Police search for dead Sydney baby's mum

Hundreds of women will be interviewed by police after a baby was found dead on a Sydney beach. Source: AAP

HUNDREDS of women who gave birth towards the end of last year in eastern Sydney will be interviewed by police as they search for the mother of a baby found buried at Maroubra Beach.

POLICE will begin doorknocking on Monday after obtaining medical records of women who were pregnant a couple of months either side of the baby's discovery.

The girl's body was found by two boys on November 30 as they dug in the sand at the beach in Sydney's south.Forensic teams have struggled to gather more information from the victim's body, which was heavily decomposed."(That) has certainly hampered the investigation," Superintendent Gavin Dengate told reporters on Saturday.The Eastern Beaches Local Area Commander hoped further DNA testing would reveal more about the baby's age and potentially her ethnicity.Meanwhile, police will canvass the community for information."Sensitivity is very important," Supt Dengate said."You're not going to go in heavy-handed and say, 'Is that really your baby?'"Supt Dengate urged anyone who had information about the baby's mother to come forward.

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Vic park killer spent night drinking

A man who pleaded guilty to murdering a woman in a Melbourne park spent the previous night drinking. Source: AAP

A WOMAN who was raped and killed by a homeless man spent her final evening practising hymns for a performance at a Melbourne aged-care centre.

AT the same time, her killer, Scott Allen Miller, 43, was drinking in city bars and harassing women.

He told one woman he had an ability to "mentally" ask strangers if he could slap their bottoms and would then do so, according to documents tendered in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.Miller was kicked out of the Carlton Club on Bourke Street just after 5am on June 28 last year.He walked along St Kilda Road, where he crossed paths with Renea Lau, 32, and brutally attacked her.Miller pleaded guilty to two charges of rape and one charge of murder on Thursday.Court documents also indicate he initially frightened Ms Lau, who was on her way to her job at a chocolate shop in South Yarra.She ran across four lanes of St Kilda Road, but was chased by Miller.The next morning, walkers found her bloodied body near the police memorial in the Kings Domain park.Miller, who had been sleeping rough in the botanic gardens since arriving in Victoria the previous month, fled the city.He was arrested near Eden, NSW, and extradited to Victoria where he was charged.Miller told police in an interview he was blind drunk and had been stoned for five days when he attacked Ms Lau.He said he had not intended to kill the Chinese national, but he deserved to go to jail."I just exploded into this violent, violent rage," Miller told police in a transcript of an interview."I'm happy because I'll be in jail and I'll have a place to stay and I'll have food and I'll be able to speak to people, and so I do accept that I'm going to go to jail for this," he said.Ms Lau's boyfriend, Chun Hang Wong, said in a statement to police she was very much loved and was loyal to her friends.He last saw her late on June 27, at their church choir leader's house, where they practised the hymns they planned to sing at an aged-care centre."I said goodbye to Renea knowing we would see each other the following day at church," Mr Wong said."Renea was in a good and happy mood having spent the evening singing hymns."Miller will next face the Victorian Supreme Court on January 20.A date for his sentencing is yet to be fixed.

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Toxic leak forces ISS astronauts to move

A PART of the International Space Station (ISS) has been evacuated after a toxic substance leaked, the Russian Federal Space Agency says.

THE incident happened in the US-sponsored part of the ISS, and all astronauts were safely brought to the station's Russian section, the agency said.

"The crew's safety was ensured thanks to the quick actions of the astronauts and ground control in Moscow and Houston," the agency said.It added that NASA was analysing the situation.Russian news agencies reported that the substance was ammonia, which is used as a coolant on the station.Currently the ISS is staffed with an Italian, three Russian and two US astronauts.

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Newman not a fan of balcony smoking ban

The Queensland premier is not a personal fan of forcing smokers to butt out on their own property. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman has one message for body corporates wanting to ban smokers from lighting up on their own balconies: butt out.

THE premier was asked about the proposed changes on Tuesday and said he thought smokers should be free to do what they want on their own property.

"I think Australia has got enough laws," he told the Sunshine Coast's 92.7 MIX FM."I'm always loath to see more laws come in, that's my personal opinion."But Mr Newman said the government had received feedback from Queenslanders frustrated with their neighbours' nicotine habits, as part of a wider review into the state's property laws.The Queensland University of Technology study investigated how second-hand smoke can waft across units in blocks, forcing non-smokers to keep their windows and doors shut.Commissioned by Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie, it suggested empowering bodies corporate to regulate where unit dwellers can smoke, ruling out areas like balconies, as a possible solution."On a balcony, it can be a nuisance. You can even smell it two or three floors up," researcher Bill Duncan told AAP.Asthmatics struggling to cope with the effect of chain smokers living in their block were among people who had sent submissions to researchers.But Queensland Body Corporate Association executive officer Errol Anderson said the practical reality of forcing people to butt out on their own balconies would be problematic."It would turn the managers into policemen," Mr Anderson told ABC Radio.The Cancer Council Queensland, however, has welcomed any such ban."Almost one life is lost every day in Queensland due to second-hand smoke exposure," spokesperson Katie Clift said.Public consultation on the proposed changes is open until January 30.

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