LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles reptile salesman facing up to 20 years’ jail for allegedly smuggling 15 protected lizards from Australia to the US by strapping them to his chest is “hoping for a favourable outcome”. (US Plank)

SYDNEY – Australian actress Rebecca Gibney admits she doesn’t mind a bit of Botox, tiffany jewelry the anti-ageing treatment to getting a facial. (Gibney – embargoed until 0001 AEDT Wednesday Dec 23)

CANBERRA – Punters have turned on Tony Abbott, with the odds of the coalition winning the next federal election widening after a recent plunge on Labor to retain office. (Election Betting)

CANBERRA – The federal government should step in swiftly to ensure NSW’s ailing red gum forests are protected, the Australian Greens say. (Gums Greens)

SYDNEY – Six months after the death of a man whose vision it was to open such a facility, work has begun on a specialist cancer care centre in Sydney. (Health Rudd to come)

SYDNEY – Three weeks into her position as NSW premier, Kristina Keneally has crossed paths with Kevin Rudd for a third time and won praise from the prime minister. (Leadership NSW Rudd)

SYDNEY – Shipyard workers have welcomed the NSW government’s decision to keep Sydney Ferries in public hands, but tourism and infrastructure groups are deeply disappointed. (Ferries Update)

Ferries Wrap to come

SYDNEY – Punched in the face and surrounded by an angry crowd, a Sydney police officer tasered his attacker during a Christmas carols event. (Carols)

SYDNEY – Eric Thomas Turner murdered four people, became NSW’s longest serving tiffany necklaces and, at 80, was baptised on his jail deathbed in July 2008. (Turner)

SYDNEY – Unions are urging festive season workers in NSW to check their pay packets and ensure proper penalty rates are being honoured. (Xmas Pay)

SYDNEY – Authorities are bracing for a spike in domestic violence across NSW this festive season. (Domestic NSW)

SYDNEY – NSW skippers planning to hit the water over the festive season are being reminded to keep their alcohol consumption in check. (Skippers)

MELBOURNE – Holiday shoppers have been sickened by the “malicious” vandalism of one of Melbourne’s most loved holiday icons three days before Christmas. (Myer Wrap)

MELBOURNE – Victorian police will next year have the power to automatically suspend a driver’s licence if a laboratory drug test shows the motorist was affected by illegal drugs. (Motorists)

MELBOURNE – First it was hoon drivers that had their cars confiscated. Now, hoons in boats can be forced off the water. (Hoon)

MELBOURNE – Mobile phones are at the top of the Christmas list for gorillas. (Gorillas)

BRISBANE – A truck driver likely had a heart attack before running off the road and crashing his tanker into a Brisbane CBD building, authorities say. (Truck Wrap)

BRISBANE – A Queensland man who headed up one of the world’s largest online spamming tiffany accessories has been given a $210,000 penalty. (Atkinson)

BRISBANE – A Brisbane employee who stole almost $3 million from the Bank of Queensland (BOQ) and then spent it like “Monopoly money” on cars, jewellery and holidays has been sentenced to nine years’ jail. (Denford)

BRISBANE – The Queensland attorney-general has successfully sought a harsher sentence on appeal for a former sex educator who paid teenage boys to inject medication into his penis. (Wharton to come)

BRISBANE – DNA material used to convict Queensland man Shane Davis of murder almost two decades ago will be retested in a Queensland first. (DNA to come)

BRISBANE – Federal Environment, Heritage and Arts Minister Peter Garrett has confirmed the Centaur is fully protected as an historic shipwreck. (Centaur to come)

BRISBANE – Federal Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor has opened a purpose-built Customs house at Brisbane Airport. (Customs to come)

BRISBANE – Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has unveiled the architect’s impression of the new ABC studios at Southbank. (ABC to come)

BRISBANE – Police investigating the suspected murder of a southeast Queensland woman have found evidence that may lead to a breakthrough. (Birt)

BRISBANE – A Brisbane man has been rescued by water police after his boat sank in deep water in Moreton Bay. (Sunk)

BRISBANE – A woman and her three young children have escaped safely from a fire that destroyed their home in central Queensland. (Fire)

BRISBANE – Health authorities are nervous an outbreak of dengue fever during the Christmas holiday season will be difficult to contain. (Dengue)

ADELAIDE – Adelaide United defender Robbie Cornthwaite has pleaded guilty to assault after an incident at an Adelaide nightclub earlier this year. (Cornthwaite)

ADELAIDE – A $24 million redevelopment of Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital will include tffany keys pulmonary medicine clinics and gene therapy laboratories, the state government says. (Hospital)

PERTH – The West Australian holiday road toll stands at five after police included the deaths of an elderly couple on their family property in the state’s midwest. (Toll WA)

Mynhardt, from Botswana, was one semester away from graduating with a degree in business administration. He was known affectionately by his friends as “Botswana Lee.” His classmates decided they would collect donations from local businesses and from the community for their final project. The goal is help raise awareness for spinal cord injuries.

Elon University spokesman Dan Anderson said the students are selling rubber wrist bands for the fundraiser, called “Project Botswana.” Student Kevin Wellington said that all proceeds from the Botswana bracelets will aid Mynhardt and his family. The money will go toward his medical bills and his family’s housing costs.

“He is one of the nicest kids you’d ever meet,” Wellington said of Mynhardt. “He was always happy to see you.” “Even now he remains optimistic about everything.” Wellington hopes the fundraiser will draw awareness to the serious issue of spinal cord injuries. The students have been collecting money from a variety tiffany accessories of sources, Anderson said, and have organized on-campus booths and fundraisers throughout April.

LOCAL BUSINESSES HAVE also started chipping in to raise money for Mynhardt. On Thursday, 5 percent of all restaurant proceeds from Cantina Roble in Elon went to Project Botswana.

B. Christopher’s Restaurant, where Mynhardt worked as a bartender, will also be sponsoring a fundraiser for him next week.

The bracelets, which are being sold for $5 each, each read SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) Awareness.

They also are inscribed with “Cheers,” for the welcome that Mynhardt often used to greet both friends and strangers.

Last month, John Ferrell Cassady, 21, and Clinton Joseph Blackburn, 22, were indicted tffany keys on one count of felonious assault inflicting serious bodily injury. Cassady, an Elon student and Blackburn, a UNCG student, were arrested after turning themselves into the Elon Police Department.

Mynhardt is currently at the Carolina Rehab Center where he is in stable condition and undergoing treatment.

“World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets allows gamers to challenge all of their favorite poker pros in one of the largest sporting events in the world,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing, Inc. “We are proud to deliver intense poker tournament action to gamers who want to experience the high-stakes competition of championship poker from the comfort of their homes.”

In World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets, the #1 poker video game franchise returns as players challenge over 30 of the world’s top poker champions. With intense heads-up tournament play, expansive poker tutorials, and strategy clips from Phil Hellmuth’s Ultimate White to Black Belt Course as produced by iAmplifyVegas.com, players can learn from the very best in the industry and take on all opponents in real-world locations such as Las Vegas and New Orleans.

World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets is available on the Xbox 360(TM) video necklaces game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system for a suggested retail price of $49.99, the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, PSP(R) (PlayStation(R) Portable) system and Nintendo DS(TM) for $29.99, and the PC for $19.99. The game is rated “T” (Teen) by the ESRB. For more information on World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets please visit www.BeatTheBrat.com.

About Activision, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.

This World Series of Poker game includes trademarks owned by Harrah’s License Company, LLC. and used under license. All rights reserved.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In this release they are identified by references to dates after the date of this release and words such as “will,” “will be,” “remains,” “to be,” “plans,” “believes”, “may”, “expects,” “intends,” and similar expressions. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, sales tiffany accessories of Activision’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms (including next-generation hardware), declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision’s products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions, integration of recently acquired subsidiaries and identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, limitations on our ability to issue stock and options and foreign exchange rate changes. Other factors that could cause Activision’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, without limitation, the further implementation, acceptance and effectiveness of the remedial measures recommended or adopted by the special sub-committee of independent directors established in July 2006 to review Activision’s historical stock option granting practices, the board and Activision; the outcome of the SEC’s formal investigation and the derivative litigation filed in July 2006 against certain current and former directors and officers of Activision relating to Activision’s stock option granting practices, the possibility that additional claims and proceedings will be commenced, including additional stockholder litigation, employee litigation, and additional action by the SEC and/or other regulatory agencies, other litigation (unrelated to stock option granting practices), and the risks identified in Activision’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and recent reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision as of the date of this release, and Activision assumes no obligations to update any such forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially tffany keys from our current expectations.

(c) 2007 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox Live are registered trademarks of Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Wii and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective