SYDNEY, Feb. 18--AsiaNet/InfoQuest SANTOS ACQUISITION... ADELAIDE: Santos Limited has expanded its interests in key Victorian and South Australian gas hubs with the announcement of the acquisition of Basin Oil Pty Ltd (Basin Oil), which holds all of OMV Petroleum Pty Ltds (OMV) Gippsland Basin and Cooper Basin assets. AUCTION WINNER... CHICAGO, Ill.: GoldenPalace.com, the Internet casino renowned for creative forms of marketing, is the winning bidder for the McDonald's "Lincoln Fry", the commercial prop that the fast food giant put up on Yahoo! Auctions to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities. http://www.GoldenPalace.com ALLIANCE FORMED... OAK CREEK, Wis.: Three leading security associations Friday announced the formation of an alliance to address the management of risks and emerging regulations requiring a more thorough, enterprise-wide approach to security. http://www.issa.org http://ciso.issa.org http://www.asisonline.org GIZMONDO ATTENDS... LONDON: Gizmondo Europe Ltd, subsidiary of Jacksonville, Florida-based Tiger Telematics Inc., Friday confirmed it will be attending the American International TOY FAIR, hosted at the Javits Convention Center in New York from the 20-23rd February 2005 by the Toy Industry Association(R), Inc. http://www.gizmondo.com http://www.tigertelematics.com http://www.toy-tia.org PPD EXPANDS... WILMINGTON, N.C.: PPD, Inc. Friday announced an expansion of its presence and a geographic realignment of its management team in Asia to optimize access for clients to treatment naive populations in the region and effectively navigate country-specific regulatory processes. http://www.ppdi.com CONCERT TOUR... OAK BROOK, Ill.: As part of McDonald's multi-dimensional global relationship with R&B super group Destiny's Child, the company Friday announced details of its sponsorship of the "McDonald's Presents 'Destiny Fulfilled...and lovin' it'" worldwide tour. http://www.mcdonalds.com NVIDIA RESULTS... SANTA CLARA, Calif.: NVIDIA Corporation Friday reported financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005 and the fiscal year ended January 30, 2005. http://www.nvidia.com MAGIC PEFORMANCE... LAS VEGAS, Nev.: Magician Nathan Burton (watch-your-back-David-Blaine) will be undertaking the most death-defying stunt ever when he is sealed in a Plexiglas box from March 9-15 and suspended in mid-air with seven beautiful showgirls in front of the "V" Theatre at Aladdin's Desert Passage. http://www.nathaninabox.com http://www.nathanburton.com BENCHMARK NOTES... WASHINGTON, D.C.: Fannie Mae Friday announced that it is issuing US$3 billion of two-year Benchmark Notes that will mature on March 15, 2007. http://www.fanniemae.com STRATEGIC AGREEMENT... ANDERSON, Ind.: Remy International, Inc., and Johnson Electric Holdings Limited based in Hong Kong, Friday announced the signing of a strategic cooperative agreement. http://www.remyinc.com http://www.johnsonelectric.com ENERSYS ACQUIRES... READING, Pa.: EnerSys, the world's largest manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of industrial batteries, Thursday announced that it has reached agreement in principle to acquire the motive power battery business of FIAMM S.p.A., a market leader in the automotive sector in starter batteries, acoustic devices and antenna systems, as well as in industrial batteries. http://www.enersys.com (AsiaNet is a consortium of leading news agencies distributing unedited, translated news releases for worldwide clients. Visit www.asianetnews.net for full-text versions.)