Tennis great Margaret Court on Friday claimed a gay conspiracy from America was behind calls to strip her name from one of the Australian Open stadiums, after a furore over her views on homosexuality. The Australian also hit back at America’s Martina Navratilova, who lashed out at the 74-year-old church pastor’s “sick and dangerous” comments … Read more
Tennis great Martina Navratilova slammed “sick and dangerous” comments by Australia’s Margaret Court that the sport was “full of lesbians” and transgender child were the result of a Nazi-style plot. Navratilova said Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena should be renamed after another Australian great, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, after Court’s comments caused a furore in the tennis … Read more
Australia must decide whether to unleash all of their ‘fearsome foursome’ of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson in their Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand on Friday. Injuries have meant the quartet of fast bowlers have rarely all been fit at the same time and, even now, Australia may decide it’s … Read more
Armed police stormed a Malaysia Airlines flight which was forced to return to Melbourne after a passenger tried to enter the cockpit claiming he had a bomb, officials said Thursday. Passengers told of fearing for their lives, but Malaysian Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said a Sri Lankan national, who appeared to have been … Read more
A Malaysia Airlines flight was forced to return to Melbourne to land late Wednesday after a “disruptive” passenger on board the Kuala Lumpur bound flight claimed he was carrying a bomb, Malaysia’s deputy transport minister said. “It is not a hijack. One disruptive passenger tried to enter the plane’s cockpit,” Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz … Read more
Australian great Margaret Court Wednesday claimed “tennis is full of lesbians” and transgender children were the work of “the devil”, adding fuel to a simmering row over her views on homosexuality. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, now a Christian pastor, has been the brunt of a fierce backlash after announcing last week she would stop … Read more
A 12-year-old Australian schoolgirl was among 17 people killed in a car bomb attack on an ice-cream parlour in Baghdad on Tuesday night. Zaynb Al Harbeya, 12, was in the Iraqi capital with her parents visiting her sick grandfather. The family had been fasting for Ramadan and they had broken their fast just after midnight. … Read more
Singing great Olivia Newton-John revealed Tuesday a return of breast cancer, 25 years after her first successful battle made her an advocate for fighting the disease. The British-born star said she was obliged to postpone a tour of the United States and Canada following her new diagnosis. The 68-year-old said she will undergo a short … Read more
Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos is keen to coach Australian side South Melbourne, who are pushing to join an expanded domestic A-League. The 44-year-old, famous for his stunning free kicks, held talks in the city on Monday with club officials. “What I´ve seen here has moved me, the complex and the people,” the former Real … Read more
Australian tennis great Margaret Court says she feels bullied by a fierce backlash over her views on gay marriage, but has vowed not to be “intimidated”. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, now a Christian pastor, caused controversy by announcing last week she would stop flying Qantas “where possible” in protest at the airline’s support of … Read more
Sports Minister Greg Hunt said Sunday the federal government was prepared to provide mediation between Cricket Australia and players over the pay-dispute stalemate. CA chairman David Peever has turned down the Australian Cricketers’ Association’s request for independent mediation and there are fears the stand-off could potentially lead to a players’ boycott of the showpiece Ashes … Read more
Martina Navratilova Friday called for a name change of the Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park after the Australian great’s boycott of airliner Qantas over its same-sex marriage stance. Court, now a church pastor, complained Thursday the carrier’s support of marriage equality conflicted with her views and “leaves me no option but to use other … Read more
The unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders have shut out Super Rugby title talk as they grapple with an arduous schedule that has them playing in their fourth country in as many weeks on Saturday. The competition leaders are in Melbourne to play the struggling Rebels at the end of a month that has taken them from South … Read more
England will play tour matches in Perth, Adelaide and Townsville in the lead-up to the first Ashes Test against Australia at the Gabba later this year, Cricket Australia said on Thursday. Joe Root´s team will play the three warm-ups ahead of the opening Test in Brisbane on November 23, with a further match added between … Read more
Hollywood star Rebel Wilson on Monday accused an Australian publisher of portraying her as a serial liar in a series of articles she said cost her lucrative movie roles. On day one of a defamation trial in Victoria state’s Supreme Court, Wilson’s barrister Matthew Collins told the jury that Bauer Media “tore down an Australian … Read more
Dutch-based youngster Ajdin Hrustic was a surprise pick in Ange Postecoglou’s 30-man squad named Monday for Australia’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia followed by the Confederations Cup. The 20-year-old Melbourne-born Groningen winger could make his debut in a squad that contains 24 overseas-based players and just six from the domestic A-League for the … Read more
Apple is refusing to compensate a woman whose Beats headphones exploded in her face, claiming the batteries were at fault. Earlier this year, the anonymous woman says she was asleep on a flight from Beijing to Melbourne when she was awakened by an explosion and heat searing her face. The sparking headphones burned her face … Read more
The founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks has been holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012 When did Julian Assange come to prominence? Julian Assange first caught the world’s attention when his website, WikiLeaks, in 2007 released leaked manuals for US prison guards at Guantanamo Bay. But Assange became significantly more prominent … Read more
Big falls on US stock markets have dragged down Asian shares over fears the political controversy surrounding President Trump will blunt his ability to deliver tax and regulatory reform. Wall Street’s three main indexes shed more than 1.7%, and the dollar erased most gains made since his election. Asia’s main stock markets opened lower following … Read more
Emirates announced it will introduce a third daily service to Brisbane, Australia from 1 December 2017, complementing Emirates’ existing two daily services. The direct service, to be operated on a B777-200LR aircraft with eight seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 216 in Economy Class, will increase capacity on the route by 3,724 seats a week, inbound and outbound … Read more