Dear Mr President, the Taliban want to talk
DID the Taliban really send a letter to President Obama asking for talks? Or is it just an elaborate propaganda stunt?

Bond's pain as he farewells wife Diana Bliss
MOURNERS clad in rainbow colours honoured Bliss as a woman of courage, grace and compassion.

Government dodges decision on grocery price war
THE supermarket giants have been given the green light to continue with aggressive discounting, with worse to come.

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Rowdy protests belie Aborigines' complex role in Australia
Images beamed around the world last week of unruly and provocative protests by indigenous Australians projected a portrait of an angry and disenfranchised group.

Australian panel to recommend changing constitution to recognize Aborigines
A panel of Australian citizens is expected to set the tone Thursday for a planned constitutional referendum to better recognize the indigenous population that inhabited the vast continent long before Europeans settled there.

Australia secure thumping series win
Australia have secured a thumping 3-0 series win over India after completing an innings and 37 runs victory inside just three days in Perth.

Dominant Australia close in on series win
Australia are on course to clinch the Test series against India with another resounding win after dominating the second day of the third Test match in Perth.

Black Friday for Indian cricketers as Australians take control
India's cricket tour of Australia lurched to new lows on Friday, which proved to be unlucky January 13.

Cyclone hits northern Australia
Tropical Cyclone Heidi slammed into northwestern Australia as a Category 2 storm early Thursday morning, dousing the region with torrential rain as residents remained on "red alert" over reports of strong winds and flooding, officials said.

Deadly mushrooms served as part of meal that kills 2, officials say
A meal containing the world's most deadly mushroom is responsible for killing two people and sickening another in Canberra, Australian health officials said Friday.

Wickets tumble as Australia steady the ship
Veteran batsmen Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey both scored half centuries as Australia rallied on day three of a pulsating first Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Australian teenager jailed for 13 years for killing Indian student
An Australian court sentenced a teenager to 13 years in prison on Thursday for killing an Indian student last year in a case that created tension between the Australian and Indian governments.

Australia to create world's largest marine reserve
The Australian government has announced plans to establish the world's largest protected marine area in the Coral Sea.

Cummins takes six wickets to give Australia hope
Australia's teenage pace bowler Pat Cummins became the youngest player to take five wickets or more on his debut to leave the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg finely poised after the fourth day.

Australia lead despite batting collapse
Australia hold a slender 30-run advantage over South Africa after the second day of the second Test in Johannesburg, despite another dramatic batting collapse on Friday.

In Australia, a major cocaine bust
Law enforcement officials seized 300 kilograms of cocaine from a yacht in a coastal town off of Queensland, the Australian Federal Police said.

Skipper Smith guides South Africa to emphatic win over Australia
Centuries from captain Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla sealed a comprehensive eight-wicket victory for South Africa on day three of a pulsating first Test against Australia in Cape Town, earning a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Australia dismissed for 47 as wickets tumble in Cape Town
An incredible 23 wickets fell on day two of the second Test in Cape Town as South Africa dismissed Australia for 47 -- the fourth lowest total in their history.

Australia approves carbon emissions tax
Australia has passed a controversial new law which will see the country's 500 most-polluting companies pay tax on their carbon emissions.

Qantas ordered to end labor dispute
Australia's Qantas Airways said it plans to resume flights Monday afternoon after a government labor board ordered it to end a dispute with its unions that grounded the airline over the weekend.

Putting Australia's shark attacks in perspective
There is no doubt that the three recent fatal shark attacks in Western Australia involve great white sharks. This species is known to inhabit the shallow waters along this coast and are known to migrate south around this time of the year to the seal colonies on the southwest coast.

New Zealand and Australia through to semifinal showdown
Rivals New Zealand and Australia will clash in the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup after both nations claimed contrasting victories in Sunday's remaining two quarterfinals.

Injury-hit Australia secure third place in World Cup
Australia recovered from losing two key players inside the first 22 minutes to beat Wales 21-18 in Auckland Friday to secure third place at the Rugby World Cup.

UK queen on 10-day visit to Australia
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Canberra Wednesday for her 16th -- and possibly last -- official visit to Australia.

Plane hits Ferris wheel in Australia; no one is injured
An ultralight aircraft became entangled in a Ferris wheel, but neither its two occupants nor two frightened children on the ride were injured, Australian authorities said Saturday.

Australia lifts restrictions for women in combat roles
Australian women will soon be able to serve alongside their male counterparts in front-line combat roles -- a notable shift in the push for gender equality in professions historically dominated by men.

Australia seal series win over Sri Lanka
Australia clinched a 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka on Tuesday after claiming a draw on the final day of the third cricket Test in Colombo.

Australia grapples with policy on asylum seekers
Abdul Farid Sufizada knew he was in trouble when a Russian-built jeep pulled up to his grocery shop one afternoon in northern Afghanistan. An unknown man jumped out and blindfolded him. He was shoved into the backseat and taken to an underground location where the Taliban had gathered a group of local young men.

High Court rules Australia cannot send asylum seekers to Malaysia
The High Court in Australia ruled Wednesday that the country cannot send asylum seekers to Malaysia.

Airlines take flight again as ash cloud moves off Australia
An ash cloud from a Chilean volcano thinned over Australia Wednesday, freeing commercial airliners to take to the skies after grounding them this week.

Chilean ash cloud grounds Australian flights again
An ash cloud drifting around the world for a second time after spewing from a Chilean volcano more than two weeks ago is once again grounding commercial jets and stranding passengers in Australia.

Q&A: Assessing the hazard of Chilean volcanic ash cloud
An ash cloud from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano, which erupted last week, has drifted into airspace over Australia and New Zealand, causing disruption to many commercial flights.

Ash clouds from Chile volcano prompts more cancellations
Ash clouds from a Chilean volcano continued to cause numerous flight cancellations in Australia and New Zealand Tuesday for at least one airliner.

Ash clouds from Chile volcano prompt flight cancellations
Ash clouds from a Chilean volcano prompted numerous flight cancellations in Australia and New Zealand on Sunday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

It's NOT the end of the world as we know it
This just in: Doomsday is doomed. And the world is still here.

Australian police attribute man's death to internet photo trend
A growing internet photo trend is to blame for the death of a 20-year-old Australian man, police in Queensland said Sunday, warning other fans of the dangers surrounding "planking."

Australia, Malaysia reach deal on asylum-seekers
The prime ministers of Australia and Malaysia on Saturday announced an agreement aimed at reducing human smuggling and illegal migration to Australia.

With eye on South China Sea, U.S. might place troops in Australia
American troops might soon find themselves serving in Australia as the United States looks for better access to the South China Sea, the source of much friction between China and many other Pacific nations.

Investigators survey damage after devastating bushfires in Australia
As residents returned Tuesday to Western Australia neighborhoods where fierce bushfires destroyed dozens of homes, state officials announced they would donate $1 million to a relief fund for victims.

Australia weighs tax to fund flood recovery
Australia's government is considering spending cuts and a special tax to help offset the massive economic impact of recent widespread flooding, the country's prime minister said.

Flooding spreads to southern Australia
Portions of southern Australia kept a close eye Wednesday on rising rivers that threatened to add to the mounting destruction from a month of flooding that has killed at least 21 people, inundated homes and devastated thousands of acres of crops across the country.

Flooding in Australia fueled by cyclone, La Nina
Australia's northeastern state of Queensland begins 2011 facing historic river flooding along many coastal rivers, namely the Fitzroy River near the city of Rockhampton. In Rockhampton, the river is expected to reach its crest on Wednesday at a height exceeded only once in recorded history, back in January 1918.

Solar-powered car smashes speed record
A solar-powered car which produces the same amount of energy as a household toaster has smashed the world speed record for a solar vehicle.

Australia's prime minister: Flooding expected to rise in St. George
While floodwaters in Australia have begun to recede in some areas, the worst could still be on the way for at least one city, the country's prime minister said Saturday.

Floodwaters slowly recede in eastern Australia
River levels were slowly receding in eastern Australia on Friday, but officials warned residents to steer clear of roads damaged by devastating floods.

Crops, coal and steel inundated by Australia's flooding
Major flooding across eastern Australia is putting a squeeze on the region's farmers, destroying crops and cutting off routes to market.

Residents evacuated in Australia amid lengthy flood forecast
Thirteen townships in Australia's flooded Queensland state were evacuated Thursday as forecasters warned it may be weeks before river levels start to drop.

Flood-ravaged Australia braces for more rising water
Parts of northeast Australia braced for more flooding Thursday, a day after the nation's prime minister promised aid to flood-ravaged towns, and half of the state of Queensland was declared a disaster zone.

Asylum seekers hold sit-in outside Australian detention center
Dozens of people seeking asylum in Australia after their boat crashed into cliffs along Christmas Island took part in two separate protests on the soil of their prospective home country, a spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship said Friday.

Australia weighs conservation vs tourism in Blue Mountains
More than half a million people a year flock to the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia's most accessible wilderness, to see its impressive peaks and ancient rainforest.

Australia moves to recognize Aborigines in constitution
Australia's government said Monday that it is moving to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the nation's constitution.

Nun whose order fought abuse becomes Australia's first saint
Australia got its first Catholic saint Sunday, a feisty 19th-century nun who was briefly excommunicated when her colleagues exposed an abusive priest.

How you connected Angola and Australia
For our seventh set of countries, we asked you to connect Australia and Angola. Both countries start with the letter, "A," but beyond that, their links aren't that apparent.

Authorities: Most cocaine smuggled into Australia coming from Mexico
A majority of cocaine imported into Australia over the past two years came from Mexico, the Australian Crime Commission told CNN in a statement Thursday.

High school teacher asks class to plan terror attack
An Australian high school teacher caused a stir this week after asking her class to plan a terror attack that would kill as many innocent people as possible.

No clear winner in Australia's cliff-hanger election
Australia's political future hung in the balance after no clear winner emerged in Saturday's cliff-hanger election and a final outcome remained days away.

Australian election bout enters final throes
Like a pair of exhausted boxers entering the twelfth round, clinging onto one another as they drunkenly trade jabs, the two contenders to be Australia's next prime minister have both been swinging, hoping for bruising blows, but neither has emerged as a clear winner yet.

PM says Australia should become republic
Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Tuesday she believes Australia should become a republic after Queen Elizabeth II dies.

Australia discusses plans for regional refugee center
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Thursday he had "productive talks" with Indonesia and East Timor about a regional detention center for refugees.

Why good jobs are going unfilled
We're getting to the point where even good news comes wrapped in bad news.

Australia ends Sri Lankan asylum seekers freeze
Australia's new prime minister is ending a three-month freeze on processing Sri Lankan asylum seekers.

'Doctor Death' convicted of manslaughter in Australia
After six and a half days of deliberation, an Australian jury convicted a surgeon dubbed "Doctor Death" in the deaths of three of his patients, Australia's national news agency said.

Australia plans to head to court over whaling dispute with Japan
Australia will take its case against Japan's whaling practices to international court early next week, Australian officials said Friday.

Australia moves to ban logos on cigarette packs
Australia could become the first country in the world to require cigarette packages to be stripped of logos and designs.

'Hooked for life' on math
When I was a child in Adelaide, Australia, I loved games with clear, unambiguous rules; puzzles that were tough but fair; and the clean, abstract, simplicity of numbers and symbols. So it is perhaps not surprising that I have been drawn to mathematics for as long as I can remember.

Cyclone makes landfall in Australia
A Category 3 cyclone made landfall in Australia early Sunday before weakening as it moved inland.

Names put to soldiers killed in Australia's bloodiest battle
Seventy-five Australian soldiers killed in the World War I battle of Fromelles have been identified, the first of about 250 whose remains were discovered at the site in France more than a year ago.

32 asylum seekers rescued off Australian coast
Australia rescued 32 people seeking asylum this week after spotting them floating on boats off the country's northwest coast.

An Australia tour that wasn't meant to be
First her flight is canceled. Then she misses another flight after her bus breaks down. Finally, Rebecca Canter decides to cancel her Australia tour. But her tour operator refuses her request for a refund. Can it do that?

UK apologizes over 'shameful' child migration program
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologized on behalf of the UK government Wednesday over a controversial child migration policy which saw thousands of children separated from their families and sent to Australia and other Commonwealth countries.

Australian child migrants: In their words
"Barbaric ... inexcusable ... unfettered." Those were the words Norman Johnston used to describe his harrowing time as a child migrant in Western Australia.

Jon Wertheim: Federer's resurgence, Hingis thoughts, more mail
Jon, I don't mean to pick on you because many writers made the same mistake, but I seem to remember you writing just before the 2008 U.S. Open that Fed might struggle to ever pass Sampras's mark and that his time at the top was over. Any regrets about that now? --Paul Collins, Halifax, Nova Scotia

India warns Australia over student attacks
India's foreign minister has cautioned his Australian counterpart that the relations between the two countries could be strained unless Australia tackles the continuing attacks on Indian students studying there.

India issues advisory for students in Australia
A weekend killing in Australia has prompted the Indian government to issue an advisory for its college students studying in that country.

Koalas in Australia dying from AIDS, habitat loss
On the operating table lies a sick koala. He's just been brought in by a driver who found the animal sitting in the middle of a busy road. Veterinarian Claude Lacasse determines the koala has not been hit by a car but she immediately detects one serious problem facing many of the marsupials: Chlamydia, a disease which can lead to a very slow and painful death for koalas living in the wild.

Giant iceberg heading toward Australia
A massive iceberg -- more than twice the size of New York's Manhattan island -- is drifting slowly toward Australia, scientists said Wednesday.

Kevin Rudd: Keeping Australia on the world stage
After nearly two years in office, Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, remains committed to keeping Australia at the forefront of global affairs.

Climate skeptic clinches Australia opposition leadership
Australia's main opposition Liberal party appointed a climate change skeptic as its leader on Tuesday in a move that all but kills plans by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to have an emissions trading scheme passed into law ahead of the Copenhagen climate change summit.

Australia issues 'catastrophic' fire warning
Authorities are asking residents in some some parts of south Australia to evacuate their homes as an impending heat wave prompted the nation to issue its first "catastrophic" brush fire warning.

Australia: Boat sinks with 39 on board
Eighteen people were rescued -- but as many as 21 others were missing -- after a boat sank late Sunday in remote seas off Australia's Cocos Islands, according to Australian Customs and Border Protection Service officials.

Five convicted in Australia of terror
Five men were convicted Friday in Sydney, Australia, of trying to commit terrorist acts in the country's longest-ever terror trial, court officials said.

Analysis: 'Blackface Jacksons' embarrassing to Australia
That Australia is once again defending itself against claims of racism is not surprising.

Rig spill causes oil slick off Australia
Crews worked Monday to disperse an oil slick that stretches 8 nautical miles through remote waters off the coast of northwestern Australia.

13 missing on Papua New Guinea flight
A plane carrying 13 people -- including nine passengers from Australia -- went missing on its way from Port Moresby to Kokoda in Papua New Guinea, the Australia Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Vanderbilt hoops team to embark on tour of Australia
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Vanderbilt Commodores are about to go down under for some preseason bonding and extra play time.

Polar blog: 'There's something afoot in the Arctic'
I'm writing this blog from Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland, where a cold katabatic wind is blowing off the ice onto the deck of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise.

Aborigines at 'higher risk' of swine flu
Australia's Aboriginal people are at greater risk from the H1N1 virus, the country's health minister has warned.

'Best job in the world' winner to be named
Sixteen people vying for what is being dubbed the "best job in the world" will on Wednesday learn who has won the post of caretaker for the tropical paradise of Hamilton island in Queensland, Australia.

Final interviews begin for island dream job
Sixteen applicants arrived in Hamilton Island on Sunday for the final interviews to pick a caretaker for the tropical paradise in Queensland, Australia.

Rudd: Human smugglers 'scum of the earth'
Australia's prime minister Friday slammed those engaged in human trafficking after an explosion aboard a boat carrying Afghan refugees killed three people and injured more than 40 others near Ashmore Reef, off Australia's northwest coast.

World Soccer: Future looks bright for Australia's long-suffering fans
In the same week in late February that the fourth season of Australia's A-League reached its climax with the showpiece Grand Final between the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United, Football Federation Australia moved offices. The common timing of the two events is not entirely coincidental nor insignificant.

Ship spills chemicals in waters off Australia
A container ship lost 30 containers of chemicals in heavy seas off eastern Australia on Wednesday morning, maritime officials said.

Mass stranding of whales, dolphins in Australia
Rescuers have saved more than 50 whales and five dolphins that stranded themselves on a beach in Tasmania, officials said Monday.

5 championship surf spots
For pro-surfers like nine-time world champion Kelly Slater, flying from continent to continent looking for the perfect wave seems like a freewheeling lifestyle, but for amateurs, it requires careful planning.

Australia fire death toll reaches 210
The death toll from bushfires in southeastern Australia has risen to 210, police in the state of Victoria said Tuesday.

Australia mourns victims of deadly wildfires
Church bells rang throughout Australia on Sunday as the country remembered the victims of this month's devastating fires -- and firefighters braced themselves for the possibility of more blazes.

Police question man over Australia wildfire
Police were questioning a man taken into custody Friday in connection with one of the many wildfires that have laid waste to parts of southeastern Australia. No other details were immediately available.

Winds continue to spread Australia's wildfires
Winds whipping across southeastern Australia's countryside continued to fan deadly brushfires Wednesday, spreading flames through rural towns and ravaging scores of homes.

Australian PM: Wildfire arson is mass murder
Investigators in Australia believe some of the deadly wildfires ravaging dry southeastern bushland may have been set, a conclusion prompting Australia's prime minister to call such acts "mass murder."

Fast, fickle, fatal: Face-to-face with wildfires
It was the speed that caught us off guard. And the noise. Like a roaring, out-of-control freight train.

Raging Australia bushfires kill at least 35
Deadly bushfires raged on in southeast Australia on Sunday despite cooler temperatures and scores of firefighters trying to control the flames.

Border cops claim bird-brain stuffed live pigeons in tights
Customs officials in Australia have cried fowl after searching a airline traveler -- and allegedly finding two live pigeons stuffed in his tights.

Two men found in cooler want to stay in Australia
Two men found floating in a giant cooler off the Australian coast say they want to stay in Australia and don't want to go home, immigration officials said Friday.

Australia: News & Videos about Australia - CNN.com
Find stories, videos, and photos about Australia from CNN.com.