FED:Main stories in Thursday's AM program

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2011
FED:Main stories in Thursday's AM program

SYDNEY, Dec 22 AAP - Main stories in Thursday's AM program:

- Indonesian police are investigating accusations that three soldiers were involved
in helping people smugglers organise the final stage of an operation that led to the fatal
asylum seeker boat tragedy at the weekend.

- Health authorities in Britain and Australia have been attempting to ease concerns
about the safety of a brand of breast implants, after the French government considered
recalling them.

- The European Central Bank has taken more emergency action to protect the solvency
of the region's struggling lenders by handing out more than half-a-trillion Euros in cheap
loans.

- The federal government is under pressure to abandon its plans for an interest rate
cap for short-term and pay day loans, but a consumer group says there's evidence to support
such a move.

- A London company says it is boycotting timber products from Tasmania because of lobbying
by activists.

- The mourning for Kim Jong-il continues unabated in North Korea, but there are signs
emerging the transition of dynasty to his son Kim Jong-un may lead to real change.

- The pre-trial hearing for US Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, accused of
leaking top secret information to whistleblower website Wikileaks, is nearing a close.

- Syrian opposition leaders have called for emergency meetings at the UN Security Council
and Arab League to address the worsening violence in the country, following reports that
250 people have been killed since Monday.

- The Victorian government is banning poker machines with headphones because of concerns
they could help gamblers disconnect from reality.

AAP ra/jcd

KEYWORD: MONITOR ABC AM

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