CNS Welcomes Go Markets to San Diego Datacenter

SAN DIEGO, CA, Jul 25 (MARKET WIRE) —
Commercial Network Services is pleased to announce the arrival of
Australia’s leading FOREX broker to the CNS San Diego datacenter. Go
Markets has added a new server in the CNS San Diego datacenter to their
global MT4 network. The new server will result in better performance for
traders all over North America and most especially those hosted on a
Trader’s VPS in the CNS-SDCA datacenter, who will enjoy < 1ms latency to
the new server from their MT4 client terminals. The new server is the
latest addition to the growing Go Markets global presence, which now
includes servers in Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and San Diego.

Commercial Network Services is the leading provider of VPS services
designed especially for FOREX traders and operates out of datacenters in
San Diego, New York City and London.

Contact:
Commercial Network Services
www.CommercialNetworkServices.com

Go Markets
www.gomarketsaus.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Law Society says billable hours likely to stay

The Law Society of Western Australia says while it broadly supports calls for lawyers to move away from billable hours or time-based billing, the change would be difficult to implement.

In a speech to launch Law Week yesterday, Chief Justice Wayne Martin said the process of charging clients in six-minute increments was outdated and inefficient.

Law Society President Hylton Quail says some firms have already moved away from time-billing.

“Some areas of law are better suited to lump-sum billing but I do think that in other areas it’s very unlikely that we’ll ever get away from time-based costing.

“We do know that in some areas, particularly with mum and dad clients, time-based billing can be problematic because in a sense you’re signing up to really, the length of a piece of string.”

Near miss at fire station

Firefighters remain concerned about the safety of the new Wellington Street fire station with a number of incidents reported in the first week of operation.

The Secretary of the Firefighters Union Graeme Geer says on Sunday night a fire truck leaving the station narrowly missed hitting two pedestrians.

The firefighters were ordered by the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission earlier this month to move into the $12 million station.

They had refused to move in for more than a year because of safety concerns.

Mr Geer says firefighters are still concerned.

“The guys aren’t happy.

“We have a report back mechanism where we will be able to table these in the Commission and hopefully people will begin to listen.”

Gayle says he”ll sledge Watto and other Aussies in 20-20 decider

St. Lucia (West Indies), May 11 (ANI): West Indian cricket captain Chris Gayle has said that he intends to sledge Australian opener Shane Watson and other members of his team when the two sides engage in a Super Eight World Twenty20 encounter at the Beausejour Cricket Ground tomorrow.

“I”m definitely looking forward to a victory, but I”m not going to get personal with anyone. I”ll stick to what I can do and try to get my team up and ready against Australia and get the guys confident. I”m not going to target anyone. But I might well just be doing some sledging of them,” Gayle said.

Gayle and Watson clashed heatedly when the Australia all-rounder comically celebrated after taking the prized wicket of the Windies skipper in the Perth Test in the summer.

Gayle later said: “I didn”t expect anything better. That”s typically Shane Watson.”

Both opening batsmen will play crucial hands in a match that looms as the best of the tournament to date.

Australia must win to ensure a semi-final berth – potentially against England – even though they remain undefeated after their 81-run win against Sri Lanka at Kensington Oval. (ANI)

Powderfinger sets more farewell tour dates

Overwhelmed by demand, Aussie rockers Powderfinger have announced additional dates for their farewell Sunsets tour.

Fans have snapped up more than 175,000 tickets already – meaning out 17 of 26 dates on the tour are already sold out.

Tickets to most capital city shows were gone just minutes after they went on sale on April 30.

“We started to get emails and calls from fans of the band asking for further dates as they’d missed out on tickets,” manager Paul Piticco said.

“We convened a quick meeting last weekend and decided to add one final lap of capital city shows that would hopefully meet the band’s fans’ needs.”

New shows will be staged in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Cairns.

Tickets go on sale at 9am AEST on Monday, May 17.

Sunsets is to be the final curtain call for Powderfinger who, after more than 20 years together, announced their split early last month.

Wildcats swoop on Tovey

The Perth Wildcats have signed former Sydney and Townsville forward Cameron Tovey for the next two NBL seasons.

Tovey, who started his career at the Cats, joins Shawn Redhage, Kevin Lisch, Jesse Wagstaff, Brad Robbins, Damian Martin, Drew Williamson, Stephen Weigh and Matt Knight as players confirmed for next season.

Perth now needs only to sign an under-24 development player to complete its roster.

Tovey had reportedly quit the NBL earlier this month for a career in accounting but the talented forward said that was never the case.

He will work part-time while juggling his basketball duties.

Farmers call for rail network to be kept open

The Minister for Regional Development Brendon Grylls says the Government is yet to decide whether it will keep operating rail lines in the Wheatbelt.

The Farmers Federation of WA has presented Mr Grylls with a petition containing almost 3,000 signatures demanding the government reconsider its decision to close parts of the network.

The president of the Merredin zone Ian Lane says more than 60,000 extra truck movements will be needed as a result of the closure and that will increase the risk faced by other road users.

Mr Lane says the Government must immediately reconsider its decision.

“We intend to drive home our point to the Government that it is not just grain farmers who will be affected by this. It will be the St John ambulance, the fire brigade.

“All of these people who commit their time in the bush voluntarily will be under extreme pressure.”

Mr Grylls says he welcomes the farmers’ input and will raise their concerns in parliament.

“The real question and challenge for the government is where do you get this value for the investment, is it on the rail, is it on the road?

“That work is being done and the decision of the Government will be made.”

New drought relief package to be trialled in WA

The Federal Government is taking a cautious approach to its new drought support policy and will trial the idea of grants in the good times in Western Australia, where no farmers are drought affected.

The Government promised that farmers in drought-affected areas who are receiving assistance will continue to receive income relief and interest rate subsidies until the drought is over.

About 6,000 farmers from Karratha to Esperance will be able to apply for relief measures under the program which will be trialled for one year.

Measures include financial grants for farmers experiencing hardship or who are trying to exit the industry, as well as a new focus on mental health services in farming communities.

WA Agricultural Minister Terry Redman says the current exceptional circumstances system does not help drought-stricken farmers soon enough.

“The current arrangements have a very reactive focus where we need to request to the Federal Government to have an area declared as exceptional circumstances,” he said.

“In essence that is two consecutive years of worse-than-one-in-25-year conditions. We presently have no declared areas and would not be eligible for that until at least January 2012.”

Mr Redman’s federal counterpart, Tony Burke, says the proposed new system will start on July 1.

“Normally the approach that governments have adopted is when times are in crisis we’re there and we’re helping out, and when times are good, the government normally disappears from the scene,” he said.

“This is the first time that we’ve decided to say, ‘hang on, when times are good, let’s not bail out’.

“Let’s actually stay there then [and] help farmers prepare for the future so that next time there is a crisis, fewer people hit that crisis.

“In terms of the wellbeing of a farmer, it’s a much better deal. In terms of productivity for the nation, it’s a better deal for the country as well.”

Man pleads not guilty to teen bashing

A Kalgoorlie man accused of kidnapping and bashing a teenage boy has gone on trial at Perth’s District Court.

Michael McKay Starr is one of three men charged with bashing the 17-year-old before tying him up and driving him to bushland outside Kalgoorlie in April last year.

It is alleged the men beat him with several weapons before leaving him lying on the ground, where he was not found until the next morning.

Starr has pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm, deprivation of liberty and endangering another’s life.

The two other accused men have pleaded guilty to charges arising from their involvement in the incident.

The victim is expected to give evidence today.

Rudd lashes Barnett over super tax

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has hit out at West Australian Premier Colin Barnett over his criticism of the new proposed resources super tax.

Mr Barnett has called the proposed 40 per cent tax on super profits of mining companies a ‘Western Australian company tax’ and says the Rudd government will lose a seat at the next federal election if it continues to disadvantage the state.

In Perth Mr Rudd retaliated saying it was a bit rich for the premier to put up royalties on miners but reject a federal tax.

“The premier of WA can’t have it both ways,” he said.

“You can’t say that on the one hand you want a whole lot more money to fund this state’s infrastructure needs, and the infrastructure needs are huge, and on the other hand say that we shouldn’t raise a tax from the super profits of miners to support those infrastructure needs.”

Manipulation alleged in Burke trial

The Supreme Court in Perth has been told that lobbyists Brian Burke and Julian Grill sought to manipulate Government policy to try to gain a benefit for one of their clients.

Mr Burke, Mr Grill and a former public servant, Nathan Hondros, are on trial on charges of corruption and disclosing official information.

The court has been told that in 2006, Mr Burke and Mr Grill were working as lobbyists for a small pearling company which wanted changes to Government policy.

It is alleged the two men asked Mr Hondros, who was then the chief of staff for the Fisheries Minister, to provide them with a confidential document which they planned to change to favour their client.

All three men have pleaded not guilty.

The charges arose out of the 2007 Corruption and Crime Commission inquiry into the influence of lobbyists on public officials.

Outback train traveller loses war service medals

A war veteran says his service medals have been stolen while he was travelling on the Indian Pacific train.

The man was on a journey from Perth to Adelaide this month when he lost five medals.

They were in his car that was being transported at the rear of the train.

Police say several vehicles were broken into, most likely when the train stopped at Port Augusta in the early hours of the morning.

They say the war medals have identification numbers and are inscribed with the name ‘Ward’.

Western Australia shaken by largest earthquake in 50 years

Perth, Apr 20(ANI): Western Australia’s Kalgoorlie city was on Tuesday rocked by the biggest earthquake to hit the region in 50 years, damaging several buildings and causing the Kalgoorlie gold mine to be evacuated.

A 5.0-magnitude tremor struck about 8.20a.m. local time (23.20GMT), but so far there have been no reports of injuries.

Geoscience Australia seismologist, David Jepsen, said the quake hit about 10 kilometres southwest of Kalgoorlie and was fairly shallow.

“People in Kalgoorlie would have experienced strong shaking. We would expect people up to several hundred kilometres away would have felt it,” News.com.au quoted Jepsen, as saying.

He added that aftershocks would be of much lower magnitude and should be of no concern.

Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mine spokeswoman Holly Phillips said that all employees had been evacuated from the Super Pit.

“We have evacuated Mt Charlotte and open pit while our geo tech team go in to assess,” Phillips said.

“It was pretty scary all round. Our roof didn”t cave in but it sustained a bit of damage. It was a significant boom. It was really loud,” she added.

Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Super Pit is the largest open pit gold mine in Australia.

The worst-hit buildings were historic structures in Boulder, a remote town which sprang up in the wake of Australia’s 1800s Gold Rush. (ANI)

IPL attack will not deter participation of Australian Commonwealth Games team

Sydney, Apr 19 (ANI): The chief executive of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association has said that they will be participating in the 2010 Delhi Games despite threats from terror outfit and crude bombs exploding in Bangalore ahead of an Indian Premier League match.

“While security in that part of the world is an issue, measures have been put in place and ramped up considerably. Other than the outbreak of war, the Commonwealth Games have always gone ahead,” a defiant Perry Crosswhite said on Sunday.

Crosswhite was responding to threats from Ilyas Kashmiri, leader of the feared 313 Brigade, an al-Qaeda-linked group, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Former marathon great Steve Moneghetti, who is the chef de mission for Australia’s New Delhi team, was also bullish about the security in place for athletes after a six-day inspection of Delhi facilities.

Speaking in Perth yesterday, where the national athletics championships were doubling as Games selection trials, Crosswhite said he had not been contacted by any athletes worried that the Bangalore attack would deter them from going to Delhi.

“These things continue to happen and they will continue all the way to the Games, but [security experts] don’t see it as a direct threat to the Games,” he told AAP. (ANI)

IPL attack will not deter participation of Australian Commonwealth Games team

Sydney, Apr 19 (ANI): The chief executive of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association has said that they will be participating in the 2010 Delhi Games despite threats from terror outfit and crude bombs exploding in Bangalore ahead of an Indian Premier League match.

“While security in that part of the world is an issue, measures have been put in place and ramped up considerably. Other than the outbreak of war, the Commonwealth Games have always gone ahead,” a defiant Perry Crosswhite said on Sunday.

Crosswhite was responding to threats from Ilyas Kashmiri, leader of the feared 313 Brigade, an al-Qaeda-linked group, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Former marathon great Steve Moneghetti, who is the chef de mission for Australia’s New Delhi team, was also bullish about the security in place for athletes after a six-day inspection of Delhi facilities.

Speaking in Perth yesterday, where the national athletics championships were doubling as Games selection trials, Crosswhite said he had not been contacted by any athletes worried that the Bangalore attack would deter them from going to Delhi.

“These things continue to happen and they will continue all the way to the Games, but [security experts] don’t see it as a direct threat to the Games,” he told AAP. (ANI)

Life terms for murdering parents

A Perth man who claimed he was sleep walking when he murdered both of his parents will spend at least 15 years in jail.

Wearing steel capped boots, Vernon Silich kicked his parents Faye and Robert to death in their Yokine home in April 2008.

Today, Supreme Court Justice John McKechnie said while Silich’s alcohol intoxication provided an explanation for the crime, it did not provide an excuse.

He said the motive for the attack may never be known and sentenced Silich to two terms of life imprisonment.

He will have to serve 15 years before parole can be considered.

Carol Tipping is the mother in law of Robert and Faye Silich’s other son.

She says the murders have had a devastating impact on her son-in-law and her grandchildren.

“Right at the moment there’s not sufficient closure because there could still be an appeal and they’ve got to deal with it. It’s only 15 years and 15 years, it’s a possibility it may not be enough.”

Hopman telecast cancelled

The ABC has announced it will no longer telecast the Hopman Cup tennis tournament, which is played in Perth each January.

The decision follows a review of the ABC’s involvement in the tournament and the broadcaster’s shifted focus towards women’s, regional and Paralympic sport.

New Hope adds cash option to bid for Macarthur

PERTH, April 14 (Reuters) – Australian coal miner New Hope Corp (NHC.AX) on Wednesday revised its $3.45 billion takeover bid for rival Macarthur Coal Ltd (MCC.AX) by including a cash option of up to A$950 million ($822.9 million).

Stocks | Mergers & Acquisitions | Global Markets

Under the revised proposal, Macarthur shareholders can choose to receive either 2.7 New Hope shares for every one Macarthur share, or A$14.50 cash per Macarthur share, New Hope said in a statement.

Brisbane-based New Hope said it decided to add the cash alternative following talks with Macarthur shareholders. ($1=1.076 Australian Dollar) (Reporting by Fayen Wong)

Hoon driver hopes others get the message

A 26-year-old Perth man who was caught speeding while taking a car for a test drive says he hopes others will learn from his mistake.

Steven James Atkinson drove a Mini Cooper at more than 70 kilometres over the limit at Beckenham in January.

The car, which belonged to a dealership, was impounded for 28 days under WA’s hoon laws.

Atkinson was originally fined $1,500 and disqualified from driving for ten months.

However, a Perth Magistrate today reduced his fine to $1,300 with a six month licence suspension.

Outside court, Atkinson said he had lost his job as a result of the incident.

“They just basically didn’t say much at all. They said look, given the circumstances you can’t have employment with no licence.”

Atkinson said he hopes his case serves as a warning to others.

Security tight at fight

Organisers say security will be tight at tonight’s world title fight between Danny Green and Manny Siaca in Perth.

Green will take on the Puerto Rican boxer in the IBO Cruiserweight world title fight at Challenge Stadium.

Ticket holders at Green’s last fight in Perth had to wait hours to get into the venue because everyone was forced to go through a metal detector.

David Etherton from WA’s sports centre trust VenuesWest says people wearing bikie colours will not be allowed into the venue.

“We’ve got more entries and we have got significantly more scanners and we will make sure that people don’t need to wait.

“That said, people should get here early and there is some weather coming in as I am sure you have seen and people should come in and enjoy the undercard.”

WA Police have defended the level of security for tonight’s World Title fight.

Inspector Vic Hussey is not expecting trouble but says police will not be taking any chances.

“There will be a considerable police resources available tonight for this match and those will include a number of areas including the Gang Crime Squad.”