HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Feb 12

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2011
HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Feb 12

BRISBANE - Authorities will begin evacuated a major north Queensland hospital as tropical
Cyclone Yasi approaches, with army aircraft to take patients to hospitals in safe areas.

(Yasi Bligh 4th Update); See also Yasi Flights, Yasi Pets, Yasi Cooktown, Yasi Cyclones
factbox.

SYDNEY - Queenslanders have five distressing reasons to worry more about Cyclone Yasi
than they did about the devastating Cyclone Larry five years ago. Yasi is much larger,
is heading for more heavily populated areas, is likely to be even more ferocious, may
not be the last of the current weather system and threatens a state already reeling from
killer floods. (Yasi backgrounder by Senior Correspondent Doug Conway, 600 words, to come)

SYDNEY - Australia's largest rail freight company, QR National Ltd, has suspended operations
on two coal lines in Queensland in preparation for the impact of tropical Cyclone Yasi.

(Yasi Industry to come on finace wire)

Yasi Updates, Wrap to come. (Bligh media update 1530 AEST.)

CANBERRA - The federal government will provide more flights for Australians keen to
leave strife-torn Egypt. (Egypt Aust Rudd)

Egypt Aust Wrap to come.

SYDNEY - The central bank spared borrowers an interest rate rise, leaving the cash
rate at 4.75 per cent in a widely expected move. (Rates)

Updates and Economy Wrap to come.

Rates Economists to come on finance wire.

MELBOURNE - Prime Minister Julia Gillard has accused opposition leader Tony Abbott
of hypocrisy for opposing her government's proposed flood levy.(Floods Levy Gillard);
see also Floods Levy Bligh, Floods Insurance, Floods Parly, and Floods Qld Norman on sports
wire.

Floods Levy Wrap to come.

SYDNEY - NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal has accused the opposition of "scaring off"

bidders for the second round of his power sale, saying it had created a "poisonous commercial
environment". (Electricty Update)

Electricity Wrap to come.

BRISBANE - The mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says Julia Gillard must stop
being a sycophant to the United States, and guarantee he won't be handed over. (Assange
to come, with text of appeal for donations for legal fund.)

CANBERRA - The federal opposition has criticised the government's handling of a case
against an Australian citizen convicted of spying against China. (Sun Update)

Sun Wrap to come.

CANBERRA - A new mortar and rocket warning system, designed to give troops the extra
seconds they need to shelter from Taliban attack, is now operational in Afghanistan. (Afghan
Aust Mortar to come).

SYDNEY - A retired police prosecutor will investigate the bungle in which a Golden
Guitar went to the wrong artist at the 39th Country Music Awards of Australia. (Tamworth)

FINANCE

SYDNEY - Business confidence collapsed in December 2010 to an almost two-year low
as the nation braced itself for the extreme weather that left Queensland devastated, National
Australia Bank (NAB) says. (NAB Business)

SYDNEY - House prices rose marginally in the December quarter but showed continued
weakness in Brisbane and Perth, economists say. (Housing Economists); see also Housing
Broker to come.

SPORT

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.

(AFL Saints)

AFL Saints Wrap to come.

MORE bwl

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL

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