Australia’s human rights watchdog has warned Labor’s inquiry into the Covid-19 response is “not sufficient” enough to calculate the “full human cost of the pandemic”. The inquiry was criticised when it was announced last September for not having the same powers as a royal commission and excluding the decisions madeContinue Reading
Politicians including the treasurer have defended the government’s inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic response, insisting it is a worthwhile exercise despite widespread condemnation it has been excluded from scrutinising the unilateral decisions made by each state. Treasurer Jim Chalmers doubled down on the merit of the government’s long-awaited inquiry, maintainingContinue Reading
The government has rejected demands for a royal commission into Australia’s handling of COVID-19, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler expected to instead announce an inquiry into the pandemic on Thursday. It is understood the inquiry will be conducted by an all-female panel which will includeContinue Reading
New Zealand’s Prime Minister has pushed back on calls for compensation for people who were mandated out of their jobs or suffered a Covid vaccine injury, insisting there was “no compulsory vaccination” and that “people made their own choices”. Speaking at a press conference in Auckland on Sunday, Chris HipkinsContinue Reading
An extreme heatwave is smothering much of Asia. That’s rare for this early in the year. It’s unusual that it’s already lasted a fortnight. It’s odd because it stretches across 12 countries from India, over mainland China and through to Thailand in the east. But it’s validating forecasts that anotherContinue Reading
Daniel Andrews brutally shut down an anti-vax heckler who tried to hijack his press conference over the weekend. The Victorian Premier was addressing the media on Sunday at Melbourne’s annual Midsumma Pride March in St Kilda when he was interrupted by the man. The 90-second ordeal focused on Covid vaccineContinue Reading
Independent experts have been appointed to scrutinise the Western Australian government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The inquiry will scrutinise the state’s weeks of lockdowns, mask wearing rules, mandatory Covid testing, as well as hard border closures which provoked legal challenges from Queensland mining magnate Clive Palmer. The three expertsContinue Reading
Face-recognition software is identifying protesters. Mobile phones are being tracked to marches, and social media scoured for clues. Beijing is unleashing everything in its dystopian arsenal to smother any repeat of last weekend’s Covid lockdown protests. China’s vast security machine is in high gear. Protest sites are sealed off. PoliceContinue Reading
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has refused to answer questions about the company’s decision to restrict access to a tool used by protesters in China. “Do you support the Chinese people’s right to protest?” a Fox News reporter asked Mr Cook, who was at the White House on Thursday toContinue Reading