Overview: Australia and other international briefs

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Reuters Reuters

--Australia: Melbourne's COVID-19 cases surged to record levels on Thursday with officials blaming illegal home gatherings to watch a sporting event for the spike as a hard lockdown to combat the spread of the Delta variant neared two months.

Authorities in Victoria, home to Melbourne, estimated nearly a third of Thursday's 1,438 new infections could be traced back to home parties last weekend to watch the Australian Rules Football Grand Final on television...

-- Vietnam's commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City will start relaxing its coronavirus curbs from later on Thursday, officials said, allowing more business and social activities after four months of measures aimed at arresting a spiralling death rate. ...

-- Malaysia said on Thursday it would now be mandatory for all federal government employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with exceptions only allowed on health grounds.

-- Russians may soon be able to receive vaccines not registered in the country from clinics set up in a special economic zone, Russian Kommersant daily reported, as Russia reported another new record of deaths. read more ...

* The European Union will extend a mechanism to monitor and potentially limit the export of COVID-19 vaccines from the bloc, an EU official said on Wednesday. read more

* Six Argentina players and two staff have been kicked out of the Rugby Championship for breaching its health rules after taking an unauthorised day trip to the New South Wales resort of Byron Bay, competition organisers said.

* Brazil's Butantan biomedical institute is in talks to sell a locally manufactured vaccine developed by China's Sinovac to other countries in South America and Africa. read more

* The Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday it is in advanced talks with vaccine makers to buy additional shots for its member states. ...