AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 5

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2005
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 5
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130

Workplace (CANBERRA)

Federal Workplace Relations Minister KEVIN ANDREWS will be asked again today to guarantee
that no worker will be worse off under his government's planned sweeping change to industrial
relations laws.

The minister has repeatedly refused to give that guarantee, but he'll be asked again
at his first face-to-face meeting with state and territory industrial relations ministers
in Melbourne today.

Victorian Minister ROB HULLS says Mr ANDREWS has a lot of work to do to convince workers
of the benefits from the planned reforms, including taking over state IR systems.

Mr HULLS has told ABC radio Mr ANDREWS has an obligation to protect Australian workers
and can only do that by guaranteeing, in front of IR ministers that no Australian worker
will be worse off as a result of his changes.

For his part, Mr ANDREWS has said he will again ask the states to voluntarily refer
their IR powers to the commonwealth.



Korp Lawyer (MELBOURNE)

MARIA KORP'S husband JOE KORP will speak with the homicide squad and Office of Public
Prosecutions today as they decide whether to charge him with murder.

Mrs KORP, who was left in a vegetative state after her husband's lover tried to kill
her, died in hospital after doctors stopped feeding her through a tube 10 days ago.

The 50-year-old was found unconscious in the the boot of her car near the Shrine of
Remembrance on February the 13th, four days after she had been reported missing.

KORP'S lawyer PETER WARD says his client is distressed after the death of his wife early today.

KORP, who's 48, was earlier this week ordered to stand trial on a charge of attempting
to murder his wife.



Sharpe (MELBOURNE)

A Victorian man who killed his pregnant wife and daughter before dumping their dismembered
bodies in a rubbish tip has been sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, with a non-parole
period of 33 years.

38-year-old JOHN MYLES SHARPE was convicted of murdering ANNA KEMP and his 20-month-old
daughter GRACIE in March last year.

Ms KEMP was five months pregnant with their second child at the time of her murder.



Corby Ellison (CANBERRA)

The federal government will deliver a letter to Indonesia's High Court today in an
effort to support a bid to reopen SCHAPELLE CORBY's drugs trial for a second time.

The letter will be sent following a meeting yesterday between Justice Minister CHRIS
ELLISON and CORBY's lawyers, including her chief counsel HOTMAN PARIS HUTAPEA.

Senator ELLISON's office will tell the Indonesian court it can facilitate video link
conferencing to allow new evidence to be heard from witnesses in Australia.

Senator ELLISON's told the Nine Network he's also raised with the Indonesian justice
minister the issue of mutual assistance, which would allow specific witnesses immunity
from prosecution if they testify in Indonesia.

CORBY was convicted in May of drugs smuggling charges but claims someone else stashed
4.1kg of marijuana in her luggage after she had checked in at Brisbane airport last October
for a flight to Bali.



Doctor Yang (BRISBANE)

Public hospitals across Queensland have been warned to check the credentials of all
doctors after another blunder at Bundaberg Base Hospital.

A spokesman for Health Minister STEPHEN ROBERTSON says New Zealand orthopaedic surgeon
STEPHEN YANG stood down yesterday.

He was employed at the south-east Queensland hospital without clearance from the state's
medical board.

Dr YANG's employment as a locum with a two-week contract from July the 26th is being
put down to a clerical error invloving the same recruitment agency that employed rogue
surgeon JAYANT PATEL.



Mideast (SHFARAM)

A 19-year-old Israeli soldier has shot dead four people in a blazing row over the country's
imminent withdrawal from Gaza before being lynched by furious residents of an Arab-Israeli
town.

The shooting in the northern Galilee town of Shfaram is the first deadly incident connected
to Israel's controversial plan to uproot all troops and settlers from Gaza and parts of
the northern West Bank.

It's heightened fears about possible violence during the historic pullout.



Solomons Alebua (HONIARA)

A former Solomon Islands prime minister will appear in court later this month charged
with stealing money meant for the families of victims murdered during five years of unrest
in the South Pacific nation.

EZEKIAL ALEBUA, who was prime minister from late 1986 until 1989 and premier of Guadalcanal
province for five years up to 2003, was charged on Wednesday with stealing $A53,200 in
the first five months of 2001.

The Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands says the money
was part of a $A3.2 million package paid to the provincial government to be distributed
to the relatives of 25 murder victims.



Portugal Fires (LISBON)

More than 2,700 firefighters are battling about 30 wildfires in Portugual as the country
marks the hottest day of the year.

Temperatures are expected to continue to exceed 40 degrees through the weekend.

About 790 vehicles and 21 aircraft are supporting the fire crews who fought against
strong, hot winds from Africa.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS:

UK Blasts (LONDON)

Four weeks after suicide bombers struck the British capital, thousands of police have
taken to the streets to reassure jittery Londoners.

The show of strength comes as al-Qaeda's second in command, AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI, issued
a warning to Britain in a new video aired today.

OSAMA BIN LADEN'S deputy says there will be more attacks in the British capital.



Gas (MELBOURNE)

A service station attendant is in hospital with burns to one quarter of his body after
a gas fire at an LPG storage tank in west Melbourne.

The 23-year-old was checking the level of the tank just before 2 am (AEST) when leaking
gas caught fire.



Asbestos (BRISBANE)

The Queensland government says asbestos dust and debris at Mitchelton High School on
Brisbane's northside posed no health risk to students even though a classroom was found
covered in the material.

Public Works Minister ROBERT SCHWARTEN says air particle tests show there was no danger.



Cycling Gillett SA (ADELAIDE)

The South Australian government has pledged $50,000 to the foundation set up in memory
of AMY GILLETT.

The 29-year-old cycling champion was killed when a teenage driver hit her and five
other members of the Australian women's cycling team on a training run in Germany last
month for a touring event.



IN FINANCE:

At 11.16 am (AEST), the benchmark Standard and Poor's ASX 200 index was 7.9 points
LOWER at 4366.9 while the all ordinaries index was 6.4 points LOWER at 4322.1.

The Australian dollar was trading at 77.11 US cents DOWN from 77.18 US cents at yesterday's
close.

It was at 62.29 euro cents DOWN from 62.55 euro cents yesterday.

In Sydney, gold bullion was trading at $US437.35 an ounce, UP 15 US cents from yesterday's
local close.

IN SPORTS NEWS:

Cricket Aust (BIRMINGHAM, England)

England slogged 407 on the first day of the second cricket Test at Edgbaston, just
the seventh time an Australian team has conceded 400 or more runs in a day.

Rain prevented Australia facing a scheduled eight overs.

SHANE WARNE finished with four wickets for 116 and MICHAEL KASPROWICZ took three for
80 after replacing GLENN MCGRATH who was injured during the warm up.

MARCUS TRESCOTHICK top scored for England with 90, ANDREW FLINTOFF made 68 and KEVIN
PIETERSEN 71.



Tennis US (WASHINGTON)

Britain's GREG RUSEDSKI has been eliminated from the $US600,000 ATP Washington Classic,
falling to Croatia's IVO KARLOVIC 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in a third-round match at the US Open
hardcourt tuneup.

KARLOVIC fired 14 aces to advance to a quarter-final against the winner of a later
match between American top seed ANDY RODDICK and Argentina's JUAN IGNACIO CHELA.

France's ARNAUD CLEMENT, ranked 117th, eliminated 59th-rated GILLES MULLER of Luxembourg
4-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.

The Frenchman, now 12-14 in 2005, will next play the winner of a late match between
American JAMES BLAKE and Czech TOMAS ZIB.



GOLF PGA (CASTLE ROCK)

The opening round of the US PGA Tour's International tournament at Castle Rock in Colorado
has been postponed because of heavy rain.

Poor weather set in early in the morning and failed to let up, finally forcing officials
to reschedule first round action for Friday.

The delay is a setback for the many players using the tournament as a final warm up
for next week's US PGA Championship.




ENDS BULLETIN

AAP RTV rt

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP

2005 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.