AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Aug 10

AAP General News (Australia)
08-10-2008
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Aug 10
Evening Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


Oly08 Wrap (Beijing)

Australia's glamour girl STEPHANIE RICE has broken the world record in the 400m individual
medley to win Australia's first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

RICE has slashed 1.67 seconds off American KATIE HOFF'S world mark in stopping the
clock at 4 minutes 29.45 seconds.

Her gold was Australia's 400th summer Olympic medal.

The Aussies picked up a second medal in the pool when the women's 4x100m freestyle
relay won the bronze medal.

The foursome of CATE CAMPBELL .. ALICE MILLS .. MELANIE SCHLANGER and LIBBY TRICKETT
stopped the clock in three minutes 35.05 seconds to finish behind the Netherlands who
beat the USA for the gold medal.

But Olympic swim team captain GRANT HACKETT missed out on a medal in the 400 metres
freestyle .. finishing sixth behind South Korean youngster PARK TAE HWAN.

Outside the pool .. Australia's MICHAEL DIAMOND has survived a three-man sudden-death
shoot-off to make the final of the men's trap shooting .. while our Olympic equestrians
are off to a great start in the team eventing.

They're leading after the first of three disciplines .. the dressage .. going into
the cross country stage tomorrow.

Australian CHRIS GUCCIONE has suffered a first-round singles defeat at the Olympic
tennis tournament .. falling in straight sets to American eighth seed JAMES BLAKE.

In other Olympic news .. Greek sprinter KATERINA THANOU has been barred for her role
in a drug-testing scandal at the Athens Games four years ago.

The International Olympic Committee's announced the ban today .. after its disciplinary
panel investigated THANOU'S selection for the 100 metres for the Greek team.



Meanwhile .. the Australian Olympic Committee is urging Australian athletes and supporters
to wear team uniforms outside the Olympic village .. after an American was killed in downtown
Beijing yesterday.

The father in-law of the US men's volleyball coach was fatally stabbed by a Chinese
man while sight-seeing yesterday.

His wife was also seriously hurt in the attack .. which came a day after Australian
sports commentator STEVE ROBILLIARD had a stool hurled at him.

AOC boss JOHN COATES says Australians have been warmly embraced by local Chinese ..

but to be safe they should wear their national colours downtown.



Also making news ..



PollNT Wrap (DARWIN)

The Northern Territory's Chief Minister says he'll analyse Labor's poor performance
at yesterday's poll.

PAUL HENDERSON says his government's been sent a message .. and he's giving a commitment
to listen to what Territorians have said and act on those concerns.

Senior ministers declared their support for Mr HENDERSON this morning .. after Labor
suffered a massive nine per cent swing at yesterday's election.

The final result will depend on the outcome of the northern suburb of Fannie Bay ..

vacated by former chief minister CLARE MARTIN following her resignation from the top job
last year.

But the government may also depend on a UFO spotting former chicken farmer from the
outback .. who could hold the balance of power in a new Northern Territory government.

Last month GERRY WOOD .. the Independent member for Nelson .. told a local newspaper
he thought he saw UFOs flying over Howard Springs.

But now he's been propelled into the political spotlight.

With a hung parliament this close .. Mr WOOD's now avoiding questions about who he'll back.

He's told the ABC if it does happen .. he'll take due time to make sure he makes the
best decision for Territorians and for the Territory.



Murray SA (ADELAIDE)

Thousands of South Australians have braved a wet and chilly morning to rally near the
mouth of the Murray River .. to voice their concerns over the future of the dwindling
water source.

An estimated crowd of five thousand have marched across the Hindmarsh Island Bridge
at the small river town of Goolwa .. pausing briefly in the middle for two minutes' silence.

Alexandrina Council Mayor KYM MCHUGH says it was to underscore this 11th hour bid to
save the nation's greatest river.

The council's calling for the release of a minimum of 250 gigalitres of water from
upstream storages to prevent an environmental .. economic and social disaster in the lower
reaches of the river and the lower lakes region.



City2Surf Death (SYDNEY)

A young man has died just 200 metres from the finish line of the City2Surf running
race in Sydney.

Ambulance officers say the 26-year-old fell to the ground at Bondi Beach around 11
am (AEST) .. while thousands of runners were passing by on their way to completing the
14 kilometre race.



Bali Smith (CANBERRA)

Foreign Minister STEPHEN SMITH denies there's any contradiction in pleading for clemency
for Australian drug dealers on death row .. while allowing Indonesia to execute the Bali
bombers.

Federal Labor is opposed to the death penalty .. and cabinet's believed to have recently
debated whether it could argue more effectively against capital punishment if it publicly
opposes it in all cases.

Mr SMITH's told the Nine Network .. when an Australian overseas has been convicted
and is subject to capital punishment .. the government will make representations on their
behalf.



Georgia Wrap (TBILISI)

Russia and Georgia are locked in an escalating battle over South Ossetia .. with Tbilisi
accusing Moscow of pursuing a policy of annihilation .. by bombing cities across the country.

Officials say Georgian and Russian forces exchanged artillery fire overnight .. while
Russian planes have bombed the runway of a military airfield near Tbilisi international
airport.

US President GEORGE W BUSH has led a chorus of international calls to end to the bombardment
over fears the conflict .. which may have already claimed over two thousand lives .. might
spread to other parts of the volatile Caucasus region.

And .. UN Secretary General BAN KI-MOON has called for an immediate end to hostilities
.. urging all parties to exercise restraint .. as well as guarantee the safety and security
of UN military observers.



Briefly in other news ..




Queensland Opposition Leader LAWRENCE SPRINGBORG will announce a shadow cabinet reshuffle
later this week .. brought on by the formation of the Liberal National Party two weeks
ago.




Snow has fallen in the central tablelands of New South Wales this morning .. with the
temperature in Bathurst at nine (AEST) this morning 4.5 degrees .. while in Orange it
was 3.2 degrees.




And .. at least 125 people are dead or missing in mountainous northern Vietnam .. after
heavy rains brought by tropical storm Kammuri triggered widespread flash floods and landslides.



in Sport ..



AFL Kangaroos (MELBOURNE)

North Melbourne has beaten the second-placed Western Bulldogs by 20 points in the AFL
match at Telstra Dome.

The Kangaroos ambushed the Dogs early and held off two revivals to win 21.10 (136)
to 18.8 (116) win.

Midfielder BRENT HARVEY was outstanding with 27 touches and three goals.



League Raiders (CANBERRA)

The Raiders have thrashed Penrith by an astonishing 74-12 in the NRL game in Canberra.

Five-eighth TERRY CAMPESE scored 36 points with four tries and ten goals.



ENDS EVENING ROUND-UP

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