All articles tagged with #australia
A flight carrying 19 Australians linked to the Islamic State has landed in Australia, with supporters surrounding a woman and child alleged to have ISIS ties at Melbourne Airport as government officials, including Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, address the return and ongoing security and reintegration concerns.
A 39-year-old Cairns man was killed by a shark while spearfishing with friends off Kennedy Shoal on the Great Barrier Reef. Witnesses pulled him from the water and paramedics could not save him. The incident comes on the heels of another fatal attack nearby earlier in May, making it Australia’s third shark fatality in 2026, amid ongoing research that warming oceans and crowded waters may be driving more attacks.
A spearfisher was fatally attacked by a shark on the Great Barrier Reef, marking Australia’s second deadly shark attack in a week as authorities monitor risks for divers and beachgoers.
Australia’s Federal Court fined X Corp A$650,000 for not fully complying with an eSafety notice about reporting how it tackles online child exploitation material, a penalty close to the maximum to deter large platforms; X also agreed to pay A$100,000 in legal fees and has 45 days to settle, with the case tied to regulatory scrutiny during Twitter’s merger into X Corp.
An Australian court fined X Corp. for breaching online-safety rules, a ruling backed by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, underscoring tougher enforcement of platform safety obligations in Australia.
An Australian judge has fined X AU$465,000 for an online-safety breach after a three-year court battle, underscoring ongoing enforcement of online safety rules on platforms and their moderation obligations.
A 38-year-old spearfishing diver was fatally mauled by a 16-foot great white off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, after being bitten on the legs; witnesses carried him to a dive boat where paramedics could not resuscitate him, marking the state's second fatal shark attack this year.
The 70th Eurovision final in Vienna tightens up as Finland and Australia emerge as frontrunners, with Delta Goodrem delivering Eclipse; the show features a diverse lineup, multilingual performances, and street protests surrounding Israel's participation as voting approaches.
Six passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius arrived in Western Australia for a three-week quarantine at Bullsbrook after flying in from the Netherlands; they and a doctor accompanying them were taken by bus to the quarantine facility as Australia enacts a stringent quarantine to prevent any transmission. The ship, which had 11 cases and three deaths, is returning to the Netherlands for cleaning, and the WHO has identified a 42-day potential incubation window for exposure.
An Australian court upheld a ruling in favor of a transgender woman and doubled the damages awarded against a female-only app in a discrimination case.
In a landmark decision, Australia’s Federal Court in Sydney ruled that Roxanne Tickle faced direct gender-identity discrimination when app founder Sall Grover blocked her from the Giggle for Girls app; Grover’s appeal was rejected and the compensation was increased to AU$20,000, the first such gender-identity discrimination case heard by the Federal Court.
Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun are publicly embracing their romance in Australia, where Sweeney is filming. The pair shared a minute-long Instagram Story montage—showing them kissing on the beach, plus a helicopter ride and a coral-reef excursion—that Braun reposted. The couple were first linked last year after meeting at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s wedding, and sources have noted their romance has been developing, with Braun reportedly flying to Australia to visit Sweeney as she works down under.
Plans for a 91-story Trump Tower in Surfers Paradise, Australia, were scrapped after Altus Property Group pulled out, blaming the Trump brand’s toxicity amid Middle East conflicts; locals had petitions against the project, and the deal was said to fail due to obligations on the developer’s end, with the Trump Organization noting the deal was not due to their side.
Altus Property Group scrapped a A$1.5 billion Trump Tower project on the Gold Coast, blaming the Trump brand’s toxic image amid the Iran war, while the Trump Organisation contended the developer failed to meet basic financial obligations; no development application was lodged and the site has been vacant for years, ending plans for Australia’s 91-storey landmark hotel and residences.
Off Western Australia, a humpback was filmed performing a rare 'gape' display—jaw wide, fins sweeping—likely a social signal or calf-stretch rather than feeding. Macquarie University researchers, drawing on 66 crowd-sourced videos, suggest gaping is a distinct behavior revealed through citizen science, not a feeding move. As humpbacks begin their annual migration, experts urge observers to keep distance to protect whales amid increased coastal activity and risks like entanglements.