AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 18

AAP General News (Australia)
12-18-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 18
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Petrol ACCC (CANBERRA)

An inquiry by the consumer watchdog has found no obvious evidence of price fixing in
the unleaded petrol market.

The ACCC's report has just been released in Canberra by Assistant Treasurer CHRIS BOWEN
and Commission chairman GRAEME SAMUEL.

Mr BOWEN says it confirms there are some grounds for concern.

But importantly .. the commission finds the unleaded petrol industry in Australia is
fundamentally competitive .. with no obvious evidence of price fixing or collusion.

Mr BOWEN's told reporters there's no magic bullet that can bring down petrol prices
and increase price transparency.

Mr BOWEN says the government will honour its pre-election commitment to give the ACCC
permanent monitoring powers under the Trade Practices Act.

The commission will report to him once a year on petrol prices .. and the report will
be made public.



Economy Swan (CANBERRA)

Federal Treasurer WAYNE SWAN says a new era of financial discipline's needed to help
combat the challenge of rising inflation pressures.

And he says it's not just governments .. but ordinary families that need to be careful
with their budgets.

Mr SWAN says there's been upward pressure on interest rates from the inflation legacy
the Labor government's inherited.

He says the government needs to put maximum downward pressure on inflation .. and therefore
on interest rates in the long term.

He says the government must also address the two things stopping investment in the
country .. skills shortages and infrastructure bottlenecks.



Nuclear Iran (MOSCOW)

Russia's started nuclear fuel deliveries to Iran's first atomic power station .. as
Teheran defies international pressure by announcing plans to produce more fuel for its
nuclear program.

Russia's announcement that fuel's been sent to the unfinished Bushehr power station
marks a huge leap forward for Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Western and Israeli governments fear Iran may have a secret bomb-making project.

US President GEORGE W BUSH says he supports Moscow's deliveries .. and it means the
Iranians don't need to learn how to enrich uranium now.



Tablets (MELBOURNE)

Police have seized millions of pseudoephedrine tablets valued at about three million
dollars .. from a house in Melbourne's north.

Detectives from the drug taskforce raided the property in Epping in the early hours.

They found about five million of the pharmaceutical grade tablets .. along with 250
kilos of white powder .. 300 vials of steroids .. numerous bottles of methadone and about
200 litres of various chemicals.

A 36-year-old Epping man's been arrested and is expected to be charged with drug offences.



Whaling Aust Ship (CANBERRA)

Customs says an armed P and O boat that may be sent to the Southern Ocean to monitor
the Japanese whale hunt .. is no cruise ship.

The 105-metre Oceanic Viking has two deck-mounted machine guns .. and has been used
to patrol Australia's northern waters.

The Customs' website says it's a full-time contracted vessel .. with a proper medical
centre .. and a civilian crew and steaming party.

Greenpeace says it'd certainly support the government sending the ship south .. saying
the more scrutiny of the Japanese whalers .. the better.



Workplace Gillard (SYDNEY)

Workplace Relations Minister JULIA GILLARD has urged employers not to draft new AWAs
before the laws are changed next year .. but admits nothing can be done to stop them.

Federal cabinet signed off on three key planks of Labor's workplace relations policy
yesterday .. to begin dismantling the HOWARD Government's unpopular Work Choices legislation.

Ms GILLARD's told Southern Cross Broadcasting she can't change the Liberal Party's
laws until parliament comes together.



Saudi Rape (RIYADH)

Saudi Arabia's King ABDULLAH has pardoned a teenage gang rape victim sentenced to six
months in jail and 200 lashes.

The girl was 18 when she was attacked at knifepoint by seven men after she was found
in a car with a male companion who wasn't a relative .. in breach of strict Saudi law.

The male companion's also been pardoned.

The rapists have been sentenced to two to nine years in jail.



Sci Blackhole (WASHINGTON)

Astronomers say a "death star" galaxy is sending out a powerful jet of particles and
magnetic radiation .. that will obliterate any life in its path .. in a nearby galaxy.

They say the two galaxies appear to be merging and the disturbance in the magnetic
field caused by this movement may have awakened a dormant .. supermassive black hole in
one of them.

They have images of the deadly blast .. spurting out from a system known as 3C321.

Astronomers agree that both galaxies are likely to have planetary systems .. but no
life on any planet could survive the blast.



US Flatley (LOS ANGELES)

A judge has ordered a woman who accused MICHAEL FLATLEY of sexual assault to pay the
Riverdance star more than 11 million dollars ($A12.8 million) .. after finding she made
false allegations of rape to extort money from him.

The judgment order states that TYNA MARIE ROBERTSON .. who's a real estate agent ..

defamed and intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon 49-year-old FLATLEY.



Briefly in other news ..




A man's been bitten by a shark at a beach north of Newcastle .. the 31-year-old walked
into the Tea Gardens ambulance station just before 11 .. asking for treatment to a serious
bite wound on his bottom.




Insurer AAMI says the inner northern suburb of Thornbury is Melbourne's top spot for
home break-ins .. Elwood's taken second place .. followed by Ascot Vale .. Kew .. Richmond
and Clifton Hill.




Israel says it's killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander .. a top bombmaker .. and
at least four other militants in the Gaza Strip .. the group's armed wing has responded
by threatening suicide bombings in the Jewish state.




A violent storm that's blanketed eastern Canada in snow .. has caused hundreds of road
accidents that have left at least four people dead .. schools are closed .. and up to
20 thousand homes along the Atlantic seaboard are without power.



in Finance ..




At 1116 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was DOWN 110.9 points at 6152.6, and
the all ordinaries index was DOWN 122.7 points at 6209.1.

The Australian dollar was trading at 85.76 US cents, DOWN from Monday's local close
of 86.11 US cents.

It was at 59.56 euro cents, DOWN from 59.65 euro cents on Monday.

In Sydney, the spot price of gold was $U795.40 per fine ounce, UP $US1.20 from Monday's
local close of $US794.20.



in Sport ..



SOCCER AWARD (ZURICH, Switzerland)

AC Milan's Brazilian playmaker KAKA has added to his remarkable haul of trophies and
titles, being named FIFA World Player 2007.

The 25-year-old KAKA beat fellow nominees LIONEL MESSI of Barcelona and Manchester
United's CRISTIANO RONALDO in the annual poll of national team coaches and captains.

KAKA polled 1,047 votes, MESSI 504 and RONALDO 426.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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