Sydney - Investors were told Thursday they were unlikely to get any of the 100 million Australian dollars (94 million US dollars) they paid for shares in failed fuel-technology firm Firepower.

"Business in Australia is over, the company will in all probability, 99-per-cent probability, be wound up tomorrow," administrator Geoffrey McDonald told reporters.

McDonald was appointed to see if the company - infamous for marketing a pill that when popped in the petrol tank could make cars go farther and faster - could be saved.

Sydney - Mourner

Sydney - Shards of metal from an exploding oxygen tank shot through the fuselage of a Qantas jumbo jet and even pushed the handle of an emergency door into the opening position, news reports said Wednesday.

An exploding oxygen tank is the prime suspect in a Qantas flight Friday from Hong Kong having to make an emergency landing at Manila.

The mid-air explosion tore a hole in the plane's fuselage and prompted the pilot to make a rapid descent from 29,000 feet to
10,000 feet in about four minutes.

"It's an incredibly rare event for the oxygen tank to explode, and for it to hit the door handle and rotate it open is just eye- watering," a source told The Australian newspaper.

Sydney - People who arrive in Australia and claim refugee status will not automatically be locked up until their applications are processed, Immigration Minister Chris Evans said Tuesday.

"A person who poses no danger to the community will be able to remain in the community while their visa status is resolved," he said when announcing changes that soften current policies.

Sydney, July 28 : Over 150,000 students in years 11 and 12 at schools across North South Wales (NSW) reportedly need to relearn the art of using a pen and paper quickly, a skill they have lost after years of using computers, laptops, and mobiles.

Sue Marks, a senior English teacher at Barker College on the North Shore, has revealed that remedial classes are being held to get students’ handwriting legible enough for Higher School Certificate examiners to read.

Dr. John Vallance, the headmaster of Sydney Grammar School, says that typed essays will not be accepted in the later years of high school.

He says that the school places a very strong emphasis on ensuring every student can write legibly.

Sydney - Athletes given what they thought was a human growth hormone improved their performance markedly, Australia researchers found.

In contrast, those who guessed correctly they were being given a placebo showed no significant gain in strength, endurance, power or sprint capacity.

"It's a very simple message," said Ken Ho from Sydney's Garvan

Institute of Medical Research. "If someone, whether they are an athlete or a patient who is unwell, is receiving something they think gives them a benefit, they will feel better and do better."