France stepped up a diplomatic row with US and Australia over a failed contract which resulted in dumped security deal concerning building and delivery of submarines to Canberra. Paris recalled its ambassadors in US and Australia, Reuters reported. The decision taken by President Emmanuel Macron was made due to the "exceptional gravity" of the matter, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

The leaders of Australia, Britain and the United States announced on Thursday a new trilateral defence partnership, dpa reported. Australian PM Scott Morrison, US President Joe Biden and British PM Boris Johnson said in a joint virtual announcement that the partnership, known by its acronym Aukus, will allow the countries to share technology covering cyber security, artificial intelligence, underwater systems and long-range strike capabilities.

Australia battles its worst wave of Covid-19 infections with daily cases on Saturday surging to 1,756 another record high, and officials warned that worse is yet to come, urging people to get vaccinated. Most of the cases were again in New South Wales, which has been fighting an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant since mid-June. The state reported 1,533 new cases and four further deaths, Reuters reported.

Australia's New South Wales state has topped 1,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time since the pandemic began, news wires reported. The state recorded 1,029 locally transmitted cases in the last 24-hour reporting period, health authorities said Thursday, marking the latest in a string of daily records in recent days.

Mercedes will have to face legal charges in Australian court after a lawsuit was officially filed against the company. The carmaker is accused of ignoring risks related to the usage of Takata airbags, Reuters reported. Mercedes was noted to have advised clients to downplay the risks and continue driving their cars despite the dangerous airbags. Australia has initiated the biggest vehicle recall in its history after an incident with Takata airbag ended with fatality.

The world heritage committee of the UN's cultural agency UNESCO starts debating on Friday its list of World Heritage sites, with Australia and Britain furious over looming changes to the status of the Great Barrier Reef and Liverpool city. Nearly 50 new sites could be added to the over 1,100 listed worldwide by UNESCO as World Heritage, during two weeks of online meetings hosted by China, AFP reported. The agenda is particularly heavy after last year's meeting was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic.

Australia said Tuesday it will fight against plans to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status due to climate change, while environmentalists have applauded the UN World Heritage Committee’s proposal, AP reported. The committee said in a draft report on Monday that “there is no possible doubt” that the network of colorful corals off Australia’s northeast coast was “facing ascertained danger.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian PM Scott Morrison announced they had reached agreement over a large trade deal between the two countries, BBC reported. UK has been pushing ahead with efforts to substitute EU as trade partner after the Brexit process was completed. This is the first trade deal to be negotiated from scratch since the UK left the EU. The agreement is seen as key step towards the Britain joining a wider Asia Pacific free-trade agreement.

Australia will close its embassy in Kabul on Friday as the country's troops prepare to leave in line with the international withdrawal from Afghanistan, PM Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The government said Australia would revert to diplomats in the region using visiting accreditation for relations with Afghanistan, as was the case before the Kabul embassy opened in 2006.

Australia on Wednesday announced it would revoke a state government's deal to join China's Belt and Road Initiative, saying it was inconsistent with the nation's foreign policy, AFP reported.