Australia

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He Stole His Wife's Passport, Then Stranded Her in Sudan

Australian man is first in Victoria state to be convicted for 'exit trafficking'

(Newser) - In September 2014, Australian Mohamed Ahmed Omer booked a one-month family vacation from Melbourne to Sudan with his wife and two young children—except once in Sudan, he took the kids, and his wife's various forms of identification, and fled back to Australia without her, essentially stranding her in...

Lost Emperor Penguin Learns Sand Is Not Snow

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

(Newser) - A seabird rehabilitator in Australia is on a learning curve, caring for her first ever emperor penguin—the first of his species known to have made the 2,200-mile swim from Antarctica. The male emperor penguin, nicknamed Gus after the Roman emperor Augustus, turned up on Ocean Beach near Australia'...

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...

Jamie Oliver Pulls Criticized Children's Book

Indigenous Australians accuse author of trivialization, stereotyping

(Newser) - A children's book written by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been withdrawn from sale after it was criticized for causing offense to Indigenous Australians. The Guardian reported Saturday that the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corp. blasted Billy and the Epic Escape, which was published earlier...

Disgusting' Answer Found in Beach Debris Mystery
'Disgusting' Answer Found
in Beach Debris Mystery
in case you missed it
Nov 10, 2024 7:15 AM CST

'Disgusting' Answer Found in Beach Debris Mystery

'Tar balls' that closed Sydney beaches are made up of same stuff as sewer 'fatbergs'

(Newser) - When thousands of objects believed to have been tar balls washed up on beaches in Sydney, Australia, last month, beaches were closed for days and authorities suspected there had been an oil spill. Scientists, however, tested the dark blobs and determined they weren't tar balls. "What we found...

After Election, a Spike in Emigration Queries

Inquiries on living abroad follow Trump's victory

(Newser) - As Donald Trump starts to make plans for his next Cabinet, some Americans are potentially making other plans, including getting out of Dodge. Reuters reports that searches on Google for "move to Canada" spiked 1,270% in the day after US polls closed on Tuesday. Similar searches for moving...

Australia's Ambassador to the US Deletes Anti-Trump Tweets

In 2020, former PM Kevin Rudd called Trump 'the most destructive president in history'

(Newser) - Australia's ambassador to the US quickly deleted tweets critical of Donald Trump when it became clear the Republican would be returning for a second term as president. In one of the posts, Kevin Rudd, who twice served as Australia's prime minister, called Trump "the. most destructive president...

For First Time, Australia Jails Someone Over Nazi Salute

Jacob Hersant is a self-described Nazi

(Newser) - A self-described Nazi became the first person in Australia to be sentenced to prison for performing an outlawed salute when he was ordered by a magistrate on Friday to spend one month behind bars, the AP reports. Jacob Hersant, 25, is also the first person in Victoria state to be...

Australia's Social Media Move Is for the 'Worried Sick' Parents

Proposed law meant to counter online harms includes no exemption for parental consent

(Newser) - Australia is proposing "world-leading" legislation to ban children under 16 from social media. "This one is for the mums and dads," who, "like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a Thursday press conference, referencing...

After Backlash, Aussie Breaker Retires

Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun, was ridiculed for her routine at the Summer Olympics in Paris

(Newser) - Three months after she stepped onto the world stage, Rachael Gunn is stepping off of it. The 37-year-old breaker known as B-Girl Raygun, who made a splash at the Summer Olympics in Paris with what the BBC calls a most "unorthodox" breaking routine , has announced she's retiring from...

Chris Martin Takes an Olivia Rodrigo-Like Fall

Coldplay singer also tumbles into hole onstage, also in Melbourne

(Newser) - Another pop star has been swallowed by their stage during a concert in Melbourne. Singer Chris Martin was talking to the Marvel Stadium crowd during Coldplay's performance Sunday night at the time, the Guardian reports. While pointing to posters and reading them, he walked backward until he disappeared into...

Cops Recover 40K Stolen Coins Based on Kids Show

The Bluey 'dollarbucks' were selling for 10 times their value online, police said

(Newser) - Bluey and his friends are safe and sound after a wild adventure involving thieves, stolen coins, and a three-month investigation. Police in Australia recovered some $26,000 in stolen coins bearing characters from the children's TV show Bluey on Tuesday. The Australian Mint produced the limited edition "dollarbucks"...

Woman Survives 6 Days Lost in Mountains, Snake Bite

Photographer Lovisa Sjoberg was found alive Sunday

(Newser) - A 48-year-old photographer survived many days lost in Australia's Snowy Mountains—and a snake bite. Lovisa Sjoberg, who reportedly frequented the area to document wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park, was found alive Sunday, the BBC reports. A search had been launched for her Monday after a car company...

Senator: I Swore Allegiance to Queen's 'Hairs,' Not Heirs

Indigenous Australian senator doubles down on criticism of King Charles III

(Newser) - An Indigenous senator has intensified her criticism of King Charles III, again accusing the British monarch of complicity in the "genocide" against Australia's First Nations peoples and declaring on Wednesday she will not be "shut down." Sen. Lidia Thorpe's comments followed an encounter with the...

'It Was an Out-of-the-Box Rescue, That's For Sure'

7 boulders had to be moved to reach woman who fell face-first into rock crevice in Australia

(Newser) - A woman was trapped hanging upside down by her feet, wedged in a narrow chute between two boulders, for about seven hours before she could be rescued in Australia this month. Matilda Campbell, 23, initially dropped her phone in a crevice while walking with friends on private property in Laguna,...

'You Are Not My King,' Aussie Senator Yells at Charles

Lidia Thorpe is escorted from reception welcoming the British royals

(Newser) - An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the British royal visited Australia's parliament on Monday. Sen. Lidia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for the royal couple after shouting that British colonizers have taken Indigenous land and bones. "You...

Australians Displeased With PM's $2.9M Home Buy

Anthony Albanese's decision criticized even by some in his own party

(Newser) - Australia is in the middle of a housing crisis, and many in the country are struggling with the high cost of living. So it may come as no surprise that news of the prime minister spending about $2.9 million on a seaside house perched atop a cliff with panoramic...

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...

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