FED:News Diary for Friday, Aug 19

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2011
FED:News Diary for Friday, Aug 19
GOOD MORNING NEWS EDITORS AND CHIEFS OF STAFF

Here is AAP's preliminary news diary for Friday Aug 19 (not for publication).

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

TOP STORIES
- Government circles the wagons around Dobell MP Craig Thomson as it's revealed he is
being investigated by Fair Work Australia for giving misleading evidence.

- Hot debate likely at Canberra COAG meeting on carbon and mining taxes.

- Dog laws again under attack in fallout from fatal Melbourne pit bull attack.


COURTS


ADELAIDE
- Supreme Court trial continues for Angelika Gavare, charged with murdering a pensioner
and cutting up her body.
- Supreme Court trial continues for Luka Kageregere charged with the murder of his wife
in a house fire on New Year's Day, two years ago. (Cover on merit).

- Jury continues deliberations in the District Court trial of former AFL footballer Fabian
Francis, charged over the abuse of his ex-wife.


MELBOURNE
0930 - Sentence for an Indian man who falsely threatened to have a woman deported unless
she paid him money
1030 - Pre-sentence for John Leslie Coombes who was on parole for his second murder when
he strangled and dismembered a Melbourne teacher
1030 - Pre-sentence hearing for a man who fatally stabbed a guest outside an 18th birthday party


PERTH
- The murder trial continues of a 24-year-old man who is claiming self-defence after fatally
stabbing his housemate with a kitchen knife. (Dolbey on merit)
- The murder trial continues of a 24-year-old man accused of stabbing another young man
to death during a street brawl in Perth. (Noor on merit).


SYDNEY
0930 - Kristi Anne Abrahams and Robert Smith, charged over murder of Keisha Abraham, Penrith
Local Court, mention.

1000 - Robert Blanshard, elderly "society" stockbroker ripped off posh friends, $3.9 million,
sentence District Court.

1400 - Carnita Matthews, alleged burqa woman, possible costs ruling. Downing Centre District
Court LG2.

OTHER NEWS
ADELAIDE
- Offloading starts for 67,000 sheep stranded at Port Adelaide.


SYDNEY
0900 - Mining magnate Andrew Forrest to address GenerationOne forum on skills and training
for indigenous Australians. Sir Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium, Building EE, University
of Western Sydney, Parramatta.

1000 - Lock the Gate Alliance to hold a strategy breakfast at Sydney Town Hall hosted
by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, with Lock the Gate president Drew Hutton to announce
the next steps of its coal and coal seam gas campaign. Town Hall House.
1045 - NSW Auditor-General to appear before a federal parliamentary Audit Committee public
hearing. Macquarie Room, NSW Parliament House.

1100 - Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland to attend announcement of Australia's
Homeless World Cup team. Football Federation Australia, 22/1 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.

CANBERRA
0930 - COAG meeting
0900 - Interactive and online gambling and gambling advertising and Interactive Gambling
and Broadcasting Amendment (Online Transactions and Other Measures) Bill 2011. Committee
Room 2S3.

0900 - Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement
Integrity, Integrity Testing. Committee Room 2S1.

0930 - Aust Medical Council and Medical Board of Australia to appear before Health and
Ageing, Inquiry into Registration Processes and Support for Overseas Trained Doctors.

Committee Room 1R6.


MELBOURNE
0900 - Melbourne Spring Fashion Week open model call for members of the public
1215 - Federal Minister for Regional Australia, Simon Crean, to address Rural Press Club
of Victoria on the impact of the carbon tax for regional Australia.


FINANCE
ECONOMIC NEWS

Sydney - RBA payments system board meeting

Sydney - Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI)

EQUITIES

Melbourne - ANZ Banking Group Ltd third quarter trading update

Brisbane - QBE Insurance Group Ltd first half results

Perth - Fortescue Metals Group full year results

Adelaide - Santos Ltd first half results

Sydney - Billabong International Ltd full year results

Perth - Boart Longyear Ltd first half results

Brisbane - Duet Group full year results

Melbourne - Spotless Group Ltd full year results





SPORT

AFL

MELBOURNE - Wrap of AFL news.

MELBOURNE - AFL match: Carlton v Hawthorn, Etihad Stadium, 1940.

BRISBANE - Preview Gold Coast v Adelaide.

PERTH - Preview West Coast v Essendon.

MELBOURNE - Preview North Melbourne v Fremantle.

MELBOURNE - Preview Collingwood v Brisbane.

RUGBY LEAGUE

SYDNEY - Wrap of NRL news.

MELBOURNE - NRL match: Melbourne v St George Illawarra, AAMi Park, 1935.

SYDNEY - South Sydney v North Queensland, ANZ Stadium, 1935.

BRISBANE - Preview Gold Coast v Canberra.

SYDNEY - Preview Penrith v Warriors.

SYDNEY - Preview Sydney Roosters v Cronulla.

CRICKET

COLOMBO - Captains' media conferences and preview 4th ODI Australia v Sri Lanka.

MOTORSPORT

BRISBANE - V8 Supercars round at Queensland Raceway starts with qualifying.

RUGBY

PORT ELIZABETH - Preview Tri Nations Test South Africa v New Zealand early Sunday AEST

AAP RTV was/wz

KEYWORD: DIARY NEWS FRIDAY

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

Fed: Special forces appear set to return to Afghanistan

AAP General News (Australia)
02-22-2007
Fed: Special forces appear set to return to Afghanistan

Australian special forces appear set to return to Afghanistan .. ahead of an anticipated
offensive by Taliban and al-Qaeda forces as the northern winter ends.

Defence Minister BRENDAN NELSON says a small defence force survey team will travel
to Afghanistan to determine the shape of a larger commitment.

But he's declined to give details .. and says no final decision's been made.

Dr NELSON has told the Seven Network he won't speak in any detail about reports …

FED:The Aussie dollar is on the up ... and up

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2011
FED:The Aussie dollar is on the up ... and up

By Jason Cadden

SYDNEY, April 21 AAP - The Australian dollar is pushing the 108 US cent mark, driven
by record commodity prices and investor disenchantment with the greenback.

On Thursday the currency hit 107.73, its highest level since it was floated in December 1983.

That means the Australian dollar has gained 10 US cents in just over a month, after
it fell below 97.5 US cents to a four-month low on March 17 following the Japanese earthquake.

In recent weeks, the Australian dollar has received a boost from commodity prices hitting
record levels.

In overnight trade on Wednesday night the gold price rose above $US1,500 an ounce for
the first time ever and silver peaked above $US50 an ounce.

CMC Markets foreign exchange dealer Tim Waterer said another factor in the Australian
dollar's rise was the lack of interest by investors in holding the US dollar.

Mr Waterer said the reluctance by the US central bank to end its economic stimulus
program, called quantitative easing, was also creating US dollar weakness.

"There is quite good confidence in the US economy at the moment but the flipside is
a lot of it is based around US dollar weakness," he said.

A low US dollar would help the economy by keeping exports competitive, Mr Waterer said.

AAP jcc/dlm/was

KEYWORD: DOLLAR FRONTER (WITH GRAPHIC)

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

VIC:Eight injured on turbulent flight

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2011
VIC:Eight injured on turbulent flight

MELBOURNE, Feb 1 AAP - Eight people on board a V Australia flight from Thailand to
Melbourne suffered minor injuries after air turbulence during their trip.

Four cabin crew and four passengers were injured after "moderate turbulence" during
flight VA20 from Phuket, airline spokesman Colin Lippiatt said.

On touching down in Melbourne at 7.40am (AEDT) on Tuesday, two passengers and one crew
member were checked by ambulance staff and given the all-clear.

One passenger told ABC Radio that the turbulence lasted about 10 seconds and there
was "lots of screaming and panic" on board.

One of those looked at by ambulance officers had suffered an apparent bout of food
poisoning and was released without treatment.

Mr Lippiatt said the poisoning was from food ingested before boarding the aircraft,
which held 361 passengers.

Paramedic team manager Jerome Peyton said other people near the sick passenger also
became ill during the flight.

Ambulance staff were told one of the flight crew struck his or her head and another
fell over and an airline trolley landed on them, Mr Peyton said.

AAP xlc/gfr/dep

KEYWORD: FLIGHT UPDATE

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

WA:Chaplain accused of accessing child porn

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2010
WA:Chaplain accused of accessing child porn

PERTH, Aug 24 AAP - A chaplain at a Perth private girls school has been stood down
after being charged with accessing child pornography.

The Police Online Exploitation Squad arrested Reverend Matthew O'Meara, 40, after a
thumb drive containing child pornography was found at Perth College, where he works.

The Mt Lawley man has been charged with two counts of possessing child pornography.

In a statement, police said inquiries were continuing.

Reverend O'Meara has been bailed to attend the Perth Magistrates Court on September 2.

AAP anr/ldj/nl

KEYWORD: PORN

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

Vic: Homicide detectives investigate body found in home

AAP General News (Australia)
04-17-2010
Vic: Homicide detectives investigate body found in home

MELBOURNE, April 17 AAP - Homicide detectives are investigating the discovery of a
woman's body at a house south of Melbourne.

Paramedics called to a home in Turner Road, Langwarrin, about 6.25am (AEST) on Saturday
found the woman aged in her late 40s dead at the scene.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the death was being treated as the result of a domestic
incident.

A crime scene has been established at the house.

AAP ees/cjb

KEYWORD: BODY

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

Fed: Police corruption watchdog gets new facilities

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2009
Fed: Police corruption watchdog gets new facilities

The national anti-police corruption watchdog has a new operations and investigations
facility to help it do its job.

Home Affairs Minister BRENDAN O'CONNOR's unveiled the 750 thousand dollar upgrade to
the facility in Canberra.

The commission was set up by the previous Howard government to covertly investigate
corrupt officers in the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission.

AAP RTV bsb/af/wz

KEYWORD: ACLEI (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Aust boycott of Indian tennis venue matter for sport: Smith

AAP General News (Australia)
04-25-2009
Fed: Aust boycott of Indian tennis venue matter for sport: Smith

Foreign Minister STEPHEN SMITH says Australia's boycott of next month's Tennis Davis
Cup tie in India is a matter for the individual sporting body.

The International Tennis Federation has rejected Australia's request for a neutral
venue for the May 8-10 tie.

Mr SMITH says Tennis Australia has made it's decision after seeking advice from the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Tennis Australia says it's unreasonable to expect the Australian team to travel to
Chennai in the midst of elections .. which has created an unstable situation .. which
has already seen several people killed.

Australia's boycott of next month's tie is expected to spell the end of LLEYTON HEWITT's
stellar Davis Cup career.

AAP RTV saj/sw

KEYWORD: TENNIS SMITH (CANBERRA)

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

NSW: Billy downgraded to category low cyclone.

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2008
NSW: Billy downgraded to category low cyclone.

Tropical cyclone Billy .. which packed destructive winds of up to 130 kilometres this
morning .. has been downgraded to a tropical low category .. as it moves over Western
Australia's north Kimberley coast.

BILLY was a category two cyclone earlier today.

It is likely to continue to move west overland tomorrow .. and may redevelop .. once
it moves off the north Kimberley coast late tomorrow morning.

An earlier warning for Wyndham .. Oombulgurri and Kalumburu has been cancelled.

Residents were put on high alert and advised to take shelter.

There have been no reports of damage.

A warning now extends from Kalumburu to Cockatoo Island .. and a cyclone watch extends
from Cockatoo Island to Broome.

Heavy rain is expected to continue over the north Kimberley tomorrow.

AAP RTV bc/wz

KEYWORD: BILLY (PERTH)

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

Vic: Man, police constable slashed with knife

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2008
Vic: Man, police constable slashed with knife

MELBOURNE, Aug 15 AAP - A man has been arrested after a plain-clothes policeman and
another man were slashed with a knife in a suburban Melbourne shopping centre.

Police say a man approached a group of four other men, produced a knife following an
exchange and slashed one in the face at the Knox Ozone complex in Burwood Highway, Knox,
about 8.45pm (AEST) last night.

One man in the group suffered a slight cut from his right cheek to his ear.

Two plain-clothes officers, both constables from Knox, approached and identified themselves
as police.

The man ran, pursued by the constables.

They tried to subdue the man with capsicum spray in a car park.

One of the constables, 23, suffered a cut face from the knife and a broken finger in
the struggle.

A Croydon man, 19, suffered s stab wound to the stomach in the tussle.

He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remains under police guard.

AAP jrd/cmc

KEYWORD: SLASHED

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

Vic: Police locate toddler's mother

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2008
Vic: Police locate toddler's mother

MELBOURNE, April 6 AAP - Police have located the mother of a toddler after he was found
outside a house in Wyndham Vale in Melbourne's south-west.

Police said the boy was 18 months to two years old and was wearing an orange T-shirt
with kangaroos on it and red tracksuit pants.

Police later said the boy's mother had been located.

AAP gfr/it/jlw

KEYWORD: TODDLER FOUND

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

FED: Conroy to press colleagues on surrogacy laws

AAP General News (Australia)
12-04-2007
FED: Conroy to press colleagues on surrogacy laws

Federal cabinet minister STEPHEN CONROY will personally press his federal and state
government colleagues to adopt nationally-consistent surrogacy laws.

Senator CONROY has told the Nine Network he'll talk to Attorney General ROB MCCLELLAND
about possible changes .. and encourage states to introduce reforms .. so others don't
have to go through what his family's experienced.

The new communications minister and his wife PAULA BENSON last year created an Australian
first with the birth of their daughter ISABELLA following a double surrogacy.

Ms BENSON couldn't conceive after beating ovarian cancer .. so one family friend donated
an egg and another friend carried the baby to term in her womb.

The couple had to travel to NSW during the IVF process .. because surrogate births
are illegal in their home state of Victoria.

AAP RTV ag/rl/jec/jmt

KEYWORD: SURROGACY (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Victoria will sign up to water plan, Cobb says

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2007
Fed: Victoria will sign up to water plan, Cobb says

CANBERRA, April 20 AAP - Hold-out state Victoria would eventually join the national
water initiative, a federal assistant minister said today.

The Victorian government has refused to follow three other states in agreeing to cede
power over the Murray-Darling Basin to the commonwealth in exchange for billions of dollars
in funding.

John Cobb, federal assistant minister for water resources, said he believed Victoria's
objections to the $10 billion proposal would be resolved.

"I think that Victoria will come on board," Mr Cobb told reporters.

"They've got concerns - I have a feeling that they're going to be addressed.

"I'm quite confident that Victoria will be part of the plan."

Federal Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull today said the initiative could go
ahead with only NSW, Queensland and South Australia.

Mr Cobb said the threat of missing out on the funds would persuade Victoria to sign.

"I'm quite sure that they don't want to see three states get $10 billion instead of
four," he said.

"If we did go ahead with three states, then Victoria would look a little silly, wouldn't it?

"If it happened that way then Victorian farmers would be I think rather chagrined to
find that they'd missed out."

Prime Minister John Howard yesterday said there would be no water allocated to irrigators
in the basin from July unless heavy rains fell by next month.

Mr Cobb today clarified the measure would only apply to the populated southern part of the basin.

"Most of those rivers on the north will have nil allocation as well but that's yet
to be announced by the relevant states."

He rejected Labor criticism that the water crisis was the result of inadequate planning.

"It's not because of bad government that we have no water - it's because there's no
rain," he said.

Mr Cobb also reminded graziers that the expected ban would not apply to drinking water for stock.

"The details of the plan, which have now been released, make it clear that stock and
domestic supplies - which include water for grazing stock - have the highest priority."

AAP pw/mfh/it/bwl

KEYWORD: WATER COBB

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

NSW: Fourth Nomads bikie charged over shootings

AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2006
NSW: Fourth Nomads bikie charged over shootings

SYDNEY, Dec 19 AAP - A fourth member of the Nomads bikie gang has been charged by police
over a multiple shooting in Newcastle more than two years ago.

Gangs Squad detectives arrested the 46-year-old man at Sydney's Parramatta Police Station
at 9am (AEDT) today.

He has been charged with assault, riot, and affray and was granted bail to appear at
Newcastle Local Court on January 8.

Today's charges follow the arrest on Friday of the president of the Nomads Parramatta
chapter, Sam Ibrahim, 41, and a second senior member of the gang.

Ibrahim was charged with four offences, including attempted murder, and will face Newcastle
Local Court in January.

The second man, also 41, was charged with four offences, including shooting with intent
to cause grievous bodily harm.

Yesterday, another Nomad - a 35-year-old man from Tumbi Umbi - was arrested and charged
with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The Nomads are believed to be the second largest outlaw motorcycle gang in Sydney,
behind the Rebels.

Police allege the gang members were involved in a shooting in Chin Chen Street in the
Newcastle suburb of Islington on September 12, 2004.

Two men, both aged 31, were found by police suffering head and facial injuries.

One of the men also had gunshot wounds to both legs.

A short time later, two men, aged 45 and 48, arrived at Newcastle's Mater Hospital
suffering head and facial injuries.

The 45-year-old had also suffered gunshot wounds to both legs.

AAP krc/hn/jt/sp

KEYWORD: NOMADS

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

Fed: Leading Muslims ask Lebanon to reject Aust peacekeepers

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-2006
Fed: Leading Muslims ask Lebanon to reject Aust peacekeepers

SYDNEY, Aug 12 AAP - Prominent Australian Muslims have written to Lebanon's prime minister
asking him to reject any offer of Australian peacekeepers.

Muslim community spokesman Keysar Trad and Sheikh Taj Aldin Alhilali sent a letter
on August 10 to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in which they said an Australian peacekeeping
presence in Lebanon would not be in the best interest of Lebanon or Australia.

"Should Australian troops go into Lebanon, Australia's current counter terrorism laws
will severely hamper debate in Australia about Lebanon's right to defend itself and those
protesting to support Lebanon's independence may find themselves liable to imprisonment,"

the letter said.

"It's with this in mind that we ask the Government of Lebanon to refuse any offer of
military assistance in the form of a peacekeeping force from Australia."

In the letter Mr Trad and Sheikh Alhilali said Australia had continually supported
Israel, and the Australian government's position would compromise a fair peacekeeping
force in Lebanon.

"The (Australian) government has in parrot fashion repeated the mantra of the US government
and has not asked for a cease-fire like other fair-minded nations," the letter said.

"In addition Australia has invariably taken Israel's side whenever an issue concerning
that country is dealt with by the UN.

"We feel the Australian government's position would compromise a fair peacekeeping
presence in Lebanon, and that its participation would not be in the best interests of
Lebanon or the people of Australia."

Earlier today, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia would consider contributing
troops to a proposed United Nations peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon but it would
not be a large number and it won't be soon.

His comments followed today's unanimous UN resolution calling for an immediate end
to a month of bloody fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hizbollah
and the deployment of a 15,000-strong UN force.

"We certainly couldn't provide large numbers of troops," Mr Downer said.

"All we could do is provide some sort of a niche capability or some logistical support."

France is tipped to lead the operation. The UN resolution, number 1701, also calls
for Israel to withdraw all troops after an end to the fighting. The timing has yet to
be agreed by Lebanon and Israel.

Australia currently has a dozen troops with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
part of the UN Truce Supervision Organisation which supervises the Lebanese, Israeli and
Syrian borders. This is both the UN and Australia's longest running peacekeeping mission.

AAP acb/apm

KEYWORD: MIDEAST AUST LETTER

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

Qld: Seven people arrested on illegal prostitution charges

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2006
Qld: Seven people arrested on illegal prostitution charges

BRISBANE, April 6 AAP - Seven people have been arrested on 20 charges of organising
an illegal prostitution racket, as part of a three-month police investigation across regional
Queensland.

Queensland Police launched Operation Tiptoe in January this year, in a crackdown on
illegal prostitution via advertisements in regional newspapers.

The investigation resulted in the arrests of seven people on 20 charges yesterday, police said.

It focused on the Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Maryborough and Gladstone
in the south-east as well as Rockhampton in central Queensland.

Among those arrested was a 48-year-old man from Bundaberg whom police allege was the
principal organiser of the racket.

He will appear in Bundaberg Magistrates Court today, charged with eight counts of knowingly
participating in the provision of prostitution and one count of possessing tainted property.

AAP jtl/sc/jas/sd

KEYWORD: TIPTOE

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

Vic: Woman in boot, Maria Korp dies in hospital

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2005
Vic: Woman in boot, Maria Korp dies in hospital

MELBOURNE, Aug 5 AAP - A Melbourne woman left in a vegetative state after her husband's
lover tried to kill her, allegedly under instruction from him, has died in hospital after
feeding tube was withdrawn 10 days ago.

Maria Korp died in The Alfred Hospital just before 2am (AEST), Victorian Public Advocate
Julian Gardner said today.

The 50-year-old had been in a vegetative state since she was found unconscious in the
boot of her car near the Shrine of Remembrance in the city on February 13.

Mr Gardner said he did not believe any family members were with Mrs Korp when she died,
although they had visited earlier in the night after being told of her declining condition.

"I am advised that Mrs Korp died peacefully without pain after receiving best medical
practice palliative care," he said.

"Her condition was remarkably stable until yesterday evening when the hospital rang
me to say that there had been significant change."

Mr Gardner authorised doctors to withdraw the feeding tube that had been keeping her
alive on July 27 on advice that her condition was terminal and would not improve.

He predicted then that she would die within two weeks.

Mrs Korp's husband, Joe Korp, was this week ordered to stand trial on a charge of attempting
to murder his wife.

Korp, 48, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to murder
and intentionally causing serious injury to his wife.

A Victoria Police spokesman said today the homicide squad had not yet said whether
it would upgrade charges against him to murder following his wife's death.

Korp's former lover, Tania Herman, 38, admitted attempting to murder Mrs Korp on February
9 this year and is serving a minimum of nine years' jail.

Mr Gardner, who was appointed Mrs Korp's guardian in April, today said he had no regrets
about his decision to end her life.

"None whatsoever," he told ABC radio.

"I found this a very difficult time personally but the one thing that gives me comfort
is that we in the Office of the Public Advocate have been able to protect the interests
of this person whose disability meant that they couldn't protect themselves.

"One doesn't particularly welcome some of the uninformed negative comments but it's
important that I've sought to be accountable and explain as well as I could to the public
the decision that has to be made."

Mr Gardner said he was very satisfied with and appreciative of the medical team at
The Alfred hospital.

He said he had not yet spoken to Mrs Korp's doctor and could not comment on her cause of death.

"At this very sad time I offer my condolence and sympathies to all of the family and
friends of Mrs Korp," he said.

Ms Korp's second cousin Maria Vierira told Channel Nine that the family was devastated.

"We're all very upset and trying to compose ourselves the best we can," Ms Vierira said.

She said she had opposed Mr Gardner's decision to withdraw the feeding tube, and was
not told her condition had worsened.

"I opposed it all together," she said.

"I believed that she was in a type of a coma that she could sense that there were people
in the room because when I walked in and called her by her Portuguese name I could see
her vision coming down to the level where she could hear the voice coming from."

AAP jb/ce/lb/jlw

KEYWORD: KORP LEAD

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

Vic: Howard should say sorry to the environment

AAP General News (Australia)
02-16-2005
Vic: Howard should say sorry to the environment

MELBOURNE, Feb 16 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard should add the environment to his
list of those seeking an apology from him because of his failure to sign the Kyoto protocol,
green groups said today.

Staging a protest on the steps of the Victorian parliament, about 60 protesters waved
flags of the 141 countries that have signed the global warming treaty that comes into
effect today.

The protest started with a passionate kiss between two people dressed as a beaming
George W Bush and larger-than-life John Howard wearing a sash, saying: "I'm with stupid".

Taking part in the protest, Australian Conservation Foundation vice president Peter
Christoff said the federal government should be ashamed of its refusal to sign the agreement.

"One hundred and forty-one countries have ratified the protocol. Australia and the
United States are the only industrialised countries that aren't taking part," Dr Christoff
said.

"I think the global community is very clear of its understanding the worth of this
- the only global treaty to deal with climate change. Australia has just completely missed
out. I think it is shameful.

"Australians have to continue to pressure John Howard in particular to realise he has
to say sorry to the environment and it's time that he actually got involved in the only
game in town when it comes to dealing with climate change globally."

Environment Victoria spokeswoman Sarah Hudson said all levels of government should
be playing their part in preventing global warming.

"Obviously a national approach is the best approach, but in the face of no leadership
from the Howard government on greenhouse then we are urging the state government to do
much more," she said

"They (the state government) have made considerable inroads in terms of the five star
energy efficiency and wind farm and renewable energy efficiency, but we do believe they
should be winding back on coal.

"We want to be sending the message both on a federal and a state level and also to
the individual citizen that we all can do much more do reduce greenhouse emissions by
driving less, by using less energy and by signing up to green power."

AAP kl/gfr/it/jlw

KEYWORD: KYOTO AUST VIC

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

price packs

price packs Products sold at a reduced price that is marked by the producer directly on the label or package of the product.

Standby ad work split by the COI. (Digests).

COI Communications has split its standby advertising account between WCRS and Walsh Trott Chick Smith, stripping Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) of the business. The two agencies pitched for the account against Publicis and the incumbent.

COI says the financial value of the account is impossible to estimate, as the agencies will be asked to create work when there is insufficient time to carry out the standard pitch for a piece of the business.

Last year, COI spent more than [pounds sterling]7m through O&M on various emergency initiatives, including a press campaign to inform the public about the foot and mouth epidemic and its implications for rural tourism. The campaign was designed to reassure the public that the countryside was "open for business" despite the foot and mouth crisis.

The agency also created a multimedia campaign to warn patents and children about the dangers of encountering paedophiles on the Internet.

The pitch for the standby business was overseen by Peter Buchanan, the deputy chief executive of COI Communications, who will be taking over as acting chief executive when Carol Fisher leaves at the end of this month.

The account was split between two agencies because Government emergency advertising campaigns demand a quick turnaround of creative solutions for key public policy issues and because Government departments asked for a choice of agencies.

TEPR Announces Best of Breed Finalists in 2nd Annual Awards Competition.

Health Information Technology Product & Service Vendors Present Final

Presentations to TEPR Award Judges May 8-9 in Boston

NEWTON, Mass., April 25 /PRNewswire Interactive News Release/ --

The Medical Records Institute is pleased to announce the finalists for the TEPR Awards for 2001. Each finalist, 33 out of the original 132 applicants, will present to the judges in order to determine which solutions will be recognized as "First, Second and Third Honors," at TEPR 2001 Conference & Exposition, (www.tepr.com) at the Hynes Convention Center, in Boston.

At a time when hospitals, physician offices and payers are seeking IT solutions to meet HIPAA requirements, improve quality and reduce medical errors, product and service innovations are becoming the crucial link to achieving these goals. The independent judges of the TEPR 2001 Awards Program have selected finalists in 10 categories, who are meeting the market with products and services measured according to a point system and customer satisfaction report.

The names of the finalists and their entry categories are listed below. At the meeting on May 8 and May 9, 2001 in Boston, the judges will score, confer and announce "First, Second and Third" Honors for each of the following categories: (for a complete presentation schedule, please proceed to www.tepr.com/awards).

Tuesday, May 8th

EMR Specialty or Departmental Presentations

-- cMore Medical Solutions, Inc.: Provalent (formerly known as cMoreGI)

-- MEDSYS Technologies, Inc.: MARS Electronic Medical Records Systems

-- MicroMed Healthcare I/S: NextGenemr-(for Opthamology)

Security Systems Presentations

-- Ensure Technologies: XyLocMD

-- Ultra-Scan: Rapid ID Station, FingerPunch, ID Express

-- Virtual Information Solutions: Virtual Healthcare Enterprise (VHE)

Document Imaging Presentations

-- Medical Manager Health Systems, Inc.: Document and Image Mgmt. System

-- SolCom, Inc.: MultiManager for Patient Records (MMPR)

-- The IDP Companies, Inc.: MEDItrieve

Wednesday, May 9th

On-line Claims Processing Presentations

-- AthenaHealth: athenaNet-Collector

-- Healthcare Data Exchange (HDX): HDX Integrated Eligibility Service

(IES)

-- SolCom Inc.: MultiManager

Internet Connectivity Presentations

-- Epic Systems Corporation: EpicWeb, EpicLink, and MyChart

-- IDX Systems Corporation: OutReach for LastWord

-- VitalCom: PatientBrowser

Practice Management Presentations

-- Epic Systems Corporation: Cadence, Prelude, Resolute, MyChart, CRM

-- Medic Computer Systems: MEDIC Tiger

-- Millbrook Corporation: Millbrook Practice Manager

Comprehensive Ambulatory EMR Presentations

-- Epic Systems Corporation: Epic Ambulatory Electronic Medical Record

-- JMJ Technologies, Inc.: EncounterPRO

-- MicroMed Healthcare Information Systems: NextGenemr

Component Ambulatory EMR Presentations

-- BAI Clinical Software: digiChart Immunotherapy

-- Epic Systems: EpicCare, AmbEMR: SmartSets & Active Guidelines

-- Primetime Medical Software: Instant Medical History

Comprehensive Acute Care EMR Presentations

-- IDX Systems: LastWord Enterprise Clinical and Business System

-- McKesson HBOC: Pathways Care Manager

-- Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation: Lifetime

Clinical Record

TEPR 2001 Award Finalists will be presenting to a panel of industry experts that are serve as non-biased judges. This panel of judges includes the following individuals: Mark Anderson of Anderson Consulting Group, Inc.; Jon Bogen of HealthCIO; Jan Lisa Huttner of Superior Consulting Inc.; Helen Jesse of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young; Charlene Marietti of Healthcare Informatics Magazine; Mindi McKenna of eHealthCoach; David Miller of HealthLink, Inc. and Robecca Quammen of Quammen Group.

Other awards will be given in the following categories to companies who qualified but are not presenting to the panel:

-- Acute Care EMR Components - Cerner Corporation, ProVox Technologies

-- Risk/Care Management Systems - Canopy Systems, Inc.

-- Consumer Health Records - CapMed Corporation, Epic Systems Corporation

-- Consumer On-line Pharmacy - Medical Strategies, Inc.

TEPR 2001 conference and exhibition, sponsored by the Medical Records Institute, celebrating its 17th anniversary May 8-13 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, will connect 350 industry experts with more than 5000 attendees and over 150 exhibitors. Participants will address the industry trends, regulatory, practical and implementation issues in electronic healthcare today, during one of the largest HIT conferences in the world. The Medical Records Institute in connection with the Anderson Consulting Group organizes the TEPR 2001 Award Program.

To learn about other MRI events, to sponsor, exhibit or register for TEPR 2001, log on to www.tepr.com or call 617-964-3923. Members of the press are invited to attend this conference without charge.

Contact: Marcy Robinson

Medical Records Institute

617-964-3923 # 223

marcy@tepr.com

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here

http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X92198019

Arlington Hts. cosmetology center to move for new condos.(News)

Construction in downtown Arlington Heights isn't over yet.Work likely will begin next spring on the third and final residential-retail building at the Village Green development, thanks to a deal reached this week with the Arlington Academy Cosmetology Career Center.

Under the deal, which should be completed today, the academy will vacate its 201 W. Wing St. quarters by Jan. 31, clearing the way for Village Green developer Mark Anderson to begin construction by April 1.Drawings and plans of the new Village Green building will be released within the next 60 days, Anderson said.
"We're going to come in with a proposal that I think will be instantaneously accepted as tremendous," Anderson said.


The school plans to sign a lease to reopen Feb. 1 at the Strathmore Shopping Center, at Arlington Heights and Dundee roads in Buffalo Grove, said Liz Raleigh, the academy's director and daughter of owner Don Millman.The new location in a former Walgreen's gives the 28-year-old school about 15,000 square feet to accommodate its 200 current students and still have room to grow, Raleigh said.
"We're all excited about this move. Things have a way of working out," she said.
The deal doesn't mean that Village Green's third building is entirely in the clear, however.

Village Green was given financial aid by the village in the form of tax increment financing and lost a $1.2aemillion payment because the third building's foundation was not laid by July 1, 1999, as required by a redevelopment agreement with the village.

If Anderson still wants that aid, he'll have to ask the village to renegotiate the agreement, said Bill Enright, deputy director of planning and community development.
Anderson said he is "absolutely" going to ask village officials to reopen the agreement. As for the new building, as long as it's in "substantial compliance" with the already approved Village Green plans, no further public hearings will be required, Enright said.

A&T Investments, owned by Anderson and Greg Trapani, president of Trapani Construction Co., bought the 201 W. Wing St. building in 1996, knowing the academy's pre-existing lease did not expire until 2002. Because both sides were too far apart to reach an agreement, and since they didn't want to kick the school out, Anderson said the decision was made to proceed with Village Green's Vail Residences and Campbell Courte buildings.

But given the brisk sales at those condominium buildings, as well as the loft condos at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, "it was time to get serious and settle this thing with the beauty school," Anderson said.Neither Anderson nor Raleigh commented on details of their negotiations. Raleigh said, however, that the atmosphere "turned amicable" when A&T "finally made an honest effort at reaching a fair settlement" that helped cover some of the school's relocation costs.
Looming over the negotiations was the implied threat that village officials were on the verge of suing to condemn the lease.

A condemnation ordinance had been approved two or three times for reaffirmation purposes, to help village attorneys prepare for court, Village Manager Bill Dixon said."We knew that was an option and we put that option out there," Village President Arlene Mulder said, while declining to say how close the village came to exercising that option.

"I don't know that I could answer that," Mulder said. "I think the incentive was there for everybody to move forward. Agreement is always preferable over the condemnation process."

BGI, Inc. Readies for July Beta Launch of Its 'Virtual Sweepstakes' Engine.

AUSTIN, Texas, June 29 /PRNewswire/ --

Thomas B. Murphy, President of BGI, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BGII) announced today that he was shifting the Company's resources to prepare for the impending launch of their new Internet business site. This reorganization has resulted in a staff reduction of 30%, realignment of the remaining staff in preparation of the roll out and sharpened focus on increasing sales in the Company's physical business.

"I have shifted our focus to completing an invigorated business plan and the Beta test of our Internet sweepstakes site, which is in the final stages of development. In order to bring BGII to profitability and increase shareholder value, I have taken a hard look at staffing, corporate organization and our sales effort. We have downsized the size of the staff and are evaluating every other line item on the expense side to minimize cash outflow. Significant emphasis is being placed on the sales effort by redirecting the energies of our customer support representatives and technical staff. Weekly executive reviews of both sales activities and financial performance measure results against projections. Each employee has been challenged to become more efficient and productive in this effort. I am optimistic about the future of the Company through streamlining the operation of our core business and bringing the Internet sweepstakes site to fruition," stated Murphy.

Rhonda McClellan resigned as the Company's Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer on June 8th. Mr. Alton Withers has been hired as interim CFO to evaluate the financial and accounting functions of the company, to implement more timely and complete reporting procedures for closer scrutiny, and to advise Mr. Murphy on financial matters. Mr. Withers has over twenty years of experience as an entrepreneurial financial executive in management including fourteen years with two major publicly held retailers, as well as CFO for a startup software design firm and owner of his own retail chain venture. He also spearheaded the reorganization and financial turnaround of Wickes Furniture.

Based in Austin, Texas, BGI, Inc. is a leading provider of instant cash sweepstakes games in the United States. Promoting the sale of prepaid phone cards with its stand alone Lucky Strike Prepaid Phone Card Dispensers featuring an instant win sweepstakes has provided the Company with the proprietary knowledge to take this marketing concept to the Internet. BGII has been publicly traded and fully reporting since December, 1994.

These statements made by BGI, Inc. (BGII) may be forward looking in nature, particularly as related to the business plans of the Company within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by these sections. Actual results may differ materially from projected statements. BGII believes that its primary risk factors include, but are not limited to the need for substantial financial requirements; the need to develop effective internal processes and system; changes in the overall economy; continued and future strategic alliances; changes in technology, the number and size of competitors and the mix of products and services offered in its markets; and changes in the law and regulatory policy.

For additional information on BGI, Inc. contact Reid Funderburk (rfund@bgicorp.com) at 888-338-0065 or visit the company's website at www.bgicorp.com.

Arlington Hts. trustee chosen.(News)

The new Arlington Heights trustee will be announced -- and possibly sworn in -- Monday night at the village board meeting. Mayor Arlene Mulder will appoint the new trustee, who will replace Helen Jensen. Jensen retired at the end of last year. The appointment needs the approval of the village board.

Mulder said Friday she would not yet announce the name because she needed to double check with individual board members to be sure they concurred with the appointment.
She also had to notify at least one candidate that he or she had not been selected.The new trustee is one of approximately 12 people who applied for the position, Mulder said. She added that the person is well-known, but does not currently hold an elected office.

The appointee is a business person who has lived in the village for a considerable length of time and is active in the community, Mulder said. The appointment runs through the next consolidated local election in April 2011. At that time, the seat will be up for re-election.

PointCast Founder Chris Hassett Hires Sands Brothers as Financial Advisor to Manage Potential Equity Investment in PointCast.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 1999--Chris Hassett, founder and original chief executive officer of PointCast Inc., announced today that he has hired New York-based investment banker Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd. as financial advisor to manage the potential acquisition of PointCast Inc. Should the transaction be completed, it would yield a majority equity interest.

Hassett founded PointCast in 1992 and pioneered the delivery of personalized news and information via the Internet. As PointCast's chairman, chief executive officer and president, Hassett recruited a top management team, raised in excess of $50 million in equity capital and led the company to first year revenues of approximately $18 million. He left the company in 1997 and in March of 1998 established PrizePoint Entertainment, an Internet entertainment programming company that offers Reward Entertainment for the mass market at its free web site, www.prizepoint.com.

"PointCast has tremendous assets that continue to make it a strong Internet media company," Hassett said. "Adding the appropriate capital, management and strategic vision make PointCast an exciting opportunity."

Steven Sands, Co-chairman of Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd., stated: "Chris' reputation in the Internet industry is perhaps the greatest asset in this transaction. We are confident in our ability to help him quickly achieve his goals. We are looking forward to PointCast and its new management team as a welcome member of our portfolio of companies."

Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd. is an international investment banking and securities brokerage firm with offices in New York and San Francisco. Established in 1990, Sands Brothers is a member of the New York Stock Exchange and provides a full range of services, principally to high net worth individuals, institutional money managers and corporations (both public and private).

Novient, Worldwide Leader in Professional Services Automation, Opens 7 New Sales and Support Offices throughout North America.

Customer Demand for Novient eServices at the Heart

Of Company's Exponential Growth

ATLANTA, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Novient, the world's leading provider of Professional Services Automation solutions, today announced its expanded operations with sales and support offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Novient's new customer wins, fast growing client base of over 50,000 global users, and its technological leadership have propelled the company to the forefront of the Professional Services Automation (PSA) market.

"Novient's momentum has been tremendous," said R. Halsey Wise, Novient's president and chief operating officer. "Top companies in all segments of the professional services marketplace are adopting and deploying Novient eServices to grow revenue and to optimize the profitability of their services business. As the clear leader in the PSA industry, we've experienced a 733% increase in users worldwide from 1999 to 2000. Our expansion is a direct result of the unique business value that the Novient solution provides. The overwhelming endorsement we have received from clients and industry analysts has substantiated the market's approval of our solution and our vision for PSA."

About Novient eServices

Novient eServices 5.0 improves all functions of running a Profession Services Organization (PSO), including maximizing resource effectiveness and utilization; fostering effective decision making; driving business growth through alliance partners; boosting client satisfaction; improving revenue and profitability forecasting; increasing engagement profitability; and improving delivery performance. Because Novient eServices is 100% Web-based, PSOs are able to virtually connect and communicate seamlessly between offices and with their alliance partners and clients. Additionally, deployment is rapid and simple, and remote access can be achieved by using a standard Web-browser.

Novient eServices can be licensed to run on a services organization's Intranet, Extranet, or Internet site. Novient also offers the option to outsource the solution from Novient - giving clients the ability "rent" Novient eServices in its highly secure, application hosting environment.

About Novient

Founded in 1995, Novient, Inc. (http://www.novient.com ) is the global leader in Professional Services Automation. Novient's 100% Web-based solution enables professional services companies, embedded service organizations of Fortune 500 corporations, and systems integrators to automate and optimize management of their intellectual capital, engagement, alliances, and customers. Used by more than 50,000 consultants in 32 countries, Novient is the only company providing an industry-proven PSA solution. Representative global customers include SAP-AG Worldwide and its partner network, Policy Management Systems Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, Siemens-Nixdorf Information Services, Hyperion Solutions Corporation, and Harbinger Corporation.

Novient and Novient eServices is a trademark of Novient, Inc.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Gilat wins new military order for its SkyEdge 2 communications solution.(ISRAEL)

An undisclosed agency has selected Gilat Satellite Network in order to offer its SkyEdge broadband network for military communication purposes. The high-speed broadband satellite network would be used to address the Internet needs of different sections of the military. According to Gilat, it would place two centers strategically to support services like high-speed Internet, VoIP (voice-over-Internet Protocol), video applications, communications, control, and intelligence, among others.

Devon Energy Announces Upcoming Investor Event.(Conference news)

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) today announced its management will present at the UBS Global Oil and Gas Conference in Austin, TX on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at 11:20 a.m. Central Time (12:20 p.m. Eastern Time). The event will be available to the public via internet webcast. A link to the webcast will be accessible from Devon's home page at www.devonenergy.com on the date of the event.

Devon Energy Corporation is an Oklahoma City-based independent energy company engaged in oil and gas exploration and production. Devon is a leading U.S.-based independent oil and gas producer and is included in the S&P 500 Index. For additional information, visit our website at www.devonenergy.com.

Meredith Senior Management to Present at Jefferies Conference.

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP), the leading media and marketing company serving American women, announced that senior management will be presenting at the Jefferies Global Technology, Internet, Media & Telecommunications Conference at 10:40 am EDT on May 12.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090810/CG58830LOGO)

A copy of the presentation as well as a Webcast will be made available on the Investor Relations portion of www.meredith.com.

ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION

Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; www.meredith.com ) is the leading media and marketing company serving American women. Meredith features multiple well-known national brands - including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal, Fitness, More and American Baby - along with local television brands in fast-growing markets. Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms - including print, television, online, mobile and video - to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its marketing partners. Additionally, Meredith uses its many assets to create powerful custom marketing solutions for many of the nation's top brands and companies. Meredith has significantly added to its capabilities in this area through the acquisition of cutting-edge companies in areas such as digital, mobile, word-of-mouth, social and database marketing.

SOURCE Meredith Corporation

Acker Merrall & Condit Names John Kapon Chief Executive Officer.

Wine Industry Visionary to Drive Company's Diversification and Growth

NEW YORK -- Acker Merrall & Condit, the largest wine auction house in the world and America's oldest fine wine merchant, today announced that John Kapon has been appointed Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Kapon, 39, has served as Acker Merrall & Condit's Auction Director since 1998, leading the Company's transformation from a single, New York City storefront to the largest wine auction company in the world, with total 2010 revenues in excess of $110 million. Mr. Kapon, the third generation of his family to lead Acker Merrall, joined the company in 1994, bringing a uniquely personal approach to an industry often viewed as stuffy and aloof. In the ensuing years, under Mr. Kapon's direction, the Company has gained the trust and confidence of a loyal, ever-growing community of fine and rare wine collectors, many among the most prominent in the world, providing them with an intimate and innovative wine experience.

In his new role, Mr. Kapon succeeds his father, Michael Kapon, who will stay on as an Executive Consultant.

"My son's vision, ingenuity, and ceaseless energy have been invaluable to the growth and success of Acker Merrall," said Michael Kapon. "John has spearheaded our current auction operations and elevated our profile in the world of fine and rare wine, and I am confident he will lead the Company to new heights in the years ahead."

"Building on both the heritage and the foundation granted me by my father and grandfather, I am proud to continue my family's tradition, built on the pillars of service and quality. I am enormously grateful to them for their foresight and their sacrifice, which have helped Acker Merrall emerge as the world's premier, trusted source of fine wines." said John Kapon. "It is a privilege to represent the world's finest collections on a regular basis, but with privilege comes responsibility."

"Now more than ever, with deep expertise, an obsession for customer service, and a wholly differentiated approach, Acker Merrall is focused on extending our global reach and providing our clients with yet more ways to gain both pleasure and profit from the world's greatest wines. It has been a long road to get to this point, but I feel strongly this is only the beginning. The glass is half-full, and I'm still thirsty."

About Acker Merrall & Condit

Founded in 1820, Acker Merrall & Condit is America's oldest fine wine merchant and the world's largest fine and rare wine auction house. With affiliates in New York and Hong Kong, Acker Merrall hosts over two dozen live and internet auctions annually, and conducts retail operations from its historic headquarters on New York's West Side as well as in Asia. Acker is devoted to helping customers buy, sell, and experience the world's foremost wines.

VOA CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPECIAL ENGLISH.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The following information was released by the Voice of America (VOA):

The Voice of America's (VOA) Special English celebrated its 50th anniversary today, with speakers saying the program is more popular than ever because it continues to provide credible, quality journalism for English learners on a wide variety of media and social networking platforms.

"Even with the changes in technology ... in journalism, information still matters," said keynote speaker Frank Sesno, director of George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs. "Credibility still matters. Quality still matters."

Sesno, a former CNN anchor who started his journalism career as an intern with Special English, said the Service has a long tradition of helping people learn American English by broadcasting news and information at a slow pace.

Using a core vocabulary of 1,500 words and short, simple sentence structure, Special English, launched on October 19, 1959, keeps listeners informed about current events while helping them improve their language skills.

VOA Director Danforth Austin said Special English has expanded on new platforms so it is available on radio, television and on the Internet. The Special English website, one of VOA's most popular, will also soon have a Twitter page, a YouTube video channel and a "verb phrase of the day" SMS service.

The ceremony also honored Walter Roberts, part of VOA's original staff in 1942. "It's good to be home," Roberts said. Calling Special English an "ingenious invention," he said, "People with a minimum knowledge of English listened, and understood the message of the Voice of America."

Special English also produced a slideshow of viewers, listeners and Internet users in their everyday surroundings. Nearly 1,000 users submitted photos of themselves. They can be seen at www.VOASpecialEnglish.com. Links to view or listen to today's ceremony are available at www.VOANews.com/english/About/2009-10-02-SpEnglish-Anniversary.cfm.

The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 125 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages. VOA is the leading U.S. international broadcaster.

For more information, call VOA Public Relations at (202) 203-4959, or e-mail askvoa@voanews.com.

YouTube turns /four.(News)

On February 15, 2005 YouTube made its debut on the internet with the invitation to narcissists worldwide to "Broadcast Yourself".

In the four years that it has been around, the video-sharing website has become the third-most visited place on the web.

The story goes that founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen dreamt up the idea when faced with the problem of sharing video footage taken at a dinner party.

The third founding member was Jawed Karim who is the star of the first YouTube video called Me at the Zoo.

Since its arrival, YouTube has been used by millions to document, incite, promote, expose and entertain. We've been privy to politicians falling asleep on the job and falling off their chairs, live footage of human childbirth and police caught on tape shooting people in the head.

If you can ignore the hype over copyright infringement, messy censorship policies and privacy, YouTube can actually be good for you. - The Independent

FIFTH THIRD BANK OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO RECEIVES APPROVAL FOR PURCHASE OF FIRST NATIONWIDE'S OHIO BRANCHES

CINCINNATI, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifth Third Bank of Northeastern Ohio, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, announced today that it has received regulatory approval from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland for its purchase of the deposits and offices of First Nationwide Bank in Ohio. First Nationwide has $1.4 billion in deposits and 28 offices throughout Lake, Cuyahoga, Medina and Lorain counties. The acquisition is expected to be completed in mid-January and will be immediately accretive to earnings.

The offices and approximately 207,000 accounts will be merged with Fifth Third Bank of Northeastern Ohio's full service Banking Center network. As a result of this acquisition, Fifth Third Bank of Northeastern Ohio will have $2.9 billion in assets, $2.2 billion in deposits and 61 Banking Centers, including 17 seven-day-a-week Bank Mart(R) locations in Finast grocery stores.

"We are extremely pleased with the increased presence provided by this merger," said George A. Schaefer, Jr., President and CEO of Fifth Third Bancorp. "We began our Cleveland operation in 1988 as a loan production office, and our growth clearly demonstrates our commitment to providing the residents of Northeastern Ohio increased access to our complete array of retail, commercial, trust, investment and brokerage products and services, as well as our proprietary Jeanie(R) Automated Teller network."

Fifth Third Bank of Northeastern Ohio President and CEO Charles J. Scheidt, Jr. agrees. "Our expanded network gives us an excellent opportunity to share our full-service relationship banking approach with First Nationwide customers. And, with our 1995 acquisition of Falls Financial, we are now offering greater access to Banking Centers, seven- day-a-week Bank Mart locations, Jeanie Automated Teller Machines and Telephone Banking."

Fifth Third Bancorp (Nasdaq: FITB) recently added $391 million in deposits and 19 branches from Bank One Cincinnati and PNC Bank, Ohio. The Bancorp's proposed acquisition of NBD (Ohio), which will add 25 offices and $542 million in deposits, is expected to be completed in February, while the pending acquisition of Kentucky Enterprise Bancorp, a $280 million thrift located in Northern Kentucky, is slated for completion in March.

Founded in 1858, Fifth Third Bancorp is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bancorp has 11 affiliate banks, $17.2 billion in assets and 384 full-service Banking Centers, including 89 Bank Mart locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 622 Jeanie ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Naples, Florida. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Retail, Commercial, Trust & Investment Services and Midwest Payment Systems, the Bank's data processing subsidiary. Bancorp investor information can be accessed on the Internet at www.fifththird.com. The company's common stock trades on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol: FITB.

     -0-                   1/10/96 

/CONTACT: Roberta R. Jennings of Fifth Third Bancorp, 513-579-4153/

(FITB)

CO: Fifth Third Bancorp; Fifth Third Bank of Northeastern Ohio; First

Nationwide Bank in Ohio ST: Ohio IN: FIN SU: TNM

KR-BG -- CLW005 -- 4299 01/10/96 12:05 EST

Colleges, Universities Present Ripe Target for Computer Hackers.

Byline: Ernest Holsendolph

May 27--Colleges and universities battle hackers and viruses every day as a matter of course, not unlike the way hospitals try to eradicate health-threatening germs and killer viruses to save lives.

Neither colleges or hospitals can live apart from the pests and parasites.

And the problem is growing.

Last year some 52,000 attacks on computer networks were reported to a Carnegie Mellon University center that coordinates emergency responses in the computer world.

Many of these attacks happen on college campuses, involving thousands of academic sites across the country.

"We get attacks every day," said John Mullin, chief information officer at Georgia Tech. "Hackers are running continuous sweeps for targets, and universities like us are a primary target."

There are attacks of many kinds but few like the break-in on March 10 at Georgia Tech. Hackers burst into the business network of the university on that Sunday night and dumped 350 gigabytes of information, including sensitive credit information.

They replaced it with 150 gigabytes of their own data -- bootleg movies.

"In retrospect, I guess we can say that was an innocent attack," said Wayne Clough, president of Georgia Tech. "Innocent," he said, because the marauders seemed uninterested in the financial information, which could have been used to fabricate identities or create charges.

No information has been exploited so far, campus officials said.

The hackers were fixed on their mission, evidently simply desiring to create a trading post for their movies.

The scary break-in, in an institution that prides itself as a bastion of technological knowledge and prowess, has sounded alarms at all colleges.

Now, all institutions are more wary than ever and busy trying to establish safeguards.

In a survey by the Chronicle Of Higher Education, college officials said the threats are not just from smart and sophisticated pranksters and criminals but even come from mischievous teens who have figured ways to capture computers and turn them into system attackers.

Called "Script Kiddies," they are able to use programs that easily break into unsecured computers, capture them and the mobilize them to do further mischief on cue.

They trade these zombie machines like baseball cards, said Robert Mahoney, a network engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In chat rooms they talk about trading "10 machines at MIT for some at the University of California," he said.

College administrators throughout the country are carefully examining their operations, setting up emergency responses and struggling for ways to inoculate themselves and put up walls against hackers.

So far, online learning systems like Georgia Globe report no similar hacker problems but are on alert.

Colleges and universities are the better, more inviting target -- partly because of the way they operate.

"Universities, like the Internet itself, have been traditionally been based on openness," said Clough, "and the idea of building walls runs against the idea of freedom, free inquiry and all the other elements that contribute to research and learning."

But the colleges have what the hackers want -- and in abundance.

"We have thousands of machines and computers, huge amounts of data storage capacity and high bandwidth pipelines for fast distribution," said Mullin, the information chief at Georgia Tech.

Reluctantly, university officials have had to establish firewalls and other security measures to limit access to campus systems, and they have had to increase monitoring, educate users and impose restrictions.

Things are changing.

Michael A. McRobbie, vice president for information technology at Indiana University, said the campaign to keep order will be costly and will reduce productivity.

In a speech to colleagues recently he said:

"In the present climate of cyber-threats, somebody in the university has to step forward and take responsibility to remediate the threats and say what the risks are."

There's a new public awareness of the problem. Within hours after a Webmaster discovered the Georgia Tech break-in when he noticed unusual patterns in the activity logs for the night before, university officials decided to tell members of the campus community what happened, cancel student and staff credit card and debit cards and throw up the protective gates.

"We took a number of steps," said Mullin. "We changed the architecture of the business networks, set out on a program of education and awareness, drew up security policies for the various departments and updated our emergency responses."

Officials of federal agencies have insisted on strict security systems to protect high priority research and have threatened to cut off funding if institutions of higher learning don't cooperate.

The whole process of adapting to the new and higher levels of threats puts a crimp in plans, Clough said.

"Our aim in developing bigger and more usable networks was to keep reducing paperwork," said Clough, "and also to enhance lifestyle, by allowing more staff to telecommute or do their work and draw on campus resources even if they are away. Now we are having to look again and find what restrictions are necessary."

The attacks and the kinds of response now needed have underlined even more heavily the relation between security and economy, Clough said.

"For that reason, these network security issues are being studied by a number of national panels, including the Task Force for Security and Information and the U.S. Council on Competitiveness," he said.

The gist of the problem, Clough said, is the realization that if you do not have secure boundaries, you cannot have a robust economy.

Like shock waves, the terrorist events of Sept. 11 -- and other invasions of various impacts -- all affect the psychology, he said.

"That's the reason why so many people are now studying security so intently, and in the light of its effect on the economy and the way we work," Clough said.

To see more of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ajc.com

(c) 2002, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Pearson hit despite Net effect.

THE Internet bubble hasn't burst at Pearson, which is upping its dotcom spend at a time when most rivals are scaling back.

The media group says it has 'further accelerated' investment in its Financial Times web spin-offs and Learning Network portal and the FT sites are on track to break even in 2002.

'We are strongly committed and we are getting good results,' it says.

Analysts now expect Pearson to spend [pounds sterling]200m on online projects this year, up to [pounds sterling]50m more than forecast.

The shares initially rose more than 5pc but by the end of trading had fallen 60p to 1622p. Analysts said the upbeat comments were overshadowed by fears of an advertising slowdown.

Warnings that revenues have slowed at the Wall Street Journal are prompting fears of problems at the Financial Times.

'Pearson hasn't given us much indication of what it expects next year,' says one analyst.

Georgia Aquarium's AT&T Dolphin Tales Makes Debut Splash.

ATLANTA, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Aquarium is proud to announce the debut of the much-anticipated AT&T Dolphin Tales gallery and show on Saturday, April 2. Dedicated to inspiring memorable connections between humans and dolphins, AT&T Dolphin Tales strives to create a greater understanding of these magnificent animals and to develop a lasting legacy for the conservation of dolphins and other marine mammals.

"The new gallery and show is an important addition and expansion of Georgia Aquarium's focus on the care of marine mammals," said David Kimmel, president and chief operating officer for Georgia Aquarium. "This commitment began with the opening of the Aquarium in 2005 when the beluga and sea otter exhibits were first featured. AT&T Dolphin Tales represents nothing less than the next level of engaging the public to care about these animals."

Serving as a moving tribute to the beauty and grace of dolphins, the 84,000-square-foot AT&T Dolphin Tales exhibit uses entertainment to educate audiences with dynamic performances by a live actor, trainers and charismatic animals and effects utilizing light, water, video, sound and dramatic costuming, all set to the storyline of a professionally orchestrated soundtrack.

The spectacular 25-minute show, created specifically for Georgia Aquarium, is narrated by the show's lead character, the StarSpinner, a mysterious adventurer and storyteller who leads the audience through an interactive journey across the oceans and through the ages. Throughout a mythical journey of good versus evil, aided by the guidance of the dolphin cast and engaging audience interactions, guests will be on the edge of their seats one moment, and soothed by an aquatic ballet the next.

Emmy award-winning producers and directors developed the production in concert with a world-class team of talented individuals, assembled from the worlds of television, film and Broadway. An original musical score was written and composed by renowned composer Tim Williams, and recorded by a 61-piece orchestra at Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles as a tribute to the beauty and whimsy of the dolphins.

All Georgia Aquarium guests can get an up-close look at the naturally playful behaviors of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins through a 25-foot-long acrylic viewing window located in the gallery lobby. Periodic dolphin viewing is included with Georgia Aquarium general admission. Entrance to the AT&T Dolphin Tales gallery is included with Georgia Aquarium general admission. An AT&T Dolphin Tales ticket is required in order to see the live show.

Through AT&T Dolphin Tales and its many other programs, Georgia Aquarium seeks to educate audiences on the importance of embracing aquatic animals, motivating viewers to care about them and inspiring them to make positive environmental choices. AT&T, a sponsor of the Aquarium's Deepo's Undersea 3D Wonder show since 2005, is the new sponsor of the AT&T Dolphin Tales gallery and theater. AT&T recently completed an expansion of its Distributed Antenna System (DAS) inside the Aquarium to include the AT&T Dolphin Tales gallery and theater. A DAS consists of several strategically-placed antennas that distribute AT&T's wireless network coverage throughout the Aquarium, providing for more efficient management of wireless capacity in heavily-trafficked areas.

Tickets to the AT&T Dolphin Tales show are now available at georgiaaquarium.org. Walk-up tickets will be in short supply. To ensure a seat at this spectacular production, guests are requested to book their seats in advance. Ticket packages including admission to the Aquarium and AT&T Dolphin Tales start at the following rates: Adult, $37.45; Child (age 3-12), $25.95; Senior (age 65 and up), $30.45.

About Georgia Aquarium

Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, is the world's largest with more than 10 million gallons of water and the largest collection of aquatic animals. The mission of Georgia Aquarium is to be an entertaining, educational and scientific institution featuring exhibits and programs of the highest standards; offering engaging and exciting guest experiences promoting the conservation of aquatic biodiversity throughout the world. Georgia Aquarium is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. For additional information, visit www.georgiaaquarium.org.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse and AT&T oeDIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

SOURCE Georgia Aquarium