By , SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australians hit by devastating floodwaters began returning to their homes on Thursday as skies cleared and authorities accelerated clean-up efforts, though fresh evacuation orders were issued in some areas where water levels were still rising.Relentless rains for five straight days - the worst downpour in more than half a century - burst river banks, inundating homes, roads, bridges and farms and cutting off entire towns in Australia’s east. More than 40,000 people were forced to move to safe zones and two men were killed after their cars became trapped in...…By , SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australians hit by devastating floodwaters began returning to their homes on Thursday as skies cleared and authorities accelerated clean-up efforts, though fresh evacuation orders were issued in some areas where water levels were still rising.Relentless rains for five straight days - the worst downpour in more than half a century - burst river banks, inundating homes, roads, bridges and farms and cutting off entire towns in Australia’s east. More than 40,000 people were forced to move to safe zones and two men were killed after their cars became trapped in...WW…

By , SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Pacific island nations are turning to the China-backed AIIB development bank to plug funding gaps in their pandemic-ravaged budgets after exhausting financing options from traditional western partners, stoking fears the region is becoming more dependent on Beijing.The Cook Islands, a tiny country of around 20,000 people in the South Pacific, turned to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) late last year after a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and a grant from close ally New Zealand fell short, two sources with knowledge of the talks...…By , SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Pacific island nations are turning to the China-backed AIIB development bank to plug funding gaps in their pandemic-ravaged budgets after exhausting financing options from traditional western partners, stoking fears the region is becoming more dependent on Beijing.The Cook Islands, a tiny country of around 20,000 people in the South Pacific, turned to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) late last year after a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and a grant from close ally New Zealand fell short, two sources with knowledge of the talks...WW…

By SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Solomon Islands is planning to ban the use of Facebook for an indeterminate period after inflammatory critique of the government was aired on the social media platform, the Solomon Times reported.The government, led by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, told Reuters it would issue a formal statement on its decision later on Tuesday.If the ban goes ahead, the Solomons would join only a handful of countries around the world, including China, Iran and North Korea, to actively restrict the world’s biggest social networking platform.A Facebook Inc spokeswoman said the...…By SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Solomon Islands is planning to ban the use of Facebook for an indeterminate period after inflammatory critique of the government was aired on the social media platform, the Solomon Times reported.The government, led by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, told Reuters it would issue a formal statement on its decision later on Tuesday.If the ban goes ahead, the Solomons would join only a handful of countries around the world, including China, Iran and North Korea, to actively restrict the world’s biggest social networking platform.A Facebook Inc spokeswoman said the...WW…

By SYDNEY (Reuters) - The United States has warned Pacific island nations about security threats posed by a Chinese company’s cut-price bid to build an undersea internet cable, two sources told Reuters, part of an international development project in the region.Huawei Marine, which was recently divested from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and is now majority-owned by another Chinese firm, submitted bids along with French-headquartered Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), part of Finland’s Nokia, and Japan’s NEC, for the $72.6 million project backed by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank...…By SYDNEY (Reuters) - The United States has warned Pacific island nations about security threats posed by a Chinese company’s cut-price bid to build an undersea internet cable, two sources told Reuters, part of an international development project in the region.Huawei Marine, which was recently divested from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and is now majority-owned by another Chinese firm, submitted bids along with French-headquartered Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), part of Finland’s Nokia, and Japan’s NEC, for the $72.6 million project backed by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank...WW…

By SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Solomon Islands is planning to ban the use of Facebook for an indeterminate period after inflammatory critique of the government was aired on the social media platform, the Solomon Times reported.The government, led by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, told Reuters it would issue a formal statement on its decision later on Tuesday.If the ban goes ahead, the Solomons would join only a handful of countries around the world, including China, Iran and North Korea, to actively restrict the world’s biggest social networking platform.A Facebook Inc spokeswoman said the...…By SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Solomon Islands is planning to ban the use of Facebook for an indeterminate period after inflammatory critique of the government was aired on the social media platform, the Solomon Times reported.The government, led by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, told Reuters it would issue a formal statement on its decision later on Tuesday.If the ban goes ahead, the Solomons would join only a handful of countries around the world, including China, Iran and North Korea, to actively restrict the world’s biggest social networking platform.A Facebook Inc spokeswoman said the...WW…

By SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of New Zealand plane passengers started arriving in Sydney on Friday as part of a new trans-Tasman travel bubble amid a rapidly falling growth rate in cases at the epicentre of Australia’s coronavirus outbreak.In a tentative re-opening to international tourism, travellers on the approved flights won’t be required to quarantine in Sydney, authorities said.The arrangements, however, are not yet reciprocal, with New Zealand requiring arrivals to be quarantined for two weeks under supervision at the cost of NZ$3,100 ($2,045) for the first person and more for...…By SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of New Zealand plane passengers started arriving in Sydney on Friday as part of a new trans-Tasman travel bubble amid a rapidly falling growth rate in cases at the epicentre of Australia’s coronavirus outbreak.In a tentative re-opening to international tourism, travellers on the approved flights won’t be required to quarantine in Sydney, authorities said.The arrangements, however, are not yet reciprocal, with New Zealand requiring arrivals to be quarantined for two weeks under supervision at the cost of NZ$3,100 ($2,045) for the first person and more for...WW…

Business NewsBy , , MILAN/SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - Italian luxury designer Brunello Cucinelli makes men’s suits that sell for up to 7,000 euros ($8,200). But even he - like most people across the globe - hasn’t worn a suit for months, let alone bought one.“We’ve all been locked away at home, so this is the first jacket I have put on since March,” Cucinelli told Reuters in Milan as he presented his latest collection in September, wearing a light grey blazer.Most people in “white-collar” jobs are working from home, with a newfound love of sweatpants, a trend that some experts expect to...…Business NewsBy , , MILAN/SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - Italian luxury designer Brunello Cucinelli makes men’s suits that sell for up to 7,000 euros ($8,200). But even he - like most people across the globe - hasn’t worn a suit for months, let alone bought one.“We’ve all been locked away at home, so this is the first jacket I have put on since March,” Cucinelli told Reuters in Milan as he presented his latest collection in September, wearing a light grey blazer.Most people in “white-collar” jobs are working from home, with a newfound love of sweatpants, a trend that some experts expect to...WW…

By SYDNEY (Reuters) - China will lose access to a strategic space tracking station in Western Australia when its contract expires, the facility’s owners said, a decision that cuts into Beijing’s expanding space exploration and navigational capabilities in the Pacific region.The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has had a contract allowing Beijing access to the satellite antenna at the ground station since at least 2011. It is located next to an SSC satellite station primarily used by the United States and its agencies, including NASA.The Swedish state-owned company told Reuters it would not...…By SYDNEY (Reuters) - China will lose access to a strategic space tracking station in Western Australia when its contract expires, the facility’s owners said, a decision that cuts into Beijing’s expanding space exploration and navigational capabilities in the Pacific region.The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has had a contract allowing Beijing access to the satellite antenna at the ground station since at least 2011. It is located next to an SSC satellite station primarily used by the United States and its agencies, including NASA.The Swedish state-owned company told Reuters it would not...WW…