NSW:Inquiry into NSW Crime Commission =3

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2011
NSW:Inquiry into NSW Crime Commission =3

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge earlier on Thursday renewed his party's calls for a
public inquiry into the NSW Crime Commission, amid concerns it was secretive and too powerful.

He welcomed the announcement of the commission of inquiry but said he had concerns
about how far reaching its powers would be.

"We have been asking for a full and open public inquiry," he told AAP.

"If the commission for inquiry has the power to compel witnesses and order the production
of documents, it will go some way to satisfying our call."

MORE mdg/klm/ht

KEYWORD: STANDEN INQUIRY UPDATE 3 SYDNEY

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

WA: Vandals damage ancient cave

AAP General News (Australia)
02-19-2006
WA: Vandals damage ancient cave

PERTH, Feb 19 AAP - Vandals have destroyed world-famous cave formations, that were
thousands of years old, in a national park near Perth.

Vandals entered the cave system at Yanchep National Park from a locked roof opening,
and destroyed at least 12 ancient stalactites and stalagmites.

Ray De Jong, the manager of the national park, which is 50 km north of Perth, has described
the attack as senseless.

The vandals deliberately smashed one of the cave's best-known features, a large stalactite
known as Elephants Foot, during the attack, which happened sometime between 4.30pm (AEDT)
on Friday and 9am (AEDT) Saturday in Crystal Cave.

Mr De Jong said the attack appeared to have been premeditated and to have targeted
some of the oldest and most famous limestone formations in the cave.

"This wasn't just a random knock-em-off-as-you-go-along thing," Mr De Jong said.

He said the vandals had spent a long time removing bolts covering the roof opening
and had dropped four metres to the floor of the cave from the roof.

They had left the same way and police believe they may have used ropes.

"These are some of the most significant caves in the world. Historically they were
the first caves to be discovered in WA," he said.

Crystal Cave attracts up to 100,000 visitors a year and is the most accessible cave
of its type in Western Australia.

Staff at Yanchep National Park were upset at the news of the destruction but opened
the cave to tourists today.

Police are investigating the incident and have already received several leads from the public.

AAP jh/arb/sd

KEYWORD: CAVES

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

NSW:Car leaving driveway kills woman

AAP General News (Australia)
04-15-2011
NSW:Car leaving driveway kills woman

SYDNEY, April 15 AAP - A woman has died after being hit by a car leaving a driveway
in Sydney's north.

The 54-year-old was walking along Ryde Road, West Pymble, on Thursday afternoon when
she was hit by the car, driven by a 42-year-old woman.

She died later at Royal North Shore Hospital, police say.

Inquiries are under way to determine how the accident happened.

AAP mdg/rs

KEYWORD: DRIVEWAY

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

NSW:Invaders break man's arm with bat

AAP General News (Australia)
12-28-2010
NSW:Invaders break man's arm with bat

Home invaders have broken a man's arm with a cricket bat at Campbelltown in Sydney's southwest.

Police say three men pushed their way inside a home on Colonial Street about 8.00 (AEDT)
last night .. and found a 26-year-old man in a bedroom.

Despite the broken arm .. the man managed to escape.

He's expected to undergo surgery in Campbelltown Hospital.

Police have arrested a 37-year-old man at Rosemeadow .. and he's due to appear today
in Campbelltown Local Court charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm.

AAP RTV wjf/ajw/

KEYWORD: BAT (SYDNEY)

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

QLD:One dead, one critical after crashes

08-18-2010
QLD:One dead, one critical after crashes

A 17-year-old man is in a critical condition after his car burst into flames in a single
vehicle crash in Brisbane.

The car was travelling on the wrong side of West Mt Cotton Road .. before it crossed
Mt Cotton Road .. crashing into several trees and catching fire.

The man was trapped in the car .. but was later freed and taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

Meantime .. a 30-year-old man has died after his motorbike hit a guardrail in Bundaberg
last night.

AAP RTV stg/jen/

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD (BRISBANE)

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

FED: Sun sets on Powderfinger's 21-year career

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2010
FED: Sun sets on Powderfinger's 21-year career

By Alyssa Braithwaite, National Entertainment Writer

SYDNEY, April 9 AAP - After more than 20 years together, seven studio albums and 16
ARIA awards, Aussie rock band Powderfinger will call it quits following a national farewell
tour later this year.

The Brisbane five-piece said their Sunsets tour in September and October would be their
biggest to date, and their last.

"We have decided after much deliberation and agonising that after this final tour we
will call it a day as a recording and touring band," singer Bernard Fanning announced
at a press conference in Sydney on Friday morning.

"After a career that has lasted for over 20 years, seven studio albums, a live album,
two DVDs, 30-odd video clips, around 1,000 shows, 16 ARIA Awards and hundreds of thousands
of kilometres travelled around the globe on local, national and world tours, we believe
that the time has come to call an end to what we think has been an extremely privileged
and rewarding run."

The Sunsets tour will take in 21 cities in every state and territory over a seven-week period.

Powderfinger will be supported by Jet on all but three of the concerts, with The Vines
taking on support duties on the other dates.

Fanning said the band would play songs from each of their seven studio albums on the
Sunsets tour, which is their first major national outing since the Across The Great Divide
tour with Silverchair almost three years ago.

He said the tour would be a celebration of their years in the business.

"We wanted to make this tour as much fun as possible, because we don't want it to be
a big nostalgic sentimental tear-fest," Fanning said.

"It's more to celebrate what we've done and to say thanks to people as we go around Australia."

Powderfinger released their most recent album, Golden Rule, in 2009, which debuted
at number one on the ARIA charts.

It is the last album of new material the band will release, although their contract
with Universal Music provides for a greatest hits collection in the future.

"With the completion of our last album, Golden Rule, we feel that we have said all
that we want to say as a musical group," Fanning said.

"We firmly believe that it is our most complete and satisfying album and can't think
of a better way to farewell our fans than with music that we all believe in and also with,
hopefully, our best tour to date."

Rumours that the band were breaking up have dogged Powderfinger for years, but Fanning
said the decision was only made after their run of summer festival shows.

Fanning and bandmates Jon Coghill, John Collins, Ian Haug and Darren Middleton will
all take some time off after the tour wraps, before pursuing solo interests inside and
outside the music industry.

Middleton said he would keep making music, while Fanning plans to release another solo
album in the future.

"Maybe the end of next year I'll probably start thinking about it," Fanning said.

"I want to have a break for a while and just hang out."

Tickets for Sunsets - The Farewell Tour go on sale at 9am on April 30.

On the tour, Powderfinger will partner with the Yalari group, which supports education
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from rural and remote areas.

AAP acb/nf/goc/de

KEYWORD: POWDERFINGER WRAP (WITH PIX/VIDEO/GRAPHIC/FACTBOX)

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

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

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 27
BREAKFAST ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


GORGON GARRETT (CANBERRA)

Federal environment minister PETER GARRETT admits the $50 billion Gorgon gas project
is very greenhouse gas intensive and there's no guarantee burying emissions will work.

Mr GARRETT has conceded the massive LNG project on WA's Barrow Island could increase
Australia's overall emissions by as much as one per cent.

The project's proponents hope to bury some of the emissions under the seabed.

When asked on ABC's Lateline program if those emissions could leak out .. Mr GARRETT
said: could's probably the operative word.

Meantime .. US oil giant Chevron .. which spearheads the project .. says once a few
more formal approvals are in .. a final investment decision will be made .. and contracts
for construction can be placed.

With already two billion dollars committed .. the company expects jobs for up to almost
10-thousand people directly and as spin-off.



US KENNEDY WRAP (LONDON, SYDNEY)

Tributes continue to pour in from around the world for US Senator EDWARD KENNEDY who's
passed after a battle with brain cancer.

British Prime Minister GORDON BROWN said even facing illness and death .. KENNEDY never
stopped fighting .. while former British PM TONY BLAIR called him a true public servant.

Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD says KENNEDY made an extraordinary contribution to American
politics and was a great friend of Australia.

Former prime minister JOHN HOWARD says the death ends a great era in American politics.

Mr HOWARD says the KENNEDY family has had an enormous impact on American political
life .. enjoying great political success .. but also suffering continuing personal tragedy.

US President BARACK OBAMA says he's heartbroken by the news .. adding that America
has lost its greatest senator of our time.

It's been confirmed the late Senator is to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery
along with his deceased brothers JOHN F KENNEDY and ROBERT F KENNEDY.



LEADERSHIP NSW (SYDNEY)

Embattled New South Wales Premier NATHAN REES has declared he won't resign the top job.

Mr REES has told News Limited by telephone while on a holiday .. that he has no such intention.

Labor powerbroker JOE TRIPODI has also come out to back the beleaguered leader following
reports Mr REES is about to be replaced by Planning Minister KRISTINA KENEALLY.

Mr TRIPODI's told News that NATHAN REES is premier and will continue to be premier
going to the next election.

Rumours have raged this week after reports that a deal had been done among party factional
leaders for Mr REES to resign.



TERROR VIC Wrap

A Melbourne magistrate is expected to announce today whether to bail three of the five
men accused of planning a suicide attack on Sydney's Holsworthy army barracks.

Magistrate PETER REARDON will have to consider the prosecution's claim the men could
try another terrorist act in Australia if they are bailed and might try to flee the country.

But one of the accuseds' lawyer says his client has expressed no hatred of Australia
or America or threatened to blow up the world .. and no person charged with terrorism
in Victoria released on bail has committed another terrorism offence.



INDIGENOUS (CANBERRA)

Plans for a new indigenous body to replace the defunct ATSIC .. which was abolished
by the Howard government in 2005 .. will be unveiled today.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner TOM CALMA will today
present a new model to the federal government .. after 12 months of intensive consultations.

Prominent Aboriginal leader PAT DODSON says the new national body should be independent
of government and must not become a plaything for politicians.

Indigenous Affairs Minister JENNY MACKLIN is expected to outline the government's response
to Mr CALMA'S proposed model .. also today.



HEALTHY (MELBOURNE)

The price of cheaper alcohol favoured by teens and problem drinkers could be forced
up by a new tax as part of a package to improve Australians' health.

News Limited newspapers say the Preventative Health Taskforce .. set up by Prime Minister
KEVIN RUDD .. has developed a plan to make Australians slimmer and healthier.

Proposals in its report to the federal government are said to include .. vouchers to
encourage people in poorer communities to eat healthy foo .. and a $5 increase in the
price of an average packet of 30 cigarettes.

Other proposals include an end to cigarette promotions inside shops .. and stricter
controls on licensing hours and alcohol advertising;


MYSPACE (SYDNEY)

Teenagers on MySpace are being offered a reloadable prepaid Visa card to securely spend
their money online.

The card from ANZ Bank is the first of its kind in Australia .. targeting social networking
site users.

MySpace spokesman NICK LOVE says the card will give under 18s .. who aren't eligible
for credit cards .. more freedom and security to make purchases on the internet.

Teens can also use the card to buy prepaid phone credit through the site.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS ..



Afghan Vote (KABUL)

Incumbent HAMID KARZAI has pulled further ahead of his main rival in the race for the
Afghan presidency.



Italy Australian (CANBERRA)

Australian and Italian authorities are investigating the death of a young Australian
man .. whose body was found Rome with a severe head wound.



Rights Howard (PERTH)

Former PM JOHN HOWARD says a bill of rights would deprive parliament of its role of
to make decisions for Australians by handing those powers to unelected judges and bureaucrats.



Weather (CANBERRA)

The weather bureau has confirmed Australia is experiencing its warmest-ever winter
with temperatures for August so far more than three degrees above average.



IN SPORT ..



AFL WRAP (MELBOURNE)

Hawthorn will make a last-ditch effort to clear LANCE FRANKLIN to play in Saturday's
crucial AFL match against Essendon when they front the league's appeals board this evening.

FRANKLIN was found guilty of engaging in rough conduct and banned for two matches at
a tribunal hearing on Tuesday night .. for a high bump on Richmond's BEN COUSINS.

Meantime .. The AFL will go ahead with plans to make the national draft more of a television
event .. staging it on a Thursday night.

The league have announced they'll move the draft from Saturday .. November 28 to Thursday
evening .. November 26 with a live telecast on Fox Sports.



LEAGUE WRAP (SYDNEY)

The board of the Melbourne Storm NRL club are expected to meet today to discuss the
immediate playing future of rugby league star GREG INGLIS.

INGLIS has been under an indefinite suspension for the past two weeks after he was
charged with assaulting his former girlfriend.

Meantime .. Wests Tigers prop BRYCE GIBBS has been banned for three matches after being
found guilty of a grade two dangerous contact charge at the NRL judiciary.



CRICKET AUST PONTING (SYDNEY)

RICKY PONTING says he's determined to play on the Ashes tour of 2013 .. even if he's
no longer the Australian captain.

PONTING returned to Sydney last night after becoming the first Australian captain to
surrender the Ashes twice to England.



SOCCER AUST WRAP (MELBOURNE)

Clubless Socceroos captain LUCAS NEILL has been left out of the squad for next month's
friendly against South Korea in Seoul.

Attacking midfielder TIM CAHILL .. who starred in Australia's recent win over Ireland
in Limerick .. has also been left out.

Meantime .. Brazilian midfielder AMARAL could make a shock return to Perth Glory's
line-up for Friday night's A-League clash with Melbourne Victory at ME Bank Stadium.

AMARAL .. who played seven times for the Glory last season before tearing his hamstring
.. is almost certain to be offered a nine-match guest player contract by the club.




ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

BROADCAST DESK INQUIRIES 24 HOURS: 02 9322 8714

AAP RTV fdf

KEYWORD: BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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

NSW: Fire destroys church in South Turramurra

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2009
NSW: Fire destroys church in South Turramurra

SYDNEY, April 18 AAP - A teenager has been arrested after a fire destroyed a church
in Sydney's north.

Police and the fire brigade were called to the church on the corner of Vernon Road
and Chisholm Street, South Turramurra, just after 1am (AEST) on Saturday morning.

They found the building well alight, with witnesses telling police they saw a number
of people leaving the vicinity of the church before the fire.

After searching the area a 17-year-old youth was found in a nearby garden by officers
from the dog squad.

He was arrested and taken to Hornsby Police Station for questioning.

Investigations into the blaze are continuing.

AAP bc/jpm

KEYWORD: CHURCH

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

NT: Deadly snakes on the move in central desert

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2008
NT: Deadly snakes on the move in central desert

By Tara Ravens

DARWIN, Dec 12 AAP - Snakes are on the move in the central desert, with authorities
warning locals to keep their grass short and their eyes peeled.

Hot summer days and warm nights have increased reptile activity in Central Australia
and the Barkly Region, while heavy rain has boosted food supplies.

"The recent rain has triggered an explosion in frog activity and breeding, which in
turn triggers snakes hunting particularly at night," said NT Parks and Wildlife ranger
Garth Forrester.

"So people should use a torch when outside at night and always wear shoes."

In October 2006, electrician Glenn "Shorty" Butler died after being bitten by a snake
in his Alice Springs backyard.

Twenty minutes after the attack the father of four passed out in his toilet, and spent
the next two days on life support in hospital as doctors battled to save him from the
venom in his system.

He died from bleeding on the brain caused by the poison.

Mr Forrester on Friday urged people to be on the look out for snakes in their yards
and surrounding bushland.

"We were recently called out to collect a snake from a residential home in Tennant
Creek, the house had high grass, lots of thick mulch and corrugated iron on the ground,
all of which create a perfect haven for snakes to live," he said.

On the same day, rangers removed a venomous yellow-faced whip snake from the Charles
Darwin University Campus at Tennant Creek, opposite vacant bushland.

Also found in the region is the king brown or mulga snake, curl snake and western brown,
which claim on average one Australian life each year.

More than 100 western browns are caught by experts in Alice Springs each year and account
for 70 per cent of all call-outs, making the desert town the place with the highest number
of the deadly reptiles in Australia.

AAP tr/tnf

KEYWORD: SNAKES (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

NSW: Main stories in today's Sydney newspapers = 4

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2008
NSW: Main stories in today's Sydney newspapers = 4

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:

Page 1: The Australian economy goes from boom to gloom in six months.

Page 2: NRL defector Sonny Bill Williams could face criminal charges, and the loss
of his million-dollar home in Sydney, if he disobeys court orders and plays rugby in France.

Page 3: Persistent inflation pressures, and a massive boost to national income from
the resources boom, could limit the speed and depth of interest rate cuts undertaken by
the Reserve Bank.

World: A move by Pakistani authorities to impeach President Pervez Musharraf has left
the country on the brink of a political crisis, just as Washington is demanding greater
action against militants.

Markets: Australian shares close in positive territory for the week after a strong
mid-week rally, sparked by the prospect of an interest rate cut.

AAP dr/rs

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS NSW 4 SYDNEY

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

Fed: Gillard reiterates no compo for stolen generations

AAP General News (Australia)
02-15-2008
Fed: Gillard reiterates no compo for stolen generations

MELBOURNE, Feb 15 AAP - The federal government says it remains opposed to compensation
for the stolen generation, despite plans for Victoria's first stolen generation claim.

Days after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's historic apology, Reservoir man Neville Austin,
44, revealed plans to launch an action against Victoria in the first case of its kind.

His barrister Jack Rush QC said he had been working on the case with Mr Austin for 12 months.

But Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard today reiterated the government's stance against
compensation.

"We have said no to compensation, there have been people who have asked the federal
government to create a national compensation fund," Ms Gillard told Fairfax Radio Network.

But she said she would have to check with Attorney-General Robert McClelland to see
if the government would be specifically represented in the Austin case.

The head of Stolen Generations Victoria and Mr Austin's cousin, Lyn Austin, said while
she could not comment on Mr Austin's case, dozens more were preparing similar claims.

"I cannot make comment on that case at all, but ... I do know that there are another
30 or 40 that are going to be doing a civil action claim," she told ABC radio in Melbourne.

AAP gr/ce/jt/bwl

KEYWORD: SORRY GILLARD

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

Vic: Judge expedites pulp mill appeal

AAP General News (Australia)
08-28-2007
Vic: Judge expedites pulp mill appeal

A Federal Court judge has granted an application to expedite an appeal over a two billion
dollar pulp mill proposal for Tasmania's Tamar Valley.

The appeal concerns a decision by the same court earlier this month to reject a challenge
by the Wilderness Society and business group Investors for the Future of Tasmania .. to
the federal government's environmental assessment of the project.

Pressing for an expedited hearing today .. counsel for the Wilderness Society RICHARD
NIALL told the court there was a real risk a federal government decision on the mill could
be made and work commence .. before the appeal was heard.

Project developer Gunns Limited and federal Environment Minister MALCOLM TURNBULL neither
consented nor opposed the application.

In granting the appeal .. Justice ALAN GOLDBERG said it was important to consider
the public interest element.

A date for the hearing is yet to be set .. but the Wilderness Society expects it'll
be held in October.

AAP RTV mok/gfr/jmt

KEYWORD: PULP APPEAL (MELBOURNE)

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

Vic: Third soldier killed at Swan Island planned to wed

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2007
Vic: Third soldier killed at Swan Island planned to wed

MELBOURNE, April 13 AAP - The third special forces soldier killed in an Easter crash
near Swan Island in Victoria's south has been named as Corporal David O'Neill, 31, who
had planned to marry in November.

Cpl O'Neill, one of three Special Air Services Regiment soldiers who died when their
rental car plunged into the sea, had served in the world's major trouble spots.

Among his decorations, he had won a United Nations Medal and an Afghanistan Campaign
Medal for his service, which included two tours of duty in East Timor, two in Afghanistan
and one in Iraq.

Victoria Police and the Australian Defence Force are investigating the cause of the
crash, which happened as the three returned early on Monday to the high security Swan
Island military exercise site after a night out in nearby Queenscliff.

The others were Sergeant Craig Linacre, 32, and Corporal Michael McAvoy, 34.

The Department of Defence today issued a statement naming Cpl O'Neill whose identity
had been withheld at the request of his family.

A statement, prepared on behalf of his fiancee Sara Coleby by his Cpl O'Neill's cousin
Simon Legg, described the soldier as a jovial character with an infectious zest for life.

He lived with Ms Cole in Scarborough, Western Australia, and the pair had planned to
marry in the Cook Islands in November.

"His love for his fiancee is unquestionable and he was looking forward to their married
life together," today's statement said.

"He was a selfless, loyal, all endearing and humorous person who gave 100 per cent
to everyone around him.

"His commitment to his job, his country, his family, his mates and comrades was undivided.

He loved them all.

"During his time in East Timor he encouraged his family and friends back home in Australia
to send toys, balls and writing and reading materials which he and several of his army
colleagues would distribute to villages in their off-duty hours."

Born in Geelong, Cpl O'Neill had joined the Army Reserve in 1993 and the regular army
two years later.

"In his short time, David achieved more than many achieve in a life time," Mr Legg said.

"He lived life to the fullest and his contagious smile filled our hearts with endless joy."

AAP kn/mh/jt/mn

KEYWORD: SOLDIERS (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

Fed: Activity in China could be lifting tropical rains - CSIRO

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2006
Fed: Activity in China could be lifting tropical rains - CSIRO

Scientists say increased economic activity in Asia .. may have lifted rainfall in northern
Australia.

Dr LEON ROTSTAYN from the CSIRO says until now there's been little evidence atmospheric
particles affect climate in the southern hemisphere .. as there is for the northern hemisphere.

Dr ROTSTAYN says climate simulations show the Asian haze is having an effect on the
Australian hydrological cycle .. and has generated increasing rain and cloud since 1950
.. especially over northwest and central Australia.

He says the haze cools the Asian continent and nearby oceans .. altering the delicate
balance of temperature and winds between Asia and Australia.

He says it's not a case of Asian pollution being transported directly over Australia.

AAP RTV dep/sb/cp/ibw

KEYWORD: RAINFALL (CANBERRA)

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

NSW: 12-year-old boy wanted by police over brick thrown at bus

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2006
NSW: 12-year-old boy wanted by police over brick thrown at bus

EDS: changes slug and corrects name of road in third par



SYDNEY, Aug 5 AAP - Police want to talk with a 12-year-old boy after a brick was thrown
at a bus in Sydney's western suburbs.

It is the latest in a string of attacks on buses in some western suburbs, which resulted
yesterday in drivers declaring some streets no-go zones.

The bus was travelling along Sedgman Crescent, near Luxford Road, at Shalvey near Mt
Druitt when a brick was thrown at a window about 1.25pm (AEST) today, police said.

It damaged the bus but did not break the glass.

Police have spoken to a number of witnesses about the attack and now want to interview
a 12-year-old boy.

The incident comes a day after bus drivers said they would refuse to drive down certain
streets in Penrith and Blacktown if rock-throwing incidents continued.

Last week, two attacks occurred on Luxford Road, with a driver hospitalised after he
was hit by a rock in one of the incidents.

Transport Workers Union spokesman Wayne Forno said earlier that the spate of assaults
on buses had traumatised many bus drivers.

The TWU will next week meet with the NSW government to request route changes to avoid
the danger areas as well as increased police patrols and back-to-base alarms on all buses.

AAP nr/jjs/pe/de

KEYWORD: BUSES (REISSUING)

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

Qld: Anti-whale protest targets Japanese

AAP General News (Australia)
02-15-2006
Qld: Anti-whale protest targets Japanese

Anti-whaling protesters have demonstrated outside the Japanese consulate in Brisbane.

The group delivered a letter to the Japanese consulate at its Creek Street address
.. and then marched to the nearby Japan Air Lines offices.

The demonstrators want Australian consumers to boycott Japanese products and services.

They also want people to stop buying seafood products from the New Zealand-based Sealord
group .. which is half owned by Nissui .. a Japanese whaling company.

The group from Byron Bay in northern New South Wales says if the govrenment won't stop
whaling.. consumers must take the necessary steps.

AAP RTV rad/sc/sco/bart

KEYWORD: WHALES (BRISBANE)

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

Qld: Beattie stands by his man

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2005
Qld: Beattie stands by his man

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE is standing by his embattled former health minister
.. despite mounting pressure to sack him over his conduct during the Dr Death scandal.

Mr BEATTIE has refused to dump GORDON NUTTALL from his new position as primary industries
minister.

He says Mr NUTTALL has done nothing wrong .. and has refused to cancel Mr NUTTALL'S
visit to South America this weekend .. which the opposition says is a junket.

The Davies report into Queensland's public system has labelled Mr NUTTALL as misleading
.. unreasonable and careless.







The report came about over the case of JAYANT PATEL .. an Indian-trained surgeon dubbed
Dr Death .. who's been linked to the deaths of more than 80 patients at Bundaberg Base
Hospital.

AAP RTV rm/ch/wf/rt

KEYWORD: DOCTOR NUTTALL (BRISBANE)

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

Fed: Pest animal inquiry resumes

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2005
Fed: Pest animal inquiry resumes

CANBERRA, Feb 1 AAP - Pest animals could be costing the Australian economy more than
$720 million a year, a Liberal MP said today as a parliamentary inquiry into the animals'
impact on agriculture resumed.

The House of Representatives Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Committee has already
received more than 80 submissions on the scale of the problem and how it should be managed
at a federal level.

Committee chairman, Liberal MP Alby Schultz, said one estimate suggested introduced
vertebrate pests cost the Australian economy about $720 million a year.

"This figure only covers the economic costs and certain estimates of environmental
impact," Mr Schultz said.

"It does not include the high social and emotional costs placed upon landholders and
regional communities at the front line of the pest animal problem.

"The evidence received concerning the impact of pest animals indicates a wide range
of impacts by a broad range of species. In particular, the control of wild dogs is a critical
issue that must be urgently addressed in the areas affected."

The committee began its inquiry in March last year and held public hearings in Albury
on the NSW-Victorian border and in Canberra on the wild dog problem.

Further public hearings are expected to be scheduled when the committee meets next week.

Other pest animal problems raised in evidence to the committee include foxes, pigs,
cats, deer, horses, mice, goats and rabbits.

AAP rp/sb/lma/de

KEYWORD: PESTS

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

WLN

WLN See Wiswesser line notation.

air mass

air mass A large body of air, whose properties (temperature, humidity, and lapse rate) are essentially homogeneous over an area several hundred kilometres across. Fronts form the boundaries between air masses with differing properties.

The nature of air masses is determined by three factors: the properties of the source region; the age of the air mass; and the changes that occur as it moves across the globe. The principal source regions are the semipermanent high-pressure zones (the subtropical and polar anticyclones), together with the continental anticyclones that develop in winter. Primary classification is based on temperature, giving Arctic (A), polar (P), or tropical air (T); and on the nature of the surface in the source region: maritime (m), or continental (c), the latter symbols being used as a prefix:

mA	maritime arctic air
cA	continental arctic air
mP	maritime polar air
cP	continental polar air
mT	maritime tropical air
cT	continental tropical air

Various additional and secondary types are recognized, in particular equatorial air (E), Antarctic air (A or occasionally AA), and Mediterranean air. Air masses may be modified as they move away from their source regions. If continental Arctic (cA) air crosses the sea, for example, it becomes maritime Arctic (mA) air.

Additional classifications are sometimes used to indicate how in the northern hemisphere (in particular), polar air may move towards the Equator and acquire a particular character and then subsequently be drawn back towards the pole. A suffix indicates whether the air is warmer (w) or colder (k) than the surface. The former becomes more stable, and the latter more unstable. Older works may use the concept of returning air (r) and these also often reverse the order of the symbols, with Tc for continental tropical or rPm for returning maritime polar air
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Leveraging a digitally enhanced education through an open campus. (industry perspective).

Technology has undoubtedly revolutionized the way students research and study, given teachers new tools to communicate concepts and ideas, and helped administrators manage complex institutions. But have educational institutions yet realized the full benefits of the digital revolution? There is a pervasive sense that they have not. Computers and computer networks have been complex and expensive. They needed experts to run them and were difficult to adapt to individual needs. And teachers were too busy teaching their core subjects to devote time to difficult technologies.

Schools learned the hard way that investing in computers without devoting equal resources to their maintenance and infrastructure resulted in an expensive mishmash of devices -- from old computers, through Microsoft Windows XP to wireless devices -- none of which fulfilled their potential. But things are changing. Sun Microsystems, which got its start 20 years ago at Stanford University, is one of the few companies that has consistently devoted time, resources and creativity to thousands of educational institutions. Our guiding motto -- the network is the computer -- inspires our commitment to eliminating the digital divide by providing the tools that every student, teacher and administrator needs.

Our products have long been the technological backbone of renowned educational institutions, and now we are taking our efforts one step further. With Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE), we are leveraging the Internet to enable a new level of e-learning that realizes the promise of a digitally enhanced education. Sun ONE is the vision, architecture, platform and expertise that helps our customers leverage their information assets for building and deploying services on demand. Four main components make up the Sun ONE platform: iPlanet, Solaris Operating Environment, Forte Tools and Java. By supporting services on demand, the Sun ONE platform enables campuses to provide information, data and applications to anyone, anytime, anywhere, on any device. Hundreds of schools, colleges, universities and research institutes have already found that the unlimited possibilities of Sun ONE can save money and support integration across the entire organization.

Implemented for Education

Sun ONE is open and supports industry standards, so administrators can interoperate with existing systems now and with new add-ons in the future. For example, if you already have Apache running as your application server, and are not worried about scalability or other product concerns, you can keep it running while you implement new pieces on the Sun ONE platform. When implemented in education, Sun ONE enables an inclusive and comprehensive Web-based educational environment that adapts to the specific needs of students, teachers and administrators. It integrates information across the network -- from coursework to calendars, from reports to research, from football tickets to parking fines, and from attendance records to budget management.

When enrolling for school, a student might register for several book-buying services, such as a campus bookstore or Amazon.com, and explicitly allow those services access to their class schedule. Similarly, an instructor could publish a class schedule on a calendar service, along with the books to be read by certain dates during the semester. Given permission, book-buying services might combine information from a student's class registration and an instructor's class calendar, and compete by e-mailing students offers for book purchases via different formats, such as hard copy, downloading to a PDA or online access via the Web. In addition, student preferences could be used to determine how far in advance to e-mail the student with notification of book availability.

Web Services

Sun is in a unique position to power this value proposition. Since its founding, Sun has always been synonymous with open systems standards, pioneering the Network File System (NFS), Java, HTML and Sun ONE. It continues to be the largest single contributor to the open source movement, based on both lines of code contributed and number of standards adopted. Because Java is a core part of the Sun ONE architecture, Sun ONE also supports all key Web services' standards as they become available.

Sun ONE offers a different vision of Web-based education services to other closed systems. In Sun's vision, each individual person or organization controls what information to share with service providers, safeguarding privacy and keeping the market for smart Web services open to competition. And since Sun partners with many leading technology companies, its noncompete business model offers customers a choice of the best solutions its partners have to offer, instead of locking customers into one vendor. Another factor is cost. Other vendors charge hefty fees for their software, and recent revisions to academic pricing plans will force institutions into paying costly monthly subscriptions for every installed piece of code. Sun makes its productivity tools and other software packages like Forte and iPlanet available to educational institutions for a nominal cost.

Powering Higher Education

Sun ONE and iPlanet technology were the choice for Campus Pipeline, whose Web-based platform is used by more than 100 colleges and universities to provide students, faculty and administrators with a highly connected network of resources right at their fingertips. Campus Pipeline's open architecture allows students to enroll in school, register for classes, pay tuition, access coursework, buy books, manage calendars, run e-mail, buy football tickets, and even pay parking fines on a campuswide network that is accessible from any Internet device.

Fathom.com is a distance learning site that has put together the most complete interactive knowledge portal ever assembled. It features content and coursework from the world's most renowned universities, libraries and museums, including Columbia University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Cambridge University Press, The British Library, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and The New York Public Library. Using Sun, Fathom has helped lifelong learners access unique content and learning opportunities, anytime, anywhere and on any Web-enabled device. Its students can mix and match coursework from among the world's finest educational institutions, from wherever they happen to be.

Sun is committed to building on this success by using Sun ONE to spread equitable access and eliminate the digital divide. As Sun ONE spreads wider and deeper in the educational community, computers and computer networks will increasingly enhance the abilities of students, teachers and administrators. As open systems inspire innovation, schools will finally get the tools they need to help them and their students thrive in the modern world.

Contact Information

Sun Microsystems Palo Alto, CA (800) 422-8020 www.sun.com/edu; www.sun.com/sunone

Jones Kim, Vice President of Global Education and Research, Sun Microsystems

Individual Investor Group, Inc./.

Editors are advised to disregard the version of this release that moved earlier today. It contained formatting errors by PR Newswire. The correct version follows:

Individual Investor Group, Inc. Agrees to Acquire 7% of Tradeworx, Inc.,

Premier Provider of Investment Analytical Applications for $1.8 Million in

Advertising

Individual Investor Group to Obtain Preferential License to Tradeworx

Technology and Warrant to Increase Equity Stake by Up to 50%

NEW YORK, May 11 /PRNewswire/ --

Individual Investor Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: INDI), a financial media company that reaches more than three million investors and financial professionals each month, today announced that it had agreed to acquire 7% of Tradeworx, Inc., the premier provider of online investment analysis and investment decision support platforms for retail and institutional investors. The parties also announced a partnership enabling Individual Investor Group, Inc. to enhance its web properties with free Tradeworx, Inc. features and to offer its online users discounted access to subscription-based Tradeworx, Inc. features.

The parties also announced that Individual Investor Group, Inc. may obtain subscribers for the Tradeworx.com web site (www.tradeworx.com) and share in the subscription revenues generated by those subscribers. Individual Investor Group, Inc. also received a warrant that could enable Individual Investor Group, Inc. to increase by up to 50% the number of Tradeworx, Inc. shares it owns. A portion of the transaction between the parties is subject to the approval of certain Tradeworx, Inc. shareholders, which approval Tradeworx, Inc. expects to receive shortly.

"Tradeworx, Inc. has developed proprietary applications of unparalleled power and ease of use for the individual and professional investor, and has assembled a list of blue chip investors, strategic partners and advisors -- in short, we believe Tradeworx, Inc. has the ingredients to become a hugely successful company," said Jonathan Steinberg, chief executive officer of Individual Investor Group, Inc.

"This investment marks our fourth significant equity-for-advertising deal in which we have leveraged our brand and the valuable audience of over three million high-income, internet-active retail and professional investors who use our websites (www.individualinvestor.com and www.insidertrader.com) and read our magazines (Individual Investor and Ticker) each month. Our first such deal, with Wit Capital Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: WITC) yielded a $2.8 million profit on an initial investment of $250,000," said Steinberg.

Gregory Barton, vice president of business development of Individual Investor Group, Inc., said, "Tradeworx, Inc. has the most powerful and easy- to-use technology we have seen to permit individuals and professionals to identify investment opportunities, save money on trade execution and construct more intelligent investment portfolios. The Tradeworx, Inc. applications allow even the novice investor to harness, in a user-friendly manner, the power of cutting-edge portfolio theory (Tradeworx, Inc.'s scientific board of advisors includes three nationally-renowned professors of finance, mathematics and economics). The Tradeworx, Inc. limit order pricing technology -- already incorporated into the execution platform of a premier online brokerage -- will enable investors to save money on trade execution, particularly during volatile markets."

"The costs of customer acquisition and building a brand name have made B-to-C revenues prohibitively expensive for many companies," said Rishi Narang, president and chief operating officer of Tradeworx, Inc. "This partnership will allow us to obtain high-margin B-to-C revenues to enhance our core B-to-B model, by leveraging Individual Investor Group, Inc.'s strong brands and audience of more than three million investors to drive subscription revenues to the Tradeworx.com site," said Narang.

About Individual Investor Group, Inc.

Individual Investor Group, Inc. is a financial media company with a portfolio of Internet and print properties that address the needs of (1) an expanding community of investment enthusiasts, (2) financial planners and brokers that serve that community, and (3) advertisers and business partners who want to reach that market. Reaching more than three million upscale, highly educated and Internet-savvy investors and financial professionals every month, the company's properties include: individualinvestor.com (http://www.individualinvestor.com), InsiderTrader.com (http://www.InsiderTrader.com), Individual Investor magazine, Ticker magazine and Individual Investor's Special Situations Report newsletter. For more information about Individual Investor Group, Inc., please visit the company's corporate web site at http://www.indi.com.

About Tradeworx, Inc.

Tradeworx, Inc. is the premier provider of cutting-edge, Web-based investment decision support products that offer personalized, scalable assistance to the retail investor at every stage of the investment process. Tradeworx, Inc. primarily distributes its Investment Research Platform (TM), Virtual Portfolio Manager (TM), Execution Support Platform (TM), and Interactive Investment Education (TM) products to the investor through partnerships with online and offline brokerage firms, as well as with providers of online financial information. Tradeworx, Inc. also provides sophisticated trading, portfolio management, risk management, and research applications to institutional investors.

Forward Looking Statements

Except for historical information, the above statements of this press release (including without limitation expressions of expectation, belief, anticipation or estimation of either Individual Investor Group, Inc. or Tradeworx, Inc. or their respective management) are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to traffic or revenue (advertising or subscription or both) related to either company's respective web sites, acquisition of subscribers to the Tradeworx. Inc. web site and acquisition of institutional customers by Tradeworx, Inc. These risks and uncertainties with respect to the either company's respective Internet services include, among others, the possibility that page views, advertising impressions and/or advertising revenue received by either company may decrease due to: increased competition; decreased demand for advertising on the respective web sites or on the Internet in general; decreases in the rates paid for Internet advertising resulting from competition or other factors; technical difficulties at either company, at any third-party serving online advertising or at various Internet service providers or other entities necessary to provide access to the companies' respective Internet sites that is satisfactory to the viewer; and decline in general economic conditions or in economic conditions specific to the Internet. There is a risk that due to the performance of Tradeworx, Inc., or general market conditions, or both, Individual Investor Group, Inc. may not be able to realize any value from its investment in Tradeworx, Inc. These risks and uncertainties related to Individual Investor Group, Inc. also include the risks detailed in the company's most recent Form 10-K filed with the SEC (which is available from the company or at http://www.sec.gov). These forward- looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. After the issuance of this release, either company might come to believe that certain forward-looking statements contained in this release are no longer accurate. Neither company shall have any obligation, however, to release publicly any corrections or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this release.

'WeAAEve been waiting for this and weAAEre ready to get the big series win in England'.

Provided by 7DAYS.ae

It's the morning of the first Test against England at Lord's and I and my team-mates cannot wait to get on the hallowed pitch and get our pursuit of a series win underway.

For us this is a massive challenge.

Along with several team-mates I have played in two series in England. And although on both occasions we have looked good for overall victory we just haven't been able to cross the finishing line. And that, as much as anything, shows that any side that comes to England is going to find it pretty tough.

We know that we are going to have to work extremely hard for any win we can get.

But believe you me we feel this time we can get it right. We have a more balanced side than before and we have been working towards this for two years. We got the better half of a draw in India a few months ago and after our tour here in England we are away in Australia.

But for us this is a huge series and we are going to try and pull out all the stops to beat England in their own backyard.

We're quietly confident, have a prepared and settled side and those of us who have played here before know how to adapt to the English conditions.

And this time around we have an extra incentive to get the series win we crave. Back in 2003 we got off to a great start but we just took our foot off the gas and the memory of that horrible series draw will spur us on to try and go one better this time. It hurt us to be nearly 400 for four in the first innings of the last Test and then a few days later be looking at each other despondently after England had beaten us by nine wickets.

So we hope to avenge that defeat by being able to celebrate an all important series victory come the final day of the Oval Test.

EXPERIENCE AND PACE WILL COUNT

A lot has been said about Dale (Steyn) and Morne (Morkel) trying to bounce the English out. While they are undoubtedly an exciting and pacy pair to keep wicket to, too much hype has surrounded the young guys. They know that they are going to have to do more than simply bowl fast and pitch it short to get wickets in England. Here, more than anywhere, you have to put the ball in the right areas to get batsmen out. Although having said that I do expect a few of the England players to be jumping around the crease if those guys are bowling around the 145 km/ph mark!

But if we are to win in England then we need more than just Dale and Morne to come up trumps.

And we have the perfect back-up to our pace pair to put England under pressure. In Makhaya (Ntini) Andre (Nel) and Jacques (Kallis) we have guys that can both send wickets tumbling at one end and tie-up the other.

It's going to be that mix of youth, pace and experience that can help us finally get the series win we want. We have to adapt to the conditions quickly and so the 'old', I hope they don't mind me calling them that(!), trio of Makhaya, Andre and Jacques will all have as big a part to play as Dale and Morne, that's for sure.

It's wet in England at the moment and so I expect the ball to dominate the bat quite a lot. And our batting line-up is perfectly balanced to cope with whatever the likes of Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson dish out.

In Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers we have guys that can take the game away from the opposition in a session. While Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince can grind out the runs as well as anyone when the going gets tough. How these boys cope in tricky conditions could be key to the outcome of the series.

RESPECT ALL ROUND

Mention England v South Africa these past few years and you think it was only about Graeme Smith verses Kevin Pietersen!

But I have to say from our point of view the supposed 'battle' between the two has been hyped up. All I can say is that regardless of whatever happened, or what was said before there is a mutual respect between both of them now. It's water under the bridge as far as we're concerned. KP has been brilliant for England and I take my hat off to him. He's one of England's better batters and we will target him, but no more than the England guys are going to target Graeme - at the end of the day it's simply a battle between bat and ball.

Meanwhile, much has been said about the poor form of (Ian) Bell and (Paul) Collingwood and I don't envy either of them.Aa We all know that when Freddie Flintoff is fit he'll come straight back into the side. So they are both effectively playing for their places. And I'm sure I and the slip cordon will remind them of this when they are at the crease!

Test cricket is tough and if you have the opportunity to get underneath the opposition's skin then, so long as it's in the spirit of the game, you have to take it.

IS IT ANDRE OR GUNTHER?!

My team-mate Andre Nel is a great character and a good man to have around the dressing room. And it was great to read his explanation of why he can get so animated on a cricket field - he blames it on his alter ego called Gunther who lives up a mountain in Germany!

Whether he's just having a joke or not it's certainly an unusual excuse, that's for sure. But if he gets picked for the Test side over the summer I've no doubt he'll keep the crowds entertained. When Andre, or is it Gunther (?!), crosses that white line he's as aggressive as any class fast bowler. And there's no doubt it's better to be on his side rather than facing him!

>> Mark Boucher's column is brought in association with Aces Middle East

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