MELBOURNE (AFP) – The Australian Sex Party on Tuesday promised to spice up campaigning for next month’s elections with a manifesto “unlike Australia had ever seen before”.

Party chief Fiona Patten launched a risque national campaign at a Melbourne bar, saying her policies “would make (opposition Leader) Tony Abbott’s hair stand on end and would turn (Prime Minister) Julia Gillard’s hair grey”. prospective

“We’ve always been forward and we actually enjoy real action,” Patten said, mocking Gillard and Abbott’s “Moving Australia Forward” and “Stand Up For Real Action” slogans.

The party’s policies include legalising euthanasia, decriminalising all drugs for personal use, and watering down strict anti-pornography laws.

Although sure to attract criticism from church groups and other conservative elements in society, Patten said it was time an Australian political party pushed the boundaries.

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But here’s a good legal question: Can former cast members publicly perform covers of the original pop music that inspired the show? Or is that tantamount to creating a competing, unauthorized musical?

We’ll soon have an answer.

In April, Frankie Valli sued former original cast members of “Jersey Boys” for stealing songs, stage elements and copyrighted logos in the creation of their own musical tour. Valli asked a court to issue an injunction preventing further touring by the ex-cast members.

Now comes the countersuit, which alleges that Valli’s claims are “motivated by petty vindictiveness and malice” and that he is “using bully tactics better suited for the schoolyard.”

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BANGUI (AFP) – The army in the Central African Republic on Monday claimed control of Birao following an overnight raid by rebels on its military base in the northern town.

The pre-dawn attack was carried out by disgruntled members of a rebel group which has signed up to a peace process designed to lead to elections in the impoverished country, a senior military source said.

“Units of the Centrafrican Armed Forces (FACA) at the moment control the town of Birao, and we are in a position to say that this morning’s attack was the work of dissidents of the Movement of Centrafrican Liberators for Justice (MLCJ),” the source said on condition of anonymity.

The MLCJ is among rebel movements to have signed up to a peace process with the government of President Francois Bozize. Initially the attack was blamed on the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), which itself claimed it had taken Birao.

“No casualty toll is yet available, because our elements are undertaking operations fully to secure the town,” the army officer in Bangui said.

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NEW YORK – After rotting trusses, faulty wiring and sagging ceilings were discovered in New York’s City Hall, the nearly 200-year-old national landmark is undergoing a major renovation that will displace the City Council and other operations for at least a year.

The city discovered deteriorating conditions during a minor renovation a few years ago, prompting a wider examination of the building, which once hosted Abraham Lincoln’s body for public viewing and is one of the nation’s oldest continuously-used city halls.

Officials found widespread failings and alarming decay: cracks through the trusses that support the roof, a rotting basement floor, wiring that was known to spark and dangerously sagging ceilings.

“It’s gotten to the point where it’s really bad,” said Philip J. Kelly, the city official overseeing the project. “It has to be done. It’s amazing no one’s been hurt or there hasn’t been a fire.”

Recently, just before repairs were to begin in a City Council hearing room, a 10-foot-long, 6-inch-wide piece of plaster molding broke away from the wall and crashed to the floor.

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WASHINGTON – Amid growing concerns about the war in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading to South Asia on a mission aimed at refining the goals of the nearly 9-year-old conflict.

Clinton’s visit comes with American lawmakers increasingly questioning the course of the war as the death toll of U.S. and international forces rises and also expressing concerns about corruption and the utility of massive assistance to both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

She will attend next week’s international conference in Kabul where the Afghan government is expected to outline plans to bolster deteriorating security conditions, reintegrate militants into society and crack down on corruption. She also will stop in Pakistan to push greater cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul.

Clinton, who leaves Saturday, also plans travel to South Korea, where she will meet up with Defense Secretary Robert Gates for talks on dealing with renewed tensions over North Korea after the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the North. She will finish in Vietnam for discussions with regional leaders likely to focus on upcoming elections in Myanmar.

U.S. officials are keeping specific details of her South Asia itinerary secret for security reasons but say she will lead the American delegation to the July 20 Kabul Conference. There she will renew Washington’s commitment to support Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government but press him to follow through on reform pledges he made earlier this year.

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