AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 21

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2008
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 21
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


D'Arcy (SYDNEY)

Two charges against swimmer NICK D'ARCY have been amended .. with the dumped Olympian
now facing a single count of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm on former swimmer
SIMON COWLEY.

The DPP asked for the charges to be changed because they'd been incorrectly laid.

Olympic team swimmer STEPHANIE RICE has also been added to a list of four other people
D'ARCY has been ordered not to approach or contact.

COWLEY suffered a broken jaw .. broken nose .. fractured eye socket .. crushed cheekbone
and fractured palate in an altercation in Sydney last month.

An emotionless but attentive D'ARCY spoke little in court .. only answering "yes" when
the magistrate asked him to confirm his name and if he was aware of the single charge
against him.

The case has been adjourned until June 17.

Outside the court .. D'ARCY said he's still optimistic his appeal to the Court of Arbitration
for Sport will succeed in having his sacking from the Australian Olympic team overturned.

And he says he's still 100 per cent committed to competing in Beijing.



Summit Rudd (CANBERRA)

The prime minister says the hard work begins now .. on the ideas that came from the
weekend's 2020 Summit.

One of the things he's expressed enthusiasm for .. is the healthbook idea of having
personal health records stored online.

KEVIN RUDD's told the Seven Network the whole idea is to make sure patients are in
control of their own records .. and if they're moving around the country they can quickly
access them online.

Mr RUDD says if the technology's available to make the system completely secure ..

it's something to consider.



Oly08 Flame Rudd (CANBERRA)

The prime minister says he's not sure where Chinese Olympic personnel will be positioned
during Canberra's torch relay .. but they won't be playing a security role.

KEVIN RUDD says Australian Federal Police will be the only ones responsible for security
at Thursday's event.

Mr RUDD's told the Seven Network the tracksuit-clad Chinese flame attendants will only
be there to help maintain the torch.

He says he doesn't know if they'll travel on a bus behind the torch bearers .. or run
beside them.

But he says the torch is being handed over and relit around every hundred metres ..

so there's a logistical problem for the Chinese attendants who do the light and relight
the flame.



Channel (MELBOURNE)

Dredging of Melbourne's Yarra River is under way .. as part of the controversial one
billion dollar Port Phillip Bay channel deepening project.

The dredging will drag up two million cubic metres of toxic sediment from the river
bed .. dumping it in a containment bund in the bay.

It'll then be capped with clean dredged sand.



Macarthur (BRISBANE)

The chairman of Queensland-based Macarthur Coal says former chief executive KEN TALBOT
has sold his multi-million dollar stake in the mining company.

Chairman KEITH DE LACY says Mr TALBOT .. who is facing corruption charges .. had more
than 50 million shares in the company .. worth around 13 dollars each.

Mr Talbot is facing 35 corruption charges over an alleged 300 thousand dollar loan
to former state government minister GORDON NUTTALL.



UK Madonna (LONDON)

MADONNA's topped the British singles charts for the 13th time .. a record for a female
solo artist.

Her new track .. 4 Minutes .. featuring JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE .. has pushed ESTELLE'S American
Boy with KANYE WEST .. into second spot.

The 49-year-old's 13th chart-topping singles are nearly twice as much as the next closest
female solo artist .. KYLIE MINOGUE .. who has seven.



Briefly in other news ..




A cyclone watch has been issued for Christmas Island as a tropical low gathers intensity
.. the weather bureau says the storm could develop into a cyclone late today or early
tomorrow.




GEOFF POLITES .. the UK-based chief executive of Jaguar and Land Rover .. has died
in Melbourne during a visit to his hometown for the birth of his first grandchild.




The Israeli army says it will investigate the killing of a Reuters news cameraman ..

after a human rights group claimed it has evidence suggesting a tank crew fired recklessly
or deliberately at him.





in Finance ..




At 1115 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was UP 132.8 points at 5,562.5, while
the All Ordinaries Index ROSE 125.2 points to 5,629.3.

The Australian dollar was at 93.39 US cents, DOWN from Friday's close at 93.81 US cents.

It was at 59.03 euro cents, UP from Friday's close at 58.88 euro cents.

In Sydney, the spot price of gold was $US921.00 per fine ounce, DOWN $US22.85 from
$US943.85 on Friday.



in Sport ..



AFL Crows (Adelaide)

Adelaide expects onballer CHRIS KNIGHTS to be available for Saturday's AFL clash against
Carlton at the MCG.

KNIGHTS hasn't played a premiership game this season after suffering a thigh injury
in the preseason grand final.

But the Crows say the left-footer should be ready to play this weekend, along with
defender KRIS MASSIE, who appears to have overcome a hamstring strain.



League Roosters (SYDNEY)

Sydney Roosters coach BRAD FITTLER has dismissed claims the club is trying to offload
representative stars MARK O'MELEY and ANTHONY MINICHIELLO next year due to salary cap
pressure.

Reports over the weekend suggested the Roosters were considering releasing new recruit
O'MELEY and injured fullback MINICHIELLO so they could free up more money for rising stars
ANTHONY TUPOU and DAVID SHILLINGTON.

But FITTLER says those suggestions are false and another case of innuendo sweeping
through league circles.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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