s trade minister said on Monday. The comments thr... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand said on Sunday that Southeast Asian nations are committed to signing a pact by February 2020 on forging what could become the world’s largest trade bloc, even after new demands by India dealt a blow to the process backed by China. ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Talks to agree what could be the world’s biggest trade bloc were conclusive and an announcement on their success will be made later on Monday, Thailand’s commerce minister said on Monday. The prospects of reaching agreement on the 16-nation... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Olivia Newton-John’s tight black pants and leather jacket from the movie “Grease” sold for $405,700 at a Beverly Hills auction on Saturday, more than double the expected price, Julien’s Auctions said. The outfit that marked the transiti... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares rose to a three-month high on Monday, as risk assets got a fillip from hopes of a trade deal and strong U.S. corporate earnings, while major currencies marked time as focus shifted to a Federal Reserve rate decision. European sh... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) staff inappropriately gave personal financial advice when marketing pension funds, an Australian court said, overturning an earlier ruling in a rare win for regulators under pressure to crack down on misconduct ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar traded near its highest in more than two months versus the yen on Monday ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting this week where policymakers are expected to cut interest rates but emphasize their reluctance to ease policy further.... More »
