Everything you need to know about Australia: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more
Australia: The land of Kangaroos and Koala
Australia’s history dates back to the 17th century when the Europeans discovered this landmass, later on the British settlers occupied the Australian territory by uprooting the indigenous Aboriginals. In the early 1850’s, there was a gold rush in Australia followed by a rebellion against mining license fees, leading to civil disobedience. Since the past centuries Australia has progressed tremendously in terms of infrastructure modernisation and is now one of the most developed nations in the world. Australia with capital Canberra is a constitutional monarchy under the titular rule of the British Monarch.
Australia Fast Facts:
Deserts cover almost 40% of the total landmass of Australia. However, its southeast and southwest areas have temperate climate and are arable. In summers the temperatures may go up to 50 degree Celsius, while in winters the lowest temperatures fall to sub zero levels. Besides, in Australia, the occurrence of rainfalls is almost unpredictable along with cyclones and thunderstorms.
Australia’s economy is booming with the services sector alone comprising 68% of the total GDP. The agricultural and mining sectors contribute 10% of GDP but account for 57% of the exports. Australia has vast natural reserves and its major exports include wheat, wool, gold, coal, liquefied natural gas and iron-ore.
Culture and Cuisine of Australia:A traditional Australian dish includes meat pie and sausage roll and also the famous ‘Australian Hamburger’. Some of the typical dishes include Vegemite, Chiko Roll and Pie Floater tomato soup. The name of chocolates is unique; such as Violet Crumble, Jaffas, Tim Tams and a cereal named Weet-Bix. Besides this, it produces a variety of exotic wines that are world famous and are exported to more than 100 countries.
Tourist Attractions in Australia:
Australia is world famous for its enchanting beaches where a number of native and tourist people come for relaxation and enjoy the beautiful sunsets. Sydney is one of the most prominent cities that comprise amazing architectural structures. Melbourne is the cultural hub of Australia and equipped with better transport facilities and universities. Some of the other attractions are located in Western Australia, which is known for having a wide variety of flowers and also ghost towns.
Some Other Tourist Sites in Australia:
Sydney, May 20 (IANS) The Australian building and construction industry will see a mixed recovery over 2015-16 after a number of challenging years, according to Master Builders Australia (MBA) forecasts released Monday.
Sydney, May 20 (ANI): Australian Test batsman David Warner was reportedly enraged by a picture linking him to spot-fixing suspect S.Sreesanth in an article by journalist Robert Craddock into corruption in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which led him to insult Craddock and his co-scribe Malcolm Conn on Twitter.
Sydney, May 20 (ANI): Australian opening batsman David Warner is facing a Cricket Australia (CA) disciplinary hearing for his vitriolic social media outburst at respected News Limited sportswriters Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn.
Melbourne, May 19 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) Sunday said David Warner has been reported for breaching their Code of Behaviour.
Melbourne, May 19(ANI): Swedish car company, Volvo has developed an iPhone app that would help car owners to find the location of their vehicle through their smartphone.
Sydney, May 19 (ANI): Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has said that the Australian Twenty20 tournament, the Big Bash League (BBL) needs to carefully vet their overseas contracted players in order to avoid importing corruption.
Sydney, May 19 (ANI): Australian Test batsman David Warner may reportedly lose his place in the squad for the prestigious Ashes tour following his Twitter outburst.
Melbourne, May 18 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) is investigating a Twitter rant by cricketer David Warner, who launched a scathing attack on reputed Australian cricket writers Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn.
Sydney, May 18 (ANI): An Australian has been charged under anti-terrorist laws for issuing a how-to list on Facebook for how young men can engage in holy war without getting killed or ending up in Guantanamo Bay.
Sydney, May 18 (ANI): Australian women cricketers are set to take a major leap towards professionalism after Cricket Australia's (CA) expected announcement of a major improvement in pay and conditions for female players next week when it unveils the women's Ashes squad.
Sydney, May 18 (ANI): Former England captain Andrew Strauss has said that it is important for England to have star batsman Kevin Pietersen fully fit for a successful Ashes series, even though he has a big ego.
Sydney, May 18 (ANI): Australian Test batsmen David Warner has come under investigation after he posted expletive-laden tirade on the social media against the journalists of a reputed Australian media company.
Sydney, May 17 (ANI): Australia's education minister Peter Collier has apologized for an embarrassing Facebook indiscretion which revealed that he had liked a picture of a
Sydney, May 17 (ANI): The Australian media has said that the cricket in the country is brewing an 'exotic makeover' by adding to its ranks the likes of South-East Asian origin cricketers like Fawad Ahmed, Usman Khawaja and Gurinder Sandhu.
Melbourne, May 16 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) Thursday announced that Carlton and United Breweries have renewed their partnership by becoming the naming rights sponsor of One-Day Internationals (ODI) in Australia through their Carlton Mid brand.
Sydney, May 16 (ANI): Cricket Australia (CA) has reportedly condensed the five-match series of one-day internationals against England into a 15-day period in January 2014.
Canberra, May 16 (IANS) Australia and Sweden have achieved a "significant milestone agreement" relating to Intellectual Property rights for submarine design and technology, Defence Minister Stephen Smith said Thursday.
Sydney, May 16 (ANI): Australian captain Michael Clarke has expressed his confidence that he will continue to manage his chronic back problem through the upcoming consecutive Ashes series against England.
Washington, May 16 (ANI): When the brain's primary "learning center" is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for the lost function.
Sydney, May 16 (ANI): Australian captain Michael Clarke is confident that any attempt by England to prepare spinning wickets and doctor pitches during the Ashes will be blown away by his imposing pace battery despite his team's troubled Indian tour.
Paris, May 15 (IANS) Top seed and defending champion Ding Ning of China breezed past Dederko Zhenhua of Australia 4-0 to reach the second round of the World Table Tennis Championships here Wednesday.
Suva, May 15 (IANS) India will take part in a five-day meet in Fiji where local and international sugar researchers will share information on "erianthus", a sugar hybrid, the government said Wednesday.
Washington, May 15 (ANI): Rod Stewart has revealed that he once took a stunning blonde back to his hotel room, only to discover that she was a man.
Sydney, May 15 (IANS) Australian universities will receive an additional $83.7 million over four years to enhance students' opportunities to study an Asian language, the government announced.
Sydney, May 14 (ANI): In a break from tradition, the women's version of the Ashes is set to be conducted across all three international formats in England and Australia.
London, May 14 (ANI): England pace bowler Stuart Broad has said that it is important for their team to win the back-to-back Ashes series this year seeing that England has not won four back-to-back Ashes in 120 years, adding that they have a big chance this year to make history.
Melbourne, May 14 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Tuesday announced that, starting in England in August, the Women's Ashes will be contested through a new multi-format series.
London, May 14 (IANS) TV actress Charlie Brooks is happy working in the TV show "EastEnders", but also wants to pursue her Hollywood dreams.
Sydney, May 14 (ANI): Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin has said that he felt that the wisdom of advancing years will be a credential of him, instead of a curse, ahead of the back-to-back Ashes series.
Chennai, May 13 (IANS) India's largest tyre manufacturer MRF has joined forces with Czech car maker Skoda to enter a two-car team in the six-round 2013 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC).
Sydney, May 13 (ANI): Youths in Australia now give more importance to higher education than marriage, a new study has revealed.
London, May 13 (ANI): Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson got dressed up as an air stewardess in fishnet tights and red lipstick after losing a bet to Air Asia chief executive Tony Fernandes.
Melbourne, May 12 (Xinhua-ANI): The statistics released by the 14th Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers report showed that Australia has reached the top 10 best countries to be a mother around the world this year, local media reported on Sunday.
Melbourne, May 12 (IANS) The 2013 World Cup of Golf will return to the Royal Melbourne Golf Club here and will be played Nov 21-24.
New York, May 12 (ANI): Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed that she needs her gal pals by her side whenever she gets her body waxed.
Sydney, May 12 (ANI): The Australian media echoed former International Cricket Council's (ICC) CEO Haroon Lorgat's words that instead of fearing the might of India, the ICC and its other members should focus on their own weaknesses, adding that good governance is about everybody being able to stand on their own feet.
Sydney, May 12 (ANI): Fast recovering injured Australian quick Pat Cummins is set to unleash almost 18 months of frustrating sitting-out on unsuspecting England cricketers as he gets ready to join a handful of his former Test teammates on Australia A's three-match tour of the UK in the lead-up to the Ashes series.
London, May 12 (ANI): Current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and former skipper Ross Taylor have reportedly put their problems behind them and have joined hands in a bid to defeat England in the first Test at Lord's.
Sydney, May 11 (ANI): Young Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins has said that he has made changes to his swinging action to make him less prone to injury as he gets ready to join the Australia A squad in Britain this winter as a part of his rehabilitation process.
Dubai, May 10 (IANS/WAM) The UAE's ministry of environment and water has lifted a ban on import of live birds from Australia, saying no cases of bird flu have been detected in the country.
New Delhi, May 10 (ANI): Countries around the world face common challenges in getting their corporate regulation frameworks right, balancing the objectives of fairness and efficiency, and there is a lot that India and Australia can learn from each other in this regard, according to Australian legal expert, Dr Robert Austin.
Melbourne, May 10 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) Friday announced that fast bowler Pat Cummins will travel with the Australia A squad on the tour of the British Isles as part of his ongoing rehabilitation programme.
Vancouver, May 10 (IANS) Canada's overseas investment and foreign direct investment in the country both grew by more than 5 percent last year, Statistics Canada said.
London, May 10 (ANI): Demi Moore appears to have found herself a new man.
Sydney, May 10 (ANI): Australian youngster Steve Smith will be retiring early from the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament due to a lower back complaint, although he is expected to be fit for his vice-captain role for the Australia A squad in England next month.
Sydney, May 9 (IANS) An Indian-origin lawyer in Australia has been disbarred from practising after it was found that he was guilty in a case of trying to pervert the course of justice while earlier practising in Fiji.
Washington, May 9 (ANI): Keith Urban has been voted as the Best 'American Idol' Judge ever, in a recent readers' poll.
Sydney, May 9 (ANI): Australian telecommunication company Telstra, along with other government agencies, selected top hackers in the country after launching a tournament giving students a hacking challenge.
Melbourne, May 9 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) has asked Pune Warriors all-rounder Steve Smith to return to Australia from the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a lower-back pain complaint.
Sydney, May 9 (ANI): Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has reportedly consulted captain Michael Clarke about what he needs to do to retain his place in the Test side for the back-to-back Ashes campaign against England
Sydney, May 8 (ANI): Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic's father John Tomic has been barred from being accredited to upcoming ATP events following an ongoing investigation in his alleged assault of Bernard's training partner Thomas Drouet, ahead of this week's Madrid Open.
Washington, May 8 (ANI): Less than a year after the decision to site the revolutionary Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in both Southern Africa and Australia, the SKA Organisation has opened its new international headquarters.
Canberra, May 8 (IANS) Chinese and Australian men's teams will play a four-match Sino-Australia Challenge basketball series in June as part of a cooperation deal for the next four years.
London, May 8 (ANI): Plants appear to help each other grow with soothing microscopic sounds, a new study has found.
Suva, May 7 (IANS) There is a chance that Australia and New Zealand could be a part of future Pacific Games.
Nairobi, May 7 (IANS) Over ten Olympic champions will look to making a splash in the IAAF Diamond League race in Doha, Friday.
New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): India and Australia have reviewed bilateral co-operations in sectors like agriculture, civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement and Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) during the 14th Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) meeting that was held in New Delhi.
New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) Participating countries at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, being held here May 5-10, feel the event needs to be scheduled better to make it attractive for players.
Melbourne, May 5 (ANI): Geri Halliwell, who will replace her former band mate Mel B as a judge in Channel 9's 'Australia's Got Talent', has revealed what she'll be looking for when it comes to available talent of the bachelor kind.
Sydney, May 5 (ANI): Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could still be languishing in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in six months, according to his lawyer.
New York, May 5 (ANI): The World Naked Gardening Day event was held on Saturday which encouraged people to get in touch with nature while au naturale.
London, May 5 (ANI): Australian cricketer Chris Rogers has vowed that his team will be having the last laugh during the Ashes when they win the series even though he admitted that he is friends with English cricketer Steven Finn, with whom he plays in the Middlesex county side.
Sydney, May 5 (ANI): Young Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa, often touted as a clone of spin legend Shane Warne, has said that he has no intention of being the next Warne, following his shift from the domestic New South Wales (NSW) side to the South Australia team.
Paris, May 4 (IANS) Australia's Brad Drewett, president of the ATP, died at the age of 54 following a battle against motor neurone disease, the governing body of men's tennis announced.
Johannesburg, May 4 (ANI): South African cricketer JP Duminy has expressed his happiness after being named in the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, adding that he is eager to repay the Proteas team management for the faith they have shown in him.
Sydney, May 4 (ANI): Young Australian cricketer Mitchell Marsh, who has been recalled to the squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, has said that he has learnt from his mistakes made off the field, although he said that he felt that his lapses of the past year have been blown out of proportion.
Sydney, May 4 (ANI): England bowlers Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan are back in the side after recovering from elbow injuries, and are a part of the 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which was named by the selectors on Friday.
San Diego, May 3 (IANS) Scientists have shown that certain proteins in plants that function as transporters can help solve global fuel and food problems, a study says.
Sydney, May 3 (ANI): Liverpool is set to snub next season's Europa League to commit to a friendly match with Australian football club Melbourne Victory.
Sydney, May 3 (ANI): Based on a new fitness trend sweeping the UK, the latest running craze is all about one thing - darkness.
Sydney, May 3 (ANI): Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile has expressed his shock at being a part of the ICC Champions Trophy squad, although he admitted that he was thinking of spending some time with his baby daughter and was not in the mindset of going for any tour.
Sydney, May 3 (ANI): Australia's Twenty20 captain George Bailey, who has been newly appointed as the vice-captain for the ICC Champions Trophy squad, said that he has come out more stronger from the adverse results of the one-day series against England last year, which was clean-swept by their rivals 0-4.
Sydney, May 3 (ANI): Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has said that his team is determined to prove their doubters wrong in the upcoming Ashes series in England, although he added that they will willingly embrace their underdog tag.
Abu Dhabi, May 3 (IANS/WAM) Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of the UAE, and Air France have announced a number of new codeshare destinations in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe for the summer of 2013.
Kuala Lumpur, May 2 (IANS) There will now be three groups, instead of four, at this month's Badminton World Federation's (BWF) Sudirman Cup to be held here from May 19 to 26.
London, May 2 (IANS) Former England skipper Mike Gatting has been appointed the next president of the historic Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He will take office Oct 1, 2013.
Sydney, May 2 (ANI): Newly promoted one-day vice-captain George Bailey has supported the inclusion of combative all-rounders Mitch Marsh and James Faulkner for Australia's ICC Champions Trophy campaign, to be held in England in June.
Sydney, May 2 (ANI): Australian chairman of selectors John Inverarity has sent a bugle call for leaders of the next generation to step forward and showcase their credentials for the role of following Test captain Michael Clarke, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy squad.
Sydney, May 2 (ANI): Former England captain Mike Gatting has reportedly been appointed as the new president of the historic Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and will assume his new duties from October 1.
Sydney, May 2 (ANI): Former Australian cricketer Justin Langer has said that he believes that reformed party-boy Mitchell Marsh has the potential to become a key figure for his country with bat and ball, following his inclusion in the ICC Champions Trophy squad.
Melbourne, May 1 (IANS) Australia have named their 15-man squad for this year's ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England and Wales from June 6 to 23.
Melbourne, May 1 (IANS) The Australian cricket selectors have given maverick Mitchell Marsh a big chance to put his career back on track by ignoring his current form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to pick him in the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy June 6-23.
New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) India will open their campaign in the the last edition of the ICC Champions Trophy with their Group B match against South Africa at Cardiff on June 6. The biennial tournament is being would wound up as the ICC is unable to slot it in the crowded cricket calendar.
Melbourne, May 1 (ANI): Scientists in Australia are working on a blood test that could lead to routine screening for Alzheimer's disease.
Washington, May 1(ANI): When exposed to secondhand smoke at home, teenage girls tend to have lower levels of the "good" form of cholesterol that reduces heart disease risk, according to a recent study
Wellington, May 1 (ANI): Beyonce Knowles has reportedly asked for drinking straws worth 900 dollars on her The Mrs Carter Show World Tour.
Johannesburg, May 1 (ANI): South African cricketer has reportedly been added to the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, which will end his six months of inactivity.
Sydney, May 1 (ANI): Australian cricket great Ian Chappell has put a damper on Australia's hopes for the 2013 Ashes by claiming that the team's batsmen will struggle in the back-to-back series in England.
Beijing, Apr. 30 (Xinhua-ANI): The defense ministers of New Zealand and Australia met in Auckland Tuesday for bilateral talks ahead of the first-ever region-wide defense talks in Tonga.
Sydney, Apr. 30 (ANI): Both the major political parties in Australia have rejected calls to carry out a referendum on gay marriage on Election Day.
Sydney, Apr 30 (ANI): Australian cricketer Matthew Wade has reportedly emerged as a leading candidate for the role of vice-captain for the one-day side for the ICC Champions Trophy.
New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) Infrastructure major Lanco Infratech said Monday it has settled out of court a multi-billion dollar legal dispute with Perdaman Chemicals of Australia.
Colombo, April 29 (IANS) The Australian government repatriated 25 more Sri Lankans who tried to illegally migrate, bringing the total number of boat people returned to over 1,000, the Australian embassy said Monday.
London, Apr.29 (ANI): Australian bowling Coach Stuart MacGill has reportedly said that the England cricket team needs left-arm spinner Monty Panesar to join the team for challenging the Australians during the Ashes series in 2013, more than recovering right-arm off spinner Graeme Swann.
Melbourne, Apr 29 (ANI): Societal trends in Australia are turning grand parents into an endangered species, it has been revealed.
Sydney, Apr. 29 (ANI): A majority of users have given Facebook's Home mobile a one star rating on the Google Play store.
Sydney, April 29 (IANS) The family of an Indian woman, who was raped and murdered here two years ago, told a Sydney court Monday of the immense pain and suffering they have been going through all this time.
Melbourne, April 28 (ANI): 'Facebook fatigue' has reached Australia, as new data revealed that almost 400,000 users have drifted away from the social network since December.
Sydney, Apr.28 (ANI): Twitter followers of Australia's famous politicians suggest that they are high in terms of popularity, but it has emerged that these figures are targeted and inflated by 'spam bots', a test conducted on the social media analysis platforms has revealed.
Sydney, Apr 28 (ANI): Former Australian vice-captain Shane Watson said that being a father helped him move on from the fractured relationships in the team, the infamous 'homework-gate' incident and a public denouncement that he was not always a team man.
