Australia

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Pot Plant's Blinds Won't Close, Creating 'Sunset on Steroids'

Sky turned an eerie pink over Aussie city of Mildura, leading to rumors of solar flare, aliens, apocalypse

(Newser) - No, there's not a Kenny Rogers Roasters opening in Mildura, though that was one suggestion this week as to why there's been a strange pink glow hovering over the Australian city. Locals had been worriedly musing over the origin of the colorful but mysterious light, which made its...

Australia's Biggest Music Festival Becomes a Quagmire

Heavy rain forced cancelation of main acts on first day of Splendour in the Grass

(Newser) - After a two-year pandemic absence, music fans in Australia were eagerly awaiting the return of Splendour in the Grass, the country's biggest music festival—but heavy rain has turned the site into a muddy quagmire that's been dubbed "Splendour in the Lake." CNN reports that while...

Australia's Environment Is in Grim Condition

19 ecosystems are on the brink of collapse

(Newser) - Shocking, grim, dire, depressing … that’s what readers are saying about all 2,000 pages of Australia’s latest State of the Environment survey. Things weren’t great five years ago—the last time they conducted the survey—but conditions have deteriorated rapidly. Per the BBC, Environment Minister Tanya...

Woman in 'Random Act of Kindness': 'I Feel Like Clickbait'

TikTok creator Harrison Pawluk gave woman flowers, video went viral; she's not happy about it

(Newser) - What's being deemed a "random act of kindness" by a TikTok creator wasn't taken that way by the recipient of said act, who says she feels exploited for her role in a video that's gone viral. The Guardian reports on the filmed stunt by Harrison Pawluk,...

Members of Religious Sect Charged in Girl's Death

Parents of Australia's Elizabeth Struhs were previously charged; they prayed instead of providing insulin

(Newser) - Australian police on Tuesday arrested 12 members of a religious group who allegedly prayed for an 8-year-old Queensland girl as she lay dying, rather than providing life-saving insulin. Earlier this year, the girl's parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, were arrested and charged with murder, torture, and failing to provide...

Australian to America: You Need to Be Muted
Australian to America:
You Need to Be Muted
in case you missed it
Jun 19, 2022 11:40 AM CDT

Australian to America: You Need to Be Muted

Patrick Marlborough unloads in Gawker

(Newser) - Unhappy with the current state of discourse on social media? You're probably not as fed up as Australian Patrick Marlborough, who unloads on American tweeters (and America in general) in a profane and epic rant at Gawker . He recounts how the story of a guy who abruptly quit his...

Aussies Told to Turn the Lights Off 2 Hours a Day

Aging coal infrastructure blamed for energy crisis

(Newser) - It's winter in Australia, and the country's new government is dealing with a severe energy crisis. Some 8 million people in Sydney and elsewhere in New South Wales, the country's most populous state, have been urged to do without electricity as much as possible between 6pm and...

KFC Australia Swaps Lettuce for Cabbage

Chain says flooding has destroyed crops

(Newser) - KFC does not stand for Krunchy Fresh Cabbage but customers in Australia may have their doubts—the chain says that because of recent floods in New South Wales and Queensland, all of its products that normally include lettuce will now have a "lettuce and cabbage blend" until further notice....

This Plant Is as Big as 20K Football Fields
This May Be Earth's
Largest Organism
in case you missed it
Jun 5, 2022 1:30 PM CDT

This May Be Earth's Largest Organism

A single Posidonia australis seagrass covers 77 square miles off western Australia

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered what is arguably the world's largest living organism, which is roughly the size of 20,000 football fields and about 4,500 years old. It's a seagrass known as Poseidon's ribbon weed, or Posidonia australis, which started as a seed spawned from two different...

Kangaroo Attack Caught on Video
Kangaroo Attack
Caught on Video
Jun 1, 2022 3:23 PM CDT

Kangaroo Attack Caught on Video

Aussie man wrestled animal to the ground

(Newser) - An Australian man was lucky to survive with only minor injuries after an encounter with what he describes as a "six-foot mad roo trying to rip my little dogs out of the yard." Cliff Des, who lives in central Victoria state, tells 9News that he ended up fighting...

Australia Just Voted Out Its Prime Minister

Scott Morrison concedes defeat to opposition leader Anthony Albanese

(Newser) - Australia's prime minister conceded defeat after an election Saturday that could deliver a minority government. Scott Morrison acted quickly despite millions of votes yet to be counted, because an Australian prime minister must attend a Tokyo summit on Tuesday with US, Japanese, and Indian leaders. "I believe it'...

Death of Diver Led Cops to Staggering Cocaine Haul

Australian police fear drugs from total shipment worth $84M have already reached the public

(Newser) - The death of a diver on the side of a coastal river in Australia led authorities to at least 220 pounds of cocaine—and that's apparently just the tip of the white powder iceberg. A man in high-end diving equipment was found unconscious near the Hunter River in Newcastle,...

'I Pushed a Bloke. He Went Over the Edge'

Australian court hears confession in 1988 murder of American Scott Johnson

(Newser) - A man told police he killed American mathematician Scott Johnson in 1988 by pushing the 27-year-old off a Sydney cliff in what prosecutors describe as a gay hate crime, a court heard on Monday. Scott White, 51, appeared in the New South Wales state Supreme Court for a sentencing hearing...

Qantas Announces Big Move Against 'Tyranny of Distance'

Airline will offer direct flights from Sydney to London, New York starting in 2025

(Newser) - The journey from Sydney to London once took nearly 60 hours and consisted of seven stops along the way. Now, an update from Qantas on that front, via what it calls its "Project Sunrise." Australia's flagship airline announced Monday that in 2025 it will debut a nonstop...

On Endangered Koalas, Scientists Hit on 'Way to Bring Them Back'

Freezing koala sperm would require fewer koalas in captivity, improve genetic diversity: report

(Newser) - Two months after Australia declared koalas as endangered across much of the country's east coast, researchers are hoping to stock up on frozen koala sperm. Scientists at the University of Newcastle in the southeastern state of New South Wales have proposed the creation of a lab to store that...

'Catch Me if You Can,' Australian Style

Jody Harris was bold and brazen, but ultimately undone by love

(Newser) - Alysha Searle, “an underslept, overcaffeinated barista,” was pulled over during her commute on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in 2006. The female officer berated Searle for running a red light and demanded to see her license. A moment later, the officer got an emergency call and told Searle to...

At Great Barrier Reef, a 'Heart-Breaking' Scene

4th mass bleaching event in 6 years is confirmed

(Newser) - The Great Barrier Reef, thought to have been in recovery after three mass coral bleaching events in quick succession, has been devastated for a fourth time in six years. The Marine Park Authority has confirmed a new mass bleaching event through aerial surveys of 750 separate reefs across the 1,...

'Island Within an Island' Ends 696-Day Border Closure

Western Australia is welcoming visitors again

(Newser) - Australia is now fully open to vaccinated travelers. On Thursday, Western Australia became the last state to lift border restrictions. The state, which covers one third of the nation’s land area, closed its borders to most international and interstate travelers on April 5, 2020, to slow the spread of...

Elderly Sweethearts Sought in Manhunt Die 48 Hours Apart

Ralph 'Terry' Gibbs said he abducted his sweetheart from nursing home out of love

(Newser) - An elderly couple's love story, which included an escape from a nursing home and a mad dash across Australia, has come to a sad end—and not just with a conviction for unlawfully detaining a mentally ill person. Ralph "Terry" Gibbs, 80, pleaded guilty to deprivation of liberty...

Australia Accuses China of 'Bullying' at Sea

Chinese warship shone a laser at Australian military pilot

(Newser) - Australia and China are sniping at each other over an incident at sea. Australian authorities say a Chinese warship shone a military-grade laser at an Australian military jet, reports Reuters . But China says it was the Australian pilot who was in the wrong during the incident, which took place last...

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