AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 19

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 19
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Water Howard (CANBERRA)

JOHN HOWARD says there'll be no water allocated to irrigators in the Murray-Darling
basin for the coming year .. unless there's substantial rain in the next six weeks.

The Prime Minister's described the situation as unprecedentedly dangerous .. following
a report by state and federal officials .. examining water availability in the Murray-Darling
system.

He says unless there's very substantial inflows and heavy rain leading to runoff into
the catchment areas .. before mid-May .. there won't be enough water available for for
anything other than critical urban supplies.

Mr HOWARD's stressed urban water supplies are not at risk.

He says some farmers .. particularly those with riverside properties .. may be able
to draw water for their own personal needs .. but not for their stock.



US Campus NBC (BLACKSBURG)

Police say the 23-year-old gunman CHO SEUNG-HUI .. who killed 32 students on a Virginia
college campus .. sent photographs .. video and writings to NBC news through the mail.

NBC says they believe the material was posted after the first shootings at the university
.. in which a male and female student were killed .. and before the mass shootings in
a second school building.

In an excerpt shown on NBC Nightly News .. CHO says in a harsh emphatic voice .. "You
had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today".

But he says people decided to spill his blood .. forcing him into a corner and giving
him only one option.

CHO says the decision was theirs .. and now they have blood on their hands that will
never wash off.

NBC says the package contained an 18 hundred-word diatribe and 29 photos .. 11 of them
showing him aiming handguns at the camera.



Iraq Aust Downer (CANBERRA)

Foreign Minister ALEXANDER DOWNER says a victory in Iraq would be a victory against
terrorism .. regardless of what the British High Commissioner to Australia claims.

In an address to the National Press Club .. diplomat HELEN LIDDELL has said Iraq was
never seen as part of the campaign known as the war against terror.

But Mr DOWNER's told ABC Radio .. that's not the opinion held by British Prime Minister
TONY BLAIR.

He says the importance of defeating terrorism has been reinforced overnight .. with
nearly 200 people killed in a series of car bombs in Baghdad.

Mr DOWNER denies claims the bombers were Sunni insurgents targeting Shi'ites .. saying
most suicide bombings in Iraq are carried out by Al Qaeda-linked groups.



Spain Environment (MADRID)

Biofuels may not be the answer to cutting greenhouse gases.

Environmentalist have warned the greater use of biofuels as an alternative to fossil
fuels will threaten tropical rain forests .. biodiversity and food security.

They say it'll lead to huge areas of forest being cleared while food crops will be
replaced by the plantation of more profitable energy crops like palm and soya.

Green groups .. Ecologists in Action and Via Campesina .. have claimed in a report
released at a two day summit in Madrid that biofuels are a serious threat to the planet.



Einfeld (SYDNEY)

Former Federal Court judge MARCUS EINFELD will fight charges that he misled a court
.. to avoid paying a 77 dollar speeding fine.

EINFELD pleaded not guilty to 13 offences .. when he appeared briefly in Sydney's Downing
Centre Local Court this morning.

The magistrate's adjourned the case to the same court on June 21.



Briefly in other news ..




UK scientists have developed a robot leech .. which can crawl across the surface of
an ailing heart .. delivering treatment.




An adults-only sexual theme park has opened in London .. promising to help visitors
improve their sex lives.




The estate of soul music legend JAMES BROWN .. owes more than 83-thousand dollars for
his elaborate funeral and the care of his body for nearly three months .. according to
a US undertaker.



In Finance ..




At 1120 AEST .. the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was DOWN 35.3 points to 6,201.6, and
the all ordinaries index was DOWN 32.1 points to 6,182.9.

The Australian dollar was trading at 83.45 US cents .. DOWN from 83.67 US cents at
Wednesday's close.

It was at 61.38 euro cents .. DOWN from 61.54 euro cents on Wednesday.

In Sydney .. gold bullion was trading at $US690.80 per fine ounce, UP $US0.35 from
$US690.45 at the local close on Wednesday.



in Sport ..



League Aust Hoffman (BRISBANE)

Melbourne second rower RYAN HOFFMAN has been called into the Australian rugby league
squad as 18th man .. ahead of tomorrow night's Test against New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium.

A Kangaroos team spokesman said 23-year-old HOFFMAN .. who made his representative
debut for City in the City v Country match last year .. was called up only as a precaution.

HOFFMAN is to join the squad in camp in Brisbane this afternoon.



League Cup (BRISBANE)

The rugby league World Cup final will be played in Brisbane next year.

Premier PETER BEATTIE's told parliament the cup final will be played at Suncorp Stadium
on November 22 .. and the stadium will also host a semi-final on November 15.

Other major matches in the cup .. being played to celebrate 100 years of rugby league
.. will be played at Dairyfarmers Stadium in Townsville .. and the Skilled Stadium which
is under construction at Robina on the Gold Coast.



AFL Crows (ADELAIDE)

Adelaide has upgraded rookie ANDREW MCINTYRE to its senior list as a replacement for
injured ruckman RHETT BIGLANDS.

BIGLANDS has been placed on the Crows' long-term injured list after having a knee reconstruction
late last year.



Rugby Aust Flowers (SYDNEY)

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) board has accepted chief executive GARY FLOWERS' resignation
and he'll leave the job on May 11.

The Board received FLOWERS' offer to resign last night .. prior to the annual general
meeting where a new chairman is to be appointed this afternoon to replace RON GRAHAM.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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