Sydney - Bashings, verbal abuse, taunts and mockery - such is the harsh reality for gays and lesbians in Sydney, Australia's gay capital and the venue for the world's biggest gay pride street parade.

The travails of homosexuals have changed little in the past decade, according to a study of homophobia released by the New South Wales Attorney-General.

A spokesman, Steven Drew, said over half the 600 homosexuals interviewed for the study reported some form of abuse.

In response to complaints about personal safety, city councillors plan to create what they call "homophobia-free zones" they believe will accord more protection.

Sydney - Surprise, surprise: rather than a giddy rush of gals, an avalanche of outrage greeted Mount Isa Mayor John Malony's declaration that even "beauty-disadvantaged" women could find a bloke in his dusty Queensland mining town because of its five-to-one ratio of males to females.

"I've been cooked and roasted and carved up," a chastened Malony said, adding, "I don't have a hair left on my body."

As Malony himself might now admit, male chauvinism is perhaps among the reasons young women with a yearning to get on in life leave Outback towns like Mount Isa for Australia's big cities.

Berlin - The new autumn and winter fashion collections highlight the tension between technology and the environment, luxury and ecology, consumption and conservation.

In the designers' view, these large and at first glance irreconcilable contradictions constitute the spirit of our times. Their fashions this season test the harmonious combination of contrasts.

"The environment may be attracting a lot of attention, but technology is indispensable today," remarked Elke Giese, who is on the staff of the Berlin-based German Fashion Institute. For many people, the dichotomy between environmental protection and technological progress poses lifestyle questions.

Berlin - A few new cushions on the sofa, a wall covered with floral wallpaper and a redecorated dining table... it does not take much effort or expense to transform your home.

"You can do a lot with colours and fabrics in particular," said Sam Bohr, a member of Die Wohnberater, a Berlin-based interior decorating consultancy.

"Anything that's fresh is trendy now ... such as in green and blue."

Berlin - The Segen (Benediction) cloister lies amid the bustle of Berlin like an oasis in the desert. Schoenhauser Allee, a four-lane street, is right outside, but traffic noise stops at the cloister's doors. Behind its thick walls, quiet reigns.

"This is a place for people to recharge their batteries," remarked Georg Schubert, director of the Swiss religious fraternity Don Camillo. The group purchased the run-down Segenskirche (Benediction Church), situated in the eastern Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, in 2007 and established the city's first and only Protestant cloister there last August.

Downshifters will now be able to train themselves to achieve inner peace in Germany's capital and largest city.

Sydney - Watch the pick-up points at Australian airports and women are behind the steering wheel when they arrive but usually relegated to the passenger seat when they leave.

Driving is still considered a man's job - if a man's available to do it.

"Australian men don't like to be a passenger when their partner is driving, and most don't believe women are good drivers," motoring journalist Stephen Corby said.