Australia

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On the Day the Rats Arrived, He Filled 18 Bags With Bodies

An Australian town is suffering from a plague of long-haired rats

(Newser) - "It is still livable," says a local official, but after reading about the situation in the Australian town of Karumba, you might disagree. It, along with other towns in Western Queensland, is suffering from an invasion of long-haired rats. NPR reports that healthy rainfall led to a boom...

In 1971, His Climate Research Raised Early Alarm Bells
Early Climate Scientist:
'Where Did I Go Wrong?'
LONGFORM
Nov 26, 2023 9:00 AM CST

Early Climate Scientist: 'Where Did I Go Wrong?'

Australia's Graeme Pearman, 82, now laments that so little action was taken decades ago

(Newser) - "I often wonder: where did I go wrong?" Graeme Pearman tells the Guardian . "Why didn't people respond? Is that my responsibility?" In the early '70s, Pearman rang the alarm about what he saw as an impending climate crisis as part of CSIRO, Australia's government agency...

Man's Decision to Hitch a Ride Under a Truck Goes Awry

Drunk man reportedly traveled 250 miles before the truck stopped

(Newser) - It's every driver's dream: hitting a slew of green lights and sailing on toward your destination without pause. For one Australian stowaway, it turned into a headline-grabbing problem. As the Australian Associated Press reports, a 43-year-old New South Wales man apparently ended a night of drinking by deciding...

Robbie Williams Fan Dies After Concert Fall

Woman in her 70s fell six flights of seats at venue in Sydney, Australia

(Newser) - British singer Robbie Williams' Australian tour has begun with tragedy: A woman in her 70s fell to her death at a venue where he played in Sydney, reports the BBC . Robyn Hall fell down while climbing over six rows of seats as fans were exiting Allianz Stadium on November 16....

Man Says He Saw Girl Carried Away in 1970

Cheryl Grimmer vanished from Fairy Meadow beach in Australia at age 3

(Newser) - Cheryl Grimmer's family has waited 53 years for answers about her disappearance from a beach in Australia. "I won't sleep until it's over," her brother Ricki said. There's a new glimmer of hope for resolution, after a man told a BBC true crime podcast...

Man Uses Unusual Method to Fend Off Crocodile Attack

Australian farmer survives mauling after biting his predator on the eyelid

(Newser) - "Hey, whatever works" is an Australian cattle farmer's apparent M.O. when it comes to fighting off crocodile attacks. ABC Australia reports that Colin Deveraux, in his mid-60s, was set to be released from the Northern Territory's Royal Darwin Hospital this week after spending almost a month...

Car Barrels Into Outdoor Dining Area, Killing 5

6 injured in Australia tragedy

(Newser) - A car crashed into an Australian pub's outdoor dining area, killing five people and injuring six others including the driver, officials said on Monday. The 66-year-old driver of the luxury BMW SUV was taken to a hospital after the crash at the crowded Royal Daylesford Hotel beer garden in...

Cops: Woman Behind Fatal Meal Also Tried to Kill Husband

Australian police say Erin Patterson attempted to do so 4 times, including with lethal mushrooms

(Newser) - When police in Australia charged a woman this week with three counts of murder over poisonous mushrooms she served to guests, they added unspecified attempted murder charges as well. Now the details are out: Police say Erin Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband, Simon, four different times, reports the...

City Plays Wiggles Song to Drive Homeless People Away

Australian children's band is 'deeply disappointed'

(Newser) - A city council in Western Australia is facing a backlash after deploying the Wiggles to deter homeless people. The council in Bunbury has admitted that it has been playing the popular children's band's song " Hot Potato " on a loop at a bandshell to discourage homeless people...

Surfer Fatally Mauled by Shark 'in the Blink of an Eye'

Police are now hunting for body of man off coast of South Australia after Tuesday attack

(Newser) - A surfboard with a bite mark is all that remained after a surfer off of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula was dragged under the water Tuesday by what witnesses believe was a great white shark. Police confirm they're now looking for the 55-year-old man's body, per 7NEWS , which...

'Lost Continent' That Broke Off From Australia Is Found
Geologists Have Found
'Lost Continent' of Argoland
new study
Oct 29, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

Geologists Have Found 'Lost Continent' of Argoland

Land that broke away from ancient Australia splintered into massive shards

(Newser) - Before you congratulate yourself on finding your lost keys, know that scientists have located an entire lost continent, piecing together a longstanding geological puzzle. Millions of years ago, a strip of western Australia broke off into a microcontinent known as Argoland due to shifting tectonic plates, IFL Science reports....

Carnival Misled Passengers on 2020 'COVID' Cruise: Court

In landmark ruling, Ruby Princess passengers win class-action suit against Carnival Australia

(Newser) - Carnival Australia was negligent in misleading passengers about the measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 ahead of a March 2020 cruise that resulted in 900 cases and 28 deaths, an Australian court ruled Wednesday in what Reuters reports is "the first class action win against a...

Spy Chiefs in 5 Nations Sound Warning on China

Five Eyes intelligence chiefs say Chinese spies are operating at an 'epic scale'

(Newser) - Spy movies have taught us to suspect figures lurking around military bases and federal buildings, yet the focus of Chinese spying in the US looks quite different, according to the heads of spy agencies in the Five Eyes coalition—US, Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand—who gathered for an...

Injection May Be Able to Forecast Parkinson's
Injection May Be Able
to Forecast Parkinson's
new study
Oct 11, 2023 6:05 PM CDT

Injection May Be Able to Forecast Parkinson's

Early detection could make a big difference

(Newser) - There might be a way to know Parkinson's disease is progressing in people long before they sense the physical changes. Researchers in Australia injected patients with a synthetic compound formulated to bind to a protein in the brain known as VMAT2, the Guardian reports. A PET scan then can...

Journalist Held by China Sees a Tree for First Time in Years

China's Ministry of State Security said Cheng Lei had served her sentence

(Newser) - After being held in China since her August 2020 arrest, journalist Cheng Lei is back home in Australia. The BBC reports she was "tried in secret" in China in March on national security charges, and China's Ministry of State Security on Wednesday said she'd pleaded guilty and...

Trump Allegedly Told Nuclear Sub Secrets to Aussie Billionaire

Federal prosecutors have since interviewed Anthony Pratt

(Newser) - Former President Trump allegedly shared classified information about US nuclear submarines with a billionaire Australian businessman who then went on to share the information with more than a dozen other people, according to sources who spoke to ABC News and the New York Times . Anthony Pratt, a member of Trump'...

As Elections Approach, Musk's X Makes a 'Concerning' Move

Social media platform decides to nix feature that allows users to report political misinformation

(Newser) - Ahead of a big vote in Australia, not to mention the 2024 election in the US, the X social media site formerly known as Twitter is making a move that has some scratching their heads. Reuters reports the platform has disabled a feature that allows users to report election misinformation,...

Australian Faked Kidnapping, Which Is Going to Cost Him

Paul Iera wanted to spend night with a woman other than his partner

(Newser) - Australian police spent precisely $16,218 to investigate the kidnapping of Paul Iera. Except that there was no kidnapping, just a half-baked plan to free him up on New Year's Eve. Iera, 35, has been ordered by a court to repay that amount to New South Wales police. He...

Dingo Steals Handbag, Snacks From Boat

Owners say it made 3 trips to unoccupied vessel

(Newser) - The island of K'Gari off the coast of Queensland, Australia, has around as many dingoes as people—and even boats aren't safe from the wild dogs when they're looking for food. Tourists on the island, formerly known as Fraser Island, recorded video of a dingo that swam...

Guy Who Surfs With Pet Python Hit With a Fine

Wildlife authorities aren't pleased with Australia's Higor Fiuza and his snake, Shiva

(Newser) - Higor Fiuza is a familiar face in the beach community along Australia's Gold Coast, and he's often got Shiva in tow. Shiva isn't the name of his surfboard, or a canine companion—that's his pet Morelia bredli python, who accompanies Fiuza in the water as he...

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