National News | smh.com.au (via Mowser)

Mate denies young lifesaver was unhappy about taking on big surf

ELLEN LUTTON AND SARAH WHYTE FRIENDS of Saxon Bird have angrily denied the young ironman was afraid to compete before he drowned in the ferocious surf at Kurrawa, saying he was the "most fearless of all".

Waste solution left to rot as landfill capacity runs out

MATTHEW BENNS SYDNEY'S rubbish dumps will be full within six years, according to an independent report which the NSW government swept under the carpet after receiving it a year ago.

Microchips, recycling ramped up to cut waste

MATTHEW BENNS LOCAL councils are microchipping bins, reducing bin sizes, putting up fees and cutting collections in a bid to get households to dramatically reduce waste.

It's cheaper to bury than recycle: councils

MATTHEW BENNS COUNCILS with state-of-the-art recycling technology claim they are being penalised by the NSW government and may have to revert to simply burying their waste.

Man rushed to hospital after apartment fire

REBECCA RICHARDSON THE residents of a four-storey Sydney apartment block were evacuated yesterday after a fire broke out in a top-floor unit at 5.30pm.

Dealing with drunks on The Rocks

LES KENNEDY ALL bar and security staff at hotels, nightclubs and licensed restaurants in The Rocks have been asked to undergo retraining to deal with drunken clientele in a crackdown by the state government on alcohol-fuelled street violence.

Young bear brunt of jobless pain

STEPHANIE PEATLING NEARLY one in five young people have neither full-time work nor education. Despite employment holding up much better than expected during the economic downturn, young people have been hit hard.

Hormone in pill blamed for women's hair loss

RACHEL OLDING THE contraceptive pill is driving a steady surge in the number of young women suffering hair loss.

Rann hope for 'sweetest victory'

STEPHANIE PEATLING LABOR won a probable third term in power in South Australia last night but felt the sting of defeat in Tasmania.

Do Twilight, Harry Potter open door to the Devil?

LINDA MORRIS THE appointment of a new exorcist by Sydney's Catholic Church precedes a warning by a senior clergyman that generation Y risks a dangerous fascination with the occult fuelled by the Twilight and Harry Potter series.

Alleged fraud netted $6.5m

ALICIA WOOD A 44-YEAR-OLD north shore man has been accused of defrauding people of millions of dollars by pretending to be a music producer.

Surf star rides into storm of outrage

CAROLINE MARCUS SYDNEY'S Jewish community has been deeply offended by a magazine that quotes world champion surfer Mick Fanning calling a journalist a ''f---ing Jew''.

Need a toilet tune-up? NRMA eyes home repairs

ALICIA WOOD NRMA patrol staff do more than just fix cars. They can charm snakes, deliver Meals on Wheels and save fish. And in the future you might find them turning their hands to plumbing or roof repairs.

Cafe olé: our passion for the bean

NICKY PHILLIPS AUSTRALIANS are second only to Italians in their appreciation of good coffee, a leading bean roaster has boasted.

Rise and rise of the do-it-yourself barista

NICKY PHILLIPS NOT so long ago, making coffee at home using fresh beans and an espresso machine was a technique used only by migrants.

Call for inquiry over $500m poured into doomed Metro

DANIELLE TEUTSCH AND MATTHEW BENNS PRESSURE is mounting on the NSW government to explain to taxpayers how it soaked up $500 million of public money on the shelved Sydney Metro project.

Obese weigh down hospital system

AMY CORDEROY AUSTRALIAN hospitals need to prepare for a deluge of obese patients who will have more complications, experts say.

Flick the switch on Saturday, says eco warrior

RACHEL OLDING ANNALISE BRAAKENSIEK believes no deed is too small when it comes to protecting the environment.

Great whites have a bad name

NICKY PHILLIPS THE reputation for being senseless killers that great white sharks have is rather undeserved.

Victim was a cultured gentleman

ALICIA WOOD AN ELDERLY man whose 91-year-old wife has been charged with his murder was highly educated and cultured, a friend has said.

A walk on the wild side

RACHEL BROWNE A SYDNEY walking tour company is hoping crime does pay, having launched an Underbelly-themed sightseeing trip through Kings Cross.

Teachers fear bullying if they tell of school building rorts

RACHEL BROWNE AND JOSH GORDON FEAR of bullying and victimisation may deter principals and teachers from blowing the whistle on alleged rorts in the federal government's school building program.

Angry revheads trash a Bob Jane store

A PROTEST by thousands of revheads rallying against a cancelled car-racing meeting turned violent when it was overtaken by youths armed with bats, steel poles and street signs.

Depression patients halt medication too early

RACHEL BROWNE ANTIDEPRESSANT use in Australia has soared by almost 40 per cent over the past six years, with more than 16 million prescriptions issued.

City-wide crime spree lasted days

EAMONN DUFF AN ARMED robber stole 13 cars as he eluded police during an eight-day crime spree, a court has been told.

Trapeze school teaches an old dog new tricks

CAROLINE MARCUS IT'S not over until the old man swings.

New philosophy to make up for the syntax of the past

NEROLI COLVIN THE problem is huge: low levels of literacy among up to half of Australians. The solution: a new national school curriculum, literacy for the 21st century and, gasp, grammar.

This brainless patient is no dummy

RACHEL BROWNE MEET the new high-tech robot suffering from a multitude of health problems helping to save lives around Australia.

Down and out in beautiful Bondi

MATT KHOURY A rich city council can now legally remove a group of homeless people who have battled in the courts to remain living in the Bondi Pavilion. Matt Khoury spends a day with them as they face an uncertain future.

Expatriates pounded by pension court ruling

TOM REILLY MORE than a 250,000 expatriate Britons living in Australia have lost a legal battle to receive the same pension as seniors living in the United Kingdom.