Three people have died after a catamaran overturned off the coast of New South Wales, Australia. Emergency crews said an emergency beacon was activated on the vessel in seas near Newcastle, 160km (100 miles) north of Sydney, on Thursday. Another two people – a man, 40, and a girl, 16 – were rescued after being […]

Police in Australia have released footage of a gender reveal stunt that went badly wrong. A car performing ‘burnouts’ on a rural road on the Gold Coast suddenly bursts into flames. Emitting blue smoke, the gender reveal initially seems to be going smoothly and onlookers cheer. But the reveal takes a dark turn when the […]

Seagulls all over Australia are carrying superbugs resistant to antibiotics, scientists say. Silver gulls are carrying bacteria such as E. coli, which can cause urinary tract infections, sepsis and blood infections. The research has raised fears that the antibiotic-resistant bacteria- similar to superbugs which have hit hospitals – could infect humans and other animals. Scientists […]

The All Blacks head coach has faced criticism for arguing domestic abuse is not a gendered issue while justifying his decision to pick a player charged over domestic violence to his rugby championship squad. Sevu Reece was charged with “male assaults female” – the New Zealand legal term for spousal abuse – after injuring his […]

A statue of the moment an Aboriginal Australian football player stood up to racists has been unveiled in Perth. Nicky Winmar’s team St Kilda had just won a match against Colingwood in 1993 when he made the iconic gesture that would go down in sports history. Rival fans hurled racist abuse at Winmar – so […]

AN Irishman backpacking in Australia has been reported as missing. The Irish Consulate in Sydney have appealed for information on the whereabouts of Declan Whales. Mr Whales (30) is understood to have been backpacking in Australia in recent months. A police report on his disappearance was made in Ryde, a suburb of Sydney – nearly […]

An Australian student who was detained in North Korea has been released and has safely left the country, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday. Alek Sigley, 29, who was studying in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, had been missing since June 25. Alarm was raised when the normally active social media user ceased […]

Australian Alek Sigley who went missing in North Korea last week is “released and safe”, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said. It comes after a meeting between officials from the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang and the North Korean government. Australia does not have its own embassy in the North Korean capital. Mr Sigley, 29, […]

A new species of bee fly in Australia has been named after Game of Thrones villain the Night King. Paramonovius nightking was given its name because it thrives in winter, has a crown of spine-like hairs and turns other insects into “zombies”, researchers said. It is about 1cm long (0.3 inches) and can be found […]

Being a former police officer, Lou Haslam knew his family’s story about breaking Australian law to get medicinal cannabis for his son was powerful. It helped lead to a change in the law but, as Gary Nunn reports from Sydney, the family remains unhappy with the result. Working undercover for the police drugs squad, Mr […]