Australia

Australian minister quits over Parliament sex romp

Sydney - Australian minister quits over Parliament sex rompThe police minister in Australia's biggest state has resigned over claims that during a wild party in Parliament House, he stripped to his underpants and simulated sex with a fellow New South Wales lawmaker.

Noreen Hay, the woman whom a witness said 37-year-old Matt Brown "mounted," denied Thursday that anything untoward happened during the alcohol-fueled party three months ago that her adult daughter also attended.

Sydney no gay and lesbian nirvana

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.

Aspiration segregates the sexes in Australia

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.

Australia's Costello bids politics goodbye

Australia's Costello bids politics goodbyeSydney - Peter Costello, who served as Australia's treasurer for a record 11 years under former conservative leader John Howard, confirmed Thursday he would not seek the Liberal Party leadership and would likely be gone from Parliament before the next election.

Hot potatoes: Wiggles again top Australian rich list

Sydney  - The children's music group the Wiggles topped the list of Australia's richest entertainers for the fourth year in a row in 2007, the leading business magazine BRW said Wednesday.

Australian terrorism manual trial ends in conviction

Sydney - A Sydney man who published a manual on the internet about how to carry out car bombings and assassinations and blow up planes was convicted Wednesday of providing assistance in a terrorist attack.

Belal Khazaal, 38, who argued that his book was just a compilation of information available elsewhere on the internet, had pleaded his innocence.

The book detailed bizarre methods of killing. It said, for instance, that glue inside a custard pie thrown in the face of a target could block up the victim's nose and mouth and cause suffocation. Another method recommended in the 102-page manual was enveloping the person to be killed in a strong plastic bag.

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