AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 26

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2004
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 26
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130

Iraq Howard (Sydney)

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD has indicated Australian troops could be in Iraq until at
least the middle of next year.

Mr HOWARD says Australians have just arrived in the war-torn country to train Iraqi
security forces and it's not a short term commitment.

He's told ABC radio the upcoming Budget will fund Australia's involvement in Iraq until
the end of June next year -- but that doesn't mean the Australians will leave then.

He's also hinted there may be a small increase in tye number of troops deployed to Iraq.

Mr HOWARD is due home today after a surprise visit to Baghdad to mark Anzac Day with
the Australian troops.



Iraq Howard Rudd (SYDNEY)

The Labor Party says it won't seek to make a political issue out of Mr JOHN HOWARD'S visit.

Australian Greens Senator BOB BROWN says Mr HOWARD should have taken Opposition Leader
MARK LATHAM on the trip.

But Mr LATHAM has refused to criticise the government's decision not to put him on
the plane with the prime minister.

He says Labor's policies on Iraq are well known and political differences should stay
in background on Anzac Day.

Mr LATHAM says he wasn't informed about the visit, but he wished Mr HOWARD a safe return.



Iraq oil (BAGHDAD)

Meanwhile, Iraq's main oil terminal at Basra remains shut after unsuccessful seaborne
suicide bomb attacks against it, but exports could resume as early as today.

Oil Minister IBRAHIM BAHR AL-ULOUM says a major disaster has been avoided.

The terminal, which handles about 85 per cent of Iraq's oil exports is closed for damage
assessment and a review of security.

Suicide bombers in three boats blew themselves up near the Basra terminal yesterday.

And the US administrator in Iraq says weapons are being stockpiled in mosques, shrines
and schools in the city of Najaf, where militant Shi'ite cleric MOQTADA SADR is holed
up.

SADR has warned that if the US-led occupation troops massed outside Najaf enter the
city, his followers will resist by turning themselves into human timebombs.



Terror Aust (CANBERRA)

Attorney-General PHILIP RUDDOCK says alleged terrorist WILLIE BRIGITTE may return to
Australia for the trials of two Sydney men charged with terrorism offences.

BRIGITTE, who's being held in a French jail on terrorism-related charges, is thought
to have links to a terrorist ring in Sydney.

He may be required to give evidence in the trials of Sydney men -- FAHEEM KHALID LODHI
and IZHAR UL-HAQUE -- who've been charged with terrorism offences.



Gay (SYDNEY)

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD is reportedly planning an overhaul of the Marriage Act to
stop Australian courts recognising homosexual marriages registered overseas.

The Australian newspaper says Mr HOWARD is planning the radical changes to defend traditional
families.

It says the proposed amendments to the act would result in marriage being defined in
legislation as a union between a man and a woman.



Nurses Vic (MELBOURNE)

Talks between nurses and the Victorian government over the weekend have failed to resolve
a dispute which has closed more than 1,100 hospital beds.

The Australian Industrial Relations Commission will hear the government's application
today to suspend the bargaining period, making industrial action illegal.

The main focus of the dispute is a plan by the government to abandon fixed ratios of
nurses to patients, but a pay claim is also involved.



Korea explosion (DANDONG)

International aid agencies say they will return to the site of a devastating North
Korean train blast, which killed at least 161 people, in an urgent effort to help more
than 1300 injured victims.

The agencies include the United Nation's Children's Fund and the World Food Program.

About half those killed in the massive explosion in Ryongchon, near the Chinese border,
were schoolchildren.

North Korea says the explosion on Thursday was caused by a collision of rail wagons
carrying ammonium nitrate fertiliser and fuel oil.

It destroyed virtually everything within 500 metres of the railway station, including a school.



Mideast (JERUSALEM)

Israeli leaders have backed away from Prime Minister ARIEL SHARON'S latest threats
against YASSER ARAFAT, saying there are no immediate plans to kill the Palestinian leader.

SHARON declared in a television interview over the weekend that he is no longer bound
by a promise to the United States not to harm ARAFAT.

The comments have been criticised in Washington, Europe and the Arab world.

And they've raised speculation that ARAFAT might be assassinated by Israel.



Briefly:

Children playing with a cigarette lighter are suspected to have started a house fire
that killed a two-year-old girl in Tasmania.




ESTEE LAUDER, who built a kitchen face-cream business into an international cosmetics
empire, has died at the age of 97.




The head of New Zealand's Labour party says internal disunity has to be sorted out,
as a new opinion poll puts the opposition Nationals on top.




Socialist HEINZ FISCHER has won Austria's presidential election, defeating the country's
foreign minister in a blow to the conservative government of Chancellor WOLFGANG SCHUESSEL.




And astronomers in New Zealand have discovered a planet 17,000 light years from Earth.



In finance:

Aust stocks open (SYDNEY)

Australian shares have are fractionally higher, but with only Victoria and Tasmania
open for business, volume is thin.

The S&P/ASX 200 index is about one point higher at 3458 and the all ordinaries is also
up one point at 3462.


Aust dollar (SYDNEY)

The Australian dollar is weaker, after the US dollar strengthened over the weekend.

The Aussie dollar is trading around 72.97 US cents, compared with 73.31 at Friday's close.



In Sport:

Swim Stevens (Sydney)

CRAIG STEVENS is expected to announce on Channel Seven's Today Tonight program tonight
that he's pulling out of the 400 metres freestyle at the Athens Olympics to give IAN THORPE
the opportunity to defend his title.

League Souths (SYDNEY)

The Bulldogs are red-hot favourites to beat South Sydney in today's National Rugby
League match at Aussie Stadium.

Souths are without injured centre ADAM MACDOUGALL and suspended skipper BRYAN FLETCHER.

Meanwhile, Sydney Roosters coach RICKY STUART says former Test captain BRAD FITTLER
should take his time in making a decision over his rugby league future.

FITTLER scored Sydney's only try in yesterday's 11-8 victory over St George Illawarra.

In yesterday's other matches, Brisbane put its premiership claims on show with a 32-14
home win over Penrith while the Wests Tigers produced a stirring 30-22 win over Manly.



AFL Magpies (MELBOURNE)

Essendon captain JAMES HIRD was the star of the Anzac Day AFL match yesterday, winning
a third Anzac Medal and steering his side to a 33-point win over Collingwood at the MCG.

In yesterday's other matches, Fremantle defeated Geelong by 26 points in Perth while
the Western Bulldogs lost to Port Adelaide by 55 points.




Motor Prix (SAN MARINO)

Reigning world champion MICHAEL SCHUMACHER has won his fourth race out of four this
season with a comfortable victory in the San Marino Grand Prix.

SCHUMACHER led from the 11th lap and finished well clear of Britain's JENSON BUTTON
and Colombia's JUAN PABLO MONTOYA.

Australian MARK WEBBER finished 13th in his Jaguar.




Hockey Men (SYDNEY)

Australia has won the Four Nations men's hockey challenge at Sydney's Olympic Park
with a crushing 7-1 win over Malaysia.

ADAM COMMENS and JAMIE DWYER each scored twice for the Kookaburras, with ANDREW SMITH,
MICHAEL BRENNAN and TROY ELDER all scoring once.




Hockey Women (MELBOURNE)

Hockeyroos veterans LOUISE DOBSON and KATRINA POWELL came to the rescue to give Australia
a 2-1 win in the fourth Test against China in Sydney last night.

Australia were 1-0 with four minutes remaining, but DOBSON and POWELL both scored goals
to give the Hockeyroos victory.

AAP wjf

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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