Australia

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Australia Prepares for Social Media Ban on Under-16s

Government offers tips to wean kids off social media before ban kicks in

(Newser) - The Australian government has begun a public education campaign with tips on how to wean children off social media ahead of a world-first national 16-year age limit taking effect in December. Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Friday that information on her agency's website, esafety.gov.au , explained...

Candace Owens Loses Appeal of Australia Ban

High court finds no issue with decision to refuse conservative commentator a visa on character grounds

(Newser) - Australia's highest court on Wednesday rejected US conservative commentator Candace Owens ' bid to overturn an Australian government decision barring her from visiting the country. Three High Court judges unanimously rejected Owens' challenge to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's decision last year to refuse her a visa on...

The Butterfly Was a Rare One. Then Someone Noticed Paint

A decades-old butterfly heist at the hands of Colin Wyatt still puzzles scientists and curators

(Newser) - The tale of Australia's most audacious butterfly theft begins in 1922 in the peaks of Barrington Tops, where naturalist Johnny Hopson found a dead, yet unnamed butterfly—a find that would later become a prized specimen, as detailed in Walter Marsh's report in the Guardian . Hopson, aka...

The Countries With the Most American Expats

Mexico tops the list of nations hosting the most Americans

(Newser) - Millions of Americans live outside of the United States, according to the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, which recently updated its stats to see which countries host the most former residents of the USA. AARO's analysis used census data culled by the UN and from the US Census Bureau,...

Ex-UFC Fighter Survived First Murder Attempt, but Not Second

Suman Mokhtarian is gunned down in Australia

(Newser) - A former UFC fighter was shot dead in Australia on Wednesday—20 months after surviving a previous attempt on his life. Police say 33-year-old Suman Mokhtarian was killed in what they called a "targeted attack" in Riverstone, a suburb of Sydney, reports CBS News . Mokhtarian had been out...

Prosecutors Think Mushroom Killer's Sentence Is Weak

That Erin Patterson is eligible for parole after 33 years is 'manifestly inadequate,' they say

(Newser) - Australian prosecutors are pushing for a tougher punishment for Erin Patterson, the woman convicted of killing three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth with a poisonous mushroom lunch. Patterson, 51, received a life sentence last month , with the possibility of parole only after 33 years—a term already...

Australia Paid Deloitte $290K for a Report. There's an AI Issue

Financial firm will partially refund government after apparent AI-generated errors are found throughout

(Newser) - Deloitte Australia will partially refund the $290,000 or so paid by the Australian government for a report that was littered with apparent AI-generated errors, including a fabricated quote from a federal court judgment and references to nonexistent academic research papers. The financial services firm's report to the Department...

2 Minutes After the Jump, Skydiving Plane Goes Down
2 Minutes After Skydivers
Jumped, the Plane Goes Down
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 5, 2025 9:30 AM CDT

2 Minutes After Skydivers Jumped, the Plane Goes Down

Veteran pilot, skydiver Paul Smith dies in crash in southern Australia

(Newser) - Eight skydivers jumped to safety just two minutes before their plane crashed Saturday on Australia's south coast, killing the pilot, who was the only person left on board. The skydivers had jumped from about 14,000 feet near Moruya airport in New South Wales just after 2pm Saturday,...

Man Says He Saw Girl Carried Away in 1970
Review Sparks Outrage in
1970 Missing Child Case
UPDATED
Sep 30, 2025 11:05 AM CDT

Review Sparks Outrage in 1970 Missing Child Case

Cheryl Grimmer's brother claims potential witnesses weren't interviewed

(Newser) - The brother of Cheryl Grimmer, a young girl who vanished from an Australian beach in 1970, says he's furious with police for failing to interview witnesses who've gone public in recent years. A four-year review of the 55-year-old cold case has revealed no new information that could lead...

3 Major Allies Break With US to Recognize Palestinian State

UK, Canada, Australia make announcements ahead of UN General Assembly in New York

(Newser) - In a a break with the US and a dramatic departure from long-held policy, the UK, Canada, and Australia officially recognized a state of Palestine on Sunday. Reflecting international opposition to Israel's attacks in Gaza, the announcement by the nations' prime ministers was made the day before United...

In Big First, Koalas Are Getting an STD Vaccine

Australia has OK'd a vaccine for chlamydia for the marsupial creatures to fight infertility, death

(Newser) - A regulator has approved a world-first vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia, which is causing infertility and death in the iconic native species listed as endangered in parts of Australia. The single-dose vaccine was developed by Queensland's University of the Sunshine Coast after more than a decade of research...

Australia to Put $1B Into Underwater Attack Drones

Ghost Sharks will make nation an undersea leader, defense minister says

(Newser) - Australia will spend more than $1 billion on building dozens of underwater attack drones, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday. The first of the stealthy, long-range Ghost Sharks will be delivered to the Australian navy in January under a five-year contract with Sydney-based Anduril Australia, Marles said. "Australia...

Croc Stunts by 'Real Tarzann' Don't Play Well in Australia

Queensland officials are investigating US influencer Mike Holston for wrestling reptiles

(Newser) - A US social media star is facing heat Down Under after posting videos of himself wrangling wild crocodiles in Queensland. Mike Holston—known as "The Real Tarzann" to his millions of followers —posted two viral clips: one featuring a tussle with a freshwater croc in shallow water,...

Sunscreen Scandal Shakes Australia
Sunscreen Scandal
Shakes Australia
Sep 8, 2025 1:44 PM CDT

Sunscreen Scandal Shakes Australia

Products sold in country with highest skin cancer rate don't live up to their labels

(Newser) - A sunscreen scandal has erupted in Australia, the country with the world's highest skin cancer rates, following findings that some popular sun protection products aren't living up to their labels. For many Aussies, "no hat, no play" rules and relentless sun safety ads have been lifelong...

'Mushroom Murderer' Learns Her Fate

Erin Patterson gets life in prison with no parole for 33 years

(Newser) - An Australian judge on Monday sentenced triple-murderer Erin Patterson to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years for poisoning four of her estranged husband's relatives with death cap mushrooms, the AP reports. Justice Christopher Beale told the court the Victoria state Supreme Court Patterson's crimes...

Surfer Killed by 'Massive' Shark at Sydney Beach

Witnesses say victim lost both legs in attack

(Newser) - A shark fatally mauled a man in his 50s at a beach near Sydney, Australia, and area beaches were closed on Saturday as drones searched for the predator, authorities said. Emergency crews were dispatched to Long Reef Beach in Sydney's Northern Beaches shortly after 10am local time Saturday, responding...

Man 'Devastated' After Picking Up Wrong Kid From Day Care

Aussie facility is under investigation after grandpa's erroneous pickup of toddler in Bangor

(Newser) - A Sydney day care is under investigation after a grandfather left with the wrong child. The mix-up happened at First Steps Learning Academy in the suburb of Bangor, where the man, picking up his grandchild, was handed a different sleeping toddler, per the Guardian . The error went unnoticed until...

One Ranking Illustrates Chinese Carmakers' Rise

4 brands made Australia's top 10 for sales in August

(Newser) - Four Chinese carmakers have muscled into Australia's automotive top 10 for the first time, as the country's appetite for Chinese-made vehicles soars. In August alone, Australians snapped up more than 20,000 Chinese cars, according to industry data, which is 8,000 more than they did the...

Aussie 'Sovereign Citizen' Allegedly Kills 2 Cops

Man fired on officers looking to serve arrest warrant Monday in Australia

(Newser) - A large-scale manhunt is underway in Australia's Victoria state after two police officers were killed and a third was seriously injured in what authorities are calling an ambush. About 10 officers were trying to serve an arrest warrant, reportedly related to sex offenses, at a rural property in...

After 'Deeply Disturbing' Find, Australia Boots Iran Diplomats

Aussie intelligence links fires at synagogue, Jewish restaurant to Iran's Revolutionary Guards

(Newser) - Australia has formally accused Iran of orchestrating arson attacks on a Jewish restaurant in Sydney and a synagogue in Melbourne late last year, prompting the country to expel Iranian diplomats and shutter its embassy in Tehran. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, joined by security and other officials in Canberra, described...

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