Australia News

TV show fined in Australia for killing, eating rat

AP - Wednesday, February 10

ADELAIDE, Australia - A British broadcaster has been convicted of animal cruelty after two reality show contestants skinned, cooked and ate a rat during filming in Australia. More »

View: Headlines Only | Include Summaries | Include Photos

Race motive 'clear' in some Indian attacks: Australian FM
AFP - Wednesday, February 10
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australia's foreign minister Tuesday told parliament some of the recent violence against Indian students had clearly been racially motivated and had "considerably damaged" the nation's reputation.
Australia spends $173 million on airport security
AP - Tuesday, February 9
CANBERRA, Australia - Australia announced its response Tuesday to the attempted terrorist attack on an airliner over the United States last Christmas: a 200 million Australian dollar ($173 million) upgrade of airport security around the country that will cause passenger delays.
Activists ambush Japanese whalers in Antarctic seas
AFP - Tuesday, February 9
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Anti-whaling activists said Tuesday they had exchanged water cannon fire with Japanese fishermen after ambushing them in Antarctic waters.
Australian PM 'sick' over tales of racism
AFP - Tuesday, February 9
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his Chinese son-in-law has worried him with stories about racism, but he believes Australia is a tolerant country despite recent violence against Asians.
Political leader criticized over housewife warning
AP - Tuesday, February 9
CANBERRA, Australia - The opposition leader has drawn criticism that he is behind the times and sexist after he suggested that a key concern of Australia's "housewives" when discussing global warming policy would be the cost of ironing clothes.
Australian family learn of tragedy on Facebook
AFP - Tuesday, February 9
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australian twins Angela and Maryanne Vourlis learned their teenage brother had died in a car crash from reading Facebook, after a police delay in informing the family, a newspaper reported Monday.
Australia to boost Myanmar aid but keep sanctions
AP - Tuesday, February 9
CANBERRA, Australia - Australia will inject more humanitarian aid into Myanmar but maintain sanctions until the Southeast Asian nation's military junta significantly improves how it treats its people, a top official said Monday.
Australia tightens skilled migration rules
AP - Monday, February 8
CANBERRA, Australia - Australia tightened its migration rules Monday in favor of English speakers and professionals, saying the country has been attracting too many hairdressers and cooks and too few doctors and engineers.
Australia axes 20,000 applications in migrant halt
AFP - Monday, February 8
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australia on Monday axed 20,000 migrant applications in a major overhaul aimed at clamping down on foreign students gaining permanent residency through courses such as hairdressing and cookery.
Australia mourns lives lost in wildfires 1 year on
AP - Monday, February 8
KINGSLAKE, Australia - Releasing butterflies to honor the dead, Australians marked the one-year anniversary of the country's worst-ever wildfires Sunday in big-city cathedrals and small towns still bearing burn scars.
Australia marks anniversary of deadly firestorm
AFP - Monday, February 8
MELBOURNE (AFP) - - Australians marked the first anniversary of devastating wildfires that killed 173 people, grieving for those who lost their lives and praying for the survivors in a national day of mourning Sunday.
Attacks on Indians in Australia: Is it racism?
AP - Saturday, February 6
CANBERRA, Australia - A spate of violent attacks on Indians in Australia is straining bilateral relations and costing Australian universities lucrative foreign student revenue.
Australian saint-to-be tweets from beyond the grave
AFP - Saturday, February 6
SYDNEY (AFP) - - An Australian nun has taken to Twitter on behalf of saint-in-waiting Mary MacKillop, bringing the late sister's messages of hope and forgiveness to a new audience a century after she died.
Darwin 'trolley bomb' suspect appears in court
AFP - Friday, February 5
SYDNEY (AFP) - - The man accused of firebombing an Australian insurance office, injuring 19 people, appeared in court Friday charged with nine counts of attempted murder.
Aussie model joins campaign to save red-faced banker
AFP - Friday, February 5
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) - - A top Australian model has backed a growing campaign to save the job of a banker caught viewing risque shots of her on live TV, in footage that has caused an Internet sensation.
Men At Work slam 'greed' in plagiarism case
AFP - Friday, February 5
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Men At Work singer Colin Hay on Friday hit out at a court case which found his iconic "Down Under" anthem plagiarised a well-known Girl Guides ditty, describing it as "opportunistic greed".
Hollywood studios lose landmark Internet download battle
AFP - Thursday, February 4
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Hollywood film studios lost a landmark court bid Thursday to hold an Australian Internet provider responsible for illegal movie downloads by its customers, in a serious blow to their fight against piracy.
Australia PM pays tribute to 'Black Saturday' survivors
AFP - Thursday, February 4
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd paid tribute Thursday to the "extraordinary courage" of survivors of the 'Black Saturday' wildfires ahead of the disaster's first anniversary.
Australia wildfires haunt 'lost soul' survivors
AFP - Thursday, February 4
MELBOURNE (AFP) - - Twelve months after devastating firestorms reduced his home to ashes, Eugene Howe contemplates the first anniversary of Australia's worst natural disaster with a mix of hope and dread.