Australia

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Australian Officer Faces Charges Over Nazi Salute

Alleged offender is a 65-year-old female veteran of the force in Melbourne

(Newser) - An Australian state police chief apologized to the Jewish community on Saturday after a police sergeant allegedly performed an outlawed Nazi salute. The 65-year-old instructor on domestic violence policy and law at the Victoria state police academy in Melbourne is facing charges for the gesture and for praising Nazi leader...

Unruly Flier Must Pay for Wasted Fuel

Australia's Wade Corbett to fork over nearly $12K in all

(Newser) - Airplane fuel is expensive, an unruly Jetstar passenger has come to learn after being ordered to pay compensation for a flight diversion. The Australian man, named by 7News as Wade Corbett, was ordered to pay nearly $12,000, including more than $5,000 in fuel costs, after his flight from...

Driver in Fatal Wedding Bus Crash Learns His Fate

Australia's Brett Button, who was impaired when bus flipped in roundabout, gets 32 years

(Newser) - The driver of a bus full of wedding guests that crashed in Australia last year, killing 10, has been jailed for 32 years. Brett Button was the only person unharmed in the rollover crash in New South Wales' Hunter Valley wine region. Ten of the 35 passengers were killed and...

Australia Plans to Ban Kids From Social Media

Nation will test an age minimum for accounts

(Newser) - Some Aussie kids may soon see their social media use curtailed, with the announcement that lawmakers Down Under are planning to introduce an age minimum for those who want to check out Instagram, Snapchat, and the like. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that his government would be test-driving...

Cops Seek Man Accused of Dousing Baby With Hot Coffee

The hunt is on after suspect fled Australia last month; the baby is recovering from serious injuries

(Newser) - A worldwide hunt is on for a man who Australian police say severely scalded a baby boy by throwing hot coffee on him before rushing off and eventually fleeing the country. The Guardian and BBC report that, in an incident that took place late last month in Brisbane's Hanlon...

Stranded Pair Jumps From Yacht in 20-Foot Seas

That was after spending 24 hours in the disabled boat, more than 100 miles from land

(Newser) - It was the opposite of what you'd call smooth sailing. For more than 24 hours, two people holed up in a yacht that was stranded more than 100 miles off the coast of Australia as the boat took on water and was battered by massive waves. The 48-year-old woman...

Boss Says He Wants to Hold Workers 'Captive All Day Long'

Australia's Chris Ellison has banned working from home, doesn't want staffers going out for coffee

(Newser) - Chris Ellison already sniffs at his employees working from home. Now, he doesn't even want them going out to get coffee. "I don't want them leaving the building," the head of Australian mining firm Mineral Resources said during a financial earnings report on Wednesday, noting he'...

It's Winter in Australia. The Temps Are Staggering

A winter record of 41.6 degrees Celsius was set on Tuesday

(Newser) - It's sweltering in the US, with NBC News reporting that 51 million people in a span stretching from eastern Missouri to Long Island found themselves under heat advisories and heat warnings on Wednesday. It's also sweltering in parts of Australia—where it's winter. The Guardian reports the...

In Australia, a 'Historic Day for Working People'

Nation implements 'right to disconnnect' law, giving employees right to ignore after-hours contact

(Newser) - Ever get an email or phone call from your boss at home just as you're settling down to binge-watch your favorite show? If you're in Australia, you are now free to ignore that after-hours communication. A "right to disconnect" rule is now in play for workers as...

Landmark Ruling: Sex Is 'Changeable'

Roxanne Tickle, a trans woman in Australia, sued over exclusion from women-only app

(Newser) - A transgender woman has won her case alleging she was discriminated against when she was booted from an app described as a safe space for women only. In the amusingly named Tickle vs. Giggle case, Australia's Federal Court found Roxanne Tickle was a victim of indirect discrimination, "when...

After Gay Penguin Died, His Partner Sang

Sphen was a Gentoo penguin in Australia who made waves

(Newser) - Sphen, the elder partner in a world-famous same-sex penguin couple , has died at age 11, a Sydney aquarium said Thursday. Sphen and his male Gentoo penguin partner Magic, now aged 8, came to international attention in 2018 when they built a pebble nest together in the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium,...

Passenger Arrested After Leaving Aircraft via Wing

'The man was exhibiting some quite strange behavior,' fellow passenger says

(Newser) - A passenger was arrested at an Australian airport after he left a stationary airliner through an emergency exit, walked along a wing, and then climbed down a jet engine to the tarmac on Thursday, officials said. Jetstar Flight JQ507 had arrived at Melbourne Airport from Sydney and parked at a...

To Save Crocodiles, Give Them 'Food Poisoning'
Scientists' Salvation
for Crocs: 'Food Poisoning'
NEW STUDY

Scientists' Salvation for Crocs: 'Food Poisoning'

Bait trial in Australia reduces deaths from cane toad poison by up to 95%

(Newser) - It's a hard life as a freshwater crocodile in Australia, where death can come with a single bite. "It's not pretty," Georgia Ward-Fear, a Macquarie University conservation scientist who's witnessed crocodiles dying from literal poison, tells NPR . "They go into seizures. And death is...

Viral Breakdancer: The 'Hate' Has Been 'Devastating'

Australian Olympic Committee blasts 'malicious untruths' about Rachael Gunn/Raygun

(Newser) - Australian b-girl Raygun made some fans at the Olympics . But she also faced a whole lot of hate after the Games' breakdancing competition . "So much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating," the breaker, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, described Thursday in a video shared on Instagram....

A 'Final Selfless Act' From Man Killed by Crocodile

Australian man ensured his wife would not meet the same fate

(Newser) - In his last moments, the Australian vacationer who fell into a river in the country made sure his wife did not meet the same tragic fate he did. Dr. Dave Hogbin, of New South Wales, was on a trip with his family in Queensland when a steep riverbank collapsed underneath...

Tourist Falls Into River, Apparently Is Killed by Crocodile

Human remains were found inside one of the animals

(Newser) - Police said Tuesday human remains were found inside a large crocodile suspected of killing a fisherman in Australia's second fatal attack in about a month , the AP reports. The latest victim was a 40-year-old man who fell from a steep bank Saturday into the Annan River south of Cooktown...

Australia's Gift to Peanut Allergy Babies: Free Peanuts

Oral immunotherapy program intended to reduce sensitivity among kids

(Newser) - Babies with a peanut allergy in Australia will be exposed to peanut products daily under a first-of-its-kind program. Under the supervision of allergy specialists, eligible infants will be offered gradually increasing doses of peanut powder before reaching a threshold that can be maintained for at least two years in a...

Great White Severs Surfer's Right Leg

Kai McKenzie's limb washed ashore in Australia and was put on ice

(Newser) - A 23-year-old Australian surfer had his right leg severed in a shark attack on Tuesday, with the leg later washing up on shore. The BBC reports Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing near Port Macquarie in New South Wales when what was thought to be a 10-foot-long great white attacked. A...

Museum Admits Picassos Are Fake, Part of a Stunt

Kirsha Kaechele comes forward in Australia

(Newser) - The Picassos were fake, as it turns out. The curator of a controversial exhibit at a museum in Australia has admitted that she painted three purported works by the artist that were hung in a women's restroom, reports the AP . Kirsha Kaechele moved her exhibit to the restroom to...

'Horrific' and 'Shocking': 65 Kangaroos Found Dead

Criminal investigation underway in Australia

(Newser) - "It was pretty horrific ... they had broken legs, gunshot wounds, it was shocking." So said an Australian wildlife rescuer in describing a grisly scene in the state of Victoria: the discovery of at least five dozen murdered kangaroos. AFP reports the 65 eastern grey kangaroos were found shot...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>