The Land Down Under

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July 2008
- Pope Apologizes for 'Evil' Clergy Sex Abuse
  
  newser | Associated Press | Jul 19, 08 6:15 AM CDT
  
  Pope 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." More »
- Aussies May Have Slipped Pope a Cat
  
  newser | Associated Press | Jul 15, 08 1:23 PM CDT
  
  There’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. More »
- Aussie Court Strikes Down Law Banning Pope Protests
  
  newser | Reuters | Jul 15, 08 3:25 AM CDT
  
  An 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. More »
- In Aussie Outback, It's All in 'Skin' Name
  
  newser | Radio Free Netherlands | Jul 7, 08 7:03 AM CDT
  
  When 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.” More »
- Perth to Name New Theater for Ledger
  
  newser | West Australian | Jul 1, 08 11:44 AM CDT
  
  A new performing arts center in Perth, Australia, will bear the name of Heath Ledger, marking the first time the late actor's name will be formally commemorated, the West Australian reports. Ledger "was always supporting young actors in whatever ways he could," said the premier of Western Australia. "I think what we're doing is continuing that support." More »
June 2008
- Aussie Minister Ditches Economy for Wombats
  
  newser | Australia's News Network | Jun 27, 08 6:13 PM CDT
  
  The Australian economy might be wobbly, but the treasury secretary would rather be off romping with northern hairy-nosed wombats, the Brisbane Courier-Mail reports. Ken Henry is unapologetically using the legislature's 5-week winter recess to tend to a small population of endangered critters—to the baying of opposition politicians worried over who will tend the economy while Henry is incommunicado. More »
- Aussie Man's Life Fetches $2M on eBay
  
  newser | West Australian | Jun 23, 08 9:45 AM CDT
  
  An Australia resident may rake in over $2 million after he put his life—including his house, job, and friends—for sale on eBay, the Western Australian reports. The deal, which the man says hatched when his wife left him, comes complete with a jet ski and motorcycle. The reserve price was some $475,000, but bidders have now offered over $2 million. More »
May 2008
- Aussie Pardoned 86 Years After Execution
  
  newser | Reuters | May 27, 08 6:27 AM CDT
  
  An Australian man hanged for raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl has been pardoned 86 years after his execution, Reuters reports. Hairs found in his bed that were said to belong to the victim weren’t hers, recent tests showed. The attorney general said the case was a warning against the use of the death penalty, which hasn't been imposed in Australia since 1967. More »
- Beer Gets Seatbelt, Kid Doesn't
  
  newser | Brisbane Times (Australia) | May 13, 08 5:28 PM CDT
  
  An Australian man has been fined after buckling up his beer but letting a 5-year-old child ride sitting on the floor of his car. "The concern is about people's priorities," a police spokesperson told the Brisbane Times, adding, "It is very unusual to see someone go to the trouble of strapping in a carton of beer instead of a small child. That is the shocking thing." More »
- Climate Change Imperils Koalas
  
  newser | Sydney Morning Herald | May 7, 08 12:36 PM CDT
  
  Koalas' fussy eating habits put them at special risk from global warming, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Hotter weather makes eucalyptus leaves—the animals' only food source—lower in nutrients and higher in toxic chemicals than they once were. The change could force koalas out of areas of their already dwindling habitat, Australian researchers warn. More »
- Need Cash? Got a Kidney?
  
  newser | Sydney Morning Herald | May 5, 08 6:17 PM CDT
  
  An Australian doctor says the young and healthy should be allowed to sell a kidney for $50,000 Australian (about $47,000 US). Otherwise, patients either languish for years without a needed transplant or travel to third-world countries where they can buy organs on the black market, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. More »
- Aussies Ditch Dueling Law
  
  newser | Sydney Morning Herald | May 3, 08 12:56 PM CDT
  
  There's no longer a law against challenging somebody to a duel in Queensland, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. As part of an effort to get old laws off the books, the Australian state is also scrapping laws against piracy on the high seas, and mayors will no longer have to read the Riot Act to mobs of angry townspeople before rioters can be charged. More »
- World, Don't Fret Over Aussie Kangaroo Cull
  
  newser | Wall Street Journal | May 2, 08 7:37 PM CDT
  
  Worldwide outrage over a plan to cull 400 kangaroos in Australia doesn't surprise native Robert Skeffington, he writes in the Wall Street Journal. But he argues that outsiders are missing key facts: The ubiquitous 'roo would overwhelm Aussies if not for such measures, and the hoppers happen to taste good, too. More »
- 'Big Dry' Killing Aussie Farms
  
  newser | BBC | May 2, 08 8:33 AM CDT
  
  The worst drought in a century has forced a tenth of Australian farmers off the land, reports the BBC. The "Big Dry" has led to parched farmland across the nation over the last seven years, accelerating the exodus from rural areas. The number of farming families in Australia has dropped by a third over the last 20 years. More »
April 2008
- Pro-China Wave Dominates Aussie Relay
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 24, 08 1:20 PM CDT
  
  The Chinese flag flew high at the Australian leg of the Olympic torch relay today, with pro-China partisans outnumbering pro-Tibet protesters four to one—and relative calm compared to the intensity of the relay to date. Human rights protesters alleged that Beijing, apparently embarrassed by the tone of earlier protests, sent the flags and even paid the way to Canberra for pro-China demonstrators. More »
- Australia Spirits Away Torch Ahead of Relay
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 23, 08 10:12 AM CDT
  
  The Olympic torch arrived Down Under today, but was immediately whisked off to a secret location to avoid protesters, the AP reports. Tomorrow’s torch relay in Canberra will be open to the public—unlike those in Jakarta and New Delhi—but the route will be lined with yard-high fences and police. More »
- Croc Hunter's Dad Quits Zoo For $1M
  
  newser | Australia's News Network | Apr 10, 08 10:55 AM CDT
  
  Bob Irwin will retire from the Australian Zoo made famous by his 'Crocodile Hunter' son Steve, taking with him a retirement package worth just shy of $1 million amid rumors of a feud with his son's widow. Irwin will also collect a $93,000 yearly pension from the zoo he founded 36 years ago, and later sold to his son, reports the AP. More »
- Father, Daughter Have Love Child
  
  newser | Sydney Morning Herald | Apr 9, 08 7:44 PM CDT
  
  An Australian father and daughter, reunited after 30 years, have had a daughter together, reports the Sydney Morning Herald . "I knew it was illegal, of course I knew it was illegal, but you know, so what," said the baby daddy/granddaddy. He called the sexual relationship "absolutely fantastic." The two were charged with incest and banned from having sex, and are being monitored by police. More »
- Cancer Can Be Contagious
  
  newser | NPR | Apr 6, 08 8:31 PM CDT
  
  Contrary to long-held opinion, cancer can be contagious—and Darwin is to blame, a science reporter told NPR. It turns out cancer cells evolve as species do, and in some rare cases—a cancer affecting Tasmanian devils, two others in dogs and hamsters—the cancers have evolved to allow direct contagion from one host creature to another. More »
- Greenhouse Gases Destroying Koalas' Food
  
  newser | The Australian | Apr 6, 08 5:45 AM CDT
  
  The koala and its marsupial cousins are in serious danger of extinction because greenhouse gases are rendering the eucalyptus leaves they rely on nutritionally worthless, reports the Australian. "What we're seeing is that the staple diet of these animals is being turned to leather," a professor said. "Life is set to become extremely difficult for these animals." More »