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FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2005, file photo, former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam holds up the original copy of his dismissal letter he received from then Governor-General Sir John Kerr on Nov. 11, 1975, at a book launch in Sydney, Australia. The High Court's majority decision in historian Jenny Hocking’s appeal on Friday, May 29, 2020 overturned lower court rulings that more than 200 letters between the monarch of Britain and Australia and Governor-General Sir John Kerr before he dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s government were personal and might never be made public. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)

Australian court rules queen's letters can be made public

May. 29, 2020 5:52 AM EDT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s highest court ruled on Friday to make public letters between Queen Elizabeth II and her representative that would reveal what knowledge she had, if any, of the dismissal of an Australian government in 1975. The High Court’s 6-1 majority decision in...

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney speaks to the media during a press conference in Canberra, Wednesday, May 27, 2019. Australian police said that they had decided against charging a journalist over a newspaper article she wrote more than two years ago following a high-profile investigation that triggered a national storm over press freedom. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)

Australian police won't charge reporter after leak probe

May. 27, 2020 4:22 AM EDT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian police said Wednesday that they had decided against charging a journalist over a newspaper article she wrote more than two years ago following a high-profile investigation that triggered a national storm over press freedom. Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner...

People pass by wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as ride along a street in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2020. China on Wednesday reported just two new cases of the coronavirus and no deaths. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The Latest: UN ups appeal to fight virus to $6.7 billion

May. 7, 2020 12:56 AM EDT

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — UN increases amount of appeal to fight coronavirus to $6.7...

Japan’s Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura speaks at a press conference in Tokyo after meeting with a panel of experts on the new coronavirus Friday, May 1, 2020. Nishimura, tasked with the government’s coronavirus measures, said ongoing social distancing efforts under the state of emergency should be kept in place for a while in order to prevent a resurgence of the surge of the infections despite signs of a slowing trend. (Kyodo News via AP)

The Latest: Japan task force recommends caution

May. 1, 2020 2:24 AM EDT

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — Japan task force recommends social distancing measures stay...

A bus crew member in protective gear waits near baggage from the Carnival Splendor cruise ship after it arrived at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 30, 2020. Hundreds of Indonesians working on the cruise ship were tested for the coronavirus and will be quarantined for 14 days due to the global pandemic. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Asia Today: Australian capital free of known virus cases

Apr. 30, 2020 11:51 AM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — The Australian Capital Territory has become the first of the country’s eight states and mainland territories to declare itself free of all known cases of the coronavirus. Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman said the territory surrounding Canberra, the capital, was free of any recorded...

Employees of a local tourism company, wearing face masks as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, stand in attention as they pay their respects at the Anzac Cove beach memorial in Gallipoli peninsula, the site of World War I landing of the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) on April 25, 1915, in Canakkale, Turkey, early Saturday, April 25, 2020. The dawn service ceremony and all other commemorative ceremonies honoring thousands of Australians and New Zealanders who fought in the Gallipoli campaign of World War I on the ill-fated British-led invasion, were cancelled this year due to the new coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

On Anzac Day, services in lockdown replaced by home vigils

Apr. 25, 2020 6:33 AM EDT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Traditional crowds at dawn services for the Anzac Day memorial holiday in Australia were replaced Saturday with candlelit vigils in driveways and neighbors gathering to listen to buglers play “The Last Post.” Restrictions on crowds and social distancing due to the...

An Indian fruit vendor wearing a face mask as a precaution against the new coronavirus waits for customers during lockdown in Bangalore, India, Friday, April 24, 2020. As governments around the world try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, India has launched one of the most draconian social experiments in history, locking down its entire population, including an estimated 176 million people who struggle to survive on $1.90 a day or less. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

The Latest: India announces easing of lockdown restrictions

Apr. 25, 2020 1:51 AM EDT

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — Navy recommends reinstatement of fired carrier captain....

Passengers from Wuhan stand in lines designating where they will quarantine in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Wuhan, the city at the center of the global coronavirus epidemic, lifted a 76-day lockdown and allowed people to leave for destinations across China. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil)

The Latest: Wuhan raises number of COVID-19 deaths by 1,290

Apr. 17, 2020 1:30 AM EDT

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — Wuhan raises number of COVID-19 deaths by 1,290. —...

Two people walk past an area meant for hundreds to wait for screening at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Wednesday, April 15, 2020, in SeaTac, Wash. Flights at the usually busy airport have dropped from up to 1,300 a day to about 400 each day. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The Latest: UN's Guterres: Africa could see virus spread

Apr. 16, 2020 1:13 AM EDT

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — UN Secretary-General urges Africa to prepare for spread of...

Australian court rules search warrant on journalist invalid

Apr. 15, 2020 3:19 AM EDT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that a search warrant at the center of a national storm over press freedom was invalid. News Corp. journalist Annika Smethurst went to the High Court to overturn the warrant that was executed on her Canberra home in June last...

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