Australia

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Brit Faces 20 Years in Australia for 'Something Stupid'

Alicia Kemp fatally struck a man while drunkenly driving an e-scooter

(Newser) - A British backpacker has admitted to causing a fatal e-scooter crash after she was kicked out of a bar in Australia. Alicia Kemp, 25, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death while intoxicated after she struck 51-year-old Thanh Phan in May. Kemp, who had a blood alcohol content over...

Another Country Will Recognize a Palestinian State

Australia joins growing list of Western countries to make the decision

(Newser) - Australia will recognize a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday, joining the leaders of France, Britain, and Canada in signaling they would do so. His remarks followed weeks of urging from within his Cabinet and from many in Australia to recognize a Palestinian state and amid growing criticism...

Churchill's Platypus Mystery Solved After 8 Decades

Australia's attempt to send a platypus to the UK wasn't felled by a German U-boat

(Newser) - In 1943, Australia tried to win Winston Churchill's favor with a unique wartime gift: a live platypus, named Winston, shipped for 45 days across oceans to London in a custom habitat with 50,000 worms to feed him. The "rare monotreme" was meant to boost diplomatic ties...

'Mushroom Murderer' Tried to Off Me a Few Times: Ex

Pretrial testimony emerges detailing his previous illnesses after eating Erin Patterson's meals

(Newser) - Erin Patterson was found guilty last month of killing her in-laws with a poisonous mushroom meal, but details on her case continue to trickle out post-trial. This time, the news revolves around the fact that three counts of attempted murder against Patterson involving her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, were unexpectedly...

Cockatoos Have Dozens of Dance Moves at Their Disposal
Researchers
Count 30
Cockatoo
Dance Moves
NEW STUDY
Aug 8, 2025 8:54 AM CDT

Researchers Count 30 Cockatoo Dance Moves

Scientists also find in new research that parrots dance just for fun

(Newser) - Think you've got better moves than a parrot? New research suggests you may want to reassess that. A study published in PLOS One has catalogued 30 distinct dance moves performed by cockatoos, with 17 of them never previously documented. The findings come from analyses of 45 online videos...

Lawmaker Guilty of Rape Quits Moments Before Expulsion Vote

Australian state lawmaker Gareth Ward had planned to keep his seat from jail

(Newser) - An Australian state lawmaker and convicted rapist, who is in jail awaiting his sentence, quit his seat Friday moments before a vote scheduled by his former colleagues to eject him. Gareth Ward, an independent member of parliament in New South Wales state, earlier refused to resign despite his July convictions...

It's an Unwelcome First for Australia's 2 Biggest Reefs

Great Barrier and Ningaloo reefs experience mass bleaching simultaneously

(Newser) - Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef has seen its sharpest annual decline in coral cover since records began 40 years ago, with scientists warning this iconic ecosystem may be nearing a tipping point, per the Guardian . The latest survey from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)—covering 124...

Brisbane Plans Olympic Stadium. Indigenous Group Says Hang On

Victoria Park site considered culturally significant, may be home to ancestral remains

(Newser) - An Indigenous group has launched a legal challenge to halt construction of a massive new stadium in Brisbane, slated to be the showpiece for the 2032 Olympics . The Queensland government's $2.5 billion plan would see a 63,000-seat venue rise in Victoria Park—a large green space...

It Was a Failed but Historic Launch for Australia

Gilmour Space Technologies' Eris rocket made history

(Newser) - Australia's homegrown space ambitions hit a speed bump this week after a domestically built rocket failed to reach orbit just seconds after takeoff. Gilmour Space Technologies' Eris rocket, touted as the first orbital rocket made and launched entirely on Australian soil, lifted off from the company's Bowen...

Australia Does a 180 on YouTube Access for Kids

Account holders now must be at least 16, after platform was initially exempt from social media law

(Newser) - The Australian government announced that YouTube will be among the social media platforms that must ensure account holders are at least 16, reversing a position taken months ago on the popular video-sharing service. YouTube was listed as an exemption in November last year when the Parliament passed world-first laws that...

She Helped Start 'Hula Hoop' Craze, Lost Out on the Money

Joan Anderson's role in the famous toy's history only came to light decades after the fact

(Newser) - If you've ever used a hula hoop, you have Joan Anderson to thank—though she didn't profit from the toy craze. Anderson's death this month at age 101 in California prompts the New York Times to recount her extraordinary story—one that only came to light...

Aussie 'Natural Disaster' Kills Thousands of Marine Animals

Toxic algae bloom is wreaking havoc on South Australia's sea creatures, economy

(Newser) - A toxic algae bloom sprawling off the coast of South Australia has killed hundreds of marine species and left the region's tourism and fishing industries reeling. On Tuesday, State Premier Peter Malinauskas discussed the toll that the outbreak has taken on more than 400 species and the widespread...

'Outback Killer' Dies Without Revealing Victim's Whereabouts

Convicted killer never disclosed location of Peter Falconio's remains

(Newser) - The man whose crime partly inspired the horror film Wolf Creek has died in prison, still refusing to reveal the final secret behind one of Australia's most notorious murders. Bradley Murdoch, convicted of killing British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, took the location of his victim's remains...

Australian Cliff Jumper Is 'Ready to Rebuild My Body'
Cliff Jump
Goes Wrong,
Painfully
Jul 15, 2025 8:14 PM CDT

Cliff Jump Goes Wrong, Painfully

Australian's chipper reaction isn't received well by everyone

(Newser) - An Australian thrill-seeker's bid for a cliff-diving world record ended in major injuries but an unbroken spirit. Vali Graham, 21, attempted to break the døds—or "death diving"—record by leaping from the 140-foot Minnehaha Falls in the Blue Mountains, ABC Australia reports. There's...

19 Nations Launch Drills, Knowing China Is Watching

Talisman Sabre exercise, the largest ever, kicks off in Australia

(Newser) - Nearly 40,000 troops from 19 nations, including the US, have converged on northern Australia for the largest Talisman Sabre military drills ever, sending a hard-to-miss message about unity in the face of China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region. The live-fire drills held over three weeks involve...

Tourist Makes First Remarks After 12 Days Lost in Outback

Germany's Caroline Wilga says she became disoriented after hitting her head in car crash

(Newser) - When Germany's Caroline Wilga was discovered last week "fragile" but otherwise not in terrible shape after 12 days of being lost in the Australian outback, a local police official noted, "I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable" one. The 26-year-old backpacker...

Missing Backpacker Found After 12 Days in Aussie Outback

26-year-old woman's van had apparently become stuck in mud last month

(Newser) - German tourist Carolina Wilga was found alive in Australia's remote Outback on Friday, 12 days after she went missing and a day after her abandoned van was discovered, police said. The last known sighting of the 26-year-old backpacker, and the last day family and friends heard from her, was...

Zoo Lioness Tears Off Woman's Arm: Report

Victim identified as sister to the owner of Australia's Darling Downs Zoo

(Newser) - If we haven't terrified you enough with recent stories of lions on the attack , here's one more set in your average zoo. An Australian woman was watching animal keepers at work at Darling Downs Zoo in Toowoomba, Queensland, on Sunday morning, before the zoo had opened, when she...

Court Releases Images of Deadly Mushroom Meal

Phone records, CCTV footage were also released after Erin Patterson was found guilty of murder

(Newser) - Newly released exhibits from the trial of Australian mushroom murderer Erin Patterson include photos of the meal that killed her estranged husband's parents and another relative. The Victoria Supreme Court released the exhibits, including phone records, CCTV footage, and medical documents, after Patterson was found guilty on Monday, the...

Mushroom Murderer Found Guilty of Killing In-Laws

Australian woman Erin Patterson convicted in 2023 case

(Newser) - Australian woman Erin Patterson was Monday found guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband's relatives by deliberately serving them poisonous mushrooms for lunch, the AP reports. The jury in the Supreme Court trial in Victoria state returned a verdict after six days of deliberations, following a nine-week trial...

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