AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Dec 22

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2010
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Dec 22
EVENING ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


BOAT ABBOTT (CANBERRA)

Opposition Leader TONY ABBOTT says he'd consider a modest expansion of Australia's
annual intake of refugees .. but has repeated his denial that he once offered independent
MP ANDREW WILKIE to double the figure in exchange for his support in forming government.

Mr ABBOTT says the wake of last week's boat accident at Christmas Island .. which killed
at least 30 people .. an increase should be on the cards .. provided people are coming
through the front door.

But Mr ABBOTT's standing by his refusal to work with the government on asylum seekers
through its multi-party standing group .. saying the government must first admit it needs
to change policy.



STORM (SYDNEY)

Australia's corporate regulator ASIC says it's begun legal proceedings against the
Commonwealth Bank .. Bank of Queensland and Macquarie Group .. over the collapse of Storm
Financial.

Chairman TONY D'ALOISIO says ASIC is bringing the actions to seek compensation for
investors who've suffered losses.

ASIC says the proceedings in the Federal Court are based on Storm's operation of an
alleged unregistered managed investment scheme in which the banks were involved.



ABUSE (ADELAIDE)

A court's heard a mother jailed for abusing five of her children in Adelaide's so-called
house of horrors lived in similar squalid conditions in Victoria.

Lawyer BILL BRAITHWAITE's told the Supreme Court that the children she had at the time
were left dirty and unkempt .. food littered the floor .. and there was a constant smell
of faeces and urine reported by welfare authorities.

The woman is serving a minimum three-year sentence after pleading guilty to abusing
five of her children .. including refusing them food .. beating them and forcing them
to stand in line all day.

Another woman and two more men .. all found guilty over the same case .. are to be
sentenced next year.



XMAS CHARITIES (CANBERRA)

Charities are experiencing a significant increase in demand for help .. by families
doing it tough in the lead-up to Christmas.

The Salvation Army's expecting to help more than 350 thousand disadvantaged Australians
this Christmas .. delivering over ten million dollars worth of gifts and food.

Salvos spokesman Major PETER SUTCLIFFE says the group's experiencing an increase in
demand from regional areas hit by recent floods.



ICE (SYDNEY)

The routine search of a suspect in Sydney's west has led federal police to uncover
90 kilos of the drug ice .. worth 14.4 million dollars and the seventh largest haul of
the drug in Australian history.

In Central Local Court today 35-year-old Malaysian citizen KOK LOONG WONG has been
charged with possessing the ice and dealing in the proceeds of crime.

He didn't apply for bail .. which was formally refused .. and is due to appear in the
same court again on February 16.

Meanwhile .. in an unrelated case .. the head of the Navy .. Vice Admiral RUSS CRANE
.. has urged any sailor with knowledge of drug trafficking aboard its ships to come forward.

The plea comes as defence investigators and New South Wales Police are looking into
the alleged supply and use of illicit substances .. including steroids .. by sailors at
a Sydney naval base.



WEATHER EUROPE (LONDON)

European airports are fighting to clear a backlog of thousands of stranded Christmas
travellers .. as arctic conditions grip the continent and spark fresh delays and cancellations.

Weary passengers face another day stuck in terminals .. amid fresh snowfalls and continued
freezing temperatures which have hit airports in Britain .. Germany .. France and Ireland.

The continent's air traffic supervisory body says about three thousand flights were
cancelled across Europe on Tuesday .. with similar numbers of cancellations for each of
the past four days.



WEATHER QLD (BRISBANE)

Parts of Queensland's far north have copped a drenching .. and forecasters warn the
region .. along with the the state's entire east coast .. is in for more of the same.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the worst of the rain over the past 24 hours has fallen
between Innisfail .. south of Cairns .. and Ingham .. north of Townsville.

The highest rainfall report's been recorded in the Mena Creek area .. south of Innisfail
.. with 250 millimetres.



BROWSE (PERTH)

Objectors to a proposed 30 billion dollar gas hub in the Kimberley say West Australian
Premier COLIN BARNETT's plan to compulsorily acquire land will stall .. because of flawed
notices of intent filed by his government.

Kimberley Land Council chief executive WAYNE BERGMANN says the formal process to take
the land for the Woodside Petroleum-led project is invalid because it doesn't specify
exactly which parcels of land are to be taken.



BOLITHO (GOLD COAST)

A Gold Coast man who ran down a child on a footpath with his moped has been sentenced
to two years jail today .. but will be released on parole in just under two months.

Southport Magistrates Court has been told 36-year-old MICHAEL ANDREW BOLITHO hit the
six-year-old on January 18 when he drove his moped at high speed along a footpath at Main
Beach .. dragging the child for 10 metres.

BOLITHO drove off .. leaving the little boy with severe injuries including a fractured
skull and bleeding on the brain.



MED CANCER (LONDON)

A new study says cancer patients in Australia .. Canada and Sweden had a better chance
of surviving for five years than those in Denmark and the UK in recent years.

Researchers tracked 2.4 million cancer patients in Australia .. Canada .. Denmark ..

Norway .. Sweden and the UK from 1995 to 2007.

The study has found in Australia and Sweden .. about 90 per cent of breast cancer patients
were still alive five years after being diagnosed.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS ..



ELECTRICITY (SYDNEY)

The New South Wales opposition says state parliament has been shut down two months
early .. so Labor can avoid a damaging inquiry into its troubled electricity privatisation.



LEADERSHIP (BRISBANE)

Premier ANNA BLIGH has scoffed at reports some backbenchers are getting restless over
the prospect of a major landslide against Labor at the next state election.



CROC (BRISBANE)

A north Queensland man's braced for a legal battle to keep a beloved pet croc that's
been part of his family for almost 50 years.



VC (CANBERRA)

The Australian War Memorial is about to reopen its renovated Hall of Valour .. with
64 Victoria Cross medals on display from Australian soldiers .. and three from British
VC winners.



IN SPORT ..



CRICKET AUST (MELBOURNE)

Australia's PETER SIDDLE says England are only making a big deal out of the latest
sledging incident because they lost the last Test match.

The pace bowler had a verbal confrontation with England's MATT PRIOR after the batsman's
dismissal during last week's third Ashes Test in Perth.

SIDDLE says heated exchanges between players happen in every Ashes Test .. but somehow
it's different if England lose a game.

Meanwhile .. the head of the Australian Cricketers' Association says the form of the
national team has deteriorated because of the players' fear of a public and official backlash
against the sledging of opponents.



AFL INGLIS (MELBOURNE)

A decision on whether disgruntled rugby league star GREG INGLIS joins AFL club Essendon
could be made this week.



SAIL SYDHOB (SYDNEY)

Competitors in the Sydney to Hobart race will experience a slow start and then a rough
first night on the sea.



ENDS EVENING ROUND-UP


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