AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Feb 1

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2011
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Feb 1
EVENING ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


YASI WRAP (BRISBANE)

Weather forecasters say severe tropical cyclone Yasi is now on track for a direct hit
on Cairns .. where it is expected to make landfall about 1am (AEST) on Thursday.

They say it could still change direction .. but the latest modelling shows a direct
hit on Cairns is likely .. with possible landfall sites ranging from as far north as Cooktown
to as far south as Townsville.

Yasi is expected to be a category four .. with expected winds gusts of 250 or greater
.. but there are fears it could reach category five intensity with 300 kilometre winds.

Thousands of people .. including tourists .. are fleeing .. as homes .. hotels and
hospitals are being emptied .. while Yasi bears down on the north Queensland coast.

Premier ANNA BLIGH says lives could be lost.

Townsville .. Proserpine and Hamilton Island airports are expected to close after the
last flights today .. while the air force will take patients to Brisbane hospitals ..

which have been placed on code brown alert .. meaning some elective surgery will be cancelled
to make room.

People living in Port Douglas .. Yorkeys Knob .. Holloways .. Machans and Bramston
Beaches and the Cairns CBD have been told to move to higher ground.

As the cyclone approaches .. there's panic buying in Cairns .. and long queues for petrol.

And .. about 100 cats and dogs will board flights to safety today .. as the RSPCA moves
animals out of the path of the cyclone.



YASI INDUSTRY (SYDNEY)

Up to half of Australia's sugar crop could be lost and north Queensland banana growers
are set for more hardship as tropical cyclone Yasi nears the coast.

Ports have also been closed and the nation's largest rail freight company has suspended
operations on two coal lines.

Cane farmers have already been hampered by Queensland's wet weather and floods .. reducing
the size and value of the 2010 harvest.

The mining industry is also preparing to be impacted .. although many mining operations
are located well inland.



HEAT NSW (SYDNEY)

The big bake is under way in New South Wales .. with parts of the state sweltering
in 40 degree temperatures and forecasts of more hot weather on the way.

The temperature had hit 40 in Sydney's west and near Newcastle by 1pm (AEDT) .. and
will go higher by 3pm.

Penrith in Sydney's west and Williamtown just north of Newcastle are tipped to reach
about 42 .. while elsewhere .. temperatures have moved into the high 30s across New South
Wales.

The weather bureau says the hot weather is set to continue until Monday.



FLOODS GILLARD (SYDNEY)

Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD has again defended her government's decision to impart
a levy on taxpayers .. to pay for repairing damage arising from floods on Australia's
east coast.

Speaking at a business lunch in Melbourne today .. Ms GILLARD said her government is
a low taxing one .. but the floods call for new fiscal stringency.

Meanwhile .. it's been revealed about half the homeowners affected by the eastern
state flood disaster didn't have insurance cover.



SWIM THORPE (SYDNEY)

Speculation is mounting that Olympian IAN THORPE will announce a comeback to competitive
swimming tomorrow .. after a Sky News report today that Thorpe is expected to hold a press
conference in Sydney to reveal his swimming future.

THORPE .. the winner of five Olympic gold medals .. retired in 2006.

The 28-year-old was spotted training in a Sydney pool recently .. and Australian head
coach LEIGH NUGENT has confirmed he's been in regular contact.



RATES (SYDNEY)

The Reserve Bank has spared borrowers an interest rate rise today .. leaving the cash
rate at 4.75 per cent in a widely expected move .. citing low inflation and the temporary
adverse effect of the Queensland floods on the nation's economy.

Meanwhile .. figures out show the Australian house price index is up 0.7 per cent for
the December quarter.

This compares with a downwardly revised 0.3 per cent fall in the September quarter.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says in the year to September .. the house price
index rose 5.8 per cent.



ELECTRICITY SCRAP (SYDNEY)

The New South Wales Government has abandoned any further privatisation of the state's
electricity sector .. after the failure of the second tranche of a planned sale.

Premier KRISTINA KENEALLY says the matter has "ended" .. as the state looks ahead to
the March 26 election.

An angry Treasurer ERIC ROOZENDAAL has accused the opposition of scaring off bidders
for the second round of the state's power sale.



EGYPT PROTEST (CAIRO)

Egypt's military has pledged not to fire on protesters .. in a sign that army support
for President HOSNI MUBARAK may be unravelling.

The promise comes in the face of an escalating push for a million people to take to
the streets within 24 hours to demand MUBARAK'S resignation.

Meanwhile .. Australians are escaping strife-torn Egypt on Canadian evacuation flights
.. as hundreds more wait for the federal government's plane to arrive.

The government has chartered a Qantas 747 to evacuate Australians .. but the plane
won't arrive until Wednesday local time.



ASSANGE (BRISBANE)

The mother of WikiLeaks' founder JULIAN ASSANGE has launched a scathing attack on JULIA
GILLARD .. calling her a sycophant of the US.

CHRISTINE ASSANGE says Ms GILLARD's views about the whistleblower's activities are
costing the prime minister support within the ALP and among voters .. who see the democratic
value of his work.

She says Ms GILLARD's failed to show Australians she's a guardian of free speech ..

instead taking a fawning approach to satisfy Australia's key ally.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS . . .


ARGENTINA AUST (BUENOS AIRES)

Eight Australians are among 115 people on a cruise ship which has run aground on its
way back to Argentina from a visit to Antarctica.



WATERCRAFT (CANBERRA)

The federal government is pulling the plug on a 40 million dollar defence project to
build six landing craft .. which proved unsuitable.



IN SPORT ..



CRICKET AUST (SYDNEY)

Batsman CALLUM FERGUSON has been added to the Australian one-day squad for the final
two matches against England in place of SHAUN MARSH, who is carrying a hamstring strain.

FERGUSON had been preparing to play for South Australia in Saturday's domestic Twenty20
final .. but is now likely to start in the sixth game in Sydney.

Fast bowler SHAUN TAIT is also firming as a starter after testing his injured buttock
muscle in the nets over the past few days.



CRICKET WOMEN (SYDNEY)

Australia have named a 14-player squad for the remainder of the Rose Bowl limited overs
series against New Zealand.

The Women's National Selection Panel have made two changes from the Southern Stars'
line-up that regained the Ashes last month at Sydney's Bankstown Oval .. with ANNIE MALONEY
and CLEA SMITH coming in for ERIN OSBORNE and JULIE HUNTER.



AFL SAINTS (MELBOURNE)

St Kilda are overhauling their player development program as the AFL club reels from
the suspension of four players for drug and alcohol-related indiscretions.

Coach ROSS LYON said everyone at the club was shocked at the incidents involving ZAC
DAWSON, RHYS STANLEY .. PAUL CAHILL and JACK STEVEN at a recent pre-season camp in New
Zealand.

The quartet were suspended for six weeks and fined $5000 each for the misuse of alcohol
and prescribed medication .. as well as breaking a team curfew.



SOCCER ENGLISH TORRES (LONDON)

Chelsea have officially confirmed the signing of Spain striker FERNANDO TORRES from
Liverpool for a British record fee of 80 million dollars.



ENDS EVENING ROUND-UP


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