AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 5

00-00-0000
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 5Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130

Mideast Bush (WASHINGTON)

US President GEORGE W BUSH has sternly warned Israel and the Palestinians to strivetowards peace, ordering Secretary of State COLIN POWELL to the region next week to seekan elusive ceasefire.

Speaking at the White House, BUSH says progress is impossible when nations emphasisetheir grievances and ignore their opportunities.

BUSH has asked Israel to halt incursions into Palestinian-controlled areas and beginthe withdrawal from those cities it has recently occupied.

But he's also harshly criticised what he charges is Palestinian leader YASSER ARAFAT'Sfailure to fulfill his promises to renounce terrorism.

Meanwhile, Israel is struggling to consolidate its hold on the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

It's also pressing its siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity to flush out Palestiniangunmen.

And it's reacted cooly to BUSH's call a pullback of its forces, saying it won't withdrawuntil a ceasefire is in place.

In his first public response to the Israeli offensive, Egyptian President HOSNI MUBARAKsays the campaign won't produce security for its people, but will yield the hatred of300 million Arabs.

Mideast Bellringer (BETHLEHEM)

SAMIR IBRAHIM SALMAN -- who rang the bell daily at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem-- has been fatally shot.

He was shot while trying to cross the 100 yards from his house to the church builton the place where JESUS is said to have been born.

The church, one of Christianity's holiest shrines, has been the scene of a standoffsince Tuesday between Israeli troops and more than 200 armed Palestinians.

Stemcell Howard (CANBERRA)

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD has denied his plan to allow research on surplus IVF embryosis too restrictive.

Mr HOWARD will face a concerted push from state and territory leaders today to droprestrictions on the use of embryos and allow therapeutic cloning.

The states have also vowed to push Mr HOWARD to back down from moves to seek consentfrom donors and to limit the research to existing embryos, saying it draws an artificialand illogical distinction.

But Mr HOWARD denies his plan's too restrictive.

He told radio 2GB that there's something in the order of 60,000 to 70,000 surplus embryosavailable.

He says that on scientific advice, this will place no restriction on research.

Mr HOWARD's promised to review the plan after three years.

Premier STEVE BRACKS says Victoria will go it alone with its own stem cell researchlaws if Mr HOWARD doesn't offer a compromise at the leaders meeting.

And New South Wales Premier BOB CARR says conditions Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD hasattached to embryonic stem cell research could close down the science in the future.

COAG Crime (CANBERRA)

Crime and terrorism will be high on the agenda at today's Council of Australian Governmentsmeeting in Canberra.

Labor leaders have agreed on a 12-point plan to tackle terrorism and fight crime acrossstate borders.

Under the plan, the National Crime Authority would be scrapped and replaced by a newAustralian Crime Commission to fight organised crime.

The states will give the Commonwealth a leadership role in national terrorist situations,including threats to civil aviation, and work together to boost co-operation.

Lucas (CANBERRA)

The federal government says a replacement nuclear reactor will be built at Sydney'sLucas Heights.

Science Minister PETER MCGAURAN says the $300 million project will deliver medical,scientific and industrial benefits to the country.

Mr MCGAURAN says the reliable delivery of radioisotopes for the diagnosis and treatmentof cancer, along with ongoing research, is the primary role of the reactor.

He says the government had a clear choice between providing for more research or succumbingto minority groups and their protest actions.

Mr MCGAURAN says the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency issueda licence for the construction of the reactor.

RBA Economy (MELBOURNE)

Reserve Bank of Australia Governor IAN MACFARLANE says it is reasonable to expect interestrates will rise over the next 12 months.

It's Mr MACFARLANE's first public comment on monetary policy since the Reserve Bankthis week surprised economic commentators by not lifting official interest rates.

Most analysts now expect the central bank to move away from an expansionary monetarypolicy to a more neutral setting and hike interest rates by 25 basis points in May.

Tertiary AVCC (CANBERRA)

University chiefs have backed Reserve Bank Governor IAN MACFARLANE'S call for a liftin higher education standards.

In a wide ranging speech to a Melbourne Institute economic conference, Mr MACFARLANElast night said Australia wasn't keeping up at the cutting edge of higher education.

He said it was disturbing to read a recent assessment by the Melbourne University ViceChancellor that Australia no longer had a university that could be ranked in the top 100in the world.

The President of the Australian Vice-Chancellor's Committee, Professor DERYCK SCHREUDER,says he hopes a federal government review of higher education to be announced today willhelp solve the problems.

PollSA Hammond (ADELAIDE)

The Liberal Party will go ahead with a challenge against key South Australian independentMP PETER LEWIS in his regional seat of Hammond.

The party's executive voted last night to take their case to the Court of DisputedReturns following the February election result.

They believe Mr LEWIS misled voters by declaring, before the poll, that he would notsupport a Labor government.

After the poll Mr LEWIS backed Labor to give it a majority on the floor of parliamentand allow it to form government.

Mr LEWIS won his seat of Hammond by 822 votes.

Should the Liberal challenge succeed and a by-election be called, the Liberals couldretake government if they can unseat Mr LEWIS.

Boat Centre (BRISBANE)

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE says he wouldn't tolerate a Woomera-style detentioncentre in the state.

Federal Immigration Minister PHILIP RUDDOCK says a proposed facility -- set to be builtat Pinkenba in Brisbane's north-east -- will house people who arrive illegally by planeor who over-stay or breach visas.

Mr BEATTIE says the federal government's claiming it won't house boat people, but MrBEATTIE says he doesn't see how the 200 beds will be filled otherwise.

Coach (BRISBANE)

(EDS NOTE: NAMES OF THOSE CHARGED WITH CHILD SEX OFFENCES CANNOT BE PUBLISHED IN QUEENSLANDUNTIL THEY ARE COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.)

One of Australia's top swimming coaches has appeared in a Brisbane Magistrates Courtcharged over indecently dealing with two former swimmers in the 1980s.

The coach, who cannot be named in Queensland, arrived at court with his wife who wasjoined by two of the couple's friends as the five charges were read.

His solicitor PETER SHIELDS told the court he had instructions from the coach to enterpleas of not guilty on all of the charges.

Magistrate NOEL NUNAN has adjourned the case for a committal mention on June 17th.

The coach, who is on bail, refused to comment outside the court.

BRIEFLY......

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD says a plan by Australia's largest bank to close dozensof regional branches won't win it any friends.

Two Australians feared lost north of Siberia during an unassisted trek to the NorthPole have been spotted by a Russian supply plane.

The South Australian government is optimistic of securing and expanding Mitsubishi'sAdelaide operations after talks with the federal government.

FINANCE......

At 1120 AEDT the all ordinaries index was 18 points STRONGER at 3,340.9 points.

The Standard & Poor's ASX/200 index GAINED 19.3 points to 3,391.9.

The Australian dollar was buying 53.07 US cents, DOWN from yesterday's close of 53.13 US cents.

The Australian dollar was also trading at 60.40 euro cents, UP from yesterday's close of 60.26.

Gold in Sydney is trading $US1.90 LOWER at $US300.35 an ounce.

AND IN SPORT......

Swim World Aust (MOSCOW)

An ailing GRANT HACKETT has returned to anchor Australia to victory in the men's 4x200metres freestyle relay at the world short-course swimming championships in Moscow.

HACKETT had been laid low by a virus.

TODD PEARSON, RAY HASS and LEON DUNNE joined HACKETT to claim Australia's third goldmedal on day two, after MATT WELSH won the 100m backstroke and GEOFF HUEGILL the 100mbutterfly.

Cricket Aust (PORT ELIZABETH)

Batsman DARREN LEHMANN hopes to recover from a hamstring injury before Saturday's one-dayclash with South Africa in Port Elizabeth after missing Australia's series-clinching winin Durban.

LEHMANN is the only player in doubt for the sixth match as Australia tries to remainunbeaten in the final two matches of the series.

RICKY PONTING'S team has taken a four-nil lead and the captain says Australia is determinednot to slacken off before the final match in Cape Town next Tuesday.

Tennis Women (SARATOSA)

Top-seeded JELENA DOKIC of Yugoslavia has advanced to the Sarasota Open tennis quarterfinalswith an easy 6-1 6-0 win over Israel's Anna Smashnova here today.

Australian ALICIA MOLIK bowed out, beaten by Slovakia's JANETTE HUSAROVA 3-6, 6-0,6-2 while Russia's ANASTASIA MYSKINA outlasted France's MARY PIERCE 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).

ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

AAP RTV rp

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP