Australia learned about Chinese live-fire naval drills off the country’s coast that forced dozens of flights to be diverted via an alert from a commercial pilot, authorities said on Monday.

Beijing's defence ministry on Sunday accused Canberra of "deliberately hyping up" a Chinese live-fire drill off the Australian coast, saying it was "deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied" with the claim that it did not give enough notice.

An unusual series of military exercises by Chinese warships in the sea between Australia and New Zealand has prompted reproval from leaders in both countries about the amount of warning given

New Zealand raised fresh concerns Monday over nearby live-fire drills conducted by Chinese warships armed with “extremely capable” weapons, an unprecedented show of firepower last week that analysts say are part of Beijing’s ongoing plan to build a blue-water navy with global reach.

Australia's defense forces, joined by New Zealand, have been monitoring Chinese navy vessels since they were spotted last week.

Beijing on Sunday said Canberra had “deliberately hyped” recent Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast and confirmed its forces had used live fire in an incident that rattled Australian policymakers.

China’s Defense Ministry says that Australia made “unreasonable accusations” and deliberately hyped the situation after three planes headed to New Zealand changed course in midflight because of live-f

Pope Francis is still critically ill as he battles double pneumonia, but his condition has shown a "slight improvement", the Vatican said on Monday.

Virgin Australia and Emirates aircraft heard the Chinese flotilla's radio notification about a live-firing test off the Australian coast last Friday.

Dozens of commercial flights were forced to change course when Chinese warships unexpectedly announced live-fire drills off eastern Australia last week, officials have told a government hearing. Curran said 49 commercial flights were forced to divert around the live firing zone once it became apparent the warning was legitimate.