AAP National News Wire Round Up for Breakfast, April 4

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2001
AAP National News Wire Round Up for Breakfast, April 4
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


China Plane (WASHINGTON)

The United States has renewed calls for China to return its downed spy plane, but says
it is gratified Beijing finally permitted American envoys to meet the stranded crew.

US Secretary of State COLIN POWELL told reporters after the meeting he now hopes for
the rapid release of all of the 24 crew, and the rapid return of the airplane.

A US embassy official in Beijing says the US diplomats met the stranded crew 60 hours
after they had made an emergency landing on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, after
their US EP-3 Aries aircraft collided with a Chinese fighter.

US Ambassador to Beijing JOSEPH PRUEHER said in an interview with NBC he supposed the
Chinese had boarded the aircraft.

Chinese President JIANG ZEMIN says the US plane, in violation of flying rules, made
dangerous moves, bumped into and destroyed the Chinese plane, and caused the pilot to
go missing.

US officials say the EP-3 was on a regular patrol over international waters when it
was intercepted on Sunday by two Chinese fighter jets, one of which bumped a wing of the
US plane.



Beer (CANBERRA)

The Labor Party has accused the government of a beer backflip after agreeing to a deal
overnight to cut beer excise.

Opposition treasury spokesman SIMON CREAN says the government has been forced into
an embarrassing backdown on excise which should cut about 11 cents from a glass of beer.

The deal, forced on the government by the Democrats and Labor, which had threatened
to block a retrospective increase in excise, should lop up to 15 cents from the cost of
a low-alcohol beer.

It follows a pre-election pledge by Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD that the GST would not
increase the price of beer by more than 1.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, Casino operators have launched a checklist for safe online gambling as they
stepped up efforts to lobby the minor parties against supporting the government's partial
ban.

Legislation finalised yesterday will seek to to ban Australian gaming operators from
signing up local customers, but allow them to take bets from offshore gamblers.

The laws are expected to go before parliament tomorrow, the last sitting day before
a six-week break.



Economy (CANBERRA)

The flagging Australian dollar may get badly needed support this morning with the Reserve
Bank set to announce an interest rate cut.

Analysts are tipping a cut of 0.5 per cent which will bring interest rates down to five per cent.

Any move on rates will help an Australian dollar that slipped to another low on international
markets of 47.75 US cents.

Treasurer PETER COSTELLO has played up the export benefits of the low dollar, and argues
it is mostly due to the surge in support for the US dollar.

In London overnight, the battling Australian dollar closed above 48 US cents, as the
markets awaited an announcement on Australian interest rates.

But UK traders expect the dollar to continue to fall no matter what decision the Reserve
Bank of Australia announces on interest rates.

Some strategists have predicted the Aussie will dive below 44 US cents.

Back in Australia, "blue chip" Liberal and party donor RODNEY ADLER has told the Sydney
Morning Herald the Howard Government's so economically incompetent that Prime Minister
JOHN HOWARD was politically dead.

But, The Australian newspaper says Treasurer PETER COSTELLO has told his supporters
there will be no leadership challenge against Mr HOWARD before the next election.



US Hingis (MIAMI)

The Australian man accused of stalking MARTINA HINGIS today told jurors he understands
the tennis star may no longer love him.

He says she's probably found someone else while he's been in jail.

DUBRAVKO RAJCEVIC says he believed HINGIS had loved him because she smiled at television
cameras after winning a French Open match.

He says that smile came only hours after he sent her a fax telling her to smile more.

HINGIS was not in the courtroom today.

But RAJCEVIC, confident the jury will acquit him, asked his lawyer to bring a packed
bag to the courtroom this morning.

Closing arguments are expected later today.



France Nuclear (CAEN)

A French court has authorised authorities to begin unloading tonnes of spent Australian
nuclear fuel from a ship docked in northern France.

Overturning a lower court ruling, an appeals court in the Normandy town of Caen said
that France's COGEMA, which treats nuclear waste, could unload the shipment from Le Bouguenais.

The ship has been docked for weeks in the port at Cherbourg during a legal battle that
has pitted the environmentalist group Greenpeace against French nuclear authorities.



Mideast Attack (GAZA)

Witnesses say Israeli helicopter gunships have pounded Palestinian targets in the Gaza
Strip, hours after a Palestinian mortar bomb attack wounded an Israeli baby in a nearby
Jewish settlement.

The witnesses say the helicopters fired missiles at targets near Gaza City, and attacked
a security compound near Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Earlier, a 10-month-old Israeli baby boy was critically wounded and his mother slightly
hurt when three mortar bombs slammed into the Jewish settlement of Atzmona, near Rafah.



BRIEFLY:



Tests due later today will confirm if Germany has its first case of foot-and-mouth disease.



The federal government has cancelled all ongoing Telecard telephone accounts for federal
MPs and Senators in the wake of last year's Telecard affair involving Defence Minister
PETER REITH.



New South Wales will become the first state to close a loophole in credit laws, preventing
so-called pay day loan sharks from charging interest rates of up to 1,300 per cent.



Commonwealth Securities chief economist CRAIG JAMES says the Australian dollar lags
only the Turkish lira and the Rwanda franc in terms of the decline against the US dollar.



AND IN SPORT


Cricket Aust (VISAKHAPATNAM)

Australia has levelled the five-match one-day cricket series against India with a 93
run win in game four in Visakhapatnam.

Chasing Australia's massive score of four for 338, India was dismissed for 245 with
five overs left.

STEVE WAUGH and SHANE WARNE both claimed three wickets each after MATTHEW HAYDEN and
RICKY PONTING earlier scored centuries for the tourists.



League Origin Qld (BRISBANE)

Queensland State of Origin coach WAYNE BENNETT has put 12 players on notice they could
pull on a Maroon jumper for the first time next month.

Queensland selectors have compiled a preliminary Origin squad of 22 players which they
can either add to or delete from before finalising their 17-man Maroons squad on April
29.



League Anderson (SYDNEY)

Test coach CHRIS ANDERSON will reject advances from at least two other National Rugby
League clubs to join the Sharks.

ANDERSON'S manager GEORGE MIMIS has revealed at least three premiership clubs have
expressed interest in signing the former Melbourne mentor but he's hinted a deal with
the Sharks is all but complete.



AFL Tribunal (MELBOURNE)

Hawthorn's AARON LORD will find out today if he has to face the AFL tribunal over an
off the ball incident involving Collingwood's PAUL LICURIA.

Geelong last night suffered a double blow with forward CAMERON MOONEY suspended for
two weeks and recruit JUSTIN MURPHY for Sunday's match against St Kilda.



Super NSW (SYDNEY)

Coach BOB DWYER has dropped three players for disciplinary reasons from his New South
Wales team to play the Highlanders in the Super 12 rugby match in Dunedin on Saturday.

DWYER says winger BRENDAN WILLIAMS and bench forwards DREW HICKEY and FILI FINAU all
overstepped the mark by being late for training three times.

WILLIAMS has been dropped to the bench while HICKEY and FINAU have been omitted from
the 22-man squad.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP
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