WA:Oppn wants WA minister sacked over fires

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2011
WA:Oppn wants WA minister sacked over fires

PERTH, Aug 17 AAP - West Australian Emergency Services Minister Rob Johnson should
resign or be sacked from his portfolio following a critical report into February's Perth
hills bushfires, the state opposition says.

Former Australian Federal Police boss Mick Keelty released a report on Wednesday into
the blaze, which destroyed 71 homes when it tore through Roleystone and Kelmscott on February
6.

Opposition Leader Eric Ripper says the report is a damning indictment of the Fire and
Emergency Services Authority's (FESA) management of the fires.

"The minister is responsible for the operations of FESA and his failures in this portfolio
leave him with little option but to resign or be sacked," he said.

Mr Ripper said the state government was more interested in managing the message in
the media rather than dealing with the problem to restore the public's confidence in FESA.

He said FESA's structure failed during the fires but the ultimate responsibility should
lie with Mr Johnson.

"Any minister should be ashamed their department came out of a review looking like
FESA did and any government that takes such matters seriously should be ashamed of such
a minister," Mr Ripper said.

Premier Colin Barnett told parliament the report showed cultural and structural change
was needed at FESA and the public sector commissioner had asked CEO Jo Harrison-Ward to
step aside.

Mr Keelty recommended FESA, which currently operates independently, be brought under
government control and the board disbanded.

AAP anr/was

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES WA RIPPER

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

Fed: Not original, but light bulb plans gets green light

AAP General News (Australia)
02-20-2007
Fed: Not original, but light bulb plans gets green light

By Paul Mulvey

SYDNEY, Feb 20 AAP - A Howard government plan to phase out Australia's 87 million standard
light bulbs has received widespread support from environmentalists, energy groups and
even the opposition.

The next step is to persuade consumers to pay $5 for an efficient compact fluorescent
bulb rather than 50 cents for the wasteful incandescent variety that have lit up households
for 125 years.

Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the expensive bulbs will pay for themselves
within a year by reducing household …

VIC:Rock fishing safety warning after deaths

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2011
VIC:Rock fishing safety warning after deaths

Safety measures for high-risk rock fishing will be tightened after a coroner found
the deaths of three fishermen in Victoria were entirely preventable.

The recommendations come after two Chinese nationals and a Cambodian man drowned when
they were swept off rocks while fishing in regional Victoria two years ago.

Coroner HEATHER SPOONER has said people from non-English speaking backgrounds need
to be better educated about the dangers of rock fishing and signage needs to be easier
to understand.

She's also said fishers should also be encouraged to wear life jackets as this may
have saved the men.

AAP RTV md/mn/nap

KEYWORD: ROCK (MELBOURNE)

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

--Gilbert Dupont holds "buy" stance on Osiatis

Internet Business News
01-27-2011
--Gilbert Dupont holds "buy" stance on Osiatis

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

27 January 2011 - Gilbert Dupont has initiated coverage on French IT services provider Osiatis (EPA:OSA) with a "buy" rating and a share price target of EUR6.90.
According to the broker, the company has good chances to speed up its development and boost its revenue growth.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))

(Copyright M2 Communications, 2011)

QLD:Bligh is safe, says Beattie

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2010
QLD:Bligh is safe, says Beattie

BRISBANE, Aug 23 AAP - Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie says his successor's
job is safe despite criticism that the state government's performance affected Labor at
the federal election.

Labor suffered a five per cent swing against it in Queensland - more than twice the
national swing.

The election result has no clear winner, with the prospect of a hung parliament looking likely.

Some have blamed Premier Anna Bligh's unpopular decisions in Queensland for the swing
against Labor, saying she could face being dumped from the leadership like former prime
minister Kevin Rudd.

But her predecessor Peter Beattie says Ms Bligh's job is safe.

"Any moves against Anna Bligh would certainly not be in the interest in the state or
the national Labor Party," Mr Beattie told ABC Radio on Monday.

"The reason being is at a time when the government is trying to form a minority government
with the support of independents, the worst thing that could happen is a ruckus."

Parliamentary secretary Bill Shorten, one of the Labor powerbrokers behind the dumping
of Mr Rudd, blamed coalition "attack ads", especially in Queensland and to a lesser extent
in NSW, that associated federal Labor with the fortunes of unpopular state governments.

Returned LNP MP Andrew Laming in Bowman, and Peter Dutton in Dickson, have said the
Bligh government was a major factor in Saturday's poll.

"(Premier) Anna Bligh is pretty toxic in Queensland, and people will vote at any level
of government to try to have her removed in Queensland," Mr Laming said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the seat of Brisbane remains the only undecided electorate in the state.

AAP peb/ao

KEYWORD: POLL10 BLIGH

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

WA: Red Bull Air Race plane crashes into river during training=2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-15-2010
WA: Red Bull Air Race plane crashes into river during training=2

It was the first crash in the Red Bull Air Race's seven-year history.

A local aerobatic pilot who witnessed the crash, but did not want to be named, said
it appeared Kindlemann's port wing stalled as he rounded the last chicane on the course
and was hit by a gust of wind.

The stall caused the wing to drop and clip the water, with the plane then cartwheeling
and tumbling into the river, the pilot said.

He said squally conditions most likely contributed to the crash.

"There were 20 knot (37km/h) gusts out there when he was practicing, and all it takes
is one of those gusts to change the relative airflow and the wing would have stalled,"

he said.

"He must have hit pretty hard, because it made an almighty bang as it hit the water.

"There was a lot of damage to the plane."

Kindlemann's MXS-R race plane was later towed to the South Perth foreshore, where a
crane was used to salvage it.

AAP csb/jm

KEYWORD: REDBULL WRAP 2 PERTH (REOPENS)

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

FED: Revised ETS is Labor policy: Combet

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2009
FED: Revised ETS is Labor policy: Combet

CANBERRA, Dec 1 AAP - A revised emissions trading scheme with amendments negotiated
with the coalition is now Labor policy, junior climate change minister Greg Combet says.

Newly installed Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has declared the coalition will no longer
back Labor's carbon pollution reduction scheme.

With Malcolm Turnbull no longer the leader, Mr Combet said Labor was still willing
to stand by changes it negotiated with the coalition, including the exclusion of agriculture
from the scheme.

"That deal is now our policy," Mr Combet told reporters in Canberra.

MORE saj/rl/srp

KEYWORD: CLIMATE COMBET

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

SA: Bovine genome to revolutionise food production

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2009
SA: Bovine genome to revolutionise food production

(Eds: Embargoed until 0400 AEST, Friday April 24).

ADELAIDE, April 24 AAP - A $US52 million project to sequence the genetic blueprint
of a female Hereford cow will revolutionise the world's dairy and beef cattle industries,
one of its collaborators says.

University of Adelaide genome expert David Adelson was one of more than 300 researchers
from 25 different countries who spent six years mapping the bovine genome, the first livestock
animal in the world to be sequenced.

The results of the project were published on Friday in the international journal Science.

Professor Adelson said the genetic sequencing of Dominette the cow would pave the way
for more sustainable food production around the world.

"This will have a significant impact on genetic selection for dairy production, for
meat production and for food efficiency," he said.

"It will mean that livestock producers will not only be able to breed superior animals
but they will be able to assess the genetic potential of the animals they have."

Using the sequencing information, the cattle and dairy industries would soon be able
to use a relatively cheap test to assess the genetic potential of their animals at birth.

"This will tell them which livestock will produce superior meat or milk without investing
too much money to improve their condition," Prof Adelson said.

"With the right kind of genetic testing, dairy producers in particular will be able
to predict, with a high degree of accuracy, the animal's genetic potential.

"This will speed up and lower the cost of their genetic improvement programs considerably."

Sequencing of the bovine genome, containing between 22,000 and 26,835 genes, proved
it was more similar to that of humans than those of mice or rats.

During evolution, domesticated cattle and other mammals diverged from a common ancestor
that gave rise to humans, the report's authors said.

AAP tjd/sn/cdh

KEYWORD: COW (EMBARGOED)

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

Fed: French solo sailor to wait up to five days with broken leg

AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2008
Fed: French solo sailor to wait up to five days with broken leg

A French solo sailor will have to wait up to five days to be rescued .. after breaking
his leg in the Southern Ocean south of Western Australia .. during an around-the-world
yacht race.

Race organisers say 34-year-old father of two YANN ELIES is unable to move after suffering
a broken thighbone when his 60-foot boat .. Generali .. slammed into a wave while he was
preparing a sail on board.

A spokeswoman for the Vendee Globe round-the-world race says the drama occurred about
780 nautical miles off Albany about eight o'clock last night (AWDT).

She says ELIES .. a first-time entrant .. managed to crawl into the cabin before alerting
race organisers .. but he's in pain and cannot move.

She says he cannot get off the floor of the boat to reach painkillers .. or take the
headsail down .. and even though he's managed to activate the autopilot .. he's been unable
to secure the vessel for any bad weather.

Race organisers have notified the Australian Search and Rescue Service who'll co-ordinate
the rescue effort.

AAP RTV krc/psm/

KEYWORD: SAIL GLOBE (SYDNEY)

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

Fed: Govt puts Brighton Aged Care on notice

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2008
Fed: Govt puts Brighton Aged Care on notice

An Adelaide aged care home has been put on notice by the federal government after an
audit raised concerns about neglect.

A government official was sent to Brighton Aged Care on Monday night .. after the Aged
Care Standards and Accreditation Agency raised the alarm.

The agency found the 71-bed home was not complying with 14 of 44 basic accreditation
standards .. including the health .. personal care and lifestyle of residents.

Minister for Aging .. JUSTINE ELLIOT .. says the government will take prompt action
if the home fails to lift its standards.

AAP RTV sld/mfh/wz/bart

KEYWORD: AGED (CANBERRA)

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

Fed:McGauran retires from "full and satisfying" political career

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2008
Fed:McGauran retires from "full and satisfying" political career

By Kate Corbett, Max Blenkin and Will Fisher

CANBERRA, April 4 AAP - Retiring Nationals MP Peter McGauran says he has given his
all to "a full and satisfying" political career.

Mr McGauran is the first former Howard government minister to quit parliament in the
wake of the coalition's federal election loss.

"It has been the greatest privilege to have represented Gippsland in the federal parliament
and I will always be grateful for the confidence and support vested in me," Mr McGauran
said in a statement today.

"However, there comes a point in time when a handover has to take place even though
it may be politically difficult."

The former Nationals deputy leader said he had considered retirement in depth with
his family, especially his wife Trudy.

"I leave knowing that I have given everything to my role in public office," the statement said.

"It has been a full and satisfying political career, of course with inevitable highs
and lows, and I have learnt a great deal along the way about the character and spirit
of local communities."

Mr McGauran was a fresh-faced 27-year-old when elected to parliament in 1983 and is
the third longest-serving current federal MP, behind Philip Ruddock and Wilson Tuckey.

Mr McGauran was sworn in as a minister in 1996 as a member of the first Howard ministry.

He held various ministerial portfolios before being elevated to Cabinet in 2005 until
November last year when the coalition was voted out of office.

Mr McGauran's announcement has already sparked speculation about the future of other
former coalition ministers - including Peter Costello, Alexander Downer and Mark Vaile
- on the opposition backbench.

But Mr McGauran said his colleagues could speak for themselves on whether they were
planning to leave politics.

"So I wouldn't even speculate as to what their motives are," he told ABC Radio.

"I know them well, we have discussed various scenarios for the future, but that is
quite out of date now."

Government frontbencher Anthony Albanese says Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson should
use the opportunity to encourage other reluctant MPs to resign.

"That would save the nation the extra cost of separate by-elections," he told AAP.

"We would argue that it's appropriate for Brendan Nelson to show leadership and that
all the by-elections take place on one day.

"There will be substantial additional costs, on top of the $600,000 for each seat,
if the by-elections are not all held on one day."

Mr McGauran, a former lawyer and racing steward, is reportedly looking for a new career
in the thoroughbred industry.

Bloodstock industry sources suggest he may be hired as the chief executive of Thoroughbred
Breeders Australia.

Mr McGauran will officially resign from parliament next week with a by-election tipped for June.

Nationals Leader Warren Truss said Gippsland had been Mr McGauran's number one priority
and the party would select a strong candidate with similar motives.

"The forthcoming by-election will be a tough, local race between local candidates,
with local issues like jobs, health, transport and living costs at the forefront," Mr
Truss said in a statement.

"We have a new generation of talented young members coming through our ranks and I'm
confident our party will select a candidate with the drive and energy to continue providing
Gippsland with a strong voice in federal parliament."

AAP kc/rl/it/de

KEYWORD: MCGAURAN 2ND DAYLEAD

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

Fed: Seven wins television ratings year

AAP General News (Australia)
12-02-2007
Fed: Seven wins television ratings year

By Alyssa Braithwaite, National Entertainment Writer

SYDNEY, Dec 2 AAP - The Nine Network is no longer "the one", after being comprehensively
beaten by the Seven Network in the 2007 ratings battle.

In 2006 Nine only won the year by the slimmest margin in 20 years.

But 2007 has been Seven's year, as the network averaged 29 per cent of the prime-time
audience, up from 27.8 per cent last year, while Nine fell from 29.1 per cent to 26.9
per cent.

The official ratings year ended last night, showing Seven won 38 of this year's 40
ratings surveys.

Seven beat Nine in all the major timeslots, with Sunrise trouncing the Today show by
200,000 viewers, and Seven News attracting 150,000 people more than Nine News.

Nine's only triumphs were with rugby league and cricket.

"We are pleased to have 2007 behind us," Nine Network chief executive David Gyngell said.

"We're building for 2008 and beyond."

After axing McLeod's Daughters, Gyngell is pinning his hopes for 2008 on gangland series
Underbelly, the Gold Coast inspired crime series The Strip, a medical romance, The Young
Doctors, a medical-criminal mix called Canal Road, and a new season of Sea Patrol.

This year has been a good one for the ABC.

Its Wednesday night comedy line-up of Spicks and Specks, The Chaser's War On Everything
and Summer Heights High was a big ratings winner for the national broadcaster.

In September The Chaser's APEC motorcade stunt pulled in 2.24 million viewers - one
of the best ever results for a single ABC show.

The ABC's audience share rose from 15.4 per cent last year to 16.6 per cent this year.

The national broadcaster also handed a ratings gift to Seven in Kath and Kim, with
2.3 million people watching the series final in October featuring Shane Warne.

Network Ten's audience share dropped to 21.9 per cent from last year's 22.3 per cent.

But the network trumpeted their success in their target age group, the 18-49 year olds,
where they scored a record high share of 34.5 per cent.

Ten remains the most-watched network by the 16-39 age group.

"We finish 2007 exactly where we expected to be: ahead of our winning 2006 result in
18-49 and with our seventh consecutive win under-40s," Ten's chief programming officer
David Mott said.

Their success was thanks to popular programming like Thank God You're Here and House.

But traditionally high rating shows like Australian Idol and Big Brother were down
on previous years.

Foxtel was a strong performer in 2007, increasing its audience by 14 per cent, while
SBS retained its audience share of 5.5 per cent, on the back of repeat successes like
Mythbusters, Top Gear and Inspector Rex.

AAP acb/jt/de

KEYWORD: RATINGS

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

Fed: PM denies plan to appoint former minister to ambassadorship

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2007
Fed: PM denies plan to appoint former minister to ambassadorship

CANBERRA, April 19 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard has denied he is planning to bestow
an ambassadorship on another former minister.

Senator Rod Kemp, a former arts and sports minister, has been promised the post of
Australia's ambassador to France, The Canberra Times reported today.

"I've had no such discussions," Mr Howard told journalists in Canberra today.

"And all of that is news to me."

Senator Kemp has already denied being offered a posting.

The reports come amid ongoing speculation that former immigration minister Amanda Vanstone
is set to take up a job as Australia's ambassador to Italy.

The prime minister sparked speculation that Senator Vanstone was heading for a diplomatic
post when he said she was eager to continue with public service as he announced her sacking
as minister in January.

Senator Vanstone has denied doing a deal for a diplomatic post in return for leaving
the ministry, but will not comment on her future plans.

She has been widely tipped to resign from politics before parliament resumes on May 8.

AAP jb/mfh/cjh/cdh

KEYWORD: KEMP

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

NSW: Father convicted, mother cleared, of poisoning daughters=2

AAP General News (Australia)
12-18-2006
NSW: Father convicted, mother cleared, of poisoning daughters=2

During the trial .. the court was told the family was on the brink of destitution ..

but couldn't return home to Singapore because the father would've had to face charges
of indecent exposure .. dating from March 2004.

The court was presented with conflicting medical evidence on whether the depression
arising from their financial problems robbed the couple of the ability to determine right
from wrong.

In delivering his verdict .. Judge GRAHAM ARMITAGE found the father's lack of any history
of mental illness counted against him.

But he accepted the mother's long history of mental illness had impaired her reasoning.

The husband will be sentenced on February 23 .. while the woman's barrister has applied
for her conditional release under the Mental Health Act.

AAP RTV sk/hn/els/rt

KEYWORD: POISON 2 SYDNEY

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

Australia's fight against drugs cost over $3 billion a year

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2006
Australia's fight against drugs cost over $3 billion a year

Australia's fight against illicit drugs costs about $3.2 billion a year, with more
than half blown on drug-related policing, a hard-hitting report has found.



*Illicit drugs cost Australia between $1.5 billion and $4.9 billion a year - an average
$3.2 billion.



* About $1.3 billion - 40 per cent - was spent on proactive programs of treatment and
prevention. The other $1.9 billion - 60 per cent - was spent on the consequences of drug
use, like property crime and hospitalisation.



* Most spending went on law enforcement (56 per cent), 23 per cent was outlayed on
prevention strategies and 17 per cent on treatment. Harm reduction made up three per cent.



* State and territory governments spent the most - $2.6 billion or 82 per cent - while
the federal government picked up they remaining 18 per cent or $567 million.



* Border control was the main outlay for the federal government (46 per cent), while
state and territory governments spent about half of their drug budget on day to to day
policing.



* The commonwealth spent significantly less on prevention than their state counterparts
- $574 million (15 per cent) compared with $246.5 million (26 per cent).



AAP RTV tam/wf/psm/

KEYWORD: ILLICIT FACTBOX (SYDNEY)

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

VIC: Main stories in today's Melbourne newspapers

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2006
VIC: Main stories in today's Melbourne newspapers

MELBOURNE, April 5 AAP - The main stories in today's Melbourne newspapers:

THE AGE

Page 1: A new boatload of Papuan asylum seekers is understood to have landed in Australian
waters.

Page 2: Scope for tax cuts in next month's budget will be limited as the global commodities
boom eases along with company profits, says the federal treasurer Peter Costello.

Page 3: Doubts hang over the legality of thousands of parking fines issued across Melbourne
after an Ombudsman's probe criticised the city council's $15 million a year parking operation.

World: Iraq's interior minister is refusing to deploy thousands of police recruits
trained by the United States and Britain and is hiring its own men and putting them on
the streets, according to western security advisers.

Finance: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has accused Telstra of
charging too much in one off connection fees for rival internet providers using its lines.

Sport: Michael Kasprowicz and Brett Lee hang on to win the Test against South Africa,
completing a 3-0 series white wash.

AAP dr/mon

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS VIC

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

Study: Identity Theft Keeps Consumers From Shopping More Online

Wireless News
11-27-2004
Study: Identity Theft Keeps Consumers From Shopping More Online

WIRELESS NEWS-27 November 2004-Study: Identity Theft Keeps Consumers From Shopping More Online (C)2004 10Meters - http:// www.10meters.com

According to a new survey, about six in ten consumers (58 percent) say they may reduce their online shopping during the holiday season this year because of identity theft and other privacy concerns, up from 49 percent who expressed this view a year ago.
The second annual online shopping study conducted by TNS, a marketing information company, and TRUSTe, an online privacy company, indicates that almost half (46 percent) of Internet shoppers say they buy only from e-tailers that have a privacy statement or seal.

"The results show consumers have been paying attention to the onslaught of spyware, phishing, identity theft and credit card fraud," said Fran Maier, executive director of TRUSTe. "During this holiday season, consumers will be checking which Web sites are naughty and which are nice by looking for positive signs of privacy, security and safety like privacy seals."

Half of the 1,071 people surveyed this year plan to limit their holiday online shopping to some extent. Eight percent are so concerned that they do not plan to shop online at all, up two percentage points over last year.

The leading reasons cited by those reducing or halting online shopping include:

1. Identity theft concerns (mentioned by 52 percent in 2004, up from 35 percent in 2003)

2. Fear of credit card theft (44 percent in 2004, up from 30 percent last year).

3. Spyware potentially being downloaded onto one's computer (44 percent in 2004).

4. Receiving spam after purchasing from a Web site (42 percent in 2004, up from 38 percent in 2003).

"There is no doubt that consumers are far more wary of these online threats as we approach the shopping season this year," said David Stark, privacy officer of TNS. "Retailers today have to give consumers a reason to trust them with their personal information. A meaningful privacy statement or a privacy seal is an essential starting point."

The TNS/TRUSTe survey was conducted online between October 15 and 20, 2004.

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

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

(Copyright M2 Communications Ltd. November 27, 2004)

Schawk, Nature's Sunshine Products, VitalWorks, and Closure Medical Events to be Broadcast by Vcall Over the Internet.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 19, 2002

Schawk, Inc. (NYSE:SGK), Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (Nasdaq:NATR), VitalWorks Inc. (Nasdaq:VWKS) and Closure Medical Corporation (Nasdaq:CLSR) will broadcast their investor communication events over the Internet, Vcall, a Service of WILink announced today.

Schawk, Inc. will broadcast its earnings event on Tuesday, 07/23/2002 at 11:00 AM Eastern. This call can be accessed at http://www.vcall.com/EventPage.asp?ID=81856

Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. will broadcast its earnings event on Tuesday, 07/23/2002 at 11:00 AM Eastern. This call can be accessed at http://www.vcall.com/EventPage.asp?ID=81977

VitalWorks Inc. will broadcast its earnings event on Tuesday, 07/23/2002 at 4:30 PM Eastern. This call can be accessed at http://www.vcall.com/EventPage.asp?ID=81952

Closure Medical Corporation will broadcast its earnings event on Tuesday, 07/23/2002 at 4:30 PM Eastern. This call can be accessed at http://www.vcall.com/EventPage.asp?ID=81978

These events are available through the Vcall website, located at http://www.vcall.com. Listeners should go to the Vcall website at least fifteen minutes before these events to download and install any necessary audio software. For those unable to attend the live broadcast, a replay will be available beginning approximately one hour after the event. There is no charge to access any event.

About WILink: Since 1992, WILink (www.wilink.com) has opened information channels between public companies and potential investors.

WILink is an investor relations and investment services group that markets a range of services that help publicly traded companies and mutual funds attract and retain well informed investors, while providing investors with access to information to make well informed investment decisions.

This year WILink will make more than 7 million investor introductions to over 4,200 corporate clients through services including The Annual Reports Service, The Fund Info Service, Vcall (www.vcall.com) Investor Conference (www.investorconference.com) and Informed Investors Forums (www.informedinvestors.com).

These services provide investors free access to onsite and webcast investor events and company financial reports through WILink's relationships with over 220 leading financial media channels in 14 countries including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Barron's and Yahoo!Finance.

For companies and mutual funds, these services enable compliance with regulation fair-disclosure requirements and provide visibility with investors at the precise point investors are making decisions. WILink, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of WILink.com plc (WLK on The London Stock Exchange) began operations in Richmond, Va. in 1993.

On the Move.

AUTOMOTIVE AFTERMARKET INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION--Alfred Gaspar, to president and chief executive officer, replacing the retiring Gene Gardner--was executive vice president.

BRANICK INDUSTRIES INC. --Gil Schoener, to president--was vice president of sales and marketing.

CONTINENTAL TEVES, N.A. --Jim Gill, to director of public relations--was public relations manager.

COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO.--Robert Doxsey, to director of marketing administration for the tire group--was manager of customer service.

John Kairys, to national sales manager for the tire group's retail division--was business development manager in sales and marketing.

DENMAN TIRE CORP.--Glenn Moore, to sales manager for the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario--was sales manager of Canadian Supply & Tire Co.

Dennis Yokota, to sales manager for the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island--was owner of Tire Network Inc., a buying group.

GOODYEAR DUNLOP TIRES NORTH AMERICA LTD.--William Armson, to southeast regional manager--was a Dunlop account specialist.

Paul Kane, to eastern regional manager--was a Dunlop account executive.

Philip Waters, to brands and marketing manager, responsible for supervising and directing product positioning for customer Heafner Tire Group--was southeast regional manager.

MAINE INDUSTRIAL TIRES LTD.--Curtis Brown, to director of product marketing, pneumatics--was manager of industrial tire sales at Continental General Tire Inc.

MISSOURI WHEELS--Sheila Bjorkland, to West Coast regional sales representative--was regional sales manager for Optima Wheel Inc.

OLIVER RUBBER CO.--Nancy Opperman, to interim customer services manager, replacing Chad O'Hara, who was promoted to customer service manager for Cooper Tire--had managed the customer service operation at Hercules Tire & Rubber Co.

PATCH RUBBER CO.--Jim Davis, to West Coast regional sales manager--was a sales representative with Myers Tire Supply.

Harold Seger, to technical director--was a plant chemist and project engineer with Parker Hannifin's JBL Division.

Jeff Young, to sales manager for tire repair and retread products--was regional sales manager.

RUBBER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL INC.--Thomas Reichman, to executive vice president and chief operating officer--was president of Internet Culinary Corp.

Trevor Webb, to director of marketing--was founder of Eclexion Designs Inc., a furniture company, which he recently sold.

AMR Research Outlook Reports Focus on E-Business Trends and Applications in the New Millennium.

E-Business and Improved Customer Links

Are Vital to a Company's Survival and Success in the E-Business World

BOSTON, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- AMR Research, Inc., a leading industry and market analysis firm specializing in e-business strategy and infrastructure, announces the availability of upcoming Outlook reports in the enterprise applications, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), manufacturing, e-commerce, retail and utilities markets. The reports will provide the firm's perspective on the business strategies companies will need to focus on to increase leadership position and succeed in the E-Business world. In addition, the reports, to be published later this month, outline AMR Research's analysis and focus of future articles, exploring the intricacies and future of leading software applications.

"Companies looking for successful E-Business implementations must incorporate the fundamentals of planning, coordination, and business intelligence. The goal of the Outlook reports is to identify the issues that will shape the market for E-Business technology and services," said John Bermudez, group vice president, Research Operations. "We will analyze and evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and trends surrounding the leading E- Business applications."

New Trends

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and SCM systems provide the foundation for leading software vendors to focus on adding Business-to-Business (B2B) and CRM applications. The explosion of E-Business and the importance of implementing a customer-centric approach is driving growth within the expanding Enterprise Applications market. Companies are beginning to realize the necessity of bringing customers, suppliers and partners together, and are shifting spending patterns to applications that improve these vital links.

AMR Research expects Independent Trading Exchanges (ITEs) to play a major role in revolutionizing the way businesses interact. ITEs are helping companies bring buyers and suppliers together within a common vertical industry by managing channel relationships more efficiently, and helping to facilitate the real-time transfer of information, money, and goods. Companies will need to address the role and integration of different trading hubs within their E-Business strategy. They will also need to leverage the Internet effectively to communicate with their partners and focus on utilizing technology to improve their e-fulfillment needs and supply chain performance.

AMR Research Focus

AMR Research's analyst teams are well versed in the new Internet products and vendors, and understand the relationship to older applications and technologies, which are part of many companies' current IT environments.

AMR Research realizes that companies need to carefully assess the impact of new e-applications and Internet commerce services on current IT environment and their overall business. AMR Research's analyst teams are committed to providing the latest coverage of the functionality, technology, compatibility, and viability, of the product within the major application categories.

Conclusion

AMR Research's Outlook reports will provide a framework for the research and analysis in the upcoming year. The firm will explore pertinent issues facing companies in 2000 and provide insight, analysis, and independent advice on market trends and cutting-edge software applications within the enterprise applications, SCM, CRM, manufacturing, E-commerce, retail and utilities markets. The research and analysis will provide companies with the competitive knowledge needed to survive within the next millennium.

     CONTACT:   Janelle Carlino             Sarah Nelson                AMR Research, Inc.          The Horn Group                617-574-5217                781-356-7135                jcarlino@amrresearch.com    snelson@horngroup.com      About AMR Research 

AMR Research is the preeminent industry and market analysis firm providing independent advice on e-business strategy and infrastructure including enterprise and e-commerce applications and technology architecture. By tracking more than 2,000 leading software and service providers, AMR Research helps companies evaluate, select, and manage new systems for every part of the enterprise, including logistics and supply chain management, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and electronic/internet commerce.

Three dead in rampage.

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GERMANY: Two men and a woman were killed and another man seriously injured in an attack at an ice cream parlour in the German town of Ruesselsheim near Frankfurt, police said.Reports said the three men were Turkish citizens and the woman had been caught in the crossfire and fatally shot in the stomach.Police initially said that all four victims had died in the attack, in which both guns and knives were used.

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