NSW:Diary Events, Friday August 5, 2011

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2011
NSW:Diary Events, Friday August 5, 2011
EVENTS LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND LOCAL TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED:

ADELAIDE
0730 - Walk a Mile in My Boots event for homeless persons week. Greens Senator Penny Wright
to take part from Rundle Park. Info: Lauren Zwaans 0417173508.

BRISBANE
1100 - Chainsaw the possum and her joey Two Stroke face the media after Chainsaw was almost
cut in half by a ... chainsaw. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Currumbin. Contact: Nancy
Ruscitti 5534 0829
- Financial Services Council's Annual Conference (Aug 3-5, 2011). John Howard to speak
about the role of Australian business and leadership in the future of the global economy.

Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre. Contact: Sara Rich: 02 9299 3022.

- Preview of the Grantham land ballot, allowing flood-hit families to swap their properties
for lots on higher ground.

- Anthony Stewart Bagley to apply for bail in Supreme Court over shooting death of man
on Gold Coast.

CANBERRA
0100 - The squash Australian Open is launched, also celebrating the revised AIS Squash
program. Gold Room, AIS Sports Training Facility, Leverrier St, Bruce. Contact: Joanne
Walker 02 6214 7405.

DARWIN
No items listed.

HOBART
No items listed.

MELBOURNE
No items listed.

PERTH
No items listed.

SYDNEY
Day 1 - Byron Bay Writers Festival opens. August 5-7. Website: www.byronbaywritersfestival.com.au.

- Home Buyer and Property Investor Show. August 5-7. Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Darling Harbour. Website: www.homebuyershow.com.au
- Trading and Investing Expo. August 5-6. Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling
Harbour. Website: www.tradingandinvestingexpo.com.au.

- Country and ReGional Living Expo. August 5-7. Rosehill Gardens, Grand Pavilion. Website:
www.crlexpo.com.au

SPORT

AFL -
Rnd 20 - to August 7
1940 - St Kilda v Fremantle, Etihad Std

RUGBY LEAGUE - NRL -
Rnd 22 - to August 8
1935 - Wests Tigers v St George Illawarra, SFS
1935 - Bulldogs v Nth Qld, ANZ Std

ATHLETICS - Diamond League - to August 6
Grand Prix, London UK

TENNIS - ATP Masters - to August 6
Kitzbuhel, Austria

TENNIS - ATP Masters - to August 7
Tennis Classic, Washington DC USA

TENNIS - Legg Mason Tennis Classic - to August 7
Washington DC, USA

GOLF - USPGA Tour - to August 7
World Golf C'ship-Bridgestone Invitational, Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio

GOLF - USPGA Tour - to August 7
Reno-Tahoe Open, Montreux G & CC, Reno, Nevada

GOLF - USLPGA Tour - to August 7
Imperial Springs LPGA, Guanghou, Guangdong, China

BASEBALL - MLB - to September 28
USA

YACHTING - International Regatta - to August 13
Weymouth National Sailing Academy & Portland Marina, Weymouth, Dorset, UK

CYCLING (Road) - UCI World Tour - to August 6
Tour de Pologne, Poland

GALLOPS -
Scone
Geelong
Ipswich
Canberra
New Zealand
Singapore
England
USA
UK

TROTS -
Newcastle
Melton
Redcliffe
Port Pirie
Mildura
Wagga
Gloucester Park
New Zealand

GREYHOUNDS -
Wentworth Park
Geelong
Ipswich
Gawler
Casino
Traralgon
The Gardens
Mandurah
New Zealand



AAP RTV ra/tr/ht/wz

KEYWORD: DIARY EVENTS FRIDAY AUGUST 5, 2011

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

project

project A set of activities intended to produce a specific output, which has a definite beginning and end. The activities are interrelated and must be brought together in a particular order, based on precedence relationships between the different activities. Examples of projects include the building of the Channel Tunnel and the design of a computer system for an ambulance service. Projects are usually based on bringing together teams of specialists within relatively temporary management structures. Project management techniques are increasingly being used to manage such tasks as the introduction of total quality management within organizations.

NSW:Glassing in Sydney CBD

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2011
NSW:Glassing in Sydney CBD

Charges have been laid after a glassing in Sydney's CBD which left a man seriously injured.

Police witnessed an altercation between two 27-year-old men at the entrance to Wynyard
railway station last night.

During the fight .. police allegedly saw a third man .. aged 25 .. join in and hit
one of the men with a bottle .. causing serious lacerations to the back of his head.

A staff member at a nearby cafe was also injured in the incident after being hit in
the eyes with flying glass.

Police arrested two men .. aged in their 20s .. one was was charged and refused bail
this morning .. the other was released pending further inquiries.

AAP RTV ct/ht/nap

KEYWORD: GLASSING (SYDNEY)

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

NSW:Ute driver almost five times drink limit

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2010
NSW:Ute driver almost five times drink limit

SYDNEY, Dec 20 AAP - A ute driver allegedly recorded almost five times the drink-drive
limit after swerving across lanes, mounting median strips and hitting a roundabout sign
in Sydney's west.

The car also almost smashed into 10 vehicles in Hebersham on Sunday night, other motorists
reported.

Police stopped the ute on Woodstock Avenue and carried out a breath test on the man,
which gave a reading of 0.223. The limit is 0.05.

The 37-year-old driver, from Cambridge Park, also in Sydney's west, was charged with
drink-driving and driving in a dangerous manner.

He was bailed to appear at Mount Druitt Local Court on January 21.

AAP mdg/rs

KEYWORD: DRUNK

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

FED:Swine flu goes `post-pandemic`

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2010
FED:Swine flu goes `post-pandemic`

By Danny Rose, Medical Writer

SYDNEY, Aug 11 AAP - Australia has enjoyed a "very quiet flu year" so far, a dramatic
turnaround from last winter and supporting the WHO's declared end to the global swine
flu pandemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Tuesday the a(H1N1) virus had reached
the post-pandemic phase, after monitoring showed a significant and sustained easing in
global transmission.

Sydney-based Professor William Rawlinson said this was a "good sign" for the planet,
and it reflected a much reduced rate of infection in Australia this winter.

"This year it has been, so far, a very quiet flu year," Prof Rawlinson, a senior virologist
and visiting fellow at the University of NSW's School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular
Sciences.

"... although I've got to say of the small number of cases we have seen so far, most
have been H1 (swine flu).

"We could still see a re-emergence but I think it is a good sign, and it was good that
we didn't see as much damage as we might have seen."

The swine flu first emerged in Mexico early last year and it raced around the the world,
infecting its first people on Australian soil in May 2009.

There are still new swine flu infections occurring, and NSW authorities last week called
for those not yet vaccinated to do so pointing to at least seven recent cases which had
required hospital care.

Prof Rawlinson said more cases were likely until the end of winter and, overall, the
swine flu's impact on Australia could be described as "moderate to mild".

"You've got to remember that during the peak in winter 2009, we had a pregnant woman
or someone else with H1 pandemic strain infection in virtually every ICU (intensive care
unit) throughout the country," Prof Rawlinson said.

"I can't remember the last time I saw pregnant women in ICU dying from influenza, except
for last year."

"And if that was your partner or child in ICU you wouldn't think it was a mild season."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said New Zealand and India were still seeing localised
outbreaks of the virus.

But for most of the world, swine flu transmission now resembled that of a seasonal
influenza virus and it would circulate in this way for some years to come.

"The world is no longer in phase six of the pandemic alert," WHO director general Margaret
Chan said.

"We are now moving into the post-pandemic period. The new H1N1 virus has largely run its course."

Dr Chan said 20 - 40 per cent of the global population had been exposed to the virus,
while effective vaccination and "pure good luck" had helped to keep it under control.

While new strains of the virus did develop showing signs of resistance to front-line
treatments, these variants did not manage to circulate widely.

"This pandemic has turned out to be much more fortunate than what we feared a little
over a year ago," Dr Chan said.

"We have been aided by pure good luck (as) the virus did not mutate during the pandemic
to a more lethal form."

Australia remains in the "PROTECT" phase of its pandemic response plan and this will
not be reviewed until after winter.

A swine flu infection will be mild in most cases but severe in some, and those at particular
risk include pregnant women and people with underlying chronic medical conditions.

AAP dr/it

KEYWORD: FLU AUST

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

NSW: Bikie gangs linked to major Sydney drug lab

AAP General News (Australia)
04-02-2010
NSW: Bikie gangs linked to major Sydney drug lab

By Andrew Drummond

SYDNEY, April 2 AAP - A high-tech Sydney drug lab allegedly produced large quantities
of ice and other narcotics sold for millions of dollars to line the coffers of bikie gangs.

Police raided two properties across the harbour city on Thursday and subsequently charged
four men, alleged to be the "main players" in the syndicate.

Two of them were arrested during the first raid on an industrial unit at St Marys in
Sydney's west.

Police say they found 10kg of the drug known as ice with an estimated street value
of $5 million, plus 4kg of pseudoephedrine commonly used in the manufacture of illegal
drugs, firearms and ammunition.

During the next raid at Rockdale in Sydney's south, police seized firearms, a hunting
rifle, eight mobile phones, three drums of ethanol, a money counter and about $80,000
cash.

The third alleged offender was arrested at the Rockdale address, while a fourth man
was arrested later in Sydney city.

"The laboratory that was located and has been examined by the chemical operations unit
was quite sophisticated, was quite well put together, there was a large amount of chemicals
used there and the information that we have had back from that particular unit is that
it was very well put together," Detective Chief Inspector Mark Jones told reporters in
Sydney on Friday.

While Insp Jones said more people may be arrested in connection with the syndicate,
the four men already charged were allegedly at the helm of the operation.

"We certainly managed to arrest all the main players who were involved in this particular
operation," he said.

Ahmed Nazzal, 27, Hakan Arif, 32, Hussein Kamaleddine, 20, and Kagan Keskin, 25, each
faced Parramatta Bail Court on Friday charged with manufacturing a commercial quantity
of a prohibited drug.

They made no application for bail and it was refused, with the matters adjourned to
Sydney's Central Local Court next Thursday, April 8.

Police say Nazzal is a Comanchero member, while Arif, Kamaleddine and Keskin each have
links to the gang and Keskin is also associated with the Lone Wolves gang.

"There is certainly some crossover (between gangs) in some of the individuals involved
in this," Insp Jones said.

"As to the exact link and whether they are working together, that's still to be determined
by police."

Solicitor Lesly Randle, who regularly represents Comanchero in court, says none of
the men are members and that police have "mis-stated" the association.

Police maintain the bikie gang connection and said Thursday's raids "will make a significant
dent both in organised crime and in particular outlaw motorcycle gangs".

"We are very much aware that the proceeds and the money seized by police would be used
for organised crime purposes," Insp Jones said.

He added that it is unknown how long the drug lab has been in operation although police
have been aware of the operation for some time.

"This has been a complex and protracted investigation," Insp Jones said.

"There was a large quantity of material, information available to police, (and) a decision
was made that this was the appropriate time to arrest, move in and seize the drugs we
believed were in the premises."

AAP ad/klm/it/mn

KEYWORD: BIKIES WRAP (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

Fed: A pittance, maybe, but the law catches up with real people

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2009
Fed: A pittance, maybe, but the law catches up with real people

By Doug Conway, Senior Correspondent

SYDNEY, Aug 20 AAP - When Peter Macdonald resigned in ignominy as James Hardie chief
executive in 2004, he walked away with a payout of $8.8 million.

Now, after being found guilty of misleading and deceptive corporate conduct, he has
been fined $350,000.

Corporate watchdog ASIC had asked for five times that much.

The figures speak for themselves.

Peter Shafron, another senior executive who resigned at the time, received a payout
of more than $1.1 million.

He has been fined $75,000.

Again, that was around five times less than ASIC had sought.

The golden parachutes packed for Hardie executives were announced by Meredith Hellicar,
who was the company's chairwoman at the time.

She is no longer.

She resigned in April, a day after a judge found her a most unreliable witness in the
current case, and resigned from other board positions, too.

She is one of 10 disgraced former Hardie directors found to have breached the Corporations
Act over statements about the company's capacity to meet its compensation liabilities
for asbestos sufferers.

She has been fined just $30,000.

ASIC had asked for up to $130,000.

The company was fined a peppercorn $80,000.

The fines all up amounted to $750,000, small change compared with the $25 million the
company spent defending the case.

All 10 former directors have been disqualified from managing companies for between
five and 15 years, in line with what ASIC argued.

But their financial penalties have understandably left a sour taste in the mouths of
asbestos disease victims and their families.

All 10, with the exception of Macdonald, had argued for exoneration, saying they had
already suffered.

If they really want to know what suffering is, they should take trade unionist Paul
Bastian's advice and sit at the bedside of mesothelioma victims.

"This company has seen them not as real people but as a line item on a balance sheet,"

said the AMWU official.

If they want to know what suffering is, they should reacquaint themselves with the
story of Bernie Banton, who spearheaded the fight for compensation but died two years
ago of "meso".

He was still alive when Peter Macdonald got his $8.8 million payout.

That would be enough to compensate at least 12 asbestos victims, Mr Banton said at the time.

"It's taken my breath away," he said, "and I only have 20 per cent left as it is."

Mr Banton always believed senior Hardie officers should have faced criminal charges,
instead of the civil charges they were convicted on.

At his funeral in 2007, his sister said: "Organisations don't make decisions, people do."

At least the law has finally caught up with the people.

AAP dc/dep/apm

KEYWORD: JAMES HARDIE VIEW

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

NT: Croc cull as search continues for missing man

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2009
NT: Croc cull as search continues for missing man

By Crystal Ja

GOLD COAST, April 10 AAP - Park rangers searching for a man missing in a crocodile-infested
Northern Territory river have orders to kill any large croc they see.

Thought to be the state's second fatal croc attack in a month, a 20-year-old man disappeared
while swimming across the Daly River, 150km south of Darwin, about 2am (AEST) on Friday.

The man's partner was watching from the bank and later told police she saw a crocodile nearby.

Workers from the Territory Response Section, Marine and Fisheries Enforcement Unit
and Parks and Wildlife are likely to search for the man through Friday night.

They have been told to kill any large croc they find.

The searchers will spotlight a one-kilometre section of the river, which has been cordoned
off to the public, in search of a body as well as the crocodile.

Duty Superintendent John Emeny said the man's 18-year-old brother-in-law, who was also
in the water when the attack occurred, was still with police and had made a statement.

Supt Emeny said the man's death was not conclusive until a body was found, but admitted
all signs pointed towards a fatal crocodile attack.

"We have information that suggests there was a crocodile in the vicinity of where the
two men were last seen, so put two and two together," he told AAP.

"(But) it's in the early hours of the morning, it's dark, we don't have good evidence
that it was a croc ... it may turn out to be a drowning."

He said both men had been drinking before they went swimming.

"It's not entirely clear ... we believe that alcohol was a factor in the decision making
process to swim across.

"Obviously, not a real smart one."

The missing man was from the Daly River region.

The incident is likely to spark another debate about methods to control the NT's crocodile
population, recently estimated to be the highest in Australia at more than 80,000.

Last month, 11-year-old Briony Anne Goodall was killed by a crocodile at Black Jungle
Swamp, southeast of Darwin, prompting calls for a government-orchestrated cull.

That killer croc was never found.

AAP cj/ss/cdh

KEYWORD: CROC WRAP

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

NSW: Homebake festival becomes sunbake on hot Sydney day

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2008
NSW: Homebake festival becomes sunbake on hot Sydney day

By Cleo Braithwaite

SYDNEY, Dec 6 AAP - When Homebake first began in 1996, huge downpours earned it the
nickname mudbake.

This year with temperatures peaking in the mid 30s, the Australasian music festival
could be called sunbake.

Festival-goers were undeterred, packing Sydney's Domain and braving the afternoon sun
to bop along to ska-inflected funksters bluejuice and psychedelic group Little Red.

Headlining the all-Australian and New Zealand showcase were veterans Crowded House,
new star Gabriella Cilmi, dance act Sneaky Sound System, electro outfits Cut Copy and
Pnau, and country duo Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson.

"It really is such a diverse line-up. I think that's part of the success of Homebake,
it doesn't just cater to one crowd," Dan Whitman of Cut Copy enthused.

Chambers and Nicholson played songs from their ARIA Award-winning album, Rattlin' Bones,
their first as a married couple.

Chambers described writing the album together as "like a little test of our marriage".

Each year the festival highlights the work of a chosen charity. This year the focus
was on Amnesty International, with the theme being Peace in the Park.

Some attendees embraced the theme adorning themselves with peace signs, and matching
outfits were also de riguer.

An emphasis was also placed on the environment with music fans being encouraged to
recycle cans in exchange for drink tokens.

The moderate police presence was felt as much on stage as on the ground, with Bluejuice
dedicating a song to the police and Snob Scrilla getting crowds dancing with their song
Mr Officer.

Cilmi made her debut performing to an Australian crowd, having recently returned from
extensive international touring.

Industry veterans Crowded House are due to close the festival on the main stage.

AAP crb/acb//ldj

KEYWORD: HOMEBAKE (PICS TO COME)

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

Fed: Govt gets behind indigenous jobs plan

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2008
Fed: Govt gets behind indigenous jobs plan

CANBERRA, Aug 3 AAP - The Rudd government says it will throw its support behind a scheme
to create 50,000 jobs for indigenous Australians.

Fortescue Metals boss Andrew Forrest has put forward a plan to create jobs for indigenous
Australians by involving the corporate sector.

Under the plan, participating employers will agree to employ a certain number of indigenous
people qualified to the training-ready level.

The federal government will help out by providing short, intensive, training courses
to get participants in Mr Forrest's scheme ready for on-the-job training with a participating
employer.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today said Mr Forrest faced a tough task in reaching his
goal, but that the government would support the scheme.

"We'll do so in a practical way by providing the necessary training places to support
those Indigenous Australians to make them training ready to go into those companies which
Andrew Forrest will help us bring about," he told the Nine Network.

"It's a practical program, it's a big plan on his part, it's a big initiative on his
part, very tough goals he's set for himself, but we're prepared to support his enterprise
by assisting with these training places."

Mr Rudd said the scheme was one of a raft of measures aimed at helping indigenous Australians,
adding that a welfare-only response would be the wrong way to go.

"It will be hard, it will tough. We know the degree of entrenched disadvantage which
exists in so many of these communities.

"We've got to get housing right, we've got to get education right, we've got to get
health right, but we've also got to get jobs right and that's where corporate Australia
comes in."

AAP kms/cdh

KEYWORD: INDIGENOUS JOBS RUDD

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

SA: Hicks required to report to police

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2007
SA: Hicks required to report to police

Freed terrorism supporter DAVID HICKS has reported to police again today .. as part
of the control order placed on him after he walked out of Yatala jail.

HICKS has been in hiding since his release from Adelaide's maximum security prison
on Saturday .. having completed his sentence for providing material support for terrorism.

The 32-year-old is the subject of a control order requiring him to attend a police
station three times a week .. on Mondays .. Wednesdays and Fridays.

Under the control order .. HICKS is also subject to a midnight to 6am curfew .. and
he must also live at an address known to Federal Police.

AAP RTV sl/crh

KEYWORD: HICKS (ADELAIDE)

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

Fed: Ban for religious student who disrupted uni classes

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2007
Fed: Ban for religious student who disrupted uni classes

By Peter Veness

CANBERRA, Aug 22 AAP - A university student in Canberra who repeatedly interrupted
lectures by shouting his religious beliefs was forcibly removed from his campus by police
and has been suspended for 28 days.

Police were called to the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra last week
after the student continued to disrupt lectures, despite repeated warnings from staff.

An internal email obtained by AAP says the student had not responded to repeated orders
to stop the behaviour.

"The student ... has been interrupting classes to make statements about his religious
convictions," Dean of the ANU College of Law, Michael Coper, said in the email to students.

"It has been pointed out to him, by a number of colleagues over a considerable period
of time, that, while we respect his religious beliefs, there are appropriate and inappropriate
ways of expressing them, and that to disrupt class is inappropriate."

The email does not reveal the student's religion but it does link his comments to current
national security concerns and AAP understands he is a Muslim.

"We have no evidence that (the student) is likely to pose any physical threat to others,
but I can understand why you might be concerned given the prominence accorded to security
issues in today's world," it says.

"He has now been excluded, as a result of action both by the university and the police,
for a period of 28 days, pending misconduct proceedings."

ACT police said officers escorted the student from campus but he was not arrested.

ANU refused to comment.

AAP pv/sb/evt/cdh

KEYWORD: STUDENT

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

Fed: Motorcycle smash brings road toll figure to 13

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2007
Fed: Motorcycle smash brings road toll figure to 13

SYDNEY, April 7 AAP - The national road toll has risen to 13 after a 19-year-old man
died in Victoria early today.

The man died just before 5am (AEST) after being thrown from a motorcycle at the corner
of Boundary and Governor Roads at Braeside, in Melbourne's south-east, police said.

A second man, who was a pillion passenger on the bike, is in a serious but stable condition.

The death brings Victoria's Easter road toll to four, one higher than than last year's
total for the holiday period.

NSW has recorded six road deaths, Queensland two and the ACT one.

Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory remain fatality-free
at this stage.

(EDS: AAP's Easter road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 5 to 2359 April
9. Some states and territories may have different periods.)

AAP imc/evt

KEYWORD: TOLL NATIONAL 2ND DAYLEAD

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

Qld: Cost blowout prompts calls for bypass to be scrapped

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2006
Qld: Cost blowout prompts calls for bypass to be scrapped

BRISBANE, Dec 6 AAP - The federal government has been urged to drop its plan to fix
Queensland's notorious Ipswich Motorway because of a gigantic cost blowout.

A $10 million independent study commissioned by the federal government shows the cost
of its preferred option - an 8km northern bypass - has doubled to $2 billion.

Ipswich City Councillor Paul Tully today seized on the report, saying it strengthened
the state government's push to have the existing motorway between Ipswich and Brisbane
upgraded.

The state government has long battled with its federal counterpart to ease chronic
congestion on the national highway by upgrading the existing road to six lanes.

Mr Tully called on Canberra to abandon its bypass proposal and fund an upgrade.

"The Ipswich Motorway could be upgraded and six-laned for less than $300 million but
the government has procrastinated for two years and the cost of its bypass proposal has
blown out by a billion dollars," Mr Tully said.

"This will be a major issue at next year's federal election when the Ipswich Motorway
is gridlocked every day and the people of Ipswich and south-east Queensland will be voting
with their feet over the federal government's inaction on the issue."

Proposed to begin at the intersection of the Cunningham and Warrego highways, cross
the Brisbane River and join the Logan Motorway south of Brisbane, the bypass is estimated
to slash the number of motorists using the motorway daily from 100,000 to 40,000.

AAP jvb/sc/drp/bwl

KEYWORD: MOTORWAY QLD

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

Tas: Tassie gold miners found alive, company =2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2006
Tas: Tassie gold miners found alive, company =2

Reverend Seen said Mr Russell's brother had reported that a camera had "gotten through
to them" and they were still alive and that they "seemed to be okay".

"They've called in all the miners in to start work getting them out," she said.

"And they'll have them out tomorrow so it's going to still be a little bit of time
but at least they're still alive.

"It's wonderful. We can celebrate now."

Todd Russell's brother Stephen said the family did not yet know the full story.

"It's great news," Mr Russell told AAP.

The company released a short statement tonight.

"A short time ago rescuers at the Beaconsfield Mine believe they have located the two
miners missing since last Tuesday night," Mr Gill said.

"Indications are that the two men are still alive.

"The two miners are believed to be in the area where they were last seen.

"More information will be released as it comes to hand but obviously the focus will
be on the rescue effort."

MORE tnf

KEYWORD: MINE ALIVE LEAD 2 BEACONSFIELD

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

Fed: AWB met Aust diplomat but didn't reveal company was a front

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2006
Fed: AWB met Aust diplomat but didn't reveal company was a front

SYDNEY, Feb 1 AAP - A senior AWB manager met Australia's ambassador to Jordan a day
after the executive learned that a company the wheat exporter was dealing with was a front
for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, an inquiry has been told.

But it appears that Australia's top diplomat in Amman, John Tilleman, was told little,
if anything, about what AWB's sales chief Michael Long knew about the workings of Jordanian
transport company Alia.

Mr Long said AWB had only given him permission for a "general" conversation with the
ambassador, and he did not tell Mr Tilleman he had found out that Alia was a conduit for
money to Saddam.

"No I wouldn't have said that to Mr Tilleman," Mr Long told the Cole inquiry into the AWB.

Today's evidence raises further questions about links between Australian diplomats and AWB.

It follows confirmation Australia's then ambassador to the United States lobbied Congress
in 2004 to drop an investigation into allegations the wheat exporter paid kickbacks to
Iraq.

Alia was a front for the Iraqi government and funnelled $300 million of AWB's money
to Saddam's regime between 1999 and 2003 - kickbacks the dictator demanded to bypass sanctions
and rort the UN's oil for food program.

Mr Long today the commission of inquiry investigating the affair that he was sent to
the Jordanian capital in the first week of October 2005, just weeks before the UN's Volcker
inquiry handed down a damning report on AWB's involvement in the oil for food scandal.

He said that his mission was to discover whether Alia - a company AWB had been dealing
with for six years - was providing a genuine trucking service, and to "discover what its
position would be to the Volcker committee".

On October 4, Mr Long met Alia's general manager, Othman Al Absi, who told him Alia
was 49 per cent owned by Saddam's Ministry of Transport.

Mr Al Absi also told Mr Long that Alia did not truck any Australian wheat around Iraq.

It contracted out 40 per cent of its operations to Iraqi government companies and the
remainder to other Iraqi firms.

Those details were not discussed when Mr Long met Mr Tilleman in a hotel lobby the
next day, Mr Long said.

"I don't think I went to that level of detail," Mr Long said.

Asked if he told the ambassador he had learned that Alia was half-owned by Saddam's
government, Mr Long initially said "I may have said that", but then admitted he could
not remember.

Mr Long's written report on his mission, tendered to the inquiry today, describes the
meeting with Mr Tilleman as "good chat, his response was 'Your briefing is what I expected
to hear'."

Mr Long told the inquiry he would have told Mr Tilleman that he was "asking some questions
of Alia", but the conversation mostly involved market conditions and strategic issues.

The AWB executive said he met regularly with the ambassador when he visited Jordan.

The inquiry continues.

AAP rp/jm/de

KEYWORD: AWB AMBASSADOR

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

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: I am in my late 30s and have been dating "Rick" for six years. The problem is his daughter, "Janet." We used to get along, but now she hates me. She calls me awful names and says she wishes I would go away.

I recently asked Rick to marry me. Now Janet says I am "desperate" and she refuses to talk to either of us. I don't know what to say to her. I'm appalled at her attitude toward me, the language she uses and the things she's saying about me to her friends on the Internet. She won't listen to her dad. Her mother is encouraging her behavior and has been threatening me.

I can't get Janet to understand that her dad and I love each other, that it's all right for a woman to ask a man to marry her and it's not out of "desperation." Please help.

Not Desperate in Louisiana

Dear Not Desperate: Toughen up. Recognize that for all of the joy Rick brings you, Janet is his extremely immature daughter and she's part of the package. How old is the girl? She appears to have years of growing up to do. You can't change her behavior, so go on with your life without seeking her approval. Unfortunately, nasty ex-wives are nothing new. If the ex does anything beyond "threaten" you, file a police report and let them deal with her.

Dear Abby: Can common sense be learned or taught? Some people seem to be born with it. Others have "book smarts" but struggle with everyday common sense.

I fail to grasp simple connections, and I sometimes ask questions that have obvious answers — for someone else. I know other people who share the same problem, and I admire those who simply seem to "get" what's happening around them.

Is there any way to improve? I'm 38 and married to a man who has strengths in both areas.

Bookworm in Montana

Dear Bookworm: Nobody has everything. Your strength is your intellect. Not everyone is a good student, and it can affect their self-esteem as much or more than your worry about not having common sense. If it's any comfort, people usually acquire common sense in the school of life. In other words, they learn from the mistakes they make. I'm sure you have done that and will continue to do so.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Dear Abby: My 34-year-old daughter blames me for her poor penmanship. When she was a baby, she started grabbing things with her left hand. Her pediatrician advised me to force her to use her right hand. Could she have had better penmanship if she had not been forced to use her right hand?

Guilty Mom in Madison, Ala.

Dear Guilty Mom: Probably. Your pediatrician must have been very old or very "old school." I am also left-handed, and when I was a child, educators had stopped forcing children to write in a way that was unnatural for them. I was taught to properly hold a pencil, we practiced printing and cursive penmanship, and I am told my handwriting is beautiful.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

AUSTRALIA'S PBL CHOOSES STARGAMES AS SUPPLIER FOR NET CASINO.

MELBOURNE, Feb 11 Asia Pulse - Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (ASX:PBL) (PBL) has picked gaming software group Stargames as a supplier to its Vanuatu-based internet casino site CrownGames.

Under the deal Stargames will supply games already developed for its Australian gaming machine sales and develop exclusive new games for PBL.

Stargames will also be able to earn recurring revenues from the deal.

"This agreement represents an important extension to Stargames' existing gaming business with the PBL organisation," said Stargames managing director John Rouse.

Backed by PBL's Crown Ltd offshoot, Stargames is currently developing a series of electronic game tables, such as Rapid Roulette for Australian and international casinos.

Stargames also supplies its PC3 gaming machines to Crown Casino in Melbourne.

Stargames expects to install the first of its games on the CrownGames internet casino site in the first half of this year.

Crowngames.com has been designed to simulate a real life casino experience, enabling gamblers to play both slot games and table games (such as blackjack and baccarat) on the internet.

But in order to comply with government regulations, Australian, New Zealand and US residents will be denied access to Crowngames.com.

Instead PBL will target gamblers across Asia, already familiar with the Crown brand name through its Melbourne-based casino.

Financial Finesse, AudioBasket Collaborate to Provide Personalized Financial Information to Women.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

Spring Internet World 2000

Booth No. 4278

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

Comprehensive Agreement Creates National Distribution of the

Financial Finesse Radio Show over the Internet and Offers Women

Customized Content, Flexible Listening Options

AudioBasket, a premiere provider of customized audio news and information on-demand, today announced a comprehensive agreement with Financial Finesse, a multi-media company founded to provide women with unbiased financial education.

Under the terms of the agreement, Financial Finesse will feature the AudioBasket service on its Web site as well as provide the content of the "Financial Finesse" weekly radio show, hosted by CEO and founder Liz Davidson, to AudioBasket users. Programming will include interviews with certified financial planners and female entrepreneurs as well as profiles of charitable organizations. Financial Finesse users can access a "quick start" basket from AudioBasket containing news and information on the Financial Finesse Web site. The "quick start" basket can then be customized to the user's specifications.

"We targeted Financial Finesse as one of our first strategic partners based on the popularity of the Financial Finesse women's financial radio show here in Silicon Valley and the strength and breadth of the Financial Finesse brand. This relationship is a key example of how the AudioBasket service can expand the reach of partner brands and content as well as give its users immediate access to a vast range of news and information," said Thierry D'Allant, vice president of content and business development, AudioBasket.

"AudioBasket enables a larger female audience to access the `Financial Finesse' radio show along with other engaging, high quality financial programs," said Liz Davidson, founder and CEO, Financial Finesse. "Women will be able to tune-in at their own convenience and learn how to plan for a successful financial future."

Financial Finesse is among a lineup of national and international news organizations, publishers, broadcasters, business and educational information providers that AudioBasket announced partner agreements with. They include ABC News, Associated Press, Bloomberg, British Broadcast Corporation (BBC), Financial Times and CareerShop.com.

About Financial Finesse

Founded in San Francisco in 1999, Financial Finesse is a multi-media company which provides women with the tools and resources they need to become financially secure and independent. The company provides comprehensive, unbiased financial and investment information through its Web site, radio program and nationwide seminars. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.financialfinesse.com. Editors please contact Lindsay Welsh at Landis Communications, 415/561-0888 or email lindsay@landispr.com.

About AudioBasket, Inc.

San Francisco-based AudioBasket provides premiere audio news and information service for individuals and a wide variety of affiliate Web sites. With AudioBasket, news and information from trusted sources around the globe can be personalized and automatically downloaded for playback on the desktop and virtually any standard digital audio device. AudioBasket's comprehensive, multi-platform compatible service, provides users customized audio broadcasts on the topics that interest them most. Through its proprietary technology, strategic partnerships with leading media sources and exclusive audio content, AudioBasket empowers listeners with the tools to stay informed on the information that matters most to them.

For company information, visit the Web site at www.audiobasket.com or call 415/856-9014. Editors please contact Anne-miek Hamelinck at Antenna Group at 415/977-1923 or annemiek@antennapr.com.