Sydney

Thailand’s sporting hero Paradorn Srichaphan believes that a week he spent meditating as a monk in a Buddhist temple will help him cope with the highly competitive world of professional tennis. Paradorn said the experience helped him advance to the second round of the Sydney International on Tuesday.

An Australian man had to be rescued after becoming wedged in a washing machine while playing with his children, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. Robin Toom (38) had to be pulled from the 8kg-capacity machine by a local fire officer after he became trapped while playing hide-and-seek with his children.

More than 1 500 people were evacuated on Monday as Cyclone Clare began to pummel Australia’s north-west coast. Communities in the Pilbara region have been placed on red alert as meteorologists predicted winds of up to 195kph and waves high enough to breach coastal defences.

Police closed several beaches in eastern Australia on Sunday after a 21-year-old woman was mauled to death by a shark in waist-deep water. The woman, whose identity was not immediately released, died of severe injuries after the attack near North Stradbroke Island, east of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane.

South African offspinner Johan Botha was reported for chucking in his Test debut, which ended in an eight-wicket defeat on Friday to Australia. The 23-year-old from Johannesburg bowled 12,3 overs on Friday, taking the wicket of Matthew Hayden (90) and returning 1-77 as Australia cruised to 288-2 chasing 287 for victory.

Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath was officially reprimanded for his behaviour during the third cricket Test against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. It was his sixth disciplinary hearing in eight years but it was the first time he had been reprimanded for his behaviour during a Test match.

Australia will rest fast bowlers Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath along with wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist for next week’s Twenty20 international cricket match against South Africa in Brisbane. Chairperson of selectors Trevor Hohns said the plan was to keep the trio fresh ahead of the triangular one-day series against South Africa and Sri Lanka, starting in Melbourne on January 13.

Ricky Ponting marked his 100th Test with a majestic hundred and Adam Gilchrist providentially found his form as Australia fought back to concede a first-innings lead of just 92 in the third Test against South Africa on Wednesday. Skipper Ponting became only the sixth player to score a century in his 100th Test with his 120.

Skipper Ricky Ponting became Australia’s third all-time leading scorer as he spearheaded his team’s fight-back in the third and final Test against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday. Australia were 226 for seven in reply to South Africa’s 451 for nine declared at tea.

Australia hit back with three wickets but South Africa’s run grind continued on the second day of the third cricket Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday. Century-maker Ashwell Prince (119) and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (5) fell to contentious umpiring decisions in the middle session.

Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath gave Australia a strong start in the third Test after making in-roads into the South African batting on the rain-delayed opening day at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday. The match began after lunch as the entire morning session succumbed to rain and skipper Graeme Smith won the toss and batted on a greenish pitch under cloudy skies.

Ricky Ponting starts the new year and his 100th test match on Monday hoping to pick up where he left off in 2005, with another Test century and a win over South Africa. Ponting scored 117 — his 26th test hundred — in the first innings of Australia’s 184-run win over South Africa in the Boxing Day test at Melbourne, finishing 2005 atop the run-scoring standings.

Revellers around the world prepared to ring in 2006 on Saturday with fireworks and fanfare, saying goodbye to a year scarred by violence and natural disasters. Security was tight ahead of New Year’s festivities in major cities worldwide, with events in Sydney due to kick off a night of celebrations from Asia to the Americas.

The late Australian media mogul Kerry Packer knew he was dying late last week but refused further treatment, newspapers reported on Wednesday. Packer — listed by Forbes magazine this year as the 94th richest man in the world with a -billion fortune — died at his Sydney home on Monday evening at the age of 68.

A five-year-old Australian clambered into the family car, released its handbrake and was at the wheel when it ended up in the front room of a neighbour’s house. Nathan Millar survived to tell the tale of how he’d ”just scratched” it, news reports said on Wednesday. The car was actually a write-off.

Australians could soon be chucking a piece of "australus" on the barbecue if the new name for a slice of kangaroo makes it more appealing to diners sensitive about eating the national symbol. Australia’s kangaroo-meat industry backed a competition to find a similarly savoury name for cute kangaroos.

Australia was on Monday night in the grip of its worst race clashes since independence, with youths battering cars and shattering shop windows as violence spread through Sydney’s suburbs for a second day. The attacks came in retaliation for Sunday’s violence, in which 5 000 people rampaged across Cronulla beach.

Many young Australians are either too drug-addled or too fat to join the army, according to a Defence Force report on recruitment that was released on Monday. Drug abuse and obesity levels are so high that the numbers of new recruits are likely to go down rather than up in the next five years, the report warned.

A lion bit off and apparently ate a woman’s finger at Melbourne Zoo, after she climbed over a barrier to pick flowers next to the animal’s enclosure, an official said on Monday.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard denied on Monday that government warnings of home-grown Islamic militants had fuelled weekend race riots targeting Middle Easterners. More than 30 people were injured and 16 were arrested in the some of the worst racial violence in Australian history.

English World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward has labelled Australia’s sacking of national coach Eddie Jones last week a mistake that could cost the Wallabies dearly at the 2007 World Cup in France. Woodward was also named in one Australian newspaper as a surprise contender to replace Jones at the Wallabies.

Former All Blacks coach John Mitchell said on Wednesday he was not in the running to replace sacked Wallaby chief Eddie Jones, preferring to focus on building Perth’s new Super 14 team, the Western Force. Mitchell’s manager, John Fordham, said the New Zealander informed Australian Rugby Union selectors that he was not interested in the Wallabies coaching position.