A junior Australian defense staffer is on trial after he allegedly downloaded and leaked a “highly sensitive” intelligence report to an online forum. The intelligence service says there is no way of knowing now who may have seen the document. The classified Defense Intelligence Organization (DIO) assessment report, allegedly meant for Australia’s allies, was reportedly obtained by a 21-year-old... 

A female Australian artist was arrested and jailed in Abu Dhabi for “writing bad words on social media,” after reportedly posting a picture of a car parked across two disabled parking spots on Facebook. Jodi Magi, 39, was arrested by United Arab Emirates police and put into prison, after being found guilty of “writing bad words on social media about a person,” ABC reported. “No one is talking... 

Cat owners in Australia may be ordered to keep their pets contained at home all the time as part of the nation’s crackdown on felines over the damage they cause to native species. The federal government will seek public support for “24-hour containment requirements for domestic cats, particularly close to identified conservation areas of significance,” reported the Sydney Morning Herald... 

Police have cordoned off a park area in Bunbury, Western Australia, where a man with explosives took at least one person hostage, according to local media. Police have confirmed there is a hostage situation in a park near the corner of Koombana Drive in Bunbury, according to a GWN7 News reporter. The situation began unfolding at around 8pm local time (12.00 GMT). It is believed that the man is in... 

The Australian parliament has issued a harsh verdict on the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal currently being negotiated, calling it an “attack [on] internet freedoms” and seriously lacking in oversight, in a report released Monday. The “Blind Agreement” report by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, criticized the secrecy of the negotiations crafting... 

Some coral species are better at adapting to climate change than others, a new study has revealed. The research, which was published in the journal Science on Thursday, was conducted by a group of international researchers in Australia. In many parts of the world, coral reefs are declining fast due to pollution, warming seas, disease and storms. Researchers tested several samples of coral reefs from... 

RT spoke to Sam Cossman who climbed into the active Marum volcano on Ambrym Island in the Pacific. His team came back with extensive footage and images, including stunning videos made from a special quadrocopter drone that hovered inside the volcano. To make his descent into the volcano’s funnel, Sam Cossman, 33, wore a custom-made industrial heat suit that can sustain well over +1,600 °C. However,... 

Australia has called on Indonesia to better manage its borders, in a harsh rebuke to Jakarta’s demand for answers to allegations that Canberra paid off the crew of a migrant smuggling boat to return the vessel to Indonesian shores. The stinging response on Monday by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop came after her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi expressed concern on Saturday that if... 

The Australian prime minister says his government will not accept boats carrying migrants, many of whom are Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslims who flee violence in their own country, saying it would worsen the problem and “encourage people to get on boats.” “If we do the slightest thing to encourage people to get on the boats, this problem will get worse, not better,” Tony Abbott said... 

New Zealand is bracing for Cyclone Pam, with flooding and power outages already underway. Some areas declared a state of emergency and locals are being evacuated. Strong winds are reported, as devastation in Vanuatu is fresh on everyone’s minds. One of the first areas to declare a state of emergency was the Chatham Islands, southeast of the two main islands of New Zealand. Over 40 people have already... 

Robotic pets will replace their living counterparts in less than a decade as technology infatuation is growing and more people are crossing over to a high-density urban lifestyle, scientists say. “It might sound surreal for us to have robotic or virtual pets, but it could be totally normal for the next generation,” said Dr. Jean-Loup Rault of the University of Melbourne in his paper published... 

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden accused Australia of undertaking mass surveillance of its citizens and passing laws on the collection of metadata that he says do not protect society from acts of terrorism. Snowden, addressing the Progress 2015 conference in Melbourne via satellite link, criticized Australia’s new metadata laws, which allow the government and intelligence agencies to keep a... 

Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking warns that if the human race does not leave the planet and start to live in space, humanity will die out. The renowned British scientist made the comments while giving a holographic a speech at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Independent reported on Monday. “We must continue to go into space for the future of humanity,” Hawking... 

A powerful storm hitting Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) coast has killed at least three people so far and left thousands without power. The gusts of wind averaged 100km/h and some 30cm of rain fell in some areas, many times more than usual. The average yearly amount of precipitation in the region is 5.5cm. People on the ground have taken to social media to post some of the damage from the storms,... 

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop In early March, Iran’s deputy health minister, accompanied by 5 members of the country’s parliament, visited Australia to boost ties in medical and health research areas, and extended an invitation for Speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop to visit Iran. Over a month later, it is not Bronwyn but Julie Bishop, the Australian foreign minister, planning to visit...