FED:Thomson denies phone call allegations

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2011
FED:Thomson denies phone call allegations

CANBERRA, Aug 19 AAP - Embattled Labor MP Craig Thomson has denied any wrongdoing,
as a scandal threatened to engulf Julia Gillard's minority government.

Fairfax newspapers on Friday reported phone calls were made in 2006 to brothels from
Melbourne hotel rooms hired by Mr Thomson while he was secretary of the Health Services
Union and paid for using his union issued credit card.

Mr Thomson, the Labor MP for Dobell, is already facing scrutiny over other alleged
uses of the union's credit card to pay for prostitutes.

The NSW MP also this week belatedly updated his listing in the parliamentary register
of members' interests to add that the ALP's NSW branch had paid a "sum of money" - reportedly
$90,000 - to his lawyers on his behalf to allegedly avoid bankruptcy after ending a defamation
case against Fairfax.

Bankruptcy would disqualify him from sitting as an MP.

Walking into a committee meeting in parliament house on Friday, Mr Thomson told reporters
the allegations were untrue.

"The reports yesterday and in the paper last night are completely untrue," Mr Thomson said.

"I have denied these allegations before - there is nothing there that is new at all.

"I will get on and do my job."

Industrial watchdog Fair Work Australia has previously found insufficient evidence
to prosecute Mr Thomson, following an investigation which began in April 2009.

But the probe was continued in March 2010 under different legislation.

Fair Work Australia general manager Tim Lee would not comment on any aspect of the inquiry.

It is understood it is examining whether Mr Thomson misled the watchdog through his evidence.

The federal government's razor thin parliamentary majority could fail if Mr Thomson
was forced to quit parliament over the allegations and Labor lost a by-election.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said she continues to have full confidence in Mr Thomson.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has stopped short of calling for Mr Thomson's resignation
and declined to say whether he would sack a coalition MP in the same position.

"I don't know all the details. Certainly what I would never do is express full confidence
in a member without asking questions. I would try to get to the bottom of these things,"

Mr Abbott said on the Nine Network.

"I would be demanding answers. I would be insisting that official bodies investigate
and if necessary prosecute in a fully transparent manner."

AAP pjo/bwl/nb

KEYWORD: THOMSON UPDATE

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

NT: Man accused of gang raping boy had sexual dysfunction

AAP General News (Australia)
02-22-2007
NT: Man accused of gang raping boy had sexual dysfunction

By Tara Ravens

DARWIN, Feb 22 AAP - A man accused of gang raping a boy over five months at a remote
Aboriginal community had a sexual dysfunction that suppressed his libido and made it difficult
to get an erection, a court was told today.

The 12-year-old victim says he was sexually assaulted more than 20 times at Maningrida,
about 500km east of Darwin, by a group of five teenagers and four adults, the oldest of
whom was 39.

The men have been charged with a total of ten offences, including sexual intercourse
with a minor without …

NSW:Woman, man face court over child murder

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2011
NSW:Woman, man face court over child murder

(EDS: Changes keyword from Kiesha)





A woman and a man have been charged with the murder of a six-year-old girl who went
missing in Sydney's west almost nine months ago.

The matter was briefly mentioned today in Parramatta Bail Court after the pair were
arrested in the early hours of this morning.

They were formally refused bail.

Lawyer .. ALEXANDER REETOV .. representing 28-year-old KRISTI ANNE ABRAHAMS and 31-year-old
ROBERT TERRY SMITH .. has told the court neither wanted to appear on screen in the court
via video-link.

They didn't request bail and will remain in custody.

According to court documents .. the pair were arrested just after 1 (AEST) this morning
in Shalvey .. in Sydney's west.

They were taken to Mount Druitt police station and charged with the murder of the child
.. who can't be named.

Meanwhile .. police can't confirm reports a shallow grave had been found during a search
of bushland at Shalvey.

The girl, who would have turned seven years old today was reported missing from her
bed at her Mount Druitt home on the morning of August 1 last year.

The case will be heard again on April 29 at Penrith Local Court.

AAP RTV km/nap

KEYWORD: ABRAHAMS (SYDNEY)

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

VIC:Man in custody over woman's death

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2011
VIC:Man in custody over woman's death

MELBOURNE, Feb 1 AAP - A man has been taken into custody after a woman was killed in
an altercation at a home in Victoria's north, police say.

Police allege a 52-year-old man went to the home in Margaret Street, Benalla, where
there was an altercation around 12.30pm on Tuesday.

The woman, 31 from Benalla, received fatal injuries. Police believe she knew the man,
who is also from Benalla, and is now in custody assisting homicide squad detectives with
their inquiries.

AAP pmu/was/msk

KEYWORD: FATAL

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

QLD:AG seeks assurance over honeymoon killer

08-25-2010
QLD:AG seeks assurance over honeymoon killer

Queensland's attorney general has written to authorities in Alabama to finalise cooperation
in the possible US prosecution of honeymoon killer GABE WATSON.

The American is serving 18 months in a Queensland jail after pleading guilty last year
to the manslaughter of his bride TINA during a Great Barrier Reef scuba dive in 2003.

WATSON'll likely be deported to the US after his release in November .. and US prosecutors
want to bring a murder case against him in Alabama.

Queensland attorney general CAMERON DICK is asking his Alabama counterpart for an unconditional
undertaking that they won't seek the death penalty.

AAP RTV lpm/jkl/af

KEYWORD: WATSON (BRISBANE)

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

NSW: Sydney commuters to put new ticketing system to the test

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2010
NSW: Sydney commuters to put new ticketing system to the test

SYDNEY, April 18 AAP - Sydney bus and train commuters will put the new transport ticketing
system MyZone to the test on Sunday when it kicks off ahead of Monday's peak-hour rush.

And the success of the rollout will be a test of the NSW government's transport credentials,
the Sydney Business Chamber says.

"The first real test of MyZone on Monday will be make or break time for the government
and its transport agenda," the chamber's executive director Patricia Forsythe said in
a statement on Sunday.

"The premier has to ensure the transition to MyZone is achieved with a minimal disruption
to commuters -- there can be no blaming bureaucrats if things go wrong tomorrow."

Under the new system, passengers will have the option of buying the new MyBus, MyTrain
and MyFerry tickets or a MyMulti ticket that will enable them to travel on all three modes
of transport.

Tickets apply across the CityRail, State Transit, Sydney Ferries and private bus networks
in the greater Sydney region, and the Blue Mountains, Illawarra, Central Coast and Hunter
regions.

Extra staff will be on duty at transport hubs to help commuters with the new system.

NSW Transport Minister David Campbell has previously said nine out of 10 fares will
be the same or cheaper under MyZone.

The MyMulti ticket will cost $57 a week for most commuters, regardless of where or
how often commuters travel on the network.

For the first time, commuters will be able to use the new transport tickets on public
and private buses.

For more information visit www.myzone.nsw.gov.au or call 131 500.

AAP bzs/sn/ao

KEYWORD: MYZONE AM UPDATE

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

Fed: Man convicted of Bulgarian murder will appeal: brother

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2009
Fed: Man convicted of Bulgarian murder will appeal: brother

(Eds: Changes main keyword to Palfreeman)



By David Barbeler

BRISBANE, Dec 3 AAP - The family of a 23-year-old Sydney man handed a 20-year prison
sentence for murder in Bulgaria will appeal the "ridiculous" ruling, his brother has confirmed.

In the Sofia City Court in Bulgaria on Wednesday, Jock Palfreeman was found guilty
of the murder of 20-year-old Bulgarian law student Andrei Monov and severely wounding
Antoan Zahariev, 19, in a fight in Sofia on December 28, 2007.

The Sofia City Court also ordered Palfreeman to pay 400,000 leva ($A326,238) in compensation
to the victim's family.

Palfreeman, who has been in custody since the incident, pleaded not guilty to charges
of murder and attempted murder, claiming self-defence.

The former student of St Ignatius' College, Riverview, admitted he had been drinking
alcohol before the fight.

However, he told the court he had run to help a Roma man (a member of an ethnic minority)
who was being beaten by a group of drunken football fans.

His brother Spencer Palfreeman, 21, told AAP on Thursday the family would be appealing
the ruling, calling it "ridiculous".

"The court's ruling was based on the fact that he (the victim) was stabbed from behind," he said.

"But forensic evidence showed he was stabbed from the front."

Mr Palfreeman said the prosecutor in the case relied on blocking evidence from entering
the courts and attacking his brother's character.

"The prosecutor wasn't looking to admit all evidence, he was purely going for conviction,"

he said.

He said the Australian government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
was monitoring the case, however he felt the most important thing to do at present was
to wait for the explanation of the rulings by the head judge.

"Because clearly we can't understand how he got to his ruling," he said.

"All independent evidence throughout the entire case supported Jock's accounts of the
night, and based on evidence and due process of court proceedings there's no logical way
this result could have eventuated."

AAP djb/pjo/jl/mn

KEYWORD: PALFREEMAN APPEAL (PIX TO COME)

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

SA: Passenger dies when car hits tree

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2009
SA: Passenger dies when car hits tree

ADELAIDE, April 26 AAP - A 27-year-old man is dead after the car he was a passenger
in crashed into a tree in south Adelaide on Sunday morning.

Police said the fatal crash occurred just after 1am (CST) on Chandlers Hill Road at Happy Valley.

"A passenger in the car, a 27-year-old man from Woodcroft, died at the scene," a police
spokesman said.

"The driver of the vehicle, a man from Aberfoyle Park, was conveyed to the Flinders
Medical Centre in a critical condition."

The death takes the state's road toll so far this year to 37, compared to 30 a year ago.

AAP njl/ss

KEYWORD: TOLL SA

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

Qld: Teenager dies in car crash on 18th birthday

AAP General News (Australia)
12-21-2008
Qld: Teenager dies in car crash on 18th birthday

(Editor's note: Update includes further information from police regarding teenager's birthday)



BRISBANE, Dec 21 AAP - A teenager has died on his 18th birthday in a Sunshine Coast car crash.

The 18-year old driver died at the scene and another man was in a critical condition
following the accident, which brought Queensland's holiday road toll to two.

Police said the car crashed on Kin Kin Road, Pomona, about 4.50am (AEST) on Sunday.

A male passenger suffered life-threatening injuries and another received minor injuries.

The crash follows two separate motorcycle accidents on Saturday, in which a man and
teenage boy were killed.

The man died in Emerald after hitting a pedestrian at high speed about 2.45am (AEST).

A 13-year-old boy died after crashing a motorcycle into a fence at a property in the
Currumbin Valley, on the Gold Coast, about 10.30am (AEST).

The boy's death was not included in the road toll because it happened on a private property.

AAP djb/jpm

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD UPDATE

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

Ath: Richards seeking Olympic triumph after sickness hell

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2008
Ath: Richards seeking Olympic triumph after sickness hell

By Pirate Irwin

BEIJING, Aug 15 AFP - Sanya Richards has been through hell the past year and here at
the Olympic Games she is hoping for the equivalent of athletes' heaven with the 400m gold
medal.

The 23-year-old Jamaican-born runner has not only had to battle on the track but has
also had to fight the debilitating and rare Behcets disease, which cost her a place in
the 400m individual event at last year's world championships.

"I contracted it last March," said Richards, who is coached by Michael Johnson's former
handler Clyde Hart.

"It appeared to be a flu-like bug and I wasn't too worried.

"I went to a doctor and he diagnosed it as just that and prescribed me antibiotics.

"However, it never went away.

"I developed mouth ulcers that were so dire that at times I couldn't eat or talk and
I would have to write notes to my coach and family in order to communicate.

"I also would wake up with lesions on my legs which felt like someone had burnt my
skin with an iron.

"It was a really trying time."

After the 2007 trials, Richards saw a doctor in New York who diagnosed Behcets.

"It was really hard and I am still battling it but now I have the right medication," she said.

"I am in a better place now but it has taken me some time.

"I have learnt so many lessons but I am going into the competition both mentally and
physically in good shape."

Richards, who moved to the US when she was 12 and was granted US citizenship in 2002,
said it had been hard to sit on the sidelines at the world championships and watch the
individual event, though she did win a relay gold.

"It (the gold medal) certainly would be a bit of redemption," admitted Richards, who
is in the same stable as Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner.

"I didn't make the team for the world championships but that was out of my control
and I had to watch from the sidelines.

"This is more personal. I am not gunning for my rivals, this is for my family," added
Richards, who will have no less than 21 of her blood relatives in the stands watching
her from tomorrow onwards.

She is also desperate to make up for her first appearance at the Olympics where as
a raw 19-year-old she finished sixth in the final.

"Of course I was very disappointed to come out of the individual event without a medal,"

said Richards, who also won relay gold in Athens.

"However, I was in my sophomore year at university and I turned professional the following
year and worked harder with my coach (Hart).

"It was a great transition and it (gold) would mean so much to me because it would
mean all the sacrifices I have made have been worth it.

"Frankly it would mean the world to me."

AFP jmt

KEYWORD: OLY08 ATH RICHARDS

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

SA: An apple a day does keep the doctor away-report

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2008
SA: An apple a day does keep the doctor away-report

A new health report says an apple a day really does keep the doctor away.

The Apple Report .. a comprehensive review of scientific research published over the
past 10 years .. says apples reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers .. two
of the biggest causes of death in Australia.

Apples also are associated with asthma protection .. can reduce the risk of type two
diabetes .. and help with weight loss.

The report says apples have the highest antioxidant content of all Australia's popular
fruits .. but Australians .. on average .. eat just one apple a week.

AAP RTV njl/ibw/psm/

KEYWORD: APPLE (ADELAIDE)

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

NSW: Allergy awareness restaurant program could go state wide

AAP General News (Australia)
12-04-2007
NSW: Allergy awareness restaurant program could go state wide

SYDNEY, Dec 4 AAP - Allergy Aware logos could begin popping up on NSW restaurant and
cafe windows next year if a new state government education program proves successful.

The NSW government together with the NSW Food Authority and two local councils today
launched a training program for restaurant workers so they can better serve the state's
160,000 allergy sufferers.

The program includes a half-day workshop for food businesses, educating them about
the safe handling, preparing and labelling of food for customers with allergies - some
of which can prove fatal.

More than 30 businesses in Sydney's Canada Bay Council area and in Orange in the state's
central west are taking part in the pilot.

Once completed, each will be able to display the Allergy Aware logo.

The president of allergy awareness charity Anaphylaxis Australia, Maria Said, said
the training and certification program would help sufferers avoid risks associated with
eating out.

Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and is often life threatening.

"Currently it's a problem because you walk into a restaurant and disclose the fact
that you have an allergy and people think `Oh well, peanuts. I don't have peanuts here',"

she said.

"But there are so many foods that nuts are already in. We're not just talking about
a chef shelling peanuts and putting them in food, we're talking about all other ingredients
and what they contain.

"We'd like to see food services take people with food allergies seriously (and) know
what to do when someone says `I'm allergic to milk', to know what sort of processes they
have to put in their kitchens to not contaminate that food with milk."

NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the program would be a win-win for
both allergy sufferers and restaurants.

Because most fatal food allergy reactions occurred outside the home, such a program
could save lives, he said.

"Over 160,000 people in NSW alone suffer food allergies and their ability to dine out
is severely restricted because of uncertainty about the foods they are served," NSW Primary
Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said.

"The program is a win-win for the food service industry and patrons because it gives
restaurants the opportunity to better meet customers' needs and create an environment
that is safer for those with allergies."

If successful, the program would be rolled out across the state next year and would
be managed at a local government level, he said.

AAP ab/hn/jh/bwl

KEYWORD: ALLERGY LEAD

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

NSW: Crackdown on street prostitution leads to ten arrests

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2007
NSW: Crackdown on street prostitution leads to ten arrests

A crackdown on street prostitution by New South Wales police has led to the arrest
of ten people .. south of Sydney.

Police say the operation targeted street workers and their clients on Wentworth Street
in Port Kembla.

Six men and four women were arrested .. and granted bail to appear in Port Kembla Local
Court on May 24.







They include a 33-year-old Shellharbour man .. a 63-year-old Warrawong man .. a 35-year-old
from Yellow Rock .. a 60-year-old Port Kembla man and two men from Dapto .. aged 28 and
34.

AAP RTV nr/cp/rt

KEYWORD: PROSTITUTION (SYDNEY)

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

National Newslist for Wednesday, December 20, 2006

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2006
National Newslist for Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Good Morning News Editors and Chiefs of Staff.

AAP's National Newslist for today (not for publication).

This is a guide only and stories are subject to change.

AAP's news editors can be contacted on (02) 9322 8611 or (02) 9322 8610.

NATIONAL:
BUDGET:
CANBERRA - Federal government expected to slash its economic growth forecast for the current
fiscal year because of the drought, but at the same time maintained a healthy cash surplus
in its mid-year budget review released today. 1200 AEDT

BUSHFIRES:
CANBERRA - Stanhope admits systemic failures in the ACT government's lack of warnings
to Canberrans ahead of the 2003 firestorm
- Lib MP Bill Heffernan defends Stanhope, saying anyone in charge on the day of the bushfires
would have failed
MELBOURNE - Flames closing in on Gippsland town; alert increases in area
HOBART - Tasmanian firefighters battling to contain two major bushfires have less than
24 hours to reinforce containment lines before the weather flares up again tomorrow
ADELAIDE: Wind change could push fire in Adelaide Hills towards houses

MULRUNJI:
- Peter Beattie visits Palm island to explain why police officer blamed over watchhouse
death of Mulrunji Doomadgee wasn't charged. 1300-1500
- Rallies in Brisbane and Townsville over director of Public Prosecution's decision not
to charge police officer Snr Sgt chris Hurley over Mulrunji death. (1200)

INTERNATIONAL:
PARIS - Former Sydney resident Willie Brigitte to stand trial in Paris early next year
on terror charges
UN - Annan holds last press conference, says oil-for-food scandal one of his greatest regrets
LONDON - Nelson calls for more NATO countries to get involved in southern Afghanistan
- Downer says Iraqi people grateful for removal of Saddam Hussein, despite another critical
report into the incursion
- Downer: worsening instability in the south Pacific should not be over-stated; but no
threat to long-term democracy.

- Downer makes no fresh push with UK government during his London visit to try to aid
Guantanamo Bay internee David Hicks.

COURTS:
MELBOURNE:
- Court of Appeal judgment in the case where Crown is seeking retrial of terrorism charges
against Joseph Terrence Thomas
BRISBANE:
- Man charged over hoax to contaminate food at Brisbane's Top Taste bakery expected to
face committal hearing.

SYDNEY:
- Sentence for murderer Mark Esposito
- Sentence for man charged with riot and affray following an attack on a Middle Eastern
man during the Cronulla riots. Sutherland Local Court.

- Judgment in Federal Court case of Larry Williams, wanted by the US revenue service for
allegedly trying to evade tax.
PERTH:
- Two men accused of repeatedly having sex with a 14yo girl after luring her over the
internet expected to face court.

CANBERRA
- DEWR skilled vacancies for December.

- Norfolk Island's governance will remain unchanged despite months of tense negotiations
between Canberra and the Pacific Island
- Rudd says PM aspirations only began after he became Labor leader

SYDNEY
- Former ATO asst commissioner Nick Petroulias' home in NZ raided. More to come
- State treasurer Michael Costa delivers mid-year budget review
- Police Minister John Watkins launches Operation Safe Arrival Xmas campaign; opens new
operations centre with Ken Moroney
- Community Services Minister Reba Meagher and NRMA will launch an awareness campaign
on the dangers of locking kids in cars.

- Senator Barnaby Joyce will speak at a rally to support the Single Desk structure and
its management by AWB. - Finance Sector Union to urge St George Bank shareholders to reject
offshoring of jobs at its AGM in Sydney.

- Man charged with grooming children for sex after being sprung on the internet by undercover
police.

- NSW electricity companies will be required to offer customers green power options from
January, Iemma.

- NSW police investigating allegations a policeman escaped a drink-driving charge because
fellow officers failed to file court documents in time

MELBOURNE
- Vic parly sitting - question time 1400.

- Media conference with ALP health spokeswoman Nicola Roxon giving blood to the Australian
Red Cross Blood Service.

BRISBANE
- Helicopter pilot forced to shut down engine when a man forced open door from the outside
- Funeral for two brothers killed in a Brisbane road crash last week. 1100

ADELAIDE:
- Year 12 results released.

PERTH:
- Chasing story on possible changes to WA's prostitution laws.

- Three killed on WA roads overnight.

FINANCE
ECONOMIC NEWS:
SYDNEY - AiG/PricewaterhouseCoopers Survey of Australian Manufacturing for the December
is due today.

SYDNEY - The Westpac-Melbourne Institute leading index for October is due today.

EQUITIES NEWS:
SYDNEY - Australia's fifth biggest bank St George Bank Ltd will hold its annual general
meeting today.

SYDNEY - Multiplex agrees to an enforceable undertaking with the corporations watchdog,
following an investigation into its disclosures relating to the Wembley project in the
UK.

SYDNEY - Smorgon Steel Group Ltd is to acquire the operating assets of US company Industrial
Metal Recyclers, Inc for an undisclosed sum.

SYDNEY - Macquarie Goodman Group has established a new European industrial property fund
with equity commitments allowing it to hold euro 1.2 billion ($A2.02 billion) when fully
invested.

MELBOURNE - Mayne Pharma Ltd shareholders gather today for a scheme meeting on Hospira
Inc's bid for the company.

MELBOURNE - Fertiliser group Incitec Pivot Ltd will hold its annual general meeting today.

SPORT:
CRICKET
MELBOURNE - Ashes news with England team in Melbourne ahead of Boxing Day Test, plus England
expected to name 16-man squad for tri series with Michael Vaughan tipped to return as
skipper
MELBOURNE - Merv Hughes at launch of "Merv's Walk to the G", MCG, 1200 AEDT
MELBOURNE - Ford Ranger Cup match: Vics v NSW, MCG, day-nighter
HOBART - Pura Cup match: Tas v WA, Bellerive Oval, day 2

SOCCER
SYDNEY - Teleconference with Socceroos coach Graham Arnold following draw for Asian Cup overnight

TENNIS
SYDNEY - Interview with No.2 Rafael Nadal ahead of Australian tennis summer

SAILING
SYDNEY - Presser to give long range weather forecast for Sydney to Hobart race, CYCA, 1100 AEDT

RUGBY
GOSFORD - NSWRU to announce coach for Central Coast based team in new Australian Rugby
Championship, Central Coast Stadium, 1000 AEDT

GOLF
POKOLBIN, NSW - Jack Newton on Adam Scott's major championship prospects

BASKETBALL
NBL matches:-
WOLLONGONG - Wollongong v Adelaide, WIN Ent Centre, 1940 AEDT
MELBOURNE - South Dragons v Brisbane, Vodafone Arena, 1930 AEDT
SINGAPORE - Singapore v West Sydney, Singapore Indoor Stadium, 2300 AEDT

AMERICAN FOOTBALL
SYDNEY - Mat McBriar has become only the second Australian to be selected for the NFL Pro Bowl
AAP jlw

KEYWORD: NATIONAL NEWSLIST

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

1400 2GB Headlines

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2006
1400 2GB Headlines





Steven Fielding to vote against immigration bill

City to Surf organisers hail this year's race a huge success

Downer says Aust will make at most only a niche contribution to peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

Health crackdown at hospital canteens and vending machines

Aust man found stabbed to death in Jamaica

Medicare rebate/chinese acrobat

SPORT: ARL preview. AFL preview. V8's. Flog. Socceroo squad. Tennis.

AAP RTV /bart

KEYWORD: 1400 2GB

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

Qld: Conviction for drink-driving Qld cop

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2006
Qld: Conviction for drink-driving Qld cop

By Suzanne Klotz

BRISBANE, April 6 AAP - A magistrate has convicted a Queensland police constable of
drink driving, partly because it has recently become so prevalent in the force.

Andrew Thomas Anderson, 37, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today
to driving under the influence of alcohol on March 15 this year.

Anderson was the fifth off-duty police officer this year in Queensland to be charged
with drink driving.

Magistrate William Smith, who fined Anderson $1,200, said he had to record a conviction
against the background of a spate of such offences by police.

"Clearly having regard to the high reading and the nature of your occupation and the
nature of things which have occurred recently in the police force, a conviction should
be recorded," Mr Smith said.

The court was told Anderson, a senior constable from the state crime operations command,
had a blood alcohol reading of 0.196 - almost four times the legal limit.

Anderson was off duty and riding his own motorcycle when he was breath tested at Toowong
in Brisbane's inner west.

Mr Smith said he accepted Anderson was held in high esteem and had a good record with
the police force.

Defence solicitor Neil Lawler had argued against a conviction, saying Anderson had
had an otherwise blameless life and his chances of promotion would be jeopardised.

But Mr Smith said even though he may not be as easily promoted, Anderson would certainly
not lose his job.

He said he had dealt with police inspectors on drink driving charges who had caused
accidents and injured people, but had still kept their jobs.

Last month Premier Peter Beattie had to come to the defence of the Queensland police
service after a spate of drink driving charges within a few months.

AAP smk/sc/cjh/sp

KEYWORD: ANDERSON

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

profitable customer

profitable customer A person, household, or company providing long-term revenues that exceed, by an acceptable amount, the company's costs of attracting, selling, and servicing that customer. See customer profitability analysis.

Three Leading Retailers Adopt ACNielsen's Category Business Planner To Streamline Category Management.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2002

Rite Aid, Shaw's and Snyder/Drug Emporium Sign On For

Industry-Leading Category Management Intelligence System

ACNielsen U.S., an operating unit of ACNielsen, a VNU company, today announced that its Web-based category management intelligence system, Category Business Planner (CBP), has been adopted by three additional leading retailers: Rite Aid, Shaw's Supermarkets, and Snyder/Drug Emporium. CBP is now used by 19 retailers representing 29 retail banners. The news was announced here during Category Masters, ACNielsen's annual client conference attended by over 500 executives from the consumer packaged goods industry.

Jim Mastrian, Rite Aid senior executive vice president, Marketing and Logistics, said, "We expect that Category Business Planner will significantly streamline our category management process. With this tool, our manufacturer partners can work from the same information we use, which will enable us to make faster and better decisions when we get together to work on category plans. We are very excited about implementing Category Business Planner."

Brian Pijanowski, Shaw's senior vice president, Buying & Merchandising, said, "By using our custom category definitions, Category Business Planner gives us and our vendor partners the ability to deliver category management insights and business solutions that are seamlessly aligned with our internal information. This will bring new levels of productivity and efficiency to our joint category management work."

Accessed through the ACNielsen Answers Internet portal, CBP enables greater collaboration between manufacturers and retailers in the category planning process in two important ways: First, by defining product categories according to each retailer's criteria, thereby putting manufacturers and retailers on the same page when meeting to discuss category business plans; and second, by providing time-saving instant analysis of product sales information via user-friendly "news headlines," from which clients can easily drill down for more detailed information.

Dan Sacco, ACNielsen senior vice president, Retail Services and Business Development, welcomed the new CBP retailers. "I couldn't be more pleased with the momentum that continues to build around Category Business Planner. Clearly, the marketplace has been looking for the category management efficiencies uniquely provided by CBP."

Rite Aid, one of the nation's leading drug chains, operates approximately 3,500 stores in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Shaw's Supermarkets, owned by J Sainsbury, plc, operates 186 supermarkets in six New England states under the Shaw's and Star Market banners. There are over 160 Snyders and Drug Emporium stores in seven states.

Other retailers utilizing Category Business Planner include Meijer, SUPERVALU, Walgreens, Hannaford Bros., CVS, Eckerd, Longs Drug Stores, Winn-Dixie, Ahold USA, H-E-B, Giant Eagle, Target, Raley's, and Big Y.

ACNielsen, a VNU company, is the world's leading marketing information company. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the company provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns.

Note to Editors: Look for this press release and other ACNielsen news on the Internet at http://acnielsen.com. More information about Category Business Planner can be found at www.acnielsen.com/cbp.

More car bomb blasts.

Provided by 7DAYS.ae

Algeria: Two car bomb attacks in eastern Algeria killed at least 11 people,Aa with the country still in shock from a suicide bomber who killed 43 people a day earlier.At least 31 people were wounded in the latest attacks in the town of Bouira, one on a passenger bus and another near a military headquarters.There was no immediate claim of responsibility but an Al Qaeda group has staged several attacks in Algeria over the past year and has been involved in clashes with government forces in the oil and gas-rich state.Bouira is part of a so-called eC[pounds sterling]zone of deatheC[yen] it forms with Algiers, Tizi Ouzou and Boumerdes where attacks have been rife.One bomb targetted a bus parked near the Sophie hotel, in the city centre. The second bomb went off near the military headquarters in Bouira, which is 120 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of Algiers.The early morning blast blew out windows in the hotel and other nearby buildings. A security cordon was immediately thrown around the centre of Bouira, witnesses said.The attacks came only a day after a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into the entrance of a police school killing 43 people and injuring 45 in Issers, also east of Algiers.Most of the victims were university graduates waiting outside to take an entry exam in the hopes of joining the paramilitary police force.On Sunday, armed Islamists ambushed a security force convoy at Skikda, 500 kilometers (300 miles) east of Algiers, killing eight police, three soldiers and a civilian, media reports said.The Issers attack was the deadliest this year in Algeria and worse than the December 2007 attacks in Algiers against government and United Nations buildings, which killed 41 people and injured many others.Those attacks were claimed by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), an Algeria-based group which last year declared allegiance to Al-Qaeda and renamed itself Al-QaedaeCOs Branch in the Islamic Maghreb.The government has reaffirmed its determination to eC[pounds sterling]combateC[yen] terrorism and pursue its policy of national reconciliation, which has seen the pardoning of several Islamists.Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni said after a visit to Issers on Tuesday that eC[pounds sterling]the terrorists should know that the only way for them is to give themselves up.eC[yen]In a statement released late Tuesday, the government said: eC[pounds sterling]As the president of the republic has said many times, the state will unflinchingly fight terrorism, with a strong determination until its total elimination in our country.eC[yen]It added: eC[pounds sterling]At the same time, Algeria will not deviate from the path of national reconciliation chosen by the nation and which has already given major progress in the consolidation of security across the national territory.eC[yen]The wave of Islamist attacks has caused international concern, because of the Al-Qaeda involvement and AlgeriaeCOs importance as a supplier of natural gas.China on Wednesday joined the international anger over the devastating suicide attack at the police academy.eC[pounds sterling]The Chinese government condemns this terrorist action, and we express deep condolences to the deceased,eC[yen] foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters. eC[pounds sterling]We firmly oppose terrorism in all forms, and we support the Algerian government.

A[umlaut] 2007 Al Sidra Media LLC

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