A senior political leader in Australian Prime Minister John Howard’s Liberal Party resigned today over a racial slur directed at the Malaysian-born wife of a former political rival.

Police in Sydney may be given the power to search the bags of people riding on public transport in the aftermath of the London terror bombings, a political leader said today.

Prince Charles read a sombre psalm as some 20,000 people prayed and sang hymns at dawn today in Canakkale, Turkey, to mark the 90th anniversary of the devastating First World War Gallipoli campaign.

RIOTERS in an Aboriginal ghetto of Sydney pelted police with petrol bombs and bricks, leaving 40 officers injured, after a nine-hour street battle sparked by allegations that police chased a local teenager to his death.

Rioters in an Aboriginal ghetto of Sydney pelted police with petrol bombs and bricks, leaving 40 officers injured, after a nine-hour street battle sparked by allegations that police chased a local teenager to his death.

THE battle lines were drawn yesterday for Saturday’s World Cup final as England and Australia named their sides.

NINE people were killed yesterday when a commuter train jumped off its rails in a ravine outside Sydney.

WILDFIRES broke out in forestland around Sydney as high temperatures and gusting winds fanned more than 100 blazes in eastern Australia, officials said yesterday.

Wildfires broke out in forestland around Sydney as high temperatures and gusting winds fanned more than 100 blazes in eastern Australia, officials said today.

Up to 10 homes and businesses were reportedly destroyed by a wildfire south-west of Sydney today as strong winds and dry conditions fed bush blazes across the region.

Canberra

Thousands of Sydney motorists were left stranded with flat car batteries after turning on their headlights in a September 11 tribute and forgetting to turn them off again.

Islamic groups in Australia held a crisis meeting today to condemn a series of brutal gang rapes by young Muslim men.

Australian Police have discovered the remains of what may have been two homemade bombs used by arsonists to set tinder-dry forests on fire.

Hot, dry and swirling winds fanned more than 100 uncontrollable bush fires and smoke clouds towered over Australia’s largest city today as angry officials vowed to punish arsonists, many of them children.

Thick smoke billowed over Australia’s largest city today as forest fires raged in and around Sydney, stretching a 20,000-strong firefighting force to its limit and threatening hundreds of homes.

Helicopters dumped water and firefighters filled buckets from backyard swimming pools in a desperate battle to save homes from a wildfire that raged through Sydney’s suburbs today.

Cool weather today allowed 15,000 firefighters to contain many of the wildfires that have been burning out of control across Australia’s most populous state.

Sydney and nearby towns lashed by gales were declared disaster areas today as emergency services cleaned up fallen trees and people began repairing homes.

The father of a student accused of planning a massacre at a Sydney high school has condemned state authorities for publicising the affair.