AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 24

AAP General News (Australia)
12-24-2008
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 24
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


Toll National (SYDNEY)

The national holiday road toll has jumped to 19 after separate accidents claimed the
lives of two people in Western Australia yesterday afternoon.

WA Police say a woman was killed when her car collided with another vehicle at West
Swan at 1pm (WDT) and a male motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a truck in the
Perth suburb of Martin.

NSW still tops the road toll with six deaths .. followed by Victoria with five.

Queensland's toll sits at three .. the same as WA .. there's been two deaths in the
Northern Territory .. while South Australia .. Tasmania and the ACT remain fatality free.



Toddler (SYDNEY)

Police hope the results of toxicology tests and an autopsy .. to be conducted today
.. will shed light on how a toddler died on his family property in NSW's north-west.

The small farming community of Gunnedah is still trying to come to terms with the death
of the 23-month-old boy in mysterious circumstances on Monday.

His twin brother and two other brothers .. aged three and five .. were airlifted to
the Children's Hospital at Westmead as a precaution.

It was initially believed the boys may have drunk a chemical .. and police haven't
ruled out poisoning.



Haneef Swan (BRISBANE)

Federal Treasurer WAYNE SWAN says it's too early to say whether Dr MOHAMED HANEEF is
owed an apology for being wrongfully arrested and detained over suspected links to terrorism.

Dr HANEEF was detained in Brisbane as a suspect in the failed bomb attacks in London
last year but was later cleared as a person of interest.

A report by retired NSW Supreme Court judge JOHN CLARKE has found the Indian-born doctor
was wrongly charged and wrongly detained.

But opposition attorney-general spokesman GEORGE BRANDIS says the report proves the
former government has done nothing wrong and any apology is a matter for the current government.



Fiji Aust (CANBERRA)

The federal government's condemned Fiji's decision to expel New Zealand's acting high
commissioner just hours after announcing Australia's South Pacific defence advisor would
be similarly booted out of the country.

Foreign Minister STEPHEN SMITH says the two expulsions by Fiji's self-appointed Prime
Minister .. Commodore FRANK BAINIMARAMA .. are destructive.

Mr SMITH says the interim government should be focussing all of its efforts on returning
Fiji to democracy .. and not on these destructive decisions which won't do any good for
the people of Fiji.



Singapore Flyer (SINGAPORE)

Australian tourists are among those caught when the Singapore Flyer lost power .. trapping
more than 170 people on the wheel.

The Flyer is the world's largest observation wheel at 165 metres tall .. and 30 metres
higher than the better known London Eye.

Melbourne woman ANNA-LOUISE ALLEN .. who was trapped with her daughter AMELIA .. husband
SYD .. and five other people in one capsule says they thought they were going to have
to abseil out of the capsule and they were getting fairly panicky about it.



Sail Globe Hospital (PERTH)

The Royal Perth Hospital says injured French round-the-world sailor YANN ELIES is recovering
well from surgery on a fractured thigh.

The 34-year-old was admitted to hospital on Monday after crew on board HMAS Arunta
rescued him from his yacht Generali .. more than one-thousand kilometres south of Perth.

He suffered the broken leg and other injuries when he fell to the deck in heavy seas
last Thursday while taking part in the Vendee Globe round-the-world race.

A hospital spokeswoman says Mr ELIES underwent surgery on his fractured femur yesterday
and is recovering well.



Venditti Gardiner (MELBOURNE)

Another AFL player has been linked to alleged Melbourne gangland figure ANGELO VENDITTI.

Melbourne's Herald Sun reports police recently observed St Kilda ruckman MICHAEL GARDINER
drinking with Mr VENDITTI at a suburban Melbourne pub.

St Kilda has acknowledged GARDINER is a mate of Mr VENDITTI .. who's charged with ordering
a contract killing on drug dealer PAUL KALLIPOLITIS in Sunshine in 2002.



GM Canola (PERTH)

Opponents of a West Australian commercial trial of genetically modified canola have
vowed to continue their fight .. saying there's no guarantee the one-thousand hectare
operation can be contained.

The WA government yesterday announced that 20 farmers would be involved in the state's
first large-scale trial of GM canola next year.

Agriculture Minister TERRY REDMAN says trial conditions will be monitored .. but the
Network of Concerned Farmers isn't convinced and they've been joined by the Greens and
state Labor .. who also oppose the decision.



Guinea (CONAKRY)

The European Union has condemned a coup attempt in the west African nation of Guinea
.. just hours after the death of its long term president LANSANA CONTE.

The EU has called for free and transparent elections to choose CONTE's successor to
be held quickly.

The White House has also called for a peaceful and democratic transition.



Iraq Troops (BAGHDAD)

The Iraqi parliament has voted to allow the presence of non-US foreign troops after December 31.

The decision gives Australian and British troops a legal basis to stay in Iraq beyond
the expiry of the UN mandate.



Briefly in other news ..




Former Guantanamo detainee DAVID HICKS is reportedly set to marry his girlfriend ..

University of Sydney student ALOYSIA BROOKS.




Toyota will become the first Australian carmaker to export 100-thousand vehicles in
a calendar year when a shipment leaves Melbourne today.




A Bangladeshi court has sentenced to death by hanging three Islamic militants convicted
of plotting to kill the British ambassador in a grenade attack four years ago.




And .. Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic is still not under control and the UN says 11 hundred
and 74 people are now known to have died from the disease.



in Sport ..



Cup NSW (SYDNEY)

A steady hand from PHILLIP HUGHES and some late big-hitting from DANIEL SMITH has propelled
NSW to a five-wicket win in their rain-affected day-night clash against Western Australia.

In response to WA's 8-177 from 44 overs .. the Blues chased down their revised target
of 137 off 29 overs with 13 balls to spare at the SCG.

The game had looked just out of the reach before HUGHES (53no from 78 balls) and SMITH
(29no from 13 balls) combined to bring NSW home.



AFL Eagles (MELBOURNE)

A poor year on-field hasn't stopped AFL club West Coast posting another giant profit.

The Eagles announced an operating profit of $4,698,391, with the club keeping $3 million
after making a $1.7 million royalty payment to the West Australian Football Commission.

West Coast chairman MARK BARNABA says the club is delighted with the result .. given
the difficult economic climate.



Soccer Youth (SYDNEY)

Former Socceroos captain PAUL OKON has been appointed coach of the men's team to compete
in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in January.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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