“Australia” on The Daily Caller

A man whose parrot was seized after he filmed it clinging to a windscreen wiper as he drove down the Eastern Freeway is considering a hunger strike to get his mate back. (more)

HA LONG BAY, Vietnam (AP) — An anchored boat packed with sleeping tourists sank early Thursday in Vietnam’s scenic Ha Long Bay, killing 12 people from nine countries in the deadliest tour boat accident since the country opened to foreign tourism 25 years ago. (more)

TULLY, Australia (AP) — First came the terrifying roar, then a violent bang like something had exploded. “We gotta go!” David Leger screamed to his father as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in Australia tore the roof off their home, sucking the air up and out of the room like a vacuum. (more)

CAIRNS, Australia (AP) — The tail end of one of Australia’s largest-ever cyclones triggered wild storms and flash flooding at the other end of the country Saturday, while residents in the cyclone zone picked through what was left of their homes. (more)

After the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, media hysteria and bipartisan political support for punishing gun owners increased. As a consequence, our gun laws were tightened. (more)

One wouldn’t normally associate heavy snowfall with global warming, but according ABC News, it’s time to consider that causality. (more)

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia (AP) — Weary residents of an Australian coastal city inundated with floodwaters braced Wednesday for water levels to peak, as state officials held an emergency meeting to help determine recovery plans for the 200,000 people affected by the deluge. (more)

One: Breastfeeding improves boys’ literacy  (more)

The weekend’s WikiLeaks release has already embarrassed a number of nations and individuals, not the least of which is Malaysia’s political opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim. If the WikiLeaks revelations are to be believed, officials in Singapore and Australia are convinced that Anwar is guilty of the sodomy charges for which he is on trial in Malaysia — and they believe that in committing sodomy, he knowingly walked into a trap set for him by his political enemies. (more)

Does anyone else notice the eerie similarities between Julian Assange and Bill Clinton? Aside from the anti-American attitudes they both share, Assange exposed U.S. national security secrets, as did Clinton while he was president. Both were undone by claims of various forms of sexual harassment, which, however disturbing, were minor compared to the subversive activities in which they were routinely engaged. Both are self-aggrandizing, needy narcissists who require power in order to bed women. And both victimized Hillary Clinton. (more)

BRISBANE, Australia (Reuters) – The Australian government Wednesday blamed the United States, not the WikiLeaks founder, for the unauthorized release of about 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables and said those who originally leaked the documents were legally liable. (more)

SYDNEY (AP) — Oprah Winfrey joined 300 eager audience members Wednesday in Australia, where they were flown in for an action-packed, Down Under adventure including close encounters with kangaroos, surfing lessons and a journey to the remote and dusty Outback. (more)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Attackers wielding bats or clubs slaughtered two dozen fur seals, including newborn pups, over several days at one of New Zealand’s most popular sanctuaries for watching the animals, officials said Monday. (more)