Fed: Kopassus training resumes

AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2005
Fed: Kopassus training resumes

CANBERRA, Dec 11 AAP - Australian and Indonesian special forces will train together
for the first time in seven years when the government lifts a ban on cooperation between
the elite troops.

Australia cut ties with Indonesia's Kopassus unit after militia trained by the troops
killed East Timorese in the lead up to the country's independence in 1999.

The unit will train with Australia's Special Air Service Regiment on a joint counter-terrorism
exercise, called Dawn Kookaburra, in Perth early next year.

Despite past human rights abuses by the Indonesian unit, Defence Minister Robert Hill
defended the decision to resume cooperation, saying it could help save Australian lives.

"In this era of heightened terrorist threats it is in Australia's interests to engage
with regional special forces, such as Kopassus, to safeguard the lives of Australians
and Australian interests abroad," he said in a statement.

"The bombings in Bali in October 2005 further highlighted the need for regional countries
to work together in combating this common threat.

"Kopassus Unit 81 has the most effective capability to respond to a counter hijack
or hostage recovery threat in Indonesia.

"In the event of a terrorist incident, the safety of Australians in Indonesia could
well rest on the effective cooperation between TNI (Indonesia's armed forces) and the
ADF (Australian Defence Force)."

Kopassus Unit 81 is the Indonesian special forces' counter-terrorism team.

Exercise Dawn Kookaburra will focus on resolving hijack and hostage situations.

It will be the first exercise of its kind involving the two countries since 1997.

Australian defence ties with Indonesia grew through the 1980s and 1990s, mainly between
Kopassus and the Perth-based SAS.

But they ended abruptly in 1999 when Australia led the international mission to East Timor.

Any links with Kopassus are controversial because of long-running accusations of human
rights violations in East Timor and the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and West Papua.

A report released a year ago found Kopassus had not reformed and urged the ADF not to renew ties.

The paper, by the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University,
said much of Kopassus' role would continue to be viewed in Australia and elsewhere as
profoundly inappropriate, morally and legally unacceptable.

AAP rp/mon/sd

KEYWORD: MILITARY LEAD

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

NSW: Driver dies when truck goes over embankment

AAP General News (Australia)
04-02-2005
NSW: Driver dies when truck goes over embankment

SYDNEY, April 2 AAP - A 34-year-old man has been killed in NSW when the truck he was
driving went over an embankment and fell 15 metres to the road below.

Police said the semi-trailer was travelling south on the Hume Highway near the town
of Gunning at about 5.30pm (AEST) yesterday when it left the road, went over an embankment
and fell 15 metres onto Collector Road.

Goulburn police are preparing a report for the coroner.

AAP pj/arb

KEYWORD: TOLL NSW

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

secondary data

secondary data Marketing research information available to researchers that they have not gathered themselves. Examples include data provided by a government department or extracted from company records.

Intertainer files antitrust lawsuit against AOL, Sony and Vivendi.(Brief Article)

TV MEETS THE WEB-(C)2002 Van Dusseldorp & Partners - http://www.vandusseldorp.com/

Movie-on-demand supplier Intertainer has filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Sony, AOL Time Warner and Vivendi Universal, alleging price-fixing and conspiracy.

The lawsuit, filed in California says the three have conspired to hinder Intertainer's busines of supplying movies by broadband. It goes on to allege that a group boycott was instituted, stopping the licencing of their movies to Intertainer, so they could launch their own service in competition.

In a statement, Intertainer CEO Jonathan Taplin said that the studios trying to "eliminate consumer choice, produce higher prices, reduce output and lower quality services that would prevail in a competitive market."

Further allegations stated in the suit are that AOL pressured Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema into abandoning deals with Intertainer. Sony is also accused of intellectual infringement, by allegedly using its board-member status to compile insider information for its own Movielink project.

The allegations stem from the fact that Hollywood is terrified of losing control of their products to the digital age. The prevailing view is that unless they fully control the digital distribution of their products, new technologies may let internet users to distribute films and the like for free. The industry's fears have been exacerbated by the music business' protracted battles with Napster and KaZaa.

The main reaction from Hollywood has been the lobbying of lawmakers to pass laws aimed at forcing technology makers to install copy-protection devices in all kinds of hardware. A Department of Commerce report released today disagreed with this stance, stating that it was the responsibility of the industry, not government, to deal with content protection. ((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

Sir Brian bows out with blast at rivals' bonuses.

Byline: RUTH SUNDERLAND

SIR Brian Pitman delivered a blast against multimillion pound 'deal bonuses' for rival bank chiefs, as he stepped down yesterday as chairman of Lloyds TSB.

Arch-predator Sir Brian slammed the payments, including [pound]2.5m to Royal Bank of Scotland bosses for taking over NatWest.

'I never got any deal-related bonuses and I didn't want any. People should be paid for long-term achievements, not for doing a deal,' he said.

The Lloyds veteran joins a chorus of disapproval of the controversial deal-related payments, including [pound]5m to Schroders chairman Sir Win Bischoff and [pound]649,000 to United Business Media chief executive Lord Hollick.

After leaving Lloyds, the evergreen Sir Brian, 69, is becoming chairman of Internet insurance business Acturis.

He also plans to take a post as a senior adviser to a US investment bank.

That may point to JP Morgan or Merrill Lynch, advisers to Lloyds.

He sits on the boards of Carphone Warehouse, Carlton Communications, Next and Tomkins. Sir Brian, succeeded at Lloyds by Maarten van den Bergh, is widely hailed as the best banker of his generation.

Under his stewardship Lloyds TSB was transformed from a debt-ridden disaster in the Latin American crisis of the 1980s into the UK's best-regarded clearing bank.

Since he took over as chief executive in 1983, its market value has grown from [pound]1bn to nearly [pound]40bn, though its halo, and share price, have recently slipped.

Sir Brian moved up to chairman in 1997 but his larger-than-life personality continued to overshadow the new chief executive, Peter Ellwood.

His achievements include the takeovers of Cheltenham & Gloucester, TSB and Scottish Widows.

But he claims he is not disappointed that Lloyds TSB's [pound]19bn bid for Abbey National has been referred to the Competition Commission, depriving him of one last big deal.

LED Light Source replaces halogen technology.(Fiberoptics Technology Inc. (FTI) Announces Completion of a High Power LED Light Source Project)

Suited for large active diameter industrial applications, High Power LED Light Source couples light from monocolor matrix die into fiber optic cable. Resulting output exceeds EKE halogen lamp in active diameter sizes up to 12 mm. Unit offers 6,000 K color temperature, stable output throughout usable life, and active heat management with integral cooling fan. With optional Ethernet and RS485 connectivity, user can control pulsing, overdrive, and timing values over Internet in real-time.

********************

POMFRET, CT, - Fiberoptics Technology Inc. (FTI) announces completion of a high power LED light source project for large active diameter industrial applications.

The patent pending device will be certified by ETL under the UL lab/industrial protocol, and will be CE certified. The unit is being manufactured at the company's new electronic assembly facility in Pomfret CT. FTI began designing and manufacturing light source products in 2004.

Using a very simple but effective coupling strategy, FTI engineers can couple the light from a monocolor matrix die into a fiber optic cable at high efficiency rates. The resulting output exceeds the power of a similarly coupled EKE halogen lamp in active diameter sizes up to 12mm.

The product offers true color balance, excellent uniformity, improved electrical efficiency, with the same footprint as existing halogen lighting technology, Users can replace older halogen technology without altering existing systems or components.

"After nearly 4 years of research and development, our team has made a second important breakthrough; an LED source capable of generating more photonic output than an EKE lamp at the full 12mm spot size. This will enable our customers to update their industrial process and vision systems with a long lived, bright, and dependable source, eliminating down time associated with lamp change. I believe the introduction of this unit signals the beginning of the end for the traditional 150W Quartz Halogen source.", and more importantly, a new era of importance for fiber based illumination systems.", said Walt Seagrave, the company's Product Manager responsible for the product's development.

FTI's LED light technology provides the following features:

o More power than an EKE lamp within a 12mm focal spot.

o Long life (50000) hours - no lamp to change.

o Stable output throughout the usable life.

o Active heat management with integral cooling fan.

o Optional communication package with Ethernet and RS485 connectivity. - you control functionality; set pulsing, overdrive, and timing values over the internet in real time.

o 6000K color temperature.

The company is in the starting phases of production, and should have units available for evaluation within 4 weeks.

For further information, contact:

Walter Seagrave, Product Manager 800.433.5248; wseagrave@fiberoptix.com Website: www.fiberoptix.com

ABOUT FTI...

FTI is a privately held, 34 year old vertically integrated fiberoptics manufacturer serving OEM customers in the Medical, Industrial, Microscopy, Lighting, and Machine Vision markets.

One of the largest fiberoptics manufacturers in the world for light transmission applications using glass and plastic fiber, FTI offers engineering, R&D, prototype, and volume production services from two locations: a 70,000 sq ft corporate headquarters in Pomfret Connecticut, and 10,000 sq ft subsidiary location in Naples, Florida. The company also maintains FDA and GMP certifications to manufacture medical devices.

AMERCO Reports Fiscal 2011 Financial Results.

RENO, Nev., June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AMERCO (Nasdaq: UHAL), parent of U-Haul International, Inc., Oxford Life Insurance Company, Repwest Insurance Company, and Amerco Real Estate Company, today reported net earnings available to common shareholders for the year ended March 31, 2011 were $171 million, or $8.80 per share, compared with $53.2 million, or $2.74 per share for the same period last year.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2011, the Company reported net earnings available to common shareholders of $10.2 million, or $0.52 per share, compared with a net loss of $8.2 million, or $0.43 per share for the same period last year.

"We are pleased with our operating results for fiscal 2011," according to Joe Shoen, chairman of AMERCO. "Throughout the year we made significant progress towards our goals of improving customer service and have continued to make the delivery of our products and services more efficient."

Highlights of Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2011 Results

* Self-moving equipment rental revenue increased $19.2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, and finished the full year up $127.3 million compared with the full year of fiscal 2010. We experienced strong growth in transactions during the year and achieved record equipment rental revenues.

* Self-storage revenues for Moving and Storage segment increased $3.2 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 and finished the full year up $10.3 million compared with fiscal 2010. Our average occupancy during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 increased just over 665,000 square feet compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. During fiscal 2011 we added over 820,000 of net rentable square feet to the storage portfolio.

* For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 net gains on the disposal of property, plant and equipment were $4.1 million compared with $0.5 million in fiscal 2010. For the full year in fiscal 2011 these gains were $23.1 million compared with $2.0 million in fiscal 2010. Excluding these disposal gains and losses, total depreciation decreased $1.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2011 and $17.3 million for the full year.

* Gross truck and trailer capital expenditures for the fiscal 2011 were approximately $387 million compared with $218 million in fiscal 2010. Proceeds from the sales of rental equipment increased $37 million to $177.5 million for fiscal 2011 compared with fiscal 2010.

AMERCO will hold its investor call for the fiscal year 2011 on Thursday, June 9, 2011, at 8 a.m. Arizona Time (11 a.m. Eastern). The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at www.amerco.com. To hear a simulcast of the call, or a replay, visit www.amerco.com.

About AMERCO

AMERCO is the parent company of U-Haul International, Inc. U-Haul is in the shared use business and was founded on the fundamental philosophy that the division of use and specialization of ownership is good for both U-Haul customers and the environment.

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the choice for the do-it-yourself mover, with a network of more than 16,300 locations in all 50 States and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the Company to maintain the largest rental fleet in the "do-it-yourself" moving industry with approximately 101,000 trucks, 82,000 trailers and 33,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 411,000 rooms and approximately 36.3 million square feet of storage space at nearly 1,115 owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the consumer's number one choice as the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. The Company supplies alternative-fuel for vehicles and backyard barbecues as one of the nation's largest retailers of propane.

Certain of the statements made in this press release regarding our business constitute forward-looking statements as contemplated under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. For a brief discussion of the risks and uncertainties that may affect AMERCO's business and future operating results, please refer to Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2011, which is on file with the SEC.

Report on Business Operations Listed on a consolidated basis are revenues for our major product lines for the fourth quarter and the full year of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010.
		Quarter Ended Mar. 31,			Twelve Months Ended Mar. 31,
		2011	2010		2011	2010
		(In thousands)
Self-moving equipment rentals		$317,471	$298,307		$1,547,015	$1,419,726
Self-storage revenues		31,186	28,022		120,698	110,369
Self-moving and self-storage
products and service sales		43,926	44,364		205,570	198,785
Property management fees		7,887	7,200		22,132	21,632
Life insurance premiums		54,861	38,992		206,992	134,345
Property and casualty
insurance premiums		7,227	6,554		30,704	27,625
Net investment and interest income		13,219	11,081		52,661	49,989
Other revenue		12,593	9,274		55,503	39,534
Consolidated revenue		$488,370	$443,794		$2,241,275	$2,002,005

Listed below are revenues and earnings from operations at each of our operating segments for the fourth quarter and the full year of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010.
		Quarter Ended Mar. 31,			Twelve Months Ended Mar. 31
		2011	2010		2011	2010
Moving and storage		(In thousands)
Revenues		$419,690	$393,268		$1,977,826	$1,816,322
Earnings from operations		38,066	7,537		370,100	185,329
Property and casualty insurance
Revenues		9,056	7,838		38,663	34,390
Earnings from operations		358	1,593		5,638	6,279
Life insurance
Revenues		60,812	43,729		229,911	155,725
Earnings from operations		5,879	4,807		17,435	16,858
Eliminations
Revenues		(1,188)	(1,041)		(5,125)	(4,432)
Earnings from operations		(4,115)	(3,972)		(15,478)	(14,929)
Consolidated results
Revenues		488,370	443,794		2,241,275	2,002,005
Earnings from operations		40,188	9,965		377,695	193,537

AMERCO AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
		March 31,
		2011		2010
ASSETS		(In thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents		$375,496		$244,118
Reinsurance recoverables and trade receivables, net		205,371		198,283
Inventories, net		59,942		52,837
Prepaid expenses		57,624		53,379
Investments, fixed maturities and marketable equities		659,809		549,318
Investments, other		201,868		227,486
Deferred policy acquisition costs, net		52,870		39,194
Other assets		166,633		147,325
Related party assets		301,968		302,126
		2,081,581		1,814,066
Property, plant and equipment, at cost:
Land		239,177		224,904
Buildings and improvements		1,024,669		970,937
Furniture and equipment		310,671		323,334
Rental trailers and other rental equipment		249,700		244,131
Rental trucks		1,611,763		1,529,817
		3,435,980		3,293,123
Less: Accumulated depreciation		(1,341,407)		(1,344,735)
Total property, plant and equipment		2,094,573		1,948,388
Total assets		$4,176,154		$3,762,454
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		$304,006		$296,057
Notes, loans and leases payable		1,397,842		1,347,635
Policy benefits and losses, claims and loss expenses payable		927,376		816,909
Liabilities from investment contracts		246,717		268,810
Other policyholders' funds and liabilities		8,727		8,155
Deferred income		27,209		25,207
Deferred income taxes		271,257		186,770
Total liabilities		3,183,134		2,949,543
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock		10,497		10,497
Additional paid-in capital		418,023		419,811
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(46,467)		(56,207)
Retained earnings		1,140,002		969,017
Cost of common shares in treasury, net		(525,653)		(525,653)
Unearned employee stock ownership plan shares		(3,382)		(4,554)
Total stockholders' equity		993,020		812,911
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity		$4,176,154		$3,762,454

AMERCO AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
		Quarter Ended March 31,
		2011		2010
		(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Revenues:
Self-moving equipment rentals		$317,471		$298,307
Self-storage revenues		31,186		28,022
Self-moving and self-storage products and service sales		43,926		44,364
Property management fees		7,887		7,200
Life insurance premiums		54,861		38,992
Property and casualty insurance premiums		7,227		6,554
Net investment and interest income		13,219		11,081
Other revenue		12,593		9,274
Total revenues		488,370		443,794
Costs and expenses:
Operating expenses		250,198		245,117
Commission expenses		38,832		35,621
Cost of sales		22,170		24,443
Benefits and losses		47,312		33,645
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs		2,945		1,202
Lease expense		37,020		39,205
Depreciation, net of (gains) losses on disposals		49,705		54,596
Total costs and expenses		448,182		433,829
Earnings from operations		40,188		9,965
Interest expense		(22,893)		(22,671)
Pretax earnings (loss)		17,295		(12,706)
Income tax benefit (expense)		(4,049)		7,686
Net earnings (loss)		13,246		(5,020)
Excess (loss) of carrying amount of preferred stock over consideration paid		(7)		7
Less: Preferred stock dividends		(3,076)		(3,198)
Earnings (loss) available to common shareholders		$10,163		$(8,211)
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share		$0.52		$(0.43)
Weighted average common shares outstanding: Basic and diluted		19,449,243		19,402,035

AMERCO AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
	Twelve Months Ended March 31,
		2011			2010
	(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Revenues:
Self-moving equipment rentals			$1,547,015		$1,419,726
Self-storage revenues			120,698		110,369
Self-moving and self-storage products and service sales			205,570		198,785
Property management fees			22,132		21,632
Life insurance premiums			206,992		134,345
Property and casualty insurance premiums			30,704		27,625
Net investment and interest income			52,661		49,989
Other revenue			55,503		39,534
Total revenues			2,241,275		2,002,005
Costs and expenses:
Operating expenses			1,026,577		1,022,061
Commission expenses			190,981		169,104
Cost of sales			106,024		104,049
Benefits and losses			190,429		121,105
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs			9,494		7,569
Lease expense			150,809		156,951
Depreciation, net of (gains) losses on disposals			189,266		227,629
Total costs and expenses			1,863,580		1,808,468
Earnings from operations			377,695		193,537
Interest expense			(88,381)		(93,347)
Pretax earnings			289,314		100,190
Income tax expense			(105,739)		(34,567)
Net earnings			183,575		65,623
Excess (loss) of carrying amount of preferred stock over consideration paid			(178)		388
Less: Preferred stock dividends			(12,412)		(12,856)
Earnings available to common shareholders			$170,985		$53,155
Basic and diluted earnings per common share			$8.80		$2.74
Weighted average common shares outstanding: Basic and diluted			19,432,781		19,386,791

SOURCE AMERCO