AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 1

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 1
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Gay (SYDNEY)

Same sex marriage is be on the agenda today .. both inside and outside the ALP National
Conference in Sydney.

Hundreds of same-sex couples will illegally tie the knot around Australia .. in a bid
to break a Guinness World Record.

And the biggest illegal mass ceremony is set to coincide with Labor's national conference
in Sydney .. where Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD has said there'll be debate .. but no change.

However this year's National Day of Action will see thousands across the country showing
support for same sex unions.

Rally organiser JESSICA PAYNE says at least 60 per cent most Australians support same-sex
marriage .. so now's the time to remove the ban.



ALP (SYDNEY)

Today marks the honouring of former prime minister BOB HAWKE as just the third lifelong
member of the national Labor Party.

Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD's presenting the honour to Mr HAWKE .. one of the country's
most popular political and union leaders .. on the final day of the ALP national conference
in Sydney.

The only other life members are GOUGH and MARGARET WHITLAM.

Meanwhile .. a rally at the Darling Harbour conference site this morning protested
against the government's almost-completed takeover of Alice Springs town camps .. in exchange
for 100-thousand dollars spent improving living conditions .. and tackling crime .. violence
and substance abuse.

Also on the conference agenda are debates on climate change and the environment ..

immigration .. social change .. national security .. defence and foreign affairs policy
.. paid parental leave and the ALP's constitution and rules.



ALP Tanner (SYDNEY)

Finance Minister LINDSAY TANNER denies media claims the Labor Party's national conference
.. which ends in Sydney today .. has been made boring by tight control over proceedings
by the party's head office.

Mr TANNER says there's genuine accountability at Labor Party conferences .. because
members and delegates can talk directly to cabinet ministers about policy .. but debate
has to be managed to ensure all delegates can have a say.



Flu Piggery (SYDNEY)

Australia's first case of swine flu in pigs has been confirmed at a central New South
Wales piggery .. apparently caught from the owner and staff.

The state government says the piggery at Dunedoo has been quarantined .. and the authorities
say it's still completely safe to eat pork and pork products.

Staff at the site had previously shown flu-like symptoms .. and are also being tested
for swine flu.



Phil Aquino Arroyo (MANILA)

Philippines President GLORIA ARROYO has declared a 10-day national mourning period
for former leader CORAZON AQUINO .. who's died aged 76 after a battle with colon cancer.

AQUINO became president of a transitional government in 1986 .. after a bloodless "People
Power" revolt toppled dictator FERDINAND MARCOS'S 20-year regime.

She framed a new constitution .. overhauled the electoral process and opened peace
talks with insurgent groups.



Fiji (LONDON)

Fiji will be tossed out of the Commonwealth if it fails to commit within a month to
holding democratic elections next year.

Commonwealth ministers meeting in London spent seven hours debating whether to immediately
suspend Fiji .. amid outrage at the decision by the nation's military head FRANK BAINIMARAMA
to delay the election timetable yet again to 2014.



Briefly in other news ..



Westpac (SYDNEY)

Fixed home loans may not look so attractive next week .. with Westpac announcing its
increasing fixed mortgage rates.



NZ Honours (WELLINGTON)

New Zealand actor SAM NEILL says he's rejected a knighthood because the idea of a title
is too grand.

Titled honours were abolished by the Labour-led government in 1999 .. but the ruling
National Party has reinstated them .. however SAM NEIL says the title's not for him.



US iPhone (LAS VEGAS)

Apple says it's fixed an iPhone vulnerability that lets hackers knock people offline
.. and possibly take over their phones .. by sending them specially crafted text messages.



US Downloading (BOSTON)

A Boston University student's been ordered to pay 675 thousand dollars to four record
labels for illegally downloading and sharing music.



in Sport ..



Aths Prix Aust (MELBOURNE)

Victorian JEFF RISELEY has run the second-fastest 1000m ever by an Australian at the
Super Grand Prix in Stockholm overnight.

Two weeks before the world championships in Berlin, RISELEY slashed his personal best
by 1.4s to clock 2.17.35.

The Australian contingent delivered some promising results as the countdown to Berlin continued.

Flukey winds and a cool change limited STEVE HOOKER third in the men's pole vault on
a countback, jumping 5.61m.

SALLY MCLELLAN finished fourth in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.64s.



Golf PGA (GRAND BLANC, Michigan)

Australian golfer JOHN SENDEN held a two shot lead at the halfway mark of the Buick
Open but Tiger Woods was on the prowl.

WOODS fired an impressive nine-under par 63 on Friday, leaping into contention a day
after what he called one of the worst putting performances of his career.



Tennis Women (Los Angeles)

Australian SAMANTHA STOSUR has stunned US top seed Serena Williams 6-2 3-6 6-2 to reach
the semi-finals of the WTA Bank of the West Classic.

STOSUR snapped the 11-time Grand Slam champion's nine-match win streak and booked a
berth Saturday against the winner of a later match between Serbian fourth seed JELENA
JANKOVIC and French eighth seed MARION BARTOLI.



Tennis US (LOS ANGELES)

Australian qualifier CARSTEN BALL has continued his stunning run to reach the semi-finals
of the Los Angeles Open tennis tournament.

BALL, 22, overcame big-serving American JOHN ISNER 6-4 6-4.



Cricket Bangladesh (BASSETERRE, St Kitts)

Half-centuries from JUNAID SIDDIQUE and MAHMUDULLAH led Bangladesh to a three-wicket
victory, and a 3-0 clean-sweep of the one-day international series over West Indies on
Friday.



Boxing Gatti (MONTREAL)

Canadian boxer ARTURO GATTI'S body has been exhumed, and the Quebec coroner's office
will perform a new autopsy at his family's request.

Brazilian police say GATTI hanged himself from a staircase column on July 11 and until
Thursday .. police insisted it was a homicide and the boxer's wife was the primary suspect.

It was then ruled a suicide.



Netball Vixens (MELBOURNE)

Melbourne Vixens co-captain SHARELLE MCMAHON has topped off a stellar year by claiming
the side's best and fairest award.



Motor WRC (JYVASKYLA, Finalnd)

Ford driver MIKKO HIRVONEN has a lead of 3.3 seconds over Citroen's defending world
champion SEBASTIEN LOEB after the second day of the Rally on Finland.



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