DECK THE MALL WITH SEASONAL TENANTS A YULETIDE TENURE BENEFITS PROPRIETORS AS WELL AS THE CENTERS WHERE THEY SET UP SHOP.(BUSINESS)

Byline: DAVID ORENSTEIN Business writer The holiday season is a powerful commercial magnet that is luring scores of small businesses out of seemingly every corner of the Capital Region and into the mall. -

Proprietors of such stores say their main goal is to take advantage of the season's heavy consumer activity, but they also say a yuletide tenure can also provide an artisan or traveling merchant with a host of other benefits.

And the seasonal tenants can in turn help the malls, adding greater variety and keeping them full and vibrant-looking during the crucial shopping season. Retailers will often post almost half of their annual sales in the last …

DirecTV clears iTV deck.(interactive)

DirecTV's dumping of Wink at the end of the year leaves the OpenTV interactive service with 10.4 million fewer users and opens the door for Canal Plus and NDS in the U.S. market,

"OpenTV has been a little cagey in telling the market where they stand in terms of combining Wink and OpenTV's platforms, as well as their future plans," says Yankee Group media analyst Adi Kishore. "Typically, if a company is cagey, it suggests they aren't very clear on their own strategy or where they're going."

OpenTV executives weren't available for comment.

The news came on the heels of OpenTV's third-quarter report, with earnings of $17.1 million, up 27% from third …

Pacino plays mentor to 'Dapper Don' in Gotti film

CANNES, France (AP) — Al Pacino is telling a new mob family story, joining John Travolta for the crime saga "Gotti: Three Generations."

Pacino will play Gambino crime family underboss Neil Dellacroce, an associate and mentor to John Gotti Sr. (Travolta), says the film's producer, Fiore Films.

"Gotti" reunites Pacino with Levinson, who directed the actor in his role as Dr. Jack Kevorkian in last year's TV movie "You Don't Know Jack," for which Pacino won an Emmy. Levinson also was a producer on Pacino's 1997 crime drama "Donnie Brasco" and co-wrote his 1979 court saga "... And Justice for All."

The cast also includes Lindsay Lohan, Joe Pesci and Travolta's wife, Kelly …

Knights: ; say 'aye'; to Logan

LIFE is filled with tough choices. Leno or Letterman?

Now, it's time to add another rugged choice to the list.

Logan or Jefferson?

Phew. Now, that is a toughie.

I can make an argument for picking either team to win when theyplay for the Class AAA championship at 8 tonight in the state highschool baseball tournament at Watt Powell Park. Jefferson? TheCougars could win simply because they have the best program in thestate, year-in and year-out. That's why Jefferson has won sevenstate championships. That's why Coach John Lowery has accumulated anextraordinary 800 wins. That's why Lowery is a living legend.

Logan? The Wildcats could win because they've …

Clip & save art notes.(introduction to the 2009-10 CLIP & SAVE art prints)(French painter Georges Seurat)(Biography)

ABOUT THE ARTIST The French painter Georges Seurat (pronounced ser-AH) is best known for the masterpiece, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-86), perhaps the most significant painting to celebrate leisure and recreation to ever be created. Born to a wealthy family, Seurat attended art school at the celebrated Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1878, studying under a former student of the great French Neoclassical painter, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.

Although Seurat is considered a Post-Impressionist (a term used to describe a group of painters who challenged and moved beyond Impressionism while that movement was still relevant), his classical training would eventually bring him to a mature style that could be described as the polar opposite of Monet's. Indeed, Seurat has been referred to by art historians as a "counter-Impressionist."

After a year of military service in 1879, Seurat set up a studio in Paris and spent the next two years perfecting his drawing skills. Seurat was a meticulous …

NEED FOR SPEED SPURS RPI, IBM PARTNERSHIP.(MAIN)

Byline: KEVIN HARLIN Business writer

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and IBM Corp. are partnering on a $33 million research center in Troy to develop infrastructure for the next generation of high-speed, broadband data pipelines and computer networks that will be 1,000 times faster than today's.

IBM will provide the funding and other support over five years to the new Rensselaer Center for Broadband Data Transport Science, RPI announced Tuesday.

The college said the center will be unique because it will look at entire systems from the silicon up, rather than at individual chips or components.

``Currently we have PCs that run at the …

Vatavuk air pollution control cost indexes (VAPCCI).(Economic Indicators)

 VATAVUK AIR POLLUTION CONTROL COST INDEXES (VAPCCI) (1st Quarter 1994 = 100.0)  CONTROL                         2001      2002       2003 DEVICE (3)                      Avg.      Avg.     Avg. (1)  Carbon adsorbers               105.9     106.8      113.0 Catalytic incinerators         112.9     114.5      124.0 Electrostatic precipitators     98.5     101.7      102.9 Flares                         100.8     101.7      105.2 Gas absorbers                  114.4     115.6      117.3 Refrigeration systems          105.8     106.6      108.8 Regenerative thermal   oxidizers                    110.7     111.9      113.9 Thermal incinerators           107.9     108.6 … 

Grambling State defeats Alabama A&M 76-69

GRAMBLING, La. (AP) — Lance Feurtado scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half as Grambling State roared back from a double-digit halftime deficit to defeat Alabama A&M 76-69 Thursday night.

The Tigers (9-20, 7-10 Southwestern Athletic Conference) trailed 40-25 at halftime after Alabama A&M shot 59.3 percent (16 of 27) in the first 20 minutes. But Grambling came alive in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to 8-of-27 …

Clark Stone Co.(Brief Article)

CRANBERRY -- Quarries rock, so much so that Clark Stone Co. has had its permit revoked by the N.C. Division of Land Resources. Noise and dust just aren't in concert with the peace and quiet of the nearby Appalachian …

CORADIAN REVENUES DROP 16.5% IN '85.(Business)(Financial report)

Byline: Associated Press

Coradian Corp. gross revenues dropped 16.5 percent last year, from $13 million to $10.9 million, the company announced.

Net loss before extraordinary items decreased 73.4 percent - from $6.5 million in 1984 to $1.7 million …

Big 3 play catch-up in the hybrid game; But automakers have different approaches.(Insight)

Byline: Richard Truett

There's no polite way around it: Detroit's automakers misjudged the consumer appeal of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. The Big 3 now are working to overcome what some view as a major strategy blunder and a public relations misstep.

General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group are favorite targets for environmentalists and others for building gas-guzzling vehicles - and for the lack of hybrids in their lineups.

Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. will sell about 200,000 gasoline-electric hybrids in the United States in 2005. Honda offers the Insight, Civic and Accord hybrids.

Toyota has the top-selling hybrid, the Prius. It adds the Lexus RX 400h SUV on Friday, April 15, and, in June, a Highlander SUV hybrid. Toyota is poised to sell at least 100,000 Prius hybrids in the …

Low-Fat Era Arrives at White House

WASHINGTON It's official: Low-fat American cooking will replacehigh-fat French cuisine at the White House.

Walter S. Scheib III, a graduate of the Culinary Institute ofAmerica, was hired Tuesday as executive chef, replacingFrench-trained Pierre Chambrin.

Scheib is a specialist in cooking organically grown fruits andvegetables and other low-fat foods.

"Cuisine is like music, it depends on what your mood is and whatyou feel like," he said in a recent interview.

"There are influences from the American Southwest; there areinfluences from the American Northwest.

…

`ACTUAL INNOCENCE' PUTS BAD EVIDENCE ON TRIAL BOOK SAYS DNA PROOF UNDENIABLE.(BOOKS)

Byline: MICHAEL VIRTANEN

Barry Scheck calls to talk about the new book he co-wrote with fellow attorney Peter Neufeld and columnist Jim Dwyer -- a book about how the American criminal justice system has jailed and has been trying to kill a lot of men for things they didn't do -- and you know the interview finally will lead to the overwhelming question.

For many months of 1995, it was the question that divided the nation. It would be nice to have it answered definitively -- once and for all.

Scheck, a defense attorney, was the guy who ripped so many holes in the DNA evidence at O.J. Simpson's murder trial that the Los Angeles Police Department's evidence itself became suspect. Politics, bigotry and …

2011 World Class Customer Service Awards: Staying Ahead Of Problems

How Cox News England-Cleveland looks for problems before customers see them

Chris Adams witnessed Cox New England-Cleveland's exemplary customer service without even picking up the phone. A severe wind storm was blowing through his Lakewood neighborhood that ended up knocking out his power for three days. But before he or his neighbors even knew if the storm had affected their TV and Internet services, Cox was there to scope out possible damage.

"Before a customer even knew if their Cox services were out, Cox technicians were in the neighborhood, proactively checking and fixing connections and lines," Adams wrote in a letter. "Once our power was finally restored three days later, Cox services were already there. In some ways, I didn't even experience Cox's customer service. I didn't have to call them.... Excellent customer service is about not having to call a company to report trouble."

You need to constantly be alert and aware of what's happening throughout your business in order to be able to identify problems before your customer. But that's just the type of commitment that Paul Cronin, senior vice president and general manager at Cox New England-Cleveland, expects from all his people. The importance of customer service is driven home the very first day an employee works for Cox and is threaded through every aspect of the business. Customer feedback is gathered regularly and employees are measured as to how well they do.

Timeliness is a priority as the company recognizes that customers don't want to wait until next Tuesday for a problem to be fixed. More than 90 percent of the company's service calls are done within 24 hours or within the customer's preferred time frame.

Once on site, employees focus on respect and doing everything they can to ensure satisfaction with their work before they walk out the door and head off to their next assignment.

HOW TO REACH: Cox New England-Cleveland, (216) 535-3345 or www.cox.com/cleveland

Citycell organizes IT Workshop at Rangpur

Bangladesh, Feb. 10 -- Citycell has organized an IT Workshop for journalists at Rangpur on Thursday. The objective of this IT Workshop was to create awareness of the facilities of mobile broadband Internet. Journalists from reputed newspapers participated in the program organized at New Midnight Sun Chinese Restaurant. The Workshop focused on advantages of mobile broadband internet, and its essential part in journalism. Mobile broadband internet has become a necessity in today's life. With this service, journalists can download any required file, send report from distant places. In this regard, Citycell is providing Zoom Ultra, the fastest mobile broadband internet in Bangladesh. Zoom Ultra provides speed up to 512 kbps which has become very popular among the tech savvy people and different professionals.

M Zahid Hossain Sarkar, Regional Sales Manager, Quazi Tassaduq Zaman, Manager, IT, Md. Ahsan Rajib, Deputy Manager, Marketing Communications and other officials of Citycell were present at this program.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from The New Nation.

For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

GREENWICH ATTORNEY WHO DESTROYED LAPTOP CONTAINING IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IS SENTENCED

The U.S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation New Haven Field Office issued the following press release:

Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PHILIP D. RUSSELL, 49, of Greenwich, Connecticut, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Alan H. Nevas in Bridgeport to one year of probation, the first six months of which RUSSELL must spend confined to his home with electronic monitoring. Judge Nevas also ordered RUSSELL to pay a fine in the amount of $25,000 and to perform 240 hours of community service. On September 27, 2007, RUSSELL pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony, admitting that he was aware that an individual had committed a child pornography crime, yet he failed to report it to authorities. RUSSELL then concealed the crime by destroying a laptop computer containing the child pornography.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, RUSSELL was admitted to practice law in Connecticut and has specialized in criminal and civil litigation in state and federal courts. On October 7, 2006, an employee of Christ Church Greenwich, who at the time was working in the Church's choir program, discovered images of naked boys on a laptop regularly used by Robert F. Tate, who had been the choirmaster and organist at the Church for approximately 34 years. On October 8, 2006, Church officials sealed and wrapped Tate's laptop computer, treating it as evidence.

RUSSELL represented the Church with respect to Tate's conduct. On October 9, 2006, RUSSELL and two Church officials met with Tate and confronted him about the images found on his laptop computer. Tate acknowledged that the images on the laptop were his, that they were inappropriate, and that they were personal to him. RUSSELL told Tate, words to the effect, that "this is serious business," "this is a federal crime that carries a minimum of five years in jail," and "you need a lawyer." RUSSELL then provided Tate with the name and telephone number of a criminal defense attorney, and Tate said he would resign from the Church.

RUSSELL then took possession of Tate's laptop computer knowing that it contained child pornography and returned to his law office. At his office, RUSSELL told an employee to go outside and RUSSELL then destroyed and concealed Tate's laptop. RUSSELL failed to report to law enforcement that Tate, who was not his client, had possessed child pornography.

On January 22, 2007, Tate pleaded guilty to an Indictment charging him with unlawfully possessing digital images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He awaits sentencing.

U.S. Attorney O'Connor commended the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Greenwich Police Department have assisted the investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood Initiative, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit http://www.cybertipline.com.

AccessKenya fully automates customer service

AccessKenya fully automates customer service

NAIROBI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The AccessKenya group has announcedit has completed full automation of its customer service through theacquisition and integration of the globally recommended InternetProtocol Contact Manager (IPCM) and HEAT system from the U.S. basedFrontrange Systems.

In a statement, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) said the twosystems have further been integrated with the new AVAYA PBX. "Ascompetition heightens and internet usage becomes inevitable in allaspects of life, excellent customer service will be the competitiveadvantage of any player intending to attract and retain theincreasingly discerning customers," Nancy Imunde, AccessKenyaGroup's Communications Manager said in Nairobi on Monday.

This trio hybrid integration will upscale the process of handlingincoming client calls and emails resulting to increased operationaleffectiveness, fast and effective query resolution to meet servicelevel agreements and streamline repetitive trouble tasks.

IPCM is widely used as a provider of powerful and affordable ITservice management, IT asset management, and customer servicemanagement solutions.

Its adoption by the AccessKenya Group will greatly advance thegroup's trend of offering unsurpassed customer care service byefficiently and exhaustively handling clients at the shortest timepossible.

IPCM will further ease management and integration of applicationssuch as inbound calls and emails by rerouting and administratingmultiple calls in one virtual center.

The system smoothly integrates with the group's earlieracquisition, the AVAYA PBX and HEAT ticketing system to pass clientdetails and receive a ticket number to be assigned to a customersupport agent.

"This is a very timely acquisition to the group which will play acentral role in scaling upwards our customer service for increasedoperational effectiveness, meeting service level agreements andstreamlining repetitive trouble tasks".

IPCM is highly scalable application hence its integration withHEAT ticketing system and the Avaya PBX that we use for managingcall routing in the office is much easier.

"It will impact positively in workforce management and voicerecording for superior service offering," Imunde said.

The software will simplify call handling while maximizing onefficiency as well as effectiveness both for clients and grouppersonnel.

Specifically, clients seeking the group's support desk assistanceare assured of getting service at the shortest time possible.

Calls coming in through the company's direct lines will be routedonce they get into the Interactive Voice Response, IVR menu.

Once the Main Menu greeting and options are presented and thecaller elects to press '2' for support, they will immediately getinto the IPCM system.

Once channeled to "Support option 2", the customer will selectfrom three operational options namely; Open a ticket; Check on orupdate an existing ticket or thirdly Speak to a customer serviceagent.

Upon choosing to open a ticket, the system will ask for client IDwhich it will then run through the system and give the option torecord a message and later grant a ticket to be assigned to acustomer care representative.

If a client has an existing ticket, the system will allow theclient to check on their status as well as update as desired.

For corporate client, the system will check on its database foryour information and then prompt the client to leave a messagedescribing their problem. After recording the problem, the messageit will issue a ticket number that will be issued to the relevantrepresentative. "AccessKenya continues its tradition of embracingglobal innovative practices and being the pacesetter in theindustry. This way we are able to guarantee better-quality serviceprovision. The introduction of IPCM which works in tandem with theHEAT ticketing application will facilitate keeping of an updateddata base of all client calls and emails through an autodistribution of tickets hence ensure no inquiry goes unresolved,"Imunde said.

Biz Break: Buy into Facebook pre-IPO? (If you have $2M to spare); plus: Apple at $300B

Today: Goldman Sachs reportedly is investing $450 million intoFacebook. Plus: Apple surpasses $300 billion in market value.

NYT: Goldman Sachs buys into Facebook

Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs is pouring $450 million into PaloAlto social networking powerhouse Facebook and is offering itswealthy clients the chance to invest in the Internet upstart beforea possible 2012 IPO, The New York Times' DealBook site is reporting.

According to DealBook, which cited "people familiar with thematter," Goldman Sachs has sent an e-mail to its clients offeringthe chance to invest a minimum of $2 million in an unidentifiedprivate company.

The clients reportedly wouldn't be able to sell their sharesuntil 2013, and those even considering an investment would haveaccess to private information that would restrict their ability tobuy or sell Facebook shares on secondary markets.

According to The Associated Press, the Goldman Sachs investmentalong with a reported $50 million infusion from Russian investmentfirm Digital Sky Technologies (which, you might recall, has aprevious stake in Facebook) would value the social networking siteat $50 billion -- bigger by market value than Silicon Valley techpowerhouses such as eBay and Yahoo, but less than Google, CiscoSystems or Hewlett-Packard.

In 2010, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was named Timemagazine's "Person of the Year." In July, Zuckerberg noted that thesite -- started at Harvard University in 2004 -- had a half-billionactive members.

An Apple milestone

As stocks climbed on the first trading day of the new year, Applereached a milestone: The world's most valuable technology company isnow worth more than $300 billion (or six times the reported Facebookvalue).

Shares of the Cupertino maker of Mac computers and "i" devicesfinished regular trading today at $329.57, up $7.01, or 2.2 percent,from last week's closing price, giving Apple a market value of morethan $302 billion. Earlier, Apple stock hit an all-time high of$330.26.

In 2010, Apple introduced products including its new iPad tabletcomputer.

According to an Associated Press report, Apple (as is its custom)will be conspicuous by its absence this week at the big ConsumerElectronics Show in Las Vegas.

Other electronics makers -- including Motorola, Dell and Toshiba -- are expected to introduce their own tablets, some of which willrun Google's Android operating system.

Even so, Apple has a big head start in the tablet market,according to AP. "For the next year or two, we expect there to be alot of false starts, failed attempts, and disasters," DisplaySearchanalyst Richard Shim wrote, according to the news service.

More tech headlines

Motorola: The cell phone maker is splitting into two companies asof tomorrow, according to AP.

Motorola Mobility will include consumer businesses such assmartphones, while Motorola Solutions will include products such aspolice radios and bar-code scanners, according to AP.

Microsoft: The Redmond, Wash., software behemoth said it hasfixed a problem in its Hotmail online e-mail service. Starting NewYear's Day, some Hotmail customers reported they couldn't find theirold e-mails. A Microsoft spokeswoman told AP that Hotmail users havetheir e-mails now, and the company is looking into the cause of theproblem.

Silicon Valley tech stocks

Up: Apple, Google, Oracle, Cisco, VMware, eBay, Gilead Sciences,Yahoo.

Down: Intel, HP.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index: Up 38.65, or 1.4 percent,to 2,691.52.

The blue chip Dow Jones industrial average: Up 93.24, or 0.8percent, to 11,670.75.

And the widely watched Standard & Poor's 500 index: Up 14.23, or1.1 percent, to 1,271.87.

Check in weekday afternoons for the 60-Second Business Break, asummary of news from Mercury News staff writers, The AssociatedPress, Bloomberg News and other wire services. Contact Frank Russellat 408-920-5876. Follow him at Twitter.com/mercspike.

NSW: Princes Hwy worst in NSW - survey

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2004
NSW: Princes Hwy worst in NSW - survey

A new NRMA study has found that motorists think the Princes Highway is the worst stretch
of road in New South Wales.

The highway, which runs south between Sydney and Melbourne, received 1,390 votes while
the Pacific Highway, which heads north to the Queensland border, attracted 1,335 votes.

NRMA president ROSS TURNBULL says the survey is conducted to highlight the need for
better roads funding.

He says $6 billion is required to fix the state's major highways over the next 10 years.

AAP RTV wg/nf/tr

KEYWORD: ROAD (SYDNEY)

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

Diary for Sunday, April 25, 2004

AAP General News (Australia)
04-25-2004
Diary for Sunday, April 25, 2004
EVENTS ARE LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND LOCAL TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED


ADELAIDE


0615 - Anzac Day dawn service. War Memorial, North Terrace.

0930 - Commemorative Anzac Day march. War Memorial, North Terrace.


BRISBANE


0428 - Anzac Day Dawn Service. Shrine of Remembrance, Anzac Square.

1000 - Anzac Day parade forms up in George Street for march through city streets. Contact:
Gollissa Thompson 3634 9420 or 0407 371 391.


CANBERRA


0530- Anzac Day dawn service. Australian War Memorial, Limestone Avenue, Canberra.

1015- National Anzac Day ceremony and march. Australian War Memorial.


MELBOURNE


0545 - Anzac Day program: Dawn Stand-To; 0630 - Private wreathlaying; 0815 - Official
wreathlaying. Shrine of Remembrance; 0900 - Commemoration March. Starts cnr Swanston and
Flinders streets; 1300 (approx) - Ceremony at Shrine of Remembrance.

0545 - Torquay RSL march to dawn service, beginning cnr The Esplanade and Pride Street,
Torquay; 0600 - Arrive Point Danger for service. Contact: Peter Thomas 0417 374 249.

1700 - The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic tribute: Spirit of Anzac Day. Melbourne Town Hall.

Contact: Joanna Stanley 83 095 715.


PERTH


0535 - Anzac Day Dawn Service will begin, with the march to the base of the memorial and
will finish at 0550. Monument Hill, cnr of Knutsford and Solomon Sts, Fremantle.

0600 - Anzac Day Dawn Service, State War Memorial Precinct, Fraser Avenue.

0920 - Anzac Day march. Esplanade Reserve, Perth.

1045 - Number 2 Flying Training School, RAAF Base Pearce flypast. Anzac Memorial, Toodyay.

Contact: Vic Jeffery 9553 2415.

1100 - Anzac Day Service. Langley Park, off Victoria Avenue, Perth.

1115 -Number 2 Flying Training School flypast. Kings Park, Perth. Contact: Vic Jeffery 9553 2415.

1411 - Number 2 Flying Training School flypast. Subiaco Oval, Perth. Contact: Vic Jeffery 9553 2415.


SYDNEY


0430 - Anzac Day Dawn Service. Arrivals from 0400. Cenotaph, Martin Place. Contact: Ron
Brown 9607 2350.

0800 - NSW Fire Brigade's Anzac Day ceremony. City of Sydney Fire Station, 213 Castlereagh
Street, Sydney. Contact: Bob Dobson 0419 442 087.

0830 - Anzac Day wreath laying service. Cenotaph, Martin Place. Contact: 9264 8188.

0830 - Anzac Day Royal Australian Regiment Association commemorative service. Regimental
Square, George Street. Contact: Ross Horne 9153 7364.

0900 - Anzac Day march. Proceed down George and Bathurst streets to Hyde Park. Contact:
Michael Ross 9264 8188.

1200 - Players from the Sydney Swans, NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies to play two-up. The
Australian Hotel, 100 Cumberland Street, The Rocks and Cargo Bar, King Street Wharf, Sydney.

Contact: 0400 495 716.

1200 - Disney/Pixar Family Fun Day. Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, Sydney Olympic
Park. Contact: Kate Leaman (03) 9289 9555.

1230 - Anzac Day Commemoration Service. Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park. Contact: 9264 8188.

1330 - Powerhouse Museum to hold mock games of two-up as part of its exhibition, Gambling
in Australia: thrills, spills and social ills. Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo.

Contact: Hayley Gallant 9217 0157 or 0413 985 277.

1400 - Defence Force Anglican Bishop Tom Frame to launch his new book Living by the Sword:
The Ethics of Intervention. Tea in the Library, 119 York Street, Sydney. Contact: 9261
1123.

1500 - General Peter Cosgrove to award the inaugural Anzac Cup at the end of St George
Illawarra vs Sydney Roosters NRL match. Aussie Stadium, Moore Park. Contact: Karen Grega
9380 0317 or 0418 965 936.

1700 - Anzac Day Sunset Service. Cenotaph, Martin Place. Contact: 9264 8188.

1800 - Shannon Noll to perform Anzac Day concert for his home town. Condobolin Showground,
Condobolin. Contact: 6895 2147.


SPORT


NRL - Round 7 -
1430 - Brisbane v Penrith, Suncorp Stadium
1500 - St George v Roosters, Aussie Stadium
1500 - Wests Tigers v Manly, Leichhardt Oval
HOCKEY MEN'S -
HA 4 Nations Challenge, Hockey Centre, Canberra
1400 - 3 v 4
1600 - 1 v 2 (final)
HOCKEY WOMEN'S -
1800 - Hockeyroos v China
State Netball and Hockey Centre, Melbourne
AFL - round 5 -
1310 - Collingwood v Essendon, MCG
1445 - Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs, AAMI Stadium
1410 - Fremantle v Geelong, Subiaco Oval
NETBALL - Commonwealth Bank Trophy - round 1 -
1600 - Melbourne v Canberra, State Netball Hockey Centre
1815 - Melbourne v Perth, State Netball Hockey Centre
GALLOPS -
Gosford
Flemington
Sunshine Coast
Victoria Park
Moe
Bathurst
Kalgoorlie
Launceston
TROTS -
Geelong
Globe Derby
Temora
Hobart
GREYHOUNDS -
Bendigo



AAP RTV nr/cjh/wz/as

KEYWORD: DIARY SUNDAY APRIL 25, 2004

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

NSW: Police promise high-profile Xmas road campaign

AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2003
NSW: Police promise high-profile Xmas road campaign

Police will target country roads across New South Wales in this year's Christmas road
safety campaign, which began at midnight.

During last year's Christmas-New Year crackdown, 15 of the 16 fatalities on New South
Wales roads occurred in country areas.

New South Wales Police Minister JOHN WATKINS says Operation Safe Arrival will concentrate
on speeding and drink-driving offences as well as people not wearing seatbelts.

He says all New South Wales highway patrol cars will be out on the highways 24 hours
a day and he urges people to drive to road conditions.

Double demerit points for speeding and seatbelt offences will apply from December the
24th to January the 4th, then from January the 23rd to January the 26th.

AAP RTV aj/wz/psm/

KEYWORD: XMAS SAFE (SYDNEY)

2003 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Labor to target PM again over Manildra meeting

00-00-0000
Fed: Labor to target PM again over Manildra meeting

CANBERRA, Aug 13 AAP - Labor is likely to target John Howard again today, despite makinglittle headway so far in its efforts to force the prime minister to admit he misled parliament.

Labor failed yesterday to make the privileges committee examine claims Mr Howard misledparliament, as government backbenchers argued voters weren't interested in the issue.

Labor has accused Mr Howard of misleading parliament by failing to reveal he had ameeting with Liberal Party donor and owner of the Manildra Group, Dick Honan, on August1.

In answer to a series of questions over three days in September, Mr Howard denied meetingMr Honan. A Labor freedom of information request revealed the meeting took place.

Mr Howard has argued that the context of Labor's questions were about discussions hemay have had about a shipment of Brazilian ethanol, saying it was not an issue discussedwith Mr Honan.

House Speaker Neil Andrew yesterday rejected a request from Mark Latham, Labor's treasuryspokesman, that Mr Howard's answers to questions over a meeting he had with the head ofAustralia's largest ethanol producer be examined.

Mr Andrew said Labor should have brought up the issue on Monday when it tried to censurethe prime minister.

Mr Latham said it was an open and shut case and Mr Howard should admit he got it wrong.

But Liberal backbencher Andrew Southcott said the public was unconcerned and QueenslandLiberal Warren Entsch said Mr Howard had nothing to fear from Labor.

AAP rft/apm/jlwo

KEYWORD: MANILDRA DAYLEAD

Fed: Cabinet agrees to key Cole RC recommendations - Abbott

00-00-0000
Fed: Cabinet agrees to key Cole RC recommendations - Abbott

Workplace Relations Minister TONY ABBOTT says federal cabinet has agreed to key recommendationsfrom the Cole Royal Commission, including a law enforcement agency for the building industry.

He's told the National Press Club that cabinet will seek a separate act governing workplacerelations in the building industry.

This will provide for secret ballots before strikes, compulsory cooling off periodsafter extended strikes and damages awards in the event of unprotected industrial action.

The government will also seek to introduce a safety commissioner to monitor federally-fundedconstruction sites and insist on application of the industry code of practice to all newprojects with federal funding.

AAP RTV dep/sb/rcg/wz

KEYWORD: COLE ABBOTT (CANBERRA)

Vic: Vic's road toll branded a national disgrace

00-00-0000
Vic: Vic's road toll branded a national disgrace

The Victorian government has branded the state's holiday road toll a national disgrace.

Since the start of the festive season, 21 people have been killed on Victoria's roads,the highest number of deaths in the country, and more than twice as any other state orterritory.

Wet weather across the state is believed to have contributed to the carnage, with fourpeople people killed in separate accidents on …

Qld: Job cuts in road building will hit the bush, says union

00-00-0000
Qld: Job cuts in road building will hit the bush, says union

The Queensland Public Sector Union says the state government is breaching its commitmentnot to affect services in regional areas by slashing more than 300 road building jobs.

The union's general secretary ALEX SCOTT says the Department of Main Roads has offeredVoluntary Early Retirement for 308 positions or 10 per cent of its job force.

He says last week's move is part of 1,000 public service job cuts announced in thestate budget on June 18.

Mr SCOTT says the cutting of 200 jobs from the regional road building and maintenanceunit Roadtek breaches a budget commitment by Premier PETER BEATTIE that job cuts wouldn'taffect regional services.

He says the union will take industrial action in protest at the job cuts in about aweek and a half's time.

AAP RTV rad/sc/ldj/rp

KEYWORD: ROADS (BRISBANE)

NSW: Commissioner must come from outside police ranks: Rev Crews

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NSW: Commissioner must come from outside police ranks: Rev Crews

A churchman is calling for the next New South Wales's police commissioner to come fromwithin state's police service if corruption is to be stamped out.

Uniting Church Reverend BILL CREWS gave evidence at the Woods Royal Commission on policecorruption.

He says a succession of independent commissioners is needed over the next 10-15 yearsbecause there is such an old boys network in the police system it's difficult for anybodynot to be compromised somehow.

Reverend CREWS says in a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald that corruption has onlybeen driven underground under Police Commissioner PETER RYAN, who resigned last week.

He says we must never forget that some of the best drug-smuggling rings the world hasseen were comprised entirely of New South Wales police, and they cannot all have beenweeded out.

Reverend CREWS says police officers should be subjected to covert bugging operations,like the controversial one carried out on more than 100 officers during the Sydney Olympics.

AAP RTV tnf/ge

KEYWORD: POLICE (SYDNEY)

Fed: Minister's office confirmed children treated for sewn lips

00-00-0000
Fed: Minister's office confirmed children treated for sewn lips

By Jane Williams

MELBOURNE, Jan 21 AAP - Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock's office today said fourchildren had been treated after having their lips sewn up as part of a hunger strike atthe Woomera detention centre.

A spokesman for Mr Ruddock said the four children were taken to the detention centre'smedical unit around 11pm (CDT) on Saturday night. No baby was involved, as claimed earlierby a refugee advocate.

One of the four children was able to be treated in the medical unit while the otherthree were taken to the Woomera hospital.

Their lips were unsewn, and they …

Fed: World economic downturn to hit Oz wool prices/demand

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2001
Fed: World economic downturn to hit Oz wool prices/demand

CANBERRA, Dec 3 AAP - The world economic downturn is hitting the wool market with prices
expected to fall for the next six months, Australia's chief wool forecaster warned today.

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), in its last monthly analysis for the year, said the
sharp fall in wool prices in recent months was set to continue.

It said world demand for wool was falling, and only a global economic improvement late
next year would bring relief to Australian wool producers.

Wool prices have dropped below the 700 cents a kilogram mark in recent weeks in line
with concerns over global economic conditions.

AWI said global retail demand for fine wool would be down five per cent this year and
remain low for the next six months.

This would flow on to prices which would be unlikely to improve until at least July next year.

"Demand looks set to remain weak over the next six months," it said.

"On past price cycle patterns, this downturn may turn around from the middle of 2002,
although this is highly dependent on developments in the global economy."

AWI said global supply was expected to be down as much as seven per cent, brought on
by production cuts and the end to Australia's wool stockpile.

It said the supply concerns would go some way to propping up prices, particularly in
the coarser wool categories.

The organisation did hold out hope for producers of fine wools, saying that despite
a sharp drop in this sector there appeared to be good long-term conditions.

"While fine wool is feeling the chill of the current economic downturn, the long-term
prospects for fine wool remain solid," it said.

AWI warned that any further appreciation in the value of the Australian dollar would
undermine prices and hit demand from the important Chinese market.

AAP sw/ph/sb d

KEYWORD: WOOL

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Union audit reveals chronic police shortages.

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2001
NSW: Union audit reveals chronic police shortages.

A recent union audit reveals critical staff shortages in Sydney's busiest police precinct
-- the same area earmarked for a so-called superstation restructure.

The audit found major commands at Kings Cross, Darling Harbour and Maroubra were operating
at up to 35 per cent below authorised strength.

In total, the city's CBD and eastern beaches were found to be 74 officers short, not
including those on secondment, maternity or sick leave.

New South Wales Police Association Secretary PETER REMFREY says the region is approaching
crisis level at 189 officers down.

The problem has become so chronic, according to police sources, that officers fresh
from the police academy are being rostered together without supervision.

AAP RTV jk/jjs/klw/rt

KEYWORD: POLICE (SYDNEY)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA: Bloffwitch affair overshadows coalition hunt for third term

AAP General News (Australia)
02-05-2001
WA: Bloffwitch affair overshadows coalition hunt for third term

A Liberal MP has failed to declare his shareholding in a steel company with links to
the premier, further overshadowing the coalition's campaign just five days from the West
Australian election.

MP for the Mid-West seat of Geraldton, BOB BLOFFWITCH has apologised.

But he's refusing to withdraw his candidacy over weekend revelations he failed to declare
to parliament the 84,000 shares he owns in Kingstream Steel Ltd.

Former colleague, ERIC CHARLTON who was WA's transport minister between 1993 …

Fed: The main stories on today s ABC Radio s AM summary

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2000
Fed: The main stories on today s ABC Radio s AM summary

SYDNEY, Dec 5 AAP - The main stories in today's 0800 (AEDT) edition of the ABC's AM program:

* At last night's Coalition Christmas party at the Lodge, a split emerged between Treasurer
Peter Costello and National Party MPs on the taxation of family trusts. Interview with
National Party MP Stuart St Clair.

* Economists believe interest rates may go down following today's meeting of the Reserve
Bank of Australia. Interview with Westpac Bank head of economics Bill Evans.

* Environment Minister Robert Hill and Sports Minister Jackie Kelly deny any wrongdoing
in voter registrations during a mud-slinging match in federal parliament. Interview with
Darren Boehm, an independent candidate.

* Maritime workers have achieved 25 crane lifts per hour, the target bitterly opposed
during 1998's waterfront dispute.

* Patrick Stevedore boss Chris Corrigan says the rate has lifted because of a changing
waterfront culture. Interview with Mr Corrigan.

* MUA Assistant National Secretary Mick O'Leary says reliability, not productivity,
is the more important waterfront issue and that 25 is not a magical figure.

* The US Supreme Court tells the Florida Supreme Court judges to reconvene and try
again on their decision to extend the deadline for hand counts.

* New Australian research shows the hole in the ozone layer may begin to close as soon
as 2010 as CFC levels in the atmosphere decline. Interview with scientist.

* The details of a $200 million flood relief package will be released by the federal
government this morning, but the fate of many farmers may also be decided by the banks.

Interview with NSW Farmers Association spokesman.

* Russians queue up for an exhibition of Soviet era underwear.

AAP rk/eg/br

KEYWORD: AM SUMMARY

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Qantas jet undercarriage collapses

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2000
Fed: Qantas jet undercarriage collapses

SYDNEY, April 22 AAP - The undercarriage of a Sydney-bound Qantas jumbo jet collapsed
early today as it was about to take off from Rome Airport.

Flight 16 was moving down the runway when the landing gear collapsed and one of its
four engines slammed into the tarmac, according to a passenger.

Fuel leaked across the ground and passengers were evacuated, according to Sky television report.

There have so far been no reports of injuries or the the number of passengers involved.

But a Qantas spokesman in Sydney confirmed the Jumbo was not the same aircraft badly
damaged when it overshot the runway at Bangkok Airport last September.

A passenger on today's flight, called Pat, described the incident in a 2UE Radio interview.

"We'd been moving along the runway getting to the taxiing off point, travelling at
about 50km an hour," he said.

"All of a sudden the landing gear collapsed with an almighty bang and the engine hit
the ground on the righthand side wing.

"If we'd been taxiing at full speed or on landing that would have been pretty catastrophic.

"As it was, all was pretty calm except for the fuel all over the ground. They got us
off the aircraft as soon as possible because they thought it might ignite."

The passengers transferred to a hotel.

The Boeing 747 that ran off the runway at Bangkok underwent a $100 million rebuild.

MORE jx/it

KEYWORD: QANTAS LEAD (REPEATING)

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED: Committee to examine excess of tax file numbers

AAP General News (Australia)
02-07-2000
FED: Committee to examine excess of tax file numbers

A parliamentary committee will this week examine the issue of identity fraud after
an audit office report found there are 3.2 million more tax file numbers than Australians.

Chairman of the House of Representatives standing committee on economics, DAVID HAWKER,
says it will examine identity fraud and the effectivness of the system at Thursday's hearing
in Sydney.

Mr HAWKER says various banking bodies will give evidence to the inquiry, as will the
NSW …

WA: East Timorese refugees head back home from WA

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-1999
WA: East Timorese refugees head back home from WA

A charter plane carrying hundreds of East Timorese refugees has left Perth for Dili.

The 220 refugees are returning to their homeland after seeking sanctuary in a temporary
safe haven at the Leeuwin Barracks in Fremantle.

Another 140 refugees staying at the barracks will return home tomorrow.

Only a handful of refugees needing medical treatment, and their families, will be allowed
to stay in Perth.

Immigration Minister PHILIP RUDDOCK says Australia has done more than any other country
to help East Timor.

He says it's time the refugees return to their homeland to start rebuilding their lives.

AAP RTV ajm/rp

KEYWORD: REFUGEES (PERTH)

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED: ACT helps out with Sydney hailstorm recovery

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-1999
FED: ACT helps out with Sydney hailstorm recovery

CANBERRA, April 19 AAP - Six ACT emergency service units head to Sydney this morning to
help with the massive cleanup from last week's hailstorm.

With thousands of homes damaged by the massive hailstorms, local units have been struggling
to cope with the demand for tarpaulins and assistance to cover smashed roofs and windows.

ACT Justice and Community Safety Minister Gary Humphries said the deployment of the six ACT
units and 28 volunteers followed an official request last night (Sunday) from the NSW State
Emergency Service.

"The ACT Emergency Service will also provide badly needed tarpaulins to houses and other
buildings in areas of Sydney which were devastated by a freak hailstorm on Wednesday night,"
Mr Humphries said in a statement.

"At times like this, all Australians offer whatever support they can to those in need, and
I am proud of our emergency service volunteers.

"Canberra is in a high risk area for storms like the one which hit Sydney last week, so it
is particularly important that we recognise the needs of our neighbours in case we may one day
have to call for assistance ourselves."

Mr Humphries said the ACT's commitment amounted to more than half Canberra's emergency
service resources, but all the units would be able to return at short notice if required.

AAP ss/cjh

KEYWORD: HAILSTORM ACT

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Main stories in today s Sydney newspapers = 4

AAP General News (Australia)
01-11-1999
NSW: Main stories in today s Sydney newspapers = 4

THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:

Page 1: Booming US economy poised to achieve longest period of post-war growth after
unemployment figures fell to 28-year low in December; HIH Insurance Ltd's hits obstacle in its
bid to become the second biggest insurer via its $300 million takeover of FAI.

Page 2: Allegations that members of Salt Lake City's Olympic organising committee paid
bills for IOC members to have sex being investigated by an ethics committee in the city.

Page 3: Australian iron ore producers face price cuts of up to 10 per cent …

FED:Aussie tells of being slashed in Bali club

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2011
FED:Aussie tells of being slashed in Bali club

SYDNEY, Dec 17 AAP - An Australian man has spoken of being slashed across the chest
as he tried to rescue a fellow Australian who had been stabbed in the stomach during a
brawl in a Bali nightclub.

Jake Benjamin Whitehead returned to Australia on Saturday morning after boarding a
flight from Bali late the night before.

The 21-year-old man from Newcastle needed 20 stitches after intervening in a five-man
brawl between locals at the Bounty Discotheque, near Kuta Beach, in the early hours of
Friday.

"A Balinese guy with a knife's come and sort of had a go at me and as I stepped back
he sliced straight down there," he told the Nine Network on Saturday.

"There was a guy near me getting beaten pretty badly so I've pulled his attacker off.

"Once the adrenalin wore off, it sort of started to hit home."

Across the room, 26-year-old Melbourne father of two Chris Mete was stabbed in the
stomach, with the blade piercing his small intestine.

His wife, Mandy Mete, described the incident as a "big mix-up".

"Wrong place at the wrong time," she told the Nine Network.

Mr Mete is in the intensive care unit at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar, in a serious
but stable condition.

"He's in the ICU for another two or three days and we'll see from there," Mrs Mete said.

His parents Tony and Ruth have flown from Melbourne to be by his side.

"We're worried, yes, we're very worried," Tony Mete said.

Ruth Mete added: "Yesterday was the worst; we were just beside ourselves."

Police said the fight broke out about 2am (0500 AEDT) after the alleged attacker spilled
a drink that belonged to one of the victims.

"He was asked to replace the drink but then he got angry and there was a fight between
the perpetrator and the victims," Bali Police spokesman Hariadi said late on Friday.

The Nine Network said the scuffle started over a cigarette.

Indonesian police are reviewing the club's security footage.

Earlier, Mrs Mete told reporters her husband was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"My husband was stabbed by accident," she told reporters outside the hospital on Saturday.

Mr Whitehead was treated initially at the Bali International Medical Centre in Kuta
but left the facility about 4.30pm local time on Friday.

AAP saj/jnb

KEYWORD: INDON STAB AUST

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

AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Feb 8

AAP General News (Australia)
02-08-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Feb 8
Evening Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


Bushfires Vic Wrap (MELBOURNE)

At least 36 people have been killed in the savage bushfires which have ripped across
Victoria .. with police expecting the toll to rise into the 40s as police press into
the fire zones to check deserted vehicles and hundreds of destroyed homes.

The latest police update includes nine people killed in the Churchill fire in Gippsland
in the state's east .. four in Callignee .. one in Upper Callignee .. three in Hazelwood
and one at Jeeralang.

The …

-IBM's long-term IDR remains unchanged - Fitch

Internet Business News
06-28-2011
-IBM's long-term IDR remains unchanged - Fitch

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

28 June 2011 - Fitch yesterday retained long-term issuer default rating (IDR) of US IT and software giant IBM (NYSE:IBM) and its subsidiary IBM International Group Capital LLC at A+.
In addition, the agency upheld IBM's senior unsecured revolving credit facility (RCF) at A+, the senior unsecured debt rating at A+ and the short-term IDR at F1. Furthermore, Fitch confirmed the F1 commercial paper rating on IBM.

The outlook on the ratings is "stable".

The company's ratings mirror IBM's strong company profile, excellent financial flexibility and good management strategy. At the same time, the ratings are constrained by the risk of increasing debt on the back of sizable share buybacks and/or acquisitions that could lead to reduction of the credit protection measures, Fitch said.

Other weaknesses include the significant rise in cash dividends which would affect IBM's free cash flow and financial flexibility and the possibility of lower cost and benefit because of the outlook for the industry demand, the agency explained.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))

(Copyright M2 Communications, 2011)

FED:Govt feud blamed for botched tender

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2011
FED:Govt feud blamed for botched tender

CANBERRA, Dec 6 AAP - The federal opposition has blamed "bitter antagonism" between
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her predecessor Kevin Rudd for the botched Australia
Network tender.

The government, late on Monday, announced it would permanently award the $223 million
contract to the ABC, ending a bid by Sky News.

The commercial broadcaster has flagged it will seek compensation for taking part in
the scuttled tender process.

Sky and the ABC both bid for the 10-year contract to broadcast the network to 44 nations
in Asia and the Pacific.

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull was scathing of the tender process.

"These guys couldn't run a chook raffle," he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

"This is a government with poison at its core because of the deep bitter antagonism
between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard."

The way the tender was handled is being investigated by the Commonwealth auditor-general
while the Australian Federal Police is investigating leaks which the government has blamed
for the process being abandoned.

"This is a shambles, this is no way to run a government," Mr Turnbull said.

An evaluation board reportedly twice recommended Sky be awarded the contract.

The ABC's contract to run the network expires in August 2012.

Responsibility for the decision was transferred from the remit of Foreign Minister
Kevin Rudd to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy in June.

Senator Conroy said the government had hoped the tender process would have been completed
in good faith but the leaks had compromised the process.

MORE lpm/rl/afr

KEYWORD: NETWORK

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

FED:Abbott says Labor-Greens fight 'fake'

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2011
FED:Abbott says Labor-Greens fight 'fake'

Federal opposition leader TONY ABBOTT says the prime minister is faking a fight with the Greens.

Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD last night said the Greens .. with whom she has an agreement
to form minority government .. were a party of protest and didn't share the values of
everyday Australians.

It was the second time in two weeks the Labor leader has taken a shot at the Greens
in a bid to differentiate her party from that of veteran environmentalist Senator BOB
BROWN.

But Mr ABBOTT has accused Ms GILLARD of merely putting on a show .. saying if the Greens
were so extreme why did she form a government with them.

He says this is a fake fight .. a phony lovers' tiff and in fact Labor is in office
but the Greens are in power.

With the federal budget due to be delivered in five weeks .. Mr ABBOT has also said
he expects the Gillard government to wimp out on hard decisions.

AAP RTV pjo/sb/sw

KEYWORD: LABOR ABBOTT (CANBERRA)

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

NSW:NSW northwest on alert for more flooding

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2010
NSW:NSW northwest on alert for more flooding

Flash floods from rain and thunderstorms are expected to hit much of northwestern New
South Wales this afternoon.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for the region and State
Emergency Service spokesman PHIL CAMPBELL has singled out Tamworth on the Peel river as
an area on high alert.

He says the concern is that people in Tamworth and other areas in the northwest affected
by the severe weather warning will chance their luck on causeways and get washed off and
drown.

Coonamble on the Castlereagh river is also expected to face further flooding .. with
a peak of 5.2 metres expected tonight.

However .. the SES won't be evacuating the one thousand residents .. who were asked
to leave last weekend when the river reached 5.4 metres.

In the state's central west .. floodwaters are receding with evacuated residents expected
to return home.

Around 20 families were evacuated from Cowra Shire Caravan Park last night night and
early this morning as the Lachlan River was engulfed with record levels of flooding.

The SES says the central western town of Eugowra also looks set to get the all-clear
as the level in Mandagery Creek falls slowly from this morning's peak of 9.6 metres.

AAP RTV sbm/wjf/sw/

KEYWORD: FLOODS NSW (SYDNEY)

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

FED:Worries banks will go it alone on rates

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2010
FED:Worries banks will go it alone on rates

Business has welcomed the Reserve Bank's decision to leave the cash rate unchanged
.. but it's concerned retail banks will independently lift lending rates after the election.

The central bank left the cash rate at 4.5 per cent for a third straight month after
its monthly board meeting today .. a decision widely expected by economists.

GREG EVANS from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says there are concerns
about non-official interest rate increases by the major lenders after August 21.

He says that could have a major dampening impact on the recovery.

AAP RTV cb/sb/crh

KEYWORD: RATES ACCI (CANBERRA)

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

Vic: Farquharson granted bail ahead of retrial

AAP General News (Australia)
12-21-2009
Vic: Farquharson granted bail ahead of retrial

MELBOURNE, Dec 21 AAP - A man jailed for allegedly killing his three children by driving
them into a dam has been granted bail ahead of a new trial.

Victoria's Court of Appeal last week quashed Robert Farquharson's conviction, ordering
he undergo a fresh trial in the first half of 2010.

The bail decision came after the court ruled there was a miscarriage of justice during
his Supreme Court trial.

Farquharson, 40, had appealed his sentence of life in jail with no parole for the murders
of Jai, 10, Tyler, seven, and Bailey, two.

He was accused of drowning the boys by driving them into a dam near Winchelsea in Victoria's
southwest on Fathers Day 2005.

He maintained his innocence, saying he had blacked out from a coughing fit before veering
off the road into the dam.

MORE mi/gfr/goc/apm

KEYWORD: FARQUHARSON (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

Fed: Wreckage found in PNG - report = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-2009
Fed: Wreckage found in PNG - report = 2

Mr KINTAU says he doesn't know if there are survivors .. but a radio signal has been received.

MORE RTV gd/jmt

KEYWORD: PNG PLANE WRECKAGE 2 BRISBANE

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

AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-02-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 2
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


G20 Wrap (LONDON)

KEVIN RUDD says G20 summit leaders have an obligation to produce a good outcome for
the workers of the world.

The PM's been speaking with Russian President DMITRY MEDVEDEV .. during a photo opportunity
before holding talks in London ahead of tomorrow's summit.

Meantime demonstrators in London have laid siege to the Bank of England and smashed
the windows of the Bank of Scotland.

Other anti-capitalist and anti-war activists fought police .. hurling paint and smoke
bombs .. bottles .. cans and shoes.

A second demonstration with about two thousand people gathered outside the US embassy
which was also protected by hundreds of police.

And ahead of the talks .. the US and Russia say they'll negotiate to reduce their nuclear
capabilities .. with President BARACK OBAMA and Russian leader DMITRY MEDVEDEV saying
they've agreed on the long-term goal of a nuclear free world.



Economy Swan (CANBERRA)

WAYNE SWAN says Australia's unemployment rate will climb higher than the government's
previous forecast of seven per cent.

The OECD's recently tipped unemployment will reach an average of 10 per cent across
the developed world .. while growth is projected to shrink by 4.3 per cent.

The Treasurer's told ABC Television this means Australia's growth will be slower ..

and unemployment higher than forecast in February .. but that these forecasts will be
updated in the May budget.



Fitzgibbon (SYDNEY)

Pressure's mounting on Australia's defence minister to explain his relationship with
Chinese-born businesswoman HELEN LIU .. with reports in today's papers claiming she paid
for another first-class trip to China in 1993 .. before he was an MP.

Fairfax Media reports one of Ms LIU's companies paid for a seven-day trip for JOEL
FITZGIBBON and his father ERIC FITZGIBBON .. who was then a federal Labor MP .. to mark
the start of work on a tourist development.

Mr FITZGIBBON came under fire last week when it emerged he'd failed to declare Ms LIU
paid for two trips to China in 2002 and 2005 when he was an opposition frontbencher.

As he wasn't an MP in 1993 .. Mr FITZGIBBON wasn't obliged to declare the trip to parliament.

But he didn't mention it last week .. when asked about claims he'd received expensive
gifts from Ms LIU.



Bikies Law (SYDNEY)

NATHAN REES is rushing ahead with new laws aimed at banning members of bikie gangs
from associating with one another.

Fairfax Media reports the New South Wales premier's pushing the tough new laws through
parliament today .. just two days after he warned they might not be in place until June.

The legislation will go to a special caucus meeting this morning following a cabinet
meeting last night .. where Mr REES told his ministers the government couldn't risk delaying
them.

Under the new laws .. which have the firm backing of police and the NSW opposition
.. members of gangs declared a "criminal organisation" by a Supreme Court judge would
be charged immediately.

They could be jailed for at least two years and would not have any warnings before
they're charged.



Transient (ADELAIDE)

Police in South Australia say they've charged a man with attempted murder after he
allegedly went on a rampage .. randomly stabbing two women and running two men down in
his four-wheel drive.

News Limited newspapers report the man was a transient .. who'd been staying in a caravan
park at Snowtown with his dog after arriving in town a few weeks ago.

Police say the 42-year-old allegedly ran down a truck driver who was standing next
to his vehicle about 1.15 pm (CDT) .. before ramming the rear of another vehicle which
had two women sitting in it.

When they got out to investigate .. the man allegedly stabbed both of them in the neck
with a knife before getting back into his Toyota Hilux and running over a pedestrian who
was pushing another man in a wheelchair.

He was subdued by three police officers.



Fire (HOBART)

Neighbours have discovered a severed body part at their house .. after a bizarre killing
in Tasmania in which the attacker also died.

Police say it appears a 31-year-old Hobart man turned on an older drinking buddy with
a hatchet and a knife after an argument while both were drunk.

They believe he cut off part of the 57-year-old man's body .. dropping it at a neighbour's
home .. before returning to torch his home about three am (AEDT) yesterday.

But police say the younger man's then died from smoke inhalation in a bedroom where
his alleged victim's body was also found.



Smoke (SYDNEY)

A Melbourne study investigating the link between cigarettes and Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome has found babies born to smoking mums find it harder to wake up.

It's found babies in homes where the mother smoked up to 20 cigarettes daily .. during
and after the pregnancy .. perform poorer on arousal tests.

Associate Professor ROSEMARY HORNE says the research sheds new light on why smoking
is emerging as a leading cause of SIDS .. after most mums have responded to the message
to not put their baby to sleep stomach down.



UK Helicopter (EDINBURGH)

Scottish police say eight bodies have been recovered from the North Sea after a helicopter
returning from an oil platform went down with 16 people on board.

There's been no immediate word on survivors after the helicopter ditched off the northeast
coast of Scotland.

It's the second such incident this year .. with both involving the same model of helicopter
.. the Super Puma.



Briefly in other news ..



Refrigerators (BRISBANE)

More than 300 workers will finish up at Brisbane's Fisher and Paykel refrigerator factory
today .. as the company prepares to shift operations to Thailand.



Browse (PERTH)

West Australian Premier COLIN BARNETT has extended his deadline for traditional owners
to agree to plans for a Kimberley gas hub .. and has backed away from threats to compulsorily
acquire land for the project.



LNP (BRISBANE)

Brisbane-based MP TIM NICHOLLS has been tipped to win today's Liberal National Party
leadership ballot in Brisbane .. in his race against Sunshine Coast MP FIONA SIMPSON and
Gold Coast MP JOHN-PAUL LANGBROEK.



Cervical (CANBERRA)

It seems the pap smear message is getting through .. with a new report founding the
rate of women undergoing cervical cancer screening every two years has reached its highest
level in eight years.



in Sport ..



WC10 Aust (SYDNEY)

The Socceroos are just one point away from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals
in South Africa following last's night's 2-nil win over Uzbekistan in Sydney.

The win virtually assures Australia one of the top two automatic qualifying spots in
their group and an appearance at successive World Cups for the first time.

Bahrain's 1-0 win over Qatar in Manama this morning denied the Socceroos official qualification
.. but a draw against Qatar in Doha on June 6 will get Australia over the line.

Failing that .. they'll only need a point from their remaining two home clashes against
Bahrain and Japan.



League Eagles (SYDNEY)

Manly chief executive GRANT MAYER has received a stay of execution following a board
meeting of the NRL club.

The Daily Telegraph reports MAYER has been given six weeks to come up with a final
version of his business plan for the strife-torn premiers.

A plea for stability from coach DES HASLER is believed to have contributed to MAYER'S
retention as the club reels from opening its 2009 campaign with three straight losses.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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KEYWORD: BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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Qld: Drunk and deadly hoon wins appeal for reduced sentence

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2008
Qld: Drunk and deadly hoon wins appeal for reduced sentence

By Christine Flatley

BRISBANE, Aug 29 AAP - A drunk man who killed his best friend while drag racing at
the Gold Coast has had six months cut from his jail sentence.

The Court of Appeal in Brisbane today granted Clinton John Blanch, 23, the reduction
after agreeing the sentencing judge did not sufficiently take into account his youth and
his genuine remorse.

Blanch pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court in March to one count of dangerous
operation of a motor vehicle causing death and grievous bodily harm while adversely affected
by an intoxicating substance.

He received a six year sentence, of which he was ordered to serve at least two and a half years.

The crash took place in the early hours of July 2005 when Blanch, who had been taking
his friends to go pig chasing in the hinterland, crashed into a concrete barrier on Bundall
Road while racing another car.

It was estimated he had been driving up to 180km/h at the time of the crash.

Blanch had been drinking pre-mixed spirits just moments before the incident and had
a blood alcohol reading of 0.114 per cent.

The front seat passenger died in the crash, while one of the back seat passengers suffered
serious injuries when he was thrown from the vehicle.

In a written judgment handed down today the Court of Appeal cut six months from the
amount of time Blanch must serve before he will be eligible for parole.

Blanch will now be eligible to apply for release in March 2010.

AAP cf/pjo/jfm

KEYWORD: BLANCH

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