AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 7

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2006
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 7
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


Mideast (BEIRUT)

Hizbollah has killed 12 Israeli soldiers in its deadliest rocket strike yet .. and
Israeli bombs killed 19 Lebanese civilians as Lebanon rejected a draft UN resolution to
end the 26-day-old war.

Medics say more Hizbollah rockets hit the northern Israeli city of Haifa .. killing
at least one person and wounding many more.

A police commander has told Israel Radio that a rocket slammed into two adjacent houses,
causing them to partly collapse and several people are trapped in the rubble.

In the Israeli village of Kfar Giladi .. a rocket hit a group of Israeli reservists
called up for the Lebanon offensive .. and doctors say 12 were killed and dozens were
wounded.

Meanwhile .. Lebanon's parliament speaker NABIH BERRI says his country rejects the
US-French draft security council resolution because it would let Israeli forces stay on
Lebanese soil.



McNeill (NORFOLK ISLAND)

A committal hearing will get underway on Norfolk Island today for the man accused of
murdering JANELLE PATTON.

The allegations against New Zealand chef GLENN MCNEILL will be detailed over the next
five days .. with a magistrate to determine whether there's sufficient evidence for him
to stand trial.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ms PATTON'S death made international headlines as the first murder
recorded on the island .. a former penal colony .. in 150 years.

MCNEILL .. a 28-year-old father of two .. was arrested in February .. after what police
described as a DNA breakthrough in the case.



Waugh (SYDNEY)

The wife of former Australian cricket captain STEVE WAUGH .. 38-year-old LYNETTE WAUGH
.. has undergone brain surgery.

She was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital private hospital in Randwick on Thursday
and was operated on for a blood clot on her brain on Friday.

STEVE'S twin MARK says she's doing well after being operated on by high profile neurosurgeon
CHARLES TEO.



Leadership (CANBERRA)

Liberal and National party MPs will focus on petrol prices and the threat of higher
interest rates when they meet to thrash out the government's future direction today.

JOHN HOWARD has called the special meeting to give his backbench a chance to float
new policy ideas and comment on government initiatives.

The joint-party meeting will be the first since Mr HOWARD and Treasurer PETER COSTELLO
became embroiled in a dispute over the timing of a leadership changeover .. and follows
the six week winter recess .. during which politicians touched base with their constituents.



Parly Preview (CANBERRA)

Labor is expected to use the resumption of federal parliament tomorrow to hammer JOHN
HOWARD over sky rocketing petrol prices .. and his promise to keep interest rates low.

In the 2004 election, the prime minister campaigned vigorously on interest rates ..

claiming only the Liberal Party could be trusted to keep the cash rate low.

But last week the Reserve Bank raised the official interest rate by 25 basis points
to 6.00 per cent .. the highest rate since early 2001 and the third rise since the last
federal election.



Workplace (CANBERRA)

The prime minister is backing a fine-tuning of the government's industrial relations
laws .. to protect women .. and people from non-English speaking backgrounds .. against
exploitation by unscrupulous employers.

JOHN HOWARD says the Work Choices Act might need some minor changes .. after Western
Sydney Liberal backbencher JACKIE KELLY warned some people might be disadvantaged by the
new laws.

But Opposition Leader KIM BEAZLEY is maintaining Labor's hardline opposition to the
laws with or without changes .. saying they're undermining Australian families.



PollQld (BRISBANE)

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE will today unveil a plan to tackle the state's growing
water crisis.

Part of the plan could include declaring a state of emergency .. which would allow
the government to take over council-run water facilities

It could also include new laws to force councils to meet water-saving targets and speed
up major new projects.

Mr BEATTIE says he wants to work with the 18 mayors in south-east Queensland to solve
the crisis triggered by the state's worst drought on record.



Markets Preview (MELBOURNE)

The Australian share market will be struggling to get any great lift today after an
uninspiring performance by United States markets.

On Wall Street on Friday .. profit-takers and some nervousness about the US Federal
Reserve's direction on interest rates drove stocks marginally lower.

CommSec chief equities economist CRAIG JAMES says the Australian sharemarket has gone
sideways in the past two months .. and the struggle to find momentum is likely to extend
a little longer.

Mr JAMES says investors could adopt a more defensive posture after the recent lift
in interest rates .. indications the US economy is slowing .. and Chinese efforts to slow
growth in their economy.



Children (CANBERRA)

A father accused of snatching his three children in Sydney .. and fleeing to Canberra
after a domestic dispute .. appears in Sydney's Central Local Court today.

The man can't be named for legal reasons .. and has been remanded until he appears in court.

The three children .. who were taken into protective custody after the man was arrested
.. have been reunited with their mother.



BRIEFLY:



New South Wales taxpayers are picking up the tab for about nine million dollars in
compensation for victims .. owed by almost 13 hundred of the state's convicted criminals.




Police say race was not the motive behind the stabbing murder of a former Israeli soldier
outside a shop in Sydney's beachside suburb of Bondi.




Labor is hoping to maintain the rage at the government's industrial relations changes
.. to win back key Tasmanian seats at next year's federal election.




Former world champion boxer ANTHONY MUNDINE is reportedly set to run as an independent
in the New South Wales state election next March.



AND IN SPORT:


LEAGUE WRAP (SYDNEY)

Brisbane has maintained its slender grip on third spot on the NRL ladder despite crashing
to a fourth straight defeat with a 30-18 loss to Canberra.

The Knights meanwhile moved back into the top four with a 32-18 win over Sydney Roosters
at Gosford, while Penrith's top eight hopes were dealt a cruel blow after succumbing to
a 32-26 loss against bottom side South Sydney.



LEAGUE JUDICIARY (SYDNEY)

Melbourne will find out today if it will pay a heavy price for its win over Wests Tigers
with prop BRETT WHITE and fullback BILLY SLATER sure to come under the microscope from
the NRL match review committee.

WHITE was put on report for a high tackle on Tigers centre JAMAAL LOLESI while SLATER
could also be in trouble for a forearm to the head of SHANNON MCDONNELL.



AFL TRIBUNAL (MELBOURNE)

Collingwood will be anxiously await today's AFL match review after half-forward ALAN
DIDAK was reported for tripping.

DIDAK, one of the Magpies' best players this season, was booked for tripping Adelaide's
MICHAEL DOUGHTY at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.



AFL WRAP (MELBOURNE)

Adelaide and West Coast have all but secured themselves the top two spots in the 2006
AFL finals race, but it is a close and open battle for spots in the top eight after that.

Melbourne is third on 12 wins, with Sydney, St Kilda, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs
are all locked on 11 wins.

Geelong has beaten Brisbane to keep alive its faint AFL finals hopes while Fremantle
virtually sealed its place in September for just the second time.



TRI AUST (SYDNEY)

The Wallabies are enjoying a four-day break after regaining the Mandela Cup and keeping
their Tri Nations hopes alive with a 20-18 comeback victory over the Springboks.

Coach JOHN CONNOLLY was not impressed with his team's lacklustre performance on Saturday
night and has given his players time off to freshen up ahead of a must-win showdown with
New Zealand in Auckland on August 19.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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