AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 2

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AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 2Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130

UN Woomera Howard (CANBERRA)

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD says Australia's mandatory detention policy is the onlycourse of action the government can take in the national interest.

Mr HOWARD has backed comments from Immigration Minister PHILIP RUDDOCK that allowingwhole families of asylum seekers into the community will increase their likelihood ofabsconding.

He's told radio 3AW that if the opportunities for absconding were to be increased,it would create a magnet for more people to come to Australia.

Mr HOWARD says abandoning the current policy of mandatory detention would give peoplesmugglers the upper hand.

The government has been on the back foot over its detention policy after a United Nationsreport criticised conditions at the Woomera facility.

Woomera Ellis (SYDNEY)

Controversial author and speechwriter BOB ELLIS has gained access to the Woomera DetentionCentre by posing as a paralegal among a group of lawyers.

Mr ELLIS says he gained access to the centre earlier this week and spoke to 13-year-oldALAMDAR and 12-year-old MONTAZAR BAKTIARI.

The two boys escaped from Woomera and unsuccessfully sought asylum at the British Consulatein Melbourne last month.

Mr ELLIS told ABC radio that ALAMDAR told him he was like a fly in a bottle tryingto escape, even when it knew it couldn't.

ALAMDAR says there's nothing for them to do so they harm themselves.

And Mr ELLIS says he entered Woomera under his own name, with a tape recorder whichcould have been a bomb in his pocket, and he says this shows security is pretty useless.

Games Aust (MANCHESTER)

Australia has suffered two shock defeats at the Commonwealth Games -- both of themat the hands of England.

The first casualty was the Hockeyroos -- Australia's champion women's hockey team --beaten 2-1 by England in a semi-final of the competition for which they were favourite.

England's second upset win came in the pool where its women's 4x200 metre relay teamscored a stunning victory over Australia to take the gold medal.

It's the first time an Australian women's 4x200 metre has ever been beaten at the CommonwealthGames.

Australia has picked up five swimming golds at the pool, including a fourth to IANTHORPE, to maintain its standing as the leading swimming nation.

Meanwhile at the velodrome, the men's pursuit team of GRAEME BROWN, PETER DAWSON, MARKRENSHAW and LUKE ROBERTS set a world record in their gold medal-winning ride.

Despite the disappointments, Australia picked up 11 gold medals for the day, takingits total to 52 ahead of England's 39.

Qantas Strike Brown (SYDNEY)

Qantas expects to carry more than 80 per cent of its normal passenger capacity today,despite more than 6,000 of its staff walking off the job.

Qantas' KEVIN BROWN says while some flights have been cancelled, extra flights havebeen scheduled, larger aircraft used and some flights consolidated.

He says most disruption has been caused to domestic flights.

Mr BROWN says some Qantas staff turned up to work this morning and voluntary helpersare also on hand to assist passengers.

He says checkout counters at Sydney are averaging 15-minute delays.

He's urging domestic passengers to arrive half an hour early and international passengersto arrive an hour early.

The Australian Services Union is demanding five per cent annual pay increases overthe next two years as a reward for agreeing to an earlier pay freeze.

US Trade Vaile (CANBERRA)

Trade Minister MARK VAILE says Australia will move quickly to capitalise on increasedUnited States trade negotiating options.

The US Congress overnight passed legislation handing trade promotion authority -- orTPA -- to President GEORGE W BUSH.

This will allow Mr BUSH to negotiate trade agreements independently of Congress, whichwill retain only the right to accept or reject deals rather than amend them clause byclause.

Mr VAILE says Australia's gross domestic product could be boosted by as much as $4billion a year through a free trade agreement with the US.

Terror Hicks Howard (CANBERRA)

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD has given little hope for top-level intervention on behalfof DAVID HICKS, the Australian detained by the United States in its war on terrorism.

Mr HOWARD's told radio 3AW that given the circumstances of Afghanistan, detaining HICKSindefinitely without bail at the US base in Cuba is fair.

Yesterday, a US District Court judge ruled that the 600 men held at the base are notin the US and aren't under the jurisdiction of federal courts.

This ruling lets the military hold them indefinitely without charge.

Foreign Minister ALEXANDER DOWNER says Australia won't appeal against the decision.

US Worldcom (NEW YORK)

Two former WorldCom executives have been charged with hiding billions in expenses andlying to investors and regulators in a desperate bid to keep the company afloat.

Former WorldCom chief financial officer SCOTT SULLIVAN and former controller DAVIDMYERS surrendered to the FBI to face fraud charges in the latest blow to the now bankruptcompany telecommunications giant and corporate America.

A criminal complaint alleges that SULLIVAN directed MYERS to conceal about $A7 billionin expenses by dispersing the debts throughout the company's capital accounts.

The pair were dismissed from WorldCom in June after the company admitted it falselyaccounted for nearly $A7.39 billion in expenses, allowing executives to continue reportingprofits when the company was actually losing money.

Poll Tas Liberals (HOBART)

The Tasmanian Liberal Party is leaderless, with deputy leader DENISE SWAN becominga surprising casualty as counting for the July 20 state election nears its end.

In the electorate of Lyons, RENE HIDDING has come from behind on the back of otherLiberal preferences to pip Ms SWAN by 82 votes in the race for the party's only seat.

Ms SWAN was deputy to BOB CHEEK, who suffered a similar fate yesterday when MICHAELHODGMAN took the only Liberal seat in Denison.

Aust Stocks Open (BRISBANE)

The Australian share market has opened sharply weaker, with miner BHP Billiton, globalmedia giant News Corp and telco major Telstra all weighing on the local bourse after aslump on Wall Street overnight.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index opened 38.8 points or 1.26 per cent weaker at 3,038.6,while the all ordinaries dipped 35.7 points or 1.18 per cent to 2,988.4.

In New York, stocks buckled overnight, snapping a four-day rise in the broad market.

At 11.29am (AEST) the all ordinaries index was 28.7 points WEAKER at 2995.4 while theStandard & Poor's ASX/200 index was 31.6 points LOWER at 3045.9.

The Australian dollar CLIMBED to 53.93 US cents after closing at 53.85 US cents yesterday.

But the local currency was WEAKER at 54.65 euro cents from 55.26 euro cents yesterday.

Gold in Sydney ROSE $US2.55 to $US305.00 an ounce.

BRIEFLY........

Iraq has invited the chief UN weapons inspector to Baghdad for technical talks, asa possible step towards the resumption of arms inspections.

A mother accused of the suffocation murders of her four young children over a 10-yearperiod has pleaded not guilty in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD has given his backing to consumer defender ALLAN FELS, butsays some of the watchdog's decisions have gone too far.

Long-time Arnott's workers bid the Victorian factory a sad farewell today as the biscuitinstitution closed its doors in Melbourne for good.

A state funeral will be held today for Australia's last World War One light horsemanBERT WHITMORE in Barmera, in South Australia's riverland. Mr WHITMORE, South Australia'slast surviving World War One veteran, died last Friday aged 102.

AND IN SPORT........

US Skating (VENICE, Italy)

An alleged mobster arrested in Italy on charges of fixing skating results at the WinterOlympics could remain in jail for months as he awaits extradition to the United States.

US federal prosecutors in New York say they've charged Uzbek-born ALIMZHAN TOKHTAKHOUNOVover a scheme to fix two figure skating competitions at February's Salt Lake City gameson behalf of French and Russian competitors.

International Olympic Committee chief JACQUES ROGGE says he's appalled by the scandalwhile Russia's Olympic chief LEONID TYAGACHYOV has called the charges idiotic.

Golf Europe (STOCKHOLM)

Queensland golfer ADAM SCOTT has emerged from a form slump to move into contentionon the opening day of the Scandinavian Masters in Stockholm, Sweden.

SCOTT has carded a six under par 65 to be one shot behind Northern Ireland's GRAEMEMCDOWELL, who made eight birdies in establishing a new course record.

ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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