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Former prime minister Scott Robertson's actions were both praised and critisized in the report. Photo: AFP By Tom Crowley, ABC Australia's Covid-19 response frayed after early successes, damaging the public's trust and making it unlikely that lockdowns or other harsh restrictions will be tolerated again, a federal government review has found. The review hailed "courageous decisions" taken by leaders early in the pandemic, without which it concluded the pandemic death toll would have been several times larger, but said cracks started to emerge as the pandemic wore on and communication was often poor, undermining public confidence. "Trust has also been eroded, and many of the measures taken during Covid-19 are unlikely to be accepted by the population again," the reviewers said. Recommend...

Current national plans will see combined global emissions in 2030 fall only 2.6 percent lower than in 2019, when it should be just over 40 percent, the UN says. Photo: 123RF A Pacific climate policy advisor hopes developed nations will start being more active in combating climate change once they see the impact in their own nations, as ambition to reduce greenhouse gases falls far short of where it needs to be. Current national plans will see combined global emissions in 2030 fall only 2.6 percent lower than in 2019, when it should be just over 40 percent, according to the United Nations Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) report. Adding that by 2035 greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by 60 percent compared to 2019 levels, on the way to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. I...

Photo: 123RF An 11-year-old boy has died after being struck by a car that veered off the road and into a primary school in Melbourne's east. Emergency services were called to Auburn South Primary School in Hawthorn East today after reports of a collision. Australian police said a vehicle was travelling along Burgess Street when it is believed to have left the road and crashed through a fence near a sports court at the school just after 2.30pm (local time). A 40-year-old woman has been arrested and will be interviewed by police. Two 11-year-old girls, one 10-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy were all taken to hospital with serious injuries, while another child who was in the vehicle was unharmed. The exact cause of the collision is still being investigated. Local business owner Guy said...

By Kevin Liptak, Jeff Zeleny and Priscilla Alvarez, CNN US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris greets supporters in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / AFP As advisers to Vice President Kamala Harris were mulling where to stage the final major address of her campaign, they had a few boxes to check. The venue, they believed, must convey a degree of gravity about the choice before voters. But equally important, in their view, was its ability to evoke the promise of the office she seeks. In the Ellipse - the patch of park where Donald Trump rallied his supporters on 6 January 2021, within view of the White House - they believe they found that equilibrium. For Harris, striking a balance between dire warnings about a rival she calls a fascist and...

By Céline Bruneau, AFP Photo: AMMAR ABD RABBO/AFP A Paris court postponed the trial of French actor Gerard Depardieu on sexual assault charges until March after his lawyer said the star was too ill to appear in court. Depardieu is the highest-profile figure to face accusations in French cinema's version of the #MeToo movement, triggered in 2017 by allegations against US producer Harvey Weinstein. The judge ordered a medical to be held in early March to see if Depardieu would be fit to stand trial towards the end of that month. His lawyer, Jeremie Assous, had said earlier that the 75-year-old actor was "extremely affected" by ill health, and that he had asked for proceedings to be delayed until he could attend in person. "Unfortunately his doctors have forbidden him from appearing he...

By Nicole Chavez, CNN Police responded to a call about a fire in a ballot box in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Portland Police Bureau via CNN Newsource US authorities are investigating after at least two ballot boxes were set on fire. Police responded to a call about a fire in Portland about 3.30am Monday (11.30pm Monday NZT), the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. An "incendiary device" was placed inside the box and security personnel extinguished the fire, officials said. CNN has reached out to Multnomah County Elections office for comment. A second ballot box was set on fire early Monday morning at a bus station in nearby Vancouver, Washington, CNN affiliate KPTV reported. The Clark County Elections Office said hundreds of ballots were damaged at the box in the C-TRAN Park and...