Vic: Casino comes good on money-back guarantee

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2009
Vic: Casino comes good on money-back guarantee

MELBOURNE, Feb 2 AAP - Almost all of the 1,200 people playing poker machines at Melbourne's
Crown Casino when it was evacuated last Friday have been refunded the money stuck in the
machines at the time, the casino says.

After angry gamblers sweltered outside the casino when they were forced to leave their
machines and the credits in them when a power blackout shut the venue down, Crown spokesman
Gary O'Neill vowed they would be fully refunded.

Mr O'Neill on Monday said the casino had made good on its promise, with the refund
system "working very well" and only a handful of people yet to be refunded by Sunday night.

Only a couple of disputes over amounts owed had been referred to the Victorian Commission
for Gambling Regulation (VCGR) and these had been settled, Mr O'Neill said.

About 1,200 people were gambling on Crown's poker machines when Friday's heat-related
power outage struck, putting the lights out and leaving the machines dead.

Other businesses, homes and traffic lights across Melbourne also lost power in the blackout.

Mr O'Neill said about half of the 1,200 poker machine gamblers were Crown Club members,
whose names and credits owed were registered on their machines, making refunds straightforward.

Of the remainder, patrons contacted Crown to advise where they were playing and the
value of credits they had left in the machine.

When the blackout struck, the casino had been able to register the outstanding credits
left on every machine and then cross-reference it against the information provided by
people contacting them for a refund.

Mr O'Neill said he did not know how much money had been refunded, or how much money
the casino had lost due to the power outage, which lasted from about 6.30pm (AEDT) to
just after midnight.

"It's being calculated. Crown, like other businesses in Melbourne will be trying to
assess that value," Mr O'Neill told AAP.

"At the moment we haven't determined it."

He said it was too early to say whether Crown would seek compensation for revenues lost.

AAP kn/pmu/jm

KEYWORD: POWER VIC CASINO

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

Last hope for German liberals? A Vietnamese-born doctor

JUDY DEMPSEY
International Herald Tribune
05-16-2011
Last hope for German liberals? A Vietnamese-born doctor
Byline: JUDY DEMPSEY
Type: News

Philipp Rosler, 38, who was elected leader of the Free Democrats with overwhelming support, promised a new beginning over the weekend.

A young Vietnamese-born physician has become the German liberals' last hope for defending their standing in the government and preparing for the next federal elections, set to take place in 2013.
The politician, Philipp Rosler, 38, who was elected leader of the Free Democrats last week with overwhelming support, promised a new beginning during a packed party congress in Rostock during the weekend, a rallying cry for a party that has plummeted in opinion polls ever since joining Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition 18 months ago.

"From today, the F.D.P. will deliver," he told delegates Saturday, trying to salve wounds suffered during recent defeats in regional elections.

Mr. Rosler also became economy minister when he assumed the party leadership from Guido Westerwelle, who will remain in the government as foreign minister but gave up all Free Democrat duties.

But if Mr. Rosler wants to sharpen the profile of the party, he is likely to run into conflict with the conservative bloc of Mrs. Merkel. And while a stronger and more popular Free Democratic Party would undoubtedly help the government in the opinion polls, it could also create a more fractious coalition.

During his speech, Mr. Rosler promised that the party would defend what had always been the heart of its philosophy: civil rights. This is bound to lead to conflicts with the Christian Social Union, the sister party of Mrs. Merkel's Christian Democrats.

Since taking office three months ago, Interior Minister Hans- Peter Friedrich, a Christian Socialist, has called for tighter controls over the Internet and more powers for security services to prevent terrorist attacks and combat crime.

While the Free Democrats had always raised some opposition to such controls, those objections were often less than forceful under Mr. Westerwelle.

On his watch, the party became so focused on a single issue -- tax cuts -- that when he failed to persuade the Christian Democrats to go along with an overhaul of the tax system, he lost significant support.

When it became clear that Mr. Rosler, who until last week held the post of health minister, would assume the party leadership, he reassigned the Free Democrats' top jobs, giving himself the far more popular job of economics minister.

Mr. Rosler made it clear that the party would still fight for tax reform. "We are willing to do it," he told the congress on Saturday. "We are just waiting for our coalition partners."

But in a major policy change, he also said the Free Democrats would support Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble's goal of cutting the budget deficit.

And in another sign that Mr. Schauble will find a more willing ally in Mr. Rosler, the new party leader quashed attempts by a group of euro-skeptic Free Democratic federal lawmakers to oppose an economic rescue package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

On Monday and Tuesday, E.U. finance ministers are expected to approve a EUR 78 billion, or $110 billion, bailout for Portugal. And in September, the German Parliament must vote on the final EUR 700 billion package for debt-ridden countries in the bloc.

Mr. Rosler said the party had to reach out to "normal people," phrasing that analysts said was an attempt to shed the Free Democrats' image as a well-to-do movement detached from social problems.

Indeed, Mr. Rosler, a father of 2-year-old twins, spoke about single working parents struggling to find all-day child-care centers or schools, and families struggling to meet the costs of looking after their aging parents.

Mr. Rosler lived in a Roman Catholic orphanage in Saigon until being adopted by a German couple when he was 9 months old.

He has said in interviews that he had a normal German upbringing, growing up with his father, a career soldier, when his adoptive parents separated. He studied medicine and worked full time as an army doctor until 2003.

He also rose steadily through the ranks of the Free Democratic Party, which he joined when he was 19.

Keywords: Germany (Geo); Merkel, Angela (Per); Politics and Government (Des)

Copyright International Herald Tribune May 16, 2011

NSW:Hendra claims 10th horse in NSW

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2011
NSW:Hendra claims 10th horse in NSW

SYDNEY, Aug 30 AAP - A tenth horse has died from the Hendra virus in NSW, bringing
the total number of nationwide deaths this year to 21.

The horse died on Sunday morning at a property north of Ballina, on the NSW north coast,
the NSW Department of Primary Industries said.

It had been noticeably ill on Saturday and showed neurological changes including weakness
and loss of balance.

NSW Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Ian Roth said the property had been quarantined and
the dead horse had been buried.

"While there are no other horses on the property, a dog on the property will be assessed,"

he said on Tuesday.

"The infected horse was grazing in a small paddock containing flowering and fruiting
trees, where flying foxes were active."

The virus is spread from flying foxes to horses and, rarely, from horses to people.

In one case in Queensland it was transmitted from horses to a dog.

So far this year, 11 Hendra-infected horses and one dog have died or been put down
in Queensland, and ten horses in NSW.

"It's critical that people keep horses away from fruiting and flowering trees that
might attract fruit bats," Dr Roth said.

"Horse owners need to maintain vigilance against this virus."

Authorities are now managing five quarantined properties and conducting extensive property
checks across NSW.

Eight properties have been confirmed positive for the Hendra virus in northern NSW,
including Wollongbar, Macksville, Lismore, Ballina, South Ballina, two properties at Mullumbimby
and North Ballina.

AAP tr/jjs

KEYWORD: HENDRA

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

China rushes to avert 'Jasmine' protest ; Outsize response to call for action on social media reflects officials' jitters

ANDREW JACOBS
International Herald Tribune
02-21-2011
China rushes to avert 'Jasmine' protest ; Outsize response to call for action on social media reflects officials' jitters
Byline: ANDREW JACOBS
Type: News

A massive response by security officers to a call for action by social media reflects Beijing officials' jitters. There were no reports of large demonstrations.

Skittish domestic security officials organized a massive show of force across China on Sunday after anonymous calls for protesters to stage a Chinese "Jasmine Revolution" went out over social media and micro-blogging outlets.
Although there were no reports of large demonstrations, the outsize response highlighted Beijing's nervousness amid spreading unrest in the Middle East aimed at overthrowing authoritarian regimes. The word "jasmine" was blocked on Twitter-like blogging sites, cellphone users were unable to send multiple text messages, and the streets of many cities were flooded with uniformed and plainclothes police officers.

More than a dozen lawyers and rights activists have been rounded up in recent days and scores of dissidents have reportedly been placed under varying forms of house arrest. At least two lawyers are missing, family members and human rights advocates said Sunday.

In Beijing, a huge crowd formed outside a McDonald's in the heart of the capital after messages went out listing it as one of 13 protest sites across the country. It is not clear who organized the campaign, but the call first appeared Thursday on Boxun, a Chinese- language Web site based in the United States, and spread through Twitter and other micro-blog services. By 2 p.m., the pre-announced start of the protests, hundreds of police officers had swarmed the area, a major shopping district popular with tourists.

At one point, the police surrounded a young man who had placed a jasmine flower on a planter outside the McDonald's, but he was released after the clamor drew journalists and photographers. In Shanghai, three people were detained during a skirmish in front of Starbucks, The Associated Press reported. One post on Twitter described a heavily armed police presence on the subways of Shenzhen and another claimed that college officials at Peking University in Beijing had urged students to avoid any protest activity, but they were impossible to verify Sunday evening.

The messages calling people to action urged protesters to shout, "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness," an ostensible effort to tap into popular discontent over inflation and soaring real estate prices.

In a sign of the ruling Communist Party's growing anxiety, President Hu Jintao addressed top leaders at a special "study session" Saturday and urged them to address festering social problems before they become threats to stability. "The overall requirements for enhancing and innovating social management are to stimulate vitality in the society and increase harmonious elements to the greatest extent, while reducing inharmonious factors to the minimum," he told the gathering, according to Xinhua, the official news agency.

Human rights advocates said they were especially concerned by the crackdown on rights defenders, which intensified Saturday after at least 15 well-known lawyers and activists were detained or placed under house arrest. Several of those reached by telephone, including Pu Zhiqiang and Xu Zhiyong, said they were in the company of security agents and unable to talk, while many others were unreachable Sunday evening. Two of the men, Tang Jitian and Jiang Tianyong, remain missing.

Many of those subjected to house arrest had met in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss the case of Chen Guangcheng, a blind lawyer under a draconian form of house arrest in rural Shandong Province. The plight of Mr. Chen and his family gained widespread attention last week after a video he and his wife made emerged on the Internet.

One of the missing lawyers, Jiang Tianyong, was forced into an unmarked van Saturday night, his second abduction in recent days, his wife, Jin Bianling, said by telephone. She said the police had also searched the couple's home and confiscated his computer and briefcase.

After this first detention, on Wednesday, Mr. Jiang said that he was taken to the police station and assaulted.

Most of those who thronged outside the McDonald's said they had no idea what the hubbub was about. Some thought that perhaps a celebrity was nearby. But a young man, a Web page designer in his late 20s who gave only his last name, Cui, acknowledged that he was drawn by word of the protest.

"It's very difficult to do this in China, but this is a good start," he said. "I'm thankful to be able to participate in this moment in history."

Keywords: and Riots (Des)

Copyright International Herald Tribune Feb 21, 2011

FED:PM Gillard defends cup bid

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2010
FED:PM Gillard defends cup bid

Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD says she's disappointed Australia lost its bid for the
World Cup .. but is defending the 45.6-million dollar campaign.

Australia received only one vote in the first round of the FIFA vote .. with Qatar
taking out the honours to host the world's biggest sporting event in 2022.

Indigenous welfare advocate SAM WATSON says the bid was a waste of public money that
would have been better spent on Aboriginal health and education programs.

But Ms GILLARD denies it was a waste of taxpayers' money .. saying FRANK LOWY and the
bid team did a remarkable job .. and there were two unsuccessful bids before Sydney attracted
the Olympics in 2000.

Opposition Leader TONY ABBOTT says he shares the disappointment .. that plenty of people
will be coming forward to say the bid was wrong .. but that he thinks it deserved a better
reception from FIFA.

AAP RTV pjo/sb/jkl

KEYWORD: WC22 FEDERAL (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Rudd 'deeply sorry' for home insulation deaths

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2010
Fed: Rudd 'deeply sorry' for home insulation deaths

KEVIN RUDD says he's deeply sorry about the deaths of installers working on the federal
government's home insulation program.

The Prime Minister's comments come after he was accused today of being a "creep" for
not apologising to the parents of a man who died.

Mr RUDD met with Brisbane couple KEVIN and CHRISTINE FULLER .. whose 26 year old son
was the first installer to be electrocuted while working under the scheme.

The FULLERS told ABC's Four Corners program that the PM didn't offer them any sympathy
for their loss.

Mr RUDD's now apologised on behalf of the government .. saying they're deeply sorry
for what's happened to the FULLER family .. as well as to the other families who've lost
loved ones.

AAP RTV bzs/klm/af

KEYWORD: INSULATION RUDD (SYDNEY)

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

Fed: Reef trip no sweat for Santa

AAP General News (Australia)
12-14-2009
Fed: Reef trip no sweat for Santa

By Jessica Marszalek

HAMILTON ISLAND, Qld Dec 14 - There were no reindeer and no sleigh when Santa and his
island caretaker friend Ben Southall made a special delivery on Queensland's Great Barrier
Reef on Monday.

Whipping up the ocean on a jet ski, the pair arrived on Hamilton Island in Aussie style
to the cheering of 20 local children.

Still sporting a traditional white beard but swapping his red and white pants for boardies,
Santa and Ben handed out presents, including a bucket and spade.

Most kids were excited, although one was concerned for Santa's welfare out of his normal
winter wonderland backdrop of the North Pole.

"It's really hot today," she told one of the organisers.

"Isn't Santa going to get sweat under his arms?"

She was assured Santa was a professional and was wearing deodorant.

The stunt was part of a Christmas campaign directed at those suffering a chilly Christmas
in the northern hemisphere, urging them to consider spending the holidays in sunny Queensland
next year.

Ben, from Hampshire in England, will leave his six-month post on December 31 after
earning $150,000 from the Tourism Queensland gig, "Best Job in the World".

AAP jmm/pjo/cjb

KEYWORD: TOURISM JOB SCENE (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

NSW: Bikie to appear in Sydney court on child porn charge

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2009
NSW: Bikie to appear in Sydney court on child porn charge

SYDNEY, Aug 5 AAP - An alleged member of the Notorious bikie gang will face a Sydney
court on a child pornography charge.

The 21-year-old man was charged with possessing child pornography on July 22 after
police examined two mobile phones seized during a raid at a home on Lower Mount St, Wentworthville,
in Sydney's west, in February.

The man remains in custody and will appear in Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday.

Police allege that during the February raid they also seized an assault rifle, a handgun,
ammunition, drugs and a suspected stolen car.

The man, who police allege is a member of Notorious, has also been charged with intimidation
of a law enforcement officer, possession of an unauthorised prohibited firearm and having
suspected stolen goods on a premises.

AAP sg/evt/jp

KEYWORD: BIKIES PORN

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

Fed: Bushfire victims should seek early access to super: Sherry

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2009
Fed: Bushfire victims should seek early access to super: Sherry

CANBERRA, Feb 10 AAP - People affected by Victoria's bushfire disaster should consider
seeking early access to their superannuation, the federal government says.

Superannuation Minister Nick Sherry has also reminded people that super accounts are
likely to have either death, or total and permanent disablement (TPD), insurance attached.

"I strongly encourage those that are able to consider this option," Senator Sherry
said in a statement.

Claims for early access should be made directly to super funds.

Senator Sherry said he had spoken with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
(APRA) and asked super funds and their insurers about prioritising bushfire-related life
insurance and TPD claims.

"I have also spoken with Pauline Vamos, chief executive of the Association of Superannuation
Funds of Australia, who has confirmed super funds will do everything they can to assist."

Under normal circumstances, people cannot access their super accounts until they are
55. But under limited, prescribed circumstances, the law allows for early access.

"This includes applications under severe financial hardship provisions," he said.

"Such applications must be made directly to your super fund and strict conditions for
this early release must be met."

APRA separately administers applications for the early release of superannuation on
prescribed compassionate grounds.

"These grounds include mortgage assistance in the case of threat of foreclosure, certain
medical expenses, modifications to a home or vehicle in the case of severe disability,
and expenses associated with a dependent's death or funeral," he said.

AAP cb/kms/tnf

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC SUPER

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

Cno: Wallace claims gold and place in Australian record history

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2008
Cno: Wallace claims gold and place in Australian record history

By Jim Morton

BEIJING, Aug 23 AAP - "Ken-garoo" Ken Wallace today took a huge leap into Australia's
kayaking record books by surpassing Clint Robinson's record Olympic haul with a gold medal
in the K1 500m at the Beijing Games.

The 25-year-old Gold Coast lifeguard stormed home to pip Canadian world champion Adam
van Koeverden near the line.

Van Koeverden took silver, 0.378 seconds behind Wallace (1:37.25), while K1 1000m gold
medalist Britain's Tim Brabants was close behind in third.

Wallace's breakthrough gold came a day after his bronze medal in the K1 1000m event.

Wallace celebrated by jumping into an inflatable life raft and then taking a dip in
the lake at Shunyi Olympic Canoeing Park.

His haul in his maiden Olympic campaign surpasses the efforts of Robinson who grabbed
one gold in Barcelona 16 years ago and Nathan Baggaley who took home two silver medals
at the 2004 Athens Games.

Wallace's victory came just two days after he almost wrecked his own campaign in his
K1 500m semi-final.

Wallace, known as "Ken-garoo" by European paddlers, only snuck into the final as the
slowest qualifier after being forced to make an unorthodox dash for the start line when
he left for his warm-up paddle too late.

With the semi-final about to start, the laidback lifesaver had to jump out of the warm-up
lake and carry his kayak over a bush fence to make the start line.

AAP jsm/nh

KEYWORD: OLY08 CNOM AUST NIGHTLEAD

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

Events Diary for Friday, April 18, 2008

AAP General News (Australia)
04-17-2008
Events Diary for Friday, April 18, 2008
EVENTS LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND LOCAL TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED:

ADELAIDE
- Nil listed

BRISBANE
0900 - Local Government Symposium. Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Bron Browning
3000 2220.

1100 - Launch of transport scheme by internet search engine Big Roo. Brisbane Strikers
Football Club, Bowen Hills. Rod Stephen 0437 972 601.

CANBERRA
1530 - Australian National University presents a seminar on looking at Australian Navy
strategic objectives, Seminar Room B, Coombs Building, Fellows Road, Australian National
University, ACT.

MELBOURNE
- Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand (LESANZ) annual conference
continues: Entrepreneurship and Innovation - not such risky business. Park Hyatt - Melbourne,
1 Parliament Square off Parliament Place. Contact: An Le 02 9237 2800, 0423 034 807. Website:
http://lesanz.org.au/events/annualconferences.html
1030 - Dr Rosanna Capolingua, AMA national president, to address QIP/AGPAL international
conference on primary health care. Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Savoy 2, 123 Collins Street.

Contact: Kylie Butler 02 6270 5466, 0417 652 488 or Boronia Mooney 02 6270 5471, 0418
200 750.

1230 - Free concert as musicians present their version of a charity jingle, part of Yooralla's
90th birthday celebrations. Stage at Federation Square. Contact: Gareth Wills (Hootville
Communications) 03 9510 4894, 0419 394 825.

1930 - Opera Australian Chorus Concert. BMW Edge, Federation Square. Contact: Emma Williams
03 9685 3703, 0413 985 291. Website:

PERTH
- Nil items listed.

SYDNEY
(No time given) - Emissary of the Central Tibetan Australia gives a briefing on the current
situation in Tibet. Contact: Tibet Information Office 6285 4046 or George Farley 0401
549 536.

1000 - Delegates from the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues available
for interview before they fly to New York at 1300. Sydney Airport. Contact: Barbara Shaw
0401 291 166 or Les Malezer 0419 710 720.

1300 - Rally by trade unions against electricity privatisation. Michael Costa's offices,
26 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle. Contact: Tim Fitzsimmons 0423 375 522.

1800 - Seminar to discuss the legacy of the Howard government, entitled Beyond the Neo-Con
Men: Alternatives after Howard. Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.

Contact: Dr James Goodman 9514 2714.

SPORT
FRIDAY, APRIL 18
AFL -
Round 5 - to April 20
1940 - St Kilda v Essendon, Telstra Dome
RUGBY LEAGUE - NRL -
Round 6 - to April 21
1930 - Parramatta v Manly, Parramatta Std
1930 - Gold Coast v Brisbane, Skilled Park
EQUESTRIAN - The Return of the Horse series -
Australian Showjumping C'ships & Olympic qualifier - to April 20
Sydney International Equestrian Cnt, Saxony Road, Horsley Park
RUGBY - Super 14 - to May 31
Week 10 - to April 20
1735 (AEST) - Chiefs v Crusaders, Waikato Std, Hamilton, NZ
1940 - Reds v Western Force, Suncorp Std, Brisbane, Qld
CYCLING - National BMX C'ships - to April 20
Adelaide Showgrounds
BOXING - Oceania C'ships & Olympic qualifier - to April 18
Samoa, Fiji
GOLF - USPGA Tour - to April 20
Verizon Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, Sth Carolina
MOTORSPORT - V8 Supercar C'ship series -
Round 4 - to April 20
Hamilton 400, Hamilton City Street Race, New Zealand
GALLOPS -
Port Macquarie
Bendigo
Mackay
Dubbo
New Zealand
Singapore
TROTS -
Harold Park
Moonee Valley
Gold Coast
Gawler
Mildura
Wagga
Gloucester Park
New Zealand
GREYHOUNDS -
Richmond
Geelong
Albion Park
Traralgon
The Gardens
Mandurah
Casino
Wangaratta
AAP ab/hn/ldj/cdh

KEYWORD: DIARY EVENTS FRIDAY

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

Soc: Mariners get scorers back for clash with Reds

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2007
Soc: Mariners get scorers back for clash with Reds

SYDNEY, Dec 13 AAP - A-League leaders Central Coast are promising their strongest line
up of the campaign when they come up against third-placed Adelaide United tomorrow in
the match of the round.

John Hutchinson, Sasho Petrovski and Tom Pondeljak - the men behind half of the club's
goals this season - will be back in the 18-man line up after missing last week's 2-1 loss
away to the Queensland Roar.

Hutchinson and Petrovski were out through suspension after receiving their fourth yellow
cards of the season in their Round 14 0-0 draw against the Newcastle Jets.

Pondeljak has been out with a groin strain for the past two matches.

Defender Nigel Boogaard, who also missed last Sunday's match, will watch from the sidelines
for at least another week due to a concussion he suffered three weeks ago.

The long-term injured pair Nik Mrdja and Matthew Osman, are the only squad members
not named in the line up for tomorrow's match at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Mariners' football manager Lawrie McKinna expected a tense encounter.

"It's going to be another big crowd in Adelaide and a tight game," McKinna said.

"They're still chasing the pack ... Adelaide will still feel as though they are in
with a sniff (of the minor premiership), so it's a huge game for both clubs."

AAP kaj/nh

KEYWORD: SOCCER AL MARINERS

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

NSW: "Serious" situation defused at Sydney police station

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2007
NSW: "Serious" situation defused at Sydney police station

Police say a 39-year-old man's been detained without incident after a sensitive and
serious situation at Earlwood police station .. in the city's inner west.

Police say the man was arrested just after 5.00 o'clock .. but no details are being given.

They'd asked Sydney media not to report details of the incident, which began at about
2.20 (AEST) this afternoon.

Streets around the police station were cordoned off by police and officers wearing
bulletproof vests.

Police are expected to issue a statement soon.

AAP RTV kjd/was/bart

KEYWORD: POLICE (SYDNEY)

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

NSW: New Year's crowds a boost for Sydney business: SCC

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2006
NSW: New Year's crowds a boost for Sydney business: SCC

SYDNEY, Dec 31 AAP - Crowds pouring into Sydney ahead of tonight's New Year's Eve celebrations
will give the city's hospitality, tourism and retail industries an economic boost, the
Sydney Chamber of Commerce says.

While the festive season generally generates substantial economic activity, Sydney
businesses can expect an even bigger boost in coming weeks thanks to an estimated 15,000
cricket fans from the United Kingdom, Patricia Forsythe from the Chamber of Commerce said
today.

"Nearly all of Sydney's 19,000 hotel rooms are booked," Ms Forsythe said in a statement.

Ms Forsythe said Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations were highly regarded.

"Sydney is the first major city to usher in a new day due to our proximity to the international
dateline - this provides Sydney with a commercial advantage and marketing edge," she said.

"This year Sydney has the added economic boost of 15,000 cricket fans from the UK who
no doubt will be participating in the festivities."

She said total visitor expenditure in Sydney was over $10 billion in 2005.

AAP lma/jlw

KEYWORD: EVE NSW BUSINESS

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

NSW: Steve Matai charged over pub brawl

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2006
NSW: Steve Matai charged over pub brawl

Manly rugby league player STEVE MATAI has been charged over an alleged assault at a Sydney pub.

22-year-old MATAI will face assault charges over the incident .. where he's accused
of headbutting a 31-year-old man .. at the Surf Rock Hotel at Collaroy .. on Sydney's
northern beaches .. in June.

He's been granted conditional police bail .. to appear in Manly Local Court on September 13.

AAP RTV kjd/hn/wf/cp

KEYWORD: MATAI (SYDNEY)

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

QLD: Man detected speeding 70kmh over speed limit

AAP General News (Australia)
04-16-2006
QLD: Man detected speeding 70kmh over speed limit

A 28-year-old man's been clocked at more than 70 kmh over the speed limit .. before
leading police on a chase through Brisbane's northern suburbs.

A spokeswoman says officers chased the car after seeing it do 166 kmh in a 90 kmh zone
at Bracken Ridge .. shortly before 4 pm (AEST) yesterday.

The chase ended when the car slid down an embankment outside the Bracken Ridge High School.

The driver .. from Brighton on Brisbane's north coast .. was arrested.







He's been bailed to appear in the Sandgate Magistrates Court on May 8th on various

driving charges.

AAP RTV ch/rt

KEYWORD: SPEED (BRISBANE)

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

Fed: Scientists grow nipple-coloured skin in the lab

AAP General News (Australia)
04-08-2005
Fed: Scientists grow nipple-coloured skin in the lab

By Janelle Miles, National Medical Correspondent

BRISBANE, April 8 AAP - Australian scientists have grown nipple-coloured skin in a
laboratory which may one day improve the look of a woman's breast after reconstructive
surgery.

Recreating the nipple after a woman has had a mastectomy is problematic for surgeons
with the skin colour often fading within two years.

Current techniques include tattooing the area or using darker skin from the groin,
or the remaining breast.

"We've shown that the nipples do tend to fade over time and also with the technique
of taking the skin from the groin or the opposite nipple, that leaves you with another
scar which a lot of people don't want," said plastic surgery registrar Nicola Dean, who
helped grow the skin in the laboratory.

She found women and their partners were distressed by the fact that the reconstructed
nipple faded in colour over time, making it different to the other breast.

"We did a big survey before we started this research to find out whether there was
actually a market for it ... and certainly, a lot of people who've had breast reconstructions
do find that the nipple reconstruction isn't as satisfactory," Dr Dean said.

"They're worried about it."

Dr Dean, whose research was funded by the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide,
used normal skin left over after people had undergone a breast reconstruction.

She separated the pigmented cells, known as melanocytes, from the other cells in the laboratory.

The researchers, whose work was published in the March edition of the British Journal
of Plastic Surgery, then artificially increased the number of melanocytes to non-pigmented
cells to create darker-coloured skin.

Dr Dean's technique uses the patient's own serum to promote cell division, reducing
the risk of infection.

"We had to use some growth factors to make the melanocytes grow but we tried to minimise
that more than any other method that's been described," she said.

The technique has not been tested on patients and Dr Dean admitted even minimal use
of growth factors would have to be carefully considered before clinical trials because
of the risk of transplanted cells becoming cancerous.

Flinders University associate head of health sciences Tim Neild, who was also involved
in the research, said the technique built on West Australian work using cultured cells
to help skin grow in burns patients.

He said until the new technique was trialled on humans, the researchers would not know
whether the nipple would fade as it did with current practices. But that may be some years
away with more work required in the laboratory.

AAP jhm/jt

KEYWORD: NIPPLES

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

NSW: Floodwaters to peak this morning

AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2004
NSW: Floodwaters to peak this morning

Floodwaters are expected to peak in northern New South Wales this morning after days
of torrential rain.

The State Emergency Service says the swollen Namoi River will peak about 9am (AEDT)
in the town of Narrabri.

About 120 residents in 40 homes were evacuated from the town yesterday and the SES
says they'll probably be able to return home today.

Three people have died in floods in New South Wales and southern Queensland this week.

AAP RTV dcr/wz

KEYWORD: FLOOD NSW (SYDNEY)

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

schedule

schedule
1. The part of legislation that is placed at the end of a UK Act of Parliament and contains subsidiary matter to the main sections of the Act.

2. One of several schedules of income tax forming part of the original income-tax legislation, now used to classify various sources of income for tax purposes. Some of the schedules are further subdivided into cases. The broad classification is: Schedule A, rents from property in the UK; Schedule B, income from commercial woodlands; Schedule C, interest paid by public bodies; Schedule D, Case 1, profits from trade; Case II, profits from professions or vocations; Case III, interest not otherwise taxed; Case IV, income from securities outside the UK; Case V, income from possessions outside the UK; Case VI, other annual profits and gains; Schedule E, Cases I, II, and III, emoluments of offices or employments (the cases depending on the residential status of the taxpayer); Schedule F, dividends paid by UK companies.

3. Working papers submitted with tax returns or tax computations.

4. Any scale of rates.

5. A plan for undertaking some enterprise, especially one that details the timing of events.