AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 16

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2010
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 16
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


Boat Wrap (SAO PAULO/CANBERRA)

Foreign Minister KEVIN RUDD says the horrific refugee boat accident off Christmas Island
.. in which at least 27 people died .. is an "unspeakable tragedy".

Australian officials say the refugees died yesterday morning after their wooden boat
shattered in violent seas off the island.

The boat was reportedly carrying up to 70 asylum seekers .. customs says at least 42
people survived.

Mr RUDD .. who's in Brazil .. would not be drawn on what policy changes Australia might
make in light of the accident.

He's told AFP it's not a day to debate policy .. it's important simply to reflect on
the human dimensions of the tragedy and suffering.

Meantime .. the Refugee Council of Australia says the deaths highlight the desperate
circumstances facing people fleeing persecution.

Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD is returning from her holidays to deal with the incident.



WikiLeaks Boat (SYDNEY)

Secret US embassy cables have criticised the handling of asylum seekers by former prime
minister KEVIN RUDD.

Fairfax reports the cables .. obtained by WikiLeaks .. reveal US diplomats told Washington
that Labor insiders regarded the issue as "politically dangerous" .. and the party was
fearful of being viewed as 'soft' on border security.

The cable also reveals the embassy said that in parliamentary debate on asylum seekers
Mr RUDD had "returned to tedious spin and bureaucratic jargon .. making him look evasive
and out of his depth".

They also show that a close adviser to Mr RUDD failed to persuade him to use the government's
powers "to calmly and rationally put the issue in perspective" .. by acknowledging that
only a small number of asylum seekers were arriving by boat .. compared with tens of thousands
overstaying their visas.



Assange Court Appeal (LONDON)

Court officials say the appeal against bail for WikiLeaks chief JULIAN ASSANGE will
be heard in London's High Court later today.

Lawyers acting for Sweden have challenged a British judge's order that he can be freed
under stringent conditions.

The Australian founder of the whistleblowing website is being detained at Wandsworth
Prison in south London while he waits to hear if he can be released.



Weather Qld (BRISBANE)

Wild weather that's rocked southeast Queensland has subsided .. but the reprieve may
be short-lived .. with more severe thunderstorms predicted.

The Bureau of Meteorology says a second wave of storms is likely to develop inland
.. mostly west of Brisbane .. this afternoon.

Senior forecaster BRETT HARRISON says hail and damaging winds are expected.

Suburbs north of Brisbane were hit by similarly rough conditions late yesterday ..

with areas between Brisbane and the Gold Coast pelted with hailstones the size of tennis
balls.

Earlier .. a motorcyclist died in a severe hailstorm at Thornlands.



Nuttall (BRISBANE)

Former Queensland government minister GORDON NUTTALL will be sentenced today for corruption
and perjury.

A Brisbane District Court jury found the 57-year-old guilty in October of five perjury
charges and five counts of official corruption.

The court heard the former minister corruptly received 150-thousand dollars from businessman
BRENDAN MCKENNARIEY .. and in return .. NUTTALL used his ministerial influence to help
Mr MCKENNARIEY win government contracts.

Last month .. prosecutors said NUTTALL should receive a maximum penalty of 14 years' jail.

NUTTALL is already serving a seven-year sentence for 36 counts of corruption.


Morcombe (BRISBANE)

The inquest into the disappearance of Queensland youngster DANIEL MORCOMBE continues
today after a warning .. that a man allegedly ready to make a courtroom confession to
abducting and murdering the boy .. should not be trusted.

Detective Senior Constable VIRGINIA GRAY told the Brisbane Coroners Court yesterday
a person of interest .. known as P33 .. has given police a disturbingly detailed account
of how he and his older male lover had snatched the 13-year-old from a Sunshine Coast
bus stop in December 2003.

But the officer has told the court the man concocted the story to pay his lover back
for reporting him to police over child pornography and child abuse .. and should not be
believed.



Bligh (BRISBANE)

Queensland Premier ANNA BLIGH has reflected on a painful year .. but ruled out stepping
down or an early state election .. saying she is not discouraged by plummeting public
support.

She says she knew her government's asset sales plans would not be popular .. but she
says she doesn't think that leadership is about being driven by polls or focus groups.

Ms BLIGH's told the Seven Network she will absolutely lead Labor to the next state
election due in March 2012.



Fire (SYDNEY)

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service Association will tell the government today what
it thinks needs to be done to prevent major bush fires in the future.

It's expected to put forward a policy that looks as far ahead as 2030 .. after yesterday
warning the state could face a devastating fire season next year unless hazard reduction
is continued.



Briefly in other news ..



Iran Attack (TEHRAN)

A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a Shi'ite religious procession in the Iranian
city of Chabahar .. killing at least 39 people.



Russia Riot (MOSCOW)

Moscow police have arrested more than 700 people across the city centre .. in a bid
to prevent ethnic clashes from erupting following the deadly shooting of a football fan.



Kenya ICC (THE HAGUE)

The International Criminal Court has accused six Kenyans of masterminding the 2007-08
post-election violence that claimed 15-hundred lives.



US Time (NEW YORK)

Facebook founder and CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG has been named Time magazine's Person of the
Year for 2010.



in Sport ..



Cricket Aust (PERTH)

Australian captain RICKY PONTING and selector on-duty DAVID BOON will take one final
look at the WACA pitch this morning .. before naming their XI for the pivotal third Ashes
Test.

PONTING wants to be sure of conditions before choosing between debutant spinner MICHAEL
BEER and pacemen PETER SIDDLE or BEN HILFENHAUS.

For England .. either CHRIS TREMLETT or TIM BRESNAN will replace the injured STUART
BROAD for their final pace position.



Cup SA (ADELAIDE)

ROB QUINEY smacked a power-packed 64-ball century as Victoria trounced South Australia
by 67 runs in their one-day match.

QUINEY'S ton propelled the Bushrangers to 6-301 from 45 overs before they dismissed
the Redbacks for just 234 in reply.



Cricket MCC Detectors (LONDON)

Cricket officials are considering using lie detectors to combat corruption after a
meeting in Perth.



Soccer AL (NEWCASTLE)

Newcastle Jets have stretched their unbeaten run in the A-League to seven matches with
a 2-0 win over the Gold Coast.

Meanwhile .. North Queensland Fury have secured a 1-0 victory in a must-win clash with
Sydney FC at Dairy Farmers Stadium.



AFL Magpies (MELBOURNE)

Collingwood captain NICK MAXWELL has signed a two-year contract extension .. tying
him to the club until at least the end of 2013.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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