FED:News Diary for Monday, Aug 15

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2011
FED:News Diary for Monday, Aug 15
Here is AAP's preliminary news diary for Monday Aug 15 (not for publication).

This is a guide only and stories, local times and locations are subject to change. In
some cases times and locations may not be available. Story coverage is subject to staffing.

TOP STORIES
MORCOMBE - Search continues for remains of Daniel Morcombe as man charged over his disappearance
is set to appear in Court.

CSG - Greens move to limit access of coal-seam gas miners to farm properties.

BOAT - Directions hearing in High Court in Melbourne on legal challenge to Malaysia asylum-seeker
swap deal.

COURTS
BRISBANE
- Man charged over disappearance of Daniel Morcombe to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court.

HOBART (Coverage on merit)
- Terry Martin, former MP charged with having sex with a 12-year-old prostitute, Tasmanian
Supreme Court.

- Noel Alan Percy, charged with murder at a Tasmanian farm, and Shelley Ann Percy and
Anny-Lyce Maree Olding, charged with accessory, Tasmanian Supreme Court.

- Stephen Roy Standage, charged with execution-style murder of John Lewis Thorn at Lake
Leake in 2007, Tasmanian Supreme Court.

- Jamie Peter Smart and Rhys Louis Gardner, charged with bashing death of a man at a public
housing unit, Tasmanian Supreme Court.

- Nour Assafiri, accused of stabbing another man to death at Montrose, Tasmanian Supreme Court.

PERTH
Comancheros bikie leader Steven Milenkovski on trial in Perth on drug charges.

SYDNEY
- Inquest findings into death of Jacob Belim, 8, died at Westmead Hospital after appendicitis
complications, Glebe Coroners Court. - Ronald Shiels, accused of murdering Trevor Shiels,
trial, King Street Court.

ADELAIDE
- Supreme Court trial continues for Angelika Gavare, charged with murdering a pensioner
and cutting up her body.

- Luka Kageregere to go on trial in the Supreme Court for the murder of his wife in a
house fire on New Year's Day, two years ago.

MELBOURNE
- Victorian Supreme Court trial begins for Fergal Downey, who is charged with murder.

- Victorian County Court trial begins for Ali Chaouk who allegedly bashed a German tourist
with a baseball bat. ** PLEASE NOTE: CHAOUK'S NAME HAS BEEN SUPPRESSED.

OTHER NEWS
SYDNEY
1100 - NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge calls for the NSW government to reject a draft Hacking
River local environment plan. Front roadside of Helensburgh Sand & Soil, 159 Walker St,
Helensburgh.

CANBERRA
- MPs and senators start returning to Canberra for resumption of parliament on Tuesday.

- House of Reps inquiry hearing into extradition and mutual assistance in criminal matters.

MELBOURNE
- No items listed

BRISBANE
- Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka) at RNA Showground.

- Brindabella Airlines inaugural flight from Brisbane to Armidale.

ADELAIDE
- No items listed

PERTH
- No items listed

FINANCE
ECONOMIC NEWS
Sydney - Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) new motor vehicles sales for July

EQUITIES
Sydney - Leighton Holdings full year results
Sydney - UGL Ltd full year results
Sydney - iiNet Ltd full year results
Melbourne - Newcrest Mining Ltd full year results
Melbourne - Ansell Ltd full year results
Brisbane - G8 Education Ltd half year results
Perth - Alacer Gold Corp Q2 results
Perth - Aurora Oil & Gas Ltd June quarter results

SPORT

AFL

MELBOURNE - Wrap of latest AFL news with latest injury and judiciary updates

MELBOURNE - Hawthorn, Josh Gibson, Waverley

BRISBANE - Todd Banfield available from Brisbane Lions

LEAGUE

SYDNEY - Wrap of rugby league news

SYDNEY - NRL: Cronulla v Canterbury

RUGBY

DURBAN - Follow-up after the Wallabies' Tri Nations triumph over South Africa in Durban

GOLF

ATLANTA, Georgia - Coverage of the final round of the US PGA Championship with Australians
John Senden and Adam Scott still in contention

CRICKET

HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka - Follow-up after Australia's second one day international against
Sri Lanka overnight

HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka - Seeking Australian reaction after England went to the top of
the world Test cricket rankings

TENNIS

TORONTO, Canada - Sam Stosur looks for her first title of 2011 when she plays in the
final of the against Serena Williams at the WTA Rogers Cup in Toronto.

MONTREAL - Top seed Novak Djokovic will play American Mardy Fish in the final of the
ATP Montreal Masters.

MOTORSPORT

BRNO, Czech Republic - Follow-up after Czech MotoGP

RACING

SYDNEY - Nominations for Saturday's Warwick Stakes meeting at Warwick Farm.

MELBOURNE - Entries for Moonee Valley Saturday featuring the Mitchell McKenzie Stakes.

AAP jjs

KEYWORD: DIARY NEWS MONDAY

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

Fed: New girl on McLeod's a far cry from her character

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2007
Fed: New girl on McLeod's a far cry from her character

By Michael Gadd, National Entertainment Writer

SYDNEY, Feb 2 AAP - Actress Gillian Alexy has studied her craft on three continents,
speaks fluent French, plays guitar and has trained in both classical and contemporary
dance.

It's hardly the ultimate grounding for someone who will soon be best known to Australian
TV audiences as a cattle-wrangling wild child on McLeod's Daughters.

Alexy, 23, entered the outback drama as Tayler Geddes during last year's series finale.

She arrived at Drover's Run to exact revenge on Regan McLeod (Zoe Naylor) who she blamed
for her father's death in a mine accident.

A tough customer who knows her way around a farm, her thirst for revenge was shortlived
and she was invited by Regan to stay and work on the farm.

One of only two remaining McLeods on the farm, tenuously linked by the show's writers
to the family bloodline through Jack McLeod's estranged brother, Regan will come to regret
her decision during this season.

Tayler is a handful from the outset.

In the series return, she'll steal money from the farm's shearing shed and nicks off
with Stevie's (Simmone Jade MacKinnon) ute.

"Yeah, you could say I'm different to that," Alexy says. "But you always find common
ground with the characters you play.

"Most people can relate to being an angry teenager and having the same sort of frustrations
as Tayler."

The daughter of two dancers, Alexy spent her childhood hanging around the Western Australian
Academy of the Performing Arts (WAAPA) campus and her acting, dancing and musical talents
were nurtured.

A love of horses was also encouraged for a couple of years, when Alexy's mother would
drive her to outer Perth for riding camps.

Little did she know it would come in handy on a TV set years later.

"I hadn't been on a horse for something like 13 or 14 years, so had a lot to learn
when I got on set, but having the general idea was an advantage," she says.

Tayler is a tearaway who grew up in tough mining camps after her father lost the family farm.

Rough and witty, she is likely to spice-up a McLeod's set undergoing a period of dramatic
change with new characters Marcus (Matt Passmore) and Grace (Abi Tucker) also to be introduced.

"Even though my experiences haven't been anywhere near as dramatic as Tayler's, you
draw on other things to make those moments truthful," she says.

"They don't even have to be about yourself.

"She's a very independent kind of wild child ... I think I'm an extremely independent person."

After graduating from a specialist arts school in 2000 and a brief period working for
a children's theatre group in Perth, Alexy moved to Sydney before strapping on a backpack.

She studied at The Actors Centre in London, and in Paris at Le Centre de les Arts Vivants
and Peter Goss Dance Studio.

When she went to live with her father in the United States to study at University of
Colorado she worked for $2.13 an hour in a steak house and $4 an hour in retail to pay
tuition.

"That made me realise how important study is, especially in that country," she says.

"Without qualifications you just get the shittest jobs and the worst pay.

"While I was doing that I always had in the back of my mind, `How long can I justify
working in a job that doesn't satisfy me?'"

Not long, was the answer.

"It's a tricky industry," she says of film, theatre and television.

"You go to New York or LA and every waiter wants to be a writer, director or actor.

"But there's a common thread, everybody wants to do it because they love it."

Well aware of the tough competition she faces as an actress in an industry when supply
far outweighs demand, Alexy is ecstatic to have a full time job.

"Home and Away or Neighbours would probably have more security than McLeod's," she says.

"You know, Blue Heelers was going for ages then all of a sudden, gone.

"There isn't much work out there, but you still have to pick and choose what you want
to do. You have to try and structure your career the way you want it to go.

"(McLeod's) is a great opportunity for me."

AAP mdg/evt/de/cdh

KEYWORD: MCLEODS ALEXY (AAP TV FEATURE) (PIX AVAIL) RPTG

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

SA:Main stories in the Adelaide Advertiser

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2011
SA:Main stories in the Adelaide Advertiser

ADELAIDE, April 18 AAP - The main stories in Monday's Adelaide Advertiser:

Page 1: The accused killer of primary school teacher Hamilton "Ham" Wiseman phoned
police from outside the burning Marino house where the crime allegedly occurred.

Page 2: Hundreds of millions of dollars will be slashed from business programs and
topline research in a horror budget likely to spark community unrest.

Page 3: Millions of National Australia Bank customers finally should be able to access
money that was not available to them because of a computer glitch.

World: The leader of strongman Laurent Gbagbo's party urged die-hard militants to lay
down their arms and called for reconciliation at the weekend, even as shooting erupted
at Abidjan.

Finance: Banking regulator APRA has fired a shot at foreign banks, reminding them to
play by the rules or risk an audit from their regulator.

Sport: Neil Craig's game plan, or lack of it, has come under scrutiny as pressure continues
to build on the Crows coach in the fallout from Showdown XXX.

AAP sbm/apm

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS SA

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

Oregan Networks Releases Latest Version of Onyx Software

Wireless News
01-05-2011
Oregan Networks Releases Latest Version of Onyx Software
Type: News

Oregan Networks, a media browser company for connected consumer electronics, has announced availability of an updated version of its Onyx software.

The new version features enhanced speed and security, as well as providing access to new home entertainment applications, powered by one of UK's most popular movie streaming site blinkbox and the internet gaming specialist Accedo Broadband. The previously introduced UK catch-up TV services are now available through Onyx in high definition, made possible via additional content protection technologies.
The enhanced features and services are available to new customers purchasing Onyx-powered devices this holiday season, as well as being provided in the form of an automated internet upgrade to the existing owners of Cello iViewer connected TVs and Onyx Digital Streams internet media players running Oregan's Onyx browser inside.

"The Onyx browser was introduced in the UK retail market in December 2009 and, despite its newcomer status, has gained considerable recognition amongst a varied audience of consumers, thanks to the quick connectivity set-up and a wide selection of available content services ranging from cooking channels and social networking apps - to the UK's leading TV catch-up services," said Oregan's VP of Market Strategy Milya Timergaleyeva. "With the addition of over 8,000 top global movie titles for rent and purchase and a number of free gaming apps, we have expanded the number of ways in which families can engage with media in front of the television during this holiday season."

The Onyx suite of browser-based widgets and applications include: DLNA home media sharing with PCs and portable devices, access to internet services such as BBC iPlayer, blinkbox, Accedo Funspot, YouTube, Flickr, Disney Movie Previews, The CNN Daily, Jamie's Ministry of Food Recipes, Discovery Channel Video Podcasts, Sesame Street Podcast, Twitter, Facebook and others.

Onyx browser is built on industry standards allowing existing PC websites and widgets to be adapted by publishers for TV usage. A collection of additional Over The Top video services are slated for release in the early 2011.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

Copyright 2011 Close-Up Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
n/a

FED:Parties focus on education this campaign

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2010
FED:Parties focus on education this campaign

By Bonny Symons-Brown

CANBERRA, Aug 20 AAP - In a federal election campaign more spin than substance, education
has been one of the few policy areas to consistently focus the attention of both major
parties.

Labor and the coalition have promised the sector millions of dollars during the past
five weeks, aimed at improving teacher and school performance and subsidising classroom
costs for families.

Parents will, of course, welcome extra money for uniforms and excursions, but educators
have raised concerns about policies they say could create an overly-competitive environment
in Australian schools.

For instance, both major parties want to reward outstanding teacher performance with
cash bonuses - a good idea in theory.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's $1.25 billion scheme will make the nation's top educators
eligible to receive an extra $5400 to $8100 for their hard work, for the five school years
from 2014.

Gillard also promised to give $100,000 to high schools and $75,000 to primary schools
that showed improved academic results and attendance rates, at a cost of $388 million
over five years from 2013.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has countered with $200 million worth of reward funding,
targeted at teachers working in disadvantaged, special-needs and regional schools from
2013.

If teachers selected for that bonus all got the same amount, their extra payment would
be between about $6000 and $6500.

But teachers groups are worried that simplistic eligibility criteria will see some
of their quality colleagues miss out, while schools facing the greatest challenges might
also struggle to be recognised.

In a boon for mums and dads, the coalition trumped Labor's pre-election pledge to extend
the education tax refund to include up to 50 per cent of the cost of school uniforms.

Abbott said a coalition government would boost the refund by $760 million, meaning
the maximum rebate available for primary school children under Family Tax Benefit A would
rise from $390 to $500, and from $779 to $1000 for high school students.

The coalition policy also would make it possible for parents to claim the refund for
private school fees, as well as other expenses such as musical instruments.

Gillard made her own changes to Family Tax Benefit A, vowing to lift it from $51 to
a maximum of $208 fortnightly from 2012 for 16- to 18-year-old students, at a cost of
$668 million over four years.

Educational infrastructure and resources proved to be a campaign stumbling block for
both Labor and the coalition.

The government suffered its blow mid-campaign when an investigation into its school
buildings program found the rush to finish projects had led to cost blowouts of up to
six per cent.

The following week, Abbott - who has pledged to axe the government's computers in schools
program - announced his own $120 million school technology fund to ... put computers in
schools.

The big difference is grants of up to $50,000 would be paid directly to schools, allowing
them to choose what technology they wanted.

Abbott then went back to the future, announcing a return to the Australian technical
colleges Labor abolished to make way for trade training centres in high schools.

A national network of 30 technical colleges would be created during the next four years,
at a cost of $740 million.

AAP bsb/rl/psm/jlw

KEYWORD: POLL10 EDUCATION (AAP BACKGROUNDER) RPT

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

NSW: Main stories in Tuesday's Sydney newspapers

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2010
NSW: Main stories in Tuesday's Sydney newspapers

SYDNEY, April 13 AAP - Main stories in Tuesday's Sydney newspapers:

DAILY TELEGRAPH:

Page 1: A derelict Malaysian hotel is a hub for people smugglers who run an organised
network shipping a steady stream of people seeking illegal passage to Australia.

Page 2: Big business and the state government have been spared the crippling 64 per
cent electricity price increase that families and small businesses will be forced to pay.

Page 3: Sydney's seedy criminal underworld is set to star again in the next season
of the Underbelly franchise.

World: Anti-government protesters paraded coffins through the Thai capital after savage
street fighting at the weekend left 21 dead amid fears of more violence if activists and
the government do not reach a compromise.

Finance: Bullish investors have cleared yet another critical psychological barrier
on the road to recovery, dragging the All Ordinaries index back over the 5000-point mark
for the first time since the genesis of the global financial crisis.

Sport: Todd Carney would have given up alcohol in a bid to stay at the Raiders in 2008
but was never given the chance, the star playmaker claimed last night (NRL).

MORE mdg/srp

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS NSW

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

Monitor 2100 2UE Sydney Main Stories

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2009
Monitor 2100 2UE Sydney Main Stories

- Ship caught with weapons for Iran

- School yard brawl in northern New South Wales has fatal consequences

- Firefighters are putting themselves between fires and property on the New South Wales
south coast

- Drilling company defends its clean-up efforts in maritime spill off Western Australia

- Another boatload of suspected asylum seekers intercepted

- Calls on the Rudd government to review private schools funding

AAP RTV wz

KEYWORD: MONITOR 2100 2UE

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

Fed: Iran confirms govts fears of attending UN meeting:Shorten

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2009
Fed: Iran confirms govts fears of attending UN meeting:Shorten

Federal MP BILL SHORTEN says it's regrettable a United Nations anti-racism conference
has been marred by claims of anti-Semitism.

The federal government decided at the last minute to boycott this week's conference
in Geneva over fears it would be used as a platform to attack Israel.

Dozens of diplomats walked out during Iranian President MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD'S opening
speech after he accused Israel of being a totally racist regime.

Mr SHORTEN has told Sky News Australia hoped the conference wouldn't be an Israel bash
but AHMADINEJAD has confirmed fears.

Canada .. Israel .. Italy and the United States also chose not to participate in the conference.

AAP RTV sld/kms/ka

KEYWORD: UN RACISM SHORTEN (CANBERRA)

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

NSW: Bones on balcony investigation moves to Germany

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2008
NSW: Bones on balcony investigation moves to Germany

Police are trying to track down the German family of a missing Sydney woman .. after
a bag of human remains was found on an apartment balcony.

Contract cleaners found the bag of bones on Saturday while working on the Ashfield apartment.

Police are investigating whether they're those of ELIZABETH SEXTRO .. who used to live
there with her husband WERNER.

He'd been telling neighbours for the last eight years his wife had returned to Germany
to look after a sick relative .. he died three months ago .. aged 78.

AAP RTV ab/wjf/ka/jmt

KEYWORD: BODY (SYDNEY)

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

NSW: Man with tomahawk threatens to firebomb home: Police

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2008
NSW: Man with tomahawk threatens to firebomb home: Police

Police say they've arrested a man .. armed with a tomahawk .. who's assaulted a group
of Sydney residents and threatened to firebomb their home.

Officers were called to the Campbelltown premises about 5.50 (AEST) yesterday afternoon
.. following reports of a domestic dispute.

They saw a 22-year-old man walking towards the home .. allegedly carrying a tomahawk
.. a petrol can and a lighter.

They say after making threats to police .. he placed the weapons on the ground and
charged at the officers before they arrested him.

He's been refused bail to appear at Campbelltown Local Court today .. on charges including
assault and resisting arrest with an offensive weapon.

AAP RTV vpm/tm

KEYWORD: TOMAHAWK (SYDNEY)

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

SA: Pedophiles abused foster children for decades: commissioner

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2008
SA: Pedophiles abused foster children for decades: commissioner

By Steve Larkin

ADELAIDE, April 1 AAP - Priests, doctors and teachers sexually abused foster children
amid pedophile networks representing a "foul undercurrent" of South Australian society,
an inquiry has found.

The inquiry commissioner, former Supreme Court Justice Ted Mullighan, said today he
believed systematic sexual abuse of state wards was continuing.

Mr Mullighan said he was "appalled and horrified" at the results of his three-year
Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry, but added they were only the "tip of the
iceberg".

The inquiry heard evidence suggesting South Australia's child protection system, "like
its counterparts elsewhere in Australia, is in crisis", Mr Mullighan said.

He found the abuse of state wards occurred in every type of care including church institutions,
the Salvation Army, government and non-government homes for children and youth shelters
and foster homes.

Some foster children were used at pedophile parties for sexual gratification, he said.

Mr Mullighan said there were organised groups of pedophiles preying on, and sexually
abusing, foster children.

"I don't think there was any doubt that there was a number of groups of people who
were preying on children and abusing them," he told reporters.

"The individual groups themselves were clearly very well organised.

"I would be surprised if it's not still happening."

Premier Mike Rann said he was sickened by Mr Mullighan's 600-page report, tabled in
state parliament today.

"It turned my stomach, it made me feel physically ill," Mr Rann told reporters.

Mr Mullighan heard from 792 people who said they had been sexually abused by 1,733
alleged perpetrators from the 1930s to the present.

Of those, he determined 242 victims had been in state care at the time of the alleged abuse.

The inquiry referred 170 allegations to police involving 434 perpetrators, with two
suspects already arrested and 13 others reported.

"Nothing prepared me for the foul undercurrent of society revealed," Mr Mullighan wrote
in his final report.

"I was not prepared for the horror of the sexual cruelty and exploitation of little
children and vulnerable young people in state care by people in positions of trust."

The extent of sexual abuse of state wards could never be known, with many adults abused
as children in state care not coming forward, he said.

Mr Mullighan said "most of the people who said they disclosed the sexual abuse as children
were not believed".

He heard evidence the abuse was perpetrated by people including foster parents, their
sons, teachers, priests, social workers and strangers.

Asked how to describe his reaction to the evidence presented to the inquiry, Mr Mullighan
told reporters: "I don't know that I could find the right word.

"I was appalled and horrified at the way in which children were exploited and abused
and threatened and disempowered, and that they lived for years in that situation without
being able to do anything about it.

"One lady disclosed it for the first time at the age of 81, so I don't know what word
is the appropriate word to use."

Mr Rann said his government would formally apologise to the abused foster children,
adding he believed they should be paid compensation.

Hundreds of victims were expected to now lodge compensation claims with the courts,
and others to apply for victims of crime fund compensation.

Mr Mullighan made 54 recommendations including legislating for a charter of rights
for children and a review of the training of social workers.

He also called for an extensive media campaign to educate the community on child sexual
abuse, with reference to the tactics of pedophiles and others involved in abuse.

The government committed to responding to all recommendations by June 19 this year.

AAP sl/sp

KEYWORD: ABUSE NIGHTLEAD (WITH FACTBOXES)

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

Vic: Brumby defends Bracks over gaming licence.

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2007
Vic: Brumby defends Bracks over gaming licence.

Victorian Premier JOHN BRUMBY has defended the role of his predecessor .. in Victoria's
gaming licence process.

Mr BRUMBY says a parliamentary inquiry into the tender process for the licence to run
Victoria's public lotteries and poker machines .. is a political witchhunt .. and not
about good policy.

Pressure is mounting on former premier STEVE BRACKS to appear before the inquiry ..

which heard yesterday from former Tattersall's executive PETER KERR.

He said Mr BRACKS had freely discussed licences at a secret meeting .. and during a
dinner with controversial lobbyist DAVID WHITE.

Mr BRUMBY says the former premier's held in extremely high regard by the Victorian
community .. and his version of events is very clear.

AAP RTV jxt/szp/ce/wf/bart

KEYWORD: GAMING BRUMBY (MELBOURNE)

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

NSW: Orkopoulos refused bail on child sex and drug offences

AAP General News (Australia)
04-16-2007
NSW: Orkopoulos refused bail on child sex and drug offences

Sacked NSW government minister MILTON ORKOPOULOS has been refused bail in a Newcastle
court where he faced 21 new child sex and drug offences.

MORE RTV kjd/hn/bart

KEYWORD: ORKOPOULOS COURT (SYDNEY)

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

Qld: Police union not surprised by DPP's findings

AAP General News (Australia)
12-14-2006
Qld: Police union not surprised by DPP's findings

The Queensland Police Union says it's not surprised that a policeman blamed over the
death in custody of a Palm Island man has been cleared.

Deputy state coroner CHRISTINE CLEMENTS found in September that Senior Sergeant Chris
Hurley struck 36-year-old MULRUNJI DOOMADGEE .. causing fatal injuries.

The incident happened during a scuffle at the Palm Island police station in November 2004.

But Director of Public Prosecutions LEANNE CLARE today said no charges will be laid
against Senior Sergeant HURLEY.

She says there's insufficient evidence to prove he was criminally responsible for MULRUNJI'S
death.

The police union's vice president DENIS FITZPATRICK says the union has always believed
in Senior Sergeant HURLEY'S innocence .. and today's announcement has vindicated that
position.

He says the union will now support a review of the coroner's findings in the District Court.

AAP RTV rm/pjo/wz/ibw

KEYWORD: MULRUNJI UNION (BRISBANE)

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

Fed: Ceasefire draft not enough to bring peace: Howard

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2006
Fed: Ceasefire draft not enough to bring peace: Howard

CANBERRA, Aug 6 AAP - A draft UN Security Council resolution aiming to bring about
a ceasefire with Israel will not bring lasting peace in the Middle East, Prime Minister
John Howard says.

The draft calls for "a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the
immediate cessation by Hizbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel
of all offensive military operations."

But Mr Howard said Australia also wants the root cause of the problem addressed.

"And the root cause of the problem is still - in the whole of the Middle East - is
still the settlement of the Palestinian issue," he added.

There would be no lasting peace until the entire Arab world and other countries involved,
including Iran, were prepared to accept Israel's right to exist and defend itself, and
give a genuine commitment to a homeland for the Palestinian people, Mr Howard said.

He said while he would welcome an end to the bloodshed it would achieve nothing if
the resolution merely laid the groundwork for another outbreak of hostilities in the future.

"I mean nobody wants to see women, children, soldiers on either side being killed as
is happening with increasing ferocity," he said.

Mr Howard said a large stabilisation force and a commitment to disarm Hizbollah were
required, but the long term answer was to ensure the delivery of the two state solution.

"I'm trying to be realistic," he said.

"I want the fighting to stop, I don't want to see people killed on either side."

Lebanon has rejected the draft as it stands and wants the text to be amended, a government
source said today.

It also calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term
solution, which would hinge on strict respect by all parties for the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Israel and Lebanon.

Israel launched its offensive after the Lebanese Shi'ite Hizbollah militia captured
two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in an attack on July 12.

Hizbollah's cross-border raid, an attempt to force Israel to swap its own Hizbollah
detainees, immediately sparked Israel's offensive, which has claimed almost a 1,000 lives,
mainly civilians.

Hizbollah has responded by raining rockets on northern Israel, killing more than 30 people.

Meanwhile, Mr Howard also urged any Australians who remained in southern Lebanon to leave now.

"Some people have put it off and they are making the evacuation task even more difficult,"

he said.

"I think it is a bit unreasonable to say I'll hang around a little bit to see how it
goes and suddenly expect a ship to arrive courtesy of the Australian government to bring
them out when the fighting gets even tougher."

AAP jb/jt/bwl

KEYWORD: MIDEAST HOWARD

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

Fed: Howard will stay on as leader as long as party wants him to

AAP General News (Australia)
04-02-2006
Fed: Howard will stay on as leader as long as party wants him to

CANBERRA, April 2 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard has again refused to buy into speculation
about his retirement intentions, saying only he'll stay on as leader as long as his party
wants him to.

It comes as a new poll shows half of Australian voters want Mr Howard to continue as
leader into the next election.

The Ipsos Mackay poll conducted for the Ten Network's Meet the Press program also shows
only 24 per cent believe Mr Costello should lead the party into the next election, while
12 per cent back Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and eight per cent want Defence Minister
Brendan Nelson as leader.

But Mr Howard has brushed aside questions about his leadership.

"Same boring answer," he told the Ten Network.

"I'll stay leader as long as my party wants me to and it's in the party's best interests
that I do so."

Leadership speculation has been rife since an interview in Athens in April last year
when Mr Howard implied he could beat Opposition Leader Kim Beazley at the 2007 election.

Today, Mr Howard said: "Whoever the leader is, is ultimately a matter for the Australian
people to decide."

AAP mjp/sd

KEYWORD: LEADERSHIP HOWARD

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

Fed: Gillard warns against two-tier drug system

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2005
Fed: Gillard warns against two-tier drug system

MELBOURNE, Aug 1 AAP - The federal government's failure to force four drug companies
to accept lower prices foreshadowed the start of a two-tiered pharmaceutical system, Labor's
health spokeswoman Julia Gillard said today.

Her comments follow revelations some lung cancer patients will have to pay up to $460
extra for prescriptions for medicines that are no longer fully subsidised under the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Four drug companies have refused to accept lower prices for their products, which were
previously fully subsidised under the PBS, The Australian newspaper reported today.

"If it is four drugs today then in 12 months' time it will be 40 drugs," Ms Gillard
told reporters in Melbourne.

"In two years' time it will be 80 drugs.

"This is the start of two-tiered PBS where if you can't pay for your medication you
simply don't get it."

Ms Gillard said the "essence of the PBS" was to allow patients to obtain the drugs
they need "no matter how expensive that medication" at the cost of a co-payment - less
than $5 for pensioners and less than $30 for others.

Health Minister Tony Abbott was to blame for the new prices, she said.

"He's the first minister for health ever who's walked into a room to negotiate with
pharmaceutical companies and come back out with new special patient contributions for
people to pay.

"How out of touch would you need to be to think it a fair thing for someone who is
battling with lung cancer to only be able to get their medication if they can pay $460?

"This new system is an absurdity, it's cruel and it's going to put new burdens on patients."

Ms Gillard said a Labor government would not mishandle negotiations with pharmaceutical
companies so that people ended up paying more.

From today, what would have been a 12.5 per cent cut to the companies' bottom lines
will be passed on to patients, the newspaper reported.

But the government will pay the difference if a patient's doctor can convince the Health
Insurance Commission it is the only effective drug they can take, the paper said.

Under government policy, each time a cheaper generic copy of a drug is introduced to
the market, all drugs said to have the same medical results receive the 12.5 per cent
cut.

In Australia each year, more than 8,200 people are diagnosed with lung cancer and more
than 7,000 people die of the disease, according to The Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare cancer figures for 2001.

AAP nl/gfr/cat/de

KEYWORD: LUNG GILLARD

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

ad concept testing

ad concept testing Obtaining the reactions of target customers to preliminary versions of a number of alternative approaches to an advertisement. See concept test.

New Verizon Wireless Cell Site Added in Davenport, Iowa; Site Part of Multi-Billion Nationwide Network Investment.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- Verizon Wireless has added a new cell site in Davenport, Iowa, as part of the company's multi-billion investment in network improvements nationwide, several million of which will be invested in Iowa.

"We are very excited that Verizon Wireless' network improvement in Iowa continues to be substantial," said Tracy Nolan, regional president for Verizon Wireless. "The bottom line is that through the network investment, our customers in Iowa will continue to have unsurpassed wireless service."

The new cell site will improve greatly Verizon Wireless' digital and analog service to surrounding community as well as to the well-traveled interstates 80 and 280 and U.S. Highway 61, west of Davenport.

The overall investment in Iowa is designed primarily to enhance Verizon Wireless' network to deliver the most advanced wireless voice and data services to its customers. Verizon Wireless will increase capacity in its switching centers and cell sites and expand network coverage to handle the strong demand for its wireless services. In addition, the company will begin to upgrade its network with third generation (3G) wireless technology, which offers wireless Internet services at speeds averaging 40-60 kilobits per second and bursting to 144 kilobits per second (about 10 times faster than that available from current wireless technology).

Customer growth, greater usage because of high-value pricing found in such offerings as the America's Choice(SM) pricing plan and the popularity of Mobile Web wireless Internet services are driving the local demand for Verizon Wireless' services.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 30 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone . Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com .

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X75143552

Contact: Carolyn Schamberger of Verizon Wireless, +1-847-619-4282, Carolyn.Schamberger@verizonwireless.com , or Stephanie Kerch for Verizon Wireless, +1-312-423-4927, skerch@hlbcomm.com

Website: http://www.verizonwireless.com/

Imperial Technology MegaRam Storage Accelerator Shows at Internet World Spring 2001.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2001

Imperial Technology, the leading manufacturer of solid state storage accelerators, will unveil the new MegaRam-1000 at Internet World Spring 2001 in Los Angeles, March 14-16 at Booth 1276 on the main floor.

The MegaRam-1000 is the most technologically advanced acceleration system, incorporating a native Fibre Channel architecture into a space-saving rackmount chassis just 1.75 inches high (1U).

The MegaRam-1000 storage accelerator is designed to help storage systems keep pace with the vastly improved processing power of today's CPUs, eliminating I/O

bottlenecks without the expense of rewriting applications or upgrading servers.

With virtually zero latency time and no seek time, data can be accessed hundreds of times faster than with conventional rotating disk systems, resulting in dramatically improved system performance, in operations such as OLTP and relational database applications.

Internet World Spring 2001 is the world's largest e-business and Internet technology event with products and services shown from more than 900 leading companies, presenting the newest innovations in Internet business solutions.

"This new compact, rackmount storage accelerator is ideal for environments where the conservation of space is just as important as continuous, high-speed performance," said Emanuel Allen, president of Imperial Technology.

"Spring Internet World is the perfect show to debut the new MegaRam-1000, since the unit's 1U format is the de facto standard for many Internet related companies and co-location facilities," said Allen.

A Solution For the Explosive Growth in Data

Imperial Technology's rackmount MegaRam-1000 was designed specifically to meet the challenge of exponential data growth in e-business and I/O intensive industries such as financial services, online banking, online trading and other environments where online transaction processing, database availability or customer relationship management applications are critical.

The MegaRam-1000 offers:

 -- Deferred capital spending on server and storage upgrades  -- Near-instantaneous access time of only 0.035 milliseconds  -- Flexible 100 MB/sec Fibre Channel or 80 MB/sec SCSI (Ultra-2) interfaces  -- 1 to 4 ports for a multi-host and switched SAN environment  -- A scalable 1 GB to 12 GB capacity  -- An Ethernet port with SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) capability for system management and administration in a lights-out or remote data center  -- An automated backup circuit maintains data integrity through power interruptions using built-in batteries and SCSI disk drive.  -- Multiple logical unit number (LUNs) partitioning  -- Fail-resistance with redundant hot-swappable power supplies and built-in battery packs, redundant fans, and multi-port interfaces. 

About Imperial Technology Inc.

With headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Imperial Technology has more than a decade of experience designing and manufacturing high-performance storage systems. Imperial's MegaRam and MegaCache storage acceleration systems shatter I/O bottlenecks and provide access hundreds of times faster than traditional rotating or RAID storage. Imperial's products are installed on Compaq/Digital, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, NCR, Pyramid, SGI, Sun and Unisys systems. They integrate and install seamlessly in environments that run Oracle (Nasdaq:ORCL), Sybase (Nasdaq:SYBS), Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT), Veritas (Nasdaq:VRTS) and EMC (NYSE:EMC) products.

Editor's Note: Contact Judy Smith at JPR Communications, 818/386-0403, or e-mail judys@jprcom.com to schedule an appointment to meet with Imperial Technology at Internet World Spring 2001.

Iusacell Licenses Phone.com UP.Link to Provide Wireless Internet Services In Mexico.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 23 /PRNewswire/ --

Phone.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: PHCM), a leading provider of software and applications that enable the delivery of Internet-based information services to mass-market wireless telephones, today announced that Grupo Iusacell, S.A. de C.V., a leading wireless telecommunications services provider in Mexico, has licensed the Phone.com(TM) Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-compatible UP.Link(TM) Server Suite. Under the terms of the agreement, Iusacell is using Phone.com's UP.Link Server to provide wireless Internet access to its CDMA digital subscribers.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990706/PHCMLOGO)

Initially, the wireless Internet service from Iusacell is accessible using Motorola's Startac 7860 Internet-enabled phones, which utilize the embedded Phone.com(TM) UP.Browser(TM) microbrowser. These phones operate on Iusacell's CDMA network.

By using the Phone.com UP.Link and UP.Browser, Iusacell's subscribers have access to a broad range of wireless services, including Internet access, mobile email, and Info-on-Demand services -- including financial news and weather, as well as Personal Information Management services such as personal organizer, and calendar functions. Iusacell is providing localized content through Alo.com, a Mexican Internet provider.

"We're excited to use the UP.Link server and Internet-enabled phones to provide leading edge wireless Internet services to our subscribers," said Fulvio V. del Valle, President & Director General of Iusacell. "We see this as just the beginning of many new, advanced services to be offered to our subscribers."

"As the demand and popularity for wireless Internet access grows, Phone.com is poised and committed to help network operators such as Iusacell deliver new services with the most benefit to their subscribers," said Chuck Parrish, Executive Vice President for Phone.com. "Iusacell's growth combined with Phone.com's innovative and mature products will quickly provide wireless subscribers with state-of-the-art capabilities."

About Iusacell

Grupo Iusacell, S.A. de C.V. (NYSE: CEL; BMV), is a leading independent telecommunications company in Mexico. It provides wireless cellular service in four of Mexico's nine regions in the central portion of Mexico (including Mexico City) covering a total of 68 million POPs, representing approximately 69% of the country's total population. Iusacell is under the management and operating control of subsidiaries of Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE: BEL).

About Phone.com

Phone.com, Inc. is a leading provider of software, applications, and services that enable the delivery of Internet-based information and voice services to mass-market wireless telephones. Using its software, wireless subscribers have access to Internet- and corporate intranet-based services, including Email, news, stocks, weather, travel and sports. In addition, subscribers have access via their wireless telephones to network operators' intranet-based telephony services, which may include over-the-air activation, call management, billing history information, pricing plan subscription and voice message management. Phone.com is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California and has regional offices in Belfast, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Paris, Seoul and Tokyo. Visit http://www.phone.com for more information.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Phone.com's limited operating history, potential fluctuations in Phone.com's operating results, uncertainties related to Phone.com's long sales cycle and reliance on a small number of customers, Phone.com's dependence on the acceptance of its products by network operators and wireless subscribers, Phone.com's ability to adequately address the rapidly-evolving market for delivery of Internet-based services through wireless telephones, the need to achieve widespread integration of Phone.com's browser in wireless telephones, competition from companies with substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and distribution resources and the ability of Phone.com to manage a complex set of engineering, marketing and distribution relationships. Further information regarding these and other risks are included in Phone.com's Form 10-Q for quarters ended September 30, 1999, and December 31, 1999, in its prospectus dated November 16, 1999 and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

NOTE: The Phone.com name and logo and the family of terms carrying the "UP." prefix are trademarks of Phone.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other company, brand and product names may be marks that are the sole property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Rowan Benecke of PR21, 415-369-8102, or rowan_benecke@pr21.com, for Phone.com, Inc.; or Kylie Trevitt of Text 100 Ltd., 44