HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Aug 222011

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2011
HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Aug 222011

SYDNEY - Scientific evidence about Gordon Wood being able to "spear throw" his girlfriend
off a Sydney cliff is being challenged in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. (WOOD) Wrap
to come

SYDNEY - A serial pedophile has been jailed for at least 20 years for abusing four
boys over three decades. (McIntosh) Wrap to come.

SYDNEY - A Comanchero bikie boss has admitted punching and kicking a man who died in
a brawl between rival gangs at Sydney airport. (BIKIES) Wrap to come.

SYDNEY - Gunmen who shot at the former home of Ibrahim family members and narrowly
missed innocent occupants inside have "gone beyond stupid", police say. (HOUSES update
to come) Wrap to follow.

SYDNEY - Australian actor Matthew Newton says there's a huge amount of stigma surrounding
mental illness, but urged sufferers to seek help. (Newton)

SYDNEY - The mother of twin babies was among a number of gambling addicts arrested
in a series of police drug raids across southwest Sydney that also netted $22.6 million
worth of cannabis. (Cannabis Update)

SYDNEY - A former NSW education department bureaucrat allegedly recruited staff from
a company, of which he was a director and shareholder, as part of a $376,000 rort, a NSW
corruption inquiry has heard. (ICAC Johnson)

CANBERRA - The technology now available for hearing-impaired children has proven life
changing for five-month-old Isabel Cairns and her family. (Hearing)

CANBERRA - Federal parliament has continued a ban on a group of significant terror
organisations and added a new al-Qaeda branch to the list. (Terror)

MELBOURNE - Paramedics have described the blast injuries suffered by two men in a Victorian
backyard explosion as war-like. (EXPLOSION) Wrap to come.

MELBOURNE - A mother who survived a plane crash that killed her teenage daughter in
west Victoria has woken from a coma asking about her child, but her husband says he can't
yet tell her that she is dead. (PLANE) to come.

MELBOURNE - A driver who killed three members of the same family in a head-on car crash
has been jailed for more than 10 years. (Singh) Wrap to come.

MELBOURNE - Classmates of four-year-old Ayen Chol, mauled to death by a neighbour's
pit bull mastiff dog in her Melbourne home, are asking where their friend is and why she's

gone. (Dog)

MELBOURNE - A British police officer is to lead Victoria through fires and floods as
the state's new emergency services commissioner. (Hallowes)

MELBOURNE - The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) will review security at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground (MCG) after a man was found carrying a knife in the Brisbane Lions changerooms
on Saturday (KNIFE)

MELBOURNE - A driver who killed three members of the same family in a head-on car crash
has been jailed for more than 10 years. (SINGH)
- SINGH WRAP tgo come.

MELBOURNE - Police have seized 600 firearms during the shut-down of a gun shop in Melbourne's
west. (FIREARMS)S WRAP to come.

ADELAIDE - Family First will bring legislation to the South Australian parliament in
a bid to stamp out violence in sport. (Kick Update )

ADELAIDE - Cathay Pacific has announced it is introducing non-stop services from Adelaide
to Hong Kong on three of its seven flights a week from November. (Cathay to come)

BRISBANE - Graziers and environmentalists are billing their legal challenge against
a proposed Queensland coal mine as a "David vs Goliath" battle. (Wandoan) Wrap to come.

BRISBANE - A power company accused of slugging Queensland flood victims with unreasonable
estimated bills says it is attempting to contact all affected customers. (Recovery Origin
Update) Wrap to come on merit.

BRISBANE - A police officer was attacked and his car damaged by three people in an
assault in a central Queensland town on Sunday night. (Officer)

GOLD COAST - A month long blitz on Gold Coast crime is settling the nerves of the locals,
according to police. (Seymore)

GOLD COAST - A lengthy wait for service led to an attempted armed robbery of a Gold
Coast brothel by a couple of frustrated customers, police allege. (Brothel)

PERTH - A homeless woman has been killed after being struck by a train at a station
in Perth's north. (Track)

MEDICAL

SYDNEY - Menopausal women who stop using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are likely
to start skipping mammogram checks for breast cancer, a study suggests. (Mammogram)

ENTERTAINMENT

SYDNEY - Eskimo Joe's latest record Ghosts Of The Past has stormed to number three
in its first week on the ARIA albums chart. (Pops Aust)

AAP was

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL 2 SYDNEY

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

Qld: Aurukun appeals a "real prospect" of success: court

AAP General News (Australia)
02-19-2008
Qld: Aurukun appeals a "real prospect" of success: court

Queensland's Court of Appeal says appeals for tougher sentences to be handed to nine
males .. who gang raped a 10-year-old girl .. have a real prospect of success.

The three-member Court of Appeal panel's today published the reasons supporting their
decision last week.

The court granted Queensland's Attorney General KERRY SHINE an extension of time to
appeal the sentences given to the rapists.

Cairns-based District Court Judge SARAH BRADLEY drew national outrage for not imposing
prison sentences on any of the six juveniles and three adults .. who pleaded guilty to
the 2006 rape of the girl in the remote Cape York community of Aurukun.

In the 15-page decision the three judges .. led by Chief Justice PAUL DE JERSEY ..

indicate Judge BRADLEY may have made several legal errors in sentencing the men.

AAP RTV ews/pjo/af/tm

KEYWORD: GANG (BRISBANE)

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

VIC:Desal consortium lodge claim with Vic govt

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2011
VIC:Desal consortium lodge claim with Vic govt

MELBOURNE, April 26 AAP - A compensation claim has been lodged with the Baillieu government
by the consortium behind the multibillion-dollar desalination plant at Wonthaggi because
of the impact recent floods have had on construction.

The Aquasure consortium has lodged a force majeure claim - meaning an event beyond
the control of the government or contractor - under a contract it signed with the Brumby
government in 2009.

It has not specified how much money it is seeking from taxpayers, Fairfax newspapers
report on Tuesday.

Rain and wind have hampered the project and construction of the main plant is up to
12 months behind schedule.

The consortium have already sought relief for the impact of the February floods on
pipeline work near Koo Wee Rup.

But the government is resisting the claim, saying it is a matter for the builder Thiess
and insurers.

"We believe this is a matter for Thiess and its insurers and [we] will not comment
further on this as it is a commercial matter under the contract," a government spokeswoman
said.

Theiss is also facing claims for compensation from farmers and businesses in the Koo
Wee Rup area over flood damage they say occurred after Theiss failed to reinstate a flood
levee damaged while laying the desalination pipeline to Melbourne.

AAP bm/ht/

KEYWORD: DESALINATION

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

VIC:Golf on the menu for Warne and Hurley

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2011
VIC:Golf on the menu for Warne and Hurley

Ignoring recommendations for the Fountain Gate foodcourt and McDonalds .. SHANE WARNE's
taken LIZ HURLEY for what he'd hoped would be a "sexy" lunch with peacocks .. rather than
paparazzi .. looking on.

The cricketing great Tweeted for suggestions about where to take his visitor .. but
ignored all advice and opted for privacy .. taking the English model and actress to the
invitation-only Capital Golf Club.

But they had no time to play a round .. leaving just before three pm after two hours
at the Heatherton hideaway.

Paparazzi have been camped outside WARNE's house since HURLEY's arrival from the UK
on Tuesday night.

WARNE and HURLEY have returned to his Brighton love nest .. where his children BROOK
.. SUMMER and JACKSON have arrived after school with a bunch of flowers to meet dad's
new girlfriend.

AAP RTV pmu/tm

KEYWORD: WARNE (MELBOURNE)

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

FED:Leaders are put to the Twister test

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2010
FED:Leaders are put to the Twister test

By Paul Osborne, Senior Political Writer

CANBERRA, Aug 27 AAP - Like players of the party game Twister, the two top political
leaders are facing unexpected tests of flexibility while a group of independents calls
the shots.

The aim of the party game is to bend this way and that until one player is left the
victor, but there could also be a spectacular collapse - with a fresh federal election
in months.

Three country independents - Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter - along with
Australian Green Adam Bandt and a fourth independent Andrew Wilkie have the power to deliver
minority government to Labor or the coalition.

With Australia facing its first hung federal parliament in more than 70 years, Prime
Minister Julia Gillard appears to have the upper hand, but the state of play is precarious.

Gillard has given the three country independents an iron-clad guarantee to run a three-year
term with an election date in late 2013.

On Monday she'll reveal just how far Labor is planning to go to meet the trio's list
of demands for reforms to how parliament and elections work.

One of those demands - having Treasury cost Labor and coalition election policies and
show the impact on the budget bottom line - has sent Opposition Leader Tony Abbott into
contortions.

Abbott has refused the request, arguing that the Treasury leaks like a grass bucket
and the independents should be happy with the coalition's figures, double-checked by a
private firm with Liberal links.

Labor is making sure no stone goes unturned in trying to woo enough MPs to get to the
magic number of 76 seats in the 150-seat lower house.

The prime minister personally handed over folders with details of how Labor's election
promises would benefit the electorates of her potential queenmakers.

But no one will know the final numbers until September 3, when the deadline for receipt
of postal votes expires.

Windsor has made it clear he'd have no problem going back to the polls if a deal can't
be struck on a new kind of politics, saying it's time to shift away from the old politics
of "two dogs barking".

Unsurprisingly, Abbott argues the only way to get "new politics" is to get a new government.

Bandt, who is not party to the seven-point plan, says he's inclined to back Labor because
of the coalition's scepticism over climate change.

The Queenslander with the 10-gallon hat, Bob Katter, says he's open minded about who governs.

But he says he doesn't want a mining tax or a price on carbon - both of which are sure
to be part of the mix in a potential Labor-Green alliance.

However, he's not fond of his former party - The Nationals, the Liberal Party's junior
coalition partner.

On election night the Kennedy MP hit back at "personal attacks" by Nationals Leader
Warren Truss and described Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce as "... a similar piece of
incredible unfortunateness".

Windsor, who contested and lost a Nationals pre-selection contest 20 years ago, has
a deep-seated hatred of his former party.

But he, too, is unwilling to show his hand until the final parliament numbers are clear
and the prime minister gives the independents' seven-point plan a good look.

Oakeshott, the beaming independent member for Lyne, wants radical reform of parliament
- even suggesting a future cabinet could include independent, Labor and coalition MPs.

He's even suggested a bipartisan slogan, telling the National Press Club: "We can,
if we want to, move forward with real action."

Former intelligence analyst Andrew Wilkie, an independent likely to win Labor's Tasmanian
seat of Denison, is not backward in coming forward with his agenda.

He's meeting with the prime minister in Melbourne on Saturday and Mr Abbott in Canberra
on Monday, seeking a better Hobart hospital and action on the blight of poker machines.

But he says it's not about pork-barrelling - it's all about the "underfunding of southern
Tasmania".

Another wildcard in the mix is West Australian Nationals MP-elect Tony Crook.

The coalition is counting on Mr Crook as one of their players, but he hasn't guaranteed
support for all of its policies.

He has been on the record as saying WA wants a fairer share of federal funding. However,
he admits it's "not very likely" he'll be talking with Gillard.

But what do the people watching the game think?

A Galaxy poll has shown 55 per cent of voters in the three country independent seats
want a coalition government.

Labor is arguing that getting entangled with the coalition is more likely to lead to
an early election.

The Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate from July next year, and conventional
wisdom suggests Labor would have an easier time getting laws through the upper house than
the coalition.

If, under an Abbott government, legislation keeps falling over, the coalition could
get a double-dissolution trigger.

And such elections, historically, give the parties' solid majorities and toss out independents
- removing their bargaining power.

Now that would be a twist in the tail.

AAP pjo/sb/rl/jl/de

KEYWORD: NEWSCOPE FEDERAL (AAP NEWS ANALYSIS)

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

Main stories in Tuesday's 1200 ABC news

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2010
Main stories in Tuesday's 1200 ABC news

SYDNEY, April 20 AAP - Main stories in Tuesday's 1200 ABC news:

- The Victorian and West Australian premiers say the fate of the federal government's
health plan now rests with the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

- NSW Premier Kristina Keneally says the deal reached with the prime minister will
depend on the agreement with other states and territories.

- A 36-year-old man has made a brief appearance in a Geelong court charged with the
murder of Melbourne gangland identity Carl Williams.

- Senior police say they are concerned about the possible ramifications of Williams' murder.

- Qantas says further volcanic action in Iceland is still disrupting air services.

AAP bm/evt

KEYWORD: MONITOR 1200 ABC SYDNEY

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

NSW: Police yet to determine number of casualties in collision

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2009
NSW: Police yet to determine number of casualties in collision

SYDNEY, Dec 6 AAP - Police are still not sure how many people have been killed in a
collision south of Sydney.

A semi-trailer and a Toyota Camry collided on Picton Road, Wilton, about 8.15am (AEDT)
on Sunday, police said.

The male semi-trailer driver has been taken to Campbelltown hospital, suffering shock.

"All occupants of the Camry died at the scene," police said in a statement.

"Police are yet to determine the number of occupants."

Police Rescue, paramedics and firefighters all responded to the emergency.

Picton Road is expected to be closed in both directions between Mount Ousley and the
Hume Highway until at least 5pm, as investigations continue.

Drivers are advised to avoid the area.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or events leading up to it is urged to contact Crime
Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

AAP sg/it

KEYWORD: TOLL NSW UPDATE

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

The main stories on today's 1700 ABC 702 news

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2009
The main stories on today's 1700 ABC 702 news

SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - Main stories in today's 1700 ABC 702 news:

- 40 people are now being tested across Australia for Swine Flu

- The death toll from the Swine Flu in Mexico is rising but appears to be peaking

- New South Wales Health has sent staff to Sydney's airport to deal with people having
flu symptoms

- Nathan Rees rejects criticism that Sydney power supply is of third world standard
after new outage

- Former NRL star Greg Bird has been convicted over glassing his girlfriend

- There've been angry scenes outside a Sydney court over taxi driver convicted of raping
passengers

- A man is to serve 28 months periodic detention over weapons possession after a fatal shooting

- A former Australian soldier is in detention in the Philippines over involvement in coup plans

- Obama's administration apologises for Air Force One flight over New York that caused panic

- Expert says the demand for major infrastructure projects is greater than Canberra can deliver

- FINANCE: Share market down slightly

- SPORT

AAP RTV oz/wz/af

KEYWORD: MONITOR 1700 ABC 702

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

Fed: Govt must ensure internet filter trial will work: Minchin

AAP General News (Australia)
12-24-2008
Fed: Govt must ensure internet filter trial will work: Minchin

CANBERRA, Dec 24 AAP - The federal opposition says the Rudd government is finding it
increasingly difficult to make good on its promise of an internet content filter.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy yesterday released a statement distancing himself
from a report released by the Internet Industry Association (IIA) that was commissioned
and paid for by the former Howard government.

The report's findings was "not an analysis of the ALP's policy" and the government's
pilot trial beginning in mid-January would provide "real world" evidence on the impact
of content filtering, Senator Conroy said.

Opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin said on Wednesday the filter was a
repeat of the bungled handling of the national broadband network.

"Prior to the election, the now government, in opposition, made these broad-sweeping
promises... to eliminate child pornography from the internet with this filter system,"

Senator Minchin told ABC radio.

"Now they've got to make good on their promise and they're finding it much more difficult
in government of course than in opposition."

The report does identify serious issues with any attempt to impose a mandatory internet
service provider filtering system that simply may not work, he said.

"It's almost technically impossible to do this."

Senator Minchin said he didn't object to the trial proceeding, but questions remained
about who would be involved, whether it would involve "live" customers, and whether they
will know they're involved in the trial or not.

"All I'd say is the burden of proof rests now very much with Senator Conroy to establish
that this is a legitimate trial," he said.

AAP srj/it/de

KEYWORD: INTERNET MINCHIN

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

Swm: Aussies wins silver as Phelps completes his magical week

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2008
Swm: Aussies wins silver as Phelps completes his magical week

Australia has claimed the silver medal as American swim superstar MICHAEL PHELPS seized
his record eighth Beijing Games gold in the 4x100m relay.

AUSTRALIA (3minutes 30.04seconds) pushed the USA (3:29.34) all the way with both teams
going under the old world record and the AMERICANS hacking 1.35s off it.

PHELPS became the first person to win eight gold medals at a single Olympics, passing
fellow American MARK SPITZ who won seven in 1972.

The Australian team of HAYDEN STOECKEL, BRENTON RICKARD, ANDREW LAUTERSTEIN and EAMON
SULLIVAN all produced inspired swims but just weren't able to catch the Americans in the
final race of the Olympic swimming competition.

PHELPS proved the difference with his brilliant butterfly leg opening up enough of
a gap for JASON LEZAK to keep SULLIVAN at bay in the freestyle.

The USA have never been defeated in the men's medley relay since it became an Olympic
event in 1960.

Australia are the only other nation to have won the title at the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games.

MORE RTV tdw/nh

KEYWORD: OLY08 SWM M4X100M (BEIJING)

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

Fed: Protesters plan to turn backs on Olympic torch

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2008
Fed: Protesters plan to turn backs on Olympic torch

Pro-Tibet protesters say they'll turn their backs on the Olympic torch on its relay
in Canberra this month.

They say this will be a peaceful protest that will be seen on television around the world.

Callers to talkback radio stations around the country have suggested the non-violent
action .. after chaotic scenes in Paris this week.

Activist group GetUp has endorsed the plan .. saying a peaceful protest is more effective
than any form of violence.

AAP RTV mfh/sb/wz/ibw

KEYWORD: OLY08 FLAME AUST (CANBERRA)

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

Vic: Private sector to built 10 new schools in Melbourne

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2007
Vic: Private sector to built 10 new schools in Melbourne

Ten new Victorian schools will be built around Melbourne .. under a partnership with
the private sector.

Premier JOHN BRUMBY says the partnerships mean principals can concentrate on helping
students .. instead of day-to-day maintenance of buildings.

The schools will open in Melbourne's growth corridors .. and will be the first to be
built under a public private partnership.





Under the deal .. a private consortium will build the schools on government land and
maintain them for 25 years.

The company will receive payment for the school once it's built and approved by the
government .. and will then be paid annual operational costs.

Eight primary schools will be built at Point Cook .. Taylors Hill .. Derrimut .. Kororoit
Creek .. and Truganina in the western suburbs .. Lyndhurst and Cranbourne in the southeast
.. and Mernda in the north.

A Prep-to-year 12 school will be built in Cranbourne and a secondary school's planned
for the north-western suburbs.

AAP RTV cmb/gfr/jec/ibw

KEYWORD: SCHOOLS VIC (MELBOURNE)

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

Vic: Main stories in today's 1800 Nine News

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2007
Vic: Main stories in today's 1800 Nine News:

MELBOURNE, April 23 AAP - Main stories on tonight's National Nine News bulletin:

- The mother of one of two teenagers found hanged at the foot of the Dandenongs in
an apparent suicide attack has used the internet to pour out her heart.

- There have been calls for drastic action to combat depression int eh workplace following
a study that showed professionals are more likely to suffer depression than other Australians.

- John Howard has embarked on his biggest pre-election push so fart with a speech in
Queensland, Kevin Rudd's home state.

- A man has been sentenced to six year's jail for a robbing the home of former TV personality
and businessman Steve Vizard.

- The brother of Tony Mokbel has been refused bail on drugs and other charges.

- The family of three men missing on a yacht found drifting off north Queensland say
they will not give up the search for their loved ones.

AAP jrd/

KEYWORD: 1800 NINE NEWS

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

Fed: Former Ansett workers demand outstanding entitlements

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2006
Fed: Former Ansett workers demand outstanding entitlements

SYDNEY, Dec 22 AAP - Former Ansett workers who say they are still owed more than $90
million following the airline's collapse in 2001 have delivered an angry Christmas message
to Prime Minister John Howard.

About 40 ex-employees and their families today gathered outside Kirribilli House, Mr
Howard's official residence in Sydney, to demand that the government pay them the outstanding
$93.1 million.

Waving placards reading "Ansett workers still waiting ... pay up Howard, pay up", the
demonstrators sang Christmas carols before delivering an "invoice" for their unpaid entitlements.

One man wore a T-shirt with the slogan, "Howard mugged Santa" and there were chants
of "Kevin Rudd is coming to town" in reference to the Labor leader's chances at next year's
federal election.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU), which organised the protest, warned Qantas employees
could face similar treatment to the Ansett workers if a proposed takeover of the Australian
carrier goes ahead.

Wayne Forno, TWU NSW assistant secretary, said the $11.1 billion takeover by a private
equity consortium would mean job insecurity for Qantas workers.

He said the union planned to launch an "aggressive" campaign for higher wages at Qantas
when its enterprise bargaining agreements (EBA) with the airline expire.

The TWU has organised a Christmas demonstration outside Kirribilli House every December
since Ansett collapsed five years ago.

"We will be coming down each year until such time as the Howard government changes
its mind," Mr Forno said.

Dave Lupton, who worked for Ansett for 27 years, said people were still suffering as
a result of the airline's collapse.

"People have actually lost homes and had cars repossessed," he told the protesters.

"They have had marriage break-ups. A lot of terrible things went through their lives
in the last five or six years.

"I don't want to see this happen to Qantas or to any other company."

Earlier this month, Ansett's administrators released a seventh dividend of $27 million,
bringing the amount paid to the airline's 15,000 former employees to $666.9 million.

But Mr Forno today said the ex-workers had so far received only about 80 cents in the
dollar of the entitlements owed to them.

AAP smm/was/it/sp

KEYWORD: ANSETT

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

Qld: Climate change and land clearing 'vital election issues'

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2006
Qld: Climate change and land clearing 'vital election issues'

Green groups are calling for climate change and land clearing to dominate environmental
concerns at the Queensland election.

TOBY HUTCHEON from the Queensland Conservation Council says there needs to be a new
approach to climate change .. with targets set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
engage the community in supporting change.

He says increasing reliance on coal and building more dams .. like the proposed Traveston
Dam .. is simply killing Queensland.

Meanwhile The Wilderness Society says the state needs a real and binding commitment
from all political parties to protect remaining wild rivers and support the planned phase
out of broadscale land clearing.

AAP RTV rm/sc/es/bart

KEYWORD: POLL QLD ENVIRONMENT (BRISBANE)

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

WA: Two men stabbed in brawl outside Perth nightclub

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2006
WA: Two men stabbed in brawl outside Perth nightclub

PERTH, April 9 AAP - A man has stab wounds in his throat after an early morning fight
in the inner Perth suburb of Northbridge.

Police said he was one of two men picked up a short time after a fight at 4.45am involving
a large group of men in the carpark behind the Metropolis nightclub.

Both men were found bleeding and wandering along Wellington Street.

The second man was treated in hospital for stab wounds to his arm.

Police said both men had suffered only minor injuries.

AAP jh/wjf/de

KEYWORD: STABBED

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

Voiceglo Seeks GloConnect Beta Testers

Wireless News
12-02-2004
Voiceglo Seeks GloConnect Beta Testers

WIRELESS NEWS-2 December 2004-Voiceglo Seeks GloConnect Beta Testers (C)2004 10Meters - http://www.10meters.com

Voiceglo, a global communications and networking company, this week issued a call for beta testers to download and try out its new GloConnect application.
Voiceglo said its new "overlay" technology unites all instant messaging (IM) services - including the AOL IM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and ICQ - and allows the more than 600 million instant messenger users to now text message, voice message and phone each other for free no matter which - or how many different - platforms are involved.

Voiceglo invites GloConnect beta users to provide feedback on their experiences with the application and share their thoughts on how this innovative tool can be enhanced to become one of the most convenient, free communications services ever available.

"An incredible amount of communications today take place online," stated Edward Cespedes, president of Voiceglo. "With GloConnect, we have eliminated any communications boundaries that may have existed on the Internet and now provide people with a free and simple way to keep in touch using multiple text and voice-based functions. By inviting beta users to participate in our Users Forum and give us product feedback, we will ensure that we are providing consumers with everything they could want in an instant messaging service - and more."

GloConnect, which launched in beta version on Tuesday, is available for download at http://www.gloconnect.com.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@10meters.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

(Copyright M2 Communications Ltd. December 2, 2004)

Sealant for thermal spray coatings from Aremco. (Materials).

Aremco Products Inc has introduced a high-temperature sealant intended for use in filling the microporous voids in various thermal spray coatings.

Ceramacoat 503-VFG-S is a water-dispersible, alumina-filled sealant that is, according to the US firm, a chemically resistant material that will not outgas or decompose in corrosive applications to 1760[degrees]C.

The product is applied using a sponge, brush or pneumatic spray equipment. A full cure is achieved after exposure for 1-2 hours at 370[degrees]C. The product sinters and strengthens as it is exposed to temperatures above 535[degrees]C, the company states.

For further information, contact: Aremco Products Inc, 707-B Executive Boulevard, PO Box 517, Valley Cottage, AT 10989, USA; tel: +1-845-268-0039; fax: +1-845-268-0041; E-mail: aremco@aremco.com; Internet: www.aremco.com

ic24 offer: Join the information super highway now.(Competition/Offers)

UNFORTUNATELY, British summers don't always deliver endless days of sunshine (just ask a Wimbledon ball-boy!) so bring the world of the Internet to your doorstep.

ic24 CD Roms*, available to all Esso customers until September 30, 2000, offer free Internet access and free time online at the weekends.

And in case the sun does come out, these disks also include free Route Finder UK and Ireland software too, to help you escape into the country and make the most of the summer.

It's all available from Esso and ic24, completely free, where you see this sign.

*Participating service stations only, subject to availability.

MACROMEDIA: Macromedia announces winners of annual People's Choice Awards.

M2 PRESSWIRE-4 June 1999-MACROMEDIA: Macromedia announces winners of annual People's Choice Awards (C)1994-99 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:030699

* Popular Competition Honoring Year's Finest Digital Works Held in Conjunction with Masters of the Web Mini-Marathon

San Francisco, Calif. -- Macromedia Inc. (NASDAQ: MACR) today announced the winners of the 1999 Macromedia People's Choice Awards, the company's popular competition that allows Macromedia developers and designers to honor new digital works created by their peers. With voting held last week at the Macromedia International User Conference in San Francisco, 22 winners were named in categories spotlighting various multimedia, print, and Web projects. UCON '99 also served as the venue for the Masters of the Web Macromedia Mini-Marathon, a six-hour competition benefiting a San Francisco-based educational employment charity.

"With the People's Choice Awards, the Masters of the Web Mini-Marathon, and a world-class line-up of conference sessions and keynotes, UCON '99 was a defining moment for Web design in 1999," said Brian Allum, senior vice president of worldwide field operations at Macromedia. "We are pleased to see such a vast array of groundbreaking works created with Macromedia products, and we are glad to see them honored by thousands of Web designers worldwide. Our warm congratulations go out to all 22 winners." With tight competition causing voters to name ties in three categories, the Macromedia People's Choice Awards honored the following works and authors:

Multimedia

Corporate Learning (tie): Customers, Conflicts and You by San Francisco Municipal Railway; and Training Games: Robbery Before, During and After by vs|interactive, L.P.

Entertainment: The Secret Garden of Mutabor by yenz.com

Fine Art: SoundBox: New Desktop Instruments by SoundBox Interactive

Business: Die neue S-Klasse Sinn und Sinnlichkeit by Mareike Schmidt, Scholtz & Volkmer

Interactive Education: driver-ZED by Electronic Learning Facilitators

Interactive Portfolio: Less Rain by Less Rain Kidsware: Photo Hunt in Yellowstone by Periscope Productions/True North Studios

Interactive Reference: A Journey into the World of Mozart's Opera by LORCOM Multimedia

Non-Commercial: e.s.p.r.i.t. millennium by Rochester Institute of Technology

Promotional Entertainment: X-Files Fight the Future Event - Shockwave Game by Click Active Media

Print

Identity: '5' Media Kit, Identity, and Covers by Stacie Hampton

Illustration (tie): Bus-A-Move by Refinery Design Company, Inc.; and Voyage to the Sun by Vincent Interrante Infographics: Let Ron Draw It by Nidus Corp.

Marketing Collateral: 50K Teaser Cards by 50K Design Management Posters (tie): Breathe by Stacie Hampton; and Vector-figures.01 by Studio 202

Type Design: Metro Manila Font by Akimbo Design Overall Awards

Best of Show Award (Print): 50k Teaser Cards by 50K Design Management

Most Innovative Use of Multimedia Award: SAMI -Synergistic Automated Manipulator Interface by Pitsco, Inc.

Add Life to the Web Award: Prince of Egypt: The Official Web Site by Media Revolution

Macromedia also joined forces with Masters of the Web, the annual competition among the country's top Web designers, to host the Masters of the Web Macromedia Mini-Marathon on May 25. The six-hour Web design competition gave designers the opportunity to develop a portion of a Web site for an initiative of CHALK: Community in Harmony Advocating for Learning and Kids.

Located on the Web at http://www.webmasters99.com, the San Francisco-based organization uses technology to empower and educate youth through innovative employment programs. Taking first place in the competition and receiving a new Apple iMac was Vision Factory of Apex, N.C. Second place winners were Team JUXT, by Todd Perguson of Juxt Interactive, Irvine, Calif., who received $500 from Comstock Stock Photography. Third place winners were a team of four design professionals calling themselves Factor 15: Joe Caccavano, Mike Caccavano, Brett Yancy Collins and Sharon R. Brown each received Macromedia Flash 4 authoring software for taking third place.

About Macromedia

Macromedia's mission is to add life to the Web. By providing its award-winning Web Publishing, Web Entertainment, and Web Learning solutions to Web designers, consumers, and the enterprise, Macromedia is delivering a completely new generation of Internet tools and technologies designed to transform the Web experience. Headquartered in San Francisco, Macromedia (NASDAQ: MACR) has more than 500 employees worldwide and is available on the Internet at http://www.macromedia.com.

*M2 COMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED WITHIN M2 PRESSWIRE. DATA SUPPLIED BY NAMED PARTY/PARTIES.*

Mobile Interactive Group Research Reveals Opportunity in Social Media and Participation TV Services.

Mobile Interactive Group (MIG) has released a research white paper on the trends and opportunities in participation TV (P-TV) services in particular social channels across global markets.

According to a release, the research uncovers technological and behavioural insights in to the entire P-TV value chain, from the types of devices that consumers use to interact with TV shows (tablet, internet, mobile, apps, SMS, fixed line) how they multi-task with them whilst watching TV and over which payment channels they prefer to purchase participation services such as voting and competitions.

It also interrogates mash-ups between established social media channels, in particular Twitter and Facebook, with TV and interactivity concluding that there is an emerging and potent P-TV model based on interactivity driven through social media -Social Participation TV, a new term identified by MIG.

Research findings include:

1. Mobile will become the main vehicle for interaction between viewer and broadcaster

40 percent of mobile users are most likely to be multi-tasking using their phone while watching the TV

2. Smartphone adoption will drive TV and mobile multi-tasking in UK and US, creating a more engaged audience, and significantly increasing programme interaction

The majority of multi-tasking occurs during the evenings and weekends during peak TV times when online browsing declines and mobile browsing grows

3. Facebook will drive a shift in interactive audience behaviour away from phone calls and text with these channels becoming peripheral in the long term

Facebook mobile now accounts for 50 percent of its 700 million users globally. 67 percent of all respondents indicated that the internet is the ideal way to interact with TV shows with 50 percent of those indicating that Facebook would be their preferred channel to purchase and use participation TV services such as voting.

4. Interactive events via Facebook are expected to generate $51.7 million (GBP32.04 million) in the UK by 2012 and $2.9 billion globally by 2016.

MIG's global research into the Social Participation TV sector, incorporated qualitative and quantitative insights from The IAB and PhonePay Plus and Adfonic, and also drew conclusions from interviews conducted with 3,000 consumers in the UK.

Barry Houlihan, CEO, Mobile Interactive Group, said: "Social participation TV is a huge opportunity for MIG and our broadcast partners, with mobile featuring as the key enabler and engagement tool. The mobile device is ingrained in our daily lives, and is rapidly becoming a core component in the ability to create an interaction between the viewer and the TV. As a medium, TV continues to be the biggest and best in terms of attracting a large audience; and mass P-TV shows like Big Brother remain the cornerstone for broadcasters in terms of interaction and entertainment, whilst also opening new revenue channels."

Mobile Interactive Group (MIG) is a global integrated mobile and digital communications business.

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

COMPLIANCE: CUNA ADDS RSS FEED TO COMPBLOG.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA):

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) has added an RSS feed to its new compliance blog, CompBlog. RSS, which stands for "really simple syndication," is a format used to syndicate--or "feed"-- content automatically.

CUNA's CompBlog users will need a "RSS reader" or "feed aggregator," such as Google Reader, to access the feed. Then RSS subscribers will automatically receive the blog's updates without having to check the webpage every day.

Use the first resource link below to visit CUNA's CompBlog and click "CompBlog RSS" in the right-hand column of the page. Then just click on "subscribe" and save the feed in your Internet browser.

CUNA's CompBlog combines the information that credit union compliance professionals have relied on for years in CUNA's Compliance Challenge with content previously found in its popular "What's New in Compliance"--and serves it up in a timely delivery format. CUNA launched CompBlog on June 20.

CompBlog readers can send comments and questions to CUNA's compliance department via the blog, and keep the conversation going with their peers on COBWEB, CUNA's popular compliance listserv. Readers with an idea for a post or a question should contact CUNA's compliance team at cucomply@cuna.com.

Shield law no help for Clyde Hill woman on Internet.(News)

Byline: Seattle Times Staff and The Associated Press

People who post to online message boards don't have the same protections as mainstream journalists when it comes to keeping their sources secret, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a case involving a Bellevue-area woman.

The court said in a unanimous ruling against Shellee Hale, of Clyde Hill, that New Jersey's shield law provides broad protection to the news media and is not limited to traditional news outlets such as newspapers and magazines, but does not apply to message-board posters.

"To ensure that the privilege does not apply to every self-appointed newsperson, the Legislature requires that other means of disseminating news be 'similar' to traditional news sources to qualify for the law's coverage," Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote for the court in its 5-0 ruling.

The case involved a New Jersey software company named Too Much Media, which sued the woman for defamation and wanted her to reveal sources she had cited in message-board posts. The company makes software used by many online porn sites to track traffic from other sites to determine how much those sites should be paid in commissions.

Three years ago, Hale posted comments on an online bulletin board that accused the company of engaging in fraudulent practices and of threatening the life of someone who divulged details about it, according to a court filing.

Hale claimed she was gathering information for an investigation of organized-crime infiltration of the online porn industry and planned to publish her findings on a website and possibly in a book. She invoked the shield law, to avoid identifying the person who was threatened and another source who first told her of the threats.

On Tuesday, she told The Seattle Times she was disappointed in the ruling.

"I believe I deserved the right to protect a source," she said.

New Jersey's law is one of the broadest in the country in its protection of journalists' sources. But it dates to 1977 -- long before the Internet brought a sea change to news distribution.

The law protects anyone "engaged on, engaged in, connected with, or employed by news media for the purpose of gathering, procuring, transmitting, compiling, editing or disseminating news for the general public, newspapers, magazines, press associations, news agencies, wire services, radio, television or other similar printed, photographic, mechanical or electronic means of disseminating news to the general public."

In Tuesday's ruling, however, the court concluded the material at the heart of the case was posted to online message boards, which the justices said are simply forums for discussion and don't fit the definition of news media as described by the law.

Hale contests that she was reposting statements she had also written on Pornafia, her now-defunct blog about the pornography industry and crime.

"We never believed any court would find that Ms. Hale was a journalist," said Joel N. Kreizman, an attorney for Too Much Media. "What the court found was that these message boards are online conversations and are no more journalistic than any other conversations."

He added: "If the court were to have considered her a member of the media, anyone could say they are a member of the media to protect their sources."

Hale has stopped investigating pornography websites. She now fixes her attention on finding missing persons, and volunteers as an administrative aide with the King County Search and Rescue Association.

Seattle Times staff reporter J.B. Wogan contributed to this report.

Copyright (c) 2011 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved.

Acai and protein.(New Products)

Sambazon expanded its functional line of acai beverages with the addition of Organic Protein Superfood Smoothies. Available in Acai Berry + Chocolate and Acai Berry + Vanilla, the smoothies combine acai berry with organic protein from hemp and soy, the company says. Sambazon's Protein Superfood Smoothies provide a blend of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and 10 grams of vegan protein. The beverages are sold in 10.5-ounce bottles for $2.99. The company also introduced Organic Acai with Orange Juice, which is a 100 percent juice that combines orange juice with acai and acerola. Organic Acai with Orange Juice is available in 10.5-ounce bottles for $2.99 and 32-ounce bottles for $7.99.

SAMBAZON ORGANIC PROTEIN SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIES

Sambazon, San Clemente, Calif.

Telephone: 877/726-2296

Internet: sambazon.com

Distribution: National

Ingredients: Organic Protein Superfood Smoothies Acai Berry + Vanilla: Organic acai juice (filtered water, organic acai puree), vegan protein blend (organic soymilk [filtered water, organic soybeans], organic hemp protein), organic sugar, organic natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juice, vanilla extract, organic soy lecithin, carrageenan and citric acid.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Transaero fleet expands to 60 aircraft.

M2 PRESSWIRE-May 5, 2011-: Transaero fleet expands to 60 aircraft(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

RDATE:05052011

Transaero Airlines, Russia's second-largest passenger air carrier, announces today the increase in the size of its fleet to 60 aircraft as it took delivery of another Boeing 747-400 wide-body long-haul aircraft. The newly acquired aircraft brings the number of Boeing 747 aircraft that Transaero operates to15.

The Boeing 747-400 seats 522 passengers - 16 in business class and 506 in economy class. The aircraft will be operated on routes to high demand tourist destinations.

With the new aircraft Transaero's fleet currently comprises 15 Boeing 747s, 8 Boeing 777s, 12 Boeing 767s, 22 Boeing 737s and 3 Tu-214 aircraft. In total, wide-body, long-haul aircraft now account for 35 of Transaero's total fleet. Furthermore, Transaero will continue its fleet expansion with the delivery of more aircraft in the near future.

The purchase of the new aircraft has further contributed to Transaero's leading positions as the largest operator of long-haul wide-body aircraft in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe.

About Transaero Airlines

Transaero Airlines is the second-largest passenger airline in Russia. Transaero launched its services in November, 1991. Transaero's fleet consists of 60 modern aircraft including fifteen Boeing 747s, eight Boeing 777s, twelve 767s, twenty two 737s and three Tupolev 214s.Transaero has the largest long-haul fleet in Russia. It is the only carrier flying Boeing 777 and Boeing 747 passenger aircraft in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe. According to the German Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Center (JACDEC), the company ranked the top 10 safest carriers among 60 largest airlines. Transaero serves more than 100 routes in Russia, Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America. Transaero maintains scheduled flights from hubs in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, where its head office is located, from Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. Transaero was the first Russian full service airline to introduce e-ticketing in March 2007 and the first in the country to offer Internet check-in for its passengers.

((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).

Fly in fly out arranged extended to remote overseas locations.

Under the operation of the former section 23AG, fly in fly out benefits to remote locations overseas were exempt from FBT because no FBT liability arose in relation to benefits provided to employees whose salary or wages were fully exempt from income tax. Removing the section 23AG exemption for affected individuals has brought these individuals within the FBT regime effective 1 July 2009.

In his Press Release of 18 November 2010, the Assistant Treasurer, the Honourable Bill Shorten said "The operation of the current FBT exemption for fly-in/fly-out arrangements, which apply for work in Australia, will be extended and applied to Australian workers in similar situations overseas."

Treasury issued draft legislation Tax Laws Amendment (2011Measures No.2)Bill: FBT exemption for fly-in fly-out and sought comment. (Fly In Fly Out Submission) We believe that our submission highlights a number of inconsistencies and as a result, Australian residents earning employment income (whether within Australia or overseas) continue to be treated unequally.

The term "remote overseas location" is not defined in the draft legislation. Rather the draft explanatory memorandum states that whether a location overseas is remote will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis, having regard to the location of the work place and a number of related factors.

The status of the employer may have an important bearing on the FBT exposure. It needs to be reviewed in light of TD 2011/1 which deals with PAYG withholding obligations and FBT associated with non resident employers. (Beyond Numbers 2/03/2011)

As per TD 2011/1, fringe benefits received in situations where there is no obligation to withhold from payments made to an employee may be Australian assessable income in the hands of that employee. The employee would be denied a tax deduction based on the Australian Taxation Office's view contained Taxation Ruling IT 112 that travel between home and a person's regular place of employment or business is ordinarily private travel.

Background

Paragraph 1.32 of the draft explanatory memorandum lists a number of factors to be utilised in determining whether a location can be considered 'remote', the following factors should be considered:

the distance and time it takes to travel from the worksite to the nearest urban area;

the population of the nearest urban area;

accessibility of the overseas site;

safety and the crime rate, adequacy of local law enforcement, or health risks in the surrounding areas to the worksite (and whether the nearest urban area is reasonably safe if adequate precautions are taken, the ability to take safety precautions);

location of the worksite relative to the arrival destination in the foreign country (for example, an international airport);

the quality of the roads between the nearest urban area and the worksite; and

amenities and facilities available in surrounding areas (in close proximity to the worksite), such as (but not limited to):

public transport;

availability of accommodation/housing;

a library, public park or other recreational facilities;

places for buying a variety of foods;

suitable schooling;

a reliable electricity supply and access to clean drinking water/running water and a sewage system; and

availability of access to the internet, mobile phone reception and access to facilities such as banks and medical supplies and facilities.

The determination of whether a location is "remote" needs to be made on a case by case basis.

The problematic nature of self-assessing a remote location is clearly highlighted in the typical scenario where an employer engages employees to provide support services to Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel at a foreign location. Under this arrangement, the employer will need to consider the following:

If the employees have been posted to locations such as Afghanistan (i.e. Kabul) or Sudan (i.e. Khartoum), would these locations be considered to be remote overseas locations given the level of danger present? The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises against all travel to these locations, yet employers contracted to the ADF will have staff present in these locations.

The income tax and FBT implications in relation to the employees if these locations are not considered to be remote overseas locations, as they are not entitled to the same relief as ADF personnel under section 23AG and FBT regime

The stated objective of Tax Laws Amendment (2009 Budget Measures No.1) Act 2009 and Tax Laws Amendment (2011 Measures No.2) Bill: FBT exemption for fly-in fly-out is to improve the fairness and integrity of Australia's tax system by better targeting the tax exemption for income earned by Australians overseas.

TD 2011/1 makes a clear distinction between the tax treatments afforded to fringe benefits where the non resident employer has a sufficient connection with Australia as compared to a non resident employer with no connection to Australia.

Provided the non resident employer who has a sufficient connection to Australia is satisfied that the location can be viewed as remote, the provision of transport to and from the worksite from an employee's usual place of residence in Australia, provided by the employer, would be exempt from FBT.

Where the employer has no connection with Australia, the employee would be required to include the value of transport to and from the worksite as assessable. The employee would be denied a tax deduction because travel between home and a person's regular place of employment or business is ordinarily private travel. While travel to work is a necessary pre-requisite to earning income it is not undertaken in the course of earning that income.

This publication is issued by Moore Stephens Australia Pty Limited ACN 062 181 846 (Moore Stephens Australia) exclusively for the general information of clients and staff of Moore Stephens Australia and the clients and staff of all affiliated independent accounting firms (and their related service entities) licensed to operate under the name Moore Stephens within Australia (Australian Member). The material contained in this publication is in the nature of general comment and information only and is not advice. The material should not be relied upon. Moore Stephens Australia, any Australian Member, any related entity of those persons, or any of their officers employees or representatives, will not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with the material contained in this publication. Copyright [c] 2009 Moore Stephens Australia Pty Limited. All rights reserved.

Mr Michael van Schaik

Moore Stephens

Level 14,

607 Bourke Street

Melbourne

Victoria

3000

AUSTRALIA

Tel: 38635 1858

Fax: 39629 5716

E-mail: info@moorestephens.com.au

URL: www.moorestephens.com.au

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BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - MARCH 6-8, 2010.

A summary of news releases for March 6, 7 and 8, 2010, compiled by Business Wire, the global leader in news distribution. To view any of these news release on Business Wire's website, please go to www.businesswire.com.

1) Category Code: Trucking

CATERPILLAR, NAVISTAR JOINT VENTURE, NC2, SET TO LAUNCH AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONS

NC2 Global LLC, the global joint venture between Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV), is set to launch Australian operations, with truck sales to begin mid-year.

2) Category Code: Software

UNITED NATIONS SELECTS SMARTMATIC FOR VOTER REGISTRATION IN AFRICA

The United Nations, through its Development Programme (UNDP), has selected Smartmatic to provide new technologies for the improvement of the electoral register of the Republic of Zambia. Smartmatic, a leading provider of technological solutions for governments, was selected after the UN conducted a rigorous testing of numerous identity and registry technologies.

3) Category Code: Other Technology

OPTIONS IT ADDS INDUSTRY VETERAN RICHARD BURKE TO ITS U.S. SALES TEAM

Options IT, a leading provider of high-performance technology Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), ultra-low latency market data and connectivity for hedge funds, proprietary trading shops, investment banks and brokerages, today announced industry veteran Richard Burke has joined the firm's U.S. sales team.

4) Category Code: Security

GEMALTO'S INNOVATIVE MACHINE-TO-MACHINE SOLUTION RECEIVES 2009 SMARTGRID PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM TMC.COM

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, today announced that its MASSIM solution has received a 2009 SmartGrid Product of the Year Award from Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) and Intelligent Communications Partners.

5) Category Code: Consumer Electronics

BLU-RAY PATENT LICENSING PROGRAM ANNOUNCED BY FOUR COMPANIES

Four leading companies Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Thomson Licensing, Toshiba Corporation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (collectively, the "BD4C Licensing Group") today announced that they have commenced a worldwide joint licensing program beginning on March 1, 2010 for Blu-ray ("BD") and DVD patents essential for BD decoders, BD encoders, BD players, BD read-only discs, BD recordable discs, BD drives, BD/DVD hybrid discs and BD recorders ("BD Products"), including BD Products that incorporate DVD functionality.

6) Category Code: Financial

AITE GROUP HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY FOCUSED BROKERS FOLLOWING TSE ARROWHEAD LAUNCH

An independent report from Aite Group examines the overall capabilities of Tokyo Stock Exchange's arrowhead, and its potential impact on the evolution of the competitive landscape in the Japanese equity markets. The study, commissioned by Tora Holdings, Asia's leading provider of advanced trading technology and financial services, highlights the need to utilize brokers with a strong commitment to investing in the latest technology infrastructure in order to capture the benefits offered by arrowhead. Launch of arrowhead: The Need for a Next-Gen Broker in Japan is available for download at http://www.tora.com/aite-arrowhead.html.

7) Category Code: Internet

MEDIA & INTERNET COMPANIES GET SPOTLIGHT AT ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS 22ND ANNUAL OC GROWTH STOCK CONFERENCE MARCH 15-17, 2010

ROTH Capital Partners (ROTH), www.roth.com, a full service investment bank recognized for providing financing and advisory services to emerging growth companies worldwide, today announced that the upcoming 22nd Annual OC Growth Stock Conference will feature a Media and Internet Track with presentations from leading companies in advertising, entertainment, content distribution and exhibition, media technology, and e-commerce. The invitation-only conference will be held March 15-17, 2010 at The Ritz Carlton, located at 1 Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point, California.

8) Category Code: Utilities

ALLEGRO RECEIVES TOP RANKINGS IN 2010 ENERGY RISK SOFTWARE SURVEY

Allegro, the leading provider of energy trading and risk management (ETRM) solutions, announced today that it has received top rankings in a number of key categories in the annual Energy Risk Magazine Software Survey. Allegro took first place in Market Risk for Gas and in Physical and Financial Integration, and second for Best Overall ETRM Platform and Market Leader of ETRM Systems.

9) Category Code: Semiconductor

GLOBALFOUNDRIES SINGAPORE ANNOUNCES EARLY RESULTS OF ITS TENDER OFFER AND CONSENT SOLICITATION FOR ANY AND ALL OF ITS 5.75% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2010

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd. (f.k.a. Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd. (UEN / Registration Number 198703584K)) (GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore) today announced that, in connection with its previously announced cash tender offer and consent solicitation (the Tender Offer) for any and all of its outstanding 5.75% Senior Notes due 2010 (CUSIP No. 16133RAB2 / ISIN US16133RAB24) (the 2010 Notes), GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore has settled all 2010 Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 5, 2010 (the Consent Payment Deadline). As of the Consent Payment Deadline, the aggregate principal amount of the 2010 Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn was $158,562,000, which represents approximately 62.22% of the outstanding principal amount of the 2010 Notes. All of the tendered 2010 Notes as of the Consent Payment Deadline have been accepted for payment, and the payment was made today. Holders of the 2010 Notes who tendered on or prior to the Consent Payment Deadline received $1,021.25 per $1,000 principal amount of the 2010 Notes, which included a consent payment of $20.00 per $1,000 principal amount of the 2010 Notes and the tender offer consideration of $1,001.25 per $1,000 principal amount of the 2010 Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, today. The withdrawal deadline for holders to withdraw their tendered 2010 Notes and consents was 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 5, 2010 (the Withdrawal Deadline). Any 2010 Notes validly tendered after the Withdrawal Deadline may not be withdrawn, except as required by law. GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore and the trustee for the 2010 Notes have executed a supplemental indenture to the indenture governing the 2010 Notes that eliminates substantially all of its restrictive covenants and certain events of default.

10) Category Code: Alternative Energy

SPG SOLAR NAMES CHRIS ROBINE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

SPG Solar announced today that Chris Robine will join the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Robine replaces Paul McKnight who will be leaving SPG Solar to pursue other opportunities.

11) Category Code: Software

WESTERN POWER AWARDS MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT TO MINCOM

Mincom, a leading global provider of software and services for asset-intensive industries, today announced a significant new agreement worth $7 million with Western Power, which serves the electricity needs of nearly one million homes and businesses in Western Australia and maintains an electricity network comprised of nearly 88,000 km of power lines. Through its adoption of Mincom Mobility solutions, Western Power will enable 1,600 operational field employees to access real-time data about the state of every company asset - such as power poles and street lights - remotely from their mobile devices.

12) Category Code: Accounting

CPA EXAMINATION CONTRACT RENEWED IN THE U.S. THROUGH 2024

The contract providing for nationwide administration of the Uniform CPA Examination in the United States has been extended until 2024 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, and Prometric - the three organizations that jointly offer the CPA Examination in the United States.

13) Category Code: Banking

MASTERCARD RENEWS MULTI-YEAR PAYMENT TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT WITH TRANSACTION NETWORK SERVICES

Transaction Network Services (NYSE:TNS) has renewed its agreement with MasterCard to provide payment server software for MasterCard's ecommerce platform, the MasterCard Internet Gateway Service (MiGS).

14) Category Code: Software

TAIWAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION APPROVES THE ADOBE CERTIFIED ASSOCIATE CERTIFICATION

Certiport (www.certiport.com) announced the Taiwan Ministry of Education (MOE) has endorsed the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) program as part of the government's efforts to help students excel in today's highly competitive and global marketplace. The ACA credential, recognized globally or in more than 130 countries around the world, certifies individuals have the skills to plan, design, build and maintain effective communications using different forms of digital media.

15) Category Code: Other Technology

TUV RHEINLAND AND STANDARDS INSTITUTION OF ISRAEL SIGN AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION

The Standards Institution of Israel (SII) and TUV Rheinland have reached an agreement on strategic cooperation. In this cooperation, the focus will be on testing and certification of electric products and components destined for the Israeli and global marketplace under the CB Scheme of the Worldwide System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment and Components (IECEE).

ASIA PULSE bl 09-03 1408

Copper Sinks Store Now Online.

Puslinch, ON, Mar 31, 2009 (PRWeb.com via COMTEX) -- The G-NET Decorative Plumbing Group is proud to announce the launch of CopperSinksStore.com, an online retailer that is focused on the distribution of premium grade copper sinks. The G-NET Decorative Plumbing group has been in operation since January of 2006, and is recognized as a leader in the online retailing and distribution of decorative plumbing products.

"The Copper Sinks Store was a natural progression for us", says Shawn Gusz, head of sales and marketing for G-NET Inc. and the Copper Sinks Store. "We already have a significant online presence through our network focused on stone sinks, our primary product, but our copper sinks and the vendors we represent were not getting the exposure they deserved, so creating a specialty store focused just on these phenomenal copper sink (http://www.coppersinksstore.com) products was an easy decision" says Gusz.

There are various grades of copper sinks available on the market. It's unfortunate that the vast majority of the "low priced" copper sinks on the internet are actually not anywhere near pure copper and contain other additives which make them less attractive and much lower quality. "The general rule is that quality copper sinks are only made in two countries, India and Mexico." says Gusz. "All of the sinks on our web site are manufactured by experienced copper artisans from both of these countries and the copper is nearly 100% pure. Furthermore we don't try to lower costs by using thinner material; all of our copper sinks (http://www.coppersinksstore.com) are made of either 18 gauge or 16 gauge copper, which is what a quality copper sink should be made from".

Why buy online? E-commerce and the internet have redefined the home and bathroom decor landscape. Shopping at online companies, such as the Copper Sinks Store makes it possible to find products like designer copper sinks (http://www.coppersinksstore.com) at prices far less than your local retailer would sell them for. Gusz says that he realizes some people may hesitate when purchasing a copper sink online but they put a lot of effort into making sure the customer sees an accurate representation of the product. "We provide a full description, measurements, material types, cleaning and care information as well as high resolution photos of each product". In addition, the Copper Sinks Store backs up their products with a minimum of one year warranty and a 30 day return policy.

For additional information and to see the latest in copper sinks for your bathroom, kitchen or bar please visit the Copper Sinks Store (http://www.coppersinksstore.com)

###

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/03/prweb2282404.htm.

PRWeb.com

PRWEB.COM Newswire

Telecom Italia to acquire Time Warner's AOL Germany Internet access business for EUR675 million.(GERMANY)

Telecom Italia and Time Warner Inc. announced that Telecom Italia has agreed to acquire Time Warner's AOL Germany Internet access business for EUR675 million ($870 million, Equity Value) in cash.

The companies expect to close the transaction in four to six months, after receiving the customary regulatory approvals.

In light of Germany's fast-growing demand for broadband Internet access (over 12 million ADSL subscribers as of June 30, 2006, that could increase by 10 million in the next three years), Telecom Italia is moving to consolidate its presence in Germany, which started with its acquisition of Hansenet in 2003 and expanded with its organic growth. Once its acquisition of AOL Germany's Internet access business closes, Telecom Italia will be Germany's second-largest broadband provider--with more than 3.2 million total subscribers, including nearly 2 million broadband customers.

Telecom Italia is already a European leader in broadband Internet access. With its presence in Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as its pending acquisition of AOL Germany's Internet access business, Telecom Italia will serve approximately 9 million broadband subscribers in Europe. Under a new partnership, AOL will provide co-branded audience services and content on a joint Web portal for all of Telecom Italia's residential Internet access subscribers in Germany and will handle all online advertising sales.

AOL Germany has operated as an ISP for over 10 years and competes in both narrowband and broadband Internet access. As of June 2006, AOL Germany ranked second and third among German narrowband and broadband

access providers, respectively, with 1.1 million broadband subscribers and approximately 1.3 million narrowband subscribers.

Turning over editorial pages to the bloggers is a terrible idea: who should be the teacher here, anyway? Not the chatterers on the Internet.(SYMPOSIUM: The Big Blow-Up and the future of editorial pages)

What my old newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, has been doing in rethinking its editorial page for the Web is juvenile at best and destabilizing at worst. Some smart people have clever ideas, but they are drawing flawed conclusions about the influence of editorials and the role of the newspaper as an institution.

This audience knows better than anyone that a newspaper's pronouncements may not sparkle every day. Many editorials need to be spruced up or made stronger. But that doesn't mean we should bring on the bloggers as consultants, which seems to be the philosophy at the Times, while under Michael Kinsley's restless direction.

In the Times' first experiment with wiki editorials, it was astonishing to watch the Web experts wrestle "live" with distinctions of fact and differing opinion that seasoned editorial page people have lots of experience handling and routing.

The key for online opinion is to find suitable new formats that supplement the printed page, and to transfer the best standards of our discipline to any Web-based "citizen journal ism" initiatives like wiki. In the formulation of public policy, this nation has been served well by one of those fixed stars, what I call the compact between editorial pages and readers. It has to do with being clear about who is talking in the unsigned editorials, the letters that come in response, and the signed op-ed articles that inform and entertain.

That basic understanding is being unraveled in Los Angeles. I don't mean by putting more reader comment online and making more use of the Web for posting documents and having people react. Those things are fine. Some recent changes in the Sunday opinion section are clever and may liven things up.

My concern is the neutering or trivializing of a newspaper's voice by contracting editorials out. Or by allowing readers to do their own scribbling to rewrite editorials. Or by describing a paper's position as a work in progress, as seems to be the philosophy in an editorial called, "Thinking Out Loud."

All of this because people are worried that editorial pages aren't interesting enough. Having boring editorials does not mean that editorials are unimportant. Quite the opposite. Influencing your bottom lines has kept many a political consultant or public relations person in business. What a coup the lobbyists, special interests, and politicians would imagine they had if they could get you to think you were "out of it" and needed to turn the institutional voice over to others.

When I was the editor of the Times' Orange County edition editorial page, we had a precursor to the wikitorial writer. It was the citizen expert, armed with a PC in sprawling new suburbs. These writers were generally knowledgeable and anxious to kill a proposal for an international airport at the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. We ran thousands of their letters, and by the close of the past decade when the airport proposal was voted down in favor of a park, the newspaper was linking to documents and having chats with readers online.

But not all of such blogging is of good quality. Somebody will have to check the veracity of the claims made by advocates on both sides for such things as decibel levels, or pollution impact, and the like. The assumption that your institutional opinion is going to improve by bringing in the online writers is naive. Would that many of their points of view were better reasoned or informed. And ultimately, the newspaper itself should decide.

The good editorial page has attributes worth championing in addition to its clear positions and analysis. It doesn't shoot from the hip; it checks things out; it uses its board meetings and daily appointments with readers to an advantage not available to those spewing out a blog. Its established customs and procedures, its commitment to fair play in commentary, have the effect of shoring up a newspaper's foundation, inoculating it against real damage at the hands of ranting critics.

Editorial pages surely must publish and even stimulate criticism, but a top editor is also a guardian and a trustee who would not expose the mothership to crippling attack. This should go without saying. But in instituting a column called "Outside The Tent" that calls on attacks from people with axes to grind, Kinsley seemed to go beyond innovation. Some people who cherish the Times share my concern about this column, coming as it has at a time when the paper roused reader indignation for cutting back on coverage in the region.

Kinsley also told L.A. Business Journal that newspapers don't do opinion as well as blogs, which simply isn't true. He passed on an opportunity to trumpet an editorial page's second-day ability to do the reporting, check the facts, and take a breath before responding.

My concern is that this overall approach is creating confusion in the minds of readers that later will have to be undone in the interest of clarity and credibility for the newspaper. Kinsley is a wonderful columnist, and his musings would resonate better if that were his only format. It may be that his strengths as celebrity journalist make it difficult to play his hand with a requisite measure of reserve, so that the paper, not the personality, is always put first.

His task as a top opinion editor should have been to recognize that having editorial pages be less chattering than blogs is a plus, not a minus, even with the opportunity to take advantage of online forms. Editorial pages were doing opinion long before the new guys in town, and they know a lot more about where the landmines are. Who's the teacher here, anyway? That is not to say that the editorial page can't use the digital opportunity to full advantage.

The larger challenge for editorial pages is not so much to change their ground rules to somebody else's game. It's to be liberated by publishers to rethink views, to be better written and reported, and to be more relevant to online readers. The difficulty in doing all these things day in and day out, writing and editing thousands of words, is the reason we hear that even the best pages can be dull.

So let's fight dullness, not farm out and erode the clout of the newspapers. They have lots of experience influencing public opinion, something the bloggers are just learning.

Stephen Burgard is director of Northeastern University's School of Journalism and a past editor and writer for editorial pages since the late 1970s. E-mail s.burgard@neu.edu