Australia
- World News
Teen fights off crocodile while fishing with siblings in Australia
A 19 year old teenager in Northern Australia has had a miraculous escape after being dragged underwater by a giant crocodile while out fishing with his relatives on Groote Eylandt. Despite his terrifying experience, Zefha Butcher managed to survive the harrowing encounter with only minor injuries. Zefha had been fishing along with his 10 year old brother and another relative…
- World News
Melissa Caddick’s death mystery unsolved, coroner rules
The mysterious case of conwoman Melissa Caddick, who vanished from her luxurious eastern Sydney home in November 2020, has captivated Australia. Her partially decomposed foot washed up on a beach months later, sparking numerous theories about her fate. Despite a long-running inquest, a coroner ruled on Thursday that the exact circumstances of her death would remain unknown. Melissa Caddick’s life…
- World News
Officer suspended after Tasering 95 year old woman in Australian care home
A 95 year old woman with dementia was critically injured after being Tasered by a police officer at a care home in Australia. The officer, a 33 year old senior constable, has been suspended with pay as an investigation into the incident continues. Clare Nowland is currently receiving end-of-life care in a hospital, and the police response has been widely…
- Business News
Vaping promotion on social media impacting youth in Australia
Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook predominantly exhibit vaping in a favourable manner, giving the impression that e-cigarette usage is widespread and socially acceptable. In Australia, traditional tobacco advertising has been prohibited for decades; however, e-cigarettes are extensively promoted on social media, undermining some of the progress made throughout earlier years. Most platforms have content policies explicitly prohibiting…
- World News
Australian media watchdog criticises Sky News
Australia’s media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), has criticised the climate coverage on Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News Australia, citing numerous inaccurate and unfair statements that led to the breach of broadcasting rules. The ACMA stated that Sky News Australia, linked to Murdoch’s US-based Fox News, aired incorrect statements in various segments of its Sunday Outsiders programme. After…
- Thailand News
Girlfriend of Australian tourist found dead in Thai police custody suspects foul play
UPDATE The girlfriend of the Australian man who was found dead inside the detention room at a police station in Phuket, southern Thailand, on Monday says her boyfriend was “not suicidal” and had every intention of returning to his family. Police arrested 31 year old Matthew Michael Winder for being drunk and disorderly at around 5.45am and detained him at…
- World News
Greg Norman’s LIV rebel tour breaks barriers, sells out in Australia
Despite facing opposition from traditionalists and sparking a civil war within the sport, the rebel LIV Golf tour has been embraced by many in Australia, evidenced by tickets selling out for the nation’s inaugural event this week. Greg Norman, the tour boss, has long desired to see top-level golf become a regular feature in his home country. Australia has experienced…
- Tourism News
Jetstar Bangkok flight stranded in Alice Springs
Hundreds of passengers on a Jetstar Bangkok flight Saturday were stranded on board the aircraft at Alice Springs airport for seven hours. The latest mega-delay comes just days after a 2-hour flight across Japan became a 16-hour nightmare when a flight was denied permission to land because it was 10 minutes late. Jetstar flight JQ30 was heading from Bangkok to Melbourne on Saturday with 320 passengers…
- World News
Independent Chinese travellers demand freedom
Independent Chinese travellers are set to shake up expectations in Thailand and across all of Southeast Asia. More than 10 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in 2019. Almost all of them were on a strict schedule overseen by a terrifying tour guide. Almost all spent most of their money on Chinese-owned operations. Many were riding around in buses provided by…
- Environment News
Australia and New Zealand best places to survive nuclear apocalypse
As Valentine’s Day casts its mushroom-cloud shadow over ambivalent or forgetful lovers everywhere, it’s heartening to know where the best places to survive a nuclear apocalypse really are. A recent study by the University of Otago, Wellington, reaches the same conclusion as every other such survey in living memory. ‘Continuing’ civilisation It’s probably best not to survive, but if you…
- Thailand News
Australia returns 9 ancient Buddha statues to Thailand after 112 years
Nine wooden Buddha statues have returned to Thailand after being in Australia for 112 years. Murray Upton, an Australian man from Canberra, contacted the Royal Thai Embassy that he was in possession of nine ancient Buddha statues from Thailand. The Australian said he received the Buddha statues from his father. He said they were in his father’s possession since 1911.…
- Thailand News
Aussie woman’s mystery illness diagnosed 7 years after holiday to Thailand
An Australian woman spent more than seven years looking for answers about her mystery illness to find its cause was a parasite she contracted on holiday in Thailand. Tess Swift, from Ocean Grove in Victoria, woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating abdominal pain and nausea a few weeks after she returned from Thailand. Swift was admitted…
- World News
Aussie cops bust billion-baht meth shipment
Aussie cops have busted a billion-baht meth shipment, charging two senior members of the drug ring and taking them into custody. The two members were charged in Taiwan over an alleged plot to import 30kg of methamphetamine into Australia hidden inside 3D printers. Australia is in the grip of what authorities have called an “ice epidemic”. They say the drug…
- Health
Infected spinach recalled in Australia after people become delirious
It appears spinach not only gives you superhuman strength but it also makes you delirious. The vegetable made famous by the cartoon character Popeye caused a health alarm in Australia after a number of people who ate it became ill and experienced hallucinations. Nine people from four Sydney households yesterday required medical attention after experiencing toxic reactions linked to eating…
- World News
Young police officers killed in battle with gunmen in rural Australia
Young police officers were tragically killed in a battle with gunmen in rural Australia yesterday. Four officers had gone to investigate a missing person at a property in Wieambilla, Queensland when the gunmen ambushed them. The gunmen fatally shot two officers as soon as they arrived. The battle continued, and a neighbour who came to the scene was also killed…
- Hot News
Australia charges Chinese nationals in US online scam totalling over US$100 million in losses
Four Chinese nationals in Australia are being charged with an online investment scam that allegedly caused losses of over US$100 million. The scam, which was mostly carried out in the US, involved the manipulation of legitimate electronic trading platforms that were licensed to foreign exchange brokers. Those brokers then allegedly provided the software to their clients, resulting in major financial…
- Tourism News
Thai AirAsia Melbourne and Sydney connections take to the air
Australians can expect cheaper flights to Thailand, thanks to the arrival of a Thai AirAsia X on the busy Melbourne and Sydney routes. For the first time since the pandemic began, a non-stop Melbourne to Bangkok flight took off yesterday afternoon from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. The budget airline’s first flight on its new Sydney to Bangkok route departed today. Thai…
- Thailand News
Venomous snake rescued from beer in Australia
Australian reptile rescuers have come to the rescue of a thirsty snake found with its head wedged inside the ring-pull opening at the top of a beer can. Photos and video posted to Facebook by Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation show rescuers responding to a report of a snake trapped in a beer can in Brighton, Queensland. The rescuers arrived to…
- Thailand News
Multiple rapist known as the ‘Bondi Beast’ finally named
It may be too late for the many victims of the man the press labelled the “Bondi Beast” but police finally managed to link DNA samples to the serial rapist. Unfortunately, the multiple sex offender, Keith Simms, died in February aged 66 before justice could be served. Simms was known as the “Centennial Park rapist” in the 1980s, the “Bondi…
- China News
Professor tells US to sit and talk to China instead of warmongering
World-renowned United States Professor Jeffrey Sachs appealed to the presidents of China and the US to get around a table and talk before the globe is dragged into yet another war. The 67 year economist and best-selling author called on US President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping to sit down and discuss their future social, economic, and political plans…
- World News
Australia flip-flops on past decision around Israel’s capital
Australia today flip-flopped on a past decision it made around the capital of Israel, an infamously hot-button issue, several news outlets reported. While Australia recognised West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018, the Australian government has now reversed this decision. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Australia is committed to peace between Israel and Palestine and that the country would…
- Thailand News
Thailand & Australia pledge to stamp out trafficking
The government pledged to make human trafficking its top priority as Thailand renewed stronger trade ties with Australia yesterday. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha met Australia’s new ambassador, Angela Jane Macdonald, at Government House yesterday to discuss several options including trade opportunities between the two nations as they celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations. Government spokesperson Anucha Buraphachaisri made it known…
- Thailand News
Family of Aussie cricket legend furious over Channel 9 bioseries
The daughter of cricketing legend Shane Warne slammed Australia’s Channel 9 network for commissioning a television series of her father. Warne’s eldest daughter, Brooke Warne, believes Channel 9 is being “disrespectful” to the memory of her dad. The 25 year old took to the social media platform Instagram yesterday to vent her feelings about the miniseries, called “Warnie” planned for…
- Crime News
Alleged Thai ‘love scammer’ denied bail in Australia
A Thai national detained in Sydney, Australia, for allegedly committing “romance fraud” was denied bail yesterday. Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee is accused of stealing from men she met online through a dating app. She is facing trial for over 100 charges of fraud. Police say 30 year old Siriluck allegedly pretended to be a registered remitter and charged customers steep inflation…
- Phuket News
“Unruly” Aussie woman kicked off flight from Thailand to Sydney
Cheers erupted from passengers when an “unruly” Australian woman was kicked off a Jetstar flight from Phuket to Sydney before take off on Sunday. The woman apparently lost it “because she wanted to sit by the window,” said one passenger. Jetstar confirmed that the woman was removed for being “disruptive and using abusive and inappropriate language.” “An unruly passenger was…
- World News
Thai officials help restore Australia’s Koala habitats
Thai officials from several different bodies are helping to save the homes of a beloved Australian animal, the koala. On Australia’s National Tree Day on July 31, the officials pitched in to help plant 1,000 trees in Australia’s You Yangs Regional Park. The groups rolling up their sleeves to help included the Royal Thai Embassy and the Tourism Authority of…
- Environment News
130 tonnes of imported waste going back to Australia
Many expats living in Thailand are shocked when they see locals dumping their trash on the side of the road, but it turns out there is a much bigger perpetrator of illegal dumping in the kingdom. The Inter-Pacific Paper Company was caught by Thai authorities shipping 130 tonnes of illegal waste to Thailand from Australia. The Department of Customs contacted…
- Crime News
Man extradited from Thailand to Australia to face murder charge
A man charged with the murder of another man in 2014 has been extradited from Thailand to Australia. The man, 33 year old Antonio “Tony” Bagnato, carried out the murder of 25 year old Bradley Dillon along with others. The suspects shot Dillon in the back three times and stabbed him repeatedly at a car park in Leichhardt, a suburb…
- Pattaya News
77 year old Australian separated from 20 others during hike on Koh Larn
After being lost and stranded while hiking on Koh Larn, just off the coast of Pattaya, an unnamed 77 year old Australian was eventually found and rescued. It is still unclear how he became separated from the group. There were 20 people in the hiking group. After completing the trail, the group failed to do a head count once they…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: 19 year old Australian falls to his death at a Phuket hotel
UPDATE Phuket Police, Lieutenant Colonel Kokiat Boonplod, today confirmed there was no foul play involved in the death of 19 year old Australian Joshua Cornell. The teenager fell to his death from the 6th floor of a hotel rooftop in Phuket’s Patong Beach. The roof of a restaurant kitchen next door broke his fall. CCTV footage captured Cornell walking on…
