Giant Squid Storms Australia

...Australia, New Zealand, where 15% of residents used marijuana in 2009

(NEWSER) - It appears that our friends from Down Under are in fact up higher than North Americans—a new study shows that Australians and New Zealanders are the world's top pot smokers, reports the Los Angeles Times . The Lancet found that 15% of Aussies and Kiwis ages 15-64 used some form of marijuana in 2009, as opposed to 11% of North Americans, and just 2.5% of people in Asia. Australians and New Zealanders also are the top users of amphetamines. More»

Australia, New Zealand join forces to help Tuvalu

(NEWSER) - As a drought continues to ravage Tuvalu , only a few days' supply of fresh water remains on the tiny Pacific island nation—so Australia and New Zealand are bringing over a desalination plant. Air force planes from both countries are hauling the gear to rescue Tuvalu's residents, who face a state of emergency; water is being rationed in the capital, where residents are permitted just two buckets of water a day. More»

It's No. 1 on list, with the US at No. 7

(NEWSER) - International Living crunches the numbers on everything from cost of living to health care to climate to find the nations with the best quality of life. France tops the list, with the US at No. 7. A sampling:

• France (No. 1): "Tiresome bureaucracy and high taxes" can't trump the "world's best health care," the "joy of lingering for hours over dinner and a bottle of red wine in a Parisian brasserie," or "antique streets paved with poetry."

Australian city gets drop on New Zealand with early display

(NEWSER) - Sydney welcomed 2010 a little early this year, with a 9pm fireworks display over the harbor for the family crowd. That hour in Australia happens to fall at midnight in Auckland, New Zealand, which usually lays claim to the first big celebration of the New Year, but appears to have been eclipsed by what many consider the best display in the world. Sydney set off still more fireworks when the year actually turned there, the Times reports. More»

Chunk of Antarctica spotted unusually far north

(NEWSER) - A gigantic iceberg drifting unusually far north has been spotted by Australian researchers off an island south of Tasmania. The chunk of ice, 2,300 feet long and 1,000 feet deep, is floating toward New Zealand and could pose a danger to shipping when it splits into smaller chunks. Experts believe the iceberg is one of a number of icebergs, including one the size of Jamaica, that split from Antarctica in 2000 due to global warming and are slowly heading north. More»