SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian sheep who made headlines in 2015 for the record-breaking weight of his fleece has died, according to the carers of the Merino named Chris. The animal, believed to be aged about 10, was found dead on Tuesday morning by his minde... More »
(Reuters) – Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) and Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd (VAH.AX) were awarded one slot each to operate flights at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, according to a draft decision by Australia’s International Air Services Commission (IASC). The opening at Ha... More »
CHIBA, Japan (Reuters) – Tiger Woods on Monday declared himself “right on schedule” after recent knee surgery as he prepares to return to competition at this week’s Zozo Championship following two months on the sidelines. Speaking at his first press conference... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Sterling fell over half a percent against the dollar on Monday, slipping from five-month highs after the British parliament delayed a crucial vote on a Brexit withdrawal agreement. The move derailed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan for a ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian stocks edged up on Monday as Chinese shares reversed early losses, supported by hopes for progress in resolving the U.S.-China trade war, while sterling slipped after the British parliament delayed a crucial vote on a Brexit withdrawal ... More »
(Refile changes to biennial from biannual in paragraph 2) MELBOURNE (Reuters) – More than 40 racing teams from 21 countries left Darwin on Sunday to race across Australia to the southern city of Adelaide in the world’s fastest solar powered cars. The 3,000 kil... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s banking regulator on Tuesday said it plans to ask lenders to meet higher capital levels domestically to offset their exposure to large overseas units – a move that comes in response to plans by New Zealand to hike capital ratios ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia has refused entry to a Vietnamese woman for failing to declare 10 kg (22 lb) of raw pork, seafood and poultry on arrival in Sydney, its first expulsion under a more strict biosecurity law, authorities said on Tuesday. Already known... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia will provide A$3 million ($2.03 million) for research on the use of cannabis to help cancer patients, its health minister said on Sunday, as the demand for medicinal cannabis products grows rapidly. While legal in most of Austra... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A new documentary seeks to move away from “rumors and tabloid headlines” to paint an intimate portrait of late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, charting his rise to global stardom and personal troubles. “Mystify: Michael Hutchence” features ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A highly poisonous fungus, with toxins that can be absorbed through the skin, has been identified for the first time in the rain forest near the Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists said on Thursday. The Fire Coral fungus, which is b... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A winged beast dubbed the “iron dragon” soared above Australia during the age of dinosaurs, hunting fish in rivers and lakes, according to scientists who found that continent’s most complete fossil representing the flying reptiles called... More »
TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asian stock markets, including China’s, were little changed on Monday, shrugging off news that the U.S. administration is considering delisting Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific share... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar found broad support on Monday as global political uncertainty and fears over a widening of the Sino-U.S trade war kept investors in safe harbours ahead of a slew of global economic indicators this week. The greenback was steady... More »
(Reuters) – New Zealand police said on Monday they arrested a man for making threats in the capital city of Wellington which local media reported were related to bombs. Several streets in central Wellington were closed off as police carried out searches while ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – American heavy metal band Metallica has canceled its upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand, saying that lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield has been admitted into an addiction treatment program. Hetfield’s fellow band members, L... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s AMP Ltd (AMP.AX) has lost at least one major pension contract while other companies are reviewing their relationship with the wealth manager, which has struggled to stem a client exodus following revelations of serious misconduct... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Scores of airlines wrote jointly to the Hong Kong government earlier this month to seek airport fee waivers as they struggle to deal with the financial fallout from anti-government protests that have led to a sharp drop in traveler demand... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Roger Federer is set to give Andy Murray’s hip an early season workout, with Switzerland drawn to face Great Britain in the group phase of the inaugural ATP Cup. Former world number one Murray has played only a handful of singles matches ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will meet next week with the leaders of India and Australia at events in Texas and Ohio to promote trade and investment. The White House said Trump will travel to Houston, Texas, on Sept. 22 to participate in ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Global money managers and companies are rushing to meet a deadline to report on their carbon footprint, but the lack of a standard metric raises concerns their efforts could just be a box-ticking exercise in the transition from brown to gree... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – World stocks rose for the sixth straight day on Wednesday and bond prices fell as investors continued to unwind safety bets, encouraged by hopes of a resolution to the Sino-U.S. trade standoff and signs Europe may be preparing to ease budget... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – KKR & Co Inc (KKR.N) is preparing to list a A$500 million credit fund in November in Australia, marking the U.S. buyout firm’s first investment vehicle in the country, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The KKR Cred... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The number of Chinese visitors to Australia ticked up in July though the annual pace of growth slowed to the equal weakest in nine years, in a sign the Sino-U.S. trade war and sluggish economic growth were hurting mainland tourists’ travel p... More »
(Reuters) – Australia’s corporate regulator said on Wednesday it has been conducting long-term on-site monitoring at the offices of major banks and wealth manager AMP Ltd (AMP.AX) since October, after a probe into the sector revealed wide-ranging misconduct. T... More »
(Reuters) – It is only 16 days since Rory McIlroy was crowned FedEx Cup champion but players are already gearing up for the new U.S. PGA Tour season with the opening event, the Greenbrier Classic, kicking off in West Virginia on Thursday. With the calendar eve... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Scotland’s fabled Loch Ness monster could possibly be a giant eel, scientists said on Thursday after an intensive analysis of traces of DNA in the Loch’s icy waters. The results ruled out the presence of large animals such as dinosaurs, they... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian cricket journalist in Britain for the Ashes test series is claiming to have drunk “the most expensive beer in history” after being charged nearly A$100,000 ($68,120) for the tipple. Peter Lalor, chief cricket writer for the Aus... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Global stock prices fell on Monday after the United States and China imposed new tariffs on each other’s goods, reinforcing investors’ worries over slowing global growth, with no clear end in sight for the trade war. The E-mini futures for U.... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The yen strengthened on Monday, thanks to bigger appetites for safe-haven assets as Washington and Beijing put additional tariffs on each other’s exports, adding to the gloom hanging over the global economic outlook. The United States slapped... More »
(Reuters) – Novak Djokovic’s U.S. Open title defense ended in agony on Sunday when the Serb retired from his fourth round match against Swiss Stan Wawrinka because of a shoulder injury. Wawrinka converted his fourth break point to lead 6-4 7-5 2-1 when world n... More »
(Reuters) – Australian Hannah Green erased a three-stroke deficit over the final four holes to win the Cambia Portland Classic on Sunday, denying qualifier Yealimi Noh a dream victory and an LPGA Tourcard. Green closed with a five-under-par 67, making par on t... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s military intercepted a Sri Lankan boat carrying 13 asylum-seekers last month, Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said on Monday, as Canberra sought to defend the relocation of a Tamil family to a remote detention center. Dutt... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Defending champion Naomi Osaka will seek a spot in the U.S. Open quarter-finals when she returns to the court on Monday while second seed Rafa Nadal faces former winner Marin Cilic in last 16 action. Osaka, who brought 15-year-old American... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Solomon Islands, one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies, has formed a team of ministers to talk to Beijing ahead of a possible switch in ties that could be unveiled as early as this week, the chief of a parliamentary panel said.... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s central bank would consider unconventional monetary options if the cash rate was cut to 0.5%, Deputy Governor Guy Debelle said on Tuesday, though he hoped such heavy policy adjustments would not be needed. Debelle said the Reserv... More »
CANBERRA (Reuters) – A Chinese-born Australian writer held in China since January has been charged with espionage, his lawyer and the Australian government said on Tuesday, amid growing tension between Canberra and its largest trading partner. Yang Hengjun, a ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – The spread between seaborne iron ore heading to China and iron ore at China’s ports has widened to the highest in at least two years, following an increase in shipments from Australia and Brazil as disrupted mines gradually come back on tra... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian stocks rose in step with their global peers on Tuesday while safe-haven bonds retreated, after U.S. President Donald Trump softened his tone against China and predicted the two countries would be able to reach a trade deal. In early Eur... More »
MADRID (Reuters) – A Spanish businessman has bought a statue symbolizing women forced to work in Japanese military brothels which was removed from an exhibition in Japan after organizers received threats over the piece. The “Statue of a Girl Of Peace” symboliz... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will spend A$500 million ($340 million) to improve the capability of its special forces troops, the first stage of a $3 billion, 20-year plan that the government said on Monday will enable a better response to security threats at h... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Worries that a prolonged Sino-U.S. trade war could tip the world and U.S. economies into recession weighed on Asian equities on Monday, offsetting a welcome a lift from Chinese shares and a stronger-than-expected daily fixing for the yuan.... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The dollar remained on the defensive against the safe-haven yen on Monday as the Sino-U.S. trade dispute looked set to drag on with no settlement in sight, while holidays in Japan and Singapore made for very thin trading. Confusion still lin... More »
(Reuters) – John Isner blasted 27 aces in his first-round match against Serbian Dusan Lajovic on Sunday but it was a timely break of serve that saw the American advance 7-6(3) 1-6 7-5 at the Cincinnati Open. Lajovic shook off the loss of a first set tiebreak t... More »
(Reuters) – Nick Kyrgios overcame early back spasms to get the better of Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in a pair of tiebreakers and win the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday. The Australian won 7-6(6) 7-6(4) over a frustrated world number nine Medvedev for his sixt... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that he was in favor of placing ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles in Asia relatively soon, a day after the United States withdrew from a landmark arms control treaty. Esper’s comm... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar clung to a two-month high against a basket of currencies in Asia on Monday after better-than-expected U.S. GDP data last week enhanced its yield attraction against rival currencies. The U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cu... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s peak anti-doping authority has defended its use of “confidentiality agreements” to suppress details of doping cases amid a storm of criticism over the handling of swimmer Shayna Jack’s failed drug test. Jack was pulled out of ... More »
GWANGJU, South Korea (Reuters) – If the world swimming championships in Gwangju were just a taste of what is to come at the 2020 Olympics, then in the words of recently retired Australian sprinter James Magnussen — “Brace yourselves”. A meet that was supposed ... More »
GENEVA (Reuters) – Electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products are not helping fight cancer, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, urging smokers and governments not to trust claims from cigarette firms about their latest products. The seve... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A clumsy driver led police to a A$200 million ($140 million) drug bust in Australia after he crashed a van laden with 270 kg (600 lb) of methamphetamines into a patrol car parked outside a police station in suburban Sydney. The man, 28, slam... More »
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa and Australia ramp up their World Cup preparations when they clash in their opening game of the shortened Rugby Championship season at Ellis Park on Saturday, for which both sides have made surprise selections. Springbok c... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Surprisingly upbeat economic soundings from China lifted the global markets mood on Monday, pushing world shares toward an 18-month high and steering the Aussie dollar and copper upwards. Investors were waiting for a torrent of second-quarte... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – England ended their 44-year wait for a maiden 50-overs World Cup title by beating a gutsy New Zealand side on boundaries after a tied Super Over amidst heart-stopping drama on Sunday. Chasing 242 for victory, Ben Stokes’ scintillating 84 not... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian defense officials said on Monday they were tracking a Chinese surveillance ship that is expected to position itself just outside of its territorial waters to monitor military exercises between Australia and the United States. Arou... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares were a sea of red on Monday after strong U.S. job gains tempered expectations the Federal Reserve will deliver a large rate cut, while the Turkish lira hovered near two-week lows on worries about central bank independence. Share... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Sydney’s city council said on Friday it was reviewing its weed management, which included the use of Bayer AG’s Roundup, after other councils in Australia began cutting ties with the product amid concerns about possible links to cancer. The ... More »
LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Stocks rallied and bonds retreated on Monday as the United States and China agreed to restart trade talks, leading investors to pare wagers on aggressive policy easing by the major central banks. The dollar firmed on the safe-haven ye... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s Big Four lenders are pushing back on the regulator’s plan to require banks make detailed credit checks on borrowers to estimate loan affordability instead of relying on indices, with the No.2 lender saying such checks are not fea... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The 2021 America’s Cup regatta suffered another blow with a syndicate from the Netherlands withdrawing their challenge on Monday, citing a lack of time to raise funds for their campaign. The withdrawal of the DutchSail syndicate follows ... More »
(Reuters) – Rio Tinto (RIO.L)(RIO.AX) named Barbara Levi as its new general counsel and group executive on Monday, replacing Philip Richards. Levi, currently group legal head, M&A and strategic transactions at Novartis, will join the miner on Jan. 1, 2020. Sou... More »
GLASTONBURY, England (Reuters) – Kylie Minogue delighted a huge crowd at Glastonbury with hits including “Spinning Around”, “Shocked” and “Better the Devil You Know”, 14 years after illness forced her to cancel a headline performance at the festival. Kylie, as... More »
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s $1 trillion wealth fund can invest again in miner Rio Tinto and retailer Walmart after their exclusions from the fund’s investments on ethical grounds were revoked, the board of the central bank said on Tuesday. The fund can also resu... More »
TOKYO/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Stock markets in Asia inched higher on Monday on hopes that U.S. and Chinese leaders will be able to get trade talks back on track this week, while oil prices bounced on political tensions between Tehran and Washington. European mar... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s state broadcaster and the media company News Corp said on Monday they will challenge the legality of recent police raids on their staff saying the action was unconstitutional and a threat to media freedom. The Australian Federal ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Ashleigh Barty is honored to become Australia’s first women’s world number one since Evonne Goolagong Cawley but feels she has a lot more to do to be worthy of comparison with the indigenous great. The 23-year-old Queenslander was crowned... More »
(Reuters) – Hannah Green became the third Australian woman to win a major with a one-stroke victory over South Korean Park Sung-hyun at the Women’s PGA Championship in Chaska, Minnesota on Sunday. After a poor six-iron approach into a bunker at the final hole,... More »
(Reuters) – Four years ago Hannah Green was attending the U.S. Women’s Open as part of her reward for winning a Karrie Webb scholarship. On Sunday, she followed in Webb’s footsteps by winning the Women’s PGA Championship, becoming the third Australian to win a... More »
TOKYO/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Most Asian stock markets rose on Tuesday but gains were capped by investor caution ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve policy decision, while crude oil prices dipped as global growth worries overshadowed supply concerns. European stock ... More »
(Reuters) – Australia central defender Clare Polkinghorne is unavailable for their final Group C game at the women’s World Cup, coach Ante Milicic has said, but 16-year-old striker Mary Fowler could get a runout against Jamaica. The Matildas, who have one loss... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s central bank believes it will likely have to cut interest rates further from the current record low of 1.25% in order to push down unemployment and revive growth in wages and inflation. Minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Investors in Australian mortgage bonds are demanding higher premiums to buy the riskiest tranches of new debt, as a slowing economy stokes concerns a property downturn could get worse and increase home loan defaults. High-yield investors are... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The suspension of Neil Woodford’s flagship fund has put the focus on a little known firm tasked with ensuring his investors were being looked after properly. While Woodford, one of Britain’s highest profile money managers, picked the compani... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s banking watchdog on Friday said it had imposed stricter licensing conditions on AMP Ltd’s pension fund units following concerns regarding its compliance with superannuation laws, sending its shares down more than 4%. The move com... More »
SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) – China may be an odd choice for investors seeking shelter from a Sino-U.S. trade war. Yet, money managers in Asia are pouring funds into Chinese stocks as the long-term promise of a growing middle class trumps more immediate fears a... More »
TOKYO/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Asian shares, European and U.S. stock futures rose on Monday after the United States shelved plans to impose tariffs on Mexico and as global investors hoped for lower U.S. interest rates on the back of lackluster jobs data. Global i... More »
(Reuters) – Ante Milicic has only four days to resurrect Australia’s women’s World Cup campaign after an upset loss to Italy and nothing is going to be ignored before they face Brazil in Montpellier on Thursday. The heavily-favored Matildas were stunned by a s... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday said aluminum exporters are complying with the terms of a deal with the United States after the New York Times reported President Donald Trump had considered imposing tariffs on Canberra. Th... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Jailed former Vatican treasurer George Pell will appeal on Wednesday against his convictions for sexually abusing two choir boys in the 1990s and if an Australian court rules in his favor could be released or face a retrial. Pell, 77, the... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian businesses reported a decent increase in profits for the first three months of the year, supported by surging iron ore prices while higher wages and inventories may have also helped prop up momentum in the slowing economy. Data fr... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Factory activity contracted in most Asian countries last month as an escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing raised fears of a global economic downturn and heaped pressure on policymakers in the region and beyond to roll out m... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. stock futures, Asian share markets and oil prices slipped to multi-month lows on Monday on worries intensifying Sino-U.S. tensions and Washington’s new tariff threats against Mexico could tip the global economy into a recession. The E-mi... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department is expected to provide tentative approval to a bid by American Airlines Group Inc and Qantas Airways Ltd to operate a joint venture, two people briefed on the matter said on Sunday. The department is ex... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – Former partners and rivals of Jet Airways Ltd are launching replacement routes and looking for new codeshare partners as they scramble to fill a lucrative gap left by the collapse of the India’s once-largest international airline. Jet, which ... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore, the tiny Southeast Asian city-state, is an unlikely place for a farming revolution. With tiered fish farms, vegetable plots atop office buildings and lab-grown shrimp, the island aims to beef up its own food production and rely... More »
(Reuters) – Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd said on Thursday it would defend itself against a new class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of pension fund account holders and claiming overcharging of fees. The suit, filed by law firm Maurice Blackburn in the Fed... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Renewable energy investment in the Asia-Pacific region will overtake spending on oil and gas exploration by 2020, consultancy Rystad Energy said on Monday. Total capital expenditure in renewables will rise above $30 billion in the region ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asia stocks inched up but remained near four-month lows on Monday amid concerns about U.S.-China tensions while the euro stayed in a narrow range after the weekend’s European Parliament elections. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will visit the Solomon Islands next week, he said on Monday, as Western nations seek to rein in China’s influence on the tiny Pacific island. With the United States and its allies keen to ensure China... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian law firm filed a class action lawsuit on Monday against five major international investment banks accusing them of colluding to rig foreign exchange rates during 2008-2013 to jack up profits at the expense of businesses and inv... More »
MONACO (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton withstood lap after lap of intense pressure on worn tires to win a nail-biting Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday in a triumphant tribute to his Mercedes team’s late Formula One great Niki Lauda. The Briton, who now has 77 career win... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s conservative coalition secured an outright parliamentary majority on Monday following a shock election victory, allowing Prime Minister Scott Morrison to progress his legislative agenda without the support of independents. Morris... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Asian shares clawed back some of last week’s losses as investors cheered apparent election wins for conservative incumbents in Australia and India, while broader global trade worries eased after Washington offered to lift some tariffs in N... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s industry body for market research launched a review on Monday into how opinion pollsters had wrongly predicted an opposition victory in Saturday’s general election. “We will be conducting a review of the election polls, and parti... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Surprisingly retained by Australians in a national election over the weekend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s center-right government now needs to find a fast way out of a worrying slowdown in an economy that has been recession-free since 19... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian bank shares posted their biggest rally in a decade on Monday as a surprise conservative election win eased regulation fears, though a housing downturn and strict rules baked in since a misconduct inquiry could temper longer-term b... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Boeing Co has won a hard-fought contest to sell wide-body aircraft to Air New Zealand Ltd, beating a challenge from Europe’s Airbus, industry sources said on Monday. The carrier, which currently operates only Boeing wide-body jets on long-hau... More »
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (Reuters) – Dustin Johnson narrowly missed out on winning his second career major at the PGA Championship on Sunday but in doing so he joined some very select company by completing the career runner-up grand slam. Johnson, who finished two sh... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – U.S. stock futures and Asian shares fell on Monday on growing anxiety over whether the United States and China will be able to salvage a trade deal, after Washington sharply hiked tariffs and Beijing vowed to retaliate. The United States and... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s export earnings are booming as resource prices surge but a statistical quirk means tens of billions of dollars go missing from main measures of growth, making the economy seem weaker than it actually is. The cash is still coursin... More »
