Australia

Stories 1661 - 1680 | << Prev   Next >>

Cancer Can Be Contagious
 Cancer Can
 Be Contagious 

Cancer Can Be Contagious

Tasmanian Devils transmit it by biting, dogs with sex

(Newser) - Contrary to long-held opinion, cancer can be contagious—and Darwin is to blame, a science reporter told NPR. It turns out cancer cells evolve as species do, and in some rare cases—a cancer affecting Tasmanian devils, two others in dogs and hamsters—the cancers have evolved to allow direct...

Greenhouse Gases Destroying Koalas' Food

Extinction threat as eucalyptus becomes inedible

(Newser) - The koala and its marsupial cousins are in serious danger of extinction because greenhouse gases are rendering the eucalyptus leaves they rely on nutritionally worthless, reports the Australian. "What we're seeing is that the staple diet of these animals is being turned to leather," a professor said. "...

Aussie Pokes Croc's Eyes, Rescues Wife

Heroic hubby jumped on 8-foot beast's back and poked it in the eyes

(Newser) - When an 8-foot-long croc grabbed his wife and pulled her into the water, an Australian man says he did what anyone would—jump on the beast's back and poke it in the eyes until it let go. The pair made it to shore safely, reports the AP, although the woman...

Kangaroo Cull Canceled
 Kangaroo Cull Canceled 

Kangaroo Cull Canceled

Hopping mad protesters win reprieve for Canberra 'roos

(Newser) - Hundreds of kangaroos living on a former Australian naval base have won a stay of execution, the Independent reports. Plans to cull the animals met with a public outcry, and protesters vowed to form a human shield to protect the 'roos. The animals have been grazing heavily on grassland at...

World Will Dim Lights Tomorrow for Earth Hour

Cities will power off to call attention to global warming

(Newser) - Cities across the world will dim their lights  tomorrow night—temporarily darkening major landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Sydney’s Opera House and Chicago's Wrigley Field—in an effort to raise awareness about energy conservation and climate change. Phoenix, Atlanta, and a dozen other US cities will join...

Broken-Hearted Brit Posts His Life on eBay

House, car, friends, job will all go to the highest bidder

(Newser) - Good news for anyone who's ever wanted to be someone else: You can be Ian Usher of Perth, Australia. The native Brit went through a nasty divorce and has decided to put his whole life on the eBay auction block: house, friends, motorcycle, car, even his job. The total cost?...

WWII Ship Found After 66 Years
 WWII Ship Found After 66 Years 

WWII Ship Found After 66 Years

Legendary HMAS Sydney sank in battle with German raider

(Newser) - A legendary Australian war ship sunk in the Indian Ocean by a German raider during World War II has been found nearly intact after 66 years, the Australian PM confirmed today. The HMAS Sydney sank after a 30-minute battle with the Kormoran in Australia's greatest tragedy at sea. The wreckage...

Woman Admits Killing Beau Over Bruce

Musical dispute was last straw

(Newser) - An Australian woman said she had a "brain snap" when her boyfriend wouldn't let her play a Bruce Springsteen CD, CNN reports. She stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife, swallowed a handful of pills, then called emergency services. "I couldn't even play Bruce Springsteen on my...

Doc Linked to 17 Aussie Deaths Busted in Portland

Bungling 'Dr. Death' faces extradition

(Newser) - A doctor accused of leaving a bloody trail of surgical mistakes from New York to Australia to Oregon, has been arrested in Portland, the AP reports. Jayant Patel, a US citizen, fled to Oregon in 2005 after an inquiry was launched into botched operations linked to 17 deaths at a...

Heath's Dad: We'll 'Take Care' of His Daughter

Actor's will pre-dated relationship with Michelle Williams, child's birth

(Newser) - The father of late actor Heath Ledger vowed that his son's daughter—and her mother, actress Michelle Williams—will be "taken care of" even though they aren't in Ledger's will, which dates from before their relationship and the 2005 birth of their daughter, Matilda Rose. Ledger's 2003 will left...

'Extinct' Bird Flies Again
'Extinct' Bird Flies Again

'Extinct' Bird Flies Again

Beck's petrel hadn't been seen since 1920s

(Newser) - The Beck’s petrel, a bird last seen in the 1920s and long thought extinct, appears to be very much alive, the AP reports. Spurred by unconfirmed sightings in Australia two years ago, an Israeli ornithologist set out for a group of islands off Papua New Guinea and brought back...

Australian Lesbians Get Life for Murder

Lovers, one with vampire fixation, kissed over dying 16-year-old

(Newser) - In a case that has gripped Australia since 2006, two lesbian lovers—one with a vampire fixation—were sentenced to at least 24 years in prison today for murdering a teenage girl, the West Australian reports. They bludgeoned and strangled the girl and kissed over her body, taking video on...

Golf Trips for True Aficionados
Golf Trips for True Aficionados

Golf Trips for True Aficionados

A month at Pinehurst? All nine British Open Courses? Now, that's a vacation

(Newser) - You’ve done the week on the links in Florida and the weekend at golf school. Get serious with these Forbes Traveler once-in-a-lifetime trips:
  • England: Play all nine courses in the British Open rotation. The itinerary tees off in London and hits the four English courses before moving to Scotland.
...

Whaling Protester Says He Was Shot
Whaling Protester Says He Was Shot

Whaling Protester Says He Was Shot

Japanese vessel denies using bullets against activists

(Newser) - An anti-whaling activist says he was shot during a clash with a Japanese ship on the high seas, the Guardian reports. Japanese officials deny the allegations from the captain of the Sea Shepherd and say they fired only flash grenades, not bullets. Paul Watson, though, says he pulled one from...

Activists Hurl 'Acid' at Whalers
Activists Hurl 'Acid' at Whalers

Activists Hurl 'Acid' at Whalers

Action draws condemnation from Japan, Australia

(Newser) - In the latest clash between Japanese whalers and activists in Antarctic waters, members of a militant anti-whaling group threw bottles of a slick, foul-smelling rancid butter concoction onto the whaling fleet's flagship. Japanese officials said three sailors were injured when butyric acid, found in spoiled butter, splashed into their eyes,...

US to Deport Captured 'Pumpkin' Fugitive

Will face murder charges in N. Zealand

(Newser) - A murder suspect caught in a Georgia apartment complex after a months-long manhunt will be promptly deported to New Zealand, BBC reports. Nai Yin Xue, accused of killing his wife in New Zealand and abandoning his toddler daughter—dubbed 'Pumpkin'—in an Australia train station, has been hiding in the...

Cities Ready Protest Blackout
Cities Ready Protest Blackout

Cities Ready Protest Blackout

World 'Earth Hour' aims to raise awareness about global warming

(Newser) - An hour of darkness will descend on cities from Australia to Denmark on March 29 as homes and business turn out the lights to raise awareness about global warming. The event began last year in Sydney, where 2.2 million people shut off the lights, AFP reports. Two dozen cities...

Australian PM Pledges Support for East Timor

Rudd visits capital, president wounded in attacks by rebel soldiers

(Newser) - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd jetted to East Timor today, vowing to stand by its neighbor after attacks Monday on its president and prime minister, Reuters reports. "It's by the ballot box, and not by the barrel of a gun, that the decisions for our countries will be made,...

Aussie PM Apologizes for Aborigine Child Abductions

Country watches and cheers as 'Sorry Day' apology to Aborigines is made

(Newser) - Australia's new prime minister made a formal apology to the Aborigines today for "stolen generations" of children the government had taken from their homes. Tens of thousands of Aboriginal children were placed in orphanages or foster homes in a century-long program of forced assimilation. Throngs watched on big screens...

Aussie Troops Arrive in East Timor
Aussie Troops Arrive in
East Timor

Aussie Troops Arrive in East Timor

New peacekeepers fly in under state of emergency as president recovers

(Newser) - Hundreds of Australian troops began backing up peacekeeping forces in East Timor today as its president recovered from triple gunshot wounds in a failed coup attempt. An Australian warship also anchored off the coast, Reuters reports. A state of emergency has been declared amid concerns that the crisis could quickly...

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