Australia

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Influencer Allegedly Poisoned Her Baby

Australian woman faces multiple charges including torture

(Newser) - An Australian influencer has been charged with poisoning her own baby in an alleged scheme to get donations. Police say the unnamed 34-year-old Queensland woman claimed her one-year-old daughter had a terminal illness and that she was documenting the child's health struggles on social media, but the truth was...

Social Media Stunt Marriage Turns Out to Be Real

A woman claims she was tricked into a real marriage ceremony, has to have it annulled

(Newser) - An Australian woman claims that when she said "I do," she had no idea she actually did. A judge granted an annulment after the woman said the groom tricked her into participating in what she believed to be a fake wedding for Instagram views, per the Guardian . But...

'Sloppiest Arsonist' Sets Pants on Fire

Police in Australia say suspect had to strip after attempt to torch fast-food outlet

(Newser) - Police in Australia are looking for a suspect who ended up singed and pantsless after an arson attempt early on Christmas Day. The man—dubbed "Australia's sloppiest arsonist" by 7 news—was seen on CCTV with another man pouring flammable liquid on the front of a fast-food outlet...

Lost Hiker Survives 13 Days on 2 Granola Bars

An 'incredible outcome' for Australia's Hadi Nazari, found in Kosciuszko National Park

(Newser) - He was hiking with friends in Australia's Snowy Mountains region, then suddenly he wasn't. Hadi Nazari, 23, had stopped to take photos while exploring Kosciuszko National Park on Boxing Day and failed to meet his companions at a campground later that day, per the BBC and Guardian . Thus...

Surfer Vanishes, Believed Killed by Shark

Witness saw a shark attack the 28-year-old man off South Australia on Thursday

(Newser) - A surfer missing in Australia is believed to have died in a shark attack, authorities said Friday, as they searched the waters where the man disappeared, per the AP . The 28-year-old was in the sea at a popular surf beach in South Australia where another man was killed by a...

Youth Pastor Killed in Shark Attack
Youth Pastor Killed
in Shark Attack
Dec 30, 2024 1:25 PM CST

Youth Pastor Killed in Shark Attack

Australian man had been spearfishing with his family

(Newser) - An Australian youth pastor was killed Saturday in the country's first fatal shark attack of the year. Luke Walford, 40, had been spearfishing with his family near Humpy Island, at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, the BBC reports. He died a year to the day after a...

Wildfire Nearing, Woman Crams 20 Joeys in Her Living Room

Aussie wildlife rescuer Pam Turner herded the baby roos into her home as a huge blaze neared

(Newser) - A blaze out of Australia's Grampians National Park continues to rage, sending animals scattering—and in one case, straight into Pam Turner's living room. Turner, who runs the Wildwood Wildlife Shelter in Victoria, ended up hosting 20 baby kangaroos, or joeys, in her home on the day after...

Aussie Family Receives a 'Real Christmas Day Surprise'

Venomous tiger snake is safely removed from home after being found hiding under baby bouncer

(Newser) - One of the "most notorious" venomous snakes Down Under popped up where a parent would least want to find one—inside the house, on Christmas night. Per Yahoo News Australia , reptile catcher Mark Pelley got a call shortly before midnight on Wednesday after a family in the Melbourne suburb...

Australia Sentences US Woman Caught With Golden Gun

Officials say gold-plated weapon was in Liliana Goodson's hand luggage

(Newser) - An American woman caught with a gold-plated pistol in her luggage at Sydney Airport last year has been sentenced to a year for bringing the weapon into Australia illegally. The Guardian reports that 30-year-old Liliana Goodson, who had traveled to Australia to attend clown school, will spend four months of...

Australia's Biggest Cocaine Bust Was Very Easy

Boat breaks down with $500M worth of cocaine

(Newser) - Australian authorities scored the biggest cocaine bust in the nation's history over the weekend, seizing more than 2 tons of cocaine worth about $500 million, reports the BBC . The remarkable thing was how easy it was: Authorities say the smugglers' boat broke down off the coast of Queensland, per...

Aussie Driver's Surprise Passenger Slides Up Her Leg

'One of the more bizarre welfare checks you'll ever hear about'

(Newser) - Aussie police received a strange call over the weekend from motorists on the Monash Freeway outside Melbourne, detailing a barefoot woman trying to flag down other cars. When officers arrived, the woman's actions became clearer: She'd discovered a highly venomous creature in her car while driving, reports 9News...

Australia Passes Social Media Ban for Those Under 16

Ban for under-16s won't take effect for another 12 months

(Newser) - Australia has passed a social media ban for under-16s, but the country's teens and tweens don't need to worry about being kicked off the likes of TikTok and Facebook immediately. The law won't take effect for another year, and details like how platforms will enforce it have...

Australia's Social Media Ban a Step Closer to Becoming Law

Senate to take up debate after bill passes House 102-13

(Newser) - Australia's House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram liable for...

Cop Convicted of Killing 95-Year-Old With Taser

Australia's Kristian White faces 25 years in prison on manslaughter charge

(Newser) - A police officer who used a Taser on a 95-year-old woman holding a steak knife at a care home has been convicted of manslaughter in Australia. Clare Nowland, who had dementia symptoms and used a walker, fell and cracked her skull before dying days later in May 2023. Kristian White,...

Meta, TikTok Weigh In on Australia's Ban on Social Media

Tech companies complain age verification methods have yet to be ironed out

(Newser) - Tech companies are urging Australia's government to delay its proposed social media ban for under-16s amid criticism that the bill is being rushed into law. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left government introduced the bill in parliament last week and aims to pass it by the end of the...

Rafter Slips on Rock, Ends Up in 'Worst of the Worst-Case Scenario'

Ultimately, man's leg had to be partially amputated

(Newser) - A man on a multi-day rafting trip in the Australian state of Tasmania took a wrong step and ended up in a nearly day-long nightmare scenario. The 69-year-old Lithuanian man was traversing the Franklin River in a remote southwest part of the state when, while scouting alongside the waterway Friday,...

Zoo Asks People to Capture Extremely Deadly Spider
Zoo Asks People to Capture
Extremely Deadly Spider
in case you missed it
Nov 23, 2024 3:30 PM CST

Zoo Asks People to Capture Extremely Deadly Spider

Sydney funnel-web antivenom program has been saving lives since 1981

(Newser) - The Sydney funnel-web spider is considered one of the world's deadliest spiders, with the most toxic venom of any of the dozens of funnel-web species in Australia. But instead of advising people to keep their distance, a zoo north of the city has asked the public to capture the...

Lost Emperor Penguin Learns Sand Is Not Snow
Lost Emperor Penguin
Taken Out to Sea, Released
UPDATED
Nov 22, 2024 1:00 AM CST

Lost Emperor Penguin Taken Out to Sea, Released

Male nicknamed Gus is first of his species to reach Australia, 2.2K miles from home

(Newser) - The first emperor penguin known to have swum all the way from Antarctica to Australia was released at sea Wednesday, the AP reports. A Parks and Wildlife Service boat took the penguin on a journey several hours from the most southerly city of Western Australia state before releasing him into...

Aussie Senator Censured After Telling Charles, 'You Are Not My King'

Lidia Thorpe is censured in a 46-12 vote

(Newser) - Australian senators on Monday voted to censure an Indigenous colleague who yelled at King Charles III during a reception in Parliament House last month, the AP reports. The censure of independent Sen. Lidia Thorpe is a symbolic gesture that records her colleagues' disapproval of her conduct during the first visit...

Aged Destroyer Fought Enemy Alone, Then Flipped the Bird
WWII Destroyer Fought Enemy
Alone, Then Flipped the Bird
in case you missed it
Nov 16, 2024 12:00 PM CST

WWII Destroyer Fought Enemy Alone, Then Flipped the Bird

Wreck of USS Edsall, sunk by Japanese in 1942, discovered east of Christmas Island

(Newser) - The Japanese called the USS Edsall "the dancing mouse." Stumbling upon a Japanese naval force in the Indian Ocean three months after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the aged and damaged destroyer loaded with 185 US Navy personnel and 31 US Army Air Force pilots fought alone...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>