AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 30

AAP General News (Australia)
12-30-2010
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 30
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430

Weather Qld (BRISBANE)

There is no end in sight for Queensland's flood victims .. with conditions expected to worsen.

More residents are expected to evacuate the state's worst hit areas .. as record-breaking
floods continue to devastate parts of central and southern Queensland.

At Bundaberg on the coast the Burnett River was rising at a rate of 5cm an hour last
night to its highest level in 50 years .. and people in the town have been evacuated with
dozens of homes underwater.

At Emerald .. in land from Rockhampton .. flooding from the Nogoa River cut off the
town by 9.30pm (AEST) last night .. and about 90 people took refuge at evacuation centres
and many more went to stay with relatives and friends.

The river reached 14.65 metres last night and is expected to continue to rise until
tomorrow (Friday).



Bushfires WA (PERTH)

Easing weather conditions have given fire crews hope they can hold a large bushfire
near Toodyay east of Perth to a nature reserve .. and spare homes and private property.

Toodyay came under threat from the bushfire yesterday .. a year to the day from the
bushfires which ravaged the West Australian town last year.

The Department of Conservation and Environment says the fire's not too bad .. and they
hope to have it contained by this morning.



Defence (SYDNEY)

Senior defence figures have reportedly been wined and dined by arms dealers and weapons
manufacturers.

Fairfax says more than 110 free dinners and lunches and tickets to theatre and sporting
events were given to the Defence Department's high-ranking personnel in the past three
years.

The recently retired head of the Chief Capability Development Group .. Vice-Admiral
MATT TRIPOVICH .. enjoyed more than one-quarter of all hospitality taken up .. including
tickets to 11 ACT Brumbies rugby matches.



Kafkias (MELBOURNE)

A 29-year-old man has been charged with murder .. over the discovery of a man's body
in a house in Melbourne's east.

Police were called to the house in Doncaster East just after 11am (AEDT) today .. after
the 54-year-old man's body was found by a friend who came to visit the man.

29-year-old CHRIS KAFKIAS was arrested this afternoon and later charged with one count of murder.

He's appeared before an out-of-sessions court hearing .. and remanded in custody to
appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today.



Whaling (ADELAIDE)

Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD has reiterated the federal governments anti-whaling stance
.. amid reports of Japanese officials accepting whale meat gifts.

The ABC has reported Japan's Fisheries Agency has admitted its officials accepted gifts
of whale meat from the body that runs the country's so-called scientific whaling program.

Ms GILLARD says the Australian government is completely opposed to whaling .. and is
taking appropriate action through the international courts.



Denmark Cartoon (COPENHAGEN)

Officials in Denmark say they've foiled a plot to massacre staff at a newspaper ..

which published caricatures of the Prophet MOHAMMED.

Five people have been arrested .. four in Denmark and one in Sweden.

In 2005 .. the Jyllands-Posten newspaper published a dozen cartoons of the Prophet
MOHAMMED .. which triggered violent and sometimes deadly protests around the world.



UK Charity (LONDON)

Britain's government is considering plans under which the public would be asked to
donate to good causes each time they use an ATM.

It's also discussing a plan to allow shoppers who pay for goods or services using debit
cards in stores to round up the cost of purchases and donate the difference.

Cabinet minister FRANCIS MAUDE says the proposals are among a host of potential policies
aimed at increasing donations to British charities .. including adding a voluntary levy
to orders at takeaway restaurants.



Briefly in other news ..



The trial of one of Indonesia's top terrorism suspects has opened in Jakarta.



A young man is in hospital with spinal injuries .. after he slipped off a cliff in Sydney's
eastern suburbs.



Rio Tinto says severe monsoonal rain in Queensland has hit its operations .. and the company
has called a force majeure on coal sales contracts from mines in which it has a majority
interest.



in Sport ..



Cricket Aust (MELBOURNE)

Australia's cricket selectors have some big decisions to make ahead of today's naming
of the team for the Sydney Test.

There are widespread calls for an overhaul of the team after England beat Australia
by an innings yesterday at the MCG.

It means England have retained the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years.

Captain RICKY PONTING is out of form and nursing a broken finger, but he's determined
to keep leading the team.

Left-arm paceman DOUG BOLLINGER is likely to come into the side to replace RYAN HARRIS,
who's needed surgery for an ankle stress fracture.



Soccer AL AdUtd (AEDLAIDE)

Adelaide United striker SERGIO VAN DIJK has maintained his prolific scoring streak
in his A-League side's 2-0 triumph over Sydney FC.

VAN DIJK scored the breakthrough before an own goal ensured a deserved victory for
the Reds before 16,429 spectators at Adelaide Oval.

Sydney's woes continued in their fifth consecutive loss, while Adelaide crept four
points clear of third-placed Central Coast.



Sail SydHob (HOBART)

The skipper of Sydney to Hobart line honours winner WILD OATS ELEVEN says technology
in the race needs be updated after a radio nearly cost her a fifth crown.

A jury threw out the protest against WILD OATS after it had been alleged her radio
was not adequate enough for the journey across Bass Strait.

MARK RICHARDS said it was time the race began to rely on satellite communication ...

rather than high frequency radio.

Adelaide yacht SECRET MEN'S BUSINESS 3.5 is in the best position to claim handicap
honours of the 14 who have finished the race.



Tennis Qld (BRISBANE)

Tennis young gun BERNARD TOMIC will find out today whether he's received the contentious
third and final wildcard to next week's Brisbane International.

TOMIC has been granted the first men's wildcard in the previous two years of the tournament
but has been overlooked thus far in favour of JOHN MILLMAN and MARINKA MATOSEVIC.

The 18-year-old is believed to be vying for the wildcard with fellow Queensland teenager
JASON KUBLER who was the top ranked junior in the world earlier this year.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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