The Senate has approved the Foreign Fighters Bill, making it illegal to advocate terrorism and declaring overseas conflict areas no go zones for Australians. The bill passed the Senate easily 43 votes to 12 with Labor and the Palmer United Party supporting the government. Only the Greens, independent Nick Xenophon and Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm […]

The passports of 73 Australians have been cancelled because the government is concerned about fighters returning from the Middle East, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told Parliament on Monday. The passports belong to people whom Australia’s security agencies are concerned want to travel to Iraq and Syria to fight with extremists. Ms Bishop said the number […]

About 3000 protestors took to the streets of Sydney on Sunday to rally against Israeli bombing of Gaza. For the third week in a row protesters gathered at the Town Hall at 1pm, where speakers addressed the crowd and led chants against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and the Abbott government’s perceived pro-Israeli stance. More than […]

The Australian government will pay most of the costs for the G20 summit to be hosted in Brisbane in 2014. Queensland premier Campbell Newman has told parliament Queensland could not afford to contribute a significant amount to costs of the meeting of world leaders. “As this event is clearly a Government Commonwealth responsibility, an agreement […]

A Newsbytes street poll has found people are not concerned about the idea of high-tech surveillance drones as long as they are used only for crime control. Queensland Police could trial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the near future. Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said he didn’t want to ban UAVs but […]

It was a life-changing experience to be a hostage without knowing whether he’d live or die or ever be released, Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan said in Brisbane this week. Brennan and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout were kidnapped in 2008 just outside the Somalian capital Mogadishu. He told his story to a group of aspiring journalists, […]

Julian Assange’s mother Christine fears for her son’s life. She told a Wikileaks forum in Brisbane at the weekend the Australian government was not doing enough to help her son. “Our government does not stand up for its people and does not stand up for the freedom of press,” she said. Ms Assange said Julia […]

At least 87 people are confirmed dead in the worst attack on Norway’s soil since World War II, with the number expected to rise. A bomb that exploded outside Oslo’s government quarter yesterday has so far claimed the lives of seven people and injured many more. Shortly afterward the blasts a man posing as a […]

Two powerful explosions have rocked Oslo’s government-quarter and forced the evacuation of Norway’s prime minister Jens Stoltenberg. At least eight people have been confirmed injured in the apparent terrorist attack. Smoke is said to have engulfed the area after the first bomb exploded at 3:20pm local time. “It blew up like hell,” one eye-witness told […]