Sydney beaches deserted as police seize knives and bomb-making equipment.

(From Belfast Telegraph)

Byline: Leonard Doyle

Basking in the reflected glory of living in a city once again rated among the most liveable in the world, Sydney residents should have been relaxing in the time- honoured fashion on their city's many beaches.

The Sunday before Christmas is one of the busiest by the beach, but yesterday the police outnumbered visitors as they moved to prevent a repeat of last week's racially motivated violence. Those who went to enjoy the waves had a new and incongruous experience as they negotiated police cordons and barricades with their surfboards. The police had flooded the area in cars, on foot and on horseback. …