Kristina Kukolja

Australia has passed a law requiring major tech platforms such as Google and Meta to strike deals with Australian news publishers or pay a levy on their advertising revenue.

After killing millions of animals worldwide, the highly contagious H5N1 avian flu has arrived in Australia and New Zealand. Experts warn it could push some unique and native species to extinction.

Despite Australia promising tougher penalties for a world-first social media ban for children, a new study indicates that six months in, the policy has barely affected youth access.

Australia's grain farmers, already strained by war-driven shortages, now face a severe mouse plague that could devastate crops in a key growing region.

Until a few years ago, Ben Roberts-Smith was one of Australia's most celebrated war heroes. But now, he will stand trial for alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

Australia says it's given asylum to seven members of the Iranian national women's soccer team, but one has asked to return to Iran.

In Australia, the attempted return of people with alleged links to the Islamic State has raised questions about who bears responsibility for nationals who traveled overseas to join the Islamic State.

The man serving a life sentence for New Zealand's deadliest mass shooting asked an appeals court to throw out his guilty plea.

As more countries look to follow Australia's lead and introduce social media bans for children, we ask whether Australia's legislation is working.

In this installment of NPR's "Word of the Week" series we trace the origins of the "cravat" (borrowed from the French "cravate") back to the battlefields of 17th century Europe.