Australia

Stories 301 - 320 | << Prev   Next >>

2032 Olympics Host Promises &#39;Climate-Positive&#39; Games
2032 Olympics Host Announced
Jul 21, 2021 6:36 AM CDT

2032 Olympics Host Announced

Brisbane, Australia, promises 'climate-positive' Games

(Newser) - Athletes should be happy to know the 2032 Summer Olympics will take place in winter. Brisbane, Australia—the last remaining bid city—will host the Olympics from July to August in 2032, followed by the Paralympics from August to September, the International Olympic Committee confirmed with a vote in Tokyo...

Australia's 'COVID Zero' Approach May Not Be Feasible

Half the country is under lockdown

(Newser) - About half the population of Australia is in lockdown again as the delta variant of COVID-19 surges. Parts of New South Wales and Victoria had already had restrictions re-imposed, and on Tuesday, South Australia joined them, for a total of more than 13 million people under orders to stay home...

She Mocked COVID Rules, Got Escorted Out of Country

Australia deports conservative British commentator Katie Hopkins

(Newser) - A high-profile British commentator who traveled to Australia and then mocked that nation's COVID restrictions was quickly deported back home on Monday, reports the BBC . Katie Hopkins on Friday posted a since-deleted video on Instagram boasting that she intended to flout rules at her Sydney hotel by greeting staffers...

Basketball Star Pulls Out of Olympics, Cites Mental Health

Australia's Liz Cambage says the Tokyo Games are 'terrifying' for her

(Newser) - The Olympics haven't started yet, but Australia is already down one player on its women's basketball team. USA Today reports that Liz Cambage, a center who plays for the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, has pulled out of the Games, just a week before the opening ceremony. Her...

Tennis Player Pulls Out of Olympics, Cites Lack of Crowds

Australia's Nick Kyrgios also notes he's not in top shape

(Newser) - What's an Olympics without fans? Not much to Nick Kyrgios. The Australian tennis player has pulled out of the upcoming Games following Thursday's announcement that fans will not be allowed in Tokyo due to the new coronavirus state of emergency there. "It's been my dream to...

This Is One of the Weirder COVID Penalties Yet

In Australia, 2 naked sunbathers were spooked by a deer, then fined by police

(Newser) - In the annals of COVID rule breaches, this one is tough to beat for weirdness. Police near Sydney, Australia, say two naked sunbathers on a beach were spooked by a deer and ran into the nearby bushland before calling for help, reports the BBC . Police rescued the men, then promptly...

Australia Is Not Happy With UN Warning on Barrier Reef
UN Warning on
Great Barrier Reef
Stuns Australia
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 26, 2021 1:50 PM CDT

UN Warning on Great Barrier Reef Stuns Australia

Government to fight placement of World Heritage Site on UNESCO's 'in danger' list

(Newser) - The UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization wants the Great Barrier Reef added to a list of World Heritage Sites that are "in danger," while calling on Australia to address climate change with "accelerated action at all possible levels." Australia's government says it's...

Sydney Now in 'Scariest Period' of Pandemic

Delta variant has infected dozens, including New South Wales government minister

(Newser) - Sydney is going through one the "scariest" times of the pandemic as a cluster of the highly contagious Delta variant infects more people, an Australian state leader said on Thursday. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she tested negative for the coronavirus after state Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall...

Mouse Plague Forces Prison Evacuation

Rodents have chewed through wires at rural Australian facility

(Newser) - As a maximum security prison, the Wellington Correctional Center in New South Wales is good at keeping prisoners in—but it has completely failed to keep rodents out during the mouse plague the region is experiencing. The prison says more than 400 inmates and 200 staff members will be relocated...

Tasmanian Devils Wipe Out Penguin Colony

They were introduced to Maria Island as insurance against extinction

(Newser) - A plan to protect Tasmanian devils from extinction came at a hellish price for penguins and other birds on an Australian island. Researchers say that after a small number of the carnivorous marsupials were shipped to Maria Island, east of Tasmania, in 2012, the island's population of 3,000...

Australia Finds Its Biggest-Ever Dino
Dinosaur Found
in Outback
Was as Big as
Basketball Court
in case you missed it
Jun 13, 2021 5:13 PM CDT

Dinosaur Found in Outback Was as Big as Basketball Court

Australotitan is biggest dino ever found in Australia

(Newser) - "This is a fantastic beast. Imagine something the size of a basketball court walking around on land," says Scott Hocknall, part of a team of paleontologists that confirmed the discovery of the biggest dinosaur ever found in Australia. Australotitan cooperensis was between 80 and 100 feet long and...

Swimmer Opts Out of Olympic Trials, Slams 'Perverts'

Australian swimmer says no more 'exploit[ing] young women and girls'

(Newser) - "Let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their boot lickers," said Australian swimmer Madeline "Maddie" Groves on Wednesday in her announcement that she would not be competing in her country's Olympic trials, which start Saturday. "You can no longer exploit...

This Is the Most Livable City in the World

Auckland, NZ, takes top spot in Economist's rankings, though Kiwis give honor the side-eye

(Newser) - The pandemic has caused a major upset on the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual list of the most livable cities on the planet. Thanks to their relative isolation from the rest of the world, the island nations of New Zealand, Australia, and Japan all had strong showings in the top...

Teen in Coma After 'Headbutt' From a Whale

Family describes freak accident off Australia's east coast

(Newser) - They were, in a word, unlucky. A young Aussie fisherman is fighting for his life, and another is recovering from a concussion after a breaching whale fell on their boat Sunday. "They had no warning, and no time to react," family members say in a statement, per CNN...

In Photos, Soldiers Drink From Dead Man's Prosthetic Leg

Lawyers say hundreds of photos exist

(Newser) - Images of of Australian soldiers drinking from what was allegedly a dead Afghan's prosthetic leg in an unauthorized bar called the Fat Lady's Arms may play a big role in an upcoming trial. Lawyers for former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith say they are still working to process hundreds of...

Another Cyberattack in the US: 'Why Would They Stop?'

JBS, the world's largest meat supplier, is hit in US and Australia

(Newser) - First a gas pipeline was the target of a cyberattack. Now, the world's largest meat company. JBS Inc., which has more than 150 locations around the globe, announced it was the target of an "organized" attack against some of its servers, affecting IT systems in the US and...

'Chocolate Frog' Discovered in New Guinea Swamp

Beautiful brown amphibian is likely related to Australian tree frogs

(Newser) - No, it's not Harry Potter magic invading the world of muggles. It's just a surprisingly cool skin color. Some frogs, possibly a new species of tree frog, have been found in New Guinea. Tree frogs are usually green, but these look like they've been dipped in...

Australia Tormented by Plague of Ravenous Mice

Numbers are 'absolutely unprecedented'

(Newser) - Vast tracts of land in Australia's New South Wales state are being threatened by a mouse plague that the state government describes as “absolutely unprecedented." Just how many millions of rodents have infested the agricultural plains across the state is guesswork, the AP reports. At night, the...

7 Momentous Births, First in 3K Years

Endangered Tasmanian devils reproduce on Australian mainland

(Newser) - Wildlife officials trying to preserve Tasmanian devils have announced a long-awaited milestone: Seven have given birth on mainland Australia for the first time in about 3,000 years, reports the BBC . The babes have been found in their mothers' pouches in a sanctuary set up in 2020. There, the devils...

Light Plane Carrying Baby Makes Emergency Landing

Pilot, wife, and 1-year-old son were unharmed after plane experienced engine trouble over Sydney

(Newser) - Beachgoers along the northern Sydney shoreline got quite a surprise Wednesday as they strolled along the sand. Per the Guardian , one eyewitness told a radio station it was around 2pm local time at Collaroy Beach, with "not a cloud in the sky," when an odd sight suddenly floated...

Stories 301 - 320 | << Prev   Next >>