AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 10

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AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 10BREAKFAST ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430

LIBERALS (TASMANIA)

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD says national security, economic strength and social stabilityare the key issues for the next federal election.

Hitting campaign mode at the Tasmanian Liberal Council, he told delegates the governmentwill be happy to be assessed on its performance in all three areas at an election in 15to 18 months' time.

The timeframe appears to rule out any chance of a double dissolution election beforeMr HOWARD serves out his third term in power.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader SIMON CREAN has welcomed a reported proposal to convenea regional terrorism summit with Indonesia.

The Weekend Australian reports that Foreign Minister ALEXANDER DOWNER is to be in talkswith his Indonesian counterpart on a regional terrorism summit.

Mr CREAN has urged Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD to take personal responsibility for theterrorism talks.

Meanwhile, the Sun-Herald reports that experts with technical expertise are beingrecruited from government departments to form a new anti-terrorist unit.

IRAQ (BAGHDAD)

Residents of Iraq's second city of Basra have rioted and clashed with British troops.

The Basra rioting broke out after a grenade was hurled at a British military trucknear a gasoline station.

The soldiers fired in the air to ward off the crowd and then started to shoot off rubberbullets, wounding at least four Iraqis.

Meanwhile, the US military has announced the surrender of former interior ministerMAHMUD DHIYAB AL-AHMAD, number 29 of 55 former Iraqi officials on a US most wanted list.

And US President GEORGE W BUSH warns there is difficult work ahead, while at leasteight American troops were wounded in attacks around Iraq.

BUSH says SADDAM HUSSEIN'S legacy cannot be erased in 100 days.

And UN special representative for Iraq, SERGIO VIEIRA DE MELLO, has also called onArab states to give a chance to Iraq's interim Governing Council set up last month.

Meanwhile, Insurgents have vowed in a video that resistance won't subside anytime soon.

IRAQ AUST (CANBERRA)

One hundred days after the end of major combat in Iraq, Foreign Minister ALEXANDERDOWNER has praised the progress towards a brighter future for the Iraqi people.

Mr DOWNER says most hospitals, schools and universities have reopened, and water, electricityand sewerage services have been restored.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's Prime Minister MAHATHIR MOHAMAD says rich nations should payspecial taxes to help develop poor countries, to reduce poverty and help combat terrorism.

BALI TRIAL CARR (SYDNEY)

New South Wales Premier BOB CARR says capital punishment is wrong, but the Australiangovernment shouldn't ask Indonesian authorities for clemency in the case of convictedBali bomber AMROZI.

AMROZI has been sentenced to death by firing squad for his part in the October bombingat Kuta Beach which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Mr CARR says there's one iron-clad argument against capital punishment and that isthat the judicial system makes mistakes, and mistakes with capital punishment aren't reversible.

But he's stopped short of calling for AMROZI to be spared the death penalty, sayingit's up to Indonesian authorities to enforce their law.

Meanwhile, the man leading the campaign for a national compensation scheme on behalfof Bali bomb victims has warned the government that capping payouts at $50,000 would bean insult.

Adelaide magistrate BRIAN DEEGAN, whose son JOSH was killed in last October's blasts,says Australia should look to the United States and Israel and adopt a similar schemefor helping victims of terrorism.

US EPISCOPAL (LONDON)

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr PETER JENSEN says the appointment of an openlygay cleric as a bishop in the US has caused disunity, but won't split the church.

His statement comes as the fierce debate over the appointment of gay cleric GENE ROBINSONas a bishop for the state of New Hampshire rages on in the church of 70 million membersin 164 countries.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has announced an emergency summit of senior clergy tohead off a threatened split in the church.

But Dr JENSEN has told the BBC the appointment won't split the church, although hebelieves a majority of Anglican Christians are opposed to such appointments.

JAPAN NAGASAKI (TOKYO)

Prime Minister JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI has denied Japan will go nuclear as the city of Nagasakimarks the 58th anniversary of its atomic-bomb devastation.

KOIZUMI told the main memorial service in Nagasaki Japan will never change its positionon on the 35-year-old policy banning nuclear weapons on its territory.

And he says Japan will use all its might to work for the eradication of nuclear weapons.

KOREA NUCLEAR CHINA (SEOUL)

China's vice foreign minister says six-way talks aimed at ending the stand-off overNorth Korea's nuclear ambitions will start in the second half of this month.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency has quoted WANG YI as saying the talks will startbetween August the 15th and 31st, and the parties involved are discussing the exact date.

SPEED (SYDNEY)

A newspaper claims New South Wales police are issuing record numbers of speeding finesevery day, but motorists are refusing to slow down.

The Sunday Telegraph says excessive speed is responsible for almost half of the state'sfatal accidents.

It says Monash University Accident Research Centre academic BRIAN FLIDES says peopledon't believe speed is a problem.

GINGIN (BRISBANE)

Police are interviewing two men after the suspicious death of a man in a south-eastQueensland town.

The 54-year-old man was found with severe head injuries beside his truck at 1.20am(AEST) on Mulgrave Street, Gin Gin.

The truck had been parked in the town's main street and his body was found in the southboundlanes of the road.

Two men are being interviewed.

DRIVER (MELBOURNE)

Race car driver STEWART MCCOLL of Sydney has died in a crash at the Phillip Islandrace track south of Melbourne.

Twenty-three-year-old MCCOLL was driving a Volkswagen Golf during a practice sessionfor tomorrow's round six of the Procar Australian GT Performance Championship.

AND BRIEFLY . . .

Seven people have died after an explosion rocked a mine in east Turkey.

A car has driven into a petrol bowser at a service station, leading to a full emergencyat Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

AND IN SPORTS . . .

AFL WRAP (SYDNEY)

An awesome Adelaide has become the first interstate side to win in the west downingWest Coast by 24 points at Subiaco.

The Crows outclassed the undermanned Eagles from the opening bounce to keep their toptwo ambitions on track with the 13.13 (91) to 10.7 (67) win.

In other games Brisbane re-asserted its AFL triple premiership credentials and imperilledCollingwood's top four hopes with a comfortable 39-point win, 15.11 (101) to 8.14 (62).

And St Kilda honoured NATHAN BURKE and again shown its rich potential with an 80-pointAFL demolition of Richmond at Telstra Dome in Melbourne.

LEAGUE WRAP (Sydney)

Newcastle's season is back on track with a 60-24 demolition of North Queensland intheir National Rugby League match at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville.

The Knights played nearly the perfect first half of football to open up a 48-nil leadat the break.

In other games the Sydney Roosters scored a convincing 36-28 win over Cronulla in theirmatch at Aussie Stadium.

While a sideline conversion a minute from fulltime gave South Sydney a heart-stopping18-16 comeback win over Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

TRI NZ (DUNEDIN)

The All Blacks have wrapped up the Tri-Nations title, beating the Springboks 19-11in a hard-fought rugby Test at Carisbrook in Dunedin.

CRICKET ENGLAND (LONDON)

England's selectors have named three uncapped players in a 13-man squad for next week'sthird cricket Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge.

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KEYWORD: BREAKFAST ROUND-UP