More than 5,000 people have shed their clothing on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to pose for a photograph by the American artist Spencer Tunick.

The organisers had only expected about half that number to take part.

The installation had been commissioned by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which took place over the weekend.

For once the eye was diverted away from the magnificent white sails of the Sydney Opera House.

It was drawn instead to the tableau of white, naked flesh assembled on its steps.

"Gay men and women lay naked next to their straight neighbours and this delivered a very strong message to the world that Australians embrace a free and equal society," Mr Tunick said.

More than 5,000 men and women shed their clothing - people of all ages, shapes and sizes, who were undeterred by the chilly pre-dawn weather on this, the first morning of the southern autumn.

Mr Tunick, famed for his snapshots of mass nudity in public spaces, had been commissioned by the organisers of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which took place over the weekend.

The naked models included a pregnant woman, who went straight to hospital afterwards to give birth, and a television weatherman whose viewers got to see considerably more than his usual Monday morning forecast.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

A Chinese mountain has reportedly been renamed in honour of the sci-fi film Avatar, after claims it had inspired scenery in the fantasy blockbuster.

The Southern Sky Column in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, will now be known as the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain.

Local officials said photographs of the mountain had been used as the basis for Avatar's fictional world of Pandora.

Avatar has become the most popular film ever in China, making $80m (£50m) at the box office so far.

Xiaoxiang Morning News said the mountain was officially renamed at a ceremony on Monday.

The paper said a photographer from Hollywood had visited the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, the location of the mountain, in 2008.

"Many pictures he took then become prototypes for various elements in the Avatar movie, including the 'Hallelujah Mountains'," Reuters quoted the website as saying.

Avatar tours

The renaming of the mountain is one of the several attempts by Zhangjiajie to capitalise on the success of Avatar.

The municipal government website has also adopted the slogan "Pandora is far but Zhangjiajie is near", while tourists are being offered tours of the locations which allegedly inspired the film, Reuters reports.

Avatar follows the plight of the blue N'avi people as they fight to protect their land from a mining operation.

The film has been showing on 2,500 screens across China. One-third were Imax and 3D screens while the rest were regular 2D screens.

But earlier this month, China pulled 2D versions of the film from cinemas, saying they were not doing well commercially.

Critics said the move was to make way for domestic films - especially the state-backed biopic of the philosopher Confucius - and because the plot too closely mirrored forced land evictions in the country. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Two Chinese pop singers have fallen foul of a lip-synching ban, facing fines of up to $12,000 (£7,400) for allegedly miming at a concert.

The firm that put on their 2009 show insists Yin Youcan and Fang Ziyuan are dancers and says it cannot find them.

Miming was banned in China after a girl was revealed to have lip-synched at the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

The actual singer, a seven-year old with crooked teeth, was not considered pretty enough to appear.

Instead a nine-year-old girl who was deemed to look more suitable mouthed along to a recording, charming a worldwide audience and earning the title of China's "smiling angel".

China was embarrassed by the revelations and authorities in the Chinese province of Sichuan now say Yin Youcan and Fang Ziyuan must pay the fines.

In December 2008, China banned lip-synching from the nation's biggest TV show, held to celebrate Chinese New Year.

The broadcasting regulator ordered organisers to pick "real" singers and songs with "healthy" lyrics.

The Ministry of Culture said in 2008 it would revoke the licences of professional performers who are caught lip-synching twice during a two-year period.

And at 2007's year's Spring Festival Gala, actress Zhang Ziyi was criticised for miming her way through her performance in the patriotic, star-studded TV extravaganza.

As a result, China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued an order on its website to "choose performers with real singing ability". </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.