Sydney, Dec. 11: There is still apprehension among some Australian players about touring India or Pakistan in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Some senior players have told The Australian they are uncertain about future tours.

Australian vice captain Michael Clarke said on Wednesday that security is a key issue he had to weigh up when considering a possible signing with the Indian Premier League in 2009.

"I have a lot of things to consider. Obviously I have to think about the amount of cricket we are playing, I am trying to plan a wedding as well and I have to think about what has happened there recently," Clarke was quoted, as saying.

Sydney  - A relative of the Aboriginal author whose image appears on Australia's 50-dollar notes reckons he's owed millions of dollars in royalties because the person who gave permission for the imprint was an impostor.

It's a complicated case that could be settled easily, if David Unaipon's family were DNA fingerprinted.

However, that is unlikely to happen - and it might even be illegal under draft legislation before parliament.

Sydney, Dec. 10 : A group founded by a Muslim extremist plans to build a huge complex in Sydney to teach young people Islam.

In what it says is a world first, the Global Islamic Youth Center is trying to raise over six million dollars to build a giant "prayer, learning and sporting" facility in the Sydney suburb of Liverpool.

It has already raised 700,000 dollars towards a million dollar land purchase.

The organization, according to the Daily Telegraph, expects local Muslims to almost double to 20,000 in the next decade and notes that a third of the population is under

Sydney - Giant miner Rio Tinto Ltd said Wednesday it would cut 14,000 jobs and sell some assets to reduce its debt and bring production capacity into line with flagging demand for commodities.

"By taking these tough decisions now, we will be well positioned when the recovery comes," Rio chief executive Tom Albanese said in a statement.

Rio, which is listed on stock exchanges in Sydney and London, said next year it would cut its debt burden of 38 billion Australian dollars (24 billion US dollars) by 10 billion Australian dollars.

Sydney - Australia has offered Indonesia a loan of 1 billion Australian dol

Sydney, Dec 10 : Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson, who opted out of the inaugural IPL ballot to shore up his position in the national team, will seek a contract with an Indian franchise for the next tournament which can only include Australian players if the rescheduled limited-overs tour of Pakistan is again put off for security reasons.

His manager, Sam Halvorsen, said the left-arm paceman was ready to add the extra demands of the rich Twenty20 league to his workload and would nominate for the February auction.