AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 15

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2005
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 15
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430

Greece Crash (ATHENS)

All 121 people aboard a Cypriot airliner have been killed when it crashed into a wooded
hillside near the Greek capital Athens, scattering wreckage over a wide area.

Czech Prime Minister JIRI PAROUBEK has said 80 of the passengers were Greek schoolchildren
returning from a holiday on the Mediterranean island nation.

But a representative of Helios Airways, GEORGE DIMITRIOU, says most were Cypriots,
including 48 youths on their way to Prague.

Officials say no-one among the six crew and 115 passengers, most of whom were of Cypriot
nationality, survived the crash.

They initially ruled out a terrorist attack on board the twin-engine Boeing 737.



Reading (SYDNEY)

The federal government will withhold money from states which fail to adopt a back-to-basics
approach in the teaching of reading.

Federal Education Minister BRENDAN NELSON says he will mandate to ensure all states
comply with the recommendations of a national literacy inquiry.

The Sydney Morning Herald today reports the inquiry has found nearly one in three children
were not learning to read properly because they had not been taught how to sound out letters
and syllables.

Head of the inquiry and a research director with the Australian Council for Education
Research KEN ROWE says about 30 per cent of year 9 students have functional literacy problems.

Dr ROWE is expected to recommend a return to phonics teaching, which was largely eclipsed
in the 1980's by the whole-language method of teaching reading.

Dr NELSON, who commissioned the inquiry, says the government will withhold funding
if states resist the reforms.



Telstra (CANBERRA)

The federal government has stepped up pressure on Telstra to improve services in the
bush to prevent a hefty drain on taxpayers' money to pay for the work.

Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader MARK VAILE says the need for a multi-million
government-funded trust to pay for improved bush services would ease if the telco overhauls
services now.

And Communications Minister HELEN COONAN has called on Telstra to carry out urgent
repairs to its network, saying taxpayers should not have to foot the bill.

Their comments come after Telstra CEO SOL TRUJILLO last week asked the government to
contribute to a $5 billion plan to roll out hi-tech services in the bush.



Toll National (SYDNEY)

It's been a horror weekend on the nation's roads, with 18 deaths across six states
and the ACT in a spate of accidents since Friday night.

Three NSW residents were the latest victims of the tragic weekend toll on the nation's roads.

Two men and a woman perished in a double-vehicle crash on the Newell Highway, 45km
north of Gilgandra, NSW, about 1.30pm (AEST) yesterday.

A Central West couple, aged in their late 40s, died at the scene after their sedan
hit a station wagon.

The station wagon driver, believed to be in his 30s, died en route to Gilgandra hospital.



Workplace (CANBERRA)

The federal government is facing growing dissent over its workplace reforms, with the
WA Nationals criticising the planned changes.

WA Nationals president WENDY DUNCAN used her party's conference at the weekend to urge
the government to soften its planned changes.

She says extreme policy changes could create instability for businesses, particularly
the plan to exempt businesses employing fewer than 100 people from unfair dismissal laws.

But Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD has defended the changes.

He says the government is against unfair dismissal laws because they frighten small
firms out of taking on more staff.



Indon Bashir Aust (CANBERRA)

The father of an Australian man killed in the Bali bombings wants the government to
protest an Indonesian decision to cut the sentence of one of the ringleaders.

Muslim cleric ABU BAKAR BASHIR is serving a 30-month sentence for his role in instigating
the October 2002 bombings in which 202 people died -- including 88 Australians.

But BASHIR is expected to have his sentence reduced as part of celebrations to mark
the 60th anniversary of Indonesian independence.

BRIAN DEEGAN -- whose 21-year-old son JOSH died in the blasts -- has called on the
Australian government to strongly object to a remission for BASHIR.



Parly Preview (CANBERRA)

The federal government's controversial plan to sell Telstra should take a step forward
this week with federal cabinet to debate the precise details of the sale.

The Telstra sale plan is expected to be top of cabinet's agenda when it meets tomorrow,
the same day parliament resumes for the second week of its spring session.

Outspoken Nationals senator BARNABY JOYCE is expected to focus on the Telstra sale
in his first speech to the Senate on Thursday.

Debate on the push to abolish compulsory student union fees will resume in the lower
house this week.



Markets Preview (BRISBANE)

The Australian stockmarket will come under pressure today from a weak Wall Street lead,
although energy stocks should continue their upward surge with oil prices again breaking
new records.

In the short term, Australian investors' eyes will be focused upon the record-breaking
annual results season.

Among companies scheduled to report are United Group and Bendigo Bank today, Boral
and GWA International tomorrow and Lend Lease, Leighton Holdings and Woodside Petroleum
on Wednesday.

The reporting week will be rounded up on Thursday with AMP, Qantas and Multiplex results
while IAG, Mirvac and Unitab will report on Friday.



Retire Qld (BRISBANE)

More Queensland MPs are expected to announce today they'll be retiring from politics.

Labor MPs have until 5 pm (AEST) to decide whether to renominate for their seats in
the next state election, due in early 2007.

So far, five have left or signalled their intention to leave Queensland politics.



Mideast (GUSH KATIF)

Israeli and Palestinian forces have been deployed today to ensure calm in the final
countdown to Israel's evacuation of Jewish settlements in the occupied Gaza Strip.

Thousands of Israeli police have blocked approaches to Gaza to keep back Jewish protesters.

The demonstrators have sworn to stop the first removal of settlements this week from
land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want for a state.



Iraq (BAGHDAD)

Iraq is racing against time to wrap up its new constitution but there are concerns
the new charter may not be ready ahead of the deadline tomorrow.

Yesterday, Iraqi President JALAL TALABANI said the draft would be ready by today.

But that appears unlikely as the Sunni Arabs -- the once powerful community under SADDAM
HUSSEIN -- have refused to agree to the key point of federalism.



Children (BRISBANE)

Researchers say Australian children are facing more behavioural, mental health and
social problems, despite enjoying a reprieve from traditional illnesses like infectious
diseases.

SHARON GOLDFELD and FRANK OBERKLAID, of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute,
have called for improvements in the way childhood health and well-being are evaluated.

The researchers -- writing in the Medical Journal of Australia -- say there is virtually
no data on family functioning, despite the evidence suggesting it is just as important
as immunisation.



Indon Drugs (JAKARTA)

Lawyers for the Bali nine are expecting Indonesian police to hand over evidence files
to prosecutors in Denpasar today.

It will clear the way for a series of seven trials to start as early as next month.



AND IN SPORT:


LEAGUE DRAGONS (SYDNEY)

North Queensland skipper TRAVIS NORTON says Brisbane is still the NRL yardstick despite
Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra staking major title claims in round 23.

The Dragons thrashed Brisbane 24-4 at Suncorp Stadium but NORTON says ladder leaders
Brisbane is still the team to beat.



AFL WRAP (MELBOURNE)

Richmond is out of AFL finals contention, while the wooden spoon race took a new twist
after Hawthorn upset Essendon at the MCG yesterday.

Richmond's 12-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome ended their chances
of making the top eight and left 11 teams in finals contention with two home-and-away
matches remaining.

But there will be as much focus at the bottom end of the table in the next fortnight
with Hawthorn, Collingwood or Carlton in danger of finishing the season with the wooden
spoon.



ATHS WORLD MARATHON (HELSINKI)

Briton PAULA RADCLIFFE has ended her long wait for a major title by winning world marathon
gold at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.

The 31-year-old world record holder put her Athens Olympics disappointment behind her
- when she failed to finish the marathon and 10,000 metres - to win in a championship
record of two hours, 20 minutes and 57 seconds at a near-empty Olympic stadium.



ENDS BULLETIN

AAP RTV psm/

KEYWORD: BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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