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Aust raises Burma aid to $25 million
AUSTRALIA will boost its aid commitment to Burma to $25 million in the wake of cyclone Nargis, says Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. Mr Smith said in Perth today that this would include the initial $3 million that the Australian government pledged on May 7. The $25 million would be evenly split between the UN flash appeal and Australian non-government organisations. "It's become clear ... that we are dealing with a human tragedy on a mammoth scale," Mr Smith said. "It is beyond the capacity of any one nation state to deal with."
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Search for our cutest babies
THE search is on again for Sydney's cutest babies who have ``star'' quality.
Babywear, underwear and clothing manufacturer Bonds wants new baby faces to star alongside Sarah Murdoch and Pat Rafter in an advertising campaign. The brief is to find ``everyday Aussie babies'' between the sizes of 000-2 to star in the summer 2008 campaign, which will be shot in Sydney later this month.
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A new weapon in rental battle
FINDING a place to live has become so stressful and time-consuming that Sydneysiders are paying renters' agents to do the work for them. The combination of longer working hours and the tight rental market has resulted in intense competition for properties and spawned a booming business for renters' agents. Busy corporate high-flyers, shift workers, parents of young children and regular travellers who don't have Saturdays free are among those spending more than $700 for someone else to source their new home.
Marcelle Wever, who began Sydney Rental Search 20 months ago, said queues at rental properties had become unbearable and many people were time-poor. ``It's not just the fact that there are less rental properties around, it's that people are busier than they used to be,''
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Aid blocked as a million suffer
More than one million homeless in Burma were battling to stave off disease and hunger today, as the US hinted it might consider making helicopter food drops without the permission of the country's leaders. With death toll estimates near 100,000 and the clock ticking for those who survived, Burma's junta - long suspicious of the outside world - is under new pressure to fully open up to help from abroad. The US said today it would look at beginning helicopter food drops with Burma's permission to get aid to people still desperately in need six days after the cyclone hit. Four US Navy ships are on their way to Burma as the Bush administration steps up pressure on the junta to open its doors to help.
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Elite cyclist's road to recovery almost ends in pack crash
Kate Nichols was one of dozens of cyclists injured when a car collided with a pack of 50 riders on a major Sydney road yesterday, almost three years after she narrowly survived a similar accident in Germany. Nichols was on her first major road ride, alongside dual Olympic silver medallist Michelle Ferris and Olympic hopeful Ben Kersten, since the 2005 accident in Germany that claimed the life of teammate Amy Gillett. Nichols's father, Kevin, an Olympic gold medallist who was riding with her, gave a chilling account of yesterday morning's accident on Southern Cross Drive, in which the driver of a sedan allegedly veered in front of the cyclists and slammed on the brakes, causing the cyclists to plough into the back of the car. A semi-trailer following the cyclists jack-knifed as the driver narrowly missed the stricken riders, avoiding what could have been a horrific road toll.
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I fear my parents are dead - Refugee's search for family
In the midst of devastation, Burmese Australian Nathan Hill still clings to hope. But in his heart, the 34-year-old refugee knows his parents would have been lucky to survive after Cyclone Nargis slammed into the town where he was born. With the official toll standing at more than 22,000 dead but feared to be as high as 100,000, Mr Hill will travel from his home in Canterbury to Burma next week in a desperate attempt to find them. Bogalay, his parents' home and where he was raised, was obliterated when the devastating storm caused a 3.5m storm surge, swamping the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta.
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Fallen commando laid to rest in home town - Full military honours for Yeppoon braveheart
Cassandra Marks lay a tender hand on the head of her young son Conor as he accepted, with all the dignity the five-year-old could muster, his father's green beret and commando dagger. Just moments earlier, the grieving widow had herself been handed a portrait of her husband in full military camouflage uniform and an Australian flag by Special Operations Commander Australia, Major-General Tim McGowan.
With that, Lance-Corporal Jason Marks, who was killed by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan 12 days ago, was laid to rest in his home town of Yeppoon in the best military tradition, surrounded by about 150 mourners that included family, friends and locals. There was no church service before the burial yesterday, which took place under perfect blue skies at the town's picturesque hillside cemetery.
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Ex-lover accused over hotel shooting
A man accused of shooting a fitness instructor inside the Star City Hotel in Sydney yesterday was allegedly carrying three loaded semi-automatic pistols and a bag of disguises when he was arrested. The man, 25, is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of the instructor, 30, who worked at the Turbines Health Club in the five-star hotel. The man went to the health club on the fifth floor, where the woman worked, and allegedly shot her twice, once in the thigh and once in the pelvis area. The woman was last night in hospital in a stable condition.
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Shy boy Sule is mother's joy
Mother's Day arrived early for Taronga Zoo chimpanzee Sacha.
Four weeks after giving birth to baby son Sule, the proud mother made her first public appearance with her little man yesterday, emerging from her enclosure to give him a taste of Sydney sunshine. But even the keenest observers had to look closely for a glimpse of the tiny primate, who will not leave his mother's side for at least six months. ``Basically, they're with Mum the whole time. They never leave her,'' said senior keeper Tracey Arcus.
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Fighters prove their critics wrong
THE critics wrote both Brian McFadden and Axle Whitehead off because of controversial chapters in their professional and personal lives.
Now both men get to have the last laugh -- and song -- as they celebrate a successful renaissance of their music careers. The solo lads have joined forces to perform at the venerable Basement as Whitehead enjoys a hit with his first single I Don't Do Surprises and McFadden celebrates the top-5 debut of his Set In Stone album.
As Christine Anu and Deni Hines also team up this week for an east coast tour, their male peers said two solo artists joining forces made financial and creative sense. And whether the critics like it or not, these shows prove hugely popular with music fans who see value in two shows for the price of one.
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Historical Australia
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