Scandal

Aussie candidate draws flak for lewd website

AN AUSTRALIAN candidate for the national Parliament was yesterday forced to apologise for a personal website which reportedly carried hundreds of lewd jokes, including a remark from him about "tit banter".

   Conservative Liberal Party candidate Kevin Baker has since shut down his forum site for Mini Cooper car enthusiasts, which also reportedly contained references to incest and racism.

   The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported that the website included jokes about the Pope being a paedophile, and others which made light of incest.

   It said that Mr Baker, who is the director of a children's charity, had written in one post: "Seems a bit like 'Tit Banter'..." - AFP.

WikiLeaks soldier jailed 35 years

US ARMY Private Bradley Manning, 25 was sentenced to 35 years in jail and dishonourably discharged yesterday for the biggest breach of official secrets in American history.

   Military judge Colonel Denise Lind delivered her verdict after a months-long trial.

   Manning had passed a massive cache of classified government documents to whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.

   Manning appeared ashen-faced as he awaited the verdict, which came in a less than two-minute statement by Lind.

   He was convicted of espionage and other crimes last month, having earlier admitted being the source of hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and confidential US diplomatic cables.