AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 15

AAP General News (Australia)
12-15-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 15
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


CLIMATE BALI (NUSA DUA)

The climate change talks in Bali are headed for a compromise .. after the European
Union toned down a key demand for sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

German Environment Minister SIGMAR GABRIEL says the EU can live with a compromise ..

in which the preamble of the meeting's resolution references a UN report saying emissions
by rich nations will have to be cut by 25 to 40 per cent by 2020 .. to avert the worst
effects of global warming.

The talks had been bogged down by a row between the US .. which opposes a reference
to the non-binding goals .. and the EU .. which wanted a clear numerical target.

The draft of the resolution will be put to the meeting this morning.



INDIGENOUS RUDD (DILI)

Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD is meeting indigenous leaders in Darwin this morning .. discussing
the federal government's intervention in Aboriginal communities.

Before the talks .. Mr RUDD said he'd be meeting with much of the Aboriginal leadership
in the Northern Territory.

Mr RUDD has made the special detour on his way home from East Timor.



AFGHAN NATO AUST (EDINBURGH)

Defence Minister JOEL FITZGIBBON says Australia's prepared to stay the course in Afghanistan
.. but has no plans to send more troops there any time soon.

Mr FITZGIBBON's made the comments after official talks in Edinburgh about how to better
tackle the war on terror in southern Afghanistan.

He says Australia would play a leading role in drawing up a new five-year plan to coordinate
the military and non-military measures put in place by the eight countries with significant
troops there.

But he says in the short term .. Canberra isn't prepared to increase our troop presence
.. unless other countries .. particularly European NATO members .. lift theirs.



FIRE (SYDNEY)

A man aged in his early thirties .. and a young girl about three years old .. have
died in a house fire in Sydney.

Another man .. 44 years old .. is in Westmead Hospital in a serious condition .. while
paramedics have treated a woman at the scene of the fire at William Place .. North Rocks.

An Ambulance spokeswomen says it's believed the dead man and child .. and the woman
who arrived at the scene after the fire .. were all related.

She says the 44-year-old's believed to be a passerby who injured himself trying to
help those inside the house.

Emergency crews were called to the fire about 8.30am (AEDT).

The blaze has now been extinguished.



JONES (BRISBANE)

Former Brisbane Lord Mayor CLEM JONES has died this morning .. aged 89.

The Labor Lord Mayor was the city's longest serving .. holding the position from 1961 to 1975.

Clem Jones Group of Companies chairman DELL TOWNSEND says Dr JONES died at the Wesley
Hospital around 4.30am (AEST) from pneumonia.

Mrs TOWNSEND says a state funeral has been offered by Premier ANNA BLIGH and is being
planned for Friday in Brisbane.


PRISONERS (MELBOURNE)

Airport staff and police across the country have been asked to look out for a violent
rapist and another prisoner .. who broke out of a prison van near a busy highway in Melbourne's
west.

TROY LOWE and GREGORY CAULFIELD are on the run after they broke out of the van .. with
a third inmate .. while they were being transferred to another prison at Altona North
yesterday morning.

One of the escapees was caught less than 90 minutes later near Footscray cemetery.

Airports and police interstate have been asked to look out for the men .. while Victoria
Police say at this stage there are no strong leads to where they could be.



FISHERMAN (HOBART)

The search has resumed for a fisherman who was swept off rocks on Tasmania's north-east
yesterday.

The 51-year old man from Claremont was fishing at Cosy Corner .. near Binalong Bay
.. when he was swept off rocks by a large wave.

A search of the shoreline yesterday failed to find the man.

Police and emergency volunteers have continued the search today .. and police divers
will deploy as soon as weather permits.



CROSSINGS (MELBOURNE)

A campaign is underway in Victoria .. aimed at curbing the number of people killed
at level crossings.

The state government's "Don't Risk It" safety campaign will target both motorists and
pedestrians across Victoria.

Public Transport minister LYNNE KOSKY says ads will encourage road users to observe
warning systems at crossings.

It's part of the government's 33 million dollar level crossing safety package.



Briefly in other news ..




Two members of a radical Islamic group .. accused of plotting to attack US military
.. Israeli and Jewish facilities in California .. have pleaded guilty to terrorism charges
in the United States.




The death toll from Tropical Storm Olga in the Caribbean .. has jumped to at least
40 .. with all but three of the victims from the Dominican Republic.




And .. new meaning's been given to the term naughty and nice this Christmas .. police
in Canada are searching for a rogue elf who's been sending filthy letters to children
on behalf of Santa Claus.



in Sport ..



GOLF AUST (SYDNEY)

The early starters are on the course for the third round of the Australian Open ..

chasing overnight leaders NICK O'HERN and KIM FELTON.

The two West Australians are on eight under .. one stroke ahead of a host of players
including two-time former champion ROBERT ALLENBY.

Of the players on the course in hot conditions in Sydney .. MICHAEL CURTAIN is five
under through 13 holes to move to five under for the week .. while MATTHEW JONES has birdied
his first two holes to move to four under.



CUP TAS (HOBART)

Victoria has won the toss and elected to bat in its Ford Ranger Cup one-day match against
Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.

Tasmania has named LUKE BUTTERWORTH 12th man .. while AARON FINCH will carry the drinks
for Victoria.



SURFING WORLD WOMEN (Honolua Bay, Hawaii)

Newly-crowned world champion STEPHANIE GILMORE has surfed her way into the final of
the Billabong Pro in Maui .. where she'll take on fellow Aussie and defending event champ
JESSI MILEY-DYER.

Earlier today .. the elimination of seven-times world champion LAYNE BEACHELY in the
semi-finals handed the triple crown of surfing to Hawaii's MEGAN ABUBO.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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