AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 11

AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 11
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430


Nobel Obama Prize (OSLO)

US President BARACK OBAMA has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize .. uncomfortably acknowledging
his role as a leader at war .. while insisting that conflict can be morally justified.

OBAMA'S elevation to a pantheon of winners .. alongside the likes of NELSON MANDELA,
MOTHER TERESA and MARTIN LUTHER KING .. before he has even spent a year in office .. has
sparked international debate.

OBAMA told the audience he received the award with great humility .. saying his accomplishments
were slight compared to previous giants.



Nobel Winners (STOCKHOLM)

Australian-born scientist ELIZABETH BLACKBURN has received her Nobel prize from Swedish
King CARL GUSTAF XVI at a gala ceremony in Stockholm.

The formal event .. held as tradition dictates on the anniversary of the death of prize
founder ALFRED NOBEL in 1896 .. took place at Stockholm's Concert Hall.

Ms BLACKBURN .. Australia's first female Nobel laureate .. was among other 2009 Nobel
laureates to receive their prizes overnight.

The 60-year-old dual Australian/US citizen shared the Medicine Prize with JACK SZOSTAK
and CAROL GREIDER .. both of the United States .. for research into cellular ageing.



Climate Wong (CANBERRA)

Climate Change Minister PENNY WONG says Australia will push for the most ambitious
agreement possible at Copenhagen .. believed to be a 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.

But the federal opposition's finance spokesman .. BARNABY JOYCE .. says there's no
guarantee the coalition would even support a global agreement to cut emissions by 15 per
cent by 2020.

That's despite the coalition previously backing Labor's reduction target range of five
to 25 per cent.

Senator JOYCE has told Sky News the Coalition won't honour anything until it sees the details.



Summit Aust Numbers (COPENHAGEN)

Our leaders are under fire for the large contingent of Australian public servants sent
to the Copenhagen global climate change summit .. and the huge amounts of fuel burnt to
fly them.

The federal government is sending 95 federal representatives .. from Prime Minister
KEVIN RUDD down to bureaucrats .. doctors .. police .. a driver .. and someone to handle
baggage and passports.

And several states are also sending representatives.

Environmentalists say that's at least three-thousand hours of flying .. meaning huge
amounts of jet fuel burnt because of the long distance flown.



Climate Coal (COPENHAGEN)

As the world tries to strike a deal on global warming at Copenhagen, Australia is exporting
more coal than ever before.

Government figures show Australia .. the world's biggest coal exporter .. sold more
than eight billion dollars worth of coal to other countries in the September quarter alone.

Coal is one of the dirtiest ways of generating energy and some conservationists say
the world must wean itself off coal to avoid dangerous climate change.



Jobs Reaction (SYDNEY)

Yesterday's unexpected fall in the unemployment rate for November has buried any hope
of the Reserve Bank holding interest rate rises.

The next possible date is February 2 .. and it's expected the RBA will use the November
unemployment figure of 5.9 per cent to justify another increase in the base interest rate.

Opposition Shadow Treasurer JOE HOCKEY has already accused the government of spending
too much money on preserving jobs .. saying it'll drive up interest rates .. and eventually
cost jobs.



Unemployment in New South Wales has dropped slightly .. to six per cent .. in Western
Australia the jobless rate increased to 5.2 per cent from five per cent in November.

A record number of South Australians have jobs .. despite a modest rise in unemployment
in November from 5.5 per cent .. up from 5.3 per cent in October .. and the ABS says unemployment
in Queensland is up by 0.1 of a percentage point .. to 6.1 per cent.



Hospitals (CANBERRA)

Private hospitals pushing to carry out elective surgery procedures done in public hospitals
have used the release of a Productivity Commission report to back their case.

The Australian Private Hospitals Association says elective waiting lists could be wiped
out .. if the federal government pays the private sector to pick up the slack.

Chief executive MICHAEL ROFF says the commission report shows patient costs are lower
in private hospitals .. they're safer .. and already perform 60 per cent of all surgery
with lower infection rates.



Swim (SYDNEY)

The wife of former Olympic swimming coach TERRY BUCK has branded child sex abuse claims
against her late husband as lies and says his accuser was a had been family friend.

LARAINE BUCK has fired back at former Olympian GREG ROGERS .. who has renewed claims
that he and his brother were sexually abused by BUCK as swimmers in the 1960s.

She's told the Nine Network she's absolutely certain what's being said about her husband
of 40 years are lies.



Health Records (CANBERRA)

We'll all have our own electronic health record number by the middle of next year ..

if federal government plans go ahead.

The government has released draft legislation establishing the system .. that'll lead
to personal e-health records .. and slash 630 million off the health budget every year.

Federal Health Minister NICOLA ROXON says a national e-health system will allow health
providers to share patient records and improve care.



Hybrid (MELBOURNE)

Australia's car industry makes history today .. when its first locally-built hybrid-powered
car rolls off Toyota's Melbourne production line.

The cleaner .. greener Toyota Camry is the first market-ready hybrid car to be completed
at Toyota's Australian headquarters at Altona in Melbourne's west.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS:


UK Holt (MADRID)

A British quadriplegic yachtsman has left Spain's Canary Islands in a specially designed
boat .. in a bid to become the first disabled person to sail across the Atlantic.



Italy Abortion (ROME)

Italy has given a final go-ahead to the abortion drug RU-486 .. capping years of debate
and defying opposition from the Vatican.



Q150 (BRISBANE)

Queensland Governor PENNY WENSLEY has used the state's 150th birthday celebrations
to call for a closer focus on reconciliation .. during yesterday's Proclamation Day event
in Brisbane.



IN FINANCE:


Economy (CANBERRA)

The federal government is sticking with its unemployment forecast of 6.75 per cent
for next year .. even though another surprisingly strong jobs report has left economists
wondering whether it'll even hit six per cent.

The jobless rate unexpectedly fell to 5.7 per cent in November .. meaning 100-thousand
people have joined the workforce in the past three months.

Commonwealth Securities chief economist CRAIG JAMES says Australia has lived up to
its reputation as the Wonder From Down Under .. with Australia now having the strongest
economy in the developed world.



AND IN SPORT:


GOLF AUST (COOLUM, Qld)

Korean surprise packet MIN-KYU HAN will take a four-shot lead into the second round
of the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum after his course record nine-under 62 yesterday.

Queenslander RYAN HALLER is in outright second on five-under, with five Australians
a shot further back - STUART APPLEBY, MATT GRIFFIN, SCOTT STRANGE, ANDREW DODT and HENRY
EPSTEIN.



WC18 STADIUM (SYDNEY)

Football Federation Australia and the National Rugby League have both applauded a proposed
$150 million makeover of ANZ Stadium that would help soccer's bid to host the FIFA World
Cup.

A retractable and transparent roof over the stadium, changing the venue to a rectangular
shape and an extra 7,000 seats are all on the cards in a draft master plan development.



SHIELD NSW CLARK (SYDNEY)

New South Wales captain STUART CLARK has been forced to withdraw from the Sheffield
Shield match against Queensland starting today with a back injury.

CLARK experienced back pain after the Blues' one-day win at the Gabba and is expected
to be sidelined until the new year.



ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP

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