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Italy and France signed a treaty on Friday to strengthen bilateral ties and reinforce their coordination within Europe, at a time when EU diplomacy is being tested by the departure of Germany's Angela Merkel.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and French President Emmanuel Macron put their names to the new pact in Rome's Quirinale Palace. Afterwards, a formation of planes trailing smoke in the colours of the two nations, sped through a stormy sky.

"The treaty ... marks an historic moment in relations between our two countries. France and Italy are further consolidating our diplomatic, commercial, political and cultural ties," Draghi told reporters.

The signing ceremony comes shortly after a new coalition pact was agreed in Germany, ending 16 years of rule by Merkel, who was the undisputed leader of Europe and forged especially close ties with successive French leaders.

The new Berlin administration is expected to be more inward looking, especially at the start of its mandate, and both Paris and Rome are keen to deepen relations in a period clouded by economic uncertainty, the pandemic, a more assertive Russia, a rising China and a more disengaged United States.

Macron said the Quiranale Treaty, named for the Roman residence of the Italian president, did not challenge French relations with Germany, but was complementary and aimed at boosting all of Europe.

"The objective we are following ... is to have a stronger and more sovereign Europe ... A Europe that knows how to protect its borders and defend itself," Macron said.

RENAISSANCE

The treaty was originally envisaged in 2017, but negotiations ground to a halt in 2018 when a populist government took office in Rome and clashed repeatedly with Macron over immigration.

There has been a renaissance this year following the appointment of Draghi to lead an Italian unity government, and the two men have met repeatedly in recent months, working closely on areas that were previous flashpoints, such as efforts to end years of conflict in Libya.

The Quirinale Treaty, loosely modelled on a 1963 Franco-German pact, will lead to Paris and Rome seeking common ground ahead of EU summits, just as France already coordinates key European policy moves with Germany.

Draghi said the two nations would launch "new forms of cooperation" in energy, technology, research and innovation. He added that at least once every quarter, an Italian minister would attend a French cabinet meeting, and vice versa.

France and Italy also committed to facilitating "reciprocal investment" and defining "common strategies in international markets".

French companies have invested heavily in Italy in recent years, but Italian politicians have accused Paris of being less forthcoming when Italian businesses seek cross-border deals.

Earlier this year, state-owned shipmaker Fincantieri's bid to take over its French peer Chantiers de l’Atlantique collapsed, thwarted by EU competition issues.

Italian officials suspected Paris actively sought to undermine the deal behind the scenes. (Reuters)

Australia on Friday said it was investigating the newly identified COVID-19 variant spreading in South Africa and warned it may close its borders to travellers from the African nation if risks from the new strain rise.

South African scientists are concerned the new variant could evade the body's immune response and make it more transmissible as it has a "very unusual constellation" of mutations.

Australia Health Minister Greg Hunt said he would swiftly respond if the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as a major new variant.

"As we have always been, we are flexible. And if the medical advice is that we need to change that, we won't hesitate," Hunt told reporters in Sydney. "That is what we have done as a country, whether it has been closing borders, whether it has been ensuring there is quarantine."

Alarmed by the variant, Britain temporarily banned flights from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini from Friday, and asked returning British travellers from those destinations to quarantine. read more

UK health officials said the new strain could make vaccines less effective as it has a spike protein that was different from the one in the original coronavirus that vaccines are based on.

The WHO said it would take "a few weeks" to understand the impact of the new variant.

Australia early this month eased its international border restrictions for the first time during the pandemic allowing fully vaccinated residents to return to the country without quarantine after higher vaccination levels.

Australia had largely stamped out infections for most of this year until an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in late June spread rapidly across its east. About 205,000 cases and 1,985 deaths have been recorded so far, lower than many other countries in the developed world. (Reuters)

The Philippines will reopen its borders to tourists from some countries on a trial basis from Dec. 1, its government said on Friday, as part of efforts to rebuild an economy hit hard by the pandemic.

Foreigners vaccinated against COVID-19 from countries designated low risk by the Philippines will be allowed entry over an initial 15-day period, Karlo Nograles, acting presidential spokesperson, told a regular news conference.

"This is something we are doing step by step," Nograles said, adding that the two-week window could be extended.

The Philippines, popular for its white sand beaches and rich marine life, shut its doors to foreign tourists at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

Its tourism arrivals from top markets Japan, South Korea and China slumped 83% drop to 1.4 million last year.

In Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have reopened borders to foreign tourists. (Reuters)

China's "alarming" actions do not match its rhetoric about promoting peace and prosperity in the region, Australia's defence minister said on Friday after a Chinese navy ship was tracked sailing through the country's exclusive economic zone.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton listed China's militarisation of the South China Sea, recent aggression towards Taiwan and the introduction of a national security law in Hong Kong as examples of China's actions being at odds with its rhetoric.

"We're all familiar with the frequent claims of the Chinese government that it is committed to peace, cooperation and development," Dutton said in a speech in Canberra.

"And yet we bear witness to a significant disconnect between the words and the actions. We've watched very closely as the Chinese government has engaged in increasingly alarming activities."

The Chinese embassy in Canberra said Dutton had distorted China’s foreign policy, misled the Australian people and was "fanning conflict and division between peoples and nations".

"It is inconceivable that China-Australia relationship will take on a good momentum... if the Australian government bases its national strategy on such visionless analysis and outdated mentality," it said in a statement.

Relations between Australia and its biggest export market reached a low in 2020 when Canberra backed a United Nations inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, which was first recorded in China.

China responded by cutting off ministerial contacts and imposing hefty tariffs on Australian exports of wine, barley, beef, coal and seafood, effectively nullifying a 2015 free trade agreement. Australia and its ally the United States branded the move "economic coercion".

The latest exchange of barbs came as Australia confirmed it had monitored a Chinese intelligence ship sailing in August inside Australia's exclusive economic zone but not in Australian territorial waters.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the ship - the second of its type monitored off the Australian coast in as many months - was travelling legally.

"But don't think for a second that we weren't keeping our eye on them, as they were seeking to keep an eye on us," Morrison told reporters in Adelaide.

"What it demonstrates is now no one can be complacent about the situation in the Indo-Pacific."

In September, a new security pact between Australia, the United States and Britain, dubbed AUKUS, was widely viewed as an attempt to shore up regional military muscle in the face of China's growing presence. China called AUKUS a danger to world peace. (Reuters)