A conservative political leader rejected key demands from three independent politicians who are likely to decide which party forms Australia’s next government after indecisive elections.

An Australian state government minister was forced to quit his post following reports that he danced in his underwear at a parliamentary office party, the state premier said.

A lost humpback whale calf that bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother will probably die within days unless it finds a female to adopt it, an expert said today.

Pope Benedict XVI today privately met Australians who were sexually abused as children by priests today, ending a pilgrimage to the country with a gesture of contrition over a scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church.