Hockey threatens long debate on stimulus bills

AAP General News (Australia)
02-04-2009
Hockey threatens long debate on stimulus bills

CANBERRA, Feb 4 AAP - The federal opposition has vowed to make parliament sit through
the night before voting on the government's $42 billion economic stimulus package.

The government started introducing legislation to parliament on Wednesday and wants
key parts of it passed by both houses to ensure one-off cash handouts are made from next
month.

Opposition and crossbench senators have indicated they want more time to consider the
package, calling on the government to allow the upper …

Lighting nation's high-income path

Zakri Abdul Hamid
New Straits Times
05-28-2011
Lighting nation's high-income path
Byline: Zakri Abdul Hamid
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Main Section

RESOLVED to graduate into the class of developed countries by 2020, Malaysia is banking on innovative science and technologies to help more than double its average per capita income, writes ZAKRI ABDUL HAMID.

ON May 17, the inaugural meeting of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) for Malaysia was chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the premises of the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS).
A brainchild of the prime minister, the council includes 25 renowned international titans of economics, business, science and technology volunteering to help Malaysians achieve in 2020 an average annual income of US$15,000 in an environmentally- sustainable way -- helping, in other words, to light the nation's path to a green, high-income economy.

Resolved to graduate into the class of developed countries by 2020, Malaysia is banking on innovative science and technologies to help more than double its average per capita income of US$6,700 in 2009. The council is an important part of the nation's strategy for success.

A developed country is popularly considered to have an average national per capita income of US$15,000 or more. Other definitions combine national income with additional measures such as life expectancy (in Malaysia's case, 73.5 years) and education (literacy rate in Malaysia is 88.7 per cent of its 28 million population). Regardless of the criteria used, fewer than 20 per cent of the world's 235 countries are deemed "developed".

The prime minister says the council's advice and active partnership will help support the country's pursuit of several strategic initiatives to become a developed country, beginning with the creation of a model "smart city" and "smart village", in which an integrated system of information and other technologies help maximise the efficiency of a community's resource use and minimise waste.

With billions of people expected to live in urban areas in coming decades, several countries are rushing to build new green "smart cities", where necessities like water, power, traffic and communications are managed in a highly efficient way with sophisticated technological infrastructure. The goal is to improve everything from energy use, healthcare, education, traffic and shopping by doing it "smarter" with the help of IT.

In Malaysia's case, the goal is to augment and harness existing national IT strengths to address some of the country's most pressing challenges.

Applying IT to targeted municipal issues such as learning, health and energy conservation will help Malaysia become a centre of excellence with distinct technical competencies that can then be exported to other emerging markets.

NYAS can help by helping draw from relevant smart cities programmes and activities in other places and by linking leading global IT firms into these activities. In the case of smart villages, efforts may begin with the provision of fundamental Internet technology and wireless access.

The smart city/smart village initiative forms part of Malaysia's "Innovative Digital Economy" strategy, which in turn forms part of the prime minister's New Economic Model to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020.

The council's expertise will help Malaysia maximise the yield and economic benefits of its palm oil industry, including development of palm oil-derived biofuels and biochemicals, to improve both the national environment and economy. The creation of new academic centres of excellence in Malaysian universities will support this "Green Future" objective.

The council will also support highly targeted efforts in Malaysia to improve education, increase the number of children in science and technology, and foster mentoring programmes to help create more small and medium S&T-related enterprises.

"Malaysia's ambitious goal is to simultaneously reduce poverty and achieve a green economy. We see science and technology innovation as key to achieving that goal, guided by the advice and active support of some of the world's most distinguished entrepreneurial, scientific and economic experts," Najib said.

"These experts, convened in partnership with the New York Academy of Sciences, will liaise and work actively with key Malaysian agencies and institutions to develop quick wins in the palm oil industry, in the creation of a smart city and smart village, and in education -- nurturing the talent of our young people -- to raise the number of scientifically and technically-trained individuals, entrepreneurs and innovators in our country."

The council comprises 42 members -- 17 from Malaysia and 25 international members from China, India, Russia, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and United States.

The Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council is chaired by Najib. Its members include ambassador to the US, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis, and four cabinet members.

President Barack Obama's science envoy to Malaysia, Rita Colwell, famed American economist Jeffrey Sachs, Kiyoshi Kurokawa, former science adviser to the Japanese prime minister, two Nobel laureates, Steve Forbes of Forbes Media, and Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Nobel Prize-winning United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, are among the international members.

NYAS president and chief executive officer Ellis Rubinstein, a joint secretary of the council, was instrumental in drawing up the membership list and it was heartening to observe the enthusiasm exuded by all those present on the possibilities that Malaysia could avail itself of in the realm of science and innovation as it heads towards Vision 2020.

"With an increasingly well-educated population, existing high- tech infrastructure and progressive leadership, Malaysia offers a perfect laboratory in which to potentially demonstrate how a developing country can transition to a high-income economy in an ecologically-sensitive manner," Rubinstein said.

"The opportunity has therefore attracted the active interest of some of the world's foremost business experts and scientists. The academy is interested in producing solid, meaningful results that will advance the well-being of Malaysians."

Indeed, the formation of the GSIAC is itself an innovation. Often, countries would seek out, at great expense, the advice of top- flight consulting companies or individuals to help them chart out their national economic strategies and it is not uncommon for these reports to be left on the shelves.

The GSIAC is different and unique. It is a dynamic and interactive process involving an enlightening dialogue between the prime minister of a country and some of the best minds in science, economics and business that the world can offer.

* The writer is joint secretary of the GSIAC and holder of the Tuanku Chancellor chair at Universiti Sains Malaysia

(Copyright 2011)

FED:Editorials Thursday Dec 1, 2011

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2011
FED:Editorials Thursday Dec 1, 2011

SYDNEY, Dec 1 AAP - Treasurer Wayne Swan's paper-thin surplus promise of $1.5 billion
in 2012-13 is a triumph of politics over policy, The Australian says on Thursday.

The paper's editorial says the Treasurer's fiscal strategy relies more on a wish and
a prayer rather than the tools of sound fiscal management and a realistic assessment of
the global economy.

"The Australian people are expected to believe that a buffer of only $1.5 billion between
surplus and deficit will be sufficient, when the deficit has already grown by $14.5 billion
this year, from $22.6 billion to $37.1 billion," it says.

"The slightest economic hiccup - such as a fall in the Australian dollar, a protracted
crisis in the eurozone or a downturn in China - and the thin surplus vanishes."

The editorial says structural budget reform is a critical priority given heightened
economic uncertainty coupled with the impending carbon and mining taxes.

"Governments will be judged on their commitments, of course, but above all on their
economic management. It is why reforming treasurers of the past have always known that
good policy is always good politics, and not the other way round."

The Sydney Morning Herald says Australia's spending cuts of just $7 billion over four
years is little more than a budget trim and could all be blown into irrelevance by international
developments.

The paper says the federal government's commitment is a purely political promise and
should be abandoned should it become clear that developments in Europe or a slowing in
the Chinese economy will negatively affect Australian growth.

"(The government) must allow the budget's automatic stabilisers - the tendency for
revenues to fall during a downturn and expenses to rise - to work uninhibited.

"If the outlook is bad enough, the government should also consider replacing retreating
private demand with public demand via new stimulus measures.

"Either way, one would hope the government is preparing itself for all potential scenarios,
including the worst case of a sudden collapse in the euro."

Melbourne's Herald Sun says federal politicians are in line for a big pay rise but
they should set an example in these difficult economic times and say no.

The paper says the pay rise, which includes $90,000 more for Prime Minister Julia Gillard
and an extra $70,000 for new Speaker Peter Slipper, is not fair.

"Australian families are being asked to tighten their belts as politicians prepare
to enjoy huge salary increases," the editorial says.

"The government must be red-faced, but like most pollies will hide behind the report
of the Remuneration Tribunal."

The paper suggests that Australia's soldiers in the front line should be getting more
in their pocket rather than the politicians in Canberra.

Sydney's Daily Telegraph says the federal government has become more concerned about
media attitudes as it has become less popular with voters.

The paper says a wide-ranging media inquiry is the result of the government trying
to even the score with its perceived opponents.

"Earlier this year privacy minister Brendan O'Connor called for public submissions
into making Australia's privacy laws more punitive and limiting," the editorial says.

"If Australia was indeed suffering a privacy crisis we should have expected thousands
of submissions with claim after claim of brutal media abuse of helpless citizens.

"Instead, the government has received just 70. (On Wednesday) nine were released, including
a puzzling document from a man who believes celebrities are being tracked by satellite.

"It's no surprise that the government should treat this claim seriously. After all,
in the government's current mood, such a strange view probably seems completely rational."

The Age says a regional approach to resettlement is the surest, fairest and safest
way to manage a refugee flow that defies unilateral solutions.

The paper says there are far more refugees who have arrived here by plane than the
ones who come in leaky boats.

The paper says Australia's illegal immigrants are not the 3800 boat arrivals in detention
but the 60,000 people living without valid visas.

It said the freed detainees undergo more stringent checks than most visa overstayers
and asylum seekers who arrive by air.

"The latter groups have weaker claims, if any, to settle here than do boat arrivals,
most of whom are genuine refugees," said the paper's editorial.

It said the flood of 13,000 or more boat arrivals in a decade was a trickle compared
to the three to four times as many asylum seekers who fly in.

"The point is not that they present any great border security threat," The Age said.

"Instead, their largely unremarked presence shows how little impact the release of
boat arrivals will have."

Brisbane's Courier Mail says politicians should pause to think about the disrespectful
way many have treated the institution of parliament this year.

The paper highlighted Tuesday's events in state parliament which saw not one Liberal
National Party (LNP) MP in the House while the Queensland government passed three laws.

"The 31 opposition seats in parliament sat empty for at least 15 minutes, something
that has happened only once before in the past 20 years.

"Premier Anna Bligh seized the opportunity not only to pass the three laws in less
than 10 minutes, but also to accuse the LNP of one of the most `embarrassing parliamentary
performances' in Westminster history.

"The (Queensland) government, however, has little right to claim the moral high ground.

Earlier this year it colluded with the LNP to emasculate the power and independence of
the Speaker in his role as the administrator of parliamentary resources.

"Politicians of all stripes need to recover their respect for the institution of parliament
by, at very least, treating Question Time seriously. Until they do they can expect little
respect from voters."

AAP jxt/jel

KEYWORD: EDITORIALS

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

National Inventors Hall of Fame Names 2011 Inductees

Wireless News
03-09-2011
National Inventors Hall of Fame Names 2011 Inductees
Type: News

The National Inventors Hall of Fame announced its 2011 Inductees.

According to a release, this year's Induction ceremony, sponsored in part by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Kauffman Foundation, will take place on May 4 at the historic Patent Office Building, now the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, in Washington, D.C. The location is particularly appropriate because this year's class of inductees includes a group of 29 historical inventors who will be recognized posthumously, most of whom would have submitted patent applications to the same building where they will be honored.
This year's class of inventions include the sensor that makes cameras in today's cell phones possible, the battery that powers most implantable defibrillators, and the basis of exchanging secure information over the Internet.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame 2011 Inductees are:

Living:

George Devol

Unimate Industrial Robot - Devol's patent for the first digitally operated programmable robotic arm represents the foundation of the modern robotics industry. The first Unimate industrial robot was installed at an automotive plant in 1961. Unimation soon began full scale production, expanding to include robots that could weld, print, and assemble. Today, industrial robots have transformed factories into safer places and improved products with precision and consistency.

Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, Ralph Merkle

Public-key Cryptography - In 1976, Whitfield Diffie, Hellman, and Merkle developed public key cryptography, a radically new method for securing electronic communications. PKC provides security on the otherwise highly insecure Internet, making it vital to such areas as e-commerce.

Eric Fossum

CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensor - Fossum, now at Dartmouth College, led the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that created the CMOS active pixel sensor camera-on-a-chip. CMOS image sensors are a fixture in camera phones, and other applications include digital SLR cameras, embedded web-cams, automotive safety systems, swallowable pill cameras, toys and video games, and wireless video-security networks. Annual revenue for the technology is estimated to reach $6 billion in 2011.

Gary Michelson

Spinal Surgical Devices - Orthopedic spinal surgeon Michelson has a portfolio of over 250 U.S. and 500 foreign patents related to minimally invasive spinal fusion methods, instruments, and implants. These inventions have made spinal surgery safer, faster, more effective, and less expensive.

Steve Sasson

Digital Camera - In 1975, Kodak engineer Sasson created a device that captured an image, converted it to an electronic signal, digitized the signal, and stored the image, the first digital camera. In 2008, 73 percent of Americans owned a digital camera and 34 million digital cameras were sold in the U.S., generating $7 billion in revenue. Virtually all of today's digital cameras rely on the same structure invented in 1975.

Esther Takeuchi

Lithium/Silver Vanadium Oxide (Li/SVO) Battery - Energy storage expert Esther Takeuchi, now at the University at Buffalo, led efforts at Greatbatch to invent and refine the lifesaving Li/SVO battery technology, utilized in the majority of implantable cardioverter defibrillators. ICD batteries have high energy density with the ability to support intermittent high-power pulses. In addition, they have a long life, are safe, and are durable. Today, over 300,000 ICDs are implanted every year.

N. Joseph Woodland, Bernard Silver (1935-1963)

First Optically Scanned Bar Code Joe Woodland and Silver (deceased) invented the first optically scanned barcode, prompted in their work in 1948 after Silver overheard a food chain executive discussing his wish to capture product information at checkout. The barcode has many applications, including tracking shipped packages, patient identification in hospitals, gift registries, and floor control in warehouses. It is estimated that five billion scans take place daily.

Historical:

"We're pleased to present such a stellar group of 2011 Inductees," said Edward Gray, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. "We hope that their accomplishments remind us of the great innovation in America's past and the importance to America of continued innovation today."

The National Inventors Hall of Fame annually accepts nominations for men and women whose work has changed society and improved the quality of life. The candidate's invention must be covered by a United States patent, and the work must have had a major impact on society, the public welfare, and the progress of science and the useful arts.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization in America dedicated to honoring inventors whose innovations and entrepreneurial endeavors have changed the world. Founded in 1973 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Association, the Hall of Fame will have 460 Inductees with its 2011 Induction.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the atrium of the Madison Building on the campus of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, at 600 Dulany St., Alexandria, Va. Hall of Fame hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays and federal holidays). Admission is free.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

Copyright 2011 Close-Up Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
n/a

QLD:Horse trainer sexually abused girl: court

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2010
QLD:Horse trainer sexually abused girl: court

By Christine Flatley

BRISBANE, Dec 6 AAP - A prominent Queensland trainer used a young girl's love of horses
to bribe and coerce her into a sexual relationship, a court has been told.

Barry David Winchester, 62, of Deagon, abused the girl - who cannot be named - over
a 20-month period from January 2007, prosecutor Chris Minnery told the Brisbane District
Court on Monday.

Winchester has pleaded not guilty to 29 charges, including seven of rape, six of indecent
treatment of a child and one of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child.

During the crown's opening, the court was told the abuse started after the girl, then
aged 12, went to watch Winchester train horses.

He allegedly told her he would give her a horse if she performed a sexual act on him,
the court was told.

"She does what she's told and it's there, on the crown case, that the threats and abuse
started," Mr Minnery said.

He told the court the crown would allege Winchester systematically abused the girl
by "feeding her interest in horses".

The court was told Winchester coerced the girl into performing sexual favours with
him, and with others while he watched or charged money.

Mr Minnery said the girl reported the abuse to police after one of Winchester's associates
accused her of stealing horse equipment from the stables.

He told the jury they would hear "incredibly incriminating" evidence from a phone call
police recorded between Winchester and the girl.

During that call, Mr Minnery said, Winchester essentially admitted to the crime.

However, Winchester's defence barrister John Fraser said there would also be a large
amount of evidence that cast doubt on the girl's story.

He also said the court would hear evidence the girl had pretended she was older than
she actually was.

The girl's evidence will be given via a pre-recorded DVD, which runs for more than 12 hours.

The trial has been set down for two weeks.

AAP cf/crh/goc/apm

KEYWORD: WINCHESTER

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

Fed: Retailers pour cold water on Rudd's new smoking tax

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2010
Fed: Retailers pour cold water on Rudd's new smoking tax

By Miles Godfrey and Andrew Drummond

SYDNEY, April 29 AAP - The federal government's hardline stance on tobacco has sparked
complaints it will send small businesses up in smoke and lead to a boom in black market
fags.

Retailers have attacked the plans, which see excise duty on tobacco immediately raised
by 25 per cent, adding $2.16 to a pack of 30 cigarettes, and package branding outlawed
from July 2012.

The tax increase will raise an extra $5 billion over four years, to be invested in
the National Health and Hospitals Network under Canberra's new hospitals funding regime.

IGA (Independent Grocers of Australia) chairman Michael Daly was among those who accused
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of using the announcement to bury a steady stream of bad news.

"(Mr Rudd's) had a bad couple of weeks and this is an obvious attempt to try and divert
attention," he told AAP.

He said it would result in a sharp rise in demand for cheaper cigarettes smuggled in
from overseas.

Under the plans announced on Thursday, tobacco firms will no longer be able to put
logos, brand imagery, colours and promotional text on their products.

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA), National Association of Retail Grocers
of Australia (NARGA), the Service Station Association (SSA), the Convenience and Mixed
Business Association and the Freechoice franchise have all criticised the policy.

"Plain packaging has no demonstrable public health benefits and will lead to unintended
consequences such as an increased use of illegal tobacco," ARA executive director Russell
Zimmerman said in a statement.

The SSA says it will sound the death knell for some independent service stations.

"The increased tax hit will only serve to damage an already fragile industry segment
and accelerate its final demise," a statement from the organisation said.

The tax rise and branding ban comes on top of laws due to prohibit tobacco products
being displayed in shops across the country from 2011.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott accused the prime minister of a cash grab designed to
balance the books.

Mr Rudd said he anticipated plenty of complaints and said there would be no compensation
for tobacco companies.

"Tobacco companies are going to die in a ditch opposing this sort of packaging," he
told reporters in Sydney.

"The big tobacco companies are going to go out there and whinge, whine, complain, consider
every sort of legal action known to man.

"That's par for the course."

Health groups have applauded the move, saying higher taxation was proven to reduce tobacco harm.

Mr Rudd denied the announcement's timing was due to recent bad news for the Labor government.

The federal government has been forced to shelve its controversial Emissions Trading
Scheme (ETS) and scrap its bungled home insulation scheme in the past fortnight.

Mr Rudd said the tax office had advised him smokers had caught wind of the tax hike
and begun buying up cigarettes ahead of the rise, essentially forcing his hand.

AAP mdg/evt/ash/mn

KEYWORD: TOBACCO RETAILERS WRAP

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

SA: Fake $50 offered at church collection

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2009
SA: Fake $50 offered at church collection

ADELAIDE, Dec 16 AAP - Their heart may be in the right place but police in Adelaide
are searching for the person who offered up a counterfeit $50 note at a church collection.

Police said on Wednesday the note was discovered as donations were counted after a
service last Sunday at the unnamed church.

"Church staff contacted police, who have seized the note," a police spokesman said.

Investigations were continuing.

AAP tjd/srp

KEYWORD: COUNTERFEIT

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

SA: Main stories in today's Adelaide Advertiser

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2009
SA: Main stories in today's Adelaide Advertiser

ADELAIDE, Aug 7 AAP - Main stories in the Adelaide Advertiser:

Page 1: Growers of 90 per cent of the state's fresh vegetables want to pull up stumps
and move 20km north to avoid the growing urban sprawl.

Page 2: Forget grey nomads, young families are the new happy campers in Australia;
Europeans may be planning it, but Australians say they'll never pay for a toilet visit
on a plane.

Page 3: Evidence is mounting Australia has dodged an economic bullet, averting a slide
into recession that is gripping other nations; Sam the koala, made famous by pictures
of her drinking from a firefighter's water bottle during Melbourne's summer bushfires,
has died.

World: A sexually frustrated man who killed three women, then himself, in a Pennsylvania
health club, blogged his preparations with the final entry announcing `the big day'; Barack
and Michelle Obama have edged out Hollywood stars on the Vanity Fair best dressed list.

Business: Long-time Commonwealth Bank of Australia director and chairman John Schubert
is to step down from the bank's board next year.

Sport: Port Adelaide captain Dom Cassisi will play with a helmet against Fremantle
on Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

AAP sl

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS SA

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

Fed:Insurers receive 4,100 claims from bushfire victims:Bowen

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2009
Fed:Insurers receive 4,100 claims from bushfire victims:Bowen

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP - Insurers have so far received 4,100 claims from victims of the
Victorian bushfires, Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen says.

Insurers are putting claims staff and assessors on the ground and the Insurance Council
of Australia (ICA) has activated a catastrophe recovery taskforce to coordinate assistance
for those that have concerns or questions about their insurance claims.

The Master Builders Association has also joined this taskforce to assist with the supply
of tradespeople and supplies for the rebuilding efforts.

"The government has made it clear that we expect insurers to act with compassion, understanding
and a flexible manner to process claims as quickly as possible," Mr Bowen told parliament.

"It is important that red tape and frustration for people making insurance claims are minimised."

He said the ICA and the government agreed that insurance companies represented at relief
centres would be able to accept claims on behalf of insurers that are not represented.

They would be able to process emergency payments from other insurers in 24 hours through
a common claims form for bushfire victims and provide up-front emergency funds where needed.

Mr Bowen said victims would not need to produce the relevant paperwork as this will
be done electronically.

AAP cb/kms/mn

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC INSURER

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

Fed: Former public servant guilty of leaking classified material

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2008
Fed: Former public servant guilty of leaking classified material

CANBERRA, Aug 25 AAP - A Canberra jury has found a former commonwealth public servant
guilty of emailing classified information about sexual abuse in the Northern Territory.

Former federal indigenous policy adviser Tjanara Goreng Goreng, 50, had pleaded not
guilty to seven charges of intentionally leaking information in mid 2006.

Goreng Goreng had sent information about government plans to introduce sexual health
checks on children at Mutitjulu near Uluru to a long-time friend who was a member of the
community council.

The jury found Goreng Goreng guilty of five counts of leaking confidential material.

Two other charges were dismissed including one relating to the alleged passing on of
details of a confidential complaint made by a youth worker at Mutitjulu, alleging financial
misappropriation.

Goreng Goreng, who faces up to two years' jail on each conviction, will be sentenced in October.

She was released on bail but declined to comment outside the court.

AAP sld/rl/cjh/tnf

KEYWORD: GORENG

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

Fed: Bishop says no time limit for Nelson leadership

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2008
Fed: Bishop says no time limit for Nelson leadership

EDS: Reissuing to correct literal in third par



CANBERRA, April 20 AAP - Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson is not facing a deadline
to prove his worth, his deputy says.

Reports about Dr Nelson's leadership have suggested his time may be running out to
overcome dismal opinion poll ratings.

"We're not setting time frames or time lines on this," Deputy Leader Julie Bishop told
the Nine Network today.

"Brendan's getting on with the very difficult job of being leader of the opposition
and he's doing a good job."

Ms Bishop said she, Dr Nelson and their colleagues were focusing on next month's budget.

Asked about her own ambitions, she said: "I am absolutely committed to be the deputy
leader of the party, I was elected to that position just five months ago".

On Dr Nelson's future as leader, she said: "I'm not going to crystal ball gaze".

AAP pw/jt/cdh/nf

KEYWORD: LIBERALS BISHOP (REISSUING)

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

NSW: Car slams into rock wall, two men seriously injured

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2007
NSW: Car slams into rock wall, two men seriously injured

Two young men suffered serious injuries when their car crashed into a rock wall at
Engadine in Sydney's south this morning.

The accident happened about 8.20am (AEDT) .. and the wreckage blocked Heathcote Road
for more than an hour.

The 17-year-old driver and his 18-year-old passenger were trapped in the wrecked car.

Both have been taken to St George Hospital.

AAP RTV dr/ibw

KEYWORD: ROCK (SYDNEY)

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

VIC: Main stories in today's Melbourne newspapers

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-2007
VIC: Main stories in today's Melbourne newspapers

MELBOURNE, Aug 4 AAP - The main stories in today's Melbourne newspapers:



HERALD SUN

Page 1: John Brumby plans to ban Hoddle Street killer Julian Knight from contacting
his victims under new laws.

Page 2: A Melbourne bikie has been bailed after drugs and weapons were seized yesterday.

Page 3: A painting thought to be the masterpiece of famous artist Vincent Van Gogh
has been found to be produced by an unknown artist.

World: Russia is claiming new soil at the North Pole in a race against other countries.

Finance: Pumping iron in the gym is bringing money back to the fitness industry.

Sport: St Kilda and Western Bulldogs drew in a thriller at Telstra Dome last night.

AAP jat/rs

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS VIC

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

Vic: Lost trio found in Gippsland cave

AAP General News (Australia)
02-11-2007
Vic: Lost trio found in Gippsland cave

MELBOURNE, Feb 11 AAP - Two men and a woman were lost in a deep Gippsland cave for
more than 11 hours, sparking a major search last night.

After entering the famous Labertouche Caves after noon yesterday, the trio, aged in
their mid-20s, failed to return after a two-hour tour.

When they failed to return, a relative of one of the lost men raised the alarm about 7pm (AEDT).

A police search and rescue crew and Warragul State Emergency Services (SES) volunteers
searched the cave all night.

At 11.30pm (AEDT), the group was finally found, thanks to local knowledge of SES crew,
who are trained in caving.

The identities of the lost people is unknown.

AAP jat/rs

KEYWORD: CAVE

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

NSW: Sydney doctor escapes jail term over cannabis

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2006
NSW: Sydney doctor escapes jail term over cannabis

A Newcastle court has decided a Sydney doctor who grew almost 50 thousand cannabis
plants in the Hunter valley .. won't go to jail.

ANDREW JOHN KATELARIS was convicted on March 8 .. of cultivating a large commercial
quantity of cannabis.

He grew the plants on his property at Salisbury .. near Dungog.

The NSW District Court in Newcastle has been told tests showed the crop had a low THC
content .. making it of no value as a drug.





During sentencing submissions today .. the court's been told KATELARIS' licence as
a medical practitioner in NSW has been revoked for three years .. for taking cannabis
and supplying it to some patients.

Judge RALPH COOLAHAN said he'll hand down a sentence on September 12 .. but he's told
the court KATELARIS won't be imprisoned.

AAP RTV str/cj/tm/bart

KEYWORD: KATELARIS (NEWCASTLE)

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

SA: Record tuna provides a meal for south-east family

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2006
SA: Record tuna provides a meal for south-east family

By Tim Dornin

ADELAIDE, April 18 AAP - A record-breaking tuna caught off the South Australian coast
is destined for the dinner table with lucky angler Paul Carrison sharing the spoils of
his catch.

Mr Carrison was fishing off the Port MacDonnell coast, in SA's south-east, on Sunday
when he landed an Australian record 30 kilogram albacore tuna on just a 15kg line.

But while he's fairly serious about his sport and a regular participant in local angling
tournaments, he admits his weekend effort included an element of luck.

"It was just a one-off hit," he said.

"Before that we'd been fishing there for about four or five hours without much luck.

"And there were other boats around us, so it was just a one-off hit. I was just in
the right spot at the right time."

Mr Carrison said he knew straight away he had hooked something big.

"They run like crazy, you have a lot of trouble stopping them first up," he said.

"But he was a bit boring after that, he came straight back into the boat without putting
up much of a fight."

In fact it took the angler just 10 minutes to land his catch, helped by his father
Lionel, not the 30 minutes it can take with some fish much smaller in size.

The albacore actually tipped the scales at 29.6kg, a record for a 15kg line class and
also an outright record for that particular species of tuna which usually run to about
6kg.

But rather than have the record-breaking fish mounted, Mr Carrison has opted to eat
it, already filleting the fish and distributing the catch around various family members.

"We've got 15 plus kilos of flesh off him," he said.

"You could have six people eating for a week and you wouldn't get through it all."

For other anglers hoping to emulate his efforts, the record-breaker was caught using
just a simple $10 rubber lure in the shape of a squid.

AAP tjd/jt/nf

KEYWORD: TUNA

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

Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities

Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) A set of rules introduced by the European Union in 1989 to regulate the sale of unit trusts and investment trusts within the Union.

ReadyConference Usage Exceeds One Million Minutes in One Day.

Business Editors

KANSAS CITY, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Sept. 25, 2000

Ptek Holdings' Conferencing Unit Reaches Another Milestone

With Its Automated Service

Premiere Conferencing, an industry leader for enhanced and automated conferencing solutions and a business unit of Ptek Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEK)(www.ptek.com), announced today that more than one million ReadyConference minutes were processed through the company's automated conferencing service on September 14, 2000.

Premiere Conferencing has experienced tremendous growth in its automated conferencing traffic, with the ReadyConference service usage increasing 148% year to date through August 2000, compared to the same time frame in 1999. Nearly 20 million automated conferencing minutes were processed in August. According to a report by Frost & Sullivan, it is projected that on-demand audio conference calls will comprise 78.2% of all automated calls by 2004.

"We're proud of our team for the million-minute accomplishment, and continue to see strong growth potential with our automated conferencing services," said Ted Schrafft, President of Premiere Conferencing. "Our customers' continue to embrace these new ReadyConference and Web-based services. In fact, as of the end of August, we exceeded last year's total volume of automated conferencing minutes by more than 30 million minutes."

Premiere Conferencing's automated ReadyConference services, including ReadyConference OnDemand, Scheduled ReadyConference, and Web Reservations, allow for the conferencing user to be in direct control of a meeting by eliminating the need for an outside operator. These services were developed via proprietary conferencing hardware and software designed by Premiere Conferencing.

ReadyConference OnDemand enables organizations to have 24/7 access to automated conferencing services. ReadyConference customers are provided with a passcode-protected, dedicated dial-in telephone number that is always available, acting as a "virtual conference room." Users are only billed for minutes used, and there is no set-up or subscription fee.

ReadyConference includes unique features such as allowing moderators and participants the ability to mute and "un-mute" a line, increase or decrease the conference volume and increase or decrease the volume of each conferencing participant's line. The service also offers moderator billing code features, which enables firms to bill back to their clients the time and cost spent on individual conference calls. Next month, the ReadyConference service will offer customers recording and playback capabilities. A complete list of ReadyConference features and automated conferencing options can be found at www.readyconference.com.

About Premiere Conferencing

Premiere Conferencing (www.premconf.com), a business unit of PTEK Holdings, Inc. is a leading provider of conference call and group communications services. Premiere Conferencing has headquarters and operations centers in Lenexa, Kan., and Colorado Springs, Colo. With a client base of more than 34,000 domestic and international clients, the company works with organizations in various industries including high tech, pharmaceutical, investor relations, financial, public relations and market research. The company's client base includes IBM Corporation, HCA The Healthcare Company, Novell, SGI, Hewlett Packard, Merck, Charles Schwab & Co., Merrill Lynch, PaineWebber, NCAA and the National Institutes of Health.

About Ptek Holdings, Inc.

Ptek Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEK) is a network of leading Internet and business-to-business service providers. Ptek's business units include Xpedite, Voicecom and Premiere Conferencing. The company's PtekVentures investment unit has ownership interests in Healtheon/WebMD (NASDAQ: HLTH), S1 Corporation (NASDAQ: SONE), WebEx (NASDAQ: WEBX), USA.NET, Webforia, Derivion, i2Go, BuyTrek, ScienceWise.com, PlanetJam Media Group, Ntown Communications, clickandmove.com, iKimbo and WorldWideTesting. Ptek leverages the technologies, management expertise, market channels and capital of its network to drive growth and promote market leadership throughout its operating and network companies.

Ptek Holdings' corporate headquarters is located at 3399 Peachtree Road NE, The Lenox Building, Atlanta, GA 30326. Additional information can be found at www.ptek.com.

Statements made in this press release, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking and subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the `safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are made based on management's current expectations or beliefs as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. A variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in Ptek's forward-looking statements, including the following factors: competitive pressures among communications services providers, including pricing pressures, may increase significantly; Ptek's ability to respond to rapid technological change, the development of alternatives to its products and services and the risk of obsolescence of its products, services and technology; market acceptance of new products and services; development of effective marketing, pricing and distribution strategies for new products and services; strategic investments in early stage companies, which have limited operating histories and are subject to significant risks, may not be successful and returns on such strategic investments, if any, may not match historical levels; the value of Ptek's business may fluctuate because the value of some of its strategic equity investments fluctuates; Ptek's strategic investments in companies that are subject to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are subject to the risks disclosed by those companies in their public filings; Ptek may incur significant costs and may be forced to make disadvantageous business decisions to avoid investment company status, and Ptek may suffer adverse consequences if it is deemed to be an investment company; Ptek's ability to manage its growth; costs or difficulties related to the integration of businesses and technologies, if any, acquired or that may be acquired by Ptek may be greater than expected; expected cost savings from past or future mergers and acquisitions, may not be fully realized or realized within the expected time frame; revenues following past or future mergers and acquisitions may be lower than expected; operating costs or customer loss and business disruption following past or future mergers and acquisitions may be greater than expected; the success of Ptek's strategic and other distribution relationships, including the amount of business generated and the viability of the strategic relationships, may not meet expectations; possible adverse results of pending or future litigation or adverse results of current or future infringement claims; risks associated with interruption in Ptek's services due to the failure of the platforms and network infrastructure utilized in providing its services; risks associated with the Year 2000 issue, including Year 2000 problems that may arise on the part of third parties which may effect Ptek's operations; risks associated with expansion of Ptek's international operations; general economic or business conditions, internationally, nationally or in the local jurisdiction in which Ptek is doing business, may be less favorable than expected; legislative or regulatory changes may adversely affect the business in which Ptek is engaged; and changes in the securities markets may negatively impact Ptek.

For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements and factors that could cause actual results to differ from the Company's forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the "Factors Affecting Future Performance" included in the Management's Discussion and Analysis section of the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999 and in subsequent filings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Data Broadcasting and GlobaLink Securities Provide Internet Delivered Real-Time Streaming Market Data

    Instant Access to Online Brokerages Services in English, Chinese, German    

HAYWARD, Calif., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Broadcasting Corporation (Nasdaq: DBCC), America's leading provider of real-time financial market data to traders and individual investors over the Internet, today announced a partnership with the brokerage firm, GlobaLink Securities Inc., to provide real-time streaming market data via the SuperTradeUSA, SuperTradeASIA and SuperTradeDEUTSCHLAND Web sites.

GlobaLink Securities will offer StockEdge Online for $79 per month, plus exchange fees, and Signal Online, for $150 per month, plus exchange fees, to its customers through its three Web sites. GlobaLink Securities, as an added unique feature, offers Web site stock trading in English, Chinese and German. Internet access to GlobaLink Securities is available at http://www.supertradeusa.com, http://www.supertradeasia.com and http://www.supertradedeutschland.com. GlobaLink Securities customers can trade stocks and options on all exchanges at deep discount commissions, and can open all types of accounts on-line, including custodian, trust, corporate, IRA, 401K, SEPIRA, Roth IRA and margin or cash accounts.

"DBC's Internet products operate in 50 countries, which fits perfectly with GlobaLink's vision of serving the investing customers worldwide," said Mark Imperiale, president of Data Broadcasting Corporation.

SuperTradeUSA President Richard Lui added: "By utilizing DBC's high-speed network for quotes and information, SuperTradeUSA customers, through all of its Web sites, can be connected to a broker at all times."

StockEdge Online and Signal Online are Data Broadcasting's world-wide real-time, continuous financial market data services delivered via the Internet. Clients receive data through their PCs and laptops anywhere via phone lines or wireless connection, making it possible for users to easily track their portfolios from their offices, homes or while traveling. StockEdge Online provides access to continuous real-time quotes for all U.S. equity exchanges, and Signal Online provides continuous real-time quotes for U.S. equities as well as futures and options data. Both products are feature-rich, offering Nasdaq Level II Market Maker information, limit alerts via pager, e-mail or cellular phone, headline tickers, detailed portfolio management windows, fundamental data, intraday and interday charting and technical analysis to identify market trends. Technical analysis studies include Bollinger Bands, Exponential and Weighted Moving Averages, Linear Regression, Fast Stochastics, Momentum and more. StockEdge Online and Signal Online offer the Internet trader free news from CBS MarketWatch including access to a wealth of additional news and commentary from sources such as Dow Jones Real-Time News Service (NYSE: DJ), MarketGuide (Nasdaq: MARG), Baseline (NYSE: PMK), Instant Advisor, Vickers Inside Trading Report and Zacks Earnings Surprises.

StockEdge Online and Signal Online support Windows 95/98/NT and are available for download at http://www.dbc.com/seo/supertradeusa.

About SuperTradeUSA

SuperTradeUSA is a division of GlobaLink Securities, Inc., a full-service broker/dealer registered with the Securities Exchange Commission as well as the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., and provides convenient immediate access to on-line trading in stocks, options, and mutual funds 24 hours a day in a secure, reliable Internet environment. Investors and companies that are served by GlobaLink Securities have consistently benefited from GlobaLink's ability to execute all orders fast and accurately through its state-of-the-art computer system.

About Data Broadcasting Corporation

Data Broadcasting Corporation is America's leading provider of real-time market data to the individual trader and investor. The company delivers real-time stock quotes, financial and sports news and gaming information to 1,000,000 users via PCs, wireless FM, cable satellite and the Internet (http://www.dbc.com and http://cbs.marketwatch.com). With its Capital Management Sciences division, Data Broadcasting also is the leading provider of fixed income portfolio analytics used for valuation and risk management purposes.

  SOURCE  Data Broadcasting Corporation       -0-                             08/13/98   

/CONTACT: Kathy Luther of Data Broadcasting Corporation, 510-723-3554, kluther@dbc.com; or Cecilia A. Wilkinson or Kristin Bruno of Pondel Parson & Wilkinson, 310-207-9300, investor@pondel.com, for Data Broadcasting Corporation/

/Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 231014/

      /Web site:  http://cbs.marketwatch.com/     /Web site:  http://www.dbc.com/seo/supertradeusa/     /Web site:  http://www.supertradeusa.com/     /Web site:  http://www.supertradeasia.com/     /Web site:  http://www.supertradedeutschland.com/     /Web site:  http://www.dbc.com/     (DBCC  

Becks appeals to Milan man.

INJURED midfielder Gennaro Gattuso is the latest AC Milan midfielder to voice his admiration for David Beckham, admitting the on-loan England star has been a revelation at the club. Gattuso still faces several months on the sidelines after injuring his cruciate knee ligament in December. But he has been impressed by how quickly Beckham has settled in at the San Siro while on loan from LA Galaxy. "He's surprised me in a positive way. He's a great professional, he arrives at training two or three hours early," said the Italian. "He's not Kaka but he's a great player. He's playing in my position because I'm injured but we're completely different. "For sure he sets up more goals than I do but I win back more balls." Gattuso is delighted that Kaka has snubbed Manchester City meanwhile, and the former Rangers star admitted he faced a similar situation in the summer. He said: "Kaka is an idol, he had a good think about it but everyone really wants him here. "He's in a team that helped him to win the Ballon D'Or. Last year I also thought that my Milan experience was over and I would be going to Bayern (Munich) but then the club and I cleared things up."

2009 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Contour Energy Systems Lands New Series C Funding.

Contour Energy Systems, an innovative portable power company commercializing next-generation battery systems, announced it has successfully raised a Series C round of financing from Singapore's leading global fund, EDBI (EDB Investments Pte Ltd.) and previous investors CMEA Capital, Harris & Harris, Schlumberger and U.S. Venture Partners.

Contour Energy will apply this latest round of funding to expanding its breakthrough research and development efforts, production capacity expansion and funding working capital growth. These parallel initiatives are specifically designed to commercialize and accelerate time-to-market cycles for its portfolio of next-generation primary and rechargeable batteries targeting applications in automotive, consumer, industrial, medical and military markets worldwide.

"We view Contour's next-generation battery technology as potentially disruptive and differentiated from existing energy storage alternatives," said Ms. Chu Swee Yeok, Chief Executive Officer of EDBI. "Locating Contour's Asian headquarters and R&D center in Singapore, an international business hub with a vibrant R&D landscape, will expedite the commercial rollout of Contour's game-changing technology. Contour will be well placed to tap on EDBI's extensive networks and connections to expand its global footprint through new business opportunities in Asia and the world."

Contour Energy is applying its breakthrough advancements in carbon fluoride chemistry, nanomaterials science and manufacturing processes for next-generation primary and rechargeable portable power systems.

"In this turbulent economy, Contour's ability to raise another significant round of funding is an impressive achievement and another key milestone for the company," said Mr. Maurice Gunderson, Contour Energy Systems' chairman of the board and venture partner with CMEA Capital. "And with the addition of Singapore-based EDBI as another strategic investor, Contour is adding a key partner with important ties in Asia."

Comprised of decorated battery industry veterans and research specialists including co-founder Dr. Robert Grubbs, a Nobel Laureate in chemistry with Caltech, Contour has amassed over 45 patented and patent-pending technologies. The company also maintains exclusive technology licensing agreements with the California Institute of Technology, CNRS and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as strategic partnerships with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, Schlumberger, and other academic and private institutions.

"Our latest funding round is especially gratifying on two fronts," said Mr. Joe Fisher, Chief Executive Officer with Contour Energy Systems. "We've added another strategic investor with the addition of EDBI and we're the beneficiaries of continuing investment support and counsel from our original investors CMEA Capital, Harris & Harris, Schlumberger, and US Venture Partners. With the involvement of EDBI, Contour has strategic in-roads into key Asian market opportunities and R&D initiatives." About EDBI EDBI (EDB Investments) is a leading strategic investment firm headquartered in Singapore with a worldwide presence investing to drive growth opportunities within the knowledge and innovation-intensive sectors of Biomedical Sciences, Clean Technologies, Internet & Digital Media, as well as other strategic industry clusters with commercial potential. As a value adding investor, EDBI creates sustainable and synergistic partnerships with its portfolio companies, leveraging on its broad network of resources and experience to facilitate the companies' growth in Asia and the world, through their operations in Singapore. For more information on EDBI, please visit http://www.edbi.com/ About Contour Energy Systems Contour Energy Systems is an innovative portable power company commercializing customizable battery technologies for a wide range of cross-industry applications. Contour's next-generation battery systems are designed to deliver unprecedented improvements in energy and power density, and are capable of performing in extreme operating conditions at significantly improved costs. Founded through the collaboration of Caltech and CNRS, the French National Center for Scientific Research, the company combines expertise in nano-materials science, patented Fluorine-based battery chemistries and manufacturing processes to significantly advance the state of portable power. Headquartered in Azusa, CA, Contour Energy is managed by a world-class team of battery industry leaders from Caltech, Energizer, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Sanyo and Valence Technologies. The company is privately held.

Keywords: China, Defense, Aerospace, Chemicals, Automobiles, Transportation.

This article was prepared by Defense & Aerospace Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Defense & Aerospace Week via VerticalNews.com.

Tycoon's mysterious death and an internet bride battling his fam ily over [pounds sterling]1.5m fortune; EXCLUSIVE.(News)

Byline: Stephen Wright

A MILLIONAIRE British businessman is feared to have been the victim of a 'contract killing' on the night he celebrated his first wedding anniversary with his internet bride.

Barry Pring, 47, was hit by a car doing 80mph as he waited for a cab on the hard shoulder of a deserted dual-carriageway in Ukraine.

The car's lights were switched off at the time of impact and debris at the scene included false number plates and a bogus taxi sign.

Initially the case was treated as a 'hit and run accident' but police are now investigating the theory that Mr Pring was deliberately targeted. And senior police sources in Ukraine told the Daily Mail that the case is close to being upgraded to a murder inquiry.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has been told the local mafia could have been involved.

Mr Pring's widow Anna Ziuzina, 29, was at his side a few minutes before he died. She had left the spot to fetch her gloves from a nearby restaurant, where they had just enjoyed a romantic meal. She vehemently denies having anything to do with her husband's death and police inquiries will need to consider whether she was the target. The woman, a former stripper who Mr Pring met through an online dating agency, never lived in Britain during their marriage. However she has been granted legal aid to fund her claim for a share of her husband's [pounds sterling]1.5million estate.

This is because she was Mr Pring's next of kin and had a two-year marriage visa when he died. The Pring family dispute her claim for inheritance.

Last night her mother, Olga, said: 'When Anna married Barry, she had no information about his financial position. They fell in love. It was a normal relationship. Anna did not know he was wealthy until after he died. His death was a tragedy for Anna, and for all of us.'

For more than three years, detectives in Ukraine have been investigating Mr Pring's death in February 2008, details of which have never previously been reported. But amid allegations of police corruption, incompetence and a cover-up, no one has been brought to justice.

The probe was quietly closed last year but was reopened this January after the victim's family and their MP, Neil Parish, put pressure on the Ukrainian ambassador in London.

In April, Mr Parish raised questions in the Commons about Mr Pring's death.

In parliamentary correspondence seen by the Mail, Mr Hague has been told there are 'possible mafia connections' in the case.

Mr Pring's brother Shaughan said: 'We have absolutely no doubt that Barry was murdered. All we want is truth and justice. Since day one, that has been our objective.'

Privately, the Pring family are furious at the handling of the case by the Ukrainian authorities and the lack of interest shown by the Foreign Office.

Here, a Daily Mail investigation examines the highly suspicious circumstances in which Mr Pring was killed.

AT a cost of 110 U.S. dollars, the British millionaire businessman and his internet bride belatedly celebrated their first wedding anniversary at a traditional Ukrainian restaurant near Kiev. As they enjoyed their dinner, washed down with vodka, the couple would have had plenty of catching up to do, having spent only a few weeks together since marrying in Ukraine 13 months earlier.

Barry Pring, 47, had flown into Kiev earlier that day to spend the weekend with his glamorous young wife Anna Ziuzina, then 29, whom he had met through a Russian dating website.

Early in their relationship, he had taken pity on her after discovering she was not an English teacher, as Barry told his friends she had first claimed, but a stripper who had worked in gentlemen's clubs.

Desperate for her to give up her seedy job, he rented an apartment for her, bought her a car and sent her a weekly allowance for living expenses, before eventually marrying her.

But what happened after they finished their meal on a cold winter's night three years ago is now the subject of an extraordinary investigation involving police in Kiev, Interpol and Devon and Cornwall Police.

Relatives and friends of Barry are convinced he was murdered in a staged accident. Whether he alone was the intended victim is a matter for the authorities to ascertain.

However, Neil Parish, Tory MP for Tiverton and Honiton, has publicly voiced the family's concerns about his widow. He told Parliament in April: 'Immediately after his death, she came to Britain and started trying to get hold of all his assets, and he was a reasonably wealthy man.

'Of course, I understand the issue of the sovereign powers of Ukraine, but this case is not being investigated properly by the Ukrainian authorities. Every time we try to get a proper investigation, that is blocked.'

The sensational claims are strenuously denied by Anna. But it is clear that the disturbing questions which Mr Pring's death raises merit further investigation.

What can be said with certainty is that men considering using increasingly popular Russian dating websites to find love should be aware of fears that some are backed by organised crime networks.

Five years ago, the chances of Barry John Pring - son of an RAF pilot, and born in Bradninch, Devon, in August 1960 - ending up with an internet bride from Eastern Europe would probably have seemed remote.

The grammar school-educated computer expert had a BA in accountancy and a Masters in IT. He owned a string of properties in the London area and two cars including a Lotus, and ran an IT consultancy. He was a trusting, hard-working, fun-loving man who enjoyed an enviable lifestyle.

Friends say that on reaching his mid-forties he felt it was time to settle down. A number of previous relationships had failed to progress to marriage and he had no children.

In 2006, he contacted an online dating website based in Eastern Europe, which specialised in finding Western men 'Russian girls of your choice'.

One friend said: 'Barry joined the website for good but misguided reasons. He was looking for love but was this the best place to find it? It offered him two things: A relationship quite quickly... and glamour.'

That spring he made arrangements to see four women in Ukraine, including one 19 years his junior called Anna Ziuzina, who described herself as an English teacher who spoke four languages.

She said she was 'easy going, cheerful, kind and caring' and someone who had 'always dreamed of having a good marriage'.

'Barry was completely smitten with her,' said one of his friends.

But Kiev-born Anna, who spoke fluent English and was also known as Ganna and Hanna, had a secret.

Several weeks after they met, Barry found out she was a stripper, whose stage name was 'Lucky'.

A friend said: 'Barry was sufficiently disturbed by what he heard to want to take her out of that environment. She came from a poor family and he agreed to get her an apartment, pay for her food, clothing and a car.'

But it was not long before tensions in the relationship emerged, with Barry

having doubts about what he thought was her obsession with getting a visa to come to Britain, and her love of fashion accessories. On June 6, 2006, around two months after they met, Barry sent Anna an email laying bare his feelings for her and questioning whether they were reciprocated.

HE said: 'My concern, is our relationship! All our conversations/mails have always been about the visa/shoes etc. At no time have you been interested about "US", or expressed any interest in developing the relationship. I do not sense any emotions from you, even though I have told you how I feel.'

Despite Barry's fears about where the relationship was headed, he and Anna were married at a bleak register office in Kiev on January 27, 2007.

Within weeks, however, the couple had a major disagreement over her frequent and lengthy phone calls to her mother Olga. Barry returned to London on March 13, 2007, and for up to two months he felt Anna was reluctant to take his calls from the UK. By most standards it appears to have been an odd marriage and they communicated so much by email.

On April 7, 2007 Barry emailed her: 'The last three weeks have been the worst of my life. But, if there is a positive... it is, that I do understand you more, and I also realise that making our marriage work is the MOST important thing for me.'

By this stage, he was spending most of his time working hard in the UK. Because of her strong family ties in the Ukraine, Anna remained determined to stay in her homeland.

After they had a reconciliation, Anna visited London on three separate occasions, at least once with her mother Olga.

Then, on February 16, 2008, Barry flew to Kiev to visit Anna for a belated weekend celebration of their wedding anniversary and of Valentine's Day. He arrived at about 5pm and that same night he and his wife went for a meal at the Kozachyok restaurant in Myla, about 18 miles from the centre of Kiev.

The Mail understands that before they left, restaurant staff offered to call them a taxi. But it seems the offer was declined, and the couple walked to the nearby Kyev-Chop dual-carriageway to try to flag down a cab.

Although they lived in Kiev centre, they waited for cars heading out of the city. It was around midnight and the road was virtually empty.

Barry, who witnesses said seemed unsteady on his feet (although tests later concluded he had not been drinking excessively), and his wife stepped over the 3ft high crash barrier on to the hard-shoulder.

Anna then returned to the other side of the barrier so she could fetch her gloves which she had left in the restaurant. A few minutes later, a car travelling at 80mph crashed into Barry as he stood on the hard shoulder, pinning him against the crash barrier for 30 yards and causing him horrific injuries. He died instantly.

Anna was close by but had her back to the road. She realised something had happened only when she heard a 'thump thump' sound from behind.

Witnesses who saw the incident immediately suspected it was not an accident. Some commented that the person at the wheel was no ordinary driver, having driven so close to the crash barrier at great speed, and having maintained the same course despite the immense impact.

THE car, believed to be a VW Jetta, has never been found. Police are investigating where the number plate was stolen from and are examining a fingerprint from the bogus taxi sign.

Given that Barry was on the hard shoulder, right next to the crash barrier, of a largely deserted highway, it is hardly surprising that his family quickly became very suspicious.

Had a gang been watching Barry and Anna in the restaurant and targeted them? Was he the sole target? What were the motives?

Anna's father Valeriy, 61, a former Soviet air force pilot, remains convinced there was no plot, though he confirmed he was aware the police were reconsidering the case. He said: 'Police clearly confirmed earlier that it was a tragic accident.' He added:

'Anna spent hours at the police station. She was taken to interrogations. She has been to the accident scene again. Barry's death hit all of us, not just Anna, all of us.' A week after his death, the Pring family were upset to find Anna had turned up in London with her mother Olga, seeking 'to go through paperwork' relating to Barry.

By then Barry's brother Shaughan had changed the locks on his front door but with the help of a locksmith, Anna gained into entry into his flat, sold his Land Rover Freelander for [pounds sterling]2,700 and took several hundred pounds out of his accounts.

As next of kin, this may well have been her entitlement but the Pring family were aggrieved she had acted so swiftly. Barry had previously sold his Lotus to fund their planned new life in Kiev, said his friends.

Olga, 56, says the Prings' concerns are misplaced. 'When Anna married Barry she had no information about his financial position. They fell in love. It was a normal relationship.

'Anna did not know he was wealthy until after he died. His death was a tragedy for Anna, and for all of us. It was Anna's lawyer who told her there might be some inheritance. She did not know before that.'

Anna has been awarded legal aid in her attempt to receive half of her husband's estate and there have been heated exchanges between her lawyers and those of Barry's family.

But the distressing fall-out from the tragedy does not end there.

More than three years on, Barry's funeral has still not taken place.

Although Devon's coroner has agreed to release his body, a disagreement between Barry's family and Anna over where his ashes should be scattered has delayed the service at his family's village church.

With Kiev police still investigating, a date has not yet been set for an inquest which, his family hope, could finally reveal the truth.

At her home near exeter, Mr Pring's mother Irene, 82, cried as she told me: 'For three years, we have just been waiting, hoping that something will crop up and someone will be charged. We hope Anna is co-operating with the police to help them establish what happened to Barry.'

CAPTION(S):

Mother: Olga has defended Anna Wedding day: Barry and Anna in Kiev on January 2 , 200 Model pose: Anna in an internet photo

Fast car: But Barry sold his Lotus to fund their new life in Kiev

Internet dating: The website on which Barry met Anna

SENATOR DELGADO SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO ASSIST PATIENTS.

SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The following information was released by the Illinois State Senate Democrats:

Illinois State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) passed legislation out of committee that will require licensed physicians within Illinois to have their information available online, as well as any disciplinarian information.

"I want to ensure that patients have the resources available to them to make an informed decision when choosing a doctor," stated Senator Delgado, Chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee.

House Bill 105 creates the "Patients' Right to Know Act," which requires the Department of Professional Regulation to publish profiles of licensed physicians including information that will assist health care consumers in making informed choices about their primary and specialty health care providers. This measure will repeal current law concerning physician profiles.

This measure was originally a provision in the omnibus medical malpractice reform law which was struck down by the Supreme Court. In their opinion, they ruled that all of the provisions of the comprehensive reform law were void, even though they did not specifically object to the physician profile requirement.

This legislation will create an internet searchable data base that includes detailed Physician Profiles of the 44,000 physicians and surgeons licensed to practice in Illinois. The data base enabled anyone to search by a doctor's partial first or last name, city, specialty, keyword, or hospital affiliation, the specialty certifications, legal and disciplinary actions for the past 5 years, and details from physician resumes. Disciplinary listings indicate if the physician was licensed in other states, and provides information about malpractice judgments and claim settlement amounts.

"Several states operate the same type of profiling systems that include medical malpractice and disciplinary information including California, Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington," stated Delgado.

Tele2 launches new price plans in Kazakhstan.

ASTANA, April 26, 2011 (TCA) -- Tele2 Kazakhstan has launched new services under its own brand in Aktobe. The network covers 70% of the regions area, and Tele2 Kazakhstan plans to cover the entire region by the end of 2012. 3G is offered across the coverage area. The operator has launched three new tariffs in the areas. Voice plans offer rates of US$0.06 per minute or SMS to all networks in the region, or on-net calls and SMS for US$0.02 per minute/message and calls to other networks for US$0.14 per minute and SMS at US$0.06. Both plans offer internet use at US$0.17 per MB. The third plan focuses on internet users, offering a 3G USB modem and dat aat US$0.06 per MB or less when choosing a bundle.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

Intelsat Announces Proposed Offering of Senior Notes.

LUXEMBOURG -- Intelsat S.A. today announced that its subsidiary, Intelsat Jackson Holdings S.A. ("Intelsat Jackson"), intends to offer $900 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2020 (the "notes"). Intelsat Jackson's obligations under the notes will be guaranteed by certain of its parent and subsidiary companies. Part of the net proceeds of the notes are expected to be contributed or loaned to Intelsat Jackson's indirect subsidiary, Intelsat Corporation ("Intelsat Corp"), to be used to purchase any and all of Intelsat Corp's outstanding $658.1 million aggregate principal amount of 9i% Senior Notes due 2014 and any and all of Intelsat Corp's outstanding $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of 6% Senior Secured Debentures due 2028, in each case, that are validly tendered in connection with the Intelsat Corp tender offers and consent solicitations announced today and to pay related fees and expenses. The remainder of the net proceeds from the offering are expected to be used for general corporate purposes, which could include the repayment, redemption, retirement or repurchase in the open market of other indebtedness of Intelsat S.A. or its subsidiaries (which indebtedness has not yet been identified).

The notes referred to above will be offered and sold to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to persons outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act and applicable exemptions from registration, prospectus or like requirements under the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions outside the United States. The notes will not be registered under the Securities Act and, unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The notes referred to above will also not be registered in any jurisdiction outside of the United States and no action or steps will be taken to permit the offer of the notes in any such jurisdiction where any registration or other action or steps would be required to permit an offer of the notes.

The notes may therefore not be offered or sold in any such jurisdiction except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the relevant requirements of laws and regulations of such jurisdictions.

No prospectus as required by the Directive 2003/71/EC (and the implementing laws and regulations in the relevant member states) has been filed with respect to the notes and therefore no offers of notes may be made in any Member States of the European Economic Area unless made pursuant to an exemption under the Directive 2003/71/EC (and the implementing laws and regulations in the relevant Member States).

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the notes or any other securities of Intelsat, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of the notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Intelsat

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world's leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat's satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.

Intelsat Safe Harbor Statement: Some of the statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. The forward-looking statements made in this release reflect Intelsat's intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to risks, including known and unknown risks. Detailed information about some of the known risks is included in Intelsat's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended 31 December 2009, Intelsat's Registration Statement on Form S-1 and Intelsat's other periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Because actual results could differ materially from Intelsat's intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about the future, you are urged to view all forward-looking statements contained in this news release with caution. Intelsat does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

iSkoot for Skype Launches in Android Market.

iSkoot is First VoIP Application Available in the Android Market

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- iSkoot, a leading provider of Web communication services made for mobile phones, today announced that its mobile application, iSkoot for Skype, is launching in the Android Market, Google's new mobile application store. iSkoot for Skype is the first VoIP solution available in Google's Android Market.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081022/AQW126)

iSkoot for Skype makes it easy and affordable for people to keep in touch with friends, family and contacts with an always-on-the-go lifestyle. iSkoot for Skype leverages the voice-optimized circuit-switched wireless networks of mobile carriers, allowing for full operation even without access to WiFi or 3G networks and ensuring the best possible call quality. Normal carrier voice and data charges always apply.

"We are honored to be the first mobile VoIP application available in the Android Market because we are dedicated to bringing carrier-grade Web communications services to mobile phones and platforms around the globe," said Jim Hudak, iSkoot Vice President of Business Development. "iSkoot continues to work on delivering innovative products that give people a rich mobile experience so that they can cut the cord from their desktop."

Available immediately for download in Google's Android Market, iSkoot for Skype also runs on nearly all major mobile platforms, including J2ME, S60v3, UIQ, Palm, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. Android is an open and compressive mobile operating platform developed by an alliance of leading technology and wireless companies including Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola, and many others.

iSkoot has built significant momentum during the past year with the recent acquisition of Social.IM, the social network IM client, which positions iSkoot to grow beyond mobile VoIP and create a compelling and valuable consumer solution with a growing lineup of Web communications that can be integrated and pushed to your phone.

   For more information, visit http://www.iskoot.com/.    About iSkoot  

San Francisco-based iSkoot, with offices in Cambridge and Israel, brings leading internet services like Skype(TM) to mobile handsets around the world, delivering rich consumer experiences. iSkoot worked with Skype and Hutchison to launch the first carrier-deployed mobile Skype application in 2006, and delivered software for the Mobile World Congress award-winning 3 Skypephone currently sold in eight countries on three continents. iSkoot takes advantage of the voice-optimized circuit-switched network for delivery of voice communications, in keeping with its mission to engineer elegant and mobile operator solutions to the challenge of bringing resource-intensive internet services to mobile handsets. For more information, visit http://www.iskoot.com/.

iSkoot is a trademark of iSkoot Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and company names are the property of their respective owners.

    Contact:    Erica Jostedt    SutherlandGold Group for iSkoot    415.848.7172    erica@sutherlandgold.com  

CONTACT: Erica Jostedt of SutherlandGold Group, +1-415-848-7172, erica@sutherlandgold.com, for iSkoot

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