Man Catches Fire After Tasering

Face value is $1M, but it's worth more than 50 times that

(NEWSER) - Australia's Perth Mint has created the world’s biggest gold coin—more than a ton of 99.99% pure gold, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The coin’s face value is $1 million Australian dollars—just over $1 million American—but it’s worth more like $57 million American. At 31 inches wide and almost 5 inches thick, the coin is “the pinnacle of ingenuity and innovation,” said the CEO of the mint. One side features Queen Elizabeth, the other a kangaroo, notes the Telegraph . More»

(NEWSER) - An Australian man has been hospitalized with burns over 20% of his body after he burst into flames when Tasered by police, reports the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Police say they had no choice but to use the stun gun on the man—a known gas-sniffer and violent offender—when he charged them carrying a container of fuel and a lighter as they responded to a call in a remote Aboriginal community. More»

Series of attacks mars Australia's summer

(NEWSER) - A series of shark attacks in Australia has triggered a summer of terror and a national debate over whether it makes sense to continue to protect one of nature's most implacable predators. Three people were attacked in a single 48-hour period last month, reports Time. All that was found of one recent 51-year-old victim were tattered pieces of his wet suit. The killer shark was located by authorities but left unharmed. More»

Was longtime advocate of shark protection

(NEWSER) - A missing Australian snorkeler looks to have been the victim of a brutal shark attack, the Guardian reports. Bystanders saw a dorsal fin and a struggle before the water turned red and the man disappeared off western Australia; his tattered wetsuit surfaced later. An aerial search later spotted a great white swimming in the area. Brian Guest, 51, was a longtime advocate of shark conservation. More»

Offer includes house, job, and friends of once-heartbroken man

(NEWSER) - An Australia resident may rake in over $2 million after he put his life—including his house, job, and friends—for sale on eBay, the Western Australian reports. The deal, which the man says hatched when his wife left him, comes complete with a jet ski and motorcycle. The reserve price was some $475,000, but bidders have now offered over $2 million. More»