NSW:NSW carbon tax figures slammed

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-2011
NSW:NSW carbon tax figures slammed

SYDNEY, Aug 4 AAP - The NSW Treasury lacks credibility and its damning modelling on
the impact of a carbon tax can't be believed, says federal Labor frontbencher Anthony
Albanese.

The NSW Treasury study predicts 31,000 jobs will be lost while the state's economy
would suffer a $3.7 billion hit, and household power bills will soar by almost $500.

Speaking in Sydney on Thursday, Mr Albanese pointed to the sacking of its head, Michael
Shur, as evidence of the lack of credibility of NSW Treasury.

"The NSW premier just sacked the head, showing he didn't have any confidence in the
NSW Treasury," he told reporters in Sydney.

"We have confidence in the Australian treasury figures."

Federal Treasury modelling shows the carbon price package would create 1.6 million
jobs, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said earlier in the day.

"What I would say to Premier (Barry) O'Farrell is that he should stop trying to find
a way to blame hikes in state charges on the federal government," she told reporters in
Melbourne.

The NSW Opposition and Greens have accused the premier of waging a scare campaign on
the carbon tax.

"Mr O'Farrell's political campaign against the carbon price package could deny this
state the 73,800 new jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency predicted by the University
of Newcastle," Greens MP John Kaye said in a statement.

"This state could lose its share of exciting new jobs unless the government uses the
carbon price as a springboard for direct public investment in solar thermal power stations,
wind, energy efficiency and the emerging technologies."

State opposition environment and climate change spokesman Luke Foley said the treasury
review had no credibility.

"His modelling today ignores all of the jobs that will be created in renewable energy
under the federal government scheme, so he is only telling at best only half the story,"

he told reporters.

"Mr O'Farrell used to support a price on carbon, now for the basest of political motives
he's lining up with his federal leader (Tony) Abbott in a massive scare campaign.

"It's action unworthy of the leader of Australia's largest state."

But Mr O'Farrell said the review showed the carbon tax would "tear the heart out of
many industries".

He said the federal government's use of average national figures disguised how families
and businesses in NSW would be worse off than elsewhere.

"It's about time the commonwealth government was honest with states like NSW and (said)
their package based on national averages is going to leave more families and more businesses
in NSW worse off than elsewhere in the country," Mr O'Farrell said.

He was backed by NSW Minerals Council CEO Dr Nikki Williams, who said the treasury
review echoed the industry's own modelling.

"The federal government said we were scaremongering when we flagged our concern for
the 3,000 NSW coal mining jobs that are at risk, but the NSW Treasury modelling now shows
that loss could be replicated tenfold across the state's economy," he said.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the carbon tax will cripple economic growth
and put thousands of jobs at risk, especially in regional NSW."

AAP saj/ra/tr/jnb

KEYWORD: CLIMATE

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

Al Thani buys Malaga FC.

Qatari royal, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nassar Al Thani, has agreed to buy Malaga Football Club for $48.3 million, the Spanish outfit has said.

Al Thani will purchase the majority stakeholding owned by president Fernando Sanz, a former player who has run the La Liga club for four years and will continue to be linked to them in an advisory role.

"The agreement has already been notified to the Spanish Sports Council and will be completed shortly, given that said public body has provided its verbal approval of the agreement's terms and conditions," the club said.

Al Thani said: "Our goal is to help Malaga take the necessary steps to consolidate its presence in La Liga and reinforce the excitement and hopes of supporters."

Al Thani manages a UAE-based business empire which operates in more than 30 countries and he is also vice-chairman of the Doha Bank.

2009 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

FED:News of the week at a glance

AAP General News (Australia)
04-08-2011
FED:News of the week at a glance

MILESTONES:



RISEN - The Australian dollar to a new post-float high of 105.08 US cents.



REJECTED - A proposed $8.4 billion merger between Australia's and Singapore's stock
exchanges by Treasurer Wayne Swan.



QUIT - Patrick Flannigan as NBN Co's head of construction, prompting fears it will
delay the rollout of the national broadband network.



ANNOUNCED - Plans to turn a Tasmanian army base into a $15 million temporary immigration
detention centre.



AWARDED - The RSPCA Purple Cross for bravery to Sarbi, the army explosives detection
dog, who was missing in action in Afghanistan for 13 months.



QUOTES:



"I tried to find a way up the middle of all that, preserve the unity of the government.

On balance it was the wrong call." - Former prime minister Kevin Rudd on his decision
to shelve the federal government's emissions trading scheme (ETS).



"I do not believe that it's proper to discuss confidential discussions between cabinet
colleagues." - Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Mr Rudd's revelation that members of his
cabinet urged him to not just delay his ETS, but to abandon it altogether.



"That is not a faint prospect of a possibility, let's just get a bit real about all
of this." - Mr Rudd on making a comeback.



"I can't think of a greater betrayal of trust of a colleague in the workplace." - Defence
Minister Stephen Smith on reports a man filmed himself having sex with a fellow cadet
at the Australian Defence Force Academy, and broadcast it to other cadets via webcam.



"Let's be clear here: this is not a merger. It's a takeover that would see Australia's
financial sector become a subsidiary to a competitor in Asia. It was a no-brainer that
this deal is not in Australia's national interest." - Treasurer Wayne Swan after rejecting
the proposed merger of Australia's and Singapore's stock exchanges.



"I do need to understand the differences between council and parliamentary procedure
and I'll certainly be learning all about that." - Former Brisbane lord mayor Campbell
Newman on his new role as leader of Queensland's opposition.



"We are very, very critical of that lack of courage and ability to sit with Queenslanders
and work their issues through." - Ms Gillard on how the insurance companies have handled
claims in the wake of the devastating floods.



"Here in Australia we do have one of the best systems for natural disaster management
that you'll find anywhere in the world, and that's because we are a sunburnt country full
of drought and flooding rains and we're used to it." - Mr Rudd on why Australia hasn't
accepted search and rescue assistance from other countries.



"Unfortunately we only see her backside." - Leading jockey Damien Oliver on Black Caviar,
the four-year-old Australian mare who is the number one rated horse in the world, aiming
for her 12th straight win on Saturday.





ODDITIES:





+ Hold your horses, or in Regina Mayer's case, her cow.

The 15-year-old's parents dashed her hopes of getting a horse so she turned to a cow
called Luna to make her riding dreams come true.

After hours of training, the pair regularly go on long rides through the southern German
countryside, near the hamlet of Laufen.

They do jumps over a makeshift hurdle of beer crates and painted logs.

"She thinks she's a horse," Regina joked.

"When she wants to do something, she does it, when she doesn't, she doesn't. And she's
often very headstrong, but can also be really adorable."

PA





+ Honeymoons aren't always easy for newlyweds, but six natural disasters?

Stefan Svanstrom of Stockholm says he set out on a four-month-long honeymoon with his
wife, Erika, and their baby girl on December 6 and immediately became stranded in Munich,
Germany, due to one of Europe's worst snowstorms.

After that, they experienced the devastation of a cyclone in Cairns, Australia, and
the flooding in Brisbane, and narrowly escaped the bush fires in Perth.

Just before arriving in New Zealand, the 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch
and at the couple's last destination, Tokyo, they felt Japan's largest temblor since records
began.

AP





+ Perhaps the fraudster was wearing beer goggles when he bottled his wine.

Fake bottles of a best-selling Australian wine have flooded the UK market, trading
standards officers have warned.

The wine appears identical to the real thing, apart from a tell-tale misspelling of
"Australia" on the label - it is spelt "Austrlia".

Hundreds of bottles of imitation Jacob's Creek, which have made their way into country-wide
stores that sell alcohol off the premises, have already been seized.

PA



AAP tr/psm/

KEYWORD: THE WEEK

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

FED:Rejected asylum seekers should go home: UN

AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2010
FED:Rejected asylum seekers should go home: UN

SYDNEY, Dec 19 AAP - The UN refugee agency says Australia's immigration detention system
is being clogged by growing numbers of rejected asylum seekers who should be sent home.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees regional representative Richard Towle
says large numbers of people now coming through the asylum system in Australia are not
refugees and "the challenge is how to find fair and humane and effective ways of allowing
them to leave this country to go home", Fairfax newspapers report.

The deportation of failed asylum seekers has already been announced as central to the
government's efforts to stem the flow of boats.

So far, however, only a handful of asylum seekers have been deported. The government
is believed to be examining further incentives for people to return home.

Mr Towle told Fairfax that improved political conditions in Sri Lanka and changed methods
for assessing Afghan asylum seeker cases have led to the jump in the number of rejected
cases, most "left sitting in the detention centres in Western Australia".

He also called for greater regional co-operation and improved conditions in South-East
Asia to prevent asylum seekers from making the perilous voyage from Indonesia. He said
the problem has little to do with Australia's border protection policies, but rather a
"protection vacuum" throughout the region that has been forcing people to risk their lives
on unseaworthy vessels.

AAP ao

KEYWORD: DETENTION UNHCR

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

QLD:Rudd hits hustings in north Qld

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2010
QLD:Rudd hits hustings in north Qld

Former prime minister KEVIN RUDD has moved his marginal seats campaign to north Queensland.

Mr RUDD will hit the hustings today with Labor candidate and former Townsville mayor
TONY MOONEY in the electorate of Herbert.

Labor's using Mr RUDD to campaign in marginal Queensland electorates .. with fresh
polling showing the party is struggling in battleground states.

The seat's been held by retiring Liberal MP PETER LINDSAY since 1996 but is notionally
Labor after a redistribution.

Online betting agencies Centrebet and Sportsbet have Mr MOONEY trailing LNP candidate EWEN JONES.

AAP RTV ews/tnf/crh

KEYWORD: POLL10 RUDD (CAIRNS)

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

Fed: War of words continues between Williams and Rudd

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2010
Fed: War of words continues between Williams and Rudd

Comedian ROBIN WILLIAMS has offered an olive branch to Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD ..

saying he'll go to a strip club with him in New York.

The pair have engaged in an unlikely war of words today .. after WILLIAMS said Australia
was full of rednecks during an appearance on DAVID LETTERMAN'S Late Show.

After the PM said he should spend time in Alabama before calling Australians rednecks
.. WILLIAMS told HAMISH and ANDY that he loves Australia .. and he hopes Mr RUDD can forgive
him.

He says he especially wants to come back to Australia without getting a cavity search.

AAP RTV kaf/wf

KEYWORD: WILLIAMS (SYDNEY)

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

QLD: Police dog stabbed, woman shot and injured

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2009
QLD: Police dog stabbed, woman shot and injured

BRISBANE, Aug 20 AAP - A woman has been shot by police after a police dog was stabbed
and critically injured during an incident at a house in Brisbane.

It's also alleged the dog handler was threated with a knife and police opened fired
wounding the woman in the shoulder on Wednesday night.

A police union spokesman said the woman was under guard in a stable condition in the
Princess Alexandra hospital, but the dog remained in a critical condition after undergoing
surgery.

The shooting happened after police went to an address in Beenleigh Road in the southern
suburb of Runcorn about 9.45pm (AEST).

The union spokesman said the woman had been under surveillance by police in relation
to other matters when she allegedly rammed their vehicle from behind.

The woman, allegedly armed with knives, then ran to a house where children were present, he said.

Police followed amd "she came at police and repeatedly stabbed the police dog," the
spokesman told AAP.

Threats were then made on the dog handler and the woman was shot in the shoulder by a detective.

The police Ethical Standards Command is investigating the incident, which will be overseen
by the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission.

AAP stg/bwl

KEYWORD: SHOT UPDATE

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

The main stories on today's 1900 ABC TV news

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2009
The main stories on today's 1900 ABC TV news

The main stories on ABC television's 1900 news:





1. NSW has reported the biggest surge in unemployment on record, giving it the worst
unemployment rate in the country.





2. A man who killed his neighbour in an argument over water restrictions has been sentenced
to three years and three months in jail.





3. Bail has been granted to a former teacher at Sydney's exclusive Knox Grammar School
accused of sexually assaulting a student in the 1980s.





4. Fiji's court of appeal has ruled that the country's interim government is illegal.





5. Voting has begun in Indonesia's parliamentary elections.





AAP RTV wf

KEYWORD: MONITOR 1900 ABC NEWS

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

NSW: ABC Learning plan questionable - union

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2008
NSW: ABC Learning plan questionable - union

SYDNEY, Dec 5 AAP - A plan to secure a place for every child now at an ABC Learning
childcare centre only raises more questions for parents and staff, Australia's childcare
union says.

ABC Learning, the nation's largest childcare provider, went into receivership last
month after registering debts of more than $1 billion.

The receiver, McGrath Nicol, said in Brisbane on Friday that it had a plan to secure
a childcare place next year for every child using the crippled company's existing centres.

It said the details would be finalised next week, along with plans for ABC centre staff jobs.

However, LHMU national secretary Louise Tarrant told reporters she had concerns about
the lack of guarantees for the company's workforce.

"On the one hand, parents are being told that there will be a secure position for their
children next year, but there are no similar guarantees for workers," she told reporters
in Sydney.

Ms Tarrant said some children might be forced to attend a childcare centre that was
not located near their home.

"Just to assume that children can be moved around like pieces in a puzzle, (that) is
obviously not the case," she said.

She said her biggest concern was lack of job security for the centres' workers.

"At least there is a statement of intent that they (the receivers) are trying to ensure
places for children.

"What they haven't given is any detail as to what that looks like, and what they haven't
given is any guarantee for workers in those centres."

Ms Tarrant said staff felt weighed down by the uncertainty, and she hoped the situation
would be remedied early next week.

"The only consultation that workers have had in recent times is being told that an
announcement would be made earlier in the week, and when it didn't come, then that's only
increased anxiety," she said.

"So it's really important that we get some details, that the union is able to sit down
at the table on Monday with the receivers and with government and have a look at the list
and find out what really is going to happen to places and to workers' jobs."

Until that happened, Ms Tarrant said she could not be confident the centres had a future.

AAP bc/pbc/wjf/jl/de

KEYWORD: ABC UNION

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

Qld: Heavy machinery used to retrieve crash victims

AAP General News (Australia)
08-02-2008
Qld: Heavy machinery used to retrieve crash victims

Heavy machinery's been needed to retrieve the bodies of two people killed in a car
crash on Brisbane's northside overnight.

Police say a man in his twenties and a teenage boy were killed in the crash at Clontarf
about 1.35am (AEST).

Police say the wreckage was pulled apart to check for other passengers and the jaws-of-life
used to release the bodies.

AAP RTV nm/af

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD (BRISBANE)

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

Vic: 2007 warmest year ever in Victoria: bureau

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2007
Vic: 2007 warmest year ever in Victoria: bureau

On the last day of the year .. Melbourne's expected to have its hottest day in 2007
.. a year climate experts say is Victoria's hottest year on record.

The temperature's tipped to hit 42 degrees in the city today.

And the Age reports preliminary Bureau of Meteorology figures show the average temperature
across Victoria is up about one degree from the long-term average.

The report says the data averages maximum and minimum temperatures across the state.

It's put Victoria's average temperature at 15.1 degrees in 2007 .. about one degree
above the average for the period from 1961 to 1990.







Senior forecaster TERRY RYAN says the warmer year's due to a range of factors including
global warning.

Mr RYAN says ther's a greater than 50 per cent chance that 2008 will also be warmer
than average .. and possibly hotter than 2007.

AAP RTV jrd/tm

KEYWORD: CLIMATE VIC (MELBOURNE)

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

Fed: Howard defends Andrews' handling of Haneef case

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2007
Fed: Howard defends Andrews' handling of Haneef case

The prime minister says he believes Immigration Minister KEVIN ANDREWS was correct
.. when he decided to cancel Dr MOHAMED HANEEF's working visa.

Federal Court justice JEFFREY SPENDER has quashed Mr ANDREWS' decision to cancel the
27-year-old Indian doctor's work visa on character grounds.

Justice SPENDER says the minister made a jurisdictional error .. in cancelling Dr HANEEF's visa.

JOHN HOWARD says the government's appealing the court ruling .. because it believes
Mr ANDREWS' decision was valid.

The PM's told ABC TV .. because the case is still before the courts he's limited in
what he can say about it.

But Mr HOWARD says Justice SPENDER didn't find Mr ANDREWS acted in bad faith.







Dr HANEEF was charged with a terror-related offence last month .. but released when
the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew its charge on July 27.

He left Australia voluntarily on July 28 .. but says he'd like to return.

AAP RTV pj/tm/crh/af

KEYWORD: HANEEF HOWARD (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Check Up column for Friday, April 6

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2007
Fed: Check Up column for Friday, April 6

A ROUND-UP OF ISSUES AFFECTING YOUR HEALTH

ONLINE EXERCISE TO HELP GPS PREPARE FOR FLU OUTBREAK

An online simulation to help GPs prepare their practice for a pandemic flu outbreak
was launched this week by researchers from the Australian National University.

The Pandemic Influenza Simulation Exercise for General Practice takes GP staff through
a simulated flu outbreak and shows how a pandemic could affect the operation of their
practice.

The Melbourne GP heading up the project, Dr Christopher Pearce, said the internet exercise
was a simple and effective tool to plan for such an outbreak.

He said in the event of an outbreak GPs would have to see patients in their cars and
do more home visit and telephone consultations so as to protect them from virus-ridden
waiting rooms.

The program also deals with what to do in other difficult situations, such as in the
event that most of the surgery's staff are off work caring for sick family members.

Dr Pearce said GPs were often ill-informed about pandemic influenza planning because
it was done at a state level, but this program allowed them to take a practice-based approach.

BAR STAFF SUPPORT ANTI-SMOKING LAWS

Over 90 per cent of bar managers support the smoke-free workplace laws that will come
into effect later this year, a study says.

The Cancer Council South Australia's Tobacco Control Research and Evaluation Program
compared community support for smoke-free bar laws, due to be introduced on November 1,
with that of bar and nightclub managers.

Initial reports had suggested industry workers were concerned that the new laws would
spell a huge downturn in bar and nightclub patronage.

However, the Cancer Council South Australia's new research found that there was overwhelming
community support for the new laws.

Now 91 per cent of bar managers are in favour of the laws.

The initial concerns of bar managers were similar to restaurateurs' initial reaction
to the smoke-free dining laws, a spokeswoman for the Cancer Council said, although their
introduction had no net effect on patronage either.

She said their increasing support for the laws showed bar managers were concerned about
the health of their staff and patrons.

MEDITERRANEAN DIET MAY CURE CHILDHOOD ASTHMA

A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables and nuts might protect children against
respiratory allergies like asthma, new research says.

While skin allergies are relatively common in the Greek island of Crete, respiratory
allergies like asthma and allergic rhinitis are not, prompting researchers to ask whether
this was as a result of the Mediterranean diet.

More than 700 children between seven and 18 living in rural areas of Crete were assessed
for their dietary habits, respiratory symptoms and allergic reactions for the study, published
in the journal Thorax.

Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire detailing their children's allergic
and respiratory symptoms and dietary habits.

Researchers discovered eight out of ten children ate fresh fruit and over two thirds
ate fresh vegetables at least twice a day, and these children had few respiratory symptoms
and skin allergies.

Children who ate nuts and grapes were less likely to wheeze.

But high consumption of margarine doubled the chances of asthma, researchers said.

PREGNANT WOMEN NEED TO CHANGE EATING HABITS

Australian women don't sufficiently improve their diet after they fall pregnant, new
Australian research shows.

More than 75 per cent of more than 9,000 women surveyed by the University of Newcastle
scored less than half of the dietary quality points advised by the Australian Recommended
Food Score (ARFS).

The women who were pregnant or had just given birth did had higher ARFS than women
who were not pregnant, but the difference was not significant enough, researchers said.

The recommended ARFS is 72, however the average score for the women, all aged 25-30,
was only 28.4, and among pregnant women 29.5.

Scientists said it was important to keep those scores up because research linked maternal
nutrition before and during pregnancy with postnatal health.

They said the results were consistent regardless of location, socio-economic group
or educational level.

IBUPROFEN MAY CAUSE HEART ATTACKS FOR ARTHRITIS SUFFERERS

Arthritis sufferers who take the anti-inflammatory painkiller ibuprofen may be increasing
their risk of heart attack and strokes, new US research shows.

The cardiovascular health of more than 18,000 osteoarthritis sufferers over 50 has
been compared by scientists at Mount Sinai Cardiovascular Institute, New York.

Researchers found patients considered to be low risk of heart problems had no problems
with the drug, many 'high risk' patients who were taking a high does of the traditional
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen were being put at greater risk of heart
attack and stroke by taking the drug.

Ibuprofen appeared to interfere with the patients' blood-thinning dose of aspirin.

High risk patients were deemed to be nine times more like to have heart attacks and
strokes over one year as those on another drug.

AAP kaj/srp

KEYWORD: CHECKUP

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

Fed: Daniel Craig earns his 007 status in a physical challenge

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2006
Fed: Daniel Craig earns his 007 status in a physical challenge

By Erin McWhirter

SYDNEY, Dec 5 AAP - Earning the right to play James Bond 007 left new recruit Daniel
Craig's ego dented and body battered.

It wasn't the backlash from the London press, savaging his ability to play the British
spy that hurt, but the beating his body took while filming Casino Royale.

"There were mornings when I would wake up and I couldn't move, I couldn't get out of
bed," the 38-year-old told AAP today.

"You would roll out of bed, hit the ground and everything would crack into place.

"Every single day I was getting injured, getting bruised and battered around.

"It's the most physical thing I have ever done."

Craig launched the Australian premiere of the 21st Bond instalment in Sydney last night.

Making his debut as the sixth Bond, Craig follows in the footsteps of Pierce Brosnan,
Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, George Lazenby and Sean Connery.

Craig says negative press following his initial introduction as Bond "made me pump
a few more weights" and strive for excellence.

"The only thing I could physically do, to come back at these people, who are passionate
about their subject, is say `Go and see the film'. I am immensely proud of this film."

Work on the 22nd Bond film is under way, with Craig prepared to slip into secret agent
mode again.

He already anticipates more pressure in playing Bond a second time.

"We have to make a better movie next time, which is a tall order," Craig said.

"But that's the great thing about life ... challenges coming up like that."

Daily gym work-outs, healthy eating and rest were all part of Craig's six-month regime
while working on Casino Royale.

Several times throughout the film his toned chest is displayed and in one revealing
scene, Craig is completely naked while being tortured.

The Chester-born Brit enlisted the help of the British SAS force and had weapons training
to hone his physique and skills.

"I wanted him (Bond) to look as professional as he possibly could ... if we do the
next one I am going to get more into that because I think it's interesting."

Published in 1953, Casino Royale was Ian Fleming's first Bond novel and is now the
21st film in the most successful franchise in movie history.

Craig's first major role was in BBC television drama Our Friends In The North, before
scoring his big break in Hollywood alongside Tom Hanks in Road To Perdition in 2002.

His film credits include Sylvia, Layer Cake and Munich. He recently finished filming
the sci-fi thriller The Invasion, opposite Nicole Kidman.

Craig says gaining the Bond role is the most pivotal point in his career and he hopes
to continue his "good role" winning streak.

"I haven't got a timeline, I haven't got a (career) plan," he said.

"I didn't really plan this (Casino Royale), it just came along. I just want to work
on good films. There is nothing I am not looking at, as long as it's good, I would be
interested in doing it."

Casino Royale opens nationally on December 7.

AAP em/evt/cdh

KEYWORD: CRAIG (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

NSW: Seniors to get homes under NSW govt funding

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2006
NSW: Seniors to get homes under NSW govt funding

SYDNEY, April 30 AAP - The NSW government will invest $420 million to buy or build
2,800 new homes for the elderly over the next five years.

The project will mean there would be 30,000 houses available for older citizens across
NSW, Premier Morris Iemma said today.

The funding announcement is the first of a number of plans to deliver more affordable
housing to the elderly, he said.

"We all respect the position that seniors hold in our community," Mr Iemma said.

"This new plan will see investment in secure and suitable infrastructure to meet the
future needs of our elderly."

The plan will have a particular focus on ageing populations across NSW, including the
North Coast, Central Coast and western Sydney.

Over the next decade there would be a 36 per cent rise in demand for social housing
for the elderly, Mr Iemma said.

AAP af/lb

KEYWORD: HOUSING

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

FED: Govt targets directors, set to relax donation laws

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2006
FED: Govt targets directors, set to relax donation laws

SYDNEY, Feb 1 AAP - The federal government is reported to have targeted 1,000 leading
company directors in a donations drive, indicating it will relax donor identity disclosure
laws.

The business leaders have been asked to help the Liberals usher in their economic changes,
which they say will boost corporate profits, promising, in return, to open an "active
dialogue".

The government has also indicated it will amend the Electoral Act to require companies
to disclose donations only of $100,000 or more, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Presently corporations must disclose donations of $1,500 or more, and individuals $100 or more.

The government also plans to increase tax deductions for political donations from
individuals from $100 to $1,500 a year.

The drive for donors and loosening of the laws comes as the Australian Electoral Commission
releases the list of donors ot political parties for 2005/06.

The Labor party has indicated it will oppose the changes because it believes they would
lead to secret and questionable donations.

AAP ajc/it

KEYWORD: DONATIONS

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

SA: Gallipoli legend still strong

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2005
SA: Gallipoli legend still strong

By Sam Lienert

ADELAIDE, April 22 AAP - Ninety years on, the legend of Gallipoli - in which thousands
of young Australians charged naively into an ill-fated battle - retains a central place
in the nation's psyche, and some historians still wonder why.

History Trust of South Australia director Margaret Anderson said the horrific battle
became a national legend almost from the time the first soldiers set foot on Anzac Cove.

And it continues to fascinate a new generation of Australians.

"Young people seem to be searching for a sense of identity through history," Ms Anderson said.

"I think that perhaps the Gallipoli legend is one of the most powerful ways in which
they are tending to do that."

But it was unclear why Gallipoli became such an iconic national symbol, Ms Anderson said.

"Historians still struggle to understand why what was really a very costly stalemate
in the end became a national legend almost immediately," she said.

"Perhaps it was the sheer scale of the losses, although the losses would of course
be greater on the western front in the years that followed.

"Perhaps it was simply the fact that this was the first time Australians had fought
under their own flag.

"Whatever the reasons, from the very beginning, Gallipoli was hailed as Australia's
national baptism of fire."

The Gallipoli story, in particular the role South Australians played in it, is the
subject of an exhibition put together by the trust, which opened in Adelaide this week
- Gallipoli: The South Australian Story.

Its many accounts of soldiers, as well as their loved ones at home, highlights the
exuberance and excitement with which they entered battle, something difficult to comprehend
with hindsight of the horrors they faced.

The story of Ms Anderson's own grandfather, Frank Vickery, illustrates the eagerness
with which Australians at that time entered the field of war.

A dairy farmer from the Adelaide hills, Mr Vickery walked 45km to Adelaide to enlist,
only to find that surnames A-K were being enrolled that day.

Rather than walk home, he changed his name to Frank Hickory on the spot, the name he
fought under throughout his service.

While the name change meant it later took him years of bureaucratic wrangling to gain
an army pension, it also typified the earnest desire of young Australian men to join the
war.

"There was that huge optimism in the first world war and incredible faith and genuine
belief in king, country, empire and the cause of the empire," Ms Anderson said.

"I also think young men didn't have the faintest idea what they were going into ...

later on I think the full horror of that war came home."

Another SA soldier, George Seager, died at Lone Pine as a teenager, with his parting
words to his mother: "If I stop a bit of German lead, be a sport."

His mother, Alexandrina Seager, established the Cheer-Up Hut, in which Adelaide women
cooked and served meals for soldiers, distributed clothing, provided entertainment and
organised farewells and welcome home ceremonies.

Mrs Seager, who was instrumental in the formation of the RSL in SA, also wrote a book
of poetry, Violet Verses, in memory of son George, which forms part of the exhibition.

Her two other sons, Harold and Edward, survived the war, with Harold having worn Violet
Verses over his heart during several battles.

Harold's son, Michael Seager, said his father captured the optimistic outlook which
young Australians carried into battle in a letter home describing the landing at Gallipoli.

"He said the boys just cheered as the band played them out of the harbour, the boys
just cheered going to their first battle," Mr Seager said.

Mrs Seager, in her poetry, tried to make sense of the deaths of her son and others.

"Twas fitting that the young and brave should die to build a nation's name/That strong
young hands should mould her destiny in an undying fame," she wrote.

"It's an interesting attempt to come to terms with that and what it meant," Ms Anderson said.

"It also shows an extraordinary sense, so early on, that history was being created,
written in 1915."

AAP scl/sl/bwl

KEYWORD: ANZAC GALLIPOLI SA RPT

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

PORTAGEFree bone density screenings: Porter Health System is offering bone ...

PORTAGE

Free bone density screenings: Porter Health System is offering bone density screenings between 2 and 5 p.m. Thursday at the Portage Branch of the Porter County Public Library, 2665 Irving St. Participants must be able to remove their socks. No appointment is necessary. Call 763-1508.

LAPORTE

Sign up for technology classes: Free technology classes will be offered Thursday at the LaPorte County Public Library, 904 Indiana Ave. Classes begin with "Basic Mousing" at 9:30 a.m., "Introduction to the Internet" at 1:30 p.m. and "Don't Have E-mail?" at 5:30 p.m. Registration is required. Call 362-6156, Ext. 312.

CROWN POINT

Morning Business Series: Economist Morton Marcus will present "Our Economy: The Survivors' Guide to the New Normal" from 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesday at First Financial Bank, U.S. 231 and Broadway. Networking and refreshments will be provided. There is no charge for admission.

GARY

Student art exhibit: The annual portfolio show by senior visual art students of the Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts Academy is on exhibit at the art gallery in the Main Branch of the Gary Public Library, 220 W. 5th Ave., through March 31. Call 886-2484 for more information.

IIJ-MC to Support Multi-Site Internet Broadcasting of Total Lunar Eclipse.

TOKYO, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ --

IIJ Media Communications Inc. ("IIJ-MC"), a subsidiary of Internet Initiative Japan (Nasdaq: IIJI) (IIJ), has announced today that it will support a special Internet broadcasting project for January 10th total lunar eclipse by providing network operation and streaming distribution over the Internet. The event will be carried to the Internet from six vantage points in Japan with format of both video and still photographs.

The project is organized by the Live! Eclipse Executive Committee, which is a non-profit organization and known for a solid record in Internet coverage of astronomical events such as total solar eclipse, annular solar eclipse, total lunar eclipse, and Leonids meteor shower graphics which were appreciated and accessed by people from over 100 countries worldwide. The support for the project is a commitment of the IIJ Group to promote streaming technologies to new heights and to make this technology available to as many people as possible.

Viewing information

URL: www.live-eclipse.org

Date: January 10, 2001 (Wed.) 03:42 - 06:59 JST

(Total eclipse from 04:49 to 05:51 JST)

Observation points: Sapporo (Hokkaido), foothills of Mt Fuji,

Keihanna(Kyoto), Bisei (Okayama), Saga and Okinawa

About IIJ-MC

IIJ Media Communications (IIJ-MC) was established by Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (Nasdaq: IIJI) (IIJ), Sumitomo Corp., Itochu Corp., Tokyu Corp. and other shareholders to offer expert services to help customers exploit the potential of communications utilizing the Internet. Its core business is providing total support for customer's contents and systems, particularly those customers who engage in e-commerce and related activities. IIJ-MC engages in research and development of the newest technologies for media communications, such as streaming technologies including multicast and portal service applications, and incorporates the technologies into various applications.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such State.

Suicide Net pact.(News)

TWO young people found dead on the face of a Norwegian cliff probably entered a death pact on the Internet before ever meeting each other, the country's largest newspaper reported.

The Austrian woman and Norwegian man, both in their 20s, plunged to their deaths from a 2,000 foot cliff called Pulpit Rock, a popular tourist attract in west Norway.

Emerging OTC Announces Investment Opinion; High Speed Access and Cool Entertainment Featured on EmergingOTC.com.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 1999--

EmergingOTC.com is pleased to announce that they have featured High Speed Access Corp. (Nasdaq:HSAC) and Cool Entertainment Inc. (OTCBB:CULE) to their featured company list which can be seen on www.emergingotc.com, an online magazine and investor network of emerging growth stocks.

High Speed Access contracts with cable-TV operators to provide fast Internet access via a cable modem to residential and commercial end-users in so-called "ex-urban" areas where cable systems pass fewer than 100,000 homes. This allows HSA to offer Internet access via both high-speed cable modems and standard dial-up service. They serve more than 5,000 customers (including 2,800 cable modem users) in 14 markets in 11 states. Vulcan's Charter Communications cable unit has agreed to give the company rights to at least 750,000 homes passed.

Cool Entertainment's management is developing a comprehensive, entertainment retail website offering a wide range of products including books, CDs, DVDs, videos, video games and software. The website will also contain value-added services including celebrity interviews, book reviews, online chat rooms, online games, and free e-mail accounts. Cool management is currently exploring additional distribution networks in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

Emerging OTC is a truly innovative online financial magazine that is dedicated to feature newly emerging growth stocks to the investing public. Each company featured has a unique product or niche. Our objective as an online magazine is to provide public awareness to these companies that we feel have tremendous growth potential as their business expands and develops.

Five pricing pitfalls.(Operations)

Seymour Merrin, a veteran computer dealer who now runs a consulting service dedicated to "demystifying the distribution channel," points out that pricing decisions often trigger "a Dracula effect" in companies that are about to introduce a new product: "Perfectly nice, well-behaved executives are suddenly transformed into scrappers, sluggers, and brawlers," says Merrin. "Years of experience are put on the line. Consultants are brought in and voice yet other opinions. More ill-will is generated in a shorter period of time than in the making of any other single decision."

In fact, pricing decisions should be taken seriously, Merrin concedes, because price is always a critical element of product positioning. But he argues that many decisions end up reflecting pricing folklore rather than a solid understanding of how the marketplace functions. The result may be a price that fails to maximize revenue--or at worst, that eventually kills the product or even the company itself.

Merrin recently described several common pricing pitfalls:

* Pricing below true costs: "The biggest single thing smaller software companies screw up is setting a price based only on their cost of goods," says Merrin. "Then when they look at going into the distribution channel, it turns out there isn't enough money in the price to allow for reseller margins. And they're trapped."

* Ignoring competitive price points: Customers generally have "irrational" but nevertheless compelling expectations about the price they expect to pay for various types of software, Merrin notes. Setting a price significantly higher or lower than most competing products is risky, he says. The danger is greatest for relatively inexpensive products, Merrin adds, because buyers pay more attention to price points at the low end of the price scale than at the high end.

* Squeezing reseller profits: Software street prices generally reflect prevailing retail price points, not standard markups, Merrin points out. Thus, products whose wholesale prices range from about $250 to $275 will all end up with the same $295 retail price-but those with the highest wholesale price will generate almost no profit for the dealer. (Increasing the discount to dealers isn't always a solution, Merrin adds, because a lower wholesale price may bump the product down to a lower street price category-such as $249-that provides even less margin for the dealer.)

* Pricing below perceived value: Instead of stimulating demand, a low price often implies that a product isn't as good as a higher-priced competitor. "The new Quattro Professional will sell better at $495, because there's higher perceived value than there was with the old Quattro, which was priced much too low to be taken seriously."

* Making too much money: Selling at an unusually high price is an open invitation to competitors, says Merrin, and "a feeding frenzy soon destroys everyone's profitability." But the rules are different for well-entrenched market leaders. "If you can generate enough demand and get enough market share, you're invulnerable."

Seymour Merrin, president, Merrin Information Services, 2479 East Bayshore Rd., Palo Alto, Calif. 94303; 415/493-5050.