FED: PM trumpets transport regulation reform=9

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2011
FED: PM trumpets transport regulation reform=9

Mr Baillieu said the state leaders had urged the prime minister to release modelling
on the state-by-state economic impacts of the carbon tax.

"The prime minister made it clear that's not going to happen," he said.

Ms Gillard told the leaders, Commonwealth modelling could not be assessed on a regional
basis, Mr Baillieu said.

Mr Baillieu defended the recent Victorian government modelling which claimed the carbon
tax would result in 23,000 fewer jobs being created in the state by 2015.

He said the Victorian modelling was undertaken on the same basis as that taken by Canberra.

The modelling included elements of the industry compensation package.

Ms Gillard said she had offered leaders the opportunity to have their officials briefed
by treasury staff.

AAP lpm/cb/de

KEYWORD: COAG GILLARD 9 CANBERRA

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

Fed: Little things could mean a lot for the earth, Sully says

AAP General News (Australia)
02-23-2007
Fed: Little things could mean a lot for the earth, Sully says

SYDNEY, Feb 23 AAP - Network Ten is to do its bit for the environment with a show that
turns the spotlight on Australia's output of carbon emissions, which are blamed for global
warming.

The two-hour special on Sunday, Cool Aid: The National Carbon Test, aims to show people
what a few simple changes can achieve.

Former US vice-president turned filmmaker Al Gore, and Australian of The Year Tim Flannery,
are interviewed for the program, which gives viewers the opportunity to work out their
own "environmental footprint" on the …

WA:National Easter toll rises to nine

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2011
WA:National Easter toll rises to nine

The Easter road toll continues to climb across the country .. with the latest fatality
reported in Western Australia overnight.

WA Police say a 39-year-old man died after coming off his bike in Victoria Park ..

in Perth's inner south .. while a female passenger suffered minor injuries.

It's the second death on the state's roads over the holiday weekend .. with New South
Wales and Victoria also recording two deaths.

Queensland .. Tasmania and South Australia have all reported one road death each over
the holiday weekend .. while the Northern Territory and the ACT remain fatality-free.







(EDS: AAP's long weekend road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 21 to 2359
April 26. The official police Easter road toll ends at 2359 Monday April 25 and does not
include the extra public holiday on Tuesday for Anzac Day)

AAP RTV ldj/cdh/ajw/nap/tm

KEYWORD: TOLL NATIONAL (SYDNEY)

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

THE DISPENSARIES ALTERNATIVE ; Medical marijuana caregivers - who must register with the state and are limited to no more than five patients - emerge as an option to 'large-scale operations'

LESLIE BRIDGERS Morning Sentinel
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
02-06-2011
THE DISPENSARIES ALTERNATIVE ; Medical marijuana caregivers - who must register with the state and are limited to no more than five patients - emerge as an option to 'large-scale operations'
Byline: LESLIE BRIDGERS Morning Sentinel
Edition: Final
Section: Front
Type: Cover Story
Memo: WITH SIDEBAR MARIJUANA; "Patients want people who can be there for emotional support, for conversation. It will be hard for dispensaries to play that role." Jonathan Leavitt Maine Marijuana Policy Initiative

When Ron Fousek started growing medical marijuana last February for a Portland man with HIV and hepatitis C, there were few people offering that service, he said.

Now, more than 100 medical marijuana caregivers in Maine have made growing pot a legitimate part-time job.
Fousek, who has since taken on four more patients, said he spends about 30 hours a week in his grow room, where dozens of marijuana plants are in different stages of development.

The patients can choose from more than 20 strains of marijuana, which he delivers to their homes. He charges between $50 and $350 per ounce, depending on what each patient can afford, he said.

The demand for medical marijuana has risen sharply since the state adopted a new law last spring allowing dispensaries to sell the drug. The law also expanded the list of conditions that qualify patients to use marijuana.

In addition, news surrounding the law made more people aware of marijuana as medicine, said Jonathan Leavitt, a leader of the state's movement.

Last week, nearly 500 Maine residents had registered with the Department of Health and Human Services as medical marijuana patients. Until the first dispensaries start to open in late March, caregivers are the only legal source of marijuana for patients, unless they grow their own.

Like patients, caregivers have to register with the state - a rule that took effect Jan. 1. By last week, the state had issued identification cards to 113 caregivers and had more applications to process.

Caregivers, who are limited to five patients other than themselves, have to pay a $300 fee per patient and can have up to six flowering plants for each of them.

The state has allowed caregivers to grow marijuana plants for qualified patients since 1999, but previously there were few regulations.

"It was pretty informal," said Catherine Cobb, the DHHS' director of licensing and regulatory services.

Cobb said the state has no way of knowing how many caregivers existed under the old law. Leavitt suspects there were no more than a couple dozen.

"The previous law was not known by very many people," he said.

That changed when more than 60 percent of Maine voters approved dispensaries in 2009. The referendum campaign was driven by the Maine Marijuana Policy Initiative, a group led by Leavitt.

After the details of the law were fleshed out, however, Leavitt shifted his support from dispensaries to caregivers.

"We had envisioned small mom-and-pop dispensaries in every city and town," he said, not the "large-scale operations" under the law, which allows only eight clinics in the state.

Now, he believes caregivers are the best option for patients.

In the fall, Leavitt's advocacy group morphed into a trade association called Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine. Its primary purpose is to lobby for caregivers' rights, and the group has been working on legislation to amend the law, Leavitt said.

Some of its goals are to eliminate the registration requirement and stop state inspections of caregivers with more than two patients.

The association also connects caregivers to patients in need of a grower -a service offered by several Internet-based caregiver networks as well.

One of them, Compassionate Caregivers of Maine, has placed about 50 patients with a dozen caregivers, said Marty Macisso, the group's public relations director.

Others - Maine Medical Marijuana Inc., Maine Cannabis Caregivers and Maine Grass Roots - either didn't return calls and e-mails or declined to comment.

Despite the public awareness generated by the expanded law, many caregivers still have reservations about being associated with medical marijuana. For some, it's full-blown fear.

Fousek said high-profile arrests haven't helped assuage those concerns. He pointed to Chris Bartkowicz, a Colorado caregiver who was raided last year by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents soon after appearing on a televised newscast. Bartkowicz was sentenced in late January to five years in prison, according to published reports.

Last month, Bryan Branciforte, a licensed caregiver in Old Orchard Beach, was arrested on a charge of aggravated cultivation of marijuana.

In both cases, police said the men weren't operating within the confines of their states' medical marijuana laws.

Fousek, who lives in South Berwick, said his greatest fear is being robbed. For that reason, MaineToday Media agreed not to divulge the exact location of his York County growing operation.

A higher level of security is one reason dispensary operators say patients might prefer to go to a clinic rather than a caregiver. Another is convenience.

But Leavitt said he's not concerned about patients abandoning caregivers once the dispensaries are open. For one, he said, the clinics will be more expensive.

The dispensaries' proposed prices range from $250 to $400 per ounce, according to their applications to the state. Leavitt said he discourages caregivers from charging more than $250.

Caregivers also provide more personalized service, said Leavitt.

"Patients want people who can be there for emotional support, for conversation," he said. "It will be hard for dispensaries to play that role."

Tim Smale, who's opening a dispensary in Auburn, said caregivers and dispensaries have different benefits. He doesn't think they'll compete.

Smale believes the pool of patients will continue to grow and people will choose whichever source is best for them.

"We won't be carving up the pie into smaller pieces between us," he said. "The pie will get larger for both."

[Sidebar]

INSIDE

WHAT'S NEXT?

Officials expect four of the state's eight dispensaries to launch their operations by April. Page A8

Illustrations/Photos:
Caption: Photos by Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer Ron Fousek of
South Berwick started growing medical marijuana for a Portland
patient about a year ago; he now serves five people. Until the first
dispensaries open next month, caregivers such as Fousek are the only
legal source of marijuana for patients, unless they grow their own.
At top is a flower from one of Fousek's plants. Photos by Gregory
Rec/Staff Photographer Ron Fousek works about 30 hours a week
cultivating medical marijuana for his five patients. Caregivers may
have up to five patients, may have up to six flowering plants for
each of them and must pay a $300 fee per patient. Ron Fousek says he
charges between $50 and $350 an ounce for medical marijuana,
depending on what each patient can afford.

Copyright 2009 Blethen Maine Newspapers

NSW:Keneally hits out at party discipline=2

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2010
NSW:Keneally hits out at party discipline=2

An angry Ms KENEALLY says the community will not .. and should not .. be expected to
accept ill-disciplined behaviour from members of parliament.

She says if that sort of ill-discipline continues .. the blunt reality is that Labor
will lose the election.

The Newspoll also indicates a fall in Ms KENEALLY's personal standing.

Satisfaction with her performance has fallen to 39 per cent .. down from 47 per cent in May.

Opposition Leader BARRY O'FARRELL's rating as the better premier is 39 per cent ..

in line with the Premier's.

AAP ab/klm/ajw/

KEYWORD: POLL NSW KENEALLY 2 SYDNEY

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

Fed: Rudd immigration policy leaf out of Howard book - Greens

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2010
Fed: Rudd immigration policy leaf out of Howard book - Greens

By Cortlan Bennett

PERTH, April 18 AAP - The Greens have accused the federal government of a discredited
Howard-like approach to asylum seekers by deciding to reopen a West Australian detention
facility.

On Sunday, Immigration Minister Chris Evans announced the government would reopen the
centre at Curtin Air Base in a bid to ease overcrowding and potential conflicts at Christmas
Island.

The decision came just a week after a freeze was put on Afghan and Sri Lankan refugee
applications as a deterrent to new arrivals.

Senator Evans said Curtin would be readied immediately to hold 200-300 Sri Lankan and
Afghan asylum seekers whose refugee applications had been suspended.

"Previously it's been used for this purpose and initially we'll be upgrading the facility
to accommodate that cohort of persons who have had their asylum claims suspended," Senator
Evans told reporters in Perth.

"We need to find an appropriate secure facility to deal with these asylum seekers."

Greens immigration and human rights spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young slammed the move,
saying it was another example of "policy-on-the-run" from the government.

"The immigration policy, the refugee response from the government, is a dog's breakfast
- it's one announcement after another without the real follow-through of any type of practical
long-term or humane approach, from the Australian government," she told reporters in Adelaide.

Senator Hanson-Young said Curtin - 40km southeast of Derby in Western Australia's far
north - had in the past been described as "a living hell hole".

She said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was trying to win votes, but warned "the Australian
public are smarter than that".

"Everything he's announced over the last couple of weeks harks straight back to the
days which were discredited under the Howard government, where we detained vulnerable
people in the middle of the desert, where we detained children behind barbed wire," she
said.

"This is a government who said they would work to dismantle that regime and now we
see them implementing it themselves."

Senator Evans said the first group of single-male asylum seekers - who are subject
to a three-month freeze for Sri Lankans and a six-month freeze for Afghans - would be
moved from Christmas Island to Curtin as soon as upgrades were finished.

In addition, 60 single-male detainees would immediately be moved to the Darwin detention
centre, and a group of about 70 unaccompanied minors moved to Port Augusta, in South Australia.

While that move was planned for Sunday, it was delayed until at least Monday, after
a charter plane suffered mechanical difficulties.

Senator Evans said "a couple of hundred or so" people would be moved off Christmas
Island "in the next week or two" to ease overcrowding.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the new policy was "another example
of failure by the federal government".

"We've seen now people being transferred to Darwin, which the government said it would
do once Christmas Island was overflowing, and we now see a complete end to offshore processing
in this country," he said.

Mr Morrison said the costs of dealing with asylum seekers in Australia were spiralling
out of control.

"How much is it costing them in midnight flights, these charter flights, all around
the country as Christmas Island spills over?," he said.

"How much is it costing to put in place all these new centres and facilities being
reopened at Curtin?

"The cost is mounting and the government's failure continues to increase."

Senator Evans said he did not know the final cost of expanding Curtin, but the government
would "invest considerably" in the centre.

Refugee Council of Australia CEO Paul Power said the use of the Curtin facility to
house asylum seekers was completely inappropriate.

"It is one of the most remote places in Australia and facilities would have to be built,"

Mr Power said.

"This population of asylum seekers will include torture and trauma survivors, and services
for them will be nigh on impossible to deliver.

"It is hard to think of any good policy reason to pick this remote location instead
of locations closer to available services.

AAP csb/it/mn

KEYWORD: BOAT CURTIN WRAP

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

The main stories on today's 1900 ABC TV news

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2009
The main stories on today's 1900 ABC TV news

The main stories on ABC television's 1900 news:





1. NSW Premier Nathan Rees is in a battle with the Right Faction of his own party,
with caucus meeting to determine who'll lead the government .... Kristina Kenneally is
favourite to succeed him.





2. Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott have come face to face for the first time since the ETS
was defeated by the coalition ... with the Liberal party still dealing with the fallout
from its leadership change.





3. A 23 year old Sydney man's been sentenced to 20 years in jail in Bulgaria for murder.





4. Today's the International Day for People with Disabilities .. and employers are
saying disabled workers are valuable additions to the workforce.





5. Swine flu vaccinne for children has been approved by health authorities .. just
in time for Christmas.





AAP RTV af

KEYWORD: MONITOR 1900 ABC NEWS

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

NSW: Aussie designers preparing to get their frocks out

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2009
NSW: Aussie designers preparing to get their frocks out

Australian Fashion Week gets underway today .. with organisers taking a positive outlook
despite the absence of some big names .. and the global financial crisis.

Founder SIMON LOCK says 2009 is shaping up to be strong year .. and it's important
for the event to go ahead in the face of economic uncertainty to showcase the Australian
industry.

There'll be 45 shows this year .. down 20 per cent on last year.

While Akira .. Easton Pearson and ALEX PERRY won't be there .. Mr LOCK says plenty
of Australia's fashion favourites will be in Sydney from today .. including Sass and Bide
.. Willow .. and JAYSON BRUNSDON.

He says the smaller line-up shifts the spotlight to up-and-coming designers such as
DION LEE .. TV .. and GARY BIGENI.

AAP RTV sg/evt/crh/psm/

KEYWORD: FASHION (SYDNEY)

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

SA: Three to vie for Kanck's SA seat

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2008
SA: Three to vie for Kanck's SA seat

Three people are after SANDRA KANCK's seat as the last Australian Democrat in any parliament
in Australia.

Ms KANCK will retire from the SA upper house next month with her casual vacancy to
be filled by the party after a ballot of all members.

The party's state vice president MAX BAUMANN says DAVID WINDERLICH .. the current media
adviser to Ms KANCK .. will be standing .. along with church minister CRAIG BOSSIE and
the party's current SA president RICHARD WAY.

The membership ballot will close on January 13 .. giving the new MP about a year before
the next state election in March the following year.

Latest opinion polls suggest the Democrats will lose the seat with the party polling
at around two per cent.

AAP RTV tjd/crh

KEYWORD: DEMOCRATS SA (ADELAIDE)

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

WA: Swing against Labor in WA - Newspoll

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2008
WA: Swing against Labor in WA - Newspoll

PERTH, Aug 16 AAP - Labor is suffering a swing against it in Western Australia, with
the government and opposition now neck-and-neck in the polls, a Newspoll shows.

The Newspoll, published in The Weekend Australian today, shows new Liberal leader Colin
Barnett has slashed Premier Alan Carpenter's lead as preferred premier.

Labor would lose at least four seats if an election were held this weekend, the newspaper says.

The Newspoll has support for Labor at 51 per cent on a two-party preferred basis, just
ahead of the a combined Liberals and Nationals on 49 per cent.

At the time of the last Newspoll covering April-June, Labor had a lead of 54 per cent
to 46 per cent.

Primary support for Labor was almost unchanged on 42 per cent, up one percentage point,
while support for the Liberals and Nationals rose by seven points, also to 42 per cent.

The results put pressure on Nationals leader Brendon Grylls to reconsider his decision
not to go into coalition with the Liberals, should both parties poll well, the newspaper
said.

While Mr Carpenter still leads on the matter of who would make a better premier, 49
per cent to Mr Barnett's 31 per cent, the gap has narrowed to 18 points compared to a
50-point lead Mr Carpenter enjoyed over Mr Buswell.

Many commentators are already speculating that Mr Carpenter may have disadvantaged
his party by going to an election six months before one was due.

They say the nine-per swing to the Country Liberal Party in last weekend's Northern
Territory election, which the Labor government called 12 months early, could be a sign
of things to come in WA, where the Liberals need only a swing of about four per cent to
oust the Carpenter government.

AAP mn/imc

KEYWORD: POLLWA NEWSPOLL

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

Vic: Community leaders call for end to domestic violence

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2008
Vic: Community leaders call for end to domestic violence

MELBOURNE, April 7 AAP - Australian mufti Sheik Fehmi Naji Elimam has joined a Vietnamese
social worker, an Aboriginal elder and other prominent men to star in a new campaign against
domestic violence.

The television advertisements also feature comedian Akmal Saleh and several footballers
telling perpetrators of family violence to "knock it off, mate".

Launching the campaign today, former Victorian premier Steve Bracks said violence was
never acceptable, in any culture.

"No culture accepts family violence from men against other members of the family,"

Mr Bracks said.

Mr Bracks said that as a former premier he did not accept many offers to speak at events
but this campaign was important to him.

"I wanted to knock on the head the notion that somehow there is cultural differences
which mean that (it) can be acceptable in certain cultures, that violence is something
that you can get away with," he said.

The campaign bears the slogan "family men don't do family violence".

"If you're part of a family, and you're inflicting violence on other members of the
family, you're not a family person," Mr Bracks said.

"I think that's a strong message, a very evocative message, a very powerful message
that we all need to get out, men to men, to our community."

Mr Bracks pleaded for greater reporting and acknowledgement of family violence and
for more role models to speak out against domestic violence.

Among those featured in the commercials are former Ethnic Communities Council chairman
Phong Nguyen, AFL Essendon footballers Jason Johnson and Alwyn Davey and former AFL player
Jason McCartney.

Victorian Sports Minister James Merlino, Melbourne Storm player Israel Folau, Aboriginal
elder Uncle Jack Charles, author Waleed Aly, Victorian Multicultural Commission chairman
George Lekakis and Imam Abdinur Weli are also featured.

Mr Bracks does not appear in the commercials.

AAP kl/gfr/jt/cdh

KEYWORD: VIOLENCE

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

NSW: Main stories in today's Sydney newspapers

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2007
NSW: Main stories in today's Sydney newspapers

THE FINANCIAL REVIEW:

Page 1: The Rudd government is promising to fast-track a clear and substantial cut
in regulation in two years. Retailer Harvey Norman is sitting on a massive $66 million
in accumulated franking credits and has been fighting off demands to pay them to shareholders.

Page 3: BHP Billiton is facing a $729 million tax bill in a dispute over depreciation
deductions related to a failed hot briquette iron plant.

Page 5: Shoppers have eased spending after buying up big in recent months, figures show.

World: Growth in factory activity in the US slipped in November to the lowest level
since January.

Market: Market volatility has failed to quell demand for equity listings, with new
data showing floats have increased in size and value so far this year.

AAP pc/jl

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS NSW 4 SYDNEY

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

AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 22

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 22
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430

Denmark Royals (COPENHAGEN)

Denmark's Australian-born Crown Princess MARY has given birth to her second child ..

a healthy baby girl.

Her husband .. Crown Prince FREDERIK .. who was at the birth .. says it took six hours
.. and was as beautiful as that of the couple's first child .. Prince CHRISTIAN .. in
October 2005.

The baby princess .. third in line to the Danish throne after her father and older
brother .. had been expected at the beginning of May.

The palace says she weighs 3.3 kilos .. and is 50cm long.

The newborn is the first girl born into the Danish royal family since 1946.



Ice (SYDNEY)

The federal government is expected to announce a new 150 million drugs package to tackle
the ice epidemic in Australia today.

Media reports say the prime minister will announce a package that includes funding
for rehabilitation services .. education programs and drug crime prevention.

The use of ice .. or methamphetamine .. has risen to epidemic proportions in Australia
.. with a recent health report saying methamphetamine use is rife among people in their
20s.



Rudd Murdoch (CANBERRA)

Media mogul RUPERT MURDOCH has met KEVIN RUDD .. and responded positively to reporters'
questions on whether the Labor leader would make a good prime minister.

Mr RUDD met Mr MURDOCH for a one-hour private meeting at News Corp's headquarters in
New York last night .. but the meeting was extended when the pair decided to have dinner
together at a local restaurant.

Channel Seven says when asked if Mr RUDD would make a good prime minister .. Mr MURDOCH
replied to reporters he's sure of it.



Iraq Aust (BAGHDAD)

Iraq Prime Minister NURI AL-MALIKI has told visiting Australian Defence Minister BRENDAN
NELSON the Baghdad security plan is going in the right direction .. despite challenges.

A statement from Mr MALIKI'S office says Dr NELSON pledged Australia's full support
for the Iraqi government .. particularly in developing the country's hard-hit infrastructure.

Australia has 14-hundred troops in Iraq .. of whom 550 are combat soldiers.



Sheik Keelty (CANBERRA)

Australian Federal Police Commissioner MICK KEELTY says it's unlikely mufti Sheik TAJ
ALDIN ALHILALI committed an offence if he gave charity money .. donated by Sydney Muslims

.. to Hezbollah.

The claims are being investigated by the Australian Federal Police as a possible breach
of Australia's anti-terrorism laws.

But Mr KEELTY says .. if the claims prove to be correct .. it is more likely to be
an issue of governance than an offence .. and the AFP's unlikely to charge or take action
against Mr ALHILALI.



Workplace Pay (CANBERRA)

The Australian Fair Pay Commission has agreed to publish pay scales on minimum wages
under Work Choices.

The Commission has .. until now .. rejected calls from unions and employer organisations
to publish pay scales.

It now says it will publish the data .. but its head .. Professor IAN HARPER ... says
it is a complex matter that will take some time to resolve.



Tuberculosis (BRISBANE)

Authorities are contacting hundreds of patients and staff after a staff member .. believed
to be a doctor .. at the Gold Coast Hospital was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Authorities have begun notifying about 500 staff and patients who may have come in
contact with the doctor .. with letters to be sent in coming days.

A TB control team has been established to deal with the case and a screening centre
set up at the hospital.



Gangs (SYDNEY)

Some of the most dangerous criminals in New South Wales have reportedly converted to
Islam and formed a gang inside jail.

Fairfax says the gang's members are all in Goulburn Jail's Super Max .. which has the
highest security rating in Australia.

The reports say the New South Wales government has launched a crackdown on the gang
.. which will now be monitored 24 hours a day because of security fears.



Percy (MELBOURNE)

Victoria's longest-serving prisoner .. DEREK ERNEST PERCY .. has reportedly been linked
to the abduction of Adelaide's BEAUMONT children in 1966.

Fairfax newspapers say new evidence has been discovered .. during a re-examination
of PERCY'S 1969 killing of 13-year-old schoolgirl YVONNE TUOHY.

A retired policeman said PERCY implicated himself in the BEAUMONT disappearance ..

as well as the abduction of seven-year-old LINDA STILWELL from St Kilda Beach in 1968
.. and the murder of three-year-old Sydney boy SIMON BROOK in the same year.



Donor (MELBOURNE)

A virus has reportedly killed three Victorian organ recipients .. from the the one donor.

News Limited newspapers say the virus is believed to be a world first.

Tests couldn't determine any common link between the donor and the recipients .. and
their deaths are being investigated by the coroner.



Fagan (CANBERRA)

Investigations are continuing into the cause of death of ACT Chief of Police AUDREY FAGAN.

Ms FAGAN was on leave in Queensland for just one day when she was found dead late yesterday
in her holiday apartment on Hayman Island .. off Bowen.

Queensland Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death but
Australian Federal Police Commissioner MICK KEELTY today refused to confirm if it was
suicide.



Water Snowy (MELBOURNE)

The Snowy Mountains hydro-electricity scheme could reportedly shut down turbines ..

if there's not significant rainfall in the next 18 months.

Fairfax newspapers say Snowy Hydro's chief executive TERRY CHARLTON has said privately
on current rainfall patterns .. dam storages will drop to 9 per cent .. which wouldn't
be enough to feed the power station's turbines.



Brother (SYDNEY)

A fan of reality TV series Big Brother is claiming to have found a glitch on a website
which has allowed access to details of the new housemates.

The news comes just ahead of tonight's premiere of the seventh season of the Ten Network show.

According to an internet fansite .. photographs and the first names of 18 housemates
were discovered on Three Mobile's Big Brother WAP site.



US Campus (BLACKSBURG)

The family of Virginia Tech shooter CHO SEUNG-HUI have issued a statement .. apologising
for his actions.

In it .. CHO'S sister CHO SUN-KYUNG says they are deeply sorry and heartbroken .. for
the devastation he caused.

She says no words can express the family's sadness that 32 people lost their lives
in a senseless tragedy.



US Aust (WASHINGTON)

US President GEORGE W BUSH has spoken to JOHN HOWARD .. thanking him for his co-operation
in the war on terror.

US officials say the two men talked by phone this morning .. discussing the situations
in Iraq .. Afghanistan .. North Korea and Iran.

BUSH has thanked the PM for Australia's decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan
.. and for Australia's steadfast commitment in Iraq.



Phil US Aust (MANILA)

The Australian government has warned its citizens of possible terror attacks in the
Philippines .. while Americans have been advised not to travel to a southern region which
may be hit by bomb attacks.

Australia says in a travel advisory there is a high threat of terrorist attack in the
Philippines.



Briefly in other news ..



Voting in Nigeria's parliamentary elections has suspended in most of central Lagos ..

the economic capital .. because of errors on the ballot papers.



American singer BEYONCE KNOWLES has begun a five-day tour of Australia.



Actor ERIC BANA has crashed his lovingly-restored classic Ford competing in the Targa
Tasmania car rally .. but has walked away uninjured.



in Sport ..



League (SYDNEY)

The Bulldogs have lost SONNY BILL WILLIAMS for today's clash with the Eels at Parramatta Stadium.

WILLIAMS suffered a hamstring injury in New Zealand's Test loss to Australia on Friday night.

In today's other match, Manly plays the Gold Coast at Brookvale Oval, while ANDREW
JOHNS will be officially farewelled before the Knights take on Brisbane at EnergyAustralia
Stadium tonight.

Last night, Cronulla hammered Canberra 26-0 at Toyota Park, and Melbourne beat Penrith 30-20.



Tennis Fed Aust (DORNBIN, Austria)

Australia faces an uphill battle to win its Fed Cup world group two tie against Austria
after going down 2-0 on the first day in Dornbirn.

SAM STOSUR was crushed by Austrian teenager TAMIRA PASZEK 6-1 6-1 while ALICIA MOLIK
went down to SYBILLE BAMMER 7-5 6-4.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

Broadcast Desk inquiries 24 hours: 02 9322 8714

AAP RTV

KEYWORD: BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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

WA: Perth's property boom is over but prices won't crash

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2006
WA: Perth's property boom is over but prices won't crash

By Liza Kappelle

PERTH, AAP - The fire may have gone out of Perth's extraordinary five-year property
boom, but it is still expected to overtake Sydney as Australia's most expensive city to
buy a house.

Australia's most isolated capital has traditionally lagged behind the larger east coast
cities in the expensive property stakes.

But a rampant resources boom has changed all that, pushing Perth property prices up
90 per cent since the national housing market began to slump towards the end of 2003.

More recently, the median house price in Perth surged 39 per cent to over $491,000,
in the 12 months to September 2006.

Meanwhile Sydney's median price remained unchanged at $520,000, according to Australian
Property Monitors (APM) statistics.

The figures show Canberra to be the next priciest city, with a median house price of
$417,000; followed by Darwin at $398,000; Melbourne, on $357,000; Brisbane at $344,000;
Adelaide, $322,000; and Hobart, $235,000.

Now, even though the worst case scenario looks likely to be a minor fall within the
next 12 months, prices are set to chug upwards again.

Demand for WA's vast reserves of iron ore and oil and gas is expected to continue unabated
for the next year or two, pumping more cash into Western Australia.

Growth in the local Perth housing market has begun to cool because first home buyers
have been virtually priced out of the market and interest rate rises have finally dampened
investor enthusiasm.

Property for sale listings have begun returning to normal levels of about 12,000 a
month, up from a low of 4,000 at the peak of the boom.

But few people are expecting Perth housing to go through the traditional price collapse
that usually follows a boom.

WA Minister for Housing Michelle Roberts says Perth property prices will either flatten
off or continue at a modest increase.

"We're certainly not expecting to see a depression, or recession, or things go markedly
down," Ms Roberts said.

"But we do think that it will either plateau or rise slowly over the next year or two."

Real Estate Institute of WA (REIWA) president Rob Druitt agrees Perth will escape the
price falls owners experienced in Sydney and Melbourne after the property booms ended
in those cities.

"We are very lucky here in WA," Mr Druitt said.

"That would be the normal result of a boom but we have very unique particular circumstances
that Victoria and New South Wales did not have," Mr Druitt said.

"We have got a sustainable booming state economy and while you have booming state economy,
with people flooding into the state, you can't have property price going backwards."

WA's Treasury expects a softening of the housing market in 2007 but it does not foresee
a property crash - few experts do while there is still a net influx of 500 people arriving
in the state each week looking for somewhere to live and work.

Demand for WA's resources has been so hot companies are still expanding their mines,
oil and gas projects, and building infrastructure to support them, creating a massive
labor shortage in the state's northwest.

Companies are paying record high wages - luring locals away from their lower paid jobs
and sparking the flood of interstate and migrant workers keen to either work in the resources
industry or plug serious employment gaps created by West Australians going to the mines.

WA's Treasury recently said the state's unemployment levels were the lowest in the
nation after plunging to 3.1 per cent in November, from 3.7 per cent in October, and WA
was still struggling to get more workers.

The state is also struggling to house these extra bodies because land release processes
- that can involve native title negotiations and building and infrastructure approvals
- are not able to keep up with demand.

In the north, campsites and caravan parks are full and people are playing up to $1,000
a week to rent a standard three-bedroom house in Karratha.

The crisis has prompted one Karratha entrepreneur to propose creating a housing estate
in the town's light industrial area with furnished and air conditioned sea containers,
a plan which has received government support.

REIWA's Rob Druitt says that unless there is a dramatic change in the fortunes of the
resources industry there is a good sustainable outlook for Perth's housing prices even
if local investors are now eyeing the east coast for bargains.

Housing prices will consolidate, he said, and the next boom for Perth was going to
be in the rental market.

AAP lk/maur/de

KEYWORD: YEARENDER WA HOUSING

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

Fed: Troeth decided on migration vote, but keeps her counsel

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2006
Fed: Troeth decided on migration vote, but keeps her counsel

CANBERRA, Aug 14 AAP - Liberal senator Judith Troeth says she has made up her mind
on which way to vote on the upcoming contentious migration bill - but she won't say what
that decision is until tomorrow.

Senator Troeth could sink the legislation if she crosses the floor to vote with Labor,
following Family First senator Steve Fielding's announcement yesterday he will vote against
it.

"I have made up my mind but I'll be making it clear in the chamber tomorrow," she told reporters.

"I think every senator has the right to reserve their decision, indeed every member
of parliament, for a variety of reasons.

"I've not said how I'm going to vote. That decision stands and I'll be making it clear tomorrow."

The legislation, introduced earlier this year after a rift with Indonesia over the
granting of protection status to a group of Papuan asylum seekers, would result in the
offshore processing of all boat people to reach Australia.

AAP dep/jlw/de

KEYWORD: MIGRATION TROETH

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

Fed: Hicks trial process biased, politically influenced: Mori

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2006
Fed: Hicks trial process biased, politically influenced: Mori

DAVID HICKS' Marine Corps defence lawyer says his client faces a biased trial and political
pressure for a prosecution .. including from within Australia.

Major MICHAEL MORI has been the lawyer for the 30-year-old Australian terrorist suspect
in Guantanamo Bay for the past four years.

He is also a leading critic of the legal processes used to try those held in the US
facility on Cuba.

Last night he gave the University of Melbourne Law School's 2006 Alumni Lecture ..

saying the process lacks independent checks and balances .. and is open to political influence.



HICKS has been in US custody since his capture in December 2001 in Afghanistan where
it's alleged he fought in support of the Taliban.

AAP RTV dr/wz/psm/

KEYWORD: HICKS (MELBOURNE)

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

SA: Two dead from food poisoning in SA hospitals

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2005
SA: Two dead from food poisoning in SA hospitals

ADELAIDE, Dec 9 AAP - Two people are dead and two are recovering on antibiotics after
an outbreak of food poisoning in South Australia.

Health authorities said all four had Listeria, a serious infection caused by eating
food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria Monocytogenes.

However, health department communicable disease director Rod Givney said three of the
four were already sick and had low immune systems.

Dr Givney said it was yet to be determined what part Listeria played in the two deaths,
both in hospital patients aged between 50 and 70.

One was believed to be a severe diabetic and the other terminally ill with cancer.

"They were already sick with low immune systems but the Listeria was also detected,"

Dr Givney said.

"While Listeria infection is uncommon and generally causes no symptoms in healthy people,
it can be very dangerous for people in high risk groups."

Dr Givney said the bacteria was widely found in nature and may be present in raw foods
or contamination may occur following cooking or processing.

Thorough cooking to 75 degrees celsius destroys the Listeria bacteria.

Those people most at risk include pregnant women, people aged over 65, people with
weakened immune systems including those with cancer, AIDS or diabetes and anyone taking
medication that can suppress their immune system.

Dr Givney said one of the patients recovering on antibiotics was in hospital and the
other at home.

Health officials are now testing food from the hospitals where the patients were being
treated and from their private homes.

More than one source of the poisoning was suspected.

Dr Givney said it appeared some of the victims acquired the Listeria infection in hospital
and some in the community.

AAP tjd/cjh

KEYWORD: LISTERIA DAYLEAD

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

Highlights of AAP's National Wire at 19:45, Friday, Aug 5 = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2005
Highlights of AAP's National Wire at 19:45, Friday, Aug 5 = 2

CANBERRA - New Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce has dismissed a senior government MP's
threat to expel him from the party if he votes against the Telstra sale. (Telstra Causley)
BRISBANE - National party state leaders have unanimously backed conditions sought by the
Queensland branch for the full privatisation of Telstra. (Telstra Nats)

CANBERRA - The government needs to start a raft of reforms from education to cutting red
tape if Australia is to keep its place as one of the world's richest nations, a new report
has found. (Business. Embargoed)

CANBERRA - Increased risk of nuclear weapons proliferation is one of the major arguments
against moving to a new generation of nuclear reactors, a visiting nuclear physicist and
defence analyst says. (Nuclear. Embargoed)

CHRISTCHURCH - An Australian tourist is dead after after falling while skiing in the Mount
Hutt. (NZ Tourist)

PORT MORESBY - Papua New Guinea wants to resolve the impasse over Australia's stalled
policing program but changes are likely in any new agreement, says PNG's Foreign Minister
Rabbie Namaliu. (PNG ECP)

CANBERRA - Australia will provide an additional $170,000 to assist villagers affected
by volcanic eruptions at Manam Island and Langila in Papua New Guinea. (PNG Aid)

SYDNEY - An SMS and email alert system, the transformation of public areas into safety
sites and deployment of volunteer marshalls are the linchpins of a plan to evacuate central
Sydney in the event of a terrorist attack. (Terror NSW Nightlead, with pix.)

SYDNEY - Three people have appeared in court after a teenager was stabbed to death in
Sydney's south-west, but police are still searching for the killer. (Mall Nightlead)

SYDNEY - Rapist Bilal Skaf will be retried despite one of his alleged victims refusing
to give evidence, a Sydney court has been told. (Skaf)

SYDNEY - A young Seven Network journalist involved in a report to expose lax airport security
carried a box-cutter onto a domestic flight, a court was told today. (Szymanski)

SYDNEY - Five local candidates will run for Labor preselection in Maroubra, the eastern
Sydney seat previously held by former NSW premier Bob Carr. (Byelections Maroubra Nightlead)

SYDNEY - The Sydney Aquarium's failure to heed safety standards and expert opinion had
led to an accident in which a woman was engulfed in water, broken glass and reef sharks
when an exhibit tank shattered, a court was told today. (Aquarium)

MELBOURNE - Protesters today vowed to launch a marine blockade against a controversial
bay dredging trial after a judge scuttled their bid to stop it with a court injunction.

(Channel Nightlead)

MELBOURNE - Respected businessman and chairman of gloves and condoms maker Ansell Ltd,
Dr Ed Tweddell, has died, aged 64, in Adelaide. (Tweddell Nightlead)

MELBOURNE - A man whose son was shot dead during a Melbourne police raid was today refused
bail on charges of attempting to murder an associate. (Chaouk)

MELBOURNE - The planned national counter-terrorism summit is a necessary but unfortunate
initiative in today's world, Victorian Premier Steve Bracks says. (Terror Bracks)

MELBOURNE - Victorian farmers say they will be $3.5 million out of pocket if McCain Foods
goes through with plans to cut potato contracts by 10 per cent next year. (Potato)

BRISBANE - One of Australia's most powerful unions has vowed its members will stop work
on strategic Telstra network infrastructure if four of the telco's contractors refuse
to reinstate dropped wages. (Telstra Union)

BRISBANE - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has met with Islamic leaders in a secret meeting
to work out a terrorism fighting partnership. (Terror Clerics)
BRISBANE - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has urged the federal and state governments
to leave grandstanding and party politics out of next month's counter-terrorism summit.

(Terror Beattie)

BRISBANE - A hernia operation performed by rogue surgeon Jayant Patel was so bad it appeared
to have been done by someone looking out a window, a doctor has told an inquiry. (Doctor
Inquiry)

TOWNSVILLE - A senior police officer has admitted the investigation into the death in
custody of a Palm Island man was flawed and more could have been done to help the victim's
family. (Palm)

ADELAIDE - Hundreds of mourners remembered cyclist Amy Gillett at a memorial service at
an Adelaide cycling track today. (Cycling Gillett Nightlead)

ADELAIDE - A special summit of state and territory leaders must examine tougher anti-terrorism
laws and penalties, South Australian Premier Mike Rann says. (Terror Howard Rann)

ADELAIDE - The long service leave entitlements of South Australians will be slashed under
the federal government's proposed industrial relations reforms, the state government has
warned. (Workplace SA)

ADELAIDE - South Australian firefighters have not received sufficient training to attend
chemical, biological or radiological (CBR) incidents, the state opposition says. (Firefighters)

PERTH - Work on Western Australia's $350 million desalination plant will continue while
the federal government considers an emergency protection application lodged by a Perth
Aboriginal group, Premier Geoff Gallop says. (Cockburn)

PERTH - The federal government is concerned a plan to explode underwater bombs off Western
Australia's coast as part of a scientific experiment could affect migrating whales. (Bombs
Campbell)

PERTH - West Australian Premier Geoff Gallop has endorsed a new counter-terrorism summit
called by Prime Minister John Howard, but said the states had initiated it. (Terror Gallop)

PERTH - A network of sonar sensors able to instantly transmit data from the Indian Ocean
floor to tsunami warning centres in 27 countries could be in place within a year. (Tsunami)

PERTH - A former miner awarded compensation for his chronic fear of dying from an asbestos-related
disease has vowed to continue his legal battle after CSR Limited was granted leave to
appeal the landmark West Australian court ruling. (DellaMaddalena)

PERTH - Rescue missions were under way tonight for two whales tangled in ropes in incidents
thousands of kilometres apart in West Australian waters. (Whales)

HOUSTON - Discovery astronauts started packing up today for their departure from the International
Space Station (ISS) after NASA finally said the shuttle was safe enough to come home from
the first flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster. (US Shuttle 2nd Nightlead)

AUCKLAND - The Australian government has warned travellers considering going to Tonga
about the effects of a two-week-old strike by public servants in the South Pacific nation.

(Tonga Strike Aust)

AAP tnf

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL UPDATED 2 SYDNEY

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

Carrius Selects Spirent's Abacus 5000 IP Telephony Test System

Wireless News
03-09-2005
Carrius Selects Spirent's Abacus 5000 IP Telephony Test System

WIRELESS NEWS-March 9, 2005-Carrius Selects Spirent's Abacus 5000 IP Telephony Test System (C)2005 10Meters - http://www.10meters.com

Spirent Communications today announced that Carrius Technologies Inc. has selected the Abacus 5000 IP Telephony Test System for engineering and production testing of its Compleat-200 intelligent IP gateway. Carrius Technologies is a manufacturer of intelligent gateways for Internet Protocol (IP) telephone network interconnection.
Using its own Web-enabled test automation software, Carrius has created more than 2,000 automated testing scripts covering the full range of VoIP and other protocols encountered by its customers in deployment environments. With Spirent's Abacus 5000, Carrius can perform around-the-clock automated regression testing for thousands of simultaneous tests.

"Spirent's Abacus 5000 has provided us with unmatched scale to quicken our aggressive testing schedule," said Terry Caterisano, director of network interoperability for Carrius Technologies. "The extensive features and protocol support perfectly complement the internal test automation regime we believe sets us apart in the industry."

Carrius is also using the Abacus 5000 to pretest each customer's unique environment and to then demonstrate results in personalized on-site customer presentations.

Spirent's Abacus 5000 can test and analyze unique scenarios through its support of interworking among TDM protocols (C7/SS7, CAS, ISDN, TR-008, GR-303) and VoIP protocols (SIP, SIP-T, H.323, MGCP, Megaco) and it can test all the protocols at carrier-scale traffic volumes, the company said. Each Abacus IP card accommodates up to 4,096 signaling end points and 1,024 media end points.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@10meters.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

(Copyright M2 Communications Ltd. 9, 2005)

quality cues

quality cues Indicators or signs that help users gauge the quality of a website or Internet service.

SCAM TARGETED AMAZON.COM CUSTOMERS BOGUS E-MAILS TRIED TO GET UNSUSPECTING CONSUMERS' CREDIT CARD NUMBERS.(Business)

Byline: LORETTA KALB The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee

Always question an order you can't remember making. And never, ever give out your credit card number for an online transaction you didn't initiate.

That's the sage advice being given to hundreds of Amazon.com customers who recently received bogus e-mails that referred to phantom orders.

The bogus e-mails, designed to appear as though they were acknowledgments for orders from Amazon.com, apparently were aimed at getting unsuspecting consumers to reveal their credit card information.

An Amazon.com spokeswoman said she knew of no cases in which consumers actually turned over card data. But the spokeswoman, Patty Smith, added that hundreds of people complained to the company over the past week.

The e-mails, or spam, described merchandise about to be shipped and included a Web link for individuals who wanted to cancel their orders, Smith said.

Recipients who selected the link early last week reportedly were taken to a non-company page that asked for the credit-card information to aid in canceling the order. The site was removed by an Internet service provider when it was discovered it was being used to perpetrate the fraud, Smith said.

The ISP is like many available on the Web that enable users to create Web sites inexpensively, explained David Zapolsky, associate general counsel for Amazon.com.

"What the bad guys did was create this page ... and then they managed, somehow, to disguise the (Web address) to make it appear as though it were an Amazon. com page," Zapolsky said.

Instead, it took users to a Web site that had no connection to the online seller.

"This kind of activity is taking place at a low level all around the world all the time," Zapolsky said. "This one is distinguished by the fact that we got hundreds of complaints about it."

Smith said Amazon.com customers are asked for their credit-card data only once - when they initiate their first online purchase at the site. And that transmission is encrypted for security purposes.

"We never tell people to input their credit card when they are canceling an order," Zapolsky added.

The company reported that it is investigating the fraud. Smith, meanwhile, responded to customer complaints with an e-mail advising that the bogus messages did not originate from Amazon.com and that the company had no part in its content.

Guilford Mills, Inc. Invites You to Join Its Second Quarter Conference Call on the Web.

GREENSBORO, N.C., May 3 /PRNewswire/ --

In conjunction with Guilford Mills, Inc.'s Second Quarter earnings release, you are invited to listen to its conference call that will be broadcast live over the Internet on Monday, May 7, 2001 at 10:00 AM Eastern Time.

What: Guilford Mills, Inc. Second Quarter Fiscal 2001 Earnings

Conference Call

When: Monday, May 7, 2001 at 10:00 AM Eastern Time

Where: http://www.videonewswire.com/GUILFORD/050701

How: Live over the Internet -- Simply log on to the web at the

address above

Contact: Mark Cook, Treasurer of Guilford Mills, Inc., 336-316-6833 or

mcook@gfd.com

Guilford Mills (NYSE: GFD) is an integrated designer and producer of value-added fabrics using a broad range of technologies. The company is one of the largest warp knitters in the world and is a leader in technological advances in textiles, including microdenier warp knits and wide width circular knits of cotton blended with LYCRA(R). Guilford Mills serves a diversified customer base in the home furnishings, apparel, automotive and industrial markets. Through its Guilford Home Fashions subsidiary, the company produces bedding products, window treatments and shower curtains for the retail market.

If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, the call will be archived on the Web site www.guilfordmills.com. To access the replay, click the Finance link. Alternatively, go directly to http://www.guilfordmills.com/finance.htm and click Earnings Release.

(Minimum Requirements to listen to broadcast: The RealPlayer software, downloadable free from www.real.com/products/player/index.html, and at least a 14.4Kbps connection to the Internet. If you experience problems listening to the broadcast, send an email to webmaster@vdat.com.)

For those unable to listen to the call via the Internet, a replay of the call will be available from Monday, May 7, 2001 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time until Friday, May 11, 2001, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time by dialing 800-475-6701. The confirmation number for the replay is 585503. For more information on accessing the Webcast or on participating by telephone, please call Mark Cook at 336-316-6833.

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here

http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X99273859

HP Introduces e-serviceCenter, New Mission-critical Infrastructure for Web-enabled Applications and E-services.

High Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2000

New Goal-based Management Tools and Instant Capacity on Demand,

Along with Enhanced V-Class Servers, Advance Data-center Evolution

Hewlett-Packard Company today outlined its plans for the e-serviceCenter, a Web-enabled server, network and storage infrastructure for mission-critical applications, Internet solutions and e-services. Targeting enterprises, dot coms and service providers, e-serviceCenter represents the evolution of the data center for companies doing business on the Internet, and encompasses five critical attributes: continuous e-service availability, capacity on demand, instant global connectivity, total security and flexible end-to-end management.

Building on its success with Web-based companies, HP is announcing several products and enhancements key to HP's e-serviceCenter:

  --   Manageability:  --   HP-UX(1) Workload Manager (WLM)  --   enhanced Process Resource Manager (PRM)  --   Scalability and capacity:  --   HP 9000 Enterprise Server V2600 and V2600 SCA (Scalable Computing      Architecture)  --   instant capacity on demand (iCOD) availability  --   Connectivity:  --   HyperFabric 2000 

&uot;Our customers require an updated data center to handle the varying and critical demands of operating in a Web-transaction-intensive world,&uot; said Patrick Rogers, worldwide marketing manager for HP's Business Critical Computing Business Unit. &uot;Unlike today's data centers, which were built to service internal users and applications developed for use only within the enterprise, e-serviceCenter is designed to support Internet-based business models where IT infrastructures must be accessible by customers, partners and suppliers, and where speed and availability become competitive differentiators.&uot;

New Capabilities Enhance Manageability, Connectivity and Capacity

Today's businesses require a new type of workload and system optimization tool that ensures a positive customer experience and reduces system complexity. HP's new HP-UX WLM is the first goal-based resource-management offering for UNIX(R) system customers, and the new PRM enhancements will help systems administrators reduce network complexity.

  --   HP-UX WLM automatically allocates system resources according to      business priorities. IT managers can define business objectives      that determine CPU allocation, ensuring that end users experience      consistent response time.  --   PRM Analyze collects system accounting data and generates reports      so that chargebacks can be calculated accurately. Internet and      applications service providers can now use PRM to help automate      Internet and hosted service billing. 

In the e-services world, instant global connectivity is key because it offers access to any device, resource, information or service. &uot;HP and Cisco have developed compelling linkages between the computing infrastructure and the intelligent network for optimized delivery of e-services,&uot; said Peter Alexander, vice president of Enterprise Marketing, Cisco Systems, Inc. &uot;With Cisco Content Networking, based on our ContentFlow Architecture and Catalyst switches, users will be able to leverage our cooperation with HP in the areas of load balancing, high availability, QoS and security, and tap into e-services with optimal reliability and performance. Cisco is delighted to participate in HP's new e-serviceCenter initiative, and we strongly believe this collaboration will offer a leading environment for the growing Internet economy.&uot;

HP 9000 HyperPlex technology enables data-center flexibility and availability through an enhanced HyperFabric server clustering interconnect, called HyperFabric 2000. Customers can speed application performance and improve scalability and reliability beyond large SMP systems. HP HyperFabric 2000 connects up to 128 individual HP 9000 Enterprise Servers in highly available configurations.

The Internet and its new business models drive the need for higher performance and the demand for instant access to additional capacity. HP's new V2600 server features the PA-8600, the fastest shipping microprocessor available. Current V2500 customers can upgrade to V2600 with a simple CPU-board swap. The V2600 will also be available in SCA configurations, an extension offering the highest performance for business intelligence and compute-intensive applications.

HP's groundbreaking iCOD solution, announced last November, is now available to customers with dynamic-capacity needs. By activating iCOD CPUs, customers can capitalize on revenue opportunities they might miss due to inadequate processing power. Today's new V2600 server is included in the iCOD solution.

Today's e-serviceCenter announcements, backed by HP's industry-leading mission-critical support and consulting services, offer the advantage of a complete Internet-ready, end-to-end solution.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

HP plans to launch Agilent Technologies as an independent company by mid-calendar 2000. Agilent consists of HP's test and measurement, semiconductor products, chemical analysis and healthcare solutions businesses, and has leading positions in multiple market segments.

HP has 83,200 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

(1) HP-UX Release 10.20 and later and HP-UX Release 11.00 and later (in both 32- and 64-bit configurations) on all HP 9000 computers are Open Group UNIX 95 branded products.

UNIX is a registered trademark of the Open Group.