AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 23

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 23
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Ice Keelty (CANBERRA)

Australian Federal police will take on the ice epidemic at its root .. targetting the
countries where it's manufactured .. as part of the Howard government's new push to tackle
the problem.

AFP Police Commissioner MICK KEELTY says a lot of effort will be put into targetting
offshore drug factories.

JOHN HOWARD has committed 150 million dollars to combat the ice epidemic as part of
the federal government's tough on drugs strategy.

The four-year package includes a major boost to the government's law enforcement efforts
.. more support for non-government rehabilitation services and money for drug education.

At the forefront of the government's plans is an extra 38 million to boost police resources
to tackle the methamphetamine problem at home and overseas .. where much of it's produced.



Drugs (SYDNEY)

The authors of a study showing illicit drug use costs Australian business 3.3 billion
dollars a year .. say the law enforcement approach to drugs has failed to protect people
and commerce.

The Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation has released what it claims to be the first
known Australian study to quantify the cost of illicit drug use.

The foundation says drug use in 2003 cost Australian business two per cent of the year's
corporate profits.



Mokbel (MELBOURNE)

The brother of fugitive drug baron TONY MOKBEL .. has been refused bail in a Melbourne court.

HORTY MOKBEL .. who was arrested on five charges .. including trafficking methylamphetamine
.. appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

The crown prosecution argued he could flee the country .. using similar means to his brother.

HORTY MOKBEL was ordered to appear in court again for a committal mention hearing in July.



Yacht Son (BRISBANE)

The son of one of the three sailors missing from a catamaran off the north Queensland
coast .. is hoping they're on an island .. waiting to be rescued.

The official search for skipper DES BATTEN .. and brothers PETER and JAMES TUNSTEAD
was called off yesterday .. and police are preparing a report for the coroner.

But JAMES TUNSTEAD'S son SHANE WEBBER says three charter boats will continue the search
around Airlie Beach and nearby islands today.

The men are believed to have gone missing from their catamaran .. KAZ Two .. eight
days ago .. soon after leaving Shute Harbour for their hometown of Perth.

The yacht was found adrift on Wednesday.



Doctors Qld (BRISBANE)

Health bureaucrats at a Queensland hospital could be sacked .. when a report into the
hiring of unregistered interns is handed down later this week.

About one thousand patient records are being reviewed .. amid concerns four unregistered
interns have worked unsupervised at Cairns Base Hospital.

The hospital hired the foreign interns in January without properly screening their
qualifications .. including English competency.



Howard (BRISBANE)

JOHN HOWARD denies he's been spooked by poor opinion polls .. into making his second
trip to the federal battleground of south-east Queensland in a week.

He's chosen the region to begin his pitch to voters to give the coalition a fifth term
in government .. only days after he was there to inspect the Wivenhoe Dam.

But the prime minister's told ABC radio .. people shouldn't microanalyse his program
.. because he goes all around the country on a regular basis.

He says it's a perfectly normal .. in-the-groove thing to do.



Uranium Garrett (CANBERRA)

Labor's environment spokesman PETER GARRETT says he's not sure how many of his colleagues
will reject changes to Labor's uranium policy .. but he'll stand firm.

Opposition Leader KEVIN RUDD will ask his party to overturn its 25-year opposition
to new uranium mines .. at Labor's national conference in Sydney this weekend.

But Mr GARRETT says Mr RUDD will have a fight on his hands.



Gillard Collapse (CANBERRA)

Deputy opposition leader JULIA GILLARD says she's in good health .. after almost collapsing
at an ANZAC wreath-laying ceremony yesterday.

Ms GILLARD says she hadn't eaten before attending the event in her Melbourne electorate
of Lalor .. and the sun was directly in her eyes when she started to feel light headed.

After being checked by St Johns ambulance officers .. she was diagnosed as having low
blood sugar levels .. meaning she had to eat.



Bodies Psychologist (MELBOURNE)

A child psychologist says teenage suicide pacts are unusual .. but they do happen ..

and parents should be on the lookout for warning signs.

Two bodies .. believed to be missing 16-year-old girls STEPHANIE GESTIER and JODIE
GATER .. are reported to have been found hanging from tree branches in the Dandenong Ranges
National Park .. east of Melbourne .. yesterday.

Police have yet to confirm the girls' names.

Dr JOE TUCCI has told the Nine Network .. the best parents can do is listen to their
children .. be alert to the warning signs .. and keep the lines of communication open.

He says feelings of helplessness .. assault .. bullying .. and alienation from peers
.. can tip children over the edge .. as can disturbing images on television of tragedies
like September 11 .. and the Virginia Tech massacre.



US Campus (BLACKSBURG)

A medical examiner says the Virginia Tech gunman wasn't particularly accurate with
his shots .. and fired enough times to wound his 32 victims more than 100 times.

Dr WILLIAM MASSELLO says many of SEUNG-HUI CHO's victims had multiple defensive wounds
.. indicating they'd tried to shield themselves from CHO'S fire.

Blood samples are now being tested to determine if CHO was on drugs at the time of his rampage.



Briefly in other news ..




South Australia is setting up a special youth task force to advise the government on
road safety issues.




A man has suffered serious facial burns .. in an explosion at a power station in the
NSW Hunter Valley.




A missing fisherman has been found safe .. after a night floating in a small boat east
of Mackay off the Queensland coast.




Sydney's eastern suburbs received almost 100mm of rain in just a few hours last night
.. causing flash-flooding .. but hardly any fell in the catchment areas.




In Iraq .. insurgents have killed 50 people in a new day of carnage .. including 23
members of a non-Muslim minority dragged from a bus and gunned down by the roadside.



In Sport ..



Soccer AL (SYDNEY)

The A-League salary cap has been increased from $1.6 million to $1.8 million for the
competition's third season in order to allow for increased squad sizes.

Clubs will have to register a minimum 20-strong playing squad with a maximum of 23
players for the 2007-2008 season.

Each club will be limited to a maximum of four foreign players.

The pre-season cup starts on July 14 and the season proper on August 24 with 2006 champions
Sydney FC playing Central Coast at Aussie Stadium.

A four-week final series will commence on January 25 with the grand final to be played
on February 17.



Motor Champ (HOUSTON)

Australia's WILL POWER has finished 11th in the Champ Car grand prix race in Houston
to surrender his series lead to race winner SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS.

POWER started on pole after officials ruled BOURDAIS had interfered with the Team Australia
driver during qualifying, but the Frenchman had his revenge in the race, finishing ahead
of teammate and 18-year-old rookie GRAHAM RAHAL.

Three-time defending series champion BOURDAIS has moved to 72 points overall after
three races, two ahead of POWER.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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