A total of 239 Australians evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan have been cleared of the coronavirus, with two remaining facing only a "minimal" chance that they have the virus, Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Tuesday.

Thousands of people protested in cities and towns across Australia Sunday against the government's efforts to deport a Tamil family back to Sri Lanka.

A controversial offshore migrant detention centre on Christmas Island is to reopen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Wednesday, as he doubled down on hardline policies after a historic legislative defeat.

Some 8 million tonnes of plastic garbage - bottles, packaging and other waste - is dumped in the sea every year, killing marine life.

Asian markets headed into the weekend on a positive note yesterday, with Tokyo again propelled by the weaker yen but the dollar edged back slightly in the afternoon following its recent surge against global currencies.