AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 30

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2004
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 30
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130

Poll04 Howard/Latham (CANBERRA)

On the first full day of the election campaign, Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD and Opposition
leader MARK LATHAM have hit the airwaves to swap jibes on interest rates.

Mr HOWARD's told ABC radio he guarantees interest rates will always be lower under
a coalition government because Labor governments always go into deficit by spending more
than they collect.

Mr LATHAM says Mr HOWARD'S telling porkies.

He says Mr HOWARD'S lied in the first 24 hours of the election campaign by ignoring
the history of interest rates when he was treasurer under the FRASER Liberal government
and rates were 10 per cent plus.

Mr LATHAM's told the ABC Labor's committed to a surplus budget and lean and efficient government.



Poll04 (CANBERRA)

As Australians head for the polls on October the 9th, the Senate's expected to put
pressure on Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD over the children overboard scandal when it sits
today.

Foreign Minister ALEXANDER DOWNER says reconvening the Senate inquiry into the saga
is part of attempts by Opposition leader MARK LATHAM to smear and denigrate Mr HOWARD
-- and will only blow up in his face.

The Senate's sitting for two days before it's dissolved.



Poll04 Costello Terror (MELBOURNE)

Treasurer PETER COSTELLO says Australians should be wary of terrorism threats in the
lead-up to the election.

Asked on Melbourne radio 3AW if Australians are at increased risk of terrorism during
the election campaign, Mr COSTELLO recalled the suspected al-Qaeda bombings that killed
190 people in Spain three days before its March election.

The Madrid attacks were believed to be in revenge for the outgoing government's support
for the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr COSTELLO says he hopes a terrorist attack on Australians wouldn't influence the
outcome of the October election.



Oly Aust (ATHENS)

The Athens Olympics is over -- and the Qantas charter jet carrying Australia's squad
home tomorrow will resemble a flying Fort Knox with a record 17 gold medals on board.

The glittering haul means Australia is the first nation to increase its gold medal
total immediately after hosting the Games.

Australia also won more medals per capita than any other country except the tiny Bahamas.

The Australian flag bearer in the closing ceremony, swimmer PETRIA THOMAS, is the unofficial
queen of the Games with three golds and a silver.

She was the second most successful athlete behind American swim sensation MICHAEL PHELPS,
who bagged six gold and two bronze.

Their Greek hosts closed the 28th Olympics with a huge party as International Olympic
Committee president JACQUES ROGGE acknowledged their ability to pull off a dream Games.



Iraq (BAGHDAD)

In Iraq, talks have begun to end months of fighting in the Baghdad stronghold of Shi'ite
rebels, as militants holding two French hostages demand that Paris lift a ban on Islamic
headscarves in schools.

Although the US military says discussions with aides to rebel militia leader MOQTADA
SADR have ended with no deal in sight, SADR officials and police are more optimistic about
the chances of peace.

Meanwhile, French President JACQUES CHIRAC has dispatched Foreign Minister MICHEL BARNIER
to the Middle East region to try to secure the release of two kidnapped journalists.



Turkey (ISTANBUL)

Two Turkish hostages have been freed by Iraqi militants less than a week after the
men's employers announced they were pulling out of Iraq to save the men's lives.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry official says engineers ALI DASKIN and ABDULLAH OZDEMIR
were released yesterday and are now at the embassy in Baghdad.



Guinea (LONDON)

Equatorial Guinea President TEODORO OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO says those responsible for
an international plot to overthrow him deserve death by firing squad.

The trial resumes in the capital, Malabo, today of 19 men accused of involvement in
an attempt to overthrow the government in the tiny oil-rich African nation.

MARK THATCHER, the 51-year-old son of former British Prime Minister MARGARET THATCHER,
was arrested in South Africa on Wednesday on suspicion of helping finance the plot.



Afghan Explosion (DUBAI)

Al-Qaeda has reportedly followed the Taliban in claiming responsibility for a truck
bomb which has killed seven people, including two US citizens, in Kabul.

A statement signed by al-Qaeda organisation, Afghanistan, and posted on an Islamist
website says the operation was carried out with the help of the Taliban -- and it won't
be the last.

A US military spokesman says NATO-led peacekeepers have detained one Afghan national
over the bombing, which comes just weeks ahead of landmark presidential elections.



Sudan Oxfam (LONDON)

International aid workers say the onset of the rainy season will worsen an already
critical situation for refugees in Sudan's Darfur region.

Oxfam's regional director CAROLINE NURSEY says the scale of the disaster is immense
and the rains will raise the risk of cholera and malaria outbreaks.

The United Nations' August 30th deadline for the Sudan government to improve security
for refugees and start disarming Arab militias, or face possible sanctions, is almost
up.



US Vote Republicans (NEW YORK)

Hundreds of thousands of anti-BUSH demonstrators have taken to the streets of New York
on the eve of the Republican convention.

Organisers for the United for Peace and Justice coalition estimate 400,000 people have
marched for more than five hours in summer heat and humidity to decry the US-led war in
Iraq and President GEORGE W BUSH's policies.

About 500 people have been arrested since anti-BUSH protests began on Thursday when
AIDS activists stood naked in front of Madison Square Garden.



Briefly in other news...

Chechnya's Kremlin-backed Interior Minister ALU ALKHANOV is set to become president
of the rebel southern Russian republic.

India's defence ministry says it's test-launched a surface-to-surface missile capable
of carrying nuclear weapons.

Ten soldiers and a train driver have been wounded in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey
in two road explosions blamed on Kurdish rebels.



Real Madrid soccer star DAVID BECKHAM and his wife VICTORIA have announced they're
expecting their third child in March.



In finance...

At 1107 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was 7.3 points HIGHER at 3566.2. The
all ordinaries index was 5.4 points HIGHER at 3574.1.

The Australian dollar was trading at 70.08 US cents DOWN from 70.74 at Friday's close.

It was at 58.37 euro cents, UP from 58.35 at yesterday's close.

In Sydney, gold bullion was trading $US4.625 LOWER at $US403.75 an ounce.

In sport...

Oly Marathon Medal (ATHENS)

The International Olympic Committee says Brazil's VANDERLEI DE LIMA will be presented
with a medal named after the founder of the modern Olympics in recognition of his exceptional
demonstration of fair play and Olympic values.

A former Irish priest pushed DE LIMA off the road when he was leading the Olympic marathon,
almost certainly costing him victory in the last event of the 16-day Games.

The Brazilian finished third to take bronze.

The Pierre de Coubertin Medal is awarded by the IOC in recognition of acts of sportsmanship
at the Games.

Meanwhile Japanese hammer thrower KOJI MUROFUSHI says he's grateful Olympic officials
have uncovered a drug cheat in disgraced Hungarian ADRIAN ANUS and reassigned the gold
medal to him.

Tennis ATP (Long Island)

LLEYTON HEWITT has completed his impressive US Open build-up with a 6-3 6-1 victory
over Peru's Luis Horna in the final of the TD Waterhouse Cup at Long Island.

The Australian's 10th consecutive win gave him his fourth title of the year following
earlier successes in Sydney, Rotterdam and Washington.

HEWITT will meet experienced South African WAYNE FERREIRA in the first round at Flushing Meadows.

AAP RTV /jmt

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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