QLD:Man "stabbed: at a Brisbane residence

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-2011
QLD:Man "stabbed: at a Brisbane residence

A man is believed to have been stabbed following an altercation at a residence south of Brisbane.

Police say four men were involved in the incident at Hillcrest this morning when one
man was struck in the abdomen with a "sharp" instrument, but police won't confirm it was
a knife.

Police are investigating the incident and the 35-year old was treated at Princess Alexandra
hospital.

AAP RTV dac/ar

KEYWORD: HILLCREST (BRISBANE)

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

Fed: Nats call on Telstra to explain payphone plan

AAP General News (Australia)
02-20-2006
Fed: Nats call on Telstra to explain payphone plan

Nationals Senate leader RON BOSWELL says Telstra needs to explain its case for removing
five thousand payphones.

Telstra's reportedly planning to shut down one in seven of its public phones in rural
and city areas .. to cut costs.

Senator BOSWELL …

QLD:Child sex sentence inadequate: Bligh

AAP General News (Australia)
04-15-2011
QLD:Child sex sentence inadequate: Bligh

CAIRNS, April 15 AAP - Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says a seven-year prison sentence
imposed on a serial sex offender convicted of abusing six girls does not meet community
standards.

The 33-year-old-man, who cannot legally be named, was sentenced in Cairns District
Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to 16 charges, including rape, against six girls
all under the age of 10.

He is a registered child-sex offender and has been in and out of jail since he was 19.

Queensland Attorney-General Paul Lucas on Thursday confirmed he was considering appealing
for a tougher sentence following an outcry from child protection advocates.

Ms Bligh on Friday backed Mr Lucas' position.

"What this man did was totally and utterly repugnant, our children are precious and
I want our courts to understand that they need to send that message with their sentencing,"

she told reporters in Cairns.

"I don't think this sentence meets community standards."

AAP ews/ka/jlw

KEYWORD: SERIAL BLIGH

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

SA:International education grows in SA

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2010
SA:International education grows in SA

ADELAIDE, Dec 29 AAP - International education has become South Australia's second
largest export after wine.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show international education has leap-frogged
iron and copper ore in annual export earnings and is now valued at $1.052 billion, SA
Premier Mike Rann says.

"Adelaide has earned a reputation for providing world-class education opportunities
and we want to continue to be seen as the most supportive and welcoming state for international
students to live and study here," Mr Rann said in a statement.

Mr Rann said SA's national market share was 5.6 per cent compared to 5.4 per cent at
the same time last year but there were challenges ahead.

"We face a high Aussie dollar, increased global competition and changes to the commonwealth's
Visa policy, all of which have made it more difficult for some students to come and study
in Australia."

Changes to the skilled migration list are also limiting opportunities for students
to stay and work in Australia after they've graduated, he said.

"While the market is slowing due to external pressures, South Australia continues to
outperform much of the country, and we will continue to promote our education sector in
international markets," he said.

AAP lk/jlw

KEYWORD: EDUCATION SA

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

WA:Forrest says Gillard in WA over tax

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2010
WA:Forrest says Gillard in WA over tax

Mining magnate ANDREW FORREST has accused Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD of making a
dash to Western Australia to try to shore up votes because of the "broken" resources tax.



The Fortescue Metals Group chief executive says he's invited Ms GILLARD to join an
open discussion on the planned mineral resources rent tax and its impact on jobs and investment
in Australia.

The prime minister made a lightning visit to Perth .. spending a few hours in marginal
electorates this morning .. but Mr FORREST isn't impressed and he's called on the government
to clarify details of the tax.

Mr FORREST refused to say which way he would vote .. but he's urged Western Australians
to be very careful.

AAP RTV ldj/crh

KEYWORD: POLL10 FORREST (PERTH)

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

NSW: One dead, another badly injured in collision near Tamworth

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2010
NSW: One dead, another badly injured in collision near Tamworth

SYDNEY, April 10 AAP - A man has died and another has been seriously injured in a car
collision in northern NSW.

The accident occurred about 12.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday, when a northbound car collided
with a southbound car on the New England Highway, about 25km south of Tamworth, police
said.

At 3pm (AEDT) police advised the highway was likely to be closed for up to three hours,
with diversions in place.

AAP bc/apm

KEYWORD: TOLL NSW

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

Qld: Lacey brothers' trial set for early 2010

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2009
Qld: Lacey brothers' trial set for early 2010

By David Barbeler

BRISBANE, Aug 27 AAP - The sons of a Gold Coast millionaire will stand trial in Brisbane
District Court next February over allegations they made a man dig his own grave before
shooting him in the hand.

Gold Coast brothers Jade, 26, and Dionne Lacey, 22, - the sons of businessman Ken Lacey
- face a string of charges, including torture, assault occasioning bodily harm and deprivation
of liberty.

It's alleged the Laceys abducted Owen Matthews at gunpoint in April 2007 and took him
to an isolated location on South Stradbroke Island, off the Gold Coast, after blaming
him for the loss of 500 ecstasy pills allegedly stolen during a drug exchange.

It's alleged the brothers forced Mr Matthews to dig his own grave and then shot him in the hand.

The trial was adjourned on Tuesday morning at the request of the Laceys' lawyers, who
said new expert evidence had recently come to light.

The brothers' lawyers said they needed more time to explore new lines of inquiry relating
to this evidence, which was not detailed in court.

Prosecutor Michael Byrne accepted the adjournment application.

The case was again mentioned in the Brisbane District Court before Judge Tony Rafter on Thursday.

During the mention, Judge Rafter gave the case a tentative trial date of February 23,
but said both parties would need to confirm this at the next mention on September 11.

AAP djb/pjo/it/de

KEYWORD: LACEY

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

Qld: Bikies pool together under one banner

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2009
Qld: Bikies pool together under one banner

BRISBANE, April 19 AAP - All 17 of Queensland's bikie clubs have united under a parent
body to stamp out violence and lobby government.

In a historical move, disparate motorcycle gangs including Lone Wolf, Finks, Hells
Angels, Life and Death, Tribe of Judah, Bandidos and Rebels rode side by side to officially
launch the United Motorcycle Council of Queensland (UMCQ) in Brisbane on Sunday.

This comes in the wake of tough anti-bikie laws being implemented by the Queensland
and federal governments since the Hells Angels and Comancheros were involved in a fatal
brawl at Sydney airport last month.

UMCQ spokesman John Parker said the formation of the council began in earnest about
18 months ago after a brawl on the Gold Coast between the Hells Angels and and Finks.

"We get bad press all the time," Mr Parker, a Rebels member, said.

"We are only a small percentage of Australians who ride motorcycles and a very small
percentage of us that run into trouble."

Two members of each club will meet weekly to discuss grievances, proposed laws affecting
bikies and the public perception.

Mr Parker said the council would stop any trouble that might occur between the clubs
and possibly take legal action to challenge proposed bikie laws.

"We used to sit on our hands and take all of this (being unfairly targeted by government,
media and police) but that's the end of that now," he said.

"We are going to pull together."

AAP peb/sn

KEYWORD: BIKIES QLD

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

QLD: Two men dead in seperate road accidents

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2008
QLD: Two men dead in seperate road accidents

BRISBANE, Dec 13 AAP - Two men have died in separate crashes on Queensland roads.

A motorcycle rider was killed in a single-vehicle crash at Salisbury, south of Brisbane,
about 3.30pm (AEST) on Saturday, police said.

The man died at the scene, on Riawena Road at the intersection of Orange Grove Road, police said.

Police were called to the scene of another single-vehicle crash at Conondale, west
of the Sunshine Coast, at 6.15pm.

A male passenger was killed in the crash, while the driver and a second passenger were
taken to Nambour Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

The Forensic Crash Unit was investigating both accidents, police said.

AAP srp

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD

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

Row: Halliday hands out sledge to Finland

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2008
Row: Halliday hands out sledge to Finland

By Jim Morton

BEIJING, Aug 9 AAP - World champion Amber Halliday has delivered a pre-Olympic regatta
sledge to lightweight double sculls rivals Finland, questioning their conditioning after
rowing "fat" this season.

Halliday and crew-mate Marguerite Houston, who start their Beijing Games campaign tomorrow,
are slight favourites of repeating their 2007 world title triumph at the Shunyi Rowing
Centre.

In an even field, the Finnish crew of Sanna Sten and Minna Nieminen, who took silver
behind Australia in Munich last year, present as their biggest threat.

But Halliday, 28, suggested the Finns could be burnt by the Beijing heat and their
tactic of racing in the open double sculls "heavyweights" on this year's World Cup circuit.

Sten and Nieminen, who must weigh in around 55kg, have had to work hard to sheds the
kilos after the Australians felt they let themselves go in the northern summer.

"They competed in the heavyweights this year and they weren't just big, they were
fat," Halliday told AAP.

"You could tell they were tubby, and we're thinking that that may help us.

"It will be interesting to see what they can do and whether they can do all that and
handle the heat at the same time."

The rowing heats and finals will all be staged in the mid-afternoon with the temperature
topping 30C, combined with 75 per cent humidity.

The conditions will be oppressive but better suit the Adelaide pair.

The Australians will face the reformed Dutch crew which took bronze in Athens and America
in their heat where the top two finishers book a semi-final berth.

In an action-packed day two, Australian flagbearer James Tomkins will suit up for
his first race in his sixth Olympics when he leads the men's eights.

Australia has never won gold in the blue-riband boats but both Tomkins' crew and the
in-form women's eight are genuine contenders to break the drought.

They will qualify automatically for Sunday's final if they win their heats tomorrow.

The lightweight men's fours, lightweight double sculls, and men's and women's quad
sculls crews will also compete in day two heats.

AAP jsm/jds

KEYWORD: OLY08 ROW AUST PREVIEW

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

HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 19:30, Feb 15 = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
02-15-2008
HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 19:30, Feb 15 = 2

PORT MORESBY - Papua New Guinea's foreign affairs minister says his government is close
to making a decision on a mine development that may impinge on the historic Kokoda Track.

(PNG Kokoda)



MELBOURNE - A Sydney man looks set to become the first Australian to row solo across
the Atlantic Ocean. (Rowing solo)



CANBERRA - A new government ruling will allow people suffering terminal medical conditions
unrestricted access to their superannuation benefits. (Super)



CANBERRA - City dwellers extended a helping hand to country folk today just by doing
their grocery shopping. (Groceries)



CANBERRA - Disability groups, mental illness services and employment agencies have
joined forces to push for reforms to federal welfare to work laws. (Welfare)



CANBERRA - Three people have been stung more than half-a-million dollars over a honey
scam - illegally importing and exporting 1.7 million litres of the sweet stuff. (Honey)



SYDNEY - The NSW child protection agency has not had a funding increase in five years,
despite staff being overwhelmed by almost 300,000 reports of abuse every year, the NSW
opposition says. (DoCS N/L)



SYDNEY - NSW firefighters walked off the job for the first time in more than 30 years
today when 1,500 officers left their posts for an hour. (Firefighters N/L)



SYDNEY - The senior officer first to investigate Jake Kovco's death has told how he
felt the dead private's roommates withheld information, possibly to "protect the man's
reputation". (Kovco N/L)



SYDNEY - Swedish-born waitress Charlotte Lindstrom has told of her deep regret for
soliciting the murder of a witness in her boyfriend's drug case. (Lindstrom N/L. Pix available)



SYDNEY - A Sydney man has been charged with the murder of a baby boy who died from
"massive injuries" in Sydney's west last year, police say. (Boy)



SYDNEY - The body of a "quiet, gentlemanly" man beaten to death in his Sydney unit
may have remained undiscovered for up to two days, police say. (Lehmann N/L)



MELBOURNE - Victoria's police union strongman Paul Mullett claims he has been the victim
of myths and baseless allegations which have resulted in him facing possible criminal
charges. (OPI Mullett N/L)



MELBOURNE - A driver was found crying and threatening suicide after allegedly running
from the scene of a crash where he ran over and killed six teenagers, a court has heard.

(Towle N/L)



MELBOURNE - Victoria's medical scientists today vowed to "shut down" the state's hospital
system if the government does not respond to their wage demands. (Scientists N/L)



MELBOURNE - A legless lizard and a growling frog could stand in the way of plans to
build a superpipe to pump water from northern Victoria to Melbourne. (Water Vic)



MELBOURNE - A six-year-old boy has been critically injured when a struck by a four-wheel-drive
in Melbourne's south-east. (Pedestrian)



BRISBANE - Queensland Attorney-General Kerry Shine says he will follow closely a court
case involving a teacher who admitted forcing an 11-year-old indigenous boy to perform
oral sex to educate the child in "men's business". (Last N/L)



BRISBANE - Indigenous councils have agreed to give up their liquor licences as part
of a new $65 million deal with the Queensland government to prevent alcohol abuse. (Indigenous
Qld)



BRISBANE - The Queensland government has replaced the 97-year-old senior certificate
with a new qualification. (Education Qld)



BRISBANE - The Electoral Commission of Queensland has begun an information campaign
to explain the voting process for next month's local government elections. (Councils)



BRISBANE - The Queensland government says there is no reason to change the law after
a court found a teacher could legally slap a student in the face. (Teacher)



ADELAIDE - South Australian Premier Mike Rann has urged corporate leaders to follow
the federal government's example and freeze their salaries, especially the major banks.

(Wages SA )



PERTH - Category two tropical cyclone Nicholas is likely to strengthen before crossing
the Western Australia's iron ore heartland this weekend. (Nicholas N/L)



PERTH - The bodies of two men who died in a plane crash in a remote part of Western
Australia have been recovered, police say. (Crash N/L)

AAP jlw

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL UPDATED 2 SYDNEY

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

Events Diary for Wednesday, August 29, 2007

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2007
Events Diary for Wednesday, August 29, 2007
EVENTS LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND LOCAL TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED:


ADELAIDE


0945 - Radiation expert Dr Doug Boreham media conference, Toro Energy, Norwood. Contact:
Kevin Skinner 0414 822 631.


BRISBANE


0830 - Leading for the Future. Business and community leaders preparing for climate change
roundtable. Undumbi Room, Parliament House, corner of George and Alice streets, Brisbane.

Contact: Frances Curro 0438 365 873.

1100 - Macarthur Coal Limited year end results disclosure. Macarthur Coal boardroom, level
18, 215 Adelaide Street, Brisbane. Contact: Ian McAleese 1800 064 347.

1800 - Socratic Forum debate "That Canberra is taking too much power from the states".

Legislative Council Chamber, Parliament House, Brisbane (access via Annex, Alice Street).

Contact: Charles Sampford 0408 983 824.

1930 - World Youth Day Cross and Icon. Aboriginal interpretation of the Stations of the
Cross to be staged across Queensland. After the handover from the Brisbane Archdiocese
in Childers, the Cross and Icon will travel to Bundaberg for a midnight street pilgrimage.

Contact: Andy Brown (02) 9368 7277.


CANBERRA


1200 - SBS managing director Shaun Brown will address the National Press Club, 16 National
Circuit, Barton. Contact: 6121 2199.

1230 - Australian National University presents a seminar on Indigenous Victims of Crime,
Humanities Conference Room, AD Hope Building, Australian National University, Ellery Crescent,
Canberra. Contact: Jane O'Dwyer 6125 5001 or 0416 249 231.

1300 - Launch of Muslim Journeys - an online collective biography of early Muslim settlers
in Australia. National Archives of Australia, Queen Victoria Terrace, Canberra. Contact:
Elizabeth Masters 6212 3957 or Marylou Pooley 0412 646 298.


DARWIN


No items listed.


HOBART


No items listed.


MELBOURNE


0730 - Senator Brett Mason, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing,
to announce more than $15 million in funding for two new palliative care initiatives.

Level 5, Suites 1 and 2, Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Southbank. Contact: Carolyn Martin
0417 966 328.

1000 - Melbourne Fire Brigade recruits' graduation. MFB training complex, 619 Victoria
Street, Abbotsford. Contact: Angie Pantazi 0400 919 778.

1030 - Launch of `Victoria's biggest classroom', linking Federation Square with thousands
of Victorian school children who visit the square every year. Contact: Ron Smith 0417
329 201.

1100 - Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria media conference. ADSVIC office, Level 3,
200 Lygon Street, Carlton. Contact: Craig Regan 0408 936 738 or Jasmine Kaur (02) 9436
2088.

1200 - CEDA lunch presentation, The State of Australia's Energy Sector, with Australian
Energy Regulator chairman Steve Edwell. ZINC @ Federation Square. Contact: Tracey Winn
9652 8412 or 0418 585 652.

1200 - Business lunch meeting and forum, My Business - My People, Managing the Skills
Shortage. Limelight Room, Telstra Dome, Bourke Street. No contact listed.

- Opening of the 9th Australian Palliative Care Conference. Melbourne Convention and Exhibition
Centre. Contact: Fiona Gillies 0407 339 556 or Lina Caneva 0412 316 368.

- Auction of artworks by Howard Arkley, Arthur Streeton and others. Deutscher and Hackett,
105 Commercial Road, South Yarra. Contact: 9865 6333.


PERTH


No items listed.


SYDNEY


0730 - Former NSW premier Bob Carr to release Newspoll survey The Environment and Work.

Cafe Sydney, Customs House, Level 5, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay, Sydney. Contact:
Greg Mills 9331 3577.

0920 - Federal Labor communications spokesman Senator Stephen Conroy will address the
Telecommunications Summit. Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf, Wheat Road, Darling Harbour. Contact:
Craig Macfarlane 8908 8502.

1000 - Telstra managing director of enterprise and government David Thodey will address
the Telecommunications Summit. Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf, Wheat Road, Darling Harbour.

Contact: Craig Macfarlane 8908 8502.

1000 - Blacktown City Council to launch pedestrian safety program. William Dean Public
School, Yarramundi Drive, Dean Park. Contact: Bianca Clark 0423 023 773.

1000 - BP introduces ethanol fuel blend to Sydney. BP Rozelle, corner of Evans Street
and Victoria Road, Rozelle. Contact: Chandran Vigneswaran 0410 479 002.

1030 - Preview of African exhibition African Impressions. Australian Museum, 6 College
Street, Sydney. Contact: Michelle Britton 9320 6181 or 0421 617 019.

1100 - Media conference to launch National Identity Fraud Awareness Week. Attorney-General
Philip Ruddock to speak. Shangri-La Hotel, The Rocks, Sydney. Contact: Katie Watson or
Sharon Mackenzie (03) 9522 9922.

1100 - Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia media conference. Royal North Shore Hospital
Media Unit, Vanderfield Building, Reserve Road, opposite AFL oval, entry via Pacific Highway.

Contact: Jasmine Kaur 9436 2088 or Owen Craig 0411 584 415.

1225 - F/A-18 fighter aircraft will be training over Sydney Harbour. The aircraft will
approach from the eastern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge turning above Goat Island.

Contact: Ivan Benitez-Aguirre 0418 269 686 or Raveena Carroll-Kenney 0405 310 176.

1715 - Zimbabwe opposition leader and president of the Movement for Democratic Change
Morgan Tsvangirai to speak. Lowy Institute for International Policy, ground floor, 31
Bligh Street, Sydney. Contact: 8238 9005.

1800 - Federal Labor education and training spokesman Stephen Smith will visit the OTEN
Distance Education at TAFE NSW. Building A, 51 Wentworth Road, Strathfield. Contact: Linda
Simon 0411 550 439 or Tony Hill 9815 3471 or 0433 045 814.

1830 - A Greens forum on a new vision for indigenous rights. Greens Senator Kerry Nettle
and Marcia Ella-Duncan from the NSW Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Taskforce to speak.

Mechanics Institute, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. Contact: Jenny Leong 0412 145 215.

1830 - Opposition treasury spokesman Wayne Swan will address the Chinese Australian community
on The Economic Challenges Facing Australia. Marigold Restaurant, Citymark Building, 683
George Street, Sydney. Contact: Dr Soo-Keat Lim 0414 685 082 or Dr Choong-Siew Yong 0418
296 784.


SPORT


SWIMMING - Telstra Australian Short Course C'ships - to September 2
Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre
TENNIS - to September 9 -
US Open Tennis, New York
ATHLETICS - IAAF World Championships - to September 2
Osaka Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan
ROWING - World Championships - to September 2
Munich, Germany



AAP RTV sg/nap/apm/ibw

KEYWORD: DIARY EVENTS WED AUGUST 29, 2007

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

Vic: Four dead in nursing home after food poisoning

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-2007
Vic: Four dead in nursing home after food poisoning

MELBOURNE, April 14 AAP - Four people are dead following a food poisoning outbreak
at a Melbourne nursing home, Sky News reported today.

MORE pv/cdh

KEYWORD: POISON

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

SA: Presenter tells of Ghan horror

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2006
SA: Presenter tells of Ghan horror

An Adelaide television presenter .. caught up in the Ghan passenger train crash ..

says he's thankful to be alive.

MARK AISTON .. a Channel Ten sports presenter in Adelaide .. was on board the train
when it collided with a truck at a level crossing and derailed 130 kilometres south of
Darwin yesterday.

He's told ABC radio he was in the dining car when he heard the horrific noise of the
train coming off the rails .. and the carriage in front jack-knifing.

A 50-year-old woman's in a critical but stable condition after the crash .. while three
other people .. including the truck driver .. are in a satisfactory condition in hospital.

The track's been closed until further notice .. and today's Darwin-to-Adelaide service
has been cancelled.

AAP RTV tjd/wf/jmt

KEYWORD: GHAN AISTON (ADELAIDE)

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

FED: Patton's injuries detailed at murder hearing

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2006
FED: Patton's injuries detailed at murder hearing

The pathologist who examined JANELLE PATTON'S body on Norfolk Island has told the court
35 separate injuries contributed to her death.

Forensic pathologist ALLAN CALA conducted the post mortem on Ms PATTON'S body three
days after she was killed in March 2002.

The 29-year-old from Sydney disappeared while walking along an island road .. her body
was found with 64 different injuries.

At the committal hearing for the man charged with her murder .. New Zealand chef GLENN
MCNEILL .. Dr CALA said a stab wound to the chest was the most serious injury.

He also identified 34 other injuries to her head .. neck .. torso and limbs which he
believed led to her death.

MORE RTV ka/klw/maur/bart

KEYWORD: MCNEILL (NORFOLK ISLAND)

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

AP Top News at 12:32 p.m. EST

AP Online
02-16-2006

U.S. Rejects U.N. Report on Gitmo

In this image reviewed by the U.S. Military, an unidentified detainee is escorted by two military guards at Camp Delta, in this June 25, 2005 file photo, at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba. The United States should shut down the prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay and either release all detainees being held there or bring them to trial, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006. (AP Photo/Haraz Ghanbari, File)

GENEVA (AP) _ The United States should shut down the prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay and either release the detainees or put them on trial, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday. The world body also called on the United States to refrain from practices that "amount to torture."

Patriot Act Moves Closer to Renewal

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Senate overwhelmingly rejected an effort Thursday to block renewing the Patriot Act, the 2001 law passed weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks to help the government hunt down terrorists. The 96-3 vote was no suprise to Sen. Russell Feingold, the Wisconsin Democrat who was the lone senator to oppose the law four and a half years ago and is the chief obstacle to extending 16 provisions now due to expire March 10.

Russian Biathlete Expelled, Loses Medal

Russia's Olga Pyleva races to win the bronze medal during the women's mass start competition at the biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria, in this Sunday, March 13, 2005 file photo. Pyleva was suspended Thursday Feb. 16, 2006 for failing a doping test, becoming the first athlete to test positive at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.(AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

CESANA, Italy (AP) _ Russian biathlete Olga Pyleva was thrown out of the Olympics and stripped of her silver medal Thursday for failing a drug test, the first athlete caught for doping at the Turin Games. Pyleva, who won silver at the 15km event Monday, was scratched just before the start of Thursday's 7.5km sprint, in which she was considered a leading medal contender. She also won gold and bronze medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

President Satisfied With Cheney's Account

Vice President Dick Cheney, center, arrives at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006, for early morning security briefings with President Bush. Cheney rejected Wednesday any notion that his victim bears any responsibility for the shooting accident that turned a weekend hunting trip into trauma. "I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend," he said. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush was satisfied with Vice President Dick Cheney's account of his Texas hunting accident, but Bush's spokesman declined to say Thursday whether the president felt it should have been revealed earlier. "I think that the vice president clearly explained the rationale behind that," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said, avoiding a direct response to questions about whether Bush felt the shooting accident was publicly disclosed in a timely manner.

China Defends Right to Police Internet

BEIJING (AP) _ China on Thursday defended its right to police the Internet, one day after four American technology giants appeared before Congress on charges they collaborated with Beijing to crush free speech online in return for market access. "It is normal for countries to manage the Internet in accordance with law and to guide its development in a healthy and orderly fashion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said. "China has also borrowed and learned from the United States and other countries in the world."

XM Radio's Loss Widens, Key Director Quits

NEW YORK (AP) _ XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. posted a much wider loss in the fourth quarter on higher costs for marketing and acquiring subscribers. At the same time, a key director quit over disagreements about the company's direction, warning of a looming "crisis." Its shares sank $2.16, or 8.6 percent, to $23.09 in morning trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, after briefly trading as low as $22.94. Their previous 52-week low was $23.01.

Study Shows Limited Benefits From Calcium

BOSTON (AP) _ The latest news about calcium and vitamin D may not look so encouraging, but most experts say the take-home message is the same: Keep taking your pills. The biggest study ever to examine the value of the supplements suggests they convey only limited protection against broken bones. They failed to protect against most fractures in the mostly low-risk women, but seemed to offer some benefit against hip breaks among women over 60 and those who took the pills most faithfully.

Court Voids Rowe's Loss of Parental Rights

Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife and mother of two of his children, steps from the courtroom at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Thursday, April 28, 2005, in Santa Maria, California. Jackson's ex-wife once made it clear she wanted him to have sole custody of their two children, but an appellate court has ruled that the judge presiding over the matter at the time did not handle it properly. The decision Wednesday Feb. 15, 2006 was a victory for Deborah Rowe in her battle over the children, setting the stage the stage for further litigation between the former couple (AP Photo/Phil Klein,pool)

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Michael Jackson's ex-wife once made it clear she wanted him to have sole custody of their two children, but an appellate court has ruled that her parental rights were not properly relinquished under the law. The decision Wednesday was a victory for Deborah Rowe in her battle over the children, setting the stage the stage for further litigation.

Powerball Jackpot Hits New Record

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ Another record lottery jackpot is up for grabs. With no winner Wednesday, the multistate Powerball jackpot jumped to $365 million for Saturday's drawing, the largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.

Wescott First Olympic Snowboardcross Champ

Gold medallist Seth Wescott of the USA, right and gold medal, and Radoslav Zidek of Slovakia, left and silver medal, speed downhill in the final of the Snowboard Cross competition at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Bardonecchia, Italy Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006. Paul-Henri Delerue of France took a bronze medal. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

BARDONECCHIA, Italy (AP) _ American Seth Wescott used a sweet little slide move to nudge into first place and become the first Olympic champion in the wild sport of snowboardcross Thursday. Wescott gets a gold medal. Everyone else gets warm compresses and aspirin. Some said snowboardcross resembled NASCAR on icy snow, with four riders at a time vying for space, pushing and shoving through the tight corners on the 3,100 foot-long course. But not even NASCAR would allow some of the things that happened over these 90-minutes of side-by-side racing.

Copyright 2006, AP News All Rights Reserved

Fed: Tuckey says grant all above board

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2005
Fed: Tuckey says grant all above board

CANBERRA, Feb 10 AAP - Former roads minister Wilson Tuckey today described an email
suggesting a local council keep quiet about a grant as fair and honest advice.

Mr Tuckey said the email was suggesting the council not talk about reducing the proposed
grant sum until the grant process had passed from offer to contract stage.

He said it was he who put together this grant scheme and it operated in three stages
- the offer where the proposal was discussed; contract negotiation conducted exclusively
by the Department; and application of the grant, which the Commonwealth required to be
fully acquitted.

He said his understanding was that the Tumbi Creek grant had not gone beyond offer
stage and what Local Government Minister Jim Lloyd's adviser Graeme Hallett was saying
in his controversial email appeared to be sound.

"That, I thought, was good advice and fair and honest advice. While you are in the
offer stage, don't start reducing the amount of money. That is for the contract stage,"

Mr Tuckey told reporters.

"I think the email said, and I haven't seen it, `look you are in the offer stage and
at the offer stage you would be a bit silly to be cutting back on how much you have been
offered until you clearly know your circumstances'."

Labor yesterday accused Mr Lloyd of fraud after his office advised Wyong Shire Council
to keep quiet about no longer needing all of a $1.5 million federal grant to dredge the
silted-up Tumbi creek after heavy rains flushed it open naturally.

In his email, sent to some Wyong shire councillors and local MP Ken Ticehurst, Mr Hallett
suggested they keep their counsel about the rain because any changes would mean less money.

Mr Tuckey said as local member he would advise anyone coming to him saying they needed
less grant money to take it a bit carefully.

"An offer is an offer is an offer. It does not proceed any further until a contract
is negotiated with the department and of course adhered to if monies are paid," he said.

"Those stages, as far as I know, never happened. During the offer process there is
no conspiracy. As minister I would sign off on an offer and the rest of the process would
go on."

Liberal parliamentary secretary Warren Entsch said Mr Lloyd was an outstanding MP.

"I have known Jim since he has been in the parliament. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever
with regard to his integrity and honesty and his commitment to his electorate and to his
portfolio," he said.

Liberal backbencher Andrew Robb said Mr Lloyd shouldn't resign.

"On the contrary. (Federal Labor leader) Kim Beazley has found himself up Tumbi Creek
without a paddle," he said.

"He has jumped out of the blocks far too early and made a lot of rash accusations.

He's the one who should be apologising."

AAP mb/cdh/sd

KEYWORD: REGIONAL LIBERALS

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

anomaly

anomaly An angle used to fix the position of a body, such as a planet, in an elliptical orbit. The true anomaly of a planet is the angle between the perihelion, the sun, and the planet in the direction of the planet's motion. The mean anomaly is the angle between the perihelion, the sun, and an imaginary planet having the same period as the real planet, but assumed to be moving at constant speed.

blowing dust/sand

blowing dust/sand A term used in synoptic meteorology to indicate that dust or sand is being transported by the wind, at heights greater than 1.5 m, but that visibility is greater than 1000 m. see DRIFTING DUST/SAND; DUST STORM
.

Globix CFO to Interview On RadioWallStreet.com From SunTrust Equitable Securities Internet Conference.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2000

Listen to RadioWallStreet.com's interview with Globix Corporation (NASDAQ: GBIX) Senior Vice President and CFO, Brian Reach, discussing company growth and prospects.

This interview is being conducted from the SunTrust Equitable Securities Internet Technologies & Services Conference in Boston, MA. This event will be available for on-demand listening on Tuesday, May 16, 2000 at 3:45 PM EDT.

To access this RadioWallStreet.com broadcast, investors should go to http://www.radiowallstreet.com. It may be necessary for first time visitors to RadioWallStreet.com to go to the site to download and install any necessary audio software. There is no charge to access any event.

If you are viewing this release after the day of the event, go to http://www.radiowallstreet.com/NASApp/RWS/EventPage?ID=20854.

About Investor Broadcast Network

Investor Broadcast Network, founded as Vcall in 1997, is the leading webcaster of investor events covering over 1200 public companies. The Company provides compelling investor content direct from companies and experts to more than 450,000 registered users through its Vcall, RadioWallStreet.com and Investor Conference broadcast services.

RadioWallStreet.com provides unique and compelling interviews and roundtable discussions with leading executives and market experts for investors who want real-time analysis and insight direct from today's newsmakers.

For more information on Investor Broadcast Network visit www.investorbroadcast.com.