AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Feb 18

AAP General News (Australia)
02-18-2006
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Feb 18
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Vietnam Aust (SYDNEY)

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says two Australian drug traffickers .. who've been
spared the death penalty in Vietnam .. should be counting their blessings.

Vietnamese President TRAN DUC LUONG has granted Australian citizen MAI CONG THANH ..

and permanent resident NGUYEN VAN CHINH .. a reprieve .. after lobbying by the Australian
government.

But Mr DOWNER says he doesn't know if Bali Nine ringleaders ANDREW CHAN and MYURAN
SUKUMARAN .. condemned to death in Indonesia .. will be as fortunate.



Phil Landslide Aid (GENEVA)

The Red Cross has appealed for two million dollars to help victims of the landslide
in the Philippines .. which has killed about 200 people.

15-hundred people are still missing after the landslide on the island of Leyte yesterday
.. buried a primary school and about 375 homes.

Philippines Red Cross chief RICHARD GORDON says the mud is waist-deep in some areas
.. and this is making it very difficult to search for survivors and get help to the injured.



Flu Egypt (CAIRO)

A UN official says tests done on dead birds in Egypt have confirmed an outbreak of
the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

It's now thought to have swept out of South-East Asia into Europe .. the Middle East and Africa.

Dr TALIB ELHAM .. from the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Cairo .. says the disease
has apparently moved north to Cairo in an infected turkey that was taken to market in
the capital.



Canada Snow (OTTAWA)

More than 100 vehicles have been caught in a pile-up in Canada which has killed five
people .. in two separate crashes caused by strong winds and snow.

Four people died in a heap of twisted metal after 38 vehicles collided on a highway
outside Ottawa at about noon (local time).

Moments later .. dozens more were injured in a pile-up east of Montreal after some
60 cars and trucks slammed into each other .. leaving at least one person dead.

Up to 60 people have been injured in both crashes .. the number of casualties in the
Ottawa accident forcing authorities to send a transit bus to carry the injured to hospital.



Hicks (MELBOURNE)

A lawyer for Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee DAVID HICKS says Foreign Minister ALEXANDER
DOWNER has agreed to renew his client's case .. at the next federal cabinet meeting.

DAVID McLEOD says Mr DOWNER has been given new information about the case.

A spokesman for Mr DOWNER says the Australian Government hasn't changed its position
.. and would like to see HICKS face trial in the US as soon as possible.



Cartoons Libya (ROME)

At least nine people have died and 55 have been injured in Libya .. as protesters tried
to storm the Italian consulate in the city of Benghazi.

They were protesting over cartoons of the Prophet MOHAMMED .. originally published
in Denmark and re-published last month in several European newspapers.

It's the first action against Italian interests in a Muslim country since protests
against the cartoons began.



Shooting (PERTH)

A 13-year-old boy will face court today over the fatal shooting af a girl in the West
Australian Goldfields district yesterday.

The 16-year-old girl died in hospital after she was shot in the head at Mount Margaret
Mission .. a remote Aboriginal community .. 35 kilometres west of Laverton.



NZ Fossil (WELLINGTON)

A group of New Zealand school children have found the remains of a giant penguin ..

which died 40 million years ago.

The remains of the 150-centimetre high penguin have been found near the town of Kawhia
.. on the west coast of the North Island.



US Bond (LOS ANGELES)

The search for a new BOND girl is over .. with producers unveiling French actress EVA
GREEN as the femme fatale who will charm British superspy JAMES BOND in Casino Royale.

The 25-year-old actress has been picked for the coveted role of the enticing VESPER
LYND opposite actor DANIEL CRAIG .. in his first outing as 007 in the legendary BOND series.

The new BOND film will be released worldwide on November 17.



IN BRIEF..................




Gunshots have been fired into a house in south Sydney .. while a mother and her two
children were inside.




The US has asked the Palestinian Authority to return more than 67 million dollars in
aid .. because Washington doesn't want a Hamas-led government to have the funds.




The lawyer shot by DICK CHENEY during a hunting trip has been discharged from hospital.




Death threats from Australia against the Croatian politician who signed the extradition
request for an accused war criminal DRAGAN VASILJKOVIC .. have been forwarded to the Croatian
prosecutors office.



AND IN SPORT..................



Cup Vic (MELBOURNE)

Tasmania has made a steady start after winning the toss in its one-day cricket match
against Victoria at the Junction Oval.

The Tigers are one for 60 after 12 overs .. with opener TIM PAINE on 29 and captain
MICHAEL DiVENUTO 12 not out.



Tennis Men (SAN JOSE)

LLEYTON HEWITT has defeated fellow Australian WAYNE ARTHURS 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to progress
to the semi-finals of the San Jose Open in California.

Third seed HEWITT .. who has extended his winning record to 4-0 over his long-time
Davis Cup teammate .. now faces American VINCENT SPADEA for a spot in the finals.



Snooker Hann (LONDON)

Australian QUINTEN HANN .. who on Tuesday effectively announced his retirement from
snooker .. has been found guilty of match-fixing and banned for eight years.

The 28-year-old former world No.22 .. who'd informed the World Professional Billiards
and Snooker Association that he wouldn't attend today's independent disciplinary hearing
.. was found guilty in his absence and ordered to pay 23 thousand 600 dollars in costs.



Oly06 (TURIN)

Two Australians have been in action at the Winter Olympics in Turin overnight.

SHAUN BOYLE finished 22nd in the men's skeleton .. with gold going to Canadian DUFF GIBSON.

Snowboarder EMILY THOMAS finished 21st in the boardercross timed run .. failing to
qualify for the main event .. with the gold medal won by TANJA FRIEDEN of Switzerland.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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