NSW:Anger at Sydney coal seam gas meeting

AAP General News (Australia)
08-02-2011
NSW:Anger at Sydney coal seam gas meeting

A public meeting about coal seam gas exploration in Sydney has called on people to
become custodians of the land against such mining.

DREW HUTTON, from Lock the Gate Alliance, told an angry meeting in Sydney's inner west
last night people have to reject coal seam gas mining to ensure a sustainable future.

The NSW government last month extended a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking
process, in which miners inject water or other fluids into cracks in rock to extract gas
and/or oil.

ROBBERT DE WEIJER, the CEO of Dart Energy, which holds the exploration licence to drill
for coal seam gas in the Sydney region, was derided for his assurances the company won't
use fracking unless it's approved by authorities and with adequate community dialogue.

AAP RTV ih/psm/

KEYWORD: CSG NSW (SYDNEY)

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

VIC:Man stabbed in Melbourne attack

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2011
VIC:Man stabbed in Melbourne attack

MELBOURNE, April 6 AAP - A man was stabbed in the shoulder and then in the back as
he tried to flee his attacker in Melbourne's west.

Police said the attacker called out to the victim, then lunged at him with a knife
as he approached just before 8pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old victim ran to a medical centre in Footscray where he phoned paramedics.

He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police are hunting for a man of African appearance aged in his late 20s.

AAP jcr/gfr/nb

KEYWORD: SHOULDER

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

NSW:More students access HSC marks via text

AAP General News (Australia)
12-15-2010
NSW:More students access HSC marks via text

By Sarah Malik

SYDNEY, Dec 15 AAP - A record number of students sitting the Higher School Certificate
(HSC) accessed their results via text message.

Nearly 15,000 students pre-registered to receive their HSC results via mobile phone
at 6am (AEDT) on Wednesday morning, according to Education Minister Verity Firth.

It was 2500 more than the previous record set in 2007.

"There's amazing differences of ways you can now get your HSC results many of which
were adopted by students this morning," Ms Firth told reporters at Sydney's Dulwich Hill
High School of Visual Arts and Design.

"Those that received their results by SMS literally would have got an SMS first thing
in the morning.

One such student was Sydney Secondary College's Vanessa Dwyer, who counted down the
hours to the all-important beep on her phone on Wednesday morning.

"It took a while to get to sleep, I was counting down the hours," the 18-year-old told
AAP on Wednesday.

"I was really nervous before I opened the text message... but once I opened it I was
fine but it was a bit nerve racking obviously!"

Ms Dwyer said she received the text at 5.49 am (AEST) and was relieved to beat the
online rush for results.

"It saves me getting up and signing in (online)... because there are 71,000 people
doing it and logging on so I wouldn't have to wait to log on," she said.

"From previous experience with other things, it takes forever when there are a lot
people trying to log on."

Ms Dwyer said she was happy with her marks and hoped to study IT at university after
taking a gap year to do an American Field Service (AFS) exchange in Denmark.

"As soon as I opened it I was really happy and surprised," she said.

A record 71,000 students sat the exams in November with the results made available
online, and via text message and telephone on Wednesday.

Technology was at the forefront of the HSC results delivery as the majority of students
accessed their marks via the internet, with 48,016 students logging on by 9am (AEDT).

The most popular mobile devices used to access results were iPhones with 1351 students
using them to get their marks, followed by iPods, and iPads.

A small number of students even used Playstation consoles and Blackberry's to access their marks.

Meanwhile, students began an anxious wait for their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
(ATAR) - the rank NSW and ACT universities use to select school leavers for their courses.

Students will be able to view their ATARs online from 9am (AEDT) on Thursday.

AAP sbm/tr/it

KEYWORD: HSC WRAP (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

FED:Abbott's tough talk an 'election stunt'

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2010
FED:Abbott's tough talk an 'election stunt'

The man charged with protecting Australia's borders says a coalition pledge to introduce
tougher penalties for convicted people smugglers is nothing more than an election stunt.

Home Affairs Minister BRENDAN O'CONNOR says Labor itself toughened the relevant laws
three months ago.

He says Opposition Leader TONY ABBOTT had the chance to make amendments .. but he didn't
.. which shows he's not serious about stopping people smuggling and this is just another
stunt.

Mr ABBOTT has announced that repeat offenders would face a minimum 10-year prison sentence
under a coalition government.

AAP RTV jcd/rl/af

KEYWORD: POLL10 BOAT O'CONNOR (CANBERRA)

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

NSW: Parents remain in critical condition after fiery crash

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2009
NSW: Parents remain in critical condition after fiery crash

CANBERRA, Dec 29 AAP - A couple remain in a critical condition a day after their two
daughters were killed in a fiery crash at a notorious accident hotspot on the NSW south
coast.

The family of four was travelling on the Princes Highway at East Lynne, about 20km
north of Batemans Bay, on Monday, when their car collided head on with a fuel tanker.

Police believe the truck, laden with diesel fuel, had drifted to the wrong side of
the road before crashing into three other cars on a stretch of highway locals labelled
dangerous.

The 36-year-old male truck driver died on impact, along with the two girls, aged 13
and 11, police confirmed on Tuesday.

Their parents, including one suffering burns to 80 per cent of their body, were taken
to separate hospitals in Sydney, where they both remain in a critical condition.

The family were locals from Ulladulla.

Four other people suffered minor injuries, including one woman in her 50s who was discharged
from Batemans Bay Hospital on Monday night.

East Lynne resident Sandra Smith could see the smoke from her house and said the area
where the crash occurred was an accident blackspot.

"It's quite a dangerous stretch, there's a dip where the little bridge is and it is
an older stretch of road," she told AAP.

"But I guess it's just the speed that people take it really."

Ms Smith, who used to run the local garage in town, said there were frequent accidents
and backed a lowering of the speed limit from 100km/h to 80km/h.

Emergency service personnel and RTA workers remain at the scene, where the northbound
lane remains closed.

All efforts were being made to open the highway as soon as possible, an RTA spokesman said.

East Lynne Store owner Michelle Lewis said she'd heard of multiple accidents at that corner.

"It's narrow, it's windy, it hasn't been upgraded for I don't know how long," she said.

"And it's getting busier every year. It's really quite a bad road."

The crash brings the NSW holiday road toll to 17.

It was a reminder to all motorists to be wary of road conditions, Shoalhaven Police
Commander Wayne Starling told Fairfax Radio.

"What it comes back to is drivers are responsible for their own actions," he said.

"We've just got to slow down, we've just got to drive to the road conditions and have
a rest when we can."

Federal Liberal MP Joanna Gash said she'd been advocating to fix that stretch of highway,
saying it has been a problem for as long as she could remember.



(EDS: National road toll figures are for the period 0001 December 18 to 2359 January
3. Some states and territories have different periods.)

AAP cj/cdh

KEYWORD: TOLL NSW UPDATE

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

SA: Champion cyclist speeding before accident, court told

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2009
SA: Champion cyclist speeding before accident, court told

A court's heard a champion cyclist was driving at high speed moments before his car
crashed into a fellow cyclist.

Four-time Australian cross country mountain bike champion CHRIS JONGEWAARD has pleaded
not guilty to dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident in the South Australian
District Court today .

The 30 year-old lost his place on the Australian olympic team last year after being
charged over the accident in February 2007 .. in which MATHEW REX suffered serious head
injuries.

Mr REX's brother SAM REX who was a passenger in the car has told the court he remembered
seeing the speedo at about 120 km/hr just before the accident.

AAP RTV sl/sw

KEYWORD: JONGEWAARD (ADELAIDE)

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

NSW: Stewart pleads not guilty to sex charges

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2009
NSW: Stewart pleads not guilty to sex charges

SYDNEY, April 7 AAP - Manly rugby league star Brett Stewart will fight sex charges
relating to a 17-year-old girl.

In Manly Local Court on Tuesday, his lawyer Ian Byrne said the 24-year-old fullback
formally entered pleas of not guilty.

He is charged with having sexual intercourse without the consent of the teenager between
7.45pm and 8.05pm on March 6 at North Manly.

He is also charged with assault with an act of indecency - namely that he "forced his
tongue into her mouth".

Magistrate Margaret Quinn adjourned the charges to the Downing Centre Local Court on
May 26 and at Mr Byrne's request, listed a related subpoena matter on May 12 at the same
court.

She continued Stewart's bail and excused him from appearing on the two May dates if
he was legally represented.

Ms Quinn also extended by three months an apprehended violence order (AVO) issued by
police in relation to the alleged victim.

The order bans Stewart from approaching or contacting the teenager.

Stewart did not comment as he left the court, and remained silent throughout the brief hearing.

AAP mss/pbc/hn/maur/de

KEYWORD: STEWART UPDATE (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

NSW: Motorcyclist shot at in western Sydney

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2008
NSW: Motorcyclist shot at in western Sydney

SYDNEY, Dec 3 AAP - A motorcycle rider and his pillion passenger have been taken to
hospital after being shot at as they rode along a western Sydney highway, police say.

The Harley Davidson rider and his female passenger were riding along the Great Western
Highway in Mays Hill on Tuesday, when they were shot at from a dark-coloured sedan just
before midnight (AEDT).

The man was hit a number of times, causing him and his passenger to fall from the bike.

They were taken to Westmead Hospital but their injuries were not considered life threatening,
police said.

A police spokesman would not confirm reports the rider was a member of the Gypsy Jokers
bikie gang.

Three lanes of the highway were closed as police on Wednesday morning investigated the shooting.

Anyone with information about the shooting has been urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

AAP ab/ldj

KEYWORD: BIKE

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

NSW: Double-decker buses up for consideration again in Sydney

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2008
NSW: Double-decker buses up for consideration again in Sydney

SYDNEY, April 29 AAP - The NSW government says it will consider bringing double-decker
buses back to Sydney streets, almost two years after the idea was slated by transport
operators.

In a statement issued today, Transport Minister John Watkins said the government would
"consider purchasing" state-of-the-art double-decker buses.

In June two years ago, the return of double-decker buses was promoted by bus operators
as a way to carry more passengers without increasing the number of buses causing congestion
on Sydney's streets.

At the time, Mr Watkins said he was "happy to have a look" at the proposal.

After recently inspecting a double-decker model bus from Hong Kong, Mr Watkins today
again raised the possibility of using them in Sydney.

"Double deckers have a special place in the hearts of Sydneysiders and if they are
the right solution for our bus operators then we'll certainly consider them," Mr Watkins
said today.

"The last time they were used in Sydney, over 20 years ago, they were not a great model
bus and had some reliability problems, but the one I inspected was state of the art and
would fit within a modern bus fleet."

The "re-announcement" drew criticism from the NSW opposition, which said Mr Watkins
had considered double-decker buses twice before.

"With a series of negative headlines this week highlighting John Watkins' incompetence
as transport minister, he's desperately reached into his bag of tricks and re-announced
the possible return of double-decker buses," opposition transport spokeswoman Gladys Berejiklian
said in a statement.

"The Iemma government has become an expert at the re-announcement. If only they were
as good at actually delivering the promises contained in their media releases."

The double-decker models being considered by the government can carry 120 passengers,
are air-conditioned, have ramps, and are low-floored for wheelchair access.

"The company claims that three double-decker buses are roughly the same length as two
bendy buses, but can carry around twice as many passengers," Mr Watkins said.

"These buses are most suited to the long-haul routes such as into the city from the
Hills District and I believe some private (operators) have expressed an interest in this
particular model type."

AAP ad/cjh/cdh

KEYWORD: BUS

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

Vic: Police set up flying squads to mobe in at NYE trouble spots

AAP General News (Australia)
12-27-2007
Vic: Police set up flying squads to mobe in at NYE trouble spots

Victorian police say they've set up New Year's Eve special taskforces .. ready to swing
into action anywhere around the state.

They'll monitor potential New Year's Eve trouble spots including the popular party
spots at Lorne .. Mornington Peninsula .. Bass Coast and Geelong.

Police will also be able to issue banning orders on people misbehaving in Melbourne's
CBD and Chapel Street.

Assistant Commissioner GARY JAMIESON says officers won't tolerate drunken and unruly
behaviour under any circumstances.







New Year's Eve partygoers have been urged to come into the city early on the night
to secure the best spots.

Public transport will be free after six pm (AEDT) on New Year's Eve and will operate
well into the early hours of New Year's Day to take revellers home.

There'll be a special fireworks display at 9.15 pm for youngsters who might have to
be in bed by midnight .. followed by the more traditional fireworks display at midnight.

AAP RTV jxt/gfr/tm/sw

KEYWORD: EVE VIC (MELBOURNE)

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

AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 19

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 19
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Camel (BRISBANE)

Queensland police say a 60-year-old woman .. killed by her pet camel .. received the
animal as a birthday present only months ago.

The woman's husband found her body late yesterday on their sheep and cattle station
.. near Mitchell.

The 10-month-old camel had knocked the woman to the ground .. stomped on her and then
lay on top of her.

Police say the animal had previously tried to suffocate the family's pet goat on numerous
occasions.

Detective Senior Sergeant CRAIG GREGORY says the husband is devastated.



Rudd Scores (CANBERRA)

KEVIN RUDD says he made a foolish mistake by going to a strip club during a drunken
night .. on an official trip to New York in 2003.

He says he was too drunk to remember much of his visit to the Scores club .. with New
York Post editor COL ALLAN and Labor backbencher WARREN SNOWDON.

Mr RUDD has told the Nine network neither he nor Mr SNOWDON has a completely clear
recollection of the night.

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE says the Scores episode will endear Mr RUDD to voters
.. because it shows he has blood in his veins.



Moroney Letter (SYDNEY)

The New South Wales police chief has written an open letter to car hoons who drive
like there's no tomorrow.

In his letter .. Commissioner KEN MORONEY invites speeding drivers and illegal street
racers to stand and watch emergency service workers as they battle to rescue people injured
in collisions.

Accusing them of an act of sheer bastardry .. he says negligent drivers should be forced
to hear the screams of the dying .. to witness the carnage they cause .. and to stand
by police as they deliver messages to the victims' loved ones.



Election Costello (CANBERRA)

PETER COSTELLO is playing down suggestions another interest rate rise could kill the
coalition's re-election chances.

The treasurer says it's important to keep things in perspective .. and the home mortgage
variable rate of 8.3 per cent is lower than at any time under Labor .. including in the
worst recession in 60 years.

Mr COSTELLO has told Network Ten potential dates for holding the federal election are
narrowing .. to some time before Christmas.



Iraq UK (LONDON)

A military adviser to the United States says British troops face an ugly and embarrassing
withdrawal from the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

STEPHEN BIDDLE .. from the Council on Foreign Relations .. has told the Sunday Times
that coalition forces no longer control the city.

He says insurgents and militia groups will probably target soldiers with ambushes ..

roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades as they leave.

British Prime Minister GORDON BROWN has promised to make a statement in October on
the future of the five and a half thousand British troops in the region.



Quake Peru Baby (LIMA)

It's been revealed that a baby boy was pulled alive from the ruins of a collapsed church
.. seven hours after last week's massive earthquake in Peru.

The pews of San Clemente church in the port city of Pisco were packed for a special
Mass when the quake hit .. killing about 100 people in the church .. and more than 400
others.

The 10-month-old boy's being cared for by the family of the man who found him while
searching for his own parents.



China Products NZ (WELLINGTON)

New Zealand researchers have found dangerous levels of poison in children's clothing
imported from China.

The Sunday Star-Times reports formaldehyde has been found in wool and cotton garments
at levels 500 times that deemed safe by the World Health Organisation.

The newspaper reports children wearing the clothes could be at risk of eye .. skin
and nasal irritations .. respiratory problems .. and cancer.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS:


Hotel (MELBOURNE)

Fire has damaged an historic hotel at Collingwood .. in Melbourne's inner north.



Flu Qld (BRISBANE)

A deadly flu strain sweeping Australia has now claimed nine lives.



Litter (SYDNEY)

A survey has found smokers are responsible for more than half of all litter in New South Wales.



Beattie (CANBERRA)

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE says he'll make a decision about his future in the
next few months.



IN SPORT:


RWC07 Wrap (MARSEILLE)

Hosts France have underlined their World Cup title credentials with a 22-9 win over
England in Marseille.

With the start of the tournament less than three weeks away .. eight countries have
played international warm-up matches.

Wales scored a 27-20 victory over Argentina in Cardiff .. Italy beat Japan 36-12 in
Saint Vincent .. while Canada routed Portugal 42-12 in Ottawa.



Tennis Masters Hewitt (CINCINNATI)

LLEYTON HEWITT says he'll go into the US Open starting on Monday week full of confidence
.. after pushing world number one ROGER FEDERER to the limit in the Cincinnati Masters
semi-finals.

HEWITT lost 6-3 6-7 7-6 in a two-and-a-half-hour thriller.

HEWITT says it's the perfect preparation for the Open.



Golf LET (LLANELLI)

Australia's JOANNE MILLS has moved into a share of the lead .. heading into the final
round of the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe.

MILLS has carded a one-under 71 in the third round to join English duo REBECCA HUDSON
and GEORGINA SIMPSON in a three-way tie for the lead at seven under in Llanelli.

MILLS is looking to secure her second victory on the Ladies European Tour after winning
the German Open a decade ago.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

Broadcast Desk inquiries 24 hours: 02 9322 8714

AAP RTV ibw

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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

FED: Drop in union membership a result of Work Choices: Combet

AAP General News (Australia)
04-03-2007
FED: Drop in union membership a result of Work Choices: Combet

The ACTU says a drop in the number of Australians who are union members .. is a direct
result of the federal government's industrial relations reforms.

Today's figures from the Bureau of Statistics show a 6.6 per cent drop in union members
.. from August 2005 to August 2006 .. down from 1.9 million members to 1.8 million.

ACTU president GREG COMBET says he's disappointed .. but not surprised .. by the drop.

Mr COMBET says one of the objectives of Work Choices is to try to make it impossible
for people to exercise the democratic right to be a union member.







The fall in membership numbers comes despite a Newspoll showing 51 per cent of voters
believe the IR changes are bad for the economy .. while 48 per cent believe they're also
bad for creating jobs.

AAP RTV nr/wjf/tm/bart

KEYWORD: UNIONS COMBET (SYDNEY)

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

Qld: Man dies after being hit by car

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2006
Qld: Man dies after being hit by car

A 42-year-old man's died after being hit by a car while trying to cross a busy road
in central Queensland.

Police say the accident happened on Musgrave Street in Rockhampton about 10 to 10 last night.

He suffered severe head injuries and died at Rockhampton Base Hospital early this morning.

AAP RTV cf/jmt

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD (BRISBANE)

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

AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 27

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2006
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 27
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


Kovco Body

The body of the first Australian soldier to be killed in Iraq was supposed to arrive
in Melbourne this morning .. but in an extraordinary bungle somewhere along its journey
.. the wrong body has been returned.

Macquarie Radio reports family and friends of Private JAKE KOVCO were at Melbourne
Airport waiting for his body .. which is due to be given a service in Gippsland with full
military honours.

But somehow the shipment's become confused .. and the coffin that arrived in Melbourne
had the wrong body in it.

At this stage it's unclear where the mix-up occurred.



Mine (MELBOURNE)

The search for three men trapped deep underground in a Tasmanian gold mine has entered
its second day.

A rock fall at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine .. in the state's north .. trapped the miners
about on Tuesday .. and plans last night included using a digging machine fitted with
a camera.

West Tamar mayor BARRY EASTHER says the men are trapped in a very delicate area of
the mine and .. if they survived the initial collapse .. there's a chance they're still
alive.



Medibank Consumers (SYDNEY)

A consumer group wants revenue from the federal government's sale of Medibank Private
to be pumped into the public hospital system .. and preventative health care.

The Australian Consumers' Association says the planned sale gives the government the
chance to inject some badly needed funds into the health system.

Health Minister TONY ABBOTT and Finance Minister NICK MINCHIN announced the sale of
Australia's largest health fund yesterday.

They also announced an expansion of hospital cover to include outpatient and out-of-hospital
services .. as well as chronic care management for conditions such as diabetes and asthma.



Smartcard (CANBERRA)

Business leaders and civil libertarians have raised concerns about the introduction
of a new smart card.

The federal government announced plans to introduce the card yesterday .. with JOHN
HOWARD saying the card will save taxpayers three billion dollars over the next decade
.. cracking down on fraud.

But Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief PETER HENDY says that while that's
laudable .. the card could become the basis of a future national identity card.

And .. he says such a card would be intrusive and costly to business.

Australian Council for Civil Liberties president TERRY O'GORMAN says the card will
infringe the right to privacy .. and raises security issues.



AWB (SYDNEY)

The AWB inquiry resumes today .. after allegations emerged an Australian trade official
had close links to the Jordanian company used by the wheat marketer to funnel 300 million
dollars in kickbacks to SADDAM HUSSEIN's regime.

OTHMAN AL-ABSI .. who's general manager of the trucking company Alia .. has revealed
to the ABC's 7.30 Report .. the firm's officials were often in contact with AYMAN AYYASH
.. a former Austrade representative in Jordan.

Mr AYYASH now works for West Australian mining firm Gippsland Limited.

And in a separate interview on SBS's Dateline program .. Mr AL-ABSI said he told an
Australian government solicitor about the meetings with Mr AYYASH .. in February this
year.

The Cole inquiry resumes in Sydney today .. after a two-week break.



Egypt Blast (CAIRO)

Twin suicide attacks targeting security personnel have rocked northern Sinai near the
Gaza Strip .. two days after triple bombings killed at least 18 people in a resort further
south.

The only casualties in the attacks were the bombers themselves.



ASTRA (SYDNEY)

Channel V's JAMES MATHISON is officially the most popular male personality on Australian pay TV.

MATHISON took out the gong last night at the annual ASTRA awards held at Sydney's Fox Studios.

Voted best female person on pay TV was ERIKA HEYNATZ for hosting the Australia's Next
Top Model series.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS ...



Sydney police are searching for a man who threatened a security guard with a pistol ..

in the maternity ward of Auburn hospital .. in the city's west.



Qantas is increasing its fuel surcharge because of high crude oil and jet fuel prices
.. by five dollars on domestic flights .. ten dollars for trans-Tasman journeys .. and
an extra 23 dollars for international trips.



Desperate Housewives star TERI HATCHER has been injured .. after a light bulb exploded
on the show's set .. sending shattered glass into her right eye .. scratching the actress'
cornea.



AND IN SPORT ...



Cricket Aust Daylead (DHAKA)

Australia has wrapped up its one-day series against Bangladesh in the second game of
the three-match series .. with a 67-run victory at Fatullah Stadium yesterday.

It's followed Australia's four-wicket triumph in Chittagong last Sunday.



AFL Tribunal (Melbourne)

Collingwood will decide this morning whether to take BRODIE HOLLAND's one-match striking
suspension to the A-F-L tribunal.

HOLLAND received the ban for striking Essendon captain JAMES HIRD in the last quarter
of Tuesday's Anzac Day match.

Last night, the tribunal cleared Fremantle midfielder MATTHEW CARR of umpire contact,
saving him a $2400 fine.

But it upheld a two-match striking ban against Adelaide midfielder BRETT BURTON.



Soccer Aust Cahill (SYDNEY)

Socceroo TIM CAHILL is a doubtful starter for the World Cup in Germany after it was
revealed the Everton midfielder's knee injury is worse than first feared.

Scans have shown the 26-year-old faces six weeks on the sideline after sustaining a
partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee after a collision with
Birmingham's DAMIEN JOHNSON in an English Premier League on Saturday.

With Australia's first match of the World Cup against Japan on June 12 just over six
weeks away, CAHILL'S participation is in major doubt.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

Broadcast Desk inquiries 24 hours: 02 9322 8714

AAP RTV tm

KEYWORD: BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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

Highlights of the AAP National Wire at 20:00, Wed, Aug 24

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2005
Highlights of the AAP National Wire at 20:00, Wed, Aug 24

CANBERRA - Mosques and Islamic schools will be targeted by intelligence agencies as the
federal government tries to stamp out homegrown terrorism and extremists. (Terror Nightlead)

ADELAIDE - A diver is presumed dead after a shark attack witnessed by two friends off
Adelaide's most popular beach. (Shark Nightlead, with factbox, graphic. 2nd Nightlead
to come.)
ADELAIDE - Whenever there's a fatal shark attack in Australia, the chief suspect is usually
the feared predator, the great white. (Shark White, Backgrounder.)

BANGKOK - Thai police have arrested an Australian man accused of taking a young girl away
from her poor tribal family and sexually abusing her for four years. (Thai Aust Nightlead.

2nd Nightlead to come.)
BANGKOK - The arrest of Australian Christopher Ronald White on paedophilia charges involving
a 13-year-old Thai girl highlights the problem of sex tourism in Thailand. (Thai Aust,
Backgrounder.)

PORT MORESBY - Australian police are set to return to Papua New Guinea under a compromise
anti-corruption deal that Foreign Minister Alexander Downer admits is "second best". (PNG
Police)

CANBERRA - An Australian man is missing feared dead after a plane crashed during a severe
storm in Peru's northeastern jungle, local media reports say. (Peru Plane Aust, 2nd Nightlead,
with graphic.)

SYDNEY - The mother of an Australian missionary missing after he plunged into a river
near a treacherous waterfall in Uganda is refusing to surrender hope he may be found alive.

(Uganda Coulter Nightlead, with graphic.)

MELBOURNE - Immigration officials are facing possible legal action after being accused
of contributing to the death of an elderly Syrian woman seeking to extend a visitor visa
due to ill health. (Detention Agha Nightlead)

MELBOURNE - Former Australian Test cricketer Darren Lehmann today told a trial that the
18 months since the death of Victorian coach David Hookes had been the most traumatic
of his life. (Micevic Nightlead, with pix.)

PERTH - The world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton, has smashed the record for Australian
corporate profits, making $US6.51 billion ($A8.62 billion) in the last year. (BHP, Fronter,
with pix, graphic, factbox.)
MELBOURNE - Mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd has shattered Australian corporate records with
a $US6.51 billion ($A8.62 billion) annual profit on the back of the China-driven commodities
boom. (BHP Nightlead, with pix, factbox, graphic.)

NOTTINGHAM - England fast bowler Simon Jones is relishing proving his worth to Australia's
cricket fans - the same ones who called him a "weak Pommy bastard" over two years ago.

(Cricket Aust Jones)

MORE tnf

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL UPDATED

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

Fed: Peacekeeper's murder will not deter Aust mission: Downer

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2004
Fed: Peacekeeper's murder will not deter Aust mission: Downer

ADELAIDE, Dec 22 AAP - Australia was considering sending additional "military assets"

to the Solomon Islands following the murder of a young Canberra peacekeeper, Foreign Minister
Alexander Downer said today.

Adam Dunning, 26, died early today after he was shot twice in the back as he patrolled
the capital, Honiara, as part of an Australian contingent sent to restore law and order
there.

The Australian Protective Service officer was one of 209 Australians remaining in the
Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) which arrived in the country
in July last year.

The attack appeared to be the work of a sniper intent on targeting the Australian led
RAMSI mission, Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty has said.

Mr Downer said Australia was considering sending additional "military assets" to reinforce
the mission.

He described the murder as a tragic event, adding the government did not yet know if
the attack was opportunistic or premeditated.

"We won't be cowed by this," Mr Downer told reporters in Adelaide.

"We are utterly determined to ensure that the improvements that have taken place in
law and order in the Solomon Islands remain.

"We want to send a very simple message to anybody in the Solomon Islands who thinks
that by intimidating or resorting to murder they are going to drive away the Regional
Assistance Mission.

"Those people will fail.

"We will not be intimidated, we will retain our determination to ensure that this mission
in the Solomon Islands continues to be the success that it has already been."

Commissioner Keelty and Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison are heading to the Solomons
later today.

AAP sl/kb/tnf

KEYWORD: SOLOMON AUST DOWNER

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Kan Pudei

Kan Pudei Kan Pudei is the hero of a Central Asian (see Central Asian Mythology) Altaic (see Altaic Mythology) tale of a boy who longs to avenge the murder of his father and eventually convinces his mother to allow him to do so.

Thermo Vision to Be Merged Into Thermo Instrument.

FRANKLIN, Mass., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Vision Corporation (Amex: VIZ) announced today that its parent company, Thermo Instrument Systems Inc. (Amex: THI), has proposed the merger of Thermo Vision into Thermo Instrument. Thermo Vision would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Thermo Instrument. The public shareholders of Thermo Vision would receive cash in exchange for their shares of Thermo Vision.

The proposal is subject to numerous conditions, including establishment of a price, approval by Thermo Vision's board of directors, negotiation and execution of a definitive merger agreement, completion of review by the Securities and Exchange Commission of certain required filings regarding the proposed transaction, and approval by shareholders of Thermo Vision.

Thermo Vision designs, manufactures, and markets a diverse array of photonics products -- light-based technologies for scientific and industrial applications -- including optical components, sensors and imaging systems, and optically based instruments including lasers. Thermo Vision is a public subsidiary of Thermo Instrument Systems Inc., a Thermo Electron company. More information is available at http://www.thermo.com/subsid/viz1.html on the Internet.

The following constitutes a "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward- looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading "Forward-looking Statements" in Exhibit 13 to the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 2, 1999. These include risks and uncertainties relating to: technological change, obsolescence, and new product development and acceptance; the company's acquisition strategy; intense competition; international operations; dependence on certain suppliers and vendors; intellectual property rights and litigation; dependence on the semiconductor industry and industry volatility; and the potential impact of the year 2000 on processing date-sensitive information.

Egypt's revolution not just about tweeting: bloggers.

CAIRO: Six months after they launched a revolution that ousted the regime, Egyptian bloggers have acknowledged that it takes more than a Facebook page on the internet to overthrow a dictator.

"The internet played a key role but it was not the only tool. The revolution really belongs to the people," said Wael Abbas, a veteran Egyptian blogger who has been posting his thoughts in cyberspace since 2004.

The 18-day revolution that brought an end to the 30-year rule of president Hosni Mubarak and his regime was largely played on the street, but bloggers do not underestimate the importance of Facebook and Twitter.

"The internet helped to speed up things," said Hossam Al-Hamalawy, who is known in cyberspace by the nickname "3arabawy."

"But the revolution would have taken place without it," he said.

It is true that bloggers used the internet to mobilize thousands of people, but Egypt's was not only a "Facebook Revolution" or a "Twitter Revolution," bloggers like Hamalawy say.

Millions who have no internet access nevertheless swarmed the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other Egyptian cities to vent their rage through rallies and strikes.

"For days the internet was cut off and yet the revolution did not stop," said Rami Raoof, a 24-year-old blogger, of the Mubarak regime cutting access to the internet and mobile phone connections.

On January 25, following in the footsteps of the revolution in Tunisia that overthrew an autocratic regime, bloggers in Egypt turned to social networks to mobilize thousands of people.

The venue was Tahrir (Liberation) Square in central Cairo.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters swarmed the square around the clock for 18 consecutive days until they shook the Mubarak regime so hard they forced it into submission.

One of those who administered a Facebook page that helped spark the uprising against Mubarak was Wael Ghonim, a Google executive who became a national hero after he was arrested by the former regime's security forces.

The 30-year-old gave an emotional television interview shortly after he was released from 12 days in police custody that is credited with re-energizing the protest movement just as it appeared to be losing steam.

Opposition groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, banned during Mubarak's reign, joined the bandwagon of the uprising after monitoring streams of Twitter messages.

But Hamalawy is adamant that "it takes more to oust a dictator than a Facebook page."

"One must explain the profound reasons behind the revolution," he said.

The 18 days of popular street protests that unseated Mubarak have their roots well planted in a movement called "Kefaya" ("enough" in Arabic) which emerged in 2004.

Kefaya launched the first protests, bloggers say.

And they insist that Egypt's prominent bloggers, those whose words served as the motor that led to change, were militants on the ground striving for democracy even before they turned their focus to technology.

"The strength of Egyptian bloggers lies in the fact that we have one foot in cyberspace and the other on the ground," said Hamalawy.

Under Mubarak's rule the media was controlled by the government.

The internet proved a "tool for freedom," Raoof said.

By the end of 2010, days before the Arab Spring began to bloom, Egypt had 23 million regular internet users out of a population of 85 million.

After the demise of the Mubarak regime, "it is no longer necessary as before to turn to the internet," says Amr Gharbeya.

"Now we can count on the strength of the street" and the power of the people to protest and make their voices heard, said the 32-year-old.

But as the transition from Mubarak's regime to full democracy inches its way forward, with the country now ruled by an interim military council, bloggers say they are more determined than ever to "inform" their fellow Egyptians.

The country is hoping for legislative and presidential polls later this year, and organizers of the revolt are demanding that the current rulers on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces push harder to punish Mubarak and his cronies.

Many ex-regime cabinet ministers are facing trial and the country is holding its breath for August 3, when Mubarak, 83, and his two sons Alaa and Gamal are due to go on trial on murder and corruption charges.

The media "is still controlled by businessmen or people from the old regime," said Abbas.

"The internet is still a useful tool to spread messages."

Daily NewsEgypt 2011

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Qatari shopping spree continues.

Qatar is reportedly set to splash the cash and stump up billions to add a London business district to its growing list of UK acquisitions.

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is expected to make a statement today about its bid to snap up the remaining 76 per cent of Songbird Estates, owner of Canary Wharf.

In order to do so, it will have to convince New York investor Simon Glick, with 23.95 per cent of Songbird, China Investment Corp (CIC) with 14.7 per cent, and Morgan Stanley with 3.1 per cent, to part with their stakes.

The bid is likely to carry a price tag of $1 billion to $1.3 billion.

Sources said a bid from the sovereign wealth fund, which has 23.96 per cent already, could be pitched to secure a 75 per cent stake in Songbird to force a delisting, or be rich enough to achieve 90 per cent acceptances, allowing it to squeeze out minority holders.

Any move would follow Qatar's recent London purchases of department store Harrods and the Park House development on Oxford Street, a major shopping corridor.

But, experts say winning Songbird stakeholders over could be Qatar's toughest test yet.

One Songbird shareholder told Reuters they thought the Chinese stake was a long-term investment and CIC was unlikely to sell.

Even if QIA does manage a Songbird coup, it will likely be just as hard for it to convert that company's two-third holding in Canary Wharf to full ownership from a consortium analysts say could prove stubborn about selling.

2009 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

VIDEO from Bing and Synaptic Digital: Bing Helps You Make Decisions with Your Facebook Friends.

REDMOND, Wash., June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Decisions just got easier with the addition of new social search features to Bing, the decision engine from Microsoft. By bringing together the power of search and Facebook, people can now receive personalized search results based on the opinions of their friends simply by signing in to Facebook. New features make it easy to see what people's Facebook friends like across the Web.

See video from Bing at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/Bing/Friends

Decisions now can be made not just with facts, but with the opinions of trusted friends and with the collective wisdom of the Web, resulting in smarter, faster decisions. Also now available is the new Bing Bar, which includes the first universal Like button, making it easy for people to like any page on the Web.

"By integrating Facebook Likes directly into its search results, Bing is bringing a whole new element to search that will provide personally relevant information based on the interests of the user's friends and family to help them make more informed decisions," said best-selling author and Bing spokesperson, Emily Liebert. "My book 'Facebook Fairytales' focuses on amazing connections people have made through finding each other on Facebook, and Bing's new search features will only help make these connections easier and more frequent."

Broadcast-quality video, screenshots and more information about updates to Bing, are available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/bing.

About Bing

Bing, the decision engine from Microsoft Corp., represents a new generation of search. Bing was developed to deliver results in a visually stunning way that makes it easy for users to find the information they need. People today expect more than 10 blue links on a page, and Bing is Microsoft's first step in a broader effort to evolve search into a more refined tool that helps people cut through Internet clutter. Designed with today's searchers in mind, Bing provides intelligent tools to simplify tasks and help people make fast decisions.

06NY11-1258

SOURCE Synaptic Digital; Bing

American Woodmark Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter Conference Call on the Internet.

WINCHESTER, Va., May 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Woodmark Corporation (NASDAQ: AMWD) will provide an online, real-time webcast of its conference call to discuss fourth quarter results on Friday, June 3, 2011.

The live broadcast of American Woodmark Corporation's conference call will be available online at: http://www.americanwoodmark.com on June 3, 2011, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). The online replay will follow immediately and continue for 30 days. A telephonic replay will be available from 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) June 3 through 11:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) June 6 by dialing 888-203-1112 and entering passcode 7386131.

American Woodmark Corporation, located in Winchester, Virginia, is the third largest manufacturer of kitchen and bath cabinets in the United States. Offering approximately 400 cabinet lines in a wide variety of designs, materials and finishes, American Woodmark products are sold through a network of dealers and distributors and directly to home centers and major home builders.

The Company currently operates 11 manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as various service centers across the country. To find out more about American Woodmark, and view its vast array of cabinet styles, visit its web site at www.americanwoodmark.com.

AMWD-F

SOURCE American Woodmark Corporation

THE 2011 NATIONAL STRATEGY CONFERENCE ON COMBATING CHILD EXPLOITATION MAY 17 - MAY 20, 2011 SAN JOSE CONVENTION CENTER, SAN JOSE, CA.(Conference news)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The following information was released by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas:

The theme of the conference, "Partners in Protection and Prevention", expresses the goal of collaboration between the Project Safe Childhood and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Programs, who are working together on this year's conference.

The purpose of this conference is to provide training to Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies and task forces in the areas of investigations, forensics, prosecution, community outreach, and capacity-building.

For information on public events near you, click here to find your local U.S. Attorney's Office and ask for the Law Enforcement Coordinator.

UltiSat provides AT& T IP services to support a morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) satellite network in Afghanistan.(CONTRACTS)

UltiSat Inc., a provider of global satellite communication infrastructure and services, announced that it is providing AT& T Government Solutions Inc. the capability to offer a range of Internet-based services to US military personnel in Afghanistan. UltiSat provides AT&T with "instant infrastructure" for a range of services including Internet access, voice-over-IP (VoIP), and IP applications, that can quickly be offered anywhere in the world.

Under its agreement with AT&T, UltiSat operates MoraleSat's broadband satellite network from its teleport in Blaavand, Denmark using an iDirect Evolution hub. UltiSat will continue to monitor, maintain, upgrade, and expand the MoraleSat network, as well as provide in-the- field support, on an ongoing basis.

"To best support our deployed service- men and servicewomen we needed a network that is reliable in a harsh and unforgiving environment and will handle large volumes of broadband traffic on an around-the-clock basis, UltiSat offered us this service with its end-to-end managed VSAT network," said Tim Manning, program manager, AT&T. "Social networking sites have become important morale boosters to troops on the frontlines and UltiSat can cost- effectively support the high-data rates needed for services such as downloading photographs, video, music, VoIP, chat applications, and Web browsing, while providing ongoing network management, maintenance, and on-the-ground support."

Services running on the MoraleSat network include VoIP, with long-distance service to the USA; videoconferencing and web cams; social-networking sites not normally accessible on defense department networks, including MySpace, Facebook, and Classmates Online; services such as iTunes, Skype, and photo-sharing sites; email and Web browsing; and other IP-based applications. In addition, the extreme mobility of the MoraleSat solution enables easy, in-the-field redeployment, control, and monitoring.

"Undoubtedly, one of the greatest hardships of any overseas deployment is separation from family and friends and UltiSat's expertise in deploying reliable, flexible, and rugged mo- bile networks provides the flawless broadband service that our troops need to stay connected," said Moe Abutaleb, CEO UltiSat.

"As a fully managed service running through UltiSat's strategically located teleport in Denmark, MoraleSat provides high-quality voice, video, and data transmissions that not only enables US service members to communicate real-time with family and friends back home, but it can be dismantled and relocated at a moments notice to ensure seamless global communications."

Each system is configured, integrated, and fully tested with the assistance of UltiSat's integration facility in Gaithersburg, MD, USA.

UltiSat operates and monitors MoraleSat on a 24/7/365 basis, and UltiSat's network operations center (NOC) works in near-real-time cooperation with AT&T's MoraleSat help desk.

Internet Capital Group and Four Key Partner Companies to Present to Investors.

Remarks from CEOs of Channel Intelligence, ICG Commerce, GovDelivery and Metastorm to be Webcast Live

WAYNE, Pa. -- Internet Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICGE) today announced that the Company will present to its investors at 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 4, 2010. Presentations will include updates and outlook from four key ICG partner company CEOs: Robert Wight, CEO of Channel Intelligence, Carl Guarino, CEO of ICG Commerce, Scott Burns, CEO of GovDelivery and Bob Farrell, CEO of Metastorm. Following each presentation, there will be a brief question and answer session.

The live presentations and replay will be available to the public through audio webcast and slide presentation accessible at the investor relations section of Internet Capital Group's website at www.internetcapital.com/investorinfo-preswebcast.htm.

About Internet Capital Group

Internet Capital Group (www.internetcapital.com) acquires and builds Internet software companies that drive business productivity and reduce transaction costs between firms. Founded in 1996, ICG devotes its expertise and capital to maximizing the success of these platform companies, which are delivering on-demand software and service applications to customers worldwide.

Safe Harbor Statement under Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties including but not limited to risks associated with the uncertainty of future performance of our partner companies, acquisitions or dispositions of interests in partner companies, the effect of economic conditions generally, capital spending by customers and development of the e-commerce and information technology markets, and uncertainties detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.

Big names don't stay long in regional theater, if they come at all.

The three ungainly strippers in "Gypsy" had it right. "You gotta get a gimmick," sang burlesque strippers Tessie Tura, Electra and Mazeppa, individually and in chorus.

Author Jule Styne and composer Stephen Sondheim, like theatrical entrepreneurs throughout history, knew that talent wasn't always enough.

Mike Daisey has found one, either by coincidence or as a well-thought out tactic, but it's rare when a one-man show with a four-performance run, playing on Monday nights at Joe's Pub, a small space that is part of the Public Theater in New York's East Village, receives a major advance piece in the Sunday New York Times and a review that runs more than a column in length. The Times' review was mostly happy, as were those in Time Out New York and Variety.

But Daisey's show is called "How Theater Failed America," and theater types across the blogosphere reacted at warp speed.

I was alerted to it recently on one of the theater news-gossip-opinion sites on the Internet; it came from The Stranger, a weekly alternative newspaper in Seattle, and was called, "The Empty Spaces, or, How Theater Failed America."

I learned that it also was a performance piece, though I do not know which came first.

It's a powerful screed about Daisey's life and career, and it campaigns for a radical change in the way the Rep and many other theaters operate, whether in St. Louis or across the country.

Not really. It seeks a return to the American regional repertory theater tern of a half-century ago--a system that was tried for a decade in St. Louis and failed, as it failed just about everywhere else.

When David Frank came here in 1972 as artistic director of the Rep, his concept was for a permanent (or at least season-long) company that would do a season in which almost every actor would perform in every play. Frank, who grew up in England, was thinking of his home turf, though similar groups operated in this country. A good idea, as audiences came to have their favorites--Joneal Joplin, Arthur Rosenberg, Lewis Arlt, Bob Darnell, Brendan Burke among them--and enjoyed seeing them do different roles. Frank also scheduled a Shakespeare play for every season.

But after a few years, it became obvious that it did not work. Not every actor could perform in every style. Some were classically trained. Others were fine with American realism but had difficulty with Shakespeare or Moliere. Some out-of-town actors were hired for a production or two. Frank's company was weak in terms of women actors, and actors of color until John Cothran and Stephen McKinley Henderson came along.

Both men have gone on to (certainly) bigger and (perhaps) better things. Cothran is a West Coast-based actor in a variety of TV shows and movies. Henderson has been in most August Wilson plays on Broadway, receiving excellent notices, showed up often on "Law and Order" and has a recurring role on "New Amsterdam."

But for all those ticket-buyers who liked seeing an actor do many different roles, there were ticket-buyers who were tired of seeing an actor over and over again and wanted new faces. And actors didn't necessarily want to spend their time in St. Louis, even if there were many opportunities in the '70s and '80s to do good-paying commercials or voice-overs while they were here. That, by the way, is another story with many ramifications to be dealt with down the road.

It's tough to get New York-based actors, who dream of Broadway, to commit to St. Louis, or any other mid-sized city, for more than a month at a time. They want to keep auditioning, and they worry about what they will miss while they are here. For example, Holly Hunter, while here in "Buried Child" many years ago, used her day off to fly to New York and audition for "Children of God," though she did not get the role. She was here for only one play, but her performance still resonates.

Actors will agree to come to St. Louis, and when a better opportunity comes along, he or she will call Steve Woolf and ask to be released from the obligation. Artistic directors at regional theaters know the feeling and the experience.

"And you can't say no," Woolf says.

Whether or not you agree with Daisey, it's always good to have discussion, and controversy, too. He's a good writer, and I'd like to see the show, and maybe talk about it afterward. In any event, discussion and interest are extremely important, and we need more of both.

Daisey also blames regional theaters for becoming bloated, for spending more money on advertising, marketing and money-raising than they should. In some cases, I'm sure this is correct, but contributors need massaging and fund-raising is an integral part of the business. I wish the government were more generous to the arts, maybe as generous as it is to farmers and mall-builders and security organizations, but I don't see that happening.

Daisey would give more money to actors and less to front-office types, and while that may be fine for actors, the other people involved in the production, whether on stage, back stage, front of the house or wherever, are contributors to the success of the show and, more important, to the entire experience--a key factor in bringing people back.

Joe Pollack is a former St Louis Post Dispatch columnist.

3,500 Egged buses to get GPS: The $4 million program will take eight months to complete.

Byline: Ran Rimon

Nov. 15--Egged Israel Transport Cooperative Society Ltd. has begun installing GPS in 3,500 buses at an estimated cost of $4 million. Buses in Jerusalem and those serving rural routes and in outlying areas will be the first to get GPS. The program will take eight months to complete.

Other countries already employ GPS systems. In Germany, it is possible to monitor the precise location of buses on the Internet. Bus company Kavim Public Transportation International (2002) Ltd. has installed a similar system.

The GPS system can be used to plan and map bus movements in real-time, according to changing conditions in the field. The program is expected to greatly save fuel and travel time, thereby significantly reducing air pollution.

The GPS system will also make it possible to avoid road hazards, traffic jams or road accidents by rerouting buses, or increasing the number of buses on a route. Egged also hopes that the system will minimize the theft of buses.

In the third and final stage of the program, an electronic screen will be placed in bus stations, which will display the arrival times of the nearest buses to the station to people waiting.

Copyright (c) 2006, Globes, Tel Aviv, Israel

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business

News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

New LexisNexis Accurint Business Provides Due Diligence On Small Business Customers, Vendors and Partners.

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- LexisNexis, a leading provider of legal, news and business information services, announced the release today of Accurint(R) Business (www.accurintbusiness.com), an innovative information portal that provides business intelligence to assess the risk associated with small- to mid-sized businesses. Accurint Business helps companies quickly locate, investigate and verify the validity of potential customers, vendors, contractors, partners and competitors.

While information about large or public companies is easily available, the same is not true for non-public companies. Research studies have shown that there are nearly 25 million small businesses in the United States, and another 500,000 to 600,000 are opened each year(1).

"In today's business landscape, it is essential to better understand the companies you are doing business with," said Jim Swift, chief operating officer of LexisNexis Risk Management. "Accurint Business is a quick, easy and inexpensive tool for due diligence and risk assessment."

Small companies are a critical component to the national economy. According to the President's Management Agenda(2), small- to mid-sized companies employ just over half of all private sector workers, pay 44.3 percent of total U.S. private payroll, create seven out of 10 net new private-sector jobs in America and account for more than half of the output of the national economy.

Accurint Business research provides the following information on companies:

--Company information: name, federal employer ID number (FEIN), phone numbers, Internet domain names registered to that business

--Company profile: parent/subsidiaries relationships, current and previous property ownerships, professional licenses, corporate filings

--Associated businesses and network: principals, related businesses, businesses at address

--Businesses that are registered with and verified by the Better Business Bureau

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis(R) (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leader in comprehensive and authoritative legal, news and business information and tailored applications. A member of Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE:ENL)(NYSE:RUK) (www.reedelsevier.com), the company does business in 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide. In addition to its flagship Web-based Lexis(R) and Nexis(R) research services, the company includes some of the world's most respected legal publishers such as Martindale-Hubbell, Matthew Bender, Butterworths, JurisClasseur, Abeledo-Perrot and Orac.

For more than 30 years, LexisNexis has been a pioneer in secure data sharing, information policy, and personal privacy. Through its risk management flagship products, Accurint(R), Banko(R) RiskWise(R) and PeopleWise(R), LexisNexis helps to locate people and assets, authenticate identity, enable commerce, conduct background screening, and support national security initiatives. Customers include almost every Federal Government agency, the top 100 law firms, and Fortune 500 companies in the fields of national security, financial services, collection and recovery, insurance, telecommunications, e-commerce and retail.

LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks and LexisNexis Risk Management is a trademark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license. Accurint is a registered trademark of Seisint, Inc. Other products or services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

(1) According to MasterCard's TowerGroup research unit in Needham, Mass., reported in American Banker

(2) The President's Management Agenda, Results Report U.S. Small Business Administration, August 2004.

Brady Introduces IDXPERT Handheld Labeler and Wraptor Wire ID Printer Applicator.

MILWAUKEE -- Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC) has introduced two new products offering cutting-edge capabilities for a wide variety of identification applications: its most versatile hand-held labeler ever, the IDXPERT(TM) Handheld Labeler; and Wraptor(TM) ID Printer Applicator which combines a wire identification printer and applicator into one unit.

The IDXPERT label printer is uniquely designed to meet the specific identification needs of electrical, voice/data, maintenance and safety experts. The hand-held unit comes in two convenient keyboard layouts and offers more than 100 options for wrapping, flagging, sleeving, overlaminating and other labeling on demand. Features include a wide range of available print sizes; more than 80 built-in industrial/commercial symbols; Drop, Lock & Go "Smart" Cartridges which are pre-calibrated electronically to orient the label to the end-user's specifications; memory which can store frequently used set-ups; and edge-to-edge printing on continuous tapes to eliminate label waste.

The Wraptor(TM) wire identification printer/applicator increases efficiency and productivity by printing and applying labels in five seconds on average compared to manual procedures for wire and cable identification taking up to ten times longer. The 300 dpi printhead and durable thermal-transfer print technology combine to create easily readable, high quality text, bar codes and logos. The unit automatically adjusts to wrap wires, bundles and square jackets in a wide range of diameters.

"Brady's investment in research and development is part of our strategy for continued growth," said Brady President and Chief Executive Officer Frank M. Jaehnert. "We believe that the IDXPERT printer and the Wraptor printer/applicator are just the latest examples of Brady's commitment to meet the complex needs of our customers with innovative proprietary products."

Brady Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of complete identification solutions and specialty materials, with products including labels, software, printing systems, label-application and data-collection systems, signs, safety devices and precision die-cut materials for manufacturing, electrical, electronic, telecommunications and a variety of other markets. Founded in 1914, Brady is headquartered in Milwaukee and employs more than 4,000 people in operations in the United States, Europe, Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Canada. Brady's fiscal 2003 sales were approximately $555 million. More information is available on the Internet at www.bradycorp.com.

EIU predicts business and investment in Mexico to pick up next year.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 04, 2003 (Notimex/Corporate Mexico by Internet Securities, Inc. via COMTEX) -- The business climate in Mexico contains signs of improvements in coming months, benefiting multinational firms operating in the country, reported The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

"Multinational companies that operate in Mexico ought to benefit from the continued economic stability and a firmer growth of the Gross Domestic Product in 2004," the EIU stated in its weekly report for institutional clients.

The consulting firm warned, however, that process in passing structural reforms "will be limited", reducing investment flows and prevented the economy from growing even more. The mixed panorama described by the EIU is consistent with expectations announced over the past few weeks by other public and private institutions. It is clearly influenced by the positive economic news coming out of the United States.

The EIU predicted that Congress would finally approve weakened versions of the key reforms during the early months of 2004. "It seems the opposition is beginning to understand that some changes are required," the report stated.

This abstract is provided by Internet Securities, Inc. as a service to its customers. Internet Securities, Inc. makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy or content of the translation.

URL:              www.securities.com 

Copyright 2003 Internet Securities, Inc., all rights reserved. A Euromoney Institutional Investor Company.

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