http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorThu, 28 Aug 2008 7:40:07 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35514/end-of-tale-for-baby-whale.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA lost baby humpback whale who broke the world's heart when it nuzzled ships near Sydney was put down today with an overdose of anesthetic, reports the Australian . Experts say the calf, dubbed Colin, had no chance of surviving. The whale had been attacked by sharks and needed several months of nursing, which Australian marine facilities could not provide. Critics blasted the decision to kill the calf, who thrashed and bucked as it died, witnesses said.http://www.newser.com/story/35514/end-of-tale-for-baby-whale.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 21 Aug 2008 23:41:37 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35462/baby-whale-to-be-euthanized.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAustralia’s wildlife service plans to kill the baby whale that mistook a yacht for its mother in a bay north of Sydney, the Morning Herald reports. Veterinarians say the whale, plagued by shark-inflicted injuries and breathing difficulties, doesn’t have long to live anyway. A team will administer a lethal injection soon. “The last thing we want is that the whale should suffer,” an official said.http://www.newser.com/story/35462/baby-whale-to-be-euthanized.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 21 Aug 2008 11:43:10 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35285/must-globetrotting-aussies-be-grounded.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIt's even harder being green if you're Australian, since it takes a long-haul flight to get practically anywhere, Adele Horin observes in the Sydney Morning Herald . Aussies consider globetrotting to be part of their birthright, but Horin thinks it's time her country-mates recognize airplanes for what they are: "toxic flying machines" that pump out as much CO2 on one round trip to London as most consumers expend in 2 years.http://www.newser.com/story/35285/must-globetrotting-aussies-be-grounded.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 20 Aug 2008 10:19:46 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35160/aussie-mayor-begs-ugly-girls-to-move-to-town.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAn Australian mayor thinks he has a solution for the crisis facing his town: More ugly girls. Men outnumber women 5-to-1 in Mount Isa, so John Molony is begging women, particularly desperate ones, to migrate there. “Often those who are beauty-disadvantaged are uphappy with their lot,” he said. “Some… need to proceed to Mount Isa where happiness awaits.”http://www.newser.com/story/35160/aussie-mayor-begs-ugly-girls-to-move-to-town.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 18 Aug 2008 8:14:57 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33862/aussie-pm-gains-cachet-from-thieving-ancestors.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAustralia’s history as a penal colony is no laughing matter, but some Aussies have come to appreciate, and even relish, their hardscrabble beginnings. Case in point: PM Kevin Rudd, whose family tree includes ancestors convicted of stealing sugar (in 1801) and underwear (in 1788). The release of some details today helped boost the head of state's street cred, the Telegraph reports.http://www.newser.com/story/33862/aussie-pm-gains-cachet-from-thieving-ancestors.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 31 Jul 2008 16:04:15 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/32836/pope-apologizes-for-evil-clergy-sex-abuse.html?refid=rss_all_defaultPope Benedict XVI used unusually strong language today in condemning the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Catholic clergy, reports the AP. The pontiff said the clergy's "grave betrayal of trust" had damaged the Catholic church. "I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured. I assure them as their pastor that I, too, share in their suffering," Benedict said during a mass in Sydney. "Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice."http://www.newser.com/story/32836/pope-apologizes-for-evil-clergy-sex-abuse.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 19 Jul 2008 5:32:50 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/32432/aussies-may-have-slipped-pope-a-cat.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThere’s a new papal mystery swirling around the Outback—is Pope Benedict hanging out with a borrowed kitten? Organizers of the Catholic youth festival say they gave Benedict a gray loaner named Bella to keep the cat-loving pontiff company during his Australian sojurn. But when pressed, a Vatican spokesman told the AP he had no knowledge of such a feline.http://www.newser.com/story/32432/aussies-may-have-slipped-pope-a-cat.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 15 Jul 2008 10:56:18 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/32450/aussie-court-strikes-down-law-banning-pope-protests.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAn Australian court has struck down a law aimed at curbing protests during Pope Benedict XVI's visit Down Under, reports Reuters. The law, ruled unconstitutional, had banned protesters from "annoying" those attending papal events. People handing out condoms or wearing anti-Pope t-shirts faced possible $5,000 fines.http://www.newser.com/story/32450/aussie-court-strikes-down-law-banning-pope-protests.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 15 Jul 2008 2:36:10 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/31764/in-aussie-outback-its-all-in-skin-name.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWhen she moved to the central Australian outback, Penny Bergen was ready for a drastically different life, but she didn’t know it would take a new name to stake her place in a tiny Aboriginal community. Reporting for Radio Free Netherlands, the journalist writes about her experience getting a “skin name”—a community nickname that marks your spot in “a sophisticated and complex kinship system.”http://www.newser.com/story/31764/in-aussie-outback-its-all-in-skin-name.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 06 Jul 2008 20:36:36 CDT