Ellie Smith had earlier described her distress at waking at 6am to find the family's tent unzipped and her oldest daughter missing.
Her public pleas for help bringing Cleo home had prompted an outpouring of support from across Australia.
After the news broke, the usually quiet streets of Carnarvon, which boasts a population of about 4,500, were quickly filled with pink balloons and "welcome back" signs.
"There were tears in the eyes of many around town today. We are all so excited and happy, everyone just wanted Cleo back with her parents," Carnarvon resident Julee Nelson told AFP.
"It has been a very painful period ... everyone will be celebrating long and hard today. It's all quite beautiful."
Carnarvon Shire president Eddie Smith said the town, renowned for its banana plantations, had rallied together to help with the search.
"We are a strong little community and this has strengthened the bond amongst residents," he told AFP. "I couldn't be prouder."
State premier Mark McGowan expressed elation at receiving the news overnight.
He first received a call at 1.38am, but sheepishly admitted: "I didn't answer it, I was asleep." Still, within a few hours, he had received the "lovely" image of the girl smiling from a hospital bed.
"There will be movies made about this," he said. "You never know what to expect, you hope for the best, but you prepare for the worst."
"It's great to provide the country with positive news."
While police used human intelligence, surveillance footage and forensic analysis to find the girl, scores of volunteers scoured nearby bushland for clues.
Police last month had offered A$1 million (US$750,000) reward for information leading to Cleo's recovery after she was feared abducted from the remote Blowholes campsite - about 1,000km north of Perth - on Oct 16.
It is believed the abduction was unplanned and "opportunistic". The suspect was not on a local list of sex offenders and only became a person of interest a day ago.
Premier McGowan paid tribute to the family. "Ellie and Jack, Cleo's parents, they have been through a lot in the last 18 days, terrible trauma, some vicious attacks, and some, no doubt, very trying and sad times. To them, and all of our thoughts go to them."
SYDNEY (XINHUA) - Researchers from Australia's Garvan Institute of Medical Research revealed a new study on Tuesday (Nov 2), presenting a strategy for adapting Covid-19 vaccines to evolving strains of the virus.
The study, published in the Immunity journal, assessed the antibodies that may be potentially generated by future vaccines, and their effectiveness at targeting future virus strains.
Professor Chris Goodnow, co-senior author and executive director of the Garvan Institute Laboratory said current strategies may lose their effectiveness over time.
"Current Covid-19 vaccines, which target the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein, are highly effective at reducing disease severity and reducing transmission," said Prof Goodnow.
"(But) future variant strains, which will emerge due to the virus's mass spread, may escape the current strategy."
The team made a "remarkable" discovery when looking at the antibodies generated by a related virus - Sars-CoV-1, the virus responsible for the original 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic.
The antibodies were able to target regions of the current Covid-19 virus that were less susceptible to mutations, meaning they could be used to develop a vaccine that would remain effective as new variants arose.
"Our work provides a guide for developing such future-proofed vaccines," said co-senior author Daniel Christ.
The team said it would be critical to prepare for strains that evade existing vaccines, which to some extent has already been demonstrated by vaccines' lower efficacy rates against the Delta variant.
Thus far the team has developed an antibody therapy with the capacity to physically block the human receptor which the Covid-19 virus needs to dock with before it can infect.
"To progress our proposed vaccine approach, we are now aiming to test next-generation vaccines in our pre-clinical models, to determine if they can generate these antibodies, which can protect against different strains of the virus," said Prof Goodnow.
The ultimate goal for the team is to develop a once-and-for-all vaccination that would not need to be updated for all future strains of Covid-19.
BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - More than a thousand foreign tourists arrived in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of travellers to the Thai capital in 18 months, as part of a quarantine waiver for visitors vaccinated against COVID-19.
There were 1,534 foreign arrivals and 890 Thais on 40 international flights on the opening day on Monday, senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.
The waiver covers more than 60 countries, including the United States and China, plus several places in Europe, from where some were escaping the winter blues.
"Right now, in Europe as you know it’s quite cold, so we decided to go come here," said German tourist, Simon Raithel, among the first arrivals.
Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific's most popular tourist destinations, has enforced strict entry curbs that were criticised in the travel industry for being too onerous and economically damaging.
More than 3 million Thai tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue have been lost.
Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% of
Thai GDP, with one survey ranking Bangkok as the world's most visited city.
Thailand tested the waters with the reopening of the island of Phuket, but the pilot scheme had mixed results, drawing just 1% of its monthly pre-pandemic level when it started in July.
Under the new national programme, visitors must await a negative COVID-19 test on arrival then can travel freely the following day.
"It is much easier," said Marguerite Jeason from France. "Before at first it was 14 nights."
Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation.
Still, the pickup is expected to be relatively slow, with 180,000 foreign arrivals anticipated this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.
Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng;
Editing by Jane Wardell, Martin Petty
BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists are scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of visitors to Thailand in 18 months who will not have to undergo quarantine for the coronavirus.
Seeking to resurrect its pandemic-ravaged tourism economy, Thailand's government has given the green light to vaccinated tourists from more than 60 countries, including the United States and China.
Several European countries are also on the list as officials hope to capitalise on travellers from the northern hemisphere escaping the winter blues.
Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific's most popular tourist destinations, has for the past 18 months enforced strict pandemic entry rules that have been criticised in the travel industry for being too restrictive and onerous.
Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% ofThailand's GDP and its capital city was the world's most visited city. The crisis has cost Thailand about 3 million tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue.
Thai officials tested the waters with the reopening of the resort island of Phuket in July, allowing fully-vaccinated tourists to skip the then-mandatory two-week quarantine provided they stay on the island, where tourism accounts for 90% of the local economy.
However, the "Phuket Sandbox" was less popular than officials had hoped, with arrivals to the island in July at just 1% of pre-pandemic levels.
Under the new national programme, arrivals must spend their first night in a pre-approved hotel and receive a negative COVID-19 test before they are able to travel freely to rest of the country.
Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation. Still, the return will be relatively slow. The finance ministry predicts just 180,000 foreign arrivals this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.
The majority of Thailand's 1.9 million infections and more than 19,000 coronavirus-related fatalities have been recorded since April. Around 42% of the 72 million population has been vaccinated.
Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng;
Editing by Jane Wardell
BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists are scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of visitors to Thailand in 18 months who will not have to undergo quarantine for the coronavirus.
Seeking to resurrect its pandemic-ravaged tourism economy, Thailand's government has given the green light to vaccinated tourists from more than 60 countries, including the United States and China.
Several European countries are also on the list as officials hope to capitalise on travellers from the northern hemisphere escaping the winter blues.
Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific's most popular tourist destinations, has for the past 18 months enforced strict pandemic entry rules that have been criticised in the travel industry for being too restrictive and onerous.
Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% ofThailand's GDP and its capital city was the world's most visited city. The crisis has cost Thailand about 3 million tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue.
Thai officials tested the waters with the reopening of the resort island of Phuket in July, allowing fully-vaccinated tourists to skip the then-mandatory two-week quarantine provided they stay on the island, where tourism accounts for 90% of the local economy.
However, the "Phuket Sandbox" was less popular than officials had hoped, with arrivals to the island in July at just 1% of pre-pandemic levels.
Under the new national programme, arrivals must spend their first night in a pre-approved hotel and receive a negative COVID-19 test before they are able to travel freely to rest of the country.
Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation. Still, the return will be relatively slow. The finance ministry predicts just 180,000 foreign arrivals this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.
The majority of Thailand's 1.9 million infections and more than 19,000 coronavirus-related fatalities have been recorded since April. Around 42% of the 72 million population has been vaccinated.
Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng;
Editing by Jane Wardell
The statement from the G20 countries, which are responsible for an estimated 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, said members acknowledged "the key relevance of achieving global net zero greenhouse gas emissions or carbon neutrality by 2050".
But countries on the climate frontline struggling with rising sea levels want steps taken now.
"We need concrete action now. We cannot wait until 2050, it is a matter of our survival," said Anote Tong, a former president of Kiribati.
Tong has predicted his country of 33 low-lying atolls and islands was likely to become uninhabitable in 30 to 60 years' time.
UN climate experts say a 2050 deadline is crucial to meet the 1.5 degree limit, but some of the world's biggest polluters say they cannot reach it, with China, by far the largest carbon emitter, aiming for 2060.
Britain's Johnson said he had urged Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to do more to reduce his country's reliance on coal and to bring forward its prediction for peak emissions.
"I pushed a bit on (peak emissions), that 2025 would be better than 2030, and I wouldn't say he committed on that," Johnson said.
Xi is not expected to attend the conference in person.
In the G20 draft communique, the 2050 date for net zero emissions appears in brackets, indicating it is still subject to negotiation.
Curent commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions put the planet on track for an average 2.7C temperature rise this century, a United Nations report said on Tuesday.
Pacific Island leaders said they would demand immediate action in Glasgow.
"We do not have the luxury of time and must join forces urgently and deliver the required ambition at COP26 to safeguard the future of all humankind, and our planet," said Henry Puna, former Cook Islands prime minister and now secretary of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Junta showed 'unwelcome attitude' - Indonesia president
Biden expresses 'grave concerns' at violence
Myanmar rejects ASEAN exclusion move
U.S. security adviser meets Myanmar shadow govt
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden joined Southeast Asian leaders in rebuking Myanmar's junta on Tuesday, as a regional summit opened without a representative from the country following its top general's exclusion for ignoring peace proposals.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had said it would accept a non-political figure from Myanmar at the virtual meeting, but the junta rejected that, saying it would only agree to its leader or a minister attending.
In an unprecedented snub to the leader of a member state, ASEAN had decided to sideline junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who led a Feb. 1 coup that spiralled into violence and chaos, for his failure to cease hostilities, allow humanitarian access and start dialogue, as agreed with ASEAN.
The decision was a huge rebuke to Myanmar's military and a rare, bold step by a regional bloc known for its code of consensus, non-interference and engagement.
"Today, ASEAN did not expel Myanmar from ASEAN's framework. Myanmar abandoned its right," said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who will be the group's chairman next year.
"Now we are in the situation of ASEAN minus one. It is not because of ASEAN, but because of Myanmar."
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said ASEAN had a slot ready for Myanmar, but it chose not to join.
At the virtual summit, Biden voiced "grave concerns" over the violence in Myanmar and called on its military to release people who have been unjustly detained, the White House said.
Myanmar said its absence was "due to denial for the Head of State or Head of Government or his Ministerial level representation." A foreign ministry statement said it "does not intend to show its protest against ASEAN or to boycott ASEAN."
Addressing leaders, Indonesian President Joko Widodo lamented Myanmar's "unwelcome attitude" towards ASEAN's diplomatic efforts, Retno said.
"It's important for us to honour the principles of non-interference. But on the other hand, we're obligated to uphold other principles ... like democracy, good governance, respect for human rights, and a constitutional government," she said, quoting the president.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of ASEAN chair Brunei said Myanmar should be given space to return to normalcy in line with ASEAN's principle of non-interference. read more
The region's leaders urged "the mediation of the situation in Myanmar to uphold ASEAN's credibility", he said in a statement.
It was Brunei, with majority backing, that had decided to exclude the junta leader.
A bird flies near the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat building, ahead of the ASEAN leaders' meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 23, 2021. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
Myanmar's military, which has ruled the country for 49 of the past 60 years, has accusing ASEAN of departing from its norms and of allowing itself to be influenced by other countries, including the United States.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired general considered the ASEAN leader closest to Myanmar's coup-makers, urged the country to implement a five-point roadmap it agreed with ASEAN.
CREDIBILITY AT STAKE
"ASEAN's constructive role in addressing this situation is of paramount importance and our action on this matter shall have a bearing on ASEAN's credibility in the eyes of the international community," said Prayuth, who first came to power in a 2014 coup before his party won elections five years later.
ASEAN acted days after its special envoy, Erywan Yusof, said the junta denied him sufficient access, including to ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is charged with multiple crimes.
Prayuth said he was hopeful the junta would trust ASEAN's intentions and that Erywan could visit Myanmar soon and make an "important first step in the process of confidence-building".
U.N. envoys say that since the coup, Myanmar security forces have killed more than 1,000 people and detained thousands, many tortured and beaten.
Myanmar has rejected this as biased and exaggerated by unreliable sources and blames "terrorists" loyal to a shadow National Unity Government (NUG), an alliance of anti-coup groups, militias and ethnic minority rebels.
Sullivan told a White House briefing on Tuesday he had praised their "courage and commitment" and discussed humanitarian aid and "diplomacy with the key countries in the region and those with influence on the military junta, and how the United States could send strong messages to those countries."
Biden attended a joint session with ASEAN, the first time in four years Washington has engaged at the top level with a bloc it sees as key to countering an increasingly assertive China. read more
Biden said ASEAN nations can expect him to personally show up in the region in future.
"Our partnership is essential to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, which has been the foundation of our shared security and prosperity for many decades," he said.
Reporting Ain Bandial in Bandar Seri Begawan; Additional reporting by Tom Allard in Sydney, Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok and David Brunnstrom and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Nick Macfie, Giles Elgood and Andrea Ricci
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