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- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
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- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
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- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
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- From TikTok to Hollywood, the irresistible rise of Italy's Khaby Lame
- Verstappen punished for swearing in Singapore press conference
- Sri Lanka lead by 202 in first New Zealand Test
- Brook 'not too fussed' by England's batting in heavy Australia loss
- India's Ashwin 'happy' to embrace pressure
- A modern 'Trojan Horse': two days of mayhem in Lebanon
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- Mohamed Al-Fayed, outsider shunned by British high society
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- India in box seat after Bumrah takes four against Bangladesh
- Taiwan retains death penalty but limits use to 'exceptional' cases
- Ferrari's Leclerc sets early pace in Singapore ahead of Norris
- 10 years into Huthi rule, some Yemenis count the cost
- France poised to finally get new govt
- Kompany, Alonso call for action on player workload amid strike talks
- Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson doubtful for Bournemouth clash
- Bumrah takes four as India bowl out Bangladesh for 149
- Sri Lanka 134-1 to take upper hand in first New Zealand Test
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- Bumrah takes three wickets to have Bangladesh in trouble at 112-8
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Cruise ships return to Australia after two-year Covid ban
A cruise ship docked in Sydney Harbour on Monday for the first time in more than two years, after a 2020 ban sparked by a mass Covid-19 outbreak was lifted.
On a bright morning, the Pacific Explorer made a dramatic entrance flanked by tugboats spraying plumes of water and with a large banner that read "We're home" draped across its bow.
Crowds gathered at the base of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to watch the arrival of the ship, which began its 18,000-kilometre (11,000-mile) journey back to Australia nearly a month ago.
International cruise ships were banned from Australian waters in March 2020 after a Covid-19 outbreak that spread from the Ruby Princess ship, which was linked to hundreds of cases of the virus and 28 deaths, many in aged care homes.
The Pacific Explorer and two other cruise ships owned by P&O were moored off the coast of Cyprus for much of the past year waiting for Australia to lift its ban -- a reprieve delayed by successive waves of Covid-19.
Bookings for P&O's Australian cruises are now close to pre-pandemic levels, spokesperson Lyndsey Gordon told AFP.
"We now see the prospect of near normal summer cruise season for 22-23."
Before the pandemic, some 350 cruise ships travelled to Australia carrying more than 600,000 passengers -- making the industry worth Aus$5.2 billion (US$3.8 billion) to the national economy, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
P.Anderson--BTB