Sydney - Applications are in from Mongolia, Croatia and even the Vatican City for a dream job on offer in an advertising campaign run by Australian tourism authorities.

The successful applicant gets a six-figure pay packet and rent-free luxury accommodation for six months as the caretaker of a paradise island on the Great Barrier Reef.

There have been more than a million hits to the islandreefjob. com website advertising the token position and more than 350 people have already submitted the mandatory
60-second video clip begging for an interview.

Sydney, Jan. 14: Sensational batting star David Warner has been put on standby for the Australian one-day squad with vice-captain Michael Clarke in doubt with a thumb injury.

The stunning elevation came on the same day his manager, Peter Lovitt, revealed his client will look to join a rival state if New South Wales cannot offer him a spot in their Sheffield Shield side.

Lovitt will seek an urgent meeting with the Blues next week to determine whether the 22-year-old is part of their cricket plans. If not, Warner will head to the open market.

Sydney, Jan. 14 : Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle has been ruled out of the one-day series against South Africa with a stress fracture in his foot.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Queensland swing bowler Ryan Harris has replaced Siddle for the first two matches in the five-game series.

Twenty20 sensation David Warner is also poised to be a late inclusion in the one-day squad with vice-captain Michael Clarke in doubt with a thumb injury.

Sydney  - Wafer-thin women are the latest casualty of the economic downturn in Australia, modelling agency executives said Wednesday.

"Brands are being very cautious and going with what is safe," Scene Models proprietor Vikki Graham told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. "For women, that means there's a bit more of a focus on curves."

Scoop Agency owner Ursula Hufnagl agreed, saying that in these grim times for retailers, modelling demand had shifted from skinny young things to older women with more representative shapes.

Sydney  - Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong on Wednesday took the wraps off the specially prepared carbon-fibre bike he will board for next week's return to professional cycling in Australia's Tour Down Under.

The 37-year-old Texan's Trek machine is emblazoned with the number 1275 - the number of days that will have elapsed between his last Tour de France win in 2005 and the start of the six-day stage race next week in the south-coast city of Adelaide.

Sydney, Jan. 13 : A messy room resulted in David Warner being booted out of the Cricket Australia''s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane three years ago.

When he returned home, he had a decision to make: clean up his act or get his hands dirty for the rest of his life. Warner met with three high-profile cricketing types who gave him advice, while his brother Steve gave him an ultimatum.