NSW:Protesters abseil off Sydney SupaCenta

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2011
NSW:Protesters abseil off Sydney SupaCenta

SYDNEY, Aug 24 AAP - Environmentalists have asbeiled off the roof of a Sydney shopping
centre and unfurled a massive banner demanding retailer Harvey Norman stop destroying
native forests.

Two people climbed onto the roof of the Moore Park SupaCenta at Kensington on Wednesday
morning and displayed the banner "No Harvey No! Break the chain of forest destruction".

Other activists went into the retailer's store to label furniture it claims is sourced
from native forest destruction.

"We are calling on Harvey Norman to break the chain of forest destruction, show some
genuine environmental leadership and stop selling our native forests," said the Last Stand
spokeswoman Ula Majewski.

"Australia's native forests are being ripped apart by industrial logging operations
every single day."

The group is campaigning against the retailer after a year-long investigation into
its timber usage, which it says is contributing to the destruction of forests.

It claims to have tracked timber from native forests in Australia through its shipment
to China for processing into furniture, and then to its final sale in Australia through
Harvey Norman stores.

Protesters gathered at four sites across Australia on Wednesday, including two in Sydney,
one at East Gippsland and another at Auswest Timbers in Bairnsdale.

"Activists are taking action at four different sites to highlight the chain of forest
destruction that Harvey Norman profits from," Ms Majewski told AAP from Dixie Cummings
distribution centre in Western Sydney.

Ms Majewski said the group blocked access to the Dixie building for several hours on
Wednesday morning after two protesters chained themselves to the front gate.

Comment was being sought from Harvey Norman.

In July, the retailer said it was being unfairly targeted and it did its best to source
timber from sustainable sources.

AAP tr

KEYWORD: HARVEY UPDATE (PIX AVAILABLE)

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NT: President emerges from coma, speaks to family=2

AAP General News (Australia)
02-21-2008
NT: President emerges from coma, speaks to family=2

East Timor Deputy Prime Minister JOSE LUIS GUTERRES says he's happy to hear one of
the first things Dr RAMOS-HORTA said to his family was .. to look after the people of
East Timor.

Mr GUTERRES …

FED:Gillnet fishing bans to be extended in SA

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2011
FED:Gillnet fishing bans to be extended in SA

CANBERRA, April 27 AAP - Gillnet fishing bans are to be expanded off the South Australian
coast in a move to protect Australia's threatened species, particularly sea lions.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority on Wednesday said it would extend existing
closures of gillnet fishing around 31 sea lion colonies from May 1.

It brings the total area of closures around 48 sea lion colonies off South Australia
to 18,500 square kilometres.

The authority said recent data showed a need to get tougher on management arrangements
to better protect animals like dolphins, seabirds and some shark species.

Under the changes, gillnet vessels operating in the open areas off South Australia
will also be monitored at all times by independent scientific observers and cameras.

It will allow for more accurate information on how fishers interact with, or impact
on, animal species.

Monitoring will also be increased to 10 per cent for other areas of the Gillnet, Hook
and Trap (GHAT) Sector beyond South Australia.

The federal government is providing $300,000 to install cameras on up to 10 vessels.

The authority's chief executive James Findlay said he understood the changes would
affect some gillnet fishing operators.

He has put in place a temporary order which will allow experienced gillnet fishers
to be allowed to use hook fishing methods instead.

AAP cj/ajw

KEYWORD: MARINE

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED:Pyne says stop coveting each other's jobs

AAP General News (Australia)
02-13-2011
FED:Pyne says stop coveting each other's jobs

CANBERRA, Feb 13 AAP - Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne says his colleagues should
stop coveting each other's jobs and focus on their opposite numbers in government.

Mr Pyne, the manager of opposition business, denied he was out to get the deputy job
from Julie Bishop.

He said anyone else who wanted the deputy job would have to go through him first.

"The advice to all of my colleagues would be that the job that they should all want
is the job of their opposite number in government," he told the Ten Network.

Mr Pyne said he wanted Anthony Albanese's job as leader of the house as well as to
be education minister.

"Tony Abbott wants Julia Gillard's job and we all have to work to make sure that happens,"

he said.

"All colleagues should have ambition. It would be a strange kind of political world
if we didn't all have ambition. But what's important is focusing on our opposite numbers
and working to remove the Labor Party, because it's a very poor government."

Leadership tensions in the Liberal Party surfaced last week with Opposition Leader
Tony Abbott forced to publicly express support for his team.

The unrest stemmed from foreign policy differences with his deputy Julie Bishop over
a proposal to cut funding for Indonesian schools as part of the coalition's alternative
plan to find budget savings to replace the government's flood levy.

Now Liberal finance spokesman Andrew Robb has revealed he wants the job of opposition
treasury spokesman Joe Hockey.

Mr Pyne said he didn't know the circumstances in which Mr Robb revealed his ambition
for Mr Hockey's position.

He rejected the suggestion that he wanted Julie Bishop's deputy job.

"I not only do not want Julie Bishop's job but if anybody might think that they want
it, they will have to come through me first," he said.

"The leadership team is 100 per cent behind Julie Bishop and Tony Abbott and Eric Abetz
and George Brandis, Joe Hockey and me as manager of opposition business.

"There isn't a piece of cigarette paper between any of us and that's the way it's going to stay."

AAP mb/pjo/nb

KEYWORD: PYNE ROBB UPDATE

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

VIC:Millionaire killer had prior, court told

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2010
VIC:Millionaire killer had prior, court told

MELBOURNE, Aug 30 AAP - One of the two swingers who pleaded guilty to the manslaughter
of Melbourne multimillionaire Herman Rockefeller has a prior conviction for intentionally
causing serious injury, a court has heard.

A pre-sentence hearing has begun in the Victorian Supreme Court for Mario Schembri
and Bernadette Denny who earlier this year pleaded guilty to Mr Rockefeller's manslaughter.

Prosecutor Chris Beale SC told the court the property investor was bashed, dismembered
and burnt after he failed to bring his wife to a swinger's house in the Melbourne suburb
of Hadfield for sex on January 21 this year.

Schembri and Denny later bought a chainsaw from a hardware store and Schembri dismembered
Mr Rockefeller's body, he said.

Mr Rockefeller's remains were taken to a house in Glenroy and burnt in a drum at the
rear of a junk-strewn backyard, Mr Beale said.

"The deceased was subjected to an unlawful and dangerous assault by Schembri and Denny
which caused his death," he said.

Mr Beale said Schembri has a prior conviction for intentionally causing serious injury.

Justice Terry Forrest has adjourned the court temporarily while he reads victim impact
statements from Mr Rockefeller's family including his wife Victoria, who is in the court.

AAP df/vam/gfr/apm

KEYWORD: ROCKEFELLER

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

National Newslist for Thursday, April 22, 2010

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2010
National Newslist for Thursday, April 22, 2010
AAP's National Newslist for Thursday (not for publication). This is a guide only and stories
are subject to change. AAP's news editors can be contacted on 02 93228611/8610.

TOP STORIES
INSULATION
- Govt reported to have axed any new insulation scheme. Announcement expected.

- Oppn says businesses must be compensated if scheme is axed.

- Outwatching reax.

VOLCANO AUST
- Qantas flight departs Heathrow with CASA approval after long second delay.

- First flights by other airlines from Europe have landed in Australia.

- Qantas chief Alan Joyce says five planes have left Asia on time heading for London.

- Qantas applying for extra slots to try to clear backlog in Europe which may take 2/3 days.

- Qantas will not seek assistance from the fed govt, despite huge losses.

HOSPITALS
- PM selling his health reforms in Hobart.

- Former Vic premier and mental health advocate Jeff Kennett gives reforms thumbs down.

- Nicola Roxon expected to continue talks with WA premier in Perth.

BUDGET
- Tanner says govt will stick to its pledge of using better-than-expected tax receipts
to return its budget to surplus despite having to find $5.4 billion in health inducements
for the states and territories.

COURTS
BRISBANE
- Jayant Patel trial continues.

- Joint inquest into the deaths of three international tourists to hear final submissions.

MELBOURNE
- Committal mention for John Coombes, accused of murdering childcare worker Raechel Betts.

- Trial continues for man accused of murdering his elderly wife, Supreme Court.

SYDNEY
- Sarah May Ward to be sentenced for cheeseball rage death of pedestrian.

- Des Campbell trial continues with Professor Rod Cross - physics expert, about falling
from the cliff.

PERTH
- Michael Jecks in court over stealing copper plate from WA's war memorial in Perth. (On merit)
- WA premier Brian Burke and fellow lobbyist Julian Grill in Supreme Court on corruption charges.

ADELAIDE
- Man caught in global child porn sting to be sentenced.

LAS VEGAS
- Australian internet whiz kid Daniel Tzvetkoff given bail on charges of fraud, money laundering.

CANBERRA
- Tax commissioner fronts parliamentary hearing 1000.

SYDNEY
- Federal shadow cabinet may be meeting in Sydney. Details not yet known.

- State parliament sits. Question Time 14.15.

- Federal Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek, NSW Housing Minister David Borger and Sydney
Lord Mayor announcing united offensive on homelessness in central Sydney (1000)
- Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese adressing National Road Summit (0930)
- Environmental activists protest with black balloons over coal-fired power stations (1300)

MELBOURNE
- WWII veteran pushed from his wheelchair and robbed just days before Anzac Day with pix.

- More on missing Melbourne six-year-old Reuben Bowman has been found unharmed.

- Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner doorstop on IMF world economic outlook.

- Vic Premier John Brumby to make announcement at local govt forum.

- Vic Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu doorstop near Sunshine rail station.

- Bushfires Reconstruction and Recovery Authority chair Christine Nixon to appear on Ten
Network's The Circle - More expected on Carl Williams' murder

BRISBANE
- Maritime Safety Qld pilots testing Shen Neng 1 before allowing it into Port of Gladstone.

- Coroner to talk to parents of Daniel Morcombe to decide on inquest.

- Seeking update on health payroll debacle.

- State Treasurer Andrew Fraser on trade trip to South America.

- Health workforce summit, Brisbane.

- Queensland Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Summit.

- 38yo man charged with attempted murder after 22yo man stabbed and in critical condition.

HOBART
- National tourism conference continues.

- PM visits Repatriation Centre, Royal Hobart Hospital. AAP covering.

PERTH
- Anzac March ban for veterans' partners sparks boycott.

- One man dead, another critical after Perth brawl.

DARWIN
- NT govt investigating industrial spill on Arnhem Land coast.

- Follow-up on expansion of Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu.

ENTERTAINMENT
SYDNEY - Interview with Spandau Ballet ahead of their Sydney shows
SYDNEY - Interview with former Nova breakfast host Tim Ross about his new projects

MEDICAL
ADELAIDE - Annual scientific meeting of Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia. AAP covering.

BRISBANE - Uni of Qld develops nanopatch to deliver vaccine more efficiently than needles.

INTERNATIONAL
AUCKLAND - Poverty in Fiji is much higher than new figures suggest, the nation's Council
for Social Services says.

AUCKLAND - New study into what Kiwi kids are worrying about (on merit)
LONDON - A promising Australian rugby union player was electrocuted and then hit by a
train in London after wandering onto a live railway line, an inquest has heard.

FINANCE
ECONOMICS:
Sydney - Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) sales of new motor vehicles for March
Sydney - AOFM to issue $600 million of July 23, 2010 Treasury notes, $600 million of
August 13, 2010 Treasury notes and $300 million of September 10, 2010 Treasury notes

EQUITIES:
Perth - Wesfarmers third quarter retail sales
Perth - Iluka Resources Ltd March quarter production and exploration report
Sydney - Caltex says it is cautious about is second half margins.

Melbourne - Gold producer Newcrest Mining Ltd has reduced its annual guidance, after slower
than expected commissioning and ramp up at its Hidden Valley project.

Sydney - Oil and gas producer Santos Ltd has posted a six per cent drop in production
in the March quarter, citing heavy rain and floods in Central Australia and Queensland
as a cause.

Also Stocks, Dollar, Finance Briefs and Finance Week to come.

SPORT
AFL
MELBOURNE - Preview Western Bulldogs v Adelaide on Friday; media conference with Bulldogs
coach Rodney Eade, 1120 Whitten Oval
MELBOURNE - Teams named for round 5 matches
MELBOURNE - match by match preview panel for round 5
MELBOURNE - Media conference with Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, 1015 Westpac Centre
MELBOURNE - Media conference with North Melbourne coach Brad Scott, 1045 Arden St
MELBOURNE - Media conference with Richmond utility Richard Tambling ahead of his 100th
AFL game, 0950 Victoria Park
SYDNEY - Swans presser for coach Paul Roos and Nick Smith

LEAGUE
SYDNEY - Preview Bulldogs v Brisbane on Friday
BRISBANE - Preview North Queensland v Parramatta on Friday
SYDNEY - Wests Tigers presser coach Tim Sheens and captain Robbie Farah, 1420, Concord Oval.

SYDNEY - Match by match preview panel for round 7
BRISBANE - Broncos coach Ivan Henjak presser 11.15am.

GOLD COAST - Gold Coast Titans presser 0930

RUGBY
SYDNEY - ARU chief executive John O'Neill in presser re SANZAR broadcast rights, ARU HQ, 1000
BRISBANE - Preview Queensland Reds v Stormers on Friday
PERTH - Preview Western Force v Crusaders on Friday.

SYDNEY - News ahead of NSW Waratahs match v Brumbies on Saturday
BRISBANE - Super 14 match by match preview panel.

CRICKET
BRISBANE - Player interview, 1200, as Australian Twenty20 squad trains ahead of departure
for World T20 in Windies.

CYCLING
HUY, Belgium - Australia's world champion Cadel Evans won the Fleche Wallonne one-day
classic here on Wednesday ahead of Spanish duo Joaquin Rodriguez and Alberto Contador.

OLYMPICS
SYDNEY - AOC President John Coates presser 1030 following death of former IOC President
Juan Antonio Samaranch.

SWIMMING
SYDNEY - Preview Australian squad competing in two-day grand prix meet in Sydney starting on Friday.

ROWING
BRISBANE - Preview national selection trials at Penrith starting on Friday.

SOCCER
LONDON - The Socceroos' World Cup hopes could be handed a massive boost after Ghana's
midfield lynchpin Michael Essien admitted he is in danger of missing the tournament through
injury.

TENNIS
BARCELONA, Spain - Lleyton Hewitt has been bundled out in the second round of the Barcelona Open.

RACING
SYDNEY - Looking ahead to Saturday's Sydney Cup meeting at Randwick.

MELBOURNE - Preview Sandown Saturday.

BRISBANE - Looking at Saturday's Eagle Farm fixture.

AAP bwl

KEYWORD: NATIONAL NEWSLIST

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed:Record fall in export prices impacting economy, Swan says

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2009
Fed:Record fall in export prices impacting economy, Swan says

Treasurer WAYNE SWAN says a sharp widening in the current account deficit reflects
the continuing impact of the global recession.

The treasurer's warning came after balance of payments data for the September quarter
showed an increase in the current account deficit to more than 16 billion dollars from
just above 13 billion.

Mr SWAN says the figure it reflects the dramatic impacts of the global recession ..

but forecasts infrastructure investments will help provide a strong basis for growth in
jobs and exports.

AAP RTV cb/rl/wz

KEYWORD: DEFICIT SWAN (CANBERRA)

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

SA: Rann to seek legal advice over fake documents controversy

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2009
SA: Rann to seek legal advice over fake documents controversy

South Australian Premier MIKE RANN will seek legal advice over the Liberal Party's
use of fake documents in a botched attempt to smear him.

SA Liberal leader MARTIN HAMILTON-SMITH has apologised for using the documents .. purporting
to be invoices for donations to the Labor Party.

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH told parliament on Tuesday the documents linked Mr RANN to an illegal
20 thousand dollar donation from a group with ties to the Church of Scientology.

But it's now been proved the documents are forged.

Mr RANN has today posted on his twitter website that he'll be talking to his lawyers tomorrow.

AAP RTV sl/af/

KEYWORD: DOCUMENTS SA (ADELAIDE)

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Off-duty lifesaver rescues children at unpatrolled beach

AAP General News (Australia)
12-28-2008
NSW: Off-duty lifesaver rescues children at unpatrolled beach

An off-duty lifesaver has saved a toddler from drowning at an unpatrolled beach on
the New South Wales south coast.

The female lifesaver pulled a two-year-old child and a four-year-old child from the
water at Barlings Beach at Tomakin tonight.

Surf Life Saving Australia Far South Coast Branch spokesman ANDREW EDMUNDS says the
two-year-old .. who was later taken to hospital .. was pulled from the water facedown
and not breathing.

He says another child .. an 18-month-old .. was also on the beach.

He says the children's mother was there .. but not supervising the youngsters.

Mr EDMUNDS says quick thinking from the lifesaver saved the child.

AAP RTV kd/wz

KEYWORD: LIFESAVER (SYDNEY)

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Hoc: It feels like a bad dream, Hockeyroos co-captain Hudson

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2008
Hoc: It feels like a bad dream, Hockeyroos co-captain Hudson

SYDNEY, Aug 19 AAP - Hockeyroos co-captain Nikki Hudson wiped away her tears this morning,
saying it feels like last night's Olympic loss to China was a bad dream.

The three-time Olympic champions are out of the Beijing Games with world No.5 China
qualifying ahead of Australia for tomorrow night's semi-finals.

Hudson said the loss was hard to believe.

"I'm sure they're (the rest of the team) feeling as I am and that's almost like we
wish it was a bad dream," she told the Seven Network this morning.

"But unfortunately it's not.

"We couldn't have asked to have done more and unfortunately it didn't go to plan in the end.

"It's just devastation because you spend four years trying to do as much as you possibly
can to win an event and for us it's the end of another era."

It was a must-win match against China for the rebuilding Australian women - never an
easy task against the hosts backed by a rabid home crowd.

Hudson said that while the Aussie contingent of the crowd did their best to over-power
the feisty Chinese fans, the home crowd had the advantage.

"Our Australian crowd tried desperately to match them and I think the Chinese let them
go for a little while and then sort of went, `Hey, it's our turn now'," she said.

"I've never heard Chinese be so vocal, it was amazing."

Hudson said dealing with the loss was made easier when you are a member of team.

"It's definitely easier to deal with it as a team because you've got such a great support
base and last night we all rallied around each other and it was great," she said.

"We only lost one game in the round, to lose one game and to be playing off for fifth
and sixth is quite disappointing ... we have to move on.

"You just have these great expectations and you can't settle for something less than that."

Hudson, who is one of the older members of the Hockeyroos at 32, said she tried to
console some of her younger teammates.

"The disappointment on these guys faces last night, it just broke our hearts," she said.

"Some of the younger ones were so distraught last night, I patted them on the back
and I said: `You guys are going to be around for such along time and if you'll allow me
I'd love to be the old girl that joins you'.

"They're just going to be a great bunch of girls and I think they're going to go a long way."

AAP nap/mo

KEYWORD: OLY08 HOCW HUDSON

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Cadbury to continue fight for colour purple

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2008
Vic: Cadbury to continue fight for colour purple

Chocolate giant Cadbury has lost a court bid to stop rival Darrell Lea using the colour purple.

The Federal Court has dismissed an application by Cadbury Schweppes that the use of
purple by Darrell Lea amounts to misleading and deceptive conduct.

Justice PETER HEEREY says he's not persuaded that Darrell Lea in using purple .. had
passed off its business or products as those of Cadbury .. or had contravened the Trade
Practices Act.

In a long running dispute going back more than five years .. Cadbury had objected to
Darrell Lea's use of various shades of purple in its store signage .. uniforms and product.

But Justice HEEREY says chocolate eaters are discerning enough to tell their Cadbury's
from their Darrell Lea.

AAP RTV wt/pmu/wz/crh

KEYWORD: CADBURY (MELBOURNE)

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Events Diary for Sunday, December 9, 2007

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2007
Events Diary for Sunday, December 9, 2007
EVENTS LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND LOCAL TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED:

ADELAIDE
- No items listed.

BRISBANE
- NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark to have an informal meeting with Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd. No time listed.

CANBERRA
- No items listed.

DARWIN
- No items listed.

HOBART
- No items listed.

MELBOURNE
0800 - Anaconda Adventure Race, with competitors competing over 52km in swimming, kayaking,
running and mountain biking. Lorne Foreshore. Contact: Kim Larochelle or Nicola Rutzou
02 9413 4244.

1130 - The Motorcycle Riders Association annual toy run, with 15,000 riders delivering
toys to the Salvation Army for distribution. Commence in Latrobe Street (opposite the
Flagstaff Gardens) for Williamstown. Contact: Dale Maggs 0432 776 458 or John Karmouche
03 9877 3004.

PERTH
1300 - Global Human rights Torch Relay. Forrest Place Perth. Contact: Jana Shearer 0407
783 057 or 9848 1113.

SYDNEY
1730 - Welcome reception for the The United States Studies Centre National Summit. Art
Gallery of NSW restaurant, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney. Contact: Nina Fudala
0409 321 918.

SPORT
CRICKET - Ford Ranger Cup -
One Day Domestic competition - to February 23
NSW v SA, North Dalton Park, Wollongong
CRICKET (Women's) - National Cricket League - to January 19
VIC v NSW, MCG
QLD v SA, Allan Border Field
SOCCER - A-League Season 2007/08 -
Round 16 - to December 9
1900 (AEDT) - Qld Roar v Central Coast Mariners, Suncorp Std
BASKETBALL (Women's) - WNBL - to February 17
Round 10 - to December 9
1300 - Bendigo v Sydney, Bendigo Schweppes Cnt, Vic
1430 (AEDT) - Adelaide v Townsville, Distinctive Homes Dome, SA
SWIMMING - 2008 Open Water Swimming C'Ships - to December 10
Sydney International Regatta Cnt
BOXING - Australian C'ships/Olympic qualifier/Selection trials for Oceania C'ships - to December 9
Mansfield, Brisbane
GOLF - Australian PGA C'ship - to December 9
Hyatt Regency Resort, Coolum, Qld
GOLF (Women's) - Lexus Cup - to December 9
Final round
1030 (AEDT) - Team Asia v Internationals, The Vines Resort & Country Club, Perth, WA
CYCLING - Grand Prix Cycling Tour - and December 9
Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast
HORSE RACING -
Hong Kong International Race Day, Sha Tin Racecourse
HOCKEY (Men's) - Champions Trophy - to December 9
(competing nations: Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands,
Pakistan, Spain). All matches played in Kuala Lumpur
Pitch 1
1805 (AEDT) - 7th v 8th
2005 (AEDT) - 3rd v 4th
2305 (AEDT) - 1st v 2nd
Pitch 2
2135 (AEDT) - 5th v 6th
CYCLING - Olympic test event - to December 9
Track Cycling World Cup Classic, Laoshan Velodrome, China
Racing: Sunday, December 9
GALLOPS -
Cranbourne
Sunshine Coast
Port Lincoln
Traralgon
Bunbury
Hobart
New Zealand
Hong Kong
TROTS -
Kilmore
New Zealand
GREYHOUNDS -
Sale

AAP RTV sg/jnb/cdh/crh/wz

KEYWORD: DIARY EVENTS SUNDAY DECEMBER 9, 2007

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Australian troops under attack again

AAP General News (Australia)
04-25-2007
Fed: Australian troops under attack again

By Jane Bunce and Max Blenkin

CANBERRA, April 25 AAP - Australian troops in Iraq have come under fire for the fifth
time in two days as they tried to recover an armoured vehicle destroyed during an earlier
roadside bomb attack.

The attacks on the Australians mark a serious upsurge in violence in the normally quiet
Dhi Qar province of southern Iraq.

Australia's commander in Iraq today blamed the attacks near An Nasariyah on Shi'ite
militia, possibly from the Mehdi Army of firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The latest incident came last night as an Australian patrol was sent to recover the
Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) destroyed in an attack on Monday, which left
three soldiers injured.

But a gun battle erupted as insurgents opened fire with small arms and fired a rocket
which hit the burned-out hulk of the ASLAV, the Department of Defence said today.

A second vehicle sustained minor damage, but no soldiers were injured.

Commander of Australian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Brigadier Michael Crane, said
the patrol was able to recover the damaged vehicle, but encountered "some nuisance small
arms and rocket fire on (the) way back to base".

He said there had been no warning before the attacks, but they came as no surprise.

Australian troops were attacked four times on Monday, including in the roadside bomb
attack which injured the three soldiers.

One soldier is expected to be flown back to Australia after suffering leg injuries in the attack.

The soldier has undergone surgery in a Baghdad hospital, and will be sent to Kuwait
for further treatment for burns, cuts and a broken ankle.

"I am going across to the international zone to visit him today but I understand that
he is recovering very well and I expect he will be heading home back to Australia in the
next couple of days," Brig Crane said.

A second soldier had returned to his unit after undergoing treatment for minor head
injuries at a Baghdad hospital, and a third was treated for fragment wounds and a broken
elbow but remained on duty.

Brig Crane said it was unlikely the perpetrators in the latest attack were Sunni insurgents
and agreed members of the Mehdi Army could have been responsible.

"It is not a traditionally Sunni strong base. It is probably more on the Shi'ite side
of things, although a little bit early for us to tell yet," Brig Crane said from Baghdad.

Brig Crane said there was a delicately balanced security situation between Iraqi provincial
authorities and the militias in Dhi Qar.

He said the recent attacks reflected the fact Australian troops had been more active
in the area lately.

Previously, they had been focusing on making the area around their Dhi Qar base more
secure and patrolling in neighbouring al-Muthanna province.

"As we have started to stretch our wings a bit I guess there is a little bit of a level
of resistance to that," he said.

"It is just obviously not the case yet that provincial authorities are absolutely in
control of that province."

Brig Crane said the troops were always careful but the difficulty with the northern
area of Dhi Qar province was the limited number of vehicle routes available through marshland.

He said the incident had not affected morale.

Meanwhile, the Department of Defence said troops were investigating the type of roadside
bomb used in the attack on the ASLAV.

A special Australian task force is working with explosives experts among its coalition
allies to develop new technologies, tactics and procedures to help counter the threat
of roadside bombs.

AAP jb/pv/sp/ks/bwl

KEYWORD: IRAQ AUST NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Ambulance delivers Boxing Day test warning

AAP General News (Australia)
12-25-2006
Vic: Ambulance delivers Boxing Day test warning

Cricket fans are being urged to drink sufficient fluids .. cover up .. and slip, slop,
slap during tomorrow's Boxing Day test.

St John Ambulance has released a plea to the 90-thousand sports fans expected to turn
out to the MCG match to think about their personal safety.

Spokesman PETER COCKS says taking some easy steps could prevent injuries on the day.

Cricket-goers are urged to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration .. bring warm
clothing for cool weather and any regular medication.

Sunscreen should be worn .. even if it's overcast .. and thongs and open footwear avoided.

About 100 St John volunteers will be on hand providing first aid throughout the day.

AAP RTV mi/wz/psm/

KEYWORD: ASHES AMBULANCE (MELBOURNE)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Police drop a lesser charge against teenager

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2006
NSW: Police drop a lesser charge against teenager

A Sydney teenager accused of plotting to blow up his former school has had one charge
against him dropped.

The 15-year-old boy from Dee Why faced Children's Court today .. accused of writing
a list naming students who bullied him .. and making plans to acquire bomb-making equipment.

Police say the boy planned to carry out the attack on April 5 .. believing it was the
anniversary of the US Columbine High School massacre .. and ADOLF HITLER'S birthday.

Both those events fall on April 20.

Police have withdrawn the lesser charge of threatening to destroy property with the
intention of endangering life.

The boy now faces the one charge of threatening to inflict grievous bodily harm ..

which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years jail.

AAP RTV kjd/cj/klw/jmm/wf

KEYWORD: PLOT (SYDNEY)

) 2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: US Senator asks did AWB breach WTO or US laws

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2006
Fed: US Senator asks did AWB breach WTO or US laws

(EDS: Reissuing to add attribution in par 4)



CANBERRA, April 11 AAP - A US Democrat Senator has asked for an investigation into
whether Australia's wheat exporter breached World Trade Organisation or US laws during
the Iraq oil for food program.

The Cole Inquiry is currently investigating allegations that AWB paid $300 million
in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime during the United Nation's oil for food program.

A spokesman for US Senator Tom Harkin, a key member of the US Senate Agricultural committee,
has pushed for an investigation into whether AWB breached US or WTO laws.

"Senator Harkin and a group of Democrats wrote to the United States trade representative
Rob Portman asking that a determination be made on whether AWB violated US or WTO trade
rules," spokesman Dave Townsend told ABC Radio.

He said the group had yet to hear back.

Mr Townsend said the Cole inquiry had shown there was a link between the Australian
government and AWB, but it was unclear wheat minister's knew about the scandal.

"It's unclear who may have known exactly what and when," he said.

"I think it's safe to say at least some parts of the Australian government were aggressively
lobbying people here in Washington to discredit any claims that AWB was bribing the Saddam
Hussein regime,

"And so it appears that there is at least some link there between the Australian government
and AWB."

Senator Harkin has also claimed that the US government helped advise the Australian
government on how to deal with the AWB scandal.

"Some of the documents that have come out of the Cole Inquiry have shown that upper
level Bush officials helped advised the Australian government on kind of how to quash
the growing scandal of AWB," Mr Townsend said.

"Senator Harkin is rather troubled by the Bush administration's inaction on this."

Mr Townsend said the question Senator Harkin wanted the Cole inquiry to ask was did
US wheat farmers lose business because AWB was paying kickbacks to Iraq.

"The crucial question for US wheat farmers is are they getting a fair deal and were
they cheated out of markets whether it be the through the UN Oil for Food program or anything
that transpired afterwards," he said.

AAP klw/it/jlw

KEYWORD: AWB US (REISSUING)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Highlights of the AAP National Wire at = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2005
Highlights of the AAP National Wire at = 2

CANBERRA - Australia's community legal centres have criticised ASIO's special anti-terrorism
powers as being too heavy-handed. (ASIO)

CANBERRA - Australia could expect better relations with Malaysia under the leadership
of Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minister John Howard said today. (Malaysia Aust)

CANBERRA - Efforts to wind-back salinity damage across the Murray-Darling basin are
being hampered because of a lack of skills and staff, a key review paper has found. (Salinity
to come)



CANBERRA - Scientists have cast doubt on the world's ability to accurately measure
climate change and whether it is due to human interference. (Tax Quinlan)



CANBERRA - Scientists have cast doubt on the world's ability to accurately measure
climate change and whether it is due to human interference. (Climate)



AUCKLAND - New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark is an overly emotional leader who
is advised and supported by "butch" women, a prominent Maori MP has said in an extraordinary
attack on his party colleagues. (NZ Tamihere)

SYDNEY - Coles and Woolworths will be asked to give evidence before a NSW parliamentary
inquiry after damaging claims were made by the Transport Workers Union. (Trucks Lead)

Trucks Nightlead to come.



SYDNEY - Pirated video games might be cheap but they can come with a hidden cost -
prison time or a criminal record. (Piracy Nightlead)

SYDNEY - Sixty years after the end of World War II, former Australian prisoners of
war were today presented with the locks used to keep them in detention. (Changi. Pics
available)

SYDNEY - About 350 Wattyl paint workers in five states are on strike today to protest
a leaked management email in which employees were referred to as "blobs". (Wattyl to come)



SYDNEY - A company has been ordered to pay almost $16,000 to a female employer who
was sacked from her job after a court ruled her manager's threat to send her outside to
"sit with the dogs" was intimidatory. (Birdon to come)



SYDNEY - A mother who has fostered more than 40 children was today named NSW Mother
of the Year. (Mum)

SYDNEY - Blue Heelers veteran John Wood has received nine gold Logie nominations in
his time on the show, but has never won. (Logie. Pics available)

SYDNEY - Oscar winner Nicole Kidman to attend world premiere of her latest film, The
Interpreter, at Sydney's Opera House tonight. (Kidman with pics to come)



MELBOURNE - An inquiry has failed to identify what sickened almost 60 people at Virgin
Blue's Melbourne terminal, disrupting its operations for days. (Airport. With factbox)



MELBOURNE - Firefighters battling a blaze in Victoria's Wilsons Promontory National
Park are hoping for rain today as authorities begin assessments of property lost. (Bushfires
Vic Daylead)

Bushfires Vic Nightlead to come.



MELBOURNE - Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation chairman Ron Walker says
ticket sales for next year's event are on target. (Com06 Tickets)

BRISBANE - Queensland police needed to take a tougher stance against domestic violence
and lay more criminal charges against offenders, the Crime and Misconduct Commission said
today. (Domestic)



BRISBANE - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie today hit back at claims he should not
leave the country while controversy dogged the Speaker of Parliament, saying he was determined
to get on with the business of government. (Hollis Nightlead)



BRISBANE - Two men appeared in a Brisbane court today charged over the murder of a
17-year-old youth whose decapitated body was found in a shallow grave on Friday. (Body)

BRISBANE - Recirculated air on aeroplane flights does not spread infectious diseases,
a new study has found. (Disease to come)



ADELAIDE - The car industry's record run, especially for importers, looks set to continue
with the release this week of official sales figures for March. (Motor sales )

ADELAIDE - Australian mountaineers Duncan Chessell and Paul Hockey plan to throw a
boomerang from the summit of Mt Everest in May. (Everest. Pics available )

PERTH - Efforts to rescue a pod of pilot whales stranded on a West Australian beach
will continue today when volunteers and wildlife officials try to herd them back into
deep water. (Whales Daylead)

Whales Nightlead to come.



PERTH - A Perth boy whose hands and foot were surgically reattached following an horrific
basketball accident has today undergone further surgery. (Basketball to come)



PERTH - A 71-year-old man remains critically ill today as police work to determine
why his Perth home unit was ripped apart by a huge explosion. (Units Daylead)

HOBART - A Melbourne man is lucky to be alive following a high-speed powerboat accident
on the Derwent River in Hobart. (Powerboat)

DARWIN - Northern Territory police today issued a stern warning to outback motorists
after pulling over a tip truck with 26 people packed into the back tray. (Load)



AAP br

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL 2 SYDNEY

2005 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

terminal bonus

terminal bonus An additional amount of money added to payments made on the maturity of an insurance policy or on the death of an insured person, because the investments of the insurer have produced a profit or surplus. Bonuses of this kind are paid at the discretion of the life office and usually take the form of a percentage of the sum assured.

OnHealth Network Company Sets Record Date and Stockholder Meeting Date For Approval of Acquisition by Healtheon/WebMD.

ATLANTA and SEATTLE, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ --

Healtheon/WebMD Corporation (Nasdaq: HLTH) and OnHealth Network Company (Nasdaq: ONHN) today announced that Healtheon/WebMD's Registration Statement on Form S-4, relating to the acquisition of OnHealth, has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Registration Statement relates to the proposed acquisition of OnHealth by Healtheon/WebMD and contains the proxy statement/prospectus for the transaction.

OnHealth's Board of Directors has established August 4, 2000 as the record date.

OnHealth will hold its annual meeting of stockholders on September 12, 2000 at 8:00 a.m. PDT, at The Rainier Club, Burke Room, 820 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98104 to vote on the proposed transaction. The transaction does not require action by the stockholders of Healtheon/WebMD.

Subject to receipt of approval by OnHealth's stockholders, consummation of the transaction is anticipated to occur shortly after OnHealth's stockholder meeting.

About OnHealth Network Company

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, OnHealth Network Company is a leading Internet health information and services resource that empowers consumers with integrated solutions to effectively manage their health and well being. In association with leading medical institutions, OnHealth's seasoned health journalists and medical contributors offer unbiased and trusted health resources via reference guides, up-to-date news feeds, deep research, personalization and interactive tools. OnHealth.com is the single most trafficked health site on the Web according to the June 2000 Media Metrix report. The award-winning site was recently named "Best Health & Medicine Web Site" by US News & World Report, "Best Overall Health Content Site" by Gomez Advisors, and won three gold medals including "The Best Consumer Healthcare Portal Site" at the November 1999 eHealthcare World Awards. Over 500 different sites drive traffic to onhealth.com through various strategic alliances including AOL's Digital City, Inc., Ask Jeeves, About.com, Better Homes and Gardens, Yahoo! and Microsoft's Hot Mail Web Courier.

About Healtheon/WebMD Corporation

Healtheon/WebMD is the first end-to-end Internet healthcare company connecting physicians and consumers to the entire healthcare industry. Healtheon/WebMD is using the Internet to facilitate a new system for the delivery of healthcare, resulting in a single, secure environment for all communications and transactions that will enable a more efficient and cost effective healthcare system. Healtheon/WebMD has its corporate headquarters in Atlanta and its technology headquarters in Silicon Valley. For more information visit http://www.webmd.com .

For more information, visit www.webmd.com, www.onhealth.com.

Other than historical information set forth herein, this announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the ability of Healtheon/WebMD's and OnHealth's services to improve healthcare, decrease clinical and administrative costs and inefficiencies and accelerate physician adoption. Actual results could be materially different from those discussed in this announcement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among others: the companies' limited operating history, continued growth in the use of the Internet, and acceptance of the Internet as a secure medium over which to conduct transactions. Additional risks associated with the companies' businesses can be found in the proxy statement/registration statement on Form S-4 pertaining to the acquisition of OnHealth, as well as Healtheon/WebMD's proxy statement/registration statement pertaining to its pending acquisitions of Medical Manager Corporation and CareInsite, Inc. and each of these companies' periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This does not constitute an offer of securities. Investors are urged to read the various filings of Healtheon/WebMD Corporation, and OnHealth, Inc. that have been filed and will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to the pending acquisition of OnHealth by Healtheon/WebMD, including the proxy statement/registration statement that is required to be filed with respect to the pending acquisition. The Securities and Exchange Commission filings are available to the public at the Securities and Exchange Commission's web site at http://www.sec.gov . Investors can also obtain free copies of the documents relating to Healtheon/WebMD by contacting Healtheon/WebMD Investor Relations department at Healtheon/WebMD Corporation, 400 The Lenox Building, 3399 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, 30326, 404-495-7600, http://www.webmd.com . Investors can also obtain free copies of the documents relating to OnHealth by contacting the OnHealth Investor Relations department at OnHealth Network Company, 808 Howell Street, Suite 400, Seattle, Washington 98101, 206-652-0308 http://www.onhealth.com .

CONTACT: investors, Lew Belote, 404-495-7602, or lbelote@webmd.net, or media, Dawn Whaley, 404-897-2300, or dwhaley@alexanderogilvy.com, both for Healtheon/WebMD Corporation; or Bobbi Hoff of OnHealth Network Company, 206-652-0308, or bobbih@onhealth.com.

Newscast: Puppy cam is back showing new litter born two weeks ago.(Broadcast transcript)

BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor:

Finally tonight, something on the Web which for dog lovers has the addictive power of a narcotic. That's what's happening right now. They're asleep, but you should see it, when mom comes in, they wake up, it's off the hook. Among fans of webcams, puppy cam is the granddaddy of them all. Actually, more like the grandmother, because when we noticed the San Francisco family had fired up puppy cam again, we knew that meant this was a third litter for mom and something for us to watch, in some cases, for hours at a time. Our report tonight from veteran dog lover Mike Taibbi.

MIKE TAIBBI reporting:

In the two weeks since this litter was born, the number of visitors to the site following the breeding prowess of a Shiba Inu female name Kiko has now topped 27 million. It's a rare breed of Japanese hunting dog. But psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert says that's not what has so many people tuning in.

Mr. JONATHAN ALPERT: It's free. It's calming. It allows us to escape some of the stress of life.

TAIBBI: Kiko's owners are a San Francisco couple who've insisted on remaining anonymous, but when an Internet broadcaster picked up the live feed of Kiko's first litter back in 2008, streaming it worldwide, a phenomenon was born. In that first week, four million viewers in 74 countries spent more than 1.2 million hours watching online.

Context matters, then the economy had just tanked, triggering the great recession. And by the time that first liter was weaned, some 15 million viewers had found a morsel of innocence and optimism in puppy cam.

If you're a fan of animal videos, the Internet age gives you plenty of options: nesting eagles, elephants who paint self-portraits, and any number of other breeds of puppies. But even this adult Shiba Inu can't take her eyes off these particular pups. It's not about money, though someone's marketing greeting cards and calendars, and the pups images have spilled over to other corners of the culture. It's just about these simple images that trigger a simple response. Mike Taibbi, NBC News, New York.

WILLIAMS: Go ahead and try it, but you've been warned.

Car czar in driving seat.

US: A government 'car czar' would oversee any bail-out of US automakers under proposed terms being negotiated by the White House and Congress for extending up to $17 billion in emergency loans that aim to save GM and rival Chrysler from bankruptcy. A legislative aide said both sides favoured the creation of the role to oversee funds and ensure that conditions were met.

2007 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Software Vendors Boost Revenue from BRIC Markets with Avangate.

Boleto Bancario, a popular local payment method, and Brazilian Portuguese recently introduced

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Avangate, eCommerce and partner management solutions provider for software companies, announced the introduction of additional localization options for Brazil, one of the fastest growing IT markets today and the largest software market in Latin America.

Research shows that more than 70% of customers are more likely to purchase if the shopping cart is displayed in their native language; similarly when their preferred payment method is listed as an option. With the introduction of Boleto Bancario and the localization of the ordering interface in Brazilian Portuguese - significantly different from the European Portuguese -, digital vendors selling via Avangate are better equipped to target the Brazilian market.

"Avangate continues to invest in localization capabilities for the BRIC countries. As a result, software companies can take advantage of the fast-growing markets' enormous potential", said Adriana Iordan, Product Management Officer at Avangate. "These capabilities translate into improved conversion rates and revenue for vendors as well as increased end-customer satisfaction."

Avangate offers one of the broadest portfolio of eCommerce capabilities enabling merchants to manage their global online and offline commerce requirements. It offers localized shopping cart options in numerous countries, with 23 languages and over 27 local payment methods as well as advanced subscription capabilities.

About Boleto Bancario Boleto Bancario is the most preferred payment method in Brazil after credit and debit cards, with a roughly 30% market share of all online payment methods. A risk-free payment method for vendors, Boleto is a credit transfer service that enables customers in Brazil to purchase software online and pay offline at any Brazilian post office, bank branch or through internet banking.

About Avangate Avangate provides electronic software distribution and reseller management solutions assisting software vendors worldwide sell and promote their software online as well as through channel and distribution networks.

Tailored for software sales, the company's offer includes a full-featured, secure eCommerce platform, results-driven web marketing services, an affiliate network and the ARMS reseller management system. Avangate's expertise in the software business can help vendors increase their visibility on the Internet, maximize access to additional selling channels and generate software sales online and offline.

More information can be found on the corporate website, at www.avangate.com, and on the company's blog, at http://blog.avangate.com/

Knight to see you! At long last, it's Sir Bruce as Forsyth heads the Birthday Honours.(News)

Byline: Michael Seamark

IT'S been a long time coming, but the king of light entertainment Bruce Forsyth finally receives a knighthood today.

After a TV career stretching back to the Second World War - and years of campaigning by fans - the 83-yearold Strictly Come Dancing host tops the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

There have been internet petitions and even a parliamentary Early Day Motion signed by 73 MPs asking for the entertainer, who was made a CBE in 2006, to be knighted.

Taking a celebratory glass of champagne in the garden of his Surrey home, Sir Bruce said he was 'pleased and very proud' to be knighted by the Queen.

'I'm over the moon,' he said. 'It has really hit me how big the honour is. It makes me feel as though my life has been worthwhile. I am so grateful to the many people who have supported me over a long career and made this possible.'

Three-times-married Sir Bruce, one of Britain's best-loved TV stars whose other hits included The Generation Game and Play Your Cards Right, added: 'My wife Wilnelia is abroad at the moment but comes home tomorrow. I can't wait to go to the airport to welcome her back and call her "My Lady".'

But he admitted that when he received the letter telling him about the honour he wondered if it was a hoax. 'We were doubtful because it's been going on so long, the speculation,' he said. 'We thought it might be a hoax so we did check all the way down the line that it was real.'

BBC1 controller Danny Cohen led the congratulations, saying: 'Bruce Forsyth is a TV legend and a true gentleman. He is an incredible entertainer and this is a wonderful recognition of his 70 years in showbusiness.'

His Strictly Come Dancing co-host Tess Daly said: 'It couldn't happen to a nicer bloke. Bruce is Britain's greatest living all-round entertainer and for 70 years (and counting) he has been making us laugh.

'Our parents, grandparents and now through Strictly, our children, all love him too. Bruce is a national treasure we should all be proud of. Does this mean I'll have to curtsy now at the start of each show?'

Joining Sir Bruce on the honours list is actor Colin Firth, awarded a CBE only months after collecting an Oscar for playing the Queen's father George VI in The King's Speech.

A CBE also goes to Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry, who called it a 'great honour'.

Former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, 27, gets an MBE for her tireless campaign against knife crime, prompted by the murder of her 16-year-old brother Ben in 2008 which shocked the nation.

The IVF pioneer Professor Robert Edwards, 85, is knighted eight months after being awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for his work that led to the birth in 1978 of Louise Brown, the world's first test-tube baby.

There is also a knighthood for the former Ofsted chief inspector Chris Woodhead, whose outspoken style provoked fierce clashes with teaching unions.

Former Tory leader Michael Howard, 69, who was ennobled last year as Lord Howard of Lympne in Kent, is made a Companion of Honour for public and political services.

Glasgow-based author Julia Donaldson, 62, best known for The Gruffalo, caps a week in which she was appointed the Children's Laureate by being awarded an MBE.

Emma Freud, 49, gets an OBE for her work on Comic Relief with her partner, film-maker Richard Curtis. Media lawyer Mark Stephens, 54, whose clients include WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, is awarded a CBE.

'Horse whisperer' Monty Roberts is also honoured. The American trainer is made an honorary Member of the Royal Victorian Order - given by the Queen to people who have served her or the monarchy in a personal way.

A total of 965 people are awarded honours in the list, of whom 74 per cent are 'local heroes' who have carried out unsung work in their communities.

They include James Alexander of Fochabers, Moray, who gets a CBE for services to traditional music, and Ann Baxter, awarded a CBE for her work with the Girl Guides in Stirlingshire.

Arran resident Margaret Mackenzie also receives a CBE for her work in the island community.

DAME JENNI'S PROUDEST HOUR

ENTERTAINMENT

WOMAN'S Hour presenter JENNI MURRAY is made a dame. The broadcaster, 61, said her only regret was that her parents were not alive to see it.

But Barnsley-born Dame Jenni, who has hosted the Radio 4 programme for more than 20 years, said she hoped her mother would be 'looking down in delight' when she goes to the palace to collect her honour.

Dame Jenni, who overcame breast cancer, began her career in Bristol and was awarded an OBe in 1. JANeT SuzMAN, 72, is made a dame for a distinguished acting career, while an OBe goes to artist-turnedfilm-maker SAM TAYLOR-WOOD, 44.

OBes go to GrAeMe GArDeN, 68, and TiM BrOOke-TAylOr, 70, creators of the 1 70s TV series The Goodies with Bill Oddie, 6 , who received an OBE in 2003.

Actor BERNARD CRIBBINS, 82, narrator of the children's show The Wombles, also gets an OBE, as does Radio 2 DJ 'Whispering' BOB HARRIS, 65.

SPORT

ENGLAND cricket captain ANDREW STRAUSS, 34, and coach ANDY FLOWER, 43, get OBEs, and ALASTAIR COOK, 26, an MBE, for winning the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years.

There are MBEs for three London 2012 Olympic hopefuls - world heptathlon champion JESSICA ENNIS, 25, world triple jump champion PHILLIPS IDOWU, 32, and Tour de France cycling star MARK CAVENDISH, 26.

OBEs go to golfer LEE WESTWOOD, 38, and former U.S. basketball star JOHN AMAECHI, 40, who grew up in Stockport and became the first openly gay NBA player in 2007.

BUSINESS AND THE CITY

A KNIGHTHOOD goes to Bank of England governor MERVYN KING, 63, while Sainsbury's chief executive JUSTIN KING, 50, is given a CBE.

There is an OBe for NiCHOlAS rOBerTSON, 43, chief executive of the successful online fashion retailer ASOS.com, and a CBe for textile designer CeliA BirTWell, 70, who with her late ex-husband Ossie Clark dressed the Beatles, Twiggy and Jimi Hendrix in the 1 60s.

The boss of one of the country's biggest energy firms, Dr PAUL GOLBY, chief executive of E.ON UK, is awarded a CBE.

CAPTION(S):

Didn't he do well? Sir Bruce celebrates Damehood: Jenni Murray

Leap Opposes Proposed AT&T Acquisition of T-Mobile USA.

SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP), a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless communications services and its operating subsidiary, Cricket Communications, Inc., today announced their opposition to AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, a nationwide competitor to AT&T and the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101220/MM20546LOGO-a)

The acquisition would harm consumers. It would reduce competition and decrease innovation and investment in the wireless industry. It would also accelerate the trend of alarming concentration of wireless providers and would eliminate T-Mobile as a competitive force that helps balance the increasing power of the largest carriers. If the acquisition is permitted to occur, it would result in the domination of the wireless industry by two massive super-carriers, AT&T and Verizon, who together would control more than 80 percent of the wireless market. Regulators and lawmakers have long recognized that such concentration does not serve consumers. The historical policy of promoting competition in the wireless marketplace has produced tremendous benefits for consumers, including reduced services prices, broader availability of wireless services to all income levels and ethnic groups, and the development of new and enhanced service offerings, such as mobile broadband and unlimited services at fixed prices. That pro-competition policy should not be reversed.

"We oppose the proposed acquisition. A competitive marketplace is critical to wireless innovation -- and small and mid-sized carriers such as Cricket are driving that innovation," said Doug Hutcheson, President and CEO of Leap and Cricket. "The proposed acquisition would eliminate T-Mobile as an important nationwide competitor in the industry. It also raises problems of spectrum concentration and impaired access to spectrum by competitive carriers; undercuts access to wholesale voice and data roaming services; and threatens to foster reduced device availability and reduced interoperability of wireless networks and devices, among many other issues. Those results are not in the public interest."

About Leap

Leap, through its operating subsidiary Cricket, is the pioneer of simple and affordable unlimited wireless services with no long-term commitments or credit checks required. Cricket serves more than 5.8 million customers in 35 states and the District of Columbia, offering wireless voice and broadband Internet services over its latest technology, high-quality wireless network. Cricket's nationwide wireless voice service plans include unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited text to Mexico, unlimited Mobile Web, unlimited directory assistance, as well as a variety of calling features and feature-rich mobile applications such as popular games, ringtones and wallpapers. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless International, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information on Leap, visit www.leapwireless.com. For more information on Cricket, visit www.mycricket.com.

SOURCE Leap Wireless International, Inc.

Beecken-Backed Scrip Adds Allegro Medical.(News)

Byline: Tamika Cody

Beecken Petty O'Keefe & Company's Scrip Products Corporation has acquired Allegro Medical for an undisclosed amount.

The addition of Allegro Medical will give Scrip the opportunity to expand its product offering and web presence. The internet-based medical equipment distributor, which sells products direct to consumers and businesses within the US, is a synergistic and complementary fit to Scrip, Scrip's CEO Matt Taylor stated in the press release.

Livingstone acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Scrip and Beecken, with David Sulaski as the lead.

Scrip was formed when Beecken fused Scrip and Massage Warehouse in 2006. The specialty healthcare distribution business which serves the chiropractic, massage therapy, spa, and physical therapy industry sits within the firm's second fund. Beecken raised $325 million in committed capital for the vehicle in 2005.

Shortly after the platform was created Scrip acquired Hessco, Inc., which was a major competitor in the chiropractic market. It also ended up buying Lotus Touch / New Life Systems, a manufacturer and catalog distributor of premier massage and spa products.

Beecken did not return calls seeking addition comment.

The firm is currently investing out of its $400 million BPOC Fund III, L.P., which it raised in 2010.

Beecken typically handles recapitalizations and buyout deals. A good portion of its investments are medium-sized businesses within the healthcare services arena. The firm prefers to invest in companies with a solid management team that has identifiable competitive advantages and significant barriers-to-entry. The target's enterprise value usually varies from $40 million to $500 million.

A small fraction of the firms investments are growth-stage companies that are also in the healthcare service space as well as the medical product and information technology sectors. Most of these companies have an enterprise value between $5 million to $50 million.

Investigators at University of Virginia publish new data on life sciences.

A new study, 'Selected pseudoneoplastic lesions of the skin,' is now available. According to recent research from the United States, "Pseudoneoplastic cutaneous lesions are diverse, not only morphologically but also with respect to their causes and cellular lineages. They include proliferations of epithelial, as well as mesenchymal, elements."

"This review aims to consider selected lesions in the aforementioned groups, contrasting them with histologically similar neoplasms of the skin in a differential diagnostic setting. Information used in assembling this discussion was drawn from the published literature on cutaneous pseudoneoplasms, using an Internet-based search engine. The authors' collective experience was also used in writing this review," wrote M.R. Wick and colleagues, University of Virginia (see also Life Sciences).

The researchers concluded: "Sufficient clinical and morphologic differences exist in virtually all instances to separate pseudoneoplastic cutaneous proliferations from the tumors that they imitate."

Wick and colleagues published their study in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (Selected pseudoneoplastic lesions of the skin. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 2010;134(3):369-77).

For additional information, contact M.R. Wick, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, 22908-0214 USA.

Keywords: City:Charlottesville, State:22908-0214, Country:United States, Life Sciences, Neoplasms, Diagnostics, Histology, Pathology.

This article was prepared by Biotech Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Biotech Week via NewsRx.com.

Daimler Reaches Agreement on Separation from Chrysler.

- Agreement with US Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), Chrysler and Cerberus on pending issues

- Redemption of remaining 19.9% shareholding

STUTTGART, Germany, April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Daimler AG (stock-exchange abbreviation DAI), Chrysler, Cerberus and the US Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) signed a binding term sheet on April 27, 2009 covering issues still pending between the parties in connection with Chrysler.

Under this agreement, Daimler's remaining 19.9% shareholding in Chrysler will be redeemed and Daimler will forgive repayment of the loans extended to Chrysler, which were already written off in the 2008 financial statements.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080409/NYW017LOGO )

In addition, Daimler has agreed to pay US$200 million into Chrysler's pension plans on the date of the execution of definitive agreements and in each of the next two years. In this way, Daimler is helping to secure pension payments to former employees of DaimlerChrysler. The existing pension guaranty of US$1 billion vis-a-vis the PBGC will be reduced to an amount of US$200 million and will remain in place until August 2012.

Chrysler and Cerberus waive any claims that might arise from representations and warranties made in the transaction of August 3, 2007 including the accusations made against Daimler in 2008 that Daimler allegedly improperly managed certain issues in the period between the signing of the agreement and the conclusion of the transaction. This also applies to the accusation that incomplete information was provided on the transaction.

Following the transfer of the term sheet into the final definitive agreements, the relationship between Daimler and Chrysler will solely consist of supplier-customer relations, including limited support for certain dealer financing until the end of September 2009, as well as certain guaranties.

The effect on EBIT resulting from this agreement, which will be reflected in Daimler's financial statements for the second quarter of 2009, is estimated at up to US$0.7 billion. The payments to be made in the years 2009 through 2011 amount to US$200 million per annum.

Further information on Daimler is available on the internet at: http://www.media.daimler.com/

This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events. The words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "should" and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including a lack of improvement or a further deterioration of global economic conditions; a continuation or worsening of the turmoil in the credit and financial markets, which could result in ongoing high borrowing costs or limit our funding flexibility; changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates; the introduction of competing, fuel efficient products and the possible lack of acceptance of our products or services which may limit our ability to adequately utilize our production capacities or raise prices; price increases in fuel, raw materials, and precious metals; disruption of production due to shortages of materials, labor strikes, or supplier insolvencies; a further decline in resale prices of used vehicles; the effective implementation of cost reduction and efficiency optimization programs at all of our segments, including the repositioning of our truck activities in the NAFTA region; the business outlook of Chrysler, in which we hold an equity interest and some of whose obligations we have guaranteed; the business outlook of companies in which we hold an equity interest, most notably EADS; changes in laws, regulations and government policies, particularly those relating to vehicle emissions, fuel economy and safety, the resolution of pending governmental investigations and the outcome of pending or threatened future legal proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties, some of which we describe under the heading "Risk Report" in Daimler's most recent Annual Report and under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Legal Proceedings" in Daimler's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or if the assumptions underlying any of our forward-looking statements prove incorrect, then our actual results may be materially different from those we express or imply by such statements. We do not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made.

About Daimler

Daimler AG, Stuttgart, with its businesses Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Daimler Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Daimler Buses, is a globally leading producer of premium passenger cars and the global market leader of heavy- and medium-duty trucks as well as buses. The Daimler Financial Services division has a broad offering of financial services, including vehicle financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management. Daimler sells its products in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, continued to make automotive history following their invention of the automobile in 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler and its employees willingly accept an obligation to act responsibly towards society and the environment and to shape the future of safe and sustainable mobility with groundbreaking technologies and high-quality products. The current brand portfolio includes the world's most valuable automobile brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as smart, AMG, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, Mitsubishi Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt, New York and Stuttgart (stock exchange abbreviation DAI). In 2008, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of over 270,000 people; revenue totaled euro 95.9 billion and EBIT amounted to euro 2.7 billion. Daimler is an automotive Group with a commitment to excellence, and aims to achieve sustainable growth and industry-leading profitability.

CONTACT: Han Tjan, +1-212-909-9063, or Thomas Frohlich, +49-711-17-41361

Web Site: http://www.media.daimler.com/

Project manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems press release (Feb. 12, 2008); product manager, Defense Wide Transmission Systems connects Army logisticians with 1,000th CSS VSAT.(In the News)

SPRINGFIELD, Va. -- The program to connect Army logisticians with their own, dedicated communications system reached a significant milestone when the 1,000th combat service support very small aperture terminal (CSS VSAT) rolled off the assembly line at the plant of L-3 Global Communications Solutions, Inc. (GCS) in Victor, N. Y., on Jan. 9, 2008.

The program, managed by the product manager, Defense Wide Transmission Systems (PM DWTS)--part of the Army's Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems' Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (PM DCATS)--started in May 2004 as the solution to the Army G-4's (deputy chief of staff logistics) number-one priority after Operation Iraqi Freedom I to connect logisticians with their own communications system to pass requisitions, and at the same time eliminate the need for soldiers to go in harm's way in convoys to hand-carry requisitions.

Some 90 Army leaders and their industry partners met at a PM DWTS facility on Jan. 31, 2008, to mark the milestone.

Borrowing an analogy he heard from former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Thomas Edwards, assistant deputy chief of staff, Army G-4, compared the early process of trying to connect Army logisticians to "slogging through a swamp," and said that for the G-4, the CSS VSAT solution was like "jumping out of a swamp and onto a rocket ship.

"The number one logistics issue out of the war [Operation Iraqi Freedom] was to connect the logistician," said Edwards. "You can't run a distribution system if you don't know what the user wants. If you [the CSS VSAT government and industry team] hadn't been able to step up and make that happen, we'd still be on the sidelines. You have my personal and enduring thanks for that."

Maj. Jeff Etienne, the assistant product manager, DWTS-Belvoir, told the group the history of the CSS VSAT program, from the first generation of 18 prototype units in March 2004 that utilized a 0.96 meter dish to the current fourth generation 1.2 meter Hawkeye II-enhanced units that were fielded starting with the 901 st unit in November 2007. He said soldiers' demand for CSS VSATs continues to increase because the technology allows users to share documents, pass requisitions, collaborate and conduct meetings online, and make voice over Internet Protocol telephone calls--all without moving from their location.

Also Connects Medical, Biometrics, and Homeland Security Users

Lt. Col. Clyde Richards, PM DWTS, said that the factory-to-foxhole Internet capability enabled by CSS VSATs provides information dominance for CSS warfighting units and noted that, in addition to connecting logisticians, CSS VSATs also save soldiers' lives by digitally transporting medical supply and casualty-care transactions, and support force protection by digitally transporting biometrics and homeland security transactions. "We've also provided VSATs to support disaster relief efforts, such as we did after Hurricane Katrina," said Richards.

Emphasizing that his objective as a PM was to provide a faster, better, and cheaper system, Richards said that he was proud that the PM DWTS and industry team had worked together to reduce the cost of individual CSS VSATs by 35 percent and to make process improvements, such as doing quality inspections at the vendor's plant and shipping directly from there to users. "I also want to tell you that, operationally, we have not lost one single VSAT out of 1,000," said Richards.

Richards said that the original requirement from the G-4 was for 775 CSS VSATs, that there were 1,000 more in the pipeline, and that the figure could ultimately grow to 3,000 CSS VSATs.

Media contact is Stephen Larsen, 732-427-6756 or Stephen. larsen@us.army.mil.

Talk to your agent.(Microsoft Bob)

Byline: Tim Nott

Talk to your agent

If you miss Bob and Rover, try out some third-party characters

Microsoft Agent first appeared over a decade ago, with the launch of Microsoft Bob. This provided a collection of programs for letter writing, email, housekeeping, financial management, and so on. These were wrapped up in what Microsoft called a social interface consisting of a set of rooms populated by your guide (a dog named Rover) and various other animals (see screen 1).

Besides being unbelievably naff, Bob was well known for taking ages to do anything because of the sheer number of mouse clicks needed. When bored, you could waste further hours rearranging the furniture, and choosing a different guide. These ranged from a gargoyle called Baudelaire to a guitar-playing rat.

Bob bombed spectacularly, and the advent of Windows 95 did much to speed its demise. The technology resurfaced in Office 97, with the debut of the infamous paperclip and his pals, which included Bob veterans Will (Shakespeare) and the Dot. Although the Office Assistant is still available as an Office 2003 option, agents found another career in the XP Search facility. Judging by the number of websites that give instructions for turning the animated characters off in XP Search, agents have once again failed to win the hearts and minds of Microsoft's users.

So, let's start with those turn off instructions. Fire up Search -- either from the Start Menu or from the Search button on the Explorer toolbar, and click on 'Change preferences'. If you don't see this, you'll need to scroll down (or resize) the search pane. Alternatively, if the animated character is visible, click on it. If you want to change the character, then you'll get the choice of a rather annoying dog (yes, it's recycled Rover), an even more annoying girl -- Courtney -- who appears to be in a sort of open-topped space vehicle, and the yet more annoying Earl -- a sort of surfboarding duck. There's also Merlin, who is the only character I have anything approaching a soft spot for, and, should you have Microsoft Office and its assistants installed, those are available too.

Microsoft has three more you can download from www.microsoft.com/msagent/

downloads/user.asp, including a parrot, a robot, and the genie in screen 2. You can also find third-party agents -- there are loads at www.inchain.com.au if you first click on the eclips tab then Desktop Characters.

Having downloaded the characters as .acs files, you may find a problem getting the Search options to recognise them. Rover, Courtney and Earl are stored in Windows\srchasst\chars, and Merlin lives at Windows\msagent\

chars. We found that copying the genie and robot files to the former folder made them available, but neither the parrot -- peedy.acs -- nor third-party agents would make themselves available from either folder. We could, however, force the issue with a little Registry editing. Having taken the usual Restore Point safeguard, you can find and modify the path to the agent file at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\

Microsoft\Search Assistant\Actor.

Note that you don't get a preview thumbnail of agent character files in the normal Windows way, but you will find an animated preview in the file properties version tab.

The fun possibilities of changing the Search character can probably be exhausted in a matter of minutes, but the agents themselves -- together with a little scripting -- can provide hours of displacement activity for Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP users. First, you need to be suitably equipped. If you are running Windows 98 check that the Windows Scripting Host is installed in Control Panel, Add/Remove programs, Windows Setup, Accessories.

Next you should make sure you have the agent software installed. Again, with Windows ME, 2000 or XP this should already be in place, in Windows\MSAgent. Windows 98 users can get the core components from the downloads page mentioned above. The characters come with sound effects, but if you want to hear your characters speak, you need to download a text-to-speech engine, and XP users may need to download the SAPI 4 runtime. Again, it's all to be found at that downloads page. When you think you've got everything in place, go to www.microsoft.com/msagent/

dev/code/TryMSAgent.asp to check that it is all working. We found this didn't work in Firefox, but was fine in Internet Explorer.

Now you are ready to take control of your character. We dipped our toes in VB script back in 1999, and in 2004 showed how it could be used to change the delay in the XP slideshow, so here's a brief recap. The Windows Scripting Host supports both VB and Java scripts. Both consist of plain-text files with either the .vbs or .js extension. You can create these in Notepad. If it insists on adding the .txt extension, so that you end up with myscript.vbs.txt, then make sure you have 'All files' selected in the 'Save As Type' box.

The first thing we have to do is summon the agent and assign it as an object. The first six lines of the code in figure 1 take care of that. They define variables to hold the name and path of the agent file, then start the agent server, connect to it, and load it with the specified agent. The sixth line creates an object -- actor -- that we can then manipulate. The next step is to make him visible with Actor.Show. This brings him on stage, with whatever animation and sound effect has been programmed into the character. However, on its own, it doesn't work. The script chugs on, processing every line without waiting to see if the actor has completed each action or speech. When it gets to the end of the script, it unloads everything and terminates -- so we never get to see the act.

One way round this is to make the script check if the actor is logically visible, ie a Show command has been processed that has not been countermanded by a Hide command or by the user right-clicking and hiding the actor. If so, then the script pauses for 500 milliseconds, before checking again. This is achieved in the last three lines, which causes the script to chase its own tail until the actor has finished performing and been hidden.

Like many of their human counterparts, actors can Speak, Think, MoveTo, GestureAt and Play. Actors will speak out loud with the text-to-voice engine installed as well as in a speech bubble. Thinking is silent, with the cartoon convention of a trail of bubbles. MoveTo and GestureAt take arguments of screen position in pixels from top left.

What the actor can play is up to its creator. Our script shows a few of the actions that Merlin can perform. If you've typed it correctly (watch out for commas and spaces, but don't worry too much about case), you'll see Merlin appear out of his hat, fly down the screen, blow a trumpet, flourish his wand, stir his cauldron and speak before disappearing back into his hat. The full list -- and those of the other agents -- can be found in the Agent SDK help file. You can download this from www.microsoft.com/

msagent/downloads/developer.asp#ace.

There is, of course, a lot more you can do with agents, including interacting with the user to respond to typed or spoken commands. Agents will also 'play' when left to their own devices -- if you leave out the Actor.Hide line, then Merlin will eventually doze off, snoring gently. If you're really smitten by the creative dramatic urge then you can stage a play with more than one actor. You'll need new names for the AgentName, AgentPath, AgentObject and actor variables for each member of the cast, and you'll need to make liberal use of the Wscript.Sleep command to stop your actors all talking at the same time.

Renaming again

In last September's column (see www.pcw.co.uk/2160242) we covered XP's bulk rename facility. A reader asked if you could specify the order in which the files were numbered, independently of the Explorer sort order. We've discovered that Picasa2, free from http://picasa.google.com will do this. Drag the thumbnails into the order you want them, select all, press F2 to rename them -- the number sequence will reflect the order you imposed. PCW