Australia
Australia: NSW bans greyhound racing after scandal
Greyhound racing will be banned in the Australian state of New South Wales after "horrific" evidence of widespread animal cruelty was uncovered. A government investigation found overwhelming evidence of animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and "live baiting". The state government said it would...
Australia election too close to call
Australia's election is too close to call and the final result may not be known for some time as counting continues in tightly run seats. It is unclear if the ruling Liberal-National has won the 76 lower house seats it needs to form a ruling majority. If it has not, it will need support from minor parties and independents...
Australia votes in federal election
Australians have begun voting in the country's federal election, where the conservative coalition government is widely expected to hold power. The prime minister and opposition leader delivered their final pitches to voters on Friday after a marathon eight-week campaign. The UK's decision to leave the EU appears to have...
‘Act of hate’: Australian mosque attacked as children prayed
Cars were set alight at a Western Australian mosque on Tuesday night as children prayed just meters away in what a local imam described as an "act of hate." Vandals also scrawled "F*** Islam" on a wall outside the mosque in Thornlie, Perth, which is adjacent to the Australian Islamic College. Hundreds of...
Three dead and more missing in fierce Australia east coast storms
Wild weather which has smashed into Australia's east coast and whipped up giant waves on Sydney beaches has left at least three people dead and others missing, police said on Monday as the clean-up began. Ferocious storms pounded the coast over the weekend, causing flooding in New South Wales while huge seas resulted in...
Australia’s deputy PM ‘pulling strings’ in Depp’s head like ‘Hannibal Lecter’
Australia's Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has said that he is "pulling strings" in Johnny Depp's head, like film villain Hannibal Lecter. It comes after the actor said on a US television show that Mr Joyce looks "somehow inbred with a tomato". Depp's wife Amber Heard avoided a conviction in court last...
How Australia stood up to minister’s ‘illiterate migrants’ comments
When Australia's immigration minister spoke out about the level of literacy and numeracy among migrants late on Tuesday, he was addressing what has become one of the hot potatoes of this election season. With the build-up to the 2 July vote now in full swing, Peter Dutton responded to proposals by the opposition Labor party...
Australia’s Manus Island migrant camp left in limbo
The fate of asylum seekers held in Papua New Guinea remains unclear after the country's Supreme Court ruled their detention was unconstitutional. Australia sends asylum seekers to the Manus Island detention centre under its offshore processing policy. The Australian government is still waiting for advice from Papua New...
Australia politician mocks Depp and Heard apology video
The Australian politician who threatened to kill Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's dogs has made fun of the star couple's apology video. Ms Heard, 29, escaped conviction after pleading guilty to falsifying documents before a Queensland court on Monday. A video of the pair apologising for flying their dogs Pistol and...
Amber Heard Avoids Jail in Australian Dog Smuggling Spat
Actor Johnny Depp's wife Amber Heard pleaded guilty Monday to providing a false immigration document amid allegations she smuggled the couple's dogs to Australia, but managed to avoid jail time over what was dubbed the "war on terrier" debacle. Prosecutors dropped two more serious charges that Heard illegally...
Australia prisoner carves IS slogan on cellmate’s head
An Australian prisoner who supports the so-called Islamic State has allegedly used a knife to carve a slogan on to his cellmate's head. Reports said the Islamic State mantra "e4e", standing for "an eye for an eye", was carved into man's head. An inquiry will examine how the high-risk attacker, 18,...
University tells students Britain ‘invaded’ Australia
A top Australian university has rejected claims it is trying to rewrite the nation's colonial history. Students are being encouraged to use the term "invaded" rather than "settled" or "discovered", and avoid the word "Aborigines". The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Indigenous...