AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 17

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 17
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Summit Wrap (COPENHAGEN)

Australia's signed up to a deal to protect forests in neighbouring countries .. one
of the first agreements reached at the ailing Copenhagen summit.

Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD announced Australia would provide 120 million dollars over
three years .. to be used from next year to protect forests in countries like Indonesia
and Papua New Guinea from being logged.

Australia's also one of 20 countries that will pool scientific efforts and train researchers
in developing countries.

The US will fund the research to the tune of almost 100 million dollars .. to find
out how to slash greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

While a major agreement still appears a long way off .. some of the issues surrounding
money may have been resolved.

Until now .. rich and poor countries have furiously disagreed on the amount .. but
in a significant development .. African countries have agreed with figures put forward
by some rich countries.

Speaking on behalf of the African Group .. Ethiopian prime minister MELES ZENAWI says
11-billion dollars should be provided each year .. rising to 55-billion by 2015 and 110-billion
by 2020.

Japan has offered 21.5 billion dollars to developing nations .. more than half of the
money designated to assist developing nations .. a key sticking point at the conference.



Flights (SYDNEY)

Qantas and Jetstar engineers have begun a rolling strike .. saying they're overworked
and often getting less than four hours sleep between jobs.

The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia says the
strikes began at 6am (AEDT) .. by heavy maintenance engineers from Sydney .. Brisbane
and Avalon airports.

It says the strike has been carefully planned .. to avoid disruption to travellers
over the Christmas period .. but could continue for up to five business days .. with more
industrial action planned throughout the month and into January.



UK BA (LONDON)

British Airways passengers will learn later today whether a court in London will block
a planned 12-day strike by the airline's cabin crew staff over Christmas.

The hearing will resume in London at 9pm (AEDT).



Ranaudo (CANBERRA)

A defence inquiry into the death of Private BENJAMIN RANAUDO has found the Australian
soldier died instantly from a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan.

22-year-old Private RANAUDO was a member of the 2nd Mentoring and Reconstruction Task
Force .. when he died on July 18 while serving in southern Afghanistan.

Another Australian soldier was badly wounded in the blast .. and three Afghan civilians
also sustained injuries.



Golf Woods (NEW YORK)

American media reports say ELIN NORDEGREN will divorce TIGER WOODS over the the sex
scandal that has halted the golfing billionaire's career.

ABC News .. NBC News and People magazine have all cited unnamed sources close to NORDEGREN
.. the Swedish model who married WOODS in 2004.

He's admitted infidelity and at least 14 women are said to have had affairs with the golf icon.



Bushfires NSW Wrap (SYDNEY)

Total fire bans are in place for much of New South Wales .. which is facing another
day of hot and windy conditions.

Five major fires are burning across the state .. including blazes at Windsor Downs
in the Hawksbury region .. and in the Gross Valley in the Blue Mountains.

Other fires of concern are burning in the New England/Northern Tablelands region.

Meanwhile .. police say a fire which destroyed livestock and scorched hundreds of hectares
of bushland near Bathurst in central west NSW earlier this month was deliberately lit.



Laurence (MELBOURNE)

Tropical Cyclone Laurence has weakened overnight .. but authorities are still warning
residents in its path of its destructive winds.

The West Australian town of Derby remains on red alert as the cyclone continues on
its southerly track .. slowing to a category 3 storm and expected to be downgraded again
to a category 2 in the next few hours.

JAMES ASHLEY .. a forecaster at Perth's Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre .. says Laurence
is still strong enough to do some damage .. and people shouldn't get complacent about
it.



US Microsoft (SAN FRANCISCO)

Microsoft has crafted new software it says can be used to battle child pornography
on the internet.

The company's giving the special software called PhotoDNA to the US National Centre
for Missing and Exploited Children .. allowing it to pinpoint identifying characteristics
in digital images which can be scanned on computers.

PhotoDNA reliably identifies pictures even if size .. colouring or other characteristics
have been altered .. as is common on the internet.

The NCMEC will use PhotoDNA to collect the worst of the worst child pornography images.



Med Santa (PARIS)

Santa might be on his own naughty list this year .. with a new study saying jolly old
Saint Nick should get off his sleigh and walk .. because he's promoting an unhealthy lifestyle.

Researchers from Melbourne's Monash University say Father Christmas should also lay
off the brandy and mince pies .. and could instead share the carrots and celery sticks
often left for his reindeer.

The study also questions his drinking .. saying the brandies often left for him would
mean that with a few billion houses to visit in one night .. he'd soon be driving his
sleigh over the limit.



Briefly in other news ..



ATAR (SYDNEY)

More than 50 thousand HSC students are finding out today if their results are good
enough to get them into the university course of their choice.



Centaur (BRISBANE)

Shipwreck hunters involved in the search for sunken WWII hospital ship Centaur have
found two targets of interest.



Population ACT (CANBERRA)

Canberra's population has tipped over the 350 thousand mark and is expected to grow
to 400 thousand by 2022 .. and 500 thousand by 2050.



US Hall (WASHINGTON)

ABBA will be inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March at a ceremony
in New York .. along with The Hollies .. Genesis .. reggae's JIMMY CLIFF and punk rockers
the Stooges.



Jackson Auction (LONDON)

The hat and shoes .. worn by MICHAEL JACKSON in a landmark 2001 performance in New
York .. have sold at auction in London for more than 40-thousand dollars.



Sci Planet (PARIS)

Astronomers have discovered a new earth-like planet .. which is larger than our own
and might be more than half covered with water .. but too hot to sustain life as we know
it.



in Finance ..




At 1117 AEDT .. the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was UP 8.6 points at 4,670.5 .. while
the broader All Ordinaries Index was UP 8.9 points at 4,685.

The Australian dollar was at 89.96 US cents .. UP from yesterday's local close of 89.87 US cents.

The spot price of gold in Sydney was $US1,139.83 .. UP $US16.05 from $US1,123.78 per
fine ounce yesterday.



in Sport ..



Cricket Aust (PERTH)

Australia will resume its first innings in the third cricket test against the West
Indies at the WACA in a strong position this afternoon (AEDT) AT THREE FOR 339.

MIKE HUSSEY is unbeaten on 81 ... with fellow West Australian MARCUS NORTH on 23.

Skipper RICKY PONTING's expected to be able to bat again after retiring hurt on 23
after being struck on the left elbow by Windies paceman KEMAR ROACH.



Soccer AL SydFC (SYDNEY)

Sydney FC marquee man JOHN ALOISI is still a major doubt for Saturday's blockbuster
A-League clash with Melbourne Victory.

The former Socceroo missed the Sky Blues' one nil win over Wellington last week and
is yet to train this week .. with coach VITEZSLAV LAVICKA saying he'll make a decision
tomorrow on whether to play the striker against the league leaders.



League Eels (SYDNEY)

Parramatta superstar JARRYD HAYNE has finalised a new four-year deal with the NRL club.

The 21-year-old will sign the contract this evening at a shopping centre appearance
at Rouse Hill in Sydney's west.

HAYNE was off-contract with the Eels in 2011 but the new deal, reportedly worth $500,000
a year plus third party deals, will tie him to Parramatta until the end of 2014.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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