TOYOTA, the world's biggest car maker and Australia's favourite automotive brand, is facing a growing crisis.

Airbags for people A Japanese company has decided to install airbags - but not in cars. They're doing it on people, senior citizens in particular.

During its recent four-month sojourn in Melbourne, following a controversial encounter with Japanese whalers, the Steve Irwin was a commanding presence at Docklands' North Wharf. The ship's manager, Ben Baldwin, joined the Sea Shepherd organisation two years ago and now calls the ship a "kind of home".

TOYOTA'S decision to produce 10,000 hybrid Camrys a year at its Altona plant is likely to be the start of a wholesale reorientation of Australian car manufacturing towards cleaner vehicles.

AS ANYONE familiar with the race would know, the Paris-Roubaix is an event that seems designed to put cyclists through as much pain as possible, rather like one of those crazy Japanese game shows that subject contestants to torture.