Jdo: Japan's Uchishiba wins Olympic judo gold

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2004
Jdo: Japan's Uchishiba wins Olympic judo gold

ATHENS, Aug 15 AFP - Masato Uchishiba of Japan won the Olympic judo gold medal in the
men's 66kg category here Sunday, defeating Slovak Jozef Krnac in the final.

Georgi Georgiev of Bulgaria and Cuba's Yordanis Arencibia won bronze.

AFP rca

KEYWORD: OLY JDO MEDAL 4

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA: Salinity threat still looms, despite $158 million boost

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2004
WA: Salinity threat still looms, despite $158 million boost

Conservationists say large tracts of Western Australian farming land are still in danger
of being lost to salinity.

The state government has committed $158 million to battle the problem.

And Premier GEOFF GALLOP says Western Australia will contribute to the National Action
Plan on Salinity and Water Quality.

The contribution will be matched by the federal government, resulting in $316 million
for the salinity program over five years.

But although the Conservation Council of Western Australia says the money will be wasted
without accompanying land clearing regulations.

Salinity affects about 1.8 million hectares of land in the state's south-west, costing
more than $600 million a year.

AAP RTV tc/hn/mj/as

KEYWORD: SALINITY WA (PERTH)

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Power supplies should be back today

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2004
Qld: Power supplies should be back today

BRISBANE, Feb 1 AAP - Queenslanders still without power after the violent storms of
the past week should be reconnected today.

More than 120,000 homes were left blacked out after Friday's violent storm at about
4.30pm (AEST) with crews from distribution corporation Energex working long hours to repair
damaged power lines.

A spokeswoman for Energex said after another night of work more than 97 per cent of
those affected have had power restored.

"We've got about 3,400 customers still without power and we are hopeful that they should
be reconnected by lunchtime today," the spokeswoman said.

She said helicopters were being used to patrol main power lines around Brisbane to
check for any further damage.

Many Energex staff worked 18-hour shifts in the wake of the storm and additional workers
were brought in from NSW power companies Country Energy and Energy Australia and regional
Queensland company Ergon.

Extra State Emergency Service (SES) teams were also enlisted from outside Brisbane
to help with the storm clean-up.

The Weather Bureau has forecast another fine day for the south-east of the state today,
but warns there is a possibility of thunderstorms developing tomorrow.

A helpline has been set up for people affected by the storms.

Families Minister Judy Spence said the helpline, 1800 440 074, began operating from
8am (AEST) today.

Ms Spence said anyone suffering personal hardship as a result of the storms could contact
the helpline.

"Some people have had their homes damaged, but many more have been without power and
may be in need of essentials like food and medicines which have spoiled in the heat,"

Ms Spence said.

"I am particularly concerned about the elderly, people with a disability and pensioners
who might not be able to replenish their supplies."

Ms Spence said anyone who was concerned about the welfare of a neighbour, relative
of friend should check on them or call the hotline on their behalf if they needed assistance.

National counselling service Kids Helpline is back in business today after falling
victim to the power blackouts.

A spokeswoman for the service said it was estimated between 3,000 to 4,000 phone calls
from children in need had been missed.

The nationwide service operates from suburban Milton in Brisbane and was without power
for 24 hours.

A spokeswoman said power had been restored overnight after Energex lifted their priority
on the repairs list and the service was operating again.

"We are operating again and it's just as busy as ever," a spokeswoman said this morning.

Yesterday a spokeswoman said Kids Helpline had been surprised to find that power company
Energex classified them as a business rather than as an emergency service.

Friday's storm killed one man and left two people, including a child, in hospital.

The 50-year-old farmer died on his Gympie farm and police believe he may have suffered
a heart attack.

Two Korean girls, one aged nine and the other six, were trapped by falling trees at
the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus in Brisbane's inner-west. They were taking
a tour of the university's Great Court when the trees were uprooted and toppled on them.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Brisbane Hospital said the nine-year-old remained in a
critical condition late yesterday, while the six-year-old escaped uninjured.

A woman was also taken to hospital with respiratory problems after the roof was blown
off a hostel in inner-suburban New Farm.

AAP jfs/jv/jlw

KEYWORD: STORMS QLD DAYLEAD

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Rudd signals he wants a domestic portfolio

AAP General News (Australia)
12-02-2003
Fed: Rudd signals he wants a domestic portfolio

CANBERRA, Dec 2 AAP - Labor's foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said today he was
happy in his job but flagged his credentials for a high-profile domestic portfolio.

Asked if he wanted the shadow treasury role, Mr Rudd replied: "Great question and I'm
not going to answer that".

But he said he had experience in economic and social domestic roles and he would feel
relaxed in such a position.

"I am happy doing foreign policy but in previous work that I've done, particularly
in Queensland, I've worked primarily on domestic policy, both economic and social," Mr
Rudd said.

"So I'm pretty relaxed about what I end up doing."

MORE sm/sb/was

KEYWORD: LABOR RUDD

2003 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Annual Lest we Forget to start

00-00-0000
Vic: Annual Lest we Forget to start

The annual Lest We Forget run is on today, with 60 fun runs taking place simultaneouslyaround the country.

The event organised by Athletics Australia and the RSL aims to provide people withanother opportunity to commemorate the Anzac spirit.

Organisers say 5,000 people took part last year and similar numbers are expected today.

Athletics Australia chief executive SIMON ALLATSON says the five-mile run is the samedistance the Anzacs were required to capture upon landing at Gallipoli.

In Melbourne, the run starts at 8.55am (AEST) at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

AAP RTV kh/jmt

KEYWORD: ANZAC RUN (MELBOURNE)

Meetings today in a bid to head off teachers' strike

00-00-0000
Meetings today in a bid to head off teachers' strike

Queensland government negotiators will meet with teachers today in a bid to head offindustrial action that's threatening to disrupt classes.

Teachers at some schools have already held stop work meetings during class time overtheir ongoing pay dispute.

And more such meetings have been threatened for today and tomorrow, with other schoolslining up for next week.

Today's negotiations come ahead of tomorrow's face-off at the Industrial RelationsCommission over the wage dispute.

The union wants a rise of eight per cent a year, 17.5 hours of student contact timeper week and assurances over class sizes and behaviour management.

The government has offered a pay rise of 3.5 per cent a year.

Industrial Relations Minister GORDON NUTTALL says the teachers' claim is unrealistic.

But Queensland Teachers' Union president JULIE-ANN MCCULLOUGH says teachers are preparedto fight for their demands, warning a state-wide day of action within a few weeks is areal possibility.

AAP RTV ch/tnf/jas

KEYWORD: TEACHERS (BRISBANE)

Qld: Doctor with drug addiction was cooking morphine in hotel

00-00-0000
Qld: Doctor with drug addiction was cooking morphine in hotel

A country doctor has escaped a jail term after admitting to cooking up life-threateningdoses of pain killers in a hotel drug lab and injecting them in a park.

Brisbane's Magistrates Court was told HENRY WILLIAM CAUDLE's life had hit rock bottombecause of a morphine addiction which prompted his suspension from practising as a doctor.

The 29-year-old was given a two-year suspended jail term in the District Court lastweek after pleading guilty to prescribing himself more than 3,000 tablets of morphineand other drugs to cope with a spine injury.

CAUDLE developed a morphine habit during a 14-month stint in the outback towns of Longreachand Collinsville and in Townsville.

After undergoing a rehabilitation program CAUDLE moved into hotel rooms with drug addictsin Brisbane's inner-city.

Police caught him injecting potentially fatal doses of morphine in a city park.

CAUDLE has pleaded guilty to tainted property, drug possession and drug production charges.

Magistrate ALEC CHILCOTT sentenced CAUDLE to six-months' jail but suspended the termafter hearing he's on the waiting list for a drug rehabilitation clinic.

AAP RTV ap/jhm/rp

KEYWORD: CAUDLE (BRISBANE)