AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 22

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, April 22
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430

Denmark Royals (COPENHAGEN)

Denmark's Australian-born Crown Princess MARY has given birth to her second child ..

a healthy baby girl.

Her husband .. Crown Prince FREDERIK .. who was at the birth .. says it took six hours
.. and was as beautiful as that of the couple's first child .. Prince CHRISTIAN .. in
October 2005.

The baby princess .. third in line to the Danish throne after her father and older
brother .. had been expected at the beginning of May.

The palace says she weighs 3.3 kilos .. and is 50cm long.

The newborn is the first girl born into the Danish royal family since 1946.



Ice (SYDNEY)

The federal government is expected to announce a new 150 million drugs package to tackle
the ice epidemic in Australia today.

Media reports say the prime minister will announce a package that includes funding
for rehabilitation services .. education programs and drug crime prevention.

The use of ice .. or methamphetamine .. has risen to epidemic proportions in Australia
.. with a recent health report saying methamphetamine use is rife among people in their
20s.



Rudd Murdoch (CANBERRA)

Media mogul RUPERT MURDOCH has met KEVIN RUDD .. and responded positively to reporters'
questions on whether the Labor leader would make a good prime minister.

Mr RUDD met Mr MURDOCH for a one-hour private meeting at News Corp's headquarters in
New York last night .. but the meeting was extended when the pair decided to have dinner
together at a local restaurant.

Channel Seven says when asked if Mr RUDD would make a good prime minister .. Mr MURDOCH
replied to reporters he's sure of it.



Iraq Aust (BAGHDAD)

Iraq Prime Minister NURI AL-MALIKI has told visiting Australian Defence Minister BRENDAN
NELSON the Baghdad security plan is going in the right direction .. despite challenges.

A statement from Mr MALIKI'S office says Dr NELSON pledged Australia's full support
for the Iraqi government .. particularly in developing the country's hard-hit infrastructure.

Australia has 14-hundred troops in Iraq .. of whom 550 are combat soldiers.



Sheik Keelty (CANBERRA)

Australian Federal Police Commissioner MICK KEELTY says it's unlikely mufti Sheik TAJ
ALDIN ALHILALI committed an offence if he gave charity money .. donated by Sydney Muslims

.. to Hezbollah.

The claims are being investigated by the Australian Federal Police as a possible breach
of Australia's anti-terrorism laws.

But Mr KEELTY says .. if the claims prove to be correct .. it is more likely to be
an issue of governance than an offence .. and the AFP's unlikely to charge or take action
against Mr ALHILALI.



Workplace Pay (CANBERRA)

The Australian Fair Pay Commission has agreed to publish pay scales on minimum wages
under Work Choices.

The Commission has .. until now .. rejected calls from unions and employer organisations
to publish pay scales.

It now says it will publish the data .. but its head .. Professor IAN HARPER ... says
it is a complex matter that will take some time to resolve.



Tuberculosis (BRISBANE)

Authorities are contacting hundreds of patients and staff after a staff member .. believed
to be a doctor .. at the Gold Coast Hospital was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Authorities have begun notifying about 500 staff and patients who may have come in
contact with the doctor .. with letters to be sent in coming days.

A TB control team has been established to deal with the case and a screening centre
set up at the hospital.



Gangs (SYDNEY)

Some of the most dangerous criminals in New South Wales have reportedly converted to
Islam and formed a gang inside jail.

Fairfax says the gang's members are all in Goulburn Jail's Super Max .. which has the
highest security rating in Australia.

The reports say the New South Wales government has launched a crackdown on the gang
.. which will now be monitored 24 hours a day because of security fears.



Percy (MELBOURNE)

Victoria's longest-serving prisoner .. DEREK ERNEST PERCY .. has reportedly been linked
to the abduction of Adelaide's BEAUMONT children in 1966.

Fairfax newspapers say new evidence has been discovered .. during a re-examination
of PERCY'S 1969 killing of 13-year-old schoolgirl YVONNE TUOHY.

A retired policeman said PERCY implicated himself in the BEAUMONT disappearance ..

as well as the abduction of seven-year-old LINDA STILWELL from St Kilda Beach in 1968
.. and the murder of three-year-old Sydney boy SIMON BROOK in the same year.



Donor (MELBOURNE)

A virus has reportedly killed three Victorian organ recipients .. from the the one donor.

News Limited newspapers say the virus is believed to be a world first.

Tests couldn't determine any common link between the donor and the recipients .. and
their deaths are being investigated by the coroner.



Fagan (CANBERRA)

Investigations are continuing into the cause of death of ACT Chief of Police AUDREY FAGAN.

Ms FAGAN was on leave in Queensland for just one day when she was found dead late yesterday
in her holiday apartment on Hayman Island .. off Bowen.

Queensland Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death but
Australian Federal Police Commissioner MICK KEELTY today refused to confirm if it was
suicide.



Water Snowy (MELBOURNE)

The Snowy Mountains hydro-electricity scheme could reportedly shut down turbines ..

if there's not significant rainfall in the next 18 months.

Fairfax newspapers say Snowy Hydro's chief executive TERRY CHARLTON has said privately
on current rainfall patterns .. dam storages will drop to 9 per cent .. which wouldn't
be enough to feed the power station's turbines.



Brother (SYDNEY)

A fan of reality TV series Big Brother is claiming to have found a glitch on a website
which has allowed access to details of the new housemates.

The news comes just ahead of tonight's premiere of the seventh season of the Ten Network show.

According to an internet fansite .. photographs and the first names of 18 housemates
were discovered on Three Mobile's Big Brother WAP site.



US Campus (BLACKSBURG)

The family of Virginia Tech shooter CHO SEUNG-HUI have issued a statement .. apologising
for his actions.

In it .. CHO'S sister CHO SUN-KYUNG says they are deeply sorry and heartbroken .. for
the devastation he caused.

She says no words can express the family's sadness that 32 people lost their lives
in a senseless tragedy.



US Aust (WASHINGTON)

US President GEORGE W BUSH has spoken to JOHN HOWARD .. thanking him for his co-operation
in the war on terror.

US officials say the two men talked by phone this morning .. discussing the situations
in Iraq .. Afghanistan .. North Korea and Iran.

BUSH has thanked the PM for Australia's decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan
.. and for Australia's steadfast commitment in Iraq.



Phil US Aust (MANILA)

The Australian government has warned its citizens of possible terror attacks in the
Philippines .. while Americans have been advised not to travel to a southern region which
may be hit by bomb attacks.

Australia says in a travel advisory there is a high threat of terrorist attack in the
Philippines.



Briefly in other news ..



Voting in Nigeria's parliamentary elections has suspended in most of central Lagos ..

the economic capital .. because of errors on the ballot papers.



American singer BEYONCE KNOWLES has begun a five-day tour of Australia.



Actor ERIC BANA has crashed his lovingly-restored classic Ford competing in the Targa
Tasmania car rally .. but has walked away uninjured.



in Sport ..



League (SYDNEY)

The Bulldogs have lost SONNY BILL WILLIAMS for today's clash with the Eels at Parramatta Stadium.

WILLIAMS suffered a hamstring injury in New Zealand's Test loss to Australia on Friday night.

In today's other match, Manly plays the Gold Coast at Brookvale Oval, while ANDREW
JOHNS will be officially farewelled before the Knights take on Brisbane at EnergyAustralia
Stadium tonight.

Last night, Cronulla hammered Canberra 26-0 at Toyota Park, and Melbourne beat Penrith 30-20.



Tennis Fed Aust (DORNBIN, Austria)

Australia faces an uphill battle to win its Fed Cup world group two tie against Austria
after going down 2-0 on the first day in Dornbirn.

SAM STOSUR was crushed by Austrian teenager TAMIRA PASZEK 6-1 6-1 while ALICIA MOLIK
went down to SYBILLE BAMMER 7-5 6-4.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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