AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 1

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2006
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 1
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


MIDEAST STRIKES (BEIRUT)

Israeli warplanes have struck deep inside Lebanon .. targeting another Hizbollah stronghold.

Witnesses say the jet fighters have hit Hermel .. 120 kilometres north of the Israeli
border in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

They say warplanes have fired at least five air-to-surface missiles on the town ..

but it's not clear what's been hit and whether there are any casualties.

Another strike's targeted major roads near the Syrian border .. two border crossings
between Lebanon and Syria are now out of order.



MIDEAST UN (UNITED NATIONS)

The UN's stepping up efforts for a Middle East peace plan .. as Lebanon pleads for
an immediate ceasefire .. which is still opposed by the United States and Israel.

The five permanent UN Security Council members .. Britain .. China .. France .. Russia
and the United States .. have held their first official consultations on preparing a resolution
on the war .. which they want passed this week.



MIDEAST QANA PROBE (UNITED NATIONS)

Lebanon's asked the UN Security Council for an international inquiry into the Israeli
raid on Qana.

Acting foreign minister TAREQ MITRI has also renewed a government plea for an immediate
end to the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah.

Israel agreed to a 48-hour halt to air strikes over southern Lebanon yesterday .. but
says it won't stop fighting Hizbollah guerrillas.



MIDEAST SYRIA (DAMASCUS)

Syria's president has told his army to raise its state of readiness .. as the crisis
in the Middle East continues.

BASHAR AL-ASSAD says international circumstances and regional challenges require caution
.. alertness .. readiness .. and preparedness.

He says Israel's war on people in Lebanon and Palestine is increasing in ferocity ..

and Syria won't abandon support for the resistance.



In other news ..



LEADERSHIP HOWARD (CANBERRA)

After announcing his intention to contest the next election as prime minister .. JOHN
HOWARD now wants the issue to just go away.

He says the matter's been dealt with .. and he has nothing more to say about it.

Yesterday Mr HOWARD ended months of speculation when he announced he'll contest a fifth
election .. leaving aspiring leader PETER COSTELLO to resign himself to handing down yet
another budget next year.



Rates Howard (CANBERRA)

JOHN HOWARD says interest rates will still be historically low .. even if the Reserve
Bank lifts rates today.

He's told Southern Cross Broadcasting .. the average mortgage rate under his government
is five per cent lower than it was under the former Labor government.

The Reserve Bank board's expected to make the decision today .. but it won't be announced
until 9.30am (AEST) tomorrow.



KOVCO (SYDNEY)

DNA tests done on the two soldiers who were with Private JAKE KOVCO when he was fatally
shot .. have cleared them of having handled his gun.

NSW police tested the two soldiers .. codenamed 17 and 19 .. on Saturday .. after they
were flown back to Australia from Iraq.

They say the men aren't contributors to the DNA on the gun .. and police will now return
to Baghdad .. to test other soldiers from Private KOVCO'S unit.



NUCLEAR IRAN (UNITED NATIONS)

The UN Security Council's given Iran until the end of the month to suspend its nuclear
activities .. or face sanctions.

But Tehran says the move's illegal .. and is vowing to press on.



AUCTION (MELBOURNE)

A painting by Aboriginal artist ROVER THOMAS has set a near-record auction price in
Melbourne .. fetching 660 thousand dollars.

Sotheby's TIM KLINGENDER says it's the second-highest price ever paid for Aboriginal art work.



THAI ELEPHANTS (SYDNEY)

Four Asian elephants have arrived on the Cocos Islands .. ending the first leg of their
controversial journey from Thailand to Australian zoos.

Another four elephants are due to join them on the Indian Ocean island in a few hours time.

They'll be quarantined for three months .. before going to their new homes at Melbourne
Zoo and Sydney's Taronga Zoo.



US GIBSON REACTION (LOS ANGELES)

A top film industry agent's asking his colleagues to boycott working with MEL GIBSON
.. as Hollywood debates whether the superstar's career will suffer after his drink driving
arrest.

GIBSON reportedly launched into a tirade against Jews when he was arrested near his Malibu home.

The conservative Catholic actor later apologised for being completely out of control
and saying despicable things.

He admitted battling alcoholism .. and his publicist's confirmed he's in rehab.



HELPMANN (SYDNEY)

DAVID CAMPBELL and TAMSIN CARROLL have taken out the top musical honours at the 2006
Helpmann Awards.

CAMPBELL's been named best male actor in a musical for his work on Sunset Boulevard
.. while CARROLL's taken home the female gong for her acclaimed performance in Dusty:
The Original Pop Diva.

The Helpmann Awards .. initiated by the Australian Entertainment Industry Association
.. are the national awards for the live performance industry.



Briefly ..




Queensland police say they've found stolen Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals belonging
to Australian pole vaulter TATIANA GRIGORIEVA.




McLeod's Daughters actor AARON JEFFERY's been put on a 12-month good behaviour bond
for assaulting his estranged wife .. but no conviction's been recorded.




Australian construction company Multiplex says London's new Wembley Stadium won't be
ready to hold a test event before June 2007.




And .. the fashion sense of US Secretary of State CONDOLEEZZA RICE .. has earned her
a spot on Vanity Fair's best dressed list.

The magazine says RICE has an immaculately groomed style .. with a renegade streak
.. not to mention her black knee-high dominatrix boots.




In finance ..

At 1120 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was DOWN 1.1 points to 4984.9

The all ordinaries index was DOWN 1.2 points to 4955.9.

The Australian dollar was trading at 76.40 US cents, DOWN from 76.65 at yesterday's close.

It was at 59.88 euro cents, DOWN from 60.06 on yesterday.

In Sydney, gold bullion was trading $US2 DOWN at $US636.50 an ounce, from yesterday's close.



In sport ..



AFL RISING (MELBOURNE)

Midfielder ANDREW SWALLOW has been rewarded for an impressive display in the Kangaroos'
victory over Geelong by claiming the round 17 nomination for the AFL Rising Star Award.

SWALLOW collected 25 possessions and kicked a goal as the Kangaroos scored an upset
30-point victory over the Cats in Canberra on Sunday.



LATU (SYDNEY)

Sacked Cronulla rugby league hooker TEVITA LATU will begin court-ordered community
service in Sydney tomorrow .. for assaulting a woman.

The former New Zealand Test hooker .. who was sacked by the Sharks and de-registered
from the NRL after breaking the 19-year-old's nose in May .. returned to Australia from
England last night.

The 25-year-old was originally sentenced to eight months' periodic detention for the
assault .. but it was reduced to 200 hours' community service on appeal.



BASKET NZ (WELLINGTON)

New Zealand has beaten Venezuela 100-70 in the Super Four men's basketball tournament
in Santa Fe, Argentina.

CRAIG BRADSHAW scored a game-high 22 points, backed up by PHILL JONES' 17 point haul.




ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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