Australia
Three dead and 20 injured after car ploughs into pedestrians
Three people have died and 20 injured after a man deliberately drove a car into pedestrians in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. Australian police have not identified the victims, but confirmed one of the deceased was a young child. They said the incident in Bourke Street Mall on Friday afternoon was not related to terrorism....
Father and six-year-old daughter missing at sea for weeks found in Australia
A New Zealand man and his six-year-old daughter who were reported missing have finally found a safe harbour in Australia after spending almost a month at sea. What was supposed to a family trip on a catamaran became a 27-day long, 2,000km (1,241.7 miles) sea crossing when a storm damaged the vessel's rudder and Alan Langdon...
Pakistan, backs against the wall, begin to show a little steel at last against Australia
Pakistan were in a backs-to-the-wall struggle to save the day-night first Test as Australia took a strangle-hold on the third day at the Gabba on Saturday. At the close, the tourists were hanging in at 70 for two with Azhar Ali not out 41 and 112-Test veteran Younis Khan not off the mark after facing 19 balls. Pakistan trailed...
Shark attack Australia: Man bitten 3 times, thrown 6 feet into the air
Colin Rowland, 65, was attacked by a great white shark, reportedly 3.5-metre long Thursday morning. Colin was bitten three times after which he managed to swim across the shore and seek help. He was later airlifted to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital. The high-spirited man exclaimed “living the dream” and gave...
Australian police has been handed a jellyfish mistaken for a breast implant and possible evidence of crime
Police feared a woman had been murdered when a man handed in what he thought was breast implant. But the squidgy circle proved to indicate something much less sinister. A concerned man raised the alarm with cops in Queensland, Australia, last week after upon stumbling upon a translucent disk he believed to be a prosthetic...
Thunderstorm asthma claims six lives as rare phenomenon overwhelms Australia
Six people have now died from a rare phenomenon known as "thunderstorm asthma" in Melbourne, Australia, after heavy wind and rain triggered thousands of pollen-induced asthma attacks in the state of Victoria, health officials have said. "We are now aware six deaths may have occurred as a result of conditions...
Hundreds rally in Australia over juvenile ‘torture’ footage
Hundreds of people have rallied in cities across Australia following allegations of abuse against boys in juvenile detention. Demonstrators gathered in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to express shock at footage showing indigenous boys being tear-gassed. The video also shows a boy wearing a "spit hood" while cuffed to...
Teaching koalas a safer way to cross the road
Koalas aren't the most intellectual of animals, but these leaf-loving tree-dwellers may be smarter than we give them credit for. In a first-of-a-kind study, scientists have tracked the marsupial's activity in response to newly installed wildlife crossings and found that, while dolphins they are not, these fluffy...
Australia steps closer to Guantanamo-like indefinite detention for terrorists
The Australian government has called on lawmakers to speed up the adoption of new legislation enabling courts to prolong the imprisonment of convicted terrorists indefinitely after they serve the terms they are sentenced to. The new measure would only apply to very-high-risk offenders. The fifth tranche of the counter-terrorism...
Australian rugby player Michael Quinn admits US child sex charge
Australian amateur rugby union player and scientist Michael Quinn has pleaded guilty to travelling to the US to have sexual conduct with a child. Quinn, 33 and a player with the Melbourne Chargers, arrived in the US on 19 May and believed he had made contact with child traffickers in LA. Instead he was arrested on 21 May after...
UK offered Brexit free trade deal with Australia
Australia has called for a free trade deal with Britain following its exit from the European Union. Theresa May described the move as "very encouraging" and insisted it showed Brexit can work for Britain. In a phone call to the new PM, her Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull said he urgently wanted to open up...
Australia PM Turnbull’s conservatives win tight election
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared victory for his conservative coalition in last week's closely fought general election. His comments came after opposition Labor Leader Bill Shorten conceded defeat and congratulated him. Votes are still being counted, but the Liberal-National coalition is expected...