"We think very few of the cases we have confirmed are in people over 50," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Dr Anne Schuchat told reporters in a telephone briefing. "Whether this will pan out over the weeks ahead we don’t know."

The CDC reported 226 cases of the new H1N1 swine flu virus and one death in 30 states. The CDC previously had confirmed 160 cases in 21 states.

Mexican officials say they believe the outbreak there is starting to ease, although they are still trying to get a full picture of just how far the disease has spread.

Schuchat said the virus is fairly widespread in the United States, meaning that most states have reported cases. New York has the most cases with 63, many linked to a school in the New York City borough of Queens. Texas has 40 cases.

U.S. health officials said they were encouraged by signs in Mexico that the number of cases are leveling off and that there was only one death in the United States — a toddler visiting from Mexico.

Most cases in the United States have been reported to be mild. But 30 people, mostly older children and young adults, have been hospitalized with the disease, U.S. officials said.

Schuchat said that with seasonal flu, the elderly and very young are most likely to be sick enough to be hospitalized — 200,000 a year on average.

"I don’t think we are out of the woods yet," Schuchat said. "From what I know of influenza, I do know there will be more cases, more severe cases and more deaths."

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Sunday that flu vaccines for both the new strain of the H1N1 virus and the seasonal flu should be ready by autumn.

She told NBC’s "Meet the Press" that the government is accelerating production of a vaccine against the seasonal flu, which is expected to infect millions of Americans, and is beginning laboratory work on the new H1N1 virus.

Companies already are making the vaccine for the autumn months with a mixture of three influenza viruses that was chosen this year before the new strain broke out.

They have a number of choices — leaving the new strain out of the mix altogether, replacing the current H1N1 component with the new H1N1 strain, or making it a so-called quadrivalent vaccine that includes the new swine H1N1, the circulating seasonal H1N1, the H3N2 component and the influenza B strain.

It takes months to formulate influenza vaccines and they must be made fresh every ear, with new strains of the constantly mutating virus.

CDC says few people in U.S. over 50 hit by new flu

The 23-year-old man was searched after authorities discovered two eggs in a vitamin container in his luggage, said Richard Janeczko, national investigations manager for the Customs Service.

They found the pigeons wrapped in padded envelopes and held to each of the man’s legs with a pair of tights, according to a statement released by the agency. Officials also seized seeds in his money belt and an undeclared eggplant.

The alleged bird smuggler, who arrived in Melbourne on Sunday on a flight from Dubai, was being questioned.

Australia has very strict quarantine regulations on the importation of wildlife, plants and food to protect health, agriculture and the environment of the isolated island nation.

Charges of wildlife smuggling — which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of 110,000 Australian dollars ($70,430) — could be brought against the man.

Janeczko said the pigeons were not endangered and that the case — as well as the birds, eggs and seeds — had been turned over to the Quarantine Service to assess the health risk associated with bringing the birds into the country.

The Quarantine Service would not comment on the continuing investigation.

Officials nab traveler with pigeons in his pants

“The child suffered fairly extensive injuries and the paramedics spent some time trying to resuscitate the child,” said ambulance spokesman Paul Bentley.

The girl’s 35-year-old father was arrested just an hour later outside Melbourne’s Federal Court, which hears family case matters, with two other children in his car, police said.

The father was charged with murder.

Australian girl, 4, thrown from bridge | International | Reuters

The currencies weakened as reports showed U.S. home prices plunged at the fastest pace in at least four decades and confidence among Japanese manufacturers declined the most on record. A deepening global recession may lead to interest-rate cuts in Australia and New Zealand, eroding their appeal as a destination for funds borrowed in nations such as Japan that have lower borrowing costs.

“The equity and currency markets have been moving in step,” said Charles Wiggins, corporate risk manager at Custom House Global Foreign Exchange in Sydney. The Australian dollar will trade between 66 and 69 U.S. cents this month, he forecast.

Australia’s currency fell 0.9 percent to 67.76 U.S. cents as of 3:24 p.m. in Sydney from 68.34 cents late in Asia yesterday. The currency lost 0.4 percent to 61.37 yen.

New Zealand’s dollar declined 0.5 percent to 56.80 U.S. cents from 57.07 in Asia yesterday. It bought 51.43 yen from 51.47.

Benchmark interest rates are 4.25 percent in Australia and 5 percent in New Zealand, compared with 0.1 percent in Japan and as low as zero in the U.S., a premium that has helped draw funds to the South Pacific nations.

Liquidity in the foreign-exchange markets will decline due to the Christmas holidays, said Matthew Strauss, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets in Toronto. The Australian dollar will find support at 67.68 cents and New Zealand’s currency at 55.88 cents, he said.

Cheaper Commodities

The Australian currency has dropped 20 percent against the U.S. dollar in 2008 and 37 percent versus the yen as falling commodity prices amid a global recession made the nation’s assets less attractive. New Zealand’s currency fell 23 percent versus the U.S. dollar and 40 percent against the yen.

Australia’s currency may add to this year’s slide in the first quarter of 2009, Sydney-based Jonathan Cavenagh, a currency strategist at Westpac Banking Corp., wrote yesterday in a research note.

“We expect that the maximum level of bearishness for the Australian dollar will be reached around the time of the contract negotiations for bulk commodities, which is scheduled for April,” he said.

Raw materials account for 60 percent of Australia’s exports. The currency will likely trade around the 5 1/2-year low of 60.10 cents it reached on Oct. 28 and find a floor as low as 55 cents, he wrote.

Second-Half Recovery

Cavenagh forecast that the Aussie, as the currency is known, will recover in the second half of 2009 as policy initiatives around the world lead to a pick-up in growth.

“We expect January will bring increased flows to currencies like the Australian dollar” that have higher yields, Robert Sinche, New York-based head of global currency strategy at Bank of America Corp., wrote in a research note dated Dec. 23.

Investors should buy the Australian dollar versus Canada’s currency as it may strengthen 9 percent, Bank of America and Westpac Banking Corp. said in notes yesterday.

Sinche recommended buying Australia’s currency at 82.60 Canadian cents, saying it may strengthen to 90 cents. He advised exiting the trade if it falls to 80.94 Canadian cents. The Australian dollar traded at 82.49 Canadian cents from 83.07 late in Asia yesterday.

Westpac also advised buying the Aussie versus the euro, predicting an 11 percent advance. Investors should buy the Australian dollar on dips toward 0.48 euro with an initial target of 0.54, Cavenagh wrote. They should exit the bet if the Aussie weakens to below 0.47 euro, he wrote. It recently traded at 0.4854 euro from 0.4887 yesterday.

Bonds Gain

Australian government bonds advanced for a second day. The yield on the 10-year note fell 2 basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 4.09 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The price of the 5.25 percent security due March 2019 rose 0.128, or A$1.28 per A$1,000 face amount, to 109.592.

New Zealand’s two-year swap rate, a fixed payment made to receive floating rates, slid to 4.49 percent from 4.51 yesterday.

Bloomberg.com: Australia & New Zealand

The hoop’s great day in the saddle followed a Boxing Day double at Randwick courtesy of Serenissima and Referees, both for Darley Australia’s head trainer, Peter Snowden.

McEvoy landed the treble and a race-to-race double on the Adam Spitzer-trained Smart Punch after wins on Chiamaka for Paul Perry and Altavilla for Snowden.

And it was Snowden who was happiest to see McEvoy enjoying a winning run.

“He’s a very hard worker and it was always going to take a little while for him to adjust to Australian racing, but we’re starting to form a good combination,” he said.

“He’s had his critics but Kerrin is riding so well at the moment and nobody deserves the success more than he does.”

Multiple suspensions have interrupted McEvoy’s return to Australia from the UK in August to be the No. 1 rider for Darley Australia and he has not only come under fire from stewards but from punters and the media alike.

McEvoy, who won this year’s Caulfield Cup on All The Good for Godolphin, took the treble in his stride and said it was crucial for him to continue working hard.

“Everything’s going well but I’ll just be keeping my head down and putting in the hours,” he said.

“It was always going to take a bit of time to re-adjust but I’m feeling very good about my riding.”

Spitzer praised McEvoy for his patient ride on Smart Punch who was held up until the last 100m in the Golden Slipper On Sale Handicap (1300m) before bursting through to defeat Triple Down by a short head.

“Kerrin was brilliant, he never panicked at any stage and when the gap came he pounced, he’s a top rider,” Spitzer said.

Smart colt Chiamaka, who started at $4.40, benefited from a perfectly rated front-running ride by McEvoy to easily account for $2.60 favourite Tinjirarni in the Caravan And Camping Show April 18-25 Handicap (1100m).

McEvoy took advantage of barrier one, driving Chiamaka to the lead.

And on straightening, Tinjirarni was travelling fourth and was looming as a danger but Chiamaka kicked in the final 200m and quickly put paid to his rivals, going on to defeat the favourite by 1 1/4 lengths.

Stable representative Nathan Perry said he expected Chiamaka to run a bold race second-up this preparation following his fifth to Putheron at Gosford on December 11 over 1100m.

“His work at home has been very good leading into this and we were quietly confident and Kerrin gave him every chance with a perfect ride,” Perry said.

Herald Sun

From his bed in Perth’s Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the former mechanic found out Ford had dropped its appeal against the $840,000 payout he won in February.

The father of three had made legal history when the Supreme Court ruled he developed the asbestosis that now cripples him while he worked for Ford, and awarded him damages.

Mr Lo Presti, 59, who requires bottled oxygen 24 hours a day, inhaled asbestos while working for Ford between 1970 and 1987, servicing brakes that contained asbestos in the lining.

It was the first successful asbestos claim by a mechanic against a car company, opening the way for other similar victims.

But Ford appealed the Supreme Court’s decision, forcing a continuation of the litigation, which began in 2002.

Mr Lo Presti was rushed to hospital on Tuesday with a build-up of fluid on his lungs.

His wife, Connie, was critical of Ford’s timing in announcing it was abandoning the appeal on Christmas Eve.

She said they could have saved her husband and family a lot of stress by announcing it earlier.

“I thought they were pretty disgusting,” she said. “They could have done it better to relieve any heartache on the family and on him.

“I hope they come to the party on this and don’t let us stress any more than they already have.”

Mr Lo Presti began suffering the effects of the usually fatal lung disease in the late 1990s.

In his Supreme Court ruling, judge Andrew Beech said Ford should have known that, without protective measures, asbestos fibres released from the brake linings could have caused the disease.

Australian Asbestos Diseases Society president Robert Vojakovic, who has worked with Mr Lo Presti through the litigation process, said it had taken too long.

“Ford kept delaying, they kept frustrating. That should never happen again,” he said.

The Australian

The first relates to an agreement signed a decade ago with global food giant Cadbury, which gives TCCC a pre-emptive right to bid for Cadbury’s soft drink business in Australia. This pre-emptive right was triggered on Christmas Eve when Cadbury announced it had received a 550 million ($1.19 billion) takeover offer for the Schweppes business from Japanese brewing giant Asahi Breweries.

TCCC has until March to decide whether to buy Schweppes, or allow global competitor Asahi to consummate the deal and move into the Australian market.

Its decision will no doubt hinge on an even bigger decision it has to make on the future ownership of anchor bottler Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA).

TCCC has a 30 per cent shareholding in CCA, which is facing an $8 billion takeover offer from Lion Nathan.

Lion wants to execute the takeover of CCA via a scheme of arrangement that requires a 75 per cent approval. This makes TCCC’s agreement imperative if the deal is to succeed.

Whatever TCCC decides to do in relation to the future ownership of the two biggest soft drinks operators in Australia will also have an impact on the future ownership of Australia’s alcohol industry.

Put simply, if TCCC buys Schweppes and sells some of the brands into CCA, it would prompt Lion Nathan to withdraw its offer for CCA and increase the likelihood of Asahi bidding for the country’s biggest beer and wine company, Foster’s Group, which is finishing off a strategic review of its wine business.

But if TCCC decides to allow Asahi to buy Schweppes, and also knocks back Lion’s takeover offer for CCA, CCA might bid for Foster’s.

Foster’s underperforming wine business is acting like a poison pill, dissuading potential buyers of the beer business, which might fetch more than $11 billion in its own right. The board of Foster’s promised that by February it would release details of a strategic review, which could include demerging its wine business.

CCA is champing at the bit to get into the alcohol business, and would be very interested in Foster’s if the board opted to sell its wine business, write down the value of the wine business substantially, or even better, demerge the two businesses into separate entities.

CCA needs to get into alcohol because its dominance in the non-alcoholic beverages sector makes it hard to make any more acquisitions without running into regulatory problems from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission.

It tried to buy the Berri fruit juice company in 2003 but faced ACCC opposition on the basis that the move would allow CCA to leverage its market power, and that would reduce consumer choice and cause harm competition significantly.

But CCA would need the green light from TCCC to bid for Foster’s, something that might not be as easy as it sounds, because any deal would reduce earnings per share.

CCA has started small in alcohol, with the formation of a joint venture with SABMiller called Pacific Beverages, along with an exclusive agreement to sell and distribute the premium spirit portfolio of global premium spirits distributor Maxxium, which boasts brands such as Jim Beam, Canadian Club, Remy Martin, Cointreau, and Absolut Vodka, and more recently started to build a $120 million brewery with a target of 30 million litres of beer.

SABMiller is more likely to look at Foster’s on its own, if it became availableCCA currently has around 12.5 million litres of beer, or 0.7 per cent of the market, including 2.5 million litres of Bluetongue, just under a million litres of Peroni, Miller and Pu Beer and a million litres of Grolsch (acquired by Miller this year).

But CCA’s alcohol strategy has raised speculation that there are bigger plans. The reason is simple: returns to date are minuscule, making it difficult to believe that SABMiller would really divert management time and resources for such a small return.

The upshot is SABMiller is more likely to look at Foster’s on its own if it became available.

Many argue that SABMiller’s alliance with CCA is more about understanding the Australian market and getting Foster’s to the negotiating table, than a possible vehicle for a Foster’s acquisition.

Financial records show that CCA’s share of the Pacific Beverage joint-venture profits were $800,000 in 2007 and about $300,000 for the first half of 2008.

Assuming it achieves its target of 30 million litres of beer, it would need to generate fat margins to make the business worthwhile.

Indeed, back of the envelope figures suggest that even if it made a $1.50 a litre gross margin, when marketing costs, operational costs and interest costs are taken into account, the returns become questionable. As a further aside, North America-based Molson Coors Brewing Company has bought a seat at any takeover table after announcing in November it had built up an economic interest of about 5 per cent of Foster’s, by entering into a cash-settled total return swap with Deutsche Bank.

Some speculate that Asahi is gearing up for a play for Foster’s, while others suggest that if Asahi gets Schweppes it will then bid on some of the assets of the struggling Independent Liquor.
Asahi has made it clear it wants to diversify, moving out of the Japanese beer market.
The next few months will be profound for the Australian soft drinks and alcohol industry, with TCCC playing a key role in its reshaping.

The decisions it makes may be based on deals it does in other countries.

For instance, Lion Nathan’s bid for CCA was made in conjunction with Lion’s major shareholder, Japanese beer company Kirin, which is understood to have had a series of discussions with TCCC regarding the bid, the business plan of the merged entity and ways to satisfy certain conditions that were outlined in a letter from TCCC to Kirin when the proposal was first presented to CCA.

In Japan, Kirin is the third-largest soft drink manufacturer with a 12 per cent market share and is a direct competitor of TCCC, which has 29 per cent of the market. Kirin also owns 10 per cent of TCCC’s leading Japanese bottler, Coca-Cola West Holdings Japan, and 100 per cent of Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England, which operates in the 6 US states.

Japan is a more important market for TCCC than Australia.

Kirin is TCCC’s closest ally of the major Japanese beverage players and, in return for giving its approval for Lion to acquire Coca-Cola Amatil, under an acceptable structure, TCCC may seek concessions or undertakings from Kirin in Japan.

With everything up for grabs, and the Australian dollar making Australian businesses relatively cheap for foreign players, anything is possible.

It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that TCCC does a deal with Kirin, ends up with 9 per cent of CCA, keeps making money from CCA by selling it syrup and buys Schweppes in Australia as a bargaining chip with a few other players.

The Australian

The unnamed official had been in Suva on a visitor visa awaiting a decision by the interim Government on his long-term visa status.

Australian Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon told The Australian newspaper: “The interim (Fiji) Government has indicated that no visa will be granted.

“This is an important position, not only in relation to Fiji but also to the four other Pacific island countries, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati and Nauru, all close neighbours of Fiji, to which the defence adviser position is credited,” he said.

“This is unhelpful and destructive behaviour by the Fiji interim Government, which should instead be focusing all of its efforts on returning Fiji to democracy – as it had promised to do.”

In a sign of worsening relations with Australia, the Fiji interim Government rejected the defence adviser’s application and ordered the Australian out of the country.

The move followed the recent expulsion and denial of consular access to New Zealand journalist Barbara Dreaver and the expulsion of two Australian journalists earlier this year.

Relations between New Zealand and Fiji sank to a new low last week with announcements by both countries of tit-for-tat expulsions of each other’s ambassadors.

Fiji’s action against New Zealand’s Caroline McDonald followed an outburst on Monday by the interim Government’s attorney-general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who alleged that New Zealand and Australian authorities were tapping phone lines and using locally hired Fijians as spies.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said he had no knowledge of any such activity, and the reference to locally hired Fijians was “one of the less pleasant aspects” of recent statements.

McDonald is the second Kiwi high commissioner to be given marching orders by Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.

In June last year, Michael Green was declared persona non grata after being accused of meddling in Fiji’s affairs.
The diplomatic breakdown comes as Pacific Island Forum leaders prepare to make another attempt to persuade Fiji to hold democratic elections next year.

Regional leaders, including New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, are due to meet in Papua New Guinea at the end of next month to discuss a way forward.

The latest sparring started when New Zealand refused to grant a student visa to the son of the private secretary to Fiji’s President Ratu Josefa Iloilo under sanctions Wellington imposed on key members of Fiji’s Government and their relatives following the December 2006 coup.

Fijilive

Just when Australian tennis needed a shot of optimism, Lleyton Hewitt and Dellacqua will team to make their comebacks at next week’s Hopman Cup in Perth.

Hewitt returns to court for the first time since hip surgery in August, and Dellacqua hasn’t played since September because of a torn ligament in her shoulder.

While Dellacqua’s early exit from the Beijing Olympics was blamed on a case of service yips, the 23-year-old revealed her shoulder had become so tender she would wince brushing her hair.

As part of her rehabilitation, she spent seven weeks at the AIS in Canberra, with access to constant medical and physiotherapy services.

After video analysis, Dellacqua has been forced to change her service action, which was a threat to her longevity in the sport.

“It was getting my shoulder in an impingement position, where I was in a lot of pain,” she said.

“We had a look at my serve and I’ve changed it a fair bit.

“I’ve had a few weeks to practise, but I’ve still got a long way to go. It was something, though, for my future that needed to be done.”

Coming back ranked 53 in the world, Dellacqua has been granted a wildcard into Sydney’s Medibank International on January 11.

The field includes six of the world’s top 10 and 13 of the top 20, headlined by Serena Williams.

With a career peak at No. 39 this year, Dellacqua said it was a chance to measure herself.

“The field always has depth, you’re always going to play someone that’s top 50 in the world,” she said.

Dellacqua hopes to pick up some pointers from Hewitt at the Hopman Cup. They open their campaign against Germany on Monday, January 5.

“I’m 23, I’m getting to the years where I think I can improve and get higher (in the rankings), so, I can learn so much from a player like Lleyton,” Dellacqua said.

“The Hopman Cup is the perfect preparation, because I haven’t played for so long, I really do need as many matches under my belt as I can get. Lleyton’s had hip surgery and he’s been out for a few months as well, so, I think matches are just what we need.

“I’m expecting the first match to be a bit scratchy, but I want to keep improving, and by Aussie Open time, be hitting my straps.”

THE first serve is still seven days away, yet, already the Brisbane International is shaping as a useful form guide for the Australian Open.

World No. 3 Novak Djokovic and women’s No. 2 Ana Ivanovic can make significant strides towards grand slam victories if they perform strongly in Brisbane, which will be played on the same plexicushion surface as at Melbourne Park.

The tournament’s predecessor, the Australian Women’s Hardcourts, attracted some of the world’s best players to the Gold Coast, but not once in its 12-year history did the winner back up at the Australian Open.

That could all change next month with Djokovic joined in the men’s draw by big names Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Robin Soderling, Tomas Berdych, Mardy Fish and Richard Gasquet.

Ivanovic’s threats include Victoria Azarenka, Marion Bartoli, Daniela Hantuchova, Na Li, Amelie Mauresmo and Queenslander Sam Stosur.

Lleyton Hewitt and Casey Dellacqua to lead Australia | Herald Sun

White pointers caused terror on opposite sides of Australia yesterday, with snorkeller Brian Guest killed as he swam with his son at a beach near Perth.

Sydney paddlers Justin Stanger and Steve Kulscar were lucky to survive, with Mr Kulscar falling from his craft as the four-metre white pointer circled them about a kilometre off Long Reef.

Fisherman Glenn Morgan was in a runabout nearby when he saw a large fin break the water near the kayakers about 11am.

“All of a sudden I saw one bloke topple off his kayak, so we cut our anchor rope and went straight over to him and got him in the boat,” Mr Morgan told The Sun-Herald last night.

The shark came perilously close as the two kayakers fastened their craft to the tinnie.

It circled for at least another 10minutes before leaving.

“The adrenalin was just pumping,” Mr Morgan said. “I reckon they would have died if we weren’t out there – the shark was pretty hungry.”

“I might get him a case of beer – that’s the least I can do,” one of the men told the Seven Network.

Mr Guest, 51, and his son, Daniel, 24, were diving for crabs off their local beach near Rockingham, 30 kilometres south of Perth, when the former suddenly disappeared about 7am.

Daniel had heard his father cry out and had seen the shark and a “heap of blood” in the water.

“Something very traumatic and pretty violent has happened there and we are treating it as a probable shark attack,” acting police inspector Mark Valentine said.

Police, marine rescue patrols and three helicopters searched unsuccessfully for Mr Guest.

“[Daniel] was on the beach shaking and looked really white, and he was just really shocked,” resident Luke Tubbs said.

Family spokesman and policeman Steve Kent said Mr Guest, a banker, was a devoted husband and father who knew the dangers of the ocean.

“[He was] an avid fisherman, an avid diver and a loving husband and father,” Sergeant Kent said.

Mr Guest had campaigned to protect sharks from hunting.

“Our place on earth is not so sacred that we remove every threat that exists,” he said in a forum about sharks on the Western Angler website.

“Every surfer, fisherman and diver has far more chance of being killed by bees, drunk drivers, teenage car thieves and lightning.”

Shark horror: snorkeller dead, kayakers menaced – National – smh.com.au