ELTON JOHN SAYS UP YOURS TO AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER JOHN HOWARD

Elton John has said "Up yours" to Australian Prime Minister John Howard (LEFT) -over his views on gay marriage.The pop superstar made the remark when asked what he would like to say to Howard regarding the country's ban on same-sex marriages, during aninterview on Australia's Seven Network today. Elton - currently on his twelfth tour of Australia - was one of the first British men to tie the knot in a civil partnership with long-term partner David Furnish last year. The 59-year-old musician told the TV network: "It was just a commitment I wanted to make because I love him, and vice-versa, and it was just a great day."Howard's conservative government is against gay marriage and civil unions which would give gay couples the same legal rights as married heterosexual couples. This is the latest in a string of gay rights rants made by Elton. The 'Rocket Man' singer recently singled out Eastern Europe as a hot bed of homophobia, and blamed religion for the hateful attitude towards gay people. He said: "I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays. In countries such as Poland, Latvia and Russia there is a huge anti-gay movement and alot of it is started by the church. From my point of view, I would ban religion completely. It turns people into really hateful lemmings, and it's not really compassionate."

Elton John