Sydney - Australian stocks soared 3 per cent

Sydney  - Oil from a damaged ship has washed up on 60 kilometres of beaches on Australia's east coast in what officials declared an environmental disaster.

Oil gushed from the Hong Kong-owned Pacific Adventurer on Wednesday when it was lashed by a storm in international waters near Brisbane.

The 180-metre vessel also lost 31 containers overboard that contained the fertilizer ingredient ammonium nitrate.

Queensland Premier Anna Blight said the spill was much bigger than the captain reported and the damage much greater than anticipated.

Sydney  - The Brisbane judging panel said Thursday it was investigating press reports that one of the 50 candidates it shortlisted for the dream job of caretaker on a paradise island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef worked as a porn star.

Britain's scandal-mongering The Sun newspaper alleged that Russian police had interviewed Julia Yalovitsyna for her links with erotic film studios in her hometown of Petrazavodsk.

Sydney  - A clean-up was under way on Australia's east coast Thursday after beaches were coated with oil that leaked from a container vessel damaged in rough seas.

The oil has begun washing up on 8 kilometres of beaches in Moreton Bay near Brisbane and there are fears slicks will also spoil beaches on the Sunshine Coast.

The Hong Kong-owned Pacific Adventurer also lost half its load of industrial chemicals when 31 containers of ammonium nitrate toppled overboard. One of the tumbling boxes punctured a fuel tank and let 30 tonnes of oil flood into Moreton Bay.

Sydney, Mar. 12 : Australia's series defeat of South Africa on the latter's home turf, has convinced former skipper Mark Taylor that Ponting''s boys will start as favourites for this year''s Ashes series.

Taylor also said that ageing stars such as Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Andrew Symonds would have a tough time breaking back into a revitalized Test line-up.

"It just shows the value of going with young players," Fox Sports quoted Taylor, as saying after Australia''s 175-run victory in the second Test at Durban.