Australia’s prime minister has said the deadly Sydney cafe siege may have been preventable, as the chorus of critics demanding to know why the gunman was free on bail despite a string of violent charges grew louder.

Cate Blanchett has suffered a head wound after being hit by a prop on stage during a performance in Sydney.

Troops began moving aid to the cyclone-shattered town of Innisfail today as residents picked through waterlogged streets littered with rubble and mangled roofs destroyed by one of Australia’s most powerful cyclones in decades.

Detectives investigating race riots that rocked Sydney last week seized a pistol, ammunition, knives and smoke bombs in a series of raids today.

Australian prime minister John Howard today welcomed news the Pope is to visit Sydney for the World Youth Day celebrations in 2008, an event expected to draw thousands of overseas pilgrims to the city.