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Weeks after sticky black balls washed up on the famed beaches of Sydney, Australia, scientists say they have partly solved the mystery behind the “disgusting” blobs. Initially thought to be tar balls, the golf-ball-size debris turned out to be something much different — a combination of decomposed cooking oils, hair and food waste, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said Wednesday. Balls collected for testing in a laboratory at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. They said preliminary test results indicated that the blobs were tar balls formed when oil comes into contact with debris and water. Sydney Water confirmed there were no issues at the Bondi or Malabar water facilities, while Transport for NSW Maritime reviewed recent weather patterns but found no clear answers, according to the statement.

Persons: “, Balls, Jonathan Beve, ”, William Alexander Donald, Donald, we’re, ” Donald Organizations: New South, New South Wales Environment Protection Authority, University of New, Authorities, University of New South Wales Sydney, NBC News, Sydney Water, Transport, NSW Maritime Locations: Sydney, Australia, New South Wales, University of New South Wales, Bondi, University of New South, Victoria, Malabar

☆ Mysterious black balls that washed up on Sydney beach were foul-smelling mini ‘fatbergs’
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The mystery of the black balls that washed up on some of Sydney’s most iconic beaches last month has now been solved – and it’s more disgusting than you could ever imagine. Australian beachgoers were turned away from seven beaches last month after lifeguards spotted thousands of black spheres, prompting closures and clean-up efforts. People visit Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia after authorities closed it to the public on October 16, 2024, following the sighting of mysterious black balls on its shores. These Sydney fatbergs were no ordinary fatbergs, however. The blobs contained everything from fecal matter to medication and recreational drugs, the scientists wrote.

Persons: ”, Jon Beves, Saeed Khan, William Alexander Donald, ” Donald, 9news, Fatbergs, Sydney fatbergs Organizations: CNN, University of New, UNSW, New South, New South Wales Environment, Protection Authority, Sydney, Getty, EPA, “ Authorities Locations: University of New South Wales, New, New South Wales, Bondi, Coogee Beach, Sydney, Australia, AFP, Birmingham, “

Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach and other beaches around the Australian city were shut on Thursday as authorities investigated mysterious tar balls that have washed ashore. The dark, sticky, golf-ball-sized blobs were first reported Tuesday on Coogee Beach, leading to a series of beach closures across the city’s shores. The City Council of Randwick, a Sydney suburb that is home to four of the beaches, said preliminary test results showed that the blobs were tar balls, formed when oil comes into contact with debris and water. “We don’t yet know what has happened to produce the debris washing up on our beaches,” Mayor Dylan Parker said in a statement Thursday. The regulator said it was investigating the origin of the debris and whether it posed any risks to the community and environment.

Persons: Bronte, Tamarama, Dylan Parker Organizations: City Council of, ”, Environment Protection Authority Locations: Bondi, Coogee Beach, Gordons, Clovelly, Maroubra Beach, City Council of Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales, Congong, Little Bay, Malabar

☆ Sharks are congregating at a California beach. SharkEye’s AI is trying to keep swimmers safe
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —On summer mornings, local kids like to gather at Padaro Beach in California to learn to surf in gentle whitewater waves. Human vs. AI shark detectionA rise in the popularity of drones, and the proliferation of social media, may make it seem like sharks are everywhere. Although there hasn’t been a fatal attack recorded at Padaro Beach, some community members were concerned when sharks began loitering there. SharkEye's drone pilot, Samantha Mladjov, at Padaro Beach in California. Officials in Honolulu said this month that they’re considering launching a drone shark surveillance program, according to local media.

Persons: SharkEye, ” Neil Nathan, BOSL, hasn’t, Nathan, Samantha Mladjov, Science Laboratory Nathan, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, University of California Santa, Science Laboratory, Science, Stanford University, Florida Museum, Natural, New, Officials, “ Sharks Locations: Padaro, California, New York, Sydney, Padaro Beach, Santa Barbara, India, Australia, Queensland, Mexico, Caribbean, New South Wales, Bondi, Honolulu, Hawaii

☆ The world’s best countries for tourism, according to the World Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The United States has just won a significant honor – being named the world’s best country for travel and tourism in 2024 by the World Economic Forum. Europe in the leadSix of the top 10 countries on the list are in Europe, with Spain the highest overall. The country knows it has the world’s eyes looking its way ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris this year. For 2024, six countries share the number one ranking – France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain. leonovo/iStock Editorial/Getty ImagesThe top 10 countries for tourism, according to the World Economic Forum1.

Persons: –, It’s, Yongyuan Dai, ” Organizations: CNN, World Economic, Economic, Henley Index, –, Asia “, United Locations: United States, Europe, Spain, France, Paris, – France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Shanghai, China, Asia, Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands, American, Canada, Australia, Bondi, Barcelona, Venice, Bolzano, Tyrol

☆ After Months of Cocaine Washing Ashore, Australian Police Make an Arrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Inside were 39 sealed packages, each containing about two pounds of cocaine, according to the police. Then, within days, nine more packages were found across eight beaches and bays spanning a 60-mile stretch of coastline between Sydney and Newcastle. And more kept washing ashore in the following weeks and months. In one instance, a lifeguard plucked a two-pound block out of the water off Bondi Beach in Sydney. In another, a fisherman found a blue barrel containing 39 two-pound blocks.

Organizations: Australian Federal Police Locations: New South Wales, Australia, Sydney, Newcastle, Beach, Queensland

☆ After Stabbing Rampage, Australia Struggles With Questions of How and Why
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Victoria Kim | Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a perfect mid-autumn day, the scene at the upscale mall in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, was as humdrum as it was idyllic: mothers pushing strollers, gaggles of teenagers being young, families whiling away the weekend afternoon. A mile from the famed Bondi Beach, a knife-wielding attacker stabbed nearly 20 people inside the shopping mall, including a 9-month-old girl. Six of the victims, including the girl’s mother, have died, and about a dozen others were being treated at hospitals. The police on Sunday were combing through a crime scene spanning several floors of the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall. They were also interviewing hundreds of witnesses to Saturday’s attack, trying to piece together the chronology of a rampage that punctured a sense of security in this wealthy suburb of Australia’s largest city.

Persons: — Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bondi, Westfield, Australia’s

☆ Bondi Junction, Site of Stabbing Attack, Is a Popular and Busy Hub
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Isabella Kwai | More About Isabella Kwai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bondi Junction, the area of Sydney, Australia, where Saturday’s stabbings took place, is a bustling hub that regularly draws crowds on weekends. The shopping area’s early development in the 1970s made it one of Australia’s largest development projects. And during a major renovation in 2005, it was known as one of the largest shopping centers in the Southern Hemisphere. An array of small businesses, including cafes and yoga studios, have sprung up in the area, making it an attractive meeting ground. That includes the famous Bondi Beach, which means that on any given weekend, tourists and backpackers are in the mix along with residents of the area.

Persons: Saturday’s stabbings, Chanel, Gucci Organizations: Southern Hemisphere Locations: Sydney, Australia, Westfield, Bondi

☆ Australia's tight rental market forces tenants to make tough choices
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters GraphicsNEARING THE PEAKMany tenants, particularly in the most expensive city Sydney, have already been priced out of houses. PropTrack data showing house rents nationally were unchanged at A$550 per week, or about A$2,380 ($1,508) per month, in the September quarter. Apartment rents nationally jumped 4% during the quarter, double the June quarter rate of increase, to an average of A$520 per week, making them almost as costly. Prices across Australia's entire rental stock rose 7.6% in the third quarter from a year ago, the largest increase since 2009, according to official data, and similar to gains seen in the U.S. where rental costs have also surged. ($1 = 1.5780 Australian dollars)Reporting by Stella Qiu; Editing by Wayne Cole and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lara Weeks, Weeks, Cameron Kusher, Michele Bullock, Christian Postiglione, Tim Beattie, Beattie, Stella Qiu, Wayne Cole, Jamie Freed Organizations: REA, Reuters Graphics, Reserve Bank of Australia, Nationwide, ANZ, Housing, Thomson Locations: SYDNEY, Sydney, U.S, Bondi, Australia, Western Australia, Adelaide

[1/5] Voters are seen at the ballot box at the Old Australian Parliament House, during The Voice referendum in Canberra, Australia, October 14, 2023. "I sincerely hope that Australians, when they walk into that ballot box today, vote 'Yes'," Albanese said in Sydney, according to a transcript. Supporters of the proposal believe entrenching an Indigenous Voice in the constitution would unite Australia and usher in a new era with its Indigenous people, who account for 3.8% of the population and are its most disadvantaged, by most socio-economic measures. Another voter and 'No' campaigner, Greg Mason, doubted the usefulness of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Constitutional change requires a majority of votes both nationwide and in at least four of the six states.

Persons: Tracey Nearmy, Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Michael Mahoney, Sydneysider Geoff Sumner, Greg Mason, Stefica Nicol, Praveen Menon, William Mallard, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Old Australian, House, REUTERS, Aboriginal, Australian, Stefica Nicol Bikes, Thomson Locations: Canberra, Australia, Sydney SYDNEY, Sydney, Torres, Melbourne, Perth, Beach

☆ Australia swelters in spring heat wave, temperatures set to break records
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Crowds of people enjoy the beach as parts of Australia's east reached their hottest day in more than two years amid temperatures which rose to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, March 6, 2023. Australia is baking through a rising heat wave which has been building in the country's outback interior over the weekend and is likely last until Wednesday across the states of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. The Bureau of Meteorology said it expected several early spring records were likely to be broken over the next few days, calling the heat "very uncommon for September". Temperatures in Sydney's west are expected to hit 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 F) on Monday before dropping to about 22 degrees Celsius (71 F) on Thursday, the weather bureau forecasts showed. The heat wave has also elevated the risks of fires with several regions given 'high' fire danger ratings, and authorities urging residents to prepare for bushfires.

Persons: Jaimi, El Nino, Renju Jose, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Meteorology, Sydney, Thomson Locations: Australia's, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Sydney's

☆ Australia swelters in 'uncommon' spring heat ahead of likely El Nino event
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Large parts of Australia were in the grips of "uncommon" spring heat on Saturday, the nation's weather forecaster said, forecasting that record temperatures could be set on Sunday. The heat burst came after the forecaster said this week that indicators of an El Nino weather event had strengthened and it would likely develop between September and November, bringing hotter, drier conditions to Australia. The weather bureau said the "early period of heat" in many parts of the country was "very uncommon during September". "Record September daytime and nighttime temperatures are expected from Sunday through Thursday across inland areas of South Australia, New South Wales and northeast Victoria." Another local, Danielle Vangou, was worried about runners in the Sydney marathon, set to take place on Sunday.

Persons: El Nino, Bella Callaghan, Danielle Vangou, Sam McKeith, Cordelia Hsu, Tom Hogue Organizations: New, Kingsford Smith Airport, Meteorology, Facebook, Sydney, Thomson Locations: Australia, Sydney, Australia's, New South Wales, El Nino, South Australia, Victoria, Bondi, Turkey

“We’ve never seen so many of them so early in the season and we strongly believe it’s because of the better weather. Their annual round-trip journey between June and early September covers up to 6,214 miles (10,000 kilometers). Humpback whales spend their summers feeding in sub-tropical waters, where they also mate and give birth, according to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment. Humpback meets kayakOne kayaker had a particularly close-up view in an encounter that was captured by a drone. In the stunning footage, an enormous humpback follows a white kayak in turquoise clear waters off Bondi beach.

Persons: Steve Trikoulis, “, Hervey, ”, ” Trikoulis, “ We’ve, We’ve, Australia –, Jason Iggleden, Iggleden Organizations: CNN, Organization for, Rescue, Australia’s Department of Agriculture Locations: Bondi, New South Wales, Queensland, Hervey Bay, Antarctica, Australia, Water, Bermagui, Sydney

☆ Top 10 most popular beach destinations in the world, according to TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia topped the list of the most popular beaches in the world according to TikTok. A recent study by The U.K. luxury holiday company Destination2 rounded up the most popular beaches on TikTok using their hashtags, and ranked them based on the number of views. 1 most popular beach on TikTok: Bondi Beach, AustraliaViews on TikTok: 445.8 million The Australia beach ranked and the top of the list with more than three times the number of views as the beach in second place. Bondi Beach is known for its surf scene and is one of the most iconic places in the world. The top 10 most popular beaches on TikTok

☆ Thousands of Australians strip for Tunick cancer awareness photo shoot
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Some 2,500 people took off their clothes on Saturday to pose for U.S. photographic artist Spencer Tunick at Sydney's Bondi Beach in an effort to raise awareness about skin cancer. The New York-based artist collaborated with a charity on the naked art installation in a bid to raise awareness about melanoma, Australia's fourth most common form of cancer. The federal government estimates that this year 17,756 new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in Australia, and 1,281 Australians will die from the disease. A participant, Robyn Lindner, said she overcame nerves to strip for the shoot, which organisers said involved 2,500 people. Tunick last directed a mass shoot in Sydney in 2010, when 5,200 Australians posed naked at the Sydney Opera House.

☆ How Nedd Brockmann 'went through hell and back 10 times' as he ran nearly 2,500 miles across Australia in 47 days
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —To get a sense of how vast Australia really is, just ask Nedd Brockmann. Brockmann finishes his record run at Bondi Beach in Sydney. With my little figure now, I was getting thrown around.”Over the course of his 47-day run, Brockmann learned to endure. “I think 70-80% of it was like: we’re in the depths of hell,” he says, “and 20% of it was pretty okay.”Huge crowds turned out to welcome Brockmann at Bondi Beach. “People were just so inspired by the getting up each day, and that’s what this run became,” says Brockmann.

☆ 'Trashion' designer displays latest art at Sydney beach exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Cordelia Hsu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Australia-based environmental artist Marina DeBris aims to portray the power of one person in the planet's fight against marine pollution with her latest sculpture showcased at a Sydney beach exhibition. "Just a drop in the ocean, Said 7.8 billion people" is on display at Sculpture by the Sea, which opened on Friday. DeBris, who begins her day by picking up rubbish washed ashore on beaches, has been transforming the trash into sculptures and wearable art since 2009. Her art has been called "trashion", which she says has raised awareness about single-use plastics and pollution in the oceans. A study by the University of New South Wales last year found 84% of rubbish found on Australian beaches was plastic and about 40% of marine debris was caused by littering.

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