Australia

Two young brothers aged 10 and six drove for more than 100km along one of Australia’s busiest roads to visit their grandfather, police said on Monday. The pair reached speeds of up to 90kph as they raced along the Newell highway in their grandmother’s station wagon, shocking fellow motorists who alerted the police.

The Rugby World Cup rematch at Olympic stadium on Sunday between Australia and England turned out to be a one-sided affair. Fullback Chris Latham scored his 31st Test try 15 minutes into the second half to clinch Australia’s 34-3 win in Wallaby captain George Gregan’s record-equalling 119th Test.

A strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6,1 struck on Friday near the Pacific island of Fiji, Australian officials said. Geoscience Australia said the quake hit about 300km north-east of the Fijian capital Suva. The United States Geological Survey earlier described the epicentre of the quake, which occurred at 5.58am GMT, as 563km north-west of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa.

Australian researchers have launched a search for the country’s ugliest sheep — no matter how wrinkled, lumpy, bald or just plain funny looking — to try to identify genes that produce high quality wool. ”When something goes really wrong with the genes, it is the most powerful indicator about where to look to identify the genes that can — paradoxically — make things go really right,” said Paul Hynd.

Australian researchers have grown beating heart tissue in the laboratory in a world-first breakthrough that could lead to the creation of entire human organs, scientists said on Wednesday. The team of scientists and surgeons said their work aimed to grow organs, including parts of the heart, using patients’ own stem cells to avoid the problems of immune system rejection of transplanted organs.

A local Sydney council has decided on a new weapon in its bid to remove groups of youths from gathering in carparks and disrupting residents — the music of 1970s crooner Barry Manilow. Officials said that the youths were not causing property damage but were annoying residents by revving their engines and doing wheelies up and down the carpark.

Mystery surrounding the disappearance of Australian entertainer Olivia Newton-John’s longtime boyfriend Patrick McDermott deepened on Monday following a report he was alive and living in Mexico. McDermott, who had been Grease star Newton-John’s partner for nine years, disappeared off a boat while on an overnight fishing trip off the California coast a year ago.

England’s forwards may have humiliated the Australian scrum at their last meeting, but they have a healthy respect for the Wallabies’ revamped pack under new coach John Connolly. England’s control at the scrum at Twickenham last November was so complete that Australia tighthead Al Baxter was sin-binned by French referee Joel Jutge for repeat offences.

Tickets for this year’s Australia-England Ashes Test cricket series were snapped up at a rate of ten per second when sales opened in Sydney on Thursday, Cricket Australia (CA) said. CA said tickets for the five Ashes Tests had sold faster than for any other cricket series held here, with 182 000 bought on the first day.

Townsville Golf Club president Terry Walsh thought golfers reporting crocodiles on the course were hallucinating — until he saw them himself. "For the last two years, the people I play golf with have been saying there were crocs on the course and I thought they were on drugs," Walsh told the Australian Associated Press in the tropical northern city.

The Wallabies under new coach John Connolly are working on expunging the bitter memories of the demolition of the Australian scrum by England at Twickenham last November. England’s domination at the scrum, where loosehead prop Andrew Sheridan was particularly impressive, was so complete that Australia tighthead Al Baxter was eventually sin-binned for repeat offences.

George Gregan, just two appearances away from becoming rugby’s most capped international player, on Monday restated his commitment to lead the Wallabies at next year’s World Cup in France. The 33-year-old scrum-half general goes into the domestic international season next month on 118 Test caps — just one behind England prop forward Jason Leonard’s record of 119 Tests.

Brothels should be exempt from Australia’s tough anti-smoking laws because its a tradition for prostitutes and their customers to enjoy a cigarette together after having sex, an industry lobby group said on Sunday. The Australian Adult Entertainment Industry (AAEI) argues that working girls and their clients shouldn’t have to leave the brothel to light up.

A well-known Australian climber given up for dead near the summit of Mount Everest may still be alive and rescuers are trying to reach him, a colleague said on Friday. Lincoln Hall (50) and one of Australia’s leading climbers, was reported by his Russian expedition leader earlier on Friday to have died on Thursday while descending from the summit of the world’s highest mountain.

The Wallabies will play a more forward-orientated game under new coach John Connolly, team vice-captain Nathan Sharpe said on Wednesday. Connolly has shown his intentions to restore order at the set pieces by appointing noted ”scrum doctor” Alec Evans as an assistant to forwards coach Michael Foley.

Wallabies winger Wendell Sailor on Monday requested that the ”B” sample of his drug test be analysed by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority in the hope the findings will clear his name. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said the controversial NSW Waratahs winger had informed them of his decision, which had a deadline of late on Monday.

Australian football fans heading for the World Cup in Germany next month have been warned to avoid mocking references to the country’s World War II Nazi history. A travel advisory issued by the Foreign Affairs Department says acts such as making a Nazi salute will not be treated as a joke.

Laurie Fisher signed up to coach the ACT Brumbies for another two years on Wednesday, admitting the Super 14 side faced a challenging time with key players Steve Larkham and George Gregan reaching the end of their careers. ”It’s an important next couple of years as we come to the end of all our first time players,” said Fisher.

Australia’s new national coach on Tuesday brushed aside suggestions that an under-strength England team named for next month’s two-Test rugby tour Down Under will be a pushover for the Wallabies. John Connolly, who coached two English sides before taking over the Wallabies from Eddie Jones at the end of last season, said England’s depth was ”phenomenal” and not to be underrated.

Australian winger Wendell Sailor’s lucrative rugby union career will be finished if positive drug tests are confirmed, and he would also be barred from a return to rugby league. Sailor’s positive drug test could cost him more than Aus-million, media reports said on Monday.

The Australian government indicated on Sunday that it would consider taking back nuclear waste from countries that buy its uranium under a system known as "nuclear-fuel leasing". Prime Minister John Howard is expected to discuss the issue, which aims to limit the possibility of spent fuel being used in weapons, with United States President George Bush.

Australia accused Japan and other pro-whaling nations on Thursday of recruiting poor countries to back their push for a resumption of commercial whaling at an international conference next month. Environment Minister Ian Campbell said he fears pro-whaling nations could get the numbers to push through their commercial goal at the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

Australia is so desperate for soldiers that the middle-aged are now being recruited. ”Why can’t we have people who might be well into their 50s, where there’s a whole variety of tasks that might be undertaken that don’t involve flying planes or marching 20km with a backpack?” said Defence Minister Brendan Nelson.

New Zealand is not for sale, despite somebody in neighbouring Australia trying to offload the nation of four million to the highest online bidder. With a starting offer of just one cent, brisk bidding for the prime chunk of South Pacific real estate quickly boosted the price to Aus 000 before eBay pulled the plug on the auction this week.

Mark ”Chopper” Read, the notorious self-confessed Australian hit man whose criminal exploits have inspired books and a movie, has now lent his name to a board game. Using bullet-shaped counters, players cavort through the criminal underworld, visiting brothels, attacking fellow gangsters, evading the police and finally making their way to the island state of Tasmania.

Aboriginal flags will fly above Australian cricket venues on Friday as Australian cricket recognises the 138th anniversary of its first touring side to England, the 1868 aboriginal team, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Thursday. In what’s planned as an annual initiative, CA and most states and territories associations will fly the flag at their offices or grounds to honour the team.

Skinny-dipping is a hallowed part of Australian culture with five of six states setting aside certain beaches for nudists. The odd one out is Queensland, which used to call itself the ”sunshine state” but now, more implausibly, calls itself the ”smart state”.