Fed: Tanner says gov't can't cushion Aust from global crisis

AAP General News (Australia)
02-04-2009
Fed: Tanner says gov't can't cushion Aust from global crisis

Finance Minister LINDSAY TANNER says the government can't insulate Australia entirely
from the global economic crisis .. but it's doing everything possible to cushion the impact.

He says the 42 billion dollar stimulus package announced yesterday will help sustain
jobs and …

--Facebook buying mobile software developer Snaptu

Internet Business News
03-21-2011
--Facebook buying mobile software developer Snaptu

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

21 March 2011 - Social networking champion Facebook is buying mobile software developer Snaptu, looking to grab a bigger portion of the mobile market, the Financial Times reported.
London-based Snaptu, which also has offices in Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley, stated in a blog posting that the deal should close in the next few weeks. The four-year-old company did not provide financial details but, according to Israeli media reports, the price is somewhere in the range of USD40m (EUR28m) to USD70m.

Facebook, which raised USD1.5bn from private investors in January, has placed mobile services at the top of its 2011 agenda.

Snaptu specialises in mobile applications for lower-end handsets, the so-called feature phones, which account for over 80% of global handset sales of five billion. This will help Facebook reach deeper into developing countries, where smartphones are beyond the means of most users.

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

(Copyright M2 Communications, 2011)

FED:Abbott defers to others to explain polling

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2011
FED:Abbott defers to others to explain polling

Opposition Leader TONY ABBOTT has rejected self-critiquing his own polling unpopularity,
but says he's happy to take credit for the coalition's strong polling.

Mr ABBOTT has told ABC television it was his job to hold the government to account
and be a credible alternative to JULIA GILLARD, who he described as a relentlessly partisan
Prime Minister.

Last week Ms GILLARD backed former Liberal PETER SLIPPER into the role of Speaker of
the lower house.

Mr ABBOTT says she can add him to her list of mortal enemies and problems including
Foreign Minister KEVIN RUDD, Independent MP ANDREW WILKIE, who's demanding gambling reforms
in return for his support and MP CRAIG THOMSON, who's under investigation for abusing
his union credit card.

AAP RTV ah/els/

KEYWORD: ABBOTT (CANBERRA)

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

A 30-point portrait of the man who is arguably the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme authority. Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who preached in Tahrir Square 10 days ago, loathes Israel, justifies suicide bombings

The MEIR AMIT INTELLIGENCE; TERRORISM INFORMATION CENTERThe MEIR AMIT INTELLIGENCE and TERRORISM INFORMATION CENTER
Jerusalem Post
03-02-2011
A 30-point portrait of the man who is arguably the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme authority. Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who preached in Tahrir Square 10 days ago, loathes Israel, justifies suicide bombings against its civilians, makes savvy use of the media, and has declared that 'Islam will return to Europe as a victorious conqueror'
Byline: The MEIR AMIT INTELLIGENCE; TERRORISM INFORMATION CENTERThe MEIR AMIT INTELLIGENCE and TERRORISM INFORMATION CENTER
Edition: Daily
Section: News
Type: News

1. Sheikh Dr. Yusuf Abdallah al-Qaradawi is a central figure affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He was expelled from Egypt and found refuge in Qatar, operating from there throughout the Muslim world.

2. Many consider him the supreme religious and ideological authority for the Muslim Brotherhood, although he is not officially its leader. (In the past, he refused to accept the title of the Muslim Brotherhood's General Guide). He is influential in Egypt and considered one of the most important Sunni Muslim clerics of our generation, and a spiritual authority for millions of Muslims around the world, including the Hamas movement.
3. Al-Qaradawi's popularity among the Sunnis has grown because of the massive use he makes of electronic media, mainly television and the Internet. One of his most important tools is the Al-Jazeera TV channel, which broadcasts his popular program "Life and Islamic Law," viewed by tens of millions of Muslims.

4. Al-Qaradawi has often exploited the program for blatant anti- Semitic propaganda and incitement (see below). He was also one of the founders of the IslamOnline website in 1997, which often quotes him.

5. Al-Qaradawi refers to his religious views as "moderate Islam," which seeks to balance intellect and emotion. He has positive attitudes toward reforms in Islam, which he calls "correcting perceptions which were corrupted." He is considered one of the foremost propounders of the doctrine of the "the law of the Muslim minorities," which provides the Muslim minorities around the globe with space in which to maneuver and compromise between their daily lives and Islamic law. The aim of implementing his doctrine is to unite and unify Muslim minorities to make it possible for them to live under non-Muslim regimes, until the final stage of spreading Islam to the entire world.

6. At the same time, building a bridge between the exigencies of Muslim emigrants' daily lives and Islamic religious law also includes regarding taking over Europe as Islam's next target. In 2003, al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa declaring that "Islam will return to Europe as a victorious conqueror after having been expelled twice. This time it will not be conquest by the sword, but by preaching and spreading [Islamic] ideologyEThe future belongs to IslamEThe spread of Islam until it conquers the entire world and includes the both East and West marks the beginning of the return of the Islamic CaliphateE"

7. Although al-Qaradawi opposes Al-Qaida and its methods, he enthusiastically supports Palestinian terrorism, including suicide bombing attacks targeting the civilian Israeli population. In the past he also supported "resistance" (i.e., terrorism) to the occupation of Iraq. He issued fatwas calling for jihad against Israel and the Jews, and authorizing suicide bombing attacks even if the victims were women and children. He regards all of "Palestine" as Muslim territory (according to Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas ideology), strongly opposes the existence of the State of Israel and rejects the peace treaties signed with it, and opposes the Palestinian Authority. (In the past, he called for the stoning of Mahmoud Abbas.)

8. In response to the dramatic events in Egypt, al-Qaradawi (whose statements are widely reported in Egypt) expressed his support for the demonstrators. He called on the Egyptian people to fight the despots and forbade the security forces to shoot civilians. The IslamOnline website recently posted a chapter of his book [Islamic] Law and Jihad, according to which jihad against corruption and a tyrannical regime is the most exalted form of jihad, even more important than jihad against external enemies.

9. Al-Qaradawi was expelled from Egypt in 1997 because of his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed. After Mubarak was ousted, al-Qaradawi appeared at a February 18 rally attended by more than a million people in Cairo's Tahrir Square and delivered the sermon. He expressed his esteem for the young people of Egypt who had revolted against the "despotic Pharaoh" Mubarak. He sent a message of interfaith unity between Muslims and Christians, who had stood and demonstrated side by side. He praised the Egyptian army which had "adhered to freedom and democracy" and called for the immediate release of all political prisoners and for the rapid formation of a civilian government. He ended the sermon with a call for the liberation of Al-Aksa mosque and asked the Egyptian army to open the Rafah crossing and allow aid convoys to enter the Gaza Strip. A few days later, apparently on February 21, he returned to Qatar.

10. The Muslim Brotherhood, which until al-Qaradawi's arrival was careful to keep a low profile, was quick to declare that it was not behind the invitation that brought him to Egypt, apparently to prevent tensions with the other protest movements. Dr. Muhammad Sa'ad al-Katatni, a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman, said that the Muslim Brotherhood had not invited al-Qaradawi to Egypt, but rather that the invitation had come from "the youth in [Tahrir] Square." Spokesmen for other protest movements tried to diminish the importance of al-Qaradawi's appearance.

11. Al-Qaradawi's appearance at the rally in Cairo was a tribute to the great popularity he enjoys in Egypt and reflects a new stage in the Muslim Brotherhood's public involvement in the events in Egypt. However, the statement made by the Muslim Brotherhood spokesman may indicate a potential rivalry and/or dissension between the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Egypt and al-Qaradawi, who entered the leadership vacuum which has plagued the Muslim Brotherhood in recent years.

Al-Qaradawi's biography

12. Al-Qaradawi was born in a small Nile delta village in 1926. His father died when he was two and he grew up in his uncle's house, in a religious environment. When he was four he was sent to a religious school. According to stories, when he was nine he knew the Koran by heart. As a youth he studied at a religious school in Tanta, where he delved into the writings of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, whom al-Qaradawi said shaped his political and religious thinking.

13. When he was 18 he became a student in the religion department of Al-Azhar University in Cairo. He graduated in 1953. The following year he passed the exam to receive a teaching license. In 1958 he received a Master's degree in Arab language and literature and in 1973 received a Doctorate. He has written more than 50 books about various aspects of Islamic jurisprudence. During his studies at Al- Azhar he was exposed to the Muslim Brotherhood ideology and devoted himself to political Islamic activity and to preaching against the British presence in Egypt. His preaching against Nasser's regime led to his being arrested several times.

14. His Islamic political activity and sharp tongue caused him to be dismissed from Al-Azhar University in 1961 and assigned to head its branch in Qatar. In Qatar, released from the pressures of the Egyptian regime, he became prominent as an independent cleric. He has lived in Qatar since 1961, where he headed an high religious school. In 1977 he founded the Department of Islamic Law Studies in the University of Qatar and headed it until 1990. He also founded an institute for Sunnah study.

15. To this day, the institutions he founded are important centers for his activity in the Arab-Muslim world and among Muslim communities in the West. He was granted Qatari citizenship in honor of the services he performed for the country. He has received a number of awards and decorations, among them the King Feisal of Saudi Arabia Award, the Islamic University of Malaysia Award and the Sultan of Burundi Award.

16. After the Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed, al-Qaradawi was a wanted man and could not return to Egypt. From his base in Qatar, he has held a number of posts, both in and outside the country. These included head of the Qatar University's institute for the study of the history of the prophet Muhammad; chairman of the association of Muslim scholars, and head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research. (The ECFR is an Islamic-European umbrella organization for the rapprochement between Muslim communities throughout Europe and for building bridges between the various Islamic schools so that they can integrate life in democratic Christian Europe with Muslim law.) In July 2007 he launched a forum for moderate Islam named after himself and funded by the Sharia department of the University of Qatar and the moderate Islamic Center in Kuwait. Although al- Qaradawi began as a Muslim Brotherhood activist he later denied membership in it and several times even refused to head the movement in Egypt.

Ideology, political activity and publications

17. Conservative Muslims object to what they consider al- Qaradawi's excessive flexibility and have occasionally attacked his fatwas as "too permissive." Despite the criticism he is esteemed in the Muslim world and most Muslim clerics respect his fatwas. Many people today consider him the heir of Sayyid Qutb (the Muslim Brotherhood theoretician and senior activist in Egypt) and as the movement's highest religious and ideological authority, even if he did reject offers to officially head it.

18. The most important of Al-Qaradawi's books is The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam. It was translated into many languages and has sold millions of copies. Today it is considered the best selling Muslim book after the Koran.

19. Al-Qaradawi's enthusiastic support of Palestinian terrorism, including when it is directed against civilians, reflects his claim that Israel is a militaristic society where every civilian is a potential soldier. He has also issued fatwas authorizing attacks on Jews around the world because in his view there is no essential difference between Judaism and Zionism, and therefore every Jewish target equals an Israeli target. His status as a leading Sunni Muslim cleric gives added importance to his fatwas supporting Palestinian terrorism and make him particularly influential in shaping anti-Israeli sentiments in the Arab-Muslim world.

20. In July 2003, during the height of the suicide bombing terrorism (the second intifada), he addressed the issue of suicide bombings at an ECFR conference. He said that istishhad (death as a martyr for the sake of Allah), carried out by Palestinian organizations to oppose the so-called "Zionist occupation," were by no means to be defined as terrorism.

21. Senior Hamas figures relied on al-Qaradawi's fatwas which authorize suicide bombing attacks against Israel to justify such attacks. For example:

a) Sheikh Hamid al-Bitawi, a senior Hamas activist in Judea and Samaria, relying on an al-Qaradawi fatwa, said that according to Islamic jurisprudence, "jihad is a collective dutyE" and that if infidels occupy any bit of Muslim land - such as the occupation of Palestine by the Jews - jihad becomes the duty of every individual, thus making it permissible to carry out suicide bombing attacks.

b) Dr. Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi, a senior Hamas leader who died in a targeted killing, relying on a fatwa issued by al-Qaradawi, said that "suicide depends on intention. If the person intends to kill himself because he is fed up with life, that is suicide (which is prohibited). However, if he wants to die to strike at the enemy and to receive a reward from Allah, he is considered as delivering up his soul [and not as committing suicide]."

22. To help fund Hamas's civilian infrastructure (the da'wah) al- Qaradawi established the Union of Good, which he heads today. It is an umbrella organization which raises money for Hamas and other Islamist activities around the globe. The Union of Good was declared a terrorism-sponsoring organization and outlawed by Israel in February 2002. In December 2002 it was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and outlawed.

23. At the beginning of 2010 he criticized Abbas for a UN vote regarding the Goldstone Report, and issued a fatwa calling for Abbas to be stoned in Mecca. Abbas demanded a retraction from al- Qaradawi, who denied having issued the fatwa. However, he did admit that during a sermon he said that if accusations against any person in the Palestinian Authority were proved true [i.e., that he had supported the cancellation of the vote on the Goldstone Report], that person should be stoned in Mecca as punishment for treason. In response, Mahmoud al-Habash, the Palestinian Authority minister of religion and endowments, said that his ministry had ordered all preachers in PA mosques to attack al-Qaradawi personally.

24. Al-Qaradawi has often made anti-Semitic remarks. For example, his "Life and Islamic Law" program broadcast on March 15, 2009, discussed the topic of righteous Muslims in Islam. One of the viewers called in and asked about the role of the righteous (al- salkhoun) in the Koran in the liberation of the [Islamic] holy places and the victory of the [Muslim] nation. Al-Qaradawi used the opportunity to attack the Jews, basing his answer on a hadith [oral tradition] calling for the murder of Jews. On the program he said that righteous Muslims were "the salt of the earth" who were always instrumental in liberating lands. He called them a source of hope and said he hoped that through them Jerusalem would be "liberated," as would "Palestine," the Gaza Strip, and all the lands ruled by the enemies of the Muslims. He said that the war against the Jews was not only the war of the Palestinians but of all Muslims. He said that the prophet Muhammad had said that "you will continue to fight the Jews and they will fight you until the Muslims kill them. The Jew hides behind rock and tree. The rock and the tree say, 'Oh, slave of Allah, oh, Muslim, here is the Jew behind me, come and kill him.'"

25. Al-Qaradawi denounced the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and said it was the duty of every Muslim to help bring the perpetrators to trial. As opposed to his opposition to Al-Qaida, he called for attacks on Americans fighting in Iraq. In August 2004, the "Pluralism in Islam" conference was held by Egypt's Journalists' Union in Cairo. At the conference al- Qaradawi issued a fatwa allowing the abduction and murder of American civilians in Iraq to exert pressure on the American army to remove its forces. He emphasized that "all the Americans in Iraq are fighters, there is no difference between civilians and soldiers, and they have to be fought against because the American civilians come to Iraq to serve the occupation. Abducting and killing them is a [religious] duty to make [the Americans] leave [Iraq] immediately. [On the other hand] abusing their corpses is forbidden by Islam."

26. Al-Qaradawi issued the fatwa a week after public figures from various Muslim countries had published an open letter calling for support for the forces fighting the coalition in Iraq. It was signed by 93 Islamic clerics and public figures, including al-Qaradawi and figures from the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. Ten days later, al-Qaradawi sent a fax to the London-based daily Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat denying "what the media said" and insisting he never issued a fatwa on the issue. Before the denial was issued, Azzam Halima, al-Qaradawi's office manager, had confirmed that al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa stating that it was a duty to fight the American civilians in Iraq because they were invaders.

Iran, the bomb and unrest

27. Al-Qaradawi strenuously opposes attempts to disseminate Shi'ite Islam and is critical of Iran's attempts to spread it to Sunni countries. He has also criticized Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on a number of occasions.

28. In the past al-Qaradawi has said that Muslims should acquire nuclear weapons "to terrify their enemies." However, he has said that nuclear weapons should not be used.

29. Regarding the recent events in Tunisia, al-Qaradawi said that the struggle should be continued until all the members of ousted president Ben Ali's party were removed from their positions, with the exception of the interim president, who should, he said, remain in power to prevent the creation of a constitutional vacuum. He called on Tunisia to release its political prisoners, bring back political exiles and restore the Islamic customs which were forbidden by the secular regime, such as wearing the veil (hijab) on university campuses.

30. Regarding the recent events in Libya, al-Qaradawi called on Muammar Gaddafi to relinquish power and to learn the lessons of Egypt and Tunisia. He said that a revolt against Gaddafi was an Islamic religious duty, and called on the members of the tribes in Libya to rise up against Gaddafi and join the ranks of the demonstrators. He called on the Libyan army "to behave like their brothers in Egypt, to stand alongside the people to restore to Libya its Arab Islamic character." He said that those who had died during the violent events in Libya were shaheeds in paradise and supported the jihad fighters rising up against the Libyan regime.

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center is part of the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC), an NGO based north of Tel Aviv that is dedicated to the memory of the fallen of the Israeli intelligence community.(c) Copyright Jerusalem Post. All rights reserved.

Illustrations/Photos:
Caption: Sheikh QARADAWI preaches in Cairo, 10 days ago. He ended
the sermon with a call for the liberation of Jerusalem's Al-Aksa
mosque and asked the Egyptian army to open the Rafah crossing and
allow aid convoys to enter the Gaza Strip. A few days later, he
returned to Qatar.

(Copyright 2011 The Jerusalem Post)

NSW:Fire put out at Sydney Olympics venue

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2010
NSW:Fire put out at Sydney Olympics venue

SYDNEY, Dec 6 AAP - Firefighters have extinguished a blaze in an air conditioning unit
at the Olympic Park Athletic Centre in Sydney's west.

About 100 people evacuated the building in Edwin Flack Avenue after smoke was spotted
shortly after 1pm (AEDT) on Monday.

NSW Fire Brigades Superintendent Ian Krimmer said the fire began in a basement air
conditioning unit and was quickly put out.

Crews are ventilating the building and the evacuees are expected to return. Nobody was injured.

The athletics centre served as a warm-up venue for elite athletes during the Sydney Olympics.

AAP mdg/tr/goc/

KEYWORD: ATHLETIC UPDATE

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

Vic: Williams to be farewelled with funeral prayers

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2010
Vic: Williams to be farewelled with funeral prayers

By Michelle Draper

MELBOURNE, April 29 AAP - Roberta Williams is expected to lead the eulogies for her
ex-husband Carl Williams as he is farewelled amid tight security on Friday.

The gangland killer will be remembered with funeral prayers, but not a full Catholic
mass, at St Therese's church in Essendon where his mother Barbara and arch rivals Mark
and Lewis Moran were also laid to rest.

The ceremony is expected to go for at least 30 minutes, but could be up to an hour
depending on the number of speakers.

It is understood Roberta Williams and some of her children will be among those eulogising him.

Williams, who was bashed to death last week at Geelong's Barwon Prison where he was
serving a life term for four gangland murders, will later be buried at Keilor Cemetery.

It is believed another family wanting to bury a relative nearby at the same time moved
their burial to another day, after being told the timeslot was taken.

"In respect to the privacy of grieving families and to ensure smooth traffic management,
it is not normal practice to have two burials occurring at the same time in the same area
at the cemetery," said Liz Riley, the interim chief executive of The Greater Metropolitan
Cemeteries Trust.

Victoria Police has plans in place for a strong police presence if the funeral for
the former drugs kingpin, expected to draw a large crowd, gets out of hand.

One unit has been rostered to monitor the funeral and manage traffic, a police spokeswoman said.

The unit will patrol the area around the church in Melbourne's north, the spokeswoman said.

A police vehicle could be stationed out the front of the church or officers may mingle
with the crowd, she said.

Police have developed a plan to boost officer numbers at the funeral if required, she said.

Williams was jailed for a minimum 35 years for ordering hits on Lewis Moran and his
son Jason, Michael Mallia and Michael Marshall.

Williams' daughter Dhakota was also christened at the church.

Roberta Williams' son Tye Stephens has been refused leave from jail, where he is serving
a sentence for robbery, to attend the funeral.

Corrections Victoria confirmed it refused the funeral leave application over security
and public safety concerns.

"Corrections Victoria has offered family members the opportunity to attend a private
memorial service with the prisoner at the Barwon Prison chapel," it said in a statement.

AAP md/gfr/pmu/jlw/

KEYWORD: WILLIAMS

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

Fed: Abbott hopes Copenhagen doesn't flop - for PM's sake

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2009
Fed: Abbott hopes Copenhagen doesn't flop - for PM's sake

TONY ABBOTT's hoping the climate change summit in Copenhagen doesn't fail.

The opposition leader says KEVIN RUDD's invested an enormous amount of personal capital
in the summit .. and Mr ABBOTT hopes for his sake it comes up with some binding commitments.

But the prime minister's arrived in Copenhagen overnight .. warning the summit may be a failure.

Mr ABBOTT's told ABC Radio all the major polluting countries need to make commitments
to reduce their emissions by 2020 .. and Australia shouldn't go it alone.

AAP RTV bsb/rl/crh

KEYWORD: SUMMIT ABBOTT (CANBERRA)

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

NSW: Truck driver escapes from tanker before explosion: police

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2009
NSW: Truck driver escapes from tanker before explosion: police

SYDNEY, Aug 7 AAP - A truck driver has escaped from his petrol tanker before it exploded
after colliding with a car in NSW's central west.

Emergency services responded to reports of a collision between a car and a fully-laden
petrol tanker on Orange Road, about 20km east of Parkes, at 1am (AEST) on Friday.

Police said the truck driver escaped from the tanker before it exploded and caught
fire. He was taken to Parkes Hospital with minor injuries.

The car was incinerated but it was not known how many people were in the vehicle at
the time of the crash, police said.

The blaze could not be brought under control, with a series of explosions coming from the tanker.

A number of firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

Police, paramedics, State Emergency Services and HAZMAT officers were also at the scene
and crash investigators were also sent.

Orange Rd was closed and local traffic diversions were put in place.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or who has information which may assist is urged to
contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

AAP sg/ldj

KEYWORD: PETROL

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

FED: Govt must release IR modelling following jobs data: Keenan

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2009
FED: Govt must release IR modelling following jobs data: Keenan

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP - The opposition has again demanded the federal government release
modelling showing how its new industrial relations laws will affect jobs.

The call comes as the jobless rate rose to its highest level in two years, according
to the latest official labour force data.

With unemployment sharply on the rise, Australians have a right to know what Labor's
new workplace laws will do to jobs, opposition workplace relations spokesman Michael Keenan
said.

"It is now critical for the government to release its jobs modelling for the Fair Work
bill, so we can see how many new jobs are going to be created under the new workplace
laws," Mr Keenan said in a statement.

"Economic modelling has been done for the two cash splashes and the emissions trading scheme.

"Yet the most important modelling which we need to see is for the Fair Work bill."

A slim rise in January in the total number of people employed failed to stop the jobless
rate jumping to 4.8 per cent, its highest level since June 2006, official data released
on Thursday showed.

Total employment rose by a seasonally-adjusted 1,200 in January.

AAP jcd/kms/goc/

KEYWORD: JOBS KEENAN

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

NSW:Vaccine-denying couple still on run as DoCS seeks new ord=2

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2008
NSW:Vaccine-denying couple still on run as DoCS seeks new ord=2

Helen Tyrrell, CEO of Hepatitis Australia, said the hepatitis B vaccine was considered very safe.

"In Australia, we know that all our vaccines are subject to extremely stringent quality
control processes," she told AAP.

"We know that they're safe.

"The incidences of acute reactions to the hepatitis B vaccine are extremely rare ...

and if they do occur, they're usually short-lived.

"So, if you're weighing up the risks of vaccination versus not vaccination, then we
would certainly recommend vaccination."

Ms Tyrrell said mother-to-child transmission during the birth process and immediately
after was the most common cause of hepatitis B transmission, with chances of transmission
between five and 40 per cent.

If a child was vaccinated, the chances of infection were "very, very low", she said.

Vaccinations are not compulsory in Australia but it is NSW Health policy that babies
born to hepatitis B mothers are given the immunoglobulin injection within 12 hours of
birth.

The treatment is followed up with four more doses of the vaccine over six months.

It is unclear whether caesarean birth carries a lower risk of transmission than natural birth.

Breastfeeding, however, was considered safe, provided nipples weren't cracked and bleeding.

Ms Tyrell said a baby who developed hepatitis B had a 95 per cent chance of developing
the chronic form of the disease, which carried with it a "very, very high chance" of liver
cancer.

"The virus attacks the liver and once you've damaged the liver, it's very difficult
to reverse those symptoms," she said.

"You get a hardening of the liver, you get sclerosis, you get liver failure, you may
need a liver transplant, you may get liver cancer ... and in rare cases, people die.

"The whole case is absolutely tragic in my view," she said.

The case is considered complicated because Australia does not have a compulsory vaccination
system.

A DoCS spokeswoman said any future legal action against the parents would depend on
the outcome of today's proceedings as well as any further legal or medical advice DoCS
received.

AAP cjb/wjf/sco/cdh

KEYWORD: VACCINATION 2 SYDNEY

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

Vic: Pair escape shooting on Chapel Street

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2008
Vic: Pair escape shooting on Chapel Street

MELBOURNE, April 20 AAP - Two people have escaped serious injury when a shot was fired
at a car in inner-city Melbourne.

The driver, a 22-year-old man, and his passenger, an 18-year-old woman, were stopped
in their car at the corner of Chatham and Chapel streets, Prahran, when a man fired a
gun at the car about midnight (AEST), police said today.

The gunman then fled in another vehicle.

The 22-year-old man was not injured and his passenger received a minor injury to her
head, but did not require hospital treatment.

Both were from Melbourne's western suburbs.

Police are calling for any witnesses to come forward.

AAP kn/gfr/jt

KEYWORD: SHOTS

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

NSW: Industrial complex fire suspicious - police

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2007
NSW: Industrial complex fire suspicious - police

Police are treating as suspicious a fire that's caused more than 100 thousand dollars
worth of damage at an industrial site on Sydney's northern beaches.

Firefighters were called to the Allambie Heights site containing various businesses
about two o'clock (AEDT) this morning.

They're still trying to contain the blaze.

AAP RTV /jmt

KEYWORD: BLAZE (SYDNEY)

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

NSW: New boat safety campaign launched alongside powerboat bid

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2007
NSW: New boat safety campaign launched alongside powerboat bid

By Kim Christian and Andrew Drummond

SYDNEY, Aug 3 AAP - Minutes after launching a new boat safety campaign, NSW Ports and
Waterways Minister Joe Tripodi today confirmed the state government would bid to host
a world powerboat race on Sydney Harbour.

While news of the bid drew applause from some Sydney tourist operators, The Greens
have slammed the move as high risk for its participants, spectators and the environment.

Mr Tripodi made the two incongruous announcements at an industry breakfast this morning
at the Sydney International Boat Show.

He said Sydney would bid for the right to host a leg of the Class One Powerboat World
Championships - the world's leading international powerboat racing series.

Mr Tripodi also spoke of the state government's goal of preventing boating accidents
through education.

"That's why we're making substantial investment in public safety by being involved
in this advertising campaign," Mr Tripodi said.

His comments follow a new 15 knot restriction on all vessels travelling under the Sydney
Harbour Bridge, which took effect on August 1.

The "boating safety zone" was declared in response to two fatal ferry accidents on
the harbour earlier this year.

The Greens Lee Rhiannon said today's announcements by Mr Tripodi were "duplicitous",
and called on the government to drop its bid for the race.

"These powerboats may be travelling more than eight times the new speed limit just
set by (Transport) Minister John Watkins for waters in the vicinity of the Harbour Bridge,"

Ms Rhiannon said.

"Powerboat racing is recognised, even by its supporters, as among the world's most
dangerous sports.

"People's quiet enjoyment of the harbour will be sacrificed by the deafening noise
of these powerful machines which also impact badly on the environment."

The proposed powerboat course will reportedly run between the Harbour Bridge and Manly.

Captain Cook Cruises general manager Anthony Haworth welcomed the bid.

"We just have to wait and see what the regulator - the NSW Maritime Authority - decides
and it will depend on their approach to it as to how it impacts us," Mr Haworth said.

"But it's good news ... it shows that at last the government is starting to show some
leadership in the area of tourism which has been missing for the last three to four years."

Mr Tripodi's speech was followed by a testosterone-filled film clip of high speed powerboats
complete with bikini-clad women and a rock soundtrack.

He told the breakfast the government's new "You're the skipper, you're responsible"

campaign aimed to encourage recreational boaters to take responsibility for their actions
on the water.

"Recreational boating accidents are tragic but what makes them worse is that they are
preventable," he said.

AAP krc/ad/hn/cjh/bwl

KEYWORD: POWERBOAT NIGHTLEAD

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

Fed: Conditions hamper rescuers bid to reach upturned kayak

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2007
Fed: Conditions hamper rescuers bid to reach upturned kayak

Fading light and choppy seas have prevented the crew of a rescue helicopter from winching
down to the site where Australian paddler ANDREW MCAULEY is believed to have gone missing.

Rescuers say there's no sign of Mr MCAULEY .. but rescuers are now trying in an inflatable
dinghy launched from a cruise ship .. to reach the upturned vessel .. that a plane spotted
earlier.

A New Zealand Air Force plane saw .. what is believed to have been the Australian's
upturned kayak .. this afternoon 75 kilometres west of Milford Sound on New Zealand's
south island.

Mr MCAULEY had been expected to arrive in Milford Sound tomorrow .. after departing
Fortescue Bay in Tasmania on January 11.

Concerns about his safety emerged overnight .. when a garbled message was monitored
in New Zealand on the maritime distress channel 16.


(Re-issuing .. adding in 2nd par that dighy was launched from cruiseship)



AAP RTV sk/wz

KEYWORD: NZ KAYAK AUST (SYDNEY)

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

Highlights of the AAP National Wire at 14:45, Aug 24

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2006
Highlights of the AAP National Wire at 14:45, Aug 24

CANBERRA - Prime Minister John Howard has announced an extra 2,600 personnel for the
army, saying Australia will face challenging situations in the next two decades. (Army.

Eds: Changes keyword from Defence)

Army Nightlead, Backgrounder, Analysis, Factbox to come. Pics available. With graphic.



CANBERRA - A new US technique for creating stem cells without directly destroying human
embryos will still lead to the unwanted cloned embryos being thrown away, an Australian
anti-cloning group says. (Stemcell Discard. Also see Stemcell Researchers, Stemcell Experts,
Stemcell Barnett, Stemcell Bracks, Stemcell Beazley, Stemcell Monash and other sidebars.

Pics available)

Stemcell N/L to come.



BOWEN, Qld - Blood tests have begun on patients of a Queensland dentist who tested
positive to HIV, the state government says. (Dentist Testing)

SYDNEY - Patients treated by an HIV positive Queensland dentist are "extraordinarily
unlikely" to have contracted the disease, a leading epidemiologist says. (Dentist Risk)

Dentist N/L to come. Pics available.



SYDNEY - The responsibility of identifying a soldier's remains should not rest with
emotional colleagues, the inquiry into Private Jake Kovco's death and botched repatriation
has been told. (Kovco)

Kovco N/L to come.



CANBERRA - House prices in Australia's capital cities have recorded more solid growth,
but the industry says the hikes show a continuing nationwide shortage of homes. (Housing)

SYDNEY - Australia is on the verge of a housing crisis as growing demand and higher
interest rates push housing affordability further out of reach for many Australians. (Housing
Economists to come)

SYDNEY - Wide regional disparities in housing price growth underscore the RBA's dilemma
in coping with inflationary pressures. (HOUSING Analysis to come, with graphic)

SYDNEY - A senior AWB executive who coordinated the embattled wheat exporter's response
to the Iraq kickbacks inquiry has quit the company. (AWB Gillingham)

AWB N/L to come.



MELBOURNE - Two former Department of Human Services officers have been charged with
the manslaughter of an elderly intellectually disabled man who died after drinking linament
at a football ground. (Conduit to come)



SYDNEY - Obesity study cuts weight of an entire young population. (Waist to come)



SYDNEY - AMP Ltd today posted a seven per cent rise in first half net profit as it
cashed in on buoyant market conditions and continued changes to the superannuation industry.

(AMP)

AMP N/L, AMP Planning to come. With pics, graphic.



BRISBANE - Returning spearhead Glenn McGrath has talked up the possibility of playing
at 40, raising the prospect of a fourth and final Ashes tour in 2009. (Cricket Aust Nightlead
to come)





MORE br

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL

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

Vic: Libs resume scrutiny of government waste role

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2006
Vic: Libs resume scrutiny of government waste role

MELBOURNE, April 18 AAP - The Victorian opposition has appointed its legal affairs
spokesman Andrew McIntosh to fill the scrutiny-of-government portfolio left vacant for
several weeks.

Despite the importance of the position in the lead-up to this year's state poll, Opposition
Leader Robert Doyle had struggled to fill the role previously held by former deputy leader
Phil Honeywood.

Last month, Mr Honeywood announced he would quit politics at the November state election
and soon after relinquished the job of monitoring government waste and mismanagement.

There were no immediate takers for the position and it appeared the role might be scrapped
altogether.

Until late last year it was held by upper house MP Richard Dalla-Riva but he lost the
portfolio in a reshuffle.

Mr Doyle announced today that Mr McIntosh, the member for the lower house seat of Kew,
would take over the position.

AAP nl/gfr/jt/nf

KEYWORD: SCRUTINY

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

Qld:Two cocaine importers jailed for 18 years

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2004
Qld:Two cocaine importers jailed for 18 years

Two men have been jailed for 18 years for arranging an importation of 12 kilograms
of cocaine from Brazil.

Forty-six-year-old FRANCIS IGNACIO BURNS of the Gold Coast has pleaded guilty to one
count each of conspiring to import a prohibited import, supplying cocaine and attempting
to dishonestly obtain a passport.

Fifty-year-old RONALD KEITH ISHERWOOD, a property renovator and jeweller, has been
found guilty by a jury of one count of conspiracy to import cocaine.

Brazilian-born BURNS had recruited ISHERWOOD and together they arranged the importation
of the cocaine from Brazil in 2002.

But police intercepted the two packages in Brazil and substituted the drug for flour.

Justice ANTHE PHILIPPIDES sentenced ISHERWOOD to 18 years jail and imposed a non-parole
period of nine years.

BURNS has been sentenced to 18 years, with a non-parole period of eight and a half years.

AAP RTV smk/as/lm

KEYWORD: BRAZIL (BRISBANE)

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

umbrella fund

umbrella fund An offshore fund consisting of a fund of funds that invests in other offshore funds.

Cancer genomics: The impact of genomic advances in oncology.

M2 PRESSWIRE-18 February 2003-Research and Markets: Cancer genomics: The impact of genomic advances in oncology(C)1994-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:02152003

INTRODUCTION, Cancer Genomics: The impact of genomics advances in oncology provides a detailed insight into the use of genomic technology in the cancer market and its future impact on cancer management. The report focuses extensively on the different genomic applications used in diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The brief illustrates the implications that genomics will have on the future of oncology, both from clinical and industry viewpoints., , SCOPE OF THIS REPORT, Overview of pharmacogenetics and its application to cancer therapy, Implications of genomics for cancer therapy, including the impact on development time and cost, and regulatory, patent and ethical issues, , REPORT HIGHLIGHTS, The explosion of information generated by large-scale genomics has resulted in an exponential increase in the number of potential genes and proteins available for therapeutic and diagnostic research and development. As a result of the increased potential, it has been estimated that the whole pharmaceutical industry, currently valued at $340 billion could grow to $3 trillion by 2020., , KEY REASONS TO BUY THIS REPORT, Identify the key genomic applications in cancer management, Enhance your product''s commercial viability by making detailed comparative analysis of the strategies used by the current players in the market, Maximize the potential of genomics by identifying current and pipeline cancer products incorporating the new technology, Identify potential areas for investment through the brief''s focus on the future impact of genomics in oncology,

For a complete index of this report click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/1223

Report Index:

HEALTHCARE

Contact details

SECTION 1 ACTION POINTS

OVERVIEW OF CANCER GENOMICS

Cancer genes

Milestones in cancer genetics

Two-horse race for mapping the human genome mapping

Blueprint completed

GENOMIC APPLICATIONS IN CANCER

Diagnosis

Pharmacogenomics and diagnostics

Pharmacogenomics and screening

Pharmacogenetics and treatment

Pharmacogenomics and side-effect minimization

Targeted therapies

Prognosis

Prophylaxis

Prophylactic measures

Chemoprevention

IMPLICATIONS FOR GENOMICS IN CANCER

Increase in the number of new drug targets

But also a spike in failure rates

Financial pressures

Old dogs, new tricks

Alliances with diagnostics companies

Decrease in development time and cost

Positive factors

Negative factors

Summary of positive and negative factors

High price justified

Transforming relationships between parties

Long-term strategies

Patent and regulatory issues

Patent issues

Ethical and regulatory issues

Conclusion

Report Pricing:

Hard Copy EUR 1,669 (US$ 1,560).

Electronic EUR 1,605 (US$ 1,500).

Site Licence EUR 1,605 (US$ 1,500).

ORDERING INFORMATION - FIVE EASY WAYS TO PLACE YOUR ORDER:

ORDER ONLINE: To order this report please click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/1223 ORDER VIA EMAIL: mailto:orders@researchandmarkets.com ORDER VIA FAX-BACK FORM: Click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/1223 Fax to +353 14957318 ORDER VIA POST: Click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/1223 Mail to Research and Markets Ltd., Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland ORDER VIA PHONE: Telephone: +353 868797580

REPORT DATA SUMMARY:

Cancer genomics: The impact of genomic advances in oncology Publisher Name: Datamonitor Date Published: 5/31/2002 Category: Biotechnology, Genomics, Genomics, Oncology URL: www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/1223

About Research and Markets Ltd.

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Invest Holdings Group, Inc. Announces Entering the Retail Section In Europe

LONDON, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Invest Holdings Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: IVHD) today announced that it has entered the retail sector in Europe with its all natural non-prescriptive hair loss and impotence products.

"Invest has been marketing these products on the Internet for some time but recently reached an agreement with European retailers who have been licensed to private labeling the products and selling them through retail stores in Europe. The combined licenses calls for minimum orders of $100,000.00 per month.

With the retail market becoming a factor, IVHD is on line to have its best year ever in fiscal year 1999. Invest expects revenues to surpass previous years and earnings to be higher than ever. Invest will give greater detail on revenues and earnings after the close of the second quarter, which is November, due to the demand of the products both through the Internet and the growing demand in the retail market.

Positive newspaper articles featuring the products have recently appeared in Norway, Denmark and England and stores have already begun to place orders for the products in those countries.

Mr. Andrew Bryant, Invest Holdings Group Inc.'s President, said today, "Retailers are very excited about the enthusiasm shown by the media for our non-prescriptive impotence and hair loss products. The subject of impotence has received a great deal of media coverage lately, leaving the European marketplace looking for products to solve an impotence problem. Our timing has therefore been just right in introducing a retail product to fill the void."

  SOURCE  Invest Holdings Group, Inc.       -0-                             08/07/98     /CONTACT:  Seth Cayer, for Invest Holdings Group, 706-343-0096/     /Web site:  http://www.hair-loss.com/     /Web site:  http://www.potentman.com/     (IVHD)  CO:  Invest Holdings Group, Inc. ST:  England IN:  REA MLM SU:      KW -- ATF009 -- 3897 08/07/98 09:27 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com   

Stenson hails US invasion.

Swede believes a stronger field means better golf all round going into the Qatar Masters Swedish sensation Henrik Stenson has welcomed the American invasion and believes they can only help strengthen the standing of the new Race to Dubai. US Ryder Cup sensation Boo Weekley is the big draw this weekend in Doha, along with compatriot Brandt Snedeker. But rather than fear the US PGA Tour stars, Stenson has welcomed the challenge. The Americans are set to join rising star Anthony Kim in joining the European Tour. They will then need to play 12 European Tour events to qualify for a shot at the Race to Dubai and season-ending Dubai World Championship. And although he endured a nightmare start to the Desert Swing, missing the cut at Abu Dhabi last weekend, Swede Stenson has welcomed the stronger field in Qatar. The world No.11 explained: "It was definitely one of the thoughts when they launched the Race to Dubai, to try to attract stronger fields to tournaments and to the Tour in general. Obviously the Race to Dubai has done that and I am delighted to see more of the American tour players coming over to play in Europe. "I see them on a regular basis when I'm competing in America but it's developing perfectly for everyone to play against the best fields now on a weekly basis." Talking of a weekly basis, American star Boo will be guaranteed a large following this weekend thanks to the big-hitting display which helped put Nick Faldo's men to the sword in Valhalla last year. Ahead of his first visit to the Middle East, the 35-year-old admitted the Ryder Cup had a major impact on him. He said: "It took me about a week to get over it, it really did. I got home that Monday, and for about the first two hours, I played with my kids and I went up and laid down in my bed. "I've got a little loft upstairs and I was sitting there and I started crying and broke down from all the emotions finally coming out. It is kind of hard to put it into words and how you really felt."

2009 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

CAN IT GET ANY WORSE, KERRY?(Features)

Byline: Clemmie Moodie; Sarah Tetteh; Ashleigh Rainbird

FOR Kerry Katona, it was the last chance saloon...

But 15 months after she was dragged from D-list obscurity by the scruff of her turkey neck, her management team at CAN has, well, canned her.

While both parties are keeping diplomatically schtum at the moment, internet rumours abound that 30-year-old mum-of-four Kerry refused to do a scheduled urine test.

It is also understood that the former Dancing On Ice contestant infuriated manager Claire Powell by declining a host of lucrative work offers.

My source says: "Kerry is adamant she's not back on drugs.

"But as far as her PR company were concerned, they have taken things as far as they can.

"Increasingly frequent differences of opinion meant a working relationship was no longer tenable."

Last night, in an uncharacteristically terse statement, CAN said: "We can confirm that we no longer manage Kerry Katona."

The plot thickens.

DLS Announces Hosted PBX Development Roadmap.

Lake in the Hills, IL (PRWEB) May 11, 2011

With a focus on more advanced Unified Communications features and improved price performance model, DLS Internet, a leading provider of Hosted Unified Communications solutions, unveils vision and service roadmap for its Hosted PBX service until spring of 2012. Among other features, the roadmap reveals future plans for integration with Microsoft Office, Skype, addition of Web Conferencing, desktop sharing and support for latest handsets from Cisco, Polycom, Grandstream and SNOM. It contains changes to service features, explains naming guidelines and a release timeline for DLS Hosted PBX service releases.

Since 2004 DLS had focused on continuously advancing its VoIP Hosted PBX service. It now possess a powerful combination of technology leadership and service capabilities enabling the company to provide end-to-end turn-key Unified Communications solutions that fulfill the most demanding expectations from its customers and business partners.

Sam Rozenfeld, CEO of DLS Internet explained: "I am very pleased to announce a product roadmap that demonstrates the depth of vision and future direction of our powerful, tried and feature rich service. Our focus throughout the process was to put the customer first by adding features most frequently requested while still realizing our own vision for the future of the DLS Hosted PBX. The upcoming features in the roadmap make our Unified Communications service more advanced, agile, and -- where possible -- easier to use."

###

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/5/prweb8414167.htm

Earnings advance 30.4% at AmerisourceBergen.(Business)(Financial report)

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. -- Buoyed by a strong operating performance and benefits from special items, AmerisourceBergen Corp. rang up a 30.4% jump in earnings from continuing operations on a 6.6% revenue gain in the fiscal 2010 third quarter.

Despite delivering results that exceeded Wall Street's expectations, the company's stock took a hit as investors were disappointed with management's forecast for fourth quarter earnings (see accompanying story).

The drug wholesaler posted net income of $163.2 million, or 57 cents per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, up from the $125.1 million, or 42 cents, earned by continuing operations a year ago. Including a $6.33 million loss from discontinued operations in the 2009 period, net income bounded 37.3% from $118.8 million.

Third quarter revenue, meanwhile, climbed to $19.6 billion from $18.39 billion.

Management reported that revenue grew 8% at the core AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., "aided by above-market growth by its largest customers," while the AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group turned in a 3% gain.

Excluding a 5 cent-per-share benefit from special items, the company posted adjusted earnings of 52 cents per share--beating the average estimate of 49 cents among analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Revenue also topped analysts' $19.34 billion forecast.

"This outstanding performance in the third quarter reflects the strength of our key growth drivers--generic pharmaceuticals and specialty distribution and services," AmerisourceBergen president and chief executive officer R. David Yost said in a statement.

"Our strong revenue growth and generic drug performance combined with disciplined working capital and expense management to deliver our results. Our balance sheet remains strong, and we have excellent financial flexibility."

On the income side in the quarter, gross margin widened by 18 basis points to 3%, due primarily to the impact of strong sales in generic pharmaceuticals as well as a $19.1 million benefit from an antitrust litigation settlement, according to AmerisourceBergen.

Concurrently, total operating expenses dropped 10 basis points to 1.56% of revenue, as the core component--distribution, selling and administrative costs--fell 3 basis points to 1.48% of revenue, and depreciation and amortization held steady at 0.11%. The balance of the improvement emanated from the presence of an $8.9 million impairment charge in the 2009 quarter and a swing to a $4.4 million gain from a year-ago $213,000 charge for facility consolidations, employee severance and other costs.

"The lower [expense] ratio demonstrates the company's ability to leverage its existing infrastructure and its focus on productivity and efficiency," AmerisourceBergen's management commented.

All of these positive factors paved the way for a 32.3% jump in third quarter operating income to $281.9 million, or 1.44% of sales--up from a 1.16% operating ratio a year ago. Backing out the special items in both years, adjusted operating profit grew at a healthy 16% pace to $257.6 million.

After the inclusion of a 22.2% increase in net interest expense to $17.9 million, pretax earnings from ongoing lines grew 33% to $263.5 million. For the first nine months, AmerisourceBergen netted $495.5 million, or $1.72 per diluted share, up 29.8% from the $381.7 million generated by continuing operations a year ago. Including $8.46 million in losses from discontinued operations in the 2009 span, net income surged 32.7% from $373.3 million.

Year-to-date revenue climbed 9.8% to $58.24 billion from $53.04 billion, while operating profit jumped 29.8% to $855.5 million. Excluding special items in both years, adjusted operating profit advanced by 23.2% to $831 million.

                          Current   Previous                           close     close       Net       %Chain drug stocks         8/31/10   8/13/10    change    changeDow Jones Composite  Average                 3482.29    3551.67   -123.38    -3.47CVS Caremark                26.98      28.70     -1.72    -5.99Rite Aid                     0.87       0.95     -0.08    -8.42Walgreens                   26.88      28.17     -1.29    -4.58                           52-week   52-week                    P/EChain drug stocks           high       low     Div.    Yield   ratioDow Jones Composite  Average                  3885.78   3161.38CVS Caremark                 38.27     26.84   0.35     1.3    11.0Rite Aid                      2.35      0.86     --      --      --Walgreens                    40.69     26.26   0.70     2.6    13.0                          Current   Previous                           close     close       Net       %Canadian drug stocks *    8/31/10   8/13/10    change    changeJean Coutu Group             8.75       8.80     -0.05    -0.57Shoppers Drug Mart          36.31      35.09     +1.22    +3.48                           52-week   52-week                    P/ECanadian drug stocks *      high       low     Div.    Yield   ratioJean Coutu Group             10.24      7.88   0.22     2.5    14.0Shoppers Drug Mart           46.35     32.57   0.90     2.5    13.0* Figures are in Canadian dollars.                          Current   Previous                           close     close       Net       %Internet drug stores      8/31/10   8/13/10    change    changedrugstore.com                1.57       1.89     -0.32   -16.93                           52-week   52-week                    P/EInternet drug stores        high       low     Div.    Yield   ratiodrugstore.com                 3.95      1.49     --      --      --                          Current   PreviousParent companies &         close     close       Net       %combo operators           8/31/10   8/13/10    change    changeAhold (combos)              12.20      12.50     -0.30    -2.40AmerisourceBergen (GNP)     27.28      29.04     -1.76    -6.06A&P (combos)                 3.04       2.95     +0.09    +3.05Cardinal Health  (Medicine shoppe)         29.96      31.36     -1.40    -4.46Kroger(combos)              19.73      22.00     -2.27   -10.32McKesson (Health Mart)      58.05      60.65     -2.60    -4.29Supervalu (combos)           9.72      10.99     -1.27   -11.56Parent companies &         52-week   52-week                    PPEcombo operators             high       low     Div.    Yield   ratioAhold (combos)               14.31     11.62     --      --      --AmerisourceBergen (GNP)      33.27     20.87   0.32     1.2    13.0A&P (combos)                 13.00      2.50     --      --      --Cardinal Health  (Medicine shoppe)          36.66     24.87   0.78     2.6    17.0Kroger(combos)               24.80     19.08   0.38     1.9      --McKesson (Health Mart)       71.49     54.60   0.72     1.2    13.0Supervalu (combos)           17.89      9.67   0.35     3.5     6.0                          Current   Previous                           close     close       Net       %Other retailers           8/31/10   8/13/10    change    changeSears (Kmart)               61.96      66.55     -4.59    -6.90Target                      51.16      50.81     +0.35    +0.69Walmart                     50.14      50.40     -0.26    -0.52                           52-week   52-week                    P/EOther retailers             high       low     Div.    Yield   ratioSears (Kmart)               125.42     59.21     --      --    26.0Target                       58.52     45.11   1.00     2.0    14.0Walmart                      56.27     47.77   1.21     2.4    13.0

Treasury minister adds Digital Britain duties.(World News)(Government treasury minister Stephen Timms )(Brief article)

LONDON -- Government treasury minister Stephen Timms has been given responsibility for the Digital Britain initiative, a wide-ranging brief covering the future of broadcasting and telcos in the digital age.

Timms will oversee the development of the infrastructure to give all homes access to fast broadband Internet by 2012. This will be funded through a 6 ($10.20) [pounds sterling] a year levy on all phone lines.

He inherits the task of forging a partnership between BBC Worldwide, the pubeaster's commercial arm, and Channel 4, the cash-strapped broadcaster funded by the state and advertising income. The objective is to dip into the wealthy BBCW's pockets to bail out C4, which has not been greeted with much glee by the BBC. Timms also will need to override BBC resistance to a plan to take a slice of its license fee to pay for regional news and children's programming on other TV outlets.

Another item on his "to do" list is the quest to honor the pledge to cut online piracy by 70%. A deal between Internet service providers and media companies on the sanctions to be placed on repeat offenders has yet to be reached.

Books-A-Million to Host Jenna Bush in Tampa, Florida.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Books-A-Million (NASDAQ:BAMM):

 [TABLE OMITTED] 

Due to heightened security, customers must go through a security checkpoint before the event. Please leave backpacks, large handbags and other prohibited items at home or in your car and arrive ahead of time to allow for the screening. After the checkpoint, all customers attending the event, including children, will be given a wristband, which must be worn for security identification purposes at all times. Books-A-Million cannot guarantee that all customers with line numbers will have the opportunity to meet Ms. Bush and have Ana's Story signed.

About Books-A-Million, Inc.

Books-A-Million (NASDAQ:BAMM) is one of the nation's leading book retailers and sells on the Internet at www.booksamillion.com. The Company presently operates more than 200 stores in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The Company operates two distinct store formats, including large superstores operating under the names Books-A-Million and Books & Co., and traditional bookstores operating under the name Bookland. The Company's wholesale operations include American Wholesale Book Company and Book$mart, both based in Florence, Alabama. For more information, visit the company's website at www.booksamillioninc.com.

Softel vdm, Inc. Releases MyTinyTV 2.0: Live TV for All PCs.

PUNTA GORDA, Fla., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- MyTinyTV allows anyone to watch real-time television on a Pocket PC, laptop or desktop -- on the road across the Internet or a local network, anywhere and anytime, which gives viewers many more exciting seating options than the living room couch. No matter where it's used, it provides all the channels the user's home cable, satellite or antenna receives.

"Take your home TV with all its channels on the road and watch TV anywhere you have Internet access," says Mike van der Meulen of Softel vdm, Inc. "Bored standing in line at the post office? Fire up your Pocket PC and watch news, shows, movies -- anything that you could be watching at home!"

Since its first release just three months ago, the company has been hard at work in order to offer all the new features users have been asking for.

With this new release, MyTinyTV is no longer limited to Pocket PCs. It now also works on laptops and even desktops. So, if you're at home or traveling with your laptop or you are borrowing a friend's desktop, you can watch TV.

MyTinyTV works with a desktop PC's television tuner connected to the home's cable, satellite or antenna, sending the user's channels and TV listings through a wireless or wired network or the Internet to their Pocket PC, laptop or desktop. The system includes an interface for the user's PCs with channel selection, complete program guide and the ability to get detailed movie and show descriptions.

Numerous little tidbits have been added that make the product even easier to use, such as automatic speed adaptation, full VGA support (640 x 480), selectable input source (SVideo, Composite), much faster TV listings browsing, support for third party Pocket PC player and of course support for more TV tuners.

"Particularly, the installation has been made much easier with this new release," explained Mike van der Meulen, Softel vdm president. "A fair number of users struggled with their routers at home, which prevented them from accessing MyTinyTV when they were on the road." While Softel vdm's web site has help on configuring a router, that critical step was a stumbling block for some users. "Easier to install," "Easier to use" are some of the comments received with the latest release of MyTinyTV 2.0. With this new release, the product automatically configures most routers, so users of MyTinyTV don't need to worry about any complicated router configuration. The product also addresses and eliminates any conflicts with other TV software automatically, further simplifying the product's installation to the point where the user doesn't have to spend more than a few minutes to get it installed and ready to go.

Softel vdm is offering free, fully functional seven-day demo downloads of the product. During this trial period, people can discover new ways and places to enjoy TV.

MyTinyTV is available for just $59.00, which includes a full year of free television listings. A complete list of system requirements is available at http://www.mytinytv.com/reqs.html.

About Softel vdm, Inc.

Since 1994, Softel vdm, Inc. has been developing and publishing programmer productivity tools and applications for Windows, specializing in development tools for the professional Windows programmer. For more information about the company and its full line of development tools, visit http://www.softelvdm.com/.

    Contact:    Mike van der Meulen    Softel vdm, Inc.    Tel:  941-505-8600 x224    Fax:  941-505-8555    mikevdm@softelvdm.com    http://www.softelvdm.com/   

This press release distributed by PRWEB (http://www.prwebdirect.com/), a service of eMediaWire.

CONTACT: Mike van der Meulen of Softel vdm, Inc., +1-941-505-8600, ext. 224, or fax, +1-941-505-8555, or mikevdm@softelvdm.com

Web site: http://www.softelvdm.com/

UKEN Policy Checklist - Chemicals.

Nine organisations representing the European Chemicals Industry wrote to Commissioner Margot Wallstrom in April, setting out concerns about the impact of the proposed EU Chemicals Strategy on competitiveness. It is estimated by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) that turnover within the European chemicals industry reached 488bn in 2000.

The Industry and Environment Commissioners presented the strategy in early May 2003. It will now be followed by eight weeks of industry consultation via the Internet.

The UK Government published a position statement on the strategy in December 2002. The statement aims to set out the Government's view of the best way of implementing REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals).

All compounds where more than one tonne per year is produced, including existing products, will be required to register. Where production exceeds 100 tonnes annually, an evaluation programme will be established. Certain dangerous chemicals will require authorisation.

The organic chemicals sector will come into PPC regulation between 2003 and 2006, but most plants affected will be required to submit applications for permits between January and August 2003. BREF documentation for all affected sectors is not yet ready and the Agency has therefore produced interim guidance notes. These include standard requirements for energy, noise, accidents, site closure, waste BPEO and material efficiency which directly result from the PPC Regulations.

The control of hazardous chemicals and pesticides in developing countries is controlled by the 1998 Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure. A recent OECD report concluded that the UK uses almost double the amount of pesticides of comparable countries.

By July 2002 all companies were required to comply with the 3rd release of the EU's Chemical Hazard Information and Packaging requirements.

Environment Ministers from 90 countries have adopted a new chemical management strategy covering eighteen key areas. The strategy was approved at the Johannesburg summit. The WSSD Implementation Plan (Article 22), agreed to the: "sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle.... aiming to achieve by 2020 that chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment".

A global system of classification and labelling of chemicals is due to be in place by 2008.

Copyright UK Environment News Ltd - Vol 7, Issue 4, June 2003. Tel 020 7351 3954. UK Environment News cannot accept any incidental or consequential liability for information carried in this article.

IMDHA benefit programs.(Brief Article)

* Internet Listing--Get your business listed on the World Wide Web through the Infinity Institute Internet Service. You do not have to be an Internet user to be listed as a Certified IMDHA member on this site. People who are looking for a Hypnotherapist will click onto the site and find you in a city close to them. Special Deep Discounts are for current Certified IMDHA members. It will include your name, address, phone, email and URL. See The Online Directory @ http://www.infinityinst.com

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* Electronic Processing--Discounted Electronic Payment Service. Do you offer Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express to your clients? It is a way to increase your business by at least 35% and probably more. Put the power of electronic processing to work for you today. Call Dr. Jerome Beacham the official IMDHA representative: cell phone 248-895-5594.

* Marketing Tools--specifically designed for IMDHA certified members: Referral Directory and Hospital Job Description * the video--A Closer Look * the cassettes--Marketing Strategies * the Articles for Your Local Newspaper * Professional Brochures * Manual of Professional Forms and Letters for Marketing Your Business and the Online Directory Listing on the Infinity Institute web site. All of these are available at a nominal fee just waiting for your use in your community!

For complete details please call 248-549-5594