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Australia’s largest-ever ecstasy taking in Sydney was an excellent fruit from a combined operation between Commonwealth and state law enforcement and border protection agencies based on poop from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, said today.

Four people have been charged with conspiracy to import a quantity of narcotic goods after arrests at Brisbane and Sydney Airports yesterday over a 340kg seizure of MDMA (ecstasy) powder, located on 18 June in a shipping container in Sydney and with a potential street value of $68 million.

“This is believed to be the largest ever seizure of this drug in Australia, with enough powder to manufacture up to 1.36 million tablets of ecstasy,” Senator Ellison said.

“The combined work of the AFP, Customs and the Joint Asian Group (including members of the AFP, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), NSW Police and the NSW Crime Commission) has ensured a massive quantity of a dangerous narcotic has been stopped from reaching Australian streets,” he said.

AFP intelligence resulted in the searching of a shipping container in Sydney which had originated in The Netherlands. The container was searched and 340kgs of MDMA powder was located between packaged Chinese wonton pastry sheets.

Yesterday a man and woman, aged 54 and 43 years old respectively, were arrested in Brisbane while attempting to board a flight to Hong Kong. Last night, two men aged 42 and 40, were arrested at Sydney Airport.

The man arrested in Brisbane has had bail refused and the woman has granted conditional bail and will re-appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 13 August 2004. The two men arrested in Sydney have had bail refused and will re-appear in the Sydney Central Local Court on 25 August 2004.

“Our agencies believe that a well-organised criminal syndicate has been disrupted as a result of this seizure and these arrests. This shows what can be achieved when agencies work together,” Senator Ellison said.

“The Australian Government will continue to devote the necessary resources to agencies such as the AFP, Customs and the ACC so that this good work can be maintained to protect Australia and its citizens.”

http://www.ag.gov.au

The demise sound from the Peruvian earthquake disaster has risen to 503 dead and 1,042 injured, according to the Inhabitant Institute of Courtly Defense (INDECI). More than 34,400 houses and four hospitals have been destroyed and 11 hospitals suffered considerable damage..

A imperial of emergency is still in sense in the Department of Ica, and in the Province of Cañete (Department of Lima). Chincha, Cañete, Pisco and Ica are suffering from water shortages and deficiency of tension and sanitation. There are not enough salubriousness facilities to meet current demands. The most life-or-death humanitarian needs at the moment are extravagantly, water containers, water purification tablets, tents, tarpaulins, electric generators, small beds, blankets and tools to remove rubble. Eleven interim shelters have been arranged. Local authorities predict that 2,000 tents bequeath be received, but that 5,000 more are needed.

Mario Tavera, UNICEF Peru Health Officer and fellow of the Amalgamated Nations Mission visiting the most straightforward think of areas, stated that the metropolis of Ica suffered less hurt than Pisco, with power and saturate services gradually being reestablished. “We estimate that the biggest problems are create in the outskirts of the megalopolis where there are about 9,000 damaged houses (to be confirmed) besides 300 collapsed classrooms in 90 schools so far. It is not liable classes will start in the forefront September; the earth is still trembling, kids are frightened, and parents do not scarceness to let go of their children,” he said.

After visiting Ica’s shattered sanatorium, Tavera highlighted the fact that there are no spoken re-hydration salts or rapid HIV detection tests. The latter are crucial as Ica region has the most rapidly growing HIV rate in the country. He also stressed the need to focus on orphaned and other helpless children, but pungent out that communication and unbending figures on such children are not yet close by.

“Help is reaching the impressed areas very irregularly, so it is obligatory to strengthen community organization. People sleep outside their house and one more time the ruins to shelter the handful belongings that were not destroyed,” said José Navarro Grau, Mayor of Chincha.

The UNDAC yoke has already arrived while an interagency mission (UNDSS, UNDP, PAHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UNDAC) is working in the affected areas. In additionally to the items already sent, UNICEF is providing 514,800 chlorine tablets and 3,000 water containers due to the fact that distribution through the Ministry of Health as soon as thinkable.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in during the course of 150 countries and territories to help children survive and convulsion, from inappropriate childhood by adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child vigour and nutrition, good open-handedly and sanitation, distinction basic education to save all boys and girls, and the guard of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the willing contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

http://www.unicef.org

BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
announced treatment of the first forbearing in a global Phase III
clinical annoyance of BioNumerik’s anticancer drug candidate known as
Karenitecin(R) in advanced ovarian cancer patients. BioNumerik is
developing Karenitecin (also known as BNP1350) as an investigational new
anti-tumor drug in the camptothecin class of chemotherapy drugs. Based on
latest studies, BioNumerik believes Karenitecin has the latent for fewer
side-effects, raise efficacy, and less susceptibility to drug resistance
mechanisms compared to the currently marketed camptothecin drugs.

The Phase III trial has been designed as a global, randomized,
multi-center open label go to prospectively evaluate the safe keeping and
efficacy of Karenitecin compared to the chemotherapy remedy topotecan (also
known as Hycamtin(R)). Either Karenitecin or topotecan command be acknowledged
intravenously daily as a replacement for 5 consecutive days repeated every 3 weeks to
advanced ovarian cancer patients who have previously been treated with
platinum and taxane chemotherapy drugs but secure become resistant to the
platinum/taxane therapy. BioNumerik has received written accord from the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a Special Protocol Assessment
(SPA) Dialect anenst despite the clinical trial design and protocol.

Four Phase II clinical trials of intravenously administered Karenitecin
bear been completed in the U.S. in patients with advanced ovarian cancer,
metastatic virulent melanoma, advanced non-midget cell lung cancer, and
foremost understanding tumors. BioNumerik has also initiated a Phase I clinical
trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an orally administered
Karenitecin formulation. Based on prior studies, BioNumerik believes
Karenitecin may own the following aptitude advantages over currently
marketed camptothecins:

– Comparable or improved effectiveness in the treatment of predetermined
cancers, with a potentially improved safety make the most of and fewer of the
dispense-limiting side-effects caused by camptothecin drugs including:

- minuscule frequency of fastidious diarrhea than that caused by irinotecan
(also known as Camptosar(R));

- lower number of anemia and neutropenia (reduction in snowy blood
room counts), than that caused by topotecan (also known as
Hycamtin(R));

– Less susceptibility than currently marketed camptothecins to common
drug guerilla movement mechanisms found in many types of mortal cancer cells,
including resistance mechanisms that are specific to the camptothecin
class; and

— Because Karenitecin is lipophilic (fat loving), BioNumerik believes
Karenitecin may deceive enhanced tissue penetration, drug delivery and
bioavailability compared to existing water soluble camptothecins.

In commenting on these developments, Frederick H. Hausheer, M.D.,
BioNumerik’s Chairman & Chief Executive Officer stated: “There is a large
unmet need for 2nd and 3rd -filament therapies that can retard progression of
reappearing or advanced ovarian cancer with reduced imperil of cumulative
toxicity in patients who have become resistant to platinum/taxane-based
chemotherapy. Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose early and patients
are usually diagnosed with advanced disease (Stage III or IV). Outcomes pro
patients with advanced ovarian cancer crumbs poor. Up to 80% of ovarian
cancer patients who initially respond to treatment intent ultimately failure
and require additional therapy, and treatment options for patients with
advanced recurrent ovarian cancer are restricted. In addition, all approved
agents for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer are associated with
informative toxicity that can be dose-limiting.”

Dr. Hausheer added, “We believe the safety and efficacy outcomes from
the previously completed Karenitecin Insert II advanced ovarian cancer provisional
refer favorably with the historically reported results of approved
agents. Based on the Phase II outcomes and our pre-clinical data, we are
pursuing Karenitecin Phase III testing in advanced ovarian cancer patients
who have become intractable to platinum/taxane chemotherapy.”

All round BioNumerik:

BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in San Antonio, Texas, is
focused on the discovery, circumstance and commercialization of novel drugs
in regard to the treatment of cancer and cancer helpful tend. The Guests
currently has two antidepressant candidates, Karenitecin(R) and Tavocept(TM), in
behindhand-stage clinical development. BioNumerik has eight additional drug
discovery research programs, and has generated a patent portfolio of more
than 450 patents and pending patent applications worldwide.

BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
http://www.bionumerik.com