Australia

The trans-Tasman travel bubble is paused for at least eight weeks as the Delta variant continues to spread.

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran told Morning Report the airline would do everything to help New Zealanders wanting to return this week from Australia.

"Trust us," he said.

"We have seen plenty of people reach out over the weekend. We've got about 7500 people booked to return to New Zealand through to midnight this Friday."

James O’Connor’s groin injury will prevent the No 10 travelling to New Zealand and with border restrictions set to play havoc with the Wallabies’ upcoming test campaign, Rennie has done the unthinkable by bringing back the 70-test playmaker back into an Australian squad.

Cooper, who recently revealed he has had his application for Australian citizenship turned down four times, will travel to New Zealand with the rest of the team on Friday.

The men's, women's and wheelchair events are scheduled to take place in England this autumn.

New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) chief Greg Peters said it was "simply too unsafe" to take part.

Rugby Football League (RFL) chairman Simon Johnson called it a "selfish, parochial and cowardly decision".

"Rugby League World Cup organisers have bent over backwards to offer every assurance to the Australians and the Kiwis," Johnson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We are very unhappy with this decision and we are not prepared to take it lying down."

A third state went into lockdown on Tuesday. Stay-at-home orders are now in place in South Australia, Victoria and parts of New South Wales.

Many people have expressed frustration at being back in highly policed lockdowns 18 months into the pandemic.

And re-openings in the UK and the US have put pressure on the government.

Fewer than 14% of people are vaccinated - the worst rating among OECD nations.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been heavily criticised over the slow vaccination rate, but has resisted calls to apologise.

Ms Hopkins - who has often drawn anger for racist remarks - had entered the country to star in the reality TV show Big Brother Australia.

On Friday she posted a video from her Sydney hotel room where she joked about putting frontline staff at risk.

Her comments sparked widespread anger.

In the video, Ms Hopkins said she planned to "lie in wait" for workers to deliver food to her room so she could open the door "naked with no face mask".

It's the second highest number of daily new infections since the outbreak began on June 16, prompting Premier Gladys Berejiklian to announce sweeping changes to the stay-at-home orders affecting Greater Sydney and its surrounds.

From 11.59pm today, people who live in the local government areas (LGA) of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool will not be allowed to leave those areas for work.

There are several other major changes being made to the lockdowns affecting Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said there are now 18 cases in the state.

"We have 75 exposure sites, 1500 primary close contacts and 5000 secondary close contacts," Andrews said.

"I want to assure all Victorians that our contact tracers and public health experts, all the team are moving faster than they ever have, doing a brilliant job. I am very proud of them and grateful. As fast as they are moving, they are keeping pace with this virus, not getting in front. Unless we get in front, we won't drive these numbers down stop they will ultimately get away from us."

The authorities said a woman, in her 90s, died in Sydney. She had contracted the virus in a family setting.

New South Wales reported 77 new cases on Sunday. There are now 52 people in hospital, with 15 in intensive care.

Sydney is currently in lockdown, as Australia's largest city fights to contain the highly transmissible Delta strain of the virus.

The reported death is the state's 57th and the first in 10 months.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that the number of new daily infections would rise further on Monday.

Ms Banks, who made the allegation in a memoir, said the male MP moved his hand up her leg during a parliamentary vote session before moving away.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison's office said in a statement they weren't previously aware of the allegation.

Behaviour of such kind was "completely inappropriate," they said.

In an excerpt from her memoir, Ms Banks did not identify the man, who she said was still in cabinet.

The premier said it was "a cause for concern" that half of the new cases had been out in the community while infectious.

"If we want the lockdown to succeed, all of us have to minimise our movements," she said.

"In too many examples we are seeing workers who are leaving the house with symptoms or going to work with symptoms.

"Then inadvertently as they are going about shopping or other activity, they are passing it onto others."