Victoria

18 Stories

He Stole His Wife's Passport, Then Stranded Her in Sudan

Australian man is first in Victoria state to be convicted for 'exit trafficking'

(Newser) - In September 2014, Australian Mohamed Ahmed Omer booked a one-month family vacation from Melbourne to Sudan with his wife and two young children—except once in Sudan, he took the kids, and his wife's various forms of identification, and fled back to Australia without her, essentially stranding her in...

For King Charles' Birthday Honors, a Beheaded Statue

Monument in Australian city of Melbourne is now headless on King's Birthday holiday after vandalism

(Newser) - King Charles III was born in November, but on the second Monday of June, many states in Australia celebrate King's Birthday to pay tribute to the monarch's arrival on Earth. The celebration in Melbourne, however, got off to a bit of a dark start, after someone vandalized a...

Games Only Ever Canceled During WWII Are Now in Doubt

Victoria backs out as host for the 2026 games

(Newser) - Since 1930, the Commonwealth Games have run every four years with two exceptions: 1942 and 1946, when they were canceled due to WWII. Now, the 2026 Games are looking shaky after the Australian state of Victoria reneged on its offer to host—raising questions about the "relevance" of an...

Pot Plant's Blinds Won't Close, Creating 'Sunset on Steroids'

Sky turned an eerie pink over Aussie city of Mildura, leading to rumors of solar flare, aliens, apocalypse

(Newser) - No, there's not a Kenny Rogers Roasters opening in Mildura, though that was one suggestion this week as to why there's been a strange pink glow hovering over the Australian city. Locals had been worriedly musing over the origin of the colorful but mysterious light, which made its...

Mom Falls to Death at 'Perfect Selfie' Spot

Rosy Loomba climbed past safety barriers, warning signs at Australian national park, police say

(Newser) - A weekend family outing turned tragic after a mom plummeted to her death off a cliff in front of her husband and two young sons while trying to take a photo. News.com.au reports that 38-year-old Rosy Loomba was hiking with her family Saturday in Grampians National Park, in...

Ranger Has Unusual Theory on Kangaroo Attack

Blames jogger's Sarah Jessica Parker perfume

(Newser) - An Aussie woman says she'll never wear her Sarah Jessica Parker perfume again, at least not while she's out for a run, after a frightening incident with a resident kangaroo over the weekend. Tracy Noonan tells the 3AW Breakfast radio program she was jogging Saturday in the Melbourne...

It Took Months to Get Their Mining Permit. It Was Worth the Wait

Family members find 2 gold nuggets worth at least $250K in Australia

(Newser) - It was an exciting episode Thursday of Aussie Gold Hunters on Discovery, with a family find that could soon make them several hundred thousand dollars richer. Prospector Brent Shannon searches for gold in Australia with his brother-in-law Ethan West as the "Poseidon Crew," and West says he has...

Cops Might've Missed the Illicit Party—if Not for the KFC Order

Hungry Aussies, who should've been under lockdown, fined $18K

(Newser) - Australian police say they broke up a birthday party that attendants will remember "for a long time" since it resulted in some $18,000 in fines. Victoria Police found 16 partygoers hiding out at a home in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong early Friday in defiance of coronavirus restrictions....

An Aussie Open Cloaked in Smoke: 'I Couldn't Walk Anymore'

One player quit her match, 2 called medical timeouts, Sharapova's match called off amid fires

(Newser) - The Victorian government's advice as Australia's bushfires rage on is to "minimize the time spent in smoky conditions" and "avoid exercise"—both tough to do if you're competing outdoors in the Australian Open. But that's what players were forced to contend with Monday...

She Got the Death She Wanted, With David Bowie and Pizza

Cancer patient Kerry Robertson, 61, is first Aussie to die under new assisted-suicide law

(Newser) - It took nearly a month to go through the approval process, but an Australian woman finally got her wish and ended her own life last month. The BBC reports that 61-year-old Kerry Robertson became the first Aussie to take advantage of a new law currently available only in the state...

Australia Issues Scary Warning on Strawberries

Consumers are reporting finding needles inside them

(Newser) - Reports out of three Aussie states have strawberry lovers checking their fresh fruit carefully. The BBC and ABC Australia report that sewing needles have been found embedded in strawberries, from six different brands, that came out of supermarkets in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, per NSW police. Queensland Health...

Woman's Obit Slams 'Fat Shaming' by Doctors
A Woman's Final
Note to All Doctors
in Her Obituary
in case you missed it
Aug 5, 2018 2:30 PM CDT

A Woman's Final Note to All Doctors in Her Obituary

Ellen Maud Bennett says she endured 'fat shaming' from the medical profession

(Newser) - When a terminal cancer diagnosis finally came, Ellen Maud Bennett was given only days to live. The 64-year-old of Victoria, BC, spent them eating lobster and shrimp-wonton soup and boasting, "I look so good for someone almost dead!" Her much-lauded obituary published this month, however, called out something...

Prospector Strikes Gold: a $190K Chunk of It

'I thought it was rubbish at first,' he says of 9-pound Aussie discovery

(Newser) - Wednesday saw what could be the world's largest-ever pearl ; Thursday, a massive gold nugget weighing in at around 9 pounds. Found in central Victoria's Golden Triangle in Australia by an explorer who wishes to stay anonymous, per ABC.net.au , the gleaming chunk of precious metal, estimated to...

Misguided Apple Maps Could Kill You: Aussie Cops

Motorists using app stranded in wilderness

(Newser) - Apple's much-maligned mapping system is so flawed that motorists who rely on it run the risk of ending up dead in the wilderness, Australia police warn. Over the last few weeks, six motorists have become stranded in Victoria state's Murray Sunset National Park when following the map app'...

Try Some Locusts on Your Pizza
 Try Some Locusts on Your Pizza 
Apr 19, 2010 4:00 PM CDT

Try Some Locusts on Your Pizza

Australians beset by plague of insects try to make the best of it

(Newser) - When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you swarms of locusts, make pizza. One enterprising politician in the Australian state of Victoria, which is under siege by the aggressive insects, collected a garbage bag full to be used in place of pepperoni and meatballs. "You can't...

Australia Grieves for Sam the Koala

Rescued animal was symbol of strength after devastating wildfires

(Newser) - The koala bear that became a symbol of hope after Australia's devastating wildfires earlier this year died before surgery today, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reports. Sam was saved by a firefighter who found her moving through the scorched landscape on badly burnt paws, and her image was broadcast around the world....

Aussie Arson Suspect Charged
 Aussie Arson Suspect Charged 
Feb 13, 2009 3:12 AM CST

Aussie Arson Suspect Charged

Suspect is being held in secret location for his protection

(Newser) - An Australian man has been charged with setting one of the hundreds of deadly brushfires that swept across the state of Victoria, killing up to 300 people and destroying entire towns. He was charged with lethal arson linked to 10 of the deaths, and with possessing child pornography, reports the...

300 Feared Dead in Australia Fires

Task Force begins investigation

(Newser) - More than 300 people may have died in the devastating bushfires that have torched 850 square miles of southeast Australia, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. While the official death toll stands at 173, an official warned that number would rise “steeply” as rescuers discover more bodies. Several people are...

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