Australia

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Olympian Avoids Jail for Actions Preceding Wife's Death

Rohan Dennis, widower of Melissa Hoskins, receives 17-month suspended sentence

(Newser) - Australian Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis, who authorities say was driving a vehicle that fatally struck his wife, fellow Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins, will avoid prison for the time being. After pleading guilty to committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm, which carried a maximum sentence of seven years, Dennis...

Cops Illegally Strip-Searched Thousands of Festival-Goers: Suit

Male officer walked in on Raya Meredith bending over naked, class-action suit claims

(Newser) - Police in Australia have admitted to illegally strip-searching a young woman whose lawyer describes her experience as "akin to a sexual assault." Raya Meredith is the lead plaintiff of a class-action lawsuit alleging widespread unlawful strip searches in New South Wales between 2016 and 2022. She was at...

He's First Aussie PM to Win 2nd Consecutive Term in 20 Years

Labor's Anthony Albanese elected to lead Australia again, beating Liberal Party's Peter Dutton

(Newser) - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has become the first Australian prime minister to win a second consecutive three-year term in 21 years. Opposition leader Peter Dutton conceded defeat in Saturday's election, saying, "We didn't do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious tonight, and I accept full...

Aussies Rescue Stranded Great White Shark

'We definitely got it into some deeper water, so hopefully it's swimming still'

(Newser) - Nash Core admits he felt some fear when he and his 11-year-old son waded into the ocean off the Australian coast to help rescue a 10-foot great white shark stranded in shallow water. Three local men managed to return the distressed animal from a sand bank into deeper water after...

Before Poisoned Lunch, She Urged Hubby to Attend 'Special Meal'

Erin Patterson's estranged husband testifies about their relationship and the lunch invite

(Newser) - The invite came at church. During his estranged wife's murder trial on Thursday, Simon Patterson recalled that on July 16, 2023, Erin Patterson invited himself, his parents, and his aunt and uncle, the latter of whom served as pastor of the church, to a lunch at her home in...

Victim of Deadly Mushroom Lunch Noted the Plates Differed

Prosecutor says Heather Wilkinson remarked about it from hospital before her death

(Newser) - The trial of the Australian woman accused of feeding family members a deadly lunch in 2023 opened Wednesday in the Victoria state Supreme Court. As the BBC reports, that Erin Patterson, 50, served her guests individual beef Wellingtons that contained death cap mushrooms is not in question. "The overarching...

Escaped Dog's 17 Months on the Run Comes to an End

Valerie the miniature dachshund safely captured Friday on Kangaroo Island

(Newser) - After 529 days in the Australian wilderness, Valerie the miniature dachshund can finally get back to her cozy life. The "princess" dog who escaped from her owner while visiting a Kangaroo Island campsite in November 2023 was "safely rescued" Friday, the Kangala Wildlife Rescue says, per the BBC...

Aussie Twins' Interview in Unison Leaves Viewers Stunned
This Is One of the Stranger
News Interviews We've Seen
in case you missed it
Apr 26, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

This Is One of the Stranger News Interviews We've Seen

Identical twins Bridgette and Paula Powers speak in unison while discussing Aussie carjacking

(Newser) - Reporters seeking witness statements about a carjacking in Australia got that and a lot more in interviewing identical twin sisters. Bridgette and Paula Powers, dressed in matching outfits, spoke in unison for a full minute uninterrupted as they told 7NEWS how their mother ran to help after seeing the carjacked...

Australia's Top Court to Hear Katie Perry v. Katy Perry

Appeals court reversed decision in designer's trademark case against singer last year

(Newser) - Australia's top court has agreed to deliver the final word in the long-running Katie Perry v. Katy Perry legal battle, which a judge has described as a "tale of two women, two teenage dreams, and one name." Australian designer Katie Perry argues that the American singer with...

Woman at IVF Clinic Gives Birth to Wrong Baby

Australia facility mixed up the embryos

(Newser) - An IVF clinic in Australia made a simple mistake with not-so-simple consequences: A woman gave birth to the wrong baby after the facility mixed up embryos, reports the BBC . Monash IVF in Brisbane says the woman was implanted with an embryo from another couple, a mistake that came to light...

Tariffs Hit One Puzzling Locale
Tariffs
Hit One
Puzzling
Locale
Apr 3, 2025 10:10 AM CDT

Tariffs Hit One Puzzling Locale

Antarctic islands have no humans, lots of penguins

(Newser) - The unveiling of President Trump's tariffs on Wednesday had White House journalists reaching for their atlases—or at least Google. On the list of penalized nations is one that's actually an Australian territory in the Antarctic called Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Its inclusion is a bit of...

Sydney Hit by 18-Foot Waves: 'Never Seen Anything Like It'

Beaches are closed and water advisories have been issued after swells batter shoreline

(Newser) - Mother Nature has been busy in Sydney: The New South Wales capital was battered by "monster surf" overnight into Wednesday, with 18-foot waves crashing into local beaches and coastal walkways—even damaging Bondi Beach's famous Icebergs Pool. The Guardian reports that the pool's glass fences were smashed...

Family of Woman, 95, Killed by Cop Decries 'Slap on the Wrist'

Australia's Kristian White, who fatally used a Taser at a care home, avoids prison

(Newser) - Kristian White won't be going to prison. The 35-year-old former Aussie cop convicted of manslaughter in the death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland—who died days after White used a Taser on her in May 2023, causing her to fall and crack her skull—avoided time behind bars in his...

He Vowed She Wouldn't Get a Cent, Must Now Pay $300K

Adam Whittington found to have defamed family dispute resolution practitioner in Australia

(Newser) - "Your scumbag client won't get one cent. That I promise," a man wrote to the lawyer of a family dispute resolution practitioner in Australia, who claimed he'd defamed her. The man, Adam Whittington, has now been ordered to pay some $300,000 to Jasmin Newman, whom...

Dead Fish, 'Unusual' Foam Cover Australia Beaches

Tests pending as microalgal bloom leaves surfers with cold-like symptoms

(Newser) - An Australian state closed two beaches after dead fish and an unusual off-white foam washed ashore while surfers reported feeling unwell, per the AP . A microalgal bloom created by unusual weather conditions was suspected to have sickened humans and marine life as well as creating the foam that has covered...

Australia PM: US Influencer's Wombat Grab Was an 'Outrage'

'Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there,' Albanese says

(Newser) - Australians are hopping mad about an American influencer's interaction with one of the country's marsupials. In video shared on Instagram, Sam Jones picked up a baby wombat that had been walking with its mother by the side of a road at night; still holding it, she ran towards...

World First: Man Walks Out of Hospital With Artificial Heart

BiVACOR device kept Australian alive for 100-plus days while waiting for a donor heart

(Newser) - An artificial heart kept an Australian man alive for a record 100-plus days in what doctors are calling an "unmitigated clinical success." As the Guardian reports, the man was given an experimental BiVACOR total artificial heart implant to address heart failure in late November and became the first...

Surfer on Holiday Killed by Shark
Surfer on Holiday
Killed by Shark
Mar 12, 2025 3:00 AM CDT

Surfer on Holiday Killed by Shark

37-year-old's body has not been recovered in Australia

(Newser) - A surfer was killed by a shark being described as "massive" Monday in Western Australia. Steven Payne, 37, of Melbourne was in the area with his partner and dog as part of a six-month traveling holiday, the Canberra Times reports. He was surfing at the remote Wharton Beach when...

Pilot, Passenger Take Down Teen With a Gun
Pilot, Passenger Take Down
Teen With a Gun
VIDEO
Mar 6, 2025 12:19 PM CST

Pilot, Passenger Take Down Teen With a Gun

Police commend 'bravery' of passengers who intervened Thursday in Australia

(Newser) - A teenager armed with a loaded shotgun boarded a plane about to take off from an Australian airport on Thursday before being wrangled by terrified passengers, police say. Victoria Police were called to Melbourne's Avalon airport at 2:50pm local time after the suspect in high-visibility clothing allegedly snuck...

Australian Politician: Sorry I Called JD Vance a 'Knob'

Roger Cook says comment was 'lighthearted,' but apologizes to anyone offended

(Newser) - At a Tuesday event for which he was the guest speaker, Western Australian premier Roger Cook was asked to finish the sentence, "JD Vance is a..." His response? "Knob." The audience at the Leadership Matters event in Perth laughed and clapped, the Guardian reports. "You'...

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